Monticello sports round-up: May 9

Magic win Grand National Invite

On Monday, the Monticello boys’ golf team played in a Mississippi 8 conference meet at Bulrush Golf Club. The Magic (323) finished in fourth. Chisago Lakes (315) won the meet. Senior Tommy Disch (73) was the individual champion. Sophomore Carter Lemke (79), senior Lance Ingalls (85) and senior Quinten Haas (86) scored for Monti. Sophomore Brady McGriff (86) and senior Micah Sieben (87) also played.

On Friday, May 3, the Magic (314) won the Grand Invitational and Grand National Golf Club. They beat Andover by three strokes. McGriff (75), Lemke (76), Disch (81) and Haas (82) won the tournament for Monticello.

On Tuesday, April 30, the boys played at Pebble Creek for a conference invite. They tied Princeton for second, one shot back of Chisago Lakes.

Opatz shines during home round

On Monday, the Monticello girls’ golf team finished second in a home conference meet. They shot 365 as a team, 21 shots behind meet champ Becker. Sophomore Alayna Opatz (78) was co-champion with Becker junior Layla Mathews.

Sophomore Alex Andrist (94), eighth-grader Pheobe Figenshau (96) and sophomore Kendall Metso (97) finished tied for eighth, 11th and 12th, respectively.

Trying to buck the trend

The Monticello boys’ lacrosse team keeps alternating wins and losses. On Tuesday, April 30, the Magic beat Sartell/Sauk Rapids 14-8. After traveling to Moorhead two days later, they fell 15-5. On Friday, May 3, Monticello handled St. Cloud 14-8.

At 4-4, Monticello hopes they can string together consecutive wins and build some momentum before section playoffs.

Gunnar Simon popped off against Sartell/Sauk Rapids. He scored five goals and finished with eight points. Aiyden Zinnel scored a hat trick. Callan Jacobson and Aidan Widmark both had two goals. Garett Bauer (one goal, two assists) and Brady Lerberg (two assists) also had multi-point games. Ayden O’Brien made four saves in nine minutes as the goalie. Ben Bauer made an additional seven saves over the rest of the game.

The offense wasn’t as sharp against the Spuds. Zinnel scored a team-high two goals. O’Brien made 12 saves on 27 shots on goal.

The offense was humming again against St. Cloud. Simon scored six goals. Jacobson and Garret Bauer (three assists) both scored hat tricks. O’Brien made nine saves.

Back-to-back

Monticello girls’ lacrosse is .500 after two straight wins to get to 3-3. On Friday, May 3, the Magic beat St. Cloud 10-9. Five runners scored two goals; Brookelyn Lindberg, Julia DeChene, Ali Schaefer, Lauren Moorhouse and Addison Kiphuth.

Bound to happen

It was bound to happen eventually. The Monticello boys’ tennis team lost their first two matches after a program-best 13-0 start to the 2024 season.

On Tuesday, April 30, the Magic lost 4-3 to Becker. Singles went 0-4 against the Bulldogs. Wyatt Hanson and Hayden Miller (no. 1 doubles) won 6-0, 6-2. Caleb Kalnbach and Rylan Fierabend (no. 2 doubles) won 6-1, 6-3. Peyton Goyler and Levi Berning (no. 3 doubles) won 6-3, 6-4.

The next day Monticello beat Princeton 6-1. Ryan Schyma (no. 1 singles) won 6-0, 6-4. Ethan Kuhn (no. 2 singles) won 6-2, 6-1. William Kuhn (no. 3 singles) won 6-1, 6-4. Hanson and Miller (no. 1 doubles) won 7-5, 6-3. Kalnbach and Fierabend (no. 2 doubles) won 6-1, 6-3. Goyler and Berning (no. 3 doubles) won 6-0, 6-1.

On Friday, May 3, Monticello lost a non-conference match against Buffalo 4-3. William Kuhn (no. 3 singles) won 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 and Matteus Sundine (no. 4 singles) won 6-0, 6-3. Kalnbach and Fierabend (no. 2 doubles) won 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Kaela Skistad breaks own record

Both Monticello track and field teams were in Buffalo on Tuesday, April 30 for the Bison Invitational. The boys took fourth (84.9) while the girls finished as the runner-up (134.5) to North Branch by 3.5 points.

Plenty of PRs were hit, including junior Kaela Skistad’s school record 400-meter.

Senior Sasha Steinbach won the girls’ 100-meter (12.61) with fellow senior Emelia Skistad on her heels for second (12.67). Senior Isabella Angell won the wheelchair 100-meter (29.93), shot put (8-02.5) and discus (22-09, PR).

Kaela Skistad hit her PR during a win in the girls’ 400-meter dash (57.03), a school record that she continues to beat time and time again.

Sophomore Isabel Mahoney won the girls’ 1600-meter (5:10.44) and senior Ty Browuer set two new PRs when he won the boys’ 1600 (4:28.63) and 3200 (10:06.50). Senior Ryan Richardson hit a PR when he won the boys’ 300-meter hurdles (41.72).

Steinbach, junior Kacie Lilledahl, Kaela Skistad and Emelia Skistad won the girls’ 4x200 relay (1:43.18). Eighth-grader Alemitu Rosh, seventh-grader Kylie Lindberg and freshmen Alexis Rimmer and Whitney Sala won the girls’ 4x8 relay (10:36.41).

The senior squad of Dallas Christensen, Paul Fasen, Chris Falk and Ayden Smith won the boys’ 4x8 (8:37.98). Senior Camenae Gustafson won the girls’ shot put with a season-best toss of 101-10. Junior Kathrine Lemke was second (101-02).