Sports

Freshman Ty Koehn has won an ESPY and appeared on Good Morning America, but his 10 seconds of fame can’t end soon enough. By Josh Towner Koehn worked on the wad of Big League Chew bubblegum in his mouth as he looked to see who the next batter was.  One more out would punch Mounds View High School’s ticket to the state tournament. His heart sank as he recognized his longtime friend Jack Kocon step up to the plate. The two had played basketball and baseball together since elementary school. Koehn and Kocon were both seniors. With Mounds View leading Totino-Grace four to nothing in the last inning, Koehn knew this was likely Kocon’s last at bat. Kocon was the same guy who hit a walk-off just days earlier against Mounds View. Koehn worked to a 2-2 count. Mounds View’s ticket needed one more strike. The catcher signaled for an… Keep Reading

A lifetime of playing baseball supplied Brian Raabe with the wisdom he needed to become a coach. By Jared Martinson Five-year-old Brian Raabe knew what his life was going to be. It was the same process as the rest of the kids in New Ulm, Minn., a small German town 98 miles southwest of the heart of the Twin Cities. When your hometown has as many professionally-kept baseball fields as city council members, you’re more likely to end up on a diamond than in an oval. And so Raabe dreamed a little more and worked a little more to find a way. Only the large metro-style cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Cloud can lay claim to owning as many big leaguers as New Ulm when it comes to Minnesota natives. Longtime catcher Terry Steinbach headlines the six ballplayers who have been recorded as major league participants. Brian Raabe… Keep Reading

Freshman Justin Evilsizer is not an average sports fan, rather he lives his life bringing joy and positivity to everyone he meets. By Sam Johnson Click. Click. Justin Evilsizer sits at a ticket table in front of the Robertson Center, using his blue stamper to send a smiley face onto fans’ wrists. Click. The Bethel’s men’s basketball team prepared to go against St. Thomas and Evilsizer greeted everyone, Royal or Tommie, with fist-bumps, high-fives, or a nod and a smile. Instead of spectators gazing at a Raisin’ Canes gift basket on top of the table as they entered the gym, filled with a baby blue t-shirt, a plush dog with a ‘Canes’ bandana, and layers of red confetti, they glanced first to someone else. His bright neon green shirt helped catch their attention. It might still be seen even if the building lost power. “Enjoy the game,” the decked-out Royals… Keep Reading

A double amputee, Elena Evans made strides longer than she ever imagined possible. By Zach Walker Elena Evans loved summer camp. Suspended by paracord at the top of a rock wall, she surveyed Trout Lake. The water and the trees and the toddlers stared up at her like she was royalty. Releasing her grip, she descended through woodland air, the smell of pine and campfire smoke welcoming her back. The rope went slack as she landed on feet that weren’t hers. Novocherkassk, Russia — In 1996, there was no cure for physical deformation. No medicine, no therapy, no special care. Most kids learned how to walk. Evans did too, just on her knees. Evans was born with feet that curved in. Not the standard angle, but a sharp diversion toward the opposite calf. She did a sort of shuffle across the orphanage floor, her feet lagging behind. It was there… Keep Reading