Sports Notebook Saturday, February 24, 2024

Nineteen ISD 728 athletes sign national letters of intent

A total of 19 student-athletes signed their national letters of intent on Wednesday, Feb. 7. These students chose to continue their athletic and academic careers at various postsecondary institutions beginning in fall 2024. Signees are listed by school. In addition, Sam Ranallo, a 2023 graduate of Rogers High School, signed with the University of St. Thomas and will play for the Tommies men’s hockey team next season.

Elk River High School

Madalyn Anderson (Concordia College-Moorhead, women’s volleyball, DIII); Leila Bakri (University of Wisconsin-Stout, women’s soccer, DIII); Carter Bloom (College of St. Scholastica, football, DIII); Gavin Braley (North Central College, men’s lacrosse, DIII); Logan Bunker (University of Wisconsin-River Falls, football, DIII); T.J. Caouette (Minnesota State Community and Technical College, men’s basketball, NJCAA); Bentley Casey (Hamline University, baseball, DIII); Brett Groebner (Southwest Minnesota State University, baseball, DII); Myles Hanson (Augustana University, baseball, DII); Hannah Holm (College of St. Scholastica, women’s soccer, DIII); Tim Johnson (St. John’s University, football, DIII); Gabby Odegard (Minnesota State University-Mankato, women’s swimming, DII); T.J. Reilly (Crown College, baseball, DIII); Sawyer Rueckert (South Dakota School of Mines, men’s soccer, DII); Olivia Seward (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, women’s swimming, DIII); Nick Shade (University of Wisconsin-River Falls, football, DIII).

Zimmerman High School

Kaisa Hogan (College of St. Scholastica, women’s soccer, DIII); Lainie Wehmhoff (Concordia University-St. Paul, women’s soccer, DII); Kamryn Wesloh (Minnesota State University-Moorhead, women’s soccer, DII).

Elks wrestling falls in section quarterfinal

The Elks team portion of the 2023-24 season came to an end after losing 42-23 to Cambridge-Isanti in the Section 7-3A quarterfinal on Friday, Feb. 16, at Elk River High School. Elk River won five of the 12 matches. The Bluejackets won five of their seven matches by fall, earning 30 of its 42 points by fall.

The Elks will compete in the Section 7-3A individual meet on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Anoka High School. The top two wrestlers in each of the 13 weight classes will represent the section in the Class 3A individual tournament Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, at Xcel Energy Center. Junior Brayden Hilyar, sophomore Ian Lessard and senior Daunte Sasse, along with 2023 ERHS graduate Alex Artmann, represented Elk River at the 2023 state tournament. Only Lessard and Sasse will be eligible to compete in the state tournament, as Hilyar is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury.

Tickets for the Class 3A individual tournament are on sale at www.mshsl.com/tickets .

Rogers can’t solve Park Center in wrestling quarterfinal

The Rogers wrestling team lost 45-27 to Park Center in the Section 5-3A quarterfinal on Saturday, Feb. 17, at Rogers High School. The Royals won five of the 12 matches, while six of the Pirates’ seven wins were decided by fall for a total of 36 points.

Both teams will compete in the Section 5-3A individual tournament on Saturday, Feb. 24, at St. Michael-Albertville High School. The top two wrestlers in each of the 13 weight classes advance to the Class 3A individual wrestling tournament Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, at Xcel Energy Center. Sophomore Grady Weinbrenner was Rogers’ lone representative at the state tournament last year in the 127-pound weight class.

Elks gymnastics sends five to Class 2A individual tournament

The Elk River gymnastics team will have five gymnasts representing the program at the Class 2A individual gymnastics meet on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. Hailey Beck, Alyssa Fleahman, Sydney Martin, Ally Rekstad and Payten St. Aubin qualified for the state meet after competing in the Section 7-2A meet at Cambridge-Isanti High School on Friday, Feb. 16. Beck and Fleahman will compete on bars, Fleahman and Rekstad will compete on floor, and Martin and St. Aubin will compete on beam.

Elks’ Kayla Christy scores 1,000th point

Elks girls basketball senior guard Kayla Christy scored her 1,000th career point on Saturday, Feb. 17, in No. 16 Elk River’s 66-46 win over Brainerd at Elk River High School. After the game, Christy and her teammates took a photo along with family and friends holding up signs that said “1,000.” The Elks await their seed in the Section 8-4A tournament.