12A
February 18, 2011 THISWEEK
Sports Standings Boys basketball Team Eagan Lakeville South Eastview Apple Valley Lakeville North B Kennedy Burnsville Rosemount Prior Lake B Jefferson
Conference W L 11 2 11 2 10 3 8 5 7 6 6 7 4 9 3 10 3 10 2 11
Overall W L 18 3 16 5 16 4 12 9 9 12 11 10 9 11 6 15 6 15 4 15
Friday, Feb 18 • Burnsville at Lakeville North, 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb 19 • Bloomington Jefferson at Lakeville South, 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb 22 • Lakeville South at Bloomington Kennedy, 7:15 p.m. • Bloomington Jefferson at Lakeville North, 7:15 p.m. Friday, Feb 25 • Lakeville North at Apple Valley, 7:15 p.m. • Lakeville South at Eastview, 7:15 p.m.
Girls basketball Team Lakeville North Eastview B Jefferson B Kennedy Prior Lake Eagan Apple Valley Rosemount Burnsville Lakeville South
Conference W L 15 0 12 3 10 5 10 5 10 5 6 9 5 10 4 11 3 12 0 15
Overall W L 21 2 18 5 17 6 14 9 13 10 9 14 8 14 9 14 6 17 1 22
Friday, Feb 18 • Lakeville North at Burnsville, 7:15 p.m. • Lakeville South Bloomington Jefferson, 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb 22 • Bloomington Kennedy at Lakeville South, 7:15 p.m. • Jefferson at Lakeville North, 7:15 p.m. Friday, Feb 25 • Apple Valley at Lakeville North, 7:15 p.m. • Eastview at Lakeville South, 7:15 p.m.
Boys Hockey Team
Conference W L T Burnsville) 14 1 1 Eagan 11 3 2 Apple Valley 12 4 1 B Jefferson 11 4 1 Lakeville South 11 5 1 Lakeville North 6 10 0 Eastview 5 10 1 Prior Lake 4 11 1 Rosemount 3 13 0 B Kennedy 0 16 0
Overall W L T 16 4 3 16 5 2 17 6 1 13 8 2 14 8 1 9 13 1 7 15 1 7 13 3 6 17 0 2 21 0
Saturday, Feb 19 • Rosemount at Lakeville North, 3 p.m.
Girls Hockey Friday, Feb. 11 • Lakeville South 4, Winona 1 • Lakeville North 4, Rochester Mayo 1 Tuesday, Feb. 15 • Lakeville South, 6, Owatonna 1 • Farmington 5, Lakeville North 4, OT Friday, Feb. 18 • Lakeville South vs. Farmington, 7:30 p.m., Owatonna, Four Seasons Arena. Thursday, Feb. 24 • Lakeville South/Farmington winner at Class AA state quarterfinals Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul Friday, Feb. 25 • Class AA state semifinals Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul • Class AA consolation semifinals, Ridder Arena, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Saturday, Feb. 26 • Class AA finals, 7 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul • Third-place game 4 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul • Consolation final, noon, Ridder Arena, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Photo by Andy Rogers
Farmington’s Chloe Batta, No. 7, tries to maneuver around Lakeville North’s Alexis Joyce, No. 20, in the Section 1AA semifinals.
Tigers will play for section title Jessica Erchul’s 61 saves, Krystal Baumann’s hat trick puts Farmington girls hockey team in the final by Andy Rogers THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
It took 84 minutes and 101 shots to decide the winner in the Section 1AA semifinal Tuesday between Lakeville North and Farmington. Deep into the third overtime with 10 p.m. fast approaching, Farmington’s Hannah Alexander slapped the puck off the sidebar just past Lakeville North goalie Cassie Alexander to earn a 5-4 win. Krystal Baumann played part of all five Farmington goals securing a hat trick and two assists. “I just knew we were going to win,” Baumann said. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I knew it all day.” It wasn’t always obvious
to everyone else. Farmington trailed, 4-2, with less than 5 minutes of regulation remaining. Seconds after killing a penalty, Alexander scored her first goal, cutting the deficit to 4-3. One minute later Baumann tied it with an assist from Alexander. Overtime favored Lakeville North, which had 24 shots on goal to Farmington’s 10, but it was the one that went in that counted most. Lakeville North outshot Farmington 65-36, but Farmington goalie Jessica Erchul had enough saves for three wins with 61. “She’s been doing that since she was in eighth grade,” Baumann said.
Farmington will play top-seeded Lakeville South in the Section 1AA final Friday night at Four Seasons Arena in Owatonna. Farmington lost to Lakeville South, 5-1, on Nov. 20, 2010. “That was a really long time ago,” Baumann said. “We’re a totally different team now. We have much better chemistry. We’re like one big happy family.” Farmington has lost just once since Dec. 21, 2011. The key to continue winning will be getting some rest. “We dug in deep tonight,” she said. Andy Rogers is at andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com.
Top-seeded South advances
Farmington Boys Basketball Team Chaska New Prague Shakopee Chanhassen Red Wing Farmington Northfield Holy Angels
Conference W L 8 1 6 3 6 3 6 3 5 4 3 6 2 7 0 9
Overall W L 17 4 16 5 11 9 10 10 13 8 9 12 3 17 4 17
Friday, Feb 18 • Farmington at Northfield, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb 22 • Chaska at Farmington, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb 25 • Farmington at New Prague, 7:30 p.m
Girls Basketball Team Chanhassen Farmington Shakopee New Prague Red Wing Chaska Holy Angels Northfield
Conference W L 9 2 8 3 8 3 8 3 6 5 4 7 1 10 0 11
Overall W L 15 7 19 3 18 4 16 7 15 6 10 13 5 18 7 15
Friday, Feb 18 • Northfield at Farmington, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb 22 • Farmington at Chaska, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb 25 • New Prague at Farmington, 7:30 p.m.
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Lakeville South’s Mara Post tries to maintain control of the puck during the team’s 6-1 victory over Owatonna in the Section 1AA semifinals on Tuesday. Sam More had two goals and KK Naasz, Post, and Ari Reed scored the others. Morgan Fritz-Ward had three assists and goalie Chelsea Laden had 25 saves. The girls will play Farmington on Friday in Owatonna for a berth in the state tournament. For more photos, go online at www.ThisweekLive. com.
Wheelchair basketball phenom chooses Missouri by Andy Rogers THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Boys Hockey Team Holy Angels New Prague Red Wing Farmington Chanhassen Northfield Chaska Shakopee
Conference W L T 12 1 0 10 3 0 7 6 0 6 7 0 5 8 0 4 9 0 4 9 0 4 9 0
Overall W L T 16 8 0 13 11 0 8 16 0 12 12 0 10 12 1 8 15 0 7 16 2 6 18 0
Thursday, Feb 17 • Farmington at Red Wing, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Hockey Team Farmington Chaska/Chan Shakopee Red Wing Northfield New Prague Holy Angels
Conference W L T 12 0 0 9 3 0 9 3 0 4 7 1 4 7 1 2 9 1 0 11 1
Overall W L T 18 6 0 16 9 0 15 9 1 12 12 1 9 12 3 8 16 1 1 19 1
Tuesday, Feb. 15 • Farmington 5, Lakeville North 4, OT Friday, Feb. 18 • Lakeville South vs. Farmington, 7:30 p.m., Owatonna, Four Seasons Arena.
Lakeville North’s Joe Dixon had decided where to take his talents. One of the top wheelchair basketball players in the country has chosen Missouri as the place he will spend the next few years playing basketball and studying journalism. Wheelchair basketball is a recent incarnation at the University of Missouri in the Central Intercollegiate Division of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. The recent formation of the team appealed to Dixon. “I’d like to help build the program,” Dixon said. “They’re a pretty new team.”
Joe Dixon
Courage Center. He was part of National Wheelchair Basketball Association Varsity Division history when the team won its third National Championship in a row last April. He went to Australia with the U20 National team in 2009. He’s been with the Elite Camp that features the top 24 junior players in the world twice. His long-term goal with wheelchair basketball is to play on the U.S. National Team in the Paralympics. “I just plain love playing basketball,” Dixon said. “I’ve made a lot of really great fans. It gives me a really great outlet to express my athletic ability.”
There are seven collegiate level teams in wheelchair basketball, but Missouri had the academics Dixon was after. “The fact that I want to go into broadcast journalism. I was really thinking about academics with my decision,” Dixon said. Dixon has been busy in the past few years shooting Rogers is at hoops with the Junior Roll- Andy ing Timberwolves with the andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com.
Photo by Andy Rogers
Lakeville South will host the Section 1AA meet on Friday night.
State aspirations lean toward individuals Sections loaded with top gymnasts by Andy Rogers THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The Farmington girls gymnastics team is close to polishing off perhaps its best season ever. The girls set several school records this season both as a team and individually. As good as the season has been, it’s going to be difficult to move on to state. The girls will head to Lakeville South on Friday for the Section 1AA meet, where the overwhelming favorite to win the team competition is Northfield. Farmington saw what the Raiders could do during the Missota Conference meet on Feb. 11. The Tigers finished third in the Missota Conference behind Northfield and New Prague with 142.1 points. The girls were within striking distance of New Prague with less than a point separating the two, but Northfield had the top score in Minnesota so far with 149.3. The team’s goal is to finish second in Section 1AA on Friday. “I know we can do it if we keep our heads up,” coach Lynn Bauman said. They can do it if they build off the momentum from the conference meet when the girls broke their team record in the floor exercise with 36.850. “Floor was the most entertaining event for us,” Bauman said. “The girls really performed their hearts out.” Kiana Lord was second in the conference on the beam and fourth allaround. Nadia Lorencz was third on the vault. Terra Klima was third on the bars. The Tigers were short Kylie Wharton, who was out with an illness. “I am very proud of all the progress the girls have made,” Bauman said.
Lakeville North The defending Section 3AA champions are a long shot this year to repeat with Park of Cottage Grove and Eagan scoring 147-plus already this season. Lakeville North averages around 141. “Our best spot is third,” coach Milan Mad-
er said. “We’ll fight with Rosemount and Eastview for that.” The Panthers shouldn’t be shut out completely from the state meet. Ashley Myers has a good chance on vault and bars. Kelly Blake has one of the top vault scores. “There’s just too many good individuals in the section,” Mader said. “Park and Eagan both have a couple good allarounders.” It’s been a grueling season for the Panthers physically and mentally. “Their bodies are beaten up,” Mader said. “Two more weeks and we’ll be done. It will be a blessing for all of them.”
Lakeville South As the host of the Section 1AA meet, the Cougars are anxious to show off all their routines. The young team features just one junior to go with several sophomores and ninth-graders, but they still managed a season high 136.75 against their biggest rival, Lakeville North. “We came in wanting to grow as a team and as individuals and I believe we have done both of these things,” first-year coach Ashley Grover said. “It was challenging yet so rewarding. I have enjoyed building relationships, earning the girls’ trust, and re-developing and rebuilding this program.” The Cougars even relied on two seventh-graders on the varsity squad. “Allie Stowell and Bella Iverson have both helped the team on beam and floor this season as varsity competitors, so if I would have to pick girls who have improved the most, it would be them,” Grover said. For the section meet, Grover has the team focused on teamwork and having fun. With Northfield looming large over the rest, the best route to state is individually. “I want my girls to go out and show off their hard work,” Grover said. “I would love to see some individual qualifiers to state, and I feel that with confidence and control, we have the potential to do this.”
Croasdale 19th at state Alpine Lakeville North’s Connor Croasdale placed 19th at the state Alpine skiing competition Wednesday at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. He finished his two runs in 1 minute, 10.1 seconds. Lakeville South’s Jonathan Schwegman placed 73rd with 1:34.4. Lakeville South’s Hayleigh Adams placed 24th with 1:19.5 and Amanda Larson was 33rd with 1:21.3.