A Review of the Past Week in Providence Academy Athletics
Cross Country
The boys and girls cross country teams have had an amazing start to their season. Because of current regulations, the team has had all of their races held at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove. All races are limited to 3 teams. Our first race was against Parnassus and Math and Science Academy. The second race was against Blake and Breck and our most recent race was against St Paul Academy and Parnassus.
This past week, on the boys side, Tomas Palomarez (9th grade) and Jack McElroy (junior and captain) led the varsity team. Tomas finished 4th with a time of 18:20.96 for a 5K race. Jack finished 6th with a time of 18:42.65. The rest of the varsity team was represented by Jacob Olson (8th), William Wehmann (11th), Jayden Mersereau (9th), Aidan Flynn (9th), Grant Heim (9th), and Alex Rynders (11th).
The girls had an equally impressive race this past Thursday. Emma Kelly (junior and team captain) won the varsity girls race with a time of 20:03.48. Aly Marshall (1oth grade) finished 5th with her overall personal best time of 21:22.38 and Liz Burns (10th grade) finished 6th with a time of 21:40.09. The rest of the varsity team was represented by Sophie Koch (captain, 11th), Olivia Menzel (11th), Samantha Mahoney (12th), and Sandra Alb (9th).
“It has been just fun to watch these kids race this year. I think they know that this season is a gift and take on each race with pure joy,” says head coach Rachel Fogle.
Up next: The JV team will race at Elm Creek Park Reserve on Friday, September 25th. The first race is at 4pm. The Varsity team will race on Saturday at Blake. The boys race at 11:15 and the girls race at noon, although there are no spectators allowed due to Covid restrictions.
Girls Tennis
PA varsity girls tennis played very well against some tough competition this week and fell 3-4 to both Southwest Christian and Mounds Park Academy.
Freshman and captain Annika Harberts-Ott has been getting better with each match and has won both of her matches at 1 singles in straight sets.
Junior captain Olivia Eck had an impressive straight set win over SWC at 2 singles.
Koral Horstman has also been playing very well and won both of her matches at 4 singles in straight sets.
The third doubles team of Grace Arndt and Grace Wikenheiser scored their second victory of the year over MPA.
“It’s exciting that we’re a relatively young team whose welcomed 5 new players this season and that we have already developed such a strong chemistry. We are fortunate to have players with such versatility we can put players in different roles as we continue to find our team identity.”
Girls Soccer
The Providence Girls Soccer Team had a full week of training to ramp up to a conference re match against Minnehaha Academy and a road trip to Rockford. The focus of the week was on defense, working on individual 1v1 defending along with team defensive formation and philosophy. The girls also took time out of training to complete their mid season fitness test with every player improving their scores! The JV squad had their 2nd match of the season as they topped Benilde St. Marget 4-0! Varsity was back in action on Thursday as they traveled to Minnehaha. The Lions dropped 7-2 against a fierce conference opponent . The 2 PA goals came from Senior Captain, Sofia Caballero and Junior Amelia Hilberg as she netted her first varsity goal. Head Coach Paul Cronin had this to say after the game, “This Minnehaha team is a quality team and we learn something new about our team every time we play them, coming away a better team each time.”
The Lady Lions take a road trip on Saturday to face off against Rockford! Kick off at 2:00pm!
Scoring details can be found at MN Girls Soccer hub
Follow @PA_GirlsSoccer_ to stay up to date with everything Providence Girls Soccer.
Boys Soccer
Tuesday 9/15, Boys Varsity soccer played the 2019 IMAC Conference Champions, the Breck Mustangs. The Lions have improved significantly from last year but were expecting a tough game vs Breck. For much of the first half, Lions allowed Breck few opportunities, but two of three Breck attacks in the first 15 min turned benign plays into 0-2 deficit. “Soccer is painful that way. You can play well, but small impact moments can turn into delight or frustration,” said Coach Lev Buslovich during his half time talk.
Despite a 0-4 halftime deficit, Lions coaches encouraged the team, which played hard, compact and created several clear opportunities for the Lions. “We created just as many chances as Breck. The big difference was the quality and skill of the finishing. We hit the crossbar, created two penalty opportunities, and three quality corner kick chances. The score certainly didn’t reflect how we played. It definitely showed the difference in sharpness and attacking prowess on the part of quality opponents.” Said Coach Buslovich. “Let’s not leave any regrets and simply do the best you can do,” Coach Buslovich insisted.
The second half was a different story. The Lions played like they were the true kings of the league. They defended as a team and attacked with numbers. Confidence grew as Breck became more and more frustrated. As a final reward, Senior Captain JP Luedke put in a worthy header with 5 minutes left to make the final 1-4 and a decisive improvement for the team. “This is the best game Providence has ever played”, screamed an excited JP Luedke. He would know, having been with the program all four years. “We are looking for improvement and the ability to compete with schools that are 4-5 times larger and decades of prior soccer success. Tonight, we have demonstrated to ourselves everybody watching that we can play organized, determined, skillful, and winning soccer. We have come a long way, but need to continue to focus, work, and strive for the next level of success. I am thrilled for these boys. This game was a big turning point.” Coach Buslovich exclaimed.
Ben Martin was stellar in goal, stopping low shots and grabbing high crosses. New pairing of Ryan Hutt and Paul Pellegrene at center back gelled with every minute. Newly converted outside backs Matt Wooden and Johnny Hendrickson as well as Thomas Vos held the wings and started attacks. Center mid partnership of Roy Kyle and Captain Sean Donahue won the middle and distributed the balls. Outside mids Captain Eli Schmidt and Ronan Donohue played both ways on the wings, which captains JP Luedke and Sam Schroeder led the attack from up front. Many others contributed in substitute roles. Let’s keep tabs on this boys program and support their climb for respect, achievement, and a taste of The Beautiful Game.
The Lions travel to Rockford on Saturday, September 19.
Scoring details can be found at MN Boys Soccer Hub.
Follow @PA_BoysSoccer to stay up to date with everything Providence Boys Soccer.
Girls Swimming & Diving
Anna Heaney 11th grade is back in action as a perennial Varsity athlete and works exceptionally hard at practice. Anna is coming off a very strong finish to the 2019 season and continues to rehab a nagging shoulder injury.
Carly Bixby 9th grade is in her 1st year on the team and is a phenomenal student athlete. She is currently putting up some of the fastest 200 freestyle times in the state. Carly utilizes her skills during every practice and race.
Ali Herlofsky 9th grade is a returning Varsity member. She has been a consistent contributor to our freestyle individual events and relays.
Maria Dailey 9th grade is in her 1st year on the team. She brings a solid foundation of freestyle and butterfly to the team.
Rachel Bartels 8th grade is in her 2nd year on the team. She brings athletic ability and energy to the pool daily!
Liv Ryan 8th grade is in her 1st year on the team. She is doing very well with freestyle and breaststroke.
Kate Borchardt 8th grade is in her 1st year on the team. She is a standout backstroker and continues to improve everyday.
Live Stream Lions Games on the NFHS Network!
If you haven’t already heard, the NFHS Network is your home for live Lions broadcasts for the entire 2020-2021 season! Learn more about signing up for a free account by clicking here!
New Program: Providence MS Travel Basketball
PA Athletics would like to introduce a PA basketball traveling program. The PA Travel program is designed to give 6th-8th grade kids who attend Providence Academy, an opportunity to play against stronger competition. These athletes will play in a total of 8-tournaments (mainly weekend tournaments and 3 one-day Supersavers). It is expected that participation on a Travel team will be the player’s primary extracurricular activity during the travel season. The travel season will begin with a tryout and placement on a team in September. Practices will begin 2nd week of October with Tournament play starting early November. The season will begin in mid-October when practices begin; ending by the second weekend of March with the Minnesota Grade State tournament. At no time can a player play on an additional MYAS competing team (i.e. A community-based program) during the Providence Academy basketball season.
Participating in travel basketball is a privilege requiring a significant time commitment from the player and their family. If participants are unable to make that commitment, they should not participate in the travel program.
Middle School Boys & Girls
Dates
• Monday, September 21 — 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
• Wednesday, September 23 — 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
• A Parent Meeting will be held on Monday, September 21, at 5:00 pm
Who
• Boys 6th to 8th Grade
• Girls 6th to 8th Grade
PA Protocol
• Wear Face Masks
• Temperature Checks
• Sign Waiver Forms
We look forward to seeing you! If you have any questions, please contact Coach Steve Brown at or Coach Conner Goetz at girls.basketball@
Sign Up for Boys Lacrosse (7th-12th Grade)
New to experienced players are welcomed to join Providence Boys Lacrosse!
• Practices will be from 6:30 until 7:30 pm
Dates will be …
• September – Wed. 16th, Thur. 17th, Mon. 21st, Thur. 24th & Wed. 30th
• October – Fri. 2nd, Mon. 5th, Fri. 9th, Tue. 13th, Wed. 14th, Tues. 20th & Thur. 22nd.
More info below!
Scores and Standings
Remember to follow @PAheadmaster, @PAcademyATH, @PA_MSathletics, @PALionsAD, and @ProvidenceLions for the most current updates regarding Providence Academy Athletics.