UWL Wrestling Head Coach and Hall-of-Famer Dave Malecek – 10/30/24

Dave came in studio to talk about his recent induction into the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in July, his history as a wrestling coach, his 3rd-ranked team heading into the season which begins this weekend. Listen to the full conversation here in two parts:

Holmen Volleyball Head Coach Nikky Rose – 10/29/24

Nikky joined the show ahead of their Sectional Semifinal match in DeForest against Madison Memorial to talk about her team this season and expectations for Sectionals! Listen to it here:

Onalaska Cross Country Runner Manny Putz – 10/28/24

One of the best, if not the best, cross country runners in the country runs for Onalaska High School and he is looking for a three-peat at the State Cross Country Meet this weekend. Manny joined the show live in studio to talk about the state meet, his future in the sport, and the path there! Listen here in two parts:

Onalaska Football Head Coach Tom Yashinsky – 10/21/24

Tome came on the show following the release of the high school football playoff brackets to discuss the errors throughout the brackets in regards to seeding and which teams qualified as well as his own team’s matchup in Level 1 with Merrill! Listen to it here:

Badgers Reporter for Wisconsin State Journal Colten Bartholomew – 10/14/24

Colten talked about Badgers football after the big win over Rutgers and where the team currently as well as where they sit overall as a program moving forward! Listen to the convo below:

Aquinas Football Head Coach Tom Lee – 7/25/24

Practice is right around the corner for high school football and the Aquinas Blugolds will attempt to win a fourth straight WIAA Championship for just the third time ever (Stratford 6x and Kimberly 5x). Tom Lee previews his team heading into the season as the target on their back grows larger:

Former Sparta Football Player Cole Wisniewski – 7/24/24

Going into his fifth year at North Dakota State, Cole has entered himself into the 2025 NFL Draft conversation with one publication thinking he is a Day 2 prospect. Cole joined the show to talk about his college experience so far and his chances to play in the NFL:

Onalaska Football Head Coach Tom Yashinsky – 7/12/24

Tom talks about his team as practice time is nearing and what the MVC looks like this year:

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Pitcher Dolly Vanderlip – 7/9/24

Dolly pitched in the All-Girls Pro League back in the ’50s and she came in studio to talk about her experience and being part of the movie “A League of Their Own”:

Packers Insider Paul Bretl – 7/2/24

Paul discusses what Packers OTA’s looked like and what to expect over the next month or so with the Jordan Love contract extension talks:

UWL Football Head Coach Matt Janus – 6/28/24

Matt joined the show in-studio to give a mid-Summer update on his team with just about six weeks until practice begins:

UWL Track and Field Runner Sam Blaskowski – 6/24/24

Sam recently ran in the USA Olympic Trials for the second straight year and placed well. He explained what the experience was like this time around:

West Salem Boys Basketball Head Coach Mark Wagner – 6/21/24

Mark talks about the shot clock being rejected again in the state of Wisconsin and what his team has looked like this offseason after a third straight trip to the State Tournament:

La Crescent Football Head Coach Terry Donovan – 6/19/24

Terry joined the show to talk about the growth of girls football in the area and his hopes to get it as a school sport:

The Lead Sports Media Chief of Content Eric Peterson – 6/18/24

Eric was on the show to discuss the NBA Champion Celtics, a look back at the trade for Damian Lillard, and a dive into the nearing NBA Draft:

Steam Pitcher Mackenzie Willis and Shortstop Ashley Wolfe – 6/14/24

We were live at Copeland Park on the eve of the opening night of the Northwoods Softball League where the Steam would play in the inaugural game. Mackenzie and Ashley sat down and talked about their excitement for the season and their softball backgrounds (with the Blue Angels practicing nearby):

Owner of Pack-A-Day Podcast Andy Herman – 6/12/24

Andy came on to breakdown what he has seen so far at OTA’s. He begins with rookie MLB Edgerrin Cooper:

Aquinas Baseball Head Coach Mike Dee – 6/10/24

Aquinas baseball is back at State as they try to avenge last year’s runner-up. Mike Dee talked about their run back to Appleton:

Brewers Insider and Executive Producer for 97.3 The Game Hunter Baumgardt – 6/6/24

Hunter came on the show and broke down what’s going on with the team recently, including getting swept by the Phillies:

Black River Falls Boys Basketball Head Coach Jack Taylor – 6/5/24

You probably know Jack as the former BRF basketball player who holds the NCAA single game scoring record (138) but now he has been hired as the Head Coach in BRF. He joins the show to talk about his college career, his life since, and how he’s going to run the program:

Packers writer/film guru for Acme Packing Co. Dusty Evely – 5/31/24

Dusty hopped on the show to do a deep dive into the Packers 2024 draft class starting with OT Jordan Morgan:

Onalaska Girls Soccer Head Coach Tyler Ludeking – 5/24/24

Tyler talked about the strong season his team was having (unbeaten regular season) as they enter the playoffs:

Loggers Manager Josh Frye – 5/24/24

Josh joined the show to talk about the very near start of the Loggers 2024 season:

UWL Baseball Head Coach Chris Schwarz – 5/16/24

The Regional Tournaments are just days away and Chris joined the show to talk about their season so far and the teams that are in their quad regional:

Former West Salem Football Head Coach Justin Jehn – 5/16/24

Justin has made the decision to leave the football program to become the school’s Principal. We talked about his time as a coach, the decision to leave, how different it will feel, and what’s the hiring process going to look like:

Trempealeau County Times Associate Editor Benjamin J. Pierce – 5/14/24

With the high school baseball and softball playoffs looming, Ben talks about the chances of the Coulee Conference teams to make a run:

Tomah Softball Head Coach Dan Wall – 5/13/24

Dan came on the show to talk about their big matchup with Aquinas before they head into the postseason:

The Lead Sports Media Chief of Content Eric Peterson – 5/7/24

Eric talked about the Bucks heading into the offseason- NBA Draft, potential trades, and would Jon Horst leave Milwaukee:

UWL Softball Head Coach Sam Korn – 5/7/24

Sam joined the show to talk about her first season in charge and her team heading into the WIAC Tournament. It starts with her talking about her initial thoughts about getting hired:

La Crosse Loggers/Steam Owner Dan Kapanke – 5/1/24

Dan was live in studio ahead of the Loggers season opener and to talk about the debut of the La Crosse Steam, the first of its kind:

Former UWL Offensive Lineman Mike Bertoia – 4/30/24

Bertoia joined the show ahead of his chance at Packers Rookie Minicamp starting with his thoughts heading into the NFL Draft:

Contributor at Packer Report and Pack-A-Day Podcast Jacob Morley – 4/30/24

Jacob takes a deep dive into the Packers 2024 NFL Draft.

ESPN La Crosse Packers Insider and The Packers Wire Contributor Paul Bretl – 4/29/24

Following the NFL Draft, Paul helps breakdown the Packers selections.

Central Athletic Director Mark Ambrose – 4/24/24

Following a rejection of the proposed addition of NIL in high school sports in Wisconsin, Mark came on the show to give his view on NIL, why it was voted down, and what is next.

Onalaska Football Head Coach Tom Yashinsky – 4/21/24

Tom came on the show to talk about the potential addition of NIL in high school sports from a coach’s perspective.

West Salem Athletic Director Ryan Olson – 4/19/24

With NIL a possibility coming to high school sports in Wisconsin, Ryan hopped on the show to break down the proposal.

Holmen Baseball Head Coach Mark Wall- 4/16/24

Mark talks about his team’s big win over Aquinas and the season ahead.

Former Aquinas Girls Basketball standout Courtney Becker – 3/20/24

Currently at Drake University, Courtney and her team are getting ready to take on Colorado in the NCAA Tournament. Listen here about the Courtney and her team’s season:

Former Logan Football standout CJ Siegel – 3/20/24

CJ discussed his time at North Dakota and preparing for the next level of football.

Aquinas Boys Basketball Head Coach Brad Reinhart – 3/13/24

Brad has the Blugolds back at the State Tournament and joined the show to talk about his team and the opportunity.

GET Boys Basketball Head Coach Jered McCutchen – 3/5/24

GET is back in the Sectionals and will take on a familiar Elk Mound team and Jered discusses the team heading into the matchup.

NFL Writer Arif Hasan – 3/4/24

Arif talks about the Packers and Vikings heading into free agency and next month’s NFL Draft.

West Salem Boys Basketball Head Coach Mark Wagner – 3/1/24

Mark talked about his team heading into the postseason as they try to make it back to State for the third straight season.

Owner of Pack-A-Day Podcast Andy Herman – 2/29/24

Andy broke down what the Packers defense could look like with new DC Jeff Hafley.

West Salem Girls Basketball’s Megan Johnson – 2/28/24

Megan joined the show to talk about the upcoming playoff matchup with Onalaska and the comradery of the team.

Onalaska Boys Basketball’s Evan Anderson – 2/26/24

Evan talked about the team heading into the playoffs and how his college recruitment went.

Drake Men’s Basketball’s Bennett Fried – 2/22/24

Former Central athlete talked about the season at Drake as they get close to clinching a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

La Crosse Boat, Sports, Travel, RV, & Hunting Show Interviews – 2/8/2024

The Sports Lead with John Pappadopoulos was live at the La Crosse Center for the 46th Annual La Crosse Sport Show. Below are the five interviews throughout the show with many of the stars of the event!

Viterbo Women’s Basketball Head Coach Lionel Jones – 1/29/2024

Lionel talked about his team’s wins over the weekend and their strong play in conference as the season has moved along! Listen here:

Central Boys Basketball Head Coach Todd Fergot – 1/25/2024

Todd joined the show to preview their important MVC matchup with Aquinas and how he has evaluated his team so far this year! Listen to that convo here:

Logan Boys Basketball Head Coach Eric Check – 1/10/2024

Eric came on the show to talk about his team so far and the rivalry matchup with Central tonight! Listen here:

Aquinas Boys Basketball Head Coach Brad Reinhart -1/9/2024

Brad hopped on the show ahead of the 14th annual Midwest Players Classic to take a look at what fans can look forward to! Listen here:

UWL Men’s Basketball Head Coach JT Gritzmacher – 1/9/2024

JT joined the show after UWL’s win over their former Head Coach, Kent Dernbach, and UWSP. Listen to the entire conversation right here:

Luther Girls Basketball Head Coach Ryan Svendsen – 1/5/2024

Ryan came on the show to discuss the Coulee Conference this year and their important matchup with West Salem! Listen here:

Central Boys Basketball Head Coach Todd Fergot – 12/21/2023

Todd was on the show ahead of his team’s big non-conference matchup with West Salem! Listen to the full convo here:

Aquinas Girls Head Coach Dave Donarski – 12/15/2023

Dave joined the show to talk about his team’s early season success and their matchup with Holmen tonight! Listen below:

West Salem Boys Basketball Head Coach Mark Wagner – 12/6/2023

Mark hopped on the show to talk about this year’s team and their early test with Onalaska. Listen to the conversation here:

UWL Quarterback Keyser Helterbrand – 11/29/2023

Keyser came on the show to talk about his strong season and the upcoming matchup with North Central in the playoffs. Listen here:

Aquinas Football Head Coach Tom Lee – 11/17/2023

Tom joined the show following the Blugolds’ third straight state championship. Hear what he had to say here:

Badgers Insider Mitchell Speltz – 11/7/2023

Mitchell came on the show to discuss the impressive season opener from Badgers Basketball versus Arkansas State! Listen to what Mitchell had to say here:

Onalaska Football Head Coach Tom Yashinsky – 11/2/2023

Tom jumped on the show ahead of their matchup with their “playoff rival” Rice Lake tomorrow! Listen to Tom’s thoughts here:

Onalaska Cross Country Runner Manny Putz – 10/30/2023

Manny won back-to-back State Championships and he joined the show to talk about it! Listen here:

UWL Football Kicker Michael Stack – 10/9/2023

UWL beat UW-Whitewater for the first time since 2004 thanks to a game-winning 51-yard field goal off the foot of Michael Stack. He joined the show to talk about that kick and the team’s early success! Listen here:

Former Luther standout and current Northern Iowa offensive lineman Gavin Proudfoot – 8/31/2023

Gavin came on the show to talk about his journey bulking up to become a starting college lineman. Listen to the full convo here:

Aquinas Football Head Coach Tom Lee – 8/25/2023

Coach Lee joined the show ahead of their matchup with Luther in Week 2. Listen to what Tom had to say:

Tomah Football Head Coach Joe Protz – 8/24/2023

Coach Protz joined the show ahead of their big matchup with West Salem. Listen to what Protz had to say:

Tomah Junior Hockey Head Coach Jon Vaillancourt – 8/22/2023

Jon was on the show to talk about the beginning of the Wisconsin Woodsmen, a junior hockey team in Tomah. Listen here to the two-part interview:

Westby Football Head Coach Andy Hulst – 8/20/2023

Coach Hulst joined the show after their huge win in Week 1 to preview their Week 2 matchup. Listen to the conversation here:

Onalaska Football Head Coach Tom Yashinsky – 8/17/2023

Coach Yashinsky came on the show to preview their highly-anticipated opening week matchup with West Salem. Listen here:

UWL Football Head Coach Matt Janus – 8/9/2023

Matt came on the show on Day 1 of practice to preview the season for the #12 ranked Eagles who open the season on August 31 at Dakota State. Listen here:

Packers Insider and The Packers Wire Contributor Paul Bretl – 8/7/2023

Paul joined the show to recap what he saw on Family Night and preview joint practices with the Bengals ahead of their first preseason game. Listen here:

Aquinas OL/DL Shane Willenbring – 6/26/2023

Shane has been offered by numerous D2 and D1 schools, including a Preferred Walk On offer from the Badgers. Shane was on the show to talk about it all:

New UWL Men’s Basketball Head Coach JT Gritzmacher – 6/26/2023

JT was on the show to talk about his hiring process and his expectations joining a successful program. Listen to the conversation here:

New UWL Women’s Basketball Head Coach Moran Lonning – 6/21/2023

Moran joined the show to talk about her history with the city of La Crosse, the process of getting hired, and a lot more. Listen to it all here:

Brewers/Bucks reporter for 97.3 The Game Hunter Baumgardt – 6/7/2023

Hunter came on the show to give his first impression of Adrian Griffen at his introductory press conference and the current state of the Milwaukee Brewers. Listen to the full conversation here:

Packers Insider/Writer with The Packers Wire Paul Bretl – 6/6/2023

Paul joined the show to highlight the penultimate day of Packers OTA’s as they get ready for mandatory minicamp. Hear what Paul had to say here:

Aquinas Track Star Collin Conzemius – 6/5/2023

Collin recently won the state title in the 100m and 200m dashes for the second consecutive year, while also helping set the school record in the 4×100 relay. Collin joined the show to talk about his weekend accomplishments. Listen here:

UWL Baseball Head Coach Chris Schwarz – 5/24/2023

Coach Schwarz was on the show ahead of their huge best-of-three series with UW-Stevens Point in the NCAA D3 Super Regionals at Copeland Park this weekend. The full conversation is here:

The Lead Sports Media Chief of Content Eric Peterson – 5/10/2023

Eric joined the show to talk about the potential head coaches for the Milwaukee Bucks, Coach Bud’s legacy, and what roster changes the offseason has in store! Listen to the full conversation below:

Tomah Softball Head Coach Dan Wall – 5/03/2023

Dan hopped on the show to talk about his team’s blistering start to the season and how they keep it up as the season hits the home stretch! Listen here:

Former Aquinas and Iowa State standout Lexi Donarski – 4/19/2023

Lexi joined the show as she gets closer to narrowing down her options as she navigates the transfer portal. Lexi joined the show to talk about life in the portal and what she’s looking for in a team! Listen below:

Former Tomah star and current Minnesota Twins prospect Connor Prielipp – 4/07/2023

Connor was on the show to talk about the start of his professional career with the Minnesota Twins. Catch the full conversation here:

Brewers Vice President-Minor League Operations Tom Flanagan – 4/07/2023

Tom came on the show to talk about the young prospects thriving in the MLB, as well as the top guys in the minors, including Jackson Chourio. Listen to the conversation below:

Wisconsin Badgers Reporter Benjamin Worgull – 4/07/2023

Ben joined the show to talk about the early football Spring practices and the moving’s amongst the basketball team! Listen here:

Luther Boys Basketball Head Coach Brad Schaper – 3/21/2023

Coach Schaper joined the show to talk about winning Luther’s first gold ball in school history in his final game as a head coach! Listen here:

Aquinas Boys Basketball Head Coach Brad Reinhart – 1/04/2023

Brad was live in studio to talk about the upcoming Midwest Players Classic. The event is next Friday and Saturday and can be heard on ESPN La Crosse. Listen to the full conversation:

Holmen Athletic Director Jason Luloff – 12/28/2022

Jason is in charge of the Bi-State Wrestling Classic and he joined the show to talk about final preparations, top area wrestlers to watch, and plans for future classics! Listen here:

Aquinas Girls Basketball Head Coach Dave Donarski – 12/13/2022

Dave joined the show to talk about their upcoming matchup with Holmen, what he has liked and what needs to be improved at this point in the season, and expectations for the team! Listen below:

Logan Girls Basketball Head Coach Abby Warren – 12/8/2022

Abby came on the show to talk her team’s early season results, transitioning from an experienced roster, and solidifying the program’s culture. Listen to it all here:

GET Boys Basketball Head Coach Jared McCutchen – 12/1/2022

Jared talked about Cody Schmitz and the improved surrounding cast as they get their season underway. Listen to the conversation below:

UWL Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kent Dernbach – 12/1/2022

Kent joined the show to talk about their great early start, being highly ranked, and the start of the WIAC schedule! Listen here:

Holmen Wrestling Head Coach Justin Lancaster – 11/30/2022

Justin came on the show to talk about transitioning from one top program to another, how it happened, expectations for the season, and more, as they prepare for their first meet this weekend! Listen to the conversation here:

Packers Insider and Writer for The Packers Wire Paul Bretl – 11/9/2022

Paul talked about Aaron Rodgers and the offense, the addition of Johnathan Abram and what it means for the defense, as well as the injuries piling up. The full conversation is below:

West Salem Football Head Coach Justin Jehn – 11/9/2022

Justin joined the show to talk about their season and the upcoming matchup with Onalaska in Level 4 of the playoffs. Listen here:

Onalaska Football Head Coach Tom Yashinsky – 11/8/2022

Tom came on the show to talk about the most successful season in school history and how they can add to it with a win over West Salem on Friday in Level 4. Listen to the conversation:

Cross Country State Champion Manny Putz – 10/31/2022

Onalaska’s Manny Putz joined the show to talk about winning the State Championship by 0.2 seconds and the whole experience before, during, and after. Listen below:

Buffalo Bills Beat Reporter for syracuse.com Matt Parrino – 10/25/2022

Matt was on the show to get a preview of the Packers-Bills Sunday Night Football matchup! Listen here for the full conversation:

Onalaska Football Head Coach Tom Yashinsky – 10/18/2022

The Onalaska Hilltoppers went undefeated in the regular season and earned themselves a #1 seed in the division 3 playoffs. Coach Yash joined the show to talk about their Level 1 matchup on Friday against the Ashland Oredockers. Listen here:

Owner of Pack-A-Day podcast and writer for Packer Report Andy Herman – 10/12/2022

Andy came on the show to talk about the Packers through five weeks and what is going on with Joe Barry and the Green Bay defense. Listen to it here:

Aquinas Football Head Coach Tom Lee – 10/11/2022

Tom talked on the show about the Blugolds season so far, and what is coming up on Friday- A huge matchup with West Salem for the Coulee Conference title! Listen here:

Aquinas Forward Andrew Sutton – 10/5/2022

Andrew joined John to talk about the Blugolds’ season so far, his torrid start to the season, and what the plan for the future is. Listen to the full thing here:

WI State Journal Badgers Beat Writer Colten Bartholomew – 10/3/2022

Colten joined the show to talk about the firing of Badgers Head Coach Paul Chryst. What happened? Why now? And, what now? Listen here:

WXOW Sports Director Scott Emerich – 10/3/2022

Scott came on the show to discuss the firing of Paul Chryst and the Packers going into the London game against the Giants. Listen to the whole discussion here:

UWL Quarterback Cade Garcia – 9/29/2022

Cade hopped on the show to talk about the potential program-changing game against UW-Whitewater in a matchup of top-eight teams in the country. Listen here:

UWL Football Head Coach Matt Janus – 9/23/2022

Matt joined the show to talk about the Eagles big win over D2 Wayne State and their upcoming Top-8 matchup in D3 with Whitewater. Listen to the full interview here:

Former Badger and Co-Host of “Nine2Noon” Brian Butch – 9/20/2022

Brian came on the show to talk about the big Badger football game coming up on Saturday at Ohio State and how his show with John Kuhn got started! Listen here:

UWL Eagles QB Keyser Helterbrand – 9/19/2022

Keyser joined John to talk about the UWL Eagles big win over Wayne State, their upcoming matchup with UW-Whitewater, and what it is like being in a two-QB system. Listen to the full conversation here:

Badgers Football ILB Tatum Grass – 8/29/2022

The former Holmen standout came on the show to talk about his progression from last season into a rotational player this year and what to expect from the team this season. The full conversation is here:

ESPN Packers Reporter Rob Demovsky – 8/24/22

Rob joined the show to talk about all things Packers as they come up on the beginning of the regular season. Listen to the conversation below:

Sparta Football Head Coach Adam Dow – 8/16/2022

Adam joined the show live in-studio to talk about the halted field project, his team’s outlook, and their first game coming up on Thursday against Baldwin-Woodville. Listen to it below:

Central Football Head Coach Mitch Olson – 8/10/2022

Mitch joined John to talk about the RiverHawks’ upcoming season and what they will do to replace some of their top performers from last season. Listen here:

UWL Eagles Football Head Coach Matt Janus – 8/9/2022

Matt came on the show on UWL’s media day to talk about his team going into the season and what practice will look (including the QB competition) when it starts on Thursday. The full conversation is here:

Badgers Beat Writer for Wisconsin State Journal, Colten Bartholomew – 8/9/2022

Colten joined the show to talk about the first few days of Badgers football practice as well as the chances of former Holmen star, Tatum Grass, getting a starting spot on the defense. Listen below:

Matthew Coller, Writer for Purple Insider – 8/8/2022

Matthew joined John to talk about how the Vikings look so far in Training Camp and what to expect from them this season. Listen to the full conversation:

Jim Sannes, Senior Writer/Analyst for Number Fire – 8/8/2022

Jim hopped on the show to talk about all things fantasy football as the NFL regular season quickly approaches. For some advice, listen here:

West Salem Football Head Coach Justin Jehn – 8/5/2022

Justin came on the show to talk about the Panthers heading into the 2022 season and returning to the Coulee Conference. Listen below:

Aquinas Football Head Coach Tom Lee – 8/3/2022

Tom joined the show to talk about the first couple practices, the team’s outlook for the upcoming season, and expectations coming off of a State Championship. Listen to the full conversation:

Bart Winkler, host of the Bart Winkler Show – 8/3/2022

Bart came on the show to talk about the recent curious moves the Milwaukee Brewers made at the deadline and who is to blame. Listen to the full thing below:

New Holmen Wrestling Head Coach Justin Lancaster – 7/27/2022

Justin came on the show to talk about his quick transition to becoming the next Head Coach of the Holmen Wrestling team. The entire conversation is below:

New York Times Best Selling Author Jon Pessah – 7/20/2022

Jon joined the show to talk MLB, Brewers and his book “The Game”. The full conversation is below:

Bally Sports Analyst and Former Brewer Vinny Rottino – 7/7/2022

Vinny joined the show to talk about the current state of the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as what they could look like after the upcoming trade deadline. Listen here:

Holmen’s New Athletic Director Jason Lulloff – 6/30/2022

Jason joined the show to talk about becoming the new Athletic Director at Holmen! Listen to the full interview here:

UWL Baseball Head Coach Chris Schwarz – 6/29/2022

Coach Schwarz joined The Sports Lead to talk about two of his former players- Taylor Kohlwey and Caleb Boushley. Both players are currently in AAA and playing really well… well enough for a call up to the majors. However, both seem to be blocked from advancement at the moment and neither are currently on the 40 man roster. The entire conversation is below:

Brewers Vice President-Minor League Operations Tom Flanagan – 6/13/2022

Tom joined the show to talk about a plethora of highly-touted prospects in the Brewers organization. Listen to the entire conversation here:

Aquinas High School Athlete Collin Conzemius – 6/6/2022

Collin talks about his success at the State T&F meet this past weekend. Collin won the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes, as well as helping the 4×400 meter relay team to a second place finish. Listen here:

Luther Softball Head Coach Mark Ross – 6/3/2022

Coach Ross joined The Sports Lead with John Pappadopoulos to talk about the Knights going from a five seed to the State Tournament. Listen to their conversation here:

Sparta Football Head Coach Adam Dow- 6/1/2022

Coach Dow joined the show to discuss the new Sparta football facility and the details surrounding it. Listen to the conversation below:

Bangor Baseball Head Coach Todd Grant – 5/20/2022

Coach Grant jumped on The Sports Lead to talk about his team earning a share of the Scenic Bluffs Conference, what they still need to work on as they head into their first playoff game against North Crawford, and Ashton Michek- owner of three no-hitters this season. For the whole interview listen here:

Packers Writer Jacob Westendorf – 5/12/2022

Jacob talks all things Packers, including the NFL schedule release and some of the Packers rookies and the roles they will play this year. Listen to the whole conversation:

Former Sparta Standout and UW-Whitewater WR Ryan Wisniewski – 5/03/2022

Ryan joined The Sports Lead to talk about his opportunity to participate in the Packers rookie mini camp. Listen to Ryan and the attitude he is bringing to this weekend:

Packers ESPN Reporter Rob Demovsky – 4/26/2022

Rob joins the Sports Lead to talk about rumors surrounding the Packers and Darren Waller. Additionally, he talks about the draft and some of the WR options and even sprinkles in the idea that the Packers might be interested in trading for a young receiver. For the full interview, listen below:

Co-Owner of Iron Works Eric Anderson – 4/20/2022

Eric joins the show to talk about the Three River Showdown being held at the Omni Center on April 23. Additionally, he shares information about Iron Works and what it is all about! Listen to the full conversation here:

NFL Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler – 4/14/2022

LeRoy joined John Pappadopoulos to talk about all things Packers, including Aaron Rodgers deciding to skip voluntary workouts, the Sammy Watkins signing, and the upcoming NFL Draft! For the full conversation, listen below:

Badgers Football Beat Reporter Colten Bartholomew – 4/12/2022

Colten talks about what he has seen from the Badgers spring practices, the QB situation present and future, and Badgers in the upcoming NFL draft! The conversation starts with Colten talking about former Holmen player Tatum Grass and how he is molding into an important piece for the Badgers:

Former Packer and All-Pro Lineman Mike Wahle – 4/12/2022

Former Packers offensive lineman and All-Pro Mike Wahle shares great stories about his time with the Packers and lining up against the legendary Reggie White. He also talks about the current Packers roster and the news that Aaron Rodgers will not be at voluntary workouts. The full conversation with John Pappadopoulos can be heard below (two parts):

Vikings Reporter Chris Tomasson – 4/11/2022

Chris talks about the upcoming NFL Draft and what the Vikings have to do, especially at the cornerback position as well as the new front office regime! The entire conversation with John Pappadopoulos is below:

UWL Eagles Baseball Head Coach Chris Schwarz – 4/1/2022

On Friday, Coach Schwarz had some time to stop by and talk with John Pappadopoulos about his team’s strong start to the season and the outlook for the rest of the year! The full conversation can be heard right here:

Tomah Baseball Head Coach Ryan Brookman – 3/28/2022

Coach Brookman talked with John Pappadopoulos on the Sports Lead about the upcoming season (and the cold weather), and about former player and future MLB pitcher, Connor Prielipp and his recovery from Tommy John surgery. You can listen to the full conversation here:

Central Basketball Head Coach Todd Fergot – 12/9/2021

Coach Fergot joined John Pappadopoulos on the Sports Lead to talk about his current team’s early season success, former Central star and rising NBA prospect Johnny Davis, and his twin Jordan Davis, as well as Kobe King and his new start at Valparaiso. Listen to the entire conversation here:

Justin Jehn – 10/21/2021

This week the West Salem Panthers football team takes on Prescott in Level One of the postseason. The Panthers fought hard to comeback against Holmen in Week Nine, but this week will have to take on about as tough a five-seed as you can draw in the Cardinals and their leading rusher senior Aiden Russel. Justin Jehn is the head coach for West Salem, and he spoke with Adam Roberts about the comeback against the Vikings, sleepers on his roster going into the postseason, and the impact a 7-1 football season has had on the West Salem community. Also don’t forget to tune into Coulee Region Football this Friday night! Our coverage begins with the High School Football Preview Show at 6pm.

Bart Winkler – 10/19/2021

Tonight the Milwaukee Bucks begin their title defense at home against the Brooklyn Nets. The championship banner will be unveiled and we’ll learn a little about how serious the Bucks are to be a back-to-back champ. Bart Winkler hosts the weekday morning show on 1250 The Fan in Milwaukee, and was notably embroiled in a battle with City of Milwaukee officials over preserving a parade spot in downtown Milwaukee ahead of their Game Six win. We talk shop about tonight’s game with Bart, and because John always enjoys his Brewers’ talk we ask the question: should the Brewers trade Josh Hader for some offensive weapons?

Derek Martine, RCCW (Part 2) – 10/8/2021

This evening at the Roy L. Vingers American Legion Post 52, River City Championship Wrestling hosts its annual Tricks and Treats event, with names like The Natural Chris Black, Koda Jacobs, Jarrod Jaxx, and City of La Crosse Champion Kyle Roberts getting in the ring for a night of great wrestling and entertainment. Company co-founder Derek Martine joins John to talk about the show tonight plus the company’s next event Slamathon on October 23rd featuring names like former WWE superstar Swoggle and WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff.

Derek Martine, RCCW (Part 1) – 10/8/2021

This evening at the Roy L. Vingers American Legion Post 52, River City Championship Wrestling hosts its annual Tricks and Treats event, with names like The Natural Chris Black, Koda Jacobs, Jarrod Jaxx, and City of La Crosse Champion Kyle Roberts getting in the ring for a night of great wrestling and entertainment. Company co-founder Derek Martine joins John to talk about the show tonight plus the company’s next event Slamathon on October 23rd featuring names like former WWE superstar Swoggle and WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff.

Matt Schiebel – 10/5/2021

Last Friday, the Luther Knights football team turned a number of heads in the Coulee Region with a road upset win over then-2nd ranked Bangor 20-13. The Knights outgained the Cardinals 217-211 on the ground and 312-236 overall behind 213 all-purpose yards for quarterback Dillon Yang. A Knight interception late iced it for Luther. Matt Schiebel has been the head coach at Luther since 2016 and joined John to discuss the victory.

Scott Emerich – 9/27/2021

In front of 21 million eyes, Aaron Rodgers was given 37 seconds to make some magic happen. That’s exactly what he did, setting up Mason Crosby’s game-winning kick to knock of the San Francisco 49ers 30-28. WXOW’s Scott Emerich joined us again today to break down the victory and discuss the amount of growth the Packer defense showed last night compared to earlier in the season.

Scott Emerich – 9/21/2021

Last night, the Packers beat the Lions 35-17, and did so on 21 unanswered points in the second half after a difficult start on the defensive side of the ball in the first. WXOW’s Scott Emerich has served as the station’s sports director since 1995, and knows a thing or two about this Packers team. He joined the show today to react to last night’s win and weigh in on the Joe Barry conversation.

Chris Goodell – 9/20/2021

As the Major League Baseball season enters its final two weeks, the discussion for NL Cy Young has been centered around three names, the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer, and Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes. John and Reviewing the Brew’s David Gasper had an animated discussion about this last week, and John also sought the insight of La Crosse Loggers General Manager Chris Goodell. Chris has been a very public face of the Loggers since the team’s inception in 2002, and oversaw Scherzer during his season with the Loggers in 2004. In addition to the Cy Young conversation John also touches on that 20th anniversary of Loggers baseball coming up next season.

Andy Herman – 9/10/2021

The Packers open the season this Sunday in Jacksonville, which is hosting the Saints while New Orleans continues to recover from Hurricane Ida. With just a couple days left until kickoff, we turn to our film breakdown guru Andy Herman once again. Andy writes for Packer Report and is the owner of the Pack-A-Day podcast. His Twitter is also a dynamite place to view game-by-game film breakdowns so follow him @AndyHermanNFL!

Adam Dow – 9/9/2021

This Friday night, the Sparta-Tomah football rivalry is renewed for the 115th time since 1894. Last season, the two teams weren’t able to play against each other due to schedule shifts caused by COVID, so this year’s game will have a little extra juice. Since taking over as the head coach at Sparta, Adam Dow has amassed a 17-14 record including an unexpected 2018 run to Level Three of the postseason and a 7-3 2019. This season, the Spartans have started 2-1 and are coming off a 56-42 win over Logan last week. Adam talks with John about the meaning behind this rivalry, where the Sparta program stands three games in, and about soaking in every moment of the 2021 season after the chaos of the last two years.

Olivia Beeskau – 9/8/2021

The 45th-ranked female fighter pound-for-pound in the Midwest, Olivia Beeskau is getting ready to get back in the octagon this weekend at 3 River Throwdown 17. She’s been victorious in her last four amateur bouts, including her last two by unanimous decision. On top of her fights in the octagon, Olivia fights to save lives with her full-time job as an ER nurse. She’ll take on Amanda Lovato this weekend at the Omni Center in Onalaska. Check out nitrotickets.com to secure your seats!

 

Mirin Fader – 9/7/2021

“Giannis: The Improbable Rise Of An NBA MVP” is the latest work by sports writer Mirin Fader, detailing the journey of the Greek Freak from the streets of Sepoila, Greece to his ascension through the NBA to the pinnacle of the game. Fader is a staff writer for The Ringer and has written about other notable athletes such as Davante Adams, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball, Tyler Skaggs, Breanna Stewart, Coco Gauff, Liz Cambage, and Tyler Herro. Folio Magazine named her a Top Woman in Media in 2019, and her work has been highlighted in the 2020 Best American Sports Writing collection, the Pro Basketball Writers Association, and the Football Writers Association of America.