SPORTS REVIEW

SECTION C JUNE 21, 2012

GOLF
Girls: Pages 1 and 6 Boys: Pages 3 and 6

BASEBALL
Pages 1 and 5 Page 4

TRACK AND FIELD

Girls: Pages 2 and 6 Boys: Pages 2 and 5

SOFTBALL
Pages 3 and 5 Pages 4 and 6

String of success continues on the course for Huskies

JCC girls go 9-2, Benson makes it to state for fifth time
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor The Jackson County Central girls golf team kept its string of success going, posting a 9-2 overall record this season while going 5-1 in the Southwest Conference. The Huskies capped an excellent season by winning the sub-section meet and finishing second at the Section 3AA tournament. The girls had a lot of team success this year, head coach Mike DiBrito said. There were some big accomplishments. The biggest was the subsection win, which came in the wind and rain. They played well in very difficult conditions, DiBrito said. To win the sub-section, the Huskies had to beat Windom which finished ahead of JCC in the conference tournament and beat JCC head-to-head earlier in the season and BOLD, two tough teams. JCC shot 369, by far its lowest 18-hole score of the season, to pull off the victory. At the section meet, senior Kaylee Benson shot 84 to qualify for state for a JCC record fifth straight season. Benson capped her incredible career with a 36hole score of 164 at state to finish in a tie for 14th. Its been lots and lots and lots of highlights, DiBrito said of Bensons career after her final round at state. Its been five years of a lot of accomplishments and a lot of smiles. Benson tied her own record (which is also shared with Michele Edlin) by medaling in 10 dual meets and was medalist 13 times total this season, including at the conference and sub-section meets. Benson posted the low JCC score in all 15 team events and averaged 40.9 strokes per nine holes. Benson shot 38 to medal against Redwood Valley and shot 39 three times this season. She was also at 41 or lower in four other meets. Kaylee has had a bunch of highlights this season and in her career, DiBrito said. She has had so much success on the course, on the court and in the classroom. Shes such a hard worker. But Benson didnt do it alone; she wasnt even the only Benson putting up solid rounds this spring. Five Bensons saw time on varsity this spring, with freshman Alison Benson playing in every varsity meet this season. Alison averaged 49.8 shots per nine holes and had her score count in 13 meets. Bensons low round was 45 against Fairmont and she was below 100 in three of four 18-hole rounds this spring. She had a very good season, DiBrito said. Sophomore Shelby Benson and seventh-grader Abby Benson both played in all but two varsity matches, Photos by Dan Condon with Shelby averaging 52 strokes per nine holes and Abby 52. Shelby had a low of 49 against Pipestone and shot 98 at the conference meet. Abby Benson had a low of 48 in a win over Red Rock Central and had her best round of the season with a 94 in the sub-section tournament. Both Shelby and Abby had their score count seven times. Abby had a great first season, DiBrito said. She did great tying for fifth at the sub-section meet. Shelby finished with 47 on her last nine holes of the season; that was a good way to end a good season. Eighth-grader Emmalie Benson also played one Emma Lilleberg, who earned honorable-mention allround of varsity, making conference honors, chips onto the green this spring. it five Bensons with varsity experience this season. Sophomores Emma LilJCC girls golf results leberg and Lexie Hoffman provided consistency all Opponent Result Score season for JCC. Spirit Lake W 187-198 Lilleberg earned honorFairmont L 189-185 able-mention all-conferMarshall W 185-210 ence honors for her play Martin County West W 196-214 during the Southwest ConWorthington W 190-209 ference schedule. Lilleberg Windom L 201-192 finished with an average Redwood Valley W 181-212 of 50.4 strokes per nine Red Rock Central W 192-230 holes third best on the Fairmont Tournament 3rd 378 team and had a low of Luverne W 196-199 45 against Pipestone. LillePipestone W 182-Incomplete berg also shot 46 twice and Blue Earth Area W 188-205 had scores of 47 and 48 this Southwest Conference 2nd 383 season. Lilleberg shot 95 at Sub-Section 1st 369 the sub-section meet, a big Section 3AA 2nd 388 reason the Huskies won the tournament. Overall record: 9-2 Lilleberg had her score SWC record: 5-1 See GIRLS GOLF on C6

Kaylee Benson qualified for state for the fifth year in a row and finished 14th this season.

Huskies use big bats, senior leadership to win 12 games

JCC baseball team shares second place in the conference
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor Jackson County Central head baseball coach Trent Sukalski couldnt put his finger on just one thing that helped the Huskies baseball team be successful in his first year at the helm. Instead, Sukalski said it came down to many things, from consistent at bats to a desire to work hard. I think they really were receptive to learning and getting better, Sukalski said. I think thats the reason we had a lot of success; they wanted to be there and they played with energy and enthusiasm. They played the game hard and they played the game the right way. It led to one of the more memorable seasons in recent history, including a doubleheader against Marshall that could be regarded as the most thrilling regular-season homestand ever. The Huskies, Tigers and Worthington Trojans were all in a deadlock atop the conference late in the season and JCC used a lateinning rally to beat Marshall in the first game. Game 2 saw the Huskies rally late again, with a two-out grand slam by senior Brett Larson putting the Huskies on top by a run heading into the bottom of the ninth. Marshall came back to win, but the doubleheader brought in a large crowd and the Huskies put on a good show. The loss to the Tigers kept the Huskies from winning their first ever conference title, but JCC and Marshall shared secondplace in the always-tough SWC with identical 9-3 marks. JCC was 12-6 overall on the season. I thought it was a really good season, Sukalski said. I was very happy with how it went. I thought the guys did really well. One of the keys was the powerful lineup JCC had. The Huskies had nine guys hit .321 or higher and finished with a team batting average of .348. The Huskies scored 141 runs (7.4 per game) and hit nine homers on the season. I knew that wed hit the ball, but I dont know if I knew wed hit it that well, Sukalski said. Much of the early part of the season was spent preparing the offense to reach its full capability. We worked really hard on hitting all spring, Sukalski said. I knew the more at bats these guys got, the better wed be because there are a lot of good athletes in there. Senior Dustin Pronk led the Huskies at the plate with a .482 batting average. His 27 hits and 22 runs batted in led the team and Pronk also scored 16 runs. Pronk was also impressive on the mound, going 5-5 in his 48 1/3 innings. Pronk struck out 51 batters and had an earned run average of 3.04. Junior Kyle Luhmann hit .417 before an illness cut the centerfielders season short. Senior Cooper Moore scored 20 runs and drove in 14 while batting .390. Moore hit four doubles and had a team-high three triples. Senior Carsen Nyborg hit a pair of home runs and a team-high five doubles. Nyborg led the team with 21 runs scored and also drove in 15 RBI. Junior Zach Copley also blasted two homers and hit three doubles while batting .382. Copley drove in seven runs and scored 10 times. Junior Taylor Christopher used 12 walks to post an on-base percentage of .478. His average of .368 included two doubles and two See JCC BASE on C5

JCC baseball results

Opponent Result Adrian W Windom W Worthington L New Ulm L Redwood Valley W Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin W Pipestone W Pipestone W Luverne W Luverne W Windom W Fairmont L Maple River W Worthington L Redwood Valley W Marshall W Marshall L Section 3AA Tournament Luverne L Overall record: 12-6 SWC record: 9-3 Score 13-2 8-1 0-10 4-6 12-1 6-1 4-3 2-0 10-2 11-6 9-8 3-7 7-6 11-15 18-6 8-7 6-7 0-3
Photos by Dan Condon Dustin Pronk catches a ball while playing first base this season. Pronk led the JCC offense with a .482 batting The Jackson County Central baseball team had plenty to cheer about all season, including waiting at home to celebrate a grand slam by Brett Larson in a doubleheader against Marshall. average and struck out 51 batters while pitching.

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Team title, individual trip to state among track and field highlights
Sub-section win the biggest team highlight for JCC
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor A pair of meet victories and an individual trip to state highlighted a successful spring season for the Jackson County Central boys track and field team. The Huskies opened the season with a win at a meet in Mt. Lake and won the sub-section meet late in the season. In between was a runner-up finish at a home meet and a third-place finish in the Section True Team meet. Along with team success, junior Jason Vongsavanh won the section meet and finished eighth at the Class A state tournament in the 400-meter dash. Winning the sub-section was pretty good, head coach Rafe York said. Jason finishing eighth at state was pretty cool. Those were the two big highlights. York said it was the versatility of his athletes that helped the Huskies have a successful season. We had good depth, York said. We had guys who stepped up in different events that they didnt start the season in and we had a lot of newcomers that did well. Vongsavanh used his speed to rack up 164 points this season, putting him second behind only freshman Warren Darlings 176 points. Vongsavanh now has 426 career points and has been to state twice. Along with the section win, Vongsavanh was second in the sub-section and Southwest Conference meets in the 400. He also helped the 4x400-meter relay team win the sub-section meet and finish third at sections. Darling picked up his points in sprints, relays and jumping events. Darling helped the 4x1 and 4x2 relay teams win the sub-section meet and was third in the long jump at the section meet and fifth at sections. Third on the scoring list was sophomore Darnell Taylor-Breck, who scored 148 points and now has 214 for his career. TaylorBreck was on the 4x2 and 4x1 teams that won the subsection meet and finished fourth at sections. TaylorBreck also had success in long jump and triple jump, finishing third in triple jump at the sub-section meet. Senior John Isaacson scored 127 points, giving him 220 in his final two years at JCC. Isaacson helped the 4x8 and 4x4 teams win the subsection meet and came in second in the sub-section in the 800-meter run.

Sports Review
John had a great season as a senior, York said. He was one of the guys you knew would do a good job in anything you put him in. Senior Ben Kocak scored 102 points this season and 216 in his final two years. Kocak won the 1,600-meter run at the sub-section meet and helped the 4x4 and 4x8 teams win at sub-sections. Senior Pat Hanson (84.5), sophomore Izaac Lucht (80), senior Alex Tewes (69), sophomore Matthew Schmit (69) and senior Taylor Freeman (62) rounded out the top 10 scorers. Freeman finished his career with 365 points. Hanson won the 100-meter dash at the sub-section meet and he and Lucht helped the 4x1 team win the sub-section title. Freeman was on the 4x4 team that won the sub-section meet and Schmit was on the 4x2 team that won. Also scoring at least 30 points were junior Tanner Post (60), sophomore Jon Harmening (57), sophomore Nolan Hohenstein (54), sophomore Austin Bell-Pixler (42), eighthgrader Ryan Salzwedel (38), senior Nick Carroll (35), eighth-grader Matt Strom (34) and senior Austin Lucht (30). Hohenstein (shot put ) and Bell-Pixler (shot put) See JCC BT on C5

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Above: Warren Darling hands the baton to Darnell Taylor-Breck at the subsection meet. Right: Nick Carroll soars over the bar during pole vault. Left: Tanner Post takes the baton from John Isaacson during the 4x800-meter relay.

Photos by Dan Condon

JCC boys track and field results

Meet Score Mt. Lake 168 Rebel Relays (Slayton) 60 JCC 55 Section True Team 422.5 Trojan Relays (Worthington) 96.5 Southwest Conference 89 Sub-Section 226 Section 3A 46 Place 1st 4th 2nd 3rd 5th 5th 1st 5th

Young JCC girls team has successful spring

Huskies win all four relays at the sub-section track and field meet
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor The Jackson County Central girls track and field team might not have been terribly deep, but the Huskies got the most out of what they had this spring. We were limited in some areas, head coach Rafe York said. I think we gave up some points that we couldve had with more girls. Thats something well get to. Despite an overall lack of numbers, the Huskies finished second in the subsection meet and came in third in three other meets. The sub-section was big for us, York said. That was one of the meets where we were really competing to win the meet. We went in knowing it would come down to us, MLBO and Windom. The girls really got after it. They performed well, took care of business and came up just short. Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin won the sub-section meet, but the Huskies won all four relay races and had three individual wins in the meet. I loved the way the girls competed in that meet, York said. Junior Sydnee Donnelli had a hand in four wins at the sub-section meet and had four top-two finishes in the Southwest Conference meet. Donnelli, junior Jessica Voehl and freshmen Julia Schumann and Riley Schneekloth teamed up to win the 4x100-meter relay at the conference and subsection meets and Donnelli, Schneekloth, Schumann and freshman Kathryn Nasby won the 4x2 at the subsection meet. Donnelli also won the 100-meter dash and long jump at sub-sections. Sydnee had a great season, York said. Her long jump got a lot better this year. Donnelli finished the season with a team-high 262 points, giving her 811 for her career. She narrowly missed going to state in two events, finishing third in long jump and 4x1 at the section meet. Schneekloth (145) and Voehl (141) had a tight battle for second in the points standings, with Schumann (119) coming in fourth and Nasby (74) fifth. Along with running the 4x1, Voehl competed in a variety of field events all season and was second in the sub-section, third in the conference and fourth in the section in high jump. Jessica did well in all the field events she did, York said. We stretched her pretty thin in those. Schneekloth, Schumann and Nasby all competed in sprints and relays for JCC. Freshman Faith Hansen (73), seventh-grader Annika Lilleberg (66), senior Tracey Steffen (48), sophomore Corri VanderWoude (44), sophomore Christina Henning (41) and freshman Jessica Jandera (41) rounded out the top 10 on JCCs scoring list. Also scoring at least 21 points were freshman Jade Holthe (37), junior Angela Handzus (33), sophomore Sam Swift (21) and seventhgrader Kayla OConnor (21). Steffen finished her career with 312.5 points and finished fourth in pole vault and 100-meter hurdles at the sub-section meet this season. Holthe has 153 career points, mostly coming in See JCC GT on C6

JCC girls track and field results

Meet Score Mt. Lake 114 Rebel Relays (Slayton) 60 JCC 32 Section True Team 352.5 Trojan Relays (Worthington) 84 Southwest Conference 72 Sub-Section 150 Section 3A 21 Place 3rd 6th 3rd 3rd 6th 5th 2nd 14th

Sydnee Donnelli finished third in the section in long jump this season and led Jackson County Central with 262 points. Donnelli has scored 811 points in her career.

Photos by Dan Condon

Kathryn Nasby takes the baton from Julia Schumann in the 4x100-meter relay at the sub-section track and field meet this spring. Nasby finished fifth on the JCC scoring list this spring and Schumann was fourth.

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Softball season a story of two halves

Huskies finish strong after slow start on diamond
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor The Jackson County Central softball team started the season slow and was 6-8 before winning six of its final eight games to finish 12-10. The turnaround was the same in Southwest Conference play, where JCC started 1-5 before going 5-1 to finish 6-6 in conference action. Head coach Shelly Hotzler said the turnaround came during the Huskies home tournament in which JCC scored 27 runs in its first game before losing to state-ranked Mankato Loyola in the finals. We turned it around after the tournament, Hotzler said. They just started hitting the ball. The Huskies strong lateseason run included a close loss to New Ulm in the playoffs prior to the Eagles winning the section and then the state tournament. Losing 2-0 to New Ulm was pretty good, Hotzler said. That showed us how close we were to putting it all together. The offense was strong most of the season, with the Huskies averaging nearly seven runs per game. JCC scored at least 10 runs in seven games this season. We hit the ball well, especially late in the season, Hotzler said. Thats what I was hoping for and late in the year they figured it out. Leading the Huskies in most offensive categories was junior Marita Rasche, who was named to the allSouthwest Conference team and all-state honorable mention squad. Rasche led JCC in batting average (.413), total bases (58), total hits (33), runs batted in (26), home runs (six) and runs scored (29). Senior Caitlin Muir had a strong final campaign, using her speed for a team-high 27 singles. She also led the team with six stolen bases and tied for the team high with 14 walks. Muir hit .397 for the season and had an on-base percentage of .506. Muir was named to the all-conference team, as was junior Brooke Klontz. Klontz led the team with nine doubles and also had two homers. Klontz hit .386, drove in 17 runs and scored 24 runs. Klontz also pitched well for JCC, throwing 69 1/3 innings. She struck out 49 batters and won six games for the Huskies.

Sports Review

Thursday, June 21, 2012

JCC softball results

Opponent Result Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin W Redwood Valley L Redwood Valley L Blue Earth Area W Fairmont W Martin County West L Marshall L Marshall W Pipestone L Pipestone L Worthington W Worthington W New Ulm L Windom L Windom W St. James W St. Peter W Mankato Loyola L Luverne W Luverne W Section 3AA Tournament Luverne W New Ulm L Overall record: 12-10 SWC record: 6-6 Score 7-0 11-13 8-9 11-1 6-1 4-5 3-5 14-1 1-10 1-11 13-2 3-2 0-14 4-5 6-0 12-1 15-6 4-6 9-2 10-0 5-4 0-2

Junior Jasmine Erickson earned honorable-mention all-conference honors after hitting .347 with 15 runs and 14 RBI. Erickson showed power at the plate, hitting six doubles, one triple and one homer. Junior Lydia Brandt hit .338 with 15 runs scored and 15 RBI. Brandt hit two homers and three doubles. Junior Adriane Rentschler led the team with two triples and scored 13 runs. Junior Jenna Stade scored eight runs and used seven walks to have an onbase percentage of .247. Senior Breanne Reetz drove in 11 runs and scored nine and sophomore Brittany Woodke had two RBI and scored five times. Rentschler and freshman Moira Carlson also pitched for JCC, with both picking up three wins. Carlson struck out 28 batters in 37 2/3 innings and Rentschler had 11 punchouts in 33 innings. Rasche and Muir were both named the teams Photos by Dan Condon See JCC SB on C5 Above: Brooke Klontz fires a pitch for the Huskies this season. Bottom left: Lydia Brandt, who was named the teams defensive player of the year, fields a ground ball. Below right: Jasmine Erickson gets a running start from second base.

JCC boys finish strong on the golf course

Huskies go 6-3 in final nine meets
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor Jackson County Central head coach Mike DiBrito knew his young boys golf team might have a few ups and downs this spring. The Huskies lost three seniors from the previous season and didnt have a single senior on the roster this spring. But after starting 0-3, the Huskies made big strides and went 6-3 from there on to finish the season 6-6. We had a very young boys team, DiBrito said. It was definitely a year of learning. The boys did have some nice scores this season. The Huskies shot a season-low score of 167 in a win over Martin County West on April 24 and shot 169 in a win over Blue Earth Area in the regular-season finale. It seemed like every meet was decided by a few strokes this spring, with the Huskies playing in five meets that were decided by seven shots or fewer. JCC finished fifth in the Southwest Conference meet and was third in the sub-section meet. Junior Kyle Edlin and freshman Joe Brinkman both qualified for the section tournament and Brinkman nearly made it to state. Brinkman, playing in the section meet for the third time, made it to a playoff before falling just short of qualifying for state. Brinkman was the leader for the Huskies much of the season, finishing with an average of 42 strokes per nine holes. Brinkman medaled four times, was the low JCC golfer in eight meets and had his score count in 14 of the 15 meets for the Huskies this spring. Joe was a solid leader on varsity this year, DiBrito said. Brinkmans best round came with his 77 at the section meet, but he also shot nine-hole scores of 39 and 40 and shot 43 or better in seven other nine-hole rounds. Shooting 77 at sections as a freshman is something to be proud of, DiBrito said. He was in the hunt for moving on to state. He had a great season. Edlin and freshman Jack Ringkob both averaged 44.2 shots per nine holes. Edlin was the low JCC golfer six times, was medalist twice and had his score count in 11 meets. Edlins best round came when he medaled with a score of 37 against Windom. He also shot 40 and 41 and shot 45 or better six other times. Hes a very solid varsity player, DiBrito said. He was a good leader. Ringkob was medalist four times, had his score count in 13 meets and was the low JCC player five times in his first season with the JCC varsity. His best score was a 40 against Pipestone that earned medalist honors, but Ringkob also shot 41 three times (all as medalist) and was at 45 or less six other times. Jack came on strong this year, DiBrito said. He moved into varsity right from the start. He had a lot of nice rounds this year. Junior John Marker averaged 46.2 shots per nine holes this season and had his score count in 10 meets. Markers low was 43, which he shot three times this season. Marker also shot 45 in three meets. The final two varsity spots were filled by the combination of sophomore Kyle Christopher, freshman Kyle Kapplinger, freshman Austin Olson and eighth-grader Matt Ringkob. Christopher had his score count seven times, with his best round being an 84 at the conference meet. Christopher shot 46 in three ninehole meets and averaged 47.4 shots per nine holes. Kapplinger had his score count six times and averSee BOYS GOLF on C6 Freshman Joe Brinkman, who qualified for the section meet for the third year in a row, sends a putt toward the hole this spring.
Photo by Dan Condon

JCC boys golf results

Opponent Result Spirit Lake L Fairmont L Marshall L Estherville Lincoln Central W Martin County West W Worthington W Windom L Redwood Valley W Red Rock Central W Fairmont Tournament 10th Luverne L Pipestone L Blue Earth Area W Southwest Conference 5th Sub-section 3rd Overall record: 6-6 SWC record: 2-4 Score 179-166 326-355 175-154 172-174 167-186 175-178 179-169 173-179 178-192 176 173-167 174-173 169-189 339 357

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Triple play: SWU triples win total to six

Seniors play big part in programs recent turnaround
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor All the hard work paid off for three seniors who battled through some low times on the Southwestern United Wildcat softball team. Connor DeWall, Kayla Droll and Janae Vonk went through two winless seasons before picking up their first two varsity wins in 2011. This season, the trio helped the Wildcats win six games the most for SWU since winning a team-record 12 in 2006. The six wins this season equal the total from the five previous seasons at SWU. Connor, Kayla and Janae, they stuck with the program when the going got tough and when a lot of kids may have quit, head coach Cindy Owen said. They saw the program through to the end of their high school career. Despite not winning many games in their first few seasons of softball, DeWall, Droll and Vonk continued to work on their game. They showed that you have to work hard day in and day out, Owen said. They also had a good time when they were doing it. The Wildcats also added seniors Maddie Rasche and Jordin Elness along the way, giving them plenty of veteran leadership. Were going to truly miss our seniors, Owen said. The Wildcats started the season slow, losing their first six games and eventually moving to 1-10. SWU then won again, but three straight losses had the Wildcats at 2-13. The Wildcats then won

Sports Review
four of their next seven games, including a 10-9 win over Russell-Tyler-Ruthton to open the playoffs before losing to Wabasso to bring the season to an end. I thought we steadily improved throughout the season, Owen said. We thought if we doubled our win total wed be happy. We were excited to get six wins. Two of SWUs six wins came against Adrian, which Owen took pride in. Beating Adrian twice was a big deal for us, Owen said. The first time we got them we played good, steady defense and got some hits when we needed them. Adrian is a good team, so to beat them twice was nice. Eighth-grader Ida Rogers-Ferguson was the winning pitcher in each Wildcat win and pitched nearly every inning for SWU. Rogers-Ferguson hurled 116 2/3 innings and struck out 84 batters this season. At the plate, RogersFerguson led SWU with a .306 batting average. Her 19 hits and 14 runs scored were also team highs and RogersFerguson added seven RBI and seven walks. Ida did a very nice job of pitching, Owen said. The nice thing is shes just an eighth grader, so shell be around for a while. Rasche hit .226 with a team-high two triples.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

SWU softball results

Opponent Result Luverne L RRC/WWG L Edgerton/SWC L Benilde-St. Margaret L Murray County Central L Renville County West L Adrian W Worthington L Murray County Central L Murray County Central L Martin County West L GHEC/Martin Luther W RRC/WWG L Edgerton/SWC L Windom L Adrian W Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin L Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin W Russell-Tyler-Ruthton L Madelia-Truman W Murray County Central L Section 3A Tournament Russell-Tyler-Ruthton W Wabasso L Overall record: 6-17 RRC record: 3-7 Score 0-10 9-20 2-18 4-14 2-23 6-7 2-1 1-11 2-14 0-8 1-11 12-1 0-3 0-19 0-23 6-3 2-3 11-2 6-11 9-8 8-19 10-9 2-18 Senior catcher Kayla Droll played a big part in the turnaround of the program at Southwestern United.

See SWU SB on C6 Ida Rogers-Ferguson releases a pitch for the Wildcats this season.

Photos by Dan Condon

Wildcats lack consistency on the baseball diamond

SWU competitive, but wins just two games this season
by DAN CONDON Sports Editor Uncharacteristic mistakes proved costly for the Southwestern United baseball team as the Wildcats won just two games this spring. SWU prides itself on throwing strikes and playing defense, but those were areas of concern much of the season. Thats been one of our strengths throughout the years is our ability to pitch it, catch it and throw it and we really struggled with that this year, head coach Tim Owen said. When they did do those well, it was the bats that let the Wildcats down. It seemed like we had one of those years where if we pitched well, we didnt hit well or if we hit well, we didnt pitch well, Owen said. Both were problems early in the season as the Wildcats scored just six total runs in their first five games and were shut out twice in that span. SWU allowed 57 runs during that stretch. We struggled a bit with our pitching early on, Owen said. We had trouble throwing strikes. We also committed a few too many errors. As it turns out, we probably gave up an extra three, four, five runners a game. It was the couple extra base-runners that made the difference late in the season when SWU played in quite a few close games. We were competitive, but when you give up those extra base-runners, that ends up being the difference in some close games, Owen said. After starting the season with 13 straight losses, SWU won two straight games, but then lost its next four to finish 2-17. It was a little disappointing, Owen said. We were never able to get it together and get on a roll. That doesnt mean there werent highlights along the way. Sophomore Aaron Fest threw a gem in a 5-2 win over Adrian and came on strong during the season. Aaron Fest had a really strong year for us, Owen said. He had tendinitis in his shoulder early in the year, but he really came along on the mound. Senior Riley Place picked up the other win for SWU, pitching a complete game to beat Mt. Lake/ButterfieldOdin 9-6. Riley was consistent for us on the mound, Owen said. Fest pitched 24 1/3 innings and had an earned run average of 1.73. His six earned runs and three walks allowed are the fewest ever for an SWU pitcher with that many innings. He also struck out 21 batters. Place pitched a teamhigh 34 2/3 innings and had an ERA of 4.85. Place also struck out a team-high 30 batters. Senior Luke Henkels wrapped up a solid career for SWU with another good season. Luke was steady all year, Owen said. He had a very solid four-year career. The shortstop was impressive on defense and led the Wildcats with a .339 batting average. Henkels had 12 runs batted in this season and hit two homers. For his career, Henkels hit .332 with 38 RBI, 17 doubles and 44 runs scored. Senior Brady Meyer came on strong and provided a big bat for SWU. Brady, in his first year of playing a lot of varsity, had a big season at the plate, Owen said. Meyer hit .289 and drove in five runs for the Wildcats. The Jass twins also impressed Owen this sprig. Both the Jass boys had very good junior seasons, he said. Justin Jass hit .297 and scored a team-high 13 runs. He also pitched 18 2/3 innings and struck out 21 batters. Eric Jass hit .254 and had a team-high 15 walks to finish with an on-base percentage of .408. Senior Austin Liepold hit .234 and drove in a teamleading 13 RBI. Liepold scored 11 runs and hit three doubles and a homer. Austin had a pretty good year for us, Owen said. Junior Jacob Post hit .259 with nine RBI, junior Mark Ferguson hit .255 with eight runs and four RBI and Kyle Elder hit .273 with eight runs scored. Owen, who is moving from town and wont coach the Wildcats next season, said he sees more wins in the future. It boils down to having some guys that can pitch, Owen said. Aarons ready to step up and Justin pitched well for us as a junior. We had a couple guys that pitched a lot of junior varsity innings and were pretty successful. If those guys can step up, I think theres some potential there.

SWU baseball statistics

Offensive statistics Name Luke Henkels Justin Jass Brady Meyer Kyle Elder Jacob Post Mark Ferguson Eric Jass Austin Liepold Riley Place Jacob Olson SWU Pitching statistics Name Aaron Fest (1-1) Riley Place (1-3) Justin Jass (0-3) Luke Henkels (0-4) Jacob Post (0-5) SWU (2-17) AB 56 64 38 22 54 51 59 47 33 44 492 Runs 11 13 3 8 5 8 9 11 2 6 78 App. 8 8 9 5 9 50 GS 2 6 2 3 6 19 Hits 19 19 11 6 14 13 15 11 4 5 117 IP 24.1 34.2 18.2 9.2 17.1 126 RBI 12 3 5 4 9 4 6 13 0 4 60 H 21 44 22 22 36 170 BB 7 4 1 2 4 8 15 8 4 8 62 K 21 30 21 8 18 112 BB 3 30 21 10 22 97 BA .339 .297 .289 .273 .259 .255 .254 .234 .121 .114 .238 ER 6 24 19 10 26 100 OBP .409 .348 .317 .320 .328 .377 .408 .367 .205 .237 .327 ERA 1.73 4.85 7.13 7.24 10.5 5.93

Shortstop Luke Henkels fires across the diamond for an out this spring. Henkels was a four-year starter for the Wildcats.

SWU baseball results

Opponent Result Worthington L RRC/WWG L Edgerton/SWC L Fairmont L Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin L Adrian L Luverne L Murray County Central L Russell-Tyler-Ruthton L Martin Luther/GHEC L RRC/WWG L Edgerton/SWC L Minneota L Adrian W Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin W Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin L Murray County Central L Windom L Section 3A Tournament Adrian L Overall record: 2-17 RRC record: 2-8 Score 0-10 3-8 0-9 2-15 1-5 9-10 4-15 0-7 8-10 5-9 7-10 8-11 7-8 5-2 9-6 8-10 0-8 0-10 2-6

Justin Jass fires a pitch for Southwestern United this spring. Jass and his twin brother Eric Jass will be part of a strong returning group of Wildcats.

Photos by Dan Condon

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C5
Continued from C1

JCC BASE: Powerful JCC offense hits nine homers, 11 triples and 30 doubles this season
triples. Christopher scored 15 runs and drove in eight. Senior Colyn Hohenstein hit .364 with two doubles, a triple and a homer. Hohenstein drove in 10 runs and scored seven times. Junior Tanner Menke hit four doubles, three triples and two homers and drove in 21 runs. Menke hit .322 and scored 15 runs. Larson hit .321 with 16 RBI and 19 runs scored. His grand slam against Marshall accounted for his only homer, but Larson also hit four doubles and one triple. Junior Josh Thaemlitz hit .294 with six RBI and senior Phil Buschena used a team-high 13 walks to have an on-base percentage of .390. Buschena drove in nine runs and scored seven. Sophomore Shadrach Photo by Dan Condon Head coach Trent Sukalski called Brett Larson a great Wacker played solid second example of our senior leadership for his ability to play base as a defensive specialist for the Huskies. several positions, including catcher. Larson posted an ERA of 1.69 in 20 2/3 innings and Christopher had an ERA of 4.30 in 29 1/3 innings. The duo, along with Pronk and others, formed a deep pitching staff for the Huskies. We werent dominant on the mound by any stretch of the imagination, but we had enough guys that could throw quality innings and keep us in games, Sukalski said. I felt confident that we cut put three, four, five guys out there and we could compete. Solid hitting, good pitching, hard work and a passion for the game helped the Huskies win, but Sukalski said it was the seniors that helped make the season such a success. I thought all of our seniors were really good, Sukalski said. I was really happy with the way they

Sports Review
led and the attitude they brought to the park every day. Sukalski pointed to Larson as the prime example of what a senior should be. Larson played wherever Sukalski put him, and did it well. He pitched, he caught, he played shortstop, he played first base, he even started a game at second base, Sukalski said of Larson. He was just a good all-around baseball player. He did everything well and was a great example of our senior leadership. Sukalski thinks hes got a few guys who can help lead next year. We lose a good group of seniors, but weve got a lot of guys coming back, he said. Im looking forward to next year. I think we can be pretty good again next year.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

JCC baseball statistics

Offensive statistics Name Dustin Pronk Kyle Luhmann Cooper Moore Carsen Nyborg Zach Copley Taylor Christopher Colyn Hohenstein Tanner Menke Brett Larson Josh Thaemlitz Phil Buschena JCC Pitching statistics Name Tanner Menke (0-0) Brett Larson (2-0) Dustin Pronk (5-5) Taylor Christopher (4-0) Cooper Moore (1-1) Zach Copley (0-0) JCC (12-6) App. 3 9 11 9 3 4 39 GS 0 1 8 5 3 2 19 IP 5.2 20.2 48.1 29.1 10.1 12.2 127 H 5 20 50 40 20 22 157 K 5 15 51 15 7 10 103 BB 5 19 21 9 1 7 62 ER 1 5 21 18 8 16 69 ERA 1.24 1.69 3.04 4.30 5.42 8.84 3.80 AB 56 12 59 54 34 57 44 59 53 17 45 509 Runs 16 3 20 21 10 15 7 15 19 3 7 141 Hits 27 5 23 21 13 21 16 19 17 5 9 177 RBI 22 3 14 15 7 8 10 21 16 6 9 133 BB 4 2 6 10 3 12 4 9 7 1 13 73 BA .482 .417 .390 .389 .382 .368 .364 .322 .321 .294 .200 .348 OBP .517 .500 .463 .507 .447 .478 .417 .412 .410 .333 .390 .438

JCC BT: Team wins sub-section

Continued from C2
both won at the sub-section meet and were part of a strong group of field event athletes. Our jumpers and throwers as a whole were very solid, York said. York said this years seniors will be tough to replace, but likes the group he has returning next spring. Were going to have a lot of seniors to replace and they were all big scorers, York said. We have a lot of guys graduating, but I think well have guys to step into those rolls.

JCC SB: Huskies play well down the stretch to finish season 12-10
Continued from C3
most valuable players and Klontz was named the teams most improved player. Klontz and Erickson shared the honor for outstanding offensive player and Brandt, who played first base and outfield, was the teams outstanding defensive player. Reetz earned the coachs award. The Huskies had just two seniors, but Hotzler was impressed with the way they handled themselves. The seniors and their leadership will be missed, Hotzler said. They showed up every day at practice and worked hard. Along with success on the diamond, the Huskies were successful in the classroom. JCC earned a bronze award in the allstate academic awards for having a team gradepoint average of 3.25 to 3.49. Hotzler expects big things from the team next season as it returns the bulk of its roster. We return six starters, Hotzler said. I hope that can help us improve our conference record.

JCC softball statistics

Offensive statistics Name Marita Rasche Caitlin Muir Brooke Klontz Jasmine Erickson Lydia Brandt Adriane Rentschler Jenna Stade Breanne Reetz Moira Carlson Brittany Woodke JCC Pitching statistics AB 80 68 83 72 68 58 70 67 38 19 632 Runs 29 17 24 15 15 13 8 9 12 5 147 App. 12 9 6 27 Hits 33 27 32 25 23 10 12 11 6 3 182 H 68 31 29 128 RBI 26 12 17 14 15 2 3 11 5 2 107 K 49 28 11 88 BB 6 14 4 3 14 8 7 3 6 8 73 BB 27 11 28 66 BA .413 .397 .386 .347 .338 .172 .171 .164 .158 .158 .288 ER 33 27 22 82 OBP .460 .506 .414 .382 .458 .284 .247 .222 .304 .407 .370

Name Brooke Klontz (6-4) Moira Carlson (3-3) Adriane Rentschler (3-3) JCC (12-10)

IP 69.1 37.2 33 140

ERA 3.33 5.01 4.67 4.10

Nolan Hohenstein won the shot put at the sub-section meet and finished the season with 54 points.

JCC boys track and field

Top point scorers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 8. 10. Warren Darling (9) ...............................176 Jason Vongsavanh (11) .........................164 Darnell Taylor-Breck (10) ....................148 John Isaacson (12) ................................127 Ben Kocak (12) .....................................102 Pat Hanson (12) ...................................84.5 Izaac Lucht (10) ......................................80 Alex Tewes (12)......................................69 Matthew Schmit (10) .............................69 Taylor Freeman (12) ...............................62

Ben Kocak won the 1,600-meter run at the sub-section meet this spring and was fifth on the JCC scoring list.

Photos by Dan Condon

Head coach Shelly Hotzler tries to rally her team during a game this season.

Photo by Dan Condon

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C6 Girls golf: Success continues

Continued from C3
count in 11 matches. Emma had a nice season, DiBrito said. Hoffman was named the teams most-improved player after finishing with an average of 51.4 shots per nine holes. Hoffman had her score count eight times and shot a season-low 48 against Redwood Valley. She shot 49 twice and scored 100 in the conference meet. Eighth-grader Abby Brinkman played in six meets this season, with a low of 50 twice. Brinkman had her score count four times and finished with an average of 52.8. Abby had a very nice season, DiBrito said. She kept it competitive on the girls team this year. The Huskies return all but one golfer next season, but the one they lose has been one of the most successful athletes in JCC history. We will miss Kaylee, thats for sure, DiBrito said. But we return a lot of girls who played well this season and most now have a couple years of varsity experience.

Sports Review

Thursday, June 21, 2012

John Marker watches his tee shot at the Jackson Golf Club.

Photos by Dan Condon

Boys golf: Huskies finish strong

Continued from C3
aged 47.2 strokes. His best round was 45 and Kapplinger never shot higher than 50 during a consistent spring. Matt Ringkob had a season-low of 43 and Olson had his best round with a 94 at the conference meet. They all contributed a lot to the varsity, DiBrito said. The Huskies return every golfer next year, something that bodes well for the teams future success. We look forward to having a good season next spring and hopefully some more wins, DiBrito said.

JCC girls golf individual results

Player Best Score (Holes) Kaylee Benson 38 (9) Alison Benson 45 (9) Emma Lilleberg 45 (9) Lexie Hoffman 48 (9) Abby Benson 94 (18) Shelby Benson 98 (18) Abby Brinkman 50 (9) Average 40.9 49.8 50.4 51.4 51.5 52.0 52.8

Alison Benson watches her putt roll toward the hole.

Photo by Dan Condon

JCC GT: Huskies will bring back nearly every athlete next season
Continued from C2
distance races. Lilleberg won the 800-meter run at the subsection meet and she, Henning, Hansen and Swift teamed up to win the 4x8 relay. Jandera, Hansen, Nasby and OConnor won the 4x4 at the sub-section meet. I think we had a lot of girls who might not have done a lot as far as scoring points, but they did big things that are going to help them in the long run, York said, pointing out Schneekloth switching to the 400 this year. We threw Riley in the 4x4 and found out she can be a really good 400 runner. The Huskies return their top seven scorers and 14 of their top 15, giving York hope for an even better season next spring. I think were going to be pretty good next year, York said. We only graduate two seniors in Hailey Timko and Tracey Steffen. We need to find some field event kids; that falls on me a bit. I need to hit the halls a little bit and get more kids to commit. But weve got all our big scorers coming back.

JCC boys golf individual results

Player Best Score (Holes) Joe Brinkman 77 (18) Kyle Edlin 37 (9) Jack Ringkob 40 (9) John Marker 43 (9) Kyle Kapplinger 45 (9) Kyle Christopher 84 (18) Austin Olson 94 (18) Matt Ringkob 43 (9) Average 42.0 44.2 44.2 46.2 47.2 47.4 48.3 49.4

JCC girls track and field

Top point scorers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10. Sydnee Donnelli (11)............................262 Riley Schneekloth (9)...........................145 Jessica Voehl (11) .................................141 Julia Schumann (9) ...............................119 Kathryn Nasby (9) ..................................74 Faith Hansen (9) .....................................73 Annika Lilleberg (7) ...............................66 Tracey Steffen (12) .................................48 Corri VanderWoude (10) ........................44 Christina Henning (10) ..........................41 Jessica Jandera (9) ..................................41
Kyle Edlin chips onto the green during the section tournament this season.

SWU SB: Owen expects Wildcats to continue to win more games

Continued from C4
Rasche scored 12 runs, drove in two and walked six times. Elness hit .222 and DeWall hit .203 with 12 runs scored and a team-high eight RBI. Vonk scored 13 runs and walked 19 times and sophomore Alaina Klingenberg had a team-high 13 walks and scored six runs. Junior Jenny Jimenez drew 10 walks and scored five runs, sophomore Mariah Crowell scored nine times and walked seven times and sophomore Sonja Peters scored eight times and drew five walks. Defensively, we improved, but offensively, we still have some work to do, Owen said. We need to improve our hitting. Owen thinks that will happen, even though she wont be around to see it. Owen took a job elsewhere and had to resign as head coach after two seasons, but expects the Wildcats to continue their upward trend without her. We know that if we continue to make small, steady gains, in a couple years well be a team to be reckoned with, Owen said. She pointed to Klingenberg and Peters both who have spent two seasons on varsity as future leaders of the team. We have some nice young ladies coming up in the program, Owen said. Sonja, Alaina and some of the other kids are going to step it up and keep improving. Were going to be an up-and-coming program. Owen just wishes she could see it happen. Im going to miss this a great deal, she said. I just know theyre going to do a great job next year.

SWU softball statistics

Offensive statistics Name AB Ida Rogers-Ferguson 62 Maddie Rasche 53 Jordin Elness 27 Connor DeWall 64 Sonja Peters 61 Kassaundra Rossow 26 Janae Vonk 57 Mariah Crowell 43 Jenny Jimenez 36 Alaina Klingenberg 56 SWU 530 Pitching statistics Name Ida Rogers-Feruguson (6-14) SWU (6-17) App. GS 21 21 29 23 IP H K BB R 116.2 170 4 68 191 132.2 197 92 99 254 Runs 14 12 6 12 8 4 13 9 5 6 93 Hits 19 12 6 13 12 4 8 6 4 6 93 RBI 7 2 1 8 0 1 0 0 2 0 22 BB 7 6 6 4 5 0 10 7 10 13 72 BA .306 .226 .222 .203 .197 .154 .140 .140 .111 .107 .175 OBP .394 .328 .400 .246 .258 .154 .269 .275 .298 .275 .283

Sophomore Samantha Swift (above) runs in the 4x800meter relay this sesaon. Left: Senior Tracey Steffen scored 48 points this season and finished her career with 312.5.

Photos by Dan Condon

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