Basketball teams win

At Paynesville, the Sauk Centre boys' basketball team beat the Bulldogs 74-63 to climb over .500 at 4-3. Their next game is at home on Monday against Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (2-4 overall, 1-3 Central Minnesota Conference).

At home, the Sauk Centre girls' basketball team clobbered Paynesville Area 71-38 to improve to 6-1 overall. Their next game is in the opener of the Pierz tournament on Dec. 29 against Crosby-Ironton.

Fusion win Morris triangular, North Stars win

The Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion boys' swimming and diving team took first place in a triangular at the University of Minnesota-Morris on Thursday night. Taking second was Perham, while host Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta was third.

At Grove City, the Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team lost to state-ranked Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City by a 42-25 score. They take a 4-2 record into the Christmas break.

At the Benson Civic Arena, the Prairie Centre Area North Stars won their second game in a row by defeating Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/Benson Area 6-2. MA/CA/BA falls to 2-8 with the loss. Next for the North Stars is a road game Tuesday, Dec. 30 at Breckenridge against Breckenridge/Wahpeton. The Blades are 1-5.

North Stars earn first win!

It took nine games, but the Prairie Centre North Stars got their first win of the 2014-15 campaign with a 6-2 win over Redwood Valley.
Adam Froseth scored twice, Andrew Danielson added a goal and Emil Lindfors also scored to help lead the Stars to the win. More in this week's SC Herald.

Here are a few photos from tonight's win:

Streeters dominate Dutchmen

The Sauk Centre girls basketball team more than doubled up on Melrose tonight with a 71-34 win. Sauk shot the ball 77 times compared to Melrose's 39 times. They dominated in every facet of the game, outrebounding the Lady Dutchmen 41-24. The win improves the Streeters to 5-1 on the season.
The lone bright spot for the Lady Dutchmen was Emily Goerdt's second basket of the game that made her the school's all-time leading scorer, passing Jan Niehaus' total of 1,077.

Here are some images from tonight's contest:

Girls' basketball, wrestlers win

The Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team had an incredible night at the Holdingford quadrangular by going 3-0 for the first time in the history of the four-team event. Now 4-1 on the season, they have a tough road dual meet next Thursday at state-ranked Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. Their 4-1 start in dual meets is the best record this far in the history of the five-year pairing of the programs.

At Montevideo, the Sauk Centre girls' basketball team breezed past the Thunderhawks in a 64-37 win. Now 4-1 overall, the Mainstreeters host Melrose Area (2-2) next Tuesday.

The Prairie Centre Area North Stars lost at Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato tonight by a 10-1 score to fall to 0-7 overall. They host Bagley/Fosston tomorrow in Long Prairie.

Girls' basketball, Fusion win

Matthew Keller placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:15.43). PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

At the Melrose pool last night, the Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion swimming and diving team was a big winner in their season opener. Against Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, the Fusion won 111-74.

Coach Schreiner commented after the win, "This was a very good start to the season. This is our first time having a meet this early in the season and we didn't know exactly what to expect. The boys didn't disappoint. They came out very strong for the limited amount of practice we had."

At the home gymnasium, the Sauk Centre girls' basketball team got back on the winning track with a hard-fought 73-67 win over Class 3A Albany, a section finalist a year ago. The Mainstreeters led 42-37 at halftime and then poured it on with an 8-0 run during the first 59 seconds of the second half. Senior Mauren Thiesen led Sauk Centre with 18 points.

At the Paynesville triangular, the Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team lost 40-35 to Quad County in West Central Conference action. SC-M led 29-10 through 152 pounds before QC earned five pins in a row to go up 40-29. SC-M's Jimmy Thomas then earned a fall (1:19) to cap the scoring. The Paynesville match results are not available at this time.

Scoreboard

Girls' basketball final:
NL-S 71, Sauk Centre 59

Boys' hockey final:
Wadena-Deer Creek 5, Prairie Centre Area 2

Boys' basketball final:
Montevideo 73, Sauk Centre 53

Read all about the last week's worth of games in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Weekend roundup

Friday action:
The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team downed visiting Minnewaska Area 80-69 to improve to 3-1 on the season. The Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team placed seventh at the 10-team Willmar invitational. The Prairie Centre Area boys' hockey team lost 6-0 at Detroit Lakes

Saturday action:
The North Stars hockey team fell to 0-5 on the season with a 7-0 loss to Willmar at Long Prairie.

Read more on all the action in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

MSC Fusion gearing up for new season

Here's a brief look at the Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion swimming and diving team's preseason drills on Thursday this week at the Melrose pool.

The team is preparing for their season opener next Thursday, Dec. 11, at Melrose against Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato.

At Minnewaska Area on Thursday night, the Sauk Centre girls' basketball team won 55-38 to improve to 2-0 overall and in the West Central North Conference standings. Their next game is a non-conference outing at New London-Spicer next Tuesday. The Wildcats are 1-0 after beating sub-section rival Eden Valley-Watkins 49-44 in their season opener last night.

Tonight the Mainstreeters boys' basketball team (2-1) holds their home opener when Minnewaska Area comes to town. The Lakers are 1-1 overall with a 63-45 win over Paynesville Area in their season opener and then a 73-63 loss to Melrose Area on Nov. 25.

Also tonight, Prairie Centre Area (0-3, 0-1) travels to Detroit Lakes for a Midstate Conference boys' hockey game. The Lakers are 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. On Saturday the North Stars host Willmar (1-1) in non-conference action at the Sauk Centre civic arena at 5:15 p.m.

Later this afternoon, the Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team travels to the Willmar tournament.

Scoreboard:
Hoops
SC Girls 94
Morris 81

SC Boys 40
LPGE 41

Hockey

Park Rapids 6

Prairie Centre 0

Boys' basketball is 2-0, hockey tagged with first loss

Cole Neubert leaps above two Tigers to haul down a rebound in Tuesday's win at Morris. PHOTO BY BROOKE KERN, MORRIS SUN-TRIBUNE.

In a tough road game at Morris on Tuesday, the Mainstreeters boys' basketball team defeated Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 57-49 in the West Central North Conference opener. As was the case in the season opener at Upsala, Sauk Centre's defense shined against the Tigers while building a 25-14 halftime lead. Leading scorers were Matthew Moritz (21) and Cole Neubert (14). Up next: a sub-section game and border battle at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle next Tuesday. After that is the home opener against their neighbors to the west, Minnewaska Area, on Friday, Dec. 5.

Prairie Centre Area fell to 1-1 on the season by a 4-3 score to host River Lakes at Paynesville on Tuesday. The North Stars were out shot 53-15 but still held a 3-2 lead after two periods, thanks in large part to 49 saves by goalie Mitch Bauer. Up next: the North Stars host Park Rapids Area/Menahga/Nevis/Walker-Hackensack-Akeley next Tuesday in Long Prairie. (Yes, that's a boys' hockey coop.)

The girls' basketball season opener is next Tuesday, Dec. 2 at home against Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta. The Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion boys' swimming and diving team opens their season in Melrose on Thursday, Dec. 11 against Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato.

SCM sixth at Early Bird tournament

SCM medal-winners on Wednesday.

Will Funk in action on Wednesday in the season-opening tournament.

The Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team placed sixth at their season-opening Early Bird tournament in Melrose on Wednesday. They earned 108.5 team points.

Will Funk blazed his way to the 152-pound championship match, where he lost a close 4-1 decision to Jordan Engler (Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg).

Up next: the Paynesville triangular including Quad County on Dec. 11; it will start the West Central Conference meet schedule.

Season-opening win

For the second year in a row, the Sauk Centre boys' basketball team defeated Upsala in the season opener. Last night at Upsala, the Mainstreeters beat the Cardinals 59-54. Matthew Moritz led Sauk Centre with 11 points, while Austin Nelson was also in double figures with 10 points.

Up next is a trip to Morris next Tuesday (Nov. 25) to face the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Tigers in the West Central North Conference opener.

The Mainstreeters return a solid nucleus of talent from last year's 18-8, sub-section runner-up squad.

(Video) State swimming meet

Here's Dani Banal swimming in the 100 backstroke prelims at state:

Boys' basketball scrimmage

A 14-team boys' basketball scrimmage is today at Sauk Centre high school and their extra gymnasiums. Action begins at 10 a.m. Teams included are Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Benson, Holdingford, Kimball Area, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Melrose Area, New London Spicer, Osakis, Paynesville, Royalton, Saint John's, West Central Area and Brandon-Evansville.

The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team faces Kimball Area in the first scrimmage at 10 a.m.

(Herald video) Mainstreeters 200 MR at state

Here's video from Thursday's preliminary round of the Class 1A state girls' swimming and diving meet. Sauk Centre's 200 medley relay has much to be proud of for their successes this season!

State swimming update

Sauk Centre's state swimmers standing pool side at the U of M Aquatic Center today. PHOTO SUBMITTED

At the Class 1A girls' state swimming and diving preliminaries, Sauk Centre's medley relay team and individual in the 100 backstroke both met their seeds but were unable to crack the top-16 and advance to Friday's finals round.

The 200 medley relay squad of Emily Mensen, Morgan Marthaler, Alyssa Kohorst and Danielle Banal finished 21st out of 24 entries with a time of 1:56.94. Their seed time was 1:54.45, and had they met their seed time they would have finished 18th. The cutoff to get into the finals (16th place) had a time of 1:54.21.

Banal, the lone senior of the group of six Mainstreeters at the state meet (including alternates), finished 22nd out of 26 entries in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:03.55. The cutoff for the finals had a time of 1:02.37. Banal's seed time was 1:01.75, and that time would have taken 14th place and gotten a spot in the finals.

In the sport of swimming, the differences can be extremely tight between earning medals or just earning a spot in a championship round. No matter what, we can all be proud of seeing these athletes get to state and keeping a terrific long-standing tradition going in Sauk Centre.

In a brief interview following the state meet prelims, head coach James Schreiner said, "Our girls had very good swims, but we were unable to get anyone back for the final day. We get five of these six talented and dedicated girls back in 2015. We are definitely excited about next year!"

Note: state video footage will be posted some time on Friday.

(Herald video) Section diving prelims

Here's Cassandra Bohnsack in the diving prelims on Thursday in Morris:

State swimming seeding

Sauk Centre's time in the 200MR was 1:54.45 at the section meet. The average time of those competing at state is 1:57.47. The average time of the top eight is 1:49.45. The eight best seed time is 1:52.09, while the 16th best time is 1:53.93.

Danielle Banal's 100BK time from sections is 1:01.75. The average time of the top eight is 59.36. The eight best time is 1:00.56, while the 16th best time is 1:01.68.

The top 16 finishers in each event compete in the finals on Friday.

The preliminary round starts at 12 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday) at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. Sauk Centre's 200MR squad swims in the first heat right away at the start of the meet in heat number one. Banal competes later in the 100BK, the 10th event, in lane one, heat two.

Best of luck Mainstreeters!

(Herald video) Diving at sections

Here's sophomore Hannah Berg in the Section 6A diving finals on Saturday in Morris:

Four to state

Sauk Centre's Hannah Berg, who competed in the finals of the diving championships on Saturday.

Sauk Centre's 200 medley relay team of Emily Mensen, Morgan Marthaler, Danielle Banal and Alyssa Kohorst plus Banal in the 100 backstroke are headed to the Class 1A state girls' swimming and diving meet, which begins on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 12 p.m. in Minneapolis. More to come on Sunday.

Jaw-dropping performances

Cassandra Bohnsack, Lexie Marthaler and Hannah Berg cheer on Morgan Marthaler in a 100 breaststroke preliminary heat in Morris on Thursday. Morgan shaved 2.5 seconds off of her season-best time while qualifying for the championship finals.

Can you believe it? In 94 percent of the section preliminary races by Sauk Centre swimming and diving team members on Thursday in Morris, season-best records were broken. Two school records also fell: 200 medley relay team of Emily Mensen, Morgan Marthaler, Danielle Banal and Alyssa Kohorst plus Kali Sayovitz in the 500 freestyle.

That's the highest percentage for such a feat in head coach James Schreiner's tenure. Read the full list of season-best performances in the Sauk Centre Herald.

Here's video from the end of one of the 500 freestyle preliminary races, where Sauk Centre's Jenna Kill finishes the home stretch. She is greeted by fellow teammate Kali Sayovitz, who had just set the Sauk Centre school record in that event.

Much to smile about for Sauk Centre swimmers last night.

Here's the results from Thursday night for events that Sauk Centre has athletes going to the finals in; they were all season-best results!
200 MR: Mensen, M. Marthaler, Banal, Kohorst 2nd (seed time 1:58.18, prelim time 1:54.89)

200 FS: Sayovitz 9th (seed time 2:07.28, prelim time 2:04.97); K. Hanson 15th (seed time 2:15.11, prelim time 2:12.04)

200 IM: J. Kill 12th (seed time 2:35.79, prelim time 2:31.35)

50 FS: Banal 3rd (seed time 26.35, prelim time 25.12); Kohorst 4th (seed time 25.89, prelim time 25.18)

100 FLY: K. Hanson 11th (seed time 1:08.95, prelim time 1:07.91)

100 FS: Kohorst 5th (seed time 56.94, prelim time 56.33)

500 FS: Sayovitz 6th (seed time 5:43.63, prelim time 5:33.47); J. Kill 13th (seed time 6:00.7, prelim time 5:57.01)

200 FSR: Mensen, Banal, Sayovitz Kohorst 4th (seed time 1:47.65, prelim time 1:47.44)

100 BS: Banal 4th (seed time 1:05.05, prelim time 1:02.19); Mensen 12th (seed time 1:07.82, prelim time 1:05.8)

100 BT: M. Marthaler 6th (seed time 1:14.76, prelim time 1:12.26); S. Bushard 9th (seed time 1:17.13, prelim time 1:14.24); M. Weiers 15th (seed time 1:21.95, prelim time 1:17.85)

400 FSR: K. Hanson, Rachey, J. Kill, Sayovitz 10th (seed time 4:11.97, prelim time 4:04.63)

Good luck, swimming and diving team!

The Mainstreeters gather today outside the school before departing for Morris. PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Sauk Centre girls' swimming and diving team opens the Section 6A state-qualifying meet this afternoon at the University of Minnesota-Morris. Preliminary swimming events start at 4 p.m. at the UMM P.E. Center pool. The top 16 finishers in each event advance to the finals.

Action continues with diving on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. and then the swimming championships starting at 3 p.m.

Read more about the section meet and the team's preparation in this week's Sauk Centre Herald. Check back at the Streeter Sports Blog later tonight to see coverage from today's action in Morris.

Knocked down early, Streeters come back swinging and fight to the end

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeter volleyball team's season ended Thursday night in Sauk rapids. But they didn't go down without putting up one heckuva fight. After losing the first two games, the Streeters rallied to win games three and four. Game four was one of the ages as both teams battled back and forth, volley after volley, until Sauk squeezed out a 32-30 win. Just how close was it? The score was tied 16 times throughout the game. The Streeters had match point six times to Melrose's one, so it was fitting the Streeters won it 32-30. And it was only fitting that the match went five games. Both teams have had parallel seasons, with almost identical records and splitting their season match ups. While Sauk stayed alive after losing the first two, game five would determine the rubber match for the co-conference champions. Sauk carried the momentum from the game four win into game five by jumping out to a 3-1 lead. They led 4-2 but Melrose tied it at 4-4 and then it was the same back and forth game with volleys lasting long enough for fans to grab a bag of popcorn and take a restroom break. Sauk didn't match up with Melrose's hitting attack, but their defense was phenomenal. They also had some key blocks at the net. Melrose was equally impressive. It was just two really good teams fighting to the death for every point. The fifth game had ties at 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14. That's how close it was. Fans on both sides of the gym were either biting their nails or raising their fists. The student sections were almost as entertaining as the game itself. But in the end, Melrose was able to drop the last two points in Sauk Centre's court, giving them the sub-section title. They will face the winner of St. Cloud Cathedral and Rocori, who played immediately after the game. The Streeters will graduate four seniors — Katelyn Ahrens, Taylor Ilgen, Madison Moritz and Taylor Triebenbach. All played important roles on this year's squad, and despite not earning the sub-section title, or a chance at the section title, they, along with the rest of the team, ought to be pretty proud. Thursday night's battle was proof that the final score might determine the winner of the match, but it doesn't measure the heart of a team. For those who made the hour drive to Sauk Rapids, they were treated to a great match between two rival schools who have been battling against each other for decades. When it was all said and done, some girls were wearing smiles and others were shedding tears. That's the spirit of competition. Be sure to read next week's Herald with player and coach reaction. Also look for the Mid-Minnesota All-Star Volleyball team in the coming weeks.

Cross country postseason

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters cross country teams competed at the Section 6A meet today at New London-Spicer's Little Crow Golf Course.

Video of Jamie Jennissen wrapping up her 4K race today:


As a team, the boys' squad finished 20th out of 25 teams with 548 points; they were led by Riley Primus's finish of 78th place (19:02.7). The girls' squad finished 12th out of 23 teams and was led by a 23rd-place finish by Kelli Lewis (16:46.17).

Playoff opener

At Minnewaska Area, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters football team lost 38-22 to the third-seeded Lakers in the Section 5-2A quarterfinals tonight. The Mainstreeters led 22-8 at halftime but faded in the second half.

The Lakers (5-4) tied the game up before the third quarter ended at 22-22 and then poured it on in the fourth quarter to advance to face second-seeded BOLD on Saturday in the semifinal round.

The Mainstreeters finish the season 1-8 overall. Read more about the game in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Spirited effort fades, playoffs next

Against a state-ranked BOLD Warriors team to end the regular season, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters football team had a tall order and gave all they had in Olivia in a 28-7 loss. The Warriors had a 14-7 lead until scoring with 10:18 left in the game on a 52-yard touchdown run. That play was good for almost one-fourth of their total offense in the game (218 yards).

Unofficial statistics: Austin Nelson was the leading rusher for Sauk Centre with 21 carries for 60 yards; he scored the team's lone touchdown in the second quarter. They were three-of-13 on third-down conversions and one-for-five on fourth-down conversions. Sauk Centre had 176 total yards of offense with time-of-possession at 20 minutes, 34 seconds. They had nine first downs on the night.

BOLD was looking to lock up the number two seed in Section 5AA. The Mainstreeters likely will get the number six seed for Section 5AA and open up on the road at third-seeded Minnewaska Area. The Lakers drubbed Yellow Medicine East in Granite Falls tonight to improve to 4-4 overall.

Other scores in week eight involving Section 5AA teams:
Paynesville Area 52, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 34 (Bulldogs will be the top seed in 5AA)
Melrose Area 29, Benson 15 (Braves finish 0-8 and will be the bottom seed, seven, in 5AA)
Eden Valley-Watkins had a 34-0 lead against Kimball Area late in the third quarter and will likely draw the number-four seed in 5AA

Cross Country championships

At Greystone Golf Club, the Mainstreeters girls' cross country team ran to third place in the West Central Conference championships on a sun-filled and mild evening. Read more about the WCC meet in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

At Holdingford, the Mainstreeters girls' swimming and diving team completed the dual meet season with a 65-37 win over the Huskers. They finish the West Central Conference schedule with a 3-1 record, good for second place.

Homecoming loss

The Mainstreeters made a valiant comeback tonight, but their efforts fell just short as they lost their homecoming game to rival Melrose 41-27.

Sauk trailed early when Melrose scored the first three touchdowns of the game and led 20-0. But the Streeters stormed back and by the fourth quarter were within a touchdown at 33-27. But Melrose punched in a final touchdown to seal the deal, sending the Streeters to 1-6 on the season.

Sauk will play BOLD next Friday in their final regular season game.

Check out next week's Sauk Centre Herald for in depth coverage on the game including stats and coach's comments.

Here are a few photos from tonight's action (more in next week's paper and on-line next week at www.saukherald.com):

Tennis wins

The Mainstreeters girls' tennis team defeated Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg in the Section 6A quarterfinals by a 4-3 score today at Fitness Evolution at Sartell.

Sauk Centre improves to 13-9 with the win and now faces top-seeded and state-ranked Minnewaska Area in the Final Four round. That match will also be held in Sartell. If they beat the Lakers, they will face the winner of Melrose-vs.-Osakis for the section championship later in the day.

Streeters vs. Dutchmen

The Sauk Centre volleyball team moved into a tie for first place in the West Central North Conference with a 3-0 sweep over visiting Melrose Area tonight. The Mainstreeters and Dutchmen now have one loss each in conference play. Read more about the big achievement in the Oct. 9 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

Champions

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters volleyball team earned the tournament championship at Perham on Saturday. Read more about the accomplishment in the Oct. 9 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

Falcons down Streeters

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City defeated Sauk Centre 33-15 tonight in a West Central Conference football game. The Mainstreeters held a 15-12 lead at halftime before the Falcons posted 21 unanswered points in the second half. Sauk Centre scored first on a ninety-five yard run by Austin Nelson with a Will Funk PAT kick to make it 7-0. Nelson ran in a second touchdown and caught a two-point conversion pass to make it 15-6 in the second quarter. The game had just one turnover: a lost fumble by the Mainstreeters.

A-C-GC, always known for having a powerful running attack, ran for 387 yards on 49 carries while getting 16 yards on one pass play. Of their 50 plays from scrimmage, just one was a pass play.

The Mainstreeters posted impressive offensive yardage as well but had trouble finding the end zone after halftime. For the game they had an unofficial total of 246 rushing yards and 167 passing yards.

Sauk Centre (1-5) host Melrose Area next week for Homecoming. The Dutchmen (4-2 overall) defeated Montevideo on the Melrose field tonight by a 21-18 score. The Thunderhawks (4-2) were ahead until Melrose scored a touchdown with just 27 seconds left in the game.

Read more on the game in the Oct. 9 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

In other area football games:
Paynesville Area 34, Minnewaska Area 12 (Bulldogs had a 34-0 lead before the varsity Lakers scored two touchdowns against the Bulldogs JV team)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 40, Wadena-Deer Creek 0

YME 30, Benson 8

Albany 62, Mora 0

Volleyball gets 10th conference win

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters volleyball team traveled to Montevideo tonight and picked up a 3-1 win in a West Central North Conference match. They play next at the Perham tournament on Saturday.

The Mainstreeters girls' tennis team was seeded fifth in Section 6A and plays fourth-seeded Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg next Wednesday at Fitness Evolution in Sartell for the playoff opener. The match starts at 9:30 a.m. The Section Final Four will be held the next day at the same location. Minnewaska Area, the regular season West Central Conference champion, is the number one seed.

(Herald video) Volleyball, Cross Country

Here's action from a tight game four against B-B-E in Tuesday's volleyball clash:


And here's video from the finish line at the cross country meet at Greystone Golf Course:

Barn-burner win

At Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa on their Homecoming night, the Mainstreeters volleyball team came back from a two-game deficit to defeat the state-ranked Jaguars 3-2 with a 15-10 win in game five.

The Mainstreeters girls' swimming and diving team defeated Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/Minnewaska Area/Benson 118-67 at the Minnewaska pool tonight.

Read more on all the action in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Bulldogs vs. Mainstreeters

A state-ranked Paynesville Bulldogs  and posted a 54-26 win over the Sauk Centre football team Friday in Paynesville. The Mainstreeters (1-4) hung tough and had an outstanding first half, trailing 14-8 after the first quarter and 26-14 at halftime. The Bulldogs opened it up in the second half and outscored Sauk Centre 28-12 to improve to 5-0 on the season.

Paynesville's star senior quarterback Matthew Quade had 20 completions on 34 attempts for 342 yards with no interceptions.

Sauk Centre was led by Austin Nelson's 77 rushing yards and quarterback Simon Weller's 176 passing yards on 14-of-26 attempts with two interceptions and three touchdown passes.

The Mainstreeters head to Grove City this week for week six to face Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, who lost 20-18 to Melrose Area on Friday at Melrose.

At Minnewaska on Saturday, the Mainstreeters girls' tennis team competed in the West Central Conference tournament. Here are the finishes for the seven team positions: Morgan Kranz 3rd at first singles; Hope Schwinghamer 5th at two singles; Faith Henry 5th at three singles; Dani Reiter 6th at four singles; Jessica Rodenbiker / Molly Weyer 6th at first doubles; Abby Welberg / Nicole Meyer 2nd at two doubles; Tami Middendorf / Taylor Danielson 5th at three doubles.

Read more about last week's action for the Mainstreeters in the Oct. 2 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

Tuesday scoreboard

Two hotly-contested West Central Conference events were held tonight.

At Montevideo, the Sauk Centre girls' swimming and diving team defeated Montevideo/Dawson-Boyd 111-75 for their sixth win in a row. They compete at Minnewaska on Thursday.

At Melrose Area, the Sauk Centre girls' tennis team gave a great performance but ultimately lost 4-3 to the Dutchmen. Now 12-7 overall and 5-1 in the WCC, they host Minnewaska Area on Thursday.

(Herald video) Mainstreeters diving vs. MA/CA/MA/B

Here's sophomore Cassandra Bohnsack in one of her five varsity dives last Thursday night:


Bohnsack scored a career-high 162.35 while taking first place in the event. Sauk Centre also nabbed second and third place in their 107.5 to 70.5 win over Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/Minnewaska Area/Benson. They travel to Montevideo tonight for another West Central Conference dual.

Catching up

Here is a run down of results from Thursday, Friday and Saturday:

9-18-14
The Mainstreeters girls' swimming and diving team defeated Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/Minnewaska Area/Benson 107.5 to 70.5 in a West Central Conference dual at the home pool. They travel to Montevideo on Tuesday for their next meet of the season and second WCC meet on the schedule.

At Morris, the Mainstreeters girls' tennis team defeated Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 7-0 in a West Central Conference meet to improve to 4-0 in the conference.

9-19-14
A late 28-27 lead over visiting Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta did not hold up in the fourth quarter as the Tigers scored the last touchdown of the game and posted a 33-28 win over the Mainstreeters football team. The Tigers led

Up next is a trip to state-ranked Paynesville Area in week five.

9-20-14
In the continuation of a rained-out meet from Sept. 9, the Mainstreeters girls' tennis team traveled to Yellow Medicine East and finished out an exciting 4-3 win over the Sting. The team has a tough stretch this week with state-ranked Osakis on Monday at home (4:15 p.m.) and a trip to Melrose Area on Tuesday. They host Minnewaska Area on Thursday, Sept. 25 to wrap up the conference schedule.

Multiple wins

Wins were many tonight for Sauk Centre Mainstreeters varsity teams.

First, the Mainstreeters girls' tennis team pulled out an exciting 4-3 win over MACCRAY/Renville County West to improve to 10-5 on the season. Morgan Kranz at one singles handed her team the win after it was deadlocked at 3-3. Next is a conference match at Morris on Thursday against Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley.

At Little Falls, the Mainstreeters girls' swimming and diving team improved to 4-0 with a 96-89 win over the Flyers. They have a meet at home on Thursday against Morris/Chokio-Alberta/Minnewaska.

In a home conference match, the Mainstreeters volleyball team swept Benson to improve to 5-1 in the West Central North Conference standings and 10-4 overall. They travel to A-C-GC in Grove City for another conference match on Thursday.

Tennis goes 1-1

In a home triangular today, the Mainstreeters girls' tennis team lost to Pequot Lakes 5-2 before beating section rival Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 7-0. They host MACCRAY/Renville County West on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Volleyball 2-2 at Sauk Rapids

The Sauk Centre volleyball team won their first two matches of the Sauk Rapids-Rice tournament on Saturday and then lost the last two. They beat Onamia and Mora before losing to Rocori and St. Cloud Cathedral.

Next for the 9-4 Mainstreeters is a home match on Tuesday against Benson in West Central Conference action.

On Monday the Mainstreeters girls' tennis team hosts Pequot Lakes and Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area in a triangular starting at 2 p.m.

Streeters fall to Montevideo 21-14

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters fell to 1-2 on the season with a 21-14 loss to Montevideo tonight.
Sauk led 6-0 and 14-7, but the Thunderhawks scored two unanswered touchdowns to improve to 3-0 on the season. They also kept pace with undefeated Paynesville Area at the top of the West Central Conference standings.
Check out next week's Herald for a game recap and photos.
Sauk Centre's next game is Friday, Sept. 19 at home against Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta, who picked up their first win of the season with a 53-14 win at home against winless Yellow Medicine East.

Around the West Central Conference:
Paynesville Area 44, Melrose Area 0
Minnewaska Area 44, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 8
BOLD 44, Benson 0

Mainstreeters volleyball vs. BOLD

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters volleyball team defeated BOLD 3-0 on Thursday in a West Central Conference match. Game scores were 25-9, 25-14, 25-19. The team improved to 4-1 in the WCC and 7-2 overall. Next the Mainstreeters compete at the Sauk Rapids-Rice tournament on Saturday.

Streeter swimming and diving beats Alexandria

The Sauk Centre girls' swimming and diving team picked up one of their biggest dual wins in many years after they edged a very good Alexandria squad by a 98-88 score in the home pool tonight.

Head coach James Schreiner was truly ecstatic about the come-from-behind nature of the win. Read more about the win with individual event results and meet scoring in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Schreiner said after the win, "We knew the meet was going to be close. I told the girls we would probably be losing after diving and the 100 fly but not to panic. We really started to click in so many spots. When the Medley Relay took third place, that helped a lot. Diving was huge as well. With Kaylee Hanson going crazy in the fly and Lexie Marthaler dropping nearly five seconds in her swim, that added up."

About what the win means for the team this early in the season, Schreiner added, "The win is huge. When I scored it out before the meet, we came out behind. Having one or two meets like this in a season is really exciting. They make you see what you have and also where you need to improve. Although this win was big for us, it is just one step. We need to keep cutting times and keep getting better."

Up next for the Mainstreeters is the Park Rapids Invitational on Saturday. Diving starts at 9 a.m. with swimming to follow at 12:30 p.m.

Streeter football gets first win

At Benson for the second game of the season, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters football team defeated the Braves 34-23 to even their record at 1-1 overall and in the West Central Conference standings.

Up next is a home game against 2-0 Montevideo on Friday. The Thunderhawks have wins over Benson (38-7) and Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta (26-6) on the year.

Tennis, swimming and diving both win

In a home match today, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters girls' tennis team edged Montevideo 4-3 to improve to 8-1 overall and 2-0 in the West Central Conference. Next is the Alexandria quadrangulary on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.

Against St. Cloud Cathedral/St. John's Prep at home, the Mainstreeters girls' swimming and diving team picked up a nice 102-79 win. Their next meet is also at home when they entertain Alexandria next Tuesday at 6 p.m.

At Holdingford, the Mainstreeters girls' cross country team tied for 7th place in a nine-team event. Madison Greenwaldt led her squad with a sixth-place finish and a time of 17:04.61. The Mainstreeters boys' cross country team placed sixth out of eight teams and was led by Joseph Gerhartz's 13th-place finish with a time of 18:55.57. Next for the cross country teams is a meet a Long Prairie-Grey Eagle starting at 4:30 p.m.

(Video) Diving vs. Albany

Here's part of the diving competition last Thursday during the meet against Albany Area:

Tennis wins, volleyball loses

At Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd for the West Central Conference opener, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters girls' tennis team won 5-2 for their seventh win of the season. They host Montevideo on Thursday in another WCC match.

At Melrose tonight, the Mainstreeters volleyball team lost 3-1 to the state-rated Dutchmen in a WCC match. Game scores were 25-19, 21-25, 23-25, 16-25. Now 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the WCC, the Mainstreeters travel to Minnewaska Area on Thursday to face the 1-2 Lakers. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta swept Minnewaska Area 3-0 tonight.

Latest volleyball state-rankings

CLASS 2A
1. Marshall (4) 113
2. Stewartville (2) 109
3. Belle Plaine (2) 103
4. Kasson-Mantorville 100
5. Jackson County Central 87
6. Maple Lake 80
7. Jordan 69
8. Concordia Academy 42
9. Visitation 30
10. Thief River Falls 28
Others receiving votes: Melrose (25), Hill-Murray (17), New London-Spicer (11), Sauk Centre (7), St. Criox Lutheran (6), Cannon Falls (6), Barnesville (4).

CLASS 1A
1. Bethlehem Academy (11) 165
2. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 143
3. Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 140
4. Fillmore Central 125
5. Minneota 114
6. Mabel-Canton 81
7. New Life Academy 61
8. Ada-Borup 60
9. Heritage Academy 59
10. Central MN Christian 54
Others receiving votes: Mayer Lutheran (52), Martin County West (29), Southwest United (17), Kittson Central (15), Southwest Christian (15), Hayfield (14), Henning (7), Carlton (6).

A tough season-opening loss

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters had a tough outing in their football season opener against Minnewaska Area on the home turf. The Lakers left town with a 28-12 win that avenged their 40-7 playoff-opening loss last year to Sauk Centre.

Starting the game with the ball, the Mainstreeters suffered a lost fumble on their second play from scrimmage. The Lakers proceeded to drive 49 yards on seven plays to post the first touchdown of the game. With about nine minutes left, Greg Helander ran 20 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead.

On Sauk Centre's second drive of the game, they managed just seven yards of offense and punted.

As the first quarter was coming to a close, Minnewaska converted third down with an 18-yard reception. Then with 11:13 left in the second quarter, Helander ran in another touchdown for the Lakers, this time from three yards out. Austin VerSteeg hauled in the two-point conversion for a 14-0 lead to cap a 14-play, 63-yard drive.

On Sauk Centre's third drive of the game, they started from their own 40 with great field position after the kickoff. Austin Nelson plowed his way for seven yards on a fourth-and-inches play at midfield. Later on third-and-nine on the Minnewaska Area 29-yard line, an incomplete pass brought fourth down. The Lakers then earned a quarterback sack with a 12-yard loss.

The Lakers ended up punting on their next possession to the Sauk Centre 19. Cole Neubert then converted his team's first third down of the game at their own 31-yard line. A few plays later Sauk Centre attempted to convert a fourth-and-two play near midfield but got stuffed on the play.

Minnewaska Area capitalized on the miscue when quarterback Michael Gruber hit VerSteeg with a 37-yard touchdown catch with 18.8 seconds left. VerSteeg ran in the two-point conversion and gave the visitors a 22-0 lead going into halftime.

With about one minute left in the third quarter, Minnewaska Area got a four-yard touchdown run for a 28-0 lead.

With about 9:30 left, Nelson busted up the shut out with a one-yard touchdown run. The failed PAT kick made it 28-6.

In the final minutes, Sauk Centre drove 99 yards and scored on a seven-yard reception by Will Funk from relief quarterback Jay Friedrichs with just eight-tenths of a second on the clock.

Unofficial statistics:
Sauk Centre ball carriers totaled 220 yards of rushing on 38 rushes. Leading rusher was Austin Nelson with 155 yards on the ground.

Sauk Centre's quarterbacks combined for 75 yards of passing on 20 attempts. Starter Matthew Moritz had seven pass completions on 14 attempts for 36 yards, while Jay Friedrichs had two pass completions on six attempts for 39 yards. Leading Sauk Centre receiver Cole Neubert caught four receptions for 51 yards.

Up next for the Mainstreeters football team: a road trip to Benson next Friday, Sept. 6 to face an 0-1 Braves team that lost 38-7 at Montevideo in their season opener held tonight.

Update from Morris: at Big Cat Stadium, the Melrose Area Dutchmen have a slim 6-0 lead at halftime against the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Tigers.

Austin Nelson scored one of two touchdowns in Sauk Centre's 28-12 loss to Minnewaska.

Ben Barhorst had a long run that was called back due to a holding penalty. At the time the Streeters were down 6-0 and driving.

Jay Friedrichs gets the punt off before a Minnewaska player can get his hands on the way.

Add caption

Senior Cole Neubert zeroes in on a Minnewaska receiver.

Austin Nelson gets dragged down by a Minnewaska player.

Matthew Moritz hands off to Austin Nelson.

Tennis, swimming and diving, volleyball all win

Three varsity teams all picked up wins today for the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters.

In the morning, the girls' tennis team beat Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 7-0 in a non-conference match. Their next action is on Tuesday at Granite Falls against Yellow Medicine East in the West Central Conference opener.

The girls' swimming and diving team won 11 of 12 events in their non-conference dual that was also their home opener against Albany Area. The final score was 123-63. Their next action is on Thursday, Sept. 4 with a home dual meet against St. Cloud Cathedral/St. John's Prep.

The volleyball team was also victorious in their home opener with a 3-1 win over Montevideo in the first match of the West Central Conference schedule. Game scores were 25-11, 25-10, 28-30, 25-11. Sauk Centre's next match is a big one, as they travel to state-rated Melrose Area on Tuesday in a key conference and sub-section match up.

Don't miss out on Friday night's big football game, when the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters open up their season against neighboring rival Minnewaska Area. Kickoff at O'Gara Stadium is at 7 p.m.

(Video) Cross country runs at Morris

Here's the finish line of the varsity girls' race last night in Morris:

Tennis wins twice

In a nutshell...today was a great day for Sauk Centre Mainstreeter varsity teams.

In a home triangular, the Mainstreeters girls' tennis team beat Parkers Prairie 7-0 and Wadena-Deer Creek 5-2. They take a 5-1 record into next week's lone match, when they host Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa at 9 a.m. on Thursday. The Jaguars are 1-3 going into Saturday's trip to Milbank for a non-conference match.

At the Willmar Invitational, the Mainstreeter girls' swimming and diving team finished fourth out of seven teams in a loaded field. Up next for the squad is a home dual meet next Thursday against Albany. At Willmar, Alyssa Kohorst took first in the 50 freestyle and second in the 100 freestyle. Danielle Banal, the other returning state swimmer on the team, took second in the 100 butterfly and third in the 50 freestyle.

Coach Schreiner said about the team's season-opening action, "I thought we looked great today. I'm very happy with our finish. We have one event next week with the home opener, and I hope we get a nice crowd to cheer us on against a very solid Albany squad."

At the Albany Invitational, the Mainstreeters volleyball team swept Watertown-Mayer, Albany and New London-Spicer in pool play and then faced state-ranked Maple Lake in the championship match. Coach Klaphake reported that his Mainstreeters jumped all over the Irish in game one in a 25-13 win. Maple Lake turned the tide in game two and won 25-22 and then 16-14 in a wild game three.

Klaphake added, "Game three was a battle the whole way. Our girls hung tough. I was pretty happy about how well we looked today, especially in the championship. Maple Lake brings back a good load of athletes from a state tournament team. At any given time I had three sophomores out there. For bringing back just two starters, we held our own and had a great day."

Up next for the volleyball team (3-1) is the home opener next Thursday with Montevideo coming to town. It will also mark the start of the West Central Conference schedule.

Read more coverage in the Aug. 28 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

Tennis team splits

The Mainstreeters tennis team went 1-1 today in a home triangular. Park Rapids Area defeated Sauk Centre 6-1, while Yellow Medicine East lost 6-1 to Sauk Centre.

Up next is a home quadrangular on Friday starting at 8 a.m.

Girls' tennis gets first win

The Mainstreeters girls' tennis team built a 5-0 lead in their first match of today's triangular at MACCRAY. Final results haven't been released yet. The third team at the triangular is Redwood Valley.

Fall sports get underway

Coach Rachel Gerhartz gives instructions to her cross country runners prior to the start of Tuesday's practice. PHOTO BY RANDY OLSON

Fall sports preseason practices are underway at SCHS this week.

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters cross country teams are gearing up for the season opener, which is at Morris Area on Monday, Aug. 25 at Pomme de Terre golf course.

Runners-up with 10 season wins

Taylor Borgerding slides home ahead of the tag to score one of Sauk Centre's runs tonight.

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters 17-U softball team lost 9-3 tonight to Browerville in the West Central League championship at Osakis.

The Tigers, fresh off of an appearance in the Class 1A state tournament in June, scored three times in the first inning and then built on the 3-0 lead with five more runs coming in the third.

The Mainstreeters, who also put together a nice postseason and finished in the Section 6AA Final Four, got runs from Cassidy Zenzen and Brooke Fetterer in the top of the fourth. Taylor Borgerding scored in the top of the fifth, but they couldn't produce what they needed down the stretch.

Sauk Centre finished the summer season with a fine 10-4 overall record.

Finals-bound!

Cassidy Zenzen slides home before the tag to score one of Sauk Centre's runs in the Melrose win tonight.

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters 17-U softball team is heading to the league finals after picking up two wins tonight in the West Central-East division tournament.

The Mainstreeters, now 10-4 in summer league action, beat Royalton 8-6 before picking up a 5-2 win over top-seeded Melrose Area. Against Royalton, the Mainstreeters led 7-0 and then 8-1 before holding off a rally by the Royals when they scored five runs in the top of the fifth. Against Melrose Area, they put up a 2-0 lead in the first inning and rode a strong pitching performance by starter Amanda Lahr to pick up the win.

Here's video from the end of the Royalton game in the top of the fifth:


Up next: the West Central 17-U league championship game at 7 p.m. in Osakis against TBD. Teams competing in the West division are Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Brandon/Evansville, Browerville and Osakis.

Details to follow on tonight's action.

Playoffs!

Coach T.J. Schmiesing and his Mainstreeters 17-U team huddled up during the Brandon/Evansville doubleheader.

The Mainstreeters 17-U softball team begins the West Central League playoffs tonight with a home game at 6:15 p.m. Sauk Centre, seeded two, faces third-seeded Royalton.

Earlier, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa and Eagle Valley play at 5 p.m. in a game also held in Sauk Centre.

A second game will be played at 6:15 p.m. between top-seeded Melrose Area and the winner of the 5 p.m. game.

At 7:30 p.m., the winning teams from 6:15 p.m. face one another, and the losing teams from 6:15 p.m. also square off. The losers are eliminated, while the winner of the 7:30 p.m. game between the winning teams advances to the championship game on Thursday at Osakis at 7 p.m.

U-17 softball splits with Chargers

Sam Wessel slides home just ahead of the tag while tying the game at 2-2 in the second inning of game two vs. Brandon/Evansville. PHOTOS BY RANDY OLSON

Coach Schmiesing rallies the troops in game two.

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters U-17 softball team went 1-1 against Brandon/Evansville in a West Central Softball League home doubleheader on Thursday afternoon. The Chargers won 1-0 in game one before the Mainstreeters picked up a 4-3 win in the second game after Sauk Centre fell behind 2-0 in the second inning.

Details will be announced soon regarding the upcoming league playoffs. Sauk Centre will host the east half of the tournament on Thursday, June 24.

Here's the Sauk Centre Herald photo gallery from game two:
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/Summer-2014-Sauk-Centrearea-sp/Sauk-Centre-U17-softball-vs-BE/

U-17 fastpitch softball at home tonight

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters U-17 team hosts Osakis and Royalton tonight in West Central softball league action.

The Osakis game will feature JV players and starts at 5:30 p.m. Later the Mainstreeters face Royalton in a varsity game at 7:30 p.m.

State girls' golf day one results

Sauk Centre's Morgan Kranz shot a 46 and a 47 on her first day at the Class 2A state girls' golf meet in Jordan. She's in a four-way tie for 53rd place out of 88 golfers in the field.

Carter Kranz had a stellar first day in the Class 2A state boys' golf meet, shooting a 41 and a 34 for a score of 75, landing him in a two-way tie for 18th place out of 87 golfers in the field.

Two to state!

The Mainstreeters golf teams are sending two athletes to next week's Class 2A state golf meet.

Junior Carter Kranz fired a 79 today in the Section 6AA finals to earn a spot from the boys' team; freshmen Morgan Kranz had a huge drop from 93 on Monday while shooting an 80 today and advance to state from the girls' squad.

The Class 2A state golf meet is on June 10-11 at the Sand Creek golf course in Jordan.

Section 6AA golf updates

Freshmen Morgan Kranz shot a 93 today in the first round of the Section 6AA girls' golf tournament, which sends her into the section finals round coming tomorrow. The tournament is hosted at Blackberry Ridge Golf Course in rural Sartell.

As a team, the Mainstreeters girls' golf team shot a 467 to take ninth place out of 13 teams.

The top four teams advance to the section finals. Staples-Motley has a razor-thin lead over second-place Osakis by a 348 to 350-shot margin. Rocori is in third place with a 361, while Becker is in fourth with a 362.

**Update: Carter Kranz's score of 77 qualified him for the Section 6AA finals today at Blackberry Ridge in Sartell. Kranz was the top scorer on teams who didn't advance to the Final Four round.

The top four teams included Staples-Motley (319), St. Cloud Cathedral (334), Becker (347) and Little Falls (348). Sauk Centre's team score was 368, including scores of 98 from both Tommy Traeger and Charlie Barhorst, a 95 from Jake Kluver, a 106 from Ted Uphus and a 116 from Dylan Bentfield.

Relay squad medals at Section 6A meet

Chris Maher takes the handoff from Jay Friedrichs in today's 4x800 relay race at Moorhead.

Sauk Centre's boys' 4x800 relay team earned medals at the Section 6A track and field meet in Moorhead with a sixth-place finish. Relay members were Joseph Gerhartz, Jay Friedrichs, Chris Maher and Riley Primus.

Alea Gerhartz and Madison Greenwaldt are shown at the starting line of the 1600 run today.

Austin Brinkman (300 hurdles), Tim Schmiesing (400 open) Morgan Marthaler (triple jump), Alea Gerhartz (1600 run), Madison Greenwaldt (1600 run) and Joseph Gerhartz (1600 run) all set personal season records in their respective events today at the section track and field meet. Greenwaldt advanced to the Class 1A state meet with a first-place finish (5:36) in the 1600 run.

More information on today's section meet and next week's state track and field meet will follow over the weekend.

Andrew Primus high-fives Coach Olson in the Pierz game today.

At St. Cloud tonight, the Mainstreeters baseball team lost 9-4 to Pierz in an elimination game of the Section 6AA tournament. They finish the year 10-9 overall as West Central North Conference co-champions.

In another baseball playoff game tonight, Osakis held a 2-1 lead after five and a half innings over top-seeded St. Cloud Cathedral in a winner's bracket game. They trailed 1-0 before scoring two runs in the top of the fifth. The Crusaders plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to go up 4-2. **Update: the Crusaders shortstop committed a fielding error on a ground ball to the left to allow Osakis to tie the game 4-4 with no outs in the top of the seventh inning. **Update: the Crusaders won the game with a walk off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and will play fellow Granite Ridge Conference rival Little Falls on Monday in another winner's bracket game. Osakis plays Minnewaska Area on Monday in a loser-out game. The Lakers ended Prairie Conference champion Long Prairie-Grey Eagle's season by a 6-4 score earlier today.

In Section 5AA, Paynesville Area ended Central Minnesota Conference champion Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's season with an 8-7 win in an elimination game.

Softball, baseball get different outcomes

Katelyn Durbin fires off a pitch against the Crusaders tonight in Waite Park. PHOTOS BY RANDY OLSON

Amanda Lahr shown earning an RBI against Minnewaska last week. Today against the Crusaders she singled for one of Sauk Centre's five hits in their season-ending loss.

The playoff road went in different directions for the Mainstreeters softball and baseball teams today.

At Waite Park, the Mainstreeters softball team lost 2-0 to St. Cloud Cathedral to finish 13-8 overall with the most wins since the 1999 season.

Here's video from Waite Park:


On the home diamond, the Mainstreeters baseball team was staring down an 0-1 mark in the playoffs before rallying for an eight-inning 4-3 win over Staples-Motley. They were down 3-0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before tying it up 3-3. Sauk Centre plays again on Wednesday at Dick Putz field at 5 p.m. in St. Cloud against St. Cloud Cathedral, the top seed in Sub-Section 6AA-East.

Read more playoff coverage in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Fastpitch softball playoffs tonight

The Section 6AA Final Four begins tonight for the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters softball team. They play at Rivers Edge Park in Waite Park against St. Cloud Cathedral at 5 p.m. Spread the word!

The Mainstreeters have home cooking going on as well, with the baseball team hosting Staples-Motley with a 5 p.m. start time on the home diamond.

Both golf teams are off until Monday for the start of sections, while the remaining track and field team members compete next on Thursday in Moorhead.

Robust crew heading to section track and field

Ben Barhorst grabs the baton from Tyler Sogge in the final handoff of the 4x100 relay race at last Thursday's sub-section meet in Morris. The relay team finished fifth with a time of 49.43 seconds. They trailed second-place and section-qualifier Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta by just 1.09 seconds.

 

Jacob Hemsworth gets a high-five from Coach Determan after his 200 open race (28.17 second finish).

Madison Greenwaldt takes the handoff from Kelsey Peschel in the 4x400 relay race; they finished fifth with a time of 4:22.63. Other members of the relay were Becca Weir and Morgan Marthaler.

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters track and field team will send 10 student-athletes to the Section 6A meet on Thursday, May 29 at Minnesota State University-Moorhead.

Here's the list and events they qualified in: Alea Gerhartz, Madison Greenwaldt and Joseph Gerhartz all in the 1600 run; Austin Brinkman in the 300 hurdles; Morgan Marthaler in the triple jump; Tim Schmiesing in the 400 open; Julie Bushard in the shot put; and Joseph Gerhartz, Jay Friedrichs, Chris Maher and Riley Primus advancing in the 4x800 relay.

(Video) Playoff action vs. Osakis

Here's action on Thursday at Minnewaska, where the Mainstreeters softball team defeated both Osakis and the host Lakers in sub-section playoff action. Video from the Osakis game


The Mainstreeters (13-7 overall) play again at 5 p.m. at Whitney Park in Waite Park on Tuesday, May 27. They face St. Cloud Cathedral in the Section 5A semifinals.

Home playoff game

Here's action from the final game of the regular season last Tuesday:


The Mainstreeters baseball team earned the number four seed in Sub-Section 6AA-West earlier today. They will host fifth-seeded Staples-Motley at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27. With a win they play again on Wednesday at Joe Faber field in St. Cloud at 5 p.m.

Additional sports coverage will resume on Saturday.

Final Four!!!

The number-four seeded Sauk Centre Mainstreeters brought home the sub-section runner-up trophy today!

The deepest playoff run for a Sauk Centre softball team in 15 years is underway! Today was a historic day for the Mainstreeters, as they ended the seasons of the number two and number one-seeded teams in Sub-Section 6AA-West. Both games by one run!!

Head coach T.J. Schmiesing gives instructions to the team during the Osakis win. PHOTO BY RANDY OLSON

Streeter softball is Final Four-bound!

What a headline for the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters softball team! After two gusty performances today, the Mainstreeters are headed to the Section 6AA Final Four tournament that starts on Tuesday in St. Cloud.

In game one today against Osakis, the Mainstreeters took leads of 4-0, 5-1 and then hung on to win 5-4.

In game two they fell behind 5-0 after four innings against top-seeded Minnewaska Area before mounting a huge comeback. A four-run sixth inning tied the game 5-5, and they scored the game-winner in the top of the seventh.

Amanda Lahr advances to third base in the third inning and eventually scored one of the two runs Sauk Centre plated in that frame to go ahead 4-0 against Osakis. Lahr also was the starting pitcher in the Minnewaska game and went 2 1/3 innings. PHOTO BY RANDY OLSON

The Mainstreeters play next at Whitney Park in St. Cloud on Tuesday, May 27 against St. Cloud Cathedral in an elimination game to start the Section 6AA Final Four. The Crusaders are 13-7 overall and were 7-5 (third) in the Granite Ridge Conference. **Update on Monday: the game on Tuesday will start at 5 p.m., with a second game to follow if the Mainstreeters knock out the Crusaders.

Stay tuned for further coverage posted on Saturday along with some video from the Osakis game.

At Morris today, seven Sauk Centre Mainstreeter track and field athletes earned tickets to the Section 6A meet. Details to follow.