Spring is a season of optimism, and there are plenty of optimistic coaches in the Star Herald coverage area.While area teams prepared for spring debuts in the last two weeks, I had the privilege of visiting with the coaches through phone interviews and trips to training camps for photos and stories (see the special Spring Sports Section in this week’s paper).It can be an overwhelming task at times, but the enthusiasm the coaches have for their sports, and the courtesies they extend to me during the process of putting the special section together, makes the project well worth the effort.The way I see it, sports fans from Adrian have a number of reasons to be excited this spring.It will be fun to see if Kevin Nowotny’s baseball team, a squad that advanced to its second state tournament in the last three years with a starting infield that consisted of three freshmen and one eighth-grader in 2004, can contend for another section title this year.The Adrian track program has a number of talented athletes on the roster. With the likes of senior thrower Casey Knips and distance runner Morgan Lynn, an outstanding eighth-grader, the track season could extend to the middle of June for AHS.Although participation in Adrian’s girls golf program slipped to eight members this spring, coach Chris Rozell feels good about the prospects in 2005. Four all-conference performers are returning to a team that won the Red Rock Conference championship last spring.The big news in Adrian this spring is the addition of a new softball program. Adrian and Ellsworth have teamed up to form the Adrian Area softball program. With 52 girls joining the new program, it appears the interest is there to make the program a success in years to come.Ellsworth and Hills-Beaver Creek share track (Edgerton is in the track mix, too) and golf programs, and both programs have talented rosters.The H-BC-E-E boys return three of four members of a 3,200-meter relay team that placed ninth at the state track meet last season. Senior Cody Scholten has a good chance to qualify for state in the high jump. With the return of senior Cassi Tilstra, who has qualified for state in the past, the H-BC-E-E girls will be a team not to be taken lightly.When the Beaver Creek Golf Course opened a couple of years ago, it was a blessing for the H-BC-E golf program. Now that the Patriots have a place of their own to practice and play on a consistent basis, their quality of play, as a 10-7 record in 2004 indicates, has improved.The coaches in Luverne are optimistic about the prospects of successful seasons, too.Steve Semmens, LHS softball coach, said LHS will field its best defensive team ever in 2005, and baseball coach Mike Wenninger thinks his 11 seniors will help the Cardinals bounce back from a disappointing 13-10 season in 2004.The Luverne’s girls golf team has been one of the area’s model programs for more than a decade. With five of six members of last year’s sub-section team returning to the fold, coach Chris Nowatzki thinks the Cardinals can make another run at the title in late May.Nowatzki has some holes to fill on the boys’ side of the golf program this year, but three experienced players will form the nucleus of what should be a competitive team in 2005.This will be a rebuilding year for the LHS tennis team, which advanced to the section championship match during an 18-5 2004 campaign. Luverne, however, does have two-time state qualifier Dusty Antoine and two other proven singles players back on the court this spring. With two experienced doubles players and a solid class of freshmen to draw from, the potential is there to field a competitive team late in the season.Craig Nelson looks for good seasons from his LHS track teams, too.Jake Hendricks, a state-qualifier from 2004, leads the LHS boys. Lexi Heitkamp, Victoria Arends and Kelsey Dooyema return as members of a 3,200-meter relay team that advanced to state the hard way in 2004 by qualifying in section competition last season.If things work out as planned, Nelson feels both of his squads can contend for section true team and sub-section titles in 2005.Now that the preliminary work is over, it’s time to let the games begin.We encourage you to read about your favorite spring sports teams in our special section, and we thank all of the advertisers who make it possible to put out such a publication.
