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With all the changes going on here at WSN with the new design and the recently launched WSNxtra, I thought it would be nice to add some column-type Friday commentary, hopefully on a weekly basis. I'm a huge numbers guy, as you will probably find out should you read this consistently. I'm also from far northwestern Wisconsin, as you will probably find out should you read this consistently. Those two facts combined to form my first edition of this column: "We're Going Streaking".

While checking out Wednesday's edition of the Eau-Claire Leader Telegram, I stumbled across a boxscore that caught my eye: "Prairie Farm 54, Shell Lake 40: Kade Antczak scored 18 points as the Panthers snapped a 53-game losing streak."

Can you imagine going almost three full seasons without winning a game? I had to see where that ranked in terms of current losing streaks and was rather surprised by the results of my research. In terms of days between wins, Prairie Farm had the longest active losing streak of any other team in any winter sport (boys and girls basketball and hockey). The Panthers' last victory came over Northwood on Feb. 14, 2008 in the final game of the regular season--exactly 1,069 days before Tuesday's win against Shell Lake.

Upon furrther research, the West Allis Hale boys hoops squad technically won after Prairie Farm's last victory--a 50-38 victory over Waterford on Feb. 23, 2008 in a WIAA regional final. Yet the Huskies' 56-game losing streak was and still is tops in terms of consecutive losses across all sports. The Lac Courte Oreilles and Saint Francis boys programs have also had tough luck finding the wins recently, amassing 46- and 45-game losing streaks respectively to round out the top three.

On the girls' side, Prairie Farm unfortunately leads the way (not sure if that's the right word in this case here) with 53 straight losses, its last win dating back to a WIAA first-round regional victory over Luck in 2008. Palmyra-Eagle is next with a 48-consecutive loss streak, its last win coming on Dec. 30, 2008 at Johnson Creek. Granton, which is technically playing a non-varsity schedule this year, is third with 39 straight losses. Solon Springs and Plum City each have also tallied over 30 straight losses spanning three seasons, as 20 teams continue to ride losing streaks into their 2010-11 campaigns.

On the other side of the coin, the Newman Catholic girls basketball team upped its winning streak to 32 games Thursday night, after winning 19 straight last season en route to the Division 4 state title. Pius XI, the Division 1 girls state champion last season, is the only other team of any sport whose winning streak (28 games currently) spans two seasons.

In the hockey realm, the Viroqua boys have gone the longest since winning, amassing a 28-game winless streak that includes two ties. Shawano, Eau Claire North and the Oconomowoc Co-op have all also not won in at least 20 games. Finally, only Beaver Dam remains as the winless girls hockey squad this season, amassing 17 straight losses.

Following is a list of the top streaks--both good and bad--that have spanned at least two seasons, broken down by sport.

Boys Basketball

Losses
56 - West Allis Hale
46 - Lac Courte Oreilles
45 - Saint Francis
19 - Stockbridge
17 - Cudahy
16 - Oconto Falls
16 - Shell Lake
14 - Independence (Also 1-25 in the last 26 games)
14 - Martin Luther
13 - Eau Claire North
13 - Granton (Also 1-41 in the last 42 games)
13 - Weston
12 - Lancaster
10 - Mercer

Girls Basketball

Wins
32 - Newman Catholic
28 - Pius XI

Losses
53 - Prairie Farm
48 - Palmyra-Eagle
39 - Granton*
33 - Solon Springs
31 - Plum City
25 - Bowler
20 - Madison Memorial
18 - Milwaukee Academy of Science
17 - Cumberland
16 - Evansville
16 - Racine Park
15 - Lac Courte Oreilles
14 - Hustisford
14 - Spring Valley
13 - Boscobel
13 - Necedah (Also 1-39 in the last 40 games)
11 - Birchwood
11 - Gilman
11 - Saint Thomas Aquinas
10 - La Farge
* Granton is playing a non-varsity schedule in 2010-11.

Boys Hockey

Winless (Loss or Tie)
28 - Viroqua
23 - Shawano
21 - Eau Claire North
21 - Oconomowoc
15 - Merrill

Girls Hockey

Winless (Loss or Tie)
17 - Beaver Dam

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Next Week: A special birthday edition.