Seniors pose with coach Bryant Mages. From left: Jack Nelson, Logan Netzke, Mages, Toby Weiss and AJ Arneson.
The Sleepy Eye golf team placed third at the State Golf Meet. From left: Coach Bryant Mages, Jacob Schultz, Carson Erickson, Jack Nelson, AJ Arneson, Toby Weiss, Logan Netzke and Coach George Schwint.
The State Golfers enjoyed the traditional Fire Truck ride through town Monday night (6/21)
by Bryant Mages, Sleepy Eye United Coach
Liz Schwint (individually) and the Sleepy Eye United boys (team) competed in the State Class A Golf Tournament this past week (June 15-16) at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker, MN.
Schwint:
It was Liz Schwint’s first appearance at the annual “best of the bests” tournament, and she looked to enjoy the experience while having the goal of shooting two good rounds of golf. On day one of the tournament, Liz shot a score of 112 on her way to familiarizing herself with the ins and outs of the golf course at Pebble Creek. On Wednesday, Liz rounded out her first state tournament appearance in style, as she tied her season low 18-hole total of 104 for a 62nd place finish in the state.
I was really proud of how Liz ended the state tournament this year by tying her low 18-hole score on the year. Toward the end of the year, Liz really proved that it didn’t really matter what golf course she was playing – she will bring a good mental game with her wherever she goes, and it definitely paid off for her down the stretch.
Boys:
The Sleepy Eye United boys’ golf team came into the 2021 State Class A Golf tournament optimistically, after shooting the 3rd lowest section tournament score (633) in the state – behind North Woods (625) and Fertile Beltrami (628).
Day 1 of the state tournament definitely did not start off on the right note for us. I watched as a number of the kids took some pretty big numbers on the opening couple of holes. However, that kind of made the first day more rewarding in the end. They ended up battling back to shoot a really solid team score of 321 and cut what was an early 10+ stroke deficit to a tie for first with Fertile Beltrami by the end of the day. Its just the type of thing I reiterated to the guys all year long – forget about the bad shots and bad holes and move onto the next. Seeing that level of perseverance they had on the first day is just what a coach loves to see.
Day 1 Scores included: (321 team score)
Carson Erickson – 74
Toby Weiss – 79
Logan Netzke – 82
Jack Nelson – 86
The guys struggled a bit on the second day of the state tournament. On the second day, the Sleepy Eye United boys got off to a more promising start, and actually gained a brief two stroke lead over Fertile Beltrami after just a few holes of play. However, in the end Fertile Beltrami’s consistency in their top four golfers was what led to the school’s first ever state championship. We definitely didn’t play as well as we could have on the second day of the state tournament, but I was really proud of how we battled. There aren’t many kids that can say that they contended for a state title, and from beginning to end, the class A title was basically a three-team race. Being one of the three teams in contention is something that this team can be really proud of.
Day 2 Scores: 335 team score
Logan Netzke – 80
Toby Weiss – 81
Carson Erickson – 85
Jacob Schultz – 89
Final Results
1st – Fertile Beltrami 629
2nd – Legacy Christian Academy 642
3rd – Sleepy Eye United 656
4th – North Woods 675
5th – West Central Area 691
6th – Benson 707
7th – Lanesboro 714
8th – Adrian 731
Comments About Season:
If there’s one overarching feeling I have about my first season as head coach for the golf team, its definitely that I’m just super proud of these kids. They worked hard, they improved, they got knocked down, they got back up again, and they came back stronger and lived up to their potential. Its honestly just really inspiring to me.
The state tournament was a really exhausting couple days for me, I’m not gonna lie. I wanted the kids to have the best experience they could have in the final days of the season, and it really got me thinking about why I started coaching in the first place. When I took the head coach position for the golf team, I wanted to be able to give these kids the same awesome experience I had when I was in golf in high school.
The primary reason for why I think I enjoyed golf so much in high school was because of my high school golf coach, Tom (‘Doc’) Larson. Its crazy to think about how one person can have such an impact in a person’s life, but Doc really influenced me in many ways – both on and off the golf course. He really took the time to get to know every one of his players individually, to celebrate their victories no matter the size, and to keep things positive when things didn’t go well. Overall, he was an incredibly invested and dedicated coach – much much more than any coach I ever had. He truly cared, and that’s why he has had the impact he has had on so many golfers over the years.
It never really hit me how much of an impact I might have been making on these kids this year until I saw the four seniors out on their last hole at the state tournament. The exchanges we had I will never forget, even long after I coach. It was really rewarding because I realized I had made an impact on these kids, and it also made me a bit emotional because I realized they impacted me as a coach and as a person as well.
MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL
BASEBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
2021 CLASS 1A ALL-STATE SELECTIONS
June 15,2021
NAME YEAR SCHOOL
1.Easton Fritcher Junior Hayfield
2.Karver Heydt Junior Hayfield
3.Joey Tempel Senior Hayfield
4.Nolan Klocke Junior Hayfield
5.Cole Walter Senior Lyle-Pacelli
6.Jed Nelson Senior Lyle-Pacelli
7.Carson Domeier Junior Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s
8.Kadon Strong Senior Sleepy Eye Public
9.Eli Fest Senior Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda
10.Aidan Elfering Senior BOLD
11.Sam Knowles Junior New Ulm Cathedral
12.Caleb Fogal Senior Mankato Loyola
13.Mason Leonard Senior Springfield
14.Tori Helget Senior Springfield
15.Marhsall Wagner Senior Adrian
16.Carter Benz Senior Wabasso
17.Andrew Price Junior Legacy Christian Academy
18.Brady Johnson Senior Hinckley Finlayson
19.Derek Lindow Senior Nevis
20.Isaac Call Senior Kerkhoven
21.Jaden Norby Senior Ashby
22.Ero Wallin Senior Silver Bay
23.Jaxson Bennett Junior South Ridge
24.Connor Nelson Junior Norman County East Ulen-Hitterdal
25.Jason Lindgren Senior Stephen Argyle Central
CLASS A PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ero Wallin- Silver Bay
TOMAHAWK ALL CONFERENCE AND HONORABLE MENTION
SOFTBALL 2021
ALL CONFERENCE TEAM
NAME SCHOOL GRADE
Sarah Mohr New Ulm Cathedral 12
Emily Schommer New Ulm Cathedral 11
Megan Haala New Ulm Cathedral 10
Kiah Helget New Ulm Cathedral 9
Jadah Borth BLHS 12
Tia Weispfennig BLHS 12
Alex Maiers BLHS 11
Brooklyn Sturm Springfield 9
Jalivia Richert Springfield 9
Jaeli Richert Springfield 10
Megan Ploeger Springfield 11
Emily Weiss SESM 12
Julia Helget SESM 11
Sarah Franta Wabasso 12
Madeline Hanna Wabasso 12
Morgan Aylsworth GFW 11
McKenna Strong Sleepy Eye Public 12
Haley Ditch MVL 12
HONORABLE MENTION TEAM
NAME SCHOOL GRADE
- Lilly Brennan New Ulm Cathedral 10
- Lilly Franta New Ulm Cathedral 11
- Emilie Hable BLHS 11
- Victoria Roiger Springfield 11
- Madyson Digmann Springfield 10
- Megan Ahlness SESM 12
- Lacey Mathiowetz SESM 10
- Kelsey Frank Wabasso 10
- Brooklyn Werner GFW 11
- Morgan Klein Sleepy Eye Public 12
- Grace Bauer MVL 12
CO PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Jadah Borth – BLHS and Sarah Mohr – New Ulm Cathedral
COACH OF THE YEAR: Katie Wilhelmi – Springfield
The Sleepy Eye United boys golf team consisting of AJ Arneson, Logan Netzke, Jack Nelson, Jacob Schultz, Carson Erickson and Toby Weiss placed third at the MSHSL State Golf Tournament which took place June 15 and 16 at Pebble Creek Golf Club. The squad is coached by Bryant Mages and George Schwint. Lady golfer Liz Schwint also competed in the Girls Individual Tournament.
The River Valley (Sleepy Eye, Springfield, and Cedar Mountain) girls 4×800 relay team of junior Lily McCone and eighth-graders Marissa Pabst, Skyla Dauer, and Emmaline McCone finished first at the section 2A Track meet, earning a state meet spot with a season-best 10:19.26.
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SECTION A GOLF : Sleepy Eye Boys win championship, Erickson takes first, Schwint qualifies for state
The Sleepy Eye United golf team traveled to North Links Golf Course in Mankato this past week for a chance to punch their ticket to the state class A golf tournament.
After shooting a score of 106 last Tuesday (6/1), Liz Schwint set herself up for what would be a tight race for one of the five coveted individual spots to go to the state tournament. The boys team raced to a 23 stroke lead over the Tigers of Springfield thanks to our season best team score of 318, including scores of 76 from Carson Erickson and Logan Netzke, 81 from Toby Weiss, and 85 from Jack Nelson.
The section tournament wrapped up on Monday, June 7th at the same venue. Teeing off in the first group, Schwint looked to post a solid score and wait for the conclusion of the tournament to see where she ended up. Schwint went on to match her solid day one performance with another 106 which ended up landing her the 5th and final individual ticket to the state tournament. Liz and state tournaments are beginning to become a staple in Sleepy Eye, as she also just participated in the girls state basketball tournament a few months ago.
The boys team came into Monday hoping to maintain their edge over Springfield and advance to the state tournament as the section 2A victor. They had some struggles on the opening couple of holes, but were able to turn things around quickly and expand their lead. They really turned things around on the back nine, where they pretty much set the course on fire, shooting a modern-day school record 9-hole total of 151 on the back nine. This would ultimately result in another season-best team score of 315.
Toby Weiss led the charge for us on day two with what was a tournament-low 18-hole total of 73 (+1 on the day). Carson Erickson had another great day, shooting a 75 (+3) on the day, which, coupled with his first round 76 (total 151) would earn him some additional hardware – section 2A individual champion. Logan Netzke’s round of 81 and Jack Nelson’s round of 86 rounded out the team score of 315 on day 2 of sections.
In the end, the SEU boys golf team saw their 23 stroke edge expand to 49 strokes over the Section 2A runner-up Springfield Tigers. Shooting a two-day total of 633, the Sleepy Eye United boys look to have a good performance at next week’s state tournament. There is some pretty stiff competition in the state this year – particularly from Fertile Beltrami, North Woods, and Legacy Christian Academy. However, I think that we can contend for a state title if we bring our best golf with us.
(Scores below – *denotes the five individuals who advance to the state tournament (excludes those who qualified with a team)
Team Results (Boys) – Top 3
1st – Sleepy Eye United 318-315 = 633
2nd – Springfield 341-341 = 682
3rd – United South Central 355-344 = 699
Individual Results (Boys) – Top 10
1st – Carson Erickson, SEU 76-75=151
2nd – *Mavrick Winkelmann, Springfield 79-74=153
3rd – Toby Weiss, SEU 81-73=154
4th – *Logan Thell, JWP 74-81=155
T-5th – Logan Netzke, SEU 76-81=157
T-5th – *Logan Haala, NU Cathedral 80-77=157
7th – *Christopher Thram, Springfield 82-79=161
8th – *Kadyn Neubauer, USC 85-78=163
9th – Jack Nelson, SEU 85-86=171
10th – Aidan Nelsen, Cedar Mt 89-85=174
Team Results (Girls) – Top 3
1st – Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 409-422=831
2nd – Minnesota Valley Lutheran 431-424=855
3rd – Cedar Mountain 467-462=929
Individual Results (Girls) – Top 10
1st – *Kayla Goblirsch, NU Cathedral 80-89=169
2nd – *Nadine Clobes, MVL 81-90=171
3rd – Kirsten Thell, JWP 100-96=196
4th – *Morgan Engholm, Cedar Mt 103-94=197
5th – Taylor Rinehart, JWP 103-98=201
6th – *Abbie Riederer, MVL 107-102=209
7th – *Liz Schwint, SEU 106-106=212
8th – Danielle Gerdts, JWP 101-112=213
9th – Jenna Schweiss, GFW 111-107=218
10th – Olivia Christians, Mt. Lake/Comfrey 110-109=219
Coach’s Comments:
This entire season has been so much fun. Having everyone at the top of their game at the tail end of the season is just what I love to see as a coach. I was definitely a bit emotional after we finished up on Monday, because these kids are such a great group to be around – they spend so much time on the golf course working to get better, so seeing them get rewarded with a trip to the state tournament is just the cherry on top of a fantastic first season as coach. Anyone who knows me well knows that I spend pretty much every bit of my time outside of work out at the golf course, so even though this is my first year coaching, I’ve known a lot of them for years now. They’ve started to feel more like family to me, and the camaraderie we have as a team is something I’ll hold onto for years after this season.
Another fun thing about this season – I told the guys at the start of the season (knowing that they would shoot some really good team scores) that I would jump in the pond at Sleepy Eye Golf Club if they ever broke the modern-day school record 9 hole score of 154. Well, how fitting is it that they shot a 151 on the back 9 at the final day of sections? I did hold up my end of the bargain after things concluded. We all went out to the golf course for supper and the night ended with the golfers and their parents watching me plunge into the water hazard on #6.
Liz Schwint and the boys team will compete at the State Class A Golf Tournament on June 15-16 at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker, MN.
