Many of the Apple Valley sports teams were in action over the break and much success was had. Here is a review of Winter Break 2015:

Girls Basketball Wins Title – The Eagles girls’ basketball team went 3-0 in the Roseville Tournament, winning the 2015 Winter Championship. In the opener, the Eagles defeated St. Anthony 86-49. Four girls scored in double figures, led by Lyndsey Robson’s 21 and Megan Baer’s 14. In the semifinals, Apple Valley faced Centennial, a team riding a four-game winning streak. The Cougars led by 8 at the half but the Eagles battled back and won 75-71. Marie Olson’s 20 points led all scorers. In the championship, Apple Valley would face South Suburban Conference foe Lakeville South. The Eagles sprinted to an eight-point lead at the half but South would battle back. However, Apple Valley held on for the 58-55 win and the tournament championship. Named to the all-tournament team were Robson, Olson and Erin Baxter.

Boys’ Basketball Goes Undefeated Over Break –  The Eagles headed to St. Cloud and won two games in the Granite City Classic. In the first game, Apple Valley (ranked #2) squared off against #3-ranked Maple Grove. A back-and-forth first half ended with the Crimson holding a one-point lead. In the second half, the Eagles stormed back and grabbed a lead, but Maple Grove would tie it late and send the game into overtime. There, Brock Bertram scored six and the Eagles pulled away, winning 86-81. Gary Trent Jr (26), Tre Jones (23) and Cam Kirksey (20) had excellent offensive games. In the 2nd game, the Eagles pulled away from Wayzata in the 2nd half, earning the 85-72 victory. In the final game of the break for Apple Valley, the Eagles headed to the Timberwolves Shootout to face Lausanne, Tennessee. Gary Trent Jr. scored a game-high 27 points in the 79-46 victory for the Eagles. Apple Valley also received 14 points from Tre Jones and 12 points from Cam Kirksey.

Gymnasts Compete in Watertown – Earning their highest point total in two years, the Eagles finished fourth out of seven teams in the Watertown Invite. The Eagles scored 131.25, just one point behind Mankato West and ahead of Mankato East, St. Peter, and Orono. Senior captains Sidney Bethke (3rd) and Grace Roepke (8th) both finished in the Top 10 of the All-Around. Bethke was 3rd on vault and beam and 4th on bars and floor, scoring 36.05 (a personal best).

Girls’ Hockey Wins Three – In their last six games, the Apple Valley girls’ hockey team has gone 3-3. They earned victories over Burnsville (3-1), Rosemount (6-0), and Willmar (5-0), while dropping contests to Dodge Country, Warroad, and Eagan. During this stretch, Reagan Roelofs had six goals, Sophia Leong had four goals and Mikayla DeForrest had three goals.

Boys’ Hockey Travels to Duluth – After defeating Rosemount 4-3 to head into the break, the Eagles traveled to Duluth for the Denfeld Tournament. Apple Valley opened the tournament with a tough loss to Eau Claire Memorial, then faced Mankato West, where they turned a 1-1 third period tie into a 4-1 victory. Tristan Plagge’s goal at 6:44 of the period turned out to be the game-winner. In the consolation finals, Apple Valley faced the host school Duluth Denfeld. Sophomore Will Wright scored his first career goal in the second period, and that was all the scoring for the game as the Eagles won 1-0. Ben Savard turned away 17 shots to earn the shutout in the nets.

Wrestling Battles National Powers – The 14th annual Clash National Duals took place in Rochester over the New Year’s holiday, and the Apple Valley Eagles once again took part. On day one of the tournament, the Eagles opened with a 56-11 win over Victor Valley, California. They followed it up with a 55-12 win over Glenbard North, Illinois. That set up a Bracket C showdown with Buchanan, California. The Eagles grabbed an early 12-0 lead on the #7 ranked team in the nation, but the team from Cali proved to be too much, defeating Apple Valley 44-24.  The Eagles completed day two by going 3-0 to finish 1st in the 2nd Bracket and 5th overall.  The Eagles had initial victories over Washington, Illinois (30-27) and Marmion, Illinois (32-27).  That set up the showdown with the #1 ranked team in Minnesota, St. Michael-Albertville.  The Eagles sprinted to an 18-0 lead and never looked back, defeating the Knights 38-30.  Co-captain Mark Hall led the way, going 6-0 with 6 pins.  He also earned his 250th win and was named to the All-Tournament team. Gable Steveson and Tanyi Besong, the closers at the top, were a force all weekend, going 12-0 with 8 pins between them.  Steveson was named to the All-Tournament team, as well.  Co-captains Kyle Rathman and Brock Morgan, along with Nate Larson, went 5-1, with Morgan and Larson gaining 3 pins each.

Nordic Ski Finally Opens – The weather finally cooperated enough for the first Nordic Ski meet of the season on January 2nd.  The SSC opener was held at Valleywood Golf Course in Apple Valley. Full results can be found here: http://www.eteamz.com/ISD196NordicSki/files/2016-01-02SSCClassicandSkateResults.pdf