A Team of Their Own: Fillmore Fighters Take the Court

High school sports are a big part of life for those in Fillmore County and now, for the first time, the homeschool community has their own team competing. Per Minnesota Statute 123B.49, Subdivision 4(a) homeschool students are eligible to play on public school teams in the district in which they reside, but it’s not always the best option for them.

When Amy and Ryan Grabau moved outside the Forestville area in Fillmore County with their five homeschooled children in 2024, their daughters Amanda and Rebekah were disappointed to have to leave their volleyball team at Owatonna Christian School. The closest homeschool or Christian school team that they could play on was in Rochester, which would mean a lot of driving and disruption to their family’s schedule for practices and games. Before long, the girls were begging Amy to start a homeschool team. Rebekah especially missed playing, and Jessie Meyer, a local homeschooling friend, was also very interested. Jessie had played volleyball with the St. Johns Lutheran School team from grades 4-8, but couldn’t find a local team to play on during her high school years. During her freshman and sophomore years in high school, she ran cross country, but her heart was with volleyball. She joined her voice with Rebekah’s, and Amy couldn’t say no.

Amy had played volleyball in college and coached for a few years when her daughter’s junior varsity team at Owatonna Christian School was in need. “I was prepared to coach from my previous experience,” she said, adding that coaching at a high school level is definitely the next level from the middle school coaching she had done before. In addition to coaching, she would also have to learn how to be an athletic director in order to make the team work. “They (Rebekah and Jessie) were the driving force behind the team,” she said. There were definitely some challenges to getting started. The first thing they had to do was get the word out and find enough people to start a team. Seven girls signed up to play that first season in 2025. One of the things they did was come up with a name for the team. They decided on Fillmore Fighters as the team is comprised of Fillmore County homeschoolers, and they are fighting in Christ’s honor. Amy designed a logo for the team with the help of Rebekah, and Kelly Printing helped design the team shirts and jerseys.

Last year, the Fillmore Fighters, made up of grades 8-12, played seven games against other homeschool and Christian school teams. This year, they were able to increase that number to 14. Because the group does not belong to a brick and mortar school, it can’t join a league at this time, which means that any schools they play consider it a scrimmage. Nonetheless, it’s a game for the Fillmore Fighters, and they have been counting their wins, coming in at six wins and four losses so far this year with four more games to go.

For the 2026 season, Jessie, who is a senior, and Rebekah, who is a sophomore, are serving as the team captains. Amy continues to coach the team in their second year of playing, and Teresa Glocke is the assistant coach. “Like any team, we’ve had to work through some personal challenges, but they’ve had a good spirit of unity,” Amy said. “That’s how a team grows is through those challenges. They have fun together while they play.” Rebekah and Jessie agreed.

“I love the energy and confidence we have,” Rebekah said. “The Christian atmosphere is amazing, and I love the friends we get to make.”

Amy noted that a compliment she received after one of their first games of the season was that the team was very well-rounded. She attributes that to having the girls work on different skills at their practices.

The team practices at the Wykoff Community Center gym and is hosting home games there this season, which meant doing some manual labor and working with the gym managers to get the needed equipment so the gym would be ready to host the games, something they weren’t able to do during their first season. Thrivent supported the team by donating some money to start a concessions stand, and within the first game, they had already made that money back with concession and ticket sales. Some of the girls’ parents and siblings volunteer to help run things during the games. They also welcome any community volunteers who are interested.

The homeschool community in Fillmore County is estimated to be around 350 students and growing. Amy is looking for other parents to step up and organize and coach sports as well, giving the homeschool kids even more opportunities. “I knew I enjoyed playing, but coaching is just about as fun as playing yourself,” she said. “It’s very invigorating. I would love for this team to continue for the next couple of decades at least.