SPORTS WRAP
Landen Johnson (2022 OHS grad) was back in the Owatonna gym during the Davis Duals over the holiday break clad in NDSU Bison gear. The two-time state wrestling champ and three-time finalist is in his first college season, “I love it up there. It’s so great. Just being in a room where everyone works so hard.”
Explaining the ‘jump’ from high school to Division I wrestling is tough to put into words, “No one ever stops working. You’re always on your toes because any second you’re not ready, they’re on you.” That said, it’s something he’s been doing for a long time, “It still feels like you’re just wrestling. You just got to go out and stay focused on what you’re doing. And don’t think too much about it. It’s what you’ve been doing your whole life.”
BACK IN HIS HOME GYM
Johnson, who was a captain and All-State Academic for the Huskies, won a lot of matches in the OHS gym. But sitting in the bleachers was odd, “It’s kind of strange, watching all my teammates. I was just on the team with them a whole year ago. But now it feels so much different, just being on that college stage, watching NDSU duals.”
He might have been able to just show up occasionally at the high school level, but not anymore, “Everyone is so, so good. Where high school, some days you come and you’re there to wrestle a quick match and then hang out. But college, every single match you have to make sure you’re ready to go on your ‘A’ game.”
Johnson is 5-3 in tournaments with three pins and feels comfortable in the wrestling room, “I’ve been progressing with how my coaches want me to. Still a long way to where I want to be eventually. But yeah. It’s been going good so far.” The Bison are top twenty ranked and having one of their best seasons ever according to Johnson. He’s majoring in engineering and enjoying the college experience.
In a related note regarding another former OHS wrestler, University of Nebraska junior Peyton Robb was elevated to the No. 1 spot in the Intermat NCAA Division I rankings. Robb is 13-0 for the Huskers.
SWIMMERS SET SIGHTS ON RECORDS
The Owatonna boys’ swimming season is off to a great start with some early season wins. More headlines are pending with a couple of swimmers working on resetting some school records. Senior Ryan Peterson is on track to break the 200 IM mark, “I’ve still got some work to do, but I think I’m going to get there eventually.” He told the Owatonna Live Coaches Show it’s been a longtime plan, “I set the goal in about ninth or tenth grade. Then I started doing more individual stuff with IM, last year or two years ago.”
Junior Matthew Larson has a pair of records in mind, “The 100 fly I should hopefully get before Big Nine. Then the [200] free I’ll hopefully get at sections.” He came around to the 100 butterfly last year in a meet against Northfield, “[coach Peter Rhodes] put me in it and I went 56 seconds, which is really fast, and then I guess I just kind of stuck with it.”
The Mr. Versatility Award might go to junior David Rhodes who does a full range of events from the medley to backstroke to the 50 and 500 freestyle, “A lot of people focus on either just sprinting or distance. For me, I don’t really have a choice sometimes because of the way the events are laid out.”
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS
Another Husky vying for the top utility honor is junior diver Henry Hilgendorf who fills in where needed on relays and enjoys the 100 and 50 freestyle. “I got the chance to swim the 50 butterfly in the medley relay the other day. That was kind of fun. The lights went out,” adding to the experience.
He says diving across the conference has been tough this season, “Everybody’s scores in diving are a lot higher than they were last year. So, it’s a lot more competition this year.” Hilgendorf hopes to place high at Big Nine and be in contention for a state bid at sections.
Rhodes, an OHS grad in his tenth year as coach, says there’s been a nice increase to the roster thanks to the club program and swimmers recruiting their friends, “So, we must be doing something right that people want to join. That’s a lot of fun.”
He says the Piranhas club program has gotten stronger over the last several years, “We’re very excited to see where we go with that. It helps kids come into the program. So, they’re not just learning to swim when they come to us. They have the basics.”
The Huskies have a couple more home meets this season. Thursday, January 12 they host Rochester Century at the middle school pool. February 2 Mankato West comes to town. Big Nine is February 10 and 11. The state meet is February 22-24 at the University of Minnesota.
MEDFORD PUTS THE HAMMER DOWN
Medford wrestling solidified themselves as the favorites in Section 2A with a resounding 48-14 win over Maple River/USC. After a loss to open the dual, the Tigers roared through the next six bouts with pins from Tommy Elwood in the opening minute at 132 pounds and in the closing minute for Charley Elwood at 145 to build a 27-4 lead. Medford clinched the match with Tate Hermes getting a first-period fall.
The seventh-ranked Tigers have seven ranked individuals. Those three are joined by Luis Lopez, Jack Meyer, Garron Hoffman and Dylan Heiderscheidt in the Guillotine poll. Medford’s next home match is scheduled for January 19 against Triton and can be seen on OwatonnaLive.com.
HOLCOMB NAMED COACH
Alec Holcomb (OHS grad of 2016) is the new baseball coach at Carleton College in Northfield. He spent a couple of years as performance director of Velocity Baseball and coached a Rochester club team. Holcomb pitched for Division I North Dakota State and Division II Concordia-St. Paul. He’s also played some high-end summer baseball.
Holcomb won the Oldenberg Senior Athlete of the Year award at Owatonna after being a captain in football, hockey, and baseball. He was selected to the Minnesota All-Star Baseball Series, was a two-time All-Conference and Defensive Player of the Year in football, and two-time honorable mention All-Big Nine on the ice.
He said through the Knights College Sports Information Department, “I am beyond thrilled to join such a prestigious college in Carleton. Growing up just down I-35 in Owatonna has always made me appreciate southern Minnesota and has me excited to settle in the awesome community of Northfield.” Holcomb has a sports management degree from NDSU and is pursuing a master’s in coaching and athletic administration at Concordia-St. Paul.
HALL CALL FOR COACH
Former Owatonna High School assistant wrestling coach Mark Krier will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Minnesota Chapter in April. He enters in the Lifetime Service category. Krier was a three-time state champ at Plainview-Elgin-Millville, amassing a 132-3 record. He went on to win a conference title while competing for Augustana (SD) and has coached for over 30 years, currently as an assistant with Zumbrota-Mazeppa.
Krier is a two-time Minnesota assistant coach of the year. Teams he coached in Owatonna and Zumbrota-Mazeppa have won state titles. Former OHS coach Scot Davis was thrilled to land him on the staff, “[He] has a lot of wrestling knowledge, both in technique and strategy, best arm-bar-series I have seen in my coaching career. It could be said that Mark was one of Minnesota’s finest high school wrestlers, ever, especially so back in the early 1980s.”
OWATONNA LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY SCHEDULE
Thursday, January 12:
OHS boys’ swim/dive vs Century, 6:30 pm
OHS girls’ hockey vs Northfield, 7 pm
OHS wrestling vs Northfield, 7 pm
Friday, January 13:
OHS boys’ hockey vs Bloomington Kennedy, 7 pm
OHS boys’ basketball vs Rochester JM, 7 pm
Saturday, January 14:
Medford girls’ basketball vs Waseca, 7:15 pm