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Forest Lake Times
Bella Leonhart places 19th at state golf
Forest Lake’s junior sensation Bella Leonhart placed 19th during her fourth consecutive appearance at the Class AAA girls state golf tournament on Wednesday, June 12, through Thursday, June 15 at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Minneapolis. Leonhart fired an 80 in the first round, before shooting a better mark of 78 in the second – resulting in a total score of 158 to cement her 19th place finish. Leonhart improved from last year’s state run, where she compiled a 162 off scores of 85 and 77, ultimately finishing tied for 29th. The Rangers’ golf star now has one year left of high school eligibility, where she will look to cap off her senior season with a remarkable feat: her fifth straight Class AAA state appearance.
Rangers baseball state run ends in fourth place
Forest Lake won its section, advanced to state tournament for first time since 2017 The Forest Lake Rangers baseball team had a season to remember this spring, winning the Section 7AAAA title and finishing fourth at the Class 4A state tournament. Forest Lake’s run earlier this month ended a five-season drought (the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19). The last time the Rangers won their section and advanced to...
When bus route cancellations plagued school district, these community members stepped up
Tom Paddock started running his own mini-bus operation from his house by driving as many neighborhood kids that fit in his Subaru when their route was canceled. “When the bus routes canceled, they’re not all seat-belted, but I was the bus driver anyway,” Paddock joked. He is one of the several community members who stepped up to meet the bus driver demand as the Forest Lake Area School District was...
Boys volleyball ends season in playoffs
The Forest Lake boys volleyball team squeezed its way into the East Conference playoffs by grabbing the sixth and final spot in the conference following the end of the 2024 regular season. The squad, which posted a 6-15 overall record on the year and went 4-5 in the conference, matched up with the No. 3-seeded East Ridge Raptors in the first round on Tuesday, June 4. The Rangers struggled against East Ridge throughout the season – losing 3-0 in mid May – and that trend continued, as the boys fell 3-0 once again to have its season come to a halt. Forest Lake completes its final season as a part of the JVA, as the boys will be under MSHSL rule next spring.
Girls softball falls short of state title
The Forest Lake softball team came up just short in its hopes of yet again capturing a Class AAAA state title. The second-seeded Rangers opened up the tournament on Wednesday, June 5, against the unseeded Eden Prairie Eagles, where the girls won with ease in a 5-1 final score. The squad raked in seven hits on five RBIs, while striking out just three times. Senior Hannah Tong willed her team to victory on the mound, throwing seven strikeouts and giving up only three total hits. ...
Boys, girls track represent at state
The Forest Lake track and field team sent a total of 19 individual athletes to the Class AAA state track and field championships at St. Michael-Albertville High School on Thursday, June 6, through Saturday, June 8. Junior Norah Hushagen and sophomore Alexis Fahey showcased their skills by faring quite well in their respective events, with Fahey becoming the state champion in the discus finals by way of her title winning mark of 154-11.00, and Hushagen claiming fifth and sixth-place in the 1600m and 3200m finals, respectively, off times of 4:57.79 and 10:48.05. Junior Savana Sanchez found her way to a...
Rangers unseat No-2 seeded Farmington in state tournament
The unseeded Forest Lake Rangers upset the No. 2-seeded Farmington Tigers by a final score of 1-0 in the opening round of the Class AAAA state baseball tournament on Thursday, June 15, at CHS Field. The Rangers, who entered the tournament as a random draw, cracked the “pressure-proof” Tigers to advance to the semifinals round tomorrow. In a game where Farmington was heavily-favored, the Rangers played loose and free, which allowed Forest Lake to play its own style of baseball, resulting in the upset victory....
FL baseball team wins Section 7AAAA title, earns state berth
Rangers back to state tournament for first time since 2017 The Forest Lake baseball team is headed back to the Class AAAA state tournament for the first time since 2017 after winning the Section 7AAAA title over Anoka on Thursday, June 6. The Rangers ended the regular season campaign with a two-game winning streak and extended that streak over to when it mattered most throughout the section tournament. “We talked...
Forest Lake softball falls to Rogers 7-5 in AAAA state semifinal
The Forest Lake softball team came up just short in its 7-5 loss to the Rogers Royals in the semifinals round of the Class AAAA state tournament on Thursday, June 6. The Rangers surrendered four early runs in the top of the first inning, creating a tough hole that the girls made every effort in climbing out of in the close loss. Following the quick 4-0 deficit, Forest Lake’s Ava Stenglein raked in a three-run homer to center field to bring the Rangers back within...
Forest Lake softball beats Eden Prairie 5-1, will face Rogers in state semifinals
The Forest Lake softball team opened up the first round of the Class AAAA state tournament with a triumphant 5-1 win over the Eden Prairie Eagles on Wednesday, June 5, at Caswell Park in North Mankato. The Rangers’ defense was stellar throughout the afternoon by surrendering just three hits–as was senior star pitcher Hannah Tong–who ultimately helped carry the team on her back with nine strikeouts and an impressive catch off an Eagle line drive in the top of the fifth inning to help seal the deal for Forest Lake. ...
Area students return from space ... camp
When Space Camp attendee and member of Team Andromeda Ethan Moser returned home, his parents asked what was his favorite part of the weeklong camp in Huntsville, Alabama. His response was a no-brainer. “I said, ‘Everything,’” Moser joked. Moser was one of 17 students from the Forest Lake area who graduated from Space Camp and...
Future airport hangar layout and financing causing hangups at council
Debate over project’s pause sparks tensions amongst council An expansion of the Forest Lake airport was suddenly put on hold after the council declined to take action on awarding a contract for the work, the final step in a years-long process to extend a taxiway and taxilane and build space for four new hangars on the northern side of the airport. But the northern extension has recently received some pushback from some hangar owners who argue that the expansion is ill-timed. ...
Administrator finalist drops out, council names another
Interviews open to public Renae Fry, the former city administrator of North Branch, has withdrawn her name from consideration for Forest Lake’s open city administrator position. Tariq Al-Rifai was then offered and named a finalist after Fry’s announcement. Fry held the administrator role in North Branch for seven years before stepping down last December, a role she held after a brief stint as the administration coordinator for Sauk County, Wisconsin....
Forest Lake Area High School changes daily schedule, start time
At the start of next school year, the Forest Lake Area High School will transition from a seven-period semi-block schedule to an equal seven-period day in an effort to accommodate a smaller full-time staff, as well as improve student academic achievement in classes and standardized testing. Under the current schedule, there are five class periods in a day, with the first three classes being 51 minutes long, and two class periods lasting 90 minutes, like a “block” schedule, which Forest Lake Area High School Principal...
19 Rangers head to track and field state meet
The Forest Lake track and field teams had 19 individuals earn a Class AAA state berth following the Section 7AAA championship races on Wednesday, May 29 on home turf. On the girls side, junior Savana Sanchez took the section title in the 100m race, earning a time of 12.55 in the finals. Her 12.50 prelim time landed her at number three in Forest Lake school history, while also taking second in the long jump with a new personal record of 17-9.75, also good for another third place in Ranger history. ...
Rangers softball tabs fourth consecutive state berth
FL clinches section title over Andover In what’s seemingly become a trend over the last handful of years, the Forest Lake softball team is back at the Class AAAA state tournament. The Rangers sealed their bid for their fourth consecutive state appearance by winning the Section 7AAAA title on Thursday, May 30, in a 4-3 defeat of Andover. “We always want to make it back – because you obviously have...
Local teen finding success in pageants
Alison Cable recently crowned in two organizations Being crowned royalty is usually a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but for Scandia 13-year-old Alison Cable, it’s old hat. The seventh grader at Forest Lake Area Middle School now has more than 70 titles to her name from various pageant organizations and was most recently crowned “Junior Teen Midwest” with America’s Little Miss Pageants. She will be competing for the national title of Junior Teen in August at the Wisconsin Dells. ...
Access to broadband expands in Forest Lake area
More homes across southern Forest Lake are expected to receive more high-speed internet access in the coming years through Midco’s grant application efforts, while Scandia and Columbus are waiting to hear if their grants are approved. Forest Lake’s expansion project broke ground on Wednesday, May 22, and will connect more than 300 homes across 8,500 acres between the Columbus and Scandia borders, south of Headwaters Parkway to broadband internet access. ...
Columbus Council taps interim administrator for full-time role
Finalists included Forest Lake finalist, current interim administrator The Columbus City Council approved interim City Administrator Jack Davis to take on the full-time role after it conducted its candidate search throughout the past several months. Columbus interviewed three finalists for its full-time city administrator role on Wednesday, May 16. Two have ties to the Forest Lake search: Eric Johnson, one of Forest Lake’s city administrator finalists, and Kristina Handt, who...
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Forest Lake Times has been serving Forest Lake, MN since 1902. Published Thursdays by APG of East Central Minnesota with 24/7 local coverage found online at forestlaketimes.com
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