Your NUIC Winter Sports Update

By Al Zipsie

The latest AP State Basketball rankings were released Wednesday.

From the NUIC, East Dubuque fell in the 1A boys poll. They lost to Lena-Winslow 64-59 Friday. East Dubuque, 19-2 only slipped from third to fourth.

In the state 1A girls rankings from the NUIC, Eastland who was ranked fourth last week slipped to seventh. Stockton was eighth and East Dubuque broke into the top ten at ninth after wins over both Eastland and Stockton.

Despite the losses, our Stateline Sports Hub NUIC rankings still have East Dubuque on top in the boys and Eastland in the girls.

NUIC Basketball Rankings. 1/24.

Boys

East Dubuque 19-2
Lena-Winslow 14-5
Polo 17-5
Milledgeville 10-7
Pearl City 10-4
River Ridge 12-6
Aquin 10-7
West Carroll 10-9
Forreston 7-7
Stockton 9-11

Girls

Eastland 19-3
Stockton 19-2
East Dubuque 18-2
Aquin 19-4
Galena 14-6
Durand 12-8
Dakota 13-9
Ashton/Franklin Center 14-7
Pearl City 11-9
Forreston 12-10

. Emily Offenheiser a senior at Stockton went over the 1,000 point mark for her career.

Wrestling

NUIC state powers Lena-Winslow/Stockton and Dakota are getting closer to the most important Individual Regional in Winnebago February 3rd. Lena-Winslow coach Kevin Milder has reached the 400 wins milestone in his 24th year as wrestling head coach. His Panther/Hawks are the defending state champions in 1A.

Last Saturday Lena-Winslow finished third at the Bob Lueders Invitational in Clinton, Iowa. Ian Kuehl won the 285-pound title. Kuehl is the NUIC's only unbeaten wrestler now at 37-0. Finishing second was Rahveon Valentine (35-3) with an injury default at 170. Hunter Luke (33-3) was runner-up at 138.

Other LW/Stockton places came from Collin Dvorak third at 160. Elijah Rowe fourth at 182. Jeremiah Hermann fifth at 145 and Jason Hermann sixth at 152.

Dakota finished seventh at the Oak Park River Forrest Invitational Saturday a field with all larger schools. Host OPRF won the tournament.

Dakota's Maverick McPeek (32-2) lost the title match to the unbeaten and top-ranked 2A wrestler in Luke Luffman of Urbana 4-3.

Tyler Besse (145) and Aiden Nardin (160) both had fourth-place finishes. In fifth was Caleb Alber (32-12) at 132, Quinton Heilemeier at 126 and Connor Elmer at 106. Lucas Sutherland was sixth at 113.

Only the team point champion will advance for a chance to win the 1A State dual title. Besides Dakota and Lena-Winslow/Stockton, the nine-team field also includes host Winnebago, Stillman Valley, Byron, Oregon, West Carroll, Rockford Lutheran, and Durand. All the schools will have something to say about who wins it and the head to head Dakota and LW/S matches will be key. It should be a very close battle. Both teams from top to bottom will be looking for as many points and high places as they can get. Every point will matter.

Dakota is ranked first and second in the two-state polls. LW/S was second and third.