Sports from the week of November 29, 2006

Boys BB season begins Saturday

The Tracy/Milroy/Balaton boys’ basketball team opens its 2006-07 season with an away game with Redwood Valley Saturday night.

The Panthers open continue on the road next week with a Tuesday game at Dawson-Boyd. Another away game follows at Tyler, Tuesday, Dec. 11.

The team doesn’t play their first home game until Friday, Dec. 15, when Minneota comes to Tracy.

The squad enters the season with high goals, returning three starters and many other players with varsity playiing experience. Two starters were lost from last year’s team via graduation: post Gary Knott, and guard Derek Radke.

The Panthers posted an 11-15 record last season. Nat Boyer returns as the TMB coach.

The team has an informal start to their season Thursday night, when they host a“soup & pie” benefit at the Tracy Senior Center. Serving is from 5 to 7 p.m.

Swan, Schmidt, McIntire given all-area FB honors

Seth Swan and David Schmidt were selected to the Marshall Independent’s All-Area team and Kyle McIntire was given honorable mention status.

Swan, a senior, rushed for 937 yards in 175 attempts for a 5.4 average and 11 touchdowns.

Schmidt, a junior, caught 24 passes for 339 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 283 yards on 44 carries, a 6.4-yard average.

McIntire, a senior wide receiver, had 19 catches for 243 yards and 1 touchdown.

Other Panther football statistical highlights include:

• Isaac Dolan had 482 yards in 97 carries, averaging 5 yards per carry and scored 6 touchdowns. Dolan also completed 64 passes for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns

• Chris Swenson and Chris Hansen led the team with 69 tackles, followed by Swan with 68 and Dan Dieter with 61. Hansen had 4 fumble recoveries, Pheng Her 3, and Aaron Frisvold, Swenson, Dieter and Schmidt had 2 each. John Swenhaugen had 3 pass interceptions.

Luverne overwhelms girls in opener, 72-39

The Panther girls’ basketball team opened its 2006-07 season with a 72-39 loss to the Luverne Cardinals at Luverne Tuesday night.

“We played all right in spurts,” said first year Coach Ryan Kruse. “Mallory Fultz had a big night offensively for us but the turnovers were our problem.”

Fultz led the Panthers with 13 rebounds and 18 points. The Panthers out-rebounded the Cardinals 31-26, had 20 steals to 30 for Luverne, 3 blocks to 4 and turned the ball over 37 times to only 17 for the Cardinals.

The Panther B-squad lost to Luverne 44-25. The C-squad won 52-25.

TMB: player, field goals, three point field goals, free throws, fouls, total point—Fultz, 7, 0, 4/6, 4, 18; Haecherl, 2, 0, 2/2, 2, 6; Kirk, 2, 0, 2/2, 5, 6; Vroman, 2, 0, 0/0, 2, 5; Miller, 1, 0, 0/1, 3, 2; Lanoue, 1, 0, 0/0, 1, 2.

Totals, 15-0-9/13-17-39.

Lanoue, Fultz are all-area VB selections

Michele Lanoue has been selected to the Marshall Independent’s third-team All-Area volleyball team.

Mallory Fultz was given honorable mention status.

Lanoue recorded 174 kills in 77 games. Fultz had 200 kills in 77 games

Other statistical highlights for the 2006 Panther volleyball team include:

• Jackie Haecherl had 41 blocks and had 32 serving aces in 77 games.

• Lindsey Daniels logged 382 set assists in 77 games

• Shelbie Jones was credited with 308 digs.

Tholen earns Division II All-American honors

Jillian Tholen earned All-America honors at the Division II cross-country championships held in Pensacola, Florida, Nov.18.

The Augustana College freshman finished 14th with a time of 20:58.3 for the six-kilometer women’s race.

The performance capped a standout season that found her winning the North Central Conference Championship. She also won the St Mary’s Invitational and the Mankato State Open. She was second in the pre-region meet and eighth in the regional meet at Wayne, Nebraska.

The 2006 Tracy Area High School graduate excelled in high school cross-country. She finished sixth in the Class A state meet as a junior and seventh as a senior. She is the daughter of Randy and Elaine Tholen of rural Tracy.