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Postseason Baseball Awards

June 30, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

The 2025 baseball season saw Caledonia redeem a tough postseason last year with a Section 1AA runner-up performance, as the Warriors went 18-8. Only two of the eight Journal-covered programs finished above five-hundred, but all won at least seven games.  Four SEC players notably made All-State.  Southeast Conference Baseball Awards Lyle/Pacelli (13-1, 20-4) won the SEC over … [Read more...]

Spring Grove Trap is State Runner-Up; Miner Excels for Kingsland

June 30, 2025 by Lee Epps Leave a Comment

Spring Grove trap shooters finished as state runner-up at the 2025 MSHSL Clay Target State Championships (all classes). Above from left are Garrett Waldenberger, Izaak Morken, Isaac Vick, Christian Bjerke, Tyler Turner and Roland Bjerke. Below from left are Assistant Coach Tim Vick and Head Coach Christian Bjerke. Photo submitted

Correction: In last week’s coverage, it should have stated that Spring Grove placed third at the Class 4A state championships. Spring Grove brought home the (all classes) state runner-up trophy from the 2025 MSHSL State Clay Target Championships at Prior Lake on June 20, the nation’s only clay target tournament recognized by a state high school athletic association. With five … [Read more...]

Golf (6/23)

June 23, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

Fillmore Central girls golf, in its 11th straight state meet, finished third at the 2025 Class A tourney. Pictured (left to right) are Head Coach Aaron Mensink, Maddie Topness, Myleigh Scheevel, Lily Miller, Annika Mensink, Ella Diersen, and Assistant Coach Andy Todd. Photo by Chris Mensink

Falcon Girls Take Third at State Golf The run may be done.  For it to continue, Fillmore Central girls golf will need a major retool.  In the program’s 11th consecutive state appearance, the Falcons could not author an encore to last year’s share state championship.  Despite returning four of six from last year’s team, the Falcons have struggled with consistency this year, … [Read more...]

Boldt and Goergen Titles Highlight State Track and Field Meet

June 23, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

GMLOKS sophomore Tate Goergen passes the finish line well in front of his foes to win the Class A 800-meter state title. Goergen’s performance was one of two area state titles at the Class A State Track and Field Meet. Photo by Paul Trende

For a fifth straight year, St. Michael/Albertville High School hosted the Class A state track and field individual meet.  GML-OKS, RPH, LFCMC, Chatfield, and Cale-donia/Spring Grove were all represented.  One Southland runner and one Houston all-around athlete headed the cast by bringing home state titles. For Southland sophomore, GMLOKS track and field athlete Tate Goergen, … [Read more...]

Spring Grove Shooters Advance to MSHSL State Tournament

June 23, 2025 by Lee Epps Leave a Comment

The Spring Grove clay target (trap) team placed fourth at the Class 4A state championships and qualified for the overall, all-classes state tournament, conducted by the Minnesota State High School League. Photo submitted

Spring Grove, among the 11 Journal-area trap teams, had the most successful trip to the state championships conducted by the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League (MSHSCTL) at Alexandria. Every member of every team, regardless of their regular season standing, is eligible to compete against all teams in their class as each of nine classes (1A through 9A) crowns a state … [Read more...]

Baseball: Warriors Cannot Solve Panthers Puzzle, Fall in 1AA Title Game

June 16, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

Caledonia baseball is the 2025 Section 1AA runner-up. Shawn Bauer’s Warriors went 18-8 on the year, only losing (twice) to Pine Island (8-2 and 6-0) in the playoffs, including the 1AA championship game. Warrior baseball has won 37 games the last two years. Photo by Paul Trende

It was a tough task from the start. Caledonia baseball (4-seed, 18-7) trekked to Hudson Field in Rochester to play Pine Island (3-seed, 19-5) for the 1AA title game needing to beat the Panthers twice to advance to state. It was the third meeting between the two teams. Like the first two, the Warriors could not solve the Panther puzzle. Pine Island played good baseball, as a … [Read more...]

Softball (6/16)

June 16, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

Elsa Blum

Multiple All-State Players Highlight Postseason Softball Awards It was a highly entertaining and successful season for Journal-covered softball teams with Caledonia and Houston making it all the way to the section finals, plus Chatfield making the 1AA Final Four. Five of eight “Journal” teams finished above five-hundred and they combine for seven All-State players. Three … [Read more...]

Knights, Burros, Cougars, Hurricanes Capture Conference Trap Titles

June 16, 2025 by Lee Epps Leave a Comment

Holdyn Willford, Lanesboro, All-State 2nd year. Photo submitted

Houston and Kingsland were both repeat champions, joined this spring by Lanesboro and Mabel-Canton, all four winning clay target/trap shooting conference crowns. Spring Grove was conference runner-up; Rushford-Peterson and LeRoy-Ostrander each finished fourth. Thus, seven of 11 Journal-area schools finished among the top half of their conference. Three area shooters earned … [Read more...]

Track and Field: GMLOKS, RPH, LFCMC and Chatfield Bountiful in State Qualifiers

June 9, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

Turning in one of many top 1A meet performances was the GMLOKS boys 4x400 (back Zach Reiland and Carter Glynn, front Kaleb Yunker and Tate Goergen), which was section champ. Goergen (800-meters) also did so individually while Reiland (300-hurdles) also made state. Photo by Paul Trende

The 2025 Section 1A track and field meet was marked by a plethora of area athletes making state by standard, particularly from Chatfield and LFCMC. Meanwhile, RPH and GMLOKS saw its stars shine.  For GMLOKS, it would have been a complete shocker if sprinter Chantle Reiland did not shine in a fast and long way at her last 1A Meet. The Kingsland senior made her first state … [Read more...]

Golf (6/9)

June 9, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

For an 11th straight year, Fillmore Central girls golf is Section 1A champ. The Falcons overcame a four-stroke deficit to Lanesboro after Day 1 to beat the Burros 724 to 738. Pictured are Head Coach Aaron Mensink, Maddie Topness, Annika Mensink, Myleigh Scheevel, Lily Miller, Ella Diersen and Assistant Coach Andy Todd. Photo by Chris Mensink

1A Girls Golf: Falcon Girls Continue Dynasty With 11th Straight Title For a day, the dynasty was threatened. Lanesboro girls golf made Aaron Mensink’s Falcons sweat for a few hours at the 1A Meet, but the reigning state runners-up overcame the Burros to claim their 11th straight section title. Lanesboro ended Day 1 leading Fillmore Central 359 to 363. The Burros rode 8th … [Read more...]

Baseball (6/9)

June 9, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

Caledonia’s Ben Stemper rounds third and heads home to score on a Tyson Ginther RBI-double in the second inning of the Warriors’ playoff game versus Pine Island. Caledonia fell 8-2 in the contest, but came back and beat Cannon Falls 5-2 to make the Section 1AA championship game. Photo by Paul Trende

Two Wins Over Top-Seeded Bombers Put Warriors in 1AA Finals Caledonia baseball had a couple rough innings versus Pine Island and took a loss. But sandwiched around it were two tense wins versus Cannon Falls. Those wins put the Warriors in the 1AA finals.  Caledonia (4-seed, 16-6) started its second week of the playoffs against the Bombers (1-seed, 17-4) in the third … [Read more...]

Softball (6/9)

June 9, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

After a fantastic 21-5 season, Houston softball finished as Section 1A runner-up. The ‘Canes lost to 1A champ B.A. twice on the week, 2-1 and 6-3, while beating Southland 11-1. It is the young Hurricanes’ best season in around two decades. Photo by Shannon Boldt

Hurricanes Earn First Section Runner-Up in Decades They had an unbelievable year. Houston softball progressed further than it has in decades. They fell a couple wins short of state but piled up the runs, scoring 324 (which may be a state record). By contrast, state champion Chatfield in 2023 scored 218 runs in four more games (albeit Class AA pitching is oft better than … [Read more...]

Hot Shots

June 2, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

Fillmore County Journal - Fillmore County Sports

GMLOKS’ girls won the Sub-2 meet.  Chantle Reiland won four events (100, 200, Long Jump, 4x200) including resetting her own program record in the Long Jump (17’8”).  Breeley Galle (Triple Jump, 300-hurdles, 100-hurdles, 4x200) and Gracie Foster (100-H, 300-H, T-Jump, 4x100) each also qualified for sections four times.  Chatfield’s Charlotte Oeltjen won the 3,200-meters, … [Read more...]

Golf (6/2)

June 2, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

Lanesboro boys and girls golf teams (above) each won their respective SEC meets. Coached by Tim Opat and Dusty McCabe, boys team members are Jack Brogle, Holdyn Willford, Kyle Ruen, Dayton Haugen, Grant Horihan and Jack Lawston. Girls members are Grace Tufte, Jentrey Schreiber, Addison McCabe, Ellie McCabe, Bella Thomas and Taylor Hanson. Photos submitted

Burro Teams Sweep SEC Meet Lanesboro’s golf teams took a broom to the Southeast Conference Meet (again), sweeping the boys and girls team and individual first places.  On the guys side, Tim Opat’s group rode top two finishers Jack Brogle and Holdyn Willford to a 17-stroke win over Southland, 351 to 368.  GMLO (369) took a narrow third followed by Houston (375), Kingsland … [Read more...]

Post-Season Track and Field

June 2, 2025 by Paul Trende Leave a Comment

At the Sub-2 track and field meet, Chatfield’s Ross Stoehr was one of the squad’s top performers, qualifying thrice for the 1A Meet including winning the above 110-meter hurdles. Stoehr also moved on in the High Jump and 300-meter hurdles. Photo by Christine Vreeman

Sub-Section 1 Meet (Cotter/Hope Lutheran’s girls (167) topped RPH (101) with LFCMC (80.5) taking fifth and Caledonia/SG (32) eighth (of nine).  St. Charles’ boys (193.5) topped Cotter/HL (162) followed by RPH (104), LFCMC (58.5), and C/SG (51).  Dover-Eyota, Lewiston-Altura, and La Crescent/Hokah also competed.  RPH 1A Meet girls qualifiers: Aubry Boldt (1st 100-hurdes > … [Read more...]

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