Senior Samuel Jennings is averaging 23.3 points per game for the Christian Life boys basketball team and helped lead the Eagles to their first 3-0 start in 15 years. CLS hosts Reuther in a non-conference, intra-county boys basketball matchup Monday night.
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Kenosha.com High School Sports Calendar: Pre-holiday treats on tap

Five events to watch and a rundown of this week's local schedule

By Mike JohnsonKENOSHA.COM

Johnson began covering sports in Kenosha in 2004 as a staff writer for the Kenosha News and eventually became a news and sports editor there, serving in that role and covering the community until May 2022. Johnson grew up in Kenosha, graduating from Bradford High School in 2000 and then the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. He still happily resides in town with his wife, Bridget, and son, Brady.

We have one more week of a full high school sports calendar before the holiday break begins.

There will still be numerous high school sporting events during the end of December, from the week before Christmas through New Year’s. But, traditionally, the holiday break is reserved for tournaments, invites and non-conference games, with time off for the holidays, too, of course.

That means this coming week will mostly see the end of conference play until 2023, and there are plenty of big games and matches scheduled in the lead-up to the holiday break.

Here are Kenosha.com Associate Editor Mike Johnson’s “Top 5 Events to Watch” in the county this week, along with a weekly calendar of high school varsity sports involving county teams.

TOP 5 EVENTS TO WATCH

REUTHER AT CHRISTIAN LIFE (boys basketball)

Monday (Dec. 12), 6:30 p.m., Christian Life School (10700 75th St., Kenosha)

This week kicks off with the renewal of the non-conference, intra-county boys basketball matchup between Christian Life and Reuther, Monday night at Christian Life. The programs typically play a home-and-home series each season, and the Eagles swept last season’s matchups, including a barn-burner at CLS last January in which they won, 83-80, at the buzzer. Led by head coach Duke Montgomery, CLS is off to a 3-1 start this season, including the team’s first 3-0 start in 15 years. The Eagles are led by senior wing Samuel Jennings (23.3 points per game) and junior wing Nolan Carroll (19 points per game). Reuther, meanwhile, is led by longtime head coach Cliff McKenzie and is 1-2 on the season. Senior forward Jamarie Osbourne leads the Bulldogs at 22.5 points per game, while junior guard Kamauri Leavell is averaging 17 points per contest. The teams play each other again on Jan. 18 at Reuther.

INDIAN TRAIL AT TREMPER (boys swimming and diving)

Tuesday (Dec. 13), 4:30 p.m., Tremper High School (8560 26th Ave., Kenosha)

Tremper hosts Indian Trail on Tuesday in a Southeast Conference dual meet. It’s the first SEC dual meet of the season for both teams, who opened their seasons this past Saturday (Dec. 10) in the SEC Relays at the Racine Unified Aquatic Center. As a sophomore last season, Tremper’s Evan Arneson placed 16th in diving at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division-1 State Meet. Also as a sophomore last season, Indian Trail’s CJ Gilbert placed ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke at the State Meet.

 Indian Trail senior wrestler London Kiser finished first at 195 pounds this past Saturday in a loaded field at the Sun Prairie Bob Downing Scramble. Indian Trail hosts crosstown rival Tremper in a Southeast Conference dual match Wednesday night.
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TREMPER AT INDIAN TRAIL (wrestling)

Wednesday, (Dec. 14), 7 p.m., Indian Trail High School and Academy (6800 60th St., Kenosha)

The Hawks and Trojans meet up again Wednesday night, this time on the mat at Indian Trail for a Southeast Conference wrestling dual match. Each team is 1-1 in SEC duals so far this season. In the latest Wisconsingrappler.com Division 1 state rankings, Indian Trail senior London Kiser was No. 8 at 182 pounds and Tremper senior Jackson Henderson was No. 10 at 170, while Indian Trail sophomore Sullivan Ramos (138), Indian Trail senior Luke Hogan (170) and Tremper senior Tyler Hansen (220) each made the Watch List in their respective weight classes. Also, Indian Trail sophomore Crystal Gutierrez was ranked No. 3 at 114 pounds in the latest girls state rankings.

As a junior Tremper’s Aliana Brown led the Southeast Conference in scoring at 20.5 points per game.
PHOTO: MIKE JOHNSON

FRANKLIN AT TREMPER (girls basketball)

Thursday (Dec. 15), 7 p.m., Tremper High School (8560 26th Ave., Kenosha)

A pair of teams that entered the week undefeated in early Southeast Conference play will square off Thursday night at Tremper. The Trojans are off to a 6-2 start overall and enter the week tied atop the conference with Franklin and Oak Creek, also 2-0 in SEC play going into the week. Tremper had won six straight before dropping a tight non-conference decision at Muskego on Saturday (Dec. 10) and will play another non-conference road game at Racine Lutheran on Tuesday night before hosting the Sabers on Thursday. Senior guard Aliana Brown leads the Trojans with 18.3 points, 3.4 assists and 4.0 steals per game, while sophomore forward Emily Giese is averaging 13.7 points, 14.6 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.4 blocks per contest.  According to WisSports.net, Giese ranks sixth in the entire state in rebounding and is tied for first in blocked shots with 31.

Senior John Kinzler has helped pick up the scoring load for the Westosha Central boys basketball team so far this season, which enters the week 3-0 despite graduating a big chunk of production from last year’s team that reached the WIAA Division 2 State Tournament. Kinzler and the Falcons travel to Burlington on Friday night for a big early-season Southern Lakes Conference matchup.
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WESTOSHA CENTRAL AT BURLINGTON (boys basketball)

Friday (Dec 16), 7 p.m., Burlington High School (400 McCanna Parkway, Burlington)

We’re cheating a bit here, since this game is at Burlington, technically just outside Kenosha County. But it’s not far from the county border, and this is a huge early game between boys basketball teams that each have designs on winning the Southern Lakes Conference title. Despite graduating most of the scoring from a team that won an undefeated SLC title and reached the WIAA Division 2 State Tournament in 2021-22, Westosha Central is off to a 3-0 start entering this week and opened SLC play last Friday night (Dec. 9) with a 77-51 home win over county rival Wilmot. The Falcons will get another SLC test on Tuesday night at home against Elkhorn before heading to Burlington for Friday night’s key matchup. Sophomore guard Elijah Griffin (16.3 points, 5.0 assists per game), senior guard Alex Sippy (15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds per game), senior guard John Kinzler (10.3 points per game), sophomore forward Liam Lubkeman (7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds per game) and senior forward Wyatt Anderson (5.3 points, 6.7 rebounds per game) have led the Falcons in the early-going for what’s been a balanced attack. Burlington, meanwhile, also enters the week at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SLC. The Demons finished second to the Falcons in the SLC standings each of the last two seasons.

HIGH SCHOOL CALENDAR

MONDAY

Boys basketball–Reuther at Christian Life, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Boys basketball–Greenfield at Bradford, 7 p.m.; Elkhorn at Westosha Central, 7 p.m.; Burlington at Wilmot, 7 p.m.; Racine St. Catherine’s at Shoreland Lutheran, 7 p.m.; St. Joseph at Greendale Martin Luther, 7 p.m. Girls basketball–Tremper at Racine Lutheran, 7 p.m.; Indian Trail at West Allis Hale, 7 p.m.; Westosha Central at Burlington, 7 p.m.; Wilmot at Delavan-Darien, 7 p.m.; Shoreland Lutheran at Racine St. Catherine’s, 7 p.m.; Greendale Martin Luther at St. Joseph, 7 p.m. Boys swimming–Bradford at Oak Creek, 4:30 p.m.; Indian Trail at Tremper, 4:30 p.m.; Delavan-Darien at Badger/Westosha Central/Wilmot Combined, 5:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Wrestling–Bradford at Franklin, 7 p.m.; Tremper at Indian Trail, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY

Boys basketball–Bradford at Racine Horlick, 7 p.m.; Tremper at Franklin, 7 p.m.; Oak Creek at Indian Trail, 7 p.m. Girls basketball–Racine Horlick at Bradford, 7 p.m.; Franklin at Tremper, 7 p.m.; Indian Trail at Oak Creek, 7 p.m.; Watertown at Wilmot, 7 p.m. Gymnastics–Franklin Co-op and Waukesha Co-op at Kenosha Co-op (Tremper), 6:30 p.m. Wrestling–Lake Geneva Badger at Westosha Central, 6 p.m.; Wilmot at Delavan-Darien, 6 p.m.; Racine St. Catherine’s at Shoreland Lutheran, 7 p.m.; St. Joseph and Living Word Lutheran at Lake Country Lutheran, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

Boys basketball–Westosha Central at Burlington, 7 p.m.; Wilmot at Delavan-Darien, 7 p.m.; St. Joseph at Racine Lutheran, 7 p.m.; Reuther at Mountain Top Christian, 7 p.m.; Christian Life at Heritage Christian, 7:15 p.m. Girls basketball–Christian Life at Heritage Christian, 5:45 p.m.; Waterford at Westosha Central, 7 p.m.; The Prairie School at Shoreland Lutheran, 7 p.m.; Racine Lutheran at St. Joseph, 7 p.m. Gymnastics–Union Grove/Wilmot/Williams Bay at Elkhorn Invite (Agility Center Gymnastics), 5:30 p.m. Wrestling–Christian Life at West Allis Central Invite (E.H. Stech Fieldhouse), 5 p.m.

SATURDAY
Boys basketball–Tremper vs. Kingdom Prep Lutheran (Milwaukee Bradley Tech Win Parkinson Invite), noon; The Prairie School at Shoreland Lutheran, 4 p.m. Gymnastics–Kenosha Co-op at Franklin Co-op Invite (Altius Gymnastics Academy), TBD. Hockey–Kenosha at Waukesha North (Naga-Waukee Ice Rink), 6 p.m. Boys swimming–Bradford and Tremper at Beloit Memorial Invite, 10 a.m. Wrestling–Bradford at Fond du Lac Invite, 8 a.m.; Tremper at Beaver Dam Invite, 9 a.m.; Shoreland Lutheran at Beloit Turner Invite, 9:15 a.m.; Christian Life at West Allis Central Invite (E.H. Steck Fieldhouse), 9:30 a.m.; Westosha Central vs Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South, Ill.), 10 a.m.; Westosha Central (girls) and Wilmot at Stoughton Invite (Alliant Energy Center, Madison), 10 a.m.

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