Rec Sports

Rennecke: Breaking down girls basketball’s future in Central Minnesota

Published

8 months ago

April 28, 2025

ALBANY — Writing about the decline in participation for high school girls basketball in Central Minnesota is something I’d never thought I’d have to do.

It pains me to do so.

I’ve been a professional sports writer since 2003. I got to cover South Dakota’s all-time leading scorer — Mitchell Christian’s Jill Young — for four seasons, the St. Cloud State women’s basketball team for eight seasons and Central Minnesota standouts like Eden Valley-Watkins’ Hannah Linz, Sauk Centre’s Kali Peschel and Macy Weller and Albany’s big three of Alyssa Sand, Kylan Gerads and Tatum Findley. But I never thought I’d see the day where one of the sports I’ve enjoyed covering the most was suffering this much.

All the basketball die-hards in Central Minnesota have witnessed what’s happened with the formation of the

St. Cloud Crush

(Apollo and Tech) and the struggles of that program and others like

Sauk Rapids-Rice

ROCORI

and — to a certain degree —

St. Cloud Cathedral

And, yes, there are still consistently good programs like

Sartell

Albany

and

Holdingford

. Sartell has enjoyed consistency under longtime head coach Katie Martin, Albany has been led to great success by head coach Aaron Boyum and Holdingford is guided by a committed coach in Joel McDonough.

But the low participation numbers aren’t just a problem in Central Minnesota. That Mitchell Christian program I mentioned in South Dakota? That school hasn’t been able to field a team for the last two winters.

Think about that for a minute. The all-time leading scorer in that state’s history can’t even say her old team exists.

Sadly, this could happen anywhere — and it already is in Minnesota. The Crush co-op is not uncommon. Rush City, which has qualified for the Class 2A state volleyball tournament the past three seasons, was forced to co-op with nearby North Branch for a girls basketball co-op.

Katie Martin Sartell Girls Basketball Head Coach January 2025 — Sartell head girls basketball coach Katie Martin, now in her 17th season, coaches the Sabres against the St. Cloud Crush in a Central Lakes Conference game in late November 2024 at St. Cloud Apollo High School.

And therein lies the biggest problem: sports specialization and the rise in popularity in volleyball. You can’t tell me that some of Rush City’s volleyball players, which this past season consisted of seven players who were 5-foot-8 or taller, wouldn’t make decent basketball players.

When athletes at small schools like Rush City specialize, it makes even more of an impact.

Boyum helped guide Albany to a Class 2A state championship in 2021 and state championship game appearances in 2023 and 2024. If it wasn’t for one of the best players in state basketball history — Providence Academy’s Maddyn Greenway — the Huskies most likely would’ve won three championships in four years thanks to the contributions of future college basketball players in Sand (St. Thomas), Gerads (St. Cloud State), Findley (St. Benedict) and Savanna Pelzer (Minnesota-Morris).

So how have Boyum and Albany been able to maintain so much success? Even in a rebuilding year — like with the 2024-25 season — Boyum still guided the young Huskies to a respectable 13-15 record (which included a tough 1-8 start).

“We’re fortunate to have a tradition of success, some recently and historically,” Boyum said. “The community is well aware of that success. A lot of people have great memories of those teams. And, we have a really good youth organization. The Albany Youth Basketball Association runs the boys and girls youth programs and does a nice job preparing the kids for the future. They do a good job of balancing the number of tournaments they play to help them remain competitive with a longer view of having success when they’re older.”

Despite that, Boyum said, Albany’s youth basketball association has experienced a slight dip in participation.

“We’re like many others in that we’ve seen that dip. But I’m still optimistic about the future and I stay positive about it. But I’d be lying to anyone who asked if we haven’t seen those numbers go down,” Boyum said.

Albany GBB Practice December 2023 3 — Albany girls basketball head coach Aaron Boyum (top left) talks to his team during a break in practice on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at Albany High School.

But what an outsider like me first notices about Albany’s program is that the skill level has remained high. When you watch other area varsity teams play, it reminds you of a skill level you would see on a mid-2000’s C-squad or freshmen team.

“We put a high level of importance on fundamentals. Jump stops, ball fakes, pivots — those very fundamental things you teach at an early age,” Boyum said. “Doing those basic things go a long way for skill level in basketball. Having kids buy into the fundamental aspects of the game has been a real positive for us.”

I grew up in a town of less than 600 people. I attended Cosmos Schools (which had grades K-12 in it until the spring of 1993) from kindergarten through seventh grade before the state forced our school to join Atwater and Grove City.

But before that consolidation,

Cosmos

was a power in high school girls volleyball. The Royals made the state tournament in 1986 and 1991. That 1991 team had one of the best

St. Cloud State

volleyball players of all-time, Krista Hartung, on it.

But what made Cosmos special back then was that it had a slew of three-sport athletes. Even if they were great at volleyball, female athletes in my hometown still went out for basketball in the winter or softball in the spring. And most of those great volleyball players were just average to above-average at basketball and softball.

Sauk Rapids Crush GBB 013025 4 — Sauk Rapids-Rice’s Alison Schreifels (20) tries to separate herself from the defense of St. Cloud’s Weslie Schuck (1) in the first half on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at St. Cloud Tech High School.

But they went out for those other sports to help their school and have fun with their friends. And that’s how times are different.

Boyum just finished up his second year as the president of the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association. He recognizes that what’s happening at St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids-Rice and ROCORI is more than concerning.

“St. Cloud isn’t alone,” Boyum said. “I hope they continue to get younger kids involved at an early age. With my position with the coaches association, I’ve spoken with coaches all across the state. I think it’s a complex situation and I don’t know if any one thing can help. There just isn’t an instant solution here.”

Boyum said there is an emphasis on making sure Albany athletes go out for as many sports as possible. Boys and girls coaches work together and encourage athletes to give themselves a break from specializing in one sport.

Crush Sartell Girls Basketball 112624 4 — A referee tries to avoid St. Cloud’s Sydney Shamla (21) as she loses the ball out of bounds in a Central Lakes Conference game against Sartell Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at St. Cloud Apollo High School.

“There aren’t as many three-sport athletes around the state. We still have a lot of them in Albany though. We place an importance on that,” Boyum said. “When basketball season rolls around, that’s when they concentrate more on it. And, if they play a different sport in the fall, they’re rejuvenated for the basketball season when we start practice. There’s definitely less chance for burnout — and injury — that way.”

And, there’s the bigger issue of trying to get volleyball players to not dedicate themselves to that sport for almost the entire year.

“Kids have more of a chance to specialize in things than ever before,” Boyum said. “Volleyball leagues are running year-round. And, basketball is a contact sport while volleyball isn’t. Not every athlete likes that aspect of basketball.”

Volleyball is a great sport to play and cover, but do athletes have to devote 10 months out of their year to it? As crazy as it sounds, that’s the biggest question facing girls basketball’s future.

Every athlete’s situation is different. But even with the rise and popularity of the WNBA and standout players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, the future of girls basketball is a very murky one at best.

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FELONY CHARGES FILED AGAINST THREE IN EDWARDS COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

Published

1 hour ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Three Edwards County residents has had felony charges filed against them this week by Edwards County State’s Attorney, Eric St. Ledger.

Phillip Walden, 54, of Albion, has been charged with domestic battery with a prior conviction. This charge was also filed on Monday, and a court date is pending.

25-year-old Bradley Cummins of Grayville has been charged with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, a Class 3 felony. He also faces charges of aggravated assault, a Class A misdemeanor, and possession of an expired FOID card. No court date has been scheduled.

43-year-old Martin A. Williams of Grayville faces aggravated drunk driving charges—his third such offense—as well as aggravated DUI while driving on a revoked license. The charges were filed on Monday, and a court date has not yet been set.

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Myrtle Beach Corvette Club donates to local charities | News

Published

2 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Myrtle Beach Corvette Club (MBCC) recently presented checks to two local nonprofit charities that the club supports.

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Area kids ‘Shop with a Cop’ for Christmas

Published

3 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Down the Middle Foundation (DTMF) and its partners helped brighten the Christmas holiday for children across the area through its sixth annual Shop with a Cop event.

DTMF founder Darnell Lee Jr. noted that the event gives area children the opportunity to cultivate a positive relationship with area law enforcement as they participate in an exciting shared endeavor — shopping for presents that the children can have for Christmas.

This year’s iteration of the event took place Tuesday, Dec. 16, and featured second graders from Capron Elementary School, Meherrin Elementary School, Nottoway Elementary School, Riverdale Elementary School and Kilby Shores Elementary School in Suffolk.

Participating law enforcement agencies included Southampton County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police.

“The goal is to have 20 (children involved) every year, and we’re trying to increase it every year, but this year we were able to have 13 kids in the store,” Lee said.

The store partnering with DTMF for the event is the Walmart located in the city of Franklin.

“What Walmart does, they provide little goodies for the kids at Walmart, and then each kid will be partnered with a police officer, and they will shop for $100 of whatever they want,” Lee said. “And after that, we go to the (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community) Center, we have volunteers that wrap gifts and (we) eat pizza. (Franklin) Parks and Rec partners with us, they provided the crafts at the MLK Center.”

As noted on its website, Down the Middle Foundation, which Lee founded in 2009, has a mission “to support the character development and athletic skills of youth through community service, mentorship, team building, and sports education.”

Lee explained that the Shop with a Cop event aims to develop youth in a positive way by dispelling fears they may have about law enforcement, helping them to understand that officers are here to help the community.

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What gifts should local coaches ask Santa for to help their teams?

Published

4 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

A lot of local teams have a lot of different needs

Fort Lewis College men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast cheers his team on while playing Adams State University on Dec. 13 at FLC. (Jerry McBride/Herald)

Jerry McBride

It’s the holiday season, so there’s no time like the present for a fun Christmas-themed article that looks back at the first part of the winter sports season.

Local winter sports teams have had varying amounts of success, but all of them want to improve in certain areas to reach their potential.

Let’s look at some local sports teams and what gifts their coaches should’ve asked Santa for this Christmas.

Fort Lewis College men’s basketball: The gift of health

The FLC men’s basketball team has had a decent start to the season at 6-5 overall and 4-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. FLC has a win over a top-25 team in Division II, and four of its five losses were against teams that were either in the Division II top 25 or were receiving votes in the poll.

However, the season has already started to turn into a what could’ve been story with all the injuries the Skyhawks have had. It began in the preseason with senior guard Jude Tapia tearing his meniscus, freshman guard Daniel Steverson tearing his ACL and freshman forward Garrett Barger breaking his collarbone.

Tapia was the RMAC’s leading scorer at Adams State last season and was expected to be a big part of FLC’s success this season; Tapia is still out. Steverson is a promising guard who will miss the rest of the year, and Barger has only played a few games since his return.

After the season started, the Skyhawks lost redshirt sophomore guard for a few games to a sprained MCL. Senior forward Cassius Carmichael missed a few games with a concussion and redshirt sophomore guard Nate Penney has only played in three games with a broken foot.

FLC still has the depth and talent to do well in the RMAC even with the injuries. However, FLC needs the gift of health so no more players get hurt.

FLC women’s basketball: The gift of free-throw shooting

The Skyhawks women’s basketball team is off to its best start in six years, with the team at 9-3 overall. FLC is having a great year so far despite struggles at the free-throw line.

FLC ranks last in the RMAC in team free-throw percentage at 60%. Free-throw shooting hasn’t cost FLC a close game, but it’s only a matter of time before that happens.

The schedule will get much tougher for FLC in RMAC play, and if the Skyhawks want to keep a winning record, make the RMAC tournament and secure some key upsets along the way, FLC will need to hit its free throws at a higher percentage.

Durango High School boys basketball: The gift of role-player production

It’s a transition year for the Durango boys basketball team after the Demons lost valuable seniors from last season’s state-tournament team.

Durango is 3-4 overall after two non-league tournaments down in New Mexico. The Demons have gotten great production out of their top two players, junior King Kerlin and sophomore Taj Batiste.

After that, the production hasn’t been so reliable from the role players, which isn’t surprising considering a lot of these role players don’t have experience at the varsity level.

Once the Demons get into league play, teams will be keying in on Kerlin and Batiste. Durango can’t expect those players to play well every night, so the role players will have to produce on some nights for Durango to win.

Durango High School girls basketball: The gift of consistent offense

The Durango girls basketball team lost a lot of production from last year’s Great 8 squad, with four experienced seniors graduating. Therefore, it’s not surprising the offense has been inconsistent for the Demons with some new main characters.

Durango failed to hit 40 points in its first four games, and the Demons have scored at least 49 points in their last four games. Can the offense be consistent? That’ll likely be the key to Durango’s success as the Demons have always been strong defensively under head coach Lauren Moran.

Durango High School boys wrestling: The gift of experience

Like Durango boys basketball, the Durango boys wrestling program is going through a reset year after losing star wrestler Ryan Dugan to graduation.

The Demons have some experience, but even those wrestlers haven’t hit the heights of competing in top matches at state. After that, the Demons have a lot of inexperienced wrestlers who are still trying to figure it out on the mat.

Head coach Jason Silva has said this year is all about his team getting experience, as most of the wrestlers will be back for next year.

Ignacio High School wrestling teams: The gift of continued success after big tournaments

The Ignacio boys and girls wrestling teams have had a great start to the season with Lincoln deKay picking up a few wins, other wrestlers making it to the finals and other Bobcats placing.

Ignacio has competed in some of the top local tournaments, including the Western Slope Showdown and Warrior Classic. For a 2A school, the Bobcats faced a lot of wrestlers from bigger schools that they won’t see again this season.

The question is: Can the Bobcats take this early-season success to the postseason tournaments? deKay has shown he can wrestle at the top of the state after finishing second last season. Larissa Espinosa also placed last season for the Ignacio girls.

Can either of these two get over the hump and win a state title? Using what worked for them in those bigger tournaments early in the season will help.

bkelly@durangoherald.com

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Delmarva Christian swim teams confident at the break

Published

4 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hosting an ESIAC quad meet Dec. 19 proved to be an early present for Delmarva Christian’s swim teams.

The boys scooped up their first two wins of the year by besting Sts. Peter & Paul 41-4 and Salisbury School 39-15. Salisbury Christian’s talented team got the best of the Royals 49-31.

“Tonight, we just got every guy qualified for states,” said senior Cole Parker. “Last year, almost everybody went.”

A legend was born during the quad meet when the 200 freestyle relay team qualified. Trax Rogers was the second swimmer to leap off the blocks, and if you can believe it, the junior had just wrapped up swimming the 500.

“The 500 is distance, a long-haul race, and Trax gave it his all in that race and turned around and did the relay right after,” said coach Laurel Kamosa. “He did great, and they ended up qualifying for states at the exact time, which was amazing.”

Diving over to the girls, they got a taste of each outcome in the quad meet, edging out the Dragons 39-36, tying the Sabres 31-31 and losing to the Jaguars 66-16. The girls stand at 2-3-1 with just three meets left when they come back from their January term.

“We’re doing really good,” said senior Libby Dawson. “We’re pushing ourselves to be the best we can with limited practice in limited time.”

At 2-5, the lads have a bit more ground to make up, but lucky for them, one of the three meets is a tri-meet and another is a quad meet.

“We’ve had our ups and downs a little bit, and like Libby said with limited practices and stuff, I think that’s made it a little bit tougher, but other than that, I think all the guys at least have been pushing themselves, and that’s just great to see,” Parker said.

“We’ve got a lot of good swimmers,” Kamosa said. “We’re working on technique, we’re working on getting faster, and we’re definitely seeing that with the kids. At the end of the day, we want to have fun and have a good time, but make strides along the way, so I think we’re doing that.”

Gains this season are a result of buy-in from the older swimmers who have seen the program grow year by year.

“Freshman year to now, the growth is insane, and just building the program more and more each year is just the biggest thing we can do,” Dawson said. “Building it more in our school and putting more of a light on swimming at Delmarva Christian.”

“The confidence is definitely building with the kids,” Kamosa said. “They’re building that camaraderie with each other, and with the other teams as well. I really appreciate their sportsmanship with the other schools.”

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Orange Holiday Basketball Classic begins Friday with girls and boys divisions –

Published

4 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Orange High School is the site of the 60th annual Orange Holiday Basketball Classic beginning Friday, Dec. 26. The event will include both boys and girls divisions and wrap up on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

Coach Jake Rhodes will lead his Orange Panthers boys basketball team into the long-running tournament.

In the boys division, Pool A consists of Incline, Nev; Irvine, Orange and Shadow Ridge, Nev. Pool B will include Boulder City, Nev., Cerritos, Fullerton, and Long Beach Wilson.

In the girls division, Pool A includes Apple Valley, Laguna Hills, Montclair, and Valley Christian. Pool B includes Cabrillo, Fullerton, Irvine, Orange.

Pool play games:

FRIDAY, DEC. 26:

Girls: Orange vs. Cabrillo, 9 a.m.; Irvine vs. Fullerton, 10:30 a.m.; Valley Christian vs. Montclair, noon; Apple Valley vs. Laguna Hills, 1:30 p.m..

Boys: Cerritos vs. Long Beach Wilson, 3 p.m.; Orange vs. Incline, 4:30 p.m.; Shawdow Ridge vs. Irvine, 6 p.m; Fullerton vs. Boulder City, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 27:

Girls: Laguna Hills vs. Valley Christian, 9 a.m.; Cabrillo vs. Irvine, 10:30 a.m.; Montclair vs. Apple Valley, noon; Fullerton vs. Orange, 1:30 p.m.

Boys: Cerritos vs. Fullerton, 3 p.m.; LB Wilson vs. Boulder City, 4:30 p.m.; Shadow Ridge vs. Orange, 6 p.m.; Irvine vs. Incline, 7:30 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 29:

Girls: Fullerton vs. Cabrillo, 9 a.m.; Laguna Hills vs. Montclair, 10:30 a.m.; Apple Valley vs. Valley Christian, noon; Orange vs. Irvine, 1:30 p.m.

Boys: Irvine vs. Orange, 3 p.m.; Incline vs. Shadow Ridge, 4:30 p.m.; Long Beach Wilson vs. Fullerton, 6 p.m.; Cerritos vs. Boulder City, 7:30 p.m.

The tournament wraps up on Tuesday, Dec. 30 with games starting at 9 a.m. The girls championship will be at 6 p.m. followed by the boys tournament final at 7:30 p.m.

“Looking forward to helping our AD host the oldest running Christmas Tourney in Orange County,” Rhodes said on X this week. “We have great teams ranging from LA County, OC, San Bernardino County and Southern and Northern Nevada.”

Send basketball news to timburt@ocsportszone.com

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