The presence of Ethan O'Reilly on offense and defense was invigorating. He could have come out to a grand entrance when he appeared at practice for the first time.

Setting up for Coaches Corner at Hanisch Bakery on a fall Saturday morning, a flash of purple bolts past the window. It’s Jack Wardle going for his daily run. Staying committed to pushing himself and running more often, more consistently during the week, Wardle isn’t just a frequent sight through town; he’s one of Red Wing’s top runners. The sophomore came out for cross country last year after being convinced by current teammate Tristan Wilczynska and recent Red Wing graduate

As Ayva Marklevits crossed the finish line and took a glance at all the other runners standing near her, realization set in. All the energy her and the rest of the Goodhue girls cross country team might not have left, was instantly recharged. Excitement and joyful tears were shed before the 30th-place runner could even finish the race. The Goodhue team, soon surrounded by family and friends, quickly knew they had made program history for a second straight year. The Wildcats w

Eighty-nine combined points, close to 1,000 yards of combined offense and two hours, forty minutes later, we had a winner. Fourth-seeded La Crescent-Hokah hosted No. 5 Red Wing in a Section 1AAA quarterfinal Tuesday night, a game that left pens dried up from logging the scoresheet. The Lancers scored just about every possession to win 52-37 in a game that resembled something of an NFL Pro Bowl in their flag football era. The Lancers had only two possessions in the first half

Watching Lola Christianson's shot leave her foot and seeing it head toward the far post, it felt like forever for the ball to reach the goal line. "It felt so slow. I thought the goalie was maybe reach it," Christianson said. "Once I saw it go in, I felt pretty good about it. Her goal, coming in the 67th minute of the game, turned out to be the only goal of the game as the second-seeded Bombers held on defensively to shut down No. 1-seeded Fairmont to win the Section 2A title

From the first play of the game, Randolph was clear for takeoff. The Rockets (2-6) reached deep into the playbook to try some things offensively and have a little fun while doing it. Riding the good vibes from the early touchdowns, the Rockets flew up and down the field in the first half. A blistering start to the game put Lake City (1-7) in an early deficit, one they didn't recover from. The Tigers closed out the regular season with a 48-0 loss in Randolph Tuesday. It was th

Five hours of court time, out of breath perhaps, yet still satisfied at the end of it all. Lorilei Hartman put in a full day's work plus overtime at the Rochester Athletic Club on the final day of the Section 1A individual tournament Monday. She ended as the section runner-up in singles play. For a second straight year, Red Wing will have representation in the girls tennis state tournament. Hartman won the singles tournament last year as a sophomore. Even though she was secon

A slow start to the game was not an option for Goodhue. Welcoming Red Wing and celebrating their seniors in the final regular-season home game, the Wildcats had every intention of perfecting what makes them good. They wasted little time getting a lead and expanding it with some possessions needing fewer than five plays to score. As a result, it was all Goodhue (5-2) as they rolled to a 49-0 win over Red Wing (1-6) Wednesday night. “We can't have a weak start like we did in th

Last year the feeling of winning was new. There were questions on how to handle the trophy and how to prepare for a state tournament as a team. Now, winning has become the norm for the Lake City girls tennis team. The Tigers secured their second section title Monday at the Rochester Athletic Club with a 4-3 win over Cannon Falls. The Tigers are ranked No. 6 in Class A and now are 17-1 overall. With an even more dominant regular season this fall, another section title, is Lake

Possibly the most exciting southeastern Minnesota football game coming in didn’t disappoint. Down by six with 3 seconds remaining, Goodhue had the ball on the 20-yard line. Lukas Olson picked off Jackson Lodermeier’s pass to Cody Ryan in the end zone to end the game. With the final turnover going to Cannon Falls (5-1), they were able to come out of the grueling matchup with a 36-30 victory over Goodhue (4-2) Friday night. The loss and close chance at the end surely sting, bu

Pickup football offers little value to linemen; there’s no blocking. It’s far more enjoyable to be a receiver anyway. During school, longtime Red Wing lineman Liam O’Connell had inadvertent chances to work on his hands. “I've been a lineman my whole life. So that helps with the blocking,” said Red Wing's new tight end. “Catching, just practice. Recess football is really helping with that.” Although the routes during recess aren’t as elaborate as the ones on the field. “Just H

Red Wing tennis treats its senior night seriously. Under the coaching tandem of Emmy and Johannes Hartman, the two work hard to keep things serious in competition. When the matches are done, there are more games to be settled. Hosting Lourdes Tuesday evening, the Winger girls' tennis team had several of their friends, families and the Fiesta Mexicana food truck in attendance. When senior Whiteney Fox finished her doubles match, the night was far from over. “We normally stay o

Most wouldn’t want to be tackled by Ethan O’Reilly, nor would they want to tackle him. Sometimes you must let the hog run wild. The star lineman for Goodhue ran the ball for the first time since seventh grade, scoring on a 1-yard play then immediately running the same play for the 2-point conversion. The score capped off a night in which the Wildcats (4-1) turned it up in the second half to win 38-6 over Kenyon-Wanamingo (0-5) on Friday. It’s tradition in Goodhue for the Wild

In the fall of 1997, Dan Plein grabbed his custom shovel and headed out to the field. That shovel was put together using a blade and a Louisville metal bat. Lots of changes since then to how the game is played, including the use of wooden bats and time of play, but fewer changes to the field itself. Twenty-nine years later, Plein showed up to the 2026 groundbreaking with the framed picture in hand of him and his metal bat shovel. This time he rested against a newer golden sho

If less is more, then Maverick Moor was more and Mason Conroy was plenty. Using a completely new offense, La Crescent-Hokah (2-2) had their best offensive output of the season by far to upend Red Wing (1-3) 48-27 on the Wingers’ homecoming evening Friday at Russ “Cougar” Marshall Field. Head coach Terry Donovan decided earlier in the week to change the Lancer offensive scheme. They would run a veer and shoot offense. The primary plays in such an offense involve the quarterbac

Red Wing’s quick-attacking girls soccer team began the season by scoring 13 goals in their first three games. In their homecoming week match against Lake City, a 5-1 victory Thursday, they displayed a soccer sense that has been building since the beginning of the 2025 season. No one graduated from last year’s team. That gave head coach Taylor Becker the chance to continue preaching faster play. Players have stuck with and grown into their positions. How they’ve done it starts

The losing streak is over in Red Wing. Finally, after 28 straight losses, the Winger earned themselves a well-played 30-21 win over PEM Thursday night on the road. Lincoln Chandler made the game-clinching interception as PEM (1-2) tried for a deep pass with just over a minute to go. All that was left was to kneel down and watch the seconds tick. Victory formation is one of the few plays Red Wing (1-2) hasn’t had the ability to call. Sparingly over the past 10 years has Red Wi

Having younger rosters gives teams the opportunity to test players at different positions. It also allows teams to reimagine their expectations of the season. So far, that has been the case for Lake City’s and Red Wing's volleyball teams. Both rosters have had plenty of turnover due to graduating seniors who hardly left the court. In a match Tuesday, between two of the youngest teams in the HVL, they had five seniors combined in the starting lineup. Many more were sophomores.

​Facing the reigning section champions, a monumental opportunity for PEM was at hand. The Bulldogs could begin the season 2-0, something they haven’t done in over five years. Instead, the Bulldogs were served a bit of a reality check in a 35-7 loss on the road in Pine Island Friday, Sept. 11. A young, eager to learn Bulldog squad didn’t get down on themselves after a good defensive stand followed by a rough offensive first quarter. Down two scores, players were attempting to

You’ve seen her name in local basketball rankings as well as all-area teams in both basketball and softball. If there are any soccer rankings yet to incorporate Lola Christianson, it’s time adjust accordingly. The Goodhue senior plays for Cannon Falls and its three-team co-op which includes Goodhue and Randolph. It’s one that is still new, forming just a few seasons ago. Christianson was one of a handful of Goodhue kids to give soccer a try then. In her previous two seasons