Scott Koepke’s Caledonia Warriors almost joined Mabel-Canton in the state volleyball field. Team Cal knocked off the #2 in team in AA on its way to a 1AA runner-up finish. Caledonia (4-seed, 17-12) played Goodhue (5-seed, 16-13) in the 1AA quarters. Set two was the only real tussle. Caledonia trailed most of it, including 20-16. They then scored six straight points. … [Read more...]
Football: Lions Blank Burros for Section Crown, Head to State
Spring Grove (1-seed, 10-0) scored on the game’s third play and never allowed #7 Lanesboro (2-seed, 9-1) to get closer than 19 yards to the Lion goal line. With the 35-0 decision, the #3 Lions return to state for the first time since their 2018 state title. SG is the first regular-season 9-man champion in four years to also win the section crown. Elijah Solum completed 14 of 23 … [Read more...]
Football: Field Goal Propels #1 Chatfield to State Over #8 Caledonia
Caledonia. Chatfield. Football. Not much more has to be said. A match-up of the #1 Gophers (1-seed, 10-0) and #8 Warriors (2-seed, 8-2) in the 1AA title game marked the fifth such meeting since 2012. All four previous victors won state titles. The teams combined own eight (Cal 6, Chat 2) of the nines title (competed) since 2012 (2020 didn’t have one). Field goal. Erickson’s is … [Read more...]
Football: #2 Fillmore Central Soars to First Ever State Appearance
It was in dubious number: 0-8. Since its origins in 1993, Fillmore Central has sent eight football teams to section title games. All eight lost. Head Coach Chris Mensink has been around for a most of that, heading teams that lost the most recent two section titles agonizingly, 22-21 and 7-0 to R-P in 2016 and 2021. Well, the streak is over. Faribault B.A. (2-seed, 8-2) beat the … [Read more...]
Volleyball: #5 Mabel-Canton Ends 20-Year Drought, Makes State
Evidently, it was meant to be this way. Mabel-Canton Head Coach Lonnie Morken has led a lot of really good volleyball teams. He’s a coaching legend. But the Cougars haven’t been to state since 2001. Ten times since they lost in a 1A final. Eight were to Faribault B.A. (which has the advantage of being a private school in a city of 24,000) and twice to Medford. As Morken once … [Read more...]
Volleyball Playoffs (10/24 & 10/27)
Section 1A 17-seed Southland (6-13) 3, 16-seed Kingsland (11-14) 1 > 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 16-25 (K: Anika Reiland 10 kills, 19 digs; Chantle Reiland 4 kills, 10 digs; Macie Rasmussen 14 assists, 7 digs; Morgan Phillips 5 kills; Vaira Merkel 6 kills; Kadence Aarsvold 13 digs. Knights beat Southland 3-2 and 3-1 in regular season. Kingsland finishes at 11-15) 19-seed … [Read more...]
Football Playoffs (10/25 & 10/29)
Section 1 9-Man 5-seed Lyle/Pacelli (4-4) 22, 5-seed Grand Meadow (5-3) 36 (GM: C. Ludemann 22-126, 2 TDs rushing, 6 of 8, 62 yards passing, 79-yard kickoff-return TD; Jace Kraft 13-91, 2 TDs rushing, 3-28 receiving. The first half had four scores, only two offensively. L/P had a fumble return TD and GM Ludemann’s kick-off return TD. Larks led 22-8 at halftime. L/P scored in … [Read more...]
Hot Shots
Corbin Ludemann ran for 126 yards and 2 TDs while returning a kick-off 79 yards for a score as GM football beat L/P 36-22 in a 9-Man quarterfinal. Cayden Tollefsrud had 192 total yards and scored four TDs three different ways (including a 97-yard interception return), Tyler Larson added 162 yards rushing and three total TDs, as M-C beat L-O 52-32 in a 9-man quarterfinal. … [Read more...]
Football: Teams Blast to Section Title Games
One thing was certain when it came to football play-offs in Section 1 9-Man, Class A, and Class AA. There wasn’t too much dispute in the first two rounds over which teams were better. Top two seeds Spring Grove, Lanesboro, Fillmore Central, Chatfield, and Caledonia all blasted opponents to make their respective section finals. #3 Lions Roar Through Houston and GM into … [Read more...]
Cross Country: Hubka 1A Champion, LARPH Makes State a Fourth Time
The 2022 Section 1A cross country meet was chopped full of successes. Kingsland’s Garrison Hubka won his biggest race to date. Teammate Cole Kruegel repeated in making state. LARPH’s boys used their depth to earn a fourth consecutive trip to state. Chatfield’s girls battled for a state but fell just short, though Aletta Strande and Lexi Kivimagi each re-qualified. GMLOS McKenna … [Read more...]