Fall Sports Preview 2012

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FALL SPORTS PREVIEW 2012

HUSKIES

WHAT’S IN A STAT?

favored to win sixth

straight Big Nine title Owatonna.com

WHERE SHOULD YOU BE HEADED ON FRIDAY NIGHT?

COVERING CROSS COUNTRY, FOOTBALL, SOCCER, GIRLS SWIMMING, GIRLS TENNIS,VOLLEYBALL

PAGE 2

FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

where smiles come true

A Great, Fun Experience

STARTS HERE Owatonna seniors Spencer Versteeg (387), Jacob Warehime (388) and Trever Schwichtenberg (384) run in the Ev Berg Invite last year. All three are back to help the Huskies for a sixth straight Big Nine title and state trip. (Press file photo)

Huskies running hard for another title

By IAN STAUFFER

istauffer@owatonna.com

There is little doubt that the Owatonna boys cross country team is the best in the Big Nine Conference. The big question facing the rest of the conference is which team is second.

Unfortunately for the teams from Rochester, Mankato and other Big Nine cities, the second best group of runners in the conference might be Owatonna’s junior varsity.

The Huskies bring back six of their runners from last year’s varsity squad, which won a fifth straight conference title. A sixth consecutive title is all but a formality after Owatonna’s best competition last year, Rochester Mayo, graduated four of its top five runners.

In the JV conference meet, Owatonna won handily, claiming six of the top eight individual spots. In fact, if the Huskies’ JV runners had competed in the varv sity meet, the second OHS team would have finished fifth.

“That shows that we truly are a depth team,” said senior Mark Holzerland. “We don’t have a front runner necessarily, but we don’t need one.”

Last season, whenever Owaton-

Boys Cross Country

na and Mayo were at the same meet, it was essentially a head-to-head race, though a few highly-ranked teams crashed the party as well. The Huskies and Spartans crossed paths six times last year with each side beating the other three times. Owatonna won the big ones, however, coming out on top at the Big Nine and Section 1AA meets.

But with Mayo likely out of the picture as a Big Nine contender, who else might step up? Mankato West, the third finisher at Big Nine last year, graduated three of its top four. Century, which took fourth, brings back all but one of its runners. Mayo also took second in the JV Big Nine race with four runners in the top 11, so the Spartans aren’t completely gone.

“When Mayo graduated most of their guys last year, that was kind of it for competition for us,” said senior Cameron Peterson, who has been on all five of the Big Nine and state teams since 2007.

“It’s kind of nice, but I also wish we had another team to drive us.”

Don’t worry Cam. There is another team of runners waiting to push you and they are wearing the same uniforms as you.

Along with Peterson and Holzerland, seniors Spencer Versteeg, Jacob Warehime and Trever Schwichtenberg are back from last year. Sophomore Seth Huseby is the young runner coming back, and the seventh spot is up for grabs among all those talented JV runners. Of course nobody’s varsity spot is safe either.

“Even now I still get worried about not being on varsity,” said Schwichtenberg, who passed two Mayo runners in the final 100 yards to deliver Owatonna’s Big Nine title last year. “You hate to not be on varsity, especially after you’ve been on it before. It’s scary to think that they are right there behind you.”

Schwichtenberg is talking about the legion of Owatonna JV runners just waiting for their chance to join the varsity. Junior Zach Dantzman won the JV Big Nine race last year, but he was quickly followed by juniors Nick Rethemeier and Eric Schlicker and senior Collin Buck. Sophomore Brady Heaney and Arthur Bartholomew are right there as well.

There are two dozen more. Like Schwichtenberg said, it’s scary.

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FALL SPORTS

2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER STORIES Page 2: OHS boys seek their sixth straight Big Nine title.

Page 5: Where should you be headed on Friday night?

Page: 10-11: What’s in a stat? Area athletes explain their craft.

OWATONNA HIGH SCHOOL Page 4: Football Page 6: Girls Tennis Page 7: Boys & Girls Soccer Page 9: Girls Swimming & Diving Page 18: Girls Cross Country Page 20: Volleyball OWATONNA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Page 16: Volleyball BLOOMING PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL Page 12: Football Page 13: Volleyball & Cross Country MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL Page 14: Football Page 16: Cross Country Page 18: Volleyball TRITON HIGH SCHOOL Page 15: Football & Volleyball NRHEG HIGH SCHOOL Page 17: Volleyball Page 18: Cross Country Page 19: Football

PAGE 3

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2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW A special project of the Owatonna People’s Press 135 W. Pearl St., Owatonna MN 55060 PUBLISHER: Ron Ensley ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Debbie Ensley MANAGING EDITOR: Jeffrey Jackson SPORTS EDITOR: Ian Stauffer SPORTS REPORTER: Kyle Stevens PHOTOS: Ian Stauffer & Kyle Stevens ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES: Luke Brown, Rachel Ebbers, Betty Frost, Diane Gengler, Deb Theisen AD DESIGN: Jenine Kubista, Kelly Kubista, Paul Ristau, Sue Schuster COVER DESIGN: Kate Townsend-Noet Fall Sports Preview 2012 is distributed to subscribers and readers of the Owatonna People’s Press at no additional charge.

All rights reserved. © 2012.

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FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Can the Huskies be the new Panthers?

A shuffling of the football sections has left a power vaccuum at the top of Section 1AAAAA. Owatonna plans to fill it.

Football

By KYLE STEVENS

kstevens@owatonna.com

The last night of Owatonna’s 2011 season had to feel familiar. And not familiar in a comfortable-surrounding kind of way. Rather, familiar in a BillMurray-going-insane-living-the-sameday-over-and-over-again kind of way.

But the chances that the Huskies can escape the turnstile-effect of “Groundhog Day” this year may be better than ever.

Last year, the Huskies were 9-1 coming into a Section 1AAAAA showdown with Lakeville North. A win would have given the Huskies a spot in the Class 5A state tournament. Alas, the Panthers did what they always do to the Huskies, winning 26-7 and ending Owatonna’s season for the fourth time in five years. Owatonna is 0-9 all-time against Lakeville/ Lakeville North, but another meeting in the near future is more than unlikely.

Both Lakeville North and Lakeville South were moved up to the new Class 6A division, while Owatonna stayed in a smaller Class 5A. That means when the section playoffs begin, neither Lakeville school will await the Huskies, or any other Big Nine school. And that’s just fine with OHS coach Jeff Williams.

“The biggest issue that we faced was seeing teams in our section that are quite a bit larger than us,” Williams said. “But statewide, there are megaschools out there that are two-and-ahalf times bigger than us, and that only happened in Class 5A football.”

That wasn’t always the case. When the pre-1997 classification system was used, Williams said, no opponent in a section playoff game was more than

Owatonna quarterback Colton Schock (7) and the Huskies lost to Lakeville North in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years last season. The Huskies face a much easier road to state this year thanks to the addition of a new class in football that will take the two Lakeville schools out of Owatonna’s section. (Press file photo)

two-times larger than the smallest school. But when the Old system of Class AA, A, B and C was discarded for the multiple-As, things started to get out of control.

“I believe, and the football coaches committee decided, that no school

should see another school more than 2 times larger than it,” Williams said.

“What’s happened is a couple schools decided not to build a second school.

Even the Lakevilles will tell you that’s not fair. That’s not to say it’s wrong, every school district gets to make its own

decision as to what’s best for its area.”

Ignoring the size of the largest schools, such as Wayzata and Eden Prairie, and focusing only on the Lakevilles shows how important a couple-hundred extra bodies can be.

“If we’re looking at another class of

kids to choose from, upperclassmen, well, for every Andrew Stelter that we have, Lakeville has one-and-a-half or two,” Williams said. “And as far as Lakeville goes, that’s the growth area of the Twin Cities. Look at the ring of big-school championships. It used to be Minneapolis Washburn, then Columbia Heights and Richfield, then Burnsville.

Now it’s Wayzata, Eden Prairie and Lakeville. It’s where the young professionals go and start families. When Blaine gets landlocked, Anoka will rise up. When Anoka gets locked in, (Elk River) could rise.”

While the impact on a state-wide level is certainly noticeable, the effect a seventh class has had locally might be even more profound. As in no-moreBig-Nine profound.

“I think what happened is it stabilized the Big Nine football conference for a while,” Williams said. “There was talk of splitting it up, something that has existed since 1928. But there’s not as much of a difference in 4A and 5A any more. Our enrollments are much closer than what the classes were a year ago.”

Look no further than the Huskies biggest rival, Faribault, as to how much classes matter. The Falcons, a Class 4A team in 2011 and 2012, finished 4-3 in the Big Nine last year. Two of those losses were to Class 5A teams in Owatonna (54-0) and Rochester John Marshall (28-7). The Falcons also lost to Class 4A’s No. 1 ranked team in Mankato West.

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FALL SPORTS

PAGE 5

Football Road Trip: Your guide to the best games in the area Week 1A

Week 3

Week 6

Medford at Bethlehem Acad.

Owatonna at Rochester JM

La Crescent at Triton

Thursday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.

Option No. 1 for the first week of the season is to catch the fifth annual Battle for the Paddle. The Cardinals routed the Tigers 36-0 last year, but this year will break a 2-2 tie for the Paddle after Medford won the trophy the first two years, and the Cards in 2010.

Friday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.

The Rockets will have nothing but revenge on their minds when the Huskies make the trip to the Med City. Owatonna won both games between the two teams last year by a combined 69-6 margin, including a 35-0 shutout in the Section 1AAAAA semifinals.

Friday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.

A string of five straight winning seasons fell by the wayside last year as the Lancers finished 3-6, including a nailbiting, 22-21 loss to the Cobras. Triton finished 5-5 after an 0-4 start. Both teams will be looking to add wins to what are perennially strong programs.

Week 1B

Week 4

Week 7

NRHEG at Blooming Prairie

Rochester Century at Owatonna

Maple River at NRHEG

Friday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.

Option No. 2 for the first week involves a rivalry that more than lives up to expectations. The Awesome Blossoms won 33-30 last year, but the Panthers won the previous three by a combined 12 points. Expect a close one, no matter who’s behind the facemasks.

Friday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.

The Huskies owned the Panthers 28-7 in Rochester last season, but that was coming off a Century-dominated 34-7 game in 2010. This could be a blow out either way, or it could be closer to 2009’s 28-21 affair, won by the Panthers.

Week 2

Week 5

Blooming Prairie at Lester Prairie

Owatonna at Faribault

Friday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.

This rematch of the Class 1A State quarterfinal — won by the Blossoms, 35-34 — should be an early barometer as to the quality of each team. This one is a bit of a trek, but there is no doubt the trip will be worth it. LP/HT has almost everyone back from last year’s team.

Friday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.

The Falcons have scored only six points in the last two meetings between these bitter rivals. In 2011, Faribault was homecoming fodder for the Huskies as OHS ran away with a 54-0 win. The rout should only further fuel the flames between the blue and silver and the green and black.

Friday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.

The Panthers topped the Eagles, 14-12 last season, giving NRHEG a .500 finish to the regular season. For the Eagles, it was just their second loss of 2011.

Week 8 Rochester Mayo at Owatonna Wednesday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.

The Huskies had the Big Nine wrapped up with a win. For 36 minutes, the Spartans looked as though they would be the Huskies’ eighth victim. Then the fourth quarter happened.

Mayo scored 16 points in the final 10 minutes, including a TD with 15 seconds remaining, to hand the Huskies a secondplace conference finish, and their only regular season loss.

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FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Hartmann, Tellijohn move up for Huskies There is a certain amount of prestige that goes with being the number one singles player on a tennis team. It usually means you are among the best players in the conference and maybe even the section.

It also means you have to play against the best players other teams have to offer and it could mean a worse record. At Owatonna, the honor of the top singles player will fall to either Briana Hartmann or Gabby Tellijohn.

Both players seem ready to take the spot if they earn it.

“You always want to be number one, but I’ll probably get a better record at number two,” said Tellijohn, who played number three singles last year. “I’ll be happy with either one, but I’d rather be number one and have more of a challenge.”

Hartmann played number two singles last year while the top spot belonged to Sarah McCann, who now plays at Minnesota State, Mankato.

Filling in for McCann, a sixyear letterwinner and two-time individual section Final Four qualifier, will be a tall task for the Huskies. Owatonna also graduated Larissa Voss, who had the best record on the team while playing at number four singles last year.

“When you take away girls like Sarah and Larissa, trying to replace them is tough,” OHS coach Curt Matejcek said. “Getting four points is going to be more difficult this year than it was last year just because we lost a lot of depth.”

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Achieve SUCCESS

Girls Tennis

fin, Katie Eckard, Emily Weltzin and Molly Frandle all played Compounding the problem is doubles last year and will move this: in order to refill the singles up in the doubles lineup. positions, Matejcek will likely What happened in 2011 have to dip into his doubles lineup Team: Third place in Big Nine, lost and break up teams there. to Lakeville South, 5-2, in Section Sisters Tessa and Anna Rah- 1AA semifinals rick held down the top doubles Individual: Sarah McCann and Brispot all last season, but both ana Hartmann lost in the Section 1AA semifinals might find themselves in the sin2012 roster gles lineup this year. That leaves a Seniors big hole at the top of the doubles, Ashley Anderson, Molly Frandle, which must be filled with other Taylor Isakson Juniors players down the line.

Erin Abbe, Jena Ambe, Linda “To replace a whole number Astrom, Emily Buryska, Katherone doubles team is very diffi- ine Eckard, Elizabeth Frandle, Griffin, Jessica Luna, Emily cult,” Matejcek said. “These first Valerie Mensing, Anna Rahrick, Quinn few weeks have been a challenge, Reinhard, MaKenzie Robertson, literally.”

Josephine Segner, Kaitlyn Seykora, What Matejcek means is that Gabriele Tellijohn, Giszel Villareal, players have been challenging Aliyah Waypa Sophomores their teammates for varsity spots Magdalena Biegert, Briana Harton a regular basis since practice mann, Taylor Limberg, Hannah started. In just the first week, the Olson, Brianna Ong, Brittney StockMaiah Tellijohn, Kaylie Turner, coach estimated there had been 40 well, Michala White to 50 challenge matches with a lot Freshmen of different girls forming doubles Josephine Dunn-Foster, Jesse Haak, Meretta Hansen, Paige Janka, Grace teams.

Lindsay Neubauer, “Trying to keep track of all McClintlock, Tessa Rahrick, Carline Reebie, Ava that is sometimes a game in itself,” Stockwell, Macey Tellijohn, Ashley Ulman, Millie Wanous, Anne Wright Matejcek said.

No matter how the lineup Schedule fills out, the Huskies will enter August 28 vs. Faribault, 4:30 p.m. the season trying to defend their August 30 at Albert Lea, 4:30 p.m. third-place finish in the Big Nine Sept. 4 vs. Rochester Century, 4:30 last year. Moving higher than p.m.

Sept. 6 at Rochester Mayo, 4:30 that will be extremely difficult p.m. with Rochester Mayo (preseason Sept. 11 vs. Winona, 4:30 p.m.

No. 2 in the coaches’ poll) and Sept. 13 at Mankato East, 4:30 p.m.

Rochester Century (No. 3) in the Sept. 15 at Rochester JM Invite, 9 a.m. conference.

Sept. 18 vs. Rochester JM, 4:30 p.m.

The good news is that Owa- Sept. 20 at Mankato West, 4:30 p.m. tonna returns eight of its 10 play- Sept. 22 at Litchfield Tournament, a.m. ers from last year’s section team, 9Sept.

25 vs. Austin, 4:30 p.m. including Tellijohn, Hartmann Sept. 29 at Big Nine Tournament and the Rahrick sisters. Val Grif- (Rochester), 9 a.m.

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PAGE 7

Upgrade in speed could help Huskies

By IAN STAUFFER

istauffer@owatonna.com

In a sport that tends to be as low-scoring as soccer, good defense is just as important as good offense. No team, not even one with lots of scoring threats, wants to get in a shootout.

For the Owatonna boys team, defense and shootouts are not an issue. Scoring is the problem. In 17 games last season, the Huskies scored just 23 goals. And six of those goals came in one game, which means Owatonna put just 17 balls in the net in the other 16 games. The 1.4 goals per game Owatonna scored was tied for third worst in the Big Nine, ahead of only Century (0.8 goals per game) and winless John Marshall (0.6).

Cranking that number up closer to two or even three goals a game is the Huskies’ priority this year, and coach Bob Waypa has a lot of ideas on how to make it happen.

“The first and most important thing is putting the shots on tar-

Boys Soccer get,” Waypa said. “You don’t have to hit the shot the hardest. From what I’ve seen so far in a week and a half, we’re hitting the net consistently, we’re crashing the net, and those things should improve our chances of scoring.”

Senior Payton Baker and junior Brenden Buryska are Owatonna’s top scorers coming back, but Waypa said the Huskies’ newcomers have a lot of potential.

“We have a lot of speed up front with four or five guys that are track guys,” Waypa said.

“We’ve never had that before.

Payton Baker has looked really good. He’s really on right now.”

Owatonna has run a possession-based game for the last few seasons. Anyone who watched the Huskies play last year might find it hard to believe OHS finished the year just 5-10-2 overall. In most games, Owatonna controlled possession. The difference was simply putting the ball in the net.

Owatonna’s Payton Baker, right, is one of several returning players for the Huskies. (Press file photo)

“It’s part of the game, not necessarily frustrating,” said senior captain and defender Will Kreutter. “Being back there and not being able to do anything about it is tough.”

The good news for the Huskies is that Kreutter leads a talented group of returning defensemen that includes seniors Will Zimmerman and Trevor Carlson. Senior Garrett Harty also played some last year and is in the hunt for the fourth starting spot in the back. Zimmer- Owatonna junior Kyndal Cox leads a talented OHS midfield. (Press file photo) man is at Marine boot camp now but will return after Labor Day. Junior keeper Carter McCauley provides a solid backstop.

By IAN STAUFFER while Heyer will be a second-year What happened in 2011 starter. Both Heyer and Cox are istauffer@owatonna.com Team: 5-10-2, sixth in Big Nine, title than Owatonna except maybe dealing with preseason injuries lost Section 1AA quarterfinal, 2-0, to Mayo When the Owatonna girls soc- Century. The Huskies bring back and could miss a significant por2012 roster cer team won the Big Nine Con- almost every key player from last tion of the season.

Seniors “Kat is just a great player in the ference championship two years year’s team.

Payton Baker, Trevor Carlson, middle, ” Roddy said. “When we ago with a freshman-dominated Senior Monica With almost Isaiah Dawson, Garrett Harty, Will Kreutter, Cole Martinez, Mohamed roster, the Huskies already had everyone else back on the field get Kyndal back, the two of them Nur, Jose Rocha, Devin Sawyer, visions of a four-peat dancing in and only two seniors on the ros- are as good as any midfielders we Bowen Schultz, Will Zimmerman their heads. ter, Owatonna has high hopes for will see all season.”

Juniors Brenden Buryska, Jeffrey Johnson, Those plans took a serious hit both this season and next.

On defense, junior Toni NelJordan Johnson, Ricardo Maya, Joe last season when the Huskies lost “I think we are just kind of son is back after starting for the Nelson, Carter McCauley, Zachary one close game and tied another strong in every area,” senior Mon- last three seasons, and junior Shaver one in the middle of the season. ica Hanson said. “We should be Nikki Sedivy is back in the cenSophomores Dexter Leer Owatonna finished the Big Nine really good.” ter. Junior Maddy Rysavy missed Freshmen season 7-1-1, including a 1-0 loss last season with an injury but will Hanson, junior Kelly Fait and Jared Santibanez to Century, while Century took sophomore Sydney Kasper are the likely start in the corner opposite Schedule the conference title with a perfect top returning forwards.

Nelson.

Aug. 25 vs. Lakeville South, 3 p.m.

9-0 record.

“Sydney had a phenomenal “Girls like Toni are huge,” Aug. 30 at Faribault, 5 p.m.

“We were all kind of hoping freshman year, ” Roddy said.

“We Roddy said. “We’ve come to count Aug. 31 at Lakeville North, 1 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. Northfield, 5 p.m. we could pull off four (Big Nine all thought highly of her com- on her quite a bit. It will be weird Sept. 6 vs. Albert Lea, 7 p.m. titles) in a row,” OHS coach Matt ing in, but I don’t think any of us when she’s gone in a couple years, Sept. 8 vs. Eagan, 2 p.m.

Roddy said. “We kind of let that could believe the impact she had she’s such a fixture over there. She Sept. 11 at Rochester JM, 7 p.m. slip last year, but we’d like to get last year.” gives us attacking presence from Sept. 13 at Roch. Century, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 vs. Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m. back there this year. That’s always Juniors Katlin Ptacek, Kyn- the defensive side. That adds an Sept. 20 at Winona, 6 p.m. our first focus, and then who dal Cox and Tess Heyer lead a element you don’t see from a lot Sept. 25 vs. Mankato East, 7 p.m. knows, maybe make a run a state.” talented group of midfielders. of high school defenders.”

Sept. 27 at Farmington, 5 p.m.

Oct. 2 vs. Mankato West, 7 p.m.

There is no team in better Ptacek and Cox are both enterOct. 4 at Austin, 5 p.m. position to play for a conference ing their third seasons as starters, See SOCCER on Page 8

Huskies set their sights on Big Nine title Girls Soccer

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FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Soccer: ‘We’re going to dominate the Big Nine’ From Page 7

Junior goalkeepers Payton Noble and Haley Paulson split time last season, often switching off at halftime of each game.

So while Owatonna failed to win the Big Nine last year — though the Huskies did get some revenge with a 2-1 OT win against Century in the playoffs — they have some pretty big plans for this year.

“I think we belong at the top of the Big Nine,” Noble said. “It’s a pretty big thing for us.”

Fait was less subtle.

“We’re going to dominate the Big Nine and win it again,” she said. “I’m really excited for this season. We’re going to do really well.”

What happened in 2011 Team: 10-5-3, second in Big Nine, lost Section 1AA semifinal, 5-0, to Lakeville North

2012 roster Seniors Monica Hanson, Aubrianna Schlottman Juniors Holly Bloomenrader, Kyndal Cox, Kelly Fait, Tess Heyer, Shelby Kern, Payton Noble, Toni Nelson, Haley Paulson, Halea Picha, Katlin Ptacek, Madelyn Rysavy, Nicole Sedivy Sophomores Anna Edel, Sydney Kasper, Rachel Malo, Rachel Smith Freshmen Arianna Olson Eighth graders Ashley Green

Schedule Aug. 25 vs. Lakeville South, 1 p.m.

Aug. 30 vs. Faribault, 7 p.m.

Aug. 31 vs. Lakeville North, 1 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. Northfield, 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Albert Lea, 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 at La Crescent. 1 p.m.

Sept. 11 vs. Rochester JM, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Roch. Century, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 at Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Winona, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 at Mankato East, 5 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. Farmington, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Mankato West, 5 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. Austin, 5 p.m.

Football: This could be Owatonna’s time to shine From Page 4

But after league play was done, and Faribault got into section play against schools roughly its same size, the Falcons made a run all the way to the state tournament. At about the same time the Falcons were celebrating a state tournament berth, the Huskies were walking off the field, about to board a bus home for the season.

Without the Lakeville schools in its way, is it Owatonna’s time to shine in Section 1AAAAA? Is it time for the Big Nine to start making a dent in Class 5A on a state tournament level?

“I think there’s that possibility,” Williams said. “The Three Rivers Conference has put three teams in the state tournament because their enrollment varies.

I’d love to see the Big Nine exert themselves state wide. But we still need to play at our level and not worry about our opponents.

We want to measure ourselves against the best. Changing that bar with Lakeville being gone worries us. The bar didn’t lower, that’s for sure. We need to make sure the kids understand that.”

What happened in 2011 Team: 9-2, second in Big Nine, lost Section 1AAAAA final, 26-7, to Lakeville North

Individual: Drew Osmundson set a school records with 878 receiving yards, and 14 receiving touchdowns. Quarterback Colton Schock set a school record as well, throwing 15 touchdown passes for the season.

2012 roster Seniors Mason Bloomquist, Noah Braget, Caleb Buck, Kyle DuFrene, Ian Dunn, Luke Ebeling, Michael Evans, Isaiah Fails, Justin Flores, Tim Hall, Parker Hoen, Cole Martinez, Ryan Melcher, Jonah Noeldner, Caleb Satterlund, Colton Schock, Shadarik Skala, Kory Soukup, Nic Thamert Juniors Andrew Beede, Zane Bloom, Brody Dalland, Josh Dub, Sam Fenske, Martin Gleason, Cade Guimond, Timon Higgins, Hunter Jirele, Logan Johnson, Matthew Kern, Kasey

“We have this thing where 43 pushes 42 and 42 pushes 41 all the way down to two pushes one,” Schwichtenberg said. “We have a lot of competition within our team. The varsity knows the JV is chomping right behind you, so that pushes you a lot.”

The fear Schwichtenberg feels about losing his varsity spot is the same fear other teams in the Big Nine and section might feel on race day. Unlike some teams, Owatonna doesn’t have a real front runner. The Huskies do, however, have a very strong pack.

At Big Nine last year, all seven Huskies finished in the top 15. At state, Owatonna’s top five were separated by only 30 seconds and all seven runners crossed about

one minute apart.

“That can actually be a scary thing to other teams knowing we’re not going to have one or two guys they need to look out for,” Wareheim said. “We’re all lurking back there at the edge of greatness, all together, all right there.

You have to watch out for every one of us.”

Versteeg said he and his teammates have known for quite some time that 2012 could be special.

“We always knew we would end up having almost all of our guys come back,” Versteeg said.

“To be all together again and running and have those big goals again just makes it that much better.”

The Huskies’ main goals are a sixth straight Big Nine title and another section title. After that,

Versteeg and Peterson both said they’d like to see their team pick up some hardware at state.

“We’ve all been working really hard this summer, putting in a lot of miles, a lot of time,” Versteeg said. “We’re hoping to pull out a top three finish at state, but we’ll see what happens.”

What happened in 2011 Team: Big Nine champions, Section 1AA champions, ninth at State Class AA meet Individual: Cameron Peterson paced the Huskies at state, finishing 53rd with a run of 16:34.1.

2012 roster Seniors Levi BigEagle, Collin Buck, Kaden Cloud, Kyle Dickerman, Daniel Heslep, Mark Holzerland, Jacob Jensen, Jonathon Kaupa, Blake Medvec, Connor Medvec, Jarrod Neuharth, Cameron Peterson, Trevor Schwichtenburg, Spencer Versteeg, Jacob Wareheim

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Kiel, Alex Kubicek, Ian Langeberg, Logan Langeland, Carter McCauley, Luke Owens, Aaron Peterson, Andrew Peterson, Nick Rappe, Drew Roemhildt, Michael Schmitz, Ryan Steiskal, Tyler Sorenson, Ty Sullivan, Andrew Stelter, Tyler Vogt, Luke Wanous, Chase Wedin, Matt Wheeler, Jake Woodrich, Mike Zappa Sophomores Spencer Sorenson Schedule August 30 vs. Chanhassen, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. Albert Lea, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Rochester JM, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Rochester Century, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Faribault, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 vs. Winona, 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 at Austin, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17 vs. Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m.

Cross Country: Huskies’ pack can be scary From Page 2

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Juniors Arthur Bartholomew, DJ Chatelaine, Zach Dantzman, Brandon Krogman, Andy Lundberg, Nick Rethemeier, Eric Schlicker, Preston Smith, Nili Waypa Sophomores Micah BigEagle, Brady Heaney, Braden Holmes, Seth Huseby, Qahir Lakha, Patrick Lammers, Jacob Otto, Eric Runner, Brodie Thiede Freshmen Ken Hauer, Joel Jandt, Nelson Jourdan, Nick Raichle Schedule Aug. 28 at Austin Invite, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Rolf Melby Invitational (St. Olaf College), 1 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Faribault Invite, 4 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Mayo Invite, 4 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Apple Valley Invite, 10 a.m.

Sept. 28 at Red Wing Invite, 4 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Roy Griak Invitational (Univ. of Minnesota), 2 p.m.

Oct. 4 Ev Berg Invite, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 at Mank. East Invite, 3:45 p.m.

Oct. 16 Big Nine Conference Meet (Owatonna), 4 p.m.

Oct. 25 Section 1AA Meet (Owatonna), 3 p.m.

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

FALL SPORTS

PAGE 9

Huskies new coach will head home as an outsider

By KYLE STEVENS

kstevens@owatonna.com

On Aug. 30, Isaiah Fuller will head to Faribault for a girls swimming and diving meet. If he starts trying to coach the Falcons instead of Owatonna, he can be forgiven.

Fuller, a 2004 graduate of FHS, is in his first year as head coach of the Huskies, and his first as a head coach of any swimming team. But his familiarity with the Falcons doesn’t end with his high school diploma. Fuller was an assistant with the Falcons the past two years, and his father, Charlie, currently coaches the boys swim team and has been a coach in Faribault for 30 years.

Like most first-time head coaches, Fuller said that the outof-the-pool portion of coaching is the hardest part. Once the girls are in the water, that’s when Fuller feels comfortable.

Girls Swimming & Diving

“The easiest part is right here,” Fuller said, pointing to a pool full of swimmers. “Getting these girls motivated is the easiest part. They’re all pretty self-motivated. It makes my job easy. I tell them to jump, and they say, ‘How high?’ That makes coming in as a new coach that much easier. They’re willing to change, they’re open to change.”

And “change” is the word that best describes what is happening to the OHS girls swimming and diving team. For the past 16 years, Martha Bloomenrader steered the ship. In March, Bloomenrader stepped down as head coach, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family.

That left open a position that had been filled for as long as most of the team has been alive.

“I’m sure they’re used to what Martha was doing, and no one can replace that,” Fuller said. “Her

team building, I’ve never seen anything so extensive before. She really did a great job with these girls. That’s probably why they’re so driven and motivated as a team. I have to thank her for that.”

Where Bloomenrader left off, Fuller seems to have picked up.

Captains Madison Eggermont, Lara Butler and Madelyn Thein all said Fuller has an intense style.

“I think practice has gone really well,” Eggermont said. “He’s intense and I’m up to the challenge.”

What happened in 2011 Team: Sixth in the Big Nine, 7th in Section 1AA Individual: State qualifiers included divers Kalley Schwab (who finished 29th) and Kiana Leer (30th), and the 200-yard medley relay team of Lindsey Price, Elise O’Neill, Mattie Shaver and Madelyn Thein (21st).

Price also qualified in the 100-yard backstroke (26th), and O’Neill in the 100-yard breaststroke (20th).

2012 roster Seniors Lara Butler, Ceilidh Dicke, Leah Hawkins, Ashley Kniefel, Elisabeth Otto, Madelyn Thein, Kalley Warren Juniors Madison Eggermont, Megan Price, Kalley Schwab Sophomores Karin Anderson, Jessica Beckman, Rachel Belina, Tatelyn Blobeck, Andrea Bothun, Sarah Floy, Anna Moe, Maria Versteeg Freshmen Lydia Anez, Laura Bloomenrader, Kristen Johnson, Saige Martinez, Maya Rhodes, Matalin Shaver, Emma Smith

Schedule August 30 at Faribault, 6 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Albert Lea, 6 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Century, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Lakeville South, 1 p.m.

Sept. 18 vs. Rochester Mayo, 6 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Winona, 6 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Austin, 1 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Mankato East, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 vs. Mankato West, 6 p.m.

Oct. 16 at Austin, 6 p.m.

Oct. 26 Big 9 Conference Meet, diving only (at Mankato East), 5 p.m.

Oct. 27 Big 9 Conference Meet, swimming only (at Mankato East), 5 p.m.

New Owatonna girls swimming and diving coach Isaiah Fuller yells out instructions to his team. Fuller replaces Martha Bloomenrader, who coached the girls for 16 years before stepping down in March. (Kyle Stevens/People’s Press)

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PAGE 10

FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

What’s in an ace?

As told by Owatonna junior Gabby Tellijohn

1

Pre-serve

“You have to relax and have a really low grip pressure. You can’t be tense or anything.”

The Toss

2

“You want the toss out in front of you and you want to get a lot of leg drive while the ball is in the air.”

3

Contact Point

“You want to contact the ball at the highest point you can reach out in front of you. Don’t try to overpower it or it will go out or into the net.”

4

Follow Through

“Finish out in front and land on the opposite foot from your serve hand. Then you do what we call a reverse split step and get back in the ready position.”

What’s in a tackle?

As told by Blooming Prairie junior Brett Wacek

1

Line Him Up

2

“Make your reads, find out where the ball is going and make your first step in that direction.”

Get the Head Outside

“You want your head outside so he can’t cut up the field. You need to get low so he can’t knock you over.”

3

Wrap and Grab

“You have to get under the arms and grab cloth in order to get him up on his toes and drive him over.”

4

Run Your Feet

“Run your feet and get him down. It’s exciting when you get a big hit with a tackle like that.”

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

FALL SPORTS

PAGE 11

What’s in a dig?

As told by Medford senior Tori Chell

1

2

Get Ready

Setting Up

“You need a wide stance, stay low almost like you’re sitting.”

“Take quick little steps to get around the ball. Position yourself so you can use your arms to turn the ball a little bit towards the target.”

3

Make the Pass

“Use your legs to pop the ball up toward the net. You can use your arm swings or your angles to get the ball on target toward the setter.”

What’s in a penalty kick?

4

Follow Through

“The follow through isn’t as key as it is in other sports, but it is still important. In volleyball, it’s all about getting behind the ball right in the beginning.”

As told by Owatonna senior Monica Hanson

1

Set Up the Keeper

2

“You can’t give away where you’re going to shoot with body language. You have to stay calm because the goalie will figure it out if you look at a spot.”

The Approach

“Pick your corner and always go to the same spot. When you run up, you want your plant foot to land next to the ball.”

The Kick

3

“You need to kick the ball with the inside of your shoe and lean over the ball to keep it low. It’s more like a hard pass to the inside of the goal than a shot.”

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Follow Through

“You need to follow through to direct the ball or it won’t go where you want. You need to be ready after in case the goalie deflects it because you can go kick it in.”

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PAGE 12

FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Linemen hope to lead Awesome Blossoms back to state Football

By IAN STAUFFER

istauffer@owatonna.com

It’s an old cliché that everything starts up front for football teams. But few truer things have ever been said.

Without the big uglies clearing the path up front, quarterbacks couldn’t find receivers and running backs would be little more than tackling dummies.

In Blooming Prairie, head coach Chad Gimbel could not be more thankful about the guys he has coming back on his offensive line.

“If you return guys, you want to return them on the offensive line,” Gimbel said. “That’s where your strength is. The best way to make up for new players is with a good offensive line, and we’ve got some good guys coming back there.”

Seniors Jason Jirele, Jarrod Grunklee and Blake Arett are all in their third year as starting offensive linemen. When they were sophomores, they joined a few

experienced players on the line and did their best to keep up. Now they are the experienced ones.

“I remember when those guys were sophomores and we were scratching our heads about them,” Gimbel said. “They did a great job for sophomores. For sophomores.”

Now they are seniors and this year’s Awesome Blossoms squad will only go as far as they and linemates Jimmy Mans and Dylan Heuer, both juniors, can carry them.

“It’s pretty good because we all know what we’re doing and don’t really have to ask a lot of questions,” said Grunklee, who went to state in wrestling in March.

“That allows Gimbel to spend more time working on other key parts of the team.”

One thing Gimbel has spent a lot of time working on this summer is a new playcalling system.

The Blossoms played in the state

Blooming Prairie senior center Jason Jirele snaps to new quarterback John Rumpza. (Press file photo)

semifinals in the Metrodome for the second time in three seasons last year, but their no huddle offense was slowed down because the players on the field couldn’t hear Gimbel as he screamed in the play calls.

This year, the Blossoms have gone to system of placards and hand signals. During the first week of fall practice, the team spent the final 30 minutes running no huddle up and down the field as Gimbel signaled in plays.

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Athletic Director/Girls Basketball Coach jworke@blossoms.k12.mn.us

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Surprisingly, he only had to stop a few times to answer questions and clear up mistakes.

“Gimbel likes to change things up. It’s something different every year,” Grunklee said. “We’re all in good shape and we worked hard over the summer. It seems to be going well so far.”

One of the most impressive things about the Blossoms’ efficiency in practice is that Blooming Priarie is playing with new guys at all but four positions on the offense. The three returning linemen and receiver Michael Thomas are the only returning starters, though Mans did play some at tight end and tackle last year.

“The best way to cover up for new players is with a good offensive line,” Gimbel said. “They’re going to help those other kids grow faster because they’re going to have time to decipher everything.”

New quarterback John Rumpza has plenty of options to choose from, including receivers Thomas, Cole Sunde, Weston Fiebiger and

Hunter Rudlong and running back Scott Romeo.

Thomas will be the main playmaker on offense, but Sunde provides a speedy option similar to Gabe Kartes in the last three seasons. Romeo is a bit of a bull at running back.

“Scott and Cole give us a bit of thunder and lightning like the old New York Giants,” Gimbel said.

“Scott is not going to run away from anybody, but he’s a tough kid. He’s like Toby Gerhart. If you need five or six yards, he’ll get you three, and if you need two, he’ll get you three.

“Cole is going to be that home run guy, the guy that can get you a big gainer. If he gets loose, he’s going to have the big play ability.”

Thomas is 6-foot-4 and has the ability to out-jump just about anyone. He caught 42 passes for 812 yards and nine touchdowns last year to go with six interceptions on defense.

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

FALL SPORTS

PAGE 13

Awesome Blossoms return a lot, expect bump in wins Volleyball

By KYLE STEVENS

kstevens@owatonna.com

With 15 players out for the Blooming Prairie volleyball team, coach Gina McLaughlin will have all kinds of names to choose from when filling out her starting lineup. But McLaughlin likely won’t even have to look at a roster as the Awesome Blossoms return pretty much their entire starting lineup from last year.

Senior captains Jenna Krell and Janelle Morem are back, as are senior Shelbi Swenson and sophomores Madison Worke and Taylor Hagen. Morem will need to be replaced in the short term as she recovers from a sprained ankle.

“We’re lucky, we return our entire core group,” McLaughlin said. “Of course, that’s provided that everyone’s healthy. Janelle was back and looking awesome, and then she rolled her ankle.”

With only the middle currently without a returning starter, McLaughlin is confident the

flip

z

Blossoms will be better than their 17-13 record from last year.

“If we can click and build some consistency, we’ll be tough,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll look to be in the 20s with wins, but it’s a matter of consistent play. Sometimes we shine, and sometimes that valley is deep. But such is volleyball.”

McLaughlin will look to Krell and Morem to get the Blossoms to play together and get the team close to that 20-win goal.

With Krell and, eventually, Morem back along with the other four starters, consistency shouldn’t be as much of an issue as it was in 2011.

“I think we have a lot more confidence this year with all of our starters back,” Krell said. “Once we get everyone back, it will be exciting. We should be able to do some really good things.”

Morem is used to sitting on the sidelines. Morem tore her ACL last fall and missed the girls

basketball season, and part of the track and field season.

It’s been a tough year for Morem, and wearing a black ankle brace while gingerly walking around volleyball practice hasn’t made it any better.

“I am sick and tired of it,” Morem said. “They said four to six weeks, but I’m still hoping to make the first match.”

The Blossoms will need Morem and the rest of the team if they are to climb the ranks of the Gopher Conference. McLaughlin said she expects Bethlehem Academy to be at the top of the conference once again, but said there are other teams to watch out for. “(New Richland-HartlandEllendale-Geneva) should still be pretty good and (Waterville-Elysian-Morristown) always brings a tough squad,” McLaughlin said.

“There are a lot of teams in the top half of the conference that, any night, it could be anybody. B.A. will bring the thunder, they always do. But nobody’s impossible.”

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Schedule August 28 vs. Medford, 7:15 p.m.

August 30 vs. W-E-M, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 4 at Austin, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Hayfield Tourn., 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 11 at Southland, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Randolph, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Southland Tourn., 9 a.m.

Sept. 18 at W-E-M, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Randolph, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Alden-Conger, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Medford, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Leroy-Ost. Tourn., 9 a.m.

Oct. 2 vs. USC, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Bethlehem Acad., 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 9 vs. NRHEG, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 11 vs. J-W-P, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 16 at NRHEG, 7:15 p.m.

Blossoms need to fill holes The Blooming Prairie cross country teams must find a few replacements for a team that finished seventh in the Gopher Conference last season. Coach John Bruns’ toughest task might be finding a new No. 1 on the boys side after the graduation of threetime all-conference runner Adam Driessen.

Bruns, entering his 13th season at the helm of the Awesome Blossoms, has some talent coming back, and could find Driessen’s replacement sooner rather than later.

Eighth-graders Elijah Baker and Evan Doerhoefer will join freshman Isaac Baker along with returning letter-winners Tyler Cozine and Cody Wagaman, both seniors, and junior Tom Wanous.

The girls return three of their top five runners, but lost seven seniors to graduation including two six-time letter winners in Tricia DeBoer and Kelsey Kubista.

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What happened in 2011 Team: 17-13, Fourth in Gopher Conference, lost Sub-section 1A West quarterfinal match, 3-0, to Kenyon-Wanamingo 2012 roster Seniors Marissa Jensen, Jenna Krell, Janelle Morem, Shelbi Swenson Juniors Katelyn Eischens, Anna Erickson, Gracie Grunklee, Morgan Hagen, Mariah Holland, Delaney Nelson, Sara Noble, Liz Willert Sophomores Taylor Hagen, Nicole Inwards, Madison Worke

Boys Cross Country “On the girls side, we lost quite a bit, so we have some new faces thrown in,” Bruns said. “Tessa Ivers is back, and she was our top runner as a freshman. Kendra Boecker, a junior, has been running since 7th-grade. And Alanna Grant, a sophomore, has been challenging the top two.”

Boecker said despite the losses, what the Blossoms return is enough to make the season a success.

“I think we’re going to be pretty good this year,” Boecker said.

“We lost a lot of girls, but we have a good group coming up.”

Boys/Girls Schedule August 30 at Stewartville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Hayfield, 4:30 p.m.

Sept 14 at Mankato Loyola, 4 p.m.

Sept. 18 at NRHEG, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Milaca, 10 a.m.

Sept. 25 BP Invite, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 at USC, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 16 Gopher Conference Meet (at MCW), 4 p.m.

Oct. 25 Section 1A Meet (Rochester), 4 p.m.

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PAGE 14

FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Are the Tigers ready for Class AA? Football

By IAN STAUFFER

istauffer@owatonna.com

For two years last decade, the Medford football team played in the Gopher Conference AA Division because former coach Maurice McCabe felt it was good for his players to get beat up a bit.

While the ploy cost the Tigers a few regular season wins (they went 5-11 in the regular season), it did help them in the playoffs when they moved back down to Class A competition. In 2006, Medford pulled off upsets at Chatfield and Blooming Prairie before falling to eventual state champion RushfordPeterson in the section final.

The Tigers moved back down to the Gopher A Division in 2008 at the request of AA coaches sick of playing an A team in meaningful games. Since the move back to the A Division, things haven’t gone well. Medford is 13-22 without a playoff win in four years.

The point of all this is that things are about to get even

tougher for the Tigers because Medford is moving back up to the AA Division and not because the coaches necessarily want to.

Medford is growing and now has 215 students in grades 9-12. Unfortunately for the Tigers, 215 is the cutoff for Class AA. “We are officially the smallest Class AA school in the state,” coach Jerome Johannes said. “Our numbers have grown as a school, but we haven’t necessarily seen it in football. The numbers are still coming up through. We know it’s going to be tough.”

The hardest part will be the schedule. If the Tigers had a hard time succeeding against the likes of Randolph, Mankato Loyola and Bethlehem Academy, things won’t be any easier against WatervilleElysian-Morristown, NRHEG and Maple River.

“I think it’s a really good challenge for us,” senior lineman Jon Wagaman said. “We have a lot of

young guys so it’s going to be a great opportunity to see what a higher level of play will be. I’m really excited.

“We’ve always been a small team, so I’m not worried about that. Last year our offensive line averaged only about 200 pounds, but we’re always well-conditioned.

We’re a much tougher team than people think.”

It’s not as if the Tigers are completely rudderless either. Senior quarterback Kade Cronin is back for his third year as the starter, and Wagaman is the leader on the line. Running backs Hunter Clayton, Hunter Beckstrom and Luke VanZuilen give the Tigers lots of options in the backfield.

On defense, Jake Vaupel, Clayton and Cronin lead a group that has at least five returning starters.

“I was really impressed with how we did at team camp up in Duluth,” said Clayton, who ran for 550 yards and five touchdowns last year. “We don’t have a lot of upper classmen linemen, so when

Medford running back Hunter Clayton, center, and the Tigers will have to adjust to playing some tougher competition this season. (Press file photo)

we were going against other varsity teams and they were getting their blocks, I was impressed.”

Talking about playing in the bigger division, Clayton didn’t want to hear anything about how big the other teams are.

“I’m not too worried about getting beat up,” he said. “I think we just need to get on a good streak of

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What happened in 2011 Team: 2-6, sixth in Gopher A Conference, lost Section 1A quarterfinal, 41-13, to Blooming Prairie.

Schedule Aug. 30 at Bethlehem Acad., 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Martin County West, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 vs. G-F-W, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Maple River, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 vs. LC-WM, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 vs. W-E-M, 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 vs. Adrian, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17 at NRHEG, 7 p.m.

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

FALL SPORTS

PAGE 15

Triton’s ‘Legend’ looks to build on record 2011 year Football

By IAN STAUFFER

istauffer@owatonna.com

Ayrton Henderson started last season as a part-time quarterback and full-time defensive back for the Triton football team.

By the end of the season, the junior was the starting fullback (despite being listed at 165 pounds) and put together two of the best rushing single-game performances in Triton history.

“Our starting fullback went down and we didn’t have much of an option there,” said Triton coach Don Henderson, Ayrton’s father. “It was either put a sophomore in there or try someone new. Cody (Schaefer) had the idea to try Ayrton.”

It was an interesting idea but nobody knew how it would work out.

“He had never even taken an option dive before,” Don Henderson said of Ayrton. “We put him in there for the second half of a game and he ran for 80 yards.”

The rest was history. He started the next game against Hayfield at fullback and ran for 211 yards, a school record. A week later, he hung 306 yards on MontgomeryLonsdale and shattered his own record. He finished the season with 876 rushing yards despite only playing four and a half games at fullback.

“Ayrton is a good quarterback, but I think he’s a really good running back, too,” said Schaefer, who is returning as the starting quarterback. “We need him there in the backfield to score some touchdowns for us. He’ll help us a lot back there.”

in the section tournament. Caledonia beat Triton in the state title game in 2010.

“I’d love to see Caledonia again after our sophomore year,” Ayrton Henderson said. “It would be nice to get another shot at them.”

“We’ll see what happens if we get there, we’ll show them what we’ve got,” Schafer added. “But that’s a long way off. The only game I’m looking forward to right now is the next one, always the next one.”

Triton quarterback Cody Schaefer returns to lead the Cobras after a 5-5 season last year. (Press file photo)

Now the question facing both Hendersons and the rest of the Cobras is whether or not Ayrton and the team can out-do what they did last season.

“We have a young team so we can’t come in too high,” said Ayrton Henderson, who is affectionately called ‘Legend’ by both his teammates and coaches. “I want to try to match what I did last season and try to go over the top of it.”

While the Legend nickname seems like it would apply because Ayrton is the coach’s son, it actually has very little to do with that at all.

“They call me that because they say I always talk big about myself and because I always come up with an excuse when I don’t do something right,” Ayrton said with a laugh. “It doesn’t bother me. I have some high expectations for myself.”

The Cobras started last season with four consecutive losses,

helped along some by some eligibility issues early on. As all the players returned to the lineup, Triton won five games in a row before a season-ending loss to LeSueurHenderson in the section semis.

With Cody Schaefer returning at quarterback and Henderson and Justin Erdmann, who led the team with 10 touchdowns last year, back at running back, the Cobras have big expectations to return to the powerhouse status they have held for more than a decade.

Triton will be helped out by all the speed on offense. Henderson, Erdmann and Schafer all have speed to burn. The biggest problem for the Cobras will be on the offensive line where only Joe Rislov is a returning starter.

Because of the section shuffling this season, Triton was moved to Section 1AA after spending many years in 2AA. The new assignment means the Cobras could run into their old buddies from Caledonia

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What happened in 2011 Team: 5-5, fourth in HVL Gold, lost Section 2AA semifinal, 28-14, to LeSueur-Henderson 2012 roster Seniors Justin Erdmann, Alex Head, Ayrton Henderson, Joe Kuth, Joseph Rislov, Cody Schaefer Juniors Brandon Dostal, Tanner Gochnauer, Alex Hoberg, Seth Johnson, Evan McNeilus, Derek Melder, Bradley Myers, Corey Nicklay, Patrick Ramirez, Dylan Walterman, Jared Willette Sophomores Hector Bugarin, Kylo Courteau, Colton Erdmann, Alex Finne, Dakota Hester, Casey Lang, Trent Maloney, Zach Otto, Preston Pflaum, Dylan Qualle, Cody Saxton, Michael Thomas Freshmen Gavin Bowman, Matt Buckingham, Jax Bryngelson, Jack Crowson, Garrett Dahms, Randy Henderson, Max Henderson, Nate Myers, Ethan Otterbein, Adam Vacura, Craig Weber Schedule August 30 at Byron, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. Kenyon-Wana., 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Lake City, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Goodhue, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Winona Cotter, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 vs. La Crescent, 6 p.m.

Oct. 12 at Zumbrota-Maz., 7 p.m.

Oct. 17 vs. Hayfield, 7 p.m.

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Volleyball

Cobras hope to build on last year’s success

By IAN STAUFFER

istauffer@owatonna.com

The Triton volleyball team put together one of the best seasons in school history last year with a 22-7 overall record and a 10-3 mark in the Hiawatha Valley League.

Unfortunately for the Cobras, the biggest moment of the season came in the first week when they beat perennial powerhouse Stewartville 3-1. It was the first time in at least a decade that Triton had topped the Tigers.

The rest of the season went well as Triton won its first 11 matches of the season. The streak finally ended with a 3-0 loss to Kasson-Mantorville. After another win, losses to Byron, Kenyon-Wanamingo and Goodhue followed.

The Cobras finished the season strong with a second-place finish at the Faribault Tournament in the final week before the playoffs began.

Triton beat Cannon Falls to reach the Sub-Section 1AA West semifinals at Mayo Civic Center for the second year in a row, but then Stewartville came roaring back.

For the second straight season, the Tigers knocked Triton out of the playoffs and ended the Cobras’ season. The loss also ended the careers of Abby Buehler and Tayler MacVey, arguably the two best players to ever come out of Triton.

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This year’s squad returns some of key players, including seniors Abby Nerenhausen, Mariah Maas and Kendall Osborn and junior Haley Staffon, but the Cobras will be hard-pressed to match last year’s success without MacVey and Buehler.

MacVey had more than 2,000 assists in her career and now plays at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, while Buehler led the team in kills and blocks and now plays at Waldorf College in Iowa.

“Our keys this year will be finding the group that performs the best together and getting experience with each other,” Triton coach Peggy Moran said. “If we continue to play strong defense and serve well, good things will happen.”

What happened in 2011 Team: 22-7, fourth in HVL, lost Sub-section 1AA semifinal, 3-0, to Stewartville Schedule Aug. 28 vs. W-E-M, 7 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. Stewartville, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Winona Cotter, 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 at TCU Invitational, 9 a.m.

Sept. 11 at La Crescent, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Cannon Falls, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 18 at Lake City. 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Kasson-Mant., 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 25 vs. Lourdes, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Pine Island, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Byron, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. Kenyon-Wana., 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Byron Invite., 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 9 at Hayfield, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Goodhue, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 13 at Faribault Invite, 9 a.m.

Oct. 16 vs. Zumbrota-Maz., 7:15 p.m.

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FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Sabres look to improve after state title Volleyball

By IAN STAUFFER

istauffer@owatonna.com

It’s almost impossible to improve on a 24-2 record and a state title, but there is no doubt that the Owatonna Christian School volleyball team is going to try.

The Sabres cruised through the MACS last year with a perfect 19-0 record and won a state championship. With every key player from that team coming back, second-year coaches Lindsay Bjorkquist and Sue Bergsieker have some pretty high hopes.

“We’re probably the team to beat since everybody else lost a couple girls,” said Bjorkquist, a former OCS player herself.

“We’re probably the ones people are scared of. We’re trying to mix it up and do a little more so people don’t know what to expect.”

No matter how much the Sabres try to mix things up, teams already have a pretty good idea what they will see on the court,

OCS senior Kari Weil, right, was a first-team all-MACS player and earned the MVP at the MACS State Tournament last year.

(Press file photo)

and that is a heavy dose of senior middle hitters Kari Weil and Alyssa Larson. Weil was the a first-team MACS player and the MVP at the MACS state tournament last year.

“I think everybody in the MACS is probably scared of Kari,” Bjorkquist said. “We didn’t

even have to mention her in the voting. All the other coaches just put her up right away.”

Weil led OCS with 221 kills last season, while Larson was second with 86. Larson added a team-high 49 blocks and 47 aces last year compared to 47 blocks and 45 aces for Weil.

“It definitely helps having two girls like that,” Bjorkquist said.

“Most other teams have only one good middle who is 5-8 or 5-9.

We have two, so we don’t have a weak rotation when they’re in the back.”

With a tall player always up front, the job of senior setter Cherilyn Jorgensen is made much easier. Jorgensen dished out 337 set assists last year.

The other returning senior is Bethany Corwine, who is affectionately known as “Beef ” to her teammates. Corwine had 73 digs and 39 kills to go with 43 service aces last year.

The other two returning starters are juniors Rachael Trunnell and Janae Jorgensen.

Juniors Jenessa Jorgensen and Jessica Holt will both come off the bench.

See OCS on 17

Cross Country

Young Tigers runners look ahead to varsity season

In Medford, cross country after the first couple of races, we coach Courtney Frie saw three should know who will be ready to girls and two boys graduate last run,” Frie said. year. And for a team that didn’t What happened in 2011 boast but one junior boy and one junior girl, replacing the leadership Team: 11th in Gopher Conference, 19th in Section 2A will be Frie’s most difficult task.

Boys cross country “Both the boys and girls are Seniors really young this year,” Frie said. Brandon Hanson, Aden Holmgren Juniors “We graduated five kids, and only Michael Holmblad, Adam Manderfeld had two juniors. I think I see us Sophomores rebuilding a little bit this year with Dillion Ripka some sophomores younger kids.” Alex Goetze,Freshmen Jack Luebbe, Tyler Brandon Hanson and Niki Stenzel Seventh graders Anderson are the only seniors on the two teams this season, and Dakota Weirsma, David Klapperich they’ll have to show the combined Girls cross country 10 seventh- through 10th graders What happened in 2011 Team: Ninth in Gopher Conference, how to run a varsity race.

2A “We’ll give them the choice of 16th in SectionSeniors what they want to do early on. If Niki Anderson Juniors they want to run the varsity distance, they can. If they want to Allie KeilenEighth graders stay down on JV for a couple of Cassie Larson, Holly Larson, Gianni races, they can do that too. But Sao

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PAGE 17

OCS: Sabres pump up schedule with public school JV squads From Page 16 With all of that experience coming back, anything less than a second consecutive state title would likely be a disappointment in the OCS gym. To the Sabres’ credit, they seem excited about the pressure that comes with the target on the back.

“People expect us to be super good and will really try to beat us,” Cherilyn Jorgensen said.

“It’ll be a challenge. We’re excited about that. Last year some of the games were a challenge, but not as many as we’d hoped.”

The Sabres’ only two losses last year came to public schools in tournaments. In order to up the ante this year, the coaches are trying to schedule matches against the JV squads from public schools like Medford and Waseca. Weil also said that improving is about more than just getting a better record.

“You think undefeated is the top, but you can always improve on your skills or try to win my by a bigger gap,” Weil said. “You just have to keep perservering because you can always improve. Someone is always better than you.”

What happened in 2011 Team: The Sabres went 24-2 last year and won the MACS state title.

OCS was 19-0 in the MACS. 2012 Roster Seniors Bethany Corwine, Cherilyn Jorgensen, Alyssa Larson, Kari Weil Juniors Jessica Holt, Janae Jorgensen, Jenessa Jorgensen, Rachael Trunnell Schedule August 28 at Fourth Baptist, 4 p.m.

August 31 at First Baptist, 3 p.m.

Sept. 4 at St. Francis Christian School, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 OCS Slamfest, TBD Sept. 8 OCS Slamfest, TBD Sept. 14 at St. Francis Tournament

Sept. 15 at St. Francis Tournament Sept. 18 Woodcrest Baptist, 5 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Chisago Lakes CS, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 22 vs. Lake Region CS, 10 a.m.

Sept. 25 vs. First Baptist Christian School, 5 p.m.; vs. Grace Christian School, Mankato, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Prior Lake CS, 4 p.m.

Oct. 2 vs. St. Francis Christian School, 5 p.m.; vs. Grace Christian School, Mankato, 6 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. Rochester HS, 6 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Spikefest (Plymouth), TBD Oct. 8 vs. Prior Lake CS, 5 p.m.

Oct. 15 vs. Christian Life, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 16 at Victory Baptist, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 vs. Victory Baptist, 4 p.m.

Oct. 25-27 MACS Volleyball Tournament (Rosemount), TBD

Blossoms: Open with rival NRHEG for 5th straight year From Page 12 “Michael has big play capability,” Gimbel said. “He’s able to get up and get the ball, and he’s got some shake and bake in him.

John throws the jump ball to him pretty well. That’s a tough play for high school teams to stop.”

On defense, junior Brett Wacek is the top returning tackler and will join Jirele, Mans, Grunklee and Fiebiger as returners in the front seven. Thomas will lead the secondary.

“We’re going to expect big things from Jimmy and Jason and that D line,” Gimbel said. “Our corners will be improved. Our pass defense kind of let us down last year, so we’ve really been focusing on that, trying some different techniques. Getting after the quarterback is going to be the big thing.”

The Blossoms open the season Aug. 31 at home against NRHEG. It will be the fifth year in a row the two Highway 30 rivals have met in the opener. The Panthers won the first three meetings, but Blooming Prairie won last year.

All four games have been decided by a total 15 points.

Blooming Prairie’s second game is at Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity, a rematch of last year’s state quarterfinal game. The Blossoms beat the Bulldogs 35-34 when LP/HT missed a two-point conversion with four minutes to go.

The Blossoms’ final game of the regular season will be at New Ulm Cathedral in a rematch of a state quarterfinal game from 2009. Blooming Prairie won that game 21-8. New Ulm Cathedral was 10-1 last season.

Due to a reshuffling of the

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Gopher Conference A and AA Divisions this year, the Blossoms will see a few new teams on the schedule this season. Minnesota Valley Lutheran and United South Central will visit Blooming Prairie in back-to-back weeks.

The switch also means Blooming Prairie will not see Medford for the first time in more than a decade. Le Center, arguably the Blossoms’ biggest rival in recent years, is also gone after that school combined with Montgomery-Lonsdale to form TCU. What happened in 2011 Team: 11-2, Gopher A Conference champions, Section 1A champions, lost Class A State semifinal, 50-27, to Dawson-Boyd Individual: Luke Zellmer set a state record with his 102nd career touchdown pass against Dawson-Boyd 2012 roster Seniors Blake Arett, Jarrod Grunklee, Kaleb

Holmes, Jason Jirele, Jimmy Mans, Michael Thomas Juniors Ryan Doerhoefer, Weston Fiebiger, Dylan Heuer, Zach Reynolds, Hunter Rudlong, Anthony Suazo, Brett Wacek, Grant Warner, Collin Yankoviak Sophomores Jake Decker, Tristan Haberman, Kameron Holmes, Weston Myer, Zach Nirk, Scott Romeo, John Rumpza, Jackson Schewe, Trent Strunk, Sam Swenson, Cole Sunde, Kyle Williamson, Collin Wobschall Freshmen Trevor Barber, Brody Carlson, Dillon Easton, Kevin Eischens, Angel Gonzalez, Jon Hansen, Jon Hatch, Mitchell Jones, Brett Miller, Anthony Nelson, Riley Olson, Ethan Strunk Schedule August 31 vs. NRHEG, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Lester Prairie/HT, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 vs. USC, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Minn. Valley Luth., 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Mankato Loyola, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 vs. St. Clair, 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 at Bethlehem Acad., 2 p.m.

Oct. 17 at New Ulm Cath., 7 p.m.

Volleyball

Athletes will have to carry NRHEG in 2012 NEW RICHLAND — The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva volleyball team is going to have a glaring hole in its lineup. Gone is Anna Schlaak, a four-time all-conference selection, and the career and singleseason record holder in kills and aces, and the career record holder in blocks and digs.

But the Panthers do return two all-conference selections in senior Noelle Bartness and junior Carlie Wagner.

Junior Jade Schultz also returns from a all-conference honorable mention season in 2011.

The Panthers won’t be able to replace the production from Schlaak, at least not with the same typr of player. So NRHEG coach Joe Kuechenmeister will have to use his team’s athletic ability to keep the Panthers in the game.

“Our big strength this year is that we have a lot of great athletes that are versatile and can play almost anywhere on the court,” Kuechenmeister said.

Those athletes will have to focus on two things: serve receive, and defense.

“In order for us to be successful, we need to have a high serve receive percentage. We have a lot of girls that can hit the ball very well, so we need to consistently put our setter and hitters in an optimal position to do so,” Kuechenmeister said. “Defensively, we just need to get better all the way around. We’re

fortunate enough to have some very good natural athletes, and we need to utilize that athleticism to play scrappy defense that allows us to transition into an explosive offensive attack.”

The Panthers will open their season Aug. 28 with a home match against Albert Lea. What happened in 2011 Team: 23-7, second in Gopher Conference, lost Section 2AA semifinal, 3-1, to LeSueur-Henderson Individual: Anna Schlaak graduated with two single season team records (477 kills and 108 aces), as well as four career team records (1,381 kills, 194 aces, 741 digs and 497 solo blocks).

Seniors Noelle Bartness, Katie Cole, Raelin Schue, Kalana Shurson Juniors Hannah Lundberg, Arionna Neumann, Paige Overgaard, Jade Schultz, Carlie Wagner, Jordyn Wobschall Sophomores Ryann Hagen, Anna Stork Freshmen Anna Lundberg Schedule August 28 vs. Albert Lea, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. W-E-M, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Randolph, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Mankato West Tour., 9 a.m.

Sept. 11 vs. Le Sueur-Hend., 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Maple River, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Bethlehem Acad., 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 18 at Medford, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. USC, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 21-22 at SW Christian Tourn.

Sept. 25 at TCU, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 2 at J-W-P, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 9 at Blooming Prairie, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 at W-E-M, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 13 at Faribault Tourn., 9 a.m.

Oct. 16 vs. Blooming Prairie, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Waseca, 7:30 p.m.

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PAGE 18

FALL SPORTS

Huskies hope to stay in Big Nine title hunt The window to win a championship — state, section or conference — in high school sports is often very small. Sometimes a class comes along and only shows greatness for one year. Other times it last two or three years.

For the Owatonna girls cross country team, the window is just beginning to open. The Huskies took second in the Big Nine Conference last year by the smallest of margins — just two points — and bring back five of the seven runners from the varsity team.

The hard part is that the only two that aren’t coming back — graduates Anna Bastyr and Savannah Wunderlich — were the Huskies’ top two runners.

“Those two were great runner and great human beings,” OHS coach Dan Leer said. “We don’t look to replace them, just fill their spots.”

That shouldn’t be too difficult with five starters coming back, including only one senior in Erin Spatenka, who took 15th at the

Girls Cross Country Big Nine meet last year. The other returners are juniors Amy Filzen (18th at Big Nine) and Bria Wunderlich (37th) and sophomores Jackie Warehime (19th) and Amber Holte (41st).

The only bad news the Huskies face is that nine of the top 10 runners from last year’s Big Nine meet did not graduate last spring.

The only exception was Bastyr, so the conference likely won’t be any easier to win this year.

“The Big Nine is pretty solid this year,” Leer said. “Austin, Albert Lea, Owatonna and Century will all be tough teams. I’d have to say Century is the favorite right now because they return a lot of girls.”

Some of the girls looking to move up to the varsity this year are sophomores Jasmine Piepho and Emily Emaneulson. Leer said Emanuelson is one of the top five runners on the team right now based on time trials.

“There are a lot of solid run-

ners going for those seven varsity spots,” Leer said. “That competition will hopefully translate into good results on the course. Right now, only the top couple or three spots are completely clear.”

Other runners in the hunt for varsity spots will be eighth-grader Karissa Gregory, who took second in the Big Nine JV last year, and sophomore Meagan Nowariak, who was third. Sophomore Payton Knutson was seventh.

What happened in 2011 Team: Second in Big Nine, sixth in Section 1AA 2012 roster Seniors Simone Breyer, Sarah Carlson, Corey Dolan, Abby Holmes, Kylin Lindholm, Mati Oeltjenbruns, Shannon Randle, Santhya Salinas, Erin Spatenka, McKenzie Spatenka, Vanessa VanEngelenhoven Juniors Kennedi Alstead, Emily Emanuelson, Amy Filzen, Maureen Gleason, Brianna Noyce, Tori Rethemeier, Sarah Ulman, Bria Wunderlich

Sophomores Maline Bungum, Payton Knutson, Peyton Lindholm, Meagan Nowariak, Jasmine Piepho, Katelyn Rypka, Margaret Sager, Kaisha Stricklin, Haylee VanEngelenhoven, Jackie Warehime, Elizabeth Wiebke, Amber Holte, Natalie Thomas, Brittney Mead, Abby Hanson Freshmen Kayla Johnson, Zoe Kienholz, Kirsten Pumper, Jenna Rhoades, Kristen Rysavy, Alyssa Sattler Eighth graders Anna Weisenburger, Mariah Dant, Karissa Gregory Seventh graders Payton Wunderlich, Sam Hager, Braelyn Johnson, Olivia Dantzman, Jade Huseby, Becca Sattler Schedule Aug. 28 at Austin Invite, 4:30 p.m.

August 31 at Rolf Melby Invitational (St. Olaf College), 1 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Faribault Invite, 4 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Lakeville North Invite, 3 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Milaca Mega Meet, 10 a.m.

Sept. 27 at Burnsville Invite, 4 p.m.

Oct. 4 Ev Berg Invitational, 5 p.m.

Oct. 9 at Mankato East Invite, 3:45 p.m.

Oct. 16 Big Nine Conference Meet (Owatonna), 4 p.m.

Oct. 25 Section 1AA Meet (Owatonna), 3 p.m.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Boys & Girls Cross Country

Schiltz ready for state repeat

TJ Schiltz had a solid sopho- omores Melissa Malakowsky and more season for the NRHEG boys Shantaya Olson will join Crystal cross country team. Schiltz fin- Olson in the varsity lineup. ished second in the Gopher Conference meet, fifth in the Section What happened in 2011 (Boys) Team: 10th in Gopher Confer2A meet and ran in his first state ence, 17th in Section 2A tournament where he placed 89th. Individual: TJ Schiltz placed For the Panthers to improve second in conference meet, fifth on their 10th-place conference at section meet and 89th at Class A state meet with a run of 17:42.7. finish, and 17th-place section Seniors finish as a team, Schiltz will have Dustin Burshem Juniors to carry the load once again.

Schiltz is already better. The Adam Anderson, Raece Johnson, TJ Schiltz NRHEG junior has been clocked Freshmen in under 17-minutes over the CJ Schiltz Seventh graders summer, more than 40 seconds better than his time at state. Ben Lewer, Kollin Reese, Braeden Thompson Which is where Schiltz expects to be once again. He said he has What happened in 2011 (Girls) also put 1,026 miles on his run- Team: Eighth in Gopher Conference, 17th in Section 2A ning shoes this summer.

The Panthers girls team will Crystal OlsonSeniors be a bit better off to start the seaSophomores son, returning four runners with Melissa Malakowsky, Shantaya Olson, Cristina Quezada, Sandra varsity experience.

Kristy Possin Freshman Katherine Lewer re- Quezada,Seventh graders turns and was an all-conference Emily Crabtree, Katelyn Crabtree, honorable mention in 2011. Soph- Mikayla Olson

Saturday, August 25, 2012

FALL SPORTS

Tigers excited about program’s growth The excitement at Medford’s volleyball practice in the final days before the first match was palpable as the Tigers look for their first winning season since 2006.

And the Tigers aren’t just looking for a record with a bigger number at the beginning. Their goals are much bigger than that.

“We want to be two in our conference right behind (Bethlehem Academy),” senior Tori Chell said. “Everyone is just on their game this year so we’re all really excited about showing people that we’ve been working hard these last three years. We are able to compete with those teams like BA and the other good teams in our conference and section.”

That may sound like big talk from a team that hasn’t been above .500 in the conference since 2006, but the Tigers have the athletes to back it up. Chell and fellow senior Nicole Morgan are both three-year starters, and junior Ellyn Luebbe and freshman Madison Strodtman can jump out of the gym.

Volleyball

player. “Tori and I have been through quite a bit with this pro“Ellyn and Madison are play- gram and it’s exciting to see that ing very high on the net,” said we brought it to this point and it’s fourth-year coach Jill Strodt- still going up.” man, Madison’s mother. “We acWhat happened in 2011 tually did some vertical testing Team: 12-16-1, sixth in Gopher and those two girls went over the Conference, lost Sub-section 1A testing apparatus. That made us West quarterfinal, 3-1, to Hayfield Seniors feel pretty good.

Abby Chappuis, Tori Chell, Andrea “We are very excited about Gerlach, Alyssa Luebbe, Nicole this group of ladies,” Strodtman Morgan, Kori Noble, Kylie Shaw Juniors added. “They’re very dedicated, Ellyn Luebbe very determined. They’ve esFreshmen tablished some tough goals and Marnie Madsen, Hannah Robb, Madison Strodtman they’re working hard to reach them. They realize there are a lot Schedule Aug. 28 at Blooming Prairie, 7:15 p.m. of steps along the way.”

Sept. 4 vs. TCU, 7:15 p.m.

Nobody understands that Sept. 6 at USC, 7:15 p.m. more than Morgan and Chell. Sept. 10 at Alden-Conger, 7:15 p.m.

As multi-year starters in volley- Sept. 13 at J-W-P, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Southland Tourn., 8 a.m. ball and girls basketball, the two Sept. 18 vs. NRHEG, 7:15 p.m. seniors have seen the losses pile Sept. 20 at W-E-M, 7:15 p.m. up over the years, but the trend is Sept. 25 vs. Red Wing, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. Blooming Prairie, 7:15 p.m. encouraging for the Tigers.

Sept. 29 at Century Tourn., 9 a.m.

“We’ve been building up to Oct. 1 at Cleveland, 7:15 p.m. this and waiting for it,” said Mor- Oct. 4 vs. Randolph, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Cannon Falls, 8:30 p.m. gan, who moved to setter last year Oct. 8 vs. St. Clair, 7:15 p.m. and is a two-time all-conference Oct. 11 vs. Bethlehem Acad., 7:15 p.m.

PAGE 19

Schedule holds some incentive for Panthers NRHEG football coach Dan Stork won’t like to hear it, but his players are not necessarily focused on every game on the schedule this season. There are a few that stick out for some of them.

“Of course we want to win them all, but there are a few games we really want to win,” junior linebacker Dillon Parpart said. “We want to beat Blooming Prairie.

We lost to them by three points last year, but we should have won.

There are also some new teams on the schedule like Medford. We want to beat those teams so we know we can come back after a few years and beat those guys.”

NRHEG and Blooming Prairie have played in the first game of the season the last four years and the Panthers won the first three meetings by a combined 12 points. The Awesome Blossoms finally got the better of their Highway 30 rivals last year.

Medford is back in the Gopher Conference AA Division after a few years of playing in the A Division.

GOOD LUCK to area sports teams

Football Of course neither of those teams holds a candle to the Panthers’ biggest rival, which is Waterville-Elysian-Morristown.

“Those guys, we always want to beat them,” Parpart said. “They are the biggest rivals.”

Regardless of which team is on the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Panthers are most focused on their own team this year. After graduating 13 seniors, NRHEG only has two returning starters on each side of the ball, leaving Stork and his staff with a lot of work to do.

“We’ve got a lot of guys to look at,” Stork said. “We have a lot of guys we think can step up and play, but it’s hard to tell.”

Parpart returns at middle linebacker after he led the team with 88 tackles a year ago. The only other returning starter on defense is senior cornerback Casey Rosacker, who will also take over at quarterback this fall.

On offense, junior lineman

Nick Goette and Parpart will be the only familiar faces in the huddle.

The Panthers went 5-5 last year, including three straight wins at the end of the regular season and in the section quarterfinals. The season ended with a 53-28 loss to W-E-M in the section semis.

What happened in 2011 Team: 5-5, fourth in Gopher AA Conference, lost Section 2AA semifinal, 53-28, to W-E-M Seniors Brendon Arnold, Brad Claycomb, Brandon Herrmann, Sam Jewett, Nic Mangskau, Kevin Minter, Cody Ripka, Casey Rosacker, Colton Ryg, Matt Webster, Johnny White Juniors Ross Chester, Kellen Ferber, Carson Field, Nic Goette, Noah Krell, Nathan Krohn, Tyler Logan, Dillon Parpart, Preston Peterson Sophomores Todd Erickson Schedule Aug. 31 at Blooming Prairie, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 at GFW, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 vs. MCW, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 at LCWM, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at W-E-M, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 vs. St. Charles, 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 vs. Maple River, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17 vs. Medford, 7 p.m.

for Look ts r spo and s e r sco ates d p u ne onli

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FALL SPORTS

Saturday, August 25, 2012

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Owatonna setter Mikayla Bock (23) and hitter Cassie Schue (4) helped the Huskies win the consolation championship at the state tournament last year. Both players are back as OHS defends Big Nine and section titles. (Press file photo)

OWATONNA Fo o t b a l l

Owatonna volleyball won’t fill shoes, they’ll just get new ones With the graduation of Michelle Mattke and Lauren Schlobohm, the Owatonna volleyball team will have some big shoes to fill up front. But instead of finding girls to replace those two, Huskies coach Jason Kaytor said he simply wants his team to do what they do.

“We don’t want to replace them,” Kaytor said. “We have other girls ready to step up and do what they do. We have great players coming up. It’s not a replacement for Michelle and Lauren, it’s just new girls stepping forward to show what they can do.”

Both Mattke, who is playing at Hamline University, and Schlobohm, who plays at Gustavus Adolphus College, brought height and killing power to the lineup. Without those two, the Huskies will be employing a different type of offense.

“We are going to be one of the shorter teams we’ve had on the court

Volleyball

in a while,” Kaytor said. “But with our passing, we can be quick offense.

And that’s what I expect we will do.”

Exactly who plays where is still up in the air as the Huskies have been battling some bumps and bruises through the first few weeks of the season.

“We’ve got a few injuries and we’ve been doing some shuffling,” Kaytor said. “But that’s how it goes. Things will change throughout the year.”

What shouldn’t change is the Huskies’ ability to keep the ball off the floor when it comes at them.

A quick-strike offense, and a defense that doesn’t give up easy points should help the Huskies contend.

But contending isn’t what Kaytor expects out of Owatonna. After all, this is a team that will be defending Big Nine and Section 1AAA titles.

What happened in 2011 Team: 24-9, Big Nine champions, Section 1AAA champions, Class AAA state consolation champions Individual: Lauren Schlobohm finished her OHS career second in school history in kills with 1,018.

Seniors Mikayla Bock, Rebekah Brandt, Rachel Malo, Courtney Nelson, Cassandra Schue, Emily Spatenka Juniors Kirsten Elstad, Bobbi Livengood Sophomores Kaylea Ahrens Schedule August 30 vs. Faribault, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. Lakeville North, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Albert Lea, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 7-8 at Marshall Tourney Sept. 11 at Mankato West, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Roch. Century, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Farmington Tourney Sept. 18 vs. Blaine, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Roch. Mayo, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 25 at Winona, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Northfield, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5-6 at St. Michael-Albertville Tournament, 4:15 p.m.

Oct. 9 vs. Rochester JM, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Mankato East, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 15 vs. Austin, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 16 at Bethlehem Acad., 7:15 p.m.

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