NORTHOME/KELLIHER MUSTANGS

Area track and field athletes rack up state bids at Section 8A Finals

Pioneer Staff Report — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 23:42:57 GMT

BEMIDJI – Ava Phrakonkham just keeps winning.

Bagley/Fosston’s accomplished track and field star is heading back to state with three more first-place finishes at the Section 8A meet. In total, between Bagley/Fosston and Northome/Kelliher/Blackduck, area athletes locked up state berths in seven events.

Phrakonkham won a pair of springs. She took first in the 100-meter dash at 12.06 seconds, then first in the 200 at 24.94. Phrakonkham also won the long jump at 17-02.5. She also anchored the 4x100-meter relay with Claire Klinhammer, Hatty Quam and Chaela Olson to a time of 50.21, good enough for first place.

Northome/Kelliher/Blackduck’s Allison Lundin took first in the girls 800 with a time of 2:21.59. N/K/B’s Colton Connell also won the 800 for the boys at 2:00.73.

Bagley/Fosston’s Charlie Capshaw rounded out the state qualifiers in the boys discus with a first-place throw of 142.11, four feet further than Roseau’s Jake Borowicz in second place.

The Class A prelims begin at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, at St. Michael-Albertville High ��. Finals will commence at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11.

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Mustangs’ state hopes come up short in Section 8A championship loss to Eagles

Alex Faber — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 05:31:01 GMT

THIEF RIVER FALLS — The Mustangs took another step forward in the playoffs this season.

Earning a spot in the Section 8A tournament championship game, the first-seeded Northome/Kelliher’s girls basketball team surpassed last year’s section semifinal berth and 2023’s quarterfinal bid.

But that didn’t make Friday evening’s section title loss at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls sting any less.

N/K had kept up with third-seeded Sacred Heart for most of the night. Each time the Eagles started to draw away, the Mustangs found just enough answers on offense to keep pace.

Junior Kate Thayer kept that trend going with less than eight minutes left in the second half, nailing a 3-pointer in direct response to Finley Horken’s triple to knot up the game at 51-51.

However, the Eagles countered with a punch that finally proved too strong for Northome/Kelliher to absorb.

After Lexi Lawrence tallied three free throws to recapture the advantage, Sacred Heart splashed three-straight 3-point shots for a commanding 63-51 lead with less than five minutes left in the game.

“We knew they were a good 3-point shooting team when you leave them open, and then we started leaving them open,” N/K head coach Kevin Waldo said. “We started gambling probably a little too much on defense and it probably cost us in the end because they were hitting wide-open 3s, and to their credit, they were making them.”

The Mustangs finally failed to keep up following the barrage of 3-pointers. The Eagles allowed just five points in the final seven minutes, closing out a 70-56 win to capture the Section 8A crown.

“Obviously we wanted the next step, and that was our goal,” Waldo said. “It stings right now, super proud of how hard they worked to get here. I mean, how many teams get here? In Class A, there’s 16 teams that get to this spot. You’ve got to put the time in, you’ve got to put the work in, and these girls do. Sometimes the breaks don’t go your way, sometimes the ball bounces the wrong way and unfortunately, it caught up to us tonight.”

Northome/Kelliher was in a battle from the opening tip. Thayer and junior Charli Hallstrom got into foul trouble early, forcing a few of the Mustangs’ top players to spend some extra time sidelined.

In their absence, Kylee Binkley stepped up. The junior was a major scoring threat through the first frame, slashing to the cup for tough finishes and putting up a trio of 3-point shots for 21 points.

“Kate got in foul trouble there in the first half and just never really got in her game, and then Kylee kept us in it,” Waldo said. “She kept working her butt off, defensively and offensively, going back and forth, trying to get as much as (she) could. They kind of took her away a little bit more in the second half, but she was what kept us going the entire time.”

The Mustangs entered the locker room trailing 39-34. Binkley tacked on five points in the second half for a team-high 26 points. Despite the foul trouble, Thayer still managed to finish the night with 11 points.

Hallstrom carried the offensive load for the opening minutes of the second frame, scoring eight of Northome/Kelliher’s first 12 points.

“We knew we had to have team effort,” Waldo said. “We got some buckets from Charlie, we knew we needed to be tough inside and she was in the second half. She got in foul trouble in the first half, and it stung a little bit, and we kind of had to go against what we were trying to do.”

Hallstrom’s foul trouble was perhaps best felt on defense in the first half. Lawrence put tough possession after tough possession in the paint for Sacred Heart, earning 14 points through the first 18 minutes. She was also a threat in the second, grabbing 10 more points to lead the Eagles with 24.

“(Lawrence is) tough,” Waldo said. “Once Charlie got in foul trouble, we tried guarding her with an eighth grader and a ninth grader that have very little varsity experience, and she was able to pick them apart a little bit more down there. They did a great job stepping in there for where they were, they played tough, they played hard.”

As the second half progressed, N/K’s offense struggled to recapture its first-half consistency, culminating in the sparse scoring of the final eight minutes.

Northome/Kelliher hoped its next postseason step would come with a state tournament berth. Though the goal came up just short, most of the Mustangs will be back for another try next season.

Thayer, Hallstrom, Binkley, Emily Mastin and Alli Lundin are all juniors. Save for senior Joy Adegun, the rest of the roster are all underclassmen.

“They keep coming back with a little more fire, a little more vigor, we want to make sure that we learn from this one because it’s not fun to watch the other team (celebrate),” Waldo said. “We’ll learn from this game, it’ll sting for a while, but we’ll get back in the gym. These girls are gym rats, so they’ll get back in the gym, they’ll get working again and they’ll make sure that we learn from this one for next year and we’re back in the same spot next year, and maybe we’ll just take that next step.”

Sacred Heart 70, Northome/Kelliher 56

N/K 34 22 — 56

SH 39 31 — 70

Northome/Kelliher — K. Binkley 26, Thayer 11, Hallstrom 8, Lundin 6, Latterell 3, B. Binkley 2.

Sacred Heart — Lawrence 24, L. Riskey 14, Sundby 10, Arntson 9, Horken 9, Kaiser 2, Bernhoft 2.

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Alli Lundin reaches 1,000 points; Mustangs rout Bears in 2nd round of Section 8A tournament

Alex Faber — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 06:21:34 GMT

KELLIHER — The top-seeded Northome/Kelliher girls basketball team entered Thursday night’s second-round Section 8A West tournament game against eighth-seeded Lake of the Woods with a couple of questions.

Would junior Alli Lundin hit her 1,000-point milestone? Were the Mustangs going to secure a quarterfinal berth and a trip to Thief River Falls’ Ralph Englestad Area?

It didn’t take long for N/K to provide answers.

Northome/Kelliher came out of the gates hot, leaping out to a 25-0 lead. The Bears scored their first points with eight and a half minutes left in the first half. By halftime, the Mustangs’ lead had ballooned to 48-7.

The second half was not quite as lopsided, but N/K still outscored its opponents by 14 points, cruising to an 80-25 victory over Lake of the Woods to advance to the Section 8A quarterfinals.

“It felt pretty good,” Lundin said. “We were able to just stay calm and cool, and just play our game.”

Lundin reached 1,000 points amid the stellar opening-frame start. She started off with a couple of 2-point baskets and hit her milestone by splashing a triple less than five minutes into the game.

“It was always in the back of my mind, but I just thought I’d play my game," Lundin said. “Points would come, and whenever I get it, I get it. It feels pretty good. Hitting it with the team is always fun, hitting it with this crowd here. … It is special that I got it at home.”

“She works so hard,” head coach Kevin Waldo said. “I leave (practice), she’s still here. She’s shooting and she’s working hard and she just continues to work hard every day – all summer, all winter, all the time. ... It was a goal of hers but it’s not the ultimate goal. She knows that she doesn't like the limelight so much, she’s like, let’s get it done, let’s get it over so we can move on to more important things."

The Mustangs now have a host of players in the 1,000-point club. Last year, junior Kylee Binkley eclipsed 1,000 points. Earlier this season, junior Kate Thayer took the milestone a step further, reaching 2,000 points.

“I think it just shows how much the whole team puts in the offseason,” Lundin said. “The shots and the passing, just the ball handling and being able to hit our shooters.”

In Thursday’s win over the Bears, each of those players played big roles in the win. Binkley finished with a team-high 18 points, followed closely by Thayer’s 15. Lundin ended the night with nine points.

However, production came from across the lineup for Northome/Kelliher. Kenna Latterell earned 11 points and Charli Hallstrom tallied nine. Beyond those five, seven different Mustangs managed to put at least one point up on the board.

“You need confidence from everybody on your team, and you want to build that,” Waldo said. “Games like this are good ones to start the playoffs. Start that intensity, but also start with the feeling of we need everyone, we need it all. We need everyone to contribute while you’re out there.”

With a second-round tournament win out of the way, Northome/Kelliher has officially made it back to the Ralph for another season.

At this point, it's becoming a familiar venue for the Mustangs. N/K has made the trip up to Thief Rivers Falls in four consecutive seasons, and each year seems to come with another step for the program.

In 2022, Northome/Kelliher defeated Clearbrook-Gonvick in the opening round of the Section 8A tournament before suffering an 87-67 loss to Cass Lake-Bena. The following season ended in another defeat at the hands of the Panthers, though this time it was a hard-fought 55-50 loss.

The Mustangs finally got the best of CLB in 2024, securing a 73-69 win in the quarterfinals before falling to Fosston in the semifinals.

“We get a little further every year,” Waldo said. “It used to be just getting to the Ralph was big. Now, it’s like, OK, we need to get to the next step. ... Each year is a little further, and this year our goal is not to stop where we were last year, it’s to continue and go further and try to reach that state level.”

Ranked as the top seed in the Section 8A tournament, N/K will try to keep pushing the program to new heights. But Waldo and the Mustangs are intent on taking things a game at a time – they are well aware that anything can happen in the postseason. Northome/Kelliher was the No. 1 seed in the section when it lost to Cass Lake-Bena in 2023.

“After the first time we lost to CLB, it was like, OK, we’ve got to take it slow, just go one game at a time and see what happens,” Lundin said. “We have high hopes every year, but sometimes we get let down. So it’s just more inspiration for the next year, just keep fighting. … I think we just have to have the confidence thinking that we have the ability to win. We also have to be humble and know that we can win, we have to play hard.”

“I think we all know what the ultimate goal is, but as coaches, we have to keep them grounded,” Waldo said. “We have to make sure they’re ready for the game at hand, whether it’s Lake of the Woods today or whoever we play on Saturday. … It’s easy to start looking ahead, but in the playoffs, any team comes along and they could knock you off if you’re not prepared. So it’s our job to keep them prepared, getting them grounded and keep them ready for the game.”

Northome/Kelliher 80, Lake of the Woods 25

N/K 48 32 — 80

LOW 7 18 — 25

Northome/Kelliher — Binkley 18, Thayer 15, Latterell 11, Lundin 9, C. Hallstrom 9, Poxleitner 4, B. Binkley 4, Buentenmeier 3, L. Hallstrom 3, Elhard 2, Wang 2, Mastin 1,

Lake of the Woods — Bowman 7, Berggren 6, Brune 5, G. Block 3, S. Block 2, Haack 2.

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Mustangs’ Anthony Johnson reaches 1,000 points in win over Laporte

Pioneer Staff Report — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 21:57:49 GMT

NORTHOME — Anthony Johnson reached 1,000 points a little faster than he expected.

After spending freshman year playing on the Northome/Kelliher boys basketball team, Johnson made a goal to hit the four-digit mark during his prep playing career.

In Tuesday night’s 80-29 win over Laporte, the Mustangs’ junior achieved that goal.

“At first I didn’t think I would’ve, but it came faster than I thought,” Johnson said in a release. “I knew working hard was gonna get me to it.”

Northome/Kelliher wrapped up the regular season with its dominant win over the Wildcats. Now, Johnson’s goals are team-oriented: making a run in the Section 8A Tournament. Round one of the tournament kicks off on March 3.

“My goal for basketball (is) helping my team play at the Ralph in (Thief River Falls)” Johnson said. “Our boys team hasn’t played there in a long time.”

In terms of his future beyond prep basketball, Johnson has his eyes set on continuing his career at the collegiate level.

“I’m hoping to play basketball at a JUCO or a D-II college and work my way to a D-I school,” Johnson said. “I know I got to put in the work and keep putting shots up to get there.”

That intent to continue playing the sport he loves, considering Johnson has spent much of his life around it.

“I first picked up basketball when I was a little kid,” Johnson said. “Played a lot of one-on-one against my brother in the driveway. Played on my first team in the third grade. … I’m so passionate about basketball because when I play it, it gets everything off my mind and keeps me going.”

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With 2,000 point milestone achieved, Northome/Kelliher’s Kate Thayer sets sights on bigger goals

Alex Faber — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 05:44:32 GMT

KELLIHER — Kate Thayer aimed her sights high as a freshman. She wanted to hit 1,000 career points while playing on the Northome/Kelliher girls basketball team.

It turns out she set her sights a little too low.

Thayer made program history on Jan. 6 against Lake of the Woods, becoming the first Mustang in program history to hit 2,000 career points.

“It was so surreal,” Thayer said. “It was so crazy celebrating with my team and family.”

Thayer eclipsed the milestone as a junior, a testament not only to her scoring ability, but also her drive and effort across the court.

“She works her butt off,” N/K head coach Kevin Waldo said. “She finds her points, she finds her opportunities, she goes and gets offensive rebounds as someone that’s not as tall as the bigs, but she goes in and makes those opportunities, which makes her teammates tougher, and they want to go out and do the same thing.”

Thayer’s teammates are well aware of her abilities on the court. But for those younger members of the program or even the girls in the stands – like her little sister, who was there to witness the milestone – it provided an inspiration of sorts, proof of the success that can be reached at Northome/Kelliher.

“It definitely helps our younger girls,” Waldo said. "I think the older girls that played with her, they know they’re happy for her, they know what she is. But these younger girls or kids in the stands, when they see that, it makes them want to go work harder, it makes them want to get to the gym.”

“Even little girls, like I’ve got a little sister, it’s just cool for everyone,” Thayer said.

As soon as that celebration ended in January, it was time for Thayer's next set of goals.

However, when asked about her future aims, Thayer didn’t mention hitting another scoring mark or any sort of personal records as the next check point. Her focus is on winning.

“My goal is to hopefully go far in the playoffs,” Thayer said. “Subsection, section, maybe state tournament.”

Thayer’s team-oriented focus is a reflection of a group set on achieving goals as a unit. It’s reflected in Northome/Kelliher’s play; like any successful offense, the Mustangs are honed in on making the extra pass, the right read and finding the open player – a group described by Waldo as playing with “no selfishness in any of them.”

“My teammates are amazing,” Thayer said. “Everyone’s amazing on my team.”

“(Thayer is) a humble kid,” Waldo said. “They all have their goals, and that’s what keeps you motivated, but they have a team goal, and their team goal is to get to the state tournament or to get as far as we possibly can get, and they know that not one person is going to do it. They need everyone to do it and it’s going to take, whether it’s some kid that comes off the bench for two minutes or whoever, they know that in order to reach their goals and our goals as a team, it has to be all them.”

The Mustangs took another important step toward the postseason on Tuesday, dominating Pine River-Backus 99-48.

The offense was hot from the jump. Northome/Kelliher entered halftime with a 62-32 lead over the Tigers. The Mustangs didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second frame, opening the half with a 10-0 run to further extend the lead.

“We were working well as a team,” Thayer said. “Our shots were going in, good defense.”

With over seven minutes left in the game, Northome/Kelliher sent in the subs.

“We shot the ball well, our defense, we played defense well,” Waldo said. “We’ve had a lot of games in a short amount of time, so we were just getting into the flow, trying to get into the flow, and they started fast, which that’s what we wanted them to do. … We knew Pine River was definitely a decent opponent, so we wanted to test ourselves in some of the stuff we’ve been working on and things like that.”

Naturally, Thayer earned her fair share of buckets in the win, scoring at the cup and around the perimeter for a team-high 32 points. She also flexed her play away from the ball, providing solid defense and consistently throwing herself toward the glass to grab rebounds.

Thayer wasn’t the only consistent basket-getter for the Mustangs, as the offense flexed its scoring depth. Kylee Binkley was next up on the stat sheet, tallying 21 points. Alli Lundin, Lexi Hallstrom and Kenna Latterell all finished with double-digit point totals as well.

“It was a good test, it was an all-around good team effort,” Waldo said. “You look at the scoreboard there, I mean, points don’t tell everything, but everyone’s got double digits, that’s a great thing to see. When everyone can do that, it makes us tough.”

Northome/Kelliher 99, Pine River-Backus 48

PRB 32 16 — 48

NK 62 37 — 99

Northome/Kelliher — Thayer 32, K. Binkley 21, Lundin 17, Hallstrom 15, Latterell 10, Poxleitner 3, Wang 2.

Pine River-Backus — Tulenchik 15, Bueckers 13, Brewer 8, Burns 5, Johnson 4, Crimmins 2.

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Northome's Jennifer Warren named to National Women Veterans Committee

Jennifer Parker — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 13:15:00 GMT

NORTHOME — On Nov. 6, 2024, Northome resident Jennifer (Ungerecht) Warren received a letter from the office of Minnesota VFW State Commander David Staehlin.

The letter read: “The National VFW has identified that the organization needs to recruit better and retain VFW-eligible women. They have decided to form a National Women Veterans Committee to identify the issues and fix them.

“Each state was tasked with nominating a woman veteran to be on the committee meeting at the national convention. The state commander asked his officers for suggestions. He was looking for someone that was an active member that had excellent communication skills and someone who would be a great representative of the State of Minnesota VFW.

“You were the unanimous choice. You and other committee members from around the country will be tasked with recommending how the VFW can better serve our women veterans. Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars has long been aware that female combat veterans were an underserved faction of the organization. Such a committee has been considered for several years, but plans fell by the wayside during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2024, however, the plans took root and included the recruitment of one woman veteran from each of the 50 U.S. states and territories.

“It was a complete surprise,” Warren said, “but it’s such an honor.”

When things changed

Well before her nomination, Warren was raised in Northome and attended Northome �� where she graduated in 2000. While in school, she was active in speech, drama and cheerleading. She also fulfilled the role of track team manager and played football during her sophomore year.

“I really had to fight for that,” she noted.

Warren enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a private in 2000, serving until 2004 and leaving the service as a corporal. After attending boot camp at Paris Island, S.C., she trained at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C. as a combat engineer — one of the first 20 female Marines brought into that specialty.

Warren worked at Camp Lejeune in the Eighth Engineer Support Battalion from 2001 through 2002, then transferred to Iwa Kuni, Japan, the only Marine Corps base in Japan outside of Okinawa.

In 2003, she transferred again to the Marine Base in Yuma, Arizona. From there, she was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in July 2003. Corporal Warren was tasked with construction, security duty and explosives training as a combat engineer and carpenter.

It was in Iraq that things changed for Warren and altered her life’s course. While on security patrol one night, the military vehicle in which she and her partner were traveling hit a board with the right front passenger tire, feeling it give way.

“We had to exit the vehicle to see what we’d hit,” Warren recalled, “and that’s not easy in the nearly black night. There are no flashlights allowed, and our headlights are shielded with only the barest slit of light. But we had to see what that board was covering.”

When their shift relief arrived, Warren was apprehensive but retired as ordered.

“I changed into my PT gear and laid down but couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I heard explosives, grabbed my weapon and ran outside.”

Moments later, Warren and her partner spoke with the chief warrant officer and master sergeant.

“The board we ran over had been covering a tank mine,” Warren said, “and the CWO and MSG said they didn’t understand why it didn’t explode when we ran over it, but the way the board moved under us when we hit it kept it from hitting the trigger on the mine. My guardian angels were working overtime that night.”

Showing support

Warren was discharged in August 2004 and classified by Veterans Affairs as 100% disabled in 2019, being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical issues. Shortly thereafter, she returned to her roots in Northome.

Restricted from holding paid employment, she volunteers in the community as a photographer and photo editor.

“I do it for my own pleasure, but also to give back to the community,” Warren said. “I go to all of the events at Northome ��. It started out as something to do just for fun. Now I have a photo editing system on my laptop, which was donated by the Monticello, Minn. VFW. I take many activity and senior pictures for the school. That donation is just one way of showing that veterans support each other.”

Warren views the National Women Veterans Committee as an important avenue to sharing that support with others.

“We want to remove the assumption that women are only auxiliary members,” she mentioned. “We are military veterans, and we will stand up for the rights of veterans, particularly female veterans, and the rights all veterans are entitled to. We will stand up to people who have not served and take liberties with the uniform. Veterans have earned that right. Those who have not served have not.”

Warren noted several issues that women face in the military, especially those who have faced combat.

“A woman’s experiences while serving can be very different from a man’s, and it’s been a long, hard fight even to begin to have those experiences recognized and addressed,” she added. “I hope this committee will help close that gap a bit.”

Warren’s introduction as the Minnesota representative to the committee will take place this month at the State VFW Convention. While there, she will meet other Minnesota women veterans to gather information about topics they would like to see addressed or changed and discuss how changes may be made.

In July 2025, she will meet with other members of the committee at a national convention in Columbus, Ohio, to address those issues along with VFW recruitment and retention strategies going forward.

Her pride and joy

Participating in such efforts is of paramount importance to Warren as she hopes to be a role model for young women and girls.

“We were raised in a world where wives were dependent on their husbands,” she said. “There were so many things that women didn’t know how to do, but I’m the extreme opposite. I must do things on my own, and I want that to be the example I set for my daughter.”

Warren’s daughter, Ella, recently turned 16 years old and attained her driver’s license the very next day.

“It’s always been the two of us, my little partner in crime. I’m not looking forward to her graduating and leaving home in two and a half years,” Warren said. “She’s been active in volleyball and track and was the first Northome girl to pole vault. She is my driving force for many things. Like any parent, whatever I can do to make her life better, I will do. I’m proud of her and hope she’s proud of me.”

As a combat engineer, Warren was able to hone her lifelong love of carpentry, which she still carries today.

“I love refinishing furniture,” she said. “Painting and restoring is one of my passions. I’ve actually been commissioned for a few pieces, much of which is military related.”

Warren’s other pride and joy is her service dog, Lady, which is a half-husky and half-boxer mix. Warren has had Lady since she was just a pup and the pair trained together through Patriot Assistance Dogs in Detroit Lakes.

Veterans who are interested in learning more can contact Linda Wiedewitsch at (218) 841-4114.

For those interested in contacting the Northome VFW, email northomevfw@gmail.com or find VFW Post 3869 on Facebook.

In addition to the formation of the National Women Veterans Committee, it was recently announced that Minnesota will soon have its first woman VFW State Commander. Mary Thompson, currently serving as judge advocate for the VFW Department of Minnesota, will officially become the state commander in 2027.

“I’m excited for the changes to come for women veterans,” Warren left off.

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Behind the scenes of Northome/Kelliher’s monumental section triumph

Jared Rubado — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 17:17:19 GMT

WALKER — Kylee Binkley had to keep her cool in the biggest moment of her softball career.

She stepped into the pitcher’s circle with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, protecting a 3-2 lead in the Section 5A championship against Sebeka.

“We got the first two outs pretty easily,” Binkley said. “When it came time to get the last out, I think we all kind of realized that we’re actually doing this.”

Binkley induced a softly-hit ground ball that went right back to her. As she threw the ball to first base, head coach Pennie Rude immediately went on defense.

“All of the girls were on this big adrenaline high,” Rude said. “They were all buzzing. You could just see them jittering on the field. I’m standing in the dugout screaming, ‘Calm down. Just make the out.’ I had to hold back the players from running on the field because when we beat Hill City, they ran on the field before the ump called the game over.”

Rude’s efforts to keep her team’s excitement under control were fruitless. The Mustangs stormed the field immediately after the game went final. Not only is it Northome/Kelliher’s first section softball title, but it’s also the first time an N/K girls program has clinched a team state berth.

“I can’t describe the feeling very well,” Binkley said. “It’s just … amazing. That’s all I can say. All the work we put into it, the sacrifices we had to put in to make it to state, it was just all worth it and a great feeling.”

The Mustangs took the scenic route to get there.

After beating Nevis 6-1 in the first round and Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale 5-4 in the second, Northome/Kelliher lost to Sebeka 5-2, knocking itself to the elimination bracket. The Mustangs picked up a come-from-behind win to beat Hill City/Northland 6-5, setting up a rematch with Sebeka in the title game.

Having already lost once in the double-elimination tournament, Northome/Kelliher had to beat Sebeka twice to get to state.

“It was just about taking it one game at a time,” senior Waabi Wagner said. “The first game, we had to realize we could do it. We had to have the right mindset. We can do this, we just have to keep with it. … Our confidence was super high after winning the first game. Knowing that you can come back after losing to (Sebeka), it’s hard not to have confidence in everybody.”

A 3-1 win in the first of two championship games set the stage for a winner-take-all finale, a contest that ended with the Mustangs’ ultimate triumph.

“Obviously, we thought we could win twice, but you have some doubts,” Binkley said. “They had the advantage, so we just had to put in more work than they did. So when it came down to getting the last out, I was just trying to throw it nice and easy — throw strikes. When we got that out, it’s the greatest feeling.”

In all three elimination games, Northome/Kelliher had to stage a comeback in the final two innings. Rude cites her team’s resiliency as a product of their competitiveness in all sports.

“A lot of these girls play three sports,” Rude said. “When you play three sports, you kind of develop that mentality. When you have coaches that are coaching that mentality, it sticks. It doesn’t just come from me. It comes from their basketball coaches, their volleyball coaches. We don’t give up here.”

The Mustangs drew the No. 1 seed in the Class A tournament at Casswell Park in Mankato. They enter with a record of 19-3 and will take on New Ulm Cathedral at 5:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round.

Despite being paired with a tough opponent, Northome/Kelliher players are eager to play for something no Mustangs girls program has ever played for.

“The excitement comes with being on a new field,” Wagner said. “It’s just going to be so different from around here when we run out on that field. I’m excited for all of the team bonding we can do. … The dedication and the trust we have in each other, that’s the biggest thing for us. We all trust each other. You have to be able to trust yourself and the people around you to do something like this.”

Regardless of the outcome at state, Rude is overwhelmed with the love she has for her team.

“I’m proud of these girls every single day,” Rude said. “I’ve told them all season that we could do something really cool. I don’t think they really believed me, but I tell them all the time how proud of them I am, win or lose. This was a defining moment for them. It was amazing, absolutely amazing, that they pulled it off and persevered through it.”

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Waabi Wagner, a hard-of-hearing infielder, helps lead Northome/Kelliher to 1st state berth

Jared Rubado — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 16:42:58 GMT

Waabi Wagner swings a big stick.

In 22 games for the Northome/Kelliher softball team, Wagner recorded a .586 batting average in 85 plate appearances. The senior struck out just four times in 70 at-bats and posted a .958 fielding percentage at third base.

Her presence on the diamond proved invaluable for Northome/Kelliher, a program that battled its way through the Section 5A elimination bracket to clinch its first state berth in program history last Thursday.

“I couldn’t feel anything,” Wagner said, recalling her emotions that came with the final out. “I was just so proud of everyone on this team. I’m so proud of everyone’s determination and dedication. This team was always ready and prepared for anything. There are a lot of good things that come out of being from here and going to state. It just makes you feel proud.”

Wagner grew up in a baseball-centric family, playing with her older siblings before making history on the Mustangs’ softball field.

She’s done it all while wearing hearing aids.

Wagner is a hard-of-hearing student-athlete who’s been given no choice but to adjust in order to play the sport she loves.

“I’ve had to adapt by reading lips,” Wagner said. “Having helmets on or when everybody is cheering, it’s a challenge for me. … When I’m on the bases it can get hard. Normally, I’m pretty good at knowing what to do. But sometimes, the people I can hear are screaming different things from what I think I should do. You just have to trust your gut.”

Northome/Kelliher’s Pennie Rude has coached Wagner from the time she started playing softball in sixth grade six years ago. Any hesitations Rude might’ve had about Wagner’s hearing were quickly put to rest.

“She’s never let her being hard of hearing be any type of hindrance for her,” Rude said. “We just work out a certain type of communication between each other, and she knows exactly what she needs to do on the field. She’s a really good role model on the field. She may be quiet, but she leads by example. She makes sure there isn’t one person on this team that doesn’t feel included and important.”

Wagner won’t make excuses for herself despite having every reason to do so. Her coaches and teammates have also developed some alternative hand signals that allow her to communicate without her ears when needed.

“She never brings it up,” sophomore Kylee Binkley said. “The first time I found out she was (hard of hearing) I had no idea. She doesn’t talk about it. If she can’t hear something, she asks for us to speak up. She doesn’t let it bring her down.”

Fierce competitor, beloved teammate

In the heart of a balanced batting lineup, Wagner continuously shows her fighting spirit.

“She’s extremely competitive, but you don’t really notice it in her verbal demeanor,” Rude said. “You notice it when she plays the game. When she hits, she rarely strikes out. She will do absolutely anything to get on base. In one game against Fertile-Beltrami, she hit 14 foul balls in a row. She will do anything to get on base for this team.”

Wagner’s relentlessness has resonated beyond the high school level. Her impressive prep resume earned her a spot in Minnesota Morris’ softball program, an opportunity she didn’t know she’d be afforded when she first started playing.

“I’ve heard great things about playing there,” Wagner said. “It’s not too big, it’s not too small. … My dad and I filled out a recruitment form. A couple of months later we got an email back and started talking together about playing (for Morris). We took a visit and they came and watched some of my games. It just felt right.”

Wagner feels called on to pay her fortunes forward. She will study education in college with the intention of becoming a deaf and hard-of-hearing teacher after she graduates.

“I want to work with kids, younger kids,” Wagner said. “Probably fifth grade or younger, but I’ll be fine working with whatever age. I just want to do that (job). What I’ve learned about my audiograms and how my hearing is in both ears, the teachers have taught me so many things about myself. They’ve been so important to me, and I want to do that for other people.”

At her core, Wagner is a calming figure for those around her. It shows in the classroom and on the softball field.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the girls who don’t get to play, the girls on the bench or the (substitute players), she’s a leader for them,” Rude said. “If someone makes a mistake. She’s the first one to say, ‘Hey, that’s alright. I make mistakes all the time.’ That’s our mentality as a team. Just go play the game and have fun.”

On Wednesday, the Mustangs will step on the Caswell Park fields in Mankato for the first time ever. They will have their hands full with top-seeded New Ulm Cathedral.

Regardless of how Northome/Kelliher fares at state, Wagner is prepared to soak up the moment one last time with the teammates and coaches who embraced her for who she is.

“It’s so amazing to know that everyone comes together like that for me,” Wagner said. “To know they’re so understanding in that way, it’s hard to explain. Yeah, I might be hard of hearing, but they make sure to make me more part of this team. I’m just so thankful for them.”

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Northome/Kelliher remembers seniors as Fosston ends Mustangs' playoff run

Christian Babcock — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 05:31:34 GMT

THIEF RIVER FALLS – When the end of the road comes in sports, it’s often painful.

Only one team can emerge victorious in each tournament. It’s the magic and the misery of athletic competition, and the Northome/Kelliher girls basketball team experienced the latter on Wednesday night in Thief River Falls.

The Mustangs started fast in the Section 8A East championship against Fosston, racing to a 24-17 first-half lead and holding a three-point advantage at halftime. But the Greyhounds surged to an early second-half edge and didn’t look back, dominating the second frame en route to a 63-52 win.

“The seniors, it's the toughest for (them)," said Mustangs head coach Kevin Waldo. “We’ve spent a lot of time together, and like we just told them in (the locker room), you’re family. We see you more than our kids. It's tough. It's not easy. But in the end, they left it all on the court, and that's all we asked of them.”

East No. 2 seed Northome/Kelliher (25-4) raced out of the starting gates, utilizing aggressive full-court pressure to force turnovers and convert easy fast-break layups. But out of the halftime break, No. 1 Fosston (28-2) flipped the script.

The Greyhounds seized the lead with three of the first four baskets of the second half, going up 31-30. Over the course of the next 10 minutes, they wrestled the reins away completely, methodically building their way up to a 57-38 advantage.

“We just couldn't put the ball in the hole,” Waldo said. “Our defense, we were trying to get steals and we were trying to gamble a little more than we should, and the ball didn't go in, and it was frustrating. We didn't get a few calls (to) go our way, and it was all in all a frustrating half for our kids. Some of that we brought on ourselves, and there's nothing we could do about it.”

The Mustangs rotated seven players for the majority of the contest, which made it especially difficult when starters Ella Thayer and Alli Lundin fouled out late in the game. Yet Northome/Kelliher rallied regardless, slicing the deficit to 59-52 with 52.7 seconds to go on Kate Thayer’s wing 3-pointer.

But the Mustangs just ran out of time.

“Sometimes, the breaks don't go your way,” Waldo said. “That's life. But there are going to be tougher things in life than this. It sucks right now, but we'll look back at it, and it'll be happy memories from here on out.”

This Northome/Kelliher group will be long remembered as the first in decades to advance as far as the 8A semifinals, reaching a stage unfamiliar to the Mustangs. They’ll bring back a number of contributors from this year’s team, but the end of this season marked the end of the road for seniors Meleah Grundmeier, Kenly Hallstrom and Ella Thayer.

The emotion was evident as all of Northome/Kelliher’s players processed the reality of their final game together.

“I'll remember what the seniors have done for us,” Waldo said. “Their leadership, their ability to take some of the sophomores and the younger girls and lead them every day at practice and on the court, what they've done for our program. Everyone sees it. We see it as coaches.

“It's tough to see them go (because of) what they've done and what they put in, their commitment to this team. I'm so proud of them for that fight and what they showed us tonight, even though things weren't going their way.”

The Mustangs have an excellent chance to be back in the section title conversation next year. But the closing moments on Wednesday were devoted to honoring the contributions of those players who won’t suit up for Northome/Kelliher next season.

“There's always next year, and next year, we'll be strong because of those seniors and their leadership,” Waldo said. “We’ve got a good group coming back, and it'll be another fun season. We'll have some other kids step up and take some places. We know there's some that are ready, and we'll develop some more. It's just sad. It's hard right now to process it all. These seniors are such a huge part of our program and our life.”

Fosston 63, Northome/Kelliher 52

NK 28 24 – 52

FOS 25 38 – 63

NORTHOME/KELLIHER – Binkley 17, K. Thayer 17, Lundin 7, E. Thayer 6, C. Hallstrom 4, Grundmeier 1.

FOSSTON – L. Mahlen 24, B. Mahlen 12, Burrack 11, Manecke 10, Duppong 3, Johnson 3.

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Northome/Kelliher finally overcomes Cass Lake-Bena in 3rd-straight 8A quarterfinal matchup

Christian Babcock — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 02:35:03 GMT

THIEF RIVER FALLS – The Northome/Kelliher girls basketball team had beaten Cass Lake-Bena four of the last five times the two teams had faced each other. But not in the game that meant the most.

Despite sweeping the Panthers in the last two regular seasons, the Mustangs were still smarting after losing 55-50 to CLB in last season’s Section 8A quarterfinals.

Northome/Kelliher got another shot on Saturday in Thief River Falls, and this time, the Mustangs got it done. Facing Cass Lake-Bena in the 8A quarterfinals for the third consecutive season, the Mustangs finally surmounted their postseason rivals, earning a cathartic 73-69 win to advance to the section semifinals for the first time in decades.

“Every time we thought we might be pulling away a little, they came back and made big shot after big shot,” Northome/Kelliher head coach Kevin Waldo said of CLB. “Our girls still found a way to come back. We told them it's going to be punch by punch, and they were able to handle each punch and come back with their own, keep that a little bit of a lead and do the little things it took to pull out the victory.”

N/K (25-3) raced out to a 35-24 lead in the first half, but the Panthers (21-7) would not go away. They cut the deficit to three points by halftime, then clawed their way to a 46-45 lead on Gabby Fineday’s top-of-the-key 3-pointer in the second half.

Yet after a Northome/Kelliher timeout, the Mustangs never trailed again. Ella Thayer reclaimed the lead with two free throws, then later stretched the advantage to 67-57 with a putback layup.

Cass Lake-Bena closed the gap down the stretch, but Kate Thayer’s free throws with 6.3 seconds to go gave N/K an insurmountable 73-67 advantage.

“For the girls, it's big (to win this game),” Waldo said. “They know they can compete with the best teams in the state, but we’ve run into Cass Lake the last few years, and it's been tough to get over that hurdle. Finding a way to get over it tonight is a big relief for them. They were nervous coming into the game. We were all a little nervous, and getting those nerves out, hopefully from here on out, we’re able to get rid of those nerves and just play our game.”

Ella Thayer led the Mustangs with 23 points, followed by Kate Thayer with 20. Alli Lundin and Kylee Binkley also scored in double figures with 13 and 11 points respectively.

“Our seniors all stepped up,” Waldo said. “Ella put up some numbers, but Kenly (Hallstrom) and Meleah (Grundmeier) both went out and played some great defense and got us some clutch rebounds and things like that that go unnoticed on the stat line. We told them to leave it all on the court because you never know when it's going to be your last one, and I think they did.

“For Ella, she didn't have a very good showing last year when she was here, but this year, she definitely stepped up and brought her game. They tried to box-and-one or triangle-and-two Kylee and Kate, and Ella stepped up when she needed to, that's for sure.”

Fineday led all scorers with 33 points for Cass Lake-Bena. Rayahna Staples-Fairbanks reached double figures with 12 points.

The Mustangs now advance to face top-seeded Fosston in the Section 8A East championship. The Greyhounds defeated Northome/Kelliher 57-55 on Jan. 30 in Fosston.

“We know what they do and what they're capable of doing,” Waldo said. “We know it's going to be another battle. They're very methodical, they're very fundamentally sound, and we're going to have to play our game and move our feet and not reach and rebound and do all the little things, and show up with some energy. When we played them last time, we didn’t show up with a lot of energy. Right now, we're going to have a little momentum after this game, and we should show up with some energy going into that game for sure.”

Northome/Kelliher 73, Cass Lake-Bena 69

CLB 33 36 – 69

NK 36 37 – 73

NORTHOME/KELLIHER – E. Thayer 23, K. Thayer 20, Lundin 13, Binkley 11, C. Hallstrom 4, K. Hallstrom 2.

CASS LAKE-BENA – Fineday 33, Staples-Fairbanks 12, LaRose 7, Graves-Desjarlait 6, Wright 5, A. Wind 3.

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