School may have ended before Memorial Day, but Legacy spring athletes kept on competing!

Boys Golf – Section 4A Second Place; Halcomb ’21 & Steffen ’21 Advance to State

The State Golf Tournament held at Pebble Creek Golf Course in Becker on June 11 & 12 will be the first visit for both Steffen & Halcomb. On Tuesday, June 11, Steffen will tee off at 8:33 am followed by Halcomb at 8:51 am. Live scoring via iwanamaker.com will once again be used for this tournament.

Girls Golf – Section 4A Second Place; Compton ’23 & Darling ’20 Advance to State

The State Golf Tournament held at Pebble Creek Golf Course in Becker on June 11 & 12 will be the second visit for both Compton & Darling who punched their first tickets Spring 2018. On Tuesday, June 11, Darling will tee off at 1:12 pm followed by Compton at 1:21 pm. Live scoring via iwanamaker.com will once again be used for this tournament.

Track & Field – 6th Place Medal Finish for Cruz ’23

Eighth grader Reanna Cruz followed her 1st place Sub-Section 17A finish in the 800M with a 6th place medal finish at St. John’s University for the Section 5A meet. Although just missing the cut to advance to state, Reanna was still extremely happy to be on the podium with such elite track talent.

 

Trap Shooting – Sends 20 to State Championship in Alexandria

More than 330 high school teams featuring over 8,300 student athletes are expected for the 2019 Trap Shooting Championship, June 10-18 at the Alexandria Shooting Park in Alexandria, Minnesota! Legacy is proud to be sending a team of 20 shooters to the championships!

This Championship is the qualifying team competition for the State Tournament, sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League on June 21 at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake.

The Fall Kickoff meeting on Monday, August 5, 2019 will include a brief overview of 3Dimensional coaching and how our implementation of this philosophy is being lived out. We’re excited to share our progress, our transformational purpose statements and our next steps with athletes and parents. Full details will be shared in July, so for now please take time to register early to help us plan a great kickoff event!   

ONLINE REGISTRATION

Now would also be the perfect time to schedule an update to your SPORTS PHYSICAL EXAM!  Sports physicals are valid for three years from the date of exam and can be uploaded to your student record anytime. If you are unsure of your exam date on file let us know.

We invite you to join the following high school activities that officially begin practice on Monday, August 12. (Middle School start dates will be available in July.)

FALL 2019 ATHLETICS

CROSS COUNTRY

Legacy is excited to host the Boys and Girls Cross Country co-op w/ PACT Charter for Fall 2019. Coach Dave Johnson will begin his second season at the helm of this young program and after advancing 8th grader Reanna Cruz to the State Meet at St.Olaf in 2018, he’s excited for what the future holds.

Cruz was also runner-up in the MCAA Meet last Fall, earning All-Conference honors in the girls race. In addition, Jeremy Davie ‘20 and Ben Nauman ‘21 earned All-Conference recognition in the boys race. Both teams have aspirations to improve on their 4th place finish in the MCAA Meet from a year ago.

The team also brings back a young nucleus of 7th and 8th grade runners who have varsity experience that will help propel greater things in the future. The Boys and Girls teams are hoping to add additional talent that will add much needed depth to the program. The future looks bright for the Lions Cross Country team as they hope to build on their theme of encouragement, perseverance, and mental toughness; building important character traits for years to come. Learn More

BOYS SOCCER

Fall of 2019, we expect to have both a high school and a middle school program once again. Our high school program will be led by 2nd year Varsity Head Coach Jon Schultz and fellow soccer alumni Jason Tessman. Coach Schultz is eager to catch summer soccer contests so please reach out to him and send him your schedule! He’ll also be on site Monday evenings in June & July from 6:00-7:30 pm to supervise Legacy Soccer Club. Learn More

GIRLS SOCCER

Coach Manske is looking forward to another season with the Varsity Girls Soccer team. This season has some new things in store for the team, including a new conference and a new regular season schedule. He is looking forward to the leadership of senior captains Lauren Block, Megan Nelson, and Mia Posey along with the rest of the seniors to continue the tradition of serving God and others. Hard work, fun, dedication, and caring are just some of the characteristics that describe the team. They focus on a loving atmosphere and creating memories that last a lifetime. The team always looks forward to the traditions of our annual retreat, Mane Event and team party at coach’s house. A great way to get new players to try out soccer is to join alumni, Sidney Manske ’18, on the field this summer! She’s running a Thursday evening soccer clinic for all girls grades 5-12. Learn More

VOLLEYBALL

Veteran Varsity Head Coach Rolly Rudzitis is excited about fielding all 3 levels at the high school level, along with a strong middle school program. Assistant Coach Leah Rudzitis has many opportunities for summer training to get your skills ready for the try out season in August. Learn More

Co-op Athletic Opportunities exist in Girls Dance at Blaine High School (7th-12th grade), Football at Anoka High School (9th-12th grade), and Girls Swim & Dive at Andover High School (7th-12th grade). Registration is available through the host school’s Activities Offices.

Learn More

#LCARoars

Boys Basketball 

Since Coach Bellefeuille was named Head Coach for Legacy Boys Basketball in August, he’s been working to develop the culture of the Lions Basketball program. He reflects on the phenomenal job of his captains, Justin Demars, Carter Franze, and Primeau Hill, in modeling core values and credits the entire team for owning and personalizing the INVEST culture he originally initiated.

He noticed early on that his Varsity team would be a young one where guys would be asked to play roles that were new to them while at the same time learning an entirely new system of play. Coach Bellefeuille has been pleased with how they’ve responded, noting “I am proud of the boys for stepping up and being the best they can be at their role. It shows that they are more committed to the team’s success over their own personal achievements.”

One season highlight that stands out for him as an example of this was their Homecoming win over Community of Peace. “The atmosphere was electric and the boys loved playing in front of our amazing Legacy community!” He went on to share that the team’s defensive energy, communication, and selflessness on offense were to credit for overcoming shooting struggles. “Young teams tend to find their energy from made baskets and we took a step forward by getting our energy from defensive stops, attacking the boards, and moving the ball until we got a great shot opportunity.”

When asked about the upcoming postseason, Coach didn’t hold back, saying “Our Lions are preparing to make a deep run in the Section 4A tournament!” That tournament begins on March 4. Watch for dates, times, and locations in future eNews and social media postings.

Girls Basketball 

This has been a fun season to be a Lady Lions Basketball fan! The girls went on a 6-game winning streak early in the season that did wonders to solidify their team chemistry and increase confidence. They have had success beating teams that a year ago easily earned the win. Senior Lindsey Smitsdorff leads the team both offensively and defensively, while sophomore Mya Bredemus continually comes through when needed. Eighth grader Hannah Compton is noted as being the team’s best one-on-one defender.

Coach Crutch is looking forward to the postseason as he feels his team hasn’t reached their full potential yet. “Great basketball is coming.”

Boys Hockey

The Lions Hockey team is in a rebuilding year as young players face veteran Varsity squads in the Two Rivers Hockey Conference. However, they are making social media headlines with their post-game prayers at center ice. A long standing tradition in Legacy athletics, the 2018-19 season is the first time we’ve introduced post-game prayer at hockey. Legacy received positive feedback from Sauk Rapids-Rice, Mora, Waconia and more for initiating post-game prayers following the games. As one SRR parent shared with us, “When all is said and done, the score at the end of the game doesn’t matter, THIS is what matters…Keep working for the Kingdom, God bless your team!”

The team will continue to push for a win in their final regular season game at Southwest Christian on Friday, February 15th and when they begin Section play on Tuesday February 19th.

Winter Coop Sports Update

In addition to our in-house teams, Legacy Athletics has been proud to support 6 athletes on co-op teams this winter.

Junior Blake Weiss continues to be a top contributor to the Andover Huskies Nordic Ski team, while first-time skier Jeremy Davie ‘20 learns the ropes alongside him. At Conference Championships Friday February 8, Weiss finished 10th out of 118! In the Section 5 Championship Weiss took 15th out of 84 Varsity skiers just missing the cutoff for State.  He will be participating on the relay team this Wednesday, February 13th with the other top 3 skiers from Andover.

Senior Captain of the Andover Boys Swim Team, Kolton Musgrove ‘19, has captured multiple 1st place finishes between breaststroke and relays this season. Andover Boys Swim and Dive finished their season in 5th place in the NWS conference with a win over Centennial. Up next the team has Section Prelims on Thursday, February 21st and Finals on Saturday, February 23rd. The diving Section finals are held on Friday, February 22nd. All three competitions are held at the Northdale Middle School Pool in Coon Rapids.

In addition, Nick Hoffman ‘21 has seen several Varsity matches for the Huskies Wrestling team this season, while eighth graders Reanna Cruz and Maria Flaherty suited up as Eagles for the first year of our Totino-Grace Girls Hockey co-op. “It was a fabulous experience where I felt very successful, had a lot of fun and enjoyed the relationships I made.” Reanna Cruz

Spring Sports Information Night will be held on Monday, March 4 at 6:45 pm with a special presentation on “Protecting Young Athletes” by Dr. Tony Lawther of Essentials for Life Chiropractic. Please check in by 6:30 pm in the Meadow Creek Worship Center so we can start promptly at 6:45 pm. Sports specific meetings will begin in designated classrooms following the presentation.

Please be sure that you have completed ONLINE REGISTRATION for your athlete beforehand and they have an up-to-date physical on file. (Sports physicals are valid for three years from the date of exam. New forms are available HERE.) All sports fees will also be due at this time if you did not pay via credit card when you registered. All participants who register within 2 weeks of the start of the season are subject to being charged a 20% late fee. Practice and game schedules are available on the athletic calendar for viewing or synching with your personal calendar.

Save these Dates

Monday, March 4 – Spring Parent/Athlete/Coach Kick-Off Night 6:45 pm

Friday, March 8 – Early registration deadline. Late fees go into effect.

Monday, March 11 – Baseball and Softball (PACT co-op) practice begins.

Monday, March 18 – Golf, Track & Field, and MS Sports practice begins.

Monday, April 1 – Clay Target & Lacrosse (Andover co-op) practice begins.

BASEBALL (Begins March 11)

We look forward to having both a high school (grades 9-12) and a middle school (grades 6-8) program for the Spring 2019 Baseball season. Varsity Head Coach Adam Hill is back for his 4th season leading the Lions. He will be joined by returning Assistant Coach Ike Larson ‘13.

The middle school program will participate in the North Suburban Parochial School League and will be led by parents Ben Minks. We are planning once again to utilize Hidden Creek Park for practices (2:30-4:00 pm) and Andover Station North for games as available. We expect interest to be high at the Middle School level so please register early so we can secure additional staff for our younger ball players.

BOYS GOLF (Begins March 18)

Varsity Head Coach Brad Cole steps into his first season leading the Lions Golf team with Assistant Coach Ben Darling focusing on JV development. Once again we are blessed to call The Links at Northfork our home course for practices and all Varsity events, while Majestic Oaks will be home for JV meets. All interested golfers in grades 7-12 should register early to be in the loop on uniform ordering and other pre-season details.

GIRLS GOLF (Begins March 18)

Varsity Head Coach Dan Nelson continues to guide our lady golfers on the green with Assistant Coach John Compton (JV). As with the boys, The Links at Northfork will once again be our home course for practices and all Varsity events, while Majestic Oaks will be home for JV meets. All interested golfers in grades 7-12 should register early to be in the loop on uniform ordering and other pre-season details.

SOFTBALL – PACT Co-op (Begins March 11)

The Softball program this season will be led by Coach Kendra Magaard. Coach Magaard enters her 3rd season with Legacy athletes in their second year as a co-op with PACT Charter School. Varsity and JV teams will practice at both schools while most home games will be played at Ramsey City Park. The MS team, led by Coach Jayme Buchelt, will practice and host games at Legacy. Registration and sport fees will be handled through PACT Charter School for Varsity/JV team players and through LCA for Middle School players. Varsity/JV players & parents should plan to attend the March 5th meeting at 6pm at PACT in Room 151.

TRACK & FIELD (Begins March 18)

The Girls and Boys Track teams are looking forward to a great season with a good mix of rookies and veteran athletes. Over a dozen PACT Charter School athletes will be joining us through our co-op this year. Co-Head Coaches of the high school program, Cheryl Fregeau and Todd Manske, are thrilled to have a well-rounded and experienced staff returning with Dennis Kuik as distance coach, Jeff Davie as pole vault coach, and Sarah Vance assisting in multiple areas. The middle school program will continue to compete in Anoka-Hennepin Middle School meets should we have enough interest at that level for a team. We look forward to turning over leadership to team captains Alaina Jamison, Cooper Manske, Jeremy Davie, and Ted Ferrett.

CLAY TARGET:  TRAP SHOOTING (Begins April 1)

This spring will kick off the fifth season for the Legacy Trap Team. Leading the team is returning Head Coach Todd Foy.  He will be joined by assistant coaches Kurt Nelson, Ed Temp, Joe Hoffman, Lisa Delich, Chad Murdoff, Shawn Conway, Evan Domeyer, Roger Faulkingham, and Nate Temp. In addition, we are happy to announce the addition of Brian LaDoux, who is an NRA certified instructor and Gordy Vitek, Legacy and Trap Team alumni founding member and an Anoka County Sheriff’s Deputy.

The team will shoot twice a week at their home range, Beaverbrook Gun Club. Practice is held at 5:00 pm on Mondays while competition happens on Thursdays at 5:00 pm. The competition shoots that occur every Thursday are virtual against other schools of equal team sizes within our conference. Every team shoots on their home field but those scores determine weekly and season standings and performance. At the state championship at Alexandria we are similarly grouped and performance there determines if individuals or teams make it to the State Tournament at Prior Lake. Finally, if an athlete and/or team does well for the season and at the state tourney, they can then qualify to go the National Championship in Mason, MI. The league has a perfect safety record. Through June of 2017, over 1 billion rounds have been fired in the league since its existence with not one safety incident having occurred.

Registration closes on March 22 and season begins April 1. Trap shooting is a club activity with a flexible schedule that allows students to participate alongside another spring sport. Our priorities are safety, fun, and marksmanship!

LACROSSE – Andover High School Co-op (Begins April 1)

Legacy partners with Andover High School for both Boys and Girls Lacrosse high school lacrosse. We encourage any youth players interested in learning the game of lacrosse to inquire with Andover Area Lacrosse associations (Boys/Girls) for more information. Registration and sport fees will be handled in-person or over the phone with the host school’s Activities Offices.

#LCARoars

We are very excited to share that Boys Basketball Assistant Coach Isaiah Rahier has been offered a professional contract to play in Spain! This is a one month contract with the possibility of a four month extension. He will be flying out February 5th to start his season. Those of you that have gotten to know Coach Rahier this season understand that this is yet another incredible chapter to his story full of valuable life lessons. His dedication to preparation, being his best, and hard work has allowed him to use basketball as a platform to spread the Gospel. We are so proud of Isaiah and wish him nothing but the best in his professional career and look forward to having him back on staff in the future!

Coach Taylor Slagter will step in to replace Coach Rahier as the head JV Coach for the remainder of the season. He has done an incredible job with our 7th and 9th grade teams and with the status of our numbers, this will be a seamless switch.

Editorial Note: Winter 2019 Preview was linked incorrectly in the Athletic News Update. The correct Winter 2019 Preview is linked below.

Winter 2019 Preview

With change comes an opportunity to do things in a new way. The Legacy Athletic Department is working on the creation of an online information video for parents that will be included in the program-specific preseason meetings. Parents, be sure that you have completed ONLINE REGISTRATION for your athlete so you don’t miss a beat!

• Sports fees and up-to-date forms are required before your season begins.
• All participants who register within two weeks of the start of the season are subject to being charged a 20% late fee.
• Practice and game schedules are available on the athletic calendar for viewing or synching with your personal calendar.

Save these Dates

• Monday, October 22 – Winter Sports Program Meetings
• Monday, November 12 – Girls Basketball & Boys Hockey official start date
• Monday, November 19 – Boys Basketball official start date
• Monday, December 3 – Last day to register for MS Girls Basketball without incurring a late fee
• Monday, December 10 – MS Girls Basketball Tryout – 2:30 pm Sports Center Gym

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL INFO NIGHT – MONDAY, OCTOBER 8

Due to the early start of Middle School Boys Basketball (October 29), the Athletic Department will hold an information night and tryout session for boys in grades 5-8 on Monday, October 8 at 6:00 pm. All parents will meet with the Assistant AD in a designated classroom while all participants will be evaluated for team placement. Our goal is to provide a team at each competitive level within the North Suburban Parochial School League. The top level of this league is considered to be the competitive team and tryouts will be used to determine which players are ready for that level of play. This team will be by tryout only, capped at 10 players and may require additional time commitment and fees for tournaments.

BASKETBALL: GIRLS (Begins November 12)

Coach Arthur Crutch will lead the Girls Basketball team in his second year as head coach of the Lady Lions.  The team will look to returning captains Lindsey Smitsdorff and Kirsten Darling to set the tone for their season. We will be offering JV and Varsity teams for students who are in 9th-12th grade. If girls in 7th and 8th grades are interested in trying out for the high school teams, please contact the coaching staff for information and plan to attend captains practices the week prior to the season start date.

Note: Middle School Girls Basketball will hold player evaluations on Monday December 10th at 2:30pm (CHANGED) and the season will officially begin Monday, January 7. Practice dates/times TBD once coaching staff is secured. All 5th-8th grade basketball athletes should plan to begin practice on this date unless they have tried out and made a team within the high school program during their tryout week November 12.

HOCKEY: BOYS (Begins November 12)

The Lions Hockey program heads into the 2018-19 season with Coach Dan Olufson back leading the team. All interested hockey players in grades 8-12 are encouraged to register and participate in captains practices that are scheduled throughout the month of October. As a co-op program, Lions Hockey welcomes athletes from PACT, Spectrum, Concordia Academy, and Avail Academy to join Legacy as they skate within the Two Rivers Conference.

BASKETBALL: BOYS (Begins November 19)

The Boys Basketball program will have a new leader as Coach Nathan Bellefeuille takes over the program after coaching at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul and directing and coaching Crossfire Boys Basketball. The program plans to have three teams (C, JV, Varsity). Assistant coaches Adam Hill, Isaiah Rahier, and Taylor Slagter join Coach Bellefeuille as they begin a new chapter in Lions Boys Basketball.

Note: Middle School Boys Basketball will begin Monday, October 29. A separate email will be sent to all participants with coach/team/practice details soon.

CO-OP ATHLETIC OPPORTUNITIES exist with Girls Dance at Blaine High School (7th-12th grade), Girls Hockey at Totino-Grace High School (8th-12th grade), and Gymnastics, Nordic Ski, Boys Swim & Dive, and Wrestling at Andover High School (9th-12th grade). Registration is available through the host school’s Activities Offices.

GIRLS SOCCER

Veteran Head Coach Todd Manske uses the words “energy” and “growth” to describe the 2018 Girls Soccer season to date. With eight middle school athletes making the Varsity roster, senior leadership from Hannah, Kaylynn, Alexa, and Maddie has been a huge blessing. They have been encouraging and are a great example to the team. They are very dedicated to the spiritual growth of the team along with the physical growth.

Watching the relationships grow with the middle school and high school girls through the team retreat to Balsam Lake, WI in August to their most recent team adventure at Feed My Starving Children has been a true joy to see. In fact, displaying JOY through diversity has been one of this team’s biggest successes. It’s more than just a game to these girls. They have fun together while showing resiliency and setting improvement goals for each game.

Section 7A Girls Soccer Brackets

BOYS SOCCER

First year Head Coach Jon Schultz shares that the first part of the boys season was a lot of hard work!.  With so much “newness” surrounding the program, nobody really knew what to expect.  That being said, the boys have started to establish an attitude of excellence on and off the field.  This has resulted in a “never give up” attitude that has brought some early success to the team.

There have been a few games so far this year where the team has scored in the last minutes of the game to win.  Putting in so much work during training and in the games, it is rewarding to come out with dramatic last minute (and in one case, last second) wins.

Our biggest challenge has been to consistently have discipline in our technique, particularly when shooting the ball.  We all know we can take a good strike, but in the heat of the moment, with our adrenaline pumping, we sometimes resort back to what feels comfortable.  Being disciplined while still remaining creative and having fun while doing it is a difficult task to achieve.

Ultimately, we are getting better. The coaching staff continues to tell the boys that our end-of-season record, though decent enough, means nothing to us. It’s about being the best possible team by the beginning of sections so that we can make a deep run into the post-season.

Watch for both Carson Sharp ‘20 and Daniel Gerber ‘21 to continue to be key impact players for the team as they make that post-season run. At center mid, an extremely demanding position, you’ll notice Sharp in every minute of every game. Much of the play runs through him. “He will not show up on anyone’s stats chart but he keeps the team’s heart pumping the entire game, every game.” Coach Schultz

As for Gerber, he is beyond his years both physically and mentally.  Coach Schultz considers him “the rock of our very sturdy defense.”

Section 7A Boys Soccer Brackets

VOLLEYBALL

The Girls Volleyball games are exciting to watch at all levels. There have been many tremendous competitive games that were “nail-biters.” The C-team, JV and Varsity have all seen success in a variety of ways. First year coach Mariah Twedt has done a fabulous job coaching up the younger players to play competitively at a high school C-team level. Veteran Coach Leah Rudzitis has her JV team winning every game but one with a determined squad of young ladies. They are now in 1st place in the MCAA  conference with a recent win over New Life. They have also beaten other large school JV teams in the process. They recently won 1st place at the St. Francis B-Squad Tournament with participating schools such as St. Francis, Big Lake, Forest Lake, Monticello, and Princeton. Our Varsity is continuing to play a lot of close games, going 4 and 5 sets with a number of losses by just 2 points. Coach Rolly Rudzitis has the team believing that they will peak at just the right time. The Varsity girls have a number of large schools on the schedule and are competing at a high level, which in the long run will improve their chances come time for play-offs.

“Our verse this year is taken from 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.” This is a key verse for us as we grow in our skills and more importantly in our relationship with each other and with the Lord. Thank you to all the parents for their support of our girls and to the fans for showing up to cheer us on! “ Coach Rolly Rudzitis

Go Lions!

Section 4A Volleyball Brackets