THE TOP 10 MOMENTS FROM 2025
The year 2025 was kind to Steele County athletes and sports fans alike, offering up some memories that will last a lifetime for all involved.
The following is a list of my top-10 stories and moments from the past year.
Huskies edge out Trojans for first-ever state title
Owatonna gymnastics flipped, spun and stuck its way to the program’s first-ever team state title by throwing a 146.825 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium to edge out New Prague by .375 points in a tight race for the title.
The Huskies entered the last rotation of competition on the beam trailing by 36.825 points, but a big performance at the right time helped propel Head Coach Evan Moe’s squad into the Owatonna history books.
“That’s all that you can say at the end of the day is that we’re so proud of all our girls. We know how much hard work they’ve put in, and how much they’ve been battling through injuries. Surgeries, concussions, all these setbacks. To see it all pay off with that last stuck routine, you can’t write it any better,” said Moe.
With the meet on the line and judges demanding perfection to win the state title, Owatonna all-arounder Halle Theis took to the beam for one last routine.
The senior had been competing through an injured ankle for the second half of the season, but she fought through to execute a near-flawless routine that helped push the Huskies into first place for the state title.
“I definitely was very nervous going into it, but I think knowing I could do it and just going up there and being confident helped me so much. I just said, ‘Don’t think about the injury. Just try to go through and worry about it after.’ It worked,” said Theis.
Krueger’s prayers are answered with state shot put title
Blooming Prairie senior shot putter Owen Krueger left little doubt over the course of the 2025 season with his statistics that he was going to be a state title contender, but when his big moment arrived, it was more than his athleticism that he credits for helping him become a state champion.
Krueger could be seen praying during the final round of the Class A shot put finals at St. Michael-Albertville High School as he hoped his mark of 55 feet, 10.25 inches would hold up.
“I had like a five-minute long prayer before I started doing my warmups and I was just hopeful for whatever He would give me. I got the chance to be here again, and I didn’t want to waste it this time… Last year I lost my shot put before I started and I was freaking out the whole time. I didn’t know how to control that feeling. I think my faith that it would all work out kept me composed this time,” said Krueger.
Neumann wins state beam title as a freshman
When Delia Neumann entered Owatonna gymnastics’ varsity lineup for the first time as a seventh-grader, her coaches knew she was going to be special.
Her talent on the uneven bars and the balance beam were undeniable – making her a lineup-lock for the Huskies. Now, just three seasons later, the whole state can see what Head Coach Evan Moe saw back in 2022 as Neumann was crowned the Class AA state balance beam champion over the weekend.
The win made her the Huskies’ second-ever individual champion and came one day after Neumann helped boost the Huskies to the program’s first-ever state team title.
“It definitely felt unreal. Getting first yesterday and then getting first again today, it felt like a dream. It was past expectations. I was just hoping to be on the podium,” said Neumann with a laugh.
Her 9.475-point routine matched her score from the team competition and held for her to win the state individual title the following day.
Wencl wins the fight of his life, returns to sports
When Tanner Wencl stepped onto the course at Owatonna Country Club for his first round as an Owatonna Huskies golfer last week, he had already won before his first shot.
By stepping onto the tee box at Hole One, Wencl had officially defied the odds by inking his name as an athlete once more nearly 16 months removed from an accident that almost took his life.
“The doctors initially told me he would never eat, walk or talk again,” said Wencl’s mother, Marisa. “I’m so proud of him. I want to yell, ‘Go Tanner’ at the top of my lungs, but it’s golf. There are no words for it. As a mother, this is the best gift ever.”
Tuesday’s round was the result of relentless determination.
“He’s only been awake for 11 months. He was in a coma for four months. It was hell… I’m not going to lie, he wanted to sit on his butt until he could walk again... I told him, ‘That’s not going to happen,’” said Marisa.
The extent of Wencl’s injuries included a fractured skull, ribs and vertebrae, as well as a bruised kidney and liver. The skull fracture also resulted in traumatic brain injury.
His array of injuries stems from a sledding accident with a vehicle in Steele County on Jan. 12, 2024.
Zwiener’s final run as a Razorback
Westfield’s Bo Zwiener has a tattoo on his inner right bicep that reads “Be the 1%.”
This March, he lived that personal moniker to the fullest by finishing his high school wrestling career in a match that most athletes can only dream of reaching: the state finals.
After a thrilling run at 139 pounds, Zwiener had the opportunity to don his Razorbacks singlet one last time with all eyes watching him under the bright lights at the Excel Energy Center.
“In years past, I’ve made it to the semifinals and fell off after that. This year, I wasn’t going to let that happen,” said Zwiener.
The senior’s biggest moment of the tournament came in said semifinals round when he defeated Staples Motley’s Turner Beachy 4-1, thanks to some late heroics.
While trailing 1-0 late in the third period, Zwiener found himself in a tricky predicament looking for holes in his opponent’s game while Beachy appeared content to wrestle defensively and avoid taking any risks.
Beachy’s conservative approach would prove to be his downfall.
Westfield’s crafty senior showcased his wrestling IQ by remaining patient and picking the right time to strike.
“He had a stalling warning on him. He hadn’t been doing much all match. I was the only one really on the offense. So, I figured I’d get him another warning and tie it up. Then really push the pace at the end because I could tell he was beginning to gas really fast. Once that happened, I was able to get it done in the end,” said Zwiener.
The emotional win nearly brought the senior to tears. It also ignited a roar from Westfield fan section that packed nearly a third of a section in the lower bowl.
“It was awesome. When I looked up after my semifinal match, we had about six full rows of people. It was awesome to have everyone there. The support was great,” said Zwiener.
Just hours later, Zwiener made his final walk out as a Westfield wrestler to take on Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg’s Trey Gunderson.
Gunderson, a two-time defending state champion, entered the matchup as a favorite boasting a stellar 46-0 record and continued his reign by beating Zwiener via an 18-1 technical fall.
NRHEG earns its way back to state
NRHEG girls basketball made an electrifying run to the state tournament in 2025 punctuated by a 17-point comeback win in the Section 2AA championship game against Glencoe-Silver Lake.
“I called a timeout and I asked them, ‘On a scale of 1-10, how bad do you feel for yourself?’ They answered that it was probably a 10. I told them it looks more like a 12. I said, ‘We can either roll over, give up and lose by over 40. Or, we can buck up and fight,’” said Peterson.
Peterson’s words turned out to be exactly what her team needed as the Panthers came back to win 66-64.
The team’s win earned them a spot at state where they had a quick learning experience after finishing its trip winless in two games.
The Panthers were given the No. 8-seed and started their tournament with a matchup against the state’s No. 1-rated team, Providence Academy (29-0.)
The Lions proved to be the real deal by beating NRHEG 84-50.
Ginskey Mania
A historic Owatonna career came to an end this year when Class of 2025 senior Nolan Ginskey graduated with a state title and a handful of program records to his name.
The three-sport standout was a member of Owatonna’s 2024 state champion 4x200 relay team that breezed past the state’s best with a winning time of 1:26.52.
He was also a part of the squad’s 1:26.37 performance that set the new fastest time in school history, as well as the state for that calendar year.
The senior’s lightning speed also paid dividends on the gridiron where he finished his career as Owatonna’s most decorated wide receiver in school history.
His achievements included: most passes caught in a single game (14), passes caught in a season (85), passes caught in a career (159), receiving yards in a season (1,319), and receiving yards in a career (2,595.)
Huskies win 17 straight and upset Lakeville
The 2024-25 Owatonna girls basketball tied a program record set in the 1998-99 season by winning 17 consecutive games last season.
“It just kind of goes back to the work they did in the summer and fall. Honestly, the way they practice and prepare is a big part of it, and they’re talented too. You don’t win that many games by luck. It’s a combination of a lot of things, but kudos to them. It was an awesome stretch,” said Owatonna Head Coach Pat Webb.
Despite finishing 18-3 and winning the Big Nine Conference title, Owatonna still received a No. 6 seed and were ranked behind No. 2 Rochester Mayo, who finished second in the conference.
The seeding pitted the Huskies against No. 3 Lakeville South, but the underdog Huskies proved themselves once again by beating the Panthers 42-38 in enemy territory.
Owatonna went on to lose its season-series deciding match game against Rochester Mayo 54-45, ending their season in the section semifinals.
Huskies’ Farah places seventh at first state meet
Ayoub Farah has spent the majority of his high school career being known as one of Owatonna’s brightest young minds between holding a stellar GPA and winning a state title in speech and debate, but last week he proved that he is much more than just a star pupil.
The senior ran in his first-ever state cross-country meet and placed seventh in the Class AAA race to become an all-state athlete as well.
“Throughout high school I’ve been very focused on academics, and I still am, but since this is my last year, I felt like I had to get one athletic accolade in my resume as well. I don’t want to be known as a one-trick pony, and this kind of helps me with that I guess,” said Farah with a laugh.
One week prior to the state meet, the 2026 senior had a dream run in sections where he beat a field of 56 athletes by finishing first in 15:39.2 to set a personal record.
The mark was enough to beat his previous personal record of 19:50.0 from 2024 by over four minutes, but it wasn’t good enough for Farah.
Mere days late, he would go on to improve his time again by finishing in 15:36.2 to earn the Huskies their first all-state finisher since Mark Hozerland in 2012 and becoming the sixth-ever Owatonna runner to place inside the top 10.
“It feels euphoric. Honestly, going into state, I felt kind of indifferent toward doing well. I was just happy I made it and I wanted to take it all in with my teammates. To be able to do well was like the cherry on top of my senior season. It’s a culmination of all the hard work we put in this season and over the summer,” said Farah.
Medford ends 65-game losing streak
A 65-game losing streak came to an end in Medford when the Tigers boys basketball team beat Parnassus Prep 87-81 in front of the school’s loyal fanbase.
The Tigers’ offense was firing on all cylinders all night, and head coach Steve Boehning was loving what he was seeing out of his team leading up to the big win.
“We had a pretty good overall approach to that game… It’s awesome to see [our players’] passion to get better regardless of outcomes or expectations. We have guys coming in willingly on their own. They’re putting shots up before school and doing extra film sessions. Their dedication is awesome,” said Boehning.
