Caledonia boys basketball, the defending 1AA champion, again vied to play for the 1AA title. They posted a quarterfinal win, but fell in the semifinals. Versus Chatfield (6-seed, 17-10), Caledonia (3-seed, 15-12) used some tactical defense, particularly in the second half, to get revenge for a late season TRC loss. The first half saw the young Warriors blister from deep. … [Read more...]
Girls Basketball: Vikings Stymie Larks, GM Finishes as 1A Runner-Up
In a rematch of last year’s 1A title game, won 65-41 by Hayfield, the defending champion #4 in Class A Vikings (1-seed, 27-4) came out quick on #7 in Grand Meadow (2-seed, 27-2). They controlled things throughout to repeat as Section champions. Hayfield hit six of its first eight field goals to build an early 14-6 lead. The Vikings then closed the first half with a 12-2 run, … [Read more...]
Girls Basketball: Gadient’s Quotient Too Much For “Runner-Up” Warriors
Goodhue girls basketball (1-seed, 26-3), ranked #3 in Class AA, used a quotient centered around junior guard Elisabeth Gadient, and an offense which, when it scored, scored in chunks, to subdue #13 in AA Caledonia (3-seed, 25-3) in the 1AA championship game. Scott Sorenson’s Warriors never led as the Wildcats were an offensive buzz saw. Goodhue jumped out 9-2 and 15-5 and led … [Read more...]
Girls Basketball: Warriors Push “Forward” to 1AA Title Game
Thirteenth-ranked Warriors girls basketball kept a strong season going by pushing forward to the 1AA title game. Caledonia (3-seed, 23-3) had little trouble with Lake City (6-seed, 12-14) in the quarters. Scott Sorenson’s group jumped out 24-11. The Tigers went 4 of 15 from the field to start the game. At the half, team Cal led 38-22. Paige Klug and Alexis Schroeder each had … [Read more...]
Girls Wrestling: Hendrickson, Smith, & Berg are Runners-up
Girls wrestling had its second state meet. Three area athletes finished at state runner-up. GMLOS’ McKenna Hendrickson (132) and Diann Smith (138), and Chatfield’s Chloe Berg (126) also wrestled for state titles. Smith, last year’s runner-up at 138, won a 16-2 major in the quarters over #10 Brook Kritzeck (6-6) of Park Rapids Area and a fall in the semis over Anoka’s #5 Alley … [Read more...]
Girls Basketball: Larks Make Second Straight 1A Title Game
The 2023 Section 1A girls’ basketball game will be a re-match. Grand Meadow (2-seed, 25-2), ranked #7, easily got through the 1A quarters and then executed down the stretch of the semis to make their second straight title game. Ryan Queensland’s Superlarks had little problem with Faribault B.A. (10-seed, 10-13). Cardinal senior post Lindsay Hanson scored their first 10 points … [Read more...]
Boys Wrestling: Chat’s Berg & Schott, Cal’s Ginther State Champions
Fifteen total guys from Caledonia/Houston (9), Chatfield (5), and FCLMC (1) took on the state individual wrestling tourney. Six placed with three state champions. For a first time ever, Chatfield got two titlists, sophomore Javier Berg (106) and junior Kail Schott (182). Caledonia/Houston also got state champion in senior Tucker Ginther (145). All were impressive. Berg (#1) … [Read more...]
Girls Basketball: Burros Hold Off Knights, Fall Short-handed to Hayfield in Semis
Lanesboro (4-seed, 21-6) led Kingsland (5-seed, 21-5) 34-19 at halftime, but had to hold back a Knight surge to ensure victory. The Burros used 6’0” senior post Kaci Ruen (15 first half points) to get out to their big lead. The Knights went 0 of 14 from the field at one point, finishing the half making just 4 of its last 28 field goals. But Kingsland rallied early in the … [Read more...]
Wrestling: #2 Warriors Finish as State Runner-Up
Caledonia/Houston wrestling, ranked #2, finished up its season where any team wants to, on the floor of the St. Paul Xcel Energy Center. They even finished in the state title match. But they came one team win short of a state title, falling to powerful #1 Jackson County Central, the tourney’s 1-seed. It was an excellent season for Shay Mahoney’s group. The Warriors very much … [Read more...]
Hot Shots
Caledonia’s girls ran their win streak to nine with wins over R-P (63-38) and Cannon Falls (69-28). The #14 Warriors (14-0, 22-3) completed a sweep of the TRC. They are 1AA’s 3-seed, will host the 14-seed Bombers (8-18) in the 1AA Round of 16. Kara Goetzinger scored 31 points, but Chatfield fell to St. Charles 64-62. The Gophers (10-5, 17-9) are 1AA’s 7-seed, will host 10-seed … [Read more...]
Girls Basketball: #9 Larks Run Streak to 15, Get Help to Win SEC-West
Grand Meadow’s girls entered the final week of the regular season controlling their own destiny to share the SEC-West title. They had the win two winnable SEC contests (and hope for some help to win the West out-right). A non-conference game was their toughie. At Blooming Prairie, Ryan Queensland’s group built a 45-33 lead late. GM was up 10 (45-35) with 1:28 left and eight … [Read more...]
Boys Basketball: Burros Slip Past Falcons in Wild(er) Game
Boys basketball games between Fillmore Central and Lanesboro are typically asterisked on the schedule. This year’s incarnation saw both the Falcons (6-6, 14-8) and Burros (13-5, 16-7) enter in the same upper mid-level Section 1A “tier.” A game with seeding implications was a wild offensive show, highlighted by a Wilder’s shooting. FC led 24-18 in the first half when the Burros … [Read more...]
Boys Basketball: Bunke’s Three Propels R-P Over Cal in OT
Rushford-Peterson and Caledonia have had a rivalry over the years in boys basketball. The Warriors have won more often as of late, but R-P (5-4, 11-10) has given Caledonia (9-1, 10-10) trouble here and there. The Warriors win over R-P in December, 73-50, was their eighth straight in the series. Hello trouble in meeting number two. Brad King’s group led by as many as 10 (36-26) … [Read more...]
Wrestling: #2 Warriors Top #4 D-E, #3 Chatfield to Make State
It is a gauntlet. Three of the top four ranked teams in Class A in wrestling all resided in section 1A, #2 Caledonia /Houston, #3 Chatfield, and #4 Dover-Eyota. Cal/Hou’s 1A tourney run wasn’t without its tense moments (Chatfield in the finals). The Warriors endured and are heading to state for the first time since 2016. After downing Triton 64-12 in the quarters (See … [Read more...]
Wrestling: #3 Warriors Top #2 Eagles in Key TRC Win
After beating Chatfield in a TRC match in December, it was the next huge conference foe for Cale-donia/Houston wrestling; Dover-Eyota. Entering a triangular which also included FCLMC, the Eagles (6-1, 17-3) were ranked #2 in Class A and the Warriors (5-0, 25-6) ranked #3. D-E was probably poised to drop in the polls, as they fell to Chatfield. Nonetheless, the Warriors hosted … [Read more...]