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Paynesville Press - January 12, 2005

Sports in Review 2004 Part II

By Michael Jacobson

(Editor's Note: The following are some of the top sports stories, from the Paynesville Press, for the last six months of 2004 (July-December). First six months

July
Koronis Hills Golf Club (KHGC), which was founded by 27 shareholders in 1929, turned 75 years old. The original shareholders raised $10,000 - selling 400 shares at $25 each - to purchase 70 acres of land for the original nine-hole golf course. Play began on the course, with sand greens, in May 1930. Golf enthusiasts had played golf on a three-hole pasture course before KHGC was formed. In 1961, KHGC became a nonprofit corporation.

Koronis Hills Golf Course Amanda Glenz, a 2004 PAHS grad, became the first Paynesville Bulldog to play in the Minnesota State All Star Series at the Target Center.

Koronis Hills Golf Course celebrated its 75th year in 2004. The club, founded in 1929, also hosted its first state championship - the 57th Annual State Publinks Women's Championship - in July 2004.

Adam Kampsen, a 2004 PAHS grad, became the sixth Paynesville baseball player to participate in the Lions All Star Series in Chaska.

The Lake Henry Lakers used a 10-inning suicide-squeeze bunt to beat the St. Martin Martins 6-5 in Lake Henry and tie for the lead in the Stearns County League South with matching 11-2 records. Jeff Schmitz scored from third on Jeff Olm-scheid's suicide-squeeze bunt in the bottom of the tenth for Lake Henry.

The 57th Annual State Publinks Women's Championship was held at Koronis Hills Golf Course. The local course got good reviews from the 83 female golfers, many among the best players in the state. The course had hosted state qualifiers before, but this was believed to be the first-ever state championship at KHGC.

Paynesville's Junior American Legion baseball team took fifth place at the state tourney in Minnetonka. Paynesville beat Hector-Buffalo Lake 11-0 and Osseo 15-10 but lost to Eastview 9-7 and Maple Grove 8-7.

Regal beat Paynesville 9-3 in the Cornbelt League playoffs, ending the Pirates' amateur season.

A girls' team from Koronis Hills - comprised by Paynesville resident Marissa Mackedanz, summer resident Megan Starr, and summer resident Elizabeth White - qualified for state in Junior MGA golf. Paynesville resident Mitchell Mackedanz qualified individually for state in the boys' competition.

August
Paynesville's American Legion baseball team finished third in the Region 6, Division II tournament, hosted in Paynesville.

Lake Henry, Regal, St. Martin, and Spring Hill competed in the Region 15C Amateur Baseball Tournament, hosted for the first time by Roscoe. Father Leo Leisen, whose three Catholic parishes (Lake Henry, Roscoe, and Spring Hill) were represented in the tournament, threw out the first pitch.

St. Martin qualifies for state St. Martin qualified for the 2004 State Class C Amateur Baseball Tournament by advancing through the loser's bracket and took second in Region 15C. New Munich went undefeated in the Region 15C tourney in Roscoe to claim the title. Roscoe set an attendance record for the 15C tourney with 2,413 fans over two weekends, breaking the mark of 2,410 fans in Lake Henry in 2000.

St Martin - with Sam Rothstein hitting homers to right - qualified for the Class C state amateur baseball torunament in August 2004, making their fourth trip to state and the first since 1998.

Granite Falls eliminated St. Martin in the first round of the state tournament 4-1 in Belle Plaine. Granite Falls was led offensively by former Regal star Mike Beier, who had three hits. Sam Rothstein and Jesse Thelen had two hits each for the Martins, who competed at state for the fourth time, and the first time since 1998.

ReNae Martinson won her sixth women's title and Dave Johnson won his third men's title at the club championships at Koronis Hills Golf Course.

September
September The Bulldogs volleyball team defeated Albany in four sets, defeating the Huskies in volleyball for the first time since 1998. The Huskies qualified for state in 2002 and 2003.

The Bulldogs football team ended a 13-game losing streak with a 12-7 road win at Lac Qui Parle Valley.

October
After rallying to beat Montevideo 28-21, the Bulldogs football team lost to Benson 22-18 on a 19-yard, fourth-down halfback pass. Had they won, the Dogs would have tied for second place in the West Central Conference South.

Eric Bruntlett - the grandson of Evelyn Bruntlett and Eileen Flanders, both of Paynesville - played in the National League Championship Series with the Houston Astros. Eric, 26, played in six playoff games for the Astros, who lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in the NLCS.

Heather Fuchs, a first-year student at the College of St. Benedict's, earned All-MIAC honors in golf, tying for ninth at the 2004 MIAC Championships in Northfield.

Sophomore Kacy Nehowig and ninth grader Kaitlyn Frenchick qualified for state in cross country by finishing fifth and tenth respectively at the Section 5A meet in Becker. The girls finished sixth as a team in Section 5A, and the boys finished seventh.

November
Kacy Nehowig finished 36th, and Kaitlyn Frenchick finished 67th at the Class A state cross country meet in Northfield. Nehowig missed earning All State honors for a third straight year by 11 places.

The Bulldogs were eliminated from the football playoffs by ACGC 15-8 and finished the year 2-7. Senior Justin Butkofski, senior Mike Mueller, and junior Dustin Utsch earned All Conference honors.

The Dogs were swept by Albany in the volleyball subsections and finished 9-14. Senior Britt Lieser earned All Conference honors.

Scott Deadrick, a 1981 PHS grad, was named to the Northern State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. Deadrick played basketball at Northern State from 1981-85, earned All Conference honors four times, was a team captain, and ranks fourth all-time in rebounding and eighth all-time in scoring.

Jen Hess completed her junior season with the women's cross country team at the University of Minnesota by running 33rd at the Midwest Regional and helping the Gophers finish fourth.



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