After two straight years of heartbreak at the state tournament, Columbus boys soccer and Waupun volleyball were able to break through and win state titles. They lead our list, picked by the Citizen sports staff, of the top 10 area sports stories in 2008 (in chronological order):

Sat., Mar. 1

High School

Watertown

Lake Mills sophomore Denay Hering hits seven 3-pointers and scores 30 points as the L-Cats (19-4) beat Columbus (21-1), 66-51, in a Division 2 regional final for the first time since 1982. The Cardinals, ranked second, lose their first game of the year and fail to get out of regionals for the fourth straight year.

Junior Kayla Waddell is plagued by foul trouble and finishes with six points. Her value to Columbus is later revealed as she's named Northern Capitol Player of the Year after the Cards win the league for the ninth straight season.

Fri., Mar. 7

Kohl Center

Madison

Randolph's extraordinary streak of 13 straight wins at the Kohl Center is snapped as the second-ranked Rockets (24-2) drop a 61-45 Division 4 state semifinal to top-ranked Eleva-Strum (27-0). While turning the tables on last year's title bout, the Cardinals hand Randolph it's first double-digit loss since Feb. 14, 2003 (Mayville, 58-48) and worst loss since Dec. 27, 2002 (Appleton East, 65-45).

Senior Bryan Johnson is held to six points but is named Northern Trailways Player of the Year as the Rockets extend their league winning streak to 105 games. Tyler Tillema has a rough contest despite a line of 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks but is later named the Daily Citizen's Player of the Year.

Sat., Mar. 15

Alliant Energy Center

Madison

Markesan starts the Division 3 title game with a 9-0 run but the Lady Dutch (27-0) of Oostburg prove to be too much for the Hornets (24-3) in a 43-37 verdict. It's the first contest of the year even resembling a close game for Oostburg, which averaged a 34.4-point margin of victory before the final.

It's what the Hornets did a week earlier that raised eyebrows around the state. Trailing by five with 5:26 to play, Markesan closes the game on a 13-1 run to stun Cuba City, 44-37, and snap the Cubans' strings of 76 straight wins and three straight state titles.

Against Oostburg, senior Jadee Rooney scores 12 points and junior Marieanna Dulas adds 10 before both split Daily Citizen Player of the Year honors, making Rooney the first three-time winner. Rooney, the Northern Trailways Player of the Year, is unanimously chosen to the WBCA Division 3 all-state team.

Sat., May 31

Veterans Memorial Stadium

La Crosse

Dodgeland senior Megan Rennhack makes her final prep performance a show-stopper at the Division 3 state track and field meet. Despite clipping two hurdles, she smashes the record set by Brillion's Laure Perruchoud in 1999 (14.99 seconds) in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.63.

She follows it up by cracking the 44-second barrier in the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.75. It breaks her own record time set the day before in prelims of 44.40.

Fri., June 7

High School

Beaver Dam

Tim Ladron, a former assistant coach at Watertown and Beaver Dam, is named boys basketball head coach of the Golden Beavers. He takes over for Dean Bellanti, who went 2-40 in his final two seasons with an overall mark of 47-125, including an 0-21 mark last year.

Late in 2008, BD takes a 52-36 win over West Bend East to snap a 30-game losing streak.

Bellanti was named head coach at Waukesha Catholic Memorial.

Tue., June 10

Fox Cities Stadium

Grand Chute

Lucas Warren holds Beaver Dam (16-8) to one hit over the first three innings as La Crosse Central (15-9) takes a 14-4 Division 1 spring state basetball quarterfinal. It's the first trip to state since 1997 for the Golden Beavers, who shook off a 2-5 start with a 14-3 run to capture a share of their first Little Ten title since 2000.

BD knocks off LTC co-champ Hartford, 5-4, before taking a win by the same count over Oshkosh North in sectional play.

Wed., June 11

Fox Cities Stadium

Grand Chute

Prairie du Chien junior Tyler Kozelka strikes out 11 and throws a two-hitter as the Blackhawks (19-6) take a 4-0 Division 2 spring state baseball semifinal over Waupun (17-7), which had its bid to repeat as state champs halted. It marks the third straight trip to state for the Warriors, who survived a 7-4 sectional final over East Troy in 12 innings.

Kozelka upstages Waupun senior Tyler DeBoer, who struck out a career-high 16 in a losing effort. Two Warrior errors prove costly.

DeBoer is named second team all-state by the WBCA.

Mon., Aug. 4

Athletic Park

Merrill

Host Merrill (20-10), the defending Class AA American Legion state champs, eliminates Beaver Dam (30-10) with a 6-5 win. After winning the Southern ECAL title, BD had to win at Waupun twice after losing to its rival earlier in regionals to qualify for state.

Two days later, Horicon (21-5) reached the final day of the Class A state tournament for the second straight year. A 5-3 loss to Clintonville (24-2) at Brownsville spoils the hopes of Horicon, which shook off a loss to Viroqua in its state opener before reeling off five straight wins to reach the final.

Sat., Nov. 10

Uihlein Soccer Park

Milwaukee

Jordan Roberts and Jeff Schultz score goals 98 seconds apart as Columbus (20-5-3) responds quickly to an early goal from Chippewa Falls McDonell/Eau Claire Regis (24-2-3) in the Division 3 boys soccer state title game. Schultz gets what proves to be the game-winner in the 60th minute as the Cardinals take a 3-2 win.

Columbus, which took its first Capitol Conference title in school history earlier in the year, needs a pair of goal-line clearances from defender Wyatt Caldwell to preserve the win. The Cardinals took a 5-3 shootout over New Holstein in the semis and erases losses in the 2007 semis to Shoreland Lutheran and 2006 title game to Thomas More.

The Cardinals' success had a lot to do with senior Charlie Calvo, an electrifying transfer student from Madrid, Spain. He scores a school-record 37 goals and sets up the first two goals in the win over the Macks.

Sat., Nov. 10

Resch Center

Ashwaubenon

Bridget Nickel thumps down the last of her 15 kills as she and fellow Waupun junior left side Brandi Dolgner overrun second-ranked Waukesha Catholic Memorial (38-12) in a 25-19, 25-15, 25-19 Division 2 girls volleyball title bout. While the Warriors (44-5) winning their 11th title doesn't come as a suprise, the manner in which they dominated the red-hot Crusaders did.

Dolgner's double-double of 14 kills and 14 digs caps a three-match stretch where she put down 41 kills against just two hitting errors, an unheard of tear of proficiency. Waupun trails, 14-8, in set one before closing on a 17-5 run and never looks back.

Senior setter Michielah Navis, Waupun's career assist leader, finishes with 27 assists and caps her career with a state title. She won one as a freshman and then the Warriors were beaten by WCM in the 2006 semifinals and Kettle Moraine Lutheran in the 2007 final, both in five sets.

Navis, Nickel and Dolgner are all named first team all-state by the WVCA the next day. The win gives Waupun 11 titles and two silver balls since 1993.

Honorable mention: Beaver Dam/Randolph plays its first girls hockey game; Waupun senior Jordan Kohout commits to Wisconsin football; F/W girls hockey loses state title game; Beaver Dam girls tennis team takes LTC title and sends doubles team to state; Horicon softball wins sixth Flyway title in seven years before losing 1-0 sectional final at Oakfield in 14 innings; Waupun boys basketball coach/athletic director Lucky Wurtz leaves for Kimberly; Beaver Dam boys golf wins LTC title; Waupun boys basketball, despite being ranked first, falls short in conference title and state tournament quests; local football rivalries resume including Beaver Dam vs. Waupun, Randolph vs. Cambria-Friesland and Hustisford vs. Dodgeland.