This story is sponsored by: All Insurance of Marshfield
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Columbus Catholic boys basketball team went undefeated in the Cloverbelt Conference East Division a season ago, the fourth time in the past seven seasons that the Dons have won outright or shared the conference championship.
With leading scorers Hunter Schultz and Tyler Fuerlinger back in the lineup, along with guard Nick Malovrh, the Dons have their eyes on repeating.
Fuerlinger, a first-team all-conference performer last year, and Schultz, a second-team all-Cloverbelt East pick, both averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game for the Dons. Both return for their third year as starters for a team that finished 21-4 overall and 16-0 in the Cloverbelt East, and lost in a WIAA Division 5 regional final to Almond-Bancroft.
Malovrh averaged 10 points per game last year as a sophomore, senior Charles Payant returns after seeing limited playing time, and senior guard Ryan Dieringer is also back after not playing last season after battling cancer.
A pair of sophomores – Jarred Mandel and Ethan Meece – and junior Noah Hansen have found spots in the early-season rotation.
“We have a lot of depth at the guard position, even some sophomores that don’t get varsity minutes. We have a number that can handle the ball and score,” 12-year head coach Joe Konieczny said. “It’s a very nice thing to have as a coach. If two or three guys aren’t shooting the ball well, you still have two or three guys that can.”
Juniors Peyton Nystrom, Matt Olson, Nick Hutchison and Karak Bushman, and sophomores Bryce Fuerlinger and Noah Taylor round out the Columbus roster.
Konieczny said the Dons have worked hard to make this season as special as last year.
“They put in a lot of time,” Konieczny said. “You see those guys knocking down shots (in games) are in here every day, sometimes twice a day (during the offseason). I tell them that you earn the shots that you get to take, and we have a lot of guys that earn the right to shoot outside and attack the rim. I couldn’t ask any more with our offseason work.”
The Dons are off to a 3-0 start and will play at Spencer on Friday