Winter Sports Preview
Valley
St. Peter Saints • Le Sueur-Henderson Giants • Tri-City United Titans • Cleveland Clippers
St. Peter Herald
Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 & Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
Le Sueur-Henderson boys have good mix of experience, youth By Kurt Hildebrandt
Contributing Writer
It will be a season of “new” for the Le Sueur-Henderson boys basketball team as it is learning the ropes under new head coach Don Marcussen, who takes over the helm after coaching the Giants’ girls varsity team last year. While Marcussen is new to the role as head coach, he is familiar with many of the players having coached them in the past in the junior high program. “All of the players from the juniors on down had me as their coach in eighth grade so there is that connection and they know my basic coaching style,” Marcussen said. “Playing at this level is a different animal and we’re still trying to determine if some of the younger players are ready for varsity. “My goals for us are to be competitive in every game and be a threat at the end of the season when playoffs begin.” Last year the Giants finished 6-20 overall and 3-11 in Minnesota River Conference play and with just five returning letter winners back this season Marcussen knows he’ll have to be patient with this year’s team with the hopes they’ll reach their peak at playoff time. “Right now we do have a lot of question marks, but the kids have really come ready to play and practices have been very good so far,” Marcussen said. “We some gym rats in the bunch, and was also have a lot of guys who played a lot of basketball in the summer.
Facts in a Flash Le Sueur-Henderson Boys Basketball Head coach: Don Marcussen, first year (former LSH girls coach for one year) Assistant coaches: Brad Schmidt (former LSH head boys coach) and Gene Dwyer Who’s back: Seniors Ty O’Brien, Cody Wirt and Matt Reinhart; junior Brady Rose and sophomore Riley McGraw. Who’s gone: Bobby Rose, A.J. Smith, Christian Dwyer, Brendan Kroehler and Abe Adamzak. 2011-12 overall record: 6-20 (3-11 in conference), lost in first round of subsections to WatervilleElysian-Morristown. Coach’s outlook: Goals for us... be competitive in every game... be a threat at the end of the season when playoffs begin.
We also have some good athletes who aren’t as experienced so we’ll be working hard to get them up to speed.” Those returning letter winners include seniors Ty O’Brien (center), Cody Wirt (guard) and Matt Reinhart (guard); junior Brady Rose (guard) and sophomore Riley McGraw (center). “Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot stats on how those guys coming back performed last year, but they do give us a good group to
The 2012-13 Le Sueur-Henderson bosy basketball team (front row, from left) Tom Schwarz, Luke Smith, Jordan Kahlow, Devin Manion, Alex Nelson, Matt Reinhart; back row, Bradley Rose, Ethan Dwyer, Trumain Wadley, Alex Klockmann, Ty O’Brien, Brady Rose, Riley McGraw, Coleton Nelson and Cody Wirt. (Kurt Hildebrandt/St. Peter Herald)
build this year’s team around,” Marcussen said. “We’ll have some decent size with a few kids in the 6-3 to 6-4 range, but not compared to some of the teams we’ll see in both the conference and section. “From what I’ve seen so far we have fairly decent guard players and our posts are good but we are not deep in that position. We also have a strong sophomore class and some of those guys should be getting playing time on varsity this year.” Marcussen bases his offensive philosophy around the type of personnel his team has each year. He sees this year’s team running a lot of motion offense with a lot of movement coming away from the ball through screens.
“We definitely need to work on our ball handling skills so I see the motion offense giving us the best chance at this time because we don’t really have the players yet to do a lot of dribble drive penetration,” he said. “We really need to work off of each other and not have players trying to do it all by themselves.” Defensively the Giants’ new coach preaches a straight manto-man philosophy but said he will tinker with a zone from time to time. “My preference is to play manto-man, but if we go up against teams with good size underneath we’ll probably have to pack it in with a zone,” Marcussen said. “However our main defensive goal is to play good, tough man-
to-man defense and disrupt the other team’s offense as much as we can. “We can’t give up 60-plus points per game or it will be tough for us.” This year’s team will once again battle in the always-tough Minnesota River Conference. Marcussen sees WatertownMayer and Tri-City United as two teams that figure to be favorites in the 2012-13 campaign. The new Giants’ mentor is quick to note he doesn’t know much about the teams in Section 2AA at this time. “From what I know, St. Peter with their good size and experience should be tough in both the sub-section and section, but I’m not really sure about the rest of
the teams,” Marcussen said. The Giants were slated to open the season on Friday, Nov. 30 at Blue Earth Area, but because the Bucs qualified for the State Class 3A football championship game that game has been moved back in the schedule to January 15. Instead, the Giants will open the 2012-13 season against a different set of Bucs, Watervillle-ElysianMorristown on Tuesday, Dec. 4 in Le Sueur. “It’s hard to really get a good feel for what we’ll have this year after just a couple practices, but the boys are working really hard and the attitude has been outstanding,” Marcussen said. “We just hope to keep improving and giving our best effort each time out on the court.”
PAGE 2
Valley Sports Preview
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
Le Sueur-Henderson girls basketball hoping to peak at right time By Kurt Hildebrandt
Contributing Writer
After losing a good chunk of a last year’s lineup that finished fifth in the Minnesota River Conference, this year’s Le SueurHenderson girls basketball team is going to be a bit of a work in progress but a fun team to watch this winter. A good mix of upperclassmen and promising newcomers reported to practice on Nov. 12 with the expectation to improve as the season rolls along and so far the players have responded well. Head coach Robert Steiger, who is in his first year at the helm of the Giants’ girls program after directing the boys program for 12 years, knows he has a lot of work ahead of him preparing for the 2012-13 seasons. However, as inexperienced as Giants’ squad is those players have come to practice each day ready to play and get better. “This is the most inexperienced team I have ever coached at the varsity level,” Steiger said. “But, they work hard, are attentive, and really want to learn and improve and that makes practice a lot of fun for me. We may take our lumps early in the season, but we will improve and will probably look like a completely different team towards the end of the year.” Steiger takes over the reins of the program from Don Marcussen, who moved over to be the head coach of the Giants’ boys team this season. Last year’s girls team finished the 2011-12 season with a 9-17
Facts in a Flash Le Sueur-Henderson Girls Basketball Head coach: Robert Steiger, 1st year (former LSH boys coach for 12 years) Assistant coaches: Ryan Graff and Don Beddow Who’s back: Seniors May Heinz and LeaRae Enerson; freshman Carlie Brandt. Who’s gone: Gretta Schultz, Callie Boelter, Kelsey Schmidt, Brooklyn Laabs, Amber Zeiher, Jessica Thelemann. 2011-12 overall record: 9-17, lost in second round of subsection to St. Peter Coach’s outlook: “This is the most inexperienced team I have ever coached at the varsity level. But they work hard, are attentive, and really want to learn and improve and that makes practice a lot of fun for me.”
record and nearly stunned North Subsection top seed St. Peter in the playoffs before losing by just three points. As promising as the end of that season was, a ton of talent was lost to graduation including almost all the starters and Steiger knows his team will be a work in progress. “The key to our success will be how quickly the young players can adapt to playing at the varsity level and can we consistently keep opponents off the offensive boards and not turn over the ball,” Steiger said. “Our strengths are that our girls work hard and are willing
Good Luck Giants!
The 2012-13 Le Sueur-Henderson girls basketball team (front row, from left) Kayla Stowell, LeaRae Enerson, Mary Heinz, Aubin Bruns; (back row) Katharine Chadwick, Carlie Brandt, Sadie Loose, Ellen Eide, Stephanie Winter, Selena Wiederich and Mandy Doerr. (Kurt Hildebrandt/St. Peter Herald)
to learn and they will improve greatly this season. We should end up being a good rebounding team and have the potential to have some good defenders on the team. “The areas that need improving include developing our offensive skills and we have very little game experience with such a young team.”
Leading the way for the Giants this year are senior cocaptains and wings Mary Heinz and LeaRae Enerson. Those two are being counted to provide the leadership needed for such an inexperienced team and Steiger is confident in his captains’ abilities to do just that. “Mary and LeaRae have been great and have done everything
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I’ve asked of them,” Steiger said. “Mary is a solid all-around ballplayer who shoots well from within 12 feet and from the free throw line while LeaRae’s skills are very similar to Mary’s. Both are also great leaders.” Only one other returning letter winner is back this year in freshman Carlie Brandt, who gained valuable experience last
year and will help out as a guard in 2012-13. “Carlie played some varsity as an eighth grader,” Steiger said. “She is a good ball-handler, scorer and has a chance to develop into a dominant guard in the conference.” Other players being counted
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PAGE 3
Le Sueur-Henderson starts season with two ranked wrestlers By Jennifer Wilson
Contributing Writer
Despite losing half the starting line-up in the graduating class last year the Le Sueur-Henderson Giants wrestling team looks to rebuild and focus on quality execution, individual growth and pulling strength from team captains Chris Pfarr, Clayton Colling and Austin Anderly. “This year we will have a team of somewhat novice wrestlers. We have many eighth-graders that will eventually fill key spots on the team and our captains will of course continue to fill big shoes in the line-up. We’re fortunate to have very accomplished captains and our young wrestlers have responded well to their leadership and push,” coach Scott Wilson said. After ending last season with four individual state entrants all placing including a state champio and gold academic team honors, the Giants are hoping to find similar individual success and grow as a team. “We had a great season last year and it’s hard to graduate the numbers we did, but we still have high quality wrestlers that return to our team and our underclassman are talented, physical and driven. We pride
ourselves on being hard working, enthusiastic and motivated. Even though we’ve only been in practice a few days our team is working together as one and it’s making a big difference in how we instruct
and the reception from the kids is exceeding expectations from our coaching staff,” Wilson said. In preseason polls by the Guillotine Magazine, the Giants have two ranked wrestlers in Class A.
At 106 pounds, sophomore Austin Anderly is at the top of the rankings. Anderly finished third last year in the section tournament, but went on to win the state freestyle and Greco wrestling tournaments
in May and wrestle for Team Minnesota throughout the summer. His success and notoriety has earned him great respect across the state. Senior Chris Pfarr is ranked second at 160 pounds. Pfarr has
From Page 2C on to contribute this year, according to Steiger, include: Juniors • Aubin Bruns — “A good standstill shooter,” Steiger said. • Selena Wiederich — “A very good defender.” • Stephanie Winter — “A really good athlete who has a chance to
become a dominant defender and rebounder.” • Sadie Loose — “ An aggressive strong player who could contribute defensively and on the boards.” Sophomores • McKayla Stowell – “a good ballhandler who has solid offensive skills and is one of our best perimeter shooters.”
• Ellen Eide – “The tallest player on the team who’s real strength right now is using her length to alter or block shots.” Freshman • Sam Winter – “A great competitor who has the skills to be a good all-around player.” Steiger, who will be assisted this year by Ryan Graff and Don Bed-
dow, feels confident his team will get better as the season goes on and it’s his goal to have the team peaking at playoff time. This year’s Minnesota River Conference favorites, according to Steiger, will be Jordan and Norwood Young America who both are very well coached and return key players at both the guard and post positions.
“We have very little experience and it may take us a while to reach our potential,” Steiger said. “However, we will improve throughout the season and we have some exciting young players to watch develop throughout the year.” The Giants will get a tough test right out of the gates on Tuesday, Nov. 27, when they host last year’s
The 2012-13 Le Sueur-Henderson wrestling team (front row, from left) Jesse Kaelberer, Austin Anderly, Keon Naranjo, Dylan Pauly, Tucker Colling and Jayson Rabaey; (middle) assistant coach Jason Sunderman, Trenton Rogich, Caleb Radloff, Quinlan Riffenburg, Nick Hernandez, Trevor Block, Mason Straub and Luke Wilson; (back) head coach Scott Wilson, Conner Boettcher, John Klein, Joe Abrahamson, Clayton Colling, Noah Hynes-Marquette, Marcus Bergquist, Kris Doyle, David Koening , Ochirbat Bayanjargal and assistant coach Ben Wilson. Missing from photo: Chris Pfarr, Sean Bruns, Jordan Weist, Colin Jones, Nathan Lindorff. (Jennifer Wilson/Le Sueur News-Herald)
wrestled in two state tournaments and placed in both. “Austin and Chris have put in countless hours of wrestling since last season. I’m not overly shocked at the rankings. I think both men have the potential to be state champions. I know that’s their individual goal as well as our coaching staff’s goal for them. We’re excited and looking forward to competition,” Wilson said. Aside from the team captains, returning wrestlers with varsity experience are Jordan Weist, Caleb Radloff, Jordan Carlson, Noah Hynes-Marquette, Keon Naranjo, John Klein and Quinlan Riffenburg. “No doubt we have spots to fill, but we have great leadership from our captains, we have several wrestlers with past varsity mat time and we have guys coming off our B-squad with a tremendous amount of experience. We’ll be young, but the coaching staff has a lot of confidence that our team will be loaded with skillful wrestlers, motivated wrestlers and wrestlers that have a passion to win,” Wilson said. The Giants open the season Dec. 1 at the Waconia Duals. Their home opener is Dec. 7 where they will take on USC and celebrate Alumni and Hall of Fame night.
BASKETBALL: Le Sueur-Henderson girls hope young players develop throughout the season
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State Class 2A third-place team, New Richland-Hartland-EllendaleGeneva, and it’s all-everything junior guard Carlie Wagner in Le Sueur. Wagner is ranked by some services as the state’s top-rated girls basketball player for the class of 2014 and is being sought by several major programs including Minnesota.
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Valley Sports Preview
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
Bulldogs look to add offense to strong defense, goaltending By Pat Beck
pbeck@stpeterherald.com
The St. Peter/Le Sueur-Henderson/Tri-City United/Cleveland boys hockey team has great goaltending and a strong overall team defensive attitude, but it’s questionable whether the Bulldogs have enough scoring punch to match last season’s team record win total of 20-7. The Bulldogs lost 11 seniors from last season who played on the varsity. Most notably, they lose Jack Swanberg (24 goals, 25 assists), Zach Steuck (11 goals, 14 assists) and Jordan Wilmes (18 goals, 17 assists) who scored 53 of the 112 goals last season. “Our strength is going to be our goaltending,” Bulldogs head coach Shawn Carlson said. “Chris Amsden is, in my opinion, the best goalie in our section and one of the best goalies in the state. He will be counted on to help us win many more games again this season. “We also have a great nucleus of players returning that have learned our systems for the past two seasons. These returners (Levi Steuck, Ryan Moriarty, Austin Braun, Luke Regner, Brock Solomon, Ryan Hoehn and Jon Favre) are going to be relied on heavily throughout this season. “We will need to work on being a very good team in the defensive zone. We will take pride in taking away high-scoring areas. We will also need to work on our scoring touch. We return a lot of players who have played many minutes, but with the exception of Braun, none of them have scored in large quantities. We will need a few of the returners to step up and score 10-15 goals each.” Carlson listed these as the key
Facts in a Flash St. Peter/Le SueurHenderson/Tri-City United/ Cleveland Boys Hockey Head coach: Shawn Carlson, 3rd year Assistant coaches: Dave Swanberg and Danny Endres Who’s back (8): seniors Chris Amsden, goalie; Levi Steuck, defense; Ryan Moriarty, defense; Austin Braun, center; Jon Favre, forward; Luke Regner, forward; Brock Solomon, forward; junior Ryan Hoehn, forward Who’s gone (11): Robb D’Amato, Logan Connor, Luke Connor, Evan King, Cody Preisler, Cole Shaughnessy, Mitch Schluzacek, Jack Swanberg, Andy Williams, Jordan Wilmes, Zach Steuck 2011-12 overall record: 207, lost in section quarterfinals to Northfield 2011-12 conference record: 4-2, 2nd Coach’s outlook:” I expect us to be able to compete for the conference title again this season, but we’re going to need to be consistent against all of our conference teams to do that. We won 20 games last season and we didn’t even get a top 5 seed, so you know our section is deep.”
players: • Chris Amsden--All State Honorable Mention 2012, All Conference 2011, 2012, 1.56 GAA .940 Save Percentage and 8 shutouts in
The 2012-13 St. Peter/Le SueurHenderson/Tri-City United/Cleveland Bulldogs hockey team. Front row, left to right: Nate Douglas, Jon Favre, Levi Steuck, Brock Solomon, Chris Amsden, Luke Regner, Brandon Billmeyer, Cole Kubes, Austin Braun; middle row: Killian Bixby, Cole Miller, Matt Dolan, Beau Sullivan, Marty McGuire, CJ Pavlo, Mick McGuire, Ryan Hoehn; back row: Travis Billmeyer, Scott Crady, Mac Malecha, Brett Zallek, Jared Pudwill, Jackson Keeley, Noah Weiers, Sam Gerdts, Sam Wenner, Ryan Moriarty. (Pat Beck/St. Peter Herald)
2012. Chris is a gifted athlete in the nets. He moves exceptionally well for a 6-foot-3 goalie, and his puck handling ability makes him very dangerous as well. • Austin Braun--12 goals 19 assists for 31 points. Austin is a great two-way forward. Austin will need to log many minutes. He is an extremely strong skater, and he will provide us with scoring punch, a physical presence, and a he is good on face-offs as well. • Luke Regner--4 goals, 13 assists for 17 points. Luke is one of the smartest players I have ever coached. He is constantly working on becoming a better hockey player. We will need him to be our defensive specialist at times, but he also has great rink vision and is a good playmaker.
• Ryan Hoehn--4 goals, 9 assists for 13 points. Ryan is a great skater. He’s one of our smoothest players, and we will need him to be a big contributor offensively this year. • Brock Solomon--5 goals, 5 assists for 10 points. Brock can be a very effective player down low in the corners. He does a good job of using his body down low, and we will need him to create scoring opportunities this season by using that ability. • Jon Favre--4 goals, 6 assists for 10 points. Jon has been a goal scorer in the past. He hasn’t gotten the chances he wishes he had, so I know he’s eager to show his scoring touch this season. • Ryan Moriarty--1 goal, 5 assists for 6 points. Ryan is battling an injury right now, but he will be one
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of our best defensemen when he returns. He is probably our strongest guy, so he will help us with a physical presence when he returns. • Levi Steuck--1 goal, 3 assists for 4 points. Levi is going to have to play a lot. It will be a challenge for him to log as many minutes as we need him to, but I know he can handle the job. He is a very solid defensive defenseman, and we will use him to kill many penalties. Carlson also is optimistic about the new players. “I am excited to welcome 10 new Bulldogs this season. We will have some good young talent coming up from our Bantam program, but we also have guys who played JV last season that will contribute. It’s hard to say who will fit in right now, but we will soon find
out when we began our practices.” Once again, New Ulm is the conference favorite. “They will be the favorite until somebody can knock them off of the top of the mountain, and hopefully we can do that this season,” Carlson said. “I expect us to be able to compete for the conference title again this season, but we’re going to need to be consistent against all of our conference teams to do that. “Rochester Lourdes is the section favorite in my opinion. They are a very talented team, and they have the experience of winning the section which is nice for them. The rest of our section is also very though. We won 20 games last season and we didn’t even get a top 5 seed, so you know our section is deep.”
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PAGE 5
Lady Bulldogs hockey team blends experience, youth Facts in a Flash St. Peter/Le SueurHenderson/Tri-City United/Cleveland Girls Hockey Head coach: Tom Blaido, 1st year Assistant coaches: Kelly Wilmes, Marc Bachman, Jen Gorney Who’s back (10): Seniors Ali Plieseis, Kelsey Skelly, Brianna Williams; juniors Chloe Bachman, Chelsea Kaelberer, Veronica Sinell; sophomores Hannah Kleschult, Bailey Wilmes; freshmen Holly Gibbs, Maddie Kleschult Who’s gone (7): Megan Bittner, Lexi Filzen, Ashley Gerdts, Elle Hammes, Shannon Meyer, Libby McCoy, Tor Sinell 201-12 overall record: 11-14-1, lost first round of Section 2A to state participant Hutchinson 9-1 2011-12 conference record: 2-3-1, 3rd Coach’s outlook: “We are going to be better than people expect. I know it’s a lot for the kids to learn, new coaching style, systems, game plans etc.; however, I’m expecting us to be competitive at the start of the season and finish strong when the plays they run seem natural as opposed to something they have to think about and diagram in their heads.”
By Pat Beck
pbeck@stpeterherald.com
Half of the St. Peter/Le SueurHenderson/Tri-City United/ Cleveland Lady Bulldogs hockey team will have varsity experience and half will be new to the team. But new head coach Tom Blaido expects the mix of the old and young players to be the recipe for success — eventually. It may take time. Blaido said the team is “very inexperienced. We will have to remain a ‘work in progress’ all season long to remain competitive. But Blaido said the Bulldogs have “strong leadership and very talented younger players.” Blaido expects the key players to be captains Chole Bachman, Ali Plieseis, along with upperclasswomen Briana Williams, Kelsey Skelly, Chelsa Kaelberer and net minder Veronica Sinell. “All of these players have a passion for the game as well as a ‘nose for the net.’” The Bulldogs also have a number of promising newcomers Blaido listed. “Hannah and Maddie Kleschult, Bailey Wilmes and Anna Amos all add some offensive fire power to the squad. Holly Gibbs, Kallie Steuck, Taylor Witte and Emma Doherty-Bohn all add aggressive skating styles that when going forward down the ice should keep us on the edge of our seats.” Last season, New Ulm, Waseca and the Bulldogs were in the running for the South Central Conference championship until Waeca emerged with the title. This
The St. Peter/Le Sueur-Henderson/Tri-City United/Cleveland girls hockey team (front, from left) Madison Meyer, Ricky Rosenbeck, Lexi Leighton, Angela Youngren, Jacky Stockman, Margaret Conlon; (middle row) Tayor Witte, Maggie Ringler, Brianna Williams, Hannah Kleschult, Holly Gibbs, Chelsea Kaelberer, Kallie Steuck, Anna Amos; (back row) Maranda Soerensen, Emma Doherty-Bohn, Francesca LoFaro, Kelsey Skelly, Ali Plieseis, Maddie Kleschult, Chloe Bachman and Veronica Sinell. (Pat Beck/St. Peter Herald)
year, Blaido said, “The conference favorites this season should be New Ulm and Waseca. “I’m hoping they don’t see us coming. We are going to be better than people expect. “I know it’s a lot for the kids to learn, new coaching style, systems, game plans etc.; however, I’m expecting us to be competitive
at the start of the season and finish strong when the plays they run seem natural as opposed to something they have to think about and diagram in their heads.” Blaido said he is unsure of the Section 2A favorites. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I don’t have a crystal ball, I can only guess at what tomorrow will
bring but one thing I know for sure, win, lose or draw, these kids will leave it all on the ice and take nothing home, they will all give 100 percent every shift.” The Bulldogs open the season with a pair of home games at Le Sueur Community Center: 7 p.m. Friday vs. New Prague and 5 p.m. Saturday vs. Minneapolis
Novas, which features a combination of players from Minneapolis schools. Reach Sports Editor Pat Beck at 931-8566, or follow him on Twitter.com @SPHSportsPat
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Valley Sports Preview
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
Cleveland Clipper girls hope to keep last season’s momentum Facts in a Flash Cleveland Girls Basketball Head coach: George Schoenborn, 2nd year Assistant coach: Kris Holicky Who’s back: Seniors Kylie Krause, Miranda Corrow, Bekah Blaschko, Jessica Archer; Juniors Cylie Hankins, Taylor Holicky; Sophomores Anna Ely, Cassidy Kopet Who’s gone: Emily Dembouski, Brooke Phillips, Molly Zimmerman (injured) 2011-12 overall record: 10-4, lost in the second round of the sections to Goodhue 2011-12 conference record: 3-8 Coach’s outlook: “If we play solid defense and score on the transition as much as possible, we should be in most games and have an opportunity to win.” By Richard Rohlfing
Contributing Writer
With offense and defensive spark Brooke Phillips gone to graduation, the Cleveland girls basketball team lost its catalyst from last season. But with leading scorer and rebounder Taylor Holicky and a quintet of other experienced players returning, head coach George Schoenborn is optimistic the Clippers can overcome low numbers and improve on last year’s 10-14 record. “We should be able to play with anyone in the conference,” Schoenborn said. “We should finish in the top half. If we play solid defense and score on the transition as much as possible, we should be in most games and have an opportunity to win.” Holicky, a 6-foot-1 junior, averaged 14 points, a dozen rebounds and four steals per game last season, her second as a varsity player. “Taylor will be a force inside both on offense and defense,” Schoenborn said. “She should be one of the better rebounders in the area.” A pair of 5-4 guards, junior Cylie Hankins and senior Kylie Krause also bring starting experience.
The 2012-13 Cleveland girls basketball team (front, from left): Penni Jo Brenke, Cylie Hankins, Kylie Krause, Anna Ely, Cassidy Kopet, Anna Uthayakumaran; (back row) Head coach George Schoenborn, Jessica Archer, Miranda Corrow, Taylor Holicky, Amy Den Herder, Stephanie Holicky, Bekah Blaschko, Assistant coach Kris Holicky. (Richard Rohlfing/St. Peter Herald)
Hankins, a junior will be the Clipper point guard and run the offense this season. “Cylie played and started at this position for a few years and is really coming into her own as the floor leader,” said the head coach. “Kylie will be one of our better shooters and will bring senior leadership.” The team also has an abundance of varsity experience in seniors Miranda Corrow, Jessica Archer, and Bekah Blaschko. “Miranda will be tough to stop inside, especially when teams double Taylor,” said Schoenborn. “Jessica and Bekah have the ability to fill in for most positions and are great hustlers, as well.” A pair of sophomores, Anna Ely and Cassidy Kopet, will also log many minutes on varsity, said the head coach. “Both are very athletic and will be very important to the team.” Rounding out the squad are freshmen Amy Den Herder, Penni Jo Brenke and Stephanie Holicky
and foreign exchange student Anna Uthayakumaran. Schoenborn said the team’s strengths should be defense and rebounding, but the narrow roster of only a dozen players will be a challenge. Senior Molly Zimmerman is out with an injury, and a couple of others didn’t join the team this year. “The key will be limiting turnovers on offense and getting good looks, but more importantly defense
and rebounding will be crucial. Our depth will again be an issue, not only for just players on the floor, but key positions will have lack of depth. Having lower numbers does help get more, multiple reps in at practice, which will help the learning curve.” In several games last season, the Clippers were up significantly at halftime only to fade away in the second frame. But in the second half of the season they beat several
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teams they had lost to earlier. And for the first time in at least a decade, the Clippers made it to the second round of the section tournament. There they fell to perennial power Goodhue. “We made adjustments and worked on some things to take care of that,” Schoenborn said. “Every year, every team is different, so we’ll have to see where we’re weak and what changes will need to be made.”
The head coach said that advancing in the section was a real confidence booster that he hopes his team can maintain. “Hopefully, we can be playing our best at the end of the year and win our first playoff game and shoot to win the second playoff game,” Schoenborn said. “The girls had a taste of playoff basketball last year and I think that will keep them hungry for more.”
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Valley Sports Preview
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Seniors, new coach bring optimism to Cleveland boys basketball By Richard Rohlfing
Contributing Writer
Four wins two years ago. Eight wins last year. With a bevy of returning players and a new head coach, there is a lot of optimism on the Cleveland Clipper boys basketball team this season. “I expect us to have a winning season, to be successful, and to be a factor in the post season,” said coach Dan Frederickson, who comes to Cleveland this year after building a program at GlenvilleEmmons. Returning seniors include Tommy Kraft, a 6-foot-2 forward; Josh Plonsky, a 5-9 point guard; Tyler Seitz, a 6-0 forward; Kyle Ziebarth, a 5-9 point guard; Derek Ely, a 5-11 guard; Joe Queen, a 5-9 forward; and Brice Jewison a 5-9 forward. Kraft cleared the 1,000-point mark last January, but all are athletic, Frederickson said. “They play with high energy, they drive to the basket well, and defensively they are strong.” Juniors on the team include 6-0 forward Jordan Phillips and 6-0 Bryce Skistad. Jordan is a very good athlete,” Fredrickson said. “He will be a great defensive player. Bryce brings good size in the paint. He has good physical presence and is a hard worker.” Matt Archer, a 6-2 forward is the lone sophomore for the Clippers. “He brings good size in the paint, has a good physical presence and is a hard worker,” Frederickson said.
Facts in a Flash Cleveland Boys Basketball Head coach: Dan Fredrickson, 1st year Assistant coach: Perry Kirsch Who’s back: Seniors: Tom Kraft, Joe Queen, Derek Ely, Kyle Ziebarth, Josh Plonsky, Brice Jewison, Tyler Seitz. Junior: Jordan Phillips; Sophomore: Matt Archer Who’s gone: Kevin Wagner, Grant Den Herder, Nick Johnstone 2011-12 overall record: 8-15, lost in the first round of the sections to New Ulm Cathedral 2011-12 conference record: 4-10 Coach’s outlook: “We are going to get better each and every game, and in February we are going to be a very formidable opponent.”
The 2012-13 Cleveland boys basketball team (front row, from left: Joe Queen, Derek Ely, Jacob Zimmerman, Kyle Ziebarth, Jordan Phillips; (back row): Assistant coach Perry Kirsch, Brice Jewison, Matt Archer, Tom Kraft, Bryce Skistad, Tyler Seitz, Head Freshman Jacob Zimmerman coach Dan Fredrickson. Missing from photo: Josh Plonsky. (Richard Rohlfing/St. Peter Herald)
is spending his first year on the varsity team. “The overall athleticism of the team has been a huge surprise for me,” Fredrickson said, “and I look forward to using this to our advantage in games.” It’s obvious that Frederickson expects lot of his team. Besides noting Maple River, GranadaHuntley-East Chain and Mankato Loyola as the teams to beat in the Valley Conference this season, Frederickson also adds his own
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Clippers to the list. And while overall depth will be a challenge, the head coach said defense will be a big strong point. “I expect this to be one of the best defensive teams in the area. We will have the ability to control the tempo in every game that we play.” The new head coach also wants the 2013 Clippers to be a foundation for future successes. “As a first year coach at Cleve-
land, I would like this to be a model season to build a tradition for Cleveland basketball. Success breeds success, and ultimately a successful season this year will lay the groundwork for the future success of Cleveland Clipper basketball.” So far, the head coach says the team has reacted well to his intense style, but he doesn’t expect any miracles out of the gate. “The kids have been great.
forward to this season.” The Clippers open their season on with a home game on Tuesday, Dec. 4 against New Richland-Heartland-EllendaleGeneva. Reach Sports Editor Pat Beck at 931-8566, or follow him on Twitter.com @SPHSportsPat
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Valley Sports Preview
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
TCU girls basketball has high hopes, improvement in mind Facts in a Flash TCU Girls Basketball Head coach:Kevin Woitas, 2nd year Assistant coaches: Lora Angileno B-Squad and John Schmiesing C-Squad Who’s back (9): Seniors: Megan Steffan (Forward), Coley Selly (Guard), and Samantha Ruger (Forward). Junior: Alyshia Angileno (Center) Sophomore: Courtney Hentges (Guard) 2011-12 overall record: 5-22 2011-12 conference record:2-12 Coach’s outlook:“We return four starters from last year’s team. We have a great mix of speed and size. Last season we consolidated in October, which didn’t give us an off-season to work together and to build team chemistry. I think the biggest strength for us this The 2012-13 Tr-City United girls basketball team (front, from left) Molly Ehlers, Samantha Ruger, Coley Selly, Courtney Hentges, Annie McCrady, Chelsey Walerius; season is that we had an (back row) Megan Steffen, Alyshia Angileno, Madie Chadderdon, Nora Miller, Danielle Angileno, Edith Martinez, Kevin Woitas (Nathan Mosser/Le Center Leader) off-season together. Our team defense is also one of Woitas believes with four starters team captains for the 2012-13 sea- the ball more if they are to make any “Shooting, shooting and more and could contribute as the season our greatest strengths.” returning from last year’s team and son. Steffan was the team’s MVP headway during the season, the Ti- shooting,” Woitas said. “Those num- goes on.” By NATHAN MOSSER
nmosser@lecenter.com
Last season marked the beginning of the Tri-City United Titans girls basketball team, and this season the Titans look to rebound from a disappointing 5-22 overall record. “We return four starters from last year’s team,” second-year head coach Kevin Woitas said. “We have a great mix of speed and size.”
a full-season together, that they can make a significant run at the top-half of the conference. This will be Woitas’ 7th year coaching girls basketball and will be assisted by Lora Angileno and John Schmiesing, the former boys head coach for Montgomery-Lonsdale. Last season, Le Center and Montgomery-Lonsdale consolidated into one team in October. Senior Megan Steffan and junior Alyshia Angileno will be the Titan’s
which makes her a key returner, according to Woitas. Angileno was the team’s leading rebounder last season and second leading scorer. “Megan’s speed, jumping ability, and overall quickness make her a key returner from last season,” Woitas said. “We hope Angileno’s numbers improve dramatically with this being her 2nd year on the varsity, and her strong off-season commitment.” The team will need to hold onto
tans had 676 turnovers last season. Guards sophomore Courtney Hentges and senior Coley Selly will have to help cut that number this season, Woitas said. The team will also need to be better shooters to keep up with teams in the Minnesota River Conference. Last season, the Titans shot only 31 percent as a team, 34 percent from 2-point range, 14 percent from 3-point range and 58 percent from the free throw line.
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bers make it very difficult to compete with some of the teams in our conference and section.” Newcomers Edith Martinez, Danielle Angileno, Molly Ehlers, Madie Chadderdon and Nora Miller all look to get significant playing time, Woitas said. “They are all good defensive players and will add depth to our lineup,” Woitas said. “We also have some players on our B-Squad that worked very hard this off-season
In Woitas’ eyes, conference favorites for the season are Jordan, Watertown-Mayer and NorwoodYoung America. “The girls worked very hard this off-season and we are a much improved team from last year,” Woitas said. “We are looking to finish in the top half of the Minnesota River Conference.” The Titans girls basketball team will open their season at Bethlehem Academy on Nov. 27 at 7:15 p.m. New Hours
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PAGE 9
Titans boys basketball ready to set tempo on the court By NATHAN MOSSER
nmosser@lecenter.com
Tri-City United will open its inaugural boys basketball season with new faces on the court. Last season Montgomery-Lonsdale and Le Center chose to keep individual boys basketball teams. Montgomery-Lonsdale and Le Center ended their seasons with 8-18 and 11-14 overall records Former Montgomery-Lonsdale head coach Andrew Meier will be taking the reigns of the new Titans program as his second season. His assistant coaches will be Craig Nordling (B-Squad), John Rynda (CSquad) and Greg Feddema. “We did a lot this off season in terms of team building,” Meier said. “We put in around 25 games together through tournaments and summer league play and had a good turnout so hopefully that helps with people working together.” The Titans will have 13 letter winners returning from both teams
Facts in a Flash
TCU Boys Basketball Head coach: Andrew Meier, 2nd year Assistant coaches: Craig Nordling (B-Squad), John Rynda (C-Squad) and Greg Feddema Who’s back: Senior guard Andy Feddema, senior guard Alex Turgeon, senior forward Matt Holicky, senior post Ryan Iverson, senior post Jordan Trnka, senior post David Trcka, senior guard Connor Oak, senior post Jeremy Houston, junior guard Hunter Hinze, junior post Nate Chadderdon, junior forward Aaron Dwyer, junior forward Jordan Yetzer and junior guard Pat Lloyd. 2011-12 overall record: Montgomery-Lonsdale: 8-18 Le Center: 11-14 2011-12 conference record: Montgomery-Lonsdale: 4-10, T-6th Le Center: 7-4, 5th
last year. Senior guard Andy Feddema, senior guard Alex Turgeon, senior forward Matt Holicky, senior post Ryan Iverson, senior post Jordan Trnka, senior post David Trcka, senior guard Connor Oak, senior post Jeremy Houston, junior guard Hunter Hinze, junior post Nate Chadderdon, junior forward Aaron Dwyer, junior forward Jordan Yetzer
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The 2012-13 Tri-City United boys basketball team (front, from left) Aaron Dwyer, Connor Oak, Hunter Hinze, Pat Lloyd, Andy Feddema; (middle) Alex Turgeon, Jeremy Johnson, Orlando Hernandez, Matt Holicky, Jordan Yetzer, Nate Kotek, Brandon Turgeon, Carter Stevens; (back) Ryan Iverson, David Trcka, Jordan Trnka, Nate Chadderden, Ted Christen and Cole Pint. (Nathan Mosser/Le Center Leader)
and junior guard Pat Lloyd. However, three returning players rise to the top, Meier said. Post Jordan Trnka and captains Andy Feddema and Alex Turgeon look to be the teams top players this season. “Jordan is a strong post player and is the only returning All-Conference player from either team,” Meier said. “Feddema might be the best shooter on the team, and Tur-
geon is a three-year varsity player.” One of the team’s greatest strengths is the wealth of depth and experience from the consolidation. “Between the squads I think we have six returning starters,” Meier said. “We also have three or four that saw a lot of varsity action last year. So we have 10 guys that have gotten a taste of competitive action.” One of the biggest question
marks is that the majority of these players have not played together, Meier said. Unlike girls basketball, the boys’ teams of both districts did not consolidate last season. “To put it simply, we need to come together as a team,” Meier said. Other promising players Meier has an eye on include, Dwyer, Lloyd, Hinze, Chadderdon, Iverson and Oak. All provide the team with
much needed depth, Meier said. Meier believes that almost anyone can compete for a conference championship this year with no clear favorite which may be a window for the newly consolidated Titans. “WEM, St. Peter, Cannon Falls and Hayfield will all be tough sectional opponents,” Meier said. “My expectations will be to compete and improve throughout the season.”
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Valley Sports Preview
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
Titan wrestlers ready to rumble By NATHAN MOSSER
nmosser@lecenter.com
The teams name may have changed from Coyotes to Titans, but wrestlers for the Tri-City United wrestling squad are ready to hit the mats. Second-year head coach and 16 year assistant Brian Mikel hopes to improve on a 4-18 dual record and 1-5 conference record from last season. He is joined by assistants Nate Friederich, Joe Selly, Corey Block and Ben Wetzel. “We have a nice group of juniors this year that have some varsity experience,” Mikel said of his squad. “They will have to step up this year if we want to have success in our dual meets.” Two key returners for the season are juniors Josh Selly and Mason Brownlee. Brownlee is ranked No. 3 in state for 138-pound class AA individuals, according to the Guillotine High School Wrestling’s rankings. Selly is ranked No. 7 in state for 160-pound class AA individuals, according to Guillotine. “Both have been to the tournament,” Mikel said. “Mason has been there multiple times and has finished fifth the last two years.” Other returners to the team include junior Kyle Huber, junior Marko Arroyo, sophomore Max Arroyo, freshman Alex Burns, junior Ryan Rosival, sophomore Levi Nelson, junior Derek Traxler and junior Michael Gramling were all letter winners. “We need to improve on overall team strength,” Mikel said. “Hopefully it will show this year that the boys spent some time in the weight room in the off sea-
Facts in a Flash
TCU Wrestling Head coach: Brian Mikel, 2nd year Assistant coaches: Who’s back: Junior Kyle Huber, junior Marko Arroyo, sophomore Max Arroyo, freshman Alex Burns, junior Ryan Rosival, sophomore Levi Nelson, junior Derek Traxler and junior Michael Gramling. 2011-12 overall record: 4-18, dual 2011-12 conference record: 1-5 Coach’s outlook: “Our goals for the year would be to improve every day. Improve mental toughness and eliminate some of the mistakes we made last year. Also, strive to be the best conditioned team on the mat. Leadership from the upper classmen will be key as well. Our overall goal will be to send as many kids to the state tournament as possible. Dual meets will be a challenge due to the fact that we will have difficulty filling all of the weight classes.”
son.” One of the many highlights the team looks to use to its advantage during the season is a strong class of seventh-graders. Mikel said he hopes to develop them into tough wrestlers for the future. “Our goals for this year would be to improve every day,” Mikel said. “Improve mental toughness
The TCU wrestling team (front, from left) Justin Kopet, Eagan Beard, Nicolai Gruber, Dylan Borchardt, Dan Traxler, Zach Mikel; (2nd row) Harrison Weitzki, Jack Mueller, Jordan Simonette, Micheal Gramling, Derek Traxler, Jonah Johnson, Max Arroyo, Kyle Hubert, Joe Kalina; (back row) Marko Arroyo, Mason Rutt, Adam Miller, Levi Nelson, Alex Burns, Chris Guajardo, Isak Figuroa, Nicolaj Seitz, Bryant Norsten, Ryan Rosival, Grant Fogerty, Mason Brownlee, Josh Selly. (Nathan Mosser/Le Center Leader)
and eliminate some of the mistakes we made last year. Also, we want to strive to be the best conditioned team on the mat.” In Mikel’s eyes Scott West and Sibley East will be the Titans big-
gest hurdle in their conference schedule this season. Mikel said the team section favorites would have to be Scott West, New Prague and Hutchinson. “Our overall goal will be to
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send as many kids to the state tournament as possible,” Mikel said. “Dual meets will be a challenge due to the fact that we will have difficulty filling all of the weight classes.”
Overall, the main way the Titans can improve for the season is to get stronger, Mikel said. The Titans will start off their season at the St. Michael-Albertville Tourney on Dec. 1.
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The 2012-13 St. Peter girls gymnastics team (front, from left) captains Crystal Ward and Erin Krenik; (second row) Kenna Burmeister, Megan Overgard, Camilla Bjelland, Katie Schilling, Dinajia Arnold. Kailay Gibbs; (third row) Lexi Wilkins, Martha Stelter, Roberta Leal, Keegan Kurth, Mryhia Voss; (fourth row) Cindy McLane, Hannah Hansen, Rachel Weelborg, Maddy Rimstad; (fifth row) Kylee Hummel, Sophia Weelborg, Teagan Weiss, Josie Carlson, Jolene Smith; (sixth row) Joy Zimmerman, Miranda Bresnahan, Cami Cummings, Hannah Baum, (back row) Sarah Borgmeier, Mallory Malecheck. Not pictured: Bekah Berry, Halla Dontje Lindell, Ashley Rochford, Kristy Rochford and team manager Breezy Artez. (Pat Beck/St. Peter Herald)
St. Peter gymnastics team adds talented youngsters to experience By Pat Beck
pbeck@stpeterherald.com
St. Peter gymnastics team has a strong group of seven returning letter winners. But the addition of some new girls to the 33-member squad will bolster the team even more. The returning letter winners are senior captains Crystal Ward and Erin Krenik, sophomore allconference winners Megan Overgaard and Bekah Berry, sophomores Halla Dontje Lindell and Martha Stelter and eighth-grader Keegan Kurth. Only six-time letter winner Kerala Smith, an all-arounder, graduated last year, but she left
some big shoes to fill, St. Peter coach Stacy Kurth said. They could be filled by some of the newcomers. “I believe we will find we have strength in numbers,” Kurth said. “There will be a great deal of movement this season as we have added quite a few who have had past competition experience (Maddy Rimsted comes from K&G, Teagan Weiss also from K&G and Kailey Gibbs comes from Triple Crown). “We have been in the gym for almost two weeks now and it appears that they all get along very well. We hope to carry the family feeling while introducing competition between teammates. In the
Facts in a Flash
great talent. This is what we will strive for. Look for lots of moveSt. Peter gymnastics ment on the team roster. Head coach: Stacy Kurth, 15th year “We will need to work on our Assistant coaches: Wally Kurth, 4th year; 3rd coach and problem areas: throwing bigger spotters to be added skills, bigger tumbling, tighter Who’s back (7): seniors Crystal Ward, Erin Krenik, vaults, stuck beam routines. Our sophomores Megan Overgaard, Bekah Berry, Halla Dontje first few weeks we will work to Lindell, Martha Stelter, eighth-grader Keegan Kurth make and memorize routines with Who’s gone (1): Kerala Smith all the necessary skills while get2011-12 overall record: 10th of 10 teams ting into shape. 2011-12 conference record: 5th of 6 teams “We have a variety of gymCoach’s outlook: “I believe we will find we have strength nasts who will be able to work all in numbers. There will be a great deal of movement this around: Rimsted, Weiss, Overgaard, Berry, and Gibbs. We have season as we have added quite a few who have had past competition experience (Maddy Rimsted comes from K&G, already seen some great tumbling Teagan Weiss also from K&G, and Kailey Gibbs comes from efforts from Krenik who has had back and knee issues in the past Triple Crown). “ and has not had the opportunity past I have learned that healthy competition can expose some to compete floor and Ward who
has been hitting the floor each night with the intent to compete. We also have a handful of younger gymnasts in the 7 and 8 grade who are able to connect round off back-handsprings which is the very staple we need to work from. We are very excited and the numbers and skills we have seen so far. “Goals will be to steadily improve from meet to meet. This is a basic goal I have every year. It tells us what direction we are headed in and what we need to work more on. My expectations are that each girl give each practice their time and attention and to make every effort to improve daily.”
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PAGE 12
Valley Sports Preview
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
Experienced St. Peter wrestling team faces tough competition By Pat Beck
pbeck@stpeterherald.com
The competition will be tough again for St. Peter wrestling team in the South Central Conference and Section 2AA. Last season, St. Peter placed third in the SCC regular season with a 3-2 record behind St. James 5-0 and Blue Earth Area 4-1. In the SCC Invividual Tournament, St. Peter moved up to runner-up behind St. James. “We would like to finish in top 3 again,” St. Peter coach Keith Hanson said. “BEA picked up a good transfer that will make them tougher.” In the section, St. Peter defeated New Ulm 66-8 in the first round and lost to Watertown Mayer/Mayer Lutheran in the quarterfinals 35-25. “Our section is tough through the top five!” Hanson said. “Scott West just because of tradition, then New Prague, Hutch and Watertown Mayer. So to make the section semifinals would be a great goal.” The Saints have a lot of experience with a dozen returning letter winners, but they lost two-time state qualifier Hunter Retzlaff who
Facts in a Flash St. Peter Wrestling
Head coach: Keith Hanson, 11th year Assistant coaches: Trent Nielsen, 8th year; Mike Hohenstein, 5th year; Ryan Timmerman, 1st year Who’s back (13): seniors Ashton Bartlett, Bennett Baker, Dylan Connor, Matt Sack, Colin Chabot; juniors Kyle Bosacker, Steve Pettis, Collin Thompson, Cody Kurth, Nick Milliman; sophomores Chris Pettis, Shaun Timmerman; freshman Joey More Who’s gone (2): Nick Kempenich and Arturo Hidalgo 2011-12 overall record: 17-11, section quarterfinals‘ 2011-12 conference record: 3-2, 3rd, SCC Individual Tourney runner-up Coach’s outlook: “Our section is tough through the top 5! Scott West just because of tradition, then New Prague, Hutch and Watertown Mayer. So to make the section semifinals would be a great goal.”
transferred to Sibley East because of family reasons. However, St. Peter has five-time letter winner Ashton Bartlett, threetime letter winners Bennet Baker, Kyle Bosacker, Dylan Connor, Steven Pettis, Matt Sack, Collin Thompson, two-time letter winners Cody Kurth and Chris Pettis and one-time letter winners Colin Chabot, Joey
The 2012-12 St. Peter wrestling team (front, from left) Casey Osborne, Damian Ferretti, Kevin Melgar, Wyatt Gillette, Mario Gonzalez, Manni Gomez, Aaron Hunt; (2nd row) Joey More, Brayden Hauser, Kobe Whitmore, Anthony Putz, Chris Pettis, Cody Kurth, Bailey Kurth; (3rd row) Steven Pettis, Matthew Sack, Colin Chabot, Major Block, Shaun Timmerman, Luke Pehrson, Peter Hilligoss; (back row) Bennet Baker, Dylan Connor, Nick Milliman, Collin Thompson, Ashton Bartlett, Kyle Bosacker, Gus Ordonez, Matt Theis and Travis Brock. (Pat Beck/St. Peter Herald)
More, Nick Milliman and Shawn tion individual tournament: Bartlett Thompson took sixth. said. “We still need to get better on Timmerman. and Bosacker finished fourth, Chris “The middle to upper weights our feet. we have come a long ways Five Saints medaled in the sec- Pettis and Connor placed fifth, and have lots of experience,” Hanson but have further to go.”
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Facts in a Flash St. Peter Girls Basketball Head coach: Bob Southworth, 3rd year Assistant coaches: Bill Stuewe, B-squad; Jodi Nixon, C-squad Who’s back (9): Seniors Tailor Raymond, post; Calleigh Carlson, guard; Lydia Kennedy, guard; Kierstin Karlsrud, post; Kelsey Carpenter, guard; sophomores Logan Retzlaff, guard; Olivia Hass, post Who’s gone (5): Katy Kuiper, Sid Dirks, Ashley Lager, Kasandra McCabe, Mary Soderlund 2011-12 overall record: 24-2, 2nd place in section 2011-12 conference record: 10-0, 1st Coach’s outlook: “I believe the strength of this team will be our inside play. We hopefully can control the paint against most teams that we play. I also feel that when we are open, we have some shooters that are capable of knocking down the outside shot.”
The 2012-13 St. Peter girls basketball team (front, from left) Lydia Kennedy, Kelsey Carpenter, Kierstin Karlsrud, Tailor Raymond, Calleigh Carlson; (back row) Logan Retzlaff, Livy Gullickson, Ingrid Karlsrud, Olivia Hass, Marta Springer, Amy Lager, Dani Leonard and Shawna Zabinski. (Pat Beck/St. Peter Herald)
St. Peter girls basketball team shoots big
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St. Peter girls basketball team will definitely be able to size up to the opposition. The Saints also have a number good outside shooters. However, replacing five seniors, including all-time leading scorer Katy Kuiper, could be a challenge. St. Peter has a formidable front line that includes 6-foot-2 Olivia Hass, 5-10 Tailor Raymond, 5-10 Ingrid Karlsrud, 5-9 Kierstin Karlsrud and 5-8 Amy Lager. “I believe the strength of this team will be our inside play,” St. Peter coach Bob Southworth said. “We hopefully can control the paint against most teams that we play. I also feel that when we are open, we have some shooters that are capable of knocking down the outside shot.” Southworth listed these key players, their strengths and stats: • Tailor Raymond, 1,000-point scorer, she is a good scorer and
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PAGE 14
VALLEY SPORTS PREVIEW
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
BASKETBALL: Team needs to build chemistry From Page 13C rebounder. Averaged 16 points, 8 rebound and 2 assists last year. • Kelsey Carpenter, strength is shooting the ball. Averaged 6 points and 2 rebounds last year. • Olivia Hass, great rebounder and defender. Averaged 5 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block last year. • Logan Retzlaff, good defender and speed. Averaged 2 points, 1 assist and 1 steal last year • Lydia Kennedy, good shooter and post passer. Averaged 1 point and 1 rebound game last year. • Kiersten Karlsrud, averaged 2 points and 1 rebound per game last year. Newcomers to the varsity this year: • Calleigh Carlson (“She is not a newcomer but is a good shooter and good athlete. I am excited for her opportunity,” Southworth
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own shots in 1-on-1 situation. We will need to work together to get our teammates open shots.” St. Peter is the two-time defending South Central Conference champion, but it could be tougher repeating this season. “If I had to pick a favorite, I would start with Blue Earth and Fairmont,” Southworth said. “I do believe we will be right in the mix at the end of the season. Our No. 1 goal every year is to win the conference title. If this team progresses the way I think they can, I believe we should have an opportunity to reach that goal.” In Section 2AA, Southworth picks New Richland-HartlandEllendale-Geneva as the favorite. “They have most their players back from their state tournament team and have two very good players in Carly Wagner and Jade Schultz. The better teams in the
subsection are Kenyon-Wannamingo and Belle Plaine. I feel our subsection will be stronger this year than in the past couple. “If our team improves throughout the season and grows closer as a team over that time, I believe we can compete for the subsection and section titles. I am really excited for this season because of the new girls that will get opportunities. We have been fortunate the last couple of years to graduate a lot of good players but now some girls that have put in their time and have sat behind some pretty good players will get their opportunities.” Reach Sports Editor Pat Beck at 931-8566, or follow him on Twitter.com @SPHSportsPat
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St. Peter’s Tailor Raymond fires up a left-handed shot last season at the Target Center. (File photo)
said.) • Shawna Zabinski, Olivia Gullickson, Ingrid Karlsrud, Dani Leonard, Amy Lager and Marta Springer. Teamwork will be a key to the Saints’ success this year. “Due to graduation, the team that we have has not played a lot of game minutes together,” Southworth said. “The first part of the season will be very important in learning what each others strengths are and tying to maximize those individual strengths for the betterment of the team. “We really need to work on our ball handling and taking care of the ball. We will be emphasizing ball security early in the season. “Another area we need to work on is creating open shots for each other. We don’t have a lot of players that are able to create their
Valley Sports Preview
PAGE 15
St. Peter boys basketball team shoots for return trip to state By Pat Beck
pbeck@stpeterherald.com
It will be difficult for St. Peter boys basketball team to match last season’s South Central Conference championship and statequalifying team. Five players graduated from last year’s team including fouryear starters Joey Bartlett and Chad Poppen, three-year starter Ben Rosburg, Pace Maier and Josh Leonard. But head coach Kelly Raymond is not counting out the Saints who have seven seniors and two juniors returning to the varsity. “Even though we lost five seniors to graduation, we have two starters coming back (Peter Kruize and Josh Peymann) plus our 6th man (Kolin Bartlett) from last year’s team. We will be a very big team and we will have some very good shooters in Brad Rice and Arik Lokensgard. We will have good leadership from our The 2012-13 St. Peter boys basketball team (front, from left) Pierre Jenkins, Jordan Sorensen, Cody Erickson, Jordan Phillips, Aaron Leeb, Khalil Omar; (middle row) Braxton Raymond, Wesley Gillette, Nick Zarn, Abdi Ali, Liban Omar, Ridwan Abdi, Noah Hildebrandt, Colton Lusty; (top row) Josh Peymann, Nathan Kem-
See BASKETBALL on 16C penich, Brad Rice, Peter Kruize, Kolin Bartlett, Tommy Steidler, Arik Lokensgard and Nick Rosburg. (Pat Beck/St. Peter Herald) Home of the
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PAGE 16
Valley Sports Preview
BASKETBALL: St. Peter ready to size up to the opposition
Wednesday, November 28 & Thursday, November 29, 2012
D O O R R E P L A C E M
From Page 15C will be tough to top last year’s season but we are looking forward to the challenge.” Kruize, a 6-foot-7 senior forward/center, is the leading returning scorer (10.2 points per game) and rebounder (5.8 per game), plus he averaged 0.8 assists. He is a twotime all-conference performer, 2010 Rookie of the Year and 2011 Most Improved Player. Peymann, a 6-0 guard, averaged 3.9 points, 2.9 records and 1.9 assists last season. He was the 2012 Defensive Player of the year. Rice, a 6-3 guard, averaged 3.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Kolin Bartlett, a 6-5 forward/ center, averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 recounds and 0.4 assists last year. He earned the 2011 Rookie of the Year and the 2012 Varsity Most Improved Player. Other key returning players/ newcomers Raymond listed are: 6-1 senior forward Nathan Kempenich, 5-10 senior point guard Wesley Gillette, 6-2 forward Arik Lokensgard, 5-6 senior point guard Jordan Sorensen, 6-4 junior forward Tommy Steidler, 5-8 junior point guard Cody
GOOD LUCK
Facts in a Flash
St. Peter Boys Basketball Head coach: Kelly Raymond, 5th year Assistant coaches: Neil Doose-B/JV; Derek Homrighausen-C squad Who’s back (9): Seniors Wesley Gillette, Nathan Kempenich, Peter Kruize, Arik Lokensgard, Josh Peymann, Brad Rice, Jordan Sorensen; juniors Kolin Bartlett, Tommy Steidler Who’s gone (5): Joey Bartlett, Josh Leonard, Pace Maier, Chad Poppen, Ben Rosburg 2011-12 overall record: 28-2, lost to Plainview-Elgin-Millville in state Class AA quarterfinals. 2011-12 conference record: 9-1, 1st Coach’s outlook: “Even though we lost five seniors to graduation, we have two starters coming back (Kruize and Peymann) plus our 6th man (Bartlett) from last year’s team. We will be a very big team and we will have some very good shooters in Rice and Lokensgard. We will have good leadership from our three captains (Kruize, Peymann and Rice), and we will rely on their experience to help us this season. It will be tough to stop last year’s season but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
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Erickson and freshman guard Braxton Raymond. Raymond said the strengths of the team are “our size and our recent tradition.” He said the Saints need to work on becoming better passers. Despite the loss of key players, Raymond expects St. Peter to be in the hunt in the South Central Conference. He picks Fairmont and
Waseca as the SCC favorites. The head coach also gives the Saints a shot at repeating as Section 2AA champions. “I think we should be right there with everyone else as the section is wide open this year.” The favorites, Raymond said, are Belle Plaine and Waterville-ElysianMorristown in the North and Maple River and Hayfield in the South.
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