HJ Sports Blog

By Stephen Wiblemo
Sports Editor
The girls swimming and diving state tournament finished up last weekend, and with it the Charger fall season came to an end. Going into a new season, you never know how things are going to turn out, and this fall had some pleasant outcomes for Dassel-Cokato athletics.
The winter season is already underway with the Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato girls hockey team already a couple games in. Before I dive head first into the new season, however, I want to take a look back at the 2009 fall season, and the teams that made it exciting to cover.
DC football shakes off 2008
Last year was not a good one for the DC football team. Posting a 2-7 record, and finishing the year on a six-game losing streak, left the Chargers with a bad taste in their mouths. The squad started this season with those bad memories still in their minds, but they weren’t there for long.
The schedule this year was exactly the same as it was last year, but with home and away changed. The Chargers started just like last year, beating Mound-Westonka, losing to Glencoe-Silver Lake, beating non-conference opponent Waseca, and the losing to Orono to sit at a 2-2 record through half of the season.
Then came Litchfield, and DC suffered a humiliating 6-3 loss where both teams were unable to score a touchdown. As disappointing as the loss was, it seemed to spark something in the team. From that point, the Chargers went on to demolish Annandale, surprise state-ranked Delano with an upset victory, and burn Watertown-Mayer. That three-game winning streak propelled the Chargers to a third-seed in the Section 3AAA playoffs.
DC continued to roll through Worthington in the quarterfinals, and it seemed to me they were on a one-way street to the section finals against Glencoe-Silver Lake. They had to get past No. 2 seed Fairmont first, however, and that proved more difficult than I thought it would be. It was Halloween day, and the Cardinals pulled out all the tricks in the book, leaving DC with no treats, and a season-ending loss.
Although the Chargers didn’t get the Panther rematch they wanted, this season can only be looked at as a success, and a big step in the direction they want to get going again. Putting that four-game winning streak together toward the end of the season showed a lot of character for DC. I think it proved they weren’t going to make the same mistakes of the past, and they are learning what it means to be a winner. There is a different attitude, and a mind set winners have, and the Chargers developed some of that this season.
The Charger football team is my pick for the DC comeback team of fall. They also have plenty of players eligible to return, including quarterback Tyler Irvin, running back Aaron Haataja, several receivers, and a handful of talented lineman and defenders. Next year, I’m expecting them to keep making strides, and hopefully they will find themselves at least one game further in the playoffs next season.
Girls cross country is most
improved fall team
With out a doubt in my mind, I have to say the girls cross country team was the most improved DC fall team of the year, and some of that has to do with the additions of Caroline Kivisto and Caitlin Keskey.
Returning this season were seasoned varsity runners Ericka Norgren, Halee Morris, and Anna Neighbors. Adding Kivisto and Keskey gave the Chargers a solid five scorers, making them competitive in just about any race. They won a team championship at the Eden Valley-Watkins-Kimball meet, and finished with a 35-25 record.
Neighbors, who was usually a solid runner, and has been all-conference in past season, struggled at times during the year with shin pain, but it was during this time that Kivisto really proved her worth. In just her first year as a competitive runner, she became a solid third scorer for the Chargers.
The addition of the two new runners also created some friendly competition among the teammates.
Last year, Norgren was kind of in a league of her, compared to some of her teammates. She usually finished well ahead of everyone else. Keskey changed that, however, and made things more interesting. All year, the two girls could be seen running together during meets, and then splitting off toward the end as they made their moves. Sometimes Norgren finished in front, sometimes it was Keskey. The competition drove them to keep challenging themselves, and getting better. That competition continued all the way up to the section meet, where both girls were hoping to break down the barrier that has kept a DC girls cross country runner from ever competing at state. It was Keskey that finished first this time, and she managed to make history by reaching the state tournament.
Unfortunately for Norgren, though, she finished shortly behind Keskey, and just missed the cut. As the theme has gone, hopefully that disappointment, and seeing her teammate achieve it, help push Norgren to keep working toward that goal. Next year, the Chargers could write history again by sending two girls to state.
Going to state individually shouldn’t be the only thing on their minds, though. The girls took fifth at sections, and with everyone eligible to return next year, making a move at state isn’t far fetched, especially in a sport where anything can happen.
Boys cross country down,
but not out
As a whole, the boys cross country team did not do as well as their female counterparts, and weren’t as strong as they were last season. But, as long as running stud Troy Koivisto is on the team, there will always be something good to report.
Koivisto made his second trip to the state tournament this year, his first in Class A, and took ninth place to earn his first state medal. I’m guessing there are many more to come. He wasn’t the only good news this year. Senior Brian Saksa also made the trip to St. Olaf College. It was his first time at state, and although he didn’t earn a top-10 spot like he was hoping, 13th place among the best runners in the state is something to be proud of.
At the start of the season, things looked good with most of last year’s squad returning, except for graduate Karl Koivisto. As the season went on, however, some of the team’s stronger runners decided cross country wasn’t for them. As they left, the team’s roster dwindled, and the Chargers had fewer runners. By the end of the year, they really didn’t even have a junior varsity team anymore.
Despite these trials, I would say the boys team did the best with what it had – two state-qualifying runners, and group of tough kids that wouldn’t give up. The boys won a team championship at the EVWK meet, and were eighth in their new section. Guys like Gabe Hendrickson, Max Anderson, and Trevor Raisanen became the depth that backed up Koivisto and Saksa.
It’s going to be even tougher next year with many of those five leaving, including Saksa. Hopefully a fresh crop of boys are ready to step up, and of course Koivisto will be there to lead the way.
More girls swimmers get a
taste of state
Everything about the girls swimming and diving team this year was more, more, more.
After a successful summer camp, the team recruited more girls this season then they ever have recently, many of them young and just getting started. After a good season with two dual wins, the Chargers sent 19 girls to sections, seven more than last year. And, when the water at the section meet had settled, DC was sending four girls to state, three more than last year.
Larinda Norgren, Kristen Haider, Victoria Tormanen, and Brooke Danielson were the four Chargers that earned trips to state, and more doesn’t stop there. All four of these girls will be retuning next year, and all of them want more trips to state.
After covering this team for the second season, I feel I can say out of all the DC fall sports teams, this one has the most potential to improve.
They have veteran talent, but they also have young talent. To go along with that, they have young girls that are only beginning to develop their potential and they have a group of dedicated coaches to help them.
I don’t think this group of Chargers has reached its ceiling yet, not even close. Don’t be surprised if DC continues to send more girls to sections, and more of them qualify for state in more events. Hopefully, some of them will even find themselves swimming more laps at the state finals.
Volleyball builds on solid
foundations
Compared to last season, I can’t say that this was a good year for the Charger volleyball team as far as records and winning goes. But, that is to be expected when a team is reloading after a big graduating class.
Coming into this season, the Chargers really only had a few girls with varsity experience, and as talented as they were, it takes a complete team to make the season go well. With so many girls leaving the junior varsity court for the varsity court, it was inevitable that they would take some bumps and bruises this season.
It wasn’t as if the girls were not competitive, though. Those girls that were new to the varsity team came in with plenty of good experience, and showed they had the skill and talent to play at that level. The problem, however, which is the same problem many young teams have, was that they were inconsistent.
Volleyball is a game of rhythm and momentum. When things are going well, you have to keep that beat going. When they aren’t going well, you have to interrupt the other team’s beat to start your own. When a team can’t keep a consistent beat going, well, it looks like how bad karaoke sounds.
Those girls that were playing there first varsity season added some experience to the talent they already had, and hopefully that will go a long way for them next year in keeping a steadier beat. It’s a small consolation to those seniors whose high school careers are done, but I think in the end, this rough year will serve the Chargers well.