RIDING IT INTO THE WATER - Mindy Zappa of Cumberland, WI didn’t quite make it around the track on Fall Lake during the Ely Snowmobile Watercross event held last weekend. Photo by Chris Davey Photography.

by Tom Coombe
In many ways, the Vermilion Ironmen are starting over.
Second-year head coach Justin Kosik has revamped his coaching staff, retooled his roster and even started fresh with new uniforms for the 2019 season, which starts with today’s home title with two-time defending MCAC champion Northland, set for 1:30 p.m. at Ely School Stadium.
Only a handful of players are back from Kosik’s debut season,when the Ironmen suffered through a 1-7 campaign and dealt with injuries and roster turnover.
Depth doesn’t figure to be an issue this fall, with the Ironmen expected to suit up in excess of 60 players for the debut, including an array of new talent from Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
Kosik, a Texas native, also expects his team to take a new approach in 2019.
“We’ve increased our discipline and brought in a lot of good players,” said Kosik. “We’ve been tight on them as far as doing the things they should be doing, and hopefully we’ll see more discipline, more energy and hopefully see some good football.”
While newcomers will dominate the VCC lineup, the Ironmen will also get leadership from those in their second year with the program.
Those players include running back Ty Williams, who ran for about 200 yards in 2018, as well as second-year receiver Damon Dunn, who has also been part of VCC’s basketball team.
Sophomore David Rush moves from the defensive line to linebacker this fall, while Onterial Smith and Christian Bisby are back after helping the VCC defense a year ago.
Jaleel Hansberry saw limited duty because of injuries, while Kosik also is looking for big things from Murphy Theodore and Widly Francois, who both were with the program last year but gained eligibility in 2019.
Add receiver Jeremy Seadorf and linemen Austin Roether and Casey Holman to the mix, and there are a few VCC players who bring collegiate experience to the mix.
The newcomers include numerous players who are coming to Vermilion right out of high school, and others who were at other college program.
Running back Ty Edmonds could make an immediate impact for VCC after stints at NCAA Division I schools Memphis and Arizona State.
Kosik is also looking for big things from linebacker Leroy Bolden.
VCC has depth at receiver and boasts one of Louisiana’s top prep pass catchers in Davion Sanders.
The schedule makers did VCC no favors for the opener, with Northland coming to town after winning the state title in 2018.
Kosik, however, says he has his team primed to go after nearly three weeks in training camp.
“I seriously expect my guys to go out and open some eyes and show they’re here to play,” he said.
VCC has four home dates at Ely School Stadium as part of an eight-game regular season schedule.
The Ironmen host Rochester Sept. 14, Mesabi Oct. 5 and North Dakota-Bottineau Oct. 19.

by Tom Coombe
Ely’s high school volleyball team overcame a second-game hiccup and took care of a local rival.
An impressive serving game and an assortment of hitters helped the Timberwolves overcome a stellar outing from Northeast Range sophomore Hannah Reichenserger as the hosts won the season-opener in four games.
Ely junior McKenna Coughlin had 10 ace serves to go with a team-high 10 kills in the Wolves’ 25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-8 victory.
On the heels of a 21-win season in 2018 and high hopes for the 2019 campaign, the Wolves had trouble with the determined Nighthawks early on.
Reichensperger, who led all hitters with 16 kills was a force at the net and kept her team close in the opener.
The Nighthawks bolted out to 16-8 and 22-16 leads in the second game and persevered after the Wolves rallied to tie it at 22.
The Nighthawks seemed to run out of steam after that, as many Wolves serves found the floor and an abundance of Ely hitters stepped up to contribute.
Coughlin, one of several returning starters for the Wolves, reached double digits in aces and Ely had several runs with her at serve.
Senior Erika Mattson also delivered five aces to go with seven kills, and classmate Jenna Merhar added five ace serves, five kills and three blocks.
Another highly-touted senior, returning all-area pick Brielle Kallberg, paced the Wolves’ defense with 12 digs and six blocks. She added five kills, as well.
Setting everything up was senior McCartney Kaercher, who passed her way to 25 assists.
Lara Poderzay had 19 set assists for Northeast Rnage, with teammates Jenna Smith (17 digs) and Mande Lenz (nine digs) also making the stat chart.
Ely has a tough week ahead to coincide with the start of the school year.
After a Tuesday visit to Littlefork-Big Falls, the Wolves are at Cherry Thursday in a rematch of last season’s Section 7A quarterfinal thriller.
The weekend brings a trip to Coleraine for the Sept. 7 Greenway Tournament.

by Tom Coombe
It didn’t take long - just one match to be exact - for the Vermilion Ironwomen to equal their win total from 2018.
The community college team made new head coach Nicki Kosik a winner in her Vermilion debut, as the Ironwomen stomped Northern Division rival Fond Du Lac in a lopsided sweep Wednesday night.
Sophomore Crystal Stignani had a whopping 18 aces in the 25-4, 25-7, 25-10 thrashing.
Vermilion made quick work of the visiting Thunder, taking care of business in less than an hour and serving notice that it could very well be a new era for Ironwomen volleyball.
The win was a milestone of sorts for an 11-member Vermilion squad that has been practicing since mid-August.
“It’s huge for our team because the girls have been working really hard for the last three weeks,” said Kosik. “Coming off the season they had last year they just wanted to improve. Our main goal is to take each game, one at a time and improve every day. Their work ethic and their team bonding, the way they have been pushing it’s been huge and a lot of fun. To come away with a win to start our season has been pretty awesome.”
Vermilion was dominant against the Thunder with a lineup that boasts some experience.
Stignani, an outside hitter, is one of five VCC returnees along with fellow outside hitter Lauren Huchel, blockers Elizabeth Hintze and Alexis Hughes and hitter Terri Sutton.
The Ironwomen have also gained a boost from the presence of Keena Alik, a setter from Texas.
“We just got Keena into the mix,” said Kosik. “She’s another setter, and she brings a whole new level to our team.”
A couple of familiar faces, former Ely Timberwolf and current VCC softball standout Shawna Butler, as well as Northeast Range graduate Melissa Nelmark, have joined the Ironwomen.
Also new to the squad are Jennifer Sandberg, Faith Benson and Molly Frandsen.
In addition to Wednesday’s win, VCC has taken part in a pair of preseason scrimmages and the results have been promising.
“Just from what we have seen, the improvements, the way that we work, i think we can match up well with a lot of schools that we play,” said Kosik. “I don’t think it will be a rollover for anybody this year, and that’s what we are excited about.”
Kosik, who will also serve as athletic director and women’s basketball coach at Vermilion, brings a wealth of volleyball experience to the program, including junior college action as a player and 19 years as a high school coach in California.
After a road match at Hibbing Wednesday, the Ironwomen return to the friendly confines of their own gymnasium for a weekend homestand Sept. 13-14.

by Tom Coombe
Call them the Ely Road Warriors.
Since a season-opening win over Northeast Range, the high school volleyball team has played seven straight matches away from home - including Tuesday night’s sweep at Silver Bay.
The 25-16, 25-11, 25-9rout of the Mariners was moved to the North Shore because of the temporary closure of the high school gymnasium (see related story), and it appears that the Wolves won’t be back on their home court this month.
Home matches with North Woods (Thursday) and Duluth Marshall (Sept. 24) have been moved to the gymnasium at Vermilion Community College, and the Wolves have had to adjust to the circumstances.
“Not being able to be in our own gym has made this week a little stressful,” said Ely Head Coach Andrea Thomas. “We are very thankful that VCC is allowing us to use their gym, because there is no way that our JV and varsity squads could practice safely together in the small gym space.”
Despite the difficulties, and the absence of home games, the Wolves are off to a strong start and again making a case that they’re one of the top teams in Section 7A.
Ely downed section contender Cherry in impressive fashion in a Sept. 5 road tilt, and tested unbeaten Greenway in a two-game defeat as part of the Raiders’ home tournament two days later.
The Wolves finished third at the Greenway Tournament, among nine teams, and fell in a two games-to-one encounter to Cherry for second place.
“Even though we lost (to Greenway), the girls played great volleyball,” said Thomas. “Against Cherry, we lacked focus and mental toughness in both the first and last set. Too many errors were our downfall.”
The Wolves struggled to contain Greenway standout Claire Vekich and dropped two close sets.
Scores were 25-23 and 25-20, with McKenna Coughlin leading Ely’s offense with 10 kills. Seniors Brielle Kallberg and Erika Mattson combined for another 10 while Jenna Merhar contributed six blocks and McCartney Kaercher finished with 18 set assists.
The matchup with the Tigers went back and forth with Cherry prevailing 25-13, 19-25, 15-8.
Coughlin had eight kills and 10 digs, Kallberg wound up with seven kills and Kaercher distributed the ball on her way to 18 set assists as well as nine digs.
Earlier in the day, Coughlin (10 kills), Kallberg (nine) and Mattson (eight) provided a three-way attack as the Wolves swept Mt. Iron-Buhl 25-16, 26-15.
Kaercher finished with 25 set assists and Merhar notched four kills in the win.
Kallberg, Merhar and Coughlin had five kills each in a 25-19, 25-21 sweep of Mesabi East.
“Both matches on Saturday morning were played at a slow tempo,” said Thomas. “It felt like we never really got up to speed to play the way we like, but we played well enough to win.
• Ely had little trouble against Silver Bay Tuesday, with Kallberg rattling off 12 straight points at serve in the second game.
Coughlin had a 10-point run in the third, when the Mariners failed to reach double digits.
Kallberg had seven ace serves to go with her seven kills, and Coughlin was potent at the net with a match-high 13 kills.
Mattson added six kills and Merhar was next with five, and Kaercher had four ace serves on top of 26 set assists.
• The Wolves’ most impressive win of the young season was their 25-18, 25-21, 25-22 sweep at Cherry.
Again, Ely used a diverse offense and effective defense to win the rematch of last year’s 7A quarterfinal, also won by the Wolves.
Kallberg was an all-around sensation, recording eight kills, eight blocks, seven digs and five set assists.
Coughlin continued a breakout season with 10 kills, while Mattson was next with seven kills and seven digs.
Kaercher had 20 set assists in the win.
• The Wolves will take part in a tournament at Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 21.

by Tom Coombe
The Ely Timberwolves dropped their third straight game, but the Sept. 13 meeting with South Ridge was truly a sign of progress.
The Wolves trailed 8-6 at the half before falling 32-6 to the Panthers on a rainy Friday night at Ely School Stadium.
South Ridge (2-1) had a few anxious moments before finally putting the Wolves away.
Ely’s fans had a lot to cheer about early on, when the Wolves scored their first touchdown of the year - on special teams.
Sawyer Klingsporn scored his first varsity touchdown when a South Ridge punt snap went into the end zone.
The Ely junior pounced on it and the Wolves had their first lead of the year.
Logan Young, who was part of a multifaceted South Ridge ground game, scored from 10 yards out in the second quarter and Matt Clark’s two-point conversion gave the Panthers a two-point lead at the half.
South Ridge was bigger and more experienced and those advantages took their toll in the third quarter, along with a pair of big plays.
Connor Bushbaum had a 70-yard catch and run off a throw from Riley Kinsley to make it 16-6, and Bushbaum broke free on a 65-yard gallop on third down to make it 24-6 after three quarters.
The Wolves continued to struggle moving the football and couldn’t eat away at the Panthers lead.
Ely had the ball in South Ridge territory in the third, getting as far as the 30-yard line but a fourth-down pass from quarterback Bryce Longwell was batted down in the end zone.
Clark closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter on a two-yard plunge, and South Ridge made it a perfect four-for-four on two-point conversions to extend its lead to 32-6.
Senior Dalton Schreffler paced Ely’s defense with 12 tackles and Josh Larson was in on eight stops.
On offense, Schreffler had 68 yards on 25 carries.
The Wolves took on 0-3 Cook County Friday night at Grand Marais, with the Fall Homecoming game with Silver Bay to follow on Friday, Sept. 27 in Ely, at 7 p.m.

The Miss Ely Scholarship & Community Program will hold its fifth competition on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at Washington Auditorium.
Admission is $5 and the proceeds go directly to the scholarship fund. The mission of the program is to foster confidence and help develop community minded individuals.
Since its resurrection, the program has increased its focus on community service and continuing education.
Over the past four months participants have volunteered at various events in the community - most recently being the Ely Relay for Life and the Ely Marathon.
The participants have been working on a community awareness PowerPoint which they will present on Oct. 4 as part of the competition.
Each participant will receive a $500 scholarship allocated to continuing education. The winner will receive up to a $2,000 scholarship.
To date, the program has awarded $7,000 in scholarships.
Miss Ely and Little Miss Ely participants are selling chance tickets for $1 through Sept. 30. The winners will be drawn at the competition.
Miss Ely 2018 Kenzie Peterson and Little Miss Ely 2018 Audrey Engen will be emceeing the event along with some local youth entertainment.
“We appreciate the community support for the program and the candidates,” said event organizer Nichole Boitz.
The contestants and their sponsors are:
Miss Ely:
Kalyssa Eilrich - Wildwoods Land Company
Sydni Richards - Ely Northland Market
Madelyne Roderick - The Pebble Spa
Little Miss Ely:
Lauren Anderson - Ely DQ Grill & Chill
Jorden Borchert - Ely Fire Relief Association
Kayla Larsen - Tara Kay Photography
Lindi Zemke - Heavy Metal Sports
The event is hosted by Studio North Dance and Fitness Center.

by Tom Coombe
Minus their leading runner, the Ely boys weren’t able to defend their championship at Tuesday’s Ely Invitational.
Senior Luke Olson did not compete in the annual home meet and the Ely boys settled for third place, just a point behind runner-up Eveleth-Gilbert and two back of Virginia, at the Ely Golf Course.
Freshman Zoe Devine’s fifth-place finish sparked the Ely girls team to a second-place showing, behind only International Falls.
The annual home event was held on an overcast day with prime running conditions, but chilly 40-degree temperatures that forced spectators to don an extra layer of clothing to stay warm.
Olson, who won a state track title during the spring and has a string of individual wins to his credit this fall, returned to Ely late Monday after a college visit and sat out the home meet.
He instead is gearing up for Saturday when most of the state’s top runners will converge in Duluth for the prestigious Swain Invitational.
“Traveling does not go well with racing so we agreed to have an easy run Tuesday and a semi-hard workout Wednesday since we have the Swain on Saturday,” said Ely Head Coach Jayne Dusich.
Olson’s leisurely jog left the field to Virginia’s Cameron Stocke, who dominated the five-kilometer race and won in 16:07.3, a better than 50-second margin over the runner-up - Mt. Iron-Buhl’s Aaron Nelson.
The Timberwolves were paced by junior Emmett Faltesek, who placed fourth in 17:11.6.
Depth will figure into the Wolves’ run at a Section 7A crown, and junior Jasper Johnston took seventh in a field of 66 with a time of 17:44.2.
Gabriel Pointer, an Ely sophomore, placed 13th (18:27.7) and senior Dylan Fenske cracked the top-20 by taking 18th in 18:54.8.
Freshman Joey Bianco (27th, 19:45.3) and sophomore Harry Simons (28th, 19:58.6) followed, while senior Nate Nettifee was 32nd in 20:10.
Every place mattered, as Virginia scored 67 points, with E-G (68) and Ely (69) right behind in a field of seven teams.
In girls action, Ely was second and again paced by several ninth-graders.
Devine was fifth in 20:48.3, about 33 seconds behind the winner- MIB’s Liz Nelson.
Fellow freshman Phoebe Helms took ninth (21:40.3) and Sydney Durkin was a place back in 21:52.1
Sarah Isbell (21st, 23:16.5), Cora Olson (23rd, 23:36.2), Laura Holmstrom (24th, 23:40.2) and Julia Schwinghamer (25th, 23:44.4) were next in line for the Wolves, who wound up only two points behind champion International Falls and edged out MIB by a tiebreaker to claim second place.
“Some kids had very good times this year and others were about the same,” said Dusich.
The race attracted nearly 200 athletes, including those who took part in the 2.4K junior high events.
Ely had the runner-up in both races.
Among the girls, seventh-grader Anna Dunn placed second (11:09.4) with Lauren Rehbein (seventh, 12:30.6) and Molly Lindsay (ninth, 12:44.5) also in the top-10.
The Wolves had four of the top-11 junior high runners, with Jake Cochran in second (8:46.3), followed by teammates Leo Stalmer (sixth, 9:17.6), Caid Chittium (seventh, 9:34.2) and Jace Huntbatch (11th, 9:55.8).

by Tom Coombe
Even at less than full strength, the Ely Timberwolves are one of the most formidable teams in Section 7A.
That was evident earlier this week, as the high school volleyball team dominated two opponents even as it missed key players.
Senior standout Brielle Kallberg was out with an ankle injury for wins over Northeast Range and Lakeview Christian Academy, while fellow senior Jenna Merhar was also absent for Tuesday’s sweep of LCA.
The temporary absences did little to slow the Wolves, who got a boost each night from freshman Rachel Coughlin.
Coughlin had eight kills in both matches as the Wolves improved to 15-3 for the season.
“Offensively, Rachel started getting power behind her hits,” said Ely Head Coach Andrea Thomas.
The Wolves powered past Northeast Range Monday, winning 25-13, 25-6, 22-25, 25-12 at Babbitt.
The Wolves rattled off a series of points in the opening game with McKenna Coughlin on serve. The junior had a match-high 17 kills and three ace serves.
“I’m glad this was our only Monday night game,” said Thomas. “I don’t like coming into a match without practice the day before, it just feels like we have a hard time getting into our rhythm on the court. We played all right overall, struggling some with our tip coverage.”
Ely ran out to big leads in both of the first two games, never letting up in the second.
In game three, the Wolves were up 13-6 when the Nighthawks had their best run of the evening and rallied to extend the match
Northeast Range (4-12), which played without injured sophomore hitter Hannah Reichensperger, jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth game but the Wolves soon regained their form.
Senior McCartney Kaercher led a run of 11 straight Ely points, netting several of her 10 ace serves during the surge
Kaercher also distributed the ball, finishing with 35 set assists.
Merhar had a big night at the net, coming up with 10 kills and three blocks, Senior Winter Sainio also had four kills.
The Wolves had little trouble with Lakeview Christian Academy, cruising 25-8, 25-6, 25-19 at the Vermilion Community College gymnasium.
“It was nice to see the girls play cohesively without Jenna and Brielle in the lineup,” said Thomas.
Mattson had nine kills and Rachel Coughlin added eight, and the Lions had trouble receiving Ely’s serves.
Sophomore Kellen Thomass had five aces, Sainio delivered four and both Kaercher and Mattson had three.
Kaercher also notched 25 set assists.
“It was a very slow tempo evening,” said Thomas. “ I was happy with our serving, McCartney and Kellen had some great consecutive serving strings in multiple sets.”
Ely, which remains ranked third in 7A behind state-rated Carlton and Greenway, hosted Bigfork Thursday at VCC and has a busy day ahead Saturday, with as many as four matches in the Mesabi East Tournament.
“We’re looking forward to the tournament at Mesabi East on Saturday,” said Thomas. “We will get to play a few more teams in our section that we don’t see during the regular season - Chishom, Barnum, and hopefully Floodwood.

by Tom Coombe
Brooke Pasmick made the most of her last home meet.
The Ely senior claimed victory in the 100 yard breaststroke Tuesday and gained one of four first-place finishes for Northeast Range/Ely, which pushed visiting Virginia to the limit but fell short 51-42 in dual meet action.
A Parents’ Night crowd at the Babbitt pool cheered the Nighthawks on as they looked to knock off the Blue Devils.
Pasmick’s win in the 100, which came in 1:09.87, brought the Nighthawks to within six points at 41-35, but Virginia swept the last two events to cement the victory.
Earlier in the meet, Lily Tedrick won the 100 butterfly in 1:10, while Morgan McClelland picked off a first-place finish in the 500 freestyle (6:37.28), with nearly 10 seconds to spare.
Tedrick and McClelland also teamed with Cedar Ohlhauser and Abby Koivisto to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:56.81.
NRE also scored points with four second-place individual finishes. McClelland (200 freestyle, 2:23.12), Tedrick (200 individual medley, 2:35.19), Koivisto (100 freestyle, 1:04.41) and Aili Bee (100 breaststroke, 1:29.50) were all runners-up.
Pasmick, Ohlhauser, Tedrick and Koivisto teamed up to take second in the 200 medley relay (2:11.90) and Esther Anderson combined with Grace Sundell, Alice Wolter and Anna Larson to take second in the 400 freestyle relay.
Lauren Devich paced Virginia by winning both the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke and playing a part in a winning 400 freestyle relay quartet.
• In junior high action, NRE won 49-36 as Wolter (200 freestyle), Larson (50 freestyle and 100 freestyle), and Maggie Dammann (100 backstroke) won events.
Damman formed a first-place 400 freestyle relay team with Elizabeth Omerza, Emma Fedders and Alli Krekelberg.
• Tedrick had NRE’s only win, in the 200 individual medley, at the Oct. 3 Cloquet Triangular.
The Ely ninth-grader won the event in 2:34.59.
Pasmick had two second-place finishes, in both the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke, and she joined Bee, Ohlhauser and McClelland on a second-place 400 freestyle relay.
Tedrick also took second in the 100 butterfly, and McClelland came home with a third-place finish in the 500 freestyle.
It was Pasmick, Bee, McClelland and Koivisto on a third-place 200 medley team.

by Tom Coombe
The Ely Timberwolves hope the best is yet to come.
A school-record 23 victories could be just an appetizer for the high school volleyball team, with the main course to be served in the upcoming Section 7A playoffs.
After advancing to the final four in 7A a year ago, the Wolves will look to replicate that or even top it as the postseason begins Wednesday with an opening round game - in the friendly confines of Ely’s high school gymnasium.
Seeded second in the north half of 7A, Ely (23-3) will take on either seventh-seeded Nashwauk-Keewatin or number-10 Northeast Range at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Those two teams meet in a Monday play-in round encounter.
A victory for the Wolves would give them another home matchup - this one a Friday night quarterfinal with third-seeded Cherry (17-5) looming as a possible opponent.
It’s already been a banner year for the Wolves, with an Oct. 10 sweep at N-K giving them 22 wins, topping the school record of 21 set by last year’s team.
The senior-dominated Wolves added to that total with a dominant Parents’ Night performance Tuesday, blowing out Silver Bay in three games.
Overall, the Wolves have won 62 of 71 games and haven’t been tested in a dominant home stretch, and they seem to be firing on all cylinders at the right time.
“Things are coming together nicely at this point in the season,” said Ely Head Coach Andrea Thomas. “The girls have been playing really well the last few weeks and we are looking forward to the play-offs.”
If the Wolves are to capture the program’s first-ever 7A title and advance to the state tournament, two monster obstacles loom.
Carlton is the defending 7A champion, the top seed out of the south and unbeaten against 7A teams this fall.
The Bulldogs knocked Ely out in a section semifinal contest last season and have been ranked as high as fourth in Minnesota in Class A.
Greenway is also part of a power-packed section after moving down from Class AA.
The Raiders are 22-4 including a two-set win over the Wolves in a September tournament match, and also haven’t lost against Class A competition.
Even reaching the final four could be daunting, with Cherry owning a three-game win over the Wolves in the Greenway Tourney. Ely swept the Tigers when the teams met in a full match in early-September.
While roadblocks are on the horizon, Thomas said her team is clicking.
“I feel like we have found our rhythm on the court,” she said. “The girls know what they are responsible for defensively and are able to adjust if we are out of system offensively.
The four survivors from Friday’s quarterfinals advance to the semifinal round of the 7A playoffs, set for Oct. 30 at Hibbing. The 7A title game is Nov. 2, at Duluth.
Wolves 3, Silver Bay 0
Ely had its first home match in nearly two months, returning to the home gymnasium and hammering Silver Bay 25-15, 25-10, 25-22.
Senior Brielle Kallberg led the Wolves’ hit parade, delivering 11 kills to go with a pair of ace serves.
Middle hitter Jenna Merhar, also a senior, added eight kills and three blocks while seniors Erika Mttson and Winter Sainio combined for 10 more kills.
Directing traffic was another senior - McCartney Kaercher. The setter had a match-high 28 assists as well as seven digs.
Wolves 3, Nash.-Kee. 0
There was never any doubt about the Oct. 10 matchup at Nashwauk, as the Wolves rattled off 13 straight points in the opening game on the way to a 25-9, 25-15, 25-15 sweep.
Kaercher again had 28 assists, while junior McKenna Coughlin and Mattson led the way at the net.
Both had nine kills, while Merhar and Kallberg netted five apiece.

If a person is walking down the halls of the Washington Elementary school any afternoon or evening, they will likely hear students singing one of the heartwarming songs of The Sound of Music, this year’s high school musical.
This year’s production boasts a cast of 27 students. As in all productions of this play, students have to take on the roles of nuns and Nazis. The biggest challenge to casting is finding a five-year-old student to play the irrepressible Gretl. Fiona Olson has the verve that the role demands. Of course the play’s lead is Maria Rainer. Cora Olson plays this role. Mother Superior is played by Apolonia Homer. Out of nowhere, Ethan Bremner came to tryouts, and his voice earned him the role of Captain Von Trapp. Other seniors with notable roles are Nils DeRemee as Max, Erika Mattson as Elsa, Raif Olson as Rolf, Holly Dirkes as Sister Sophia, and Brooke Pasmick as Sister Berthe. We also have four elementary students who play the roles of the younger Von Trapp children.
Almost everyone over the age of thirty knows of this famous musical. What was most shocking to Mr. Lah, the director of the fall musical, was the fact the most of the students had never seen the movie musical. This innocence makes the directing of the play exciting. “You cannot substitute anything for good musical composition. The students naturally respond to it,” says Lah.
He said he did this musical twenty-one years ago. “When you decide on a play for the year, you have to look at the potential of the students and the roles that need to be filled. I was considering the talent of the women we have, and The Sound of Music fit the bill.”
As always, this musical promises to send the audience home singing, “Doe A Deer.” Speaking of deer, the play is on the first weekend of deer hunting, so this year, you came all come to the performance on Friday, November 8th at 7:00. The second performance is Sunday, November 10 at 4:00. All tickets are $5.00. Coming enjoy the Sound of Music in the Washington Auditorium.

by Tom Coombe
The newest team at Vermilion Community College nearly won another state title.
After finishing first in 2018, Vermilion settled for an oh-so-close third at the second annual Minnesota Community Athletic Conference state clay target championship, held earlier in the month at Grand Rapids.
Vermilion won the MCAC’s inaugural state title in clay target, also known as trapshooting, last fall.
It was nearly a repeat performance as VCC’s t op five shooters nailed 473 out of 500 targets, just five behind champion Alexandria Tech and one shot away from runner-up Pine County Tech.
Vermilion also had the state’s JV champion, with Brandon Quern of Gonvick nailing 96 out of 100 targets to take first place.
Kendra Fink, who hails from Apple Valley, won the novice division with a score of 79.
Vermilion’s overall top five included both Quern and Carter Smith of Hibbing, who tied for sixth overall at 96.
Christopher Lachinski (Blaine) and Tore Tuin (Hibbing) tied for 20th at 94, while freshman Cade Wallace of Warroad tied for 28th on a cold and windy day, nailing 93 targets.
Over 220 students from a dozen junior colleges competed in the state’s fastest-growing sport.
In existence at the club level for several years in high school, clay target has expanded to the college ranks and has its own niche at Vermilion.
Boasting 45 shooters, VCC had the largest team in the league with clay target a seemingly perfect fit at a school that attracts many outdoor enthusiasts.
“It gives them something to look forward to every week,” said Wade Klingsporn, who coaches the Vermilion team. “They like the outdoors. They like to compete. Some are also involved in other sports but for some it’s the only sport they do.”
Conducted during the fall, the clay target season involves shooting once a week at the Vermilion Range Trap Club in Winton.
The team practiced and later had “virtual” competitions, shooting at home and recording the scores online to compare against other schools.
That led up to the state competition, which according to Klingsporn may have outgrown its current venue and may move to larger sites either in the Twin Cities or Alexandria in 2020.
Vermilion is an attraction for many athletes who want to continue to play traditional sports such as football and basketball, but clay target is becoming a draw in its own right.
“I think a few said that (VCC having clay target) swayed their decision,” said Klingsporn, an instructor at the school. “They probably would have come here anyway for our different programs, but this helped because they wanted to shoot trap. I just had a couple of them comment today that they wished the season was a little longer.”

by Tom Coombe
Luke Olson was the Ely Timberwolves’ only participant in last year’s state boys cross country meet.
This year, he’ll have plenty of company.
Led by Olson, who took third overall in his final Section 7A meet, the Ely boys finished second as a team and punched their own ticket to next weekend’s state competition at Northfield.
Olson, an all-stater in his junior year, set a strong pace on a blustery Thursday in Cloquet as the Wolves went toe-to-toe with 7A champion Greenway but came up three points shy of the section title.
Junior Emmett Faltesek took eighth while junior Jasper Johnson and sophomore Gabriel Pointer also cracked the top-20 to help spur Ely’s second-place team finish.
Nobody will advance from the Ely girls team, which was eighth in 7A, but ninth-grader Zoe Devine was in the mix for a state berth and settled for 17th overall.
The Ely boys had high hopes for a state berth after a string of impressive outings this fall, and the Wolves pushed Greenway to the limit, coming within just three places of knocking off the Raiders, who were led by state champion Geno Uhrbom. The top two teams advance to state and the Wolves were comfortably in front of third-place North Shore in a field of 22 teams.
“It was a super day,” said Ely Head Coach Jayne Dusich. “Everyone ran great. To only miss it by three against Greenway, I thought it would be a bigger difference.”
Olson took third in 16:11.9, about 35 seconds off the pace set by Uhrbom.
The performance of the day for Ely may have been turned in by Faltesek, who was eighth in 17:01.6 and would have qualified for state on his own even if the team did not advance.
“Emmett ran super, Luke did too,” said Dusich. “Emmett was really focused on getting in the top-eight. He wanted to go whether the team did or not and he was very focused.
Johnston and Pointer were 19th and 20th, respectively in 17:32.3 and 17:33.4, and both were high in the field of 151 athletes.
Next up for the Wolves was senior Dylan Fenske, who took 50th in 18:16.09.
Rounding out Ely’s lineup were senior Ethan Bremner (89th, 19:39.9) and sophomore Harry Simons (91st, 19:45.2).
The Ely girls have been led by ninth graders all season long and that was the case again Thursday.
Devine was four places away from her second state berth. She took 17th in 20:23.7.
Two other Ely freshmen made the top-45, with Phoebe Helms in 43rd (21:47.9) and Sydney Durkin 45th (21:48.1).
Next were Sarah Isbell (66th, 22:38.6), Cora Olson (68th, 22:40.1), Laura Holmstrom (73rd, 22:59.1) and Brynn Vollom (74th, 23:00.7).

by Tom Coombe
For the second time in as many years, Carlton stood in the way of Ely’ quest for a berth in the Section 7A finals.
But the top-seeded Bulldogs knew they were in for a battle Wednesday.
The defending Section 7A champions survived a first-game scare and a third-game hiccup while pulling out a 25-22. 25-11, 23-25, 25-18 victory at Hibbing’s Lincoln Gymnasium.
Ely, which finished 25-4, fell in the 7A semifinals to the Bulldogs just as it did in 2018, but the rematch was far more competitive than last year’s Carlton sweep.
The state-ranked Bulldogs (27-2), who haven’t lost to a 7A team in more than two years and hadn’t lost as much as a set since Sept. 20, were caught flat-footed early on as a revved-up Wolves team jumped out to a 13-8 lead on some big hits by junior McKenna Coughlin.
Carlton weathered the storm and rallied, setting the tone for the match.
Ely’s potent-hitting offense had its moments, but more often than not the Wolves were foiled by a tenacious Carlton defense.
“Carlton plays incredible defense and they very rarely let the ball hit the floor,” said Ely Head Coach Andrea Thomas. “They make you earn your points.”
Carlton, led by senior hitters Alaina Bennett and Abby Mickle, tightened its defense after a rocky start and rattled off six straight points to take a 14-13 lead.
It was 20-19 before the Bulldogs finally pulled away.
The second game was the most lopsided of the evening as Carlton went on a 7-3 run to take a 14-10 lead, and then scored 10 straight points with senior Nicole Nilsen on serve.
“Set one we came out with lots of energy and had a good lead that slipped away from us, ” said Thomas. “In set two we struggled with our passing and defensive coverage. One of those sets where it felt like we beat ourselves.”
Backed by a boisterous Ely crowd, the Wolves would not go down quietly.
They fell behind 9-7 but soon began to take advantage of Carlton errors, with Coughlin, Brielle Kallberg and Erika Mattson all scoring key hits and Jenna Merhar providing sound defense in the middle.
Ely got the win and scored two of the first three points in the fourth game before Carlton reasserted itself.
Back-to-back kills by Bennett put the Bulldogs ahead 8-4, and the closest the Wolves would come the rest of the way was 20-17.
A three-point run gave the Bulldogs the advantage and all but finished Ely off.
“In set three we rallied and showed great resiliency,” said Thomas.
“Set four, we were battling back the whole time, but we never gave up.”
Coughlin, the only junior in Ely’s senior-dominated lineup, recorded 15 kills and 12 digs to pace the Wolves.
Kallberg closed out a stellar prep career by reaching double-digits in kills (10) and adding eight digs and six blocks.
Mattson was all over the floor on defense, notching 19 digs and adding nine kills, and fellow senior Winter Sainio added three blocks.
As she has all year, senior setter McCartney Kaercher directed traffic, finishing with 35 set assists and 17 digs.
The loss ended a remarkable two-year run for the Wolves, which included the only two final four appearances in program history and back-to-back record-setting years for wins, with 21 last fall and 25 this year.
Ely also claimed the Arrowhead Conference title.
“I look back one year and think about the amazing progress and growth this team has made,” said Thomas. “I’m very proud of their play tonight and all season long.”
• Ely advanced to the 7A semifinals just as it did a year ago, defeating Cherry in four games.
The Oct. 25 matchup was played in Ely, before one of the largest crowds ever to witness a volleyball match in town.
The Wolves prevailed 25-15, 13-25, 25-20, 25-18 as Kaercher finished with a career-high 45 set assists.
Kaercher took turns setting up the Wolves’ array of hitters, with Mattson contributing 16 to lead the way.
Kallberg had 14 and Coughlin was next with 12, while Sainio delivered three ace serves.
A six-point run with Kallberg on serve closed out the opening game but Cherry caught the Wolves flat in the second game, going on a 12-2 run to take an 18-12 lead.
Kaelynn Kudis had 19 kills for the Tigers, who also led in game three before Ely took over.
Cherry grabbed a 19-18 advantage but the Wolves responded to the adversity. Kallberg, Merhar and Coughlin all had kills in the run that turned the match.
Ely grabbed a 10-5 lead in the fourth game and Cherry never made a serious run.

by Tom Coombe
Luke Olson saved his best for last, and the result was another high finish in the state cross country meet and a personal record to boot.
The Ely senior finished seventh in Saturday’s Class A state meet at Northfield, the same as he did a year ago.
Olson’s time of 16 minutes. 4.5 seconds, however, was his best and good enough to be right at the top of the field in some years.
The seventh-place finish by Olson capped a chilly day on the campus of St. Olaf for the Ely boys team, which finished 12th among 16 Class A squads. The Wolves had qualified as a team on the strength of a second-place finish in Section 7A the week before.
Olson, a state track champion earlier this year, won all-state recognition for a third straight year and was part of an elite pack at the head of the Class A boys race.
At the 1500 meter mark, reports from the course indicated that Olson was in fourth place.
He was part of a group that chased, but couldn’t catch, repeat Class A champion Geno Uhrbom of Greenway-Nashwauk-Keewatin.
A junior, Uhrbom set a blazing pace on the trail and won in 15:27.6 - a 15-second margin of victory on the 5K course.
Olson wound up seventh at the finish line, trailing sixth-place Cameron Stocke of Virginia (15:51.1) and beating out a Perham runner by two seconds to take seventh.
The rest of the Ely lineup, all making their state cross country debuts, were further back in the pack.
Next up was junior Emmett Faltesek, who had a top-10 finish in the 7A competition, and wound up 88th in the state with a time of 17:23.4.
Junior Jasper Johnston flirted with a top-100 showing and settled for 101st in 17:31.7.
Next up was Gabriel Pointer, a sophomore, who cracked the 18-minute mark and wound up 127th (17:54.9).
Rounding out the Ely lineup were senior Dylan Fenske (158th, 18:55.7), senior Ethan Bremner (163rd, 19:12.2) and sophomore Harry Simons (170th, 19:49.7).
Perham won the Class A team title, while 7A champion GNK was ninth.
Ely was 12th and ahead of four other schools.
The Ely runners were recognized the day before the meet during a send-off ceremony and pep rally at the high school, and the Wolves had a strong following of parents, relatives and students at the state meet, held on a chilly and windy 30-degree day.
• There was at least one other Ely connection in the Class A meet.
Grant Strukel, a senior at Blue Earth Area, placed 56th in Class A with a time of 17:03.4.
He is the son of Joe Strukel, a 1992 Ely High School graduate.

by Tom Coombe
Two Ely Timberwolves are taking their games to a new level.
Seniors Luke Olson and Brielle Kallberg, standouts in an array of sports at the high school, both signed letters of intent this week to play collegiate athletics.
Olson has accepted an offer to join the men’s track and field team at NCAA Division I South Dakota, while Kallberg is set to play volleyball at Minnesota State-Moorhead, an NCAA Division II school.
Signing ceremonies Wednesday in Ely capped a recruiting process that resulted in significant interest in both Timberwolves.
Olson visited several schools before settling on South Dakota, and Kallberg attracted the attention of numerous college volleyball programs.
A state champion last spring in the 800 meter run, Olson becomes the second Ely athlete to currently compete at the Division I level in track, joining 2017 Ely graduate Josh Heiman, a triple jumper at Army.
Olson won a state title in his first season as a track athlete and was a five-time state meet participant in cross country, earning all-state acclaim the last three seasons and back-to-back seventh-place state meet finishes in both his junior and senior campaigns.
He settled on South Dakota over two other schools.
“I visited USD in September and I liked it a lot,” said Olson. “I liked the nice, clean campus, the amazing athletic facilities, and the guys on the team. The student-athlete dorms are amazing. The coaches said they have big plans for me and that’s exciting to hear. Toward the end of the recruiting process I was trying to decide between three places and I went with what my gut told me.”
Like Olson, Kallberg will continue her athletic exploits in college - moving on to Moorhead after a dynamic prep volleyball career in Ely
A starter since her eighth-grader year and an all-conference performer the last four seasons, Kallberg amassed over 1,000 kills during her volleyball career and developed into one of northeastern Minnesota’s top-all around players.
The outside hitter helped lift the Wolves to back-to-back Section 7A final four appearances and a school-record 25 wins this season.
Kallberg was also active in off-season volleyball and attracted attention from several schools, including MSU-Moorhead.
“I wanted to go to a medium-size school and I’ve always wanted to play volleyball in college,” said Kallberg. “MSUM is fairly close to home, which I preferred. The main reason for choosing MSUM was because the coaching staff is good at what they do. My future teammates were very welcoming to me and they are skilled volleyball players I’m very excited and thankful to pursue my career in volleyball at a higher level.”
Both Olson and Kallberg took part in a signing ceremony Wednesday at the high school.

by Tom Coombe
A season of growth in the water couldn’t have ended much better for Northeast Range/Ely.
All that was missing from last weekend’s Section 7A girls swimming meet was a bid to state and Ely senior Brooke Pasmick, nearly had that, finishing third in the 100 backstroke and missing out on moving on by less than two-tenths of a second.
NRE also returned home from Hibbing with several medals and a slew of team-record and personal-best performances.
Not bad for a team that had just one senior - Pasmick - and was loaded with swimmers in ninth grade or below.
“Today was only the beginning for a young team like ours,” said Ely ninth grader Lily Tedrick, who earned two medals at section and set team records in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly.
Pasmick, who grabbed individual medals with her third-place finish in the 100 backstroke and an eighth-place showing in the 50 freestyle, said, “I’m so proud of all the girls - they worked so hard this season and deserve it. Thank you to our coaches for helping us achieve our goals. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
The Nighthawks grabbed four medals in Saturday’s championship round, with Pasmick earning two individually and Tedrick (sixth place, 200 individual medley) one.
In the 400 freestyle relay, Pasmick and Tedrick joined eighth-grader Abby Koivisto and ninth-grader Morgan McClelland to take sixth in a program-record time of 3:59.49.
The quartet broke their own record of 4:02.19, which they set just two days earlier in the 7A preliminaries.
“I am so excited about the record,” said Koivisto. “It’s cool that I was able to be part of earning a record and I am proud of everyone else that got one. I thought it was a really good year and I am excited for next year.”
NRE, which battled much larger and deeper programs for much of the year, was 10th among 11 teams in the 7A meet.
The Nighthawks scored points in the 7A finals in these events:
• 200 medley relay - 11. Esther Anderson, Aili Bee, Maggie Dammann, Cedar Ohlhauser, 2:24.42;
• 200 individual medley - 6. Tedrick, 2:27.33;
• 200 freestyle relay - 10. Tedrick, Koivisto, McClelland, Ohlhauser, 1:54.53;
• 100 backstroke - 3. Pasmick, 1:05.55;
• 400 freestyle relay - 6. Pasmick, Tedrick, Koivisto, McClelland, 4:05.30.
Other preliminary results included:
• 200 freestyle - 21. McClelland, 2;18.26; 34. Esther Anderson, 2:32.22; 39. Anna Larson, 2:37.07; 41. Alice Wolter, 2:37.75;
• 200 individual medley - 34. Bee, 2:50.69; 38. Carena DeBeltz, 3:07.68; 39. Alli Krekelberg, 3:17.50;
• 50 freestyle - 32. Koivisto, 28:92; 37. Ohlhauser, 30.88; 40. Elizabeth Omerza, 32.28;
• 100 butterfly - 33. DeBeltz, 1:31.93; 34. Dammann, 1:32.19; 35. Grace Sundell, 1:34.52;
• 100 freestyle - 20. Koivisto, 1:01.79; 36. Larson, 1:09.83; 37. Wolter, 1:10.01; 38. Omerza, 1:11.73;
• 500 freestyle - 21, McClelland, 6:24.95;
• 100 backstroke - 32. Anderson, 1:19.06; 34. Dammann, 1:20.27; 38. Sundell, 1:27.34;
• 100 backstroke - 23. Bee, 1:25.92; 31. Ohlhauser, 1:28.27; 41. Evie Cavalier, 1:38.90

by Tom Coombe
If high school athletes could qualify for a pension, Erika Mattson and Brielle Kallberg would be vested.
Both senior standouts have been part of the Timberwolves’ varsity team for six years and starters for five, and they provide a potent one-two punch as Ely opens the 2019-20 high school girls basketball campaign Tuesday at Nashwauk-Keewatin.
Mattson has developed into one of the deadliest three-point shooters in northeastern Minnesota while Kallberg, a state track qualifier and an NCAA Division II volleyball recruit, is one of the best athletes in Section 7A.
They’ll team with fellow senior Winter Sainio to provide both talent and leadership to an otherwise young, and relatively inexperienced, Ely team.
“We have a lot of key people back with Winter, Brielle and Erika and then it gets to a lot of youth,” said Ely Head Coach Darren Visser. “We go from three experienced players down to a lot of younger players.”
Mattson tied a school record last winter with 619 points and currently ranks third on the school’s all-time scoring charts.
The three-time All-Arrowhead Conference honoree also set a program record by sinking 11 three-point shots and netting a career-high 44 points in a January win over Littlefork-Big Falls.
Kallberg, meanwhile, was Ely’s leading rebounder, a key cog in the team’s pressure defense and a frequent scoring threat.
“Erika is just one of those players that when she’s done here will have set a number of records for Ely girls basketball,” said Visser. “She rebounds well and does a lot of things well, and somebody like Brielle is not far behind either. Between those two they both bring a lot of experience that a lot of people don’t always have.”
Sainio rounds out Ely’s senior trio and provides height and rebounding strength inside.
The Wolves will also look to sophomore Ande Visser down low, while two eighth-graders - Grace LaTourell and Sarah Visser - both got opportunities in the varsity lineup a year ago.
“We had some different illnesses and injuries at the end of last year that allowed for a lot of opportunities for our eighth and ninth-graders to get in. Coming into this year that’s nice as they got their feet wet and this is not all new.”
Ely won 15 games last winter but fell victim to a first-round playoff upset, but the Wolves are looking to improve on that this winter.
“We always like to be in that top third of the section,” said Visser. “I know with some of these younger players there will be spells here where we take some lumps. But I think by the end of the year we can be jiving well going into playoffs.”

by Tom Coombe
This winter, Ely will field one of the youngest teams in the history of its high school hockey program.
Yet head coach Ben Johnson said there’s no shortage of talent or desire among the Timberwolves, who open the 2019-20 season this weekend with a two-game home set against Kittson Central of northwestern Minnesota.
Only a handful of upperclassmen are on a 23-player roster, but fifth-year head coach Ben Johnson nonetheless likes what he has seen out of his team in early-season practices.
“We’re three weeks ahead of any team we have had the last four years,” said Johnson. “Obviously we’re super super young, but they are good players who are catching on quick. By far it’s the best attitude and work ethic we’ve had going into a season.”
The Wolves went just 5-16-1 last winter, but their fifth win was historic - a 3-2 playoff victory over International Falls in what was the program’s first-ever win against the Broncos.
Senior Luke Olson, a state track champion and an all-stater in cross country, scored the game-winning goal in that contest and was Ely’s leading scorer a season ago with 35 goals and 51 total points.
He’s back and teams with senior defenseman Dalton Schreffler (15 points) to give the Wolves two experienced hands to lead an otherwise young squad.
“Luke’s in great shape and being an elite runner really transfers into hockey,” said Johnson. “He can just go forever so it’s kind of nice to have somebody like that... With us really having only two lines with any sort of varsity experience it helps to have guys like Luke and Dalton.”
Schreffler, who is bouncing back from a leg injury during the football season, will anchor the Ely defense and is certain to see time on the Wolves’ special teams.
Olson will lead Ely’s top line, joining senior Jason Skube and junior Jimmy Zupancich, two of the program’s players from neighboring Northeast Range.
The second line will feature three Wolves who got their feet wet in varsity action last season: junior Jackson Flom and freshmen Kole Macho and Logan Loe.
On defense, Schreffler and senior Seann Prigge (eight points) head a unit that will also feature junior Justin Nyman and freshman Jakson Hegman. All four saw plenty of ice time in 2018-19.
Two newcomers, eighth-grader Tommy Homer and seventh-grader Wesley Sandy are also in the mix for work on Ely’s defensive unit.
Between the pipes, sophomore Chase Sandberg already has two years of varsity experience under his belt.
He was spectacular in goal in the playoff upset over International Falls, but will be tested for playing time this winter by freshman backup Ben Cavalier.
“Just coming into the season, Chase looks like a veteran,” said Johnson. “He acts like he’s been there before. And Ben Cavalier did some great training over the summer. He got himself ready. And having two good goalies will only make both of them better.”
Several others are also looking to jump into the lineup for Ely, which remains one of the smallest high schools in the state to offer hockey.
A 20-game regular season schedule includes nine home dates and some long bus trips, as well as a Nov. 29 date with defending 7A champion Greenway.
Johnson is assisted by Jake Myers and Stan Skelton.