PREVIEW

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SPORTS
SECTION C DECEMBER 1, 2011

WRESTLING
Page 1

GYMNASTICS
Page 1

BASKETBALL
Boys: Page 2 Girls: Page 2 Boys: Page 3 Girls: Page 3

CHEERLEADING
Page 4

HOCKEY
Boys: Page 4 Girls: Page 4

Huskies take aim at another state championship

also have their sights set on winning the Southwest Conference championship and Rumble on the Red. To accomplish those goals, the Huskies will rely on captains Cooper Moore, Darick Vancura and Eliot Jurries. Moore, a senior, already has one individual state title and sits at 188 career wins. Vancura, a senior, finished second at state last year and already has 118 career wins. Jurries, a junior, won 36 matches last year. Moore is penciled in at 170 pounds this year, with Vancura at 160 and Jurries at 126. The three make up part of a loaded middle portion of the lineup for the Huskies, which also includes eighthgrader Keegan Moore (2619 last year) and freshman Paden Moore (36-10) at 138 and 145, freshman Luke Norland (18-8) at 152 and senior Pat Hanson (23-12) at 182. Senior Alex Tewes (32-12) returns to strengthen the upper portion of the lineup, wrestling at 285. The Huskies have plenty of options at 106, including freshmen Devin Phaly and seventh-graders Sean Lundeen, Ryker VanderWoude and Logan Price. Junior Kyle Edlin, who won 18 matches last year, will wrestle at 113, with junior Cameron Henning and sophomores Dakota Rossow and Jordan Biehn competing for the 120-pound slot. Freshmen Kyle Kapplinger and Ryan Timko will compete for time with Jurries at 126, with junior Dylan Riggle wrestling at 132. Senior Dallas Murray (145), sophomore Wyatt Livingston (152) and junior Nate Guggisberg (170) are hoping for time through the middle weights. Senior Kyle Edwards and junior John Marker are competing for time at 195 and sophomore Jack Ziemer is penciled in at 220. We have great balance this year and the team is very athletic, Baker said. We have some strong seniors, but we also have some very, very talented young guys who are hungry. Despite plenty of talent, Baker expects the team to be tested because of a tough schedule. Things will get tough; we have a tough schedule again, Baker said. So everyone will get tested, and perhaps often. Challenges will be there for this team. But Baker expects the captains and veterans to lead the way. They are very good leaders, they know what it takes and how to work at getting better, he said of the captains. We have good leaders and lots of talent. Baker expects Windom/ Mt. Lake-Butterfield-Odin to be the biggest challenger to the Huskies in the SWC and listed New RichlandHartland-Ellendale-Geneva as the biggest threat in the section. Baker is assisted by Nate Hanson, Troy Schultz and Galen McCarthy. Nate and Troy have been with me for a while and are great, Baker said. Galen was a former wrestler and works very well with kids. The Huskies will open the season Saturday with a tournament at Blue Earth Area and have their first home meet Dec. 8 when they host Pipestone in what is also the SWC opener.

Wrestling team brings back a lot of talent from team that won a share of the state title
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor For the Jackson County Central wrestling team, having success at the state tournament has been the norm. The Huskies were co-state champions last year and have won at least a share of the championship five times under Randy Baker, and the goal of this years team is to add to that list. We hope to get back to the state tournament and try for a title, Baker said, adding the Huskies

JCC wrestling schedule

Head coach: Randy Baker

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12-3 at BEA Tournament (Blue Earth) 12-8 vs. Pipestone 12-10 JCC Tournament 12-16 and 12-17 Christmas Tournament (Rochester) 12-22 vs. Blue Earth Area 12-29 and 12-30 Rumble on the Red (Fargo, N.D.) 1-5 at Adrian and Red Rock Central (Lamberton) 1-7 at Sioux City East Tournament (Sioux City, Iowa) 1-12 at Worthington and Marshall (Marshall) 1-16 at LCWM (Lake Crystal) 1-19 vs. Luverne and Redwood Valley 1-21 at Hutchinson Tournament 1-28 at Kasson-Mantorville Tournament (Kasson) 1-31 at Windom/MLBO (Mt. Lake) 2-4 at JWP Tournament (Janesville) 2-10 at New London-Spicer (New London) 2-18 Team Sections (Mapleton) 2-25 Individual Sections (Blue Earth) 3-1 3-3 State Tournament (Xcel Energy Center)

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Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central wrestling team are (front, from left): Kyle Kapplinger, Jordan Biehn, Kyle Edlin, Keegan Moore, Devin Phaly, Ryan Timko and Dakota Rossow. Back: Kyle Edwards, Eliot Jurries, Luke Norland, Cooper Moore, Pat Hanson, Darick Vancura, Paden Moore and Alex Tewes. Missing: Dylan Riggle.

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Goals remain the same for JCC gymnasts

County Central gymnastics team: win the Southwest Conference and make it to the state tournament. Every season brings the The Huskies have acsame goals for the Jackson complished that first goal by DAN CONDON Sports Editor

JCC gymnastics schedule

Head coach: Tammy Handevidt

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12-6 at New Ulm 12-10 at Blue Earth Area Tournament (Winnebago) 12-13 vs. St. James 12-15 at Blue Earth Area (Winnebago) 12-30 vs. Martin County West 1-9 at Marshall 1-14 at Martin County West Tournament (Welcome) 1-19 at Luverne 1-21 Sweetheart Invitational 1-23 vs. Windom 1-28 State True Team 1-31 vs. Worthington 2-2 vs. Redwood Valley 2-10 at Pipestone 2-18 Section Tournament (Worthington) 2-24 and 2-25 State Tournament

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nine straight seasons, but havent reached state as a team since 2000. The hope is that will change this year behind the strength of a veteran team. Our goal remains the same and that is to send this team to the state tournament, head coach Tammy Handevidt said. The Huskies return six letter winners, including four who have competed individually at the state tournament. Senior Morgan Halverson and juniors Sydnee Donnelli, Brandi SetherHassing and Adriane Rentschler all have state experience and will be joined by senior Hailey Timko and freshman Michaela Vancura on this years varsity squad. Donnelli qualified for state in three events last year and came in fifth in vault the best finish in any event by a JCC gymnast at state. She also qualified for state on bars and in allaround last year and was sixth on balance beam at state as a freshman. Donnelli has made it to state in at least one event every year since she was a seventhgrader. Sether-Hassing finished 13th on bars at state a year ago and finished as the all-

around champion of four meets as a sophomore. She also finished first on bars and floor in four SWC meets a year ago. SetherHassing has qualified for state three years in a row. Rentschler was a fivetime beam winner last year and came in 23rd in the event at state her first trip to the state tournament. Halverson qualified for state on the beam as a sophomore and hopes to return in her final season with the Huskies. Our seniors and juniors have a lot of varsity experience and that will be very beneficial going into this years season, Handevidt. Timko and Vancura both gained valuable experience last season and will have bigger roles this year after the graduation of Courtney Donnelli, who also made it to state last season. The Huskies enter the season after putting in a lot of work in the offseason, something Handevidt expects to pay off right away. The girls have done a fantastic job working out in the offseason, she said. We should really see their hard work shine through already in our first meet. That first meet is next Tuesday (Dec. 6) when the Huskies face New Ulm on

Photo by Dan Condon

Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central gymnastics team are (front, from left): Morgan Halverson, Hailey Timko and Sydnee Donnelli. Middle: Michaela Vancura and Adriane Rentschler. Top: Brandi SetherHassing. the road. A tournament and two more non-conference meets follow before the Huskies host Martin County Area Dec. 30. MCA has been the team to beat lately, but Handevidt said her teams focus isnt on the Magic. In the sport of gymnastics, we dont really worry about what the other teams have, she said. We just need to focus on our routines and improve the skills and start values. One area the Huskies have been working on improving is the bars, which is typically their lowest scoring routine. We always need to work on getting our bar round stronger, Handevidt said. It seems like it is always the toughest event to bring in the scores. With an experienced team back, Handevidt said the Huskies are favored to win their 10th straight SWC championship, but she and assistant coach Tim McConnell are hoping to accomplish the goal of reaching state. The girls came into the season working very hard, she said. It should be an exciting season.

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We plug teamwork!

Huskies to replace four starters from state team

Athletic JCC girls hoops team will be led by Burmeister
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor fast. Were still trying to play fast, Schuller said. The big thing is to try to get 90 shots, plus free throws. Weve never lost a game when Ive coached where weve hit the 90-shot mark. Last years team had plenty of experience playing together, which will be the biggest challenge facing the Huskies this year as they run the floor. Weve got some combinations that havent played together much, Schuller said. Were just learning about ourselves yet. The biggest area the Huskies will have to improve is the pressure defense, Schuller said, which has been a staple of the teams hes coached. Theres a lot to learn with this press, he said. There will be some breakdowns that might drive us crazy early. Theres a lot of adjustments youve got to make. But Schuller believes his team can do well because of its athletic ability and because of senior Whitney Burmeisters ability to play on both ends of the court. Burmeister entered the season with 1,344 points and averaged 19.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game last season. She is the lone returning starter after senior Kaylee Benson hurt her knee during volleyball. That hurts big time, Schuller said of Bensons injury. Shes one of the best shooters in the league. She was going to be in the discussion for top players in the league. Theres a hope Benson can contribute toward the end of the season, but Schuller is planning for the worst. We have to plan as if shes not, he said. We just hope she gets better. Joining Burmeister in the starting lineup will be junior center Michelle VanEpps, junior forward Marita Rasche and freshmen guards Julia Schumann and Kaylee Burmeister. Rasche averaged 3.2 points and 3.5 rebounds a game last year and VanEpps scored 1.4 points and grabbed 2.0 rebounds. Coming off the bench will be senior guard Tracey Steffen; juniors Brooke Klontz, Lydia Brandt (center), Angie Handzus (guard) and Mackenzie Reed (forward); and freshman Sydney Eddy (center). Weve got really good athletes, Schuller said, adding several will play at least one sport in college. We just havent played together with this group very long. Well have some growing pains. Schuller said the fact the Huskies work so hard and are such an intelligent group will help them throughout the season. Their effort is outstanding and theyre really smart kids, he said. Marshall is the overwhelming favorite to win the Southwest Conference, Schuller said, with Worthington also in the discussion. The Huskies will face the Trojans Dec. 13 on the road and Feb. 16, 2012, at home. JCC hosts Marshall Dec. 20 and faces the Tigers on the road Jan. 24, 2012. But Schuller isnt looking that far ahead. We cant do that, he said. Weve got to focus on the next one all the time. That way, he hopes the Huskies can be at their best in the playoffs. For us, we just want to be competitive by the time sections come, he said. Id love for us to get to a position where we can be very competitive with any team in the section and were not there yet. Schuller is assisted at the varsity level by Jon Beckman, with Rafael York coaching the B squad and Rachael Mitchell coaching the C squad. Wes Albers is coaching the eighth-grade team and Betty Ringeisen is coaching the seventhgraders.

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After losing three starters to graduation and one to injury from a team that went to the state tournament last year, the Jackson County Central girls basketball team will have a new look this season. But head coach Tom Schuller expects the Huskies to play the same way:

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Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central girls basketball team are (front, from left): Mackenzie Reed, Julia Schumann, Brooke Klontz and Angela Handzus. Back: Kaylee Burmeister, Michelle VanEpps, Kaylee Benson, Whitney Burmeister, Marita Rasche and Tracey Steffen. Missing: Sydney Eddy.

Basketball team hopes to build on momentum

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by DAN CONDON Sports Editor The Jackson County Central boys basketball program has been on an upward trend since Trent Sukalski took over prior to the 2006-07 season. The Huskies hope that trend continues despite the graduation of their top three players from the best team in the programs history. The Huskies won a team record 18 games last winter and won two playoff games for the first time in team history. But Ty Schwarting (22.5 points per game), Bryce Christopher (12.6 points per game) and Nolan Luhmann (8.5 points per game) all graduated, leaving a big void for JCC. Well have a whole new look, Sukalski said. We lost three quality guards and 70 to 80 percent of our scoring. Instead of the dribbledrive offense used when Schwarting, Christopher and Luhmann were around, the Huskies will use a swing offense to hope for good looks at the hoop. Its more of a ball-control offense where you get quality shots around the basket, Sukalski said. Its more post friendly. It will take time to learn the ins and outs of the offense, Sukalski said, but it is coming along. We need to learn the new looks, he said. Where the openings are and that just comes with running it. The new offense can be successful because the Huskies return a pair of players who had success down low last year in junior Zach Copley and sophomore Jon Harmening. Copley scored 7.1 points per game and grabbed a team-high 7.1 rebounds a game last season. Harmening moved up from B squad early in the season and averaged 8.0 points and 6.2 boards a game. Zach and Jon will be counted on heavily, Sukalski said. Speedy senior guard Logan Hall will be joined in the backcourt by junior Taylor Christopher and sophomore Darnell TaylorBreck to complete the starting lineup. The quickness of those three will help the Huskies continue to run the court. We will still run the floor; well transition, Sukalski said, adding the Huskies did that well in a scrimmage last Saturday in Marshall. Sukalski also expects senior guard Cody Gettler, sophomore guard Shadrach Wacker and sophomore post Nolan Hohenstein to contribute, with senior posts Ben Kocak and Kyle Gruhlke, junior guards Austin Hinkeldey and Josh Thaemlitz and sophomores Matt Schmit (post) and Brady Place (guard) competing for playing time. Sukalski said the team has worked hard in practice so far, with a big focus thus far being the defensive end of the court. Weve got to get better defensively right now, he said. We need to work on defensively stopping the ball off the dribble and our team defense needs to improve. The rebounding also needs work, but Sukalski sees potential there thanks to Copley and Harmening down low. I think we can be a really good rebounding team, he said. Sukalski said Marshall is the favorite in the Southwest Conference, but added Worthington and Redwood Valley as teams to watch. Whether the Huskies are facing the conferences best or an under-matched opponent, Sukalski said fans can expect a hard-working team in navy in silver. Well definitely play hard, he said. I look forward to putting a good product on the court. Sukalski is assisted at the varsity level by Charlie Clarksean. Mark Kocak is coaching the B squad and Mike Wierson the C squad. Brett Benson and Wayne Christopher are coaching middle school teams. The Huskies open the season Saturday in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and have their first home game Monday against Granada-HuntleyEast Chain.

JCC boys basketball schedule

Head coach: Trent Sukalski

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Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central boys basketball team are Cody Gettler (from left), Dustin Pronk, Jon Harmening, Taylor Christopher, Zach Copley, Logan Hall and Kyle Gruhlke.

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12-3 at Spirit Lake, Iowa 12-5 vs. Granada-Huntley-East Chain 12-9 vs. Luverne 12-13 at Mt. Lake-Butterfield-Odin 12-16 vs. Redwood Valley 12-20 at Marshall 12-27 and 12-28 at Blue Earth Area Tournament 1-3 vs. Windom 1-5 at Martin County West (Trimont) 1-6 at Pipestone 1-9 vs. Estherville Lincoln Central 1-10 vs. Worthington 1-16 vs. Fairmont 1-20 at Luverne 1-24 vs. Marshall 1-31 at Windom 2-2 at Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (Tracy) 2-4 at St. James 2-6 vs. New Ulm 2-10 vs. Pipestone 2-14 at Worthington 2-17 at Redwood Valley 2-28 at Blue Earth Area 3-3, 3-8, 3-10 and 3-15 Section Tournament 3-21 3-24 State Tournament

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Quasar girls hope two is better than one

SSC and RLB combine forces for girls basketball
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor Two is better than one. At least that is the hope for the Southwest Star Concept girls basketball team as the Quasars combined forces with Round LakeBrewster for the new hoops season while keeping the SSC Quasars name. Even with two teams coming together, head coach Keith Place said they havent missed a beat. Weve got pretty good chemistry for kids that havent played together, he said. Thats a big deal. The Quasars have five girls back who were starters on their respective teams last year, but the team is still quite young. Were in the process of teaching kids how to play the game of basketball, Place said. Thats the fun part for me; I love this. Place said how well the team performs on game night is directly related to how well the girls learn the basics of the game in practice. Its going to depend on how fast some of these girls can develop, he said. Were stressing fundamentals. The Quasars will rely on their five returning starters to lead the team, especially early in the season. Senior forwards Arianna Hesemann and Connor DeWall both started for SSC last year, as did freshman guard Courtney Place. Junior forward Sarah Baumgard and freshman forward Kailey Wendland both were starters for RLB a year ago. DeWall averaged 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last year, with Place scoring 8.6 points and Hesemann 5.6 points per game last season. Baumgard is entering her third year as starter and Wendland her second. Senior Jennifer Schmidt wouldve been a major contributor for SSC this season after leading the team with 11.6 points per game a year ago, but underwent surgery on her knee after injuring it during volleyball. After the five starters, the Quasars lack experience. Thats going to be an issue, Place said. We have a lack of overall experience. Sophomore guards Alaina Klingenberg and Autumn Hinkeldey are returning letter winners and

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SSC girls basketball schedule

Head coach: Keith Place

11-28 vs. Harris-Lake Park 12-2 at Mt. Lake-Butterfield-Odin (Butterfield) 12-8 vs. Red Rock Central 12-13 at Southwest Minnesota Christian 12-16 vs. Ellsworth 12-19 and 12-20 at Comfrey Tournament 12-22 vs. Edgerton 1-3 vs. Adrian 1-5 vs. Hills-Beaver Creek 1-7 at Blue Earth Area 1-9 at Luverne 1-13 at Edgerton 1-14 vs. Canby (at SMSU, Marshall) 1-19 vs. Murray County Central 1-21 at Fulda 1-24 vs. Westbrook/Walnut Grove 2-2 at Hills-Beaver Creek (Hills) 2-6 vs. Mt. Lake-Butterfield-Odin 2-10 at Ellsworth 2-14 at Martin Luther (Northrup) 2-16 at Red Rock Central (Jeffers) 2-20 at Westbrook/Walnut Grove (Westbrook) 2-23, 2-25, 2-28, 3-2 and 3-9 Section Tournament 3-14 3-17 State Tournament

Photo by Dan Condon

Returning letter winners for the Southwest Star Concept girls basketball team are (front, from left): Kailey Wendland, Autumn Hinkeldey and Alaina Klingenberg. Back: Arianna Hesemann, Connor DeWall, Courtney Place and Sarah Baumgard. will contribute again to the Quasars. Seniors Janae Vonk (guard) and Janelle Edwards (center); sophomores Sonja Peters (forward) and Kristin Liepold (center); freshman forward Sarah Schmid; eighth-grade guards Andrea Hinkeldey and Megan Haberman; and seventh-grade guard Gabi Stenzel are also hoping to contribute to the SSC varsity, with most seeing action on the B squad team as well. With two teams coming together and players and coaches still learning everyones strengths, Place said it could take a few games to figure out a lineup. Weve got to find out what the rotation will be, he said. Its going to be as big a learning experience for the coaching staff as it is for the players. While they sort things out, the Quasars will rely on playing solid defense and rebounding and are going to try a variety of things on the offensive end. Were going to have to be able to do both, Place said about playing a fastpaced game and half-court offense. Well have to use our speed and score in transition; thats easier than five-on-five. But we have to understand the game. Against higher-skilled teams, we might have to manage the game and play control offense and shorten the game. Place hopes the Quasars can at least match last years .500 record, which will be a challenge in what he says is a really deep Red Rock Conference. Place lists the normal four of Southwest Minnesota Christian, Fulda, Adrian and Murray County Central as favorites, but said Westbrook/Walnut Grove, Red Rock Central, Ellsworth and Edgerton will all be good. Place said only time will tell how well his team handles the pressure of game night. These girls love to play basketball, he said. The true test will be when times get tough. SSC opened the season Monday by hosting HarrisLake Park and will be on the road against Mt. LakeButterfield-Odin tomorrow (Friday).

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by DAN CONDON Sports Editor led the team with 15 points, 14.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season. Owen expects Collin to again be the focus of the other teams defense, which means others have to step up their game. At some point weve got to find someone who can shoot an outside shot, Owen said. Jameson is going to draw attention, so that opens things up for everybody else. Senior center Austin Liepold, who averaged five points and 8.3 rebounds per game last year, will also draw attention down low. Senior guard Jacob Olson and senior forward Luke Henkels return with some starting experience,

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perience is a plus, as is the teams defense. One thing weve been The Southwest Star Congood at over the years is cept boys basketball team defense, Owen said, addreturns a large group of ing that must continue for players from a team that his team to be successful. won nine games last season We need to play good team and adds quality depth, givdefense and hold people ing head coach Tim Owen down. a dozen players he feels Its the offensive end that comfortable putting on the worries Owen as his team floor. nears its first game, which For the first time in a is Saturday against Luverne. long time I dont feel too Weve got to find a way uncomfortable playing any to score, he said. We have of these guys, Owen said to focus on doing the ordiof his team. They can go nary, not the extraordinary. for three minutes as hard Were not going to be fancy, as they can and I can put we just need to be fundasomebody else in. mentally sound and do the Leading the charge for basics of the game. the Quasars is senior forAfter opening against ward Jameson Collin, who Luverne, the Quasars will get an early test when they host Mt. Lake-ButterfieldOdin, who, along with Ellsworth, Southwest Minnesota Christian, Fulda and Murray County Central, will be near the top of the Red Rock Conference at the end of the season. After getting through their difficult conference schedule, the Quasars will find themselves in new territory as they head into Section 2A after previously being in Section 3A. Photo by Dan Condon That part will be differReturning letter winners for the Southwest Star Concept boys basketball team are ent for us, Owen said. But (front, from left): Andrew Kramer, Matthew Soto, Jacob Olson and Jameson Collin. we get to see somebody difBack: Justin Jass, Mark Ferguson, Luke Henkels and Austin Liepold. ferent when playoffs start. with Henkels averaging 4.5 points a game last winter. Junior forward Andrew Kramer also returns after starting last year, a season in which he averaged 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. Junior guards Justin Jass, Luke Veith and Matthew Soto, junior forward Mark Ferguson and sophomores Aaron Fest (guard), Zach Schumacher (center) and Brandon Thurk (forward) will also see the court for the Quasars. Seven of the 12 Quasars have varsity experience and the others played a lot of minutes for the B squad last season. Owen said having seven guys back with varsity ex-

SSC boys basketball schedule

Head coach: Tim Owen

12-3 vs. Luverne 12-6 vs. Mt. Lake-Butterfield-Odin 12-9 at Red Rock Central (Lamberton) 12-15 at Ellsworth 12-16 and 12-17 at Lakeview Tournament 1-3 at Martin Luther (Northrup) 1-6 vs. Adrian 1-13 at Edgerton 1-14 vs. Canby (at SMSU, Marshall) 1-17 at Murray County Central 1-20 vs. Fulda 1-23 at Mt. Lake Christian (in Windom) 1-26 at Westbrook/Walnut Grove (Westbrook) 1-28 at Round Lake-Brewster 1-31 vs. Southwest Minnesota Christian 2-3 vs. Hills-Beaver Creek 2-9 at Mt. Lake-Butterfield-Odin (Mt. Lake) 2-14 vs. Ellsworth 2-17 vs. Red Rock Central 2-21 vs. Westbrook/Walnut Grove 2-24 at Hills-Beaver Creek (Hills) 2-27 vs. Round Lake-Brewster 3-1, 3-3, 3-8, 3-10 and 3-15 Section Tournament 3-21 3-24 State Tournament

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Cheer team opens Dec. 17
The Jackson County Central competition cheerleading team opens the season with a meet at DeLaSalle Dec. 17. Team members are (front, from left): Kirsten Ringgenberg, Miranda Timko, Madison Cregeen and Natalie Schlager. Middle: Kassidy Timmer, Hally Dauffenbach, Karlee Wegner, Emma Smith, Kaitlyn John and Lacey Schneekloth. Back: Laura Eintertson, Maria Will, Kortney Porter, Jenna Stade, Holly Reiter and Lexi Schneekloth. The team is coached by Barb Tvinnereim. For a preview of the teams season, see the Dec. 15 paper.
Photo by Dan Condon

Thursday, December 1, 2011

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Eagle girls are eager to improve

by DAN CONDON Sports Editor An inexperienced Windom Area girls hockey team might not post a lot of wins this season, but head coach Dean Drahota likes the way his squad is working day in and day out. They all like to be there, Drahota said. They want to play hockey and they want to learn. Drahota said the biggest thing for the Eagles is to get comfortable on the ice and react without having to think about their next move. We have to think too much and you cant think when you play hockey, he said. Its got to be instinct. Drahota said mistakes will happen, but they can be used as ways of learning. Were going to make mistakes the girls are going to make mistakes and us coaches are going to make mistakes but as long as we learn as we go, well be all right, Drahota said. One luxury for the Eagles is having senior Amber Svoboda back as goalie. This year, its big to have her back with as young as the team is, Drahota said. Were trying to limit the number of shots she can face, but weve faced that for a number of years. Its huge having someone whos got some experience back there. Windom girls hockey schedule With quite a few areas to improve, Drahota said one Head coach: Dean Drahota of the best things about his team is its willingness to 11-15 L 13-0 to St. Peter work hard. 11-17 L 11-0 to Luverne We have a good group of 12-1 vs. Marshall girls that wants to get better 12-8 vs. Worthington and improve, he said. 12-10 at Morris/Benson Along with Svoboda, the 12-15 vs. Luverne Eagles return senior for12-22 vs. Fairmont ward Kylie Willard and 12-26 12-28 at Austin Tournament eighth-grade defensemen Alexis Jellema-Baerg. Join1-7 vs. Fairmont ing those two on the first 1-13 at Waseca line will be sophomore for1-14 vs. Morris/Benson ward Katie Schoenenberg1-17 at Marshall er and freshmen forward 1-24 at Worthington Lizzie Schoenenberger. 1-26 vs. LeSueur-Henderson On the second line will be 1-27 at Fairmont sophomore forward Arica Svoboda; sophomore de2-4 at Fairmont fensemen Angela Patter2-6 vs. Waseca son; eighth-grader forwards 2-10, 2-14 and 2-17 Section Tournament Hailey Cory, Annie Hanson 2-22 2-25 State Tournament and Kaylee Rosenkranz; and eighth-grade defensemen Kaylee Janssen. The team has worked well together so far, Drahota said, which gives him hope for success this year or down the road. We have a good team Jackson 507-847-2200 feel this year, he said. I Lakefield 507-662-6611 can see the team building. Theyre there for each other. sanfordhealth.org Drahota is assisted by Steve Willard and former Eagles Brooklyn Drahota and Shelby Veenker. HavIts been great having The Eagles lost their first ing those two on the bench those two girls here, he two games and will look for has been an asset so far, said. They can communi- their first win today (ThursDrahota said. cate well with the girls. day) as they host Marshall.

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Eagle boys hope to surprise on the ice

by DAN CONDON Sports Editor With a new coach comes renewed hope for a Windom Area boys hockey program that has struggled the last few seasons. Jon Ammerman hopes his team, led by senior forwards Mitchell Baumhoefner and Adam Eisenmenger, can continue to improve and make some noise once the playoffs roll around. I think were all on the same page that we want to get better every day and, once playoffs come, be a team that nobody really wants to face in the first round, Ammerman said. I think thats a realistic goal. Ammerman called Baumhoefner and Eisenmenger skilled guys who can score a lot of points, but said he and assistant coaches Jason Espenson and Justin Espenson feel comfortable putting any of their players on the ice. Everybodys going to play, he said. We have no problem throwing anybody out there. It will be exciting to see who steps up and fills the rolls. One spot up in the air is goalie, where Jackson County Central junior Ben Stubbe is competing with junior Tyler Macgowan. Stubbe has impressed early, Ammerman said. Hell be solid back there. Those two will have to decide amongst themselves who will be the starter. JCC senior forward Brett Larson and JCC junior defensemen Kyle Luhmann return with considerable experience and JCC senior Carsen Nyborg returns after not playing last season. Carsen is a big, strong player, Ammerman said, adding Luhmann is one of the most skilled defen-

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Jackson County Central students on the Windom Area boys hockey team are Zach Ignaszweski (from left), Kyle Luhmann, Brett Larson, Mitchell Macek and Ben Stubbe. Missing: Carsen Nyborg. semen and a player the Eagles will lean on quite a bit. Ammerman said Larson has been a team leader so far and will be a big contributor to our team. JCC sophomore forwards Zach Ignaszewski and Mitchell Macek will also play for the Eagles, with Ammerman hoping for big things from Macek, a player he says has a good sense of the game. As a whole, Ammerman said the Eagles have a good group of forwards who can score and back on defense we have a lot of kids that will compete. One strength of the team is its speed, Ammerman said. We can skate, he said. We have a pretty quick team and a pretty determined team. We have a group of guys that are pretty skilled and are excited to improve. In his two weeks with the team, Ammerman has already noticed quite a bit of improvement, something he expects will continue all season. Were learning quick, thats the big thing, he said. Theyve improved and Im excited to see where we end up if we continue to improve. The Eagles opened the season Tuesday night at Weve got some good Redwood Valley and play again tonight (Thursday) players, Ammerman said. with their home opener We can be a team that surprises some people. against Marshall.

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Windom boys hockey schedule

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