Northfield Winter Sports 2018

Northfield High School GYMNASTICS (pg. 3)

BOYS SWIM AND DIVE (pg. 4)

WRESTLING (pg. 5)

BOYS HOCKEY (pg. 6)

GIRLS HOCKEY (pg. 7)

2018-19 WINTER SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

WEIGHTLIFTING (pg. 8)

DANCE (pg. 8)

ALPINE SKIING (pg. 10)

NORDIC SKIING (pg. 10)

BOYS BASKETBALL (pg. 11)

GIRLS BASKETBALL (pg. 12)

PAGE 2

Winter Sports Spotlight November 2018

A special project of the Northfield News 115 W. Fifth St., Northfield, MN 55057 www.southernminn. com/northfield_news Publisher/Editor: Chad Hjellming Regional Managing Editor: Suzanne Rook Creative Services: , Kate McGillen Advertising Manager: Jay Petsche Sales Associate: Kari Clark The Northfield News’ 2018-19 Winter Sports Spotlight is distributed to subscribers and readers of the Northfield News at no additional charge.

All rights reserved.

Copyright 2018.

All advertising contained herein is the responsibility of the advertisers. Please patronize and thank the advertisers for helping to make this special

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

2018-19 WINTER SPORTS SCHEDULES ALPINE SKI Dec. 18 — at Mankato Mount Kato Dec. 21 — at Chisago Lakes Invite at Wild Mountain Jan. 3 — at Mankato Mount Kato Jan. 11 — Welch Invite at Welch Ski Area Jan. 25 — Big 9 Conference race at Mankato Mount Kato Jan. 29 — at Welch Ski Area Jan. 31 — Invite at Welch Ski Area

BOYS BASKETBALL Dec. 6 — at Red Wing Dec. 11 — vs. Rochester John Marshall Dec. 14 — vs. Rochester Century Dec. 18 — at Mankato East Dec. 20 — vs. Albert Lea Dec. 27-28 — at Rochester Invite Jan. 3 — vs. Rochester Mayo Jan. 5 — at St. Paul Johnson Jan. 8 — at Mankato West Jan. 11 — at Austin Jan. 15 — vs. Faribault Jan. 18 — vs. Winona Jan. 25 — vs. Red Wing Jan. 26 — at Owatonna Jan. 29 — at Rochester John Marshall Feb. 1 — at Rochester Century Feb. 2 — at Big Lake Feb. 5 — vs. Mankato East Feb. 8 — at Albert Lea Feb. 12 — at Rochester Mayo Feb. 14 — vs. Mankato West Feb. 19 — vs. Austin Feb. 22 — at Faribault Feb. 26 — at Winona March 1 — vs. Owatonna

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Nov. 30 — vs. Winona

POSTSEASON GLANCE Alpine ski — Section 6A race Feb. 5 at Buck Hill Ski Area in Burnsville; State finals Feb. 13 at Giant’s Ridge in Biwabik.

Boys basketball — Section 1AAA tournament March 6-15 at higher seed and Rochester Civic Center; State tournament March 20-23 at Target Center at Williams Arena.

Girls basketball — Section 1AAA tournament Feb. 27-March 8 at higher seed and Rochester Civic Center; State tournament at Maturi Pavilion and Target Center.

Dance — Section 1AAA meet Feb. 9 at Bloomington Kennedy High School; State finals Feb. 15-16 at Target Center.

Gymnastics — Section 1AA meet Feb. 15 at Farmington High School; State finals Feb. 2223 at Maturi Pavillion.

Boys hockey — Section 4A tournament Feb. 19-March 1 at Aldrich Arena and Roseville Arena; State tournament March 6-9 at Xcel Energy Center.

Girls hockey — Section 1AA tournament Feb. 6-14 at highest seed at Owatonna Four Seasons Centre; State tournament Feb. 20-23 at Xcel Energy Center.

Nordic ski — Section 1A race Feb. 5 at Battle Creek Regional Park in St. Paul; State finals at Giant’s Ridge in Biwabik.

Boys swimming and diving — Section 1A meet Feb. 20-22 at Rochester Recreation Center; State finals Feb. 28-March 2 at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

Weightlifting — State tournament March 9 at Cannon Falls High School.

Wrestling — Section 1AAA tournament Feb. 14-16 (team) and Feb. 22-23 (individual) at Rochester Civic Center; State tournament Feb. 28-March 2 at Xcel Energy Center.

Dec. 4 — at Owatonna Dec. 7 — vs. Red Wing Dec. 11 — at Rochester John Marshall Dec. 14 — at Rochester Century Dec. 18 — vs. Mankato East Dec. 21 — at Albert Lea Dec. 27-29 — St. Olaf Invite Jan. 4 — at Rochester Mayo Jan. 8 — vs. Mankato West Jan. 11 — vs. Austin Jan. 15 — vs. Faribault Jan. 18 — at Winona Jan. 24 — at Red Wing Jan. 26 — vs. Owatonna Jan. 29 — vs. Rochester John Marshall Feb. 1 — vs. Rochester Century Feb. 2 — at Big Lake Feb. 5 — at Mankato East

Feb. 8 — vs. Albert Lea Feb. 12 — vs. Rochester Mayo Feb. 15 — at Mankato West Feb. 19 — at Austin Feb. 22 — at Faribault

DANCE Dec. 1 — at Forest Lake Invite Dec. 15 — at Rochester Mayo Invite Jan. 12 — at Bloomington Kennedy Invite Jan. 19 — Big 9 Conference meet at Albert Lea Jan. 26 — at Mounds View Invite

GYMNASTICS Dec. 6 — at Winona

Dec. 13 — at Rochester Century, Rochester John Marshall, Rochester Mayo Dec. 21 — at Faribault Jan. 3 — at Austin (location TBD) Jan. 5 — at Faribault Invite Jan. 10 — at Owatonna Jan. 15 — at Mankato East, Mankato West Jan. 18 — at Red Wing Jan. 26 — Northfield Invite (location TBD) Feb. 9 — Big 9 Conference meet at Winona

BOYS HOCKEY

Nov. 29 — vs. Faribault Dec. 1 — vs. Henry Sibley Dec. 6 — at Mankato East Dec. 11 — vs. Mankato West

Dec. 13 — vs. Rochester Mayo Dec. 15 — at New Ulm Dec. 18 — at Owatonna Dec. 20 — at Holy Family Dec. 22 — at Mahtomedi Dec. 29 — vs. Austin Jan. 3 — at Rochester John Marshall Jan. 5 — at Mankato West Jan. 8 — vs. Simley Jan. 10 — at Austin Jan. 15 — vs. St. Paul Academy Jan. 17 — vs. Winona Jan. 19 — at St. Paul Johnson Jan. 24 — at Rochester Mayo Jan. 31 — vs. Owatonna Feb. 2 — vs. Rochester John Marshall Feb. 5 — vs. Roseville Feb. 7 — at New Prague Feb. 9 — at Rochester Century Feb. 12 — at Albert Lea Feb. 14 — vs. Red Wing

GIRLS HOCKEY Nov. 29 — at Faribault Dec. 4 — at Holy Angels Dec. 6 — vs. Mankato East Dec. 8 — vs. Warroad Dec. 11 — at Rochester Century Dec. 13 — at Rochester Mayo Dec. 15 — at Dodge County Dec. 18 — vs. Owatonna Dec. 26-28 — at Farmington Tournament Jan. 3 — at Rochester John Marshall Jan. 5 — vs. Mankato West Jan. 8 — at Rochester Lourdes Jan. 10 — vs. Austin Jan. 12 — at Mahtomedi Jan. 17 — at New Prague

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NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

PAGE 3

Gymnastics moves with loads of returning talent

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

D

espite new digs, Northfield coach Leanne Fricke believes a standout season is on the way, primarily because of the multitude of familiar faces returning.

That includes a trio of state qualifiers from last year in senior Kasey Mohlke, sophomore Adison Dack and freshman Sidney Peterson. Combine those headliners, who Fricke said should all improve greatly this year, with plenty of support returning, and the coach sees plenty of signs for optimism.

“Honestly this is the most depth we have had on our team in a long time,” Fricke said.

SECTION 1AA Farmington Hastings Northfield Owatonna Rochester Century Rochester John Marshall Rochester Mayo Rosemount

All that returning talent will try to close the gap of Big 9 Conference and Section 1AA defending champ Owatonna, which edged Northfield by a handful of points at the conference championships before claiming the Section 1AA title ahead of second-place Rosemount and third-place Northfield. The Huskies went on to finish third as a team at the Class AA state finals for the 4second straight year.

At state, Dack finished 12th on the uneven bars and 28th with her floor exercise routine, Mohlke snagged 23rd with her floor exercise and Peterson swiped 20th on the balance beam.

The Raiders moved into their new home (part of the old Kmart building in Dundas) Nov. 21, with their first practice in the facility occurring Monday.

While they won’t be able to com-

pete at the facility, it still provides a local space for everyday practice.

“I cannot say thank you enough to the amazing community for making this possible for these girls,” Fricke said. “Without the generosity of Chris Brown lending us his facility for our season and our outstanding school district that worked tirelessly to make sure we had all the equipment we needed for a successful season, I am not sure where we would be today. I have always known that Northfield is an exceptional community, however, I am joyously overwhelmed by the many people and businesses who have offered up support for our program.”

The move has also attracted some new athletes to the program, with Fricke saying a handful of gymnasts from the Northfield Gymnastics Club have joined the high school team for this season, Northfield freshman Sidney Peterson (top) is one of three returners who competed in the state finals last year individually along highlighted by eighth-grader with senior Kasey Mohlke and sophomore Adison Dack. That trio will be supported by a wealth of returning talent like freshman Paige Mier.

Jolee Harris (bottom) that helped the Raiders take second in the Big 9 and third in Section 1AA. (News File Photos) First competition: Dec. 6 at Winona.

Last year’s finish: Northfield snagged second at the Big 9 Conference championships before finishing third at the Section 1AA meet and qualifying three gymnasts to compete individually at the state finals.

Important returners Kasey Mohlke, senior Hannah Ringlien, junior Ellie Stodden, junior Saundra Stodden, junior Adison Dack, sophomore Jolee Harris, freshman Sidney Peterson, freshman

Key newcomers Paige Mier, eighth grade Reach Sports Editor Michael Hughes at 645-1106. Follow him on Twitter @NFNSports. ©Copyright 2018 APG Media of Southern Minnesota. All rights reserved.

PAGE 4

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Speedy returners set to lead boys swim and dive

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

L

ast year, Northfield finished 8th at the state meet, won the Section 1A title and grabbed 3rd at the True Team state meet. This year, the Gators return almost the entirety of the roster that helped them achieve those high-tier finishes.

SECTION 1A Albert Lea Austin Faribault Mankato East Mankato West Northfield Red Wing Simley Winona

“It’s one of those things where with the numbers of seniors we have on this crew and how talented they are, it’s up to them

to write their story this year,” Northfield coach Doug Davis said.

Highlighting that loaded senior class are Andrew Becker, Josh Beumer, Jack Meehan and Ethan Schaffer, who have all played a part in at least one school record to this point in their careers, as well as Oscar Hanifl, who finished first in the diving competition at the true team state championships.

Add to that a smattering of speed throughout the younger swimmers, and the makings of a top team in Class A starts to take shape.

“There’s the possibility that we can be a team with depth and talent that can be a true team threat and possibly be in the mix there,” Davis said. “We can look for the possibility to defend our section championship and hopefully improve on last year’s eighth-place finish at the state meet by making a run for the top five.”

Northfield senior Alex Dell, left, is part of a senior class loaded with speed for the Gators this year. Five of them competed at the Class A state finals last year and helped Northfield finish eighth after lifting the Gators to a third-place finish at true team state. (News File Photo)

Davis believes the loss of his who both provided depth to help amount of talent that spent the only two seniors last year — Cul- Northfield finish so high at true majority of last season racking len Nelson and Brant Wieber, team — can be mitigated by the up wins for the junior varsity

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squad.

The quest for a third straight Section 1A title and an improvement on last year’s top-10 finish at the state finals, though, will be dependent on the top-end talent for the Gators. Based on pedigree and last year’s record-breaking speed, a large jump shouldn’t be out of the question.

“They’re eyeing several of the school records, too,” Davis said.

“It’s one of those things where we can look on paper and look at the success we had last year and the fact that only two kids graduated, it could be a very successful year this year.”

First meet: 6 p.m. Dec. 6 vs.

Rochester John Marshall Last year’s finish: Finished fourth at the Big 9 Championships before claiming the Section 1A title and finishing eighth at the Class A state championships.

See SWIM on 6

SCHEDULE: : Mark your calendars From Page 2 Jan. 24 — vs. Rochester Mayo BOYS SWIM AND DIVE Jan. 31 — at Owatonna Dec. 6 — vs. Rochester John Marshall NORDIC SKIING Dec. 13 — vs. Mankato West Dec. 4 — at Hyland Hills Ski Dec. 15 — at Mankato East Dec. 20 — at Austin Area Dec. 11 — at Hyland Hills Ski Dec. 27 — vs. Farmington Jan. 3 — at Albert Lea Area Dec. 18 — at Hyland Hills Ski Jan. 5 — at Austin Jan. 10 — vs. Red Wing Area Jan. 17 — at Owatonna Jan. 2 — at Hyland Hills Ski Jan. 24 — at Faribault Area Feb. 2 — vs. Mankato East Jan. 5 — At Minneapolis Feb. 8 — Big 9 Conference Southwest Invite at meet diving at Northfield Theodore Wirth Park Middle School Jan. 8 — at Hyland Hills Ski Feb. 9 — Big 9 Conference Area Jan. 12 — True team section meet swimming at Rochester Recreation meet at Valleywood Golf Center Course Jan. 15 — at Battle Creek Regional Park WEIGHTLIFTING Jan. 22 — at Valleywood Dec. 8 — at Cannon Falls Golf Course Jan. 12 — Northfield Invite Jan. 24 — at Kenwood Trail Feb. 9 — at KassonMiddle School Mantorville Jan. 29 — at Valleywood Golf Course WRESTLING Jan. 31 — at Valleywood Golf Course Dec. 1 — at Faribault Invite

Dec. 6 — at Austin Dec. 8 — at Coon Rapids Invite Dec. 13 — at Mankato West Dec. 15 — Northfield Invite Dec. 21 — vs. Rochester John Marshall Dec. 27 — at Rumble on the Red (Fargo, N.D.) Jan. 4 — at Rochester Century Invite Jan. 10 — at Henry Sibley Jan. 17 — vs. Scott West Jan. 24 — vs. Farmington, Rochester Mayo and Winona Jan. 26 — at Lake City Jan. 31 — vs. Faribault Feb. 2 — at Cannon Falls Invite Feb. 7 — at Albert Lea Tickets for all Northfield High School sporting events can be purchased at the event. Adults can obtain admission for $6, while students K-12 and individuals 65 and over will be charged $4, and Northfield High School students are admitted free of charge with their student ID.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

PAGE 5

With deep roster, wrestling setting sights high

By MICHAEL HUGHES tmhughes@northfieldnews.com t ith a healthy dose of seniors plus some youngr er wrestlers with state dtournament experience, North,field is looking to flip some perfceptions this year.

W

eSECTION 1AAA . eAlbert Lea eAustin eFaribault ,Farmington rNorthfield Owatonna .Rochester Century Rochester John Marshall dRochester Mayo -Winona h That has already begun in part, -with the Raiders starting the season as the 10th-ranked team in Class AAA, in addition to a total of six wrestlers earning spots on the in6dividual rankings and two topping

their respective weight classes.

“We’re off to a good start and we haven’t done anything yet,” Northfield coach Geoff Staab said. “It’s promising just to see that our guys are looked at as some of the best in the state. I think we have a lot of other weights where we might not be ranked yet, but we’ve got some guys in there by the end of the year.”

In terms of returning talent, Northfield has plenty, starting with junior Drew Woodley, who after finishing second in the state tournament last year in the 120-pound weight class, starts this season ranked first at 132. In terms of incoming talent, the Raiders aren’t lacking either, with senior Trayton Anderson transferring this year from Farmington. After finishing third in the state last year at 126, he starts the season ranked first in the state at 138.

Add in sophomore Chase Murphy (4th at 106), freshman Jake Messner (9th at 120), senior Kolby Olson (9th at 160) and junior Ethan Johnson (10th at 152), and a rocksolid lineup is starting to take shape.

Northfield junior Drew Woodley is starting the season ranked first in the state at Class AAA in the 132-pound weight class. Woodley finished second at state last year at 120. (News File Photo)

Messner and Johnson both qualified for the state tournament as individuals last year, while Murphy, Woodley, Olson and junior Kevin Garcia-Rosas were named all-conference, and Johnson, Darrin Kuyper and senior David Tonjum were tabbed

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as honorable mentions.

Northfield will have holes to fill at the heavier positions, with Sam Bakko and Matthew Casmey both graduating. Staab acknowledges he might have to get a little creative in dual meets to put his best lineup forward that goes

three wrestlers deep at some of the lighter spots but might have some athletes wrestling up a couple weight classes in the bigger weight classes.

With the right solution to that problem, the Raiders might be able to make some history this year. From

its preseason ranking spot at ninth, Northfield can look up and see only one section and conference foe above it — two-time defending conference champ Owatonna at No. 3.

If the Raiders can overtake the Huskies, they have a shot a qualifying for the state tournament as a team for only the second time after an appearance in 2010 and winning the Big 9 Conference for the first time in program history.

“We’ve got big expectations,” Staab said. “Owatonna is starting off the season ranked No. 3, and that’s the team we’re looking to get after this year. They’re obviously the preseason favorites in our conference and our section, but we think we’re right there with them.”

First competition: 10 a.m. Dec. 1 at Faribault Invitational.

Last year: Fell 39-24 in the Section 1AAA semifinals to Owatonna before advancing three wrestlers individually to the state tournament.

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PAGE 6

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Boys hockey replacing graduated talent with depth

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

R

eplacing the top pointscorer in the Big 9 Conference and Section 4A isn’t as simple as a straight replacement.

That’s the task assigned this season to Northfield, which will be without the services this year of Jacob Halvorson, who racked up 21 goals and 34 assists last season.

What the Raiders do have, though, is both his line-mates in senior forward Devon Jirik and sophomore forward Carson Van Zuilen, who combined for 42 goals and 49 assists alongside Halvorson.

Sliding up from the second line to replace Halvorson will be senior forward Garrett Sawyer, who scored eight goals and dished out six assists last season.

“He’s a big kid that skates well with a really heavy shot,” Northfield coach Mike Luckraft said.

“We just have to figure out how to get that group to play together and that’ll take some time.”

The goal for the Raiders is that their depth will mitigate any potential loss, with seven forwards that received varsity time last year coming back along with three starting defenders and senior Wes Lideen, who seized control of the starting goalkeeper job toward the

end of the regular season.

Lideen will start the year as the presumptive No. 1 option in net, although junior Cal Frank will still see significant time in relief.

“I always try to do that with the goalies,” Luckraft said. “It’s such a short season, so you have to try and find that guy and goalie’s such an important part.”

Joining the returning stable of defenders is senior Tuomas Kallioniemi, an exchange student from Finland Luckraft said he expects to slot into the lineup from the season’s first game Thursday night at home against Faribault.

The hope for Luckraft and the Raiders is this depth helps them over the top in the Big 9 Conference and Section 4A. In the Big 9, defending champs Rochester Century figures to be strong once again, while Mankato East starts the season ranked No. 10 in Class A by Let’s Play Hockey’s preseason rankings. Northfield is ranked No. 13 in the same poll, while Luckraft also said he projects a strong challenge from Rochester Mayo, which returns nearly every piece from last year.

In the section, Northfield will look to fight past Mahtomedi, which knocked out the Raiders in the semifinals 3-2 last year after the Raiders eliminated the Trojans in the 2016 state tournament.

SECTION 4A

Gentry Academy (1st season) Henry Sibley (4-20-2) Mahtomedi (22-8-1) Minnehaha Academy (14-12-1) Northfield (19-6-2) Red Wing (5-19-2) Simley (19-8-1)

South St. Paul (17-3) St. Paul Academy (5-21) St. Paul Highland ParkCentral (17-9) St. Paul Johnson (12-11-3) Totino-Grace (9-16-2)

TOP: Northfield senior goalie Wes Lideen (top) took over the starting goalie spot toward the end of last year and enters this season as the primary option in net, although the Raiders will rotate in junior Cal Frank.

BOTTOM: Northfield senior Garrett Sawyer (bottom) is slated to slide up to the top line for the Raiders. (News File Photos)

That state tournament trip dictates the larger goals of the season.

“Once you have a recent taste of it, it’s the ultimate thing that everybody wants to get back to,” Luckraft said. “We have a chance to realize those expectations, but we have to stay healthy, find a hot goalie and find the right nix of playmakers.”

First game: 7:15 p.m. Thursday vs. Faribault Last year’s record: 19-6-2 Last year’s finish: Swiped second in the Big 9 Conference before being knocked out in the Section 4A semifinals 3-2 in overtime against Mahtomedi, which advanced to

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the state tournament.

Major departures Tyler Blaha, forward Wil Fink, goalie Jimmy Fischer, defense Jack Fox, defense Jacob Halvorson, forward Skyler Parsons, forward

Important returners Devon Jirik, senior, forward Wes Lideen, senior, goalie Garrett Sawyer, senior, forward Andrew Kruger, senior, forward Larson Ringlien, senior, forward Cole Dack, senior, defense

Key newcomers

Zach Marvin, senior, forward Zach Anderson, senior, defense Kearic Gargrave, junior, forward Tuomas Kallioniemi, defense Zach Kruger, senior, defense Josh Kruger, defense Cal Frank, goalie Carson Van Zuilen, forward

SWIM: Returning talent set to compete From Page 4

Major departures Cullen Hauck Brant Wieber

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Important returners Andrew Becker, senior Josh Beumer, senior Oscar Hanifl, senior

Jack Meehan, senior Ethan Schaffer, senior Alex Dell, junior Marcus Hauck, junior Dillon Smisek, junior Erik Larson, sophomore

Key newcomers Brian Rodriguez, senior

Noah Schmokel, junior Jose Gonzalez, junior Owen Bernstorf, junior Reach Sports Editor Michael Hughes at 645-1106. Follow him on Twitter @NFNSports.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

PAGE 7

Girls hockey heavy on returners to start season

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

I

n terms of numbers, Northfield girls hockey enters this season a step ahead.

While the Raiders lose three significant seniors off last year’s team, they return 10 players who played significant minutes. That includes five returning starting defenders, as well as this year’s six-player senior class.

“That senior class is kind of a laid back group, which fits this team well,” Northfield coach Brent Bielenberg said. “There’s a lot of personalities in that group, too, but they set a good tone in the locker room and on the ice.

They’re good athletes and good workers, but also very approachable as seniors.”

SECTION 1AA Dodge County (15-11) Farmington (21-8) Lakeville North (14-11-1) Lakeville South (20-11) Northfield (15-9-2) Owatonna (16-9) Rochester Century (4-22) Rochester Mayo (20-6) Rochester John Marshall (7-19)

The Raiders will be without forward Madi Goldsworthy (15 goals, 23 assists), goalkeepers Mallory Tidona (94 percent save percentage, 1.80 goals against average) and forward Bri Forster, who’s counting statistics from last year (one goal, six assists) measure only a fraction of her importance as the team’s starting center,

Bielenberg said.

Northfield does return plenty of scoring, though, with senior defender Kate Boland (14 goals, 19 assists), sophomore forward Jess Boland (17 goals, 12 assists), senior forward Lizzy Morsching (10 goals, 13 assists), sophomore forward Mya Wesling (eight goals, 11 assists) and freshman defender Cambria Monson (six goals, 11 assists).

In replacing Tidona in net, the Raiders turn to senior Rachel Bielenberg, who has started in 15 games over the last two years.

“We’re replacing a goaltender, but it’s nice that Rachel isn’t coming in without any varsity experience,” Brent Bielenberg said. “She’s got 15 games under her belt and that’s nice to have.

We return probably 85 percent of our scoring from last year, so it’s not like we’re trying to replace 50 percent of our scoring. They’re good players and leaders that we’re losing, but this is a really good senior class on the ice and off the ice.”

Last year’s record: 15-8-2 Last year’s finish: Grabbed second in the Big 9 Conference before falling 1-0 to Lakeville North in the Section 1AA quarterfinals.

TOP: Senior defender Kate Boland is one of five defensive starters back from last year for Northfield and racked up 14 goals and 19 assists last year.

BOTTOM: Senior forward Lizzy Morsching combined 10 goals with 13 assists last year and has already posted a four-goal game this season. (News File Photos)

Kate Boland, senior, defense Siri Lindell, senior, defense Lizzy Morsching, senior, forward McKenna Nelson, senior, forward Anne Fossum, junior, defense Bri Forster, forward Jess Boland, sophomore, forward Madi Goldsworthy, forward Payton Fox, sophomore, defense Mallory Tidona, goaltender Mya Wesling, sophomore, forward Rachel Bielenberg, senior, goal- Cambria Monson, freshman, detender fense

Major departures

Important returners

WREST: Raiders with plenty of lineup choices From Page 5

Major departures

Messner/Chase Murphy 120 — Mason Edstrom/Sam HolSam Bakko man/Jake Messner Matthew Casmey 126 — Gavin Anderson/Kevin Garcia-Rosas/Sam Holman 132 — Drew Woodley 138 — Trayton Anderson 106 — Mason Edstrom/Beau 145 — Ethan Johnson/Darrin Murphy/Chase Murphy Kuyper/Todd Olson 113 — Mason Edstrom/Jake 152 — Ethan Johnson/Darrin

Potential lineup

Kuyper/Todd Olson 160 — Kolby Olson 170 — Nick Mikula/Mason Page/ Jack Stanton 182 — Jack Holman 195 — David Tonjum/Shayden Wellentin 220 — Antonio Carter/David Tonjum Hwt. — Antonio Carter/Nick Lopez

Key newcomers Grace Thurin, sophomore, forward Tove Sorenson, eighth-grader, forward Reach Sports Editor Michael Hughes at 645-1106. Follow him on Twitter @NFNSports. ©Copyright 2018 APG Media of Southern Minnesota. All rights

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PAGE 8

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Dance mixing fresh choreography with new dancers

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

T

he girls that make up Northfield’s dance team are some of the nicest you might meet, according to their coach Liz Cheney.

They might start holding the door open for a stranger and continue to do so until everyone in sight is through the door.

The problem is, Cheney wants to Hiliners to stop that behavior, at least for a few minutes at a time.

SECTION 1AAA Apple Valley Burnsville Eastview Farmington Lakeville North Lakeville South New Prague Northfield Owatonna Prior Lake Rochester Century Rochester John Marshall Rochester Mayo Rosemount

That’s because the theme of this year’s kick routine for Northfield is based around Vikings, who aren’t typically known for their courteous behavior.

“They’ve been loving picking up on the character,” Cheney said. “Last year we were pretty little mermaids and now this year we are these fierce Viking warriors, which means our choreography is very different. We’re trying to push the limits of what we’re normally doing and not recycle anything we’ve done in the past.”

The routine took fourth of five teams in Northfield’s first competition of the season Nov. 17, but Cheney said there’s not too much concern pertaining to early-season results due to the drastically different routine and a number of younger athletes still being mixed into varsity action.

As of now, only the kick teams is competing, with the jazz team joining in Dec. 15 at the Rochester Mayo Invitational.

While Cheney says some details surrounding how the jazz team might look this year are still being sorted out, a clearer vision

The Northfield kick team will be abandoning the cheerful choreography and themes associated with last year’s routine in favor of a Viking-themed routine this season. (News File Photo)

of this season’s kick team is starting to take shape.

“We’re really trying to focus on our kick difficulty, so taking away some of the kicks we’ve done in the past or easier combinations,” Cheney said. “As we go into the

season we’ll keep upping the difficulty on those and taking out the easier kicks and subbing them in with harder kicks.”

Next competition: Dec. 1 at Forest Lake Invitational Last year’s finish: Kick team

placed seventh at Section 1AAA meet, while jazz team placed 13th after the kick squad snagged third in the Big 9 Conference and the jazz team swiped eighth.

Major departures Shelby Mathews Audrey Ostberg Jaime Rice Nikkie Schultz Brooke Sexton

Strong junior class set to make big improvements for weightlifting

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

W

ith such a large junior class, Northfield coach Laura DeGroot recognizes the reality that this might not be the year the Raiders threaten to win a state title.

But, then again, those 15 juniors do form a formidable lineup of lifters, with a handful already competing at the state finals either as a varsity lifter or a junior varsity lifter.

“I just think all in all the movement is better so we’ll see a better progression into next year,” DeGroot said. “It is definitely a growing year, but I can see some of them going to state. Whether we’ll win state, I don’t have that on the top of my radar, but if we can

get multiple people there for the experience, it’ll make next year a little bit easier.”

The quartet of junior Luke Stanga, junior Emmett Forster, junior Hunter Simonson and freshman Rylee Nelson all medaled at last year’s state finals.

Stanga and Forster will be moving up to varsity at some point this season, while Nelson will continue to grow at the junior varsity level.

They’ll all be led by Victor Moran, one of two seniors back for Northfield this year.

“I just find him to be a really good leader and a role model and has come really far over the last year and has been training a lot in the offseason,” DeGroot said. “He may not be a shining star right off the bat, but I think we’ll see some big things

this year.”

Northfield will have to make up for the graduations of Luke Hahn, Preston Hoffer and Max Johnson, who all qualified for the state tournament last year, as well as Margretta Phillipsen, who has enrolled in an out-of-school program to get a head start on future college classes and won’t be able to compete in weightlifting this year.

Even with the relative youth, though, DeGroot is already spotting encouraging signs.

“What’s fun about this season so far is half my team came back and half are new, but the half that came back are mostly juniors,” DeGroot said. “The positional technical stuff that even the beginners this year have shown is really strong and their movement is fantastic.

I think we’re going to move into more strength quicker with this group of athletes.”

First competition: Dec. 8 at Cannon Falls Invitational.

Last year’s finish: Northfield qualified eight lifters for the state finals, with six earning a medal across the varsity and junior varsity competitions.

Major departures Luke Hahn Preston Hoffer Margretta Phillipsen Max Johnson

Important returners Victor Moran, senior Luke Stanga, junior Joey Glampe, junior Hunter Simonson, junior Emmet Forster, junior Rylee Nelson, freshman

Margretta Phillipsen is one of a handful of lifters Northfield will have to replace entering this year. (News File Photo)

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

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NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Nordic ski loaded with returning boys and girls

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

I

n terms of support, first-year coach Nichole Porath has it everywhere she seems to look.

On the roster, the Raiders return a trio of state qualifiers in senior Patrick Welch, junior Katie Schroeer and junior Caroline Peterson from last year, while Porath is also quick to praise her stable of talented assistant coaches in Craig Cardinal, Ellen McCarthy, who returns from last year, and Porath’s husband, Nate.

SECTION 1A Apple Valley Burnsville Eagan Eastview Hastings Lakeville North Lakeville South New Prague Prior Lake Rosemount Northfield Winona/Winona Cotter

“That’s just really exciting for me, especially since the two girls are juniors this year,” Porath said.

“Not only are they fantastic skiers, but they’re great leaders as well.

that’s pretty exciting.”

It’s too early to tell howm many of those new athletes will be able to contribute on varsity this year, Porath said, due to the relative inexperience and lack of snow so far this year to re-t ally judge and coach up nordica technique. y For the girls team, any newh contributors might push the Raid-T ers over the top after the groupt that finished third at the Section 1A race returns most every varsityR contributor this year. In additions to Schoreer and Peterson, Porathn is excited for what Claire Buss-m man might be able to accomplishs this year. e “She got a lot faster on rollery skis this summer and put a lot ofv work into it,” Porath said. t For the boys team, there’s some more slots up for grabs fort new athletes to slide into behindl Welch and senior captain Joshi Bisel, although Northfield didn’tg lose any varsity contributors toB graduation last year.

Northfield senior Patrick Welch is back to lead the boys squad after he qualified for the state tournament last season. Welch h Before any of that can be sort-a highlights a young boys team that returns every varsity contributor from last year. (News File Photo) ed out, though, some more snowa It’s a great gift to have inherited fourth boy to ever make it. Com- light a roster that as large as any gest it’s seen I think in the last 10 needs to settle onto the ground that for sure.” bined, that trio made up the larg- in recent memory, thanks to the years,” Porath said. “It helps that so the Raiders can put away their Schroeer and Peterson were est travelling party to Biwabik large numbers Porath has brought a lot of my cross country runners roller skis. the first Northfield girls in pro- for the state finals in program over from the boys and girls cross have continued on with me to gram history to qualify for state history. country teams. nordic and then we had a lot of This year, they return to highlast year, while Welch was the “Our team is one of the big- people return from last year, so See NORDIC on 12

N

Alpine ski hits the practice course for 1st time Thursday

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

S

o far this year, Northfield has been working without the advantage of skis.

This is nothing new for the Raiders, as the lack of snow at this time of year is pretty much a constant, but that figures to change soon.

“We will be on snow for the first time this Thursday, but so far the dry-land training is going really, really well,” Northfield coach Johnny Ostberg said. “The kids are very enthusiastic and I have quite a few kids coming back. We have a small team to begin with, but I have quite

a few kids coming back and even picked up four or five newbies.”

While the Northfield girls will have the recoup the loss of last year’s state qualifier Katie Brust, who finished fifth at state, Ostberg said he believes there’s plenty of speed up and down the roster to make up for any perceived drop-off. That includes Katie’s younger sister, Libby, a sophomore that regularly was the second or third-fastest Raider down the hill last year.

The returning speed also includes senior Caroline Pritchard and senior Teagan Cyr, who coopts from Red Wing.

As for a potential replacement, Northfield will gain junior Megan

Stein, who has plenty of racing experience at the club level but is set to rejoin the high school team for the first time in a few years.

The boys will feature less solidified depth, with only seven athletes on the roster to start the season. The pair of eighth-grader Billy Wilson, who co-opts from Cannon Falls, and junior Sam Hegseth figure to pace the Raiders up top, while seniors Zach Rose and Creegan Croone should also contribute heavily.

“We’ll hang in there,” Ostberg said. “Like I said we’re small but we’ll have a lot of fun.”

Wilson and Hegseth possess Northfield sophomore Libby Brust is one of a handful of speedy skiers back for the Raider girls

See ALPINE on 11 this year. (News File Photo)

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

PAGE 11

Boys basketball looking to burst through section

By MICHAEL HUGHES wmhughes@northfieldnews.com l y orthfield has become e plenty familiar with the k Rochester Civic Center, -the site of the section semifinals cand finals, over the last three years. This season, though, it’s whoping to introduce itself to the -Target Center, the site of the state ptournament. n For the past three years, the yRaiders have watched their seanson end in the Section 1AAA fihnal, with a 74-72 defeat to Austin -marking the final game last seahson. With three starters and four experienced seniors returning this ryear, Northfield coach Andy Berkfvam believes this could be the year the breakthrough occurs. s “We’ve been to the finals rthree years in a row and we feel dlike we should be right there and hif we get to that game, we have a tgood chance to win it this year,” oBerkvam said. “You have to stay healthy, but I would say (the goals -are) contend for the conference wand contend for the section.” d r

N

SECTION 1AAA

Albert Lea (0-26) Austin (27-4) Kasson-Mantorville (13-15) Northfield (15-9-2) Red Wing (5-22) Simley (11-17) Winona (8-19)

The Raiders return seniors Mason Zick (14.7 points, 5.4 rebounds a game), Mitchell Stanchina (8.3 points, 4 re-

bounds) and Blake Christensen (5.9 points, 3.3 assists) from last year’s starting lineup, while senior Jackson Schlaak was also featured heavily off the bench.

That core will try and replace a six-player senior class that included Alex Rasmussen (15.7 points a game), Carter Hodapp (8.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists), Mason Otterdahl (7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds) and Lars Prestemon (2.3 points, 2.8 rebounds).

Northfield will also have the help of some headliners from last year’s junior varsity team, which includes senior forward Michael Ims, who has risen to 6-foot-6, as well as junior guard Nick Touchette, sophomore guard Kip Schetnan and sophomore guard Karsten Clay.

“He’s the best shooter in our program and it’s not even close,” Berkvam said of Clay.

As for the top-end scoring, Berkvam said he’s not too concerned about who might fill in for Rasmussen, last year’s top scorer.

“I think the scoring will be fine,” Berkvam said. “Obviously Mason Zick will score for us, Mitchell will score for us and I think they’re both double-figure scorers. I think Jackson Schlaak has a chance, he’s about 6-8 now, I think he has a chance to score in double figures and be right there, and then Blake. Blake should be right there averaging in double figures.”

First game: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at Red Wing Last year’s record: 18-8 Last year’s finish: Finished fifth in the Big 9 Conference before falling 74-72 to Austin in the Section 1AAA final.

TOP: Northfield senior Mason Zick is one of three starters returning from last year, and is expected to lead the Raiders in scoring this year. Last year, he averaged 14.7 points a game.

BOTTOM: Northfield sophomore guard Kip Schetnan played a handful of minutes at the start of last year, before an injury cut into his playing time. This season, he figures to headline a crop of new faces for the varsity squad. (News File Photos)

Major departures Carter Hodapp, guard Lars Prestemon, guard Alex Rasmussen, guard Mason Otterdahl, forward

Important returners

Blake Christensen, senior, guard Jackson Schlaak, senior, forward Mitchell Stanchina, senior, forward Mason Zick, senior, guard

Key newcomers

Michael Ims, senior, forward Danny Gill, senior, forward Westin Sannes, senior, forward Nicholas Touchette, junior, guard Karsten Clay, sophomore, guard Kip Schetnan, sophomore, guard

ALPINE: Young Raiders ready to compete From Page 10

the most racing experience, while Ostberg said Rose and Croone are entering their fourth year of racing and a leap in speed might be waiting around the corner.

For both the boys and the girls, Ostberg said to expect better results later than earlier in the season.

“We’re going to be alright,” Ostberg said. “It’s going to take us

a little while to build up the momentum, but I think that they’re good and we’ve got a couple of other guys that are brand new.

They’re entirely enthusiastic, but they still have a lot to learn.”

Key returners Creegan Croone, senior Teagan Cyr, senior

Caroline Pritchard, senior Zach Rose, senior Linnea Thurnheer, senior Sam Hegseth, junior Libby Brust, sophomore Billy Wilson, eighth grade Reach Sports Editor Michael Hughes at 645-1106. Follow him on Twitter @NFNSports.

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PAGE 12

NORTHFIELD NEWS WINTER SPORTS

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Girls basketball attempting to fill gaps from graduated seniors

By MICHAEL HUGHES

mhughes@northfieldnews.com

T

he start of the season is all about filling holes for Northfield.

With the loss of five seniors from last year’s state runner-up team, the immediate gaps are evident, but coach Tony Mathison is more focused of who might fill some of the less visible holes left by last year’s senior class.

“Probably more importantly is who is going to take over leadership roles and keep us on task,” Mathison said. “We had a pretty good group of kids that did that last year.

We’ve talked about it and there are some kids there that are capable of doing it, and the sooner that happens the quicker we come together as a team and start to reach some of the goals they want to achieve.”

Returning from last year is senior forward Rachel Kelly, who is entering her third season as a starter, senior forward Emma Carlson, who started off and on last year, as well as sophomores Lizzie Berkvam and Annika

Richardson, who received substantial playing time as freshmen.

Those four, plus a number of other seniors looking to graduate from the junior varsity squad and some younger talent, will look to earn a permanent spot in the rotation during the early parts of the season.

From last year, the Raiders lose starting point guard Grace Touchette, who’s now playing at Hillsdale College, as well as forward Annika Hoff, who’s now at Cornell, in addition to all-conference forward Annalee Olson-Sola and starting guards Taylor Ernste and Clara Noack. Mathison said he’s not in a rush to plug those gaps. Northfield might endure some losses toward the start of the season, but Mathison said he hopes that’s all in preparation for a later peak.

“Every coach says it every year, but you’re trying to play and be ready for February and March,” Mathison said.

“Our goal is to win each game and prepare to do that. All those kids, I’ve talked to them to a person, and they would like to do what we did last year.”

Part of what the Raiders ac-

First game: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at Winona.

Last year’s record: 27-4 Last year’s finish: Won the Big 9 Conference and Section 1AAA before falling to Robbinsdale Cooper in the Class AAA state final.

Major departures Taylor Ernste, guard Annika Hoff, forward Clara Noack, guard Annalee Olson-Sola, forward Grace Touchette, guard

Important returners Northfield senior Rachel Kelly is the lone returning starter from last year. Kelly has started for the last two seasons and last year averaged 10.8 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. (News File Photo)

complished last year was a Big 9 Conference title, which Mathison said he thinks his team will be able to contend for again, although it won’t be simple.

Austin returns its entire team from in addition to regaining a couple players who missed last year

NORDIC: Dreaming of a white Christmas From Page 10

“We did get on snow one Saturday morning and one Monday, but it was just on that one inch of snow that we got,” Porath said. “Even me, I would ski around and hit a patch of grass and fall down. It was not the best type of skiing, but it was something. It was pretty early to get on snow so we’re thankful for that.

This part of the season is always tough because you just don’t know.

You can’t plan far ahead because if there’s ice or snow on the road you can’t roller ski, but if there’s only an inch of snow you can’t really ski.”

First competition: Dec. 4 at Hyland Hills Ski Area Last year’s finish: Northfield advanced three skiers to the state finals, while the girls finished third in SecNorthfield junior Katie Schroeer was one of two Raider girls, tion 1A and the boys grabbed sixth. along with junior Caroline Peterson, to qualify for the state

Important returners Josh Bisel, senior Jack Kelly, senior Patrick Welch, senior Jess Messner, junior

finals last year. (News File Photo)

Caroline Peterson, junior Katie Schroeer, junior Claire Bussman, sophomore Sam Folland, eighth grade

Reach Sports Editor Michael Hughes at 645-1106. Follow him on Twitter @NFNSports.

with torn ACLs, in addition to a typically tough Red Wing team and a Mankato West squad that starts the season ranked No. 7 in Class AAA after returning a wealth of talent from last year, when it fell to Northfield in the state quarterfinals.

“I’d like to think we’ll be in the mix, I don’t know why we

wouldn’t,” Mathison said. “We had a number of games we won comfortably, but we had a quite a few that were close and we were fortunate enough to win those. I’d like to think we’ll be competitive and do what we need to do each game to have our name mentioned as we go through the conference.”

Emma Carlson, senior, forward Rachel Kelly, senior, forward Lizzie Berkvam, sophomore, guard Annika Richardson, sophomore, forward

Key newcomers

Annika Guggisberg, senior, guard Izzy Hessian, senior, forward Maddie Hessian, senior, guard Nora Lehmkuhl, senior, guard Lisette Salgado, senior, forward Emma Johnson, junior, forward

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