SPORTS WRAP
Owatonna boys basketball is breaking in a new set of starters after graduating their full lineup from last year. And with only four seniors this season, the team has a different dynamic with a mix of juniors and sophomores contributing.
The Huskies are also adding a dimension to their defense. After switching to a 1-2-2 last year, they are also using their traditional man-to-man.
Senior guard Gavin Burmeister likes pressing. “It gets the other team moving right away and forces hurried mistakes,” said Burmeister.
Will Halverson, a six-foot-five senior post who played tight end in football, will battle against bigger players at both ends of the floor. “I have a little bit more meat on my bones. I like to throw them around a little bit if I can,” he said.
Coach Josh Williams says they’ll pick and choose when to use each defense. “We’re in a position now where we feel comfortable being able to utilize both. I think each game might present different opportunities or situations… The goal is to be really good at both.”
He says the offense will mostly stay the same. “We try to get up and down the floor as best we can. Lot of guys have the green light. We get up shots. Shot clock doesn’t come into play a whole lot with us.”
The offense is clicking early with the Huskies averaging 77 points per game while winning four of their first five. In Saturday’s 95-63 home win over Winona, five players reached double digits, led by junior Willie Moore (26) and sophomores Jackson Holder (16) and Cooper Routh (15.)
Burmeister was the sixth player in 2024-25. “You got to make sure everyone’s set to run plays. Push the ball off of defensive stops. Push the ball up the floor so you can get easy buckets,” said Burmeister.
Halverson, who was the first post player off the bench last season, talks about bringing the new players along. “We have to understand that these guys haven’t been playing varsity. Haven’t played at this level… We have to be able to encourage guys to keep their composure and stay level-headed.”
The Huskies play their next four games at home. Faribault, with Loyola University, Chicago commit Ryan Kreager, comes to town on Thursday, Dec. 18. Halverson can hardly wait. “I’ve been playing him the last several years. He’s always very fun to play against. He’ll be a challenge.”
OHS hosts Waconia on Monday, Dec. 22. The Federated Holiday Tournament falls on Monday, Dec. 29 and Tuesday, Dec. 30 with Woodbury, Lakeville South and Waconia. Big Nine Conference favorites Rochester Mayo and Mankato East come to town for back-to-back games in mid-January.
Three of last season's Owatonna starters are playing college sports: Nolan Ginskey (football at Winona State University), Cole Kruschke (basketball at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato) and Jackson Mottl (soccer at Bethany Lutheran College.) The Huskies finished 14-14, scoring a buzzer-beating upset at Lakeville South in the first round of playoffs before losing to Lakeville North.
Win No. 100
A come-from-behind 4-1 win over Austin on Tuesday, Dec. 9 marked the 100th victory for Owatonna girls hockey Head Coach Tony Cloud. “Sometimes it doesn’t go exactly as planned but it’s pretty sweet to celebrate with the team.”
While the Huskies dominated possession time, numerous blocked shots and missed passes kept the game tight. OHS in fact trailed until they broke through with an Alexis Noble goal late in the second period. Grace Mitchell gave Owatonna the lead early in the third.
It’s Cloud’s seventh season as head coach after one year as an assistant. “It means a lot that the team has been as successful as it’s been since I’ve been here. And the fact that I’ve been able to be here for as long as I have been,” said Cloud.
“I love being at the rink. I love being here with the team. The girls are great and they make this experience all the worthwhile. Even when things are hard and things don’t go exactly how you want them to, they bounce back and they learn from those lessons. I don’t win hockey games. The team on the ice wins the hockey games and I get to celebrate and be alongside them. It’s cool to be able to think back about all the teams we’ve had and all the players that have come through,” he said.
Cloud was a senior for his high school coach’s 500th career victory (Tony Sarsland at Elk River.) Cloud assisted with hockey and soccer at Rogers and was an assistant with the Owatonna High School girls soccer team for six years.
Game time
For me, when I grew up, holiday time was a chance to break out the games. It was Monopoly and Scramble then. Now it’s Ticket to Ride and Azul. Chess, cribbage, cards… almost anything will do. While I played my share of video games as a kid, mainly the old Atari and Nintendo systems, I have always enjoyed the tabletop and party games more.
Atlantis Hobby in downtown Owatonna offers a line of board and tabletop games with a wide variety of card lines as well. Owner Garrett Jewison says, “I think playing games in person is better than video games or something you do on your computer. It gives you more social interaction. It’s way better for kids. Especially with Pokémon. Kids can learn how to read, do math. And they get excited about it too… Magic the Gathering and some of the other games are a little bit more complicated.”
A popular tabletop game is Warhammer where players act out futuristic battles with dice and miniature models, frequently painted in great detail. Atlantis Hobby hosts game nights that fill up the tables in the store.
The Owatonna business, purchased early in 2025, is the second for Jewison and his brother, who have owned one in Mankato since 2020. “We’ve wanted to do it for over 20 years,” he said.
Card games sparked his interest. “When I worked at the Golden Corral in Owatonna, that’s when we started playing Magic. I believe it was in 1994 or 1995 that we started playing.”
They carry game supplies, dice and some toys.
He says running a business is not a game and having money in the bank was essential. “It’s a lot more work than people think. Takes a lot of money, a lot of time to run and operate a store. A lot of people have a misconception of starting a game store as just easy because I’m going to do it as a hobby for fun. Most of the time those don’t succeed,” said Jewison.
OwatonnaLive.com play-by-play
Thursday, Dec. 18:
OHS boys hockey vs. Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m.
OHS boys basketball vs. Faribault, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 19:
OHS gymnastics vs. Winona, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 22:
OHS boys basketball vs. Waconia, 7:30 p.m.