Fall 2013

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Page 2

Fall

Bethany volleyball team excited for their additions

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports Junior setter Emily Franzen leads the Vikings in assists with 173 and has 86 digs in 15 matches.

LUCAS RYAN Staff Writer The Bethany Lutheran volleyball team has stumbled out to a 2-13 start but will have plenty of opportunity to make up for the slow start the rest of the season.

The Vikings have just a 1-1 record in the Upper Midwestern Athletic Conference, and with 12 games still to play, the Vikings are still very much in contention to win the UMAC. The team does not have any seniors and has four freshman included on the 13 player roster.

The team has not started the season strong due to multiple factors, including a tough nonconference schedule that featured 14 straight road games.

The girls are not familiar with the first-year head coach John Olmanson’s play style, and the variety of new approaches likely has something to do with the Vikings 2-13 record.

“I believe that we have played against some pretty stiff competition,” Olmanson said. “I think things are going very well for the program. We have thrown quite a bit of new concepts at the athletes on the volleyball team.”

The Vikings got their first UMAC win of the season Sunday at Crown, winning in straight sets. Bethany fell behind in the second and third set but were able to find their offense late and win.

The Vikings returned about half the players from last year and added several freshman and transfer students to their squad.

Bethany is finding production on the court from several players new to the program this year.

“Miranda (Krenske) transferred from St. Kate’s, and we are asking her to not only play a role that she has done in the past but also asked her to be a setter,” Said Olmanson.

This is Krenske’s first time being relied on as a setter and she prospered at the position.

Krenske has the third most kills on the team with 88 this season, second on the team with 111 digs and is one of the primary setters for the Vikings with 160 assists. Krenske is a leader on the court, Olmanson said.

Freshman Kristen Mielke has also had a strong start to the season in her first year at Bethany.

Mielke leads the Vikings in solo blocks with 14 and in block assists with 27 and has 44 kills

this season for fifth best on the team.

The team has improved throughout the season, but if the Vikings can play with more consistency, it should lead to more success throughout the rest of the year, Olmanson said.

Olmanson is making the transition from coaching high school to college. He was a little nervous about some aspects of coaching at the college level but has been pleasantly surprised that some of the things he was worrying about are actually enjoyable he said.

Today, after 15 straight road matches, the Vikings will finally have their home opener when they host Northwestern at 7 p.m.

The Vikings will play another home match 1 p.m. Saturday, taking on North Central before going back on the road.

The Vikings will then be back on the road for five straight games before they finish the season with five matches at home.

2013

Page 3

Confident West volleyball looks to turn heads this season

With six of seven starters back from last year, Mankato West's volleyball team looks to have a successful season in 2013. With six seniors on the squad, including two college ready players, the Scarlets see gold in their goals.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports After going 13-11 last season, the Scarlets have already passed their win total with nine games remaining in the regular season.

ADAM PIERSON Staff Writer After a short playoff stint last year, the Mankato West volleyball team aims big this season.

Third year head coach Sarah Kirby is excited for this season.

“Six out of our seven starters are back this year. We look to have a very strong season,” Kirby said. “We want to win the Big 9 and believe we can challenge any team we face this season.”

There is no shortage of big time players on West’s volleyball team.

“Senior Molly Lohman, is a middle-hitter who stands 6-foot-3 with an attack height of 10-foot-2. She has an incredible vertical and does a great job reading the opponents defense,” Kirby said. “Lohman is third year as a starter. She will be playing for the Minnesota Gophers.”

Lohman posted 294 kills and 75 block aces last year. On the outside, West has another tall girl, giving the Scarlets quite the wall.

“Senior Megan Hulscher, plays outside-hitter and stands at 6-foot-3. She swings with a force and passion that can make any head turn. This is her third year as a starter,” Kirby said.

“She has verbally committed to Winona State, but there is still possibility of some division I schools looking at her.”

Hulscher had 224 kills last year. Behind those two the scarlets possess a very talented setter in Megan Svir, who had a remarkable 562 assists last year.

“Senior setter Megan Svir is a third year starter. She has quick feet and can get to any ball,” Kirby said. “She is one of the most coachable players and never quits trying. She brings great composure to our team when on the court.”

After going 13-11 last season, the Scarlets brought back a lot of talent and leadership, which senior libero Abby Leitch fits in both categories.

"Senior libero Abby Leitch is a third year starter. She is the most consistent serve receive passer and has become a great leader on the court,” Kirby said.

“She is quick and aggressive getting to every ball and always looking for ways to get better.”

West is lucky enough to have such a large group of seniors that can help develop their young players.

“Tenth grader Halle Hughes is a middle-hitter. This is her second year starting for us and she has a wonderful vertical and can also be a force at the net,” Kirby said. “I foresee her doing great things for West and really filling the role of our ‘go-to’ hitter in the future.”

“Freshman Krista Goerger is our right side hitter and setter.

This is her second year starting for us and puts up a great block on the right side and also has a wonderful line shot,” Kirby said. “She has a very soft pair of hands and has great knowledge of the sport for an athlete of her age.”

Kirby believes that the girls on her team will make a strong impact in society and is excited to see what the women will grow to become.

“They are a laid back group on the court but are very caring and compassionate young women. They have surprised me with their kindness, maturity and thoughtfulness numerous times,” Kirby said.

Kirby emphasizes consistency and passion to her players. The team also spends 30 minutes off the court together every Friday, doing various silly group building exercises that has created a much stronger relationship and trust between the coaches and players.

Kirby handles the organization of the program, coaches’ clinics for the coaches at all levels as well as practice plans.

Her assistants help her in all areas as well.

“Don Nies is the assistant varsity coach and works with me on everything that we do with varsity and s a huge asset to our program,” Kirby said.

Kirby coached b-squad for

West for two years before taking over the varsity position. As well as six years as a head coach before coming to West in 2009, Kirby is also the Club Director of the United States Volleyball Academy, a junior olympic volleyball club for 12-18 year-olds in southern Minn. She is also the club director of West Area Volleyball Association, a spring volleyball club for Mankato area athletes in grades sixth through eighth.

“Mankato in general has been struggling to be recognized in the sport of volleyball for many years now and I believe that for Mankato West, these athletes have changed this. We now see the excitement and dedication happening at the younger levels.

I am so proud of our athletes and our program and see great things for our future,” Kirby said.

Last season West’s volleyball team had an overall record of 13-11, losing in the first round to Prior Lake three games to one. Losing early in the playoffs leaves a bad taste your mouth and the Scarets have been ready for their 2013 campaign to start.

“I think they came back hungry and confident for a very successful season. They are a very tight group of friends and often refer to themselves as the “vball clique.” They do everything together and know if they stick together that we can go far this season,” Kirby said.

The Big 9 conference has a big reputation for putting together very fundamental squads and will make this season challenging for the Scarlets.

“Winona and Owatonna have always been the top teams in our conference and always tough matches for us. We’ve beat Winona this year already in five.

Losing to Owatonna last year in the fifth set 13-15 has fired our girls up to get the win this year,” Kirby said.

Even though the team barely won more than half their games last season, teams in the Big 9 can’t sleep on these Scarlets in 2013.

“I think teams have underestimated West volleyball for a long time and we are going to surprise some teams this year,” Kirby said.

Jonny B's wishes all area high school and college athletes a great fall season!

WISHING ALL AREA COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES A GREAT FALL SEASON!

Page 4

Fall

Hot start gives promise for surging Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Going off their 23-8 record from a year ago, the Knights volleyball team has continued their hot streak, starting their 2013 campaign undefeated through their first 11 games. The squad looks to continue the streak.

ADAM PIERSON Staff Writer The volleyball team in Lake Crystal looks to continue their success with a new coach and several younger players playing big roles.

First year head coach Tracy Schmidt is not new to coaching volleyball, but she is in Lake Crystal.

Before coaching the Knights, Schmidt had a few gigs in multiple states. She coached in Lawrence, Kans. For the Junior Olympic Program, then coached at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kans. Before heading north to Minnesota, Schmidt headed east to coach at Ventura High School in Ventura, Iowa for eight years, and now she is here.

Lake Crystal is 11-0 so far this season. It’s safe to say the

transition is working smoothly.

“We feel that we have a pretty strong group of athletes and have been playing well so far this season,” Schmidt said.

“Every match we are gaining confidence in our abilities to play strong team volleyball.”

Lake Crystal had an overall record of 23-8 last season.

Unfortunately they were taken down in the third round of the playoffs by Martin County West, three games to zero.

This has clearly only determined the athletes in Lake Crystal. With three returning all-conference players, senior McKenzie Schaffer, junior McKenzie Tibbetts and junior Sami Sorenson, the team has a solid base to build around.

Right side-hitter Schaffer brings some strength to the squad.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports The knights possess the experience and talent to make a push for a conference title with six seniors and three juniors on the squad.

“she is a strong hitter with several options on her swing,” Schmidt said.

The knight’s libero, Tibbetts, opended coach Schmidt’s eyes as soon as she walked in to the gym.

“She is the best passer I have ever coached,” Schmidt said.

“She has excellent range and moves well on the court. She is also a strong server.”

Setter and hitter Sorenson has already proven to be a big asset to the squad but is still getting better every day.

“Sorenson is a setter and hitter. She is a strong setter and blocker and is able to cover a lot of the floor,” Schmidt said. “She is developing herself into a hitter but from what we see so far she is a big threat for us on offense.”

LCWM is also equipped with a lot of young potential.

We have several younger players that are already making an impact on the varsity team.

Sophomores Chloe Lantz and Rachel Sonnabend get valuable playing time on the outside and have a strong future with their aggressive play. Freshman Kori Schaffer comes off the bench to help us in the middle,” Schmidt said.

Being new to the team this year, Schmidt tried to start things off on the right foot between her and the volleyball team.

“We had a team lock-in to begin the season, including our parents for a while. We did some activities together so everyone could meet and have the same goal in mind. To enjoy what we are doing, but to be competitive and respectful at the same time.

All of us, coaches, players and parents are in this together and we need to be united as one,” Schmidt said.

As the season moves on, Schmidt and the LCWM volleyball team hopes to stay consistent and play in unison with one another.

“We emphasize strong team volleyball, which starts with the pass. We spend a lot of time on passing and knowing what to do with out-of-system balls. We talk a lot about respecting the game of volleyball and knowing that opponents will put the ball on our floor. It’s all in how you approach the next play,” Schmidt

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports With already 11 wins on the season, four of them were conference wins.

The knights have already took victories from Truman, Cleveland, Nicollet and Madelia.

said.

Currently, the Knights possess a 12-0 record with four conference wins under their belt, putting them tied for second in the Valley Conference. With nine games left in the season, the squad meets up with four of the top teams in the conference,

starting with Martin County West in Trimont, Minn. on Sept.

24. A week later, the Knights come to Mankato to take on first-place Mankato Loyola and then finish the regular season in Alden to play Alden-Conger on Oct. 15.

2013

Page 5

Despite a shaky start, Bethany Lutheran soccer looks for conference title After losing their top three scorers from last season, The Vikings have had some underclassmen step up and contribute early in their collegiate careers.

DEREK LAMBERT Staff Writer The Bethany Lutheran College women’s soccer team has gotten off to a rocky start but is poised to have a successful season this fall heading into conference play. After defeating Finlandia University 1-0 in their season opener in Hancock, Mich., the Vikings fell to Augsburg College 5-0, WisconsinRiver Falls 3-0 and WisconsinSuperior 1-0. The Bethany women hope to find some goal scoring to help them snap the three-game losing streak, and hope to improve their play even more from a pretty decent season in 2012.

“We should be pretty good this year,” Viking’s junior forward Taylor Friehl said.

“Usually we are better than we were the previous year. And that looks promising for this year again.”

Last season the Vikings held a 12-7-2 record and a respectable

10-4 conference record while finishing third in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.

While they return seven starters from last year’s squad, they also lost four starters, including their top three scorers in 2012. With that, Bethany will look to their underclassmen and freshmen to fill the gaps left by the graduating seniors from a year ago. Friehl commented on the dependency of underclassmen this season, “We have two or three freshman who will probably start”, which isn’t a common occurrence in college athletics. Despite losing their top three scorers, the Vikings were predicted to finish in the top half of the conference in the UMAC preseason poll, placing fourth.

Ahead of Bethany is the College of St. Scholastica Saints, who ranked first in the poll, with the University of MinnesotaMorris and the University of Northwestern came in tied for

BL SOCCER• Page 10

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports The 2013 Vikings have a good balance with young talent and experienced players with the team having 13 freshmen and 11 juniors (4) and seniors (7).

Page 6

Fall

Big 9 conference proving to be the conference to watch this fall for volleyball

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports With the Mankato West Scarlets sitting on top of the standings with a 15-1 record, the chase for the conference title will be a tight one with some key games in the next three weeks.

JOEY DENTON Sports Editor A lot of conferences like to say they have the most competitive one in the state, but the Big 9 possesses so much talent from top to bottom, they might just be the conference of 1AAA competition.

“I think the big 9 is very competitive and all the teams have great coaches with great teams,” Rochester Century head coach Abby Lindquist said.

“Whoever shows up to play the night of big games will be the Big 9 Champs.”

Winona High School’s head coach Katie Gove would agree.

“This conference has a lot of strength in it this year and it is very, very competitive,” Gove said.

Going around the league, there a few teams that have a slight edge over the others in the conference, such as Mankato West, Owatonna and Rochester Mayo.

Mankato West Head Coach Sarah Kirby has quite the talent on her squad with some good senior leadership. After posting a 13-11 record last season, the squad plans on big improvements with a big group of players coming back.

“Our number one strength is team chemistry. We have six out of our seven starters returning from our 2012 team. For four of those six, this is their third year starting,” Kirby said.

Four of those returners are senior setter Megan Svir, senior libero Abby Leitch, senior middle-hitter Molly Lohman and senior outside-hitter Megan Hulscher.

The squad named Svir, Leitch and Hulscher as the captains, but the whole senior corps will provide leadership and poise for their 2013 campaign.

“All are returning starters and strong contributors to our team,” Kirby said. “Abby is very vocal in the backrow and determined to make a great serve receive pass so we can be in system. Megan Svir is one of the most coachable athletes around and keeps great composure on the court. Megan Hulscher hits the ball with so much passion that she is simply fun to watch on the court. Molly Lohman hits the ball at such a high point and can be unstoppable at the net.”

Coach Kirby knows how competitive this conference will be but she believes she’s coaching a contender for the conference title.

“I believe the top three contenders for the conference will be West, Mayo and Owatonna.

Owatonna is always strong and Mayo brings a solid game in all areas,” Kirby said. “I believe we are the team to beat in the conference this year because of a strong senior leadership and the because of the Hulscher and Lohman duo at the net.”

Kirby isn’t the only coach who believes the Scarlets are the team to beat this season. Gove also believes they have the talent to be the Big 9 champions.

“Their middle and outside that are heading to the U of M and WSU are a lot to contend with, not to mention a really good supporting cast to them,” Gove said.

Year in and year out, the volleyball program in Owatonna praises on their fundamentals and always seems to be in the top-tier of the conference standings at the end of the season.

This year shouldn’t be any different for them. Currently they are one of the hottest teams in the conference as they are on a five game winning streak with a 2-0 victory over Winona and a 3-1 win over Rochester Century.

The 10-player squad is made up of five juniors, including their libero Kaylea Ahrens, who is one of the players to watch for this season.

Another team sitting pretty well in the standings is Rochester Mayo. Right now, the Spartans are tied for first place in the conference with a 4-0 conference record and 12-2 overall. The squad has played well consistently all year, with some minor bumps with a 2-0 loss against Eagan and a 2-1 loss to Minneota. One of the key Big 9 matchups this season will be at Mankato West when the Spartans take on the Scarlets on Oct. 8. Junior setter Nora Holtan will be another Big 9 player to look for this season.

The Winona Winhawks are off to an impressive 10-6 overall record but are currently sitting tied for third with a 2-2 conference record. The team started out hot, winning six of their first seven games, including a 3-1 victory over Mankato East and a 3-1 win over Rochester Century.

Ever since they lost to Mankato West in a close match, the Winhawks have only won four of their last nine matches.

This Winona squad has a very good senior group, led by two all-conference players in senior setter Paige Schmidt and senior middle-hitter Audrey Scharmer.

“The strengths of our squad lie in our all-conference senior setter Paige Schmidt, who

knows the game and can execute her skills, and all-conference middle-hitter Audrey Scharmer is athletic and can play every position,” Gove said. “Our other 2 seniors bring experience and hitting and blocking skills and they can play pretty good defense.”

After finishing last season with an 11-2 record, one of the up and coming teams in the conference will be the Albert Lea Tigers. Currently, the squad possesses an 8-3 overall record with an even more impressive 3-1 conference record, putting them in second place.

This Tiger squad is built around their junior and senior classes who play so well with each other.

“Our strength is that we have nine girls returning who like to play together and want to be good,” head coach Lisa Deyak said. “They work hard in practice every day to improve.”

Deyak appointed senior middle-hitter Annie Ladwig and senior setter Bryn Woodside to be captains for this year’s squad. With their leadership and help from senior outside-hitter Sydney Rehnelt, freshman libero Camryn Keyeski, freshman right-hitter Julia Deyak and junior middle-hitter Kassi Hardies, the squad believes they can compete in this conference.

“Our team wants to be strong in Big 9 and Section 1AAA competition,” Deyak said. “We want to improve our receive and

serve, and diversify our offense.”

With a 3-2 conference record, the Rochester Century Panthers possess a 10-4 overall record with some good nonconference wins, including a 3-1 victory over the 11-6 Farmington Tigers.

Last season, the program was revamped with new coaches, which hindered any success, but they are now ready to turn some heads.

“I felt last season was a growing and learning season with the girls,” Lindquist said. “We had a whole new coaching staff from freshman to varsity. The girls had a hard time taking new directions last year, but this year everyone is on the same page and having fun!”

Their 10 wins consist of a 3-0 win over Mankato East and two victories against Austin, giving them their three conference wins. The team got a taste of one of the Big 9 contenders when Owatonna came to town and lost 3-1. With their captains in senior middle-hitter Olivia Rieck, junior outside-hitter Morgan Hazelton and senior defensive specialist Abby Smith, this squad’s team goal is to, “to be top 3 in our conference and make it far in the playoffs. Our ultimate goal is state,” Lindquist said.

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2013

Page 7

West aims for Big 9 title

As the Mankato West Scarlets likes to control tempo on the field, they have a shot to ” control the Big 9 conference as well. , LUCAS RYAN Staff Writer

The Mankato West boys soccer team is off to good start this season and in position to get a top seat in their section with the hope to

go deep into the post season. . The Scarlets started out the year a little shaky with a 2-2 record but, followed the stretch by going 6-1 and placing themselves on the top of the Big Nine Conference.

West has a mixture “Well we started off fairly strong and then took a bit of a dive and now we are playing some pretty decent ball,” head coach Leonard Woelfel said.

Possession is one of the most important stats in soccer. When a team wants to be able to control the -possession, causing their opponents to become fatigued and control the speed of the game.

“We like to control the tempo of the game with possession and then work it from the outside back in,” Woelfel said.

The Scarlets have gotten solid play from their goalie Sam Farley as well as the anchor of the defense, Kennedy Marker Woelfel said. Offensively the Scarlets are relying on a couple of younger players to get goals. “(junior) Dylan Lambert and (freshman) Jacob Makela are on top,. creating our scoring opportunities.”

Lambert has four two-goal games so far this year and Makela has recorded three hat tricks including a four-goal-game against Faribault High School. Lambert and Makala are not in their final year, but have a chance in the future to play at the college level Woelfel said.

The Scarlets will have the luxury of getting scoring plays from Makela for the distant future. In his freshman year Makela is already extremely important to the Scarlets offense. Makela leads the team in goals and also is an assist leader.

One area the Scarlets could improve on is finishing the scoring opportunities they do get with goals Woelfel said, but West has done a good job of playing through deficits and not giving up until the final whistle has blown.

“I think that we have demonstrated in a few games that we have gotten down a goal and we were able to overcome those adversities and end up winning the games,” Woelfel said. “So I think that they are showing some true grit on the field. If someone else scores we are not hanging are head.”

The Scarlets will return to action Saturday when they host St. Peter in a nonconference game. The Scarlets then will host Rochester Century Oct. 10, before traveling to take on Worthington Oct. 3, in

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports Currently the Mankato West Scarlets are in third place in the Big 9 with a 5-2 conference record and 8-3 overall.

their final game of the regular season.

Under the current ranking system West should get a top four seat in the section, Woelfel said. He believes that representing the section in the state tournament is an obtainable goal for the Scarlets but a state title

wouldn’t be a disappointment.

“We got five games left and anybody would be selling themselves short if they didn’t want to win them all, but I think we got a good chance of winning at least four of them,” Woelfel said.

Page 8

Fall

South Central Conference 2013 volleyball preview

RIght now, the The St. Peter Saints and New Ulm Ealges sit on top of the SCC with roughly half of the regular season left. Both teams possess a 3-1 conference record.

DEREK LAMBERT Staff Writer The 2013 season is underway for the South Central Conference volleyball teams and is roughly halfway through the regular season. So far this fall, the conference has seen a fairly dramatic drop from the top half to the bottom half in terms of wins and losses. The SCC includes high school teams from St. Peter, New Ulm, Saint James Area, Waseca, Blue Earth Area, and Fairmont. Currently, the St. Peter Saints and the New Ulm Eagles are tied for first in the conference standings with identical 3-1 SCC league records.

The two frontrunners also share matching nonconference records at 6-4, respectively. Saint James Area High School isn’t far behind with a league record of 2-3, and an overall record of 6-7.

From there, the bottom half of the conference tails off a bit.

In fourth place in the SCC standings is Waseca with a record of 1-2 in league play and a 2-4 overall record. Waseca has played fewer games than the top three teams in the conference, but have lost to both St. Peter and Saint James Area, while one of their wins came against New Ulm. Fairmont trails Waseca with a 1-3 SCC record and an overall record of 2-7. The bottom of the conference is rounded out by Blue Earth Area who has posted and 0-2 league record and 0-5 overall record to date.

While there is still plenty of season remaining, it appears by the strong play in both conference and nonconference contests that St. Peter and New Ulm will likely end up at the top, with Waseca and Saint James Area battling for third place.

Blue Earth and Fairmont play in separate sectional tournaments, so their head to head play won’t have any effect on sectional seeding, but both will be trying to collect wins to avoid a bottom seed in the postseason.

St. Peter, Waseca, and Blue Earth Area are a part of Section 2AA for playoffs, while New Ulm, Saint James Area, and Fairmont belong to Section 3AA. Section 2AA includes Belle Plaine, who came out of the section last season to make an appearance at the 2012 Minnesota Girl’s State Volleyball Tournament. Section 3AA may be even tougher to come out of, as Marshall High School com-

petes in the section. In 2012, the Marshall Tigers went an impressive 26-5 coming out of 3AA to capture the state championship of the AA division. This season, the Tigers are off to an equally impressive start at 13-3. Among the SCC teams, it would appear on paper that New Ulm would have the best chance at taking down the defending champions.

The teams in the SCC still have roughly half a season remaining to raise their stock before playoffs begin. Section 2AA play starts on October 21st and will conclude on November 2nd with the championship game being played at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. Section 3AA starts their sectional tournament on October 25th and will end with the championship game also on November 2nd, played at Southern Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota. Champions of the sectional tournaments will then advance to the state tournament November 7-9th at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The weekend will include all three Minnesota Girls Volleyball State Tournaments with Class A, AA, and AAA.

Web Photo The St. Peter Saints currently sit in the driver's seat of the conference with New Ulm. Their 4-1 conference record consists of wins against Blue Earth Area (3-0), St. James Area (3-0), Fairmont (3-2) and Waseca (3-2).

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Web Photo Right now the Waseca Bluejays have control of third place in the SCC with a 3-2 conference record and 3-4 overall.

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2013

Page 9

Disappointing finish last year, fuels for a bright 2013 season

The Martin Luther College volleyball team had an overall record of 16-12 last season. Unfortunately, they fell short in the UMAC tournament.

ADAM PIERSON Staff Writer After a bitter end last season, a determined Martin Luther volleyball team looks for redemption.

The volleyball team at Martin Luther College looks to excel this season, even after losing to St. Scholastica in five sets in the UMAC tournament.

“We lost a five set match to St. Scholastica in the conference tournament last year after defeating them the previous Friday in a five set match,” head coach Rebecca Cox said.

The loss only determined the Knights volleyball team to succeed. With ample veteran players returning, they are confident.

Junior setter Miranda Maasz has already had quite the career at Bethany and plans on adding to her impressive career. She has already hit the 2,00 assist mark, which is currently the second most in school history. The UMAC named her Rookie of the Year her freshman year and, this past season, was named to the first team all-conference squad.

According to coach Cox, she has earned every accolade.

“She is an unselfish leader and very hard worker,” Cox said.

Senior outside-hitter Rebecca Engelbrecht is also one of the Vikings’ go-to players. She too was named UMAC’s Rookie of the Year back when she was a freshman and has been on the first team all-conference team for the last two seasons.

“She is our go to leader on the floor in all phases of the game,” Cox said.

According to coach Cox, Engelbrecht will be hitting the 1,000 kill mark in her career, giving her fourth most in school history.

On top of two stellar seniors, Cox has three juniors returning in Alex Anthon, MacCartney Mendolla, and Heather Danell.

Coach Cox also mentioned Leah Nass who is a sophomore that plays middle for the Knights.

“She is a strong jumper and powerful hitter,” Cox said.

The Knights look forward to playing more teams than just St. Scholastica.

“Bethany is our closest conference team and many players know each other,” Cox said.

On top of last years

heart-wrenching loss, Martin Luther also lost one of their most important players.

“We lost Rachel Hein, a middle who led NCAA Division III in solo blocks. She has left big shoes to fill in the blocking portion of our defense,” Cox said.

The fifth year coach previously coached for 20 years at Michigan Lutheran High School in St. Joseph, Mich.

The only assistance Cox gets coaching her team is from a student assistant who calls serves.

Last season the Knights had nearly 200 more assists than their opponents as well as over 200 more attempts. The only thing that seems to be slowing the Knights is their number of errors, last year they had nearly 60 more errors than their opponents while beating them in nearly every other category.

The Knights have started the season 6-6. With the potential they have, don’t be surprised if you see them near the top.

Photo Courtesy of Knights Athletics Junior setter Miranda Maasz (pictured) leads the Knights in multiple stats, such as assists (513) and serviece aces (21).

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Photo Courtesy of Knight Athletics The Knights have been hot and cold throughout their 2013 campaign.

Currently, the squad owns a 7-7 overall record with 14 games left in their regular season.

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Page 10

Fall

BL SOCCER “We should be pretty good this year," Viking's junior forward Taylor Friehl said. "Usually we are better than we were the previous year and that looks promising for this year again." continued from 5

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports As of Sunday, the Vikings sit in third place in the UMAC with a 1-0-1 conference record and owns a 2-3-1 overall record. On Oct. 4, the squad hosts the, now, first-place St. Scholastica.

second. St. Scholastica has won the conference championship nine consecutive times leading up to the 2013 season, along with five NCAA Tournament appearances in the previous six seasons. Although intimidating, the Vikings are hopeful about playing the Saints.

“St. Scholastica is a power house; they win the UMAC and go to the NCAA tournament almost every year. We have never beaten them, but that is one of our top goals this year” said Friehl.

While it may be tough for any team in the conference to take the Saints off their thrown as perennial conference champions, the Vikings are a legitimate candidate to battle for second place. Minnesota-Morris had an impressive conference record of 11-2-1 last season but has lost six starters from last season, leaving spots on the field that need to be replaced. Northwestern on the other hand, finished fourth in the UMAC last season with an 8-4-2 record, one place behind

Bethany. St. Scholastica looks to be the clear frontrunner, but these three teams will battle all season long for the number two position, while the bottom four teams seem to drop off quite a bit.

Crown College, Martin Luther College, Northland College, and North Central University all finished with below .500 records last season and were the bottom four in the conference. Each of these teams will look to improve on last season and try and find their way into the top half of the conference while the rest will set their sights on battling for the title of conference champion.

The Bethany Vikings kick off conference play Sept. 20 at North Central University in Minneapolis. They will play fourteen conference games, closing out the season against conference favorite St. Scholastica leading up to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament starting Nov. 11.

2013

Page 11

AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL • REMAINING SCHEDULES BLUE EARTH

9/27/2013 07:00 PM Waseca 10/4/2013 07:00 PM St. Peter 10/11/2013 07:00 PM Fairmont 10/16/2013 07:00 PM Saint James Area

AWAY HOME HOME AWAY

9/27/2013 07:00 PM GHEC/Truman 10/4/2013 07:00 PM Madelia 10/11/2013 07:00 PM Randolph 10/16/2013 07:00 PM Edgerton/Ellsworth

HOME AWAY AWAY HOME

9/27/2013 7:00 PM St. Peter 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Saint James Area 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Blue Earth Area 10/16/2013 8:00 PM New Ulm

AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Renville County West 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Nicollet 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Alden-Conger 10/16/2013 7:00 PM GHEC/Truman

HOME AWAY AWAY HOME

9/27/2013 7:00 PM New Richland-H-E-G 10/4/2013 7:00 PM G-F-W 10/11/2013 7:00 PM St. Clair 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Waterville-Elysian-Morristown

HOME AWAY HOME HOME

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Jordan 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Belle Plaine 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Sibley East 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Norwood-Young America

HOME AWAY HOME AWAY

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Alden-Conger 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Cleveland 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Fulda 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Randolph

AWAY HOME AWAY HOME

CLEVELAND

FAIRMONT

JANESVILLE/WALDORF/PEMBERTON

LAKE CRYSTAL-WELLCOME MEMORIAL

LE SUEUR/HENDERSON

MADELIA

MANKATO EAST 9/27/2013 10/4/2013 10/11/2013 10/16/2013

7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM

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MANKATO LOYOLA/IMMANUEL LUTHERAN

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MANKATO WEST

SIBLEY EAST

9/28/2013 6:00 PM Bethlehem Academy 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Blooming Prairie 10/11/2013 7:00 PM New Richland-H-E-G 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Mankato East 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Rochester Century 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Faribault 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Rochester Mayo

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MSU, Mankato HOME AWAY AWAY

MAPLE RIVER

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Blooming Prairie 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Blooming Prairie 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Medford

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9/27/2013 7:00 PM Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Springfield 10/11/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm Cathedral 10/16/2013 4:00 PM Sleepy Eye

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9/27/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Minnesota Valley Lutheran 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Springfield

AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Saint James Area 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Waseca 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Waseca 10/16/2013 8:00 PM Fairmont

AWAY HOME HOME HOME

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Randolph 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 10/11/2013 7:00 PM GHEC/Truman 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Alden-Conger

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9/27/2013 10/4/2013 10/11/2013 10/16/2013

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MINNESOTA VALLEY LUTHERAN

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SAINT CLAIR

7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM

Blooming Prairie Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial United South Central

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Fairmont 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Blue Earth Area 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Luverne 10/16/2013 7:00 PM New London-Spicer

HOME AWAY HOME AWAY

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Tri-City United 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Norwood-Young America 10/11/2013 7:00 PM LeSueur-Henderson 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Mayer Lutheran

AWAY HOME AWAY HOME

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Martin County West 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Red Rock Central 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 10/16/2013 4:00 PM Minnesota Valley Lutheran

HOME HOME AWAY AWAY

9/27/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm Cathedral 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Wabasso 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart

HOME AWAY HOME HOME

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 10/4/2013 7:00 PM Bethlehem Academy 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 10/16/2013 7:00 PM St. Clair

AWAY HOME AWAY HOME

9/27/2013 7:00 PM Blue Earth Area 10/4/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm 10/11/2013 7:00 PM Saint James Area 10/16/2013 7:00 PM Fridley

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Page 12

Fall

AREA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL • REMAINING SCHEDULES BLUE EARTH

9/26/2013 07:30 PM Saint James Area 9/28/2013 9:00 AM Blue Earth Area Invite 9/28/2013 9:00 AM Le Sueur-Henderson 9/30/2013 07:30 PM Jackson County Central 10/3/2013 07:30 PM New Ulm 10/8/2013 07:30 PM Fairmont 10/15/2013 07:30 PM Waseca 10/18/2013 05:00 PM Rochester Century Invite 10/19/2013 9:00 AM Rochester Century Invite 10/21/2013 07:30 PM Windom Area

HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY HOME

9/26/2013 07:30 PM Martin County West 9/30/2013 07:30 PM Medford 10/1/2013 07:30 PM Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley 10/3/2013 07:30 PM Mankato Loyola 10/5/2013 TBD Nicollet Tourn.

10/7/2013 07:30 PM Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 10/8/2013 07:30 PM Alden-Conger 10/14/2013 07:15 PM Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton

HOME AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY HOME HOME AWAY

9/26/2013 7:30 PM New Ulm 9/30/2013 7:30 PM Worthington 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Blue Earth Area 10/10/2013 7:30 PM Waseca 10/12/2013 8:00 AM Pipestone Area Tourney 10/12/2013 1:00 PM Pipestone Area Tourney 10/15/2013 7:30 PM St. Peter

HOME HOME HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY

9/26/2013 7:15 PM Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 10/3/2013 7:15 PM Blooming Prairie 10/7/2013 7:30 PM Cleveland 10/10/2013 7:15 PM Medford 10/14/2013 7:15 PM Cleveland 10/15/2013 7:15 PM Bethlehem Academy

LAKE CRYSTAL-WELLCOME MEMORIAL 9/26/2013 7:30 PM Madelia 9/28/2013 9:00 AM St. James Tourney 10/1/2013 7:30 PM Mankato Loyola 10/3/2013 7:30 PM Maple River 10/7/2013 7:30 PM Mankato West 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley

HOME HOME AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY

CLEVELAND

FAIRMONT

JANESVILLE/WALDORF/PEMBERTON

LE SUEUR-HENDERSON

9/26/2013 7:30 PM Belle Plaine 9/28/2013 9:00 AM Blue Earth Area 10/1/2013 7:15 PM Mankato East 10/3/2013 7:15 PM Norwood-Young America 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Jordan 10/10/2013 7:30 PM Tri-City United 10/14/2013 7:15 PM Sibley East

HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME HOME AWAY

9/26/2013 7:30 PM Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 9/28/2013 9:00 AM St. James Invitational 10/1/2013 7:30 PM Maple River 10/3/2013 7:30 PM Nicollet 10/5/2013 9:00 AM St. Clair Invitational 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Mankato Loyola 10/10/2013 7:30 PM Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley 10/15/2013 7:30 PM Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley

MANKATO EAST

9/26/2013 7:15 PM Owatonna 9/28/2013 8:00 AM Byron 9/28/2013 8:00 AM Invitational 10/1/2013 7:15 PM Le Sueur-Henderson 10/3/2013 7:15 PM Faribault 10/8/2013 7:15 PM Rochester John Marshall 10/10/2013 7:15 PM Albert Lea 10/15/2013 7:15 PM Mankato West

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MANKATO LOYOLA

9/26/2013 7:30 PM Truman 9/30/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye 9/30/2013 7:30 PM Sleepy Eye 10/1/2013 7:30 PM Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 10/3/2013 7:30 PM Cleveland 10/5/2013 8:00 AM St. Clair Tourney 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Madelia 10/15/2013 7:30 PM Martin County West

MANKATO WEST 9/26/2013 7:15 PM Rochester John Marshall 10/1/2013 7:15 PM Albert Lea 10/7/2013 7:30 PM Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 10/8/2013 7:15 PM Rochester Mayo 10/10/2013 7:15 PM Rochester Century 10/12/2013 9:00 AM Faribault Invite 10/15/2013 7:15 PM Mankato East 10/23/2013 7:15 PM Section Tourney 10/25/2013 7:15 PM Section Tourney 10/29/2013 7:15 PM Section Tourney

MAPLE RIVER

9/26/2013 7:30 PM Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley 9/28/2013 8:00 AM Saint James Area 10/1/2013 7:30 PM Madelia 10/3/2013 7:30 PM Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Martin County West 10/10/2013 7:00 PM Minnesota Valley Lutheran 10/14/2013 7:30 PM Waseca 10/15/2013 7:30 PM St. Clair

MINNESOTA VALLEY LUTHERAN 9/26/2013 7:00 PM Wabasso 9/28/2013 9:00 AM Blue Earth Tourney 10/1/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s 10/3/2013 7:00 PM G-F-W 10/8/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm Cathedral 10/10/2013 7:00 PM Maple River 10/15/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm Cathedral

HOME HOME HOME HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY HOME HOME HOME AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY HOME

2013

Page 13

AREA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL • REMAINING SCHEDULES NEW ULM CATHEDRAL

9/26/2013 7:00 PM Springfield 10/1/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye 10/3/2013 7:00 PM Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 10/7/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s 10/8/2013 7:00 PM Minnesota Valley Lutheran 10/10/2013 7:00 PM Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 10/14/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye 10/15/2013 7:00 PM Minnesota Valley Lutheran

NEW ULM PUBLIC 9/26/2013 7:30 PM Fairmont 9/30/2013 7:15 PM Marshall 10/3/2013 7:30 PM Blue Earth Area 10/7/2013 7:15 PM Jackson County Central 10/8/2013 7:30 PM St. Peter 10/15/2013 7:30 PM Saint James Area

AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME HOME HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME HOME AWAY

SAINT CLAIR

10/1/2013 7:30 PM Truman 10/3/2013 7:30 PM Martin County West 10/5/2013 8:00 AM St. Clair 10/5/2013 8:00 AM St. Peter 10/7/2013 7:30 PM Medford 10/8/2013 7:00 PM Nicollet 10/10/2013 7:00 PM G-F-W 10/14/2013 7:30 PM United South Central 10/15/2013 7:30 PM Maple River

AWAY AWAY HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME AWAY AWAY

10/1/2013 7:30 PM Saint James Area 10/3/2013 7:30 PM Waseca 10/5/2013 8:00 AM St. Clair 10/8/2013 7:30 PM New Ulm 10/15/2013 7:30 PM Fairmont 10/21/2013 7:15 PM Waterville-Elysian-Morristown

9/26/2013 7:15 PM Mayer Lutheran 9/28/2013 9:00 AM Dassel-Cokato Charger Challenge 10/1/2013 7:15 PM Tri-City United 10/3/2013 7:15 PM Jordan 10/8/2013 7:15 PM Norwood-Young America 10/10/2013 7:15 PM Watertown-Mayer 10/14/2013 7:15 PM Le Sueur-Henderson

SLEEPY EYE PUBLIC 9/26/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s 9/30/2013 7:00 PM Mankato Loyola 9/30/2013 7:30 PM Mankato Loyola 10/1/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm Cathedral 10/5/2013 9:00 AM Nicollet 10/7/2013 7:30 PM Lester Prairie \ Holy Trinity 10/8/2013 7:00 PM G-F-W 10/10/2013 7:00 PM Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 10/10/2013 7:00 PM Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 10/14/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm Cathedral

SAINT PETER

SIBLEY EAST

NICOLLET 9/26/2013 10/1/2013 10/3/2013 10/5/2013 10/8/2013 10/15/2013

7:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:00 AM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM

Alden-Conger Martin County West Madelia Sleepy Eye St. Clair Truman

SLEEPY EYE ST. MARY’S

9/26/2013 7:00 PM Sleepy Eye 10/1/2013 7:00 PM Minnesota Valley Lutheran 10/3/2013 7:00 PM Wabasso 10/7/2013 7:00 PM New Ulm Cathedral 10/8/2013 7:00 PM Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 10/14/2013 7:00 PM Truman 10/15/2013 7:00 PM Springfield

AWAY HOME HOME HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY

HOME HOME AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY

9/26/2013 7:15 PM Medford 10/1/2013 7:30 PM Alden-Conger 10/3/2013 7:15 PM Bethlehem Academy 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Truman 10/10/2013 7:15 PM Randolph 10/14/2013 7:30 PM St. Clair 10/15/2013 7:15 PM New Richland-H-E-G

AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME HOME HOME HOME

HOME AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME

10/3/2013 7:30 PM St. Peter 10/7/2013 7:15 PM Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 10/8/2013 7:30 PM Saint James Area 10/10/2013 7:30 PM Fairmont 10/12/2013 9:00 AM Faribault 10/14/2013 7:30 PM Maple River 10/15/2013 7:30 PM Blue Earth Area

AWAY HOME AWAY HOME AWAY HOME AWAY

9/26/2013 10/3/2013 10/5/2013 10/7/2013 10/10/2013 10/14/2013 10/21/2013

HOME AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY HOME

HOME AWAY AWAY HOME AWAY HOME AWAY HOME HOME AWAY

UNITED SOUTH CENTRAL

WASECA

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Page 14

Fall

AREA HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY • REMAINING SCHEDULES BLUE EARTH 10/3/2013 10/8/2013 10/15/2013 10/15/2013

04:30 PM 04:00 PM 04:15 PM 04:15 PM

Fairmont Invite BEA Invite BEA Invite Austin Pacelli

AWAY HOME HOME HOME

CLEVELAND MANKATO LOYOLA 10/3/2013 10/15/2013 10/15/2013 10/15/2013 10/15/2013 10/15/2013 10/15/2013 10/15/2013

04:30 PM 04:00 PM 04:00 PM 04:00 PM 04:00 PM 04:00 PM 04:00 PM 04:30 PM

MANKATO EAST 9/26/2013 9/28/2013 10/3/2013 10/8/2013 10/15/2013 10/24/2013

4:00 PM 4:00 PM 4:30 PM 3:30 PM 3:30 PM 3:00 PM

Buffalo Griak Invitational Fairmont Mankato East Invitational Big Nine Confernce Meet Section 2AA Meet

AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY

SE Public/SE St. Mary's/NU Cathed. AWAY Martin County West Blooming Prairie HOME Medford HOME United South Central HOME WEM/JWP HOME Maple River HOME New Richland-H-E-G HOME

9/26/2013 4:30 PM WEM/JWP HOME 9/26/2013 4:30 PM Blue Earth Area HOME 9/26/2013 4:30 PM Maple River HOME 9/26/2013 4:30 PM New Richland-H-E-G HOME 10/3/2013 4:30 PM Waseca AWAY 10/3/2013 4:30 PM Waseca AWAY 10/8/2013 4:30 PM United South Central AWAY 10/10/2013 4:30 PM Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther AWAY 10/15/2013 4:00 PM Gopher-Valley Conference AWAY MANKATO WEST 10/15/2013 4:00 PM Mankato Loyola/Celveland AWAY 10/1/2013 3:20 PM 10/24/2013 4:00 PM Sections AWAY 10/3/2013 5:30 PM

10/15/2013 3:30 PM 9/30/2013 4:30 PM 10/3/2013 4:30 PM 10/24/2013 4:00 PM

LE SUEUR/HENDERSON NEW COUNTRY SCHOOL 10/1/2013 4:00 PM Giant Invite 10/1/2013 4:00 PM Belle Plaine/Holy Family Acade 10/10/2013 3:15 PM MRC Meet 10/24/2013 4:00 PM Section 2A Meet 11/2/2013 10:00 AM State Meet

AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY

MAPLE RIVER 9/26/2013 10/8/2013 10/10/2013 10/15/2013 10/24/2013

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10/3/2013 4:30 PM SE Public/SE St. Mary's/NU Cathed. AWAY 10/8/2013 4:30 PM United South Central AWAY 10/10/2013 4:00 PM MINN RIVER CONF MEET AWAY 10/15/2013 4:00 PM St. Peter AWAY

UNITED SOUTH CENTRAL

Chaska Owatonna Big 9 Conference Meet

4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:00 PM 4:00 PM

WEM/JWP United South Central Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther Mankato Loyola/Celveland Mankato Loyola/Celveland

9/26/2013 4:00 PM Redwood Valley 10/3/2013 4:30 PM SE Public/SE St. Mary's/NU Cathed.

10/10/2013 4:30 PM Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther 10/15/2013 4:30 PM G-F-W

Walk-In or Make Appointment

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Redwood Valley Norwood-Young America Sibley East Mankato Loyola/Celveland Minnesota Valley Lutheran LCWM/Nicollet Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther G-F-W

SIBLEY EAST

AWAY AWAY

AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY

MINNESOTA VALLEY LUTHERAN

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4:00 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM

10/15/2013 4:00 PM Sibley East HOME 10/15/2013 4:00 PM Jordan HOME 10/15/2013 4:00 PM Southwest Christian HOME

Saint James Area AWAY SE Public/SE St. Mary's/NU Cathed. AWAY SE Public/SE St. Mary's/NU Cathed.

9/26/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/10/2013 10/15/2013

SAINT PETER

JANESVILLE/WALDORF/PEMBERTON WATERVILLE/ELYISAN/MORRISTOWN

LAKE CRYSTAL-WELLCOME MEMORIAL NICOLLET

NEW ULM CATHEDRAL SLEEPY EYE PUBLIC SLEEPY EYE ST. MARY’S

AWAY AWAY AWAY AWAY

10/3/2013 4:30 PM Waseca 10/8/2013 4:30 PM WEM/JWP 10/8/2013 4:30 PM Sibley East 10/8/2013 4:30 PM Blooming Prairie 10/8/2013 4:30 PM Medford 10/8/2013 4:30 PM WEM/JWP 10/8/2013 4:30 PM Maple River 10/8/2013 4:30 PM New Richland-H-E-G 10/15/2013 4:00 PM Mankato Loyola/Celveland

WASECA 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013 10/3/2013

4:00 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM 4:30 PM

Kasson-Mantorville WEM/JWP Blooming Prairie United South Central WEM/JWP New Richland-H-E-G

AWAY HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME AWAY

HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME

2013

Page 15

Mankato East football team looking to improve from their losing 2012 skid The East Cougars have already surpassed their win total from their 2012 campaign with a 12-6 victory over Albert Lea last Friday, and it's only week five. Next on the schedule; their cross-town rival West Scarlets.

LUCAS RYAN Staff Writer The Mankato East football team is working hard in hopes of turning this season around. The Cougars are 1-3 in the Big Nine but finally got on the winning side of things last Friday when they beat Albert Lea. After a four year absence, Eric Davis is returning for his second year as head coach of the Cougars. Davis previously served as the Mankato East football coach from 2003-2007 and wants to get the program back to the form when they were a contender to win the Big Nine Conference each year.

“We are working are way back to the form we were in from 2003-2007 when the team was a force to be reckoned with in the Big Nine Conference,” Davis said “Are numbers aren’t

great, but we got some really good talent in the younger grades and the older kids we do have are working very hard.”

Talent and work ethic does not show up on the stat lines, but the Cougars are working hard to improve, Davis said. The Cougars finally got the result that they were looking for Friday Sept. 20, when the collected a 12-6 win over Albert Lea. The game was a defensive battle with the Cougars recording two interceptions and a goal line tackle in the final minutes to persevere the win.

East will try to implement a physical style of football, especially on the defense side of the ball. Offensively the Cougars want to dominate at the offensive line while getting the ball in the hands of their “playmakers.”

“We won our first game last Friday. So the moods are a little

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports While the Cougars still struggle to find wins, the future looks quite promising for the program while their talented underclassmen got some varsity experience.

higher today,” Davis said. “In the first two to three games we could not convert on third down.

We were facing to many third and longs so we are going to look to keep our offense on the field and try to sustain drives and try to play good defense to go along with it.”

The coaching staff asks a lot from the captains on the team.

Senior captains Adam Kratzke and Nick Makovsky lead the team by example, but all of the seniors have some sort of a leadership role Davis said. Both Makovsky and Kratzke play on both sides of the ball and are expected to big contributors.

Makovsky is son of the Minnesota State University, Mankato wrestling coach Jim Makovsky. Makovsky played every snap of the game against Albert Lea according to Davis.

“We count on him (Makovsky) a lot to play on the offensive and defensive line,” Davis said.

The youth looks promising for the Cougars in future years.

The team is almost entirely filled with juniors and sophomores and some of these players are loaded with talent, Davis said. The team only has seven seniors on the 48-player-roster listed on the Minnesota State High School League website.

“Logan Swanson is a sophomore offensive line who has done really well showing up really strong on film the first few games,” Davis said.

The Cougars still have still have the entire second half of the season remaining to right the ship, all the remaining games are to be played against Big Nine opponents.

Mankato East (1-3) will play the cross town rival Mankato West (3-1)today at MSU’s Blakeslee Stadium with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

After the big West-East game, the Cougars have the (1-3) Winona Winhawks coming for a visit on Oct. 4, then the (4-0) Owatonna Huskies take a trip to Mankato before the Cougars head east to take on the (1-3) Austin Packers to finish out their regular season.

In their first four games of the season, the Cougars put up 10.8 points a game while giving up 36.5 per game.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports After the West-East game, the Cougars have Winona, Owatonna and Austin left on their 2013 regular season schedule.

Page 16

Fall

A force in the Big 9 looks to continue their dominance in 2013 The Owatonna Huskies are in front of the back through four games of the 2013 season.

There's still a lot of football to be played.

Photo Courtesy of Winona Daily News Through four games of their 2013 campaign, the Winona Winhawks own a 1-3 record while averaging 20 points per game.

among records Aaron Peterson broke. Peterson is a senior this season.

264 passes attempted in a season, 25 passes completed in a game, 163 passes completed in a season, 256 passes completed in a season, 354 net yards in a game, 2,181 net yards in a season, 3,666 net yards in a career, four touchdown passes in a game, 21 touchdown passes in a season, 37 touchdown passes in a career, eight consecutive games throwing a touchdown, 62 percent completion rate in a season, 57 percent career completion rate and a 90-yard touchdown pass to Luke Ebeling are the records Colton Schock broke last season. Shock’s career for the Huskies was a very electric one.

Seventy-one passes caught in a season, 970 yards receiving in a season and most touchdown receptions in a game are among the records Ebeling broke. He shares the record of three touchdown receptions with teammate Shadarik Skala and four former Huskies. Both Ebeling and Skala were seniors last season.

Carter McCauley is a senior this season. He broke the record of 52 extra points in a season last year.

Even with Shock out of the picture Owatonna is a favorite in the Big 9 with numerous weapons to choose from.

The Big 9 was originally named the Big 8 in 1928. Assembled with Albert Lea, Austin, Faribault, Mankato, Owatonna, Red Wing, Rochester and Winona. Red Wing left the conference in 1981. Mankato East, Rochester Mayo and Rochester Century have all since joined the Big 9 conference.

Despite Owatonna’s impressive start to the 2013 season and their 8-0 2012 season, the Big 9 has other impressive teams that will give the Huskies a run for their money.

ADAM PIERSON Staff Writer The Big 9 is a competitive conference with multiple contenders this season.

Through four games this season the Owatonna Huskies sit at the top of the Big 9 with a record of 4-0. Four teams sit right on their tail at 3-1. Mankato West, Rochester Mayo, Faribault and Rochester John Marshall are among those teams.

Owatonna won the Big 9 in 2012 for the tenth time since 1928. They also earned the title of section champs and state runner-up.

In four games, Owatonna has already shut out Winona, 49-0.

Out scoring their opponents 170 to 42.

During their successful stint last season, the Huskies broke numerous school records.

Scoring 503 points, averaging 38.7 points a game, completing 260 first downs, 271 passing attempts, 889 snaps, total offense of 5,646 yards, 168 passes completed, 2,303 passing yards, 406 passing yards in a single game, 22 passing touchdowns for the season, 87 kickoffs are among the team records the Huskies broke.

Many individual records were broken last season as well.

Forty-six carries in a game, 289 carries in a season, 140 points scored in a season, five touchdowns in a game, 23 touchdowns in a season, most net yards gained in a game with 310 and most net yards gained in a season with 1,536 are all

Photo Courtesy of Postbulletin.com

BIG 9 CONFERENCE STANDINGS Team Owatonna Faribault Mankato West John Marshall Mayo Austin Mankato East Century Winona Albert Lea

Conference 4-0 3-1 3-1 3-1 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3 0-4

Streak Won 4 Lost 1 Won 1 Lost 1 Won 3 Won 1 Won 1 Lost 3 Lost 1 Lost 4

The Rochester Mayo Spartans are putting up 32.5 points per game while giving up 18.8 per game.

2013

Page 17

West hopes to use powerhouse offense to lead them to state Two years after Nelson left, Sclichte has filled his shoes very well so far in 2013.

JOHN HECKT Staff Writer

The Mankato West Varsity Football program has always been known for producing solid Quarterback’s. A great example is University of Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson, who is one of the all time greats to wear Scarlet red. Following Nelson in the legacy of great West Quarterbacks is this year’s stand-out Ryan Schlichte.

Last week, Schlichte passed for 256 yards and two passing touchdowns, in addition to 56 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. The Junior QB is coming off of a strong 2012-2013 season in which he threw for 25 TD’s and over 2,200 yards. Schlichte, whose Dad played and coached at Minnesota State University, Mankato, has great precision when throwing the long ball and has stayed consistent throughout the entire season for the Scarlets. He has attended several QB camps at numerous DI schools across the Midwest, and interest in him as a prospect is reportedly high. He was clocked a 40-yard dash at 4.8 seconds, so he has considerable speed out of the pocket.

A big part of Schlichte’s Scarlet offense is running back Corey Johnson, who ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the same game against Rochester John Marshall. Travon Jones also pitched in; he ran for 50 yards and a touchdown. On the receiving end, Will Claussen caught three passes for 105 yards and a score. Isaac Webber was the defensive star of the game, racking up a more than impressive 18 tackles and two sacks.

The only loss for the no. 2 ranked Scarlets came from no. 1 Owatonna at home. The matchup went down to the wire, with Owatonna eventually winning by a late field goal. Claussen also had a great receiving game against the Huskies, catching two touchdowns and racking up 106 yards.

The Scarlets take on cross-town rival Mankato East this Friday. The Cougars are 1-3 this year, with their only win coming on the road against Albert Lea. The win snapped a 14- game-losing streak for East. On the final play of the game, Albert Lea had the ball on East’s 1-yard line. However, Ryan Carlsten made a clutch tackle and the Cougars ended their week with a victory. Quarterback Cooper Wolfe completed 13 of 24 passes for 115 yards. He ran the ball into the end zone with 23 seconds left to give the Cougars the lead.

The East vs. West matchup will be played this week at Blakeslee stadium. Last year’s matchup saw the Scarlet’s pounding the Cougars 44-0. East hasn’t beaten West since the 2005-2006 season, when the Cougars beat the Scarlets 21-7 in the playoffs. The Scarlets haven’t lost since, and most of their victories have been by large margins. The Cougars hope their win against Albert Lea will generate enough momentum for an upset.

After their matchup with East, the Scarlet’s will finish off their schedule with games against Rochester Cenutry, Fairbault and Rochester Mayo. The Cougars still have to play Winona, Owatonna, and Austin.

This week’s game begins at 7 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports Quarterback Ryan Schlicthe (pictured) threw for 2,200 yards and 25 touchdowns last season for the Scarlets.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports Receiver Will Claussen (pictured) caught three passes for 105 yards and a receiving touchdown for the Scarlets in their win against Rochester John Marsall.

Page 18

Fall

The South Central Conference is an impressive one

With four teams ranked in the top ten in the state for 3AAA are in the same conference, it should be an entertaining year for the SCC. JOEY DENTON Sports Editor

When any football conference possesses the state champs, you know it is a tough conference, and it’s going to be no different for the South Central Conference in 2013.

“Four teams were ranked in the top 10 at the start of the year,” Fairmont Head Coach Mat Mahoney said. “It’s a very good football conference.”

Last season, the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers brought home a 3AAA state championship after defeating Rochester Lourdes 30-7. Looking back on their championship season, the squad didn’t have a whole lot of trouble with their closest win was nine points in one of their playoff games against St. Croix Lutheran, 21-12.

So far in 2013, the Buccaneers are continuing their dominating ways with a 4-0 record, averaging 38.3 points per game, while only giving up 7.8 points per game. With their 39-7 victory over New Ulm last Friday, this school has won 17 games in a row. Players to watch for are senior running backs Gus Phillips and David Franta.

According to head coach Randy Kuechenmeister, this is a very tough conference and he would be ecstatic to come out on top again this season.

“It is always very competitive and whoever wins it must be a very solid team,” Kuechenmeister said.

But time will only tell how good this conference is compared to the rest of the 3AAA section.

“I think we have some very good teams. Now how do we stack up against others is hard to tell at this time,” Kuechenmeister said. “The playoffs will tell us that.”

The Buccanears have a very good set of captains in David Franta, Seth Anderson, Justin Ritterwill be without one of the captains and best players in senior quarterback Kysten Zierke due to a torn ACL. His backup, Luke Schavey, didn't need a lot of time to get the Buccanears offense to move down the field. In his first game as starting quarterback, he completed 14 of his 22 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns, to go along with his 99 rushing yards.

Currently sitting on the top of the conference standings with a 2-0 conference record is the Waseca Bluejays. They defeated St. Peter 48-24 and Fairmont 42-27.

According to head coach Brad Wendland, last year’s season was, “up and down and riddled with injuries.” They finished fourth in the conference with a 2-3 conference record, 3-6 overall. They put up 24.9 points per game while giving up 15.4.

So far in 2013, the Bluejays haven’t had any trouble putting up points on the board, averaging 41.5 points per game, highest in the conference. Defensively, the squad is giving up 23 points per game. Their 4-0 start had a lot to do with their senior quarterback/defensive back Thomas O’neil, senior receiver/ defensive back Lucas Johnson, senior offensive and defensive lineman Jake Busse, senior offensive and defensive lineman Devin Williamson and senior receiver/defensive back Jacob Laube.

After just loosing one conference game last season to Blue Earth Area, the St. Peter Saints have already matched their one conference loss when they lost to Waseca on Sept. 13. Their first two games of the season were blowouts, winning 41-7 over LeSueur-Henderson and 46-12 over New Ulm. The 2013 Saints are averaging 38 points per game with help from senior quarterback Tom Steidler, senior running back Keegan McCabe, senior running back Derek Meyer, senior lineman Alex Willson and junior offensive lineman Brandon Evans.

In 2012, the Fairmont Cardinals finished in third place in the SCC with a 2-3 conference record and 5-5 overall. According to Mahoney, last season was, “frustrating. We experienced a lot of injuries early on and never got to full strength.”

The Cardinals are currently tied for fourth in the conference with no conference wins and a 2-2 overall record. The team is putting up 22.3 points per game, including 27 points in their loss to Waseca.

Defensively, the Cardinals are giving up 19 points a game. This year’s players to watch are senior tight end Jay Ruen and senior receiver Luke Becker.

Mahoney is one of the many coaches that believe the SCC is a very balanced conference.

“Two schools have been in the championship game the last two years,” Mahoney said. “It’s anybody conference to win.”

There are two teams who had a hard time getting wins last season, and so far this season. Those teams are St. James Area and New Ulm. The St. James Area Saints finished their 2012 campaign 0-9 overall, averaging 8.6 points per game, while giving up 34. 8. This season, the squad found their first victory in a 46-6 win over Spectrum. They currently have a 0-1 conference record and 1-3 overall. The Saints are having a much easier time putting points on the board this season, averaging 21.5 There is only one winless team in the SCC, and that is the New Ulm Eagles. So far this season, the squad is putting up 10.4 points per game, while giving up 34.6.

Possibly the biggest game in the SCC is coming up on Friday as Blue Earth Area travels to play Waseca. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports The St. Peter Saints currently sit in third place in the conference, averaging 38 points a game, while allowing 16.8 points per game.

Web Photo After going 1-4 in the conference last season, the New Ulm Eagles are still looking for their first win of their 2013-2014 campaign.

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2013

Page 19

Martin Luther men's soccer looks to prove they can compete in the UMAC DEREK LAMBERT Staff Writer The Knights from Martin Luther College hope to exceed the expectations set out for them in 2013. For those unfamiliar with Martin Luther College, it is a small ministry college in nearby New Ulm, Minn. Last season, the Knights saw a record that didn’t really reflect the potential they had. Head Coach Paul Koeplin agreed.

“I certainly thought that we were a better team last year than we showed in the record; many one-goal losses, and some of those were almost fluke losses,” Koeplin said. “It's hard to say.

We are a team of midfielders.

That means that we need to find a scorer or two somewhere. It also means that we will need to have some players learn better defending.”

Finishing seventh last season in the eight team Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, the Knights were selected in the UMAC preseason poll to finish seventh once again. However, there are indications they could finish much better than seventh.

In 2012, the Knights finished 2-12 in conference play and 3-15 overall, with many of their losses being close games. This

says a lot in that they did a good job of keeping themselves in the game, and minor improvements could help get them over the hump to a better record.

Also, Martin Luther returns eight starters from last season, including goalkeeper Eric Hahn.

Hahn finished in the top half of the conference in goalkeeping statistics in 2012 and will help the Knights improve this season.

Aside from who is between the pipes, junior midfielder Steve Roekl returns after an Honorable Mention All-UMAC season in 2012, in which he scored five goals. Senior forward Ryan Lemke also returns after scoring five goals last season. On paper, things look promising for the Knights, but they have gotten off to a slow start.

“I’d say that I would like to rely on the returning players.

And we have some talent coming in, but getting veterans to ‘step up’ into more of a leadership role is not always easy.

And often the newcomers don't feel like they can say much,” Koeplin said. “The integration process has been more challenging than anticipated to this point.”

After opening the season with a pair of losses to Buena Vista 4-0 and Illinois Col-

Photo Courtesy of Knights Athletics Senior forward Ryan Lemke (pictured) has three points with one goal and one assist after seven games.

lege 2-1, the Knights defeated Presentation 4-2 at home. From there, Martin Luther hosted a local team in Gustavus Adolphus, which they were defeated 7-0, before losing at home once again to Wisconsin Lutheran by a score of 5-0. However, the Knights have yet to play a conference game and hope to turn things around when they kick off conference play at Northwestern on Sept. 20, followed by another conference matchup the following day at North Central University. They certainly have the tools to improve from last season but have some very durable competition ahead of them.

The UMAC preseason poll listed three-time defending conference champions the College of St. Scholastica Saints as the favorite to finish first.

Last season, the Saints went an undefeated 14-0 in league play, and finished 18-5 overall while making the NCAA Tournament.

Scholastica also returns nine starters from last season while only losing two. The University of Minnesota-Morris came in at number two in the poll, also returning nine starts while losing two. These two teams look to be a two-horse race for the conference title with the others on the outside looking in.

Bethany Lutheran College and Northwestern come in tied at three, with Crown College and North Central at five and six, respectively.

Aside from the top two teams, none of the remaining teams ranked ahead of Martin Luther had overly impressive winning percentages in 2012, with Crown and North Central finishing below .500. The Knights return more starters than any of the teams ranked third through sixth and could certainly challenge to earn a spot in the top half of the conference, if not at least the top five. They will play fifteen conference games in 2013, concluding their regular season at Northland on Nov. 2. Koelpin hopes the Knights can turn things around and make for a successful season.

“We'd like to be in the UMAC final fo ur. It's been a while,” Koeplin said. “One of our biggest goals is simply more goals; we need to score more.

We have to be more dangerous offensively. Secondly, we need to be more secure on defense.

Both of these have been challenges early on in the season.

Hopefully we can have a game or two that helps us see the way to success.”

Photo Courtesy of Knights Athletics The knights are off to a 2-5 start to their 2013 season but haven't started the conference schedule yet.

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Page 20

Fall

Mankato West girls soccer squad heating up after a slow start to 2013

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports So far this season, the Scarlets are averaging 2.4 goals scored per game while giving up 1.7 goals.

Even after dropping the first two games of the season, the Scarlets have won six of their last nine matches, including four conference opponents.

DEREK LAMBERT Staff Writer

The Mankato West girls soccer team has been on a bit of a run lately. They started the 2013 season losing three of their first four games, including a loss to cross-town rival Mankato East.

Since then, the Scarlets have won five of their last six games, one of which was a 3-1 victory redeeming themselves by defeating Mankato East. Scoring 24 goals in their first ten games, the team from West shows that putting the ball in the net is not an issue of concern. The Scarlets hold some pretty impressive statistics thus far as they average 2.4 goals scored per game and average only 1.7 goals against per game. West has another impressive number to boast, however.

The Scarlets currently sit in first place of the Big Nine Conference with a 4-2 league record. While they have played more games than every team aside from Mankato East, who sits tied for second with a 2-4 record, being in first isn’t a bad

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports The Scarlets finish out the regular season with Rochester Mayo visiting Mankato, head to Willmar, then out east against Rochester Century and finish at home against Worthington.

spot to be in, especially if they keep up their winning ways into October. With only five games remaining on their schedule, including three conference games, the Scarlets are in good position to finish among the top three in the Big Nine, likely in the top two. What’s most impressive, however, is the experience that this roster boasts.

West has ten senior players on their roster including their four captains; goalkeeper Katie Lauer, defender McKenna Peters, forward Hanna Fox, and midfielder Madison Burandt.

Those ten seniors to go along with five juniors, two sophomores, one freshman, and one eight-grader. A roster like that shows much maturity, which could be very beneficial to the Scarlets when playing teams who carry more underclassmen on the roster. It also shows promise for the future as only four underclassmen cracked the varsity lineup, and those four players will eventually be seniors with a great deal of varsity experience under their belts.

Senior Captain Madison Burandt leads the way for the Scarlet offense with an impressive twelve goals and two assists in just ten games, while junior Aisha Abdo places second in scoring on the roster with three goals and six assists. Goalkeeper Katie Lauer has been steady between the pipes for West, posting 37 saves with three shutouts and a 1.7 goals-against average through nine games played. These players are in strong contention for Big Nine All-Conference honors and still have more games to build on their success.

The Scarlets have conference matchups against Albert Lea, Rochester Mayo and Rochester Century remaining on the schedule before postseason play. The two nonconference games will be against Willmar, and then closing out the regular season on Oct. 3 against Worthington.

The Section 2A tournament will begin Oct. 8 and will see some familiar faces in the tournament for West. Big Nine members that will play in Section 2A this postseason include Albert Lea, Austin, Faribault and Mankato East. Other familiar teams include New Prague, New Ulm, St. Peter, Willmar and Worthington, all who the Scarlets will have faced prior to any playoff matchups. Mankato Loyola Catholic School will also participate in Section 2A. Despite being located in Mankato, Loyola is part of the South Central Conference with St. Peter and New Ulm. The Minnesota Girl’s State Soccer Tournament begins Oct. 23 at various locations and concludes with the championship game on Oct. 31 at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis.

St. Peter advanced to the state tournament last season out of Section 2A and may be the team to beat this season to keep the season going deep into the playoffs. With the way the Scarlets are playing as of late, they are in contention for a good seed for sectional play and will look to advance to state for a chance to play on the turf inside the building we still know as the Metrodome.

2013

Page 21

Mankato Loyola is joined with Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial and St. Clair for their 2013 campaign With only two seniors, this Crusaders squad is young and inexperienced but is determined to turn the season around after winning this past Thursday.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports The Crusaders have two captains in senior sweeper Ryan BanBlarcom and senior midfielder Reilly Knutson.

LUCAS RYAN Staff Writer

The Mankato Loyola, boys soccer team, while adding Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial and St. Clair, has started the season with a 0-7-1 record before getting their first win of the season Oct. 19.

After a slow start offensively the Crusaders’ offense exploded for nine goals while allowing none to earn their first win of the year. The win came at the hands of Schaeffer Academy in a Crusader home nonconference game with a final of 9-0.

“It felt good to get the first win out of the way,” head coach Lee Miller said. “We were 0-7-1 and a lot of teams keel over. My boys, they play hard every game.”

The only difference from the 2012 roster is the addition of first year head coach Lee Miller. Because Miller did not see his players until the first day of practice, it took a while before he felt comfortable with his lineup.

“It took me a little while to figure out who I wanted to play in what position and so the first few games were kind of tough because they are games that we could have won, but we were just kind of testing things out,” Miller said. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids my first year.”

The Crusaders are returning the identical team they had a year ago. In most situations this would mean Loyola has a lot of upperclassman, but the Cursaders only have two seniors on the team this year.

Both seniors play important leadership roles on and off the field.

“Our best players are the two senior captains Ryan VanBlarcom playing sweeper and Reilly Knutson starting in the midfield,” Miller said.

Senior sweeper Ryan VanBlarcom plays the most important position on the team according to Miller.

VanBlarcom moved from his previous position in the midfield back to the defense, playing the very demanding position of sweeper. “(VanBlarcom) has been playing fantastically. He is pretty much sacrificing everything he has got for the team,” Miller said.

VanBlarcom is also a vocal leader on the team and not afraid to let the younger players know when to focus.

“Ryan is a fantastic leader on the team. He takes it very seriously which helps me,” said Miller.

“When Ryan gets on them (the team), they listen. He gets them organized and gets them ready to play.”

Knutson is also one of the leaders on the Crusaders, but is more passive than VanBlarcom and leads

by example and with his play.

“Reilly is probably our best skilled player. He is very patient; he is fantastic with trapping the ball and finding his team mates,” Miller said. “He is great in the air. He wins tons of 50-50 balls in the air.”

With many players on the Crusaders’ roster getting playing time at the varsity level at a young age, the Crusaders should have a very mentally experienced team one year down the road. One of the problems for the Loyola soccer team is that the players are not as physically matured as some of the teams they have faced this year.

It can be hard for some of the Crusaders to win balls or outrun some the upperclassman on other teams Miller said. The Crusaders do not lack experience; instead they are at a constant disadvantage because they lack the size and power that is obtained in the later years of high school.

Loyola has gained the respect of some of the better teams that they have played this year. The main focus of the Cursaders’ playing style is on the defense.

The Crusaders only play one striker so they can leave more players back to defend.

“We are a dangerous team because we have the attention of

every team that has beaten us.

The teams we have played know that we are not just going to roll over and let you play,” Miller said. “Defensively we are a very strong team. Our defensive can frustrate the best teams.”

Still the Crusaders can improve a few areas of their game.

One problem at this point in the season is the Crusaders are forcing the ball up field too often.

Miller would like to see more patients from the kids while they try to move the ball into a scoring position.

“We can improve on passing the ball,” Miller said. “Linking passes from the defense to the midfield to the offense.”

The Crusaders regardless of their record are still playing hard. They have shown improvement in some areas and stayed focused on winning games even with a tough start to the season.

“The guys have gotten extremely better at winning 50-50 balls and passing with confidence and trapping,” Miller said.

“The kids are pretty resilient.

They want to win and they want to play, they have not given up.”

The Crusaders next game will be Friday at Glencoe-Silver Lake, with a 5 p.m. kickoff.

Page 22

Fall

MSU fall sports update: Mavericks back to contending for Northern Sun titles With football, women's soccer and volleyball on the spotlight, not a lot of people know how talented both men's and women's cross country and golf teams are.

So far this fall, all four teams are in the hunt for an NSIC title in 2013.

REECE HEMMESCH Editor in Chief For MSU to continually compete with not just the likes of the NSIC but the entire nation, every sport has to pull its weight.

Needless to say, last season every MSU squad definitely pulled their own and a little more to give the school a fourth place finish in the Directors Cup, given to the university with the highest rated athletic program in that year.

So far in the fall, all teams have been showing they are back

and stronger than ever in 2013, giving the rest of the seasons something to set their goals for as the fall has surely done what they are supposed to do early.

Golf The men and women of the links have been busy over the first month of the school year, both squads are coming off respectable campaigns in 2012 and bring a load of talent back for their matches in 2013.

The men began their operations Sept. 4 with a dual against Gustavus Adolphus College, falling to the Golden Gusties

by 10 strokes at the Le Sueur Country Club.

Tyler McMorrow of GAC took home medalist honors as the only individual to finish under par while sophomore Corey Muenzhuber finished the highest of all Mavericks, ending the day shooting an even par (70). Freshman Casey Anderson finished a stroke and a place behind Muenzhuber, and sophomore Michael Greenberg tallied a fourth place finish after shooting +2 in the dual.

After their round in Le Sueur, the men headed north for Brainerd and the NSIC men’s fall preview, finishing fourth out of 10 teams in the conference.

MSU was third after the first round, shooting a 306, but were dropped a spot after shooting 315 in the second round to finish 45 strokes over par.

Junior Ross Miller took home the highest finish for MSU, ending up tied for ninth place after shooting back-to-back 77s to finish +10 on the event. Senior Bennett Black, sophomore Jason Edstrom and Greenberg took the next three spots in the rankings as Black finished 11th and Edstrom and Greenberg tied for 12th.

The women began their 2013 competition at the Augustana Invitational held at Bakker Crossing in Sioux Falls, where the Mavericks took home the top spot after back-to-back team rounds of 301 to finish no. 1.

Three Mavericks tied for the medal as juniors Tabitha Kunst and Dani Selberg and sophomore Kanyapak Sethasompobe all ended seven-over for the tournament. Sethasompobe, a native of Thailand, looked as though she would edge the competition with a first round score

of 74, but Selberg and Kunst came roaring back in the second and final round to plunge the trifecta into a three-way tie for first. Senior Alyssa Kalthoff also finished in the top 10 for MSU, shooting a total of 155.

From there, MSU took part in the Holiday Inn and Suites Lake Elmo Invite in mid-September, finishing fourth out of 15 teams.

They would not take home an individual medalist here, but the Mavericks would see strong

FALL UPDATE • Page 24

Photo Courtesy of Maverick Athletics Junior Tabitha Kunst is second on the women's golf team in total strokes with 461 after six rounds and has the second lowest round with 72 strokes.

www.ronsautorepairmankato.com

Photo Courtesy of Maverick Athletics Senior Devin Allbaugh (right) finished first for the Mavericks and ninth overall in the men's first cross country meet, the Oz Memorial in Arden Hills, Minn.

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2013

Page 23

Finishing strong is especially important for boys soccer team

ADAM PIERSON Staff Writer

With only a few games left, the Mankato East soccer team sits on the fence currently sitting in sixth place in the Big 9. The Cougars also sit in sixth place in their section.

East currently sits 44th in the Minnesota Class A QRF rankings.

Their varsity roster is complied of seven seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores and one freshman with good numbers on their younger squads.

The majority of their games this year have been very close or completely dominated. East started the season against New Prague and shut them out, 10-0.

Through 12 games the Cougars have outscored their opponents 26-13, shutting out their opponents a total of four times while being shut out six times.

It seems if the Cougars do get their offense going, they’re bound to win.

It will be vital for East to be successful to win their upcoming games against Faribault,

Rochester John Marshall and Albert Lea. Last season, the Cougar boys went 6-8-2, it appears the Cougars are on the rise with this years performance and younger athletes coming through the system.

Head coach Jerrad Aspelund has been apart of the Mankato East coaching staff for 11 years and the head coach for nine years. Aspelund, a former Cougar played college soccer for Bethany Lutheran College. Aspelund has three other coaches in the program. Tom Yess, who also coaches softball for East, has been the junior varsity coach for five years. Andrew Yarger, a former Cougar and Bethany soccer player has coached C-squad for four years.

As well as Jordan Yess, who has coached C-squad for two years and also was a former Cougar.

That alone tells you it is a great environment on the East soccer fields.

In years to come, look for East to move its way up the Big 9 list.

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports The Cougars own a 5-4-3 overall record and 2-3-1 conference record in the Big 9.

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Page 24

FALL UPDATE

Fall 2013

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports

continued from 22

performances from Kunst (ninth place), Sethasompobe (T-15th) and Kalthoff (T-22nd).

After their round in the cities, the women took home the Mustang Invite over the past weekend in Marshall, placing 32 strokes ahead of Concordia St. Paul for the team title.

Sethasompobe would be the individual medalist with a total of 145 (1-over) on the weekend.

Kunst would finish third at +10 and Kalthoff wound up tied for fourth with a round of +12.

The MSU women’s golf squad will next be in action this weekend as they get set to

host the MSU Women’s Golf Scramble.

Cross Country Under newly appointed head coach Loren Ahonen, the MSU men’s cross country squad has competed twice in 2013, finishing fourth in the Oz Memorial in early September and sixth this past weekend at the St. Olaf Invitational.

At the Oz Memorial, senior Devin Allbaugh finished the closest to the top with a time of 19:43, edging out his teammate, senior Jacob Ball, who finished a half-second behind Allbaugh to finish 10th. Junior Josiah Swanson also finished in the top-30 at “the Oz” with a time of 20:53.

At St. Olaf, Allbaugh and Ball once again were the top two finishers from MSU, finishing in third and eighth with times of 25:09 and 25:33 respectively.

Though those two yielded high finishes for the purple and gold, the likes of host-squad St. Olaf and Sioux Falls would be too much for the Mavericks as they brought in the top-two team finishes with a balanced running attack from all. Amazingly, six of St. Olaf’s runners finished in the top-30, giving the Oles the crown.

For the women, they also competed at “the Oz” and the St. Olaf Invite, finishing fifth in both competitions. Under the tutelage of head coach Jen Blue, junior Samantha Soupir

Photo Courtesy of SPX Sports

produced the highest finish for the Mavs, ending in 16th with a time of 24:29. Five seconds later, sophomore Emily Knapczyk crossed the finish line as the 18th person to do so. MSU competed well, but could not hang with the likes of the Division 1 University of Minnesota, who produced the top seven finishers

in the event.

At the St. Olaf invite, Knapczyk and senior Sarah Bowler’s times of 23:27 and 23:37 were the two highest finishes for MSU, giving them 18th and 22nd place finishes as the tournament was won by conferencefoe Minnesota Duluth.