Westby High School Basketball

Written about 1914

Westby High School 1912 Basketball Team. Ramsland, Coach; Running, Thorson, Captain; Saugstad, Ballsrud, Hagen, Unseth, Weiland, Manager.

Athletics have proven a success in the Westby High School. Basketball has been the game of the school for the last three years. Considering that this sport was new to the village when the high school was in its infancy, we can be proud of the showing made by our team.

When the ninth grade was added to our school athletics received its start. Mr. Godfrey, then the principal of the school, developed and produced a team which was a surprise. This was the introduction of basketball in our village. Through Mr. Godfrey’s diligent coaching, the fellows held down the strong team of Viola high school to a very close score. Very few games were played the first year; but the fellows were kept in training. A game that was played with the Freshmen team of the Viroqua high school resulted in a victory for our team.

When the tenth grade was added to our school the prospect for a winning team was very good. Mr. Godfrey continued as coach and devoted himself to bettering the team. Soon the people of our village began to take great interest in the game; but the prospect of a good season was shattered by a shaking up in the team.

During the third season the team showed its greatest ability. Under the management of Principal L.E. Weiland and the coaching of Sig Ramsland and Sam Neprud, success came to the fellows. Not only was there good individual work, but the team work was very good also the Westby High School was put on the Athletic Association. This made it possible for us to compete with the other schools of the state.

When the fourth year was added to the high school a good team was expected, the fellows being experienced and having played together for three years. Under the management of Principal L.E. Weiland and the coaching of Mr. Petersen, the team was developed. Good school spirit was shown throughout the season, and the games were a success financially. “Hard luck,” if there is such a thing, was with the team. Many of the games that went to the opponents were lost only by the smallest of margins. The school stood by its team, and showed excellent spirit and enthusiasm.

The following is adapted from the 1940 American Legion pamphlet

With the City of Westby providing us with a brand new gymnasium in which to play basketball, coach Wandschneider’s basketeers went right out to win ten straight conference games to take the 1940 conference championship. Not satisfied with this alone, they took Onalaska, champions of the Coulee Conference, split even with Sparta, winners of second place in the South Central Conference. Playing as eighteen game schedule including the Sparta tournament, Westby won 73 games and lost but five. In its ten straight conference games Westby gathered 312 points while holding opponents to 189 points. Even though this is the second conference championship this is the first that Westby has won without a single defeat since the league was first organized.

Whether Westby will win the 1941 championship is too early to tell, but Westby has lost only three conference games out of thirty.