Sports

Redwood County 4-H Shooting Sports was well represented at the 4-H National Championship in Grand Island, NE.

The annual Redwood Falls doubles tournament was held recently at the RVHS tennis courts.The event had to be moved indoors due to the rain but a nice group turned out to participate in the event.RVHS Coaches Jeremy Robinson and Eric Johnson would take the title as they held off former Cardinals’ Tyler Hagen and Max Russell 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets.Earlier in the semifinals, the duo topped Nate Benson and Sam Christeson 6-4, 6-2 while Hagen and Russell took down Taylor Rebstock and Jared Arentson 6-2, 6-0.All of the results are posted below.8/9 Matchup:Jovial Martinez/Jordan Martinez def Lily DeBlieck/Lauren Dolezal 6-2, 4-6, 10-2Quarterfinals:Tyler Hagen/Max Russell def Martinez/Martinez 6-2, 6-3Taylor Rebstock/Jared Arentson def Cain Bratcsh/Logan Dehncke 7-5, 6-3Nate Benson/Sam Christison def Cayden Johnson-Mariner/Elway Berg 6-3, 6-2Jeremy Robinson/Eric Johnson def Mason Davis/Zach Malecek 6-1, 6-0Semifinals:Hagen/Russell def Rebstock/Arentson 6-2, 6-0Robinson/Johnson def Benson/Christison 6-4, 6-2Consolation Finals:Johnon-Mariner/Berg def Martinez/Martinez 6-3, 6-03rd Place:Benson/Christison def Rebstock/Arentson 6-2, 6-0Championship:Robinson/Johnson def Hagen/Russell 6-4, 6-1

Redwood Valley senior Mila Jenniges capped off her memorable high school career by tieing for seventh at the rain-shortened Class AA State Golf Meet held recently at The Ridges Golf Club in Jordan.The four-time state entrant fired a 27-hole total of 118 (78-40) to finish four shots behind the champion but crack the top eight for the second straight season.For someone who wasn’t all that interested in golf early on, she will be remembered as one of the most decorated female golfers in school history.“When I was younger I wasn’t that interested in golf,” she said, “You’d probably find me flipping down the fairways practicing my gymnastics while my Dad played.”It was her father John’s obsession of the game of golf that not only brought her around but ultimately helped her to grow her talent and give them a bond as the years went by.“My Dad plays a lot of golf and and understands the game and that helped me,” she said, “Over the years I’ve played a lot with him and his friends from the blue tees and that was good experience for me.”That connection was key as Jenniges began to work hard on her game all season, playing tournament golf during the summer as well as traveling south to play during the winter and using a sim training unit to be able to hit balls all year round.“The summer play was big because I was able to play alongside some of Minnesota’s top amateur female players and watch and learn from them as well as gain a lot of experience,” she said.She got her first playing time as just a seventh grader for the Cardinals but took her first big step as a freshman when she survived a playoff to earn a State Tournament berth at the Section 3AA Meet.She would finish 40th that year at State and followed that up with a rain-shortened 34th place finish as a sophomore.During her junior campaign, she teamed up with Julian Brown to form a dynamic one-two combo that ultimately helped the Cardinals capture the Section 3AA Team title and advance on to State.She would fire rounds of 78-79 (157) to place eighth overall as the Cards finished fifth as a team.This season she dominated the local scene, finishing as the medalist in every high school meet she participated in all the way up to State (which included the Big South Conference Tournament and the Section 3AA Meet).At the Big South Conference Meet held at Dacotah Ridge Golf Club she would fire her personal best round of one-under 71 (36-35) to earn All-Conference honors for the third straight season.

Redwood Valley High School finished seventh out of 54 teams at the class 2A Minnesota High School Clay Target Championship.The Varsity squad finished 7th leading the team to a 7th place overall finish.

Brandon Lang and Mila Jenniges were recently named as the RVHS Senior Athletes of the Year at Redwood Valley High School.The award is a combination of ability, training, leadership, coachability and teammate skills and is voted on by the coaches.Lang was the Male of the Athlete of the Year over other notable names such as Max Fuhr and Oliver Smith and was deserving after a huge year in football where he restablished many of the receiving records and also strong years in basketball and baseball.He was multi-year letterwinner in all three sports and earned All-Conference honors in all three as well.

The Redwood Valley boys tennis team wrapped up its season recently at the Class A State Boys Tennis Meet held Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis.The Cardinals had a pair of participants in freshman Zack Lundeen who advanced as the Section 3A Individual champion and the doubles duo of senior Cole Johnson and junior Kanyon Hicks who competed in doubles.Lundeen (19-5) would fall 6-0, 6-0 to Dylan Warn of Breck in his preliminary match and also fell 7-6, 6-2 in the consolation bracket.Johnson and Hicks were competitive but would fall 6-4, 6-4 to Massen Happel and Brekken Wokasch of Perham in their opening match.The would also fall 6-2, 6-1 in the consolation round.The Cardinals had a memorable season, finishing as Section 3A runner-ups and having the Section champs in singles and doubles for the first time in school history.

Surging past the leaders in the final 200 meters, Redwood Valley junior Will Ahrens capped off a memorable season by capturing the 1,600 meter run Friday at the Class A State Track & Field Meet held on the campus of St.

A four-run fifth inning helped visiting Jackson Co.

One of the more memorable seasons in recent memory will culminate in a trio of Redwood Valley boys tennis players competing at the Class A State Tennis Meet in Minneapolis.Redwood Valley - who finished as the Section 3A Team runner-ups - had a pair of Section 3A champs following individual tournament action.Freshman Zack Lundeen became the first freshman to win the Section 3A Individual title since Jess Hansen of LQPV-DB back in 2013.Lundeen was the first non foreign exchange student to win the Section crown since Jeff Lepper in 1999 (Rikard Wilkens finished as State runner-up for the Cards as a foreign exchange student in 2019).He rolled through the Section Tournament, winning 6-2, 6-2 over Alex Carlson of Benson/KMS in the semifinals and crushing Simon Fitzkappes of Montevideo 6-1, 6-2 in the championship match.He will head into State with a record of 19-3 and will face Dylan Warn of Breck School today in opening round action.The Cards duo of senior Cole Johnson (15-7) and Kanyon Hicks (16-7) are also headed to State after capturing the doubles title.The tandem - who hadn’t played together during the regular season but who are 7-0 as playing partners - are the first doubles team to win the Section crown since Brandon Arentson and Pat Raddatz back in 2009.As the top seed they rolled through the Section, winning 6-4, 6-3 over Montevideo in the semifinals and stomping Max Young and Harold Habben of Benson/KMS 6-2, 6-1 in the championship match.The duo will face Mason Happel and Brekken Wokasch of Perham today in their opening round match.Redwood Valley will send a singles and doubles team to State for the first time in school history and it was also the first time in school history that the Cards claimed both the Individual and Doubles crown in the same season.

It was a record breaking day for the Redwood Valley boys and girls track teams Thursday afternoon at the Section 3A Track Meet in Luverne.The Cardinals set a pair of school records and sent 16 athletes on to State as the Cardinal girls finished second and the boys third in team competition.Senior McKenna Flinn continued her magical run on the pole vault as she reset her own school record of 10’3” by clearing 10’6” to finish as the Section champ.The girls 4x100 relay team of Cali Johnson, Kendall Huhnerkoch, Caitlin Flinn and Kenzie Lundeen also set a school record by finishing first in a time of 50.87.