Sports from the week of August 16, 2006

Soccer team prepares for first season

By Dick Donaldson

The Penguin soccer team, under Coach Phil Goetstouwers, will start its own traditions and search for its identity in the team’s first season of competition.

The Penguins are made up of aspiring athletes from Tracy, Milroy, Balaton, Walnut Grove and Westbrook. While most of them have been competing in soccer as a club sport for a few years, this will be their first season as a Minnesota State High School League approved team.

“The players were very sensitive to the traditions of athletes from Tracy, Milroy, Balaton, Walnut Grove and Westbrook so they chose the neutral colors of black and white and then chose a name to go with those colors,” said Coach Goetstouwers.

The Penguins’ first competition will be at a tournament in Mankato on Saturday, August 26.

New coaches take volleyball helm

By Dick Donaldson

The Panther volleyball team, under new coaches Cyndi Raymond and Nicole Hedrick, are regrouping this season after losing their coach Katie Gervais and four very talented seniors. Last year’s team advanced to the Section finals before losing to the Pipestone Arrows. They posted an 18-12 season record.

Last year’s four captains, Emily Miller, Krysta Tholen, Sarah Fritz, and Rachel Gervais have graduated. Tholen and Miller were selected to the All-Camden Conference Team and Tholen was Honorable Mention to the All-State Team. Fritz and Tholen were also All-State Academic selections.

If this season’s athletes need inspiration all they need to do is look at the south wall of the Panther gymnasium and see the banners representing the state championships won by preceding classes of Panther girls.

This year’s volleyball season will kick off against MACCRAY at Clara City on Tuesday, September 5.

TMB grid workouts begin

By Dick Donaldson

The Panther football team is dedicating itself to improve on last season’s 1-7 season record. There is a new air of earnest effort and attention to detail at the practice sessions.

This year’s team will need to improve on last season’s record without the presence of graduating seniors Chad Stibbe, Erich Swenson, Dan Schreier, Sean Fox, Matt Bauer, Drew Hebig, Derek Daniels, Andy Nelson, Kirby Arens, Erik Frisvold, Gary Knott, Tristan Larson, Cody Arnold, David Schiller, Dan Malmberg, D.J. Vandromme and Paul Carlson. Paul Carlson was the lone Panther chosen to the Little Sioux All-Conference Team.

Among the returning players, from last season, are offensive back of the year Seth Swan and defensive back of the year and last season’s Rookie of the Year player, David Schmidt.

The Panthers will begin their quest for improvement at Canby on Thursday, August 31.