JumpStart • Fall Sports Preview 2014 by Austin Daily Herald

Table of contents Cover story

Chasing down a dream

The Austin Packers girls cross country team is looking for a team presence at state this season......................................Page 3

Season previews

Austin Packers....................Pages 4-9 Lyle-Pacelli Athletic.........Pages 10-11 Southland Rebels............Pages 12-13 Grand Meadow Superlarks.......................Pages 14-15 LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals.........................Pages 16-17 Hayfield Vikings..............Pages 18-19 Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms.........Pages 20-22

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Features

The fun of trying something new

Austin tennis player Alex Smith tells her story of being a senior and stepping on the the court first time..............Page 8

Riverland volleyball and soccer schedules............Page 15 State Tournament Headquarters

A quick look at where you will be watching your state tournaments this year.......................................Page 17

What is a certified athletic trainer

Certified athletic trainer Kris Dutton explains what a trainer does........Page 22

An Austin Daily Herald publication

Story previews compiled by Rocky Hulne, Photos and layout by Eric Johnson

Return of the Bears

The Austin Bruins are ready to kick off the 2014-15 season in a quest to return

to the top ranks of the NAHL and another trip to the Robertson Cup Finals...........................................Page 23

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

The Austin cross country has an eye on getting to state this year as a team. Those runners include Madison Overby, from left, Paiton Schwab, Abby Lewis, Morgan Hose, Colie Justice and Tasia Martinson.

Racing down a dream Story by Rocky Hulne, Photos by Eric Johnson

The Austin girls cross country team is striving for a bigger presence in Minnesota’s big race

he Austin girls cross country team made school history last season when it won the Big Nine Conference for the first time. Now the Packers are hoping to take it a step further this fall — they want to get to the state meet as a team. To do that, Austin would have to finish in the top two at the Section 1AA meet. The Packers took third in the section last year. Austin brings back much of its roster from last season, including junior Madison Overby, who has run in four individual state meets. “Our main goal this year is definitely state,” Overby said. “With a bunch of people returning and we’re all improving and we’re really getting closer as a team, I think we can do it. I think it’s more of an experience factor. A lot of us coming in last year didn’t really know how to race the distance and this year I think we’re ready.” Austin’s Madison Overby raced in last year’s Class The Packers will get a boost from Justice Tabor, AA girls race of the Minnesota State Cross Meet. Paiton Schwab, Tasia Martinson, Abby Lewis and Morgan Hose. Austin head coach Tony Einertson said that his squad is in good shape to have a big year. Overby spent part of her summer working out in the AHS “They’re a little bit younger, so we don’t want strength and conditioning camp, and Einertson said that to put a whole lot of miles on them in the summer. You really don’t want to get them hurt,” Einertson said. “They’re work has paid off. strong enough and they’re athletic enough that they can get “You can see benefits from that [for Madison],” He said. the miles in during the season and they’ll be just fine.” “She’s gotten a lot stronger, and her running looks great.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

INSIDE Check out a season rundown of both boys and girls teams with schedules. Page 11 When we did a hill workout the other day, it looked like they weren’t even there.” Austin is hoping to repeat as Big Nine champs this fall, but that could be a little more difficult this year. The Big Nine has added Red Wing and Northfield to the conference, which means there will be more competition at the Big Nine meet. “We’ve got two big goals,” Einertson said. “First and foremost it would be nice to win the Big NIne again, and it would be fun to advance as a team at state. That’s kind of what we’re shooting for is to peak at the section meet and see what happens. It’s a tough section, and we’ll all have to be ready to go at that meet. It’s what the girls want and it’s what the coaching staff wants.” Overby said the team needs to make sure that it continues to push itself as hard as possible so it can compete at its best at the end of the season. “I think we just have to keep focusing on the workouts,” Overby said. “Each day we want to push ourselves as hard as we can and keep our sights set on the last race.” JS FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Nate Conner on a run against Faribault in the playoffs last season.

he Austin football team graduated a lot of key seniors from last year’s team that finished 5-5 overall, but that doesn’t mean the Packers are in rebuilding mode in 2014. Austin is hoping to use last year’s success to propel it into even bigger heights this year. “We lost a lot of good seniors, and it’s really hard to fill the shoes of Gabe Gersnter and Zach Wessels,” Austin senior linebacker Kole Igou said. “But the amount of people we had at summer camp was unreal, and our team was lifting every morning. The weight room was full for the full entire summer, and this year we have the biggest and fastest team we’ve had yet.” The Packers will undergo a major overhaul on the skill positions on offense, as many of last year’s play-makers are not back this season. However, the team does return Nate Conner, a junior who already has two full seasons of variety football under his belt. Conner has played running back in the past, but he may very well line up at quarterback this season. Wherever he plays, he will have a big impact on the Packer offense. Austin offensive lineman Logan Hotek said he could see Conner having success at quarterback. “Nate Conner is a very dynamic player,” Hotek said. “So far he’s been a great quar-

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Building off a solid foundation

The Packers are quick to point out that 2014 is not a rebuilding year terback, and whatever running back lines up next to him will have an easier job because Nate can run too.” Austin head coach Brett Vesel said the team has plenty of players ready to step up and fill the vacant spots. He just needs to see who’s going to play where. “Nate’s tough and we’ve got some guys that can run the ball,” Vesel said. “We’re faster than heck. We were fast last year, and we’re faster. We’re able to run by some people and that helps on both sides of the ball.” Some of the Packers are going to play on offense and defense to give the team a lift. Connor Sheehan, who started at defensive

back last year, is going to play that position again, but he’ll also line up at wide receiver. “We had a lot of seniors that played offense and defense last year, and they always let us know what we could do better,” Sheehan said. “We don’t have a lot of seniors this year, but we’ve got to do what we can to keep the other guys energized.” Vesel liked what he saw from his team over the summer, and he hopes that carries over to the season in the Fall. He said the team has a few players already establishing themselves as leaders. “Logan Hotek is really doing a nice job,

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 29.................vs. Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m. Sept. 5.................................at Albert Lea, 7 p.m. Sept. 12.vs. Rochester John Marshall, 7 p.m. Sept. 19..................................at Faribault, 7 p.m. Sept. 26...........................vs. Owatonna, 7 p.m. Oct. 3...................................at Red Wing, 7 p.m. Oct. 10.................................vs. Winona, 7 p.m. Oct. 15...........................at Mankato East, 7 p.m.

Kole Igou is a vocal leader for us and Connor Sheehan is a leader by example. He’s a hard working kid,” he said. “We looked really good at the Winona State camp against other teams. At times we don’t look as good against ourselves [in practice], but our defense is really good too.” The Packers will be able to put good athletes at most of the starting positions, but Vesel said the squad can’t afford any injuries. One thing’s for sure, the Packers aren’t hoping to do just as well as they did last season. They’re hoping to be better. “Last year was a huge motivator,” Hotek said. “There were guys that would come before and after school to the weight room, and a lot of guys went to speed camp. We’re trying to get better every single day.” JS AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Second Time

A R O U N D Packers feeling comfortable going into second season with Owen as head coach The Austin volleyball team isn’t strong on seniors this year, but as it enters its second year under head coach Cindy Owen, the squad is feeling much more comfortable. The Packers will look to senior hitters Alex Hansen, who missed her junior year with a knee injury, and Trista Akkerman, who saw time on varsity last year, to lead the way, and a strong group of juniors will be asked to step up as well.

-Shayley Vesel “We’ve got to act like the bigger team out there.”

Shayley Vesel, a junior who is in her third year on varsity, had 50 kills, 109 set assists and 46 blocks last season. She will play a big role for the Packers this Fall. “Every junior has to act like a captain and be a leader on the court no matter what,” Vesel said. “We’ve really got to step up.” Owen said her squad is in better shape than when she took over the program a year ago. The Packers, who went 3-19 overall last year, put in a lot of work over the summer, and it should pay off this season. It also helps that Owen knows who all of her players are this time around. “It’s much easier this year. We had a great summer,” Owen said. “The kids came in and they were dedicated. They were consistent about coming in, and I think some good things will be happening this year.” Marissa Hart, Abbi Collins, Amber Hansen, Summer Maloney and Payton Merritt all have looked strong early on, according to Owen. Owen is hoping the Packers can got off to a solid start this season. “I want these kids to be competitive day in and day out,” she said. “I hope they find success early in the season, because that will breed more success.” Vesel said last year was a tough one, and the Packers are hoping to make a turnaround. “We got put down a ton last year,” she said. “We’ve got to act like the bigger team out there.” Owen said she is open to looking at the team’s entire roster to fill the lineup. “If I have a ninth-grader that can help me on varsity, I’m going to pull up that ninth grader,” Owen said. “I don’t necessarily look at grade levels, I look at who are the best ones to help out the varsity, and then we go from there.” JS

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 21.........Rochester Lourdes def. Austin, 4-1 (25-17, 12-25, 25-21, 25-10) Aug. 28...............................at Hayfield, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 2.............vs. Blooming Prairie, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 4......................at Mankato West, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 6.........at Mankato West tournament, TBA Sept. 11...........................vs. Winona, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 16.............................at Faribault, 7:15 p.m. AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Sept. 18............vs. Rochester Mayo, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 23............................at Northfield, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 25..vs. Rochester John Marshall, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 27........at Rochester Century Invite, 8 a.m. Sept. 30...........................at Red Wing, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 2............vs. Rochester Century, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 9...........................vs. Albert Lea, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 14............................at Owatonna, 7:15 p.m. FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Experience leading the way With a large number of new faces, Packers will still lean on the veterans The Austin boys soccer team had a lot of new faces as it went 7-7-5 overall last season, but this year those new faces are all a year older as the Packers are hoping to put together another strong season. Austin brings back eight starters from last season, and it has a big group of seniors to lead the way. “All of us have been playing together for so long and we all mesh really well. We’re looking forward to it a lot,” Austin midfielder Noah Brehmer said. “We’ve kind of had a reputation of going far in Sections and then facing some good teams at the end of the season. We’re looking to make a run a little more than we have in the past.” The biggest question facing the Packers this Fall is who will man the net for them. Gach Gach, who is a senior, but wasn’t on the soccer team last season, is one candidate to fill that void, and there are some other younger players who could step up as well. “Gach played last summer, and he might be able to jump right in there. Besides that, we’ve got lots of younger guys. [Keeper] is going to be the big question,” Austin head coach Jens Levisen said. “There are some other guys that play field positions that have been in the goal that don’t want to be in the goal. I’m kind of wondering how things pan out if one of them might move in to help their team.” The Packers bring back plenty of experience. The team will look to Roel Torres, Riley Grinstead, Ryan Kepmen, Jeremy Olmsted and Levi Veirkandt to lead the way. “Experience helps with our chemistry, and it’ll help us on the field with passing,” Veir-

kandt said. “We’ll know where everybody is.” Brehmer said the team’s main focus will be on defense. “We need young guys and experienced guys to step up on defense,” he said. “We have goal scorers, with Ochan [Ochigo], Levi and Roy. They’ve all been on the varsity levels for multiple years, so I don’t think goals will be an issue for us.” Austin has finished near the top of the Big Nine consistently over the past few years, and that is the goal again this season. However, that will be a more difficult task as Red Wing and Northfield have been added to the conference this season. “We know what those teams are capable of. We just have to make sure we’re up for them, just like when we play Owatonna,” Levisen said. “We have a strong group returning. The big push was how much they did to improve themselves in the offseason. It’s exciting to see who’s done some [work] and who needs to pick it up and keep working.” With a senior-heavy team, the Packers will have a sense of urgency this year. The squad is looking to leave it all out on the field. “I think we’ve got lots of guys that are going to come into it saying, ‘This is it, and we want to give everything for every game.’ That’s got to be the mentality of those guys,” Levisen said. JS

“Experience helps with our chemistry and it’ll help us on the field with passing. We’ll know where everybody is.”

-Levi Veirkandt

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Schedule/Home games in bold

Austin’s Roel Torres

Aug. 28.....................................at Mankato West, 5 p.m. Aug. 30......................................vs. Pine Island, noon Sept. 2.............................................vs. Winona, 7 p.m. Sept. 4...............................................at Faribault, 7 p.m. Sept. 9..............................vs. Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m. Sept. 1...........................................at Como Park, 4 p.m. Sept. 13.......................................vs. Northfield, 4 p.m. Sept. 16............vs. Rochester John Marshall, 7 p.m. Sept. 18...........................................at Red Wing, 7 p.m. Sept. 20...............................at Rochester Lourdes, TBA Sept. 23.......................vs. Rochester Century, 7 p.m. Sept. 25....................................at Mankato East, 5 p.m. Sept. 27..............................................vs. Byron, 2 p.m. Sept. 30......................................vs. Albert Lea, 7 p.m. Oct. 2..............................................at Owatonna, 7 p.m. Oct. 4.........vs. Kasson-Mantorville at Austin, 7 p.m. AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

It’s a numbers game Packers loaded with experience Once again, the Packer girls soccer team is strong in numbers and experience. Now the team just needs to score some goals. The Packers went 6-9-1 overall last season, but defense was not the problem in most of their losses. Austin struggled to score in many of its games. “Last year we always scored only one

goal,” Austin head coach Enrique Camarena-Corzo said. “We’re preparing ourselves more mentally and physically so we can be more competitive. Our goal has to be high, and our goal is always to get to state.” Austin brings back a veteran at keeper in Chloe Summerfield and Madeline Anderson, Sydney Murphy, Carolyn Hackel, Steph Candler and Sydney Marsh all have varsity experience as well. “I think we have a number of players who can lead,” Camarena-Corzo said. “The girls get it now. They know we need to be united as a team, and the girls who played varsity last year can help the younger ones.”

Murphy said that some new players are ready to take on the leadership roles left behind by those who graduated. “We lost a lot of seniors. We’ve got to have some new players step up and score some goals. That’s how you win games,” Murphy said. “We have a lot of younger players this year. The future is bright for soccer.” Camarena-Corzo said the one thing he knows for sure is that his team will play with effort every single game. “I hope people come and watch us. I guarantee they’re going to leave happy because our girls will put 110 percent into it,” he said. JS

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 21.....................................................Austin 1, Waseca 1 Aug. 28.......................................vs. Mankato West, 7 p.m. Aug. 30...................................vs. Mankato Loyola, 10 a.m. Sept. 2........................................................at Winona, 7 p.m. Sept. 4..................................................vs. Faribault, 7 p.m. Sept. 6......................................................at Fairmont, 3 p.m. Sept. 9..........................................at Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m. Sept. 13...............................................vs. Northfield, 2 p.m. Sept. 16..........................at Rochester John Marshall, 7 p.m. Sept. 18..............................................vs. Red Wing, 7 p.m. Sept. 23....................................at Rochester Century, 7 p.m. Sept. 25........................................vs. Mankato East, 7 p.m. Sept. 30..................................................at Albert Lea, 7 p.m. Oct. 2....................................................vs. at Austin, 7 p.m.

Austin’s Stephanie Chandler celebrates her second half goal against New Prague in the Section 2A playoffs last year.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

The fun of trying something new

Inside the Line Austin tennis taking a step towards improving on last season’s 3-7 record

he Austin girls tennis team brings back some experienced players as it looks to improve on last year’s record of 3-7 overall.

By Alex Smith

Austin will look for No. 1 singles player Alicia Sforza to lead the way at the top. Sforza, a senior, has held the top singles spot since she was a freshman. Also returning in singles play are Megan Fleiner and Maggie Leif, and Mari-

el Flaherty should play singles as well. The Packers will have a variety of players step in doubles play, including Jennifer Bogle, Elizabeth Ettinger, Anna Bachmeier, McKenna Gleisner, Maggie Trom and Taylor Tauchnitz. JS

Aug. 26.........................Faribault 7, Austin 0 Aug. 28.................at Mankato West, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 2..........................at Northfield, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 4..vs. Roch. John Marshall, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 6...................at USC tournament, 9 a.m.

Sept. 9 ........................at Red Wing, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 11.......................vs. Winona, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 23.......................at Owatonna, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 27...at Big Nine Tourney in Rochester, 9 a.m.

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 19...........................Austin 7, Albert Lea 0 Rochester Mayo 7, Austin 0 Aug. 20.........................Henry Sibly 6, Austin 1 Aug. 21.............Rochester Century 6, Austin 1 Mankato East 5, Austin 2

Swimmers relying on youth The Austin girls swimming and diving will rely on a large group of younger swimmers to carry the load for them this season. The Packers have a total of 13 middle schoolers on their roster, and a lot of the eighth graders had varsity experience last season. “We’re not going to come in with a learning year,” Austin head coach Lynn Gulbrandson said. “We’re going to go after it and be the best we can be. Our focus is to just keep improving the performances.” Austin has just three seniors on the roster, and two are former state qualifiers Maddie Kinney and Mikayla Finney. Andrea Ramirez is the third senior on the squad. Ramirez said she has plenty of faith in the team’s younger swimmers. “Most of them have been swimming since they were like

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Austin’s Emma Kleis, one of Austin’s returners this year.

five,” Ramirez said. “We also have a few that are just starting, and we do have to teach them a lot. We have well bonded team, and we have to be there for each other.” Kinney said the Packers are hopeful to have some more state qualifiers this season. She also said Austin’s coaching staff will help develop some of the younger swimmers. “You’ll see those girls excel through this season, not just because of their own hard work but

because of what the coaches are putting into it,” Kinney said. “We have some strong, young girls, and we have a very talented group.” With two-time state qualifier Autumn Laury graduated, the Packers will have to look for some new divers to step up. Samantha Sheldon, Jori Johnson and Berghyn Hull are all in the running for time on varsity. Gulbrandson said he hopes his team has a chance to finish near the middle of the pack, and he’s

Schedule/

Home meets in bold Aug. 22...Lakeville South 94, Austin 82 Lakeville North 94, Austin 82 Aug. 26...........Albert Lea 95, Austin 80 Sept. 4.vs. Rochester Century, 6 p.m. Sept. 11.....vs. Mankato West, 6 p.m. Sept. 16......vs. Mankato East, 6 p.m. Sept. 18..........at Rochester JM, 6 p.m. Sept. 25...............vs. Faribault, 6 p.m. Oct. 2.................vs. Red Wing, 6 p.m. Oct. 4................Austin Invite, 10 a.m. Oct. 7.........................at Winona, 6 p.m. Oct. 14...at Rochester Mayo, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21...................at Northfield, 6 p.m. Nov. 1 at Big Nine meet, Rochester, noon

Though I only vaguely remember it, my first day of volleyball practice when I attended Ellis Middle School was scary. For me, that was my introduction to a whole new realm of people I hadn’t met before at elementary school. The beauty of that first year of school sports is that everyone, for the most part, is a beginner. Even if someone has a year or two more of extra experience, it’s that not that big of a lead ahead of the other players. Now in my senior year of high school, I found myself in a familiar position. I decided to join the tennis team for my senior year. Unlike in sixth grade with volleyball, I didn’t have the benefit of being a beginner like everyone else. Though I managed to sneak about a month’s worth of lessons prior to the start of the season, I only learned the basics of tennis there. The lessons, however, proved to be extremely helpful. Without them, I probably would’ve been completely lost on my first day of practice. The lessons, however, didn’t stop me from being nervous on my first day. Though I had friends on the team and was familiar with the majority of the people, I still felt a little out of place. A lot of these girls had been playing together since sixth grade, if not longer. Once we got going with practice, things got better. Veterans of the team helped explain different drills and walked me through things I was unfamiliar with. Still, I felt like I was a little behind everyone else. But how could I not be when I had years of catching up to do with some players? But the beauty of it for me is I’m not there to win. Winning a few matches would be great, but the main purpose for me is to just to have fun with it. Two weeks after walking into my first tennis practice clueless about multiple aspects of the game, I can gladly say I understand most of it and have even won a couple of JV matches with my doubles partner. With so many opportunities to take up at the high school, age shouldn’t stop anyone from trying something new. JS

hoping his squad can learn from some of the top swimmers in the Big Nine. “The state champs [from other schools] are some of the nicest kids, and they’ve helped coach our kids. Swimming is that way,” Gulbrandson said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, you just go out and race. There’s no defense, you go out there and put your best performance out there and see what happens.” JS AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Looking to get on track

Boys will have new look; girls aiming for team success The Austin boys cross country will have totally new look to it this season, and the Packer girls will look almost identical to what they were last season. The Packer boys bring back just a handful of returnees including freshman Mitch Mayer and senior Matt Retterath. Austin will also look to sophomore Joe Kroymann and senior Holden Ourada to lead the way. “We’re going to pretty much have a new team with the boys,” Austin head coach Tony Einertson said. “It’ll be a complete turnaround from what it was last year. They’ve been doing really well, and they all run about the same time. We’re going to look at packing them in and seeing what they can do.” Ourada ran for the Packer track and field team last spring after he moved to Austin from Cincinnati, Ohio and this will be his first year with the Packer boys cross country team. “Holden will probably be our leader. He ran well in track, and he had a nice summer,” Einertson said. The Packer girls cross country team brings back a strong group of runners from last year’s team that took first in the Big Nine for the first time in school history. Last year’s Austin team took third in the Section 1AA meet, which was one spot away from state. This year, the Packers are hoping to earn a trip to state. “We’re training through a lot of the smaller meets this year, so we’re all peaking at sections,” Austin junior Madison Overby, who has run in the state meet four times individually in her career said. “Our best race will be sections.” JS

Schedule/Home meets in bold Aug. 26 Boys: 1. Rochester Century; 2. Faribault; 3. Owatonna; 4. Albert Lea; 5. Austin; 6. Rochester Lourdes; 7. Rochester John Marshall. Girls: 1. Austin; 2. Rochester Century; 3. Owatonna; 4. Albert Lea; 5. Rochester Lourdes; 6. Faribault 6; 7. Mankato West; 8. Rochester John Marshall. Aug. 29....................................................at Rosemount, 10:50 a.m. Sept. 11...................................................at Rochester Invite, 4 p.m. Sept. 16.........................................................at Lake City, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 23......................................................at Mankato West, 4 p.m. Oct. 2............................................................at Owatonna, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 7..........Winona, Albert Lea, Lake City, Stewartville, Pacelli at Austin, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14..................................at Big Nine meet in Owatonna, 4 p.m. AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

LP runners young but experienced The Pacelli cross country team will be young again, but it does have some runners back with varsity experience. The Pacelli boys have five runners back from last year’s team, and the Pacelli girls return four runners from last season. The team has a total of about 20 runners and half of those runners are middle schoolers.

Kayla Christopherson running in the state meet last year.

We have a very young team this year. We need to develop our younger runners and move them up gradually when they are ready. —Jim Parlin, head coach “We have a very young team this year,” Pacelli head coach Jim Parlin said. “We need to develop our younger runners and move them up gradually when they are ready.” The Pacelli girls bring back eighth-grader Kayla Christopherson, who ran at the state meet last season, and they also will look to seniors Sarah Kahle and Katie Ethen to lead the way. The Pacelli boys will lean on the leadership of senior Anthony Servellon and junior Ben Kraemer. “Our goals this year are generally the same goals we have every year,” said Parlin, who is in his 31st year on the job. “We want to have fun, and make improvements individually. [We want] to be able to compete as a team later in the year when some of our younger runners are ready to step to the varsity level.” JS

Schedule/Home meets in bold Aug. 28...........................................................................at Stewartville, 4 p.m. Sept. 4.............................................................................at Hayfield, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 10....................................................................at Dover-Eyota, 4:25 p.m. Sept. 12...............................................................................at Mankato, 4 p.m. Sept. 16........................................................at New Richland-HEG, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 23.............................................................at Blooming Prairie, 4:30 p.m. Set. 25..........................................................at Zumbrota-Mazeppa, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 2.............................................................................at Lewiston, 4:15 p.m. Oct. 7...................................................................Pacelli at Austin, 4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

New head coach,new look for Athletics

The Lyle-Pacelli football team will turn to a new head coach as former Lyle youth football coach Jeremy Wilson takes over the program this season. Wilson, who coached youth football in Lyle for the past three years and played some college football at Winona State University, didn’t know a lot about his squad when he began the job. “I’m kind of learning on the fly. The returning players are doing really well,” Wilson said. “They’ve shown me where everything was and they helped me get equipment handed out.” LP finished 1-8 overall last season, but it does bring back most of its top players from last season. The team returns senior quarterback Jordan Hart, who threw for 596 yards, and ran for 448 yards, and junior Daniel Bollingberg, who ran for 1,159 yards and 17 TDs last season. Wilson is looking to turn to a spread offense that features more passing this season. Hart embraces the passing game being featured, but he said it has been tough to pick up on everything so quickly. “It’s hard to start fresh, especially for the seniors because we’ve done the same thing the last couple of years,” Hart said. “We’re putting in new plays, we’ll have a new defense and we’ll have new leaders. We’ll deal with it.” LP wide receiver Brady Lester said he thinks LP, which featured the rushing attack last season, will be better off attacking through the air.

amount of time. “I’m learning as I go. I didn’t have the whole summer to prepare like most of the football coaches,” Wilson said. “We’re just trying to improve on last year. Hopefully as the season goes a long we’ll get a little bit better each game.” LP has had a young and inexperienced squad for the past few seasons and this year the team has some veterans with some solid varsity experience. Hart thinks the Athletics could show some improvement. “We have good chemistry as a team and we have a lot of experience. We’re not young anymore, we’re getting older,” Hart said. “[Coach Wilson] knows what he’s doing. He’s a good coach and a good person. I’m happy to play for him.” JS

Lyle-Pacelli’s Jordan Cotter carries in the 2014 season opener.

Schedule/Home games in bold

“I think it’ll be different, but it’ll work with a passing offense,” Lester said. “Because all we did was run last year.” Wilson had to learn everything from where the equipment is located to the names of his players in his first week on the job. Now he has to prepare his squad for the season in a very short

Aug. 22.................................................Spring Grove 73, Lyle-Pacelli 14 Aug. 29...............................................................at Mabel-Canton, 7 p.m. Sept. 5....................................................vs. Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Sept. 12...................................................................at Lanesboro, 7 p.m. Sept. 19.................................................................vs. Randolph, 7 p.m. Oct. 3...........................................................................at Houston, 7 p.m. Oct. 10..............................................................at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m. Oct. 15...........................................................at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m.

LP sitting good for the 2014-15 season The Lyle-Pacelli volleyball team is as experienced as it has ever been as it prepares for the upcoming season. The Athletics, who went 14-12 overall last season, bring back five starters from that team. LP will look to senior Madison Truckenmiller, who had 141 kills last season, and juniors Sarah Holtz, who had 241 kills and 162 digs last season, and Courtney Walter, who had 341 set assists last season, to lead the way. That trio has 11 years of varsity volleyball experience amongst them. “We have been a young team for a number of consecutive seasons,” LP head coach Lindsay Leif said. “Madison, Sarah and Courtney’s dedication, good work ethic and experience will be a huge asset to our program this season.” LP will also bring back Bethany Strouf, Brooke Walter and Zoe Lester from last season. Leif, who is in her fourth year at the helm, said her squad gives her a lot of versatility.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

LP’s Sarah Holtz

Schedule/Home matches in bold Aug. 21 LP 3, Houston 1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-22) Aug. 26 Mabel-Canton 3, LP 0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-14) Aug. 28.................vs. Lanesboro at Pacelli, 7 p.m. Sept. 2................................at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m. Sept. 6..................at Hayfield Tournament, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 8..................................at Riceville, Iowa, 7 p.m. Sept. 9.......vs. Schaeffer Academy at Lyle, 7 p.m. Sept. 11.................................at Spring Grove, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13.................at Southland Tournament, 8 a.m. Sept. 16...vs. Glenville-Emmons at Pacelli, 7 p.m. Sept. 18.......................................at Randolph, 7 p.m. Sept. 23........vs. Grand Meadow in Pacelli, 7 p.m. Sept. 30...........................at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m. Oct. 2...........................at Schaeffer Academy, 7 p.m. Oct. 7.............................at Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Oct. 9..................................at Hope Lutheran, 7 p.m. Oct. 13....................................vs. Randolph, 7 p.m.

“This gives us the opportunity to have more options in our offensive strategy. A weakness we will continue to improve upon this season is the increased tempo of our play,” Leif said. “This group of athletes have come a long way in the last three seasons and we will continue striving for a higher level of play, focusing on a quicker offense and overall better movement on the court this season.” JS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Seniors take hold of season Class takes 2014 by the horns in effort to improve on a 3-7, 2013 record The Southland football team will look to a determined senior class to make its mark this season. The Rebels committed 40 turnovers as they finished last season 3-7 overall, but they’re hoping to do things differently this fall. “We had disappointment in last year’s season and we don’t want to have to deal with that like last year’s seniors did,” Southland senior Lucas Mandt said. “Last year we had way too many turnovers, and it didn’t help us out at all.” Manet will be one of the key senior leaders for Southland along with Cole Erie, Nick Finbraaten, Colton Allen, Adam Koenigs and Boyd Mortenson. “I’ve never had a group of seniors work this hard before,” Southland head coach Shawn Kennedy said. “We always say when the fourth quarter starts, we want to be in the game and have a chance to win the game. The senior class coming in has leadership, and the amount of time they’ve put in the weight room has been incredible.” The Rebels have just 30 players on their roster and 11 of them are freshman. They will not be able to afford any injuries to the squad.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

The Rebels will look for offense from its backfield of Finbraaten, Erie and Mandt. Junior Jackson Koenigs will provide some blocking out of the backfield and junior Josh Anderson will give the team a big tight end. The Rebels will look to do some damage on the ground, but Kennedy isn’t about to let his team get one dimensional. “I think we can be successful running the football, providing our lineman up front do their job and I think we have good receivers with height,” he said. “We’ll take what the defense gives us and it’s nice to have a combination of both. We’ve got strong, powerful kids and I think we can run the ball fairly effectively.” Southland has had to move some players around to different positions in order to put them in spots where they can do damage. Kennedy hopes the moves pay off. “We’ve moved some kids around and we’ve tried to put kids in position were they have the best chance to be successful,” he said. JS

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 22............................Caledonia 26, Southland 0 Aug. 29......................vs. Wabasha-Kellogg, 7 p.m. Sept. 5..........................................at Goodhue, 7 p.m. Sept. 19........................vs. Fillmore Central, 7 p.m. Sept. 26........................at Rushford-Peterson, 7 p.m. Oct. 3..........................................vs. Hayfield, 7 p.m. Oct. 10.........................................at Kingsland, 7 p.m. Oct. 15......................................vs. Chatfield, 7 p.m.

Nick Finbraaten carries the ball near the goal-line for Southland against Rushford-Peterson in Adams last season.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

GMLOS runner McKenise Kirtz in the state meet last

Kirtz leads GMLOS into 2014 The Grand Meadow-LeRoy-Ostrander-Southland cross country team made history last year when McKenzie Kirtz made it to the Class A state cross country meet and finished in 51st place. Kirtz was the first Southland girl ever to run at the state cross country meet and she’ll be one of the leaders on this year’s GMLOS team. The boys team will look for leadership from Peter Torkelson and Parker Hale. GMLOS has 14 athletes with varsity experience, and the progam is in the best shape it has been as it enters its third year under head coach Chris Detert. “One of our strengths is that we will have most of our team coming in this fall with at least one season of cross

“One of our strengths is that we will have most of our team coming in this fall with at least one season of cross country under their belt.” -Chris Detert, head coach country under their belt,” Detert said. “Considering we started the program two years ago, I’m pretty happy with that. We will also have a few young, new faces which is always great for a team just starting out.” Detert said he’d like the girls team to finish third place in the Three Rivers Conference again and he’d like to he’d

like to see Torekelson step up for the boys squad. “McKenzie Kritz had an outstanding season last year. She was conference champ, third at sections and she ran at state. I would like to see her do all of those things again and set a new personal record for her 4K,” Detert said. “On the boys side, Peter is really going to shine for us this year. I would like to see him get some top ten finishes this year.” JS

Schedule Aug. 28...........................at Stewartville, 4 p.m. Sept. 4.............................at Hayfield, 4:15 p.m. Sept. 18............at Pine Island Invite, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 2.............................at Lewiston, 4:30 p.m.

Southland volleyball gets new head coach, seven return to varsity The Southland volleyball team is turning to a new coach as it looks to improve on last year’s record of 8-22 overall. Eric Thorson takes over as the head coach for the Rebels this season. Thorson coached the Southland girls basketball ninth-grade and B-Squad teams last year, and he was an assistant track and field coach at Proctor High School in 2013. The Rebels graduated six seniors from last year’s team, but they bring back seven players with varsity experience. Olivia Gray, a junior, had 156 kills and 169 digs last season. “Our greatest strength is that we have a lot of eager juniors and seniors who are ready

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Schedule/Home matches in bold Southland’s Olivia Gray

Aug. 28..........................vs. Dover-Eyota, 7:15 p.m. Aug. 30...............at Rochester Century Invite, 8 a.m. Sept. 4..............................at Saint Charles, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 9.....................vs. Lewiston-Altura, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 11............at Plainview-Elgin-Millville, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13..................Southland Tournament, 8 a.m. Sept. 16.............................vs. Caledonia, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 18...................................at Chatfield, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 23.............vs. Rushford-Peterson, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 25..........................at Winona Cotter, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 30.......................at Blooming Prairie, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 2.................................vs. Kingsland, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 7...................vs. Wabasha-Kellogg, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 14...............................at La Crescent, 7:15 p.m.

to hard work, get better, and compete every day,” Thorson said. “We are looking to be competitive in every game that we play, and we are looking to make a run at one of the toughest sections in the state of Minnesota.” JS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Super Repeat The Superlarks will try for a second title with a team that brings back a majority of last year’s team

he Grand Meadow football team will bring back most of its squad that won the Class Nine Man state championship last season, but it will also have to replace to very valuable players. The Superlarks graduated Trenton Bleifus, who was a three year starter at quarterback, and Isaac Tangen, who was an anchor on both sides of the ball. “It’s going to be hard to replace both of them,” GM head coach Gary Sloan said. “Tangen made a lot of the line calls, and he got other guys in position. Bleifus is going to be really hard to replace. His touchdown to interception ratio was unbelievable and that’s something we’ve got to work on with these guys. They’ve got to stay level headed and not turn the ball over.” Sloan said either Michael Stejskal or Blake Olson will replace Bleifus at quarterback, and the Larks are loaded at the rest of their positions. The team returns senior Landon Jacobson, who had over 2,000 yards of offense and 30 TDs last season on offense, and 163 tackles and seven sacks on defense, and senior defensive end, and offensive lineman Wyatt Richardson, who had 91 tackles and six sacks last year is back as well. “The whole team’s got to step up. Every team loses somebody, but you’ve just got to work past it. I think we’ll be alright,” Richardson said. “We’ve just got to take it one game at a time.” The Superlarks are trying not to get ahead of themselves this season, and Sloan knows the road won’t be easy. He fully expects teams to come ready to play against the defending champs. “We can’t take anybody lightly,” Sloan said. “Everybody’s going to want a shot at Grand Meadow. We have to be ready for that every week.” Olson said the squad is looking at this year as any other year. They were glad to win it all last season, but they know nothing carries over from last season. “It’s about the same [as it was going into last year]. We want to try, and work the same, but we don’t want to compare it to last year,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of kids back and a lot of freshman. It’s not much different.” One bonus the Larks have is a high number of players. GM has 10 more players than it had last season as 12 freshman join the team this season. “Our numbers are better,” Sloan said. “We feel like we can put 12 or 14 guys out there without losing much, which we haven’t always been able to do.” The Larks will have an early test as they host Spring Grove in the second week of the season. Sloan is hoping his squad will be as balanced as it was last year and he wants to compete for an SEC title. “We have our whole offense in already, because it’ll be pretty much the same offense as last year,” Sloan said. “We’ll look pretty much the same. We’ve got a couple new wrinkles we’re working on, but for the most part we’ll look about the same.” JS

“The whole team’s got to step up. Every team loses somebody, but you’ve just got to work past it. I think we’ll be alright.”

-Wyatt Richardson

Grand Meadow running back Landon Jacobson carries the ball in the second quarter of the Minnesota Prep Bowl Nine Man championship last year at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis. Herald file photo

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 29.......................................................................at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m. Sept. 5..........................................................................vs. Spring Grove, 7 p.m. Sept. 12............................................................................at Mabel-Canton, 7 p.m. Sept. 19................................................................vs. Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Sept. 26..................................................................................at Lanesboro, 7 p.m. Oct. 3...................................................................................vs. Randolph, 7 p.m. Oct. 10...................................................................................at Lyle-Pacelli, 7 p.m. Oct. 15...................................................................................vs. Houston, 7 p.m. AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Grand Meadow returns bulk of its team The Grand Meadow volleyball team brings back a bulk of its team that went 9-14 overall last season. The Superlarks will look to Rio Landers to lead the way in hitting, and they’re hoping Rachel Oehlke can give them a boost at libero. Allison Gehling will fill in at setter and Jamie Stevens will provide hitting as well. “We are hoping to be aggres-

“We are hoping to be aggressive with Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 26 Grand Meadow 3, Hope Lutheran 0 our searving this year.” (25-15, 25-17, 26-24) Aug. 28........................vs. Houston, 7 p.m. -Tori Lind, head coach Sept. 2....................vs. Lyle-Pacelli, 7 p.m. sive with our serving this year. We are also hoping to be stronger at the net this season,” GM head coach Tori Lind said. “We are

hoping to improve our standings in the conference, and come out of the season with a better record.” JS

Sept. 9.............at Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Sept. 11..................at Mabel-Canton, 7 p.m. Sept. 13......at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Tournament, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 16.....................vs. Randolph, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18........vs. LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m. Sept. 23.................at Lyle-Pacelli, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 25...................vs. Lanesboro, 7 p.m. Sept. 27.....at LeRoy-Ostrander Tourn., TBA Sept. 30....vs. Schaeffer Academy, 7 p.m. Oct. 2..........vs. Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Oct. 7.............................at Randolph, 7 p.m. Oct. 9.......................at Spring Grove, 7 p.m. Oct. 13...............at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m.

Riverland Volleyball and Soccer schedules

Aug. 27................Riverland 3, Western Tech 0, Waldorf 3, RCC 0 Aug. 30..........................................................at Anoka Ramsey, TBA Sept. 5.........................................................................at RCTC, TBA Sept. 10...........................................vs. Minnesota West, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13..vs. Anoka Ramsey, Blue Devil Crossover Tournament, TBA Sept. 25.............................................................at Fergus Falls, TBA Sept. 26.........at NDSCS Tourney in Wahpeton, North Dakota, TBA Oct. 1...............................................................vs. RCTC, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8...........................................................at Minnesota West, TBA Oct. 10..............................................vs. Anoka Ramsey, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11..........................................................vs. Fergus Falls, noon Oct. 14....................................................................at St. Cloud, TBA Oct. 15.....................................................vs. Ridgewater, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21.........................................at Northwestern Jamboree, 3 p.m. Oct. 22...........................................................................at WTC, TBA Oct. 25.................................................................at Ridgewater, TBA

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Aug. 29...................................................at St. Mary's JV, 4 p.m. Sept. 3.....................................................vs. St. Olaf JV, 4 p.m. Sept. 6................................................vs. Bismark State, noon Sept. 10................................................at Anoka Ramsey, 4 p.m. Sept. 17............................................vs. Anoka Ramsey, 4 p.m. Sept. 19........................................................vs. Century, 4 p.m. Sept. 24...................................................vs. Waldorf JV, 4 p.m. Sept. 26.......................................................at St. Olaf JV, 4 p.m. Oct. 6...........................................................at Waldorf JV, 7 p.m. Oct. 10..............................................................at Century, 3 p.m. Oct. 11................................................vs. St. Mary's JV, 10 a.m. Oct. 19...................................................at Bismark State, 3 p.m. Oct. 22..................................................at Dakota County, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

LeRoy-Ostrander’s Jace Bunne carries against Lyle-Pacelli last season.

Seniors lead the way for L-O The LeRoy-Ostrander football team is looking for a large senior class to lead them as they prepare for the upcoming season. “We are heavy on seniors,” said L-O head coach Aaron Hungerholt. “I expect all of them to step up and have good year.” LO’s big senior group includes Jace Bunne, Jacob Souhrada, Craig Wheeler, Matt Helgeson, Sam Roe and Travis Raddatz. The Cardinals graduated four players from last season, when they went 3-6 overall, and they bring back nine players with varsity experience. JS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Schedule/Home meets in bold Aug. 22............................................................................Houston 26, LeRoy-Ostrander 14 Aug. 29.....................................................................................vs. Grand Meadow, 7 p.m. Sept. 12...........................................................................................at Spring Grove, 7 p.m. Sept. 19......................................................................................vs. Mabel-Canton, 7 p.m. Sept. 26...................................................................................at Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Oct. 3...............................................................................................vs. Lanesboro, 7 p.m. Oct. 10...................................................................................................at Randolph, 7 p.m. Oct. 15............................................................................................vs. Lyle-Pacelli, 7 p.m.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Cardinals looking to be competitive L-O hoping to improve on 3-20 record last season The LeRoy-Ostrander volleyball team is hoping a new head coach can help it turn things around after the Cardinals went 3-20 overall last season. Joe Kuchenmeister, who coached the New Richland-HEG volleyball team from 20102012, is the new head coach at L-O, and he’s hoping his team can be competitive this season.

“We have a lot of height on the front lines this year. We’re going to use that height to put up a solid block and keep pressure on opposing hitters.” -Joe Kuchenmeister, Head coach LO will look to seniors Camille Winfield and Haley Riedemann and junior Sam Siskow to lead the way on the court. “They’ve done a nice job communicating and leading by example thus far in the preseason, so I expect that to continue,” Kuchemeister said. “We have a lot of

State Tournament headquarters Football

Class 6A through 9-Man Nov. 6-22 Various Sites Championships at TCF Bank Stadium

Volleyball

Class 3A through 1A Nov. 6-8 Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul

Boys and Girls Soccer Class 2A and 1A Oct. 21-30

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Various sites (Quarterfinals) Husky Stadium and Selke Field, St. Cloud State University

Boys and Girls Cross Country

Class 2A and 1A Nov. 1 St. Olaf College, Northfield

height on the front lines this year. We’re going to use that height to put up a solid block and keep pressure on opposing hitters.” LO graduated three seniors from last year’s team and it brings back eight players with varsity experience. JS

A look at when the Minnesota State Tournament are, along with the dates.

Girls Tennis

Class 2A and 1A Oct. 21-24 Baseline Tennis Center (AA) Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center (A)

Schedule/Home matches in bold Aug. 21 Mabel-Canton 3, LeRoy-Ostrander 0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-10) Aug. 26 Lanesboro 3, LeRoy-Ostrander 0 (23-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 14-16) Aug. 28..........................vs. Spring Grove, 7 p.m. Sept 2.........................at Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Sept. 6.................................at Hayfield Tournament Sept. 9..................................vs. Randolph, 7 p.m. Sept. 16...............vs. Schaeffer Academy, 7 p.m. Sept. 18...........................at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m. Sept. 23.................vs. Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m. Sept. 25.......................vs. Hope Lutheran, 7 p.m. Sept. 27...LeRoy-Ostrander Tournament, 9 a.m. Sept. 30.............................vs. Lyle-Pacelli, 7 p.m. Oct. 2........................................at Randolph, 7 p.m. Oct. 6.......................................at Kingsland, 7 p.m. Oct. 7........................at Schaeffer Academy, 7 p.m. Oct. 9..........................................at Houston, 7 p.m. Oct. 13.........................vs. Grand Meadow, 7 p.m.

Get updated on all the action from the night before at

www.austindailyherald.com

For more information visit www.mshsl.org

Girls Swimming

Class 2A and 1A Nov. 12-14 University of Minnesota Aquatics Center, Minneapolis

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Hayfield’s Cam Rutledge on a scramble last season against Southland.

Vikings hope to improve on 4-5 record

Hayfield hoping to prove doubters wrong Last season the Hayfield football team made a breakthrough when it went 4-5 overall, which was its best record in at least five years. The Vikings graduated 12 players from that team, but they’re hoping to continue to make a move in the right direction. “We’re going to be the underdog this year,” Hayfield senior lineman Cody Carpentier said. “I don’t think anyone believes in us. We know we’re going to go out there and prove some people wrong.” The Vikings will rely on a physical offensive line to pave the way when they have the ball. Hayfield head coach Andrew Weiers said that group has shown leadership well before the team was on the practice field. “Our front five has been after each other all winter in the weight room,” Weiers said. “They’re making sure each other was in there and they were pushing and going hard. It’ll be strength for us.” Hayfield will look to Carpentier, Noah Timmons, Dylan Arndt and Jesus Fernandez to lead the way on the line. The team will look to Tanner Johnston and Trey Champan to provide a lift in the backfield, and the Vikings bring back senior quarterback Cam Rutledge, who started last season. Rutledge said he is feeling much more comfortable with the offense this year. “I’m used to the offensive schemes and coach Weiers is really helping me out. I’m looking to run a lot more this year and the passing game should be good,” Rutledge said. “Everyone’s been out here working hard. The line’s going to be huge this year for us and we’ve got a lot of skill players who are really athletic. I think the experience last year will help us this year.” Defensively, the Vikings will look to get after teams with their front seven and they hope to be a tough team to run against. Weiers is hoping his team isn’t satisfied with last season, and he’d like his squad to build on it. “Last year was a huge step to show us that we can compete and it was left us hungry that we want to do more than that,” Weiers said. JS

“We’re going to be the underdog this year. I don’t think anyone believes in us. We know we’re going to go out there and prove some people wrong.”

-Cody Carpentier

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 29..............................vs. Kingsland, 7 p.m. Sept. 5......................................at Chatfield, 7 p.m. Sept. 12....................................Caledonia, 7 p.m. Sept. 19.....................at Wabasha-Kellogg, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Sept. 26..........................vs. Goodhue, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3.....................................at Southland, 7 p.m. Oct. 10.....................vs. Fillmore Central, 7 p.m. Oct. 15.....................at Rushford-Peterson, 7 p.m. AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Hayfield reloaded

Hayfield’s Jo Bungum receives a serve in the section tournament last season.

The Hayfield volleyball team is looking to reload this season. The Vikings, who went 20-9 overall last season, graduated six players from last year, and they bring back four with varsity experience. Hayfield will look for leadership from senior hitter Jo Bungum, who had 167 kills and 295 digs, senior libero Bhrett Zahnle, who had 174 digs last season, freshman setter Maggie Streightiff, who started last season as an 8th grader, and senior setter Kaila Meyer. “We are taller than we have been in years’ past and hopefully can cause hitters to change their shot,” Hayfield head coach Jeremy Struck, who is in his second year at the helm, said. “We will continue to play scrappy defense and further frustrate our opponents.” Hayfield played in the Breakdown Summer Elite in Burnsville Aug. 2 and Aug. 3. The Vikings went 4-4 overall in the tournament, which features the top 32 teams in the state. “This early pre-season test gave us some confidence going into the season,” Struck said. JS

Schedule/Home matches in bold Aug. 28...................................................................vs. Austin, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 2...........................................vs. Kenyon-Wanamingo, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 4....................................................................at Lake City, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 6.............................................................Hayfield Invite, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 9....................................................................vs. Byron, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 11.................................................at Kasson-Mantorville, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 16..............................................................at Pine Island, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 18..................................................................at Goodhue, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 22.................................................vs. Fillmore Central, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 25.............................................................at Stewartville, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 27........................................................at Rochester Century, 8 a.m. Sept. 30....................................................................at Medford, 7:15 p.m.

Hayfield’s Gabe Temple heads to the finish in last year’s state meet.

Schedule/Home meets in bold Aug. 28......................................at Stewartville, 4 p.m. Sept. 4..............................Hayfield Invite, 4:15 p.m. Sept. 9...........................................at Byron, 4:30 p.m. AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Oct. 2.......................................................................vs. Triton, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 7.....................................................at Rochester Lourdes, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 9..........................................................vs. Cannon Falls, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 14..................................................at Zumbrota-Mazeppa, 7:15 p.m.

Gabe Tempel eyeing third trip to state The Hayfield cross country team graduated five runners from last year’s team, and it brings back five runners with varsity experience this season. The Vikings boys will look to two-time state qualifier Gabe Tempel to lead the way, and the Hayfield girls will look to Elizabeth Reynolds as a leader. “We had a handful of seniors graduate last year, so now we are building the program up again,” said Hayfield head coach Kellie Baker. “We have ten new athletes that weren’t on the team last year that will be joining the oth-

ers. Gabe Tempel went to state the last two years so we hope he finishes his high school cross country career going a third time.” Baker, who is in her second year as head cross country coach, said she’s hoping all of the new runners can improve their times this year from meet to meet and she wants the squad to enjoy the year. “We just want everyone to have fun, create memories and make it a great fall sports season,” she said. JS

Sept. 16...................................at Lake City, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 23........................at Blooming Prairie, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 30....................................at Chatfield, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 7............................at Kasson-Mantorville, 4 p.m. Oct. 14......................at HVL meet in Byron, 4:30 p.m. FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Blooming Prairie quarterback John Rumpza has a chance to break the state touchdown record this season. The record is currently held by former teammate Luc Zellmer

Blossoms target return to state tourney In the past two years, the Awesome Blossoms football team has shown that they’ve been able to put together quality regular seasons, but this year they’re hoping to take it a step further. After being knocked off in the Section 1A title game the past two seasons, the Awesome Blossoms, who went 10-1 overall last season, are looking to get back to where they were in 2011 — the Minnesota State Football Tournament. BP senior wide receiver Cole Sunde, who had 896 receiving yards and 12 TDs last season, said BP is fit to make that kind of run. “We’re in our prime,” he said. “One of our biggest goals this year is to get to state and play in a big stadium.” The Blossoms have 11 seniors and they have plenty of experienced players on both sides of the ball. BP senior quarterback John

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Rumpza threw for 2,778 yards and 30 TDs last season and senior running back Jake Decker had 1,139 yards of offense and 17 TDs last year. BP head coach Chad Gimbel said his team can’t be satisfied with playing at a high level during the regular season. “When we get a little stagnant, we’re going to remind them that we make sure we’re improving,” Gimbel said. “We’ve had great regular seasons, but we feel like we’re not continuing to get better. We’ve got a number of returning players on defense and we’re hoping we can improve. We don’t ever want to stay the same and maintain the status quo. We always want to work to get better.” The last two seasons BP beat Faribault Bethlehem Academy in the regular season, but fell to the Cardinals with a trip to state on the line. This time around, BP hopes to

avoid a letdown. “We’ve got a lot of guys with a lot of experience. We’ll be pretty strong and balanced,” Rumpza said. “Part of our motto is to keep doing the things the same and get the same results. Practices have been more focused and a little bit better than year’s past.” Having a lot of experience on the squad has allowed BP to change some things up. Gimbel said the team is looking to be able to make changes at the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball. “You’ll start to see that we’re going to start to change some things, because they know all of our base stuff, and we’re able to get through that a lot quicker,” Gimbel said. “We’re going to give more decision making on the field and that’s something we haven’t done before. They’ll have more control over the deci-

Schedule/Home games in bold Aug. 29........................vs. Mankato Loyola, 7 p.m. Sept. 5........at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, 7 p.m. Sept. 12.......vs. Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity, 7 p.m. Sept. 19......................................at Saint Clair, 7 p.m. Sept. 27.....at Faribault Bethlehem Academy, 6 p.m. Oct. 3..................vs. United South Central, 7 p.m. Oct. 10..vs. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, 7 p.m. Oct. 15........................at New Richland-HEG, 7 p.m.

sions we make offensively.” If Rumpza and the Awesome Blossoms can make a deep playoff run, Rumpza has a chance of catching his former teammate Luc Zellmer for the Minnesota state record for career touchdown passes. Zellmer finished his BP career with the Minnesota standard of 102 TD passes and Rumpza has 68 career TD passes going into this season. JS AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Full throttle into a new season The Blooming Prairie volleyball team is hoping for some big things out of an experienced roster as it prepares for the upcoming season. The Awesome Blossoms went 22-8 overall last year, and they bring back their top setter in Madison Worke, who has 1,953 career set assists, their top libero in Nicole Inwards, who has 1,156 career digs and their top hitter in Taylor Hagen, who had a BP school record 329 kills last season. Worke, Inwards and Hagen have been starters for three years. BP also brings back Molly Walsh, Macaela Jensen, Lauren Larkoski and Abby Wayne from last year’s squad. “We return a lot of solid players who are extremely versatile,” said BP head coach Gina McLaughlin. “This opens up a lot of options for us offensively. We will have some good height at the net this year. In addition, the girls are driven to succeed. We have high expectations and the girls are willing to work hard.” BP is amping up its schedule this season to help the team become more competitive. The Awesome Blossoms played 2013 state qualifier Maple Lake and will compete in the Class A showcase in Burnsville on Sept. 19. “This year we are looking to perform at our highest level each time we take the floor,” McLaughlin said. “We have challenged ourselves by amping up our competitive schedule.” JS

“We return a lot of solid players who are extremely versatile.”

-Gina McLaughlin, Head coach

Schedule/Home matches in bold Aug. 23..Maple Lake 3, Blooming Prairie 0 (17-25, 24-26, 22-25) Aug. 26......Blooming Prairie 3, Medford 0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-15) Aug. 28.Water.-Elysian-Morris., 7:15 p.m. Aug. 30....................at Rochester Century Tournament, 8 a.m. Sept. 2.........................at Austin, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 4..vs. New Richland-HEG, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 6......................at Hayfield, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11...................at Medford, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 15....vs. Kenyon-Wana., 7:15 p.m. Sept. 18......................vs. USC, 7:15 p.m.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Sept. 19..................at Southwest Christian Tournament, TBA Sept. 20..................at Southwest Christian Tournament, TBA Sept. 25.............at Faribault BA, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 27...................at Rochester Century Tournament Sept. 30.............vs Southland, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 2.............vs. Maple River, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 7....at New Richland-HEG, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 9.......at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 7:15 p.m. Oct. 14..............vs. Randolph, 7:15 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Blooming runners have plenty of depth The Blooming Prairie cross country team brings back plenty of experience for this season. The BP boys have five returning letter winners, and the BP girls have three returning letter winners. The BP boys will look to Isaac Baker and Alec Ille to lead the way, and the girls will lean on Alanna Grant.

“This summer we had several athletes doing a lot of running to get ready for the season,” said BP head coach John Bruns, who is in his 16th year as coach. “This summer work should translate to great things once the season gets into full swing. Our numbers are a bit lower than they have been in recent years, but the athletes we do have out are

Schedule/Home meets in bold Aug. 28........................................at Stewartville, 4 p.m. Sept. 4.........................................at Hayfield, 4:15 p.m. Sept. 12...............................at Mankato Loyola, 4 p.m. Sept. 16....................at New Richland-HEG, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 20.............................................at Milaca, 10 a.m.

quality runners.”

Sept. 23.....................vs. Mankato Loyola, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 30......................................at Chatfield, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 7..........................United South Central, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14.........at Gopher Meet in New Richland, 4 p.m.

BP has a total of 12 runners on the team. JS

What is a certified athletic trainer?

“Athletic trainers are health care professional who collaborate with physicians. The services provided by the Athletic Trainers comprise prevention, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Athletic Trainers work under the direction of physicians, as prescribed by the state licensure statutes.” National Athletic Trainers’ Association, nata.org My name is Kris Dutton and I am a certified athletic trainer that works for the Mayo Clinic Health System-Austin. For those that are not familiar with what a certified athletic trainer is and what we do, I hope to explain my role in the field of sports medicine. My education includes a four-year bachelor of science in Exercise Science and Athletic Training from Winona State University. I have been working as a certified athletic trainer for 20 years, primarily in the hospital

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

setting doing outreach to area high schools providing sports medicine coverage to all sports teams. Most recently, I became the head athletic trainer for the Austin Bruins providing the same event coverage as I do with Austin High School. Working directly under the parameters of my medical protocol, I provide daily coverage to area athletes by evaluating sports related injuries and developing plan for their return to play. Athletes are generally evaluated post injury by me and once the injury has been assessed a decision of proper treatment is developed. Proper treatment may include bracing, taping, rehabilitation, referral to appropriate healthcare provider and most importantly education regarding the injury and what steps an athlete needs to take in order to return to his or her sport safely and effectively. Most sports related injuries are musculoskeletal or injuries to the extremities. Sometimes these injuries require further evaluation by a doctor who specializes in musculoskel-

etal type injuries. The physicians who I am referring to are orthopedic surgeons and physicians who specialize in musculoskeletal medicine. Many of the injuries I evaluate are usually able to be treated without referral. However, a lot of times an athlete may need further diagnosis due to the severity of the injury. My role is to assess these athletes and assist them in getting to the appropriate provider. I usually will contact the hospital and speak with the scheduling department or directly with the physician or his or her nurse to schedule an appointment. I then give a full report of the injury and my assessment so the physician has a background of the injury and how it occurred. Once the athlete has been scheduled they will be evaluated by the physician and if needed x-rays and an MRI may be ordered to help pinpoint the diagnosis. Sometimes these athletes may need surgery and others may need structured rehabilitation like physical therapy to strengthen

and help heal their injuries. Physicians will help the athlete and their families make the best decision and guide them through this process. Currently at the orthopedic department at Mayo Clinic Health System Austin we are fortunate to have several options available for these athletes. We have direct access to physicians Darryl E. Barnes, M.D. Sports Medicine/Musculoskeletal Medicine, orthopedic surgeons Jeffrey P. Beckenbaugh, D.O. specializing in hip and knee arthroscopy, total knee replacements and Scott P. Steinmann, M.D. shoulder and elbow surgery. The orthopedic department also will be adding a hand surgeon and a spine specialist soon. To schedule an appointment with one of this specialist contact Mayo Clinic Health System Austin phone number is 507-4341999. Remember to always seek the appropriate medical attention with any of your sport related injuries. Good luck and have a healthy fall season. JS

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Austin Bruins

return of the

BEARS On a sheet of ice, not so far away, the Austin Bruins had their best run yet, skating all the way to Robertson Cup Finals. Does the saga continue in 2014-15?

he Austin Bruins are coming off their best season in franchise history as they finished 40-19-1 overall and made it to the NAHL Robertson Cup Finals last sea-

son. But now the defending NAHL Central Division champs will have to reload. Austin brings back just six players from last year’s team, and it will have seven players that are still in high school on its roster for the upcoming season. “We’re expecting to have a young team,” Bruins head coach Chris Tok said. “We’ll have some kids that we’ll have to have patience with, and we’ll get better as the year goes along.” The Bruins have one definitive strength going into this season and that is at goalie, where the team will be bringing in the duo of Zach Driscoll and Jake Kielly to replace Gopher commit Nick Lehr. Driscoll has already committed to St. Cloud State University and Kielly, who is from Eastview High School, played in the Midget’s National Championship game last year. “Both guys are pretty highly touted,” Tok said. “That was our main focus in the entire recruiting season.” The Bruins will also look to new forward JC MacLean to step up in the scoring department. Austin’s returnees include forwards Luke Dietsch, Brian Bachnak and defenseman Jake Arroy and Cory Dunn. Tok said those players will have to help set the tone early on and show the way to some of the new players in the system. “It’s going to be very crucial to get everybody on the same page and get them to understand how we do things,” Tok said. JS

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Schedule/Home games in bold Sept. 17............................................vs. Michigan in Blaine, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18...........................................vs. Keystone in Blaine, 10:30 a.m. Sept. 19..........................................vs. Johnstown in Blaine, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 20..........................................vs. Fairbanks in Blaine, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 26..................................at Minot, 7:35 p.m. Sept. 27............................at Bismarck, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 3...........................vs. Aberdeen, 7:05 p.m. Oct. 4...........................vs. Aberdeen, 7:05 p.m. Oct. 10.............................at Aberdeen, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 11..............................at Aberdeen, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 18....................................at Minot, 8:05 p.m. Oct. 24.........................vs. Bismarck, 7:05 p.m. Oct. 25.........................vs. Bismarck, 7:05 p.m. Oct. 31...............vs. Coulee Region, 7:05 p.m. Nov. 1...........................at Coulee Region, 7 p.m. Nov. 7...........................at Coulee Region, 7 p.m.

Nov. 8.................vs. Coulee Region, 7:05 p.m. Nov. 11........................vs. Janesville, 7:05 p.m. Nov. 14.................................at Janesville, 7 p.m. Nov. 15..................................at Janesville, 7 p.m. Nov. 21........at Minnesota Wilderness, 7:05 p.m. Nov. 22.......at Minnesota Wilderness, 7:05 p.m. Nov. 26.......................vs. Janesville, 7:05 p.m. Nov. 28.............................at Aberdeen, 7:15 p.m. Nov. 29.............................at Aberdeen, 7:15 p.m. Dec. 5............at Minnesota Magicians, 7:15 p.m. Dec. 6......vs. Minnesota Magicians, 7:05 p.m. Dec. 12....vs. Minnesota Magicians, 7:05 p.m. Dec. 13.........................at Coulee Region, 7 p.m. Dec. 19....vs. Minnesota Magicians, 7:05 p.m. Dec. 20..........at Minnesota Magicians, 7:05 p.m. Dec. 31...............vs. Coulee Region, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 2..............................at Brookings, 7:15 p.m. Jan. 3.........................vs. Brookings, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 9.................................vs. Minot, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 10................................vs. Minot, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 16..........................at Coulee Region, 7 p.m. Jan. 17................vs. Coulee Region, 7:05 p.m.

Jan. 21.......................vs. Brookings, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 23.............................at Brookings, 7:15 p.m. Jan. 29...vs. Minnesota Wilderness, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 30.....vs. Minnesota Magicians, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 31..........at Minnesota Magicians, 7:05 p.m. Feb. 6............at Minnesota Magicians, 7:15 p.m. Feb. 7.......vs. Minnesota Magicians, 7:05 p.m. Feb. 13............................at Brookings, 7:15 p.m. Feb. 14.......................vs. Brookings, 7:05 p.m. Feb. 20........at Minnesota Wilderness, 7:05 p.m. Feb. 21.......at Minnesota Wilderness, 7:05 p.m. Feb. 27.........................vs. Aberdeen, 7:05 p.m. Feb. 28........................vs. Aberdeen, 7:05 p.m. March 4......................vs. Brookings, 7:05 p.m. March 7...........................at Brookings, 7:15 p.m. March 13.....vs. Minnesota Wilderness, 7:05 p.m. March 14....vs. Minnesota Wilderness, 7:05 p.m. March 20 ........................at Brookings, 7:15 p.m. March 21....................vs. Brookings, 7:05 p.m. March 27....................vs. Brookings, 7:05 p.m. March 28 ........................at Brookings, 7:15 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

2013 in Pictures

Grand Meadow’s Trenton Bleifus, center, celebrates the Superlarks’ first touchdown against Underwood in the first quarter of the Minnesota Prep Bowl Nine Man championship at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis. The Superlarks would go on to claim the school’s first-ever title last Novemeber.

In a unique twist to a cross country meet, the Austin pep band showed up and played the Austin Invitational at River Oaks Golf Club in September.

Austin’s Megan Fleiner returned a shot during a match last September.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Photos by Eric Johnson AUSTIN DAILY HERALD - FALL SPORTS PREVIEW