Menno was the only local team to compete the first week of April when the Wolves took part in the Scotland Invitational Tuesday, April 5. And Menno did well, with the girls finishing third and the boys as the runner-up in the eight-school meet (nine including the McCrossan boys).

Competing in their second track meet of the season, the Freeman Academy/Marion boys won at the Centerville Relays held under bluster conditions Tuesday, April 12, while the Bearcat girls finished fourth in the nine-team competition. The boys won over Webster Area 120 to 113 and were paced by Tavin Schoreder, who won both the 1600 and 3200; Dylan Johansen, who won the discus; Thalen Schoreder, who won the high jump; and the 3200 relay team of Malachi Myers, Finley McConniel, Seth Balzer and Thalen Schroeder, who finished first by 13 seconds.

The Menno girls finished second at the Centerville Invitational and 16 points in front of third-place Scotland at the Wolves’ second track meet of the season April 12. The girls were led by senior Raygen Diede, who won the discus, shot put and javelin; her throw of 130-9 in the discus was a PR. Also winning for the Wovles was the girls sprint medley relay team of Julia Buechler, Bridget Vaith, Kaelie Derby and Ashton Massey, which outlasted the team from Irene-Wakonda by under 4 seconds.

Freeman Academy/Marion’s top distance runners, Jade Koerner and Tavin Schroeder, both won as the Bearcats opened their 2022 track and field season at the Lounsbery Early Bird Invitational hosted by Centerville Monday, March 28. Koerner won the 1600, Schroeder won 3200 and was second in the 1600 and the Bearcats boys won both the 3200 and sprint medley relays in a strong showing. The boys and girls both finished seventh in the 12-team field. Here are the Bearcats’ place-winners. GIRLS 200 – Alivea Weber 4th, 29.5

When football players from Freeman, Marion and Freeman Academy take the field this fall, they will do so as the Phoenix. That mascot — an immortal bird used in Greek mythology — was chosen by students from all three schools in a vote last week and picked from six options. Phoenix won overwhelmingly, drawing 122 votes; Mavericks was second with 73 votes and Trailblazers was third with 55. Students in grades 6-12 voted individually while elementary students voted by classroom. The mascot was revealed as school boards met in regular session Monday night, April 11.

Thursday's Menno Relays have been postponed until Monday, May 9. That's the date of the junior high relays, so both high school and junior high athletes will compete. Field events will begin at 9:30 a.m. with running events starting at 11:30 a.m.

According to the agenda posted at the Freeman Public Schools website, Dustin Tschetter will be named the head football coach for the new Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy football team when the school board meets in regular session Monday night, April 11. Austin Unruh will be named an assistant, according to the agenda. 

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER Erika Sage saw her playing career on the basketball court end in disappointment, not once, but twice. The first came her senior year at Freeman High School in 2017, when the standout guard and the Flyers fell one game short of the state tournament for the fourth year in a row. She’ll probably never forget what her dad and coach told her when she came out of the game late in the fourth quarter. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”

In the end, the boys ended up cheering for the cheerleaders. The Freeman Academy/Marion cheer team was honored Saturday night, March 19 with the highly coveted Spirit of Six Award for their support of the Bearcats basketball team at the State B Tournament in Aberdeen last week. The team was announced as the winner at halftime of the championship game between De Smet and Lower Brule, eliciting a thrilling celebration in the moments that followed and a gathering in the corner of Wachs Arena that included congratulations from, and photos with, the team.

Following the frustrating and disappointing loss to Castlewood on the second day of the State B Boys Basketball Tournament on Friday, head coach Austin Unruh told his discouraged team to take all the time they needed to emotionally process the loss and come out of the locker room ready to celebrate what has been a thrilling season. And that’s what they’re doing.