Spring
Sports Preview SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2024
Ready for next step
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Captains Mason Anderson (left) and Carson Thorstenson lead the Sauk Rapids-Rice/Sartell boys lacrosse team for the 2024 season. The Storm’n Sabres are coming off a 9-5-1 season.
New look Storm’n Sabres ready PHOTO TOM FENTON
Former player takes over as head coach
Seniors on the 2024 Sauk Rapids-Rice softball team are manager Mykayla Bluhm (from left), Campbell Arndt, Emily VanVickle, Morgan Dorn and manager Kaylee Buetenhoff. The Storm finished 10-14 in 2023, advancing to the Section 8AAA championship.
BY TOM FENTON | STAFF WRITER
Softball looking to build off progress-filled 2023
A new era is on the horizon for the Sauk Rapids-Rice/ Sartell boys lacrosse program. Tron Trondson, a former standout player for the Storm’n Sabres, takes over a team he helped put on the map since its inception in 2016. The new head coach takes over for Jake Sailor, who led Tron Trondson, the team to 17 victories the head coach past two years. Sailor coached SRR/S since 2018 but resigned to spend more time with family. Trondson put his team through its first official workout on the turf April 1 inside Bernick’s Arena in Sartell, and his infectious enthusiasm for the sport and his team was obvious. He has familiarity with the players having coached the program’s 14U team the past three years. “One of the biggest reasons I took this job was because of my players,” said Trondson, who played collegiately at Division III Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. “I want to be a coach who sticks around and shows his support and love for his team. Boys lacrosse page 2B A SUPPLEMENT TO THE
with a .268 average, 15 section final. They are hoping that doubles, four triples, a laid the groundwork for home run and 11 RBIs. team last year, which As the regular2024 as 12 of 14 varsity Turck’s power figures we struggled with a season softball schedule little at the beginning,” players return from the to be a huge factor affor Sauk Rapids-Rice ter hitting .232 with 10 10-14 team. said Campbell neared its end last “I love the doubles, two home runs Arndt, a senior season, something and 10 RBIs. attitudes of shortstop-pitchchanged. No one can Junior Vivian the girls so far er who had 10 pinpoint exactly what Kusilek, coming off a and the comhits and drew it was, but the Storm mitment we’ve nine-double season, is seven walks found “something.” a returning outfielder had as far as in 2023. “But Little things that hitting the bat- along with classmates throughout the were going wrong for Izzy Fiereck, Addison ting cages,” season, we got a chunk of the season Breth and Basil Vogel. said senior super-close. were suddenly going Ava Knutson saw catcher Morgan Obviously, SRR’s way as fundaEmily McEwan, Dorn, who had the majority of the having almost head coach mentals continued to 11 hits and five pitching action last seaimprove and the team’s the exact same team is very helpful, so RBIs last season. “I feel son as a seventh grader. youth gained experia lot of us have a lot of She expects to shoulour chemistry is very ence. The result was der the load of innings positivity going on in good. How well our a run to the Section 8AAA championship se- season ended is going to there, and I’m seeing a again after posting a 9-13 record with 214 lot of growth.” ries and, while it did not help our confidence.” strikeouts in 133 inOther returning inSRR won its fi nal end with a state tournanings with a 3.9 ERA. fielders include junior ment bid, it provided a two regular-season “I have really high Bailey Seaman (second potential program-shift- games last year before expectations for our base), freshmen Riley earning a pair of 3-2 ing momentum burst team this season,” said wins over Little Falls in Turck (first base) and that carried through a Emily McEwan, thirdsuccessful run through the section tournament. Taylor Lamoureux (third base) along with year head coach whose The Storm lost 4-3 to the summer circuit. The Storm hope that eventual champion Ro- juniors Alexa Welsh and team jumps to Class AAAA this season. cori in a winner’s brack- Ayla Kissinger. is only the beginning. Lamoureux was the “We had a lot of et game before falling to leading hitter last year Softball page 3B new people on our the Spartans 6-0 in the BY TOM FENTON | STAFF WRITER