Sports for the week of September 15, 2004

Spikers return to 212 action after strong Columbia Heights showing

The Panther volleyball team went 3-1 in the prestigious Columbia Heights Tournament and recorded a third place finish. Other competing teams were Marshall, Chaska, Hibbing, Anoka, St Louis Park, Columbia Heights and Eastview.

In pool play the Panthers won over Eastview 2-0 with game scores of 25-21 and 25-19. In the second match of the day T/M/B won over Columbia Heights 2-0 with game scores of 25-13 and 25-14. In the third match T/M/B was pitted against the Chaska Hawks, rated number 1 in AAA, and lost 0-2 with game scores of 20-25 and 20-25.

In the match for third place T/M/B won over Hibbing 2-1 with game scores of 19-25, 25-19 and 15-13.

"We started off slowly but were able to play well enough to beat teams early on," said Panther Coach Katie Gervais. "We struggled with serving and blocking to begin the day. As the day went on we improved on serving and blocking aggressively. If we can be more consistent in these areas, our level of play will continue to rise. This tournament was a confidence builder for the girls. We did not play our best at times but we were able to fight through it and play with some quality teams."

TMB v RCW

The Panther girls' volleyball team swept their 212 Conference rival Renville County West at Tracy Thursday night. The game scores were 25-21, 25-15, and 25-21. The win improved T/M/B's season record to 3-1 and they are 1-0 in the 212 Conference.

RCW has been a stumbling block for the Panthers in the tournament the last few years and T/M/B wanted to get off to a good start in the last season of the 212 Conference, so it was a very satisfying win.

Defense, big plays prevail for TMB

The Tracy/Milroy/Balaton football team out-fought St. James 17-7 at Tracy Friday night to go 2-0 for the season. "We played well, especially on defense," said Panther Coach Randy McIntire. "However our offense needs work."

Strand led the team in rushing with 91 yards in 15 carries and was 4 of 11 passing for 51 yards. Trever Morin had 1 catch for 36 yards.

Paul Carlson led the defense with 11 tackles, Paul Johnson had 10, Anthony Rasmussen had 7 1/2, Matt Engesser and Mike Schreier had 5 each, Josh Ruppert 4 1/2, Strand 4,Trever Morin 3 1/2, Brett Jackson and Sean Fox 3 each, Matt Bauer 2 1/2,Kong Her, Seth Swan and Brad Lanoue 2 each, Travis Cambronne and Erik Frisvold 1 1/2 each and David Schiller, Jason Heern and Tristan Larson recorded 1 tackle each. Jackson had a pass interception, Paul Carlson blocked a field goal attempt, Schiller recovered a fumble and Cambronne had a sack.

Fairmont expected to be formidable foe

The Panther football team will meet Fairmont at Tracy Friday night in T/M/B's homecoming game.

Fairmont won over Waseca last Friday night by a score of 27-7 and all indications are that T/M/B will have its work cut out in an attempt to stay undefeated. Fairmont's star running back, Mike Wubbena, scored all four touchdowns in the game against Waseca. "He is an excellent running back," said Panther Coach Randy McIntire. "His running threat makes their play action passing game very hard to defend."

Fairmont has good team speed and uses the same type of defense employed by St James. "We came out of the St James game in good shape as far as injuries go," said McIntire. "We will be close to full strength for Fairmont."

Four students selected for 'All-American Cheer Team'

Four Panther cheerleaders are making plans to participate on an "All-American Cheer Team" that will perform at the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida, New Year's Day.

Krista Swanson, Emily Baumann, Megan Meyer, and Tory Ruppert became eligible for the team through a tryout process this summer.

The All-American Cheer Team will be comprised of hundreds of girls from across the United States. Participants will arrive in Orlando on Dec. 28 and rehearse for a half-time presentation for the nationally televised New Year's Day football game. While in Orlando, the cheerleaders will take part in many special activities, including visits to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.

The Tracy girls are trying to raise money for their trip expenses, which are $1,400 a person. The Tracy Area High School students became eligible for the Capital One Bowl team appearance through their attendance at a cheerleading camp in July. The cheerleaders were evaluated on skills, teamwork, and attitude.

The Capital One Bowl will be televised on ESPN.