SPORTS WRAP
Now Owatonna has a state championship gymnastics trophy to go along with a closet full of third-place plaques. The Huskies secured their first-ever title with a state-best balance beam performance (37.200) in their final rotation Friday night at Roy Wilkins Auditorium to finish at 146.825.
OHS has eight state appearances, all since 2016, including four of the last five seasons. The secret ingredients are work ethic and commitment.
“Everyone works hard, day in and day out. All the positivity and everything else,” said senior captain Jozie Johnson. “All three of us captains were out at some point this season (with injuries.) So, all the girls had to step up.”
Coach Evan Moe says the younger gymnasts are always relied upon. “We coach everyone the same. We push all these JV athletes. This year we dealt with a lot of injuries. But even while we had all-arounders hurt and even while we had seniors that were out, we had these youngin’s that came in and had no problem throwing up a nine or a little bit better than that. And as they continue to develop and get older, they’re adding the skills.”
Sophomore Johanna Spielman says, “We have really good coaches. I think we’re so good partly because of Evan. He’s such a great coach. And Kiana (Starks) and Jason (Smith). We all really feel like a family. I love all of my teammates, and we support each other.”
Captain Halle Theis says making repeat trips to state builds confidence. “Knowing that it’s a big venue. It’s loud and there’s so many people cheering, I think it’s exciting and then you get to help the younger girls that haven’t been there in the past feel comfortable.”
Fellow senior and captain Averie Roush says it leads to a feeling of comfort. “I just tell myself to stay relaxed. I perform best when I do that. And giving my pep talks also relaxes me when I do that to my other teammates. Remaining calm keeps me focused.”
While the team remained cool under pressure, I believe I speak for the fans and parents in the stands that we were on the edge of our seats and holding our breath.
Dancing Queen
You know the music and probably the story for Mamma Mia, the Owatonna High School musical.
Senior Logan Langeberg plays Sam, one of the three potential fathers. “I watched the movie as soon as I found out it was going to be Mamma Mia. But I hadn’t seen it before then.”
This is his first role on stage after performing in the pit band for previous musicals. His instrument the trombone isn’t needed for this music genre. “I was already considering going on stage and at that point it just became a no-brainer. Like, ‘Why not and give it a try?’ I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Sophomore Justice Moots is Sophie, the daughter. “I’m about to get married to a guy named Sky. I just want to know who my father is. I’ve wondered my whole life… There are a lot of secrets I can’t really share. You’ll have to come the show. I’ve always been a huge music girl. I’ve always been a huge actress. I didn’t even realize musicals were an option for me until I came to Shrek (the Musical) in my eighth-grade year. I saw that, and thought, ‘Oh wow, this is incredible.’”
It didn’t take long for senior Ellery Blacker to recognize the songs. “When I first listened through the soundtrack, I was like, ‘I know ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Mamma Mia,’’ but then it was, ‘Wait, I actually know a lot of this music.’”
She plays Rosie, one of the mom’s friends from college. “The story is really fun. I like working with them a lot and we’re just kind of the more fun characters. We have a lot of fun scenes all together.”
Blacker debuted in the musical Addams Family as an activity to stay busy outside of her sports seasons in fall and spring. “Doing it freshman year was kind of nerve wracking, but it was fun.”
Fletcher Marks decided to give acting a try junior year. “Me and my friend kind of auditioned for Newsies as, I wouldn’t say a joke, but it was more of a spur of the moment thing. We were just like, ‘Let’s try this. Why not.’ We weren’t doing anything during the winter. I did it and I got some roles last year and I found a really good community here.”
He enjoys the humor in the show. “Especially with the physical humor and the lines. Getting the delivery right is really important. But I think that’s the fun part of it too, is you can kind of play around with different scenes and different lines.”
Senior Sofia Escobedo was excited when the announcement came for this show and says they did a great job turning a PG-13 movie into a PG performance. She was encouraged to give theater a try her junior year. “I was in the middle of cheer season. Ms. (Paula) Asmus, the choir director, told me I should audition for the musical… It was definitely a good choice.”
Kalleigh Malecha loves music. “I wanted to find a way to stay involved with music and singing and Asmus had also talked to me about joining. I just wanted to try it out and see how it went, and I really enjoyed it.”
She plays Sophie’s mom Donna. “She’s a chaotic lady.” Malecha is excited for “the music and all of the singing. Because there are so many songs.”
Vitaly Bauer is a theater veteran. “I just enjoy being on stage and the community in general.” And with that experience “I think my acting has gotten better, learning exactly how to inhabit a character. Our director has taught us so much about it. Still to this day I’m learning new things on how to act different characters.”
The junior’s advice is simple for first-time performers. “Breathe. One of the things I struggled with was I would breathe really fast, and I would end up rushing a lot of things. And I just needed to learn to relax.”
Dates for Mamma Mia are Feb. 27-28, March 1-2, and March 6-8. Show times are 7 p.m., except for a 1:30 p.m. matinee on March 2. Go to www.owatonnaactivities.com for ticket information.
Youthful scoring
Five of the seven goals the Huskies boys’ hockey team scored in the section tournament came from players who were new to varsity this winter. Sophomores Caleb Ringhofer and Grady Roush each scored goals to give Owatonna 2-0 leads in games against Rochester Century/John Marshall and Lakeville North.
After a 5-3 upset victory at Rochester, OHS (12-14-1) lost 3-2 at Lakeville North on Saturday.
Roush had 16 goals and five assists on the season. Ringhofer scored seven goals with nine assists. Freshman Zach Roesner (six goals, eight assists) also made his varsity debut this season. Sophomore Zach Klecker (18 goals, 15 assists) was the second-leading scorer, behind senior Andy Mitchell (24 goals, 16 assists.)
Coach Dennis Will said the underclassmen learned quickly. “They’ve acclimated to the high school hockey scene and just what it takes to play at this level. When you jump up from bantams, this is a jump. A lot of kids jump up and maybe play a year of JV. These kids jumped right up and they’re playing second-line varsity.”
Girls too
OHS girls’ hockey also has some young up-and-comers on their roster. Freshman Alexis Noble, Gabrielle Padgett and Brielle Goodnature all debuted this season and combined for 13 goals and 13 assists. They accounted for two goals in the Huskies’ playoff game versus Mankato East.
Coach Tony Cloud told Owatonna Live at midseason, “Having a line with three freshmen, we were hopeful that they were able to contribute and they’re doing a great job for us. They’re playing regular shifts for us each and every game. Getting that experience is huge at a young age.”
Leading scorers were sophomore Grace Mitchell (20 goals, 10 assists) and junior Kendra Bogen (11 goals, 22 assists).
Owatonna (14-9-2) completed their 17th consecutive season with a .500 record or better. In fact, over that time, only once was their record at .500. After an 0-4 start this winter, the Huskies won nine straight and contended for the Big Nine Conference crown until the final week of the season.