Winter sports winding down already!

It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that I was wrapping up coverage of the fall sports season and preparing season previews on the winter sports season, but here we are in mid-February and the winter sports season is nearing an end.

Already, the Trojan dance team and girls hockey team have concluded their seasons. Two other teams begin their post-season efforts Friday, with the wrestling and gymnastics teams competing just a few miles apart, the wrestlers at Lakeville North and the gymnasts at Lakeville South. Boys hockey winds down its regular season schedule this week, and girls and boys basketball and adapted floor hockey follow close behind.

It has been an interesting season for Trojan sports. Four of the eight winter teams have first-year head coaches that have brought a new atmosphere to their programs. Both the girls basketball (Luke Swedberg) and girls hockey (Taylor Ries) teams had slow starts to their seasons, but the girls hockey team finished strong and the girls basketball team hopes to do the same. The dance team (Frankie McIntyre) continued its rise to competitiveness in its third season in the large-school division and the boys basketball team (Blake Nicols), having to replace all five starters on what was a state-ranked team, has worked to establish its own identity under a new coach.

The Trojan gymnastics program, which was a dominant program as a Class A school, is now in its third year in Class AA and is looking to establish itself among the top teams in its new section under veteran coach Doug Amundsen, and the Trojan wrestling team, always a strong team in the past, is looking to continue its growth as it adjusts to its new Class AAA surroundings under second-year coach Dan Wagner. While the team is ranked No. 12 in the state, it has to contend with three other state-ranked teams in the section tournament, including Shakopee and Apple Valley, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams, respectively.

Another team that is adjusting to its new surroundings is the boys hockey team. Veteran Coach Chris Lonke worked hard to establish his team as a strong Class A school, and it remains a force in the Wright County Conference, having recently defeated ranked Class A teams Delano and Mound Westonka. The squad will have to contend with Class AA teams such as Minnetonka, Holy Family and Eden Prairie in the post season, so there will be some adjustments to make as the program continues to develop.

Finally, the team that has seen the most success this season is the adapted floor hockey team. Coach Shellie Kriha’s team is 7-1-1 and looks poised for a home playoff game and a good shot at another trip to the state tournament.

I’ve had the chance to see each of these teams compete this season, and it’s always a treat to see the teams work hard to reach their goals. Good luck to each of the remaining six teams, and congratulations to the girls hockey and dance teams for their efforts this season.

Hard to believe, but in just a few weeks, I’m going to be preparing for the spring sports season. Time does fly.

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