Hortonville’s Cade Mansfield pulls double duty during fall sports

Senior Cade Mansfield is known for his energy and talent as a three-sport athlete at Hortonville, excelling in cross country, soccer, and track and field. He has twice earned All-Fox Valley Association honors in soccer, including a First-Team spot in 2025. In 2025, he was also named First-Team All-Fox Valley Association in cross country and won the FVA titles in the 800-meter and 1600-meter runs as a junior.

On Nov. 1, Cade achieved something remarkable by competing in two sports at the highest level on the same day. He ran in the WIAA cross country state championships at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids, finishing with a time of 16:40.1. Later that evening, he scored two goals for the Polar Bears soccer team against Hudson in the Division 1 sectional finals in Stevens Point.

Cade began playing soccer at the age of three through the YMCA, “Soccer has always been my favorite sport since I can remember. Nothing I ever played tops it.” Mansfield also began running at eight years old.

The camaraderie and thrill of victory keep Cade focused on athletics. “My favorite part about all 3 sports is competing with others and being able to practice and play with people I’ve known for years. And obviously, the feeling of winning in anything is unmatched. As for sticking with it, just having the love of the game forever.”

Even with so much of his attention on athletic endeavors, Cade still makes time for classwork. “I have not really had a problem with balancing both academics and sports because my parents always instilled in me that academics always came first. So the big adjustment was doing more work outside of school and making time out of my schedule to do so.”

“I would say my athleticism and mental toughness because both of those things are vital to an athlete,” Cade says of his best attributes while competing, as he has had success throughout his career.

Coaches have been able to guide Cade and teach him perseverance, which has been a trademark of his career. “I would like to thank Coach Paul and Marco for making all of my high school soccer seasons amazing and pushing me to always do my best. And Coach Sours, who has given me so much of his knowledge in track and taught me to love the discomfort.”