Hometown Hero - Aquinas High School Basketball Team
Photo by Rory O’Driscoll of the La Crosse Tribune
This week’s hometown heroes are Coach Rick Schneider and the Aquinas High School boys basketball team. On March 9th, the Blugolds won the WIAA Division III High School State Championship, defeating Lodi High School 53-48. The championship was held in Madison at the Kohl Center and was televised across the state.
As an Aquinas alumni, I can’t help but be proud of the Blugold boys and their incredible performance at state. This is the fourth WIAA Division III state title for Aquinas.
Throughout the season, Head Coach Rick Schneider and the whole Blugold team have consistently thrilled their fans, inspired their student body and brought pride to the greater La Crosse community. And, of course, given their state representative bragging rights in the Assembly.
Coach Schneider credits the leadership of the team’s seniors with the perseverance of spirit which brought the 24-4 team to Madison for the championship. Their dedication to their team inspired all the players to keep going even when facing tough opponents like Lodi.
But the boys aren’t the only Aquinas basketball team to dominate on the court. The girls basketball team made it to the WIAA Division 3 sectional semifinals where they put up a strong fight against Neillsville, but ultimately came up short. The team had a 20-6 season record and an 8-4 record within the Mississippi Valley Conference.
Congratulations to you and your team, Coach Schneider and the entire Aquinas basketball program on an impressive season. Keep up the good work and continue to be Hometown Heroes.
Hometown Hero is a weekly feature put together by Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska). If you have any suggestions of a Hometown Hero, send a short description of why you think this person should be a Hometown Hero and contact information of both you and the nominee to rep.doyle@legis.wisconsin.gov.