Sports from the week of August 15, 2001 Headlight Herald - Serving Tracy, Minnesota, since 1880

Entire cross country team returns

The Panther cross country team is busy preparing for their season opener Wednesday, August 29. The following week they will host the Panther Invite to be held at the Tracy Country Club on September 6.

The Panthers, who finished third in the Section 3A meet last fall, return all their runners from last year's squad.

Leading runners will include Kristen Sweetman, who won the most valuable award last season, and Jillian Tholen who won the newcomer award last year.

Other returning letter winners are: Kelly Laleman, Johanna Schmidt, Megan Pool, Jessica Lenertz, Dani Jones, and Rebecca Gervais.

Veteran volleyball team has sights set high in `01

The Panther volleyball team is busy preparing for their 2001 opening match with Minneota at Tracy on Tuesday, August 28.

Coach Katie Gervais, selected Coach of the Year in the 212 Conference and in Section 3, is back for her third season. She welcomes a group of seniors who did well in the National Junior Olympic Volleyball Tournament held in Salt Lake City this summer.

The Panthers finished last season with a 26-2 record but fell short of their goal to return to the state volleyball tournament. The Panthers won the 212 Conference Championship and also won the Columbia Heights Tournament as well as the Subway tournament held in Marshall last year.

This year's schedule features four tournaments. The Panthers will return to the Columbia Heights Tournament Sept. 8 and will participate in the Worthington Tournament on September 15 as well as the Apple Valley Tournament on Sept. 21 and the Alexandria Tournament on October 13.

Gridders face new challenges with new look & new coach

Two years ago Joe Kemp was the offensive coordinator of the Wabasso High School football team that played in a championship game at the Metrodome.

This season he takes over as head coach of the Tracy/Milroy/Balaton Panthers competing in the tough 212 Conference.

In addition to a full complement of conference games the Panthers will play Redwood Valley in their opening game, travel to Fairmont Sept. 7 and return to Tracy to play Fulda a week later.

Kemp has taken over for Gale Otto who led the Scrapper and Panther football program for 28 years. Whereas the Panthers were most likely to run the ball under Coach Otto they will have a greater tendency to pass under the regime of Joe Kemp. Randy McIntire will coach the defense and will likely use the same type of defenses as the Panthers have used in recent years.

The Panthers were 8-3 last year and were the runners-up in the section tournament. Two of the three losses were by one point and the third (a 28-6 loss to BOLD) was avenged by beating them 21-0 at BOLD in the playoffs.

The Panthers have advanced to the section finals three of the past four years.