SAHS: Coaching changes on tap for some winter sports teams

Fall seasons are underway for Stillwater Area High School athletes and there will be some new faces leading various teams during the upcoming year.

There were no changes at the top among the fall sports coaches, but some movement in leadership for some winter sports teams, including girls hockey, wrestling, Nordic skiing, and dance.

Veteran hockey coach Tim Morris has taken over the Stillwater girls hockey program and Kevin LeValley is the new head coach for the boys wrestling team. After coaching the girls the past three seasons, Torry Kraftson is returning to work with the Stillwater boys Nordic skiing team while Olivia Ester has replaced him in leading the girls. Kati Cheney has also taken over as head coach for the competition dance team (not the fall performance team).

These hires were made by now-retired Activities Director Ricky Michel, whose last day in that position was Aug. 15. The new Activities Director is Nate Cox, who was previously the principal at Lily Lake Elementary. Amanda Gahlon has replaced Jacki Delahunt as the Activities Secretary.

Michel said he was pleased to welcome the new coaches, but more happy to settle into his own semi-retirement. Michel has returned as goalkeepers coach for the Stillwater girls soccer team.

“We’re in a good place as far as coaches,” Michel said. “Our coaches are very good.”

He also expects a smooth transition with the new leadership.

“As far as Nate and Amanda go, I’ve worked with them for four weeks and they are super organized,” Michel said. “Nate has a great disposition and personality. We haven’t had any events yet, but he’s off to a very good start.”

Morris arrives in Stillwater with a coaching resume that already earned him an induction into the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2023. In more than three decades he has coached at Totino-Grace, Eden Prairie, Blaine and, most recently, Lakeville South.

Stillwater fans may remember Morris leading Eden Prairie to a victory over Stillwater in the quarterfinals of the state tournament in 2006. The Eagles went on to win the state championship that year and again in 2008 — right amongst Stillwater’s state titles in 2007 and 2009.

“He has been coaching for a long time and the pedigree is huge for him,” Michel said. “He coached at Eden Prairie during their heyday when they exchanged state championships with Stillwater and they had a four-year stranglehold on girls hockey.”

More recently, Morris was an assistant in the boys program at Blaine and also built the Lakeville South girls into a contending program.

“He’s going to offer a new look and some stability,” Michel said. “I think it’s difficult to coach girls hockey in Stillwater for a variety of reasons, but it should be a great place to coach because the youth program is strong.”

He takes over a program that last advanced to the state tournament in 2021.

Annie Cashman resigned last spring after guiding the Ponies to a 37-17-1 record in two seasons, including 30-1-1 on the way to back-to-back Suburban East Conference championships.

Stillwater was stopped in the section playoffs by eventual state champion Gentry Academy in 2023 and in the section finals by eventual state runner-up Hill-Murray this past season.

“Annie did a good job,” Michel said. “Tim is going to bring a whole new perspective. I’m hoping he’s around for a while.”

The Stillwater wrestling program has ranked among the best in the state the past several seasons and expectations are for a smooth transition with new head coach Kevin LeValley taking the reins.

LeValley becomes the third head coach in as many years for the Ponies, who have advanced to the state tournament seven of the past eight seasons and placed among the top three at state five of the past six years. Steve Polakowski and Tim Hartung traded stints as head coach the past few seasons and previous head coach Rich Keller is also expected to return as an assistant.

“He has been heavily involved in the youth program,” Michel said. “The only thing that’s going to change is the head coach. The assistants are all back. It’s going to be like it’s been the last three years and that is an excellent staff. They’ll be fine.”

LeValley brings an impressive resume as a wrestler and coach. He was a four-time state champion in Colorado before embarking on an impressive career at Bucknell University, twice earning All-American honors and finishing with a school record for wins in a season (42) and career (127).

He racked up 11 medals in international competition before eventually returning to Bucknell as an assistant, helping 21 wrestlers qualify for nationals and coaching 14 Academic All-Americans.

After a few seasons leading the girls, Kraftson returns as head coach for the Stillwater boys following the resignation of Ryan Jensen after two seasons. Kraftson also coached the boys team for 10 seasons before stepping away after the 2016-17 season.

“He has a good history of coaching and his teams have been successful,” Michel said.

Stillwater graduate Olivia Ester, meanwhile, takes over for Kraftson as the girls head coach. Michel said hall-of-famer Bill Simpson is also expected to return as co-head coach for the Ponies in a program that remains among the largest in the state.

“Olivia brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy and she has a lot of experience coaching out east,” Michel said. “She was a former Ponies Nordic skier so she knows the tradition of the program and has been a part of the history.

“She has coached a variety of athletes and talents, so she’s going to have that when she coaches at Stillwater. She will have some athletes with little experience and also potential all-state skiers. She has a broad range of knowledge that’s going to fit all the participants that come out.”

The Stillwater dance team has grown in recent years and Kati Cheney is hoping to continue that momentum as the program’s new head coach.

Cheney has previous coaching experience with the East Ridge fall dance program.

“She did performance dance coaching (at East Ridge) for two years and she is a dance studio coach,” Michel said.

Cheney replaces previous co-head coaches Kayla Skiba and Brittany Bennett.

“They did a good job getting the numbers up,” Michel said. “They started with about eight kids up to about 30 this past year. They expanded the program.”