Wetsch remains in custody.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, the government is seeking a prison sentence of 14 years. Since the federal criminal justice system does not have parole, defendants serve virtually their entire sentence behind bars.

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This case originally arose after Chaska Police received information from an informant that Cain had been purchasing quantities of Mexican “black tar” heroin from a source in Minneapolis. Cain then resold this heroin in the Chaska area for profit. The informant stated that Cain kept the heroin and cash profits in a black Jansport backpack.

Acting swiftly on this information, Chaska police conducted a detailed investigation including direct undercover surveillance of Cain conducting a drug transaction in the parking lot of the Petco store on Pioneer Trail in Chaska. A search warrant was authorized by the court within 24 ours and executed on the Cain’s residence. In part, a black Jansport backpack was seized that contained 14 grams of black tar heroin and $9,960 in cash. In addition to the 50-month prison sentence, the $9,960 was forfeited to the state.

Due to the serious nature of this case, Metz prosecuted the case on behalf of Carver County.

Metz complimented the Chaska Police Department for its prompt, incisive and thorough investigation which led to the speedy arrest and removing Cain quickly from the streets. Metz added that this heroin prosecution was a top priority for the office, particularly since heroin is highly addictive and younger, inexperienced users are prone to death by accidental overdose.

Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight commented that Chaska, like other suburbs in the Twin Cities area, is not immune from the lure of heroin as some younger users may erroneously consider heroin “chic or hip” and no more harmful than marijuana or alcohol.

Knight noted that even without accidental overdose, heroin users face immediate risks of extreme physical and psychological dependence as well as higher risks of pneumonia, malnutrition and damage to the heart, brain and kidneys. Not surprisingly, intravenous users face highly increased odds of contracting HIV and hepatitis.

“Despite his young age of 20, Mr. Cain was a significant heroin dealer in Carver County,” Metz said. “This prison sentence should serve as a deterrent that drug dealing will not be tolerated in our community and there will be significant consequences for those who deal drugs.”

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With the arrival of Ridgeview Medical Center’s birthing clinic in 2009, many new parents have taken advantage of the reputable clinic, choosing to give birth in one of the six birthing suites.

The Schroeders of Norwood Young America — Andy, Lindsay, Morgan and Oliver — will always have a unique story to share about Oliver’s birth.

Andy and Lindsay Schroeder were no exception, planning to have a water birth at the Waconia clinic. Plans changed when Lindsay’s labor progressed too quickly, and instead, Oliver Schroeder arrived at Lindsay’s parents’ house and traveled to the hospital via ambulance.

On Friday, March 22, a day after her due date, Lindsay Schroeder began having contractions in the early morning. After leaving work in Minnetonka around noon, Lindsay met with her midwife, Jamie Otremba, who suggested that she stay in town. Because Lindsay, Andy and their daughter Morgan live outside of Norwood Young America, Lindsay went to her parents’ house in Waconia.

Lindsay called her birth doula, Buzzy Anderson, and asked her to come there, where they worked through the contractions as the night progressed. Otremba had told Lindsay to call the hospital when she started to get uncomfortable so the birthing clinic could prepare for her water birth before she and her husband arrived.

“As the night progressed, I was never really super uncomfortable and could always work through it, so I never thought it was really that bad,” said Lindsay.

At a little after nine, Lindsay, Andy and Anderson were collectively working through a contraction when Lindsay’s water broke and she began to feel intense pressure and the need to push.

At about 9:10, Lindsay’s mother, Luci Tellers, called 911. Within minutes the first responder was at the house, and by 9:15 the fire truck, the police officer and the ambulance had all arrived.

After a few pushes, Oliver Andrew Schoeder arrived, delivered by one of the EMTs to arrive at the scene. The EMT had only been part of an emergency home birth one other time in her five years of work as an EMT.

“After that, Buzzy said, ‘Flip over so you can see the baby,’ because we did not know if it was going to be a boy or a girl. So I flipped over, and standing along the wall behind me were like six firefighters,” said Lindsay.

“They all had tears in their eyes,” added Tellers.

Andy, Lindsay and Oliver were quickly put in an ambulance and rode to Ridgeview Medical Center where Otremba met them at the emergency room desk. They were moved to a birthing suite, where Lindsay and Oliver’s vitals were both checked. Within an hour and a half, the Schroeder’s were in a postpartum suite. There were no complications, and a healthy Oliver, mother, father and older sister went home on Sunday afternoon.

Both Anderson and Tellers were very impressed with Lindsay’s calm attitude during labor.

“She was as cool as could be,” said Anderson. “She did not look like she was freaking out.”

“It was just really quite an event to watch,” added Tellers. “Lindsay was so in control.”

In fact, Lindsay added that she wasn’t panicking on the inside either.

Birth doula Buzzy Anderson assists Lindsay and Andy Schroeder work through a contraction in Lindsay’s parents’ Waconia home.

“I didn’t even worry about me,” she said. “I was just concerned about how the baby would come out and freaking [Morgan] out.”

Morgan, who recently turned 5, was downstairs with Lindsay’s father for most of the night.

“I was mainly concerned for their health, being here and not having access to anything in case something did happen,” added Andy.

Lindsay did extensive preparation for this labor, including getting adjusted, stretched and massaged at a chiropractor and being educated about birth plans and doulas. Because of small, unknown complications with Morgan’s birth, Lindsay wanted to avoid taking pain medications.

Anderson, who has done between 30-40 births, typically meets clients at the hospital, where her job is to provide the mother with comfort measures, whether that be in the form of food, water, massages, positioning, movement or conversation. While Anderson has had some of her own children at home, she emphasized that she was particularly following Lindsay’s agenda and did not plan to work through the labor at Lindsay’s parents’ house.

Although Anderson’s mentor and Otremba told her that she should have said something to Lindsay earlier, Anderson had no regrets.

“Lindsay’s response to me was, ‘It was exactly how I would have wanted it to go.’” said Anderson, adding that the “outcome was beautiful.”

“If you are comfortable and you feel safe in a birthing situation and you believe in the process, then it is a normal, natural function of human life,” said Anderson. “It is not a medical emergency.”

Lindsay, Andy and those present at the birth were moved by the experience are very thankful that there were no complications. This story is something Andy and Lindsay look forward to sharing with Oliver when he gets older.

Oliver Andrew Schroeder weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long at birth. He is now almost 13 weeks old.

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The 728 Cadets found success at the 15th annual Lake Waconia Band Festival, winning multiple awards, including Grand Champion and People’s Choice.

The 728 Cadets came, saw and conquered at the 15th annual Lake Waconia Band Festival, which drew thousands of spectactors to Waconia on Saturday, June 15.

Hailing from School District 728 and representing the towns of Elk River, Rogers, Zimmerman and Otsego, the 728 Cadets and their repertoire of “A Simple Gift” won the Grand Champion and People’s Choice awards.

The 728 Cadets were first in Class AAA, where they also won the Best Winds and Best Drumline awards.

In addition, the 728 Cadets also took home the title of Owat-onia Grand Champion of the Day, an award that is shared by the Harry Wegner Band Festival and the Lake Waconia Band Festival and given to the band that participates in both festivals and earns the highest combined point total.

Last year, the Mankato 77 Lancers won the top three awards but this year, the Lancers had to settle for second place in Class AAA. The Lancers were followed by Park Center (3rd) and Owatonna (4th). In Class AA, Litchfield took first followed by Sauk Rapids-Rice (2nd), Champlin Park (3rd) and Maple Grove (4th). Henry Sibley captured first in Class A, trailed by Winona Cotter (2nd), Richfield (3rd) and Saint Francis (4th).

The Best Winds awards went to Winona Cotter (A), Litchfield (AA) and 728 Cadets (AAA). Henry Sibley (A), Sauk Rapids-Rice (AA) and 728 Cadets (AAA) were honored with the Best Drumline awards and Best Color Guard awards were bestowed to Henry Sibley (A), Litchfield (AA) and Park Center (AAA).

The Waconia High School Marching Band delighted the crowds with an exhibition performance. Waconia still has a handful of performances remaining — Roseville on June 24, Fridley on June 27, and Alexandria on June 30 — before the marching band embarks on its trip to Colorado.

The 16th annual Lake Waconia Band Festival will be held on Saturday, June 14, 2014.

Contact Todd Moen at todd.moen@ecm-inc.com

15th annual Lake Waconia Band Festival
Saturday, June 15, 2013

CLASS A

Henry Sibley Marching Band – 65.70
Winona Cotter Marching Band – 64.30
Richfield Marching Spartans – 59.30
Saint Francis Marching Band – 54.40

CLASS AA

Litchfield Marching Dragons – 73.30
Sauk Rapids-Rice Marching Storm – 71.60
Champlin Park Marching Band – 70.40
Maple Grove Marching Crimson – 65.90

CLASS AAA

728 Cadets – 82.70
Mankato 77 Lancers – 79.80
Park Center Marching Pirates – 79.50
Owatonna Marching Band – 68.10

Best Winds

Winona Cotter – A
Litchfield – AA
728 Cadets – AAA

Best Drumline

Henry Sibley – A
Sauk Rapids-Rice – AA
728 Cadets – AAA

Best Color Guard
Henry Sibley – A
Litchfield – AA
Park Center – AAA

Grand Champion
728 Cadets

People’s Choice
728 Cadets

Owat-onia Grand Champion of the Day
728 Cadets

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Mark Spanton of CenterPoint Energy was on hand for the June 10 Mayer City Council meeting, where he presented Mayor Mike Dodge with a check for $2,500. Fire Chief Rod Maetzold had applied for a CenterPoint Community Partnership Grant for funds to purchase a foam system, a pulse meter and blood pressure monitor.

Spanton was pleased to report that the grant program recently surpassed $1 million in donations to local communities to fund safety-related equipment and projects.

“At CenterPoint Energy our number one priority is safety and it’s rewarding to partner with communities to help them achieve their goals with new equipment, training or other safety-related projects that the grants afford them,” said Diane Englet, senior director of community relations for CenterPoint Energy. “We are proud that our Community Partnership Grants are leveraged with local funds to enhance safety in our communities.”

Somewhat reluctantly, the council approved a plan to repair and replace as needed the streetlight poles in the downtown section of County Road 25. A total of 28 poles sustained damage over the winter, which city staff felt was caused by snow plowing. However, the city’s snowplowing contractor, Molnau Trucking of Belle Plaine, would not take responsibility for the damage – saying that no inventory had been done before the winter season so there was no evidence that the snowplowing caused the damage.

Three of the poles need to be completely replaced and 25 poles need to be taken down, repaired and painted with damage primarily to the bottom three feet of the poles. Total cost of the project is $16,989.79. Of that total, the city will have to pay a $6,000 deductible and submit a claim for the remaining $10,989.79 to the League of MN Cities Insurance, explained City Administrator Luayn Murphy.

Murphy noted that all but two of the poles in the downtown area were damaged. Council members were not happy about the expensive repair, especially since the poles were just installed in 2007. They agreed to discuss the snowplowing procedures in detail at an upcoming work session.

“This can not turn into an annual expense,” said Councilmember Erick Boder.

In another matter, the council tabled a proposed ordinance on commission attendance. In asking the personnel committee to draft an ordinance, the council felt that city business was not always being conducted efficiently due to lack of a quorum at times or having members not always being completely informed on issues after missing too many meetings.

The proposed ordinance would give the council authority to remove a commissioner from his or her appointment if more than 25 percent of the meetings were missed.

Councilmember Bruce Osborn reminded the council that the commissioners are volunteers.

“Sometimes other things have to come first,” he said. Council members agreed that the personnel policy, which is currently being drafted, should outline reasonable reasons for missing a meeting – sometimes it can’t be helped.

Boder felt that the policy should be concrete and state that a commissioner would be, not could be, removed if too many meetings were missed.

“We don’t need a wishy-washy policy,” he said.

Mayor Dodge felt an attendance issue should be addressed by the personnel committee first. “If the committee feels there is a need for removal, that decision can be brought to the council for a vote,” he said.

A redrafted ordinance will be brought to the next council meeting for review.

In other business, the council:

• passed a resolution appointing Anna Boote to the Mayer Fire Department.

• approved a resolution amending a site/building plan for Schmidty’s automobile service station/convenience store, scaling back plans for relocation, remodel and expansion.

• thanked the park board, city staff, Deputy Jake Hodge and others involved in the successful Mayer Moves for Moxie 5K Run on June 1. “We had good participation,” said Councilmember Tice Stieve-McPadden.

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Vollie Heitkamp created Hope Rides, which seeks to provide children with healing and growth through interaction with horses.

Greta Sowles
Waconia Patriot

For many people, doing what you feel led to do is a demanding task, often involving major life changes and multiple difficult decisions. For Vollie Heitkamp, that decision involved leaving her job in corporate America to begin Hope Rides, a non-profit horse ranch that aims to “connect children and horses together in a safe, peaceful and loving environment intended for healing, growth and hope.”

Seven years after learning of this call, Heitkamp has helped Hope Rides to become a thriving mentorship program for kids from all walks of life.

Hope Rides began in 2006 when Heitkamp started the non-profit with virtually nothing.

“At that time there wasn’t any foundation,” said Heitkamp. “Each step of the way God just continued to provide.”

It wasn’t until 2009 that the program started at a location in Stacy, Minn., with six children. Without any advertising, the program grew to include over 20 children that fall. In 2010, Heikamp was led to another site in Mayer and began to solidify the meaning behind Hope Rides.

Heitkamp started the program with four foundational principles – hope, mentor, strengthen and enhance. These principles are meant for both the horses and the children. Many of the nine horses that are used by Hope Rides are rescue horses that need to be rehabilitated and reprogrammed to trust human hands. Once they have graduated to be a Hope Rides horse they know that connecting with the kids is their job.

“Our horses know their job and they are engaged,” said Heitkamp. “And that is important because so many of the kids that come here have families that are not engaging.”

The children that come to Hope Rides are between the ages of 5 and 18 and come from many different emotional and physical situations. The programming is free, and Heitkamp added that the only requirement is that the child wants to be there. The horse is used to mirror the child’s situation and aid in helping them learn boundaries through interaction.

“Kids have fear-related stuff, and we have to get them to understand that they need to trust the process more than their need to stay paralyzed in fear,” added Heitkamp.

Traditional programming at the ranch lasts 90 minutes. For the first 30 minutes, the children are in a small group setting where they will do chores around the ranch, games or other icebreaker activities. After that time period, the horses and the children come back in the barn and are matched up one to one with a volunteer session leader who aims to give the child a unique experience. The children are at different levels of familiarity and comfort with the horses – some jump right in the saddle and others are more comfortable painting or cleaning the horse. The session leaders will meet the child where he or she needs to be met.

“The ultimate goal being that the kid leaves in a better place than they were when they got there – more encouraged, more confident, more poised,” said Heitkamp.

Mary Krupski sent her daughter, who was interested in riding lessons, to Hope Rides after seeing evidence that Hope Rides was a riding program overflowing with the values of love, compassion, responsibility and purpose. Krupski knew that her daughter would be connected with the right people at Hope Rides. She highly recommended Hope Rides to others, adding that Hope Rides opened her family’s mind to the possibility of her daughter’s continual riding and “blessed our daughter with confidence and a passion.”

Hope Rides is open basically from March through November from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in Stacy and on Thursdays in Mayer. Information about appointments for programming can be found by emailing info@hoperides.org, visiting the website at www.hoperides.org or calling (612) 310-6350.

In 2012, Hope Rides served over 350 children, free of charge. Everything that Hope Rides takes in has been raised from donations and fundraisers. Although Heitkamp emphasized that the program exists to serve, it still has to raise funds to remain up and working. It costs around $2,500 a month to board a horse. Not including insurance, this totals around $72,000 a year, over $20,000 more than Hope Rides’ current budget.

“We have a long way to go in terms of generating community support in that capacity,” said Heitkamp.

There are many ways to donate to Hope Rides, including sponsoring a horse for a month or a year, making a commitment to a one time or monthly donation, donating hay, fencing or automatic waters, or donating construction or landscaping services.

On Sunday, June 23, Hope Rides will host its second annual youth horse show at the Carver County Fairgrounds. In addition to traditional pleasure and game horse showing, the free Hope Rides horse show will have a silent auction, a charity ball toss and a raffle drawing. The charity ball toss is an event in which people buy pre-numbered tennis balls that will be thrown at a stake in the middle of the arena at lunchtime. The three balls closest to the stake will win prizes. The lunch vendor will donate a portion of the lunch sales, and there is also class entry free to help raise money. The event will begin at 8 a.m., rain or shine.

“We desperately want to get people in the community who don’t own horses to come and learn that Hope Rides exists and that we are available,” said Heitkamp.

Last year the event raised a little under $7,000, and Heitkamp is optimistic that this year will improve upon that goal.

“It’s a chance to support something that is making a lasting impact right in their own backyard,” said Heitkamp, who encouraged all to come experience the horse show.

In the future, Hope Rides hopes to own the site in Mayer, which will provide comprehensiveness of being able to fulfill the whole mission of the organization. The program also hopes to be open five days a week with continual sessions.

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Matt Rachey

Waconia’s Matt Rachey capped his senior golf season with a solid performance at the Class AAA meet, held at Bunker Hills on June 11-12.

After finishing fourth in the 2012 tournament, Rachey’s 17th place finish this season may not be what he wanted, but a top 20 finish among the top 88 individual golfers in the state is nothing to scoff at.

He finished Day 1 in a large tie for 29th position after golfing 39 in, 38 out for 77 total strokes. On Day 2, Rachey had 76 total strokes (37 in, 39 out). With a score of 153 over the two days, Rachey ended in a nine-man tie for 17th position with Jack Pexa (New Prague), Jacob Cooper (Hastings), Sam Otto (Hastings) Matthew Radke (Hastings), Shane Sienko (St. Thomas Academy), Tom St. Martin (Wayzata), Matt Shawd (Eden Prairie), and Morgan Rask (Rogers).

Chanhassen senior Cody Seal was the overall individual champion at 143 strokes. The Section 2AAA team champion, Eden Prairie, took home the team title, winning by one stroke over Wayzata.

Look for a full season wrap up in the coming weeks.

Contact Melissa Marohl at melissa.marohl@ecm-inc.com

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Meagan Rachey

After sophomore Meagan Rachey’s 26th place performance at the state tournament June 11-12, the Waconia girls’ golf season has officially closed, just in time for summer.

Competing in Class AAA at Bunker Hills last week, Rachey finished Day 1 with 87 total strokes, golfing 44 in and 43 out. Day 2 fared even better for Rachey, who finished at 80 (43 in, 37 out). With a total 167 strokes, Rachey finished in a six-way tie for 26th position.

Wayzata’s Sarah Burnham and New Prague’s Kenzie Neisen tied for the state title at 140 strokes.

Waconia head coach Dan Benham said the Waconia team and coaching staff was very excited to see Rachey qualify for state.

“Meagan had a good showing at state, finishing the last 10 holes one over par,” he said. “I believe she gained a lot of confidence and experience over the past few days, which will help her this summer and next season.”

In a competitive section, as well as conference, Benham was very happy with the Wildcats’ second place Wright County Conference finish, although the weather made the first few weeks a bit messy.

“The weather definitely was a low point this season, but the girls were tough and had a great attitude,” he said.

During the season, the Wildcats won an invitational at Dassel-Cokato (May 20) and the front nine at Baker National Golf on May 13. Waconia finished second as a team on the back nine at Hutchinson on April 26, at Glencoe-Silver Lake on May 2 (both front and back nine), on the back nine at Baker National on May 13, at home on May 14, and at New London-Spicer on May 16. Third place finishes came on the front nine in Hutchinson (April 26) and Litchfield (April 30). The team’s only finish that was not a top three was May 21, when the Wildcats finished sixth.

“Overall I am very pleased with the season, I believe we played well and continued to improve,” Benham said. “We have a great team.”

Rachey was the individual winner in seven meets this season and finished runner up at the other three. Senior Jenna Lund had a handful of top ten finishes including seventh at Baker, fifth at home, eighth at Hutchinson, tenth at Litchfield, and tenth at Glencoe.

Brittany Johnson made a few top ten lists as well at Baker (fifth) and Glencoe (ninth). Lauren McNulty finished seventh at both Baker and Glencoe.

Lund is the only departing senior from this year’s team, but will take a host of experience and quality scores with her.

“Losing Jenna will hurt,” Benham said, “we used her score at every meet. She also has a great attitude and was a positive teammate.”

But with the departure of Lund, a 2013 All-Conference recipient, the ‘Cats will return many faces including Rachey, who is a four-time WCC individual champion, Brittany Johnson (All-Conference Honorable Mention), and Lauren McNulty (All-Conference Honorable Mention), along with other varsity competitors such as Audra Thurman, Bridget Muehlberg, and Jade Scrimgeour.

“I’m excited for next season, we have a lot of returning players,” Benham said.

Contact Melissa Marohl at melissa.marohl@ecm-inc.comt

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The week began June 11 with a rescheduled game against Young America, which the Lakers won 10-5 thanks to 18 hits.

“Young America has been playing really well this year, which made it a nice victory on the road,” Ronnie Olson said.

Tom Lyons gave the Lakers a considerable lead with a two-run homer in the middle innings, his first of the season. Lyons was 3-5 on the day with two singles to compliment his home run.

Olson was also 3-5 with two singles and a double, while Craig LaPlante (2-5), Jeremy Salden (2-4), and Ben Smothers (2-4) also had multi-hit nights.

Evan Buhr threw six innings for Waconia, striking out four batters and walking four, while allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits. Olson relieved Buhr and struck out six during his three innings, while giving up three hits.

Five Waconia errors contributed to the Lakers’ 8-2 loss against Green Isle on June 14, despite 11 hits by the Lakers. Unfortunately for Waconia, those hits were too evenly distributed to score any runs except for two in the fifth inning thanks to a leadoff double by Robbie Smothers, a single from Dan Butz, and Ben Smothers, who reached on error. During the game, the Lakers batted into three double plays.

Butz (2-4), Robbie Smothers (2-4) and Tom Lyons (2-3) led the Waconia offense, while Kodey Simon, Salden, LaPlante, Jeff Chrest, and Olson each had hits.

Olson said the team knew Green Isle was going to be a good game, but that the Lakers were somewhat disappointed in their execution.

“We made a lot of mistakes and couldn’t get the clutch hit when we needed it,” he said.

Ryan Naughton pitched seven innings for Waconia, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 12 hits. He struck out four. Ben Smothers relieved and gave up two hits.

Recent Waconia graduate Josh Lenz threw a complete game for the Lakers in their 2-1 victory at Watertown on June 16. Lenz allowed one earned run on six hits. He walked four and struck out six.

“He was able to keep the Watertown batters off balance and we played good defense, which was crucial in a low-scoring game,” Olson said.

On the flip side, Watertown’s Justin Kohls threw strikes and kept the Lakers off the bases as well, with only three Waconia hits.

Salden was 1-3 with a single and the team’s lone RBI, while Simon had a double (1-3), and Olson was 1-4.

“It was a big win after losing Friday night and it was against a North Division opponent,” Olson said.

The Lakers are 11-2 this season and will play in the Green Isle/Hamburg tournament this weekend. Their first game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on June 21 against the Montgomery Mallards. Waconia is set to face Chanhassen/Avon on Saturday with the possibility of two games on Sunday.

The Lakers will return to host the Dutchmen of New Germany on June 25 before playing Plato at Glencoe June 26.

Contact Melissa Marohl at melissa.marohl@ecm-inc.com

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Lincoln Biermann is one of seven seniors that will be missing from next year’s lineup and leaves a hole at catcher.

A team with a season record of 6-13 isn’t typically viewed as successful, but when three of those wins came in the section tournament and gave the Mayer Lutheran baseball team a shot at the section final game, it’s a pretty good year.

The Crusaders finished the regular season 3-11 and last in the Minnesota River Conference, with victories over LeSueur-Henderson, Sibley East, and Belle Plaine. The regular season was a series of conference doubleheaders after the original schedule was scrapped due to the seemingly never-ending snow, rain, and muddy fields.

It was in the Section 4A tournament, however, that the Crusaders really seemed to find their stride. Seeded No. 7, the Crusaders easily defeated No. 10 PACT Charter in a 12-2 game. They surprised No. 2 New Life Academy with a 12-2 win in five innings. Mayer Lutheran then kicked No. 3 St. Agnes down to the playback bracket, before facing No. 5 Heritage Christian.

Heritage Christian, in turn, defeated Mayer Lutheran 2-1, despite a 14-strikeout game thrown by LHS senior Tanner Luebke on June 3. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, their luck would run on June 4 as they faced St. Agnes once again to stay in the tournament. The Aggies took down LHS 2-1 to advance to the section final game. The Aggies would then upset Heritage Christian twice to take the Section 4A title and the state tournament entry.

Pitching was a continuous strength of the Crusaders all season. Mayer Lutheran’s top two starters, Tanner Luebke and Cole Buttenhoff, “just both pitched outstanding for us,” head coach Dave Lane said.

He added that the defense was relatively solid, but too many close games were lost because of errors.

“We had a little bit of a tough time winning the really close ones,” Lane said.

Over the season as a whole, the Crusaders struggled slightly at the plate, especially when it came to bringing runs home. Weeks of indoor practice meant hours of hitting in the cage off a pitching machine and Lane said it took the Crusaders awhile to readjust to being outside against live pitching.

“Obviously it would have been nice it we had hit the ball just a little better, we probably four more ball games, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do about that,” Lane said.

The Crusaders say goodbye to seven seniors this season. Luebke will be missing from the mound and “obviously that’s going to hurt,” Lane said. The other end of the plate will be hurting too, as senior catcher Lincoln Biermann also graduates. Aaron Luehrs, who covered second base and shortstop and batted cleanup in the order, will leave a whole in the infield, while outfielders Phil Burfeind and Josh Parrish will also be gone. Jacob Struble, who dabbled at first base, and Michael Limmel, who often pinch ran, will also be missing from next year’s lineup, leaving Lane with smaller incoming junior and senior classes than he’s seen in awhile.

“We just have really small numbers,” he said, adding that some newer varsity members may have to step in and play before they’re ready. “I think they’ll come around. Hopefully by the end of the year they’ll be seasoned and hopefully we can do this all over again.”

Returning for LHS next year, however, will be a core of players who earned their varsity stripes this season including Buttenhoff, Joel Burfeind, Chase Anderson, Mitchell Baumann, Sam Schlueter, and Jack Chmielewski, among others.

Lane said this year’s team was truly enjoyable to work with.

“It was a great bunch of guys, we just had a lot of fun,” he said. “I would have loved for them to have finished the season off and go to the state tournament, but it wasn’t to be.”

Cole Buttenhoff was the team’s All-Conference award recipient, while Tanner Luebke was All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Contact Melissa Marohl at melissa.marohl@ecm-inc.com

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