SPARTAN ROUNDUP: SHS tennis team wins, soccer and golf teams also in ac tion

Fall sports action is in full swing at the Superior High School with girls tennis, girls golf and boys soccer in recent action.

Girls tennis

The Spartans rebounded from a pair of recent losses to defeat the Duluth Denfeld Hunters 6-1 Tuesday at the SHS courts.

Superior swept the singles matches with wins by Natalie Burger, Raya Kosey, Jillisa Gallindo and Kailey Phillips.

The Spartans also won two of three doubles matches as Keely McCall and Jessica Engstrom and Cassie Hanson and Sara Olson notched victories.

“This was a good win for us, after yesterday’s performance it was good to see the team come out and put together a good match,” SHS coach Pete Conley said. “We’re still making a lot of unforced errors, but with each match they are decreasing.

“The girls are gaining confidence and if they can continue with that the matches will hopefully turn in our favor.”

The Spartans (1-2 in the LSC) also lost at Cloquet on Aug. 23 and at home to Ashland on Monday.

Winning for Superior at Cloquet were Gallindo at No. 3 singles, McCall and Engstrom at No. 2 doubles and Olson and Hanson at No. 3 doubles.

Raya Kosey was the lone winner against Ashland.

The Spartans are at Barron at 4:15 p.m. Thursday.

Superior 6, Denfeld 1

1. Natalie Burger (S) def. Anna Fry, 6-2, 6-2

2. Raya Kosey (S) def. Naomi Robinson, 6-3, 6-0

3. Jillisa Gallindo (S) def. Olivia Kinzinger, 6-2, 6-4

4. Kailey Phillips (S) def. Jenny Curlenburg, 6-1, 6-1

Doubles

1. Ashley Parrish/Tiffany Klemmack (DD) def. Sara DeVinck/Jenny Ostrowski, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1

2. Keely McCall/Jessica Engstrom (S) def. Katie Postal/Layla McDonald, 6-0, 6-0

3. Cassie Hanson/Sara Olson (S) def. Madison Rabold/Madria Lehto, 7-5, 6-1

Ashland 6, Superior 1

Olivia Brettia (A) def. Natalie Burger, 6-2, 6-2.

Raya Kosey (S) def. Amanda Meyer, 6-0, 6-0.

Kate Dufek (A) def. Kailey Phillips, 6-0, 6-2.

Mariah Anderson (A) def. Brianna Homich, 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles

Amber Ovaska/Kaylie McCarthy (A) def. Jenny Ostrowski/Sara DeVinck, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Emily Graffiti/Tori Larson (A) def. Keely McCall/Jessica Engstrom, 6-2, 6-2.

Keana Olson/Molly Demars (A) def. Cassie Hanson/Sara Olson, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 11-9.

Cloquet 4, Superior 3

Victoria Marinko (C) def. Burger, 6-0, 6-0.

Dana Hartman (C) def. Kosey, 6-0, 6-0.

Jillisa Gallindo (S) def. Reilly Kedrowski, 6-4, 6-4.

Lara Chalich (C) def. Homich, 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles

Alyssa Acheson/Lizz Jezierski (C) def. DeVinck/Phillips, 6-1, 6-2.

McCall/Engstrom (S) def. Stephanie Campbell/Breanne Baker, 6-3, 6-3.

Olson/Hanson (S) def. Katrina Smith/Katelyn Litke, 6-4, 6-1.

Boys soccer

The SHS soccer team lost to New Richmond Saturday and then Cloquet Monday.

In a 4-1 loss to the Tigers at the SHS soccer fields on Saturday, Superior got off to a great start, controlling the ball, creating a few quick opportunities and eventually taking a 1-0 lead when senior midfielder, and captain, Rexi Olson drove a cross into the box that deflected into the goal at the 10-minute mark.

The Spartans continued to play well until 10 minutes later when New Richmond struck on a long and high shot that went over the arms of goalie Nick Hesselgrave.

Unfortunately Hesselgrave’s bad luck continued as he collided with a New Richmond player with 15 minutes left in the first half and had to be removed from the game.

That left the Spartans with freshman Derek Copperud in goal for his first varsity action.

Copperud played strong and the Spartans held on for the rest of the half to keep the score 1-1 at halftime.

Superior tired quickly in the second half and let in a goal on a corner kick 10 minutes in. The Tigers continued to pressure the Spartans and added two more goals for the three-goal victory.

Hesselgrave finished with three saves and Copperud had 12.

The JV team lost 2-0 in a shortened game played without subs and then without a goalie after Copperud was moved to the varsity game.

The Spartans started slow Monday at Cloquet and trailed 1-0 until Connor Anderson ran down a pass and deflected it to junior forward Tyler Gravening as the goalie came out of the box. Gravening buried the shot to tie the game at 1-1.

However, in a six minute span the Lumberjacks scored three goals for a 4-1 lead at the half.

After it went to 6-1 in the second half, Superior’s Brandon Gustafson scored with an assist from Dylan Semborski. After two more Cloquet goals, Gravening’s second goal, on Semborski’s assist, made it 8-3. The Lumberjacks scored the final three goals.

Copperud finished with 10 saves.

The SHS JV lost 5-0.

The Spartans are at Hermantown at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Girls golf

The Spartans played in the Tomah Invite Aug. 24 and at Barron Friday.

The Tomah Invitational was billed as “North vs. South” at the Hiawatha Golf Course. The event was a match between the Big Rivers Conference and the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Hudson’s Cassie Wurm carded a 76 to earn medalist honors, while Onalaska won the team title with 346. From the BRC, River Falls took third at 356, Eau Claire North was eighth and Eau Claire Memorial ninth.

The Spartans finished with a team score of 424, led by Anne Tracy’s 84 (her best round ever), which was good for a fifth-place finish among the field of 65 golfers. Ally Gotelaere was right behind with a 90.

“Our team score was well off the pace set by a very good team from Onalaska: however, we are a very young team playing with individuals that are getting their first varsity experience in golf right out of the gates,” SHS coach Jason Kalin said.

Also for the Spartans, Kali O’Neill fired a 121 and Samantha Aune carded a 129. Allie Shober added a non-counting 134.

“We saw outstanding play from Anne and Ally,” Kalin said. “Anne’s round was well executed and thought out to give her multiple chances at birdies and pars. She hit the ball well off the tee and put herself in excellent positions to hit her approach shots into the greens.

“Allison struggled early on the first five holes, but once she found her swing she started to give herself chances at birdies and pars. She had trouble with her irons all day long but she finished the round extremely strong, never giving up on her score.”

The Spartans then picked up a pair of Heart O’ North Conference wins over Chetek and Ladysmith at Chetek’s Sioux Creek G.C. on Friday. Superior recorded 199, compared to Ladysmith’s 213 and Chetek’s 224.

“It was a nine-hole match that was played on a short but tricky course,” Kalin said. “The grass was plush and thick so it was very important for the girls to keep the ball in the short grass, otherwise it wreaked havoc on approach shots with the thick rough grabbing their clubs and making it very difficult to control ball flight and distance.”

SHS junior Alisha Moran carded a 55, which earned her a conference point.

“Alisha showed that her game will be a nice addition to our team scores in the future,” Kalin said.

Superior’s low score was Tracy’s 39, which included a birdie on a tricky par 5. Gotelaere was next with a 43, her best round of the year.

O’Neill fought through a muscle strain in her hip that occurred early on in her round and fired a 62 and Samantha Aune carded a non-counting 72.

Allie Shober shot a solid 58 for Superior’s JV team.

“Samantha and Allie will be taking turns playing in varsity matches to give each of them varsity experience for the rest of the season,” Kalin said.

The Spartans, who played a Luck on Monday morning, host Spooner and Northwestern at noon today at the Nemadji Golf Course.

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