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APRIL 18, 2018
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Recent success has created a boom in participation numbers for the Frazee girls track team as the Hornets begin the season with 42 girls out from grades 7-12. “That is almost twenty more than we had at the end of last season,” head coach Jim Jacobson said. The coaching staff has taken it to Mother Nature bringing out snowblowers on the track three separate times this spring to try to get some outdoors workouts in despite the inclement weather. “We feel good about at least having some track workouts in already, even though meet season will be a while yet,”
Jacobson said. “We have some good leaders and all of our kids have had exceptional attitudes this season, despite the weather.” The Hornets have captured back-toback Section 6A True Team championships providing two state meet trips and continuing a string of big meets. Frazee competed in the first indoors meet of the season at Bemidji and came away with a victory at the Little Amik. “The girls have been working hard and are anxious to get outside,” Jacobson said. “We have a lot of talent returning that have already performed well this season.” The Hornets had two individuals and the 4x100m relay team advance to state
last year that return this season. Sophomore Paige Ziegler is the defending 100m hurdles champion. She placed 12th at state as a freshman. Fellow sophomore Paige Oswald is the defending 200m dash champion; she placed 15th at state. The 4x100 relay team comprised of the Ziegler, Oswald and incoming freshman Ellie Reierson placed 13th at state with departed senior Cassidy Ziegler. The foursome broke a 25-year old section record to advance to state. The search is on early in the season to find a replacement for the talented, young quartet. “We’re hoping to find a fourth,” said Jacobson. “However, we have athletes
to be competitive in all four relays this year.” Paige Ziegler and Jaryn Johannsen will be two to watch in hurdles. Paige is the school record holder and just broke the Little Amik indoors meet record. Ziegler has also excelled in the triple jump. She was the state True Team champion clearing 35-feet last year leading the Hornets to a seventh place finish at Class A True Team, a jump of two places form their ninth place mark in 2016. Jaryn was close to the school record in the 300’s last year and looks strong this season. The distance tandem of senior Ellie
strong hurdles season. He placed eighth in the 300m. The freshman duo of Alex Beck and Christian Carlson should provide positive finishes in distance races.They led the way with freshman Lewis Helmers and sophomore Grady Larsen at the opening indoors meet at Bemidji in the 4x800 relay and Beck and Carlson had top 10 finishes in the 3,200m run.
The returning foursome of Caleb Drescher, Cole Fleisher, Miller and Caleb Wutzke bring an experienced relay team and that showed at Little Amik with strong marks in the 4x200 and 4x400 from the team. The 4x400 team (Fleisher, Drescher, Wutzke, Miller) picked up a big victory at Bemidji to start the year. Giefer will be in plenty of field events,
especially high jump and in the relay mix as he was a top-five section true teamer with Drescher, Miller and Wutzke in the 4x400 last season. Miller is the top returner in triple jump, along with Fleisher. Kade Hiemenz started this season strong in long jump
GIRLS TRACK TO 4
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Like the girls team at Frazee, the Hornets boys track and field team got a big increase in participation numbers and looks to move back to the forefront of the section this year. “We are excited to have good numbers as that makes a huge difference in track,” head coach Brian Tangen said. This year’s squad is very young with only two seniors in Michael Miller and Caleb Drescher. The duo will serve as cocaptains of the team for 2018. “Most of our numbers are in eighth and ninth grade so the future is very bright,” Tangen said. Over half of the team (24) are in seventh through ninth grades. “We are very excited for this season as we have several athletes returning with varsity experience and we look forward to getting outdoors to see what they can do,” said Tangen. Frazee looks to bump up from a fourth place finish at section True Team last season after claiming the championship in 2016. Departed senior Anthony Santos had Frazee’s best individual finish at last year’s 6A TT meet with a fourth place shot put. Teammate Vincent Helmers, a junior this season, placed sixth and added a 10th place discus throw. Junior Joby Geifer is coming off a
APRIL 18, 2018
3
Big shoes to fill for Hornet girls BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Frazee golfers on the girls team start a new era trying to replace two of the best golfers to play at Frazee in graduated seniors Maddisan Parsons and Brittany Lormis. Parsons was a four-time Heart O’ Lakes All-Conference performer finishing third in a conference typically dominated by Perham golfers. Lormis earned All-Conference honors three times and both golfers made state appearances. Lormis qualified for state once and Parsons twice. In her senior season, Parsons advanced as the section runner-up after shooting a career low in the second round. “They were the first girls to ever qualify for state golf for Frazee,” said head coach Dave Conzemius. “Those are two players that played varsity for six years and they were great examples for the younger kids in the program. We will miss their consistency and leadership big time.” Frazee brings back four golfers who played with Lormis and Parsons led by the Matejka sisters: junior twins Isabella and Delaney, along with eighth-grader Madeline. Adding some more experience is junior Savanna Bauer. Isabella Matejka was named the team’s most improved golfer last season. The three juniors all have at least four years of golfing experience. “We will look to all three of them to help lead our team,” said Conzemius. Madeline Matejka brings a year of experience as she played in every meet last year as a seventh-grader. The Hornets have added four new girls to the team in eighth-graders Alexis Mack and Sophie Nelson and seventh-graders Krysten Halverson and McKen-
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Junior Henry Kellerhuis is the lone returning starting varsity golfer from last year’s Frazee boys golf team and head coach Jason Reierson has a small group of five golfers competing this season. “We’re going to get on the course and hope for the best,” Reierson said. The Hornets competed at sections last year with only three varsity golfers registering an incomplete score. The team is down from nine golfers to five this season with Zack Roforth, Wes Kropenske, Aldo Kundo and Trevor Hocken joining Kellerhuis. Kellerhuis missed an all-conference finish last season by two strokes in the Heart O’ Lakes. Lost to graduation was the lone allconference golfer for the Hornets in Dustin Parsons. The Perham Yellowjackets are the returning HOL champions Hawley senior Carter Justesen returns
zie Wake. “These girls have little to no golf experience but so far when practicing indoors, they have done nice job of working on the basics and hopefully as the season progresses we can work them into the varsity lineup,” Conzemius said. Early work will be all about the fundamentals getting those younger girls junior varsity meet experience their
feet wet, said Conzemius. “Our goals, as always, are to improve as the season goes on and have fun,” he said. “I am definitely excited that we have some younger girls out as that is good for the future of the program. It’s going to be a short season with the snow lingering around so we will have a lot of meets cramped into our schedule in May.”
as HOL player of the year. Frazee enters their section season as members of Section 6A. Hawley placed second followed by Barnesville, Pelican Rapids, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, Frazee and Breckenridge. Ottertail Central returns as the champions of the 13-team Section 6A. The Bulldogs were also champions in 2014 with Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Laporte capturing the 2016 crown. Ottertail Central placed fifth overall at state. Mahnomen/Waubun won the program’s first-ever Class A state title last year after back-to-back runners-up finishes to Mounds Park Academy in 2015 and 2016. The Thunderbirds return two of the top four scorers from the title team in juniors Jaycee Clark (ninth) and Jon Starkey (40th). Eighth-grader Loden Clark (68th) and senior Trenten Johnson (85th) also return with state experience for the Thunderbirds.
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APRIL 18, 2018
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
The Frazee baseball team is coming off a 15-win season that ended one game short of a shot at the Section 8AA title. The Hornets return 10 players from that team including a full starting rotation. The Hornets had a hot start to the season last year winning 11 of the first 13 games, but went into the playoffs having lost six of seven. Frazee placed third in the Heart O’ Lakes Conference with a record of 7-5, two games back of Barnesville (93). Perham swept the Hornets in Perham in late May to secure second place (8-4). Reaching the top of the HOL and winning a section title are two big goals for this year’s team. “The HOL is a tough conference, but we have the team to bring home a conference title,” head coach Andy Mekalson said. Frazee earned the four-seed in the section and a home playoff game defeating Hawley and Barnesville to open the playoffs. Perham had Frazee’s number for a third time and
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Stenger and Endersby proved they can be dominating on the mound last season. Junior Colten Pausch, along with sophomores Mason Newling, Jaden Guhlke, Volstad and Jack Pikula will be valuable relievers. Wacker returns at shortstop when not pitching. As a junior, he was named the HOL’s Most Valuable Player in the conference. Wacker provides a steady glove on the left side with Tappe returning at third base. Tappe has plenty of home run power in the middle of the batting order, along with a tough glove at the hot corner. Tanner Schermerhorn is an all-around strong defensive player rounding out an experienced group of five seniors on the team. “Our seniors leading by example will set the expectations and play a big role in our success this season,” Mekalson said. The Hornets have five juniors, along with strong numbers of 14 freshmen and sophomores. Mekalson will be assisted by coaches Matt Simley and Brett Knudsen. Ryan Vigen and John Barlund are handling the junior high coaching duties.
shot put entrants Cassidy Nelson and Natalie Nudell. Erickson placed 14th in shot at sections last season. The Hornets had a pair of youngsters Rylee Moore, who placed 13th in high jump and Tiffany Lawrence was 14th in pole vault as seventh-graders in 2017. As a team, the Hornets placed third
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Morgan and junior Megan Danielson return with state experience. “Ellie Morgan is back and ready to make it to state again this year in the one or two-mile,” said Jacobson. “She has put on a pile of miles and is in great shape. Megan Danielson was also a state
cross country entrant and is looking at the 800 and 1600 to be her races, along with the 300 hurdles.” Oswald has excelled in jumps as well as sprints. “She was atop the leaderboard with three events at Bemidji. Olivia Erickson should have a great season in the throws, along with fellow
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FRAZEE GIRLS TRACK FROM 2
sent the Hornets to the elimination bracket and after a win over Park Rapids Area, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton looked for revenge after being swept by the Hornets in the regular season. The Rebels ended Frazee’s campaign before falling to Perham. The Yellowjackets battled Warroad staying alive with an 11-10 victory before falling to the Warriors in the double elimination championship game 4-3. Warroad dropped two straight games at the state tournament losing to eventual state champions Minnehaha Academy 10-5 and Rochester Lourdes in consolation 11-7. Frazee does not have a lot of holes to fill to find success this year. In the batting order, the two, three and five spots were vacated due to graduation and the most important need in the field is at catcher. According to Mekalson, juniors Cody Pausch and Gabe Drewes, along with sophomore Lukas Volstad all have a shot behind the plate. Making that job a bit easier will be the all-senior starting foursome on the mound of Thomas Stenger, Nick Endersby, Tanner Tappe and Logan Wacker.
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The Frazee softball team is looking to finish above .500 for the first time in three seasons with a returning starting duo in the circle and seven returning starters from a tough 4-17 season last year. “Our goal is to improve on last year, statistically and with wins and losses,” head coach Matt Bauer said. “We are a relatively young team again this year but we gained a lot of experience in 2017.” The Hornets had many of the typical issues of a young squad last season. Frazee suffered a nine-game losing streak in the middle of the season but had opportunities to win. In five one-run games, the Hornets lost four. This year’s team will have those experiences to build upon and find more notches in the win column behind senior team leader Grace Hilde at second base. Hilde was named All-Section in 8AA and AllConference in the Heart O’ Lakes. Joining her with postseason accolades are senior Carly Mahoney at shortstop and sophomore standout catcher Alexis Bauer. Both received honorable mention in the HOL. While Frazee will remain in the competitive HOL for conference play, the Hornets dropped down to single A
in Section 6 for postseason play this year. One big postseason road block in 6A will be the defending Class A state champions from New York Mills. The Eagles broke through for their first state championship in five attempts. NY Mills has owned the section winning five straight 6A titles. The Eagles were consolation champs in 2014 and 2016, placed fourth in 2015, and lost both state games in 2013. Sebeka was the last team other than NY Mills to capture the section title in 2012. While the Hornets are concentrating on a strong start to the season, the goals remain high, as success in 6A is not that far removed. The last time Frazee was in Section 6A was 2014-15 and the Hornets made a run to a game shy of the section title game falling to NY Mills. “We have our sights set on making a deep run in the section playoffs in 2018,” said Bauer. “The key to our success will be our pitching and eliminating errors. This group of girls played a lot of ball in the summer and really sharpened their skills.” Pitching will be the strong suit for Frazee for this and the next two seasons behind sophomores Abby Wothe and Clara Scolley. Both gained consider-
able experience last season as freshmen and should provide the Hornets opportunities to win. Frazee’s other returning starters are: senior Aina Olson - OF/Utility, sophomore Brenna Mahoney - OF, and freshman Dani Piche at third base. Mahoney, Hilde and Olson will serve as tri-captains.
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APRIL 18, 2018
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
The Detroit Lakes softball team enters the 2018 season with a majority of the team returning but have five high-level players lost to graduation that will not be easy to replace. “We have a lot of holes to fill especially when you lose those quality players we lost last year,” head coach Phil Kirchner said. “Our philosophy is it is the next person standing job now. Pitching should be our strength.” DL brings back the one-two starting punch of juniors Madilyn Kirchner and Lauryn Manning. Madi Kirchner is expected to get the majority of the work on the mound coming off a 13-4 season with 92 strikeouts and a 2.02 earned run average. “Madi has developed a decent change up and if she can chanSge speeds, hit spots and compete, she will do a great job for us,” Kirchner said. Manning was 5-2 last year with 38 strikeouts making spot starts or taking over the back half of doubleheaders. She is one of the core returners on the the infield at shortstop. The Lakers have a new face at pitcher in Park Rapids transfer and southpaw Mercedez Bellanger. “It’s always good to have two or three pitchers available at any given time,” said Kirchner. “ With those three, I am confident we can stay in games and keep it very competitive.” Bellanger, another junior, was on the Mid-State Conference champion Panthers team (8-0) last year. Park Rapids handed DL (6-2) their only conference losses in 2017. The Panthers were a game away from the Class
AA state tournament falling to Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton in the section final. The Mid-State has been full of talented clubs at the top of the standings and despite DL’s success (18-6 overall last season), a conference crown has eluded the Lakers since back-to-back titles in 2010-11. Park Rap-
ids has taken the last two; Pequot Lakes won four in a row prior to that. The Lakers will need to replace both corner infield LAKER SOFTBALL TO 7
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
have hit a dozen: Troy Frieler, Melrose, 1998; Jared Lundeen, Burnsville, 1998; Josh Miskovich, Greenway, Coleraine, 1999; Adam Johnson, Greenway, Coleraine, 1999; Bryan Jost, Tartan, Oakdale, 2003. The all-time career homer mark is held
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pitching.” DL’s opponents outscored the Lakers 222-122. DL placed fourth in the Mid-State Conference at 3-5 and lost six LAKER BASEBALL TO 8
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by Brainerd’s Travis Peterson (1984-86) with 25. While Wimmer was able to bash in runs, it was in the field and on the mound where the Lakers struggled most. “We were putting runs on the board,” said Bommersbach. “It came down to our
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Detroit Lakes baseball heads into this season under head coach Mike Bommersbach looking to turn around a losing trend that saw the Lakers finish the season on a 10-game skid. The streak itself ended in difficult fashion as Thief River Falls rallied with their season on the line in lSast at-bats scoring five times in the seventh inning to erase a 7-3 Laker lead and spoil a Detroit Lakes upset. “It all came down to defense and pitching,” said Bommersbach. One highlight from the final game of the year was a state record-tying home run by Tristan Wimmer. Wimmer, a senior, returns with experience on both corner positions in the infield and took the mound last year, as well. He finished last season tied for the most home runs hit in a season in Minnesota high school history and shares the mark with five other players who
APRIL 18, 2018
7
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
The Detroit Lakes boys tennis team returns a large group this year and will be headed up by former assistant coach Zach Biggar. Tanner Beauchman has taken over assistant coach duties for the 2018 season. “We’ve been tag teaming this for the last couple years,” said Biggar. “When Tanner asked me last year I said, ‘I really want you by my side,’ so he’s going to help me with the after-match stuff and he’s been a head coach a lot longer than I’ve been coaching. He’s been a really, good mentor.” Tennis was a team on the chopping block a few seasons ago but recent success from both the boys and girls programs have the sport back on the rise. The Lakers only graduated two seniors so spots in the lineup will be highly contested once the season gets underway and the team can actually get on the court. The team is comprised of 30 players in ninth through 12th grade and 10 more at the middle school level. “The big thing this year is we’re getting guys who are serious about it,” Biggar said. “We have guys who really want to contribute to the team.” The Lakers return 13 players with varsity experience from 2017. “We have healthy competition on the team and we want to beat each other and do the best we can,” Biggar said. Snowy conditions have forced the team indoors to work on generic training and conditioning. “We’re working on volleys and this is just what we have to roll with,” said Biggar. Once play begins, the team goals are to make some noise in the section team LAKER SOFTBALL FROM 6
positions and more importantly behind the plate if DL wants to ascend to the top of the Mid-State. The catching duties will be up to sophomore Josey Allen and freshman Emily Moran. Both will have big shoes to fill in graduated senior Maycen Kirchner, who has already made an impact at Concordia as a freshman.S “Josey has some experience and is athletic,” Kirchner said. “She saw a lot of action last summer behind the dish This is a difficult position to fill and with so many games in a week we may need to do
tournament. The last two years have seen early exits at the hands of East Grand Forks, a team DL beat during the regular season in 2017. “Finishing the year and winning matches we should win; we want to be more consistent in that sense,” Biggar said. DL was one match away from advancing out of the first round as the No. 5 seed at sections falling 4-3 to No. 4 East Grand Forks. Green Wave doubles teams won only the top doubles match, but EGF won taking three of four singles matches. The Lakers have fostered a healthy ri-
valry with Perham having split last season with each team winning at home. The Yellowjackets have been a team on the rise in recent seasons. DL snapped an undefeated streak of nine matches won by Perham last year. The two schools nearly co-oped tennis in 2015, but both programs have seen a resurgence in popularity and have turned the programs around. “Our first goal as a team is beat Perham twice and hopefully get to the second, third round at sections,” Biggar said. Perham advanced to the semifinals defeating Minnewaska but were ousted by
defending section champions Crookston. The Pirates were the two-seed and took out No. 1 Thief River Falls 4-3 to advance to state. Three of four section doubles players return this season in Gabe Hanninen, Austin Baker and Trey Seebold. Adam Daggett was lost to graduation. He and Hanninen and Baker/Seebold both advanced to the section quarterfinals. Tanner Doppler and Garrett Knopf both advanced to section singles and return to this year’s club. DL’s season is slated to begin Monday, April 16 in a triangular at Thief River Falls with Crookston.
some experimenting back there.” Madi Kirchner may also see time behind the plate when not pitching. First base leaves another big hole in the field and especially at the plate in trying to replace Sydney Prussia. Prussia ended her career third all-time in Minnesota with 26 career home runs. Coach Kirchner has a number of options and could keep first base in the family with either Taylor or Laura Prussia. Bellanger and Jocelyn Patnaude will also be in the mix. “Mercedez is just a gifted softball player and can play anywhere we ask her,” said Kirchner. “She appears to have a lot of experience over there and swings
a huge bat.” Second and third base spots remain open with six players in the running. DL has three senior leaders patrolling the outfield led by centerfielder Mackenzie Braukmann and fellow senior tri-captains Rachael Perkins and Alexis Ostlie. “All three seniors will be looked upon for their leadership and powerful bats,” said Kirchner. Each player hit near or above 300 last year with ample power. Amber Lymann will also see plenty of playing time in the field as she has shown the ability to hit the ball over the fence. While the Lakers have holes to fill,
the pitching has improved and gained a year of experience and there are plenty of bats to go around and advance past last year’s finish. DL entered the section playoffs seeded third but were upset in the first round by No. 6 St. Cloud Apollo. After victories in the elimination bracket, over No. 7 Little Falls and No. 5 Sartell-St. Stephen, fourth-seeded Sauk Rapids-Rice ended DL’s season at home. The Thief River Falls Prowlers are the defending 8AAA champions. “If we can come together as a team and get hot at the end we should have some success,” said Kirchner.
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APRIL 18, 2018 LAKER BASEBALL FROM 6
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Lake Park-Audubon, Frazee and Detroit Lakes will all be represented again this season in the state’s fastest growing sport - Trapshooting. Unlike most high school sports, Trapshooting has been one that has grown in popularity each season with incredible numbers participating, this year close to 12,000 students. Minnesota student athletes comprise for than half of the total league numbers nationwide (nearly 22,000 representing over 800 schoolapproved teams). This year, 11,936 student participants from 349 Minnesota high schools are participating in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League’s (MNSHSCTL) 2018 spring season, which began April 1. Those are the highest participation numbers ever for the state, according to League officials. “This League continues to be one of the largest high school sports in the state of Minnesota,” said Jim Sable, President of the MNSHSCTL, “Such high participation shows the continued demand for alternative high school activities related to Minnesota’s long-standing outdoor traditions.” Conferences are determined by team size rather than geographic location for fair competition. Athletes earn True Team® scoring points as determined by their performance and ranking against all athlete scores within their team’s conference. The team score and overall standings are calculated and posted on “Unity is strength … where there is Teamwork and Collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved!” Mattie J.T. Stepanek
the League’s website. Athletes and their families may track their individual and team performance on their computer via the League’s website, and by the Shooter Performance Tracker® mobile app. Detroit Lakes had one state qualifier last season Kade Ramsey, who finished in the top 100 overall season average and earned an automatic berth. Ramsey earned conference recognition for finishing in the top three shooters. Detroit Lakes was also the top shooting team in Class 4A, Conference 1. Frazee sent three to state Christian Petron, Jack Mickelson and Jason Moe. Petron was the Class 2A, Conference 3 top gun in season average and Mickelson and Moe made it a sweep of the top three shooters for the Hornets. On the girls side, Natasha Meier was third in coverage average for the season. In team standings, Frazee finished atop 2A-Conference 3 by a wide margin over Plainview-Elgin-Millville. LP-A finished third in the nine-team, Class A-Conference 11 behind Battle Lake and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. The League’s co-ed and adaptive nature are key attractions to high schools in Minnesota. The League is fully Title IX compliant with both male and female athletes competing on the same team. Additionally, it’s an ‘adaptive’ sport, which allows students with physical disabilities to take part. Upon completion of the Spring League’s regular season, all student athletes are invited to participate in indi-
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vidual and team competitions at the 2018 MNSHSCTL Trap Shooting Championship. The event – the world’s largest shooting sport event with about 8,000 competitors expected – is scheduled for June 11th-19th at the Alexandria Shooting Park, while the Skeet Championship will be held at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake June 20th-21. The trap shooting season culminates with the State Tournament presented by the Minnesota State High School League on June 22nd in Prior Lake. The State Tournament provides the opportunity for the highest qualifying individuals and teams from the MNSHSCTL to compete for the ultimate recognition as Minnesota State High School League State Champions. The Minnesota State High School League was the first state high school interscholastic athletic association in the United States to provide support and recognition for a high school trap shooting state tournament. The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League attracts student athletes that have earned their firearm safety certification to participate in shooting sports while creating a “virtual” competition among high school teams throughout Minnesota at no cost to the schools. Family travel costs are minimal because practice and competition are conducted at a shooting range near the school’s location. The League is also the safest sport in high school, with no reported injuries since the inception of the League in 2001.
of seven games against Section 8AAA teams to enter the playoffs as the last seed. There is all kinds of room to improve and Bommersbach will look to get that output from a team consisting of a lot of underclassmen. “We’re going to be young; looking at the lineup I have in mind we’re going to have four sophomores, two juniors and two to three seniors, but that can change real quick,” he said. Team goals are not so much targeted on records or numbers, but a basic fundamental path to more wins. “Goals right now, looking back at last year, limit the walks and just throw strikes,” said Bommersbach. “Make them beat us and not beat ourselves.” Six-foot-five senior Eli Brooks looks to be the man on the mound to lead the DL starting pitching corps. “If he throws strikes, and that’s everybody, we can win a lot of games,” said Bommersbach. Cooper Hermanson made the jump to varsity during the playoffs last year as a freshman and has the talent to pile up victories and challenge Brooks for the top spot on the mound. Bommersbach is counting on Hermanson and a strong incoming sophomore class. Jackson Fields returns as the starting shortstop, along with Blake Itzen. “I watched a lot of these sophomores play last year in the junior legion league,” said Bommersbach. “They showed me what they can do and they battled. I’m excited to see what these younger guys can do.” The Lakers also have the potential for strong leadership with eight seniors in Brooks, Wimmer, Jackson Haire, Ethan Schweigart, Mason Blank, Michael Hoban and Ryan Soyring. Sully Wood leads a small class of three juniors with Ben Stearns and Caleb Inwards.
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After a third place finish at state last year, the Detroit Lakes boys golf team is looking to climb the podium even further and extend a state appearance streak to three straight years this season. The third place finish was a first for the school to go with three state titles and a runner-up finish in 11 appearances. The two-time defending Section 8AA champs return four of the six members from last year including defending section champion and senior Ben Unruh. Gone are Isaac Cihak and Aaron Schnathorst to graduation. “I definitely think section champion is our main goal again; that’s always been our main goal,” Unruh said. “We’ll be working hard toward that this year and once we get to state we can put more work in and see how we go from there.” Fergus Falls will likely be the top contender at sections and the Otters have had a golf simulator at Roosevelt school since 2014 and may have an early edge by getting a bit more swinging time this spring. At sections last season, Unruh led the entirety of both rounds winning by five strokes. Ryan Paskey is the second best returning section golfer after placing ninth. “The championship is always in the picture, so that is our end goal, no matter what,” he said. The Lakers aim for sections more than state as the two-day meet in Bemidji is more pressure-packed with the state berth on the line. Once the teams get to Jor-
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dan, it’s anybody’s best two days for the state trophy. “We see state as really important too, but sections there is a lot more pressure, I feel,” said Unruh. Having four returning golfers with state experience is a luxury the Lakers have and will definitely use to get going this spring with the season shortened by weather. “It takes a lot of pressure off our shoulders; knowing we have the ability to get there and seeing the success from the past two years really helps us out and stirs in some more confidence,” said Unruh. So far, the season has consisted of far more thinking about golf than actually playing. “A couple of us have been to the bubble once or twice but other than that it’s been pretty bad,” Paskey said. “We’re just waiting to get back out there. This is the worst I’ve ever had. It’s never been this late not being on the course.” I think we’ll be able to adjust pretty fast; we all have good work ethics so we’ll get out there right away and get the kinks out.” The Lakers know, especially the three seniors from state last year, Wyatt Blomseth, Unruh and Paskey, what it’s going to take once the season gets off and running. “Now that it’s a time crunch we’re going to have to shake off the rust quicker, but once we get out there, I don’t know when, but once we get out there it won’t change much,” said Unruh. “There will be a lot of work to get in.” Blomseth is the top returning state performer coming off a top 20 finish last year in 18th place. Unruh was 21st; Paskey 55th and sophomore Hunter Burnside was 62nd in his debut.
Burnside solidified his spot in the lineup last year making a charge late in the season to garner the sixth spot at state. He likely starts the year as the fourth golfer with senior Collin Ginnaty in position to claim his place in the lineup in his final season. As far as the sixth golfer, that’s going to be decided on the course early in the season under head coach Bob Gorden and his competitive style of practice. “There are five or six guys battling for the last two spots,” said Paskey. Gorden is one of eight finalists for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year award that will be announced this summer. Gorden has ramped up his team to con-
tinually improve the past two seasons which has the Lakers looking to move up from third in the state and vie for the championship in June. “Last year, compared to the year before that, we were competing more to place a the top,” said Unruh. “We definitely believed we could. There was more belief and confidence and we’re able to depend on each other more, as well.” The Blake School has been in the way at Class AA state the past three seasons as they go for a fourth straight championship and a seventh state title for the school. DL finished four strokes behind second place Holy Family.
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The two-time defending Class AA state champion Detroit Lakes girls golf team return four golfers from last year’s state lineup but begin the year with an unexpected absence in senior Lauren Tschider. Tschider has been a consistent threesport athlete, but has chosen to skip her senior golf season to concentrate on soccer. She is the first Division II scholarship soccer player to come out of DL and will be playing at Augustana in the fall. “That will be a huge loss to the team,” senior Maddie Herzog said. “I was disappointed and we’re all going to miss her; she was a great teammate.” Tschider was strong in the fifth spot placing 31st overall at state, a jump of seven places from the prior season. Graduated senior Abby Schramel (15th) and Anna Cihak (17th) added top 20 finishes to complement Herzog and Shelby Busker in the top seven. The Lakers stepped out of the shadow of five-time state individual champion Kate Smith last year and continued to dominate the state meet recording the program’s fifth state championship in six years. The team posted their best score of the season and erased a five-stroke deficit to state favorites Lake City after the opening round flipping the score around on day two winning by four shots. Starting the quest to repeat a state title without the only other senior on the team makes for a more interesting story, but also adds some uncertainty. For Herzog, it’s a strong motivator and as the team leader, she has rallied her teammates before anyone has even taken a swing at practice. “It fuels the fire a little bit,” she said. “I want to do well; I’ve set some good goals to consistently shoot mid-70s. I told Shelby and Anna that we’re going to compete to beat each other and we’re not going to get mad when one of us wins or beats each other. We’re going to be supportive and we all have the same goal to
win state.” Cihak, a sophomore, came through in the clutch at state shooting the best golf of her young career. She sent the team to the back nine tied with Lake City after posting a team-best, two-over 38 on the front nine of day two. Eighth-grader McKenna Mallow earned her spot on the postseason roster of six playing consistent golf down the stretch and gained valuable state experience in her seventh-grade year. She beat out a large group of junior varsity golfers and likely jumps up to the four-spot in the lineup with Tschider’s absence. “McKenna, that one year of state experience is huge and she’s set some goals for herself,” said Herzog. Last year’s team proved it takes four solid rounds to win at state. Tschider had been that golfer before. She was the fourth scoring golfer on Kate Smith’s last team championship in 2016. Busker, a sophomore, brings two seasons of experience having made a huge jump from 48th place at state two years ago to a podium finish last year. Herzog placed fifth individually and took command of the team in the postseason chipping in on the final hole of the section meet to claim a share of the individual 8AA title. She has committed to play collegiate golf at North Dakota State University this coming fall and keeps a Detroit Lakes tradition going as former Lakers Trisa Hutchinson and Natalie Roth are finishing their senior seasons this spring. NDSU was not in Herzog’s original college plans. “I talked to Trisa about it last summer and she gave it a positive review. I toured the facility and was impressed the business school and I just liked it overall,” she said. But first, the Lakers have to get on the course as weather has delayed practice for Head Coach Kris Smith and the team. Smith used a hands-off approach down the stretch last year and the confidence and experience inherent in the most suc-
cessful AA team the past decade showed as meets became more important. This year might prove to be a different scenario with Herzog the obvious senior leader and every other golfer a sophomore or younger. However, the Lakers have a wild card for a potential Tschider replacement in junior Emily Larson. Larson had been a standout track and field runner but suffered a knee injury in soccer this past fall that has made golf a better alternative to track. Larson brings a fiery attitude and a lot of athleticism. “She’s all or nothing; that’s what is good about her,” said Herzog. “She’s like Anna. Anna picked up golf so fast and she’s come a long way in just a short few years.” The team is also aware it isn’t what happens in April and May that matters as much as playing the best golf at the end of the season to finish atop the podium in Jordan. Four Lakers shot scores in the seventies to bring home the championship on day two of state led by Herzog and Busker with 77s. Schramel posted a 79, along with Cihak. Cihak started the season shooting in the 90s and dropped a ton of strokes to help the team win in June. The last day of the season was the first time all four Lakers had broken scores of 80 in the same round. The state title was the sixth in program history for Detroit Lakes (2006, 2012-14, 2016-17). A win this season will match a program high of three in a row. From 2012-2017, only Red Wing has bumped DL from the top spot. The Lakers were the 2015 runners-up to the Wingers by three strokes. The Lak-
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ers were runners-up in 2011 and placed third in 2010. Red Wing dropped down from Class AAA this year and will be the preseason favorite to challenge for the AA championship. The Wingers were the AAA runners-up in 2017 led by co-champion Sophia Yeomans, the 2018 No. 1 ranked golfer and University of Missouri commit. Second on the team is Herzog’s cousin Leah. She placed seventh at state last year. DL will be the odds-on section favorites to repeat. Crookston was the last team to advance out of 8AA other than Detroit Lakes. The Pirates were the main contenders last season but DL won by 20 strokes to capture their eighth consecutive title. Herzog and Crookston’s Ally Tiedemann shared medalist honors. Tiedemann also returns for her senior season. DL opens the new campaign at the Lady Bulldog Invitational at Pebble Creek in Becker Thursday, April 12. “I think it’s going to be a good year. It’s going to be interesting to see who fills those spots,” said Herzog. Fans get a rare chance to see the Lakers in action early in the season at the Pelican Rapids Invite at Wildflower Tuesday, April 17. Another area meet on the docket is at Park Rapids (Headwaters) Monday, April 23, site of the subsection championships; also: Bemidji Town & Country, site of the section meet, Friday, April 27. The Lakers added a new event, the two-day Pequot Lakes Invitational May 1-2 at Deacon’s Lodge on day one and Crossroads Golf Course day two.
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BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Maggy Doll steps into some big but familiar shoes in taking over the Detroit Lakes girls track and field program replacing Mike Labine, who led the team for nearly 30 years until retiring from track after last season. Doll is no stranger to the program. She’s been coaching in Detroit Lakes for more than a decade and teaching in the district since 2008. She has worn a number of hats in the coaching realm with stints as the freshman girls basketball coach and one year as a boys basketball assistant. For the past eight years, Doll has been the middle school cross country coach and has been on and off contract with the track program mixing in motherhood on her off years. “The reason for my many changes was always because of my children,” she said. “On years that my children were born, I would change to volunteering. Doll, a graduate of Minnesota State University-Moorhead, has been away from the team the past two seasons Her main focus has been in the field with high jump before moving to the head of the program this spring. “I’m really excited to be back with the track program,” she said. “During the two years I was gone, I really missed working with high school kids. It is also fun to see the seniors, who were freshmen when I left, and how much they have improved. Being the head coach is definitely different than just being an event coach, but I have a great support staff of assistant coaches. They make the job much easier and incredibly fun. I’m excited to see where this group of girls
goes this year, they are extremely hard workers and want to be good. So far this season we have been making great gains towards our goals. We have been forced to take a break in competitions due to the weather, but all spring sports and teams are fighting that. Hopefully, we can get into another indoor or get this snow melting.” Last season, the DL girls were the MidState Conference runners-up to Pequot Lakes. Five sophomore Lakers brought home conference titles: Karrigan Hallisey long jump. Breanna Price discus, The 4x100m relay team won in a time of
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52.75. Teeya Doppler battled teammate Emily Larson to win the 100m dash; Larson got a Mid-State title of her own winning the 200m dash in 28.01. Larson is the lone runner not returning after suffering a knee injury in soccer. She has since moved to the defending state champion golf team. DL placed third at section True Team behind Pequot lakes and Perham led by Price with a win in discus and a runnerup shot put finish. Hallisey placed second in the long jump. Price was the last Laker girls to qualify for state after capturing the section dis-
cus title in 2016 as a freshman and finishing the year with a state 13th place finish. DL’s top section finishes last year came in relays with the 4x100 and 4x200 teams both placing seventh. Hallisey and Doppler return on the 400m team; Doppler, Olivia Hanninen and Jackson Hegg are back on the 800m team. Detroit Lakes has participated in two indoor meets at Concordia and Bemidji State University but are currently at the mercy of Mother Nature in getting the outdoor season underway.
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BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Laker senior and University of North Dakota commit Jay Nielsen returns as the team leader of the Detroit Lakes boys track and field team after finishing 11th in discus at state last season. “Definitely eyes on the section championship again in discus and obviously, number one goal to make it back to state and kind of redeem myself from last year,” Nielsen said. Nielsen went into the state meet after throwing a personal best 163-03 to capture the Section 8AA title but was unable to duplicate that effort in his first trip to biggest stage of the year. “I had a lot nerves going in and I worried too much about having to do my best and throw my best,” he said. “I tried a bit too hard to throw farther; I just have to relax.” Nielsen comes into his senior year with lessons on both sides and while he has another year of improved physical qualities, the mental aspect and learning how to compete at the highest level is one thing he learned as the section champion. “I felt like I didn’t have anything to lose going into sections; I just tried to throw the qualifier there because that gets you in automatically,” he said. “I didn’t necessarily need a huge throw.” Nielsen took care of business at sections with a qualifying throw in his first attempt and went on to win the event by four feet. Another goal for the season is to bring another Laker to state with him as throws have been the strong suit for DL in two indoor meets this season. “Absolutely, it’s kind of been me and Ben (Nordmark) and now there are a couple sophomores lurking in there,”
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Practice for the Detroit Lakes High School Adaptive Bowling team is underway and off to a strong start this year. “Everyone gets along great and it is fun to watch them cheer each other on as they try to get a strike or pick up a spare,” head coach Lisa Flynn said. Flynn is loving how everyone on the team is having fun. “Qualifying for a state tournament is always exciting, but watching them high five each other after getting a strike or bowling a spare is fantastic,” said Flynn. Returning to this team this year and hopeful for another trip to the state tournament are senior Clay King and junior Matthew Branch.
Nielsen said. DL had four discus throwers in the top 10 at the Little Amik meet in Bemidji: Nielsen, Nordmark and sophomores Brock Harrier and Caleb Tangen. Fellow senior Jake Kerzman, a Minnesota State University - Moorhead commit, is also a threat in discus and shot put. The 2017 Laker squad captured the Mid-State Conference title. DL has dominated conference competition the past decade. The Lakers won a third straight section True Team championship obliterating the field and outscoring runnersup Pequot Lakes by nearly 100 points.
DL won the meet with a team scoring effort rather than a pile of first place finishes. Nielsen surpassed a state-qualifying throw to win handily in discus. Laker relays won three of four races. St. John’s freshman Brady Labine leaves the biggest hole to replace on the roster. Labine was the 100m section True Team champ and a runner-up in pole vault. Connor Haugrud (Concordia) and Aaron Johnson (MSUM) also leave consistent shoes in distance for 2018 runners to step into. At state True Team, DL placed sixth led by Nielsen and Nordmark in shot
put and Nielsen and Kerzman in discus. Jaeger Gulseth is back with strong efforts in mid-distance dashes. Jake Bettcher excelled in jumps, along with fellow senior Zach Brandt. A few younger athletes have had strong starts to the indoor season. Sophomore Isaiah Thompson returns with plenty of speed in hurdles. Sophomore Peyton Nordby finished was top five at Bemidji in the 1,600m run. Sophomore Grant Gallatin was top seven in the 800m run and (2:19.91); Sophomore Jackson Rhodes was top 10 in long jump and senior Zach Brandt in the high jump placing ninth (5-04).
Along with the two returning bowlers are four newcomers to the team and they are sophomore Nick Schouviller and freshman Ian Riggle, Kaitlyn Ahles, and Lily Gilbertson. All six of these players are hoping to be state contenders and Coach Flynn is excited to see how the season progresses. The 2017 team featured a strong group and all four bowlers made it to the state tournament where they qualified in team and in women’s doubles. The team bowled their hearts out and everyone had an amazing time. Sectionals this year are on Tuesday, May 8 in Fergus Falls and those that qualify will head to the state tournament which is held in Brooklyn Park on Friday, May 18.
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BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Former head softball coach Bryan Anderson is making an emergency start in the clubhouse of the Lake Park-Audubon baseball team after former head coach Mike Baune stepped away from the team for personal reasons prior to the season’s start. Given the short timespan for Activities Director Jed Swegarden to find a replacement, Anderson accepted the position after Swegarden proffered the job. Assistant coach Alex Becher remains with the team. The Raiders are coming off a 6-14 season, but Anderson inherits a team with experienced players to build around. “We have a great returning nucleus of seniors to anchor this team,” he said. LP-A returns senior starters Josh Cigelske at third base and pitching, Marcus Stassen at shortstop and pitching, Jacob Anderson behind the plate, Grant Pederson in the outfield and pitching, Seth Felker in the outfield, Trevor Loberg at second base and Garrett Frank pitcher and serving as a utility player. “The returning senior class was probably the biggest reason I took the position,” Anderson said. “Our numbers are ok. Our Junior and sophomore classes are small with strong numbers in ninth grade and down. We will be looking to some underclassman to fill in a couple positions most notably first base and in the outfield as well as our pitching rotation.” The Raiders lost a pair of all-conference players in Mitch Hall and Mike Vohnoutka to graduation but have at least two players in the battery primed for end of season recognition. Stassen was the top pitcher on last year’s team with Anderson his mate behind the plate. Both players received honorable mention in the Pine to Prairie All-Conference. The Raiders finished in the middle of the pack in the conference at 5-5. Fosston went undefeated and 24-3 overall to capture the Pine to Prairie title. The Greyhounds represented Section 8A well finishing the year as the state consolation champions. Fosston lost their opener, but respond-
ed with two wins over Pillager in extra innings and MLGHEC-Truman (Martin Luther High School, Truman High School, Granada-Huntley-East Chain) 10-0 in five innings to capture fifth place. In 2017, the Raiders split the opening four games but ran into trouble after that entering a seven-game skid. LP-A’s play picked up as the season progressed going 4-5 down the stretch including a first round playoff victory over Northern Freeze in nine innings before falling to Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal 4-3 in the second round. Breaking even overall has been a struggle since the merger of the two baseball teams and Anderson is hoping to break new ground this season. “As a team we are hoping to improve on last year’s record and become the first LP-A team to have a better then .500 record,” he said. “This is a team with a lot of senior leadership and desire to end their careers on a strong note. Un-
fortunately the way the spring weather is shaping up it will make managing games, pitch counts and pitching staffs very difficult.” The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10 against Red Lake Falls before back-to-back road games April 16-17 at Barnesville and Brandon-Evansville. All three of those games will likely be at the mercy of Mother Nature and teams will more than likely play a compacted schedule without some quick springtime sun and warmer temperatures. The Minnesota State High School League allowed five-inning doubleheaders six years ago, as the season start was pushed back to late April. “We’re not to that point yet,” MSHSL associate director Bob Madison said on March 31. “We’ll continue to monitor conditions around the state.”
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
Lake Park-Audubon head softball coach Amanda Snyder heads into her second season leading the team with plenty of lessons from her first year at the helm. “I learned so much from last year: practice management, team management, and game management,” she said. “You don’t realize how much management goes into be a head coach. Each practice and game last year, taught me more about the girls we are coaching and about myself as a coach. Starting out this year, we just seem to have our head more into softball. We are thinking one step ahead of the plays we are making and cuts we we are taking in the batters box. It almost feels like we are the same team as were nine months ago, and that was a team that was finally putting all the elements of the game of softball together. We really meshed as team.” Snyder has a big boost to start the season with 10 returning starters from last year, including the top two starting pitchers in senior Maria Miosek and junior Carlie Ecker. “Both girls really complement each other on the pitching rubber,” Snyder said. “We have two great leaders in the circle this year.” Having double figures in returning starters means many of the Raider players are set in their spots in both the batting order and out in the field. “We have a lot of returning players who really found a home at certain positions throughout the season last year,” said Snyder. “Etta Miosek will continue to be our starting catcher, Kailee Lefebvre will be
our shortstop, Emily Thompson will be in the left field, Maddie Thompson will play center field, Isabel Varberg will in right field, Shadaisa Stalberger will play first base, and Charisma Francis at third base. As the season goes on things always seem to change in some way, but it is helpful to have so many returning players this season.” The softball program, as a whole, has 27 girls right now with a large number of 7-8th grade players allowing LP-A to hire a third coach and get some strictly junior high level games into the season. “This is great for building our program and the skills of all the players,” said Snyder.
Snyder is also looking to continue a strong summer program, as well. “We’ve started a 14U summer ball program and are hoping to add an 18U team this summer,” she said. “We are really trying to build a passion for the game and increased opportunities for these girls to get out and play.” Paige Johnson is the new junior varsity coach and also a fourth grader teacher at LP-A. “She has been amazing to work with and bounce ideas off of,” said Snyder. “She was a ninth grade volleyball coach this fall so came in with a really great rapport with all the girls. She is great addition to our softball program.”
While there is plenty to cheer about with participation numbers and the forward thinking of the softball program, one area that needs to improve is the wins column. LP-A is coming off a 1-17 season last year. “Our goal this season is obviously to get more wins,” said Snyder. “We only came away with one last year, but more important than winning is I want to see growth from each girl as the season goes on. We took some huge strides by the end of last year and if we can pick up where we left off more wins will be in our future. We’ve al RAIDER SOFTBALL TO 15
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APRIL 18, 2018
BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
The Lake Park-Audubon track and field teams are going to have a full and new experience this season after the school board approved a new co-op with Hawley high school earlier this year. Ulen-Hitterdal opted out of the coop with Hawley opening a spot for Lake Park-Audubon to opt in. The new team will be named like the wrestling co-op, the United Clay Becker Badgers. Ulen-Hitterdal merged with Norman County East, as they have in many other sports, to form the Norman County East/ Ulen-Hitterdal Titans. LP-A and Hawley’s co-op provides a number of positives and upgrades to the track and field experience that Raider athletes have not had in recent seasons competing independently. The team has a full roster of 80 kids between varsity and junior high at the two schools and athletes have the luxury of specialized coaches. Former LP-A head coach Laura Januszewski will be focusing on just the distance runners (800m, 1600m, 3200m, 4x800m) for workout preparation. She is one of three head coaches in the program along with Peder Naatz (100m, 110m, 300m Hurdles), Jon Hinrichs (Shot Put, Discus), and assistants Aaron Haugen (Sprints, Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump) and Kailee Martinson (Sprints, 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m). Athletes also have a higher level of competition for spots on the team. “We have a lot of talent that will make for excellent relay combinations,” said Januszewski. The last few seasons Raider runners have had to multitask and compete in as many events as possible to be competitive as a team. Combining with Hawley is going to allow for a full team experience and a complete facility for practice with pits, a track and throwing rings. Another new experience will be home meets. The Raiders have been road warriors as independents. Despite competing in small numbers, there are returning Raider athletes who bring section experience to the new team. LP-A sent seven individuals to compete at the Section 8A meet last year and postseason competition will be similar with UCB also competing in 8A. Six of those section qualifiers return. The boys’ 4x800m team of Garrett Cossette, Will Hannesson, Nick Donovan, and Bailey Johnson finished in fifth place. This team was young last season with three sophomores and one eighth grader (Cossette). The quartet holds the Raiders’ school record in the event. Johnson also placed seventh in the 800m. Sophomore Shawn Skjold competed in the long jump. Will James was the Up to 3400 Gallon Capacity
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lone qualifier lost to graduation. On the girls’ side, eighth-grader Lily Peterson just missed the podium in the 1600m with a ninth place finish and scored the lone Raider points reaching the section podium with an eighth place finish in the 3200m. Peterson is coming off a second straight trip to the state cross country meet last fall and should be a leader, even at such a young age, for the Badgers. “She has some great training partners at Hawley to push her,” said Januszewski. Other LP-A runners expected to make
some noise on the Badger girls’ team are also young in seventh-grader Taytum Nelson and eighth-graders Izzy Olson and Kayla Holmer. The Raider girls placed 23rd at the section 8A meet last year, while the boys placed 21st. Hawley boys placed seventh at sections and the Nuggets were 12th in the girls’ meet. The combined team should see improvements in those numbers this coming June. Neither team had a section champion but the Nuggets had four runners-up finishes on the boys side. Two athletes return from those finishes: junior Jacob Vetter
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(400m) and senior Parker Tjaden (800m). The top two individual finishes from returning girls fifth and sixth place finishes in the 800m by sophomore Paige Thompson and eighth-grader Faith Rustad. LP-A brings a 26 girls to the Badger squad built for the future with two seniors, four juniors, four sophomores, five freshmen and 11 seventh and eighthgraders. The boys team is comprised of 18 athletes, all underclassmen: (five juniors, two sophomores, six freshmen and five seventh and eighth-graders).
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APRIL 18, 2018
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BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
The Lake Park-Audubon boys golf team continues to evolve from an inexperienced group last season looking for better results this year. The 2017 team began the season with only one returning starter. Tyler Svare returns for his junior season to lead a group of five, experienced golfers in Garret Kleven, Justin Wetli, Andrew Softing, Andrew Wetli. “Tyler is our main golfer and brings
back a lot of experience,” head coach Kyle Haberman said. “I expect him to make that jump to the next level this year.” Haberman and assistant coach assistant coach Brian Robertson begin their second season at the helm. “We need to continue to build on last year’s season,” Haberman said. “We have a lot of young golfers and hopefully they put in the time to better our performances.” The Raiders are two seasons removed from their last state appearances made
by individual golfers with Clay Anderson and Chase Wiedemann advancing to the Class A meet. The golf program has yet to capture a section title or advance to state as a team. Ottertail Central returns as the champions of the 13-team section. The Bulldogs were also champions in 2014 with Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Laporte capturing the 2016 crown. Ottertail Central placed fifth overall at state.
Mahnomen/Waubun won the program’s first-ever state title last year after back-to-back runners-up finishes to Mounds Park Academy in 2015 and 2016. The Thunderbirds return two of the top four scorers from the title team in juniors Jaycee Clark (ninth) and Jon Starkey (40th). Eighth-grader Loden Clark (68th) and senior Trenten Johnson (85th) also return with state experience for the Thunderbirds.
RAIDER SOFTBALL FROM 13
der said. “I hope that continues for her as she graduates this year. My other two seniors year are Isabel Varberg and Charisma Francis. They are also great role models for the players in school and in practice. They never miss a practice and give it all on the field. Losing these three players next year is going to leave a big hole, but I am looking forward to see who will step up to fill it. I’ve watched these three girls grow over the last five years into great ladies who will go far in life.” The Raiders first opponent will be Mother Nature as the cold start to the spring has the home opener with Fertile-Beltrami in jeopardy. That game is scheduled for Thursday, April 12.
so talked a lot about getting ahead of the play, thinking about the next step, and this goes for both fielding and batting. I’ve seen these girls in practice this year moving into the next step and thinking beyond the play at hand. As we are batting we need to thinking about the next swing as soon as the last one is finished. Just really have our heads in the game at all times.” The Raiders have three senior leaders on the team with Maria Miosek at the head of the trio having been a varsity player since eighth grade. “She just seems to have a natural ability to lead and be a great role model,” Sny-
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The Lake Park-Audubon girls golf team consists of all freshman and sophomores with one returning starter on a team that will look to gain experience this season. One area the team does not lack experience is at head coach with Marge Beaudine nearing the completion of her 45th year teaching, nearly all of that time in the district. Beaudine lost a pair of seniors to graduation last year. Seven of the 10 Raider golfers are sophomores led by Kay Pederson, the lone golfer returning from the starting lineup last season. The other six sophomores are Bella Wollenberg, Emma Pederson, Hailey Miletto, Kylie Stevens, Morgan Kruger and
Morgan Nelson. Lake Park-Audubon sent individuals to the section meet last year as the full team was incomplete. With 10 golfers, the Raiders should be able to contend with at least four at this season’s 6A subsections and sections. Bethany Vareberg, DeAndra Williams and Katherine PIckett represent the freshman class. The Park Christian Falcons are the defending girls champion in 6A. The Falcons defeated Ottertail Central by 26 strokes and went on to place fourth at the Class A state meet in Becker. Emily Doeden tied for second place to lead Park Christian in her sophomore season. Park Christian enters the season favorites returning five of the six state team members this season.
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