13 hours Ago By Brandon Veale
Though Koi Perich of Esko at Minnesota was the chief representative of Northland football in the college ranks for the 2024 season, several other local players made impacts big and small throughout the season. Running back Jarrett Gronski (Superior) appeared in all 14 games Bemidji State played this season, finishing with 474 yards and four touchdowns on 111 carries. BSU finished Gronski’s senior season with an 8-3 regular season record and wins in NCAA tournament games against Angelo State and Western Colorado before a narrow 27-23 loss to Minnesota State Mankato in the national quarterfinals.
ADVERTISEMENT Michael Lau (Hermantown) stepped into an increased role at Augsburg in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the tight end recording 18 catches for 150 yards in mostly the second half of the season, including a six-catch game against Macalester on Nov. 9. Nathan Wangensteen (Chisholm) continued to handle kicking duties at Augsburg, booting two touchbacks in 38 attempts.
He was 24-for-24 on extra points and made two field goals, from 27 and 39 yards on five tries over the course of the season. He added punting to his work, averaging 38.6 yards on 34 kicks and putting six of them inside the 20.
Calls From Home is an occasional feature meant to highlight the accomplishments of Northland athletes who go on to compete in college athletics or junior hockey outside the Northland. If you know of an athlete we should add to our list, please email [email protected] with the subject line "Calls From Home.
" Greg Ohman (Northwestern) totaled 56 tackles (36 solo) during his junior season at Minnesota Morris and was named second-team all-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference for the second year in a row. Eli Werner (Moose Lake/Willow River) had four catches for 38 yards as a reserve wide receiver at Northwestern in St. Paul, also having a hand in six tackles.
Carter Zezulka (Esko) had a catch in 11 different games at Wisconsin-Stout, finishing with 31 receptions for 450 yards and three touchdowns in his sophomore season. Carter Fonger (Superior) had a hand in 41 tackles (20 solo) and 1.5 sacks in his senior year after serving at running back for each of his first three years.
As for Perich , his accomplishments have been well-noted but here’s a brief summary: all-Big Ten first team at defensive back and second team as a freshman, Big Ten defensive player and freshman of the week. ADVERTISEMENT He had 42 tackes, 24 solo, a forced fumble, five interceptions and two pass breakups, and he’ll have another chance to add to it when Minnesota plays in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Virginia Tech on Jan. 3.
VOLLEYBALL Ava Carlson of Cloquet was named the News Tribune and Cloquet Pine Journal’s All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year for 2023 but she just kept on going in 2024, collecting high honors in her first season at Augsburg. The Cloquet native was named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and AVCA Region 9 Rookie of the Year after a season in which she had 243 kills, 287 digs and 42 service aces. She had double-digit kills in nine matches and six matches in which she had more than 10 kills and digs in the same contest.
Junior Payton Rodberg (Proctor) had another productive season at Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, finishing with a total of 158 kills for third on the team. Brenna Stark (Esko) served as the primary setter for Bethel this season, and as a senior had 791 assists for an average of 7.75 per set.
She also added 103 kills and 288 digs. The Royals finished second of 12 teams in the MIAC this year, reaching the conference tournament semifinals and going 20-9. Junior Lexie Lohman (Superior) stepped into a reserve role as a junior outside hitter at Concordia-Moorhead, appearing in 15 matches.
She finished with 20 kills and 68 digs. Lexiss Trygg (Virginia) had another 200-plus kill season, the senior’s third on the volleyball team at Bethany Lutheran in Mankato. Trygg finished with 202 kills and 65 blocks.
ADVERTISEMENT Kennedy Barrett (Hermantown) completed an excellent four-year career at Wisconsin-Stout, her third as the primary setter, finishing with 77 kills, a career high, in her senior season. She piled up 769 assists for a career total of 2,508, and also had 43 aces (career total of 120) and 231 digs (career total of 842). Brynn Hessel (Northwestern) played in all 26 matches for the Blue Devils and recorded 114 kills (third on the team) as a sophomore middle hitter.
Hessel had 55 block assists and 18 block solos for a second-best mark among the team. Kyra Giffen (Grand Rapids) also upped her contribution, appearing in 20 matches as a sophomore and totaling 81 kills and 12 block assists. Lexi Hammer (Greenway) was a defensive stalwart for Coe College in Iowa, as the sophomore finished with 179 digs and appeared in all 31 of the Cohawks’ matches.
Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids) got acclimated to the top of possibly the best volleyball conference in Division II, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, appearing in eight matches for St. Cloud State. LaPlant, a freshman, got the reins to the SCSU offense in a Nov.
2 contest with Minot State, dishing out 26 assists. The Huskies completed an undefeated run through the NSIC and hosted the NCAA Midwest Regional as the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, but were knocked off in five sets in the regional final by second seed and No.
6-ranked Central Oklahoma. Emily Barker (Superior) got into 25 of 27 matches for Minot State as a junior transfer from Milwaukee Area Technical College. Barker was second on the team in assists with 277 (3.
85 per set) and also contributed 31 kills, 125 digs (1.7 per set) and 11 block assists. GIRLS TENNIS Nore Heinitz of Duluth was named a team captain for 2024-25 in women’s tennis at North Dakota this fall.
She became only the fourth women’s tennis player in school history to reach the 100-win plateau, which took place in September in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the Augustana Invite..
