Winter Sports Preview

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Northfi eld High School

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Alpine Skiing • Basketball • Dance Team • Gymnastics Hockey • Nordic Skiing • Weightlifting • WrestlingBoys Swimming & Diving

Northfi eld NewsDecember 2008

Christian Shepley and Emmanuel Addo look to lead the Raiders to the State Tournament

2008 Winter Sports Preview

Page 2 Wednesday, December 10, 2008NHS Winter Sports Preview

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ALPINE SKIDEC. 18: ROCHESTERJAN. 8: at Benilde-St. Marga-ret’sJAN. 12: MINNEAPOLISJAN. 15: at MahtomediJAN. 22: EAGANJAN. 26: MANKATO WESTJAN. 27: HASTINGSJAN. 30: WELCH INVITEFEB. 3: at Section 1 MeetFEB. 12: State Championships

WRESTLINGDEC. 8: at St. Paul HumboldtDEC. 12: NORTHFIELD INVITEDEC. 16: SHAKOPEEDEC. 19: ST. PAUL JOHNSON, STILLWATERJAN. 3: at Farmington DualsJAN. 8: at Rochester MayoJAN. 9: FARIBAULTJAN. 15: at Albert LeaJAN. 17: at Rich� eld InviteJAN. 24: at Humboldt InviteJAN. 29: at FarmingtonFEB. 5: at HutchinsonFEB. 7: HOME QUADFEB. 12: PRIOR LAKEFEB. 19, 21: Section 1AAA TeamFEB. 27, 28: Section 1AAA IndividualsMARCH 4-7: Class AAA State Championships (Xcel Energy Center)

BOYS BASKETBALLDEC. 9: at HastingsDEC. 12: at WinonaDEC. 16: at St. ThomasDEC. 18: ROSEMOUNTDEC. 29-31: at Rochester TournamentJAN. 6: at Holy AngelsJAN. 8: FARIBAULTJAN. 10: EAGANJAN. 13: At WasecaJAN. 17: OWATONNAJAN. 23: HUTCHINSONJAN. 27: at ShakopeeJAN. 30: at FarmingtonFEB. 3: NEW PRAGUEFEB. 6: RED WINGFEB. 10: at Prior LakeFEB. 13: HOLY ANGELSFEB. 17: at HutchinsonFEB. 20: SHAKOPEEFEB. 24: FARMINGTONFEB. 27: at New PragueMARCH 3: at Red WingMARCH 6: PRIOR LAKEMARCH 11-20: Section 1AAAA Playo� sMARCH 25-28: Class AAAA State Tournament

BOYS SWIMMINGDEC. 16: at FaribaultDEC. 20: at Albert Lea InviteDEC. 27: at Apple Valley InviteJAN. 8: at HutchinsonJAN. 10: at Austin InviteJAN. 13: ALBERT LEAJAN. 17: Section 1AA True TeamJAN. 23: PRIOR LAKEJAN. 24: at Class AA True Team State Meet (U of M)JAN. 27: at John MarshallJAN. 29: at Red WingFEB. 5: FARMINGTONFEB. 7: at Mankato EastFEB. 14: at Missota Conference Championships (Farmington)FEB. 26, 28: Section 1AA Cham-pionships (Inver Grove Heights)MARCH 5-7: Class AA State Championships (U of M

GIRLS BASKETBALLDEC. 2: at OwatonnaDEC. 5: ALBERT LEADEC. 11: SIMLEYDEC. 13: at Henry SibleyDEC. 16: at WasecaDEC. 20: at FaribaultDEC. 29-20: at Winona State TournamentJAN. 3: MANKATO WESTJAN. 6: HOLY ANGELSJAN. 10: AUSTINJAN. 13: RED WINGJAN. 15: at Prior LakeJAN. 17: MOUNDS VIEWJAN. 23: at HutchinsonJAN. 27: SHAKOPEEJAN. 30: FARMINGTONFEB. 3: at New PragueFEB. 5: at Red WingFEB. 10: PRIOR LAKEFEB. 13: at Holy AngelsFEB. 17: HUTCHINSONFEB. 20: at ShakopeeFEB. 24: at FarmingtonFEB. 27: NEW PRAGUEMARCH 4-13: Section 1AAAA TournamentMARCH 18-21: Class AAAA State Tournament (Target Center)

DANCE TEAMDEC. 8: Missota Penta meet (Holy Angels)DEC. 13: at Eastview InviteDEC. 20: at Holy Angels InviteJAN. 12: Missota Penta meet (Hutchinson)JAN. 17: at Simley InviteJAN. 24: Missota Conference Championships (Farming-ton)FEB. 7: Section meet (South St. Paul)FEB. 13-14: State Champi-onships (Target Center)

GIRLS HOCKEYNOV. 15: at AustinNOV. 18: ALBERT LEANOV. 20: at St. Paul UnitedNOV. 25: at New PragueDEC. 2: at Red WingDEC. 6: FARIBAULTDEC. 9: PRIOR LAKEDEC. 13: HUTCHINSONDEC. 16: HOLY ANGELSDEC. 18: WASECADEC. 19: at Dodge CountyDEC. 29-31: at Austin Tourna-mentJAN. 8: at ShakopeeJAN. 10: at Rochester John MarshallJAN. 13: at FarmingtonJAN. 16: NEW PRAGUEJAN. 19: RED WINGJAN. 23: at Prior LakeJAN. 27: at Holy AngelsJAN. 30: at HutchinsonFEB. 3: SHAKOPEEFEB. 5: FARMINGTONFEB. 13-21: Section 1A Tourna-mentFEB. 25-28: Class A State Tour-nament (U of M)

GYMNASTICSDEC. 12: OWATONNADEC. 16: at FaribaultDEC. 18: RED WINGJAN. 3: at Faribault InviteJAN. 6: PRIOR LAKEJAN. 10: BLIZZARD INVITEJAN. 13: at New PragueJAN. 16: at FarmingtonJAN. 17: at Lakeville North InviteJAN. 23: at Prior LakeJAN. 30: NEW PRAGUEFEB. 3: FARMINGTONFEB. 6: at Red WingFEB. 13: Missota Conference Championships (at Red Wing)FEB. 20: Section 1AA Champi-onships (at Winona)FEB. 27, 28: Class AA State Championships (U of M)

BOYS HOCKEYDEC. 2: at Rochester LourdesDEC. 6: at Holy AngelsDEC. 9: at Red WingDEC. 11: HOLY FAMILYDEC. 13: at HutchinsonDEC. 16: at Providence Acad-emyDEC. 20: at FaribaultDEC. 23: at New PragueDEC. 29-31: Roseau Tourna-mentJAN. 6: ALBERT LEAJAN. 8: SHAKOPEEJAN. 13: FARMINGTONJAN. 17: MANKATO WESTJAN. 24: PRIOR LAKEJAN. 27: NEW ULMJAN. 30: HUTCHINSONFEB. 3: at ShakopeeFEB. 5: at FarmingtonFEB. 10: NEW PRAGUEFEB. 12: RED WINGFEB. 17: at Prior LakeFEB. 19: HOLY ANGELSFEB. 21-MARCH 5: Section 1A TournamentMARCH 11-14: Class A State Tournament

NORDIC SKIDEC. 10: Meet at Elm CreekDEC. 11: PRIOR LAKE, APPLE VALLEYDEC. 16: WINONADEC. 18: LAKEVILLE NORTH, SOUTHJAN. 3: at Duluth SprintsJAN. 6: PRIOR LAKE, APPLE VALLEYJAN. 10: at Mesabit InviteJAN. 13: at Park Cottage GroveJAN. 16: at LakevilleJAN. 19: at InvitationalJAN. 24: NORTHFIELD INVITEJAN. 27: at Rochester InviteFEB. 3: Section meet at Baker ParkFEB. 7: Invite at Kenwood TrailFEB. 10: at Cottage GroveFEB. 13: State meet at Giant’s Ridge

Northfield News Winter Sports Preview, December 2008A special project of the Northfield News

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Publisher ...................................................................................................................... Sam GettManaging Editor .................................................................................................. ......Jaci SmithCreative .............................................................Debbie Foley, Cate Roberts, Jenny Schonbauer

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Editorial ................................... Jeff Wald, Jaci Smith, Suzy Rook, David Henke, Cate RobertsCover Design/Photography.....................................................................Debbie Foley/Jeff Wald

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Page 3NHS Winter Sports PreviewWednesday, December 10, 2008

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2008-09 Northfield alpine skiing

News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield alpine ski team is pictured first row, from left: Haley Brown, Claire Little, Kaesey Glaess, Hannah Boman, Emma Strachan. Second row: David Wett, Marley Mayer, Alicia Lundell, Liesl Schultz, Erin Melzer, Irene Duba, Megan Myers, Ajay Gersemehl, Coach Dave Myers. Third row: Head Coach Bill Sonnega, Coach Joel Johnson, Calina Hall, Steven Wett, Carlos Wolle, Dylan Dingels, Noelle Betterley, Henry Jokela, Jacob Lundell, Coach Jeff Boman, Coach Craig Hall.

Page 4 NHS Winter Sports Preview

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Alpine skiers look forward to a promising season

By DAVID HENKEStaff Writer

NORTHFIELD — Take a small but sol-id core of veteran alpine skiers, throw in a large crop of trained and capable new-comers, and you have the recipe for a very promising team. At least according to Bill Sonnega, the head coach of the Northfield boys and girls alpine ski team.

Over the past four years, Sonnega has been building upon a developmental ski-ing program at Welch Village Ski and Snowboard area, working with kids as young as eight or nine on skiing stance, balance and carving — all the basic skills that make a good competitive skier.

This season, Sonnega will see the fruits of his labor, as the first substantial crop of skiers who have trained under the auspices of the developmental program rise to the ranks of the Northfield alpine ski team.

As it stands, 10 of the 24 skiers in the Northfield program this season are grad-uates of the program, including six new seventh-grade skiers, two of whom quali-

fied for the Junior Olympics last year. The new skiers, Sonnega believes, will provide a crucial boost to his team.

“It takes a long time to make a good ski racer and it requires a lot of patience and perseverance,” Sonnega said. “This means that when we pick up in seventh grade as part of the high school team, we’re starting where we left off.”

Sonnega’s team is also bolstered by a number of returning athletes, including junior co-captain and two-time all-state skier Alexandra Gersemehl, who was out for most of last season, thanks to a dis-located shoulder. Along with Gersemehl, high schoolers Alicia Lundell and Calina Hall, who both trained over the summer in Oregon will also hold down the girls team.

On the boys team, the roster will be an-

chored by seniors Carlos Wolle and Kyle Strike, both of whom Sonnega hopes will qualify for the state skiing meet.

Still, in a sport that is not divided up into state sections or conferences, Son-nega says he and the Northfield alpine ski team will have their work cut out for them.

“For an alpine team from Northfield, this means our greatest challenge is to naturally be competitive with the large suburban schools and the very small,

well-funded private schools,” Sonnega said. Two teams on Sonnega’s radar are Lakeville South and Stillwater — peren-nial powerhouses that will offer stiff com-petition.

With the developmental skiing pro-gram hitting its stride, though, the North-field alpine ski team will be able to hone its competitive edge.

— David Henke can be reached at [email protected] or 645-1100.

8 ALPINE SKIING

Key returners: Ajay Gersemehl (Jr.), Calina Hall (Fr.), Alicia Lundell (Soph.), Marley Mayer (8th Grade), Kyle Strike (Sr.), Carlos Wolle (Sr.)

UP AND COMING: Cameron Strike (7th Grade), Jacob Lundell (7th Grade), Liesl Schultz (Fr.)

NHS team will blend youth, experience with six varsity returners from last year

News file photoNorthfiel senior Kyle Strike returns as one of the top skiers for the boys alpine ski team.


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2008-09 Northfield Hiliners dance team

News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield Hiliners dance team is pictured first row, from left: Sheila Behr, Laurel Blanchard, Katy Hores, Savannah Langer, Hannah Cairns, Danielle Espinoza, Elissa Hadro, Cristi Norberg, Allie Harmer. Second row: Maddie Bestul, Erica Zell, Savanna Andersen, Larissa Vosejpka, Emily Maroney, Tiffany Iverson, Tasha Krahenbuhl, Erin Legvold, Britani Cole, Kelsey Wagner. Third row: Lauren Pryor, Olivia Larson, Molly Polzin, Halle Dowd, Sonia Berdahl, Emily Frederick, Anna Huber, Allissa Busard, Katie McMul-len, Ani Church, Bernie Soderlund. Fourth row: Kendra Bornick, Katie Gamble, Madeline Knight, Alexa Nutt, Chelsea Mukina, Mariah Valek, Lindsey Johnson, Tori Martin, Kindra Hurlbert, Riley Goetz. The team is coached by Dana Holden, Liz Rohach, Ashley Lackey and Becca Young.

Page 6 NHS Winter Sports Preview Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Hiliners set goal to get back to state meetBy SUZANNE ROOKSenior Reporter

NORTHFIELD —The Hiliao state, the following year, the high kick squad was state champs.

This season, Holden, a former Hiliner in her third year as coach, hopes to lead the dancers to state in both hick kick and jazz/funk.

High kick, which Holden describes as similar to the style of the Radio City Rock-ettes, but without the high heels, requires precise movements, and as the name sug-gests, lots of kicks — the higher the better. In competition, between 50 and 75 above the waist kicks must be completed by the entire team. Twenty-three girls make up the varsity squad, 17 are on JV.

Jazz/funk is a much looser designa-tion, said Holden. Only five kicks are al-lowed, while pirouette turns and leaps are encouraged. That squad has 13 var-sity members and 28 on JV.

The bulk of the choreography is done by a team of dancers. This year, it’s Hannah Cairns, Savannah Langer, Allie Harmer, Cristi Norberg, Laurel Blanchard and Anna Huber, though Holden and her fel-low coaches have the final say on what’s in and what’s out.

Choreography for the routines, said Holden, is constantly changing, as the choreography team and coaches look to achieve perfection.

“It really is the epitome of a team sport,” said Holden. “It’s all about doing things together.”

The coach says she’s confident her squad can make state, not just because they’re talented and they work hard, but because they haven’t just set one goal.

If the goal was just “get to state,” get-ting there might be more difficult, said the coach. Instead, they coaches have set incremental goals — such as getting their splits flat or making it through a section of a routine without error — all designed to lead them to victory.

After more than six weeks of practice, the Hiliners hit the dance floor Dec. 8

with an invitational at Eastview. They’ll now prepare for two Missota conference pentameets, the conference champion-ship and the section meet, where the top three teams go to states.

“We have an excellent group of par-ents who are really supportive,” Holden said.

8 HILINERS DANCE TEAM

CAPTAINS: Hannah Cairns, Danielle Espinoza (both seniors)

COACHES: Dana Holden, Liz Rohach, Ashley Lackey, Beccay Young

Cairns Espinoza News file photoThe Northfield Hiliners are hoping to get back to the state meet after missing it last year for the first time since 2003.


News photo by Catherine RobertsThe 2008-09 Northfield girls basketball team is pictured first row, from left: Erin Carlson-Donohoe (mgr), Elena Huber, Beret Amundson, Kylie Hanzlik, Kasey Wellman, Ashley Hoffmann, Mayra Gutierrez, Lizzie Carlson. Second row: Head Coach Tony Mathison, Clare Foley, Emily Eckhoff, Allie Falenschek, Rebecca Burnham, Katie Christophersen, Kate Traxler, Morgan Zabel, Megan Burnham, Coach Paul Eddy, Coach Emileana Graupmann.

Girls basketball returns several players with experience to lineup

By JEFF WALDSports Editor

NORTHFIELD — The Northfield girls basketball team is ready to heat things up as the snow starts to fall and the tempera-ture cools.

The Raiders, coming off 13-13 season that included a 4-10 mark in the Missota Conference, are setting out to prove that the program is better than last year’s re-cord indicates. Northfield had its best start in 10 years last season, winning seven of its first eight games. The Raiders then lost eight of their next nine and had their season end in the Section 1AAAA Semifinals to Owatonna, who went onto the state tournament.

Northfield lost a group of seniors who were significant to the program, but a re-turn of varsity veterans and skilled new-comers has the team excited.

“We’re always excited to get a new season started,” said Raiders coach Tony Mathison, who enters his 10th season as the team’s head coach. “I really like the en-ergy and enthusiasm that we’ve had early on in practice. There’s also the anticipa-

tion of who is going to have what role and who will step in and fill some spots.”

The Raiders return five seniors to the team, most of whom played at least some varsity time last year. The group is led by guard Kylie Hanzlik, a perimeter shoot-er and one of the team’s captains. The other seniors are guards Kasey Wellman and Ashley Hoffmann, post player Katie Christophersen and wings Kate Traxler and Becca Burnham.

Northfield will also rely on a group of athletic juniors this year. They’re led by Morgan Zabel, the team’s leading scor-er and one of their top rebounders last year. The group also includes guard Be-ret Amundson and wings Clare Foley and Emily Eckhoff.

Sophomore guard Elena Huber will be looked at to be one of the team’s primary

perimeter threats this season. She came up as a freshman halfway through last season and made an immediate impact with her three-point shooting ability.

“We have a lot of returning experience,” Mathison said. “I’ve got 10 kids out on the floor at practice that are all competitive and have played some the varsity level.

I can mix them up evenly, and they’ll be battling for playing time early on. It’s fun to see that competition.”

The Raiders have won games with defense lately, and that’s not going to change this season. Assistant coach Paul Eddy has the task of designing defensive schemes and presses, and Mathison said the team’s defense this season will have a lot to do with the amount of success they have in the win column.

“The last four or five years, defense is what has been our thing,” Mathison said. “We’re recognized around the conference and in our section for our defense. We’ll play man-to-man and mix in some zone when we have to. We just want the kids to get after it and want the ball more than the other team.”

Mathison said the team’s main goal this year is to improve on a 4-10 mark in the Missota Conference last year. Re-turning to the Rochester Civic Center and the section semifinals wouldn’t hurt. It’s something they’ve accomplished in each of the last three years.

“We have a talented group of kids who are athletes,” Mathison said. “They’re successful in other sports, so we’re hop-ing that translates to basketball. It should be fun.”

— Jeff Wald can be reached at 645-1111 or [email protected].

Raiders bring back five seniors, will rely on defense to win

8 GIRLS BASKETBALL

KEY RETURNERS: Morgan Zabel (Jr., F); Kylie Hanzlik (Sr., G), Kasey Well-man (Sr., G), Ashley Hoffman (Sr., G); Katie Christophersen (Sr., F)

KEY NEWCOMERS: Elena Huber (Soph., G); Clare Foley (Jr., G), Beret Amundson (Jr., G), Emily Eckhoff (Jr., F)

News photo by Jeff WaldNorthfield junior forward Morgan Zabel scored an NHS single-game record 34 points as the Raiders beat Albert Lea 62-49 last Friday at Northfield High School.

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2008-09 Northfield nordic skiing

News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield nordic ski team is pictured first row, from left: Mark Emmons, Ian O’Neill. Second row: Ellyn Sheehy, Katie Roster, Sara Docken, Annie DeSutter, Hannah Sayner, Scout Gregerson, Meredith Reese, Rachel Wille, Carly Davidson, Kristi Rasmussen, Anna Courchaine, Julia Nelson, Elizabeth Elling, Anna Malecha, Elizabeth Buckheit, Danica Simonet, Elise Hanson, Mari Haugen-Eitzman. Third row: Mira Swearer, Hannah Vasilis, Zoe Goodwin, Mark Lewis, Will Hardy, Tom Dobrow, Corey Steinhoff, Miles Tyler, Nora Flynn, Josette West, Sofie Scheuerman, Sam Womeldorf, Elle Dykema, Haley Bollum, Maria Olson, Liz Swanson, Zoe Webb, Helen Forsythe, Sandy Carson, Annika Fredrickson. Fourth row: Jane Carlson, Jenny Hargis, Zach Mitchell, Connor Rohwer, Patrick McWilliams, Luke Ramsay, Peter Behm, Anya Lovestrand, Avery Nelson, Maria Estenson, Erin Tollefson, Leigh Langehough, Catherine Lewis, Sarah Tiano, Michael Howard, Daniel Cloherty, Kyra Duys, Anika Hodel, Lauren Allin, Mady Brennan, Miah Detjen, Ethan Nelson. Fifth row: Arlo Cristofaro-Hark, Frank Meyer, Alex Webb, Anna Schlecht, Gus Jasnoch, Kai Olstad, Aidan Read, Cale Steinhoff, Isaac Burton, Evan Weselmann, Leif Hanson, B.J. Wood, Karl Mader, Christopher Abbott, Thomas Dunning, Ted Meyer, Jordan Tyler, Leif Olsen, Will Olstad, Peter Hardy, Eduardo Jaramillo, Ryota Kimura, Monica Cooper, Grace Forsizzole, Laura Eeckhoudt, Pablo Maldonado, Kris Swanson, Johnathon Van Roeckel, Head Coach Dan Kust.

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Nordic ski team mixes youth with experience for winter

By CATHERINE ROBERTSStaff Writer

NORTHFIELD — The Northfield Nor-dic Ski program got its start in 1994. The first team had 30 athletes participating from grades 7-12. Today, the official ros-ter boasts 94 athletes, many with several years of competitive skiing experience.

“We had a great year last year, thanks in part to all the snow we had,” said Dan Kust, head coach of the Nordic Ski Team. “Of the 16 meets scheduled, we were able to compete in 13.”

Every sports program feels the loss of leadership when seniors graduate, howev-er that void is usually quick to be filled by a new generation of young leaders. Coach Kust explains the losses his team has suf-fered, as well as this season’s outlook.

“Last year we lost a huge senior nucle-us. The program lost most of our top point

scorers in both the boys and girls division. Their leadership and experience will be missed this year. However, the team is returning a number of experienced ski-ers. Last year, all of the skiers were able to experience a full race schedule. With all of those competitions, the kids enter this year with true understanding of what a full race season is like,” said Kust.

Senior Monica Cooper, a sixth-year skier, is a top 10 skier candidate. She missed qualifying for state last year by 20 seconds.

“For the past two years she has been in the running to qualify for the state meet, and we are hopeful that this year she can make some NHS Nordic history,” said Kust. “Everyone on the team is real excit-ed for Monica. She has a bit of pressure on her, but I feel she is up for the challenge.”

Blending a team with ages ranging from

12 to 18, and ability levels from novice to advanced is also a goal Coach Kust sets from himself and the team every year.

“We truly try to stress the fact that ev-eryone is part of the team; from newcom-ers to the experienced,” said Coach Kust. “We want everyone to know each other from seventh-graders to seniors. I do want the athletes to understand that the team supports and encourages everyone. I also want our athletes to realize the benefits of hard work.”

Coach Kust notes that Nordic skiing is not only physically demanding, but technically demanding as well. His skiers must strive to master two different styles of skiing, as well as a firm understanding of maintaining their own equipment.

“All our athletes need to be able to un-derstand how to properly wax their skis for different snow conditions,” said Kust. “Waxing becomes a team bonding experi-ence as everyone helps each other out at the ‘waxing shed.’”

Buying and maintaining skies is quite an expense. The Nordic Ski Team benefits from an abundance of community sup-port.

“I have had a tremendous amount of community support through ski dona-tions,” said Kust. “Carleton has been fabu-lous at providing a wonderful practice fa-cility for our team to use. The high school has also been very supportive for a non-revenue sport.”

Coach Kust and his team look forward to another great season with fast skis and lots of snow.

— Catherine Roberts can be reached at 645-1114 or [email protected].

Raiders have 94 skiers combined on boys, girls teams

8 NORDIC SKIING

KEY RETURNERS: Monica Coo-per (Sr.), Leigh Langehough (Jr.), Erin Tollefson (Jr.), Kristi Rasmus-sen (Soph.), Mark Emmons (Jr.), Ian O’Neill (Jr.), Chris Abbott (Jr.)

‘We truly try to stress the fact that everyone is part of the team; from newcom-ers to the experienced. We want everyone to know each other from seventh graders to seniors.’

8 Dan Kust,

Northfield nordic ski coach

News file photosABOVE: Northfield senior Monica Cooper returns to lead the Northfield girls and has a chance to qualify for the state tournament this year.

RIGHT: Northfield’s Ian O’Neill is one of the top returning skiers for the NHS boys nordic team.


News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield boys basketball team is pictured first row, from left: Alex Harris, Eric Pittman, Shane Rasmussen, Jackson Meland, Sam Maus, Tyler Loesch. Second row: Zac Womeldorf, Taylor Shroyer, Christian Shepley, Emmanuel Addo, Josh Kodet, Dan Pengra. Third row: Tanner Kimber, Jens Loven-Holt, Otto Pfefferle, Alex Bisch, Jason Malecha, Adam Hadro, Luke Reppe.

Boys basketball sets goal to get to state tourney


NORTHFIELD — They’re going to take the season with a game-by-game mentality, but everyone in the Northfield boys basket-ball program will have the Target Center in the back of their minds this season.

That’s the site of the state basketball tournament, and it’s where the Raiders hope they’ll be finishing the season. With a minimal loss to graduation and the team’s top two scorers and All-Missota Confer-ence picks back, the goal is realistic.

“Ever since we had individual meetings with guys at the end of last year, that’s all they could think about,” said Raiders coach Mark Ensrud. “Our approach has been wanting to do more than just get-ting to the state tournament. We want to be ready to compete at a high level. These guys like to make each other better, and they like to push each other to get better.

I think that’s a pretty cool and rare com-bination.”

Northfield is coming off a 13-13 season that included a 7-7 mark in the Missota Conference. The season ended in a loss to Rochester Mayo, the top seed in the Sec-tion 1AAAA Playoffs, in the section semi-finals at the Mayo Civic Center. It was the second straight year the season ended in Rochester.

“We were as .500 as you could be,” Ensrud said. “We had our share of close games, and we went 5-2 our second time through the conference, which we were pleased with. We played a lot better ball as our younger guys gained more experi-

ence.”They have plenty of experience, and

talent, back for the 2008-09 campaign. The Raiders return nine seniors to the lineup, most of which played varsity min-utes last year.

The group is led by forward Emmanuel Addo, who recently signed to play basket-ball on scholarship at the University of Northern Colorado, and guard Christian Shepley, who is also a possible Division I prospect. The two were the Raiders’ top scorers last season.

“Emmanuel is fired up,” Ensrud said. “He’s aware of how much more com-petitive he is this year. He hates losing, whether it’s a game or a drill in practice.”

The other seniors who will have an im-pact include Zac Womeldorf, Josh Kodet, Taylor Shroyer, Dan Pengra, Jens Loven-

Holt, Patrick DeSutter, Shane Rasmussen and Tyler Loesch.

This group of seniors went undefeated in the Missota Conference as sophomores in a season that featured only one loss. Ensrud likes the fact that the team is built around senior experience.

“There’s certainly plenty of talent,” En-srud said. “The experience factor lets us be optimistic. It’s a big deal in high school sports, and we have a good share of that.”

Also in the mix for playing time will be junior guard Sam Maus, who played significant minutes last year and had pri-mary ball-handling duties when Shepley was out. Junior forward Alex Bisch will also see time in the post.

The Raiders won’t lack size this year. Between Addo, Womeldorf, Kodet, Pengra, Loven-Holt and Bisch, they will have plenty of height and bulk inside.

“We’re going to look to put pressure on defenses from the second we get the ball,” Ensrud said. “We’re certainly going to fo-cus on scoring inside. There will be nights where nobody can guard Emmanuel. This team won’t lack offense.”


Raiders return nine seniors, top two scorers from last season

8 RAIDER BASKETBALL

KEY RETURNERS: Emmanuel Addo (Sr., F); Christian Shepley (Sr., G); Zac Womeldorf (Sr., F); Josh Kodet (Sr., F); Sam Maus (Jr., G); Taylor Shroyer (Sr., F); Dan Pengra (Sr., F)

KEY NEWCOMERS: Jens Loven-Holt (Sr., F); Patrick DeSutter (Sr., F); Shane Rasmussen (Sr., G); Tyler Loesch (Sr., G)

‘Our approach has been wanting to do more than just getting to the state tournament. We want to be ready to compete at a high level.’

8 Mark Ensrud, Raiders’ coach


News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield girls hockey team is pictured first row, from left: Mandie Cloud, Jenny Trulson, Morgan Hubers, Sarah Behr, Jenna Dixon, Skyler Werner, Sam Stark, Annie Pumper, Shannon Vesledahl, Cassie Thomas, Maggie Cloud, Genna Severson. Second row: Head coach Brent Bielenberg, Brittney Laue, Eme Gruenhagen, Alex Jenkins, Katie Jirik, Shelby Stark, Hannah Pilger, Becca Schultz, Chelsea Trebelhorn, Coach David Olson, Coach Ryan Pietsch. Third row: Coach Sara Rowan, Carly Oto, Riley Seitz, Cortney Thomas, Frannie Seitz, Brenna Freiermuth, Maren Dvorak, Maddie Carras, Marie Nordine.

Girls hockey will rely on seniors, young talent this season


NORTHFIELD — It’s hard for players on the Northfield girls hockey team not to be excited about the winter season ahead.

The Raiders lost a small handful of players to graduation and have seen much of their young talent mature since last season. Northfield finished the 2007-08 season 8-18, including a 2-12 mark in the Missota Conference.

With most of their talent back, the ex-citement has built for the 2008-09 sea-son.

“The girls are excited to get things go-ing,” said Raiders coach Brent Bielen-berg, who enters his ninth season as head coach. “We’re about as healthy as we’ve ever been as a program. A lot of the kids have varsity experience, and it’s been fun

to see their energy so far.”The Raiders were a better team last

year than their 8-18 record indicates. The season ended in an opening round play-off loss, but nine of their 18 losses were in close games.

“We had seven games where we lost by one goal, and two others that we lost by two goals,” Bielenberg said. “We actually scored more goals last year than we ever have, and we gave up fewer goals than we ever have, so it’s coming around. The gap has been closing and almost every game last year was competitive.”

The Raiders will be led by a group of

four seniors who have been in the pro-gram since they were in seventh grade. They’re led by Maren Dvorak, the team’s all-time leading scorer. The other seniors are defender Chelsea Trebelhorn, forward Alex Jenkins and forward Carly Oto.

Balance is the early theme as the Raid-ers entered the regular season. They know Dvorak can score, but Bielenberg said he is looking for others to step up this year. He doesn’t want to rely on one player do-ing all the scoring, so he is spreading the talent over three lines.

“We really want to have a balanced at-tack this year,” Bielenberg said. “Maren will score for us, and she likes to score, but we really want to have three balanced lines that can all be a factor. The days are gone where, if Maren doesn’t score, we’re in trouble.”

The Raiders have several other key returning players back for this season. Junior defender Katie Jirik is back after a knee injury ended her season early last year. Other returning defenders include eighth-grader Maddie Carras and sopho-more Shelby Stark. Carras will also play some forward on offense.

Up front, nearly all of Northfield’s re-

turning players have varsity experience. Key returners at forward include juniors Shannon Vesledahl, Riley Seitz, Marie Nordine, Courtney Thomas and Brittney Laue, sophomores Bree Freiermuth and Hannah Pilger.

In net, sophomore Samantha Stark re-turns for her third varsity season. Backing her up is eighth-grader Skyler Werner.

Goals for the season weren’t clear ear-ly on, other than to finish with an above .500 record and improve in Missota Con-ference play. Bielenberg said this year should be as competitive as ever in the conference.

“Every night is going to be a dog fight,” Bielenberg said. “This year, the confer-ence is very balanced. Anybody can win on a given night. Every game will be one that we can win, and the girls like the competition.”

Assuming the team stays healthy, it should be an exciting winter on the ice in a new home arena.


Raiders led by four seniors who have played together since seventh grade

8 RAIDER GIRLS HOCKEY

KEY RETURNERS: Maren Dvorak (Sr., F); Chelsea Trebelhorn (Sr., D); Alex Jenkins (Sr., F); Carly Oto (Sr., F); Bree Freiermuth (Soph., F); Riley Seitz (Jr., F) Samantha Stark (Soph., G); Shan-non Vesledahl (Jr., F); Katie Jirik (Jr., D)

KEY NEWCOMERS: Hannah Pilger (Soph., F); Maddie Carras (8th Grade, D)


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NHS wrestlers look to feature balanced team this season


NORTHFIELD — The Northfield wres-tling team has several reasons to be excit-ed about the upcoming 2008-09 season.

The Raiders are coming off an above .500 season that included a landmark Missota Conference victory over Hutchin-son. They sent a pair of sophomores to the Class AAA Individual State Tournament for the first time in a long time.

That, coupled with the fact that almost everybody is back this season, has coach Cliff Casteel fired up about the season.

“We’ve had some great practices early on,” Casteel said. “The guys are really get-ting after it in practice and we’ve already had some great competition. We have a lot of new faces, and a lot of our veterans are back. We have close to 50 kids in our program this year.”

Perhaps that attitude has spilled over from the football field. Several of the ath-letes on the team played on the Raider football team that recently played for a state championship. The only negative to that: The wrestlers who played significant minutes haven’t gotten a lot of practice time yet on the mat, so the Raiders had their first two meets, at St. Paul Hum-boldt and Lakeville North, taken off the schedule.

“It wouldn’t be fair to ask the varsity kids to wrestle after three days of being on a mat,” Casteel said. “This way, they can get some good practice time in. It’s even better for our less experienced guys, be-cause they’ll get two weeks of mat time in before our first meet. That’s huge.”

The Raiders are still a fairly young team with seven returning seniors, but a lot of the underclassmen come into the season with significant varsity experi-ence. The returning seniors, mostly in the upper weights, are Derrick Jacobs, Jor-dan Maniglia, Justus Bruestle, Robby Al-len and Ryan Turnacliff. Senior Will Daly also came out for the team, as did Shay Robinson, who injured his knee in the Prep Bowl.

Helping Northfield lead the way this year will be a pair of juniors in Tristin Faust and Brandon Canedy. They ended their season last year in the state tourna-

ment at the Xcel Energy Center. They are two of a class of 14 juniors on this year’s team.

“They’ve been together since seventh grade, so they’ve wrestled a lot,” Casteel said. “Brandon finished under .500 last

year and got to the state tournament. His losses were to the top-ranked kids in the state. Tristin is just flying around the mat early on, he already looks like he’s in great shape.”

Leading a class of talented freshman is Adam Woitalla. He wrestles in the lower weights and is back for his third varsity season.

“He’s a freshman, but he wrestles like a senior,” Casteel said. “He’s a tough kid who likes to get after it out there.”

Other wrestlers who will make an im-pact this year include Luke Schwalbe, Matt Jaeckels, Quin Schultz and Cooper Schultz. Casteel said he likes the balance that he has when he looks at early projec-tions of the varsity lineup.

“We’re a lot more balanced this year,” Casteel said. “We’ve got more experience at the top. Rob Allen is our first heavy-weight that we’ve had for three straight years. We’re strong on top, in the mid-dle and at lower weights guys like Adam Woitalla and Brandon Canedy. We can spread them out and fill in a lot of spots.”


Raiders return seven seniors, several wrestlers with varsity experience

8 RAIDER WRESTLING

KEY RETURNERS: Tristin Faust (Jr.); Brandon Canedy (Jr.); Derrick Jacobs (Sr.); Jordan Maniglia (Sr.); Robby Allen (Sr.); Ryan Turnacliff (Sr.); Luke Schwalbe (Jr.); Matt Jaeckels (Jr.); Adam Woitalla (Fr.); Quin Schultz (Jr.)

KEY NEWCOMERS: Matt Metcalf (8th Grade); Carson Canedy (7th Grade); Kyle Kuhn (Jr.); Logan Canedy (Soph.); Mike Deters (Sr.); Davonte Ja-cobs (Soph.); Cooper Schultz (Soph.); Andrew Turnacliff (Jr.)

8 PROJECTED STARTERS

103: Matt Metcalf, Carson Canedy

112: Brandon Canedy

119: Luke Schwalbe

125: Matt Jaeckels

130: Adam Woitalla

135: Kyle Kuhn

140: Tristin Faust

145: Logan Canedy

152: Ryan Turnacliff

160: Quin Schultz

171: Jordan Maniglia

189: Derrick Jacobs

215: Mike Deters

275: Robby Allen

News file photoNorthfield freshman Adam Woitalla returns for his third varsity season with the Raider wrestling team. Woitall will wrestle at 130 pounds this season.


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2008-09 Northfield wrestling team

News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield wrestling team is pictured first row, from left: Matt Metcalf, Carson Canedy, Kody Reilly, Cam Reilly, Sam Olsen, Brandon Canedy, Matt Jaeckels, Luke Schwalbe, Tim Maus, Isaac Bruestle. Second row: Cam Reilly, Ben Johnson, Richard Lawless, Tyler Malecha, Cody Fugate, Adam Woitalla, Tristin Faust, David Rodgers, Sam Jaeckels, Jason Leyva. Third row: Kylie Cowdin, Justus Bruestle, Sam Minske, Adam Twille, Kyle Kuhn, Kevin Perez, Davonte Jacobs, Logan Canedy, Luke Holden, Mike Deters, Tom Pfahning, Ryan Turnacliff. Fourth row: Shay Robinson, Will Doane, Jordan Maniglia, Joe Leahy, Derrick Jacobs, Will Daly, Karl Alderks, Peter Huehn, Nate Thomas, Evan Quinnell, Andrew Turnacliff, Jack Samuels, Rob Allen.


2008-09 Northfield Olympic-style Weightlifting team

News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield Olympic-style weightlifting team is pictured first row, from left: Kelly McGovern, Ellen Bashor, Molly Goss, Nicole Heinricy, Taylor Filzen, Noelle Heinricy, Mary Franz, Nikke Meyer. Second row: Ali Kopp, Cathy Berger, Natalie Witschorik, Kira Kirchberg, Rachel Hanson, Anna Hanson, Shelby Callahn, Lyndsey Callahan, Rachel Amerman. Third row: Coach Dan Meyers, Siobhan Lyons, Bette Benson, Ashley Winzig, Kelly Distad, Katie Nygren, Bailey Lawson, Grace Vasilis, Taylor Elliason, Emily Kragness, Matt Cochlin, Head coach Scott Sahli. Fourth row: Tucker Meillier, Kyle Rasmussen, Alex Perkins, Alex Fritz, Kevin Moore, Cameron Hagen, Jordan Freeman, Matt Bettinger, Ben Scott, Reid Olson, Hunter Pleschourt, Jacob Sinning, Shane Henry.


News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield boys hockey team is pictured first row, from left: Isaak Tjaden, student manager Connor Bergman, Coach Steve Beaulieu, Head coach Bryce Barry, Ben Truax, Cole Jirik, Cody Schmidt, Coach Cory Miller, student manager J.D. Pilger, Nate Finger. Second row: Jordin Crawford, Drake Chapman, Kody Beckers, Jared Docken, Alex Pumper, Scott Snesrud, Alex Knight, Charlie Cloud, Ben Dixon, Jack Wellman. Third row: Adam Seitz, Thomas Falenschek, Jon-Erle Reid, Scott Benjamin, Wade Nelson, Luke Hinderscheit, Mike Vogel.

Boys hockey team looks to be competitive with young squad


NORTHFIELD — It’s safe to say that the winter ahead is going to be a lot of learning on-the-go for the Northfield boys hockey team.

The Raiders graduated a slew of se-nior talent from a team that finished 15-12 overall, including an 8-6 mark that finished in the upper half of the Missota Conference. Northfield has five seniors on this year’s roster, four of whom played significant varsity time.

The group will be led by forward Cody Schmidt and defenseman Cole Jirik. For-ward Tommy Falenschek, forward Jon-Erle Reid and forward Adam Seitz are the other seniors. The challenge for coach Bryce Barry will be to find the right mix of players among the team’s lines early on.

“We’ve got some good leaders with five seniors,” said Barry, who enters his sec-ond season as the team’s coach. “It’s just

going to take some time to figure out the combinations and to see what will work.”

The Raiders got a later start than nor-mal to the season as several players were also on the football team that reached the Prep Bowl. It forced Northfield to move its season-opener against Rochester Lourdes, which was supposed to be Dec. 2, to be moved to February.

Northfield lacks players with a lot of varsity experience this year, but Barry said the fact that they’re young doesn’t bother him.

“The good thing about a young team is

that there is competition for every spot,” Barry said. “This group is very coachable and willing to learn what we’re trying to teach. They’re passionate about hockey and love to play the game. A lot of teams are going to overlook us because we’re so young. We could surprise some people.”

The lines before the start of the sea-son are largely undetermined. Jirik will see time on the first line defense, and Schmidt will be a first-line forward. Reid should also be in that mix, along with Falenschek.

Other defenders that will have an im-pact this year include juniors Ben Truax and Ben Dixon, and sophomores Jared Docken, John Wellman and Jacob Fure-

Slocum.The Raiders will be young at the for-

wards. The list of players that could have an impact include juniors Scott Snesrud, Alex Pumper, Scott Benjamin, Wade Nel-son, Luke Hinderscheit and Drake Chap-man.

“We have a squad that needs a lot of molding and shaping,” Barry said. “The challenge will be to get them to play to our systems and capitalize on opportunities.”

In net, sophomore Nate Finger will get the primary goalie responsibilities af-ter playing behind Derrick Ellingson last season. Finger will also be challenged by freshman Isaak Tjaden for playing time.

This is also the first year in recent memory that the Raiders will travel to a Christmas tournament. They will travel to Roseau, one of the richest hockey tradi-tions in Minnesota, for a tournament over the last three days in December.

“That’s something we’re really look-ing forward to,” Barry said. “To go up to Roseau, where it’s a town with a strong hockey tradition, it will be a fun experi-ence. It’s a chance for the guys to spend a few days together and take in a lot of hockey.”


Raiders bring back five seniors, host of young talent for season

8 RAIDER BOYS HOCKEY

KEY RETURNERS: Cole Jirik (Sr., D); Cody Schmidt (Sr., F); Tommy Falen-schek (Sr., F); Jon-Erle Reid (Sr., F); Alex Pumper (Jr., F); Scott Benjamin (Jr., F); Ben Truax (Jr., D); Nate Finger (Soph., G); Adam Seitz (Sr., F)

KEY NEWCOMERS: Scott Snesrud (Jr., F); Ben Dixon (Jr., D); Luke Hin-derscheit (Jr., F); Kody Beckers (Fr., F); Drake Chapman (Jr., F); Jared Docken (Soph., D)

‘The good thing about a young team is that there is competition for every spot. This group is very coachable, they’re passionate about hockey and love to play the game.’

8 Bryce Barry, NHS coach


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NHS lifters will chase another state title this winterBy JACI SMITHManaging Editor

NORTHFIELD — Winning every meet in the state in the last three and a half years plus four straight state champion-ships means the pressure is on for the Raiders weightlifting team this year.

But they like it that way, says coach Scott Sahli.

“One of the things we do is handle pressure well,” he said. “You want it. It’s a good thing.”

Sahli, who has had to postpone the normal start date for his season because of the football team’s run at the state championship (a lot of his lifters are also football players, and Sahli is the team’s strength and conditioning coach), said there are multiple reasons for the team to be looking over its shoulder this year.

The team has lost several key contribu-tors. State champions Cory Callahan, Chris Smith, Samantha Behr and Jamie Becker have all graduated. Samantha Behr’s twin sister Sabrina, a runner-up at state last year, also graduated.

Callahan holds the state record in the clean-and-jerk at 342 pounds. Callahan was ranked eighth nationally at 94 kilos and Smith was ranked fourth at 105-plus kilos, and both competed in the National Junior Weightlifting Championships ear-

lier this year. Those who fare well there go on to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Two other lifters, Cameron Hagen and Molly Goss, suffered knee injuries in oth-er sports that won’t allow them to com-pete this year. Hagen took third at state last year and Goss was a runnerup.

Sahli believes there will also be more competition. Albert Lea, which in prior years had a few lifters, may this year have a full complement. The Southern Metro Team is now located in Rochester and is pulling a bigger pool of lifters together than before, Sahli said.

Replacing their graduated teammates won’t be easy, but there are many under-classmen, some now seniors, who Sahli is confident will step up to fill the void.

Sahli said he’s expecting good pro-duction from Cory Callahan’s younger sisters, Lindsey, a junior; and Shelby, an eighth-grader. Twin sisters and se-

niors Noelle and Nicole Heinricy are also expected to perform well. Noelle is a state champion and the team will be captained by returning “big-time performer” Taylor Filzen, Sahli said.

On the boys’ side, Sahli said a number of the younger lifters are developing nice-ly. The team returns senior Yujie Sun, a defending state champion, and Jordan Freeman, a runner-up. Sophomore Josh Corbin also shows promise, Sahli said.

While the coming year has plenty of its own challenges to offer, Sahli said he

has his eye on the future. In 2010, Sahli expects at least some of his lifters to be competing at the first-ever high school weightlifting national championships.

“We’re shooting for the stars a little bit,” Sahli said. “But we really want to compete at a national level, and I’ve been really happy with the kids we have and how they’ve been working. We want to be able to go with anybody.”

The season opens with the Southern Minnesota High School open on Dec. 13 at Rochester.

8 RAIDER WEIGHTLIFTING

KEY RETURNERS: Yujie Sun (Sr.), Jordan Freeman (Jr.); Josh Corbin (Soph.); Matt Bettinger (Jr.); Lindsey Callahan (Jr.); Shelby Callahan (8th Grade); Noelle Heinricy (Sr.); Nicole Heinricy (Sr.); Taylor Filzen (Sr.)

News file photoNorthfield senior Yujie Sun returns as one of the Raiders’ top boys lifters.


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2008-09 Northfield gymnastics team

News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield Gymnastics team is pictured first row, from left: Aleasha Kimmes, Meaghan Howell, Sveta Mason, Carolyn Pokorney, Ashley Otis, Emily Stets. Second row: Jordan Severson, Hannah Dvorak, Abby Stets, Melanie Beaver, Lindsay Henrickson, Jasmin Muehlberger. Third row: Taylor Wilson, Caitlyn Otis, Rachel Henrickson, Erin Maher, Ranndi Salzman. Fourth row: Emily Kragness, Brittany DuPay, Katie Howell, Kim Kalton, Cacie Lowe.


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NHS gymnasts will shoot for Missota title, state berth


NORTHFIELD — The Northfield gym-nastics team is loaded with talent as it heads into its 2008-09 season.

The Raiders lost two seniors from a team that finished second in the Missota Conference, second at the Section 1AA Championships and sent two individuals to the Class AA State Championships.

With almost everybody back from that team, Northfield has set the bar high for the winter season ahead.

“As long as everybody stays healthy, we’ll be pretty solid,” said Raiders coach Melissa Cummins, who enters her third year as head coach of the program. “We lost Caitlyn Borek and Liz Triplett from last year, and they made contributions throughout the year and at sections. But we do have almost everybody back.”

Two years ago, in Cummins’ first year,

the Raiders were virtually perfect. They didn’t lose a dual meet, won the Missota Conference championship and participat-ed in the Class AA team State Champion-ships for the first time in NHS history.

Last year, Northfield split a pair of dual meets with Missota Conference rival New Prague before taking second to the Trojans at the Missota Conference Cham-pionships. The Raiders also finished sec-ond behind Lakeville South at the Section 1AA Championships. Hannah Dvorak (all-around), Lindsay Henrickson (beam) and Sveta Mason (beam) finished the sea-son competing at the state meet at Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Cummins said there’s no reason the

Raiders can’t win the conference, win the section and return to state this year.

“I look at our team and know that we’ve only gotten stronger,” Cummins said. “The opportunity we have to go to state as a team will give the girls more moti-vation. We know we’re up against good competition, but we know we’ve only got-ten stronger and better. I think we have a great shot at it.”

The Raiders will feature a fairly young team with three seniors returning, but they’ve got plenty of talent with varsity experience.

Leading the way is senior Hannah Dvorak, who has been a varsity gymnast since seventh grade and has competed in each of the previous five seasons. The other seniors on the team are Kim Kalton and Caitlyn Otis.

Cummins said she likes the senior leadership her team has.

“They bring a lot of leadership to the team in terms of their work ethic,” Cum-mins said. “They’re good with organiza-tion and the expectations that they’ve set for themselves. That rubs off on the girls that are younger.”

Also back in the varsity lineup are a pair of juniors and twins in Rachel and Lindsay Henrickson. Both have gotten a

taste of state tournament competition. Sophomores Emily Stets and Sveta Ma-son, and freshman Meaghan Howell also bring varsity experience to the lineup this year. Junior Katie Howell, seventh grader Abby Stets and sophomore Carolyn Po-korney will also be competing for varsity time.

Cummins expects the Raiders to be strong in every event, but she’s particu-larly excited about the team’s potential on the uneven parallel bars.

“We’re going to be strong everywhere, but one are that sticks out to me is the bars,” Cummins said. “We’re going to have a lot of unique, high-level skills be-ing thrown on bars. You can look for great things from Meaghan Howell and Rachel Henrickson there.”

For now, the focus is on getting the first meet out of the way and getting the season started. The Raiders open the season hosting Owatonna on Dec. 12 at Northfield Gymnastics Club.

“It’s always exciting for them to get that first meet under their belt,” Cum-mins said. “It kind of allows them to kick in gear a little bit. They realize it’s their season and that we need to get going.”


Raiders bring back almost everybody from last season

8 RAIDER GYMNASTICS

KEY RETURNERS: Hannah Dvorak (Sr.); Lindsay Henrickson (Jr.); Sveta Mason (Soph.); Rachel Henrickson (Jr.); Kim Kalton (Sr.); Emily Stets (Soph.); Meaghan Howell (Fr.)

KEY NEWCOMERS: Abby Stets (7th Grade); Carolyn Pokorney (Jr.); Melanie Beaver (Soph.); Ashley Otis (Soph.); Emily Kragness (Soph.)


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2008-09 Northfield boys swimming and diving

News photo by Jeff WaldThe 2008-09 Northfield boys swimming and diving team is pictured first row, from left: Adam Mousel, Matt Trulson, AJ Olivero, Derek Rasmussen, John Donahoe, James Penning, Marcelino Delgado. Second row: Jon Jensen, Nick Janak, Scott Gallagher, Glenn Dworsky, Alex Rod, Peter Schlecht, Kyle Mace, Riley Helgeson, Justin Delgado. Third row: Assistant coach Deb Seitz, Chris Anderson, Kyle Delgado, Erick Swanson, Christopher Isom, Tim Schlossin, Adam Nystuen, Matt Detjen, Blaine Olivero. Fourth row: Coach John Knapp, Garrick Hoekstra, Skyler Hansen, Jeff Chlan, Luke Lebens, Daniel Martinson, Tom Neset, Atticus Christensen, Head coach Doug Davis.


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Boys swimmers will chase Missota title with core of experienced swimmers


NORTHFIELD — The Northfield boys swimming and diving team has reason to be excited about the upcoming winter season.

The Gators suffered a minimal loss to graduation with four talented seniors, but they return a majority of the talent that helped the program reach the suc-cess it had last season. Northfield won the Missota Conference title for the sec-ond straight season, and in its first year competing in Class AA, the Gators won the Section 1AA True Team title. They also finished in the top half of the True Team State Championships.

With the experience Northfield has returning, coach Doug Davis is excited about the season ahead.

“We’re going to be a really competitive, solid team,” said Davis, who enters his 12th year with the NHS boys swimming and diving team. He has coached high school swimming for 21 seasons total, 15 as a head coach. “We graduated four tal-ented guys. But we have a class coming in of nine to 10 seniors. They all have the capability to provide big contributions this year.”

Last year’s conference title was North-field’s third in its last four years. Davis said the conference race will largely de-pend on how the team does in dual meets this year.

“How well we do in the conference is going to be an indicator of how good the team will be,” Davis said. “We have the talent and good athletes. We’ll be looking for some of them to realize their poten-tial.”

The team looks to be balanced this year. Davis said early on that the Gators should have at least two or three solid swimmers in every event.

They’ll be led by returners Adam Mou-sel, Jim Penning, John Donahoe, Derek

Rasmussen, Glenn Dworsky, Marceli-no Delgado, Chris Anderson, Justin Del-gado and Daniel Martinson.

“We’ll definitely be able to fill every event with some solid kids,” Davis said. “We’ll look for Adam Mousel to step in and fill some holes in our sprint swims. We’ll look for some of the other guys to step up so we can be three deep in pretty much every event.”

Davis is also looking for some younger swimmers to step up this season. That group includes Nick Janak, Kyle Mace, Chris Isom and Kyle Finger.

The Gators should be especially strong on the diving board. All four divers from last year are returning to the team. Three of them made the Section 1AA Finals last year. The diving group includes Scott Gallagher, A.J. Olivero, Matt Trulson and Luke Lebens.

“We’re really excited about our divers,” Davis said. “Three of them made the sec-tion finals last year, and all of them have made significant improvements.”

With the team having as many as 40 athletes and double-digit numbers in se-niors, Davis said early on he’ll be looking for who will step up and take the leader-ship role.

“That will be very interesting,” Davis said. “In the past, we’ve had a couple guys who were very out-going and gave us a lot of energy. The guys seem energetic and fired up to get things going. We’re wait-ing to see who will take the leadership role and what personalities will emerge. There’s never a reason not to be excited. It’s great to work with guys who have the experience and know what to expect.”


Gators will have nine seniors in lineup, return all divers for winter season

8 GATORS SWIMMING AND DIVING

KEY RETURNERS: Jim Penning (Sr.); Adam Mousel (Sr.); Derek Rasmussen (Sr.); John Donahoe (Sr.); Marcelino Delgado (Sr.); Bradley Kluver (Sr.); A.J. Olivero (Sr.); Chris Anderson (Jr.); Glenn Dworsky (Jr.); Justin Delgado (Soph.); Riley Helgeson (Jr.); Scott Gal-lagher (Jr.) ; Matt Trulson (Sr.)

KEY NEWCOMERS: Luke Lebens (Fr.);

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