Today is Tuesday, May 12, 2026
The Whitewater Boys’ Basketball Team had a rough end to 2021 last week, losing to two non-conference opponents. On Tuesday, December 28, Monona Grove defeated the Whippets 77-55. Monona Grove took control of the game towards the end of the first half and never looked back. Their balanced scoring and 43-23 rebounding advantage were too much for Whippets to overcome. Whitewater was led by Wyatt Nickels (20 points), Sam Brown (11 points), and Jake Hintz (8 rebounds).
On Thursday, December 30, Elkhorn outscored Whitewater 83-65. The end of the first half, again, was a problem time for the Whippets, as Elkhorn turned a back and forth game into a 16-point lead in the last six minutes. Wyatt Nickels again led Whitewater with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Jake Hintz chipped in 17 points on five 3-pointers, and Sam Brown added 10 points, but it wasn’t enough as Elkhorn maintained that lead throughout the second half, led by Drew Davey’s 41 points.
The Whippets next play at Clinton on Tuesday, January 4th, and Friday, January 7th, at McFarland.
Article Submitted by Dwayne Lange
Photo Courtesy of Peter Mischka
The Whippet Wrestling Team had the opportunity to host and participate in the Mid-States Wrestling Classic held at UWW on December 27 and 28. This is a long-standing tournament that has been going on for over 40 years and has some of the top talent from Wisconsin and Illinois participating. This year this talent consisted of 38 teams partaking in the very talented pool.
This year the Whippets all wrestled well with 5 of the 12 competitors, CJ Tomomitsu, Connor Friend, Marcus DePorter, Carter Friend, and Mason DePorter, reaching day two of competition.
CJ Tomomitsu wrestled very well throughout the tournament. We have continued to see progress from him, and it was exciting to see him have success against tough competition as he finished in 10th place.
Connor Friend had some good matches and would show some areas of his youth and dropped some matches, although he wrestled well. In the end Connor finished in 12th place.
The Mid-States Classic honors the top 8 wrestlers in their weight class on the podium at the end of the night. This year, Whitewater claimed 3 top eight finishers.
Marcus DePorter wrestled a very good tournament, going 5-3 on the weekend to claim 8th place.
Carter Friend was in a very competitive 170 lb weight class and was able to reach the semi-finals, dropping his match to a tough student from McHenry, Illinois. He was able to close out the tournament with a well wrestled match to finish in 5th place. Over the course of the tournament Carter achieved his 100th win, which is a great milestone for wrestlers!
Mason DePorter wrestled very well throughout the day. He lost a very close quarterfinal match, 8-7, that came right down to the end. Mason came back strong and won 2 of 3 on day two to finish the tournament in 7th place, after going 5-2.
Overall the coaching staff was happy with how the entire team wrestled as this is a very competitive tournament and if you are not up for it, it can be a short-lived competition. We felt the team was ready to wrestle and just missed out having a few more advance to day two. This tournament also exposes areas we need to work on as we move onto the second half of the season.
Article Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whitewater Boys’ Basketball Team used an aggressive defense and some efficient shooting to defeat Jefferson 57-40, last Friday, December 17.
The Whippets took control of a back and forth game late in the first half to build a 32-20 halftime lead. Jefferson closed the gap early in the second half, but Whitewater quickly pushed the lead back to double digits in their most consistent effort of the season.
Whitewater was led in scoring by Jon Aron with 21 pts and Jake Hintz with 13 pts. Wyatt Nickels’ double-double of 12 pts and 10 rebounds and Sam Brown’s 10 assists contributed to the all-around team effort.
The Whippets next play at home Tuesday, December 28 (JV at 1 pm and Varsity following) and Thursday, December 30 (JV at 4:30 and Varsity at 6).
Article Submitted by Dwayne Lange
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Former Whippet Ben Heller was recognized for his career achievement of making it to the Major Leagues on Friday evening, December 17, during halftime of the boys’ basketball game.
Ben Heller with Coach Dan Gnatzig 
Ben Heller with Coach Ron Sdano 
Ben Heller with Jersey that will be hung in the gym.
According to Coach Michael Hookstead, “It was a great night that Ben said he will never forget, and he was honored with all the support shown.”
Before the ceremony Friday evening, all athletes had the chance to listen to Ben speak about his journey. Ben then allowed for a little Q&A session with the student athletes. Coach Hookstead added, “Ben said that it was a privilege to come in and speak to the student athletes.”
Article and Photos Submitted by Michael Hookstead
Whitewater High School Head Baseball Coach
mhookstead@wwusd.org
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