Sports from the week of October 17, 2001 Headlight Herald - Serving Tracy, Minnesota, since 1880

No. 1 spikers head into play-offs with 23-2 mark

Seniors honored in emotional home finale

The Panther volleyball team finished their regular scheduled season Monday night by registering a 3-0 win over Springfield (now 12-8 for the season) at Tracy.

The game scores were 15-6, 15-1, 15-0. The win gave Tracy/Milroy/Balaton a season record of 23-2 as they enter sub-section play at Redwood Falls against Canby Oct 26.

A pre-game ceremony honored the eight seniors on the squad.

Springfield took a 6-2 lead in the first game. But TMB rallied to score 43 of the next 44 points.

"The emotion from the pre-game ceremony slowed us down for awhile," said Panther Coach Katie Gervais. "We passed the ball well. Most of the passes were right on the setter's head."

The Panthers begin sub-section play Friday, Oct. 26 at Redwood Falls against Canby.

TMB is the No. 1-ranked Class AA team in the state, but expects to have ample competition in the section tournament. The teams with the best records are Windom, Jackson County Central and Renville County West, 2-2 in the Alex tourney, are among the other top contenders.

"This section must be very hard on coaches," said Panther coach Katie Gervais. "Mary Jo Hmeliski (Redwood Valley Coach) and I are the only returning coaches from a year ago."

Runners win 6th straight 212 title

The Panther girls cross-country team, for the sixth year in a row, won the 212 Conference championship Friday at the Tracy golf course.

Brian Michelson was also selected "Conference Coach of the Year" for the sixth straight time.

"I asked the girls if this was getting "old hat" but they said they enjoyed winning more each year," said Michelson. "This was our best race of the year so far. We are finally getting healthy."

The Panthers not only took the top three places but took four out of the top five , five out of the top ten and six out of the top twelve places in the race.

The Panther's next outing will be the section meet, which will also be held at the Tracy Country Club on October 25.

"We hope to surprise some people at the section meet," said Michelson. "We are running better and have the home field advantage."

Failed two-point play spells heartbreak for TMB

The Panther football team was stymied in its bid for the first victory of the season in the 212 Conference by the MACCRAY Wolverines at Tracy Tuesday night. They were defeated 26-25 mostly by the right arm of Wolverine senior quarterback Nate Hebrink.

Hebrink was 14 of 25 passing for 163 yards and is the cousin of the Hebrink that quarterbacked the Renville County West win over the Panthers and also has a cousin quarterbacking for Concordia College.

"He is a good one," said Panther assistant coach Bill Tauer. “He is an excellent passer and he is playing with a broken arm, his left one that is and has it covered with a soft cast."

The loss left the Panther playoff hopes in limbo. Their only hope is for a Benson loss to Lac Qui Parle Valley on Wednesday night. If Benson loses, TMB will play the top ranked team in the section (likely Breckenridge) in an away game next Tuesday night.

Panther coach Joe Kemp had promised something new and different for this game and he was true to his word. The Panthers came out in a "blitzkreig" attack, the center and the two ends went right on the line of scrimmage but the rest of the team lined up a few yards back and, at the command "go", ran up to the line of scrimmage, assumed their positions and snapped the ball quickly. The ploy worked as TMB put 12 points on the scoreboard in the first quarter and controlled the ball.