SPORTS WRAP
Trever Schirmer has plenty to be thankful for despite missing the chance to go to state in shot put and discus last spring, and missing his senior football season. Both were lost to a knee injury just before section track. Now he is healthy and ready to make a push for state with the coming track season. On top of that, he just signed a Division One Letter of Intent to compete in track and field at the University of St. Thomas.
Being injured put a damper on the recruiting process. “It made me ponder and wonder what was next for me. I just kept grinding and working to be the best person I could be.” A blessing came over the winter when St. Thomas offered the opportunity. “I have been working extremely hard to pursue that roster spot.”
A life change before the injury helped him through the challenging times. “I came to God and gave my life to Christ. Just being able to stay in the gospel and keep reading and learning helped motivate me to become a better person every single day.”
Weight coach for the Huskies’ track team Jerry Eggermont is thrilled. “These kids really work hard during the course of their high school career. For it to come to fruition for a kid like Trever who has lived in the weight room and is really invested, it’s really fun to see. I’m really close with him. I’m thankful for our relationship and the work that he’s put in.”
First things, first
Schirmer is focused for now on the upcoming season. “I’m fully recovered now and just strengthening myself. I’ve been hitting new personal records on upper body and getting back to where I was at in my lower body. I’m just hoping for a good track season at this point.” He was favored to qualify for state in shot and discus last year.
High school is limited to shot and discus, but he may dabble in javelin, hammer and weight throws with the Tommies – who are investing in new facilities and adding coaches. “I really appreciate being able to come into a new program and cement my name as someone who is new inside the Division One program.” He plans to study biology with a business minor.
Eggermont says Schirmer showed great motivation during rehab. “He loves to throw and wanted to be a college thrower. The pressure was on even a little more to get that rehab through and put himself in a position that colleges would be interested in him.” Heavier implements in college shouldn’t be a problem. “Trever has the frame. He has weight room experience. He has the strength and he’s very explosive.”
Great season for boys’ hoops
Even though the Owatonna boys’ basketball team didn’t repeat as section champs for a third consecutive year, they had great success in what could have been a rebuilding season. Closing the current high school gym with a double-overtime, playoff win left an indelible mark in the minds of those who packed the bleachers. The Huskies lost to a loaded Lakeville North squad in the semifinals to finish at 20-8.
Coach Josh Williams says the seniors made a great impact. “It’s been a phenomenal group. It really has. Truthfully, they were in a pretty difficult position when they try to follow up as talented a senior class as we just got done. Probably one of the most talented senior classes we’ve had in history when you look at records that were set, from team records to individual records.”
“I honestly felt we could be a pretty good team coming into this year. Our leadership has been great. Our three captains Ayden Walter, Collin Vick and Blake Burmeister have been great. But you throw in guys like Nils Gantert, Mikah Elstad, Jason Klecker and C.J. Theis. They’ve rallied the guys right from the get-go. They knew our expectations going into the season. Just because the players change, our mentality doesn’t. Our goals don’t either. We’re just a different team.”
“It’s just finding different ways to win. Those seniors have been a major part of that. Part of our ability to put ourselves in this position of being one of the top teams in the conference.” Manager Andrew Bong and cheerleader Kat Bartz are also seniors.
Basketball All-Conference
Vick and Burmeister are unanimous All-Big Nine selections. Walter is honorable mention. Owatonna girls’ juniors Carsyn Brady and Morgan Fisher, plus sophomore Maryn Pool are honorable mention.
Panther wrestlers
Three NRHEG wrestlers competed at the recent state meet. Each has their own comeback story. Annabelle Petsinger was trailing entering the third period of the championship match, but rallied for the win over her top-rated opponent. “Just keep moving and it’s not over until that final whistle blows.”
As to falling behind, Petsinger said, “I kind of went for a headlock that wasn’t there.” The comeback points came from a reversal and back points. At the final whistle, she wondered, “Is the score right?”
Petsinger comes for a strong wrestling extended family and is the first to capture a title. “It means a lot. It’s the first time that anybody in my family has been able to ‘get it done’ as we say. Because all four of the uncles, they’ve gone to state.” It’s brought a flurry of attention to the junior. “I’ve been doing a lot of interviews. A lot of stuff.”
Panthers’ coach Shawn Larson says Petsinger learned from a meeting with the same wrestler at last year’s sections. “Annabelle spent a lot of time working in the bottom position over the past year and she was able to get two reversals in the state championship match.”
Senior Makota Misgen finished his high school career with a win and took third place. He wrestled in the championship bout a year ago, finishing as state runner-up. After an overtime loss in this year’s semifinals, he turned the page right away. “A coach came up to me and said, ‘You have to do this for your future. You’re going to look back at this and think, about how you should have just thrown that behind and taken third,’ so I did.”
Misgen will wrestle at Rochester Community and Technical College and study law enforcement.
Back on the wrestling mat after several years away, junior Reese Routh found his way to state, though it didn’t seem likely a few months ago. “It was pretty farfetched, thinking about it at the beginning of the season.”
He continually improved and made it to downtown St. Paul. “It was nerve-racking. There’s a lot of pressure and lots of people. It’s a big space and it’s different when you’re down on the floor from when you’re in the stands. It’s pretty neat.”
One less weight
Minnesota high school wrestling will drop one weight class next season. Larson is part of the advisory board. “The coaches overall wanted 13 classes. I want to see more kids wrestling, but in the state of wrestling right now, 13 is probably a better option just because people can’t fill rosters.”
The move eliminates one of the upper weight classes, “Of the top three weights, there are usually not many kids in tournaments. They took two of the weight classes and kind of spread them a little bit.” The top four weights this past season were 182 pounds, 195, 220, and 285. The top three weights under the new format are 189, 215 and 285.
State hockey tournament
The hockey season continues this weekend for the Owatonna Under 15 girls’ squad, which opens play in the state tournament against Moorhead on Friday, March 17 in South St. Paul. The team won the district and region tournaments to get the best seed possible.
Coach Ryan Mitchell says the goal of going to state evolved during the season. “At the beginning of the year, we didn’t know. But throughout the year that became our goal.” The team is close. “They’ve been together for a while. The core of the team played together last year. A bunch of the girls have played together for five straight years. The chemistry is really good.” He says a couple of Under 12 team players joined this season and blended right in with the older players.
Owatonna beat Moorhead 2-0 this season with an empty-net goal to clinch it. “We have seen every team in the state,” said Mitchell, who added, “Every team makes me a little bit nervous.” But he feels his team is confident after a “hiccup” during the district tournament. “We ended up winning that game and our girls have ever since then taken it personally. I’m cautiously optimistic.”