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Blooming Prairie

Contents

Gage SchusterOHS junior

Thursday, April 2, 2015 OWATONNA PEOPLE'S PRESS SPRING SPORTS PAGE 3

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OWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOLBOYS GOLF

When your No. 1 is arguably the No. 1 golfer in the state, you’re already in good shape.

Such is the case for the Owa-tonna boys golf team, which will be paced by standout senior Pe-ter Jones, a signee with the Uni-versity of Minnesota men’s golf team. � e future Golden Gopher brings back a gaudy 72.7 average from last season — a campaign in which individually he took second in the conference, third in the sec-tion and seventh in the state. His best showing at state is a runner-up � nish in 2012.

Needless to say, Jones will

get his share of individual wins. However, if Owatonna hopes to defend its Big Nine Conference championship for the second straight season he will need help. A� er all, OHS lost three of its top five from last year’s squad that went 18-1 in league play, includ-ing Ted Urch (who was routinely on Jones’ heels), Ben Konold and Je� rey Johnson.

Not helping matters, with only 17 players signed up, numbers are slightly down. So the newcomers will be relied on to step up from their � rst strikes o� the tee.

Joining Jones as returning

starters are junior Gage Schuster and sophomore Andrew Wall who bring back averages of 84.3 and 85.4, respectively. Others back with varsity experience are se-nior Cole Butler and junior Nick Brown.

Longtime coach Keith Bangs, entering his 34th season, said he expects Mankato East and Al-bert Lea to be Owatonna’s sti� est competition in the Big Nine. In Section 1AAA, Lakeville South, Lakeville North and defending champ Hastings will be the fa-vorites. Last season, OHS � nished � � h at the section meet.

Jones, OHS eye third-straight Big 9 crown

SCHEDULEApril 14 vs. Mankato East,

2:30 p.m.April 16 at Decorah Invite,

1 p.m.April 17 at Litch� eld Invite,

1 p.m.April 18 at Willmar Invite,

9 a.m.April 23 at Alexandria Invite,

9:30 a.m.April 23 at North� eld

triangular, 2 p.m.April 27 at Byron Invite,

11 a.m.April 28 vs. Rochester Century,

Red Wing, 2:30 p.m.April 30 at Faribault, 2:30 p.m.

May 6 at Lake City Invite, 2 p.m.

May 8 at Mankato West triangular, 2:30 p.m.

May 12 hosts Big 9 quad, 2:30 p.m.

May 16 hosts Invite, 10 a.m.May 18 at Big 9 Meet

(Faribault), 10 a.m.May 21 at Brainerd Invite,

8:30 a.m.

LAST SEASON18-1 in Big Nine Confer-

ence, Big Nine champs; 5th in Section 1AAA

NEED TO KNOWPeter Jones— � e � ve-time all-conference honoree will seek to cap his decorated career with about the

only thing missing on his resume: a state title. Jones, who � nished seventh at state last year and second two years ago, is arguably a favorite to � nish his season on the Bunker Hills links once again.

Gage Schuster — � e junior will be looking to keep on Jones’ heels this season to make for an ultra-productive 1-2 punch. He returns the team’s second-best average (84.3).

ROSTERSeniors: Peter Jones, Joe VanReeth, Ian Simon, Garrett Kruchten, Cole Butler. Juniors: Gage Schuster, Nick Brown. Sophomores: Andrew Wall, Derek Johnson, Jesse Swedin, Joey Howell, Mitchell Mayer, Jay Sullivan. Freshmen: Mac Baumgartner, Spencer Steckelberg, Matthew Steel, Payton Terpstra, Cameron Ulrich, Payton Ulrich.

Peter JonesOHS senior


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OWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOLBASEBALL

Owatonna baseball coach Tate Cummins has been through this before, and he’ll go through it again.

Year-after-year, the Huskies always seem graduate a slew of talented players, but year-and-year, they find themselves con-tending for the Big Nine Confer-ence crown.

� is season should be no dif-ferent.

“We continue to hold high standards and expectations for our team in the hopes of com-peting for a Big Nine and sec-tion championship,” Cummins said. “This will come down to our overall work ethic, ability to play as a team and our mo-tivation.”

The heart of last season’s line-up won’t be coming back after graduation stripped the program of all-conference per-formers Carter McCauley, Luke Wanous and Riley Thompson as well as varsity cornerstones Andrew Beede and Owen Carl-son.

But Cummins directs an en-tire program, not a singular team. � e veteran coach has amassed a 121-72 record in eight seasons at the helm and has built solid depth from top to bottom. The

junior varsity and VFW squads had successful campaigns in 2014 and contain several potentially top-level players.

Helping the varsity rookies along the way is a proven group of veterans with a variety of skill and experience.

Dexter Leer is at the top of that list.

In 2014, the senior shortstop earned all-conference honors after batting .400 with a team-high 24 runs atop the Huskies’ line-up. This year, Leer will BE asked to produce more runs than he scores, and he’s proven capable of doing so. Last year, he ended third on the team with 13 RBIs.

Another key offensive piece coming back is outfielder Isaac Rocha, who batted .368 with eight RBIs last season.

Catcher Alec Holcomb had a tremendous summer with the VFW and will be inserted directly into the middle of the varsity bat-ting order as a junior. Nick Medo — who played in 15 games as a junior — has proven to be a top-level defensive player at second base and will look to improve his o� ensive numbers.

In the outfield, newcomer Blake Westphal and senior Trey

Fails will likely play center � eld and right field, respectively. Westphal is a speedy lefty who anchored the lead-o� spot for the VFW last summer.

On the mound, Cummins will lean on three arms to balance the top of the rotation. Rocha earned all-conference honorable men-tion consideration in 2014 a� er pitching 22 innings and � nishing with a microscopic 0.96 ERA and a perfect 3-0 record.

Fails and Holcomb both touch near 80 MPH on the radar gun and have logged extended innings during the summer.

Newcomers Alex Emanuel-son and Clay Leidall will provide depth to the pitching sta� and will start on occasion.

� ough Cummins believes his team will be in the mix to defend their conference title, Rochester Century, Mankato West, North-� eld, Mayo and John Marshall all bring back loads of talent while Red Wing owns the top player in the state in Ty Buck.

“Our goal for the season is to remain positive and focus on getting better every day,” Cum-mins said. “This year’s team will be much different than 2014 where we scored eight runs per game.”

Defending Big 9 champion Huskies reload for 2015 with high expectations

ROSTERSeniors: Trey Fails, Zac Karsten, Dexter Leer, Joey Smith, Nick Medo, Isaac Rocha, Grant Wehsler, Cam Jenson. Juniors: Eli Havelka, Clay Leidall, Sam Hylle, Noah Scheid, Brady Fisher, Blake Westphal, Cody McCartney, Rylee Muhr, Alec Holcomb, Jacob Mundale, Eric Benson, Alex Emanuelson.

NEED TO KNOWDexter Leer — � e steady shortstop was a key component to last year’s conference championship team

at the top of the line-up. � is year, Leer may be shi� ed to a run-producing role a� er batting exactly .400 with 13 RBIs and � ve doubles in 2014.

Isaac Rocha — � e senior rightly was a perfect 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA last year, but will be asked to anchor the rotation instead of compliment it this season.

COACHSPEAK

“We will be playing for one run an inning this year by stay-ing aggressive on the base-paths, bunting and putting pressure on the opposing defense.”

— OHS coach Tate Cummins

“ SCHEDULEApril 7 vs. Rochester Century, 5

p.m.April 9 at Rochester JM, 5 p.m.April 11 vs. North� eld, noonApril 14 at Faribault, 5 p.m.

April 16 vs. Albert Lea, 5 p.m.April 18 at Mankato East (DH), 2

p.m.April 21 at Red Wing, 5 p.m.

April 23 vs. Rochester Mayo, 5 p.m.April 24 vs. Chanhassen, 5 p.m.

April 25 at Minnetonka tourney, 9 a.m.

April 27 vs. Rochester JM, 5 p.m.April 28 at North� eld, 5 p.m.April 30 vs. Faribault, 5 p.m.May 5 at Albert Lea, 5 p.m.

May 7 vs. Mankato West, 4 p.m.May 8 vs. St. Cloud Apollo, 5 p.m.

May 12 vs. Austin, 5 p.m.May 14 at Winona, 5 p.m.

May 15 vs. Rocori, 7:30 p.m.

Isaac RochaOHS senior

LAST SEASON16-6 overall, 15-3 Big Nine (co-

champions)


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COACHSPEAK

“We have a very fast team and can also hit for power. If the bats can put the ball in the � eld of play to put pressure on the defense, then we have a good chance of scoring more runs this year. We are going to run a lot more this year to put pressure on the defense. Defensively, we are going to be more aggressive on throwing out runners on the base paths.”

— OHS coach Brian Pilcher

“

A� er sustaining some natu-ral growing pains taking over the Owatonna so� ball program last spring, head coach Brian Pilcher hopes to take the Huskies to the next level in 2015. OHS ended 7-16 in Pilcher’s rookie campaign and took a quick exit from the playo� s a� er losing to Hastings in the Section 1AAA Tourna-ment.

Pilcher nearly generated double-digit wins in 2014 despite playing with an inexperienced roster. Now, those young play-ers have a full season under their belts and could generate a solid core of players to make a run at

a top spot in the Big Nine Con-ference.

“I really believe we can � nish in the top four of the Big Nine,” Pilcher said. “I believe we can go deep in the sections but the Lakeville schools (South and North) will be a tough road to state.”

Kayla Johnson spearheads the group of returning players a� er leading OHS with a .425 batting average last year. She will anchor the out� eld in center and be asked to produce a bulk of the team’s runs in the middle of the batting order.

Two other key positions that

appear to be solidi� ed are Rachel Williamson at shortstop and Mil-lie Wanous at catcher.

Perhaps the most important spot on the � eld — pitcher — will be handed to freshman Tiana Blazek.

Kirsten Pumper, who was a regular starter in 2014, and Abby Bendorf will round out the out-� eld at le� and right, respectively.

If the Huskies make some noise in the conference and earn a decent seed for the postseason, it’s going to be a tall task to get past defending state champion Lakeville South in the section tournament.

Huskies look to make big strides

Tiana BlazekOHS freshman

Rachel WilliamsonOHS junior

SCHEDULEApril 7 at Rochester Century,

5 p.m.April 9 vs. Rochester JM, 5 p.m.

April 11 at North� eld, noonApril 14 vs. Faribault, 5 p.m.April 16 at Albert Lea, 5 p.m.April 21 vs. Red Wing, 5 p.m.April 23 at Rochester Mayo,

5 p.m.

April 25 vs. Mankato East (doubleheader), 2 p.m.

April 28 vs. North� eld, 5 p.m.April 30 at Faribault, 5 p.m.May 5 vs. Albert Lea, 5 p.m.

May 7 at Mankato West (doubleheader), 4 p.m.

May 8 vs. Farmington, 5 p.m.May 12 at Austin, 5 p.m.

May 14 vs. Winona, 5 p.m.

NEED TO KNOWKayla Johnson — After

breaking out and batting a team-best .425 in 2014, John-son will be asked to duplicate her production as a junior in 2015. She will play center � eld and bat in the middle of the order.

Rachel Williamson — � e junior returned at the end of the basketball season following a knee injury she sustained in the previous summer, so it’s un-clear if she will be 100 percent when the season opens. If she is, the Huskies have one of the best shortstops in the Big Nine.

LAST SEASON7-16 overall, 3-11 Big Nine Conference

ROSTERSeniors: Abby Bendorf, Jordan Kubista. Juniors: Kayla Johnson, Kirsten Pumper, Mil-lie Wanous, Rachel William-son. Sophomores: Braelyn Johnson, Ellie Rohman. Freshmen: Tiana Blazek, Riley Sheehy, Jamie Davison, Alexa Sommers.


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OWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS LACROSSE

ROSTERSeniors: Kayla Kniefel, Krista Kniefel, Kacy Borwege, Gabi Zeman, Carlee Malueg, Olivia Oland, Katie Johnson, Elizabeth Louks. Juniors: Laura Bloomenrader, Emma Smith, Meghan Schuler, Katie Skalicky, Becca Sedivy, Meghan Rethemeier, Ari Olson.

It’s clear, the next step for the Owatonna girls lacrosse team is qualifying for the state tourna-ment.

� is could be the year.After winning 24 of its 30

games against Big Nine Con-ference teams over the last six seasons, Owatonna coach Bill Bernard has no doubt put the Huskies on the map in southern Minnesota.

But as well as they have played against programs of similar sta-tus, OHS has yet to qualify for state and lost 16-6 in the second round of the playo� s to Farm-ington of the South Suburban Conference last year.

If Owatonna hopes to take the next step in 2015, Krista Kniefel

will no doubt play a huge part. In 2014, the senior put together one of the most productive o� ensive campaigns of any player in Min-nesota, � nishing � � h in the state with 59 goals.

It’s on defense, though, that the Huskies bring back the bulk of their letter winners. Anchor-ing the back end of the unit is goalie Kacy Borwege — who stopped 64 percent of the shots she faced in 2014. � at save-per-centage put her in the top three in the state.

Captain Carlee Malueg also returns and is considered the “leader” of the unit according to Bernard. Joining Malueg in front of Borwege is three-year starter Gabi Zeman, Olivia Oland, Katie

Johnson, Emma Smith and Eliza-beth Louks.

Alongside Krista Kniefel, Laura Bloomenrader will play attack after scoring nine goals and collecting one assist last year.

At midfield, captain Kay-la Kniefel, Meghan Schuler, Meghan Rethemeier return a� er earning letters in 2014 while Ka-tie Skalicky, Becca Sedivy and Ari Olson will rotate between Attack and Mid� eld.

In all, the Huskies lose three players with a combined 50 goals.

“We graduated a number of long-time starters,” Bernard said. “We expect a number of ‘hungry Huskies’ to take over those min-utes and take those shots that are there to be taken.”

Krista Kniefel-led Huskies primed to take next step

Krista KniefelOHS senior

SCHEDULEApril 14 at Hastings, 7 p.m.

April 16 at Rochester Mayo, 7:30 p.m.April 18 vs. North� eld, 3 p.m.

April 23 at Rochester Century, 7:30 p.m.April 25 at Bloomington Kennedy, 2 p.m.

April 30 at Rochester JM, 7:30 p.m.May 2 vs. Farmington, 4:30 p.m.

May 5 vs. Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m.May 12 at North� eld, 6 p.m.

May 14 vs. Rochester Century, 8 p.m.May 16 at Prior Lake, 4:30 p.m.

May 18 vs. Rochester JM, 7 p.m.May 21 vs. Eagan, 7 p.m.

COACHSPEAK

“Our main strength is depth. We will have girls starting the sea-son on Junior Varsity that could have started at the varsity level when we started the program. Our players have been playing longer by starting lacrosse at a younger age and making commitments to get better in the o� season.”

— OHS coach Bill Bernard

“NEED TO KNOWKrista Kniefel — Last season,

Owatonna’s second, third and fourth-leading scorers netted 50 goals. Kniefel scored 59 by herself. She’s is the region’s unquestioned top o� ensive threat and one of the best players at her position in the state.

Kacy Borwege — � e senior goal stopper sent back 64 percent of the shots she faced in 2014.

LAST SEASON11-4 overall, 4-1 against Big Nine Conference

teams, 1-1 in Section 1A postseason


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OWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOLBOYS TENNIS

Eden Mrozek and Ethan Schulz — � ese two will anchor the top of the singles ladder for the Huskies after stepping into their own in 2014. � e next level for both players will be to contend with the truly elite players in the Big Nine.

COACHSPEAK

“If we win some of the close matches maybe (we could � nish) fourth or fifth (in the confer-ence). We will be inexperienced in doubles, but have some pretty athletic kids who will be vying for those spots.”

— OHS coach Curt Matejcek

“ROSTER

Seniors: Michael Duerr, Ethan Schulz, Tim Starman. Juniors: Mark Hanson, Jack Redman, Noah Velas-quez. Sophomores: Daniel Keller, Eden Mrozek, Derek Thada.

� e good news for the Owa-tonna tennis team: The singles ladder will be soaking with ex-perience.

The bad news: The doubles combinations will be a work in progress.

� e Huskies ended 7-2 in the competitive Big Nine Conference last season and managed to pull o� and impressive 7-0 win over Farmington in the opening round of the playo� s before bowing out to Lakeville South, 5-2, in the sec-ond round.

If OHS hopes to duplicate its success in 2015, its � rst order of business will be to piece together a respectable doubles rotation as soon as possible.

Eden Mrozek, Ethan Schulz, Noah Velasquez, Derek Thada, Michael Duerr and Tim Starman all return a� er anchoring the sin-gles portion of the squad in 2014, and some may be asked to pair up in order to balance the line-ups.

Mrozek, though, won’t be one of them. A� er gaining valuable experience as an eighth-grader two years ago, the sophomore blossomed into the Huskies’ un-questioned top singles player in 2014 and will no doubt be atop the ladder once again this year.

Schulz also should stay put and help anchor the team at No. 2 singles.

� e remaining rotation is still up in the air as long-time coach

Curt Matejcek expects to take a few lumps early on.

“My hope is we can get our new players comfortable in their roles as soon as possible,” he said. “It may be a little rough at the start of the season, but hopefully we will continue to get better as the season progresses.”

Other letter winners from 2014 who could remain on var-sity for most of the season are Jack Redman, Mark Hanson and Dan Keller.

As always, Rochester Mayo re-mains the prohibitive favorites to win the Big Nine Conference title while newcomers North� eld and Red Wing add depth and talent to the league.

Huskies seek strength at doubles rotation heading into season

Ethan SchulzOHS senior

Derek ThadaOHS sophomore

SCHEDULEApril 7 vs. Winona, 4:15 p.m.

April 11 at Rochester JM triangular, 9 a.m.April 16 vs. Faribault, 4:30 p.m.

April 18 vs. Mankato West triangular, 9 a.m.April 21 vs. North� eld, 4:30 p.m.April 23 at Albert Lea, 4:30 p.m.

April 25 at Lakeville South tournament, 9 a.m.

April 28 at Rochester Century, 4:30 p.m.April 30 vs. Austin, 4:30 p.m.

May 2 at Cretin-Derham triangular, 10 a.m.

May 4 vs. Waseca, 4 p.m.May 5 at Mankato East, 4:30 p.m.

May 7 at Rochester Mayo, 4:30 p.m.May 9 at Big 9 Meet (Rochester), 9 a.m.

LAST SEASON9-7 overall, 7-2 Big Nine

Conefrence


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MEDFORDMEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL

SOFTBALL

Pitching will undoubtedly be the biggest question mark for the Medford softball team.

The Tigers not only lost its ace pitcher, Brittany Kossel, but also its backup pitcher, Sam Sny-der, to graduation.

But, besides those two, Med-ford brings just about everybody back, led by a crop of seven se-niors.

Perhaps the most significant returner is senior Rachel Bou-dreau who has a good shot to take over the starting pitcher role on opening day. Boudreau filled in as a reliever in the cir-cle last season when she wasn’t manning center field. The other pitcher on staff is newcomer Madi Krenske, a freshman.

Joining Boudreau as return-ing starters are Aly Noble (third base); Steph Choudek (infield); Brittney Lemke (second base); Ashley Schauer (catcher); Katie Chester (outfield) and Mya Gas-ner (DH/outfield).

That group helped Medford take a small step forward last

season, improving its record to 5-10, including a playoff win. The Tigers edged Glenville-Emmons 9-8 in the Section 1A first round. A season prior, the Tigers won just two games.

Newcomers to this year’s team include Taylor Hooks-Wit-ter (outfield), Cierra Duchene (utility), Cierra Green (catch-er), Kori Dodge (first base) and Madi Krenske (pitcher/out-fielder).

Eighth-year coach Julie Van-

Langen said she hopes that the team is able to put its imprint on the season early.

“I think we can improve on our nonconference success last year, and if we bring that to conference games, we should be OK,” she said.

The teams to beat in the Gopher Conference are reign-ing champs Randolph, as well as NRHEG, Maple River and Blooming Prairie.

Tigers look to climb up league ladder

Aly NobleMedford senior

LAST SEASON5-10 overall, 1-7 Gopher

Conference

SCHEDULEApril 2 at Maple River, 5 p.m.

April 6 vs. USC, 5 p.m.April 9 at Faribault BA, 5 p.m.

April 13 at Blooming Prairie, 4:30 p.m.April 16 at St. Clair, 4:30 p.m.

April 17 at Martin Luther, 4:30 p.m.April 20 vs. NRHEG, 5 p.m.

April 23 vs. WEM, 5 p.m.April 24 at JWP, 4:30 p.m.

April 28 at Lyle-Pacelli, 4:30 p.m.April 30 vs. Faribault BA, 5 p.m.

May 4 vs. Glenville-Emmons, 5 p.m.May 5 at USC, 5 p.m.

May 7 vs. Randolph, 5 p.m.May 9 at PEM, 10 a.m.

May 11 at NRHEG, 5 p.m.May 14 at WEM, 5 p.m.

“We return most of our players so we will have a solid care who have experience from last year. We hope to continue to build on what we started last year.”

— Medford coach Julie VanLangen

COACHSPEAK“

ROSTERSeniors: Aly Noble, Ashley Schauer, Brittney Lemke, Katie Chester, Mya Gasner, Rachel Boudreau, Steph Choudek. Juniors: Cierra Duchene, Cierra Green, Taylor Hooks-Witter. Sophmore: Kori Dodge. Freshman: Madie Krenske.

NEED TO KNOWRachel Boudreau — As the only returning starter with

signi�cant pitching experience, the senior will play a big role in the Tigers’ success this season.


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BASEBALL

Sure, the Medford baseball team lost some key pieces to last season’s team, but the players they have coming back are talented.

Really talented.Highlighting the list of re-

turning letter winners is NCAA Division II signee AJ Chappuis. In 2014, the coach’s son batted an impressive .415 with eight dou-bles, one homer and 25 RBIs. � e senior — who pitches and plays the out� eld and shortstop — has committed to play at the Univer-

sity of Sioux Falls next season and will sign in National Letter of In-tent in April.

Surrounding Chappuis in the line-up will be a mixture of veterans including Nick Von-Ruden, Nick Meixner, Wyatt Volkmann, Cody Rehman and Tyler Stenzel.

A� er batting .285 last season VonRuden will play the out� eld and � rst base while all-conference honorable mention member Meixner will pitch and play sev-

eral positions. In 2014, Meixner hit .352 with one home run while accounting for three of the Tigers’ seven games on the mound with a 3.44 ERA.

Head coach Jon Chap-puis says he has a “good core” of young players coming up through the system that will help � ll in several spots on the varsity team in 2015.

In all, Medford must replace � ve letter winners and three quar-ters of its in� eld.

Tigers bring bevy of talent back in 2015

NEED TO KNOWAJ Chappuis — � is do-it-all senior has been the team’s top o� ensive player since his sophomore season

and will play baseball next season at NCAA Division II Sioux Falls. He hit well over .400 last season and will once again be asked to stabilize the pitching rotation.

Nick Meixner — Last season, Meixner � nished with a team-best 3-3 record on the mound with a 3.45 ERA, he’s no slouch at the plate too, batting .352.

COACHSPEAK

“� is year’s team is just a group of guys that love to play the game of baseball. We focus on all aspects of being a student-athlete. We look to control the things we can control, and how we respond to the things we cannot control (good and bad). Unself-ish, team � rst approach with these players.”

— Medford coach Jon Chappuis

“ ROSTERSeniors: AJ Chappuis, Nicky VonRuden. Juniors: Cody Rehman, Tyler Stenzel, Wyatt Volkmann, Nicholas Meixner. Sophomores: Richard Iverson, Jon O’Da� er. Freshmen: Javis VonRuden, Ian Gillis, Alex Gengler, Ben Sutcli� e, Cael Kavitz, Nathan Meixner, Dominic Panos, Ben Finholdt, Cole Volkmann.

SCHEDULEApril 2 at Maple River, 5 p.m.

April 6 vs. USC, 5 p.m.April 9 vs. Faribault BA, 5 p.m.April 13 at Blooming Prairie,

5 p.m.April 16 at Glenville-Emmons,

5 p.m.April 18 at Minneota, TBDApril 20 vs. NRHEG, 5 p.m.

April 23 at WEM, 5 p.m.April 27 vs. Maple River, 5 p.m.

April 28 at USC, 5 p.m.April 30 at Faribault BA, 5 p.m.May 4 vs. Blooming Prairie, 5

p.m.May 5 vs. Triton, 4:30 p.m.May 7 vs. Randolph, 5 p.m.May 9 vs. Schae� er (12:30

p.m.), Bethany (3 p.m.)May 11 at NRHEG, 5 p.m.May 14 vs. WEM, 5 p.m.

May 15 at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m.

AJ ChappuisMedford senior

LAST SEASON7-8 overall, 3-4 Gopher

Conference


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OWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOLBOYS LACROSSE

This is were depth comes in handy.

After graduating its entire starting line-up from a season ago, the Owatonna boys lacrosse team will be asking several fresh faces to step in and � ll the exten-sive voids in the frontline rota-tion.

“We have a large group of freshman players on JV and varsity for us this year due to the large graduating class,” OHS coach Scott Seykora said. “We fully expect them to contribute to the team. � ere is a lot of talent in this young group and it will be

exciting to see how it all comes together.”

In all, the Huskies must re-place six players who tallied 10-plus goals in 2014, includ-ing one of the programs most decorated offensive players of all time, Michael Schmitz. As a senior, Schmitz netted 53 goals and 17 assists. Also departed are Pete Hanson and Jordan Klein, who combined for 61 goals in 2014.

No player on the current ros-ter scored more than three times a season ago, but that doesn’t mean OHS will be completely inexpe-

rienced. Seykora has 11 upper-classmen — seven of whom are seniors — to mold a solid core. Senior captain Nate Clark col-lected three assists last year while classmate — and fellow captain — Ben Callen netted three goals.

Senior Seth Huseby (mid� eld) and junior defender Austin Abbas round-out the group of captains while sophomore John Swenson is the only other player on the roster to � nd the back of the net last year.

Joel Jandt expects to replace full-time starter Scott Swenson as goalie.

Huskies full of fresh faces, depth this spring

SCHEDULECOACHSPEAK

“We will have great leadership this year with some of the return-ing players and a group of under-classmen that have been playing very well together at the younger levels. I expect a lot of growth from the beginning of the season to the end of the season.”

— OHS coach Scott Seykora

“ April 11 at Hopkins, 1 p.m.April 17 at Chaska, 7 p.m.

April 18 vs. Hastings, 7:30 p.m.April 21 at Simley, 7 p.m.

April 23 vs. St. Paul Central, 6 p.m.

April 25 at Coon Rapids, 2:30 p.m.

April 28 at North� eld, 6 p.m.April 30 vs. Rochester JM, 7

p.m.May 5 at Rochester Mayo, 7:30

p.m.May 7 vs. Shattuck St. Mary’s,

7 p.m.May 14 vs. Rochester Century,

6 p.m.May 16 vs. Robbinsdale Cooper,

11:30 a.m.May 22 vs. Park, 7 p.m.

ROSTERSeniors: Ben Callen, Nate Clark, Ethan Cords, Jacob Harrison, Seth Huseby, Daniel Prissel, Christian Re-ese. Juniors: Aaron Tryhus, Austin Abbas, Joel Jandt, Zachary Korpi. Sophomores: RJ P� e� er, Logan Ringhofer, John Swenson. Fresh-men: Ryan Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Josh Nelson, Nathan Smith, Weston Wilson.

NEED TO KNOWNate Clark — � is co-cap-

tain netted three assists last year and will be asked to step in as one of the team’s primary o� en-sive weapons at Attack.

Joel Jandt — After sitting Scott Swenson started, and � n-ished, every game last season, Jandt will be as fresh as they come in front of the net. Swen-son was 10-4 in 2014.

LAST SEASON10-4 overall, 0-1 in Section 1A

playo� s, 3-2 Big Nine

Here’s the good news for the Blooming Prairie golf teams: they have two of the best golfers in the conference and section in Tommy Braaten and Taylor Christianson.

� e bad news: between boys and girls they only have six varsity candidates total.

On the boys side, the sopho-more Braaten brings back an 18-hole average of 86, which ranked second on the team last season behind graduate Victor Peterson.

A year ago Braaten made a splash as a freshman, finishing 14th in the Class A state tourna-

ment with a two-day total of 163. (Peterson, also a state-quali� er, took 31st).

Making up the rest of the team are juniors Jon Hatch and Brody Carlson.

For the girls, Christianson, also a sophomore, returns with state experience under her belt, as well. She tied for 40th at the Class A tournament in her freshman campaign. Last season she carded a team-best average of 96.

Filling out the rest of the line-up are senior Alexa Rudlong and freshman Sabrina Stanley.

Awesome Blossoms coach Erik Vigeland, who is in his 15th season, said United South Central is the favorite on both sides to win the conference. Last season, the BP girls won the league crown and the boys � nished third. Lewiston/Altura (boys) and Fillmore Cen-tral (girls) are the reigning Section 1A champions.

Despite the low numbers, Vigeland is encouraged by the enthusiasm displayed by those teeing o� .

“We have very dedicated golf-ers; they love being on the course,” Vigeland said.

Blossoms low on numbers, high on talent

SCHEDULECOACHSPEAK

“I think Tommy [Braaten] and Taylor [Christianson] can win the conference. As a team, it’s hard to win when you have such low numbers. I also think they are top contenders in the section. Both of their goals is to go to state again, and they have a great shot at it.”

— BP coach Erik Vigeland

“ROSTER

Girls: Alexa Rudlong (senior), Taylor Christianson (sophomore), Sabrina Stanley (freshman). Boys: Brody Carlson (junior), Jon Hatch (junior), Tommy Braaten (sophomore).

NEED TO KNOWTommy Braaten — As a

freshman, Braaten saved his best for last, swinging to 14th at the Class A state meet with a 163, highlighted by a day-two best 39 on the front-nine. And he’s no stranger to performing under pressure as he quali� ed for state by winning a four-way playo� at sections.

Taylor Christianson — Christianson narrowly made the state cut a season ago, � nishing � � h in the section. � is year, the sophomore very well may � nish atop the Section 1A leaderboard. Her average of 96 led the team last year. LAST SEASON

BP girls won the Big Nine Con-ference title; BP boys � nished 3rd

BLOOMING PRAIRIEBLOOMING PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL

BOYS/GIRLS GOLF

BOYSApril 13 at NRHEG, 4:30 p.m.

April 16 at invite (Willow Creek), noon

April 18 hosts invite, 9 a.m.April 21 at Triton, 4 p.m.

April 23 at Gopher invite (Oak View), 4:30 p.m.

April 27 hosts Gopher invite 4:30 p.m.

April 28 at Triton Invite, 1:30 p.m.May 7 at Faribault BA, 4:30 p.m.

May 14 at Big 9 Meet (Waseca), 10 a.m.

GIRLS April 7 at Rochester JM Invite,

noonApril 16 at Gopher invite (Oak

View), 4:30 p.m.April 21 at Triton, 4 p.m.

April 23 at Gopher invite, 4:30 p.m.April 28 at Triton Invite, 1:30 p.m.

April 30 at NRHEG Invite, 4:30 p.m.May 4 at Triton, 1:30 p.m.

May 7 at Faribault BA, 4:30 p.m.May 8 hosts Gopher invite, 4:30

p.m.May 14 at Gopher Meet (Waseca),

10 a.m.


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BASEBALL

NRHEG’s baseball team is again going through changes this year. After Pat Churchill filled in as the coach last year, Drew Paukert takes the reigns as coach in his � rst year.

Paukert inherits a Panthers squad that went 4-10 last year. But with � ve returning starters, NRHEG has the opportunity to improve and be competitive in the Gopher Conference.

Although two of the team’s top players graduated, Paukert expects a number of quality young talent to � ll roles in their � rst year with the team. O� ense was at a premium for the Panthers last season, which makes defense and pitching all the more important.

The Panthers should field a strong defense this year, espe-cially with seniors Trevor Tracy (shortstop) and Dakota Thiele (second baseman) up the middle

and the rotation looks to improve from last year as well. Leading the pitching sta� will be senior Matt Jensen, who was second on the team in innings pitched and strikeouts last season. His talents don’t stop at the mound either as the senior hit .302 last year which was good for � � h on the team.

“If we can � nd ways to score runs and get timely hits when we need to, we should be a competi-tive team this year,” Paukert said.

Expect to see similar names at the top of the conference with Faribault Academies and Unit-ed South Central bringing back strong teams from last year.

Panthers eye move up Gopher standings

Dakota ThieleNRHEG senior

SCHEDULEApril 6 at Faribault Academies

April 9 at USCApril 10 vs. JWPApril 13 vs. WEM

April 16 vs. Maple RiverApril 20 at Medford

April 21 vs. Zumbrota-MazeppaApril 23 at Blooming Prairie

April 28 vs. Bethlehem Academy

April 30 vs. USCMay 1 vs. Albert Lea

May 4 at WEMMay 7 at Maple River

May 9 vs. PACT CharterMay 11 vs. Medford

May 14 vs. Blooming PrairieMay 19 vs. Blue Earth Area

ROSTERSeniors: Grant Kyllo, Dillon Kubia-towicz, Forest Wright, Jet Wayne, Trevor Tracy, Andy Shutrop, Matt Jensen, Dakota Thiele, Spencer Tollefson. Juniors: Trai Wicks, Dempsey Tucker, John Rubley.

NEED TO KNOWTrevor Tracy — � e all-conference selection from last year is vital to the Panthers’ success. A strong

all-around athlete, Tracy hit .306 last year and his ability at shortstop is big for the Panthers up the middle. � is year, Tracy will be counted on as the team’s ace on the mound.

Dakota � iele — Along with Tracy, � iele is part of a strong Panthers defense in the middle at second base. � e senior earned honorable mention last year and led the team with a .341 average last year.

While replacing Jade Schultz will not be easy, the Panthers have a nice mix of upperclassmen as well as � rst-year players on the team.

Last season was one of the Panthers’ best in the past couple of years with its 14-8 record. NRHEG � nished second in the conference and is primed to im-prove on that this season.

O� ense is where the Panthers will look to keep the team in games. With senior Anna Stork and sophomore Kayley Camerer in the lineup, NRHEG should have no problem scoring runs this year.

According to � rst-year coach Coy Hupfeld, how the team per-forms on the mound as well as in the � eld is the key to success for the Panthers.

“We expect to be able to score

runs,” said Hupfeld. “And if our pitchers and defense step up to the challenge, we could be a very impressive ball club.”

Hupfeld added that many players on the team are in fall and winter sports and their ath-

leticism has shown in the � rst few weeks of practice.

Blooming Prairie looks to re-main at the top of the conference, and when the Panthers enter sec-tion play, Maple River should be one of the favorites.

Panthers have big holes to fi ll this season

Grace JohnsNRHEG sophomore

SCHEDULEApril 6 at Bethlehem Academy

April 9 vs. Blooming PrairieApril 13 vs. WEM

April 16 vs. Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial

April 17 at Blue Earth AreaApril 20 at Medford

April 25 hosts NRHEG TournamentMay 1 vs. St. Clair

May 5 at WEMMay 7 vs. Maple River

May 9 at Hay� eld InvitationalMay 11 vs. Medford

May 14 at Blooming PrairieMay 15 vs. Alden-Conger

ROSTERSeniors: Jill Peterson, Anna Stork, Alyssa Esplan, Kelli Harrington, Ry-ann Hagen, Jade Peterson. Juniors: Torrie Stencel, Anna Lundberg. Sophomores: Rachel Collins, Grace Johns, Natalie Aaseth, Kayley Camerer.

NEED TO KNOWAnna Stork — � e all-conference senior leader is back to anchor

the team defensively at � rst base. Stork, winner of the team’s Golden Bat award last season, hit over .430 for the second season in a row and drove in 20 runs on the season.

Kayley Camerer — Another all-conference player, Camerer leads the team defensively playing the most important position at shortstop. � e sophomore hit .305 last season with two home runs.

LAST SEASON14-8 overall; 2nd in the Gopher

Conference


John D. WorkeBlooming Prairie High School

Athletic Director/Girls Basketball Coach [email protected]

Good Luck to all of the

Awesome Blossom Teams

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BASEBALL

When a team wins just two games and loses its top o�ensive player and two best pitchers, ex-pectations need to be tempered entering the new season.

For Blooming Prairie baseball coach Matt Kittelson, it’s all about development.

“Our goal each day is just be to be better than we were yester-day,” he said. “We have a lot of talent on this team; however, we have little depth. We will need some young players to �ll impor-tant roles.”

One of the top returning play-ers that comes back for his senior season is future Winona State

quarterback John Rumpza. �e tall righty will once again pitch and play �rst base a�er batting .270 with one home run and seven RBIs in 2014.

Sam Swenson will join Rump-za on the in�eld at second base or shortstop a�er hitting well above .300 with 12 total hits last year. He will also pitch.

Scott Romeo will be the steady presence behind the plate for the Blossoms once again and will look to improve upon his respectable .270 batting average. In 2014, the senior also led the team in doubles.

Junior third baseman Riley

Olson — who hit .250 with a team-high 13 walks in 2014 — will likely �nd himself at the top of the batting order and in the middle of the pitching rotation.

Two others that will no doubt be asked to see increased playing time are junior Ethan Strunk and sophomore Connor Getchell. �e pair combined to play in just 11 games in 2014.

Camden Heimerman (catch-er, out�eld), Ethan Arett (middle in�eld), Lucas Noble (out�eld, middle in�eld), Brad Staska (in-�eld) will see their �rst varsity innings in 2015. All are under-classmen.

Blossoms focused on development

NEED TO KNOWJohn Rumpza — �e strong 6-6 righty will likely be asked to pitch against BP’s top opponents while

anchoring the middle of the batting order. In 2014, he hit .270 with seven RBIs and one home run. He also led the team in strikeouts on the mound.

Scott Romeo — Playing perhaps the most important position on the diamond, Romeo’s experience will be invaluable. �e senior hit .270 in 2014 and led the team with three doubles.

John RumpzaBP senior

COACHSPEAK

“... we have the majority of our players coming back with 2-3 years of varsity experience under their belts. Our biggest weakness is our lack of depth as we have only 17 players out in grades 9-12. We also graduated our entire starting out�eld from last season.” — BP coach Matt Kittelson

“ ROSTER

Seniors: John Rumpza, Scott Romeo, Sam Swenson. Juniors: Riley Olson, Ethan Strunk. Sophomores: Camden Heimerman, Luke De La Cruz, Connor Getchell. Freshmen: Lucas Noble, Brad Staska, Ethan Arett, Nick Thompson, Max Romeo, Jeremy Hocking, Jack Abbe, Mitchell Oswald, Jacob Gwilt.

SCHEDULEApril 2 vs. Faribault BA, 5 p.m.April 9 at Maple River, 5 p.m.April 13 vs. Medford, 5 p.m.

April 14 at Southland, 5 p.m.April 16 vs. USC, 5 p.m.

April 18 at Lyle-Pacelli, 2 p.m.April 20 at WEM, 6:30 p.m.

April 21 vs. Triton, 4:30 p.m.April 23 vs. NRHEG, 5 p.m.

April 24 vs. Goodhue, 5 p.m.April 27 at Faribault BA, 5 p.m.

April 28 vs. Randolph, 5 p.m.April 30 vs. Maple River, 5 p.m.

May 4 at Medford, 5 p.m.May 5 at Hay�eld, 4 p.m.

May 7 at USC, 5 p.m.May 8 at Mankato Loyola,

5 p.m.May 12 vs. WEM, 5 p.m.

May 14 at NRHEG, 5 p.m.May 15 at Alden-Conger, 5 p.m.

LAST SEASON2-12 overall, 1-7 Gopher Con-

ference

Scott RomeoBP senior


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SOFTBALL

A year removed from being crowned state champions, the Blooming Prairie softball team took its lumps in 2014 on the way to a 10-10 record.

With a strong core of veterans in place, the Awesome Blossoms should be back to playing above .500 ball this spring. Sure, BP graduated six seniors, including their o� ensive and defensive lead-er Sydney Heiber, but they return a slew of experienced playmakers.

Atop the list are senior cap-tains Tessa Ivers (catcher) and Madison Worke (� rst base/short-stop). Both players were a part of the Blossoms’ state title team two years ago and will be asked to “lead a young, but talented team,” according to BP coach Ali Mach, who enters her 12th season at the helm.

According to Mach, defense is what the Blossoms hope to hang their hats on this spring.

“We want to be a more con-sistent defensive team this spring while also putting more runs across the plate,” Mach said. “We put a tremendous amount of pres-sure on our pitching last spring and we hope to change that up.”

Helping matters, sophomore Elly Strunk will reprise her role as the ace in the circle, and sopho-more Bria Baldwin returns as the anchor in the outfield. Others bringing back varsity experience are juniors Abby Wayne and Ka-lyn Naatz.

An area of concern for Mach

is the Blossoms’ lack of depth as the Blossoms have just 14 players in grades 9-12. She’s hoping they can make up for it with polished, versatile ballplayers.

“Our goal at the beginning of the season is to develop players who are capable of playing multi-ple roles for the team,” Mach said.

Blossoms to hang hats on defense

Madison WorkeBP senior

SCHEDULEApril 2 vs. Faribault BA, 4:30 p.m.

April 9 at NRHEG, 4:30 p.m.April 10 at Byron, 5 p.m.

April 13 vs. Medford, 4:30 p.m.April 16 at Southland, 4:30 p.m.

April 20 at WEM, 4:30 p.m.April 24 at Austin, 4 p.m.

April 28 at Randolph, 4:30 p.m.April 30 at Maple River, 4:30 p.m.

May 4 vs. Triton, 4:30 p.m.May 5 at Pine Island, 5 p.m.

May 7 vs. USC, 4:30 p.m.May 8 vs. Mankato Loyola, 5 p.m.

May 9 vs. Waseca, TBD, 9 a.m.May 12 at Kenyon-Wanamingo,

4:30 p.m.May 14 vs. NRHEG, 4:30 p.m.

ROSTERSeniors: Tessa Ivers, Madison Worke, Jessica Ferguson. Juniors: Anika Nowlan, Abby Wayne, Kalyn Naatz. Sophmores: Elly Strunk, Bria Baldwin. Freshmen: Emma Chris-tianson, Linnea Sunde, McKenna Hein.

NEED TO KNOWTessa Ivers — The senior

catcher has been one of the Blos-soms’ top producers at the plate throughout her career. � e team captain has all-conference, all-section and all-state accolades on her resume.

Elly Strunk — In her debut as BP’s starter in the circle last spring, Strunk steadily improved en route to an 8-7 record. With a year under her belt, look for a more comfort-able Strunk to be a force for the Blossoms.

LAST SEASON10-10 overall; 4th in Gopher

Conference

COACHSPEAK

“This team brings some unique challenges and oppor-tunities for the coaching sta� . We feel that we have a lot of talent on our team as well as a lot of � exibility … I believe this group of young ladies has the drive and determination to be extremely successful this spring.”

— BP coach Ali Mach

“

If the Blooming Prair ie girls track team struggles this spring — and it shouldn’t —lack of experience won’t be the reason.

According to BP coach Kari Bottin, nearly all of the Awe-some Blossom starters return in 2015. Leading the pack will be thrower Taylor Hagen and mid-distance runner Alanna Grant. In last year’s Section 1A meet, Hagen took third in the shot put and Grant finished sixth in the 800-meter run to lead the Blos-soms’ scoring.

Other athletes Bottin expects

signi� cant production from are Alison Pryor (mid-distance) and Asia � ostenson (hurdles).

Bottin, whose team took sixth in the Gopher Conference a sea-son ago, said she hopes to � nish in the top-� ve of the conference. Maple River and USC are the league favorites.

On the boys side, the Blossoms are aiming to improve on their sixth place � nish in the confer-ence, as well.

“This year being somewhat of a rebuilding year as a team, I would be thrilled if we could crack the top half of teams in the

conference,” BP coach Ryan Stack said.

According to Stack, the Blos-soms have a talented group of upperclassmen to lead the pur-suit. At the forefront are seniors Cole Sunde (long and triple jump/sprints), Angel Villareal (200-me-ter dash, 800 run) and Collin Wobschall (shot put). Others ex-pected to contribute signi� cant production are juniors Anthony Nelson (long jump/sprints) and Mitchell Jones (high jump/sprint relays). Distance-wise, freshman Alec Ille will set the pace in the 1600 and 3200.

Awesome Blossoms boys, girls shooting for top half of Gopher Conference this spring


BOYS/GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

SCHEDULEMarch 21 at St. Olaf Meet, 1 p.m.April 2 at Loyola (MSU-Mankato),

7 p.m.April 7 at Hay� eld, 4:30 p.m.

April 14 at Stewartville, 4:30 p.m.April 16 at NRHEG, 4:30 p.m.

April 21 hosts invite, 4:30 p.m.April 28 hosts invite, 4:30 p.m.

May 5 at Triton, 3 p.m.May 12 at Gopher Meet (USC), 4:30

p.m.May 21 at Grand Meadow (Sub-

Sections), 4:30 p.m.

ROSTERGIRLS: Seniors: Alanna Grant, Lindsey Schiefert, Taylor Hagen, Macaela Jensen, Molly Walsh. Juniors: Alyssa Krohnberg, Lauren Larkoski. Sophmores: Alison Pryor, Kylie Forystek, Leah Inwards, Leah Schiefert, Laura Grant, Marissa Lar-son. Freshmen: Asia Thostenson, Samantha Wurst. Seventh graders: Gemini Johnson, Jayde Wacek, Viridiane Villareal.BOYS: Seniors: Weston Myer, Cole Sunde, Collin Wobschall. Juniors: Kevin Eischens, Mitchell Jones, Anthony Nelson, Eddie Erickson. Sophomores: Elijah Baker, Thomas Burke, Evan Doerhoefer, Quentin Kubista, Ben Smith, Joe Scheifert. Freshmen: Kristian Hamersma, Michael Hillson, Alec Ille, Timuer Kritzer, Marten Morem, Kory Rafdal, Jesse Schewe.

LAST SEASONBlooming Prairie boys and

girls � nished sixth in the Gopher Conference .

NEED TO KNOWTaylor Hagen — The senior

will be leaned on to lead the throw-ing events for the Blossoms. She took third in the shot put at the Section 1A meet last year. With added strength and precision Ha-gen has a strong shot to become a state-quali� er.

Cole Sunde — Sunde’s athleti-cism will come in handy on the track and in the � eld for the Blos-soms. The senior will helm the long and triple jump events and will surely clock in some of the team’s top times in the sprinting events.


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NRHEGNRHEG HIGH SCHOOLBOYS/GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD NRHEGNRHEG HIGH SCHOOL

BOYS/GIRLS GOLF

With its three senior captains competing in shotput and dis-cus, the NRHEG boys track team should excel in the � eld events. Kevin Kalis, Keith Maxon and Todd Erickson provide leadership for a Panthers squad that doesn’t have a lot of depth.

To improve on its third-place � nish in the Gopher Conference last year, the Panthers need a boost from its sprinters. � e loss of TJ Schiltz will hurt the Panthers in the longer distances. Schiltz

was the team MVP last year and placed � � h in state. In both the Gopher Conference and the sub-section, United South Central should again be one of the favor-ites. Waseca is another favorite to win the section as well.

Like the boys team, the NRHEG girls track team doesn’t have a lot of depth. � e Panthers will rely on its underclassmen for much of the season to score.

Sophomores Gretchen Ra-maker, and Maddie and Marnie

Wagner bring strength to the team in the sprints and jumping events.

Coach Duey Ferber — in his 25th year with the Panthers — said the team will remain strong in the long jump and high jump. � at will be a tall task due to the loss of two-time state high jump champion Carlie Wagner.

� e Panthers placed fourth in the Gopher Conference last year and should remain in the top half this year. WEM and Maple River are the

NRHEG boys, girls look to overcome lack of depthAfter sending one player to the

Section 2AA tournament last year, the Panthers bring back an experienced team on both the boys and girls side. � e boys � nished � � h in the sub-sec-tion tournament while the girls placed sixth. Jessica Nafe was the lone Panthers golfer to advance.

The entire NRHEG boys golf team returns this year as the Pan-thers were led by juniors and under-classmen last season. Seniors Jake Langlie and Macoy Schwierjohann anchor the Panthers averaging in the high 40s last season. � e senior

leadership of Schwierjohann and Langlie, along with the likes of Cole Lenort and Kelson Titus, should mix in well with newcomers in Atom Oquist and Ethan � ompson.

Coach Brad Root said he’s looking for someone to emerge as surprise to help win the Gopher Conference crown. He added USC will again be the conference favorite while Waseca is a frontrunner for the section title.

Similar to the NRHEG boys team last year, the Panthers’ girls squad has no seniors. But even so,

the girls bring back an experienced group from last year and lost only one senior in Lizzy Stohl.

� e Panthers are led by Jessica Nafe who advanced to the section tournament last year. Behind Nafe is some of Panthers top golfers from the last two seasons such as Jill Jongbloedt and Bayli Possin.

Root expects the Panthers to be near the top in both the conference and the section. Competing with NRHEG in the conference is foe USC and in the sub-section Waseca is the likely favorite.

NRHEG boys, girls swinging for top of the league

ROSTERGIRLS: Juniors: Jessica Nafe, Riley Koziolek, Bayli Possin. Sophomores: Jill Jongbloedt. Freshmen: Lauren Herrmann, Tali Wayne, Kyra Possin. BOYS: Seniors: Jake Langlie, Cole Lenort, Kelson Titus, Hudson Mortz, Macoy Schwierjohann. Juniors: Nick Schultz, Mike Altermatt, Lucas Herrmann. Sopho-mores: Spencer Enger, Will Rudau, Kolton Koziolek. Freshmen: Atom Oquist, Ethan Thompson.

SCHEDULEBOYS

April 13 vs. Blooming PrairieApril 14 vs. Triton

April 23 at USCApril 27 at Blooming Prairie

April 28 at TritonMay 7 at Faribault Academies

May 11 at WasecaMay 12 at Blue Earth Area

May 14 at Gopher Meet

GIRLSApril 16 at USCApril 23 at JWP

April 30 vs. Blooming PrairieMay 7 at Faribault Academies

May 8 at Blooming PrairieMay 11 at Waseca

May 14 at Gopher Meet

SCHEDULEMarch 31 hosts NRHEG triangular

April 2 at WasecaApril 7 hosts NRHEG Panther Relays

April 17 at USCApril 21 at Maple River

April 24 at Blue Earth AreaApril 28 at Blooming Prairie

May 5 at USCMay 12 USC (Conference Meet)

NEED TO KNOWKevin Kalis, Keith Maxon and Todd Erickson — � e Panthers’

only seniors on the boys side will wreak havoc in the � eld events. � e three captains throw shotput and discus and should be the strongest component of the Panthers track team.

Maddie and Marnie Wagner — Two of the Panthers primary sprint-ers, the Wagners will give a boost to the Panthers where older sister Carlie le� large shoes to � ll.


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TRITONTRITON HIGH SCHOOL

BASEBALL

� e Triton baseball team took its lumps in 2014, but enter the new season with much higher expectations.

� e Cobras don’t have a par-ticularly deep roster, but they do have a huge senior class that will essentially make up the entire club.

In all, Triton has 10 players listed on its varsity roster (as of March 27), nine of whom are se-niors and none of whom are ju-niors. Basically, it’s now or never for the Cobras as 2016 will no doubt be a transition season.

Triton, which somehow man-

aged to play 21 games last year despite the uncooperative weath-er, will be anchored by Michael � omas. A� er ending with a re-spactable 4.20 ERA during the varsity season last year, the senior went unbeaten on the mound during the summer. When he’s not pitching, � omas will center � eld and � rst base.

Ley Ortiz also returns and will regain his customary position be-hind the plate. In 2014, he batted .314 with a team-high two home runs. In the outfield Kylo Cour-teau (.354 AVG in 2014), Colton

Erdman (.317 AVG) and Da-kota Hester return while class-mate Jordon Deno comes back at third base. Last year, Deno finished with a .403 on-base-percentage.

The lone sophomore on the roster, Carson Johnson, and se-nior Derick Wencl will play the middle in� eld spots.

The Cobras compete in the ultra-competitive HVL Confer-ence and the even more challeng-ing Section 1AA — which features state powers Kasson-Mantorville and Rochester Lourdes.

Senior-laden Cobras look to turn over new leaf

SCHEDULECOACHSPEAK

“O� ensively we will use our athleticism to our advantage. We have quickness at the top of our lineup. Defensively we hope to be much improved with seven returning starters.”

— Triton coach Mike El-lingson

“March 31 at Stewartville, 5 p.m.April 7 at Cannon Falls, 5 p.m.

April 9 vs. Goodhue, 4 p.m.April 13 vs. Kasson-Mantorville, 5

p.m.April 16 vs. Byron, 5 p.m.

April 18 at Hay� eld (doubleheader), 11 a.m.

April 20 vs. Dover-Eyota, 4:30 p.m.April 21 at Blooming Prairie, 4:30

p.m.April 23 at Rochester Lourdes, 5

p.m.April 27 vs. Lake City, 5 p.m.

April 30 at Pine Island, 5 p.m.May 4 vs. Kenyon-Wanamingo, 5

p.m.May 5 at Medford, 4:30 p.m.May 7 at Goodhue, 4:30 p.m.

May 9 vs. Zumbrota-Mazeppa (doubleheader), 11 a.m.

May 12 vs. Pine Island, 5 p.m.May 15 at Kenyon-Wanamingo, 5

p.m.

ROSTERSeniors: Michael Thomas, Kylo Courteau, Derick Wencl, Jordon Deno, Dakota Hester, Colton Erd-mann, Ley Ortiz, Connor Thomp-son, Garrett Franko. Sophomores: Carson Johnson.

NEED TO KNOWMichael � omas — On a thin

pitching sta� , � omas will serve as the ace. In 2014, he ended with a 4.20 ERA for the 2-19 Cobras.


SOFTBALL

� e Triton so� ball team took a huge stride forward last season a� er � nishing 11-8 with the same roster that won just three games in 2013.

In 2015, continued improve-ment may not be measured in wins and losses, however, as the Cobras bring back just three start-ers and rely on a varsity newcom-er at pitcher.

“My goal this year is to con-tinue to improve Triton So� ball,” coach Laura Strandell. “I look for the returners to step up and help

the team continue to be success-ful. My goal is for the girls to � ght hard in every game and enjoy their season.”

� e good news for the Cobras is two vital positions, shortstop and center � eld, appear to be so-lidi� ed as Ella Blaisdell (SS) and Mateah Lamoree (CF) return. In 2014, Blaisdell, switched to slap-style hitting and batted .250. On defense, she was rock-solid with a .957 � elding percentage. Lamoree came on strong at the end of last season and pushed her batting

average just above .200.Taking over in the circle

for the departed all-conference pitcher Haley Sta� on is senior Ka-tie Rosenau. In 2013 and 2014, Rosenau gained valuable experi-ence at the junior varsity level.

Serena Jensen comes back after making spot-starts in the out� eld and at second.

Other than that, the remain-ing positions on the diamond will be � lled in by a combination of underclassmen all the way up to inexperienced seniors.

Young Cobras seek to keep improving in 2015

SCHEDULEMarch 31 vs. K-M, 5 p.m.

April 7 vs. Goodhue, 4:30 p.m.April 9 at Hay� eld, 4:30 p.m.

April 13 vs. Stewartville, 5 p.m.April 14 vs. WEM, 5 p.m.

April 16 at Lourdes, 5 p.m.April 18 at St. Clair Invite, 9 a.m.

April 20 vs. Lyle-Pacelli, 4:30 p.m.April 21 vs. Pine Island, 5 p.m.

April 23 at Z-M, 5 p.m.April 24 vs. Century, 4:30 p.m.

April 27 vs. Lake City (DH), 4:30 p.m.May 1 at Faribault BA, 4:30 p.m.

May 4 at Blooming Prairie, 4:30 p.m.May 7 vs. K-W, 5 p.m.

May 11 vs. Houston, 4:30 p.m.May 12 at Cannon Falls, 5 p.m.

May 15 at Byron, 5 p.m.

ROSTERSeniors: Elena Aguilar, Lindsey Anding, Serena Jensen, Mateah Lamoree, Katie Rosenau. Juniors: Ella Blaisdell, Kayla Dostal, Candi Utech. Sophomores: Tatyanna Bond, Mandy Malmberg, Katelyn Oakland. Freshmen: Allissa Hal-laway


BOYS/GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

LAST SEASON2-19 overall, 1-11 HVL

SCHEDULEMarch 31 hosts invite, 4:30 p.m.April 7 at Stewartville, 4:30 p.m.April 10 at PEM, 4:30 p.m.April 14 at Stewartville, 4:30 p.m.April 16 hosts invite, 4:30 p.m.April 21 at Blooming Prairie, 4:30 p.m.April 23 at Lake City, 4:15 p.m.May 5 hosts True Team, 3 p.m.May 9 at HVL Meet (Lake City), 10:30 a.m.May 12 at Winona, 4 p.m.May 15 hosts Triton Invite, 4:30 p.m.May 21 at Sub-sections (Grand Meadow), 4:30 p.m.

ROSTERSGIRLS: Seniors: Haley Redican, Piper Yankowiak. Sophmore: Machenzie Hickey, Mariah Lang, Greta Rhodes, Hayden Rubin. Freshmen: Allison Baumgartner, Viktoria Cortez, Bailey Delzer, Carissa Kleinwort, Maylene Payne, Courtney West, Kiley Yankowiak. Eighth graders: Jessica Barajas, Breanna Barney, Nell Graham, Hannah Henrichs, Jenna Jensen, Karissa Otterbein, Cambryn Rubin. Seventh graders: Liz Cortez, Abby Gilliland, Sydney Gilliland, Megan Koehler, Claire Maixner, Alyssa Mitchell, Kendra Petersohn. BOYS: Seniors: Hector Bugarin, John Tate. Juniors: Jax Byrngelson, Garrett Dahms, Adam Vacura. Sophmores: Leif Bungum, Rene Cortez, Nick Simonette. Freshmen: Landon Dostal, Mason Koehler, Kyle Micthell, Todd Nuss, Dalton Otterbein, Cha Stuve, Hunter Yankowiak. Eighth graders: Fernando Bugarin, Sam Favilla, Nolan Ferber, Hunter Iverson-Himle, DJ Lyke, Dylan Maas, Justin Ness, Trace Sackett, Johnny Simonette. Seventh graders: Devin Dohrmann, Ethan Lau, Aydan Round, Tristin Stroebl.


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BOYS/GIRLS TRACK AND FIELDSCHEDULE

March 31 at NRHEG, 4:30 p.m.April 2 at PEM Invite, 4:30 p.m.April 7 at Hay�eld Invite, 4:30

p.m.April 9 at Owatonna meet, 3:30

p.m.April 11 at TCU Invite, 11 a.m.

April 16 at Triton Invite, 4:30 p.m.April 21 hosts invite, 4:30 p.m.

April 28 at Blooming Prairie invite, 4:30 p.m.

April 30 at Byron meet, 4:30 p.m.May 5 at Triton Invite, 3 p.m.May 7 hosts invite, 4:30 p.m.

May 12 at USC, 4:30 p.m.May 19 at Byron (Sub-Sections),

4:30 p.m.

LAST SEASONMedford boys and girls both

�nished ��h in the Gopher Con-ference

ROSTERBOYS: Seniors: Cody Schultz, Dillon Ripka, Lucas Cronin, Quinn O’Connor, Richie Powers, TJ Borwege, Trevor Grems. Juniors: Alex Goetze, Francisco Ruiz, Jack Luebbe, Matt Swanson, Preston Hanson, Zach Valen. Sophmores: Joshua Schauer, Marcus Deleon, Tye DeVoe. Freshmen: Bo Noble, Bradey Walsh, Brody Berg, Bryce McCarty, Dakota Wiersma, Elisha Wagner, Greg Larson, Nate McCarty, Tristen Kern. Eighth graders: Brett Johnson, Devan List, Isaiah Chavis, Jacob Gasner, Joey Schull, Luke John-ston, Noah Pirkl, Ryan Hermanstorfer, Tanner Barbeau. Seventh graders: Billy Chester, Brendan Rahn, Christian Tupa, Dylan Stenzel, Logan Plesh-court. GIRLS: Seniors: Cassidy Kavitz. Juniors: Cassie Borwege, Cassie Borwege, Sarah Manderfeld, Taya Sexton. Sophmores: Alicia Esch, Ally Linse, Amber Sobrack, Ashley Gilbertson, Callie Nagel, Cassandra Larson, Dani Morgan, Matea Hobbs, Mikayla Spinler, Rachel Bluhm, Rebecca Edel. Freshmen: Beth Ann Hanson, Danielle Stewart, Isabel Brady, Jenna Mc-Carthy, Jewel Stewart, Kaylee Kern, Kayleigh Walock, Kelsey Kern. Eighth graders: Bailey Purrier, Meredith Gillis, Rachael Luebbe, Taylore Keppers. Seventh graders: Emily Cloutier, Kylee Bauer, Payton Powers.

COACHSPEAK

“I think we can improve on our fifth place finish from last year. Hopefully we can move into the top two or three.”

— Medford coach Kevin Werk

“NEED TO KNOW

Preston Hanson — �e junior thrower brings back the team’s top �nish from last year’s Section 1A meet, a fourth-place outing in the shot put. Look for Hanson to an-chor the throwers once again.

Trevor GremsMedford senior


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NEED TO KNOW

OWATONNAOWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOLBOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Zae LeFaive and Matt Kingland — Last season as juniors the ex-plosive leapers � nished No. 1 and 2 in the high jump at the Section 1AA meet, with LeFaive winning the title with a 6-foot-3 mark and Kingland following at 6-2. At state, LeFaive took eighth and Kingland � nished 14th. Needless to say, the senior duo will be big-time point scorers for the Huskies.

COACHSPEAK

“I expect our entire sopho-more class who had a great J.V. season to step up and really fill in for the 34 seniors we lost from last year.”

— OHS coach Kevin Stelter

“

ROSTERSeniors: Brady Heaney, Dan Nolte, David Hernandez, Dylan Lattery, Jacob Zabel, Jake Gallagher, Jesse Starks, Julius Franklin, Kyle Clausen, Matt Kingland, Owen Davis, Pat Lammers, Qahir Lakha, Sam Huntsman, Zae LeFaive. Juniors: Brady Ruiter, Brase Brennon, Carlos Deaz, Dan Kaupa, Gabriel Phillips, Isaac VandeZandi, Isaiah Kessel, Jacob Dahl, Jacob Johnson, Jake Borchardt, Joash Rockensock, John Betti, Jourdan Nelson, Ken Hauer, Kyle Layland, Lance Ulrich, Lane Thiesse, Kyle Layland, Lucan Arndt, Jourdan Nelson, Andrew Peterson, Ryan Guenther, Travis Hall. Sophomores: Braydon Kubat, Tristyn Brooks, Bryce Goodwin, Chandler Buckhalter, Carter Broton, Cole Bergeman, Cory Ulrich, Darik Elstad, Dominick Hernandez, Ethan DeKam, Isaiah Damitz, Jacob Menden, Jayden Gunderson, Jesse Swedin, John Beadell, Justin Robb, Khor Wal, Mark Kubista, Ross Ste-vensen, Ryan Bos, Vince Spurgeon, Steven St. Martin, Gri� n Thorn. Freshmen: Alec Salloum, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Jensen, Benjamin Stelter, Brandon Schmidt, Bretton Ruiter, Carlos Beascoche, Chandler Dincau, Collen Shaver, Evan Steiger, Isaiah Meixner, Jacob Dub, Jacob Slater, Jayden Schuster, Kadyn Mul-lert, Dalton Kubista, Logan Bauer, Ryan Anderson, Scott Kingland, Skyar Anderson, Zane Hedberg.

LAST SEASONBig Nine Conference runners up; True Team Section 1AA runners

up; 3rd place at Section 1AA meet

� e Owatonna boys track and � eld team has big shoes to � ll.

Well, more accurately, a lot of shoes to � ll.

The Huskies lost 34 seniors from last season’s squad that � n-ished as the runner up in the Big Nine Conference and True Team Section and took third place in the Section 1AA meet. Gone is Andrew Stelter, a two-time state quali� er in the shot put. Gone is Logan Langeland, who quali� ed for state in the triple jump. Gone is a Nick Rethemeier, Owatonna’s top distance runner the last two years.

But, the Huskies have a bevy of talent returning.

At the forefront are senior high jumpers Zae LeFaive and Matt Kingland who are coming o� of state-qualifying junior sea-sons. And a� er eighth and 14th

place � nishes at state, respectively, the duo is eager to raise the bar in more ways than one.

Also returning to the fold is senior Jacob Zabel, who will lead the pack of sprinters, and Jacob Johnson, who will bring a slew of production in the hurdles.

Meanwhile, OHS coach Kev-in Stelter, in his 16th year at the helm, is encouraged by the sopho-more class who had a strong J.V. season last year.

Stelter said the team is shoot-ing for a top-three � nish in the Big Nine and the section.

High jumpers Kingland, LeFaive catalysts

Matt KinglandOHS Senior

SCHEDULEApril 9 vs. K-M, Medford, Park Center, 3:30 p.m.

April 14 at Mankato West meet, 4:30 p.m.

April 21 vs. Winona, Austin, 4:30 p.m.

April 28 vs. Rochester JM,

Mayo, 4:30 p.m.May 2 at Mayo Invite,

9 a.m.May 12 at Faribault meet,

4:30 p.m.May 22 at Big 9 Meet

(Mankato East), 10:30 a.m.


NEED TO KNOW

OWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOLGIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Carli Langeland — � e junior brings back the team’s top mark in the triple jump (33 feet, 6.25 inches) and the second-best distance in the long jump (15-9.5). Needless to say, she’ll be bringing big points in Owatonna’s � eld events.

Syd Kasper — � e speedy senior will play a big role in the Huskies relays this season. Last season she ran the � rst leg in the 4x800 relay that took fourth at sections. She returns a team-best 2-minute, 24.5-second � nish in the 800 meter run.

LAST SEASONFinished 6th in Big Nine Conference; 12th in Section 1AA

Huskies tout plenty of talent, depth

Carli Langeland OHS junior

SCHEDULEMarch 31 at Gustavus Time Trials, 10 a.m.

April 9 vs. K-M, Medford, Park Center, 3:30 p.m.

April 14 vs. Mankato West, North� eld, 4:30 p.m.

April 18 at Austin, 4:30 p.m.

April 21 at Winona meet, 4:30 p.m.April 28 at Rochester JM meet, 4:30 p.m.

May 4 at True Team Meet (Lakeville North), 2:15 p.m.

May 12 vs. Century, Faribault, 4:30 p.m.May 22 at Big 9 Meet (Mankato East),

10:30 a.m.

Like clockwork, the Owatonna girls track and � eld team churns out a deep, talented crop of ath-letes.

� is year is no exception.� e Huskies tout roughly 100

athletes this year, and many of them were the team’s top perform-ers a season ago.

From the sprinters (led by Steph Kretlow, Margo Achter-kirch, Syd Schultz, Karissa Greg-ory and Kathryn DuFrene) to the mid-distance and distance runners (paced by Syd Kasper, Jasmine Piepho and Jackie Ware-hime) to the hurdlers (helmed

by Toria Koch, Ali Goldberg and Morgan Malo) the Huskies are loaded on the track.

DuFrene, Schultz, Achterkirch and Gregory clocked in a fourth-place finish in the 4x200 meter relay at the Section 1AA meet last season. Meanwhile, Kasper, Goldberg, Amundson and Piepho nabbed fourth in the 4x800 relay.

In the � eld events, the Hus-kies are no slouches, either. Carli Langeland (triple and long jump), Mary Biegert and Eli Buck (shot put and discus), Caitlin Anderson (high jump) and Tatelyn Blazek (pole vault) each bring back high

marks from last season. At sec-tions last year, Biegert tossed a personal-best 35 feet, 3.5 inches for eighth and Langeland leapt 33-5.75 in the triple jump for ninth.

Longtime coach Ann Chris-tensen, in her 30th season, is hoping the talent pool — which includes more than 30 freshmen alone — leads to top-three � nish-es in the Big Nine Conference and Section 1AA. She said that Roch-ester Century and Mankato West are the favorites in the conference and Lakeville North and Lakeville South will be the top contenders in the section.

ROSTERSeniors: Amber Holte, Rachel Belina, Tatelyn Blazek, Eli Kathryn DuFrene, Abby Hansen, Haylee VanEnge-lenhoven, Laura Johnson, Sydney Kasper, Payton Knutson, Maline Bungum, Morgan Malo, Mariah Jor-gensen, Maddie Menden, Jasmine Piepho, Margart Sager, Jackie Warehime, Jordan Wickman. Juniors: Nayelie Avalos, Mary Biegert, Kathrine Clark, Peyton DeVinny, Nicole Johnson, Steph Kretlow, Carli Lange-land, J’Nae Limberg, Elise Oppegard, Kirsten Rysavy, Jessica Sawyer, Jessica VonRuden. Sophomores: Cassandra Zavala, Anna Weisenburger, Peyton Vasquez, Kendall Travis, Maya Rohwer, Tate Peterson, Mallory Olson, Callie McCauley, Jackie Layland, Gwyn Larson-McCluskey, Lexi Langeland, Madie Kubista, Toria Koch, Christina Kim, Kahla Jorgensen, Sara Hig-gins, Abby Haberman, Gregory Karissa, Louisa Deetz, Mariah Dant, Amanda Collins, Page Cocchiarella, Katie Belina, Sydney Bartz, Caitlin Anderson, Emily

An. Freshmen: Margo Achterkirch, Sophie Amund-son, Nina Barriga, Hanna Brekke, Nyakhor Godoar, Ali Goldberg, Julia Haarstad, Lauren Hylle, Taitlynn Jensen, Rachelle Judson, Eternity Krampitz, Danielle Layland, Erin Murry, Brooke Parker, Maddy Piepho, Sydney Sampson, Rebecca Sattler, Sydney Schultz, McKenzie Sommers, Olivia Spatenka, Ahnna Stelter, Erica Svenby, Nyanuer Tut, Taylor Velzke, Brooke Wehseler, Lydia Weisenbruger, Morgan Welker, Riley Wickman, Payton Wunderlich. Eighth grade: Anna-belle Wellnitz, Mary Sager, Lily Redman Emily Rahrick, Geneviere Phillips, Alysha Owen, Heidi Lundberg, Syd Kretlow, Tayah Ho� man, Mariana Hernandez, Burke Henderson, Molly Hawkins, Annika Harper, Allison An. Seventh grade: Sara Anderson, Asia Buryska, Kaia Elstad, Jessica Gregory, Jade Hanson, Erin Holzerland, ALyvia Johnson, ALivia Kubista, Olivia Matejcek, Elise Sande, Josie Sullivan, Beth Wilker.

Jackie WarehimeOHS senior

“We are very high in numbers, and show good balance in the events. [We have] a lot of talented student-athletes to give depth to our events.”

— OHS coach Ann Christensen

COACHSPEAK“


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SPRING SPORTS

� e 2014 season was one for the books for the Owatonna girls golf team.

Strong off the tee and sharp on the greens, the Huskies carded a � awless 18-0 record in the Big Nine Conference, winning the conference tournament by 19 strokes to capture their � rst Big Nine title since 2011.

With the addition of Red Wing and North� eld to the con-ference, defending their Big Nine crown will be a challenge for the Huskies this spring. However, Owatonna, which returns four of its starters, undoubtedly has the talent to do so.

Setting the pace will be senior Maddie Peglow, who was Owa-tonna’s scoring average leader last season and named the team’s Golfer of the Year, and Anna Edel, who consistently stayed on the leaders’ heels. � e two tied for sec-ond at the Big Nine meet last year. Other returning starters include Jayce Bogen and Maddie Zulk. All four Huskies were top-20 scorers in the Big Nine last season. Same could be said for graduates Kenzie Soukup and Erin Abbe, who leave big shoes to � ll — Soukup, most especially. Soukup, a member of the Wartburg College women’s golf team, was last year’s Big Nine medalist as well as the Huskies’

lone state-quali� er. She � nished 19th at state.

A newcomer who will look to help � ll the void le� by Abbe and Soukup is sophomore Megan Peglow.

OHS coach Tim Hunst be-lieves the Huskies will be in the thick of the conference race once again, with North� eld, Winona

and Red Wing — especially Red Wing, which is a state champi-onship contender — right there along with them.

“It will be interesting to see the battle of the top four teams in the conference,” Hunst said.

In the Section 1AAA field, OHS will have to get past Lakev-ille North and North� eld.

Defending Big 9 title tall task for OHSOWATONNAOWATONNA HIGH SCHOOL

GIRLS GOLF

SCHEDULE

COACHSPEAK

“We will challenge for the top of the conference again. � e addi-tion of Red Wing and North� eld — two strong golf programs — makes the conference very tough.”

— OHS coach Tim Hunst

“ April 10 at Faribault Invite, 10 a.m.

April 14 at Mankato East, 3 p.m.April 16 vs. Faribault, 2:30 p.m.April 21 at Winona triangular,

2:30 p.m.April 27 at Rochester Century

triangular, 2:30 p.m.May 5 vs. Mankato West, Roch-

ester JM, 2:30 p.m.May 6 at Lake City Invite, 2 p.m.

May 11 at Austin quad, 2:30 p.m.

May 18 at Big 9 Meet, 10 a.m.

ROSTERSeniors: Anna Edel, Maddie Peglow, Nora Rubish. Juniors: Jayce Bogen, Maddie Zulk, Grace Simon. Sophomores: Shan-non VanReeth, Tori Urch, Megan Peglow. Freshman: Izzy Anderson, Allyson Lenz, Rebecca Olson, Marie Otterson, Grace Pick, Hanna Roberts.

NEED TO KNOWMaddie Peglow — � e senior

was the Huskies’ scoring average leader a season ago and looks to keep the pace in her final cam-paign. She tied for the runner-up spot at the Big Nine meet.

Anna Edel — Edel played an integral role in helping Owatonna capture the Big Nine title a season ago. She tied for second at the Big Nine meet last year.

LAST SEASON18-0 in the Big Nine Confer-

ence; 2nd in Section 1AAA

Maddie PeglowOHS senior

spring sports 2015

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