Spring sports are in full swing at Healy
April 5, 2019--Despite Mother Nature's best efforts to keep our student athletes out of the fields, courses, and tracks--spring is finally here, and spring sports and activities at Healy are in full swing. Even with the late (and large amounts of) snow, most sports are finding they are only a bit behind schedule--if at all. Everyone seems to agree on two things: that spring is a welcome sight and that this year promises to be a strong year for all of our student athletes.
Girls golf is returning all six varsity players from last year, but only one senior, Laura Tautges. Head coach Mrs. LeBlanc is teeing up for a strong showing on the courses this year: "We have been working really hard and hope to really improve our short game and our mental toughness this year. We have a record number of 17 girls in grades 7-12 out for golf this year. We hope to win our conference and do well in the post-season. Katie LeBlanc and Kami Athman both finished in the top ten in conference last year, and we hope to add a few more to that list. Our first match is April 16th at Albion Ridges." The boys golf team brings back four seniors--the same four guys that have been the oldest golfers on the team since they were freshman. According to senior Alex Poster, "This is the year we have been waiting for." While the Pierz Golf Course is still closed, they are practicing in adjacent fields to the school as well as the DAC. Their first match is scheduled for April 22 at Blackberry Ridge, and they will be hustling the rest of the season to get their additional 12 meets in. Coach Bridget Trutwin is looking forward to a strong season for the Trapshooting Team. "The Pioneer Trapshooting team this year consists of 31 participants. Practice started this week, revealing a very sharp shooting team. They will practice every Wednesday at the Eastern Morrison County Sportsmen's Club for the next eight weeks as the prepare for the Trapshooting Championships in Alexandria this June." The girls and boys track team graduated a number of seniors last year, and have lots of running shoes to fill--which they plan to do quite well. This year brings two seniors to the girls team and six seniors for the boys. The first meet was at St. Cloud State indoor field house on March 22. The girls won the indoor meet, with boys placing 2nd. The first outdoor meet is a home meet on Friday, April 5. All are welcome, come and watch. Team Captain Kaitlyn Lanners is excited to start the outdoor season, and encourages everyone to come out and cheer on the teams: “Thanks to Denny Rothstein for blowing the snow off our track so we were able to get outside sooner. I am very proud of the team’s attitude toward the start of the season, the weather, and towards each other. They are all working very hard. It really shows how much dedication and support the team has. Everyday as a captain I see many of my teammates improve everyday, especially the younger athletes. I am excited to see the team grow not only individually, but also as a whole team.” The first meet is TODAY at the home field at April 5 at 4:15pm - come on out and cheer on the team! Mr. Rothstein also had a hand in getting the ball teams on the fields on time, snow blowing the fields just days before our final snow dumping! The baseball team promises another successful season, bringing back eight seniors and many talented juniors and sophomores giving them a strong bench. As with all sports, this will be the last year Pierz will be in the CMC conference; next year baseball is looking to compete with hard-hitters like Albany, Cathedral, and Little Falls in our conference. The team will host Royaton at our home field on Thursday, April 11 at 4:30pm to kick off the 2019 season. Softball also brings back a lot of experience from last year. From varsity coach Matt Poepping: “We are excited about our young talent and confident that they will be able to step in and contribute to the varsity level. We are actually ahead of schedule from last year as we were shoveling fields on April 16th last year and we took a round of infield on the fields on April 1st already this year! The softball club has contributed to many improvements made to the field. Come out and check out a game to see all the new additions to the fields and cheer on our Pioneers!” You can watch the team in action on Thursday, April 11th at the home field as they host a double header against Howard Lake-Waverly at 4pm. All district activities and scores/standings are always located here! Thanks to all coaches, student athletes, parents and community members that make Pierz Schools a great place to play, learn, and live. We hope to see you all out and cheering on the teams! |