Paul Trende

Fillmore Central senior QB Bridon Bahl (#13) stands with his offensive linemen Ashton Newman (#52), Joseph Otto (#77), Ryan Schroeder (#71), Erik Tieskotter (#72), and Will Boettcher (#59). Bahl recently broke the Falcon school passing yards mark (4,409) that had stood since 1996 (Matt Hellickson). Bahl currently is at 4,645. Photo by Deb Finseth Fillmore Central senior quarterback Bridon Bahl was 15 of 16 passing for 191 yards and 2 TDs while rushing 11 times for 46 yards and two more scores, as the Falcons returned from a bye with a 35-6 Mid-South-Green win over New Richland/Hartland/Ellendale/Geneva. Junior split end Rylan Ristau (6-93 receiving) caught both of Bahl’s scoring throws, a 30-yarder to open the scoring, and a 6-yarder in the final seconds of the first half to make it 28-6 Falcons. They had a third connection that went to the one (setting up one of Bahl’s TD runs). Grant Daniels (18-60, TD rushing; 3-42 receiving) also scored for the Falcons while Quinci Kaase (5-27 rushing; 5-53 receiving) also did good offensive work. Defensively, FC had four sacks, one each from Ashton Newman, Jeremiah Bushman, Will Boettcher and Joseph Otto. Ristau added an interception. FC won total yards 343 to 141. The Falcons (2-1, 5-1) still trail Southland (4-0, 6-1) atop the Mid-South-Green race with the Panthers (1-2, 3-3), and USC (1-2, 1-5), and L-A (0-3, 0-6) rounding out the sub-district. Bahl is FC’s all-time leader in passing yards with 4,645 (set earlier this year) and passing TDs (60). He surpassed Matt Hellickson (1994-1996) for the passing yards and has long since eclipsed Chase Christianson (37) in career passing TDs.

At the LARPH Cross Country Meet in Lewiston, LFC’s girls team took first of eight total squads. Team members are (left to right) Grace Kingsley, Charity Kingsley, Olivia Rindels, Autumn Rakosnik, Eliza Cullen, Ava Severson, and Isabelle Peterson. Photo submitted Coming off a second-place team finish to Class AA Stewartville at the St. Charles Meet, Ellen Cullen’s Lanesboro/Fillmore Central girls group grabbed top placing at LARPH’s second home run of the year. At Lewison’s Heartland Golf Course, the Burros (58) bested nearest foes LARPH (69), La Crescent/Hokah (89), and PEM (92) with D-E (103), St. Charles (139), GMLOS (141), and Kingsland (185) following (of complete teams). It was the LFC’s girls’ first team win of the year, as they were TRC champs last year and took a tight fourth at sections. The Burros got five in the top 25 of 55 total runners. Junior Autumn Rakosnik led the way by taking fifth (20:14.9). She was the defending champion of the meet (19:45.08). Rakosnik is ranked #9 in state. Running in a group were then Grace Kingsley (22:28.8), Charity Kingsley (22:29.5), and Olivia Rindels (22:32), as they took 12th, 13th, and 14th places. Eliza Cullen was then the team’s fifth scoring runner in 23rd place (23:16.2). The Lancers had three in the top eight, but their last two scoring runners were outside the top 30. LARPH had four in the top 25 and their fifth took 26th. Leading the way was the state’s #1-ranked runner in Class A, LARPH’s Caitlin Bauer. The junior (18:28) topped nearest foes, LC/H’s #5-ranked Maya Bartosova (19:11.7) and #7-ranked Hope Docan-Morgan (19:31.4), Hayfield’s #8-ranked Hadley Doman (19:37.9), and LFC’s #9-ranked Rakosnik (20:14.9). The meet thus featured five girls ranked in state in Class A. It was Bauer’s seventh win in seven tries this year, as she has also won the La Crescent 4,000-meter “Crazy Buffalo” run (15:02), the Luther “All-American” Invite (18:13.1), the Roy Griak High School Girls Gopher Competition (17:33.7), a previous home meet at Ferndale Golf Course (19:27.3), Winona’s “Jim Flim” Meet (18:24.3), and the St. Charles Meet (18:43.5). She is in the midst of the best cross country running season ever covered by the Fillmore County Journal Sports. Bauer’s teammate Emily Helgemoe (20:46.9) took seventh (20:46.9) while Vada Larson took 16th (22:50.3) and Glory Erickson 24th (23:18.2). Leading GMLOS were Audrey Main in 10th place (22:06.1) and Sadie Bustad in 18th (22:59.5). Leading Kingsland was Reeyin Lanning in 20th place (23:05). On the guys’ side, Pacelli (35) topped LARPH (51) for first with D-E (101), LFC (110), St. Charles (140), LC/H (158), PEM (161), and GMLOS (169 following (of complete teams). Section 1A foes LARPH (#2), Cotter/HL (#3) and Pacelli (#5) are all ranked in state as of the September 28 polls. The Shamrocks had four in the top nine including race champion, 11th-ranked Zemecha McManus (16:20.6) and third place finisher Isaac Johnson (16:49.5). LARPH’s top runner, #3-ranked Brennan Kunst, took second (16:31) between the two. Kunst was champ at his previous three races (Ferndale, Winona, St. Charles). Grayson Speltz took 7th (17:12.4), Will Jewison 11th (17:55.1), Cole Timm 15th (18:14.1), and Cory Kotsmith 16th (18:20.1) to round out the scoring fivesome for the hosts. Henry Meyer did not score for LARPH but took 18th place (18:58.9). Leading LFC was Andy Brown in 10th place (17:46.4) while Riley Grant took 19th (19:09.8). GMLOS was led by Ethan Schnable in 21st place (19:22.4). Fifty-four guys competed. Each run was 5,000-meters around Lewiston’s Heartland Golf Course.

Rushford-Peterson lineman Chace Drazkowski looks to pave a road for back Carson Johnson in the Trojan’s 49-26 win over Rochester-Lourdes. It was R-P’s fifth win in a row, as the second-place squad in the Southeast-Yellow improved to 5-1. Photo by Craig Johnson

Houston’s Asher Meyer returned the opening kick-off 79-yards for a touchdown. But home Grand Meadow then ran the ball at will on the Hurricanes in scoring 38-answered points to post a 38-6, week six, South-East win. In doing so, Josh Bain’s Lark ended a three-game losing streak. Blake Hubbard, a senior back, ran for 299 yards on 37 carries with two touchdowns and four conversions runs. Backfield mate Parker Armagost had 22 carries for 127 yards and two rushing scores, as the duo combined for over 400 rushing yards. The Larks ran for 25 first downs. Houston had 36 offensive plays, amassing just 102 yards total offense. With the win, GM improved to 3-3 in the South-East and overall on the year. With games versus W-K (0-6, 0-6) and Faribault. B.A. (1-5, 1-5) left, they seek their first winning season since 2022. Houston fell to 1-5 in the South-East and overall.

Bently Wiersma ran for 223 yards and four TDs as Kingsland football (3-3 SEC, 3-3 overall) topped W-K 51-20. Chatfield’s Hunter Polikowsky notched his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game (128 yards, TD) as Chatfield (4-2 Yellow, 4-2 overall) beat St. Charles 21-10. Fillmore Central volleyball, up to #2 in Class A in the latest poll, notched wins over R-P and LC/H each 3-0 to inch closer to the TRC volleyball title. Madi Zwart had 17 kills, Braelynn Dierkes 22 assists and 6 aces, versus the Trojans. Caledonia notched TRC wins over W-K and R-P each by sweep. Avery Augedahl had 42 assists and Ashlyn Reinhart 19 kills in the win over R-P. FC (8-0, 17-3) leads the TRC over nearest foes #10 in AA Dover-Eyota (8-1, 22-3) and Caledonia (6-2, 15-6). FC has TRC games left with PEM and L-A. Livia Garness had 13 aces on 43 of 43 serving a M-C topped Houston 3-0. Gwen Rein had 30 assists as the Cougars swept G-E 3-0. Spring Grove swept L-O and took second at the Goodhue Tourney to #6 in A Cleveland (25-2). M-C (11-0, 19-7-1) leads the SEC-East over the Lions (10-1, 15-9). Quinn Schaalma had 18 assists, 11 digs, and 6 aces as GM topped L-O in four sets, and five more aces as the Larks topped Schaeffer 3-0.

Chatfield 21, St. Charles 10 (C: H. Polikowsky 19-128 yards, TD rushing, 26-yard reception; Logan Pearson 2-54, TD rushing (fumble recovery offensive touchdown), 3-21 receiving; Nolan Happel 8-38, TD rushing, two defensive interceptions; Carter Ask 7 of 13, 77 yards passing. Chatfield built a 14-0 lead after one, scoring the second TD when Ask fumbled on a run but Pearson advanced it for a score. SC scored 10-straight to close to down 14-10 in the third quarter, but a Happel TD run late in the frame made it 21-10. Each team had just over 300 yards to total offense. The Gophers are 3-2 in the Southeast Yellow, 4-2 overall.)

Chatfield Meet (RAACHE’s girls (21) topped Stewartville (65) followed by Pine Island (92), Blooming Prairie (101), Dover-Eyota (108), and Wabasha-Kellogg (134) with the hosts Chatfield incomplete. RAACHE’s Khloe Kirkpatrick (21:03.8) took first over BP’s Gloria Hernandez (21:28.4). Chatfield’s Lexi Kivimagi (21:41.9) took fifth (of 47) to lead the Gophers, who had just four girls run. Stewartville’s guys (31) took first over RAACHE (75), W-K (79), D-E (110), PI (119), BP (144), and Chatfield (156). W-K’s Griffin Riesgraf (16:53.1) took first over Stewie’s Nolan Schatz (17:36.9). Ben Peeters (18:39.1) took 14th (of 50) to pace Chatfield. Both 5,000-meter runs took place at Chatfield Golf Course.)

Wabasha-Kellogg 20, Kingsland 51 (K: B. Wiersma 13-223, 4 TDs rushing; Lennon Falck 4-71, TD rushing; Collin Stuart 5 of 13, 80 yards, INT passing, rushing TD; Tate Rasmussen 2-41 yards receiving, 75-yard TD pass to Max Snitker; Trent Aarsvold 3-29 rushing, 26-yard reception. Kingsland improved to 3-3 in the South-East and overall.)

Rushford-Peterson 0, #4 in A Fillmore Central 3 > 25-12, 25-21, 25-13 (FC: M. Zwart 17 kills; Hannah Vaalemoen 9 kills, 12 assists; Josie Corson 17 digs; B. Dierkes 22 assists, 24-26 serving, 6 aces; Lauren Dahly 5 kills; Ava Larson 11 digs; Norah Nagel 8 kills, 5 digs, 5 aces. RP: Brielle Schneider 3

Spring Grove combined an explosive offense with a smothering defense, which pitched a shutout, to top rival M-C 42-6. The Cougars, who came in averaging 35