The Worthington Trojans football team picked up a “W” on Homecoming Friday night as they topped New Ulm in front of a huge Trojan Field crowd. (The Trojan football team’s Homecoming W Friday was the team’s first on that special night in eight years).
WHS got a huge defensively play early when it forced a New Ulm fumble in the red zone that wound up as a Trojan touchback. A Fino Noeno interception also boosted Worthington, which additionally recorded several tackles for loss in the game.
Alex Galvez’s 32-yard field goal put the Trojans on the board first in the middle of the second quarter, and Samuel Ibberson booted a 30-yarder shortly before halftime for a 3-3 score. In the fourth quarter, WHS quarterback Isaiah Schroeder connected with Permeye Okony on a 71-yard pass play for the team’s lone completion – and the game’s only touchdown.
Jacari Swinea ran for 103 yards for the Trojans, who moved to 1-3 on the season while handing New Ulm its first loss. Ryan Dorcey had another huge game for WHS with 10 total tackles – three of them for losses – and a sack. Dawson Svalland picked up seven total tackles, and Levi Hennings has six total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Worthington plays at Marshall this Friday.
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The second-ranked Minnesota West Bluejays improved to 4-0 on the gridiron by walloping visiting Central Lakes College 58-9.
The Bluejays scored on the game’s very first play from scrimmage, as quarterback Elijah Alexander hooked up with receiver Marlon Fluker for a 76-yard TD. A two-yard scoring run from Hunter Grathwohl with 10:19 still left in the first quarter and an 11-yard TD by Grathwohl with 3:30 still left in that same quarter made it 21-0, Bluejays. An 83-yard pick-six from Minnesota West’s Justin Spears put the score at 28-0 just a little more than a minute into the second quarter.
Central Lakes got the ball in the end zone later in the second quarter, but a six-yard scoring pass from Alexander to Dezmond Clark made it 35-6 with eight seconds left before halftime. The Bluejays got two more TDs in the third on a Grathwohl 23-yard run and a 34-yard pass from Alexander to Lauren Ruth. A fourth-quarter safety on a blocked punt and a 47-yard run by Luverne’s Austin Sandbulte rounded out Minnesota West’s point production.
The Bluejays play at Rochester this coming Saturday.
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The Lady Jays volleyball team won a pair of matches 3-0 over the weekend, defeating Minnesota State-Fergus Falls on Friday night and Western Technical College on Saturday afternoon.
Minnesota West had the opportunity to empty its bench in both matches. Ally Nelson had a team-high seven kills in the Fergus match, while Ella Hesse had six kills, 11 digs and two blocks. Sadie Krahling and Kylee Larsen added five kills each; Ella Thorson chipped in with a pair of ace serves.
On Saturday, Hesse and Janessa Hammann both led the team in kills with six and Claire Bohlen had five. Lexi Schreuers, who had 20 set assists against Fergus, had 19 more against Western Tech while also adding a team-high 12 digs. Kadyn Paulson contributed 10 digs; she and Madi Petersen had two ace serves each. Abby Loosbrock contributed a Lady Jays-best three blocks.
Minnesota West, now 17-3, plays at Dakota County Technical College on Friday and at No. 2-in-the-nation Century College on Saturday afternoon.
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In boys soccer Saturday night, No. 1-ranked Academy of Holy Angels blanked the No. 5 visiting Trojans 4-0 for Worthington’s third consecutive loss. WHS, now 7-3-2, hosts St. James/Windom/Madelia at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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In girls high school tennis Thursday, Pipestone Area edged host Worthington 4-3.
The Trojans picked up a pair of victories in singles play, as No. 2 Emma Hietbrink won by scores of 6-4 , 1-6 , 10-5 and No. 4 Lily Brown was triumphant by scores of 6-3 , 6-1. The No. 3 doubles tandem of Ashley Esparza and Tiana Garcia also picked up a 6-3, 3-6 , 10-8 win for the Trojans.
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In area high school football Friday night, it was:
New Ulm Cathedral 64, Westbrook-Walnut Grove 0
Hills-Beaver Creek 50, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 14
Mountain Lake Area 37, Red Rock Central 14
Windom Area 54, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 42
Martin County West 26, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 12
Adrian-Ellsworth 13, Murray County Central 11
Luverne 35, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 0
Jackson County Central 61, LeSueur-Henderson 14
Pipestone Area 28, Redwood Valley 6
Fairmont 28, St. Peter 7
Marshall 42, Tri-City United 0
Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 56, Sheldon 6
West Lyon 49, Unity Christian 0
Newell-Fonda 53, Harris-Lake Park 12
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 43, Akron-Westfield 34
Sibley-Ocheyedan 20, Alta-Aurelia 0
Spirit Lake 56, Forest City 0
Okoboji 40, Estherville-Lincoln Central 19
In area high school football Saturday:
Edgerton 42, Grand Meadow 14
In area high school volleyball Friday:
Marshall 2, Stillwater Area 0
Lakeville North 2, Marshall 1
In area school volleyball Saturday:
LeSueur-Henderson 2, Edgerton 1
Madelia 2, Edgerton 0
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 2, Edgerton 0
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 2, Dassel-Cokato 0
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 2, Lester Prairie 0
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, Sibley East 0
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 2, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial 0
Renville County West 2, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 0
Marshall 2, Apple Valley 0
East Ridge 2, Marshall 1
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