SoMINN WINTER SPORTS 2025-2026

gYMNASTICS

(File

Owatonna gymnastics

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Kiana Starks, 1st year as head coach (4th year overall with program)

ROSTER:

Seniors: Kendra Miller, Chloe Myer, Dylann Norrid.

Juniors: Johanna Spielman, Alivia Sturges.

Sophomores: Delia Neumann, McKenna Edel, Ava Maves.

Freshman: Ellie Blum.

Eighth-Graders: Cadence Barsch, Paige Hullopeter, Josiana Spielman.

LUCK

KEY PLAYERS:

I have 9/12 of my athletes returning from our state championship team last year. I expect all of them to continue to make an impact on our team.

We have Delia Neumann, who was the 2025 state champion on beam returning along with Chloe Myer, who placed 3rd at the 2025 state championships. I also expect Kendra Miller, Johanna Spielman, & Dylann Norrid to stand out, as they all

were 2025 individual state qualifiers.

I have no doubt that Paige Hullopeter, Ava Maves, Alivia Sturges and McKenna Edel will also have significant contributions. Our team has so much depth, each kid has their unique way of contributing on a varsity level.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Ellie Blum

2024-25 RECAP:

2025 Big 9 champions

2025 Section 1AA champions

2025 AA State Champions

2025-26 SEASON OUTLOOK: Our goals are to head back to state as a team and defend our state championship title..

COMPETITION:

We are extremely competitive and tend to be the favorite in the conference. Our biggest competition in our section in the past few years has been Lakeville South. We’ve been neck-and-neck for the past few years. They’re a talented team, so I expect that to be our biggest competition again.

BY THE NUMBERS:

12 - total gymnasts

9 - returners from last year’s state championship team

3 - standout seniors

Chloe Myer performs on the beam at the state individual competition. She placed 3rd in the event and will look to return to state with the Huskies in her senior year. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

Owatonna head coach Kiana Starks talks with Delia Neumann before preforming on the bars at sections last year. Starks was the Huskies assistant coach last year when the team won its 1st state team title. Neumann is now a sophomore and was the individual state champion on the beam in her freshman season.

Photo — Owatonna.com)

Faribault gymnastics

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Larissa Rasmussen, 10th year coaching Faribault High School Gymnastics, 15th year coaching overall Assistant coach: Tom Smith, 4th year coaching Faribault High School, 38th year coaching overall

ROSTER:

Abby LaLiberty (12), Grace Porter (12), Aubrey Paul (11), Rarity Hughes (11), Risa Paquette (11), Sophia Conn (10), Alyssa Dudley (9), Allison Kramer (9), Kaci Purdie (9), Makena Gunderson (7)

KEY PLAYERS:

With all four of last year’s varsity athletes returning, the team enters the season with a strong core of experience and stability. Senior Abby is expected to anchor the lineup once again, bringing not only skill but also leadership in her final year. The roster also gets a boost from Grace, who joins the varsity squad after competing in club gymnastics; her technical background and competitive experience should translate well to high-school competition. Another promising addition is Makena, a talented seventh grader making her varsity debut. Despite her youth, she is already proving herself as a standout athlete—fresh off a strong state diving performance where she finished 11th—and is expected to contribute immediately across multiple events.With all four of last year’s varsity athletes returning, the

team enters the season with a strong core of experience and stability. Senior Abby is expected to anchor the lineup once again, bringing not only skill but also leadership in her final year.

The roster also gets a boost from Grace, who joins the varsity squad after competing in club gymnastics; her technical background and competitive experience should translate well to high-school competition. Another promising addition is Makena, a talented seventh grader making her varsity debut. Despite her youth, she is already proving herself as a standout athlete— fresh off a strong state diving performance where she finished 11th—and is expected to contribute immediately across multiple events.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

The newcomers are expected to make an immediate impact on the varsity squad this season. Grace, arriving with a strong background in club gymnastics, brings polished technique and competitive poise that should immediately strengthen the lineup. Makena, a gifted seventh grader fresh off an 11th-place finish at the state diving meet, is another athlete to watch as she makes her varsity gymnastics debut. The team also welcomes three new ninth graders and a junior, each with a range of experience and solid potential as they grow into JV and possibly varsity roles.

Meanwhile, last year’s returners — Sophia, Aubrey, Rarity, and Abby — have been putting in significant offseason work and are focused on

Northfield gymnastics

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Zoe Ingersoll, 7th year, Assistant coaches: Andrea Peterson, 5th year, Tabitha Tschann Lattery, 1st year

ROSTER:

Tara Alaniz (Captain, 12), Mabel Jackson (12), Samantha Pasch (12), Sophia Gounaikis (11), Ava Podracky (11), Avery Sammon (11), CoCo Schuster (11), Kate Wiebe (Captain, 11), Siena Hupton (10), Josie Porter (10), Charlotte Running (10), Ally Hausen (9), Evelyn Hubers (9), Mia Foley (8), Madi Smith-Nelson (8)

KEY PLAYERS:

We have 5 athletes returning from our small but mighty team of 8 athletes last year. Avery Sammon(11) saw strong performances on balance beam and floor at our Big 9 Conference Championship and Section 1AA meets. Kate Wiebe(11) was out with an injury at the end of last season, but also had strong performances on balance beam and floor in her 9th-grade season.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

With 10 new athletes on our team this season, we have a lot of names to watch. I am excited to see where these athletes fall as their high school careers begin. I would keep a close eye on Sophia Gouinaikis(11), Evelyn Hubers(9), Ava Podracky(11), and

upgrading their routines with new skills. Their continued development, combined with the promising newcomers, gives this year’s squad an exciting mix of experience and emerging talent.

2024-25 RECAP:

The 2024 season was a year of growth and rebuilding for Faribault gymnastics. Competing in a strong Big 9 Conference, the team made steady progress throughout the year and gained valuable experience against some of the state’s top programs. While the Falcons did not finish near the top of the conference standings or advance to the state meet, several athletes delivered personal-best performances at key points in the season, especially during the sectional competition.

The adversity the team faced — from injuries to a very limited roster — ultimately helped shape a more resilient group, and the returners have brought that experience and determination into the 2025 season. Last year’s foundation set the stage for meaningful improvement and higher expectations this winter.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

This season we’re excited to blend experience with fresh talent. We have four returning gymnasts who bring leadership and consistency, along with three new ninth graders and a junior who are learning quickly and adding great energy to the lineup. We’re also fortunate to add a senior with a strong competitive club background, as well as a very talented seventh grader coming off an impressive

Josie Porter(10) over the next few years.

2024-25 RECAP:

Our 2024 season ended with barely enough healthy athletes to compete as we dealt with injuries. We are looking forward to a stronger season ahead.

Big 9 Conference Championship: 8th place, score: 124.675.

Section 1AA Championship: 6th place, 130.50.

At the sections meet, we had two top 15 finishes.

At the conference championship, we had three top 15 finishes.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We are rebuilding our team again this year. I am hoping the girls are able to have fun, grow as a team, and feel excited as they see themselves and their teammates hit their goals. We have

11th-place finish at the state diving meet. Our goals every year start with keeping everyone healthy — even though injuries are part of the sport, we work hard to minimize them and support each other through the ups and downs. We also focus on adding to each gymnast’s routines, increase difficulty where they can, and improve scores from meet to meet. With this group’s work ethic and potential, we expect steady growth throughout the season and look forward to seeing where that progress takes us.

COMPETITION:

Our conference and section are always competitive, and this year should be no different. Owatonna is the clear conference favorite after winning the state championship last season, and both Winona and Mankato consistently field strong, well-coached teams. For us, the focus is on steady improvement rather than comparing ourselves to programs with more depth or experience. With our mix of returners and new athletes, we may start the season a little behind some of the top teams, but we expect to close that gap as the girls build confidence and add skills to their routines. If we continue to progress meet by meet, we believe we can be right in the mix by the end of the season.

BY THE NUMBERS:

10 - total players

5 - letter winners

3 - seniors

a lot of new faces, which means we are trying a lot of new skills out right now, and these girls have a lot of potential. I am excited to see where they go and how they embrace their theme of the yea,r which is about not throwing away any of the shots they have this season.

COMPETITION:

It’s always hard to say how we will stack up against the rest of the teams in our conference and section, as all of our teams have changed this year. I will say, we have a lot of potential to be a strong competitor this season, and the girls want to see us winning and placing at meets.

BY THE NUMBERS:

15 - total players

5 - letter winners

3 - seniors

PUBLISHER:

SoMinn SPORTS Winter Preview is distributed to subscribers and readers of the Owatonna People’s Press, Faribault Daily News, Northfield News, Kenyon Leader, Waseca County News, St. Peter Herald, Le Sueur County News ©2024 This publication is copyrighted by the APG Southern Minnesota and no content can be reproduced without permission.

Abby LaLiberty runs prior to her vault attempt. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Aubrey Paul competes in the vault against Austin. (File Photo - Faribault.com)

Waseca gymnastics

COACHES:

Head coach: Kim Wendland, 10th year

Assistant coach: Katheryn Kofstad, 1st year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Nora Flatness, Layla Keith. Juniors: Katelyn Weber, Hannah Parks, Angelica Lopez.

Sophomores: Miley Anderson, Avery Carda. Freshmen: Ellie Clark, Aaliyah Wyttenbach.

Seventh-Graders: Lindy Bergdale, Lydia Bjortomt, Sydney Hayes, Adelynne Kruger, Aubrey Peterson.

KEY PLAYERS:

Katelyn Weber and Hannah Parks were named team captains and will return for their junior seasons.

Senior Layla Keith is coming back after taking last year off, so super excited to get her back to State.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Returners from last year’s squad including Miley Anderson and Avery Carda.

New athletes joining the team this year, including junior Angelica Lopez, who was the team manager last season.

2024-25 RECAP:

Last year was one of the most cohesive teams

St. Peter gymnastics

ROSTER: 12th,

coach - 10th year

coaching at the high school level

Assistant coach: Lisa Landsom, 2nd year

Assistant coach: Ally Rekstad 1st year

I have coached at Waseca. The girls showed up every practice and every meet, doing their best and supporting their teammates. We had a small team with a lot of depth, which enabled us to stay consistent with our team score averaging 132 points per meet. We had strong leadership from our captains Bella Wikan and Katelyn Weber. This team worked hard during the season to implement new skills and set personal records on each event and the all-around. I am extremely proud of how these athletes showed up all season!

Our team had their highest team score at sections with a score of 134.275, the third highest in school history. Although our season record doesn’t show it, we really had consistent scoring and lost a couple of really close meets!

We capped off our season with Bella qualifying for the Mn State Gymnastics Meet, punching her ticket with a 3rd place in the All-around and first place on Bars 9.25. She also broke three school records; bars with 9.475, vault with a

9.25 and all-around with a score of 37.25.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Should be another great year!

COMPETITION:

In the same section as last year. Finished in 4th out of the 9 teams at the Section 2A meet with 134.275 points. Finished only behind Mankato East, Mankato West, and Martin County Area. The section now has 8 teams this year, as St. James is no longer in it.

BY THE NUMBERS:

14 - athletes

2 - seniors

3 - juniors

2 - sophomores

2 - freshmen

5 - 7th-graders

KEY PLAYERS:

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: we will be keeping a close eye on Lydia Y,

2024-25 RECAP:

in the

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We are focused on the foundations of growth and working hard this season.

COMPETITION:

We have a lot of new gymnasts this year so we will be working hard on the fundamentals to build a solid team for the year and the future.

BY THE NUMBERS:

17 - total players

3 - seniors

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Camille Kurtenbach, 3rd year as head

Kyla Yost, Lydia Yost, Sophia Sampson, 11th, Devyn Welp, 10th, Jadya Becker, Avyn Myhra, 9th, Finnigan Wenner, Skyla Dale, Laynee Lyons, Roba Salim, 8th, RomeElia Castro, Mahniya Monroe, 7th, Ashlynn Esser Darling, Aubree Tish, Beatrice Combs, Kinley Janovsky, Mila Wilmes

Sophia Sampson is a gymnast to watch for our season this year.

Kyla Y, Avyn M & Jayda B

Trista Landsom participated

state tournament on Bars.

Layla Keith performs at sections her sophomore year. Keith will return to the Bluejays this season after taking her junior season off. (File Photo - WasecaCountyNews.com)

Lydia Yost. (file photo - StPeterHerald.com)

Sophia Sampson. (file photo — StPeterHerald.com)

Hannah Parks Katelyn Weber

DANCE & KICK

Faribault dance & kick

COACHES:

Head Coach: Andrea Sietsema, 2nd year head coach. Assistant Coaches: Sarah Howell, Lisa Dahl, Samantha Dienst, Ava Korbel & Jordan Pechacek

ROSTER:

*Captains

*Diana Gonzalez (12, Varsity Kick/Varsity Jazz), *Courtney Keilen (12, Varsity Kick/

Varsity Jazz), *Leah Nowaczewski (12, Varsity Kick/Varsity Jazz), *Samantha Rezac (12, Varsity Kick/Varsity Jazz), Sienna Flintrop (11, Manager), Cailee Sanchez (11, Varsity Kick/ Varsity Jazz), Hattie Danberry (10, Varsity Kick/ Varsity Jazz), Elle Simon (10, Varsity Kick/ Varsity Jazz), Chloe Gjerald (9, Varsity Kick/ Varsity Jazz), Charley Green (9, JV Kick/JV Jazz), Lilyan Lopez (9, Varsity Kick/JV Jazz), Abigail Patterson (9, Varsity Kick/Varsity Jazz), Leighton Flintrop (8, Varsity Kick/JV

Jazz), Lauren Kaderlik (8, Varsity Kick/Varsity Jazz), Mia Mensing (8, Varsity Kick/Varsity Jazz), Stella Mosely (8, Varsity Kick), Elliette Schultz (8, Varsity Kick/JV Jazz), Addy Hering (7, JV Kick/JV Jazz), Kenadie Velishek (7, JV Kick/JV Jazz), Miley Voegel (7, JV Kick/JV Jazz), Hattie Vollbrecht (7, JV Kick/JV Jazz)

KEY PLAYERS:

Our four senior captains—Diana Gonzalez, Courtney Keilen, Leah Nowaczewski, and Samantha Rezac are back for their final season. Each of them brings exceptional talent, experience, and leadership to both our High Kick and Jazz teams, and we’re excited

to see the impact they’ll make this year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Eighth grader Lauren Kaderlik is new to our program this year. She comes in with a strong studio background and is bringing an incredible amount of Jazz talent to our jazz routine. While the kick style is new to her, her training and work ethic have helped her fit in beautifully with our kick team.

FARIBAULT DANCE & KICK CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Ranzau (8), Dani Seesz (8), Tenley Updike (8), Blayke Vrieze (8), Kennedy Wood (8)

Northfield dancers, left to right, Maren Simonson, Megan Carlson, Leena Brown and Lilly Holman perform at the 2024 Big 9 championships. (File Photo - NorthfieldNews.com)

The Emeralds Varsity Jazz team dancing to “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”. (File Photo — Faribault.com) Emeralds Varsity Kick dancing to “Ride the Lightning.” (File Photo — Faribault.com)

2024-25 RECAP:

Owatonna dance & kick

COACH:

Emma Paquette - 1st year as head

ROSTER:

Varsity Kick - Addy Johnson, Addy Schaner, Aubrey Groby, Carly Wigham, Claire Noble, Emily McMasters, Jaylin Kilwine, Jocelyn Anselmo, Kate Fandel, Kate Karsten, Kelbie Johnson, Molly Holmen, Megan Wright, Pearl Boetel, Rorie Woodfill, Sophia Miller, Victoria Koziolek.

Varsity Jazz - Addy Johnson, Addy Schaner, Aubrey Groby, Emily McMasters, Jaylin Kilwine, Jocelyn Anselmo, Molly Holmen, Pearl Boetel, Rorie Woodfill.

JV Kick - Ellie Torres, Ellie Zeman, Cecilia

Ferreira Peixoto, Chloe Millar, Damaris Borkenhagen, Hanna Simon, Jayla Ortiz, Kaleigh Hendrickson, Lily Lechleitner, Madi Cupkie, Manuela Ferreira Peixoto, Olivia Terres, Rosie Procopio, Tenley Niles, Tess Underwood.

JV Jazz - Carly Wigham, Chloe Millar, Claire Noble, Ellie Zeman, Hanna Simon, Kaleigh Hendrickson, Kate Fandel, Kate Karsten, Kelbie Johnson, Madi Cupkie, Megan Wright, Sophia Miller, Victoria Koziolek.

B-Squad Jazz - Cecilia Ferreira Peixoto, Damaris Borkenhagen, Ellie Torres, Jayla Ortiz, Lily Lechleitner, Manuela Ferreira Peixoto, Olivia Terres, Rosie Procopio, Tenley Niles, Tess Underwood.

Tri-City United dance & kick

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Katey Weiss, 6th year

Assistant coach: Melissa Goettl, 1st year

Assistant coach: Danielle Glynn, 2nd year

ROSTER:

Sophia Arroyo 7, Aubrie Vosejpka-Gregor 7, Jaylynn Perez 7, Eliana Sauter 8, Lyla Mach 8, Isla Stock 8, Kendall Jirik 8, Anna Shippman 8, Isabelle Russell 8, Stella Gregor 9, Carigan Lundquist 9, Brooklyn Simon 10, Grace Harmeyer 10, Raena Weiss 11, Chelsea Oros Chimal 11, Kaytlyn Miller 12, Chloe Maddox 12, Emily Kuchinka 12, Olivia Westerman 12, Haley Stevens 12, Laney Motz 12

KEY PLAYERS:

Kaytlyn Miller and Olivia Westerman are two senior dancers who put in a lot of time choreographing our Jazz and Kick routines. They’ve been on the varsity jazz or kick team for the majority of their 6 years with the dance team. Raena Weiss, junior, put in a lot

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

2024-25 RECAP:

Big 9 Conference: Last year we placed 4th in Jazz & 3rd in High Kick with an overall 3rd Place in Big 9

Sections: 4th Place Jazz & 3rd Place

High Kick; we made it to state in Kick and just missed going to state in jazz

State: 11th Place High Kick – Class AA

of time during choreography as well. These 3 girls have been an instrumental part in putting out amazing routines this year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Kendall Jirik is new to varsity kick and jazz this season. As an 8th grader, she has shown a lot of growth as a dancer. Her work ethic and natural ability is a huge asset to this team.

2024-25 RECAP:

In the 2024-2025 season, at our Big South Conference, we placed 5th in Jazz and 4th in Kick. At our section invite, we placed 7th in Jazz and 9th in Kick. That has been our highest placement for jazz.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Our goal for this season is to improve in both the Big South Conference as well as at our Sections invite. We’ve added harder skills to our jazz routine. We also have a large kick team this season, 19 dancers, so it will take a lot of hard work to make

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

The Emeralds’ goal is always the same - make it to State in High Kick and keep our rich tradition and legacy alive. We also aim to continue improving in Jazz and work our way back into the top three at Sections. Moving up in the Big 9 standings is another key focus for us. Personally, my goal for the team is simple: to grow and improve at every competition we attend.

COMPETITION:

The Emeralds are once again low in numbers,

Big 9 Conference Championship - Big 9 Jazz Champions (3rd year in a row), Big 9 Kick runner-ups, 2nd overall in the Big 9.

Section 1AAA - 8th in Kick, 9th in Jazz. Had 10 seniors on the roster.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Dance team is one of the hardest sports both physically but also mentally. My goal is for the girls to become great dancers but even better humans. A score doesn’t define their performance to me. As long as they feel good coming off the floor and we are improving I’m happy. The jump in scores from our first competition to the second shows just how hardworking the girls are and how badly they want to succeed. We are definitely a younger/newer varsity team which is exciting! We lost 10 seniors who made up the majority of our varsity team last

year. Only 6 returning varsity dancers this year out of our 17 dancers in varsity kick. The theme for kick this year is a very fun/ upbeat mix which has been an exciting change compared to our last 2 kick routines which have been more serious.

COMPETITION:

Conference: We are neck and neck with our big 9 conference competitors and are excited to see how the rest of the season plays out leading up to the conference championship on Jan. 16. Sections: We are in the toughest section (1AAA) with some of the best teams in the state. Historically it has been Eastview, Lakeville North and Lakeville south in the top 3 spots.

BY THE NUMBERS:

32 - Total dancers

6 - seniors (Addy Johnson, Aubrey Groby, Claire Noble, Emily McMasters, Jocelyn Anselmo, Victoria Koziolek)

these dances look performance ready.

COMPETITION:

We have 9 invitationals plus our section competition in February. We dance against many talented schools, including Belle Plaine. The caliber of routine and difficulty this season has the coaches excited to

which creates a challenge when competing against teams that have 5–10 more dancers on the floor. Because of that, we’ve had to choreograph our routines strategically— designing formations that make us appear larger and incorporating more difficult skills so we can stand out despite having a smaller team.

Conference Favorites: Austin & Owatonna

Section Favorites: Austin, South St. Paul, Faribault, Northfield

see how far we can push the dancers.

BY THE NUMBERS:

9 dancers on the varsity jazz team includes one 7th grader, three 8th grade dancers, one junior and 4 seniors. Our entire team of 19 dancers are on the varsity kick team.

ODT is the reigning 3-time jazz champion in the Big 9 Conference. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

The Owatonna Dance Team performing during halftime at Owatonna’s homecoming football game. ODT will have a lot of new faces on their varsity teams as they graduated 10 seniors from last season. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

The 2024-25 TCU dance team (Photo courtesy of TCU Dance Team Facebook page)

WRESTLING

Northfield wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Geoff Staab, 10th year. Girls

Head Coach: Justin Tacheny, 1st year here at Northfield. Assistant coaches: Beau Hayes, 10th year, Jules Doliscar, 5th year, Josten Coleman, 5th year, Jack Stanton, 5th year, Jacob Ventura, 4th year, Alex Jennisen, 2nd year

ROSTER:

Forest Allen (12), Lyndsey Allen (10), Maverick Allen (11), Dylan Barber (9), Austin Benjamin (12), Talyn Blankenberger (11), Jacob Engelmann (9), Zane Engels (11), Kennan

Fields (12), Maddix Fredrickson (10), Joshua Gonzalez Sandoval (12), Caley Graber (12), Eduardo Gutierrez Perez (9), Samuel Harner (10), Tate Heiden (10), Leland Ingham Watson (9), Alleena Johnson (8), Charlie Johnson (10), Easton Johnston (8), Oskar Kremer (11), Jacob Larsen (11), Jackson Laska (9), Ava Lillibridge (9), Liam Maley (7), Luke Matheson (11), Mohamed Mohamed (10), Gregg Moore (10), Eros Notario Ascencio (11), Wyatt Pagel (9), Drew Pribyl (10), Noah Rendon Rasmussen (11), Alexander Salinas Santos (12), Kayden Sather (9), Achilles Jack Skillings (10), Caden Staab (11), Xander Stavenau (10), Julian Vazquez (12), Carel Vos (12), Johann Vos (9)

Faribault wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Brad Babcock, 2nd year as head coach, 25th year in program. Head Coach: Jake Staloch, 4th year as head coach, 7th year in program. Assistant Coaches: Dave Wieber, 36th year, Kevin Palacios, 14th year, Mat Becker, 5th year

ROSTER:

Dom Elwood, 8, F, Javonte Connors, 9, F, Jacob Kittleson, 9, F, Logan Nelson, 9, F, Nikolai Srey, 9, F, Eric Castillo, 9, F, Grady Anderson, 9, F, Lain Kuhlman, 10, F, Evan Rinehart, 10, F, Aiden Conrad, 11, F, Ty Wendel, 11, F, Thomas Keely, 11, F, Jonathan Westenberg, 9, F

KEY PLAYERS:

Lain Kuhlman (10, F) – Returning contributor, coming off injury, expected to make major strides and provide leadership on the mat.

Aiden Conrad (11, F) – Experienced upperweight returning from injury; key to team identity and performance.

Dom Elwood (8, F) – Team’s lone returning section participant; poised to build on last year’s postseason experience.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Jonathan Westenberg, 9, F – Young wrestler with potential to emerge quickly Logan Nelson, 9, F – Talented

KEY PLAYERS:

Captain Caley Graber is currently ranked #1 in the country and will probably wrestle boys for the team and girls for individuals. She is a two time girls state champion including last year at 118 and took 5th place in the boys state tournament as a sophomore at 107. Her last season record was 28-5 vs boys and 8-0 vs girls.

Captain Zane Engels is a returning state place winner who took 4th at state last year at 160. His last season record was 48-7

Captain Caden Staab is a three time state entrant including last year wrestling at 145. His last season record was 42-8

Sam Harner is a returning state qualifier last year wrestling at 152 . His last season record was 37-15

freshman, likely to contribute early Grady Anderson, 9, F – Freshman with upside; expected to develop as season progresses

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Establish team identity, build consistency, and develop young talent. Compete with conference powers and push for postseason appearances

Expectations: Challenging road ahead in a strong conference, but youth and committed coaching staff provide strong foundation

COMPETITION:

Conference top-tier teams: Albert Lea, Northfield, Owatonna

2024-25 RECAP:

Last year we finished the year 19-8 and were section runner up to Albert Lea. We also had 7 individual boys qualifying for the state tournament and one placing. We also had 2 girls reach the state tournament and both were State Champs.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Our team goal is to win the section as a team and return to the state tournament as a team. We would also like to qualify as many individuals as we can to the individual state tournament.

COMPETITION:

Albert Lea won the section last year and are the favorites until somebody beats them. I believe we are right up there with them. Mayo and Owatonna are always tough. Century is a young upcoming team.

BY THE NUMBERS:

17 of the listed above earned a varsity letter last year.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• 14 – Wrestlers on roster

• 3 – Returning letter winners

• 0 – Seniors

Caley Graber earned her second state title last season. (File Photo — NorthfieldNews.com)

Zane Engels gained All-State and All-9 honors for Northfield in 202425. (File Photo- NorthfieldNews.com)

Kenyon-Wanamingo wrestling

COACHES:

Head Coach: Nathan Lexvold. Assistants: Matt Lexvold, Wayne Lexvold and Armani Tucker assistant

Sommer, Brahyden Wetzstein, Andrew Breyer, Henry Buchal, Ben Schefler, Aiden Vander, Parker Amundson, Jace Brezina, Josh Diderich, Eagan Grant, Colton Hanson, Alex Vander, David Meyer, Carter Sivahop

KEY PLAYERS:

ROSTER: Brennan Flotterud, Bryan Jacobson, Luke Johnson, Ryan LaCanne, Ryan Rechtzigel, Myles Thompson, Logan Trump, Trey Watkins, Eli Hanson, Gabriel Ramirez, Giddeon Johnson, Bennett Shelton, Liam

Owatonna wrestling

COACH, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Derek Johnson, 5th year

Assistant coaches: Josh Woodrich (head JV, 15th year), Brian Flatland (head assistant, 3rd year), Gabe Hovden (head girls coach, 1st year at OHS), Justin Sorensen (4th year), Griffin Thorn (3rd year), Lance Hendrickson (15th year), Certer Duerkop (1st year), Jerez Autridge (1st year), Cade King (1st year), Trey Hiatt (student/captain coach)

KEY PLAYERS:

Aliah Fischer (Sophomore, 3x State Placewinner, Career W-L: 61-13, 2025 All Conference) – Plagued by another lower body injury to start this season, Aliah should still be able to work her way back to the 2026 State Tournament for the 4th time already!

Jacob Wilson (Junior, 2025 State Qualifier, Career W-L: 38-36, 2x All Conference

Honorable Mention) – Jacob took a huge step forward last season, fitting into his weightclass and asserting himself as one of the best lower weights in the section.

McKayla Selle (Senior – Captain, 2025 State Qualifier, Career W-L: 33-23, 2025 All Conference) – From late January all the way through Sections, McKayla went on a 10-2 run in order to punch her ticket to the state tournament with multiple wins against ranked opponents. This season she looks to end her high school career on the big podium.

Colton Glende (Sophomore, Career W-L: 32-20, 2025 All Conference) – Despite battling a hip injury that later required surgery, Colton had a 16-match win streak leading into the section individual tournament. Now with a clean bill of health and 2 years of varsity starting experience, this young leader is an integral part of the team culture and looking for his first state berth.

Gabe Robb (Freshman, 2025 State Qualifier,

Returning state title winner Liam Sommer will headline a roster full of talent and potential and returning state tournament competitors. Ryan LaCanne is another wrestlers to watch among others.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Sommer will look to repeat while others

will try to take the next step.

2024-25 RECAP:

Multiple state qualifiers with Liam Sommer taking home a state title.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Moved to a new section 2 this year. Goal is to make the section finals and with a little luck and a lot of hard work anything can happen.

COMPETITION:

The Conference is full of challenges each and every week.

Career W-L: 19-14, 2025 All Conference) –Coming off his first year on varsity and a state tournament trip, the youngest of the Robb Wrestling Family had worked diligently all off season in order to not just compete – but to dominate – the section this season.

Riley Kreeger (Senior – Captain, Career W-L: 33-37) – Another wrestler that battled a serious knee injury in the second half of the season, Riley is a full-throttle competitor who can change the trajectory of a dual meet in a flash. In his senior year, he is poised to be one of the favorites in the upper weights in the section.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Carter Flatland (Senior – Captain, Career W-L: 27-41) – Carter has significant varsity experience, but last season was a microcosm for his team-oriented attitude – wrestling 4 different weight classes for the sake of maximizing team points. This season he looks to be a bonified starter and at 189lb.

Kaden Keller (Senior – Captain, Career W-L: 8-18) – Wrestling behind state qualifier heavyweights Grant Lower and Blake Fitcher throughout his career, Keller is now one of the elder statesmen and leaders of the wrestling room.

Kayla Pastika (Sophomore, Career W-L: 20-9)

– With 5 ranked wrestlers in her super-Section bracket last season, Kayla took 4th place and established herself as a premier 100lb force in the state. This season she looks to fill out that weight class and match her skillset with the strength to be a favorite for the state podium.

Miles Aase (Sophomore, Career W-L: 148) – Last season Miles was the secondbest 107lb wrestler in the section, but was behind an eventual state place winner in the Owatonna room. He is a year-round competitor that will be called upon to lead the lower weights and dominate for the Huskies.

Lucinda Ornelas (Junior, Career W-L: 1822) – Last season Lucinda was behind a state placewinner in the lineup, forcing her to compete above her weightclass. This season she will be able to compete in her desired position while being a leader for the girls program.

2024-25 RECAP:

Although the end of the year ended in another 1-match loss to Northfield for the second year in a row, the team took significant strides with key wins over ranked opponents like Kenyon-Wanamingo and Scott West, while

Ryan LaCanne had a busy weekend in both the championship and consolation bracket at last year’ state tournament. (File Photo — TheKenyonLeader.com)

Jacob Wilson looks to be one of multiple Huskies to return to the state tournament as an individual this season. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

Liam Sommer won the 107 state title. (File Photo — TheKenyonLeader.com)

McKayla Selle will look to end her high school career on the state podium after having a great 10-2 run at the end of last year. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

Medford wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach - Trevor Erler, 2nd year

Assistant Coaches: Bo Noble (5th year), Matt Webster (2nd year), Allen Yule (15th year)

ROSTER:

107/114: Joseph Flores, Preston Myrick

114/121: Kyle Witter, Andrew Bartosch

121/127: Wyatt Moorman, Micah Wilson

133/139: Boe Wilson, Parker Wilson

145: Caleb Reyes-Bermudez

152/160: Tanner Milewski

160/172: James Wegner, Ian Hunt

189: Chase Balzer

215: Luther Johannes

KEY PLAYERS:

James Wegner, Tanner Milewski, Luther Johannes, and Conor Wilson

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Joseph Flores is a 7th grader, he has raw talent and is extremely coachable. He has ability the staff can mold into a star. Kyle Witter is a returning 8th grader, he participated in off-season camps and looks to bring a new found confidence and tenacity to the mat.

2024-25 RECAP:

We were 0-6 in the Gopher Conference with an overall record of 2-14 and placed 7th last season in Section 2A. We were a young team

Westfield wrestling

COACHES:

Head Coaches: David Lassahn and Shane Masching

Assistant Coaches: Nate Nelson, Tristan Rieken, Brad Busho

ROSTER:

Seniors: Charlize Finley, Wyatt Magnuson, Chase Kiser

Juniors: Wyatt Naylor, David Clennon

Sophomores: Derek Miner, Bentley Miner, Isaac Fort Liam Miller, Cayden Maly, Jens Tidemann, Braxton Lee

Freshmen: Peyton Lembke

and are rebuilding with a young core group that should be improved this season. We graduated 2 seniors last season that were state entrants.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Goal: Double our number of wins from last season.

Expectations: Medford is looking to build off successful moments in 2025 to catapult into 2026 with a stronger, faster, and improved team. We expect to lean on lessons learned last season and leverage the experience gained to earn some respect within the conference and section.

COMPETITION:

The conference is tough again this year. We were in the basement last season, but look to improve upon our finish from 2024-2025. Our section (2A) made a significant change by removing powerhouse Lake Crystal/WellcomeMemorial and gaining Grand Meadow/LeroyOstrander/Southland (GMLOS), KenyonWanamingo and Triton. We regularly see

Kenyon-Wanamingo and Triton as conference foes, but GMLOS is a great addition.

The favorites in the conference and section will be Kenyon-Wanamingo until a school beats them. That’s our goal this season. Medford can be in the mix during the season if we wrestle up to the ability in the room.

BY

THE NUMBERS:

16 - Total Wrestlers (some additions hopeful)

10 - total returning letter winners

1 - Senior

4- Juniors

3 - Sophomores

1 - Freshman

3 - 8th Graders

4 - 7th Graders

8th-Graders: Elijah Butteris, Devan Subbert, Caleb Borcherding, Crimzen Chicos, Grayden Gunderson

7th-Graders: Easton Busho, Knox Bartelt, Sawyer Bartelt, Noah Mongeau, Warren Michel, Jameson Clennon, Raelynn Mullenbach, Peyton Rahlf

Injured, not expected to compete this season: Seniors Cannon Wacek and Wyatt Arndt

KEY PLAYERS: Derek Miner, 31-7 last season, 3rd at Sections last season. Bentley Miller, 26-13, Didn’t compete at sections (injury).

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Elijah Butteris, 7-2 Varsity Record Last season, 3rd at Sections, 107 or 114. Easton Busho, 107 or 114.

2024-25 RECAP: Season record: 18-19 Conference record: 3-3

Top 4 section finish Sent 4 wrestlers to state as individuals

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We will be a young team this season, and will rely on our lower weights to get us off to a great start in dual meets. Staying healthy will also be key, as we don’t have a lot of depth in the upper weights. We will be missing two of our top wrestlers in Cannon Wacek and Wyatt Arndt, they both suffered injuries during football. So, we will be looking for some new guys in the lineup to step up. Our goal is to improve each day, and give ourselves a chance to be competing for a section title at the end of the year.

COMPETITION:

We believe we are right in the mix of the top teams in the section. KenyonWanamingo is one of the favorites, followed up by WEM/JWP and GMLOS.

BY THE NUMBERS:

26 - Wrestlers

7 - Returning starters

2 - Captains (Derek Miner and Chase Kiser)

285: Conor Wilson Girls: Kortney Dempsey

Tanner Milewski (right) will return to Medford’s wrestling team this season. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

David Clennon. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Medford’s James Wegner wrestles Westfield’s David Clennon at the start of last season. Wegner will be a key returner for the Tigers this year. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Derek Miner is a key returner for the Westfield Razorbacks this season. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

NRHEG wrestling

COACHES, YEARS

ROSTER:

Seniors: Devlin Hudson, Wyatt Larson

Junior: Ryan Schlaak

Sophomores: Dakota Schlaak, Charles Tufte, Noah Weller

Waseca wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Jake Janike, 9th season as head coach (14th overall)

Assistant coach: Tyler Buesgens

Jr. high coach: Bill Dwinells

Volunteer Coaches: Ben Janike (8th year), Vlaine Nelson, and Charlie Root (5th year)

ROSTER:

107 - Kole Nelson (freshman), Charlie Janike (7th-grader), Carson Roesler (8th-grader)

114 - Keegan Glynn (8th-grader), Carter Dickson (8th-grader)

121 - Archer O’Brien (freshman), Zander Rahe (freshman)

OWATONNA WRESTLING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

pushing top-ranked teams like Simley and Zumbrota-Mazeppa down to the wire.

Collectively the team had an individual win rate of 61% for the second year in a row, and had the second-most state entrants in Section 1AAA for the 5th time in 6 years.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Although the boys varsity dual team will be

127 - Owen Sommers (8th-grader), Owen Arndt (8th-grader), Ian Farley (junior)

133 - Deven Parpart (senior)

139 - Jackson Janike (freshman), David Haley (freshman)

145 - Jacob Knutson (sophomore), Isaiah Dymeck (sophomore), Nick Harguth (freshman)

152 - Braxton nelson (freshman), Jacob Root (senior), Oden Board (freshman), Carter Wernimont (freshman)

160- Sam Selthun (sophomore), Jaiden Schaffer (senior), Jordan Rosenthal (8th-grader)

172 - Slade Barnett (senior), Holdon Howard (freshman), Oliver Staloch (sophomore),

mostly sophomores and juniors throughout the line-up, they are already seasoned and ready to vie for the Conference and Section titles.

10 out of 14 varsity weights have significant varsity experience, with several looking to finally wrestle their desired weightclass.

We have yet another difficult dual season planned, seeing a half dozen ranked opponents in the first 3 Saturday tournaments and starting the 2026 new year at the prestigious Clash Tournament in Lacrosse, WI. The girls varsity should be close to being

Freshman: Eli Hendrickson

Eighth-grader: Grahm Jacobson

KEY PLAYERS:

Ryan Schlaak and Grahm Jacobson will look to return to state this season as individuals after going to the state meet last year along with thenseniors Harbor Cromwell and Cole Hutchens.

Wyatt Larson will look to end his high school career on a high note as a higher weight class wrestler.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

A group of young wrestlers looking to make the varsity team.

2024-25 RECAP:

Lost to Westfield in the Section 2A team quarterfinals.

Sent 4 individual wrestlers to state, 2 are returning this season.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Look to get better in every meet/tournament.

COMPETITION:

Section 2A have 2 more teams now as GMLOS and Kenyon-Wanamingo were added. Will still be a very competitive section, even more so now with the two additions.

Luke Jeske (8th-grader), Jose Viera (sophomore), Delilah Veroeven (freshman)

185 - Lucas Selthun (senior), Jaxon Yenish (senior), Ton Bethke (sophomore), Kelton Peirce (freshman), Alex Bethke (freshman)

215 - Landan Madsen (sophomore), James Quade (junior), Michael Goodlander (freshman), Michael Victorino (sophomore), Carlo Driessen (sophomore)

285 - Matthew Veroeven (senior), Jordan Neidecker (freshman), Colton Madson (freshman), Jordan Oviedo (sophomore)

KEY PLAYERS:

Slade Barnett - 47-6 last season, defeated 9 ranked wrestlers throughout the season. Finished as the runner up at the Big South Conference tournament, finished as the Section 1AA champion at 160 pounds and came in 5th in Class AA in the weight class. Matthew Veroeven - 29-4 last season, finished

one of the dozen programs in MN to have a dual team, and the key returners are all spaced evenly through the lineup.

COMPETITION:

Last season Albert Lea finished as arguably the best home-grown team in MN, but with a large graduating class the conference and section looks to be a much tighter race between perennially ranked programs Owatonna, Albert Lea, and Northfield – with Mankato East and Rochester Mayo also vying to be in the Top 12.

1st at the Big South Conference tournament, became section runner-up at 215 pounds, and made it to the second day of the MSHSL state tournament, losing in the wrestlebacks. Kaiya Stagman, Hiley Proehl, and Sofis Bunn - All three of these young athletes were the first to compete at the section level for our Waseca Wrestling Girls Team.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Zander Rahe, Owen Sommers, Jackson Janike, Jacob Knutson, Deven parpart, Sam Selthun, and Lucas Selthun.

2024-25 RECAP:

Last year’s overall dual team record: 5-19. We had on average three to four open weights at most events. In the conference we had a record of 3-7.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Our motto this season is “Do or Die”: Meaning for all of the athletes on the team, we need to work together winning matches, meets, and tournaments. We need to get the best possible results we want. We are building Champions, they don’t show up to get everything they want, they show up to give everything they have”. We are very optimistic this season! We have a couple new coaches to help aid in pursuing greatness. These coaches have ideas on improvements. Many of the athletes worked all off season to achieve growth. Also there has been an increase in new athletes signing up wanting to wrestle.

BY THE NUMBERS:

42 - total athletes

5 - girl wrestlers

4 - captains (Matthew Veroeven, Slade Barnett, Kaiya Stagman, Lucas Selthun, and Deven Parpart)

BY THE NUMBERS:

6 – Seniors

8 – Juniors

11 – Sophomores

5 – Freshman

2 – 8th Grade

5 - Team Captains

(Carter Flatland, Trey Hiatt, Kadek Keller, Riley Kreeger, McKayla Selle)

COACHING:

Krey Cory, 1st year as head coach

Assistant Coaches: Nate Jensen (varsity assistant), Erik Olson (junior high)

Wyatt Larson picks up an opponent last season. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Slade Barnett was a section champion and a state finalist at 160 pounds. He will compete at 172 pounds this year. (File photo — WasecaCountyNews. com)

Grahm Jacobson wrestles at state last season at 107 pounds as just a 7th-grader. He returns to the Panthers this year in his 8th-grade year. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Matthew Veroeven competed at state last year at 215 pounds. Veroeven will be Waseca’s heavyweight wrestler at 285 pounds this season after the graduation of Ben Hagen. (File Photo — WasecaCountyNews.com)

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Adam Roesler, 18th year as co-head coach. Head Coach: Skyler Petry, 4th year as co-head coach. Assistant Coach: Mike Richards, 14th year, Shaun Murphy, 6th year, Rich Davis, 5th year, Brady Ayers, 4th year, Colin Ayers, 4th year

ROSTER:

Brady Murphy, 12, F, Trey Richards, 11, F,

Brenden Masso, 9, F, Charles Adams, 12, F, Parker James, 11, F, Kaven Sheehy, 11, F, Trenton Huber, 11, F, Avery Breyer, 12, F, Ben Root, 12, F, Jacksten Knish, 9, F

KEY PLAYERS:

Brady Murphy (12, F) – 2x State Qualifier, 1x Placewinner; leads team in career wins (92), pins (57), takedowns (126), nearfalls (69), and boasts a .748 winning percentage. Senior leader and cornerstone of the lineup.

St. Peter wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Joey Brown, 1st year

Assistant coach: Jared Anderberg, 1st year

Assistant coach: Jeremy Burger, 3rd year

Assistant coach: Mike Hohenstein, 9th year

Assistant coach: NaKiye Mercado, 1st year

Assistant coach: Dusty Buttell, 1st year

Girls Coach: Jacob Pehrson, 2nd Year

Girls Assistant: Grace Pehrson, 2nd Year

Assistant Coach/Social Media: Ben Bode

ROSTER:

Abel Baker 8, Zaylen Bonds 10, Kyra Bredeson 8, Maverick Bredeson 7, Chase Brooks 7, Eva Bultman 8, Max Burger 11, Zach Burger 9, Cael Buttell 8, Joshua Chambers 10, Joseph Connor 12, Kale Draeger 8, Kemper Ely 12, Andrew Enter 11, Izabel Facklam 9, Bryce Garberich 7, Manuel Gomez 11, Brock Guth 12, Kyha Ham 8, Isaih Hesse 11, Hand Ismail 11, Dominick Hoffer 7, Dylan Hoffer 8, Liam Jensen 8, Cheng Jiang 8, Kendra Johnson 11, Crystal King 10, Zyiana Kopischke 9, Tyler Krakow 12, Oliver Lundgren 7, Maddox Mercado 7, Elijah Mercado 11, Ryan Moelter 11, Eric Nourie 11, Byonka Ortega 9, Kyle Otwori 10, Jonathan Powers 12, Brock Pugh 7, Morgan Rogers 11, Noah Rustman 8, Nicholas Rykhus 8, Tanner Rysavy 10, Brooklyn

Trey Richards (11, F) – 35 wins last season with 15 pins; developing into a steady contributor in middle weights.

Brenden Masso (9, F) – Freshman standout with 26 wins and 17 pins last season; already competing at state-level tournaments.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Parker James (11, F) – Returning from injury, had 28 wins and 16 pins last season; poised to make a major impact.

Ben Root (12, F) – Recovered from midseason injury; adds experience and stability to middle-upper weights.

Kaven Sheehy (11, F) – Upper weights contributor; gaining confidence and experience.

Trenton Huber (11, F) – Upper weights contributor; aggressive style and strength make him a scoring threat.

Avery Breyer (12, F) – New heavyweight; steady improvement and power make him a key addition.

Charles Adams (12, F) – Dark horse; offseason work has prepared him to surprise opponents.

Jacksten Knish (9, F) – Young prospect with varsity experience; expected to develop quickly.

2024-25 RECAP:

Team finished 2nd in Section 2A behind

LCWM Area (who placed 3rd in state) Conference: Strong Gopher Conference presence; competitive with top-tier teams Kenyon-Wanamingo and Triton

Individual highlights: Graduated seniors Keegan Kuball (3x State Champion, 172 wins, 111 pins, .869 winning %) and Carson Petry (State Champion, 139 wins, 37 technical falls)

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Focus: Consistency, accountability, execution of fundamentals, conditioning, and finishing matches strong

Goal: Compete for top spot in the Gopher Conference, contend in Section 2A, and make a deep postseason run

Expectations: High but realistic; emphasis on discipline, toughness, and team-wide improvement

BY THE NUMBERS:

Kenyon-Wanamingo and Triton are near the top of the conference.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Number of returning varsity wrestlers: 13

Number of returning regular varsity starters: 11

Number of new varsity players: 3

Number of female wrestlers: 7

Seniors: 5

Schmidt 12, Liv Schuman 12, Harlan Sinclair 9, Eric Sorenson 12, Solomon Thompson 11, Donovan Thompson 7, Deontre Torres 12, Juan Manuel Torres Castillo 11, Colton Travaille 12, Ryan Vaughan 8, Dalton Voss 9, Nathan Walter 10, Cole Weaver 10, Sam Weber 8, Kylee Wendroth 12, Allison Wiley 9, Dakari Williams 12, Jaylin Yost 10, Kyla Yost 12, Elijah Yost 10, Dominic Yost 8, Alberto Zuniga 11

KEY PLAYERS:

Our top returners for the Boys are Seniors: Kemper Ely, Deontre Torres, Brock Guth. Juniors Ryan Moelter, Elijah Mercado, and Isaih Hesse. For the Girls Senior Kyla Yost, Junior Kendra Johnson and Sophomore Jaylin Yost.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Wrestlers to keep an eye on for the boys; Senior Joseph Connor, Juniors Elijah Mercado, and Isaih Hesse. For the Girls; Freshmen Byonka Ortega

2024-25 RECAP:

Last year, the team had a 20-10 record losing in the section Semi Finals to Scott West. In total the team had 11 Sections placers and 1 state qualifier.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Our goal for the season is to go out and improve

every day. We believe that we have a talented core group of wrestlers and some really talented younger wrestlers. It’s a new year and a new way of doing things with a new coach and coaching staff, so we will see what happens. We hope to see our girls and boys take some big steps this season. The goal every year is to make it to the state tournament and perform our best at the end of the year. We are going to have Fun, Work Hard, Improve Every Day, and Give back to the St Peter community where we can. We hope that St Peter will come out and support us in force!

COMPETITION:

We should be competing in the top half of the section this year. We have the returning state champions in our section with WatertownMayer/Mayer Lutheran coming back as the favorite. Scott West & the Addition of New Prague add to the top end. Mankato East and Us look to make some noise at the top. We will see how it all shakes out in the end, there is a lot of depth across the board.

BY THE NUMBERS:

64 - total Wrestlers

15 - Total Girls

13 - seniors ( A lot coming out for the first time)

Endless opportunity!

The WEM/JWP Grizzlies wrestling team in 2024. (Photo Courtesy -Grizzly Wrestling)

Kemper Ely. (file photo — StPeterHerald.com)

Ryan Moelter. (file photo — StPeterHerald.com)

Le Sueur-Henderson wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Co-Head coach: Luke Wilson, fifth year, Ben Wilson 2nd year (23 years of coaching)

Assistant coaches: Scott Wilson 33 years of coaching total

The Wilson filled coaching staff are back for yet another season of wrestling and are excited to get the season underway. Co-Head coach Ben Wilson, who has served many years as assistant in the past under Scott Wilson from 2007-2017 and Luke Wilson 2022-2024. He also volunteered his time in the youth program but has been in the room since 2003. He brings many valuable assets to the program and knows what it takes to make tough, elite wrestlers. Scott Wilson was the head coach for the Giants from 2007-2016 but was assistant from 1991-2007. Scott is known to many as the “grandfather” in the room. He brings much experience and has built many elite teams over the years. It is nice to have some of that old school wrestling in the room. I was thinking about it the other day and we might be the only sport and team in MN to have everyone on our coaching staff be related. Kinda neat! Volunteer coaches that help out in the room are Joe Bushway, Sonny Willson, Carl Nielson, Jason Sunderman, Aaron Thieke.

Our coaching staff have also worked with some of our athletes in the weight room 5 days a week in the spring and summer. We have provided camps and mat time during the summer as well. We put a lot of personal time and resources into the kids that showed up in the off season to grow as a wrestler and athlete. Those kids have invested a lot within themselves so as a collective we are looking for big things to continue to happen here for Le Sueur-Henderson Wrestling. Wrestling is not known to be a fun sport. Anyone who has wrestled will tell you that. Having played football and baseball I can tell you wrestling was the least amount of fun. It is essentially controlled fighting in a way and is not very appealing to the masses. It is hard physically, mentally, and emotionally. Your body gets beat up and your ego gets damaged often whether it’s in the practice room or in live competition. Each day your mind toggles between feelings of confidence, doubt and insecurity. Every day there is someone who is bleeding because they got knocked in the nose or someone who is tearing up or mad because they are getting worked in practice. Every wrestler has been there and done that, it is a normal part of the sport. Our job as coaches is not only just to teach wrestling but more importantly to teach our young men and women how to deal with those feelings and the adversity that follows as well as teach them that there is a value in struggle and doing something hard and keeping spirits up is a difficult task. Not everything worthwhile is “fun”, the toughest challenges in life are the ones that grow us the most as a person and force us to be put in

uncomfortable positions. There are few sports that teach life lessons as brutally as wrestling. Being OK with struggling (and pain), toughens us up both physically but most importantly mentally, which allows us to work through times when things are not going well or seem hard.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.” - Helen Keller

KEY PLAYERS:

George Doherty (Senior): George is looking to have another stellar season once again. George holds the most pins in a single season for LSH (33), he is a 3x state entrant 1x place winner (5th at 215) and 3x section champion and 2x all conference winner. He is our ox at the top and is a big asset to our team because we can almost always count on George for securing six points on the scoreboard as he finished with a record of 34-5 last season. He plans to once again go to state individually and place this year.

Peyton Tellijohn (Senior): Peyton finished the season last year with a record of 23-14. Peyton made it to state for the first time last season and is looking to go back his senior year and look for a medal. He helped our team win a lot of matches last year and his leadership provides great direction for the younger members of the team. He looks to continue to have another exciting season. He is sitting at 95 wins and will hit the 100 win milestone at the beginning of the season.

Dalton Wilson (Junior): Dalton had another impressive season last year and will be on everyone’s radar once again. Dalton is a 3x state participant and finished with a record of 28-3. He knows what it takes to wrestle with the elite. With his increase in strength from the weight room and the commitment to being on the mat this last summer he looks forward to going back to state and being able to stand on the podium with a medal once again.

Colton Wilson (Junior): Colton is a 2 time state entrant and finished with a record of 21-3. He was a section champion. Colton has had a lot of adversities over the years but he hopes this year he can go back to state individually and place when he gets there. Not too many times where two twin brothers make it to the big stage together.

Domenek Williams (Junior): Domenek is a transfer from Jordan that proved to be a formidable opponent at 114 in class AA last season. He finished with a record of 29-9 and fell short to go to the state tournament but had no shortage of wins against ranked opponents.

Domenek is looking to be an essential part to be able to go back to state as a team and place as well as making it to state individually. We are excited to have him a part of our program.

Waylon Thieke (Sophomore): Waylon is a 2 time state entrant. The best way to describe Waylon is tough and determined. His ability to wrestle tough and compete with the highest level of competitors is due to his mindset of never backing down to a challenge and working extremely hard in the practice room. Fun fact about Waylon is he never has been pinned in his high school career so far. Waylon looks to help his team go to the state tournament again as well as compete individually and place. He finished with a record of 29-11.

William “Willy” Osborne (Sophomore): Willy went to state for the first time last year and even won his opening match at the state tournament. Willy kept matches close last year against those in our section and at state. He is looking to once again go to state individually and fight for a medal. He had a record of 32-10 and has committed himself to the weight room and looks to improve that record and will be a wrestler to watch in our lower weight classes.

LeRoy Haaland (8th grader): LeRoy had a good showing last year as a 7th grader at 107lbs and finished as a 3rd place medalist at sections coming short of going to the state tournament. He was a big factor in winning a lot of matches during the season and helped start out the match with a win down below. He finished with a record of 29-5. He hopes to go to state this year and continue to help our team win big matches.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Sam Wagner (Senior): 18-6 record

Mason Johnson (Junior): 16-9

Nick Larson (Junior): 22-16

...Potentially we will have a number of them. This will be the second year the weight classes have decreased from 14 to 13. 107, 114, 121, 127, 133, 139, 145, 152, 160, 172, 189, 215 and 285. I believe it will help the sport overall because of so many teams having open weights, especially smaller schools like us and struggling to get kids out for such a hard and tough sport has been hard to sell but I am hopeful that this will help that problem a little bit and hopefully see more weight classes filled.

I want to provide every opportunity for our wrestlers to have quality matches. This will all be dependent on getting quality matchups, where our weights fall and how the team molds together and how much weight certain individuals want to cut. We tend to be a 2nd half team as we take our lumps in the beginning due to not being down to weight and still are figuring out our lineups. We have a number of 7th graders coming up as well and a few new wrestlers so it’ll be great to have the various levels, personalities and wrestling styles in the room as we grow AS ONE.. All our wrestlers wear the same practice shirt to re-enforce the uniformity of believing

that we are a unit and As One we can accomplish our goals.

2024-25 RECAP:

Our record was 18-14. The team also received the Gold plaque for having a 3.5 GPA. George Doherty received all conference. We sent 5 wrestlers to the state tournament and placed 1. Won team sections and went to state as a team.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Even though this is an individual sport my goal is to mold the team as one unit. Creating a culture of family, brotherhood is something that strong teams have in the wrestling world, it’s the background I bring from my experience at Augsburg. Other goals include having a 3.5 GPA as a team for state notoriety through the MN State Wrestling Coaches Association, placing 13 wrestlers in the top 5 at the section tournament and take/place as many wrestlers to the state tournament as possible. We want to make it to state for the second time in school history and place when we get there. The goal is to make the wrestlers believe that they can do it. Mentality can make or break a wrestler and their season, if you have the belief system of I can do it no matter what adversity comes our way, that mentality will take you far in wrestling and in life.

COMPETITION:

We are in the South Central Conference. It will include a former MRC team (Sibley East), and new teams such as Maple River (Gopher Conference), Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (Valley Conference) and St. Clair (Valley Conference).

The big two that will be our toughest competition to go back to state will be NorwoodYoung America which returns with a full lineup and a few state-entrants and Eden Valley Watkins who also comes back with heavy hitters, strong competition and multiple state entrants. The only thing harder than making it to state is doing it back to back so this year everyone in our section will be gunning for us. We graduated one wrestler so we hope with our experience and growing confidence and having wrestlers in the right spots that we can make it back, place and send more individuals to state.

BY THE NUMBERS:

- This year I am putting together a teacher appreciation night again where each wrestler asks a teacher to come to support them on our first home match and we will recognize them for all that they do for our student athletes following the first match by giving them a little gift and getting a group picture with the wrestlers. We are also bringing back Hall of Fame/Alumni night where we recognize new members being nominated to the LSH Wrestling HOF and hope to get a lot of alumni in the stands to show support. (The wrestling association will be in charge of that)

- Our first time match is on 12/9 against Sibley East.

- Captain(s): George Doherty 12th, Peyton Tellijohn 12th, Colton 11th and Dalton Wilson 11th

- Managers: D’lisa Flores, Libby Genelin, Aubrey Haas, Finley Hollnagel

Peyton Tellijohn. (file photo — LeSueurCountyNews.com)

George Doherty. (file photo — LeSueurCountyNews.com)

Tri-City United wrestling

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Shaun Timmerman (7th year)

Assistant coaches: Brennan Rutt, Trevor Houn, Jordan Sommonette, Paul Norgren

ROSTER:

Seniors: Griffin LeMieux, Nate Blaschko, Maxxis Ross Juniors: Tucker Skluzacek, Keegan O’Meara, Gage Factor, Trista Gessler, Toren Kelly, Cowen Bruzek, Ethan Woldsnes, Benny Rutt Sophomores: Owen Delander, Andrew Fogarty & Landon Helgeson Freshmen: Tyler Tolzman, Cal Viskocil, & Riley O’Meara 8th:

Croix Kline, Casey Bruzek, Gabe Ingram 7th: Kal Mason, Hudson Barber, Titus Ross, Fisher Hartwig, Tavin Holicky, William Fogarty

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

We have some wrestlers this season who will be on Varsity for their 3rd or even 4th season. We’re going to be heavily leaning on their experience to lead our team. We also will have a few with their first experience on Varsity. Look to watch the impact they have on our team because they are fully capable of being some very solid wrestlers.

2024-25 RECAP:

Last year we had 1 State Entrant, Trista Gessler. She ended up placing 4th at State, and is returning for her Junior season. We are also anticipating her to get some time in the Varsity Lineup this season. We are returning 7 other Section place winners with our lineup (the most we have had in a LONG time). Those wrestlers are Owen Delander, Griffin LeMieux, Gage Factor, Tucker Skluzacek, Keegan O’Meara, Nate Blashcko, and Toren Kelly. We ended our season last year with a dual meet record of 12-15, we are setting the goal of being over .500 this season.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

This season, we are returning much of our team. We have a very difficult schedule this season in my opinion, where every duel could come down to who wins the bonus point battle. We

are also excited to be in some HUGE individual tournaments, such as Redwood Riot (Redwood, MN) and Rogers Holiday Matness (Rogers, MN). Each of these tournaments host over 30 teams.

COMPETITION:

We have 9 invitationals plus our section competition in February. We dance against many talented schools, including Belle Plaine. The caliber of routine and difficulty this season has the coaches excited to see how far we can push the dancers.

BY THE NUMBERS:

We only lost 1 graduate, but we have a handful of incoming experienced 7th graders to put our numbers in the high 20’s.

GOOD LUCK TITANS!

Trista Gesslers . (file photo-lesueurcountynews)

Tucker Skluzacek. (file photo)

BOYS SWIM & Dive

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

All of the athletes listed above should make significant contributions this season. That being said, the following are returning with significant State Meet Experience or have a serious chance to contribute to our Championship Meets at the end of the season.

Will Redetzke: Top 3 in the 200 Free at State. Defending State Champion in the 500 Freestyle, 200 Free & 400 Free Relay

Will Udelhofen: Top 10 in the 200 Free at State. Defending State Champion in the 200 Free Relay

Rourke Bennett: Top 16 in the 100 Breaststroke at State. Looks to be a key to our Medley Relay success this year

Northfield boys swim & dive

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Doug Davis, 29th year in Northfield (36 years in total) Assistant coaches: Matt Detjen, 10th year, Brian Porter, 5th year

ROSTER:

Brady Cook (12), Josh Kraby* (12), Oliver Momberg* (12), Nick Scheglowski* (12), Peyton Truman* (12), Rourke Bennett (11), Logan Joyce (11), Will Redetzke (11), Will Udelhofen (11), Odin Bergs (10), Jimmy Graham (10), Grayson Gray (10), Ben

Heinritz (10), John Tracy (10), Noah Tracy (10), Tristan Vermilyea (10), Logan Krupicka (9), Parker Malecha (9), Owen Reece (9)

KEY PLAYERS:

Will Redetzke, 12, Will Udelhofen, 12, Rourke Bennett, 12, Logan Joyce, 12, Jimmy Graham, 11, Odin Bergs, 11, Grayson Gray, 11, Ben Heinritz, 11, John Tracy, 11, Tristan Vermilyea, 11, Parker Malecha, 10, Logan Krupicka, 10, Owen Reece, 10, Axel Byler, 8.

Jimmy Graham: Top 16 in the 200 Ind. Medley at State. Looks to also be a key to our Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay and either the Back or Breaststroke event this year

Odin Bergs: Top 16 State in the 50 Free. Top 8 State in the 100 Free. Defending State Champion in the 200 Free Relay

Grayson Gray: should be one of the top 4-6 divers in our Section and should contribute to our team’s success this year.

John Tracy: should contribute in Freestyle and Backstroke events

Ben Heinritz: Sprint Freestyler who has a realistic chance at State in Ind. events and should be a factor on our relays

Parker Malecha: Sprint Freestyle and Butterfly who also has a chance to make State and should also be a factor on our relays

2024-25 RECAP:

9-0 dual meet record

1A True Team Section Champions

3rd in Class A True Team

2nd in the Big 9 Conference

MSHSL 1A Section Champions

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Charlie Fuller, 40 years, Assistant Coaches: Bethany Fuller, 9 years, Isaiah Fuller, 15 years.

ROSTER:

Miles Leopold (Captain, 12), Leo Coulter (11), Asher Ferris (Captain, 11), Mitchell Gibbs (Captain, 11), Cael Pounds (Captain, 11), Avery

Carlson-Buck (10), Garrett Petersen (10), Chanhee Lee (9), William Silver (9), Gavin Teigen (9), Maverick Voegel (9), Luke Drewitz (8), Richard Cheley (7), Adam Rysdam (7)

KEY PLAYERS:

Miles Leopold, Asher Ferris, Mitchell Gibbs, Cael Pounds, William Silver, Gavin Teigen, Maverick Voegel, and Luke Drewitz.

MSHSL Class A State Meet - 2nd Place

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We should have success during our dual meet season. It would be great if our team could qualify for True Team State again. I believe our team can defend our Section 1A Championship from last year. We will have several new athletes on our team, so it will be our goal to make them all feel welcome. Part of our family. Each year I challenge our seniors, and senior leaders, to provide the kind of leadership that will continue to grow our culture and the tradition of family on our team. That has been at the core of our success over the past many years and I would love to see the boys embrace that and see it grow.

COMPETITION:

We graduated a talented group of 7 seniors last year that were key to our team’s success. Fortunately, we have athletes ready to step into some of those roles this year. The Big 9 will continue to be a competitive Conference. Teams that will most likely challenge for the 2025-26 Big 9 Conference Championship will be Rochester Century and Rochester Mayo. I believe we could be in the mix and hopefully a top 3 finish prospect. Our Section 1A will be more open this year. With Austin moving up to class AA this year, opportunities will be available in a few key events for several of our athletes to contribute to our team’s success. Northfield returns as the defending Section 1A Champion and is most likely one of the favorites. Winona had a good team last year and should be in the mix. Mankato East and Mankato West should have enough talent to contend as well.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Expected: 34 - total swimmers/divers 18 - returning letter winners 4 or 5 - seniors

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Our new athletes to the team this year: Leo Coulter, Avery Carlson-Buck, Chanhee Lee, Richard Cheley, and Adam Rysdam.

2024-25 RECAP:

We don’t focus on our record, only on getting better with each swim or dive. We graduated six seniors from last year and added five new athletes.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

To keep on improving throughout the season.

COMPETITION:

Northfield and Century should be returning at the top of the conference. Because of our low numbers (14) it is difficult to fill out a complete roster, but we’ll cheer for each athlete’s successes. We have athletes from FMS, FHS, BA, and Shattuck on our team.

BY THE NUMBERS:

14 - total athletes 1 - senior

Members of the Northfield High School boys swimming and diving team celebrate winning the 2025 True Team Section 1A championship on Saturday, Jan. 11. (Photo Courtesy - Amy Truman)

Asher Ferris dives during the early rounds of the state competition. (File Photo - Faribault.com)

We finished 10/12 at conference, and 7/8 in the Section.

Eighth-Graders: Demitri Bauer, Layton Clark, Graham Hawkins, Tyler Smith, Graham Stanislav

KEY PLAYERS:

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We have a good chance sending Jacob Gleason to state in the 50 free. Possibly one of the 3 relays. Possibly someone in the 100 free. It is kind of a guessing game at this point in the year.

Faribault boys hockey BOYS HOCKEY

KEY PLAYERS:

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: A young group of sophomores and freshmen will help the program grow.

2024-25 RECAP: Finished last season at 5-19 with two of those wins coming against Fairmont.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

New faces and young skaters will give Faribault plenty of things to work with but a challenging conference could make for another season with ups and downs. A young goalie adds to the wrinkle.

COMPETITION:

Northfield continues to be the best in the region while Rochester Century and Mankato West, Albert Lea, Owatonna and others will pose challenges to teams each and every weekend.

BY THE NUMBERS: Freshman: 3

Sophomore: 4

Junior: 5

Senior: 3

Freshmen: Vince Christenson, Andrew Jacott, Bektur Mukanov, August Penn, Elijah Vincelli

Logan Flynn is an all-around swimmer for Owatonna and is one of 8 seniors on the team this year. (File

Jacob Gleason will look to be Owatonna’s main sprinter and backstroker for the Huskies this season. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

COACH: Head coach: Jacob Dickison

ROSTER: #1 CJ Callan (Freshman), #2 Ajay Kieffer (Senior), #3 Logan Wagner (Sophomore), #4 Alexander Timm (Senior), #5 Jack Rybolt (Junior), #7 Riley Slinger (Junior), #8 Tommy Kunze (Senior), #10 Roy Rybolt (Freshman), #13 Johnny Cole (Junior), #15 Sebastian Timm (Sophomore), #16 Brandon Boyd (Junior), #21 Brady Beckham (Junior), #25 Jeremiah Inamagua (Freshman), #26 Aaron Bothun (Sophomore), #27 David Wagner (Sophomore).

Tommy Kunze, Brady Beckham, Johnny Cole and fellows juniors and seniors will give the Falcons a base to work from with a younger team on the ice.

Tommy Kunze prepares for the puck drop. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Faribault boys hockey players celebrate a goal against Red Wing. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

News.com)

Northfield boys hockey

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Charlie Cloud, 1st year. Assistant coaches: Derek Docken, Jared Docken

ROSTER:

Ryker Landon (SO, G), Max Munoz (JR, D/F), Ashton Pumper (SR, D), Bridger Riley (SR, D), Walker Sorem (JR, D), Colton Morrow (JR, F), Miles Kennelly (SO, F), Carter Simon (SR, D), Michael Steward (SR, F), Braden Van

Sickle (JR, D), Christian Whiteman (SR, F), Henry Webber (SR, F), Philip Benjamin (SO, F), Charlie Becker (SR, F), Jacob Peters (JR, F), Taylor Stanford (JR, F), Wade Gilbertson (JR, F), Levi Schmidt (SO, D), RJ Wasilowski (SR, F), Oliver Benjamin (SR, F), Darren Steward (SO, F), Gavin Winter (SR, G)

KEY PLAYERS:

Bridger Riley returns as a 4th year starter on the blueline. He has already broken the

Minnesota River boys hockey

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Chris Miller, 5th year

Assistant coach: Reegan Rehm, 4th year

Assistant coach: Mitch Goecke, 5th year

Assistant coach: Arlo Lehtinen, 5th year

Assistant coach: Charlie Haugen, 4th year

Assistant coach: Danny McCabe 1st year

ROSTER: Anders LeDell G 12, Gavin Phelps F 11, Corbin Guggisberg D 11, Ben Smykalski F 11, Riley Kamm F 12, Maxwell Hollerich F 11, Ethan Moreau F 11, Brek Wachal F 10, Jaego Smuder D 11, Jacob Juarez D 9, Jack Miller F 12, Tyson Fredrickson D 11, Eian O’Keefe F 12, Carter Hunt F 11, Sam Schaffler F 10, Riley Tish F 12, Levi Wachal D 12, Bryce Meyer F 12, Aiden Domras F 11, Nate Tews D 11, Camden Burns F 10, Brayden Grant F 11, Justin Pexa D 12, Tiago Hettig G 11, Connor Messer G 11, David Draheim D 12, Cole Haggenmiller F 10

school record for points for a defenseman.

Michael Steward returns the most points from the forward group with 45 points last year and will center the first line.

Miles Kennell had 32 points as a Freshman last season.

Gavin Winter won 8 of his 9 starts in net last season with 5 shutouts.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Sophomore Levi Schmidt is a smooth skating and poised defenseman and will play in every situation right away

Sophomore Philip Benjamin will have an immediate impact offensively

Junior Walker Sorem will see a lot of playing time and adds great depth to the blueline.

2024-25 RECAP:

Record 24-5-2. Conference Record: 140-1, 1st Place (Big 9 Champions), Section 1A Champions, State Tournament

Consolation Champions (5th Place)

Program best in wins. Program best finish at the state tournament. 4th Big 9 Championship in a row.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

The goals and expectations remain the same for the team this season. If we are able to improve all season and come together as a team we aim to compete for a conference, section, and state championship.

COMPETITION:

We hope to be part of the group of many contenders both in the Big 9 Conference and in Section 1A. The section is extremely deep this season with lots of great teams.

BY THE NUMBERS:

8 returning forwards, 3 defenseman, and 1 goalie with Varsity experience. We have 9 players on the roster that will be new to the Varsity team.

KEY PLAYERS:

At forward we have Riley Kamm, Max Hollerich, Ben Smykalsk and Ethan Moreau. All these guys are going to play big minutes and have taken huge strides from last season. At Defense we have Nate Tews, Levi Wachal and Tyson Fredrickson back and these guys can defend and chip in offensively.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Keep an eye on two guys who have been impressive to start the season and they are Cole Haggenmiller and Brek Wachal. Both these guys are off to a good start and I expect them to continue to get better as the season progresses.

2024-25 RECAP:

Conference Record: 6-5-1

Overall Record: 10-14-1

We were the #5 seed in section playoffs last year and lost 6-0 to Mankato East in the first round. It wasn’t the ending we were hoping for but it provided the team with good experience and a little motivation for this season.

2025-26

OUTLOOK:

Like every season our goal is to get better everyday we are at the rink. Our goals are to get a top 4 seed in the section and to host a playoff game and advance to Gustavus and ultimately the State hockey tournament. But we have a lot of work to do between now and February to get us there.

COMPETITION:

I believe we are a top 4 team in the section this year. The top two favorites are Luverne the defending section champion and Mankato West the section runner up. After that Mankato East and New Ulm are always two of the other teams you will have to go through if you want to win the section. As always with Section 3A it will be a wild ride come section playoff time and I think we will be one of the teams in the mix at the end.

BY THE NUMBERS:

We are a really deep team and that is going to be one of our strengths all season. Right now we have 26 guys who are in the mix and could see Varsity playing time. The hard part is going to be getting down to 20 by the time section playoffs start.

We have 17 letter winners returning from last season which again speaks to the depth we have and that is going to be an advantage for us as the season goes along.

We have 10 seniors on our team this year. I look forward to watching these guys lead our team and help the younger guys along.

Jacob Peters looks to make a pass during a recent NHS boys hockey contest. (File Photo - Northfield-

Northfield’s Gavin Winter made 28 saves in the shutout win over Northern Lakes in the MSHSL Class A consolation bracket championship game. (File Photo — NorthfieldNews.com)

Riley Kamm. (file photo — StPeterHerald.com)

Max Hollerich. (File photo — StPeterHerald.com)

Owatonna boys hockey

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach - Dennis Will, 13th season Assistant Coaches - Justin Fletcher, James Wagoner, Devin Laiho

ROSTER:

Seniors: Isaac Mobley (forward), Landon Sturges (defense), Jackson Kath (forward), Wyatt Macy (forward/defense), Ean Nylund (forward/defense), Chet Jensen (forward), Brekxton Nelson (goalie)

Juniors: Layton Schnorenberg (defense), Landon Amundson (forward), Camoren Molina (forward), Grady Roush (forward), Caleb Ringhofer (forward), Zach Klecker (forward), Joe Klecker (goalie)

Sophomores: Braxton Ringhofer (goalie), Jace Lane (defense), Bryce Haverkost (forward/ defense), Tyler Olson (forward), Gavin Fitch (defense), Sam Monson (forward), John Bahe (forward), Zach Roesner (forward/defense),

Ty Belmore Ahlm (defense), Ryan Lewis (forward), Brayden Spindler (forward), Josiah Thompson (defense), Cooper Ingvaldson (forward), Colton Weaver (defense), Joe Simon (goalie), Parker Blome (forward), Jones Stricker (forward/defense), Carson Hedlund (forward), Cole Nelson (forward/defense), Cayden Cahoon (defense), Liam Teeters (goalie)

KEY PLAYERS:

My Top line of Grady Roush, Zach Klecker, Zach Roesner. They came on real strong at the end of the season and were a threat to score every time they were on the ice. They are a year older and will have more time to develop that chemistry.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

I think our sophomores as they get more experience of playing high school hockey and adapting will only get better (Zach Roesner, Sam Monson, Gavin Fitch, Jace Lane, Brayden Spindler, Josiah Thompson, Braxton Ringhoffer, Liam Teeters, Ryan Lewis)

2024-25 RECAP:

It was an up and down year. We lost 13 seniors from the previous year that went 18-6-3. We ended up finishing 4th in the conference. We were seeded 6th in playoffs and had a very strong game and upset number 3 Rochester Century/JM on their ice. A team that had 13 seniors and was the section 1AA state tournament team the previous season. We then played Lakeville North seeded number 2 and played a very strong game and led most of it but ended up losing 3-2 in the semifinals.

2025-26

OUTLOOK:

We’re young with Sophomores at all key positions: Goaltending, Defense, and Forward. As they acclimate to high school hockey and get experience, I see this team getting better as the season progresses. We return enough upperclassmen to help with this growth and transition. Our goals are always to be near the top of the conference and battle for the title. We have been in the section semi-final game the past 2 years. I would like to see us match that or go beyond.

COMPETITION:

Northfield has won the conference the past 2 years. They will be strong again. Rochester Century/JM always is a contender. We hope to challenge them and be in the top third of the conference. The section favorites this year will be: New Prague, Lakeville South and North. Again our hope is to peak at the end of the season and be that team that beat Lakeville North 2 years ago and Rochester Century/JM last season.

BY THE NUMBERS:

7 - seniors

8 - juniors

22 - sophomores

3 - captains (Jackson Kath, Isaac Mobley, Grady Roush)

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior class led by the Gehring brothers (Jayden and Jude) will look to lead the team this year. The Gehrings are great forwards and are just two of multiple talented offensive players for the Jays. Senior defenders Jackson Dahl and Jayden Hervey will also be key contributors to the team.

Junior class is loaded with talent, especially at the forward position. Griffin Storey will look to once again be the team leader in both assists and points, as he had 50 assists and 69 points

in a record-breaking sophomore year. Otto Schoenrock also had a great year and will only get better in his junior year along with forwards Cash Lynch, Henry Huttemier, and Avery Selvik.

Junior goalie Josaiah Schmidtke will see significant minutes in front of the goal after sharing time with nowgraduated Carter Martens last season.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Juniors and seniors who didn’t get to see much playing time on the ice from last season. They will have more opportunities this season after eight players graduated from last year’s team.

2024-25 RECAP:

21-4-2 overall record.

14-1-1 in Big South, finished just behind Luverne in second-place. Had best finish in school history after beating Austin in the Section 1A quarterfinals and lost to Rochester Lourdes in the semifinals.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Will look to get a high seed once again in sections and make a run with a talented roster.

COMPETITION:

Northfield and Rochester Lourdes will once again look to advance to the Section 1A championship game. For the conference, Luverne will once again be the biggest team in the way for the title.

BY THE NUMBERS: 6 - seniors 13 - juniors

2 - sophomores

COACH:

Head Coach: Chris Storey

ROSTER:

Seniors: Avery Wetzel, Jayden Gehring,

Max Bodenweiser, Jayden Hervery, Jackson Dahl, Jude Gehring

Juniors: Dawson Slechta, Avery Selvik, Henry Huttemier, August Hansen, Dawson Guritz, Otto Schoenrock, Cash Lynch, Owen Weiseler, Beckett Srp, Griffin Storey, Josiah

Schmidtke, Brandon Bartz, Corbin Martens

Sophomores: Ty Krautkremer, Nathan Hager

Wyatt Macy (20) and Isaac Mobley (3) race for the puck in a game last season. They are 2 of 7 seniors on this year’s Huskies squad. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Griffin Storey returns to the Jays this year after breaking multiple records as a sophomore last season. (File photo — WasecaCountyNews.com)

Zach Roesner (left) and Grady Roush (right) celebrate after Roesner scored against Austin last season. They are 2 of many underclassmen on this season’s Owatonna team, with Roesner being 1 of 22 sophomores. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Jude Gehring celebrates after scoring a goal last season. Gehring will return for his senior year for the Jays along with his brother Jayden. (File Photo — WasecaCountyNews.com)

Northfield girls hockey GIRLS HOCKEY

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Jeff LaPanta 13th season at Northfield (2nd year Head Coach). Assistants: Anne Fossum (3rd year), Cambria Monson (1st year)

ROSTER:

#1 Belle Torgeson (12th, Goalie), #2 Lily Jindra (11th, Defense), #3 Olive Cook (9th, Forward), #4 Lindsey Erickson (12th, Forward), #5 Taylor Krohn (12th, Forward), #6 Olivia Simon (10th, Forward), #8 Allie Karl (11th, Forward), #9 Avery Wagner (10th, Forward), #11 Reese Peroutka (10th, Forward), #12 Brooklyn

Hubbard (10th, Defense), #15 Ashlynn Sabyan (11th, Forward), #16 Emma Peroutka (11th, Forward), #19 Ashlyn Paukert (12th, Forward), #20 Izzy Paulson (11th, Defense), #21 Mia Miller (12th, Defense), #22 Adah Parker (10th, Defense), #23 Regan Krohn (10th, Forward), #30 Delaney Shimota (10th, Goalie).

KEY PLAYERS:

Mia Miller, senior defense: a U18 National Team Member, University of Minnesota State, Mankato commit, a potential Ms. Hockey Finalist, and the state’s leading returning scoring defenseman (61 points; 31 G, 30 A)

Minnesota River girls hockey

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Dustin Swenson / 3rd Season / 34-20-3 career record through win against Luverne on Saturday

Assistant coach: Dave Swanberg

Assistant coach: Lindsay Paschke (2nd)

Assistant Coach: Reegan Rehm (1st with girls)

Emma Peroutka, junior forward: 2nd leading goal scorer from last season (35 points; 19 G, 16 A)

Reese Peroutka, sophomore forward: 2nd leading point producer form last season (44 points; 13 G, 31 A)

Ashlyn Paukert, senior forward: College of Saint Scholastica commit, (23 points; 10 G, 12 A)

Taylor Krohn, senior forward: College of Saint Benedicts commit, (22 points; 10 G, 12 A)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Regan Krohn, sophomore forward, Brooklyn Hubbard, sophomore defense 2024-25 RECAP:

Overall record: 15-11-2

Conference record: 11-1-2 (2nd place)

Section 1AA 2nd place

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

The Raiders return a strong nucleus of players and expect to compete for the Conference title and compete for a return to the Section 1AA finals for the 5th straight season.

COMPETITION:

We expect defending champions Albert Lea as well as Mankato East and Owatonna to be key competitors for the Big Nine title. We expect defending Section 1AA champion Farmington and Class AA preseason #10 to be the team to beat again this season. In addition to Northfield, Lakeville South and Owatonna are other teams to watch.

KEY PLAYERS:

-Top returning Forwards are McKenna Andresen (20/15/35), Noelle Simonette(14/19/33), Macey Portner(14/15/29), Mara Von Bank 13/4/17), Piper Winters (4/10/14) and Cristina Cruz (6/6/12)

ROSTER:

Annika Magelee G 12, Alli Andresen F 9, Kaylee Gogerty D 12, Sophie Tews D 9, Christina Cruz F 12, Emma Volk-Kleschult F 12, Noelle Simonette F 11, Maren Swenson D 10, Macey Portner F 12, Reese Rehm F 8, Claire Hathaway D 12, Rhyan Bishop F 11, Piper Winters F 11, Shaylan Dunphy D 12, McKenna Andresen F 11, Mara Von Bank F 10, Olivia Haider F 9, Payton Fredrickson D 9, Kelcie Weydert D 10, Aubrey Heller G 10

-Top returning D are Claire Hathaway(5/6/11), Maren Swenson(3/9/12), Kaylee Gogerty(4/11/15) and Kelcie Weydert (0/3/3)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Olivia Haider – Olivia is a very smart all around hockey player and she will add depth to our forward group

Sophie Tews – Sophie is not new but she will have an increased roll with the varsity group this year and adds depth to our defensive group.

2024-25 RECAP:

18-6-2 Overall / 11-1-2 in conference / We were Big South Conference co-champions

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Expectations will be to compete for a Big South Conference and Section 2A Title. We return the entire roster from last years group. The key to success will be to control what we can control on a daily basis (Effort, Attitude, Respect).

COMPETITION:

Favorites are Minnesota River, Marshall and Luverne in the Conference / Mankato East and Minnesota River in the Section.

Annika Magelee. (file photo — Stpeterherald.com)

Northfield’s Mia Miller was named to the 2024-25 Minnesota High School girls hockey All-State team. (File Photo — NorthfieldNews.com)

Kaylee Gogerty. (file photo — Stpeterherald.com)

Macy Mueller was named to the All-Big 9 girls hockey team in 2024-25. (File Photo — NorthfieldNews. com)

Owatonna girls hockey

COACH:

Head coach: Tony Cloud

ROSTER:

Seniors: Kendra Bogen, Kaylee Butler, Genevieve Froman, Paige Thompson, Alexie Olson

Juniors: Norah Cederstrom, Grace Mitchell, Allison Johnson, Sawyer Born

Sophomores: Jocelyn Rick, Aubree Weber, Alexis Noble, Layla Goodsell, Gabby Padgett, Kendall Rose, Grace Mazariego, Brielle Goodnature

Freshmen: Noelle Kelvie, Amelia Moran, Brooklyn Cummins, Molly McIntosh, June Froman, Ella Schroer, Adriana Hottman, Avery Born, Abigail Johnson

Eighth-Graders: Olivia Busho, Brooklyn Gardner, Lila Beckel

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior captains Kendra Bogen, Paige Thompson, and Genevieve Froman. Bogen and Thompson are leaders on the defensive side while Froman is a leader as a forward. All three have been on varsity since their eighth-grade seasons.

Junior Grace Mitchell will be another player

to the Waseca/Faribault co-op team this season as a junior. (File

- WasecaCountyNews.com)

that will look to build off of a solid season last year. She led the team in both goals and points with 20 and 37. Owatonna will return the goals, assists, and points leader from last season as Bogen led the team with 22 assists.

Senior Kaylee Butler will also close out her high school career this year as a senior, as she is a forward.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Have a lot of young talented skaters that will look to make a mark on the team this season.

Junior goalie Sawyer Born will look to have a great season in front of the net, as she will share time with Alexie Olson after last year’s main goalie Leah Spencer graduated.

2024-25 RECAP:

14-9-2 overall record with an 8-3-2 record in the Big 9, good for a thirdplace finish in the conference.

Hosted a home game in the Section 1AA quarterfinals, but lost to a good Mankato East team who went on to lose to the section

South Central girls hockey

ROSTER:

Eighth-grade:

Laeson, Mallory Wetzel, Lila Pavlic

Seventh-grade: Kynsey Fuller

KEY PLAYERS:

Maddy Benson returns for her senior year. She was the team leader in points last season with 26 and also led the team in assists with 15. Excited to have her back after she battled through injury last year. McKenna Mortensen will return for her junior year after being second on the team in goals and assists as just a sophomore.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: With just two seniors on the roster, we

champion Farmington Tigers in the semifinals.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Will look to once again be a contender in the Big 9 Conference and host a playoff game.

COMPETITION:

Farmington and Northfield will once again be favorites in the section. Austin and Mankato East moved out of the section so there is now 7 teams in it compared to 9 last year (Owatonna, Farmington, Northfield, Lakeville South, Rochester Century/ JM, Rochester Mayo, and Winona).

BY THE NUMBERS:

5 - seniors

4 - juniors

8 - sophomores

9 - freshmen

3 - 8th-graders

will have a young roster full of players who will look to make an impact.

Eighth-grader Lila Pavlic will be in front of the net this season as goalie after Ilamay Draheim transferred to Mankato East.

2024-25 RECAP:

10-16-1 overall record, 4-9-1 in Big South Conference.

Won against Austin in thrilling overtime play-in game in the Section 1AA playoffs before falling to eventual section champion Farmington in the quarterfinals.

2025-26

OUTLOOK:

Have a young team all-around and will look to improve every game as we get more experience on the ice.

COMPETITION:

Moved down to Class A section 1 this season after competed in Class AA last year due to the first year of co-op. Five other teams are in Section 1A (Albert Lea, Austin, Dodge County, Red Wing, and Simley).

BY THE NUMBERS:

2 - seniors

4 - juniors

4 - sophomores

2 - freshmen

3 - 8th-graders

1 - 7th-grader

COACHES:

Co-Head Coaches: Chas Benson and Amanda Reed

Seniors: Maddy Benson, Kaylee Lawson

Juniors: Jayden Drager, Emma Huelsnitz, Anika Gliem, McKenna Mortensen

Sophomores: Savannah Conway, Sadie Wagner, Clara Nawrocki, Allison Drager

Freshmen: Ava Greden, Maddie Halla

Kelsey

Grace Mitchell was the leader in both goals and points last season for the Huskies. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Maddy Benson is one of 2 seniors on the Flyers this year. (File PhotoWasecaCountyNews.com)

The Owatonna girls hockey captains (Genevieve Froman, Paige Thompson, and Kendra Bogen) talk during their home game against Apple Valley this season. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

McKenna Mortensen fights for possession of the puck in a game last year. Mortensen will return

Photo

BOYS BASKETBALL

Northfield boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Matt Christensen 4th year, Assistant coaches: Grant Hemmingsen, 3rd year, Nic Zabel, 3rd year.

ROSTER:

Kayden Oakland Sr.*, Tyler Holz Jr., Tyler

Hupton Sr.*, JT Graupmann Sr.*, Jake Fox Sr., Davis Ness Jr., Liam Oakland So., Cal Sneed So.,

Ben Ims Jr., Dyson McBroom Jr., Eli Edwards Sr., Eli Bengtson Jr., Jake Lorence Sr. [*Captain]

KEY PLAYERS:

Kayden Oakland, Tyler Hupton, JT Graupmann, Liam Oakland, Tyler Holz

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Liam Oakland and Eli Bengtson will look to

Faribault boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head

ROSTER:

KEY PLAYERS:

Ryan Kreager - All-Conference last year, Breuer Wolff - All-Conference honorable mention last year. Looking forward to seeing our deep group of seniors step up and take on new roles.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Cullen Cox, Tristan Gonzalez, Abirahman Hussein, and Luqman Madey are back with us after taking a year away from basketball. They bring a lot of speed and athleticism and give us great depth at guard.

be even more aggressive shooting with the graduation of 1000 point scorer, Isaiah Mahal. Ben Ims and Davis Ness are knocking at the door as varsity rotation impact players.

2024-25 RECAP:

Overall 15-13, Section 9-3, Conference 11-10

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Improve in team defense, transition defense, and offensive rebounding to give us a shot at a conference and section title.

COMPETITION:

For the conference, Mankato East and Rochester Mayo will both be very tough. We play both

teams right out of the gate. For the section, both Byron and Stewartville graduated quite a few key varsity players, although both have good young talent and are well coached. Faribault has two very good players and is a tough match up. We expect to be competing for both titles.

BY THE NUMBERS:

8 - Returning varsity rotation players

3 - Friday Night Home Games

595 - # of Points Kayden Oakland needs to become the all time leading scorer for the boys program.

2024-25 RECAP:

19-9 including playoffs, 14-6 in the Big 9. Graduated 8 seniors, including our leading scorer and All-Conference player Mohamed Madey.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We are aiming high with the goal of getting better every day. We look forward to competing together every day and coming together as a group.

COMPETITION:

The Big 9 and our Section (1AAA) are both really deep with good teams. We are excited to see where we can position ourselves against

great competition throughout the season.

BY THE NUMBERS: 15- total players

2 - returning starters 10 - seniors

coach: Eric Hildebrandt, 8th year. Assistant coaches: Dean Reirter, 8th year, Jared Moriarity, 1st year, Jauhem ByrdMix, 3rd year, Michael Getchell, 3rd year.

Ryan Kreager (12, C), Breuer Wolff (12, G/F), Liam Redman (12, G), Brandon Petricka (12, G), Nate Lockerby (12, C), Cullen Cox (12, G), Tristan Gonzalez (12, G), Luqman Madey (12, G), Abdirahman Hussein (12, G), Davion Wagner (12, F), Lane Tinaglia (11, F), Cooper Hettinger (11, F), Javahn Siemers (11, G),

Caleb Lenway (10, F), Joe Shoop (10, G)

Kayden Oakland drives the lane against Red Wing. (File Photo — NorfieldNews.com)

Breuer Wolff drives to the hoop against Rochester Mayo. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Tyler Hupton looks for the open man. (File Photo — NorfieldNews.com)

Ryan Kreager goes up for a basket. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Bethlehem boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Ed Friesen, 5th year as head (20+ overall) Assistant coaches: Jason Langevin, 8th year, Taylor Kaiser, 8th year

ROSTER:

Lucas Caron (Sr, G), Henry Foxhoven (Sr, F), Brecken Kaderlik (Sr, F), Luke McCrea (Sr, F), Grady Pemrick (Sr, G), Carter Brown (Jr, F), Hayden Dillon (Jr, G-F), Caden Dokkestul (Jr, G), Owen Dotterweich (Jr, G), Ashton Elung (Jr, F), Liam King (Jr, G-F), Eastyn Rivet (Jr, F)

KEY PLAYERS:

We return a good nucleus from last year, including Dotterweich, Dillon, Dokkestul, Foxhoven, Kaderlik and Caron

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Ashton Elung is very athletic. It will be fun to watch him develop and contribute this season. He was a transfer student last year so this will be his first year of varsity eligibility. Luke McCrea has always given us very steady play in the past. Carter Brown will provide us with some solid effort on both ends of court. Liam King had surgery in the summer. He will be a good contributor for us as he regains his strength and conditioning.

2024-25

RECAP:

We only picked up 2 wins last year. We were a rather young team relying on a number of sophomores and juniors to play key roles. We lost 4 games that were under 10 points and 4 games that were 15 or under

Kenyon-Wanamingo boys basketball

(& were closer than the final score). We were 1-14 in the conference play, finishing last in the east division.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

The good thing about being young last year is that we have a lot of experience coming back this year. We are looking to be more competitive this year, winning more of the close games and keeping the point differential lower. We need to shoot better than last year. We also need our team defense to play at a higher notch. We need to improve our help & recovery as well as our pressure on the ball.

COMPETITION:

The conference will be tough every night. Only 4 of last year’s 18 All-Conference players were seniors so a lot of good players are returning. Triton, behind Pierce Petersohn, is one of the favorities for the east. JWP should be one of the favorites in the west. Blooming Prairie maybe is impacted the most by graduation but should still be a pretty competitive team. And, just about

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Juniors Seth Aldorfer, Jaydan Carroll, Carson Senn, and Padraig Vizina all played primarily on the JV last year and will be expected to contribute on the Varsity team this season.

2024-25 RECAP:

13-14 record. 9-6 in conference. 7-9 in section games. Lost in the first round of the playoffs to Fillmore Central. Finished 5th out of 11 teams in the Gopher Conference.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Our Goal is to finish in the top 4 in the conference, Get a home game for playoffs and win a playoff game in the Civic Center. We hope to play tough defense, improve throughout the season, and be playing

everybody else should be better than last year. The section will look different this year - a little more parity. Goodhue, Rushford-Peterson and Blooming Prairie move to AA this year. Lewiston-Altura moves down to A. A number of teams can be in the mix and it might be who gets on a good roll and is playing well in February and March. Houston, Spring Grove, Fillmore Central, Kingsland, Southland, Lewiston-Altura and Mabel-Canton are all going to be in that mix.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Our overall number of participants for grades 9-12 is the highest it has been for a few years. We are able to have separate varsity and JV practices this year, which we haven’t been able to do in the recent past. 12 varsity players + a few from the JV that will dress as well. 11 letter winners, 6 seniors (1 international), 8 juniors (1 international), 3 sophomores and 7 freshmen.

our best basketball at playoff time.

COMPETITION:

Triton and JWP are the top teams in the Gopher Conference. We hope to finish somewhere in the top half of the conference. Southland is the team to beat in section 1A after Goodhue and Rushford-Peterson got realigned to class AA. Lewiston-Altura moved down to class A and should be tough as well. We hope to get a top 8 seed which would give us a home game for the first round of playoffs.

BY THE NUMBERS:

16- total varsity players

4- letter winners

3 - seniors

KEY PLAYERS:

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Brent Lurken, 8th year.

Assistant coaches: Brady Anfinson, 8th year, Paul Vizina, 4th year

ROSTER:

Derek Syverson (Sr, F), Andre Cortez (Sr, G), Riccardo Bandera (Sr, F), Oliver Bauer (Jr, F), Carson Senn (Jr, F), Jaydan Carroll (Jr, G), Padraig Vizina (Jr, G), Landen Johnson

(Jr, G), Seth Aldorfer (Jr, F), Eli Hedeen (So, G), Rylee Groth (So, F), Nate Keller (So, F), Tyler Raths (So, F), Corbin Laue (So, F), Isaac Mills (Fr, G), Seth Nystuen (Fr, G)

Oliver Bauer and Eli Hedeen were both named to the all-conference team last year. Landen Johnson also started as a sophomore for most of the year.

Brecken Kaderlik waits for the play to head his way. (File Photo - Faribault.com)

Oliver Bauer looks to make a pass against WEM. (File Photo — TheKenyonLeader.com)

Caden Dokkestul makes a pass. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Owatonna boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Josh Williams, 23rd year

Assistant Coaches:

JV/Varsity - Brad Schuster, 22nd year

B-Squad - Van Gallatin, 5th year

B-Squad Assistant - Ryan Powers, 1st year

9th Freshman - Shane Shornock, 2nd year

Freshman Assistant - Avery Hartman, 1st year

Cultural Connection - Daniel Dut, 8th year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Gavin Burmeister (guard), Mason Klecker (guard), Gabe Piepho (guard), Will Halverson (forward)

Juniors: Brendan Klecker (forward), Willie Moore (guard), Brennan Kath (guard), Jack Hawkins (guard), Jacob Dut (guard), Sudeysi Ismail (guard), Cooper Mottl (guard), Ben Sackett (forward), Brice Spinler (center), Micah Gentz (forward)

Sophomores: Cooper Routh (guard), Jackson Holder (guard), Tyler Crass (guard), Adam Ramsey (guard), Arik Tackmann (guard), Ashton Wilkemeyer (forward), Lucas Ginskey (guard)

KEY PLAYERS:

Gavin Burmeister - Senior captain. Gavin was our 6th man a year ago and did start a handful of games at the point guard/shooting guard position. He along with Will Halverson bring back the majority of our varsity experience. He will step into a much different role where we will ask a lot of him on both ends of the floor.

Will Halverson - Senior captain. Our first post player off the bench a year ago and someone we are counting on to take a big leap as one of our top players. Physical kid who works extremely hard. Love the way he competes, rebounds, communicates, and will need him to score it as well.

Willie Moore. Junior guard who saw some varsity minutes a year ago. Put in a ton of time in the off-season competing in AAU and improving on his game. Has a chance

to step in and compete for a starting spot and one of our top offensive threats.

Brendan Klecker. Junior forward who also got some quality minutes in our rotation last year as a sophomore. Versatile player who can step out and shoot it as well as solid around the bucket. We will need his vocal leadership on the floor as well as his ability to defend and rebound.

Cooper Routh. Sophomore guard. Got his first varsity minutes in late December last year. Had 14 points in that game and never looked back. Athletically talented and really improved throughout the course of last season. Similar to the guys above with such a lack of experience we are counting on a lot of guys to step up in their roles this year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Tough to narrow that down until we get to the season and figure some things out. We have such a unique roster this year for a number of reasons. We have only four seniors total, a solid junior class, and a ton of sophomores (32 total) trying out. We will have a mix of three grades that will make up both our JV and varsity rosters.

2024-25 RECAP:

14-14 Overall, 10-10 in Big 9

Upset Lakeville South on a buzzer beater as the 6 seed to advance to the semifinals where we lost to Lakeville North.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Very inexperienced both in lack of seniors and lack of varsity experience. We don’t set a whole lot of “measurable goals,” we focus more on process goals and expect the wins to follow. In terms of outlook, I love our guys. Yes we are green and inexperienced but I do feel we have

quality senior leadership as well as some depth and talent in our juniors and sophomores. How we blend those three grades, mature and come together as a group, and how hard we compete will determine a lot with regards to our success. We preach a lot to be at our best in February and March and hope/expect that to be the case this season. Our learning curve will be great from the beginning of the year to the end.

I expect us to compete with unrelenting effort every night, play with great pace and tempo on the offensive end, and share the ball willingly to be as successful as we can. If we do those things I hope we can surprise some teams this year and exceed where we are predicted to fall in both the Big 9 and Section 1AAAA.

COMPETITION:

Big 9: Mayo and Mankato East would be the two favorites. Mayo is a top 10 team in the state to begin the season in class AAAA and return almost every player off their 20 win team a year ago. Mankato East did graduate a couple all-conference players, but still return 3 all conference players and are deep and talented once again (and are a top 10 team in class AAA). There are a lot of other talented teams that will contend as well such as Faribault, Austin, West, Northfield, JM, and Century.

Section 1AAA: Mayo is the predicted favorite and top 10 team for the reasons I stated above. They are experienced, talented, and physically imposing with a number of 6’56’7 athletes who can all play. Farmington is picked behind them with Lakeville North and Lakeville South being good as always.

BY THE NUMBERS:

4 - seniors

10 - juniors

7 - sophomores

32 - total sophomores in program

2 - senior captains (Gavin Burmeister and Will Halverson)

Cooper Routh emerged as a freshman last season and will look to once again have a great impact on the team as a sophomore. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Gavin Burmeister is one of two senior captains (alongside Will Halverson) this season after being the Huskies’ sixth-man last year. Burmeister will be a starter this season after the Huskies graduated all of their starters from last season’s team. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Medford boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Steve Boehning, 5th year

Assistant Coaches: Jose Pena (2nd year), JV/Varsity Assistant Brandon Pena (1st) year, C-Squad/ Varsity Assistant

ROSTER:

Seniors: Jon Gonzalez (center), Orion Heintz (guard), John Hora (center), Aavyn HummelLangerfeld (forward), Bennett Stinocher (guard)

Juniors: Will Grayson (center), Ayden Madrid (guard), Landon Seiler (guard), Drake Stursa (forward), Will Van Ryn (forward), Kyle Vatsaas (forward), Alex Gonzalez (guard) Sophomore: Simon Karsten-Atkins (guard) Freshman: Nic Taylor (guard)

KEY PLAYERS:

Landon Seiler - Starting PG since his freshman year. 3rd team All-Gopher Conference last year. Averaged almost 20 PPG last year. Also led the team in rebounds (almost 7 RPG) and steals (almost 2 SPG).

Blooming Prairie boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Cam Rutledge, 5th year

Assistant Coaches: Andrew Hardecopf and John Bruns

ROSTER:

Seniors: Bradley Boyd (guard), Jared Lee (guard), Reilly Downey (guard)

Juniors: Gabe Staloch (guard), Wyatt Rafdal (guard), Connor Cooke (forward), Kingston Lee (forward), Eliot Gimbel (guard), Zach Green (forward), Riley Johnson (guard), Jaxon Studer (guard), Kelvin McCarthy (guard)

KEY PLAYERS:

Gabe Staloch - 16.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.0 spg

Bradley Boyd - 7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Jared Lee, Wyatt Rafdal, Kingston Lee, Connor Cooke, Eliot Gimbel

2024-25 RECAP:

Overall Record 21-7. Section Semifinalist.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Moving up to AA after spending the last 2 seasons in A will be a challenge for us this season, but we think we have a team that can compete with everyone on our schedule and look to make a run at the end of the year. We return two starters from last years team along with another very good player who was on JV last year because of the transfer rule. Overall, our expectations are high and we are expecting to have another good season!

COMPETITION:

Orion Heintz - Starting Guard alongside Landon since his sophomore year. Senior captain. 2nd leading scorer the last 2 years. Usually guards the opponents best ball handler.

John Hora - Starting Center since his Sophomore year alongside Landon and Orion. Leads team in rebounds and the rim protector. Guards other team’s post every game. Also has the ability to switch onto guards on defense. 3rd on the team in scoring the last 2 years.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Collin Perigo. Transfer to Medford from outside of the state. Tall wing that can shoot and get to the rim.

Nic Taylor. Small freshman but an amazing 3-point shooter and ball handler. Will be a key guard alongside Landon

We should compete night in and night out in our conference. Both JWP and Triton return a lot of guys from last years teams, so they should be considered the preseason favorites. In our section, teams like Waseca, Belle Plaine, and Glencoe Silver Lake will be amongst the state’s best in AA.

and Orion or in a rotation with them for offense, ball handling, and shooting. Drake Stursa. Tall and athletic shooting forward. Really good at playing his role as a catch and shoot 3 and D guy. Led the team in 3-point shooting last year for the team. Will be taking on a bigger role with Cain Johannes (starting Center last year) graduated.

2024-25 RECAP:

0-14 in Gopher Conference play. Finished 16th (last) in section 2AA and lost in the first round to eventual Section winner, Waseca. Played quite a few really close conference and non-conference games. Just couldn’t ever get over the hump on a victory. Only graduating a couple of seniors last year (Jayden Kennedy and Talon Savoie) and only one that started or played big minutes (Cain Johannes).

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Goals and expectations should be to get some conference wins this year and some nonconference wins. We are returning guys who played big minutes last year and that have been playing varsity for 3 years now (Landon, Orion, Bennett, and John Hora). Combining that experience with a couple of new players (transfer Collin Perigo and Freshman Nic Taylor) and a few players ready to make the jump to bigger varsity minutes (Drake Stursa, Kyle Vatsaas, and Simon Karsten-Atkins) it is time to put it all together and compete in more games this year.

COMPETITION:

Favorites would be J-W-P and Triton. They are both returning their best players last year who were top all-conference players and the player of the year. K-W, Blooming, Hayfield, Randolph and W-E-M should all be solid teams as well. Hopefully we can compete with them and play tougher games against teams we almost beat last year, NR-H-E-G, USC, and BA. We also have a few non-conference games in which we played really against these teams last year who we are playing again and should have good games against this year: Schaeffer Academy, Lyle-Pacelli, Parnassus Prep, Leroy-Ostrander, Nicollet, and Alden-Conger. Finally, a couple of other new section opponents this year for nonconference games which should be competitive for us: Grand Meadow and Cleveland.

BY THE NUMBERS:

14 - total players

10 – returning letter winners

6 - seniors

Landon Seiler was named to the Gopher All-Conference 3rd team last year as a sophomore. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Gabe Staloch will look to be the leading scorer for the Blossoms this year after averaging 16.6 points a game last season. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

Orion Heintz returns for his senior season for the Tigers. (File Photo - Owatonna.com)

Bradley Boyd will return for his senior season for the Blossoms this year. (File Photo — Owatonna.com)

NRHEG boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Dan Schmidt, 4th year

Assistant coaches: Aaron Gilliland (4th year), Tyler Schlaak (8th year)

ROSTER:

Senior: Deshawn Jones (forward)

Juniors: Fynn Baumann (forward), AJ Deen (forward), Brooks Gilliland (guard), Lavon Jewison (forward/center), Dom

Olson (guard), Brendan Schmidt (guard)

Sophomores: Calvin Nissen (guard), Zander Hanna (forward/center), Sean Lassahn (guard)

Freshmen: Mack Gilliland (guard), Brock Holland (forward)

KEY PLAYERS:

Brendan Schmidt, Calvin Nissen, Lavon Jewison, Dom Olson

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Brooks Gilliland, AJ Deen, Fynn Baumann

2024-25 RECAP:

4-22 overall, 3-12 conference, 14th seed in Section 2AA. We had a tough year that saw us deal with numerous illness and injuries that affected some of the plans for the year.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We’ll be looking to grow as the season progresses, as we’re overall a pretty inexperienced team at the varsity level. We return 2 starters, but the rest of the team is young, as we only have one senior. The chemistry with this group is outstanding, as they’ve all played at least 2 sports together for many years. We’ll try to take advantage of our athleticism, as well as our ability to get up and down the court and moving the basketball, to put pressure on teams on both ends of the floor. We’ll have some rough spots as we grow, but I’m confident in this group’s ability to improve. They had a good summer working together, and as we settle in to the offensive and defensive systems, I think things will start to click more and more as the season goes on.

COMPETITION:

I think we can compete for a top-2 or 3 in the West Division of the Gopher Conference. JWP returns a large part of their team from last year, and will remain the favorite in the West. Triton looks to be the strongest in the East. As for our section, we dropped to Class A, down from AA last year. JWP also dropped, and I see them as being a favorite in the section, along with Springfield, who is always very tough. Mankato Loyola returns a pretty strong team, and could make some noise come tournament time, as well.

BY THE NUMBERS:

23 - players, grades 9-12.

26 - Junior High players, so the future looks pretty strong.

4 - Letterwinners – Brendan Schmidt, Calvin Nissen, Lavon Jewison, Dom Olson. 1 Senior – Deshawn Jones.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Wyatt Hager, Logan Reger, Will Mansfield, Cyrett Long, and Amin Shariff played on varsity last season on the bench and will have significantly more minutes this year.

2024-25 RECAP:

32-1, only loss coming in Class AA state championship game against Albany. Won Section 2AA championship against Belle Plaine and will face off against them in the season opener this season in a rematch.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Lose key playmakers from last year’s team, but will look to improve as the season goes on to be a competitor once again in the section.

COMPETITION:

Section is once again big this season, as there are 14 other teams in it.

BY THE NUMBERS:

9 - seniors

2 - juniors

Waseca boys basketball

KEY PLAYERS:

COACH: Head Coach: Seth Anderson

ROSTER: Seniors: Deron Russell, Ethan Hiller, Cyrett Long, Logan Reger, Will Mansfield, Amin Shariff, Caleb Wulf, Wyatt Hager, Riley Mitchell, Isaah Johnson Juniors: Owen Honstad, Owen Rupe

Deron Russell - was a key piece to the state runner-up team last season. Allaround great player who is both an elite scorer and a lock-down defender.

Ethan Hiller - returns for his senior season after being a starter on last year’s state runner-up team. Great defender alongside Russell.

Brendan Schmidt. (File Photo - SouthernMinn. com)

Ethan Hiller returns for his senior season after being a starter for the Bluejays last season. (File Photo - WasecaCountyNews.com)

Lavon Jewison is one of 6 juniors on the Panthers this season, as they are a junior-heavy team. (File Photo - SouthernMinn.com)

Wyatt Hager is one of several Bluejays that will look to see more playing time this season. (File Photo - WasecaCountyNews.com)

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Nick James, 10th year

Assistant coach: Connor Morton JV, 10th year

Assistant coach: Gabriel Hauer, C - Matt Dahlberg, JH - Lenny Kroll, JH - Johnny Daschner

ROSTER:

1 Daulton Bauer, 12th G, 2 Michael Walker 12th F, 3 Parker Gearity 11th G, 4 Gavin Bauer 10th G, 5 Seth Dahlberg 11th G, 10 Caleb Quast 12th G, 11 Jaxon Wolff 10th G, 12 Maddex Bauer 9th G, 13 Zander Terbeest 12th G, 14 Tyson Kronbach 10th G, 15 Jeffrey Simonson 11th F, 20 James Schoenrock 10th F, 21

Gavin Weedman 11th G, 22 Leighlan Harris 10th F, 23 Brody Berndt 8th G, 24 Carson Schultz 11th F, 30 Tyson Johnson 11th F

KEY PLAYERS:

Returning 4 year Sr. starters Daulton Bauer and Caleb Quast should continue to lead on and off the court. Also So. Gavin Bauer. Bauer’s were the teams leading scorers last season, with Quast being the teams best defender, Gavin Weedman should step into a consistent starting role after coming off the bench and playing significant minutes last season.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Tyson Kronbach, Jaxon Wolff, Parker

Gearity will step into bigger roles this season after big JV seasons last year.

2024-25 RECAP:

Finished 14- 1 in the Gopher winning the conference championship, final season record of 25-5 losing the Waseca in the section 2AA semifinals.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Main goal is to get better from the 1st day to the end of the year. We hope to give ourselves a chance to compete for a conference title and section title.

COMPETITION:

Conference has a lot of competitive teams who we think we can compete with. Triton is going to be very good with one of the best players we will see all year. Kenyon, Randolph should also be very competitive. We hope to position ourselves towards the top of section this season, Springfield, Mankato Loyola should be up there also.

BY THE NUMBERS:

38 - total players in 9-12, one of the biggest numbers we have had as a program 10 - letter winners returning this season 4 - seniors

2024-25 RECAP:

The Giants finished the season with a record of 20-8, securing a threeway tie to win the South Central Conference. The Season came to an end with a 68-53 loss to JWP in the Section 2AA Quarterfinals.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Having graduated six seniors, four of which received starting minutes over the course of the season, the Giants will be working with a series of new rotations of the course of the year. Bigs Hunter Vinkemeier and Lucas Kahlow will anchor the attack in the paint for LS-H with Joe Lewis and Will Adams expected to contribute greatly in the backcourt. The growth of the team will be paramount as close to 60 minutes of the rotation from last year will have to be accounted for.

COMPETITION:

Within the South Central Conference, Maple River and LCWM are expected to once again be at or near the top of the conference standings with the Giants as the wild card.

In the section, Waseca will once again be the overwhelming favorite as the Class AA runners up from last year retain much of the talent that led them to a 32-1 season.

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Jared Vinkemeier, 1st season

Assistant coach: Nathan Wentzlaff

Assistant coach: Eric Lewis

ROSTER: Joemarriyon Henderson, Grady Graham, Caleb Sullivan, Tyler Bushway, Jack Thelemann, Rigo Mendez, Juan Segura, Jackson Forcier, Sebastian Williams, Wyatt Richards, Joe Lewis, Will Adams, Hunter Vinkemeier, Lucas Kahlow

KEY PLAYERS: Joe Lewis, Will Adams, Hunter Vinkemeier and Lucas Kahlow

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Grady Graham and Jack Thelemann.

Caleb Quast (file photo — WasecaCountyNews.com)

Joe Lewis lays the ball up and in. (file photo — LeSueurCountyNews.com)

Daulton Bauer. (File photo — WasecaCountyNews.com)

Hunter Vinkemeier rises up over a

photo

Tri-City United boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

HC-John Rumpza (4th year)

JV-Jared Van Dorpe (3rd year)

C-Squad-Andrew Gullicks (1st year)

ROSTER:

Kale Tisdel F 9, Thomas Sandbulte G 9, Ashton Brainerd F 10, Brendan Frederick G 10, Kellen Jirik G 11, Alejandro Mejia G 11, Keith Sexton F 11, Matthew Farr C 11, Treyezen Detwiler-Anderson F 11, Wyatt Duffy G 11, Jacob Fournier G 12, Jaylen Nhem G 12, Mitch Holicky F 12, Colbey Duchnowski G 12, Carter Beulke F 12, Ethan Christensen G 12

KEY PLAYERS:

Jaylen Nhem (12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.1 APG)

Carter Beulke (4.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG)

Kellen Jirik (18 games played, 2.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG)

Colbey

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Alejandro Mejia

Kale Tisdel

Wyatt Duffy

Keith Sexton

Treyezen Detwiler-Anderson

Brendan Frederick

Ashton Brainerd

2024-25 RECAP:

Last season we went winless (0-27), finishing last in the Big South East. It was definitely a tough year for our Varsity squad last season.

St. Peter boys basketball

We were inexperienced, and on top of that we had some of our leaders out with injury. We had players develop during the season last year and during the off-season this past summer/fall. We are excited for our returners at the varsity level and some of our younger players stepping into larger roles.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We are looking to compete at our highest level and look to get back in the win column this season. Expectations for our team win/loss wise will not be high this season, but I don’t feel like our players are approaching the season like that. Our message has been that we aren’t worried about how good everyone else is, we just want to compete at our highest level. Having been through a week of practice, you can feel that we have a lot of players who are excited to play ball this season. I’m excited to see our experienced players from last season start to gel with some of our new players that are going to be in the mix. We have lots of guys that are competing for our 4th-8th spots right now, and we have 50 guys out 9-12 this season, and lots of players who we are excited to see develop at our JV and C levels this season as well. So, despite coming off of a tough season, there is optimism.

of

COMPETITION:

I would expect Waseca, Jackson County Central, Belle Plaine, St. Peter, Luverne, Marshall, Fairmont among others to be tough in the conference. I don’t foresee there being any nights against easy competition, every team is tough, and there are many teams that struggled last year that will probably take a step this year. The Conference will be split differently this season, into 2 sections rather than 3 (Black and Gold). We are in the Black, along with Belle Plaine, Waseca, St. Peter, Worthington, New Ulm, and Marshall.

As far as our section goes, Waseca, Belle Plaine, Glencoe Silver-Lake will be some of the favorites. Central (NYA), Blue Earth, Maple River, LCWM, LSH will be some other teams to watch that will be solid.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2 freshmen, 2 sophomores, 6 juniors, 7 seniors on varsity roster –6 returning letter winners: Carter Beulke, Jacob Fournier, Mitch Holicky, Jaylen Nhem, Colbey Duchnowski, Kellen Jirik

Parker Maloney — senior forward who averaged 13.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Physical, reliable, and anchors the frontcourt. Committed to USD for football.

Carter Dale — senior guard, averaged 10.4 ppg, provides toughness, shooting, and leadership.

Alex Korir — athletic junior guard who added 7.6 ppg last season; poised for a breakout year.

Ian Wills — senior forward who contributed 4.2 ppg and is a tenacious rebounder and defender.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Kyler Link — junior with length and defensive versatility.

Finley Olson — poised junior guard who shoots it well and plays under control.

Ethan Potts— athletic guard who can shoot the 3 and defend.

2024-25 RECAP:

St. Peter finished the 2024–25 season with a 14-14 overall record, 7-7 in the big south placing 3rd behind Marshall and Waseca in the Big South Conference. The Saints showed steady improvement throughout the season and gained valuable experience across the roster. In Section 2AAA play, St. Peter advanced to the semifinals, losing a heart breaker with Marshall in OT. With several underclassmen playing major minutes, the returning production sets a strong foundation for this year’s group.

who impacts every part of the game.

Jacob Fournier (18 games played)

Duchnowski (11 games played as a sophomore)

Mitchell Holicky (18 games played)

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Sean Keating — 13th year as Head Coach, 18th year overall

Assistant Coach (Varsity): Ethan Sindelir — 4th year Assistant Coach (9th Grade): Aidan Sindelir — 9th grade coach High School Assistants: Derek Homrighausen,

Jared Baron, Tanner Nadeau

ROSTER: Ethan Potts 11, Alex Korir 11, Owen Potts 11, Isaiah Homrighausen 9, Finley Olson 11, Kalvin Barfknecht 11, Ashton Guida 11, Owen Matejcek 12, Kyler Link 11, Ian Wills 12, Carter Dale 12, Parker Maloney 12

KEY PLAYERS:

Owen Potts — junior guard/wing and one

the top returning players in the Big South. Averaged 17.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 2.8 apg last year. Enters the season with 844 career points, just 156 away from joining the 1,000-point club. A complete scorer and playmaker

Carter Beulke. (file photo - lesueurcountynews.com)

Parker Maloney. (file photo - StPeterHerald.com)

Jaylen Nhem. (file photo-LeSueurCountyNews.com)

Owen Potts. (file photo — StPeterHerald.com)

Cleveland boys basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Mike Meyer, 5th year

Assistant coach: Travis Mons, 4th year

Assistant coach: Andy Schmidt, 4th year

Assistant coach: Carter Kopet, 4th year

ROSTER:

Carson Lyons, Junior Point Guard, Bode Bartell, Senior Shooting Guard, Alex Kortuem, Senior Shooting Guard, Braeden Smith, Junior

Forward, Mason Kluntz, Senior Center, Sam Ternes, Junior Shooting Guard, Gavin Karels, Senior Forward, Tanner Simonette, Junior Shooting Guard, Garret Heldberg, Sophomore Forward, Luke Heldberg, Sophomore Center, Miles Tomaszewski, Sophomore Shooting Guard, Dominic Anderson, Senior Shooting Guard, Killian Kunkel, Senior Center, Charlie Perkins, Junior Shooting Guard, Zayden Linder, Junior Shooting Guard, Henry Boelter, Junior Shooting Guard

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown boys basketball

COACH:

Head coach: David Schuster

ROSTER:

#10 Logan Willams (Sr., PG), #11 Gavin Atherton (Jr., SG), #12 Luke Lafrance (Sr., PG), #14 Carter Berg (Sr., PF), #20 Dylan Edelman (So., PG), #21 Karson Green (Jr., PG), #25 Parker Grams (Jr., C), #32 Jacob Androli (Sr., SG), #34 Braxton Keele (So., SF), #42 Cole Bartz (So., C, PF), #54 Timmy Kellstadt (Jr., C).

2024-25 RECAP:

A 13-14 record to end a season which finished up in the Class 2A Section 2 playoffs.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Looking to build off last season’s good start and compete in conference play as the year rolls along.

KEY PLAYERS:

Bode Bartell

Carson Lyons

Braeden Smith

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Sam Ternes

Garret Heldberg

2024-25 RECAP:

Finished 3rd in the conference with 7 wins and 5 losses. (10-14 overall) Seeded 10th in Section 2A

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

The goal is always the same and that is to get every player to play to the best of their ability.

COMPETITION:

I believe the conference will be competitive this year and am excited to see how players and teams have developed in the offseason.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2 – returning starters

8 - letter winners

3 – key players returning

TRI-CITY UNITED BOYS BASKETBALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

This year’s team returns a strong core of experienced guards and versatile wings. Expectations are high as the Saints look to compete near the top of the Big South Conference, defend at a high level, play with pace, and continue building a tough, connected culture. With experienced senior leaders, a deep junior class, and emerging young talent, the team has the potential to compete for a section championship and return to state for the first time since 2020.

COMPETITION:

The Big South Conference has shifted into two divisions, and St. Peter’s half includes Marshall, New Ulm, Belle Plaine, Tri-City United, Worthington, and Waseca. It’s a balanced group with many teams returning

significant talent, making conference play competitive from top to bottom.

In Section 2AAA, Mankato East enters as the five-time defending champion and returns another strong roster. The Cougars open the season ranked No. 3 in the state and remain the clear preseason favorite.

With the experience and production St. Peter brings back, the Saints expect to compete for both a conference championship and a Section 2AAA title, aiming to position themselves among the top contenders throughout the season.

BY THE NUMBERS:

12 — total varsity players

5 — returning letter winners

844 — Owen Potts’ career points entering the season

483 - Parker Maloney Career Points

Carson Lyons spots up for a three pointer from the left wing. (File Photo)

Talen Taylor scored 26 points against Medford. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Bode Bartell gathers the ball as he drives to the basket for a layup. (File Photo)

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Northfield girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: David Foley (2nd year, 16th year total in coaching) Assistant coaches: John Sand, Darrell Sawyer, Leah Sand, Tori Salaba

ROSTER:

Callie Lynch (10, 5’4, G), Tatum Sawyer* (12, 5’7, G), Kaitlin Schulz (12, 5’4, G), Grace Mostad* (12, 5’9, G), Maia Richardson (11, 5’8, G), Sydney Livingston (11, 5’7, G), Siri Richardson (9, 5’11, F), Alaia Douah (11, 6’0, Post), Amber Mahal (12, 6’0, F), Kate Sand* (12, 5’11, Post) *Captain

KEY PLAYERS:

Grace Mostad (SR, Guard), Kate Sand (SR, Post), Callie Lynch (SO, Guard), Tatum Sawyer (SR, Guard), Alaia Douah (JR, Post), Amber Mahal (SR, Forward)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Kaitlin Schulz (SR, Guard)

2024-25 RECAP: 17-11, 15-7 Big 9 - 5th seed Section 1-AAASemi-Final loss in section tournament to Byron. 17 wins more than in last 3 years combined.

Faribault girls basketball

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Our 2025-2026 season goals are to continue to grow in our identity as a program. We grew tremendously from a win/loss standpoint a year ago but know that this is a new year and must rise to the challenge of bigger goals. Our expectation is to play for each other and improve each day. If we can do those things, I see us being able to be a very strong team in February & March making a run towards our ultimate goal.

COMPETITION:

Our team has all the pieces to compete for the top spot in both the Big 9 and Section 1AAA. The key for us is going to be to build on our identity from a year ago focused on physical, pressure defense. Offensively, we have strong play at all levels of the floor and keys will be controlling the paint and limiting turnovers.

We will need to utilize our size and depth to control pace and dictate how games are played.

Big 9 Favorite - Rochester Mayo (Defending champion - Maggie Dyer, Amelia Mills - strong depth and play with great pace and physicality)

Section 1AAA Favorite - Stewartville (Defending champion - very well coached and loaded with talent)

BY THE NUMBERS:

Returning all Varsity players from ‘24-’25 season

5 - Seniors

5 - Juniors

3 - Sophmore

1- Freshman

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

A good goal for this team would be to host a home playoff game. This team is filled with skilled players and are a fun group to watch.

COMPETITION:

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Bill Bardal 13 Years. Assistant Coaches: Ned Louis 3 years, Olivia King 2 years ROSTER:

Fiona Voit (10th), Amira Williams (11th), Olivia Streefland (11th), Kyleigh Berken (9th), Eve Drewitz (11th), Audrey Debruzzi (10th), Brenna VanDerVeen (10th), Viv Louis (10th), Baylee Gunderson (8th), Claire

Kreager (8th), Divina Williams (8th) KEY PLAYERS: Amira Williams, Fiona Voit, Kyleigh Berken.

8th grader Baylee Gunderson. Very good athlete, very quick feet and good defender.

BY THE NUMBERS: 0 seniors

Coach David Foley led Northfield to three consecutive Big 9 wins against Winona, Faribault and Mankato East. (File Photo - NorthfieldNews.com)

Kyleigh Berken dribbles up the court. (File Photo - Faribault.com)

Tatum Sawyer in action against Albert Lea. (File Photo - NorthfieldNews.com)

Amira Williams goes up for a shot against Austin. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Bethlehem Academy girls basketball

COACH:

Head coach: Scott Trump

ROSTER: Lauren Bittenbender, Gabbie Pavek, Kiera Drier, Delaney Luckow, Brylie Becker, Anna

Croke, Sarah Tobin, Evelina Caldera

KEY PLAYERS:

With a limited bench every player will be key this season but Anna Croke should provide a lot of the scoring night in and night out.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Everyone is fairly new to the rotation this year so the entire roster can and will make an impact.

2024-25 RECAP:

A 13-12 record after a slow start to the season.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Lots of new faces in bigger roles but plenty of effort and talent should make for an interesting season.

COMPETITION:

NRHEG, Triton and Kenyon-Wanamingo should be a challenge as well as Waterville-Elysian-Morristown.

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Jake Wieme – 7th yr, Assistant Coach: Tracy Erlandson – 7th yr

ROSTER:

Kendal Johnson (G, 11), Taryn Bartel (G, 11), Eva Jacobson (F, 11), Audrey Haugen (C, 12), Mali Quam (G, 9), Hadley Wieme (F, 11), Sam Boyum (C, 11), Olivia Vierling (G, 10), Ruby Sjoblom (C, 10), Claire Olson (F, 10), Anna Ostertag (F, 11), Ilah Rechtzigel (G, 10), Chloe Donkers (G, 11), Sophia Belcher (F, 10), Emma Koncur (C, 11)

KEY PLAYERS:

Mali Quam is returning as the leading scorer. Anna Ostertag is a 3 yr starter av. 6 pts and 6 rebs. Audrey Haugen, Claire Olson and Sam Boyum started seeing varsity minutes at end of last season

Keep Your Eye On: Hadley Wieme, Eva Jacobson, Taryn Bartel, Kendal Johnson, Emma Koncur, Chloe Donkers

2024-25 RECAP:

Overall: 7-20, Section: 5-9, Conference: 2-13

2025-26 OUTLOOK: Young team with hopes of finishing in top half of the conference

COMPETITION:

Conference is tough with teams like Triton, Hayfield, NRHEG and JWP. KW is hoping to be competitive with these teams that are returning experience, senior heavy teams. Section KW girls will be in Class AA. Very tough section/class

10W.MinnesotaSt. LeCenter,MN56057 507-357-2273

134N.KilkennyRd. Kilkenny,MN56052 507-595-2273

701AshStNE, Lonsdale,MN55046

507-744-4400 Mon-Thurs 8:30am-4pm • Fri 8:30am-5:30pm

atwww.fnblecenter.com

THE NUMBERS:

2 – returning starters

senior

Bethlehem Academy coach Scott Trump looks on from the bench. (File Photo — Faribault.com)

Anna Ostertag makes a pass against Bethlehem Academy. (File Photo - TheKenyonLeader.com)

Brylie Becker looks to make a pass. (File Photo - Faribault.com)

Mali Quam looks to drive through defenders in transition. (File Photo — TheKenyonLeader.com)

Owatonna girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach:

Pat Webb - 3rd season, 17th overall as basketball coach

Assistant Coaches:

Varsity Assistant - Pat Churchill, 22 years coaching experience

JV Head Coach - Matt Simon, 3rd year

9th Grade Head Coach - Linda Coleman, 16 years of experience

9th Grade Assistant - Heather Elfering, 4th year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Addi Langlois (guard), Jessica Fisher (forward), Sophia Schlauderaff (guard).

Juniors: Jersey Coleman (forward), D’Neasha Stevens (guard), Kelsey Skala (guard), Payhten Busho (guard), Tegan Krucschke (guard), Audrey Dowling (forward).

Sophomores: Leah Leckner (guard), Georgia Schultz (forward).

Freshmen: Finley Rolloff (guard).

KEY PLAYERS:

Jersey Coleman- Versatile player, can score at all three levels, great rebounder.

Jessica Fisher- Game changer on defense, can guard 1-5.

Addi Langlois- Elite shooter.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Sophie Schlauderaff - Hasn’t played since she was a sophomore due to injury. High motor and playing really well so far in practice.

Leah Leckner - Steady presence at the point spot, great competitor.

Medford girls basketball

2024-25 RECAP:

Conference Record: 18-3 (2nd place)

Section: Made it to section semifinals, beat Lakeville south in quarters.

Last year we were one of the top defensive teams in the state, finishing 3rd in 4AAAA in points allowed with 44.0. Our defense carried us in tough environments, and helped us big time on the road as we only lost twice in road games. It also was the reason we were able to tie a program record 17 wins in a row.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Expectations remain the same. We feel like we can compete in the big 9, as well as our section. We had a great summer and showed well in our scrimmage.

We believe we can be a great defensive team again this year and could ramp our pressure a little more from a year ago. Offensively, we believe we can take a step forward from last year, as we believe we can be an improved shooting team.

COMPETITION:

Big 9: We believe we can be right there at the top. Mayo are the favorites again this year, with Northfield being right up there. We believe we can be right there with them.

Section: Mayo and Lakeville north are the early favorites. Lakeville South and New Prague should also be solid, and we believe we are part of that group as well.

BY THE NUMBERS:

28 - Total players in program

10 - Varsity players

12 - letter winners

3 - seniors

goals. Every week we are doing team bonding drills and listening to quotes to encourage communication, foster trust and create a positive team environment.

COACHES, YEARS COACHING: Head Coach: Megan Noble, 2nd year

ROSTER: Seniors: Jade Laue, Mari Nelson, Aleah Vogt, Olivia Ward

Junior: Lexi laue

Sophomores: Aurora Heintz, Cortney Borwege, Brooke Daily, Taylor Havlka, Ella Mullenmeister, Ziva Zacharias, Aubrie Havumaki

Aleah Vogt, Jade Laue,

Photo

Olivia Ward. (File PhotoOwatonna.com)

Blooming Prairie girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: John Worke, 25th year, 3rd year after an 8-year pause

Assistant coaches: Cory Hendrickson and Ben Robins

ROSTER:

Seniors: Ella Salinas (forward), Claire Schwarz (guard)

Juniors: Neila Nelson (guard), Gracelyn Anderson (forward), Aubrey Klocke (forward) Sophomores: Ellie Stoen (forward),

Evie Emanuel (guard), Annika Schwarck (guard), Natalie Winzenburg (guard), Haley McIntosh (guard)

Freshmen: Elaine Schwarz (forward), Emmerosn Nelson (guard), Addison Hjelmen (guard)

KEY PLAYERS:

Claire Schwarz - Claire is a well rounded player who can score from the outside and has the strength to finish at the hoop. She is a quiet leader and we are looking forward to her having a great senior year!

Elaine Schwarz - Elaine started as an 8th grader

last year and she quickly learned she could play at the varsity level. She set our all time season rebound record grabbing 318 rebounds! She is constantly moving and continued to get better every game. We can’t wait to see what she can do this year after having a year experience!

Emmerson Nelson - Emmerson started last year as an 8th grader. She is the quickest kid we have in our program. Although she had to learn to utilize her quickness, she quickly fit in and was the point guard on our team. Small in stature, Emmerson is tough and plays stronger than she looks. We are looking forward to see Emmerson perform again in her second year on varsity!

NRHEG girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Onika Peterson, 12th year

Assistant Coaches: John Schultz (varsity assistant), Kayley Camerer (varsity assistant and JV), Betsy Tweit, Larry Nydegger

ROSTER:

Seniors: Gabby Schlaak (guard), Quinn VanMaldeghem (guard), Camryn VanMaldeghem (guard), Chloe Stork (forward)

Juniors: Izley Boerner (guard), Clara Buendorf (guard), Savannah Farr (forward), Kylie Olson (center)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Ella Salinas - Played some last year, she can score and play physical inside.

Ellie Stoen - Good inside presence who can score and defend.

Addison Hjelmen - Quick, strong guard who can score from the outside as well as finish at the hoop. Also a good on the ball defender. Gracelyn Anderson - Always around the ball and makes things happen when she is out there.

Neila Nelson - Good outside shooter also learning to play stronger and defend.

Aubrey Klocke - Great teammate who has some length and can help us out inside.

2024-25

RECAP:

7-19 overall, 3-12 conference

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We started the youth movement last year starting two 8th Through graders. We definitely went threw.some growing pains but at the end, we felt our team continued to improve throughout the year. Fast forward to this year and what we expect. Obviously, we feel with the experience last year, we should be better. With that being said, we have a lot of teams on our schedule returning many key players. We hope to be more competitive this year and chisel out a few more wins!

COMPETITION:

Look to be competitive in a new section this year in 2AA after moving up from Section 1A.

BY THE NUMBERS:

13 - varsity players

2 - seniors

3 - juniors

5 - sophomores

3 - freshmen

This team is competitive, athletic, and simply a fun group to coach. We have speed, we rebound well, and we love to run the floor. Our goal is to create chaos on defense and make every possession tough for our opponents.

Our key to success this season is playing Panther basketball. We want to rebound and run the floor every chance we get, pushing the tempo and controlling the pace. Defensively, our goal is to create as much havoc as possible, staying aggressive and intense without getting into foul trouble.

Last year, the team pulled down an impressive 1,347 rebounds, out-rebounding opponents by more than 350 over the course of the season. That effort on the boards created countless second and third chance shot opportunities, which often made the difference in close games. Continuing that relentless mindset on the glass and on defense will be crucial to our success this year.

COMPETITION:

Sophomores: Ezra

(guard)

Eighth-Grade: Hadley Roeker (guard)

KEY PLAYERS: Seniors Camryn VanMaldeghem, Quinn VanMaldeghem, Chloe Stork, and Gabby Schlaak

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Underclassmen who will get minutes

throughout the season.

2024-25 RECAP: 23-7 overall record.

Won Section 2AA, went to state and lost to Providence Academy (went on to win state) and Sauk Centre.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We’re excited to get this season underway! Last year, this team played its best basketball when it mattered most, making small town history with a state tournament trip. We return our full roster, but what’s even more exciting is the group itself. These girls genuinely enjoy being together, they cheer for one another, celebrate each other’s successes, and push each other to be better every day.

We face a challenging schedule, and we’re eager to be tested throughout the year, Our focus is to keep improving with every practice and every game so that we’re once again playing our best basketball come playoff time. Last year was special, but this is a brand new season, and we’re not settling. It’s time to get back to work. The Gopher Conference has some solid teams again this year. I would hope that we would be in the top four with JWP, Triton, and Hayfield. We are in a new section and class. From the research that I’ve done I would like to think we would be in the top four with Spring Grove/ Mabel-Canton, Hayfield, and Grand Meadow.

BY THE NUMBERS:

4 - seniors

4 - juniors

3 - sophomores

5 - freshmen

1 - eighth-grader

Boerner (guard), Kenley Gehrke (forward), Alexandra Estrada (center) Freshmen: Julieann Wobbrock (guard), Alayna Groskreutz (forward), Emilia Stadheim (guard), Joey Rossing (guard), Aubrey Hendrickson

Elaine Schwarz, along with Emmerson nelson, emerged as a star for the Blossoms in her 8th-grade season. She broke the school’s record for most rebounds in a season. (File photo — Owatonna.com)

Chloe Stork is one of 4 seniors on this year’s Panthers squad. NRHEG returns all of their players from last year as there were no seniors on the roster last season. (File Photo - SouthernMinn.com)

Claire Schwarz is one of two seniors on the Blossoms team this season along with Ella Salinas. (File photo — Owatonna.com)

Camryn VanMaldeghem returns for her senior season for the Panthers. (File Photo - SouthernMinn.com)

Waseca girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Brian Rupe, 1st season

ROSTER:

Seniors: Vivian Mader (guard), Hannah

Teague (post), Haley Kahnke (post), Audrianna Willingham (guard).

Juniors: Anya Gaona (guard), Belle Miller (guard), Alexa Welander (guard).

Sophomores: Reese Rodriguez (guard),

Maren Schimming (guard).

Freshmen: Anna Benson (guard), Ahvah Mass (post), Ava Miller (guard), Libby Miller (guard), Hannah Sommers (post), Tyler Stagman (guard).

KEY PLAYERS:

Belle Miller, Reese Rodriguez, Ava Miller, Maren Schimming, Hannah Sommers.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Audrianna Willingham, Hannah Teague, Libby Miller.

2024-25 RECAP:

Overall: 5-22, Conference: 3-12. Graduated 7 seniors including all 5 starters.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We are a very young and inexperienced team. We have athleticism we will need to use and need to outwork team as we will give up size in a lot of our games. We will look to improve through the season as we gain experience to hopefully be playing our best basketball in February.

COMPETITION:

We play a tough schedule, Marshall and New Ulm will both be great teams in the conference. Section favorites in my mind will be NRHEG and TCU.

BY THE NUMBERS: 15- Total players

5 - Letter winners

4 - Seniors

3 - Juniors

2 - Sophomores

6 - Freshmen

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Brandon Goebel, 3rd year

Assistant coach: Emily Olson, 3rd year

Assistant coach: Liz Kvebak, 3rd year

Assistant coach: Andrea Kronbach, 3rd year

ROSTER:

23 Katie Olson, 12th, Guard, 5 Kwynn Krause, 12th, Guard, 4 Nevaeh Weimert, 12th, Guard, 11 Mikayla Wheelock, 12th, Guard, 24 Aubrey Adams, 12th, Post, 2 Ray Blasing, 11th, Guard, 25 Jaidann Mulder, 11th, Post, 22 Hudson Miller, 11th, Post, 15 Haylee Appel, 10th, Guard, 3 Claire Leoffler, 10th, Post, 12 Clare Groh, 10th, Guard, 21 Makenzie Westphal, 10th, Guard, 10 Ava Krause, 10th, Guard, 14 Ella Lamont, 10th, Post, 13 Ashlynn Wolff, 9th, Guard/Post

KEY PLAYERS:

Nevaeh Weimert

Mikayla Wheelock

Katie Olson

Kwynn Krause

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Ashlynn Wolff

Ray Blasing

2024-25 RECAP:

Overall Record 24-4

Conference Record 14-1

2025 Gopher Conference Champions

Had a very solid year last year. Won a lot of close games and fought through adversity the entire year. Fell short in the section quarter finals to a very solid Glencoe Silver Lake team who we beat in the regular season.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

I’m really excited about this season. We graduated a few key players who were a big part of our program, but we return a strong core group with valuable experience. We also have some talented underclassmen who I believe can step up and make a big impact. Overall, I think we have the pieces to be a very solid team again this year.

COMPETITION:

The conference will be a tough stretch this year. Triton brings back a lot and will be a very competitive team. NRHEG also is returning their entire team who got hot at the end of the season last year and ended up winning our section. Conference Favorites: JWP, NRHEG, Triton

BY THE NUMBERS: 16 - total players

6 - seniors

Maren Schimming (right) will be a starter for Waseca this season. The Bluejays graduated all five starters from last year’s team and will have a young roster this season. (File Photo - WasecaCountyNews.com)

Mikayla Wheelock launches a three from the corner. (Ben Camp - WasecaCountyNews.com)

Reese Rodriguez drives to the basket in last season’s opener against Blooming Prairie. The sophomore is one of many young players on this year’s Bluejays squad. (File Photo - WasecaCountyNews.com)

Ezra Boerner defends

Weimert.

Le Sueur-Henderson girls basketball

Tri-City United girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Julie Rogers, 34th year

Assistant coach: Emily Russo, 1st year

Assistant coach: John Schmiesing, 30th year

ROSTER:

Ella Schmiesing, 12, Center, Bella Jones, 12, Guard, Claire Hoefs, 12, Post, Emme Beer, 11, Post, Kinsley Mach, 11, Guard, Jill Houn, 10, Guard, Carly Hartwig, 10, Guard, Lily Schmiesing, 10, Guard, Annika Meier, 10, Guard, Ellie Adams, 10, Guard, Reagan Steffen, 10, Post, Lacey Beer, 10, Guard, Eydie Fleek, 9, Post

KEY PLAYERS:

We only have one returning varsity player that saw significant minutes last year: Ella Schmiesing. Ella is close to scoring 1,000 points and also has more than 800 rebounds.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Almost everyone is new to varsity! We have lots of athletes that could make an impact. Jill Houn, Carly Hartwig & Annika Meier will see significant minutes at the guard position. Jill & Carly have great speed & Annika is a good outside shooter that’s gaining more confidence daily. Lily Schmiesing is a very versatile player that is comfortable playing the shooting guard spot, but you’ll find her mixing

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Sherri Fritz, 5th year

Assistant coach: Liz Prahl, 3rd year

Assistant coach: Alex Floresch, 4th year

ROSTER:

Tori Hutton - Jr. Forward, Teagan Graham - Jr. Post, Kiandra Straub - So. Guard, Abby Lewis - So. Forward, Muriel Hilgers - So. Post, Kendra Biedscheid - So. Forward, Grace Feser - So. Forward, Ruby Fritz - Fr. Guard, Alaina Hutton - Fr. Post, Violet Schaefer - Fr. Forward, Bella Bemmels - Fr. Guard, Avery Lawrence - Fr. Post, Emma Doherty - Fr. Post, Katelyn Culbert - Fr. Forward

KEY PLAYERS:

Teagan Graham, Tori Hutton, Kiandra Straub, Abby Lewis, Ruby Fritz, Muriel Hilgers

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Avery Lawrence, Alaina Hutton

Titan to step up and be an impact player.

2024-25 RECAP:

TCU finished the season with a record of 19-8, , including a 7-2 record in Big South Conference play. The team saw it’s season come to a close with a loss to the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers in the Section 2AA Semifinals.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

This is a rebuilding year for TCU. Our weekly goals are to get better each day. We expect to play some really tough team

it up underneath with post players. Emme Beer & Claire Hoefs join Ella Schmeising in the post position this year - all of whom have the ability to rebound and score from inside the paint. Since the TCU coaching staff is new this year, too, it’s a great opportunity for any

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We are competing at the Varsity level this year after only fielding a JV team last year. We are young, but ready to compete with every opponent we come up against.

COMPETITION:

The South Central Conference will be tough. The teams here have experience and depth. We will need to be sharp and aggressive, but I am confident that we will be able to hold our own.

BY THE NUMBERS:

14 - total players

0 - seniors

defense this season. We hope to push the ball inside offensively because we feel we’ll have a height advantage in many games.

COMPETITION:

In the conference, we think the favorite is Marshall. In our section, we think the favorite is NRHEG.

BY THE NUMBERS:

13 Varsity players

20 total players

3 seniors and 2 juniors

Jillian Houn dribbles the ball to the offensive side. (Ben Camp - lesueurcountynews.com)

Annika Meier brings the ball up the floor. (Ben Camp - lesueurcountynews.com)

Victoria Hutton. (file photo)

St. Peter girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Air Chantharak, 1st year as HC at St. Peter, 12th year

Assistant coach: Joe Kann, 16th year

Assistant coach: Kevin Durham, 5th year

Assistant coach: Mary Tobar, 4th year

Assistant coach: Aaron Flieth, 1st year

ROSTER:

Auden Anderson, 12th, F, Rowyn Myhra, 12th, G, Audrey Menning, 11th, G, Ella Dirks, 11th, F, Kylie Southworth, 11th, G, Tiara Torres, 11th, G, Lydia Fell, 10th, G/F, Tegan Wenner, 10th, G, Kaelyn Loula, 9th, F, Kate Moelter, 9th, G, Kalyse Hawker, 9th, G, Ella Jaeger, 9th, F

KEY PLAYERS:

-Auden Anderson made an impact in the latter half of the season last year. We look forward to seeing if she can build upon those performances in a new system.

-Kylie Southworth was one of the team’s leading scorers and a starter last year. We look forward to working with her through that process and seeing how her many talents can make an impact with a new coaching staff, a new system, and a new season.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

-Audrey Menning - had a great off-season and is starting to build lots of confidence. Her scoring mindset has really improved and we look forward to seeing what she can do this season.

Cleveland girls basketball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head coach: Myrriah Rutz, 1st year as Head Coach, 6 years coaching different levels

Assistant coach: Lindsey Botker, 1st year as Cleveland’s Assistant Coach, several years of coaching experiencein general

Assistant coach: Nancy Heldberg, 1st year as Cleveland’s Assistant Coach, several years of coaching experience in general

ROSTER:

Kiya Sohn G 10, Taylor McCabe G/F 11, Mollie Bowman C 12, Harper Rutz PG/G 9,

-Ella Dirks - lots of speed and size with a nice skill set, a player that fits well into the system we’re looking to run.

-Tiara Torres - took a big leap during the summer off-season and is starting to really understand her position and what she needs to do for the team to have success both on and off the court

-Tegan Wenner - made a big leap this offseason and is becoming confident in the system in the first few practices / scrimmages.

2024-25 RECAP:

Overall Record - 14 - 14

Conference - 8 -5

Section - 7 - 4

Leading Scorers:

Annika Southworth - 23.3 ppg

Kylie Southworth - 17.5 ppg

Audrey Menning - 6.2 ppg

Nora Whipps - 3.1 ppg

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Expectations - Going into the first season of a new coaching staff and system - it’s always tough to predict how things will go. Expectations for the team are more focused on establishing what we want as a program, the culture, and building positive relationships. We definitely will be learning as we go through the season and hopefully playing our best basketball by the end of the season. We look forward to a competitive season and we know the girls are going to work hard, give their best effort, and enjoy the process.

34 of 60 - 34 ppg (points per game) graduated last year of the 60 ppg average - big shoes to fill, we don’t have a lot of experience returning.

Team Goals -

*Host a first round home playoff game.

COMPETITION:

We hope to be in the middle of the pack for the section, same with the conference. Marshall and New Ulm will lead the way with their experience, skill, and athleticism. Jordan now joins the section as well and they are a very good program overall; with a lot of talented athletes.

BY THE NUMBERS:

12 - total players 9th - 12th grade

2 - Seniors

4 - Juniors

2 - Sophomores

4 - Freshman

5 - Players that played and graduated last year

2024-25 RECAP:

Record: 5-18, Seeded 15th in our Section, Beat Mountain Lake 1st round, lost to BOLD 2nd round.

Brooke Bosse G/F 9, Taylor Wolf G 11, Kaitlyn Flowers G/F 11, Ava Kluntz C 10, Valentina Rohlfing G 10, Emma Kortuem PG/G 9,

Gair F 10, Olivia Reinhardt F 12

KEY PLAYERS: Taylor McCabe, Mollie Bowman (both returning from last year)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Harper Rutz, Emma Kortuem, Brooke Bosse (all Freshman)

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

With new coaching and a young roster, we’re looking to rebuild our culture and playing style, capitalizing on the strengths of each of our players.

COMPETITION:

We are not highly rated, however we’re confident we can play each of the teams in our Section competitively.

BY THE NUMBERS:

14 - total players (JV + Varsity)

2 - seniors

3 - juniors

4 - sophomores

3 - freshman

2 - 8th graders (JV only)

Cecelia

Kylie Southworth. (file photo-StPeterHerald.com)

Taylor McCabe (photo courtesy of Richard Rohlfing - Cleveland Public Schools)

Auden Anderson. (file photo — StPeterHerald. com)

Mollie Bowman (photo courtesy of Richard Rohlfing - Cleveland Public Schools)

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown girls basketball

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior Addison Condon led the team last year in ppg and rpg. She will be looking to pick up where she left off. Senior Kaitlyn LaFrance will continue to be a major threat offensively. She will also be asked to take on a larger role on both ends of the court. Senior Alenka Jans will be relied upon to be a major contributor both offensively and defensively as well as bring some energy and fire to the team.

KEEP YOUR

2024-25 RECAP:

Overall Record 15-13 and 8-6 (Gopher Conference)

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

We have some tough teams on our schedule this season. If we take on those challenges and keep looking to improve, I believe this will help us come playoff time.

COMPETITION: NRHEG had an

SKIING

Northfield nordic skiing

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head

ROSTER: Alex

of last season in her 1st year on the team

Junior Hollis Holden is returning after earning a varsity position last year in her 3rd year on the team.

NORTHFIELD NORDIC SKI CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

Well Drilling & Septic Systems Good Luck Teams!

• Complete Well Systems: Single, Shared, & Irrigation Waterlines & Hydrants

• Septic Systems: Design, Install, Compliance Inspection, Pumping/Cleaning

• Well & Septic Pump Repair 45823 State Highway 22, Kasota • spwell2@gmail.com

St. Peter Mankato (507) 931-1340 • (507) 388-8531

coach: Craig Cardinal, 8th year.

Assistant coaches: David Folland, 7th year, Eva Reinicke, 8th year, Eva Reinicke, 8th year

Altermatt (12), Andy Amundson (12), Max Beckman (11), Liam Behrens (10), Hannah Broughton (8), Aubin Carroll (7), Bella Christopherson (11), Caitlin Cina (9), Abbie Cruse (8), Maddie Cruse (7), Mari Cruz (11), Ava Damm (8), Anne Demas (11), Wesley Detert (8), Allia Doherty (9), August Ebling (8), Asher Engle (11), Miriel Ennis (11), Hazel Feiler (8), Vivian Fortner (8), Greta Gottfried (8), Norah

Gottfried (11), Aya Haidar (10), Hollis Holden (11), Karmen Jagiela (8), Thisbe Jothen (10), Nevaeh Love (9), Makenzie McQuiston (7), Eliza O’Cooper (10), Addie Perkins (10), Makayah Petricka (10), Juniper Ramsey (7), Rowan Slaney (7), Wyatt Stockdale (11), Katerina Stoufis (11), Clara Wopata (7), Viggo Bergs (7)

KEY PLAYERS:

Girls: Sophomore Makayah Petricka finished 3rd in the conference meet last season, earned all conference honors, and qualified for the state meet

Freshman Allia Doherty finished 10th in the conference and earned all conference honors

and our Sprint Relay team of Eliza O’Cooper and

Makayah Petricka (left) and Andy Amundsen (right) will represent Northfield at the upcoming MSHSL Nordic ski state meet last season. (File Photo — NorthfieldNews.com)

Northfield alpine skiing

COACH:

Bill Sonnega

ROSTER:

Was not complete by publication but will include:

Boys Team: Jack Peterson (junior, captain), George Bulfer (sophomore, captain), Bode Bulfer, Tommy Cahoon, Kameron Johnson, Alexandre “Sandro” Rein Hagen Girls Team: Karina Johnson (senior, captain), Annika Johnson (senior, captain), Madison Loritz, Danika Bulfer, Torin Callstrom, Greta Sloan.

KEY PLAYERS:

The whole roster will be key this season

NORTHFIELD NORDIC SKI

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

Boys: 4th at Conference, 9th at Sections. 1 All Conference Skier - Andy Amundson

The boys improved quite a lot over the course of last season, with most of the boys having their best performances of the season at the Conference and Section meets. In addition to Andy finishing 9th in the section and qualifying for state, we had Max Beckman finish 8th in the classic race at Sections and a Relay team of Nathan Broughton and Calvin Detert finish 7th.

2024-25 RECAP:

Elliott Boman — Two-time individual state champion (won first title in 2015), Clara Wilson — State qualifier and All-State Honorable Mention (2025), Bode Bulfer — Qualified for the MSHSL state meet in 2025, Tommy Cahoon — Qualified for the MSHSL state meet in 2025, Madison Loritz — Top 50 finisher at the MSHSL state meet in 2025.

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Looking to compete each time out and continue to make it to the highest levels of competition.

The 2025-26 Northfield High School alpine ski team captains (L-R): Annika Johnson, Karina Johnson, Jack Peterson and George Bulfer (File Photo - NorthfieldNews.com)

2025-26 OUTLOOK:

Girls: The Raider Girls are returning nearly their entire varsity team, and comes into the season as potentially the strongest girls Nordic team Northfield has ever had. Many of the girls trained hard throughout the summer and are targeting all conference positions and finishing in the top 2 teams at Sections. We also have quite a few new skiers who should contribute to the team in the later half of the season and in years to come.

Boys: With 2 strong skiers returning the Raider boys have a good chance of having a couple of

all conference finishers and sending a couple of individuals or a relay team to state. The team has quite a few new skiers out as well, so the goal will be to develop them into strong varsity racers over the next couple of seasons.

COMPETITION:

Girls: Winona are the defending conference and section champions. They will remain strong this season. ISD 196 should be strong as well, with Northfield and Burnsville in contention for 3rd.

Boys: Winona are the defending conference champions, followed by Prior Lake. Both

graduated several seniors from their varsity teams, so the conference could be a close competition this season between Winona, ISD 196, Northfield, and Lakeville.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Girls:

25 Athletes, 8 Varsity Returning, 7 New Skiers, 1 State Qualifier Returning

Boys:

11 Athletes, 5 Varsity Returning, 5 New Skiers, 1 State Qualifier Returning