2024 Section 6AA Champions Albany Boys Basketball

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Huskies built success in multiple age groups

BY EVAN MICHEALSON | STAFF WRITER

Making the Minnesota State High School League Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament again after winning it all a year ago is a hallmark sign of the positive direction the Albany Huskies program has been headed in.

However, a noteworthy accomplishment that also signifies growth and progression has not been the efforts of the varsity Huskies, but instead the Albany junior varsity and C squad rosters, which have both gone undefeated in each of the last two seasons, combining to go 49-0 this winter.

“It shows as a whole program, we’ve got what it takes,” said Zeke Austin, junior guard for the statebound Huskies. “Ninethrough-12, we’ve got really good players at each level.”

“pushing to become the next to punch their ticket to state is the fact four of them — sophomore JV performer Ashton Olson and freshman C squad hoopers Jaxson Austin, Lucas Hondl and Justin Rieland — are younger brothers of current Huskies Andrew Olson, Zeke Austin, Sam Hondl and Jack Rieland, respectively.

We get to help each other become better, and I get to look up to him and see all of the success he’s having, it makes me want to be like that when I’m older.

The JV Huskies are coached by Aaron Boone and the C squad is helmed by Grant Johnson. The former built up steam in an incredible 23-0 campaign, while the latter went undefeated in a season-ending Granite Ridge Conference tournament to cap a thrilling season with a 26-0 mark.

- Ashton Olson

“We get to help each other become better, and I get to look up to him and see all of the success he’s having,” said Ashton, a guard. “It makes me want to be like that when I’m older.”

The Olson brothers have gotten to see a lot more of each other outside the house as of late as Ashton Olson and the JV team have served as the scout team for the Huskies during their Section 6AA playoff run, modeling the opposition’s playstyles to give Albany’s players a sense of what to expect come game time.

“They completely earned this trip (to state) too,” Andrew said of the JV team. “They push us in practice, and they were the scout team preparing us for all of these challenging teams. For them to have that successful season, it’s amazing for them. They put in the work just like we did.”

“My two assistants do a really good job at those levels teaching them to play the game, so as the kids keep progressing through the years and get to varsity, they’re ready to go,” said Cory Schlagel, Albany boys basketball head coach. “It’s a seamless transition. It’s a good thing we’ve got going on.”

A fun wrinkle with the success of the younger wave of Albany athletes

Seeing each other on the other side of drills and practices is not a new feeling for the Olson and Austin brothers, who are accustomed to going head-to-head in order to improve on the court and enjoy each other’s company. Jaxson and Zeke Austin, both known for their long-range shooting ability, have competed time and time again at their home court to test who the better 3-point marksman is, a battle that has led to fairly even results so far this season.

9-through-12 page 3

PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE

The Albany Huskies boys basketball program boast four pairs of brothers in grades 9-12 this season – Jack Rieland (front, from left) and Justin Rieland; (second row, from left) Zeke Austin and Jaxson Austin; (third row, from left) Sam Hondl and Lucas Hondl; (back, from left) Andrew Olson and Ashton Olson. Along with the varsity Huskies’ state championship appearance, Albany’s JV and C squad rosters combined to go 49-0 this season.

Cardinals

Coaches from page 4

This year, there will be no sneaking up on anyone, regardless in what happens in the other games. That does not happen with defending champions.

Breck (28-1) is the top seed, and third-seeded Lake City (24-5) also is considered a legitimate title contender.

“Being back there is pretty similar to last year,” Boone said. “The difference is we didn’t play Breck this year like we played Holy Family last year. We knew we had a chance

going in last year and were hoping for a chance at Holy Family, but you’ll take a state championship any way you can get it, obviously.”

Johnson hopes the fact three players on this season’s team who saw significant playing time at state last year will be beneficial.

“In a positive way, the boys and coaching staff know what to expect now,” Johnson said. “I don’t think the lights will be too bright after having that experience. This year, we kind of had a target on our back. But that’s something we relished all season, and we just hope we can live up to it.”

Albany boys basketball head coach Cory Schlagel (left) converses with Annandale boys basketball head coach Skip Dolan following the Section 6AA championship March 15

The Huskies defeated the

63-53 after losing to them earlier in the season, a sign of Albany’s growth.

Season SUMMARY

REGULAR SEASON

12/9/2023

12/12/2023

12/14/2023

12/21/2023

12/22/2023

12/29/2023

LAKE CITY ......67-49 | W

EDEN VALLEY-WATKINS ...... 59-53 | L

ROCORI ......72-58 | W

MORA ......83-41 | W

MELROSE .....55-39 | W

SAUK RAPIDS-RICE ....66-64 | W

12/30/2023 SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN ......72-63 | W

1/4/2024

1/5/2024

1/9/2024

1/12/2024

1/16/2024

1/18/2024

1/19/2024

1/25/2024

1/26/2024

1/30/2024

2/2/2024

2/6/2024

2/8/2024

2/13/2024

2/15/2024

2/16/2024

2/23/2024

3/1/2024

SECTION

3/7/2024

3/9/2024

3/13/2024

3/15/2024

ANNANDALE .......64-43 | L

PEQUOT LAKES .....54-40 | W

OSAKIS .....68-49 | W

CATHEDRAL ......78-46 | W

PIERZ ....79-42 F| W

HOLDINGFORD .....85-50 | W

LITTLE FALLS .....69-42 | W

MILACA ......81-27 | W

MELROSE ......63-57 | W

FOLEY .....59-45 | W

MORA ......73-52 | W

SAUK CENTRE ......63-57 | W

PEQUOT LAKES ......82-67 | W

PIERZ .....69-38 | W

MINNEHAHA ACADEMY .......73-66 |W

CATHEDRAL .......70-43 |W

FOLEY .....68-48 | W

Pine City ........85-48 | W

Melrose ........57-50 | W

Spectrum ........87-64 | W

Annandale ........63-53 | W

CONGRATULATIONS

w

Albany

during the Minnesota State High S School League Class s A AA Girls Basketball State Tournament championship game March 16 at Williams Arena in M Minneapolis. Schaef fer underwent knee e surgery in Decemb ber but continues to o m make an impact for r t the boys basketball l team as a vocal leader and teammate

Schaefer

provides leadership through pain

Albany senior takes on new role following injury

BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER

Devon Schaefer is all about having fun.

The Albany Huskies boys basketball player caught the eye of many as part of a three-headed dancing trio on the bench during the team’s Minnesota State High School League Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament run a year ago.

However, Schaefer was forced to shelve the dancing shoes and all

illusions of seeing the court for the 2023-24 season. Schaefer, a multisport athlete at Albany Area High School, underwent surgery to repair a tear in his posterior cruciate ligament in December, a procedure that shifted his entire outlook on the boys basketball campaign.

“It was tough, but I made a decision to be supportive and help teammates with anything, whether that’s getting their water or telling them things they need to

do and getting their mental state up,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer initially suffered the injury in July while participating in a baseball game as a member of the St. Martin Martins amateur baseball team. Diving into second base, he felt an immediate jolting pain in his right knee. Having dealt with kneerelated inflictions for most of his athletic career, he initially was not overly concerned. That optimism quickly turned into fear when this proved to be more than a minor wound.

Schaefer page 11

PHOTO TO BY EVAN MICHEALSON

waves a sign signal-ing his support of the

girls basketball team

Schaefer

from page 10

“I’ve always had knee problems,” he said. … “I thought it was another one of those. It hurt in the dugout a lot, but I thought I’d wake up and it would be fine. I couldn’t move it that night. We checked it out, and it was small tears over time. And this time, it went. I was nervous and scared I wouldn’t be able to play anything.”

Eventually, Schaefer was given two options by his doctors: He could wear a brace for two weeks and let the injury heal naturally or undergo reconstructive surgery. After some deliberation, he decided to play through lingering pain and let his knee recover without surgery. It was a choice that paid immediate dividends as the ever-competitive Schaefer suited up for the Albany Huskies football team in the fall, compiling 60 tackles, six sacks and an interception as a defensive end while playing a critical role in the squad’s offense as a lineman.

With Schaefer and other upperclassmen leading the way, the Huskies achieved greatness on the gridiron, winning the Section 6AAA championship with a 23-point comeback against reigning state champion New London-Spicer Nov. 3, 2023.

“That was amazing,” Schaefer said. “Losing to New London in 11th grade was awful, and I kicked myself for that one. It was awesome to come back and win. It was a fun year, and I’ll never forget that.”

It was during the bleak moments of that 23-point deficit where Schaefer’s skills as a vocal leader took shape. Seeing many stunned looks on his teammates’ faces, the energetic two-way talent gave a spirited halftime speech that preceded one of the greatest second-half performances in the school’s decorated football history.

“I just said we play sports to have fun,’” he said. “You join sports as kids to have fun. People were getting down and I said, ‘The only way we’ll come back from this is to have fun and leave it all on the field.’”

As fall changed into winter, Schaefer still wore a brace on his knee in an effort to prevent further damage and limit pain, but when he stepped out onto the court when basketball practices resumed in

November, he realized his injury management process in football would not transfer to hoops.

“I had a brace in football, and I tried to wear it in basketball, but I was a lot slower,” Schaefer said. “I tried playing with it off and it shifted a lot and started hurting a lot after practices. If I played, I knew I wouldn’t be as good. It hurt a lot more, so we made the decision to sit out a year and get it fixed.”

Watching movies and relaxing at home helped Schaefer make the physical adjustment, but the worst part of the surgery was helplessly watching the Huskies ready for their first-ever title defense, wishing he could be out there.

However, Schaefer was not going to be deterred from doing what was best for the team.

“I just embraced the off-the-court moments, having fun before, after and during games,” he said. “At halftime, I’d thrown in, ‘Be more aggressive’ or ‘Hey, you’re doing a good job

with this matchup.’ The off-the-court moments are what make it for me. I like doing this for my friends.”

Schaefer has done a lot more than offer his advice and insights to his basketball brothers. Trying to replicate the success of a state title can be a stressful, high-pressure endeavor, especially during the section playoffs. He took a lot of that burden off his teammates’ shoulders by simply being a positive and humorous force on the bench.

“He just keeps things light,” said Cory Schlagel, Albany boys basketball head coach.

“Sometimes, I’m a pretty serious guy, so between my assistant coaches and a guy like Devon, it keeps things lighter.

Having those types of people around to lighten my more-serious tone is good.”

And through persevering emotionally and providing leadership in a way he never expected, Schaefer got to see his team take down a longtime rival in Annandale

and secure a spot in the state tournament.

“We’ve had a big rivalry with Annandale

ever since fourth grade, and our coach (then) said, ‘You may lose now, but eventually, when

b h li d i h hi h h d i h i f h d i ll b

it matters, you’ll beat them,’” Schaefer said. “That came true. It’s special to experience that.”

PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE

The Albany boys basketball senior class consists of Jack Rieland (from left), Andrew Olson, Ben Meyer, Hunter Hamann, Tyler Hoffarth and Devon Schaefer. Each upperclassmen has played a vital role in the Huskies’ run to state, with Schaefer offering game insights and a sense of lightheartedness to the Section 6AA championship squad.