A LOOK BACK AT THE LOCAL TOP STORIES OF 2023

1. Vikings win state football title
2. Johnston State Coach of Year
3. Mudhens earns first state berth
4. Fier third at state wrestling
5. Viking girls reach state hoops
6. Monzon, Coequyt back on mat
7. Francis wins third Boe title
8. Larson U.S. Amateur qualifier
9. Esping enters Pesch Hall of Fame
10. A summer to remember

Minneota enjoyed another successful sports season with the football team repeating as Class A champions, Chad Johnston being named the state's Football Coach of the Year, the Minneota Mudhens qualifying for their first-ever state tournament, the girls' basketball team reaching the state tournament again, and much more.
Here is the Mascot's choice of top 10 local sports stories for 2023.

(1) Football team repeats as state champs
The Minneota Vikings won the Class A state football title for the second straight year with an unblemished 14-0 record.
The Vikings defeated Springfield 43-22 in the championship game on Nov. 23 at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was the ninth state title for Minneota in 12 Prep Bowl appearances.
Ryan Meagher rushed for 203 yards and tied a Prep Bowl record by scoring five touchdowns. The junior ran for over 2,000 yards this season and was named to the Class A All-State team. Tight end Sawyer DeSmet, who caught three passes for 63 yards and had 2 1/2 sacks in the championship game, was selected to play for the South team in the Minnesota Coaches Association All-Star Game the week after the Prep Bowl.
Destin Fier rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown in seven carries for the Vikings in the title game. Alex DePestel had four tackles for loss and recovered two fumbles.
Minneota also beat Springfield in the 2022 state championship, 38-21.

(2) Johnston named Coach of Year
Chad Johnston was selected by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association as the Coach of the Year for all classes at a banquet in St. Louis Park.
Johnston received the award in April after guiding the team to the Class A state title in 2022, which was also his 200th career win. He would later go on to win a second state crown in November (see No. 1 on this list). Johnston assumed he was attending the banquet to receive the Class A Coach of the Year Award for the fourth time in his career. Instead, he got a surprise when his name was called for this award.
"It's quite an honor and I really appreciate it, but let's not kid ourselves," he said, this really should be a program award, not an individual award. I could never have done this without great coaches and players."
Johnston is only the third Class A coach in the state to receive this honor.

(3) Mudhens finally reach state
The Minneota Mudhens amateur baseball team has been close before, but reached the Class C state tournament for the first time ever this summer with consecutive shutouts over Morris and Dumont in the Region 9C tournament Sept. 28-29 in Morris.
Danny Hennen blanked Morris 3-0 in the semifinals and his younger brother, Jacob Hennen, tossed a 7-0 shutout over Dumont in the 9C championship.
The Mudhens have fielded a team since 2009, but had never advanced to the state tournament before.
"We've waited a long time for this," said Mudhens player-manager Tyson Sonnenburg. "It's been a goal for us every year and we finally made it."
The Mudhens lost to Elrosa 2-0 in the 100th anniversary of the Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament at Optimist Park in Litchfield.
"We were happy to get here, but it hurts to lose," said third baseman Austin Buysse. "We did have a good season, though."

(4) Fier third at state wrestling
Zack Fier, in his third straight state individual wrestling tournament, finished third at 152 pounds at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Fier, who was selected Minneota's Male Athlete of the Year, medaled for the third time, finishing fourth as both a sophomore and junior.
"Obviously, I wish I had ended up on top," Fier said. "I'm pleased that I got third, though. I didn't want to end up fourth again."
Fier's 3-0 decision over John Paul Fitzpatrick of Crosby-Ironton in the third-place match was the 150th win of his career.
He won four of five matches at state. His lone loss was to eventual state champion, Brodie Kellen of Dover-Eyota, 6-5. Fier nearly had a takedown before time ran out which would have given him the win in that match.

(5) Vikings girls reach state tourney
The Minneota girls' basketball team reached the Class A state tournament with a 60-51 victory over Southwest Minnesota Christian in the Section 3A championship March 10 at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
This marked the sixth straight trip to state for the Vikings, the first under new head coach Al Panka.
Grace Hennen had 17 points, Faith Myhre 15 and Dakoda Hennen 14 for Minneota.
The Vikings had lost to Southwest Christian 62-49 on Feb. 9 in Edgerton in a regular-season meeting.
The Vikings lost to top-ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl 65-50 in the opening game at the state tournament, then fell to Underwood 60-43 in the consolation semifinals.
Still, the team was not expected to gain entrance at state this year by many observers.
"We were well aware of the people who had doubted us this season," said Myhre.
"The girls fought hard and never quit," said Panka, when asked how he would remember his first season as coach.
Ireland Stassen, Minneota's Female Athlete of the Year, was named to the Class A All-State team.

(6) Monzon, Coequyt back on mat
Their records might not have been overly impressive, but Ezequiel Monzon and Bretten Coequyt might have fought the biggest opponent of anyone on the Minneota wrestling team in 2022-23.
Monzon was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma as a freshman. Seven months later, Coequyt, then a seventh-grader, collapsed during wrestling practice from what physicians determined was a heart attack due to a birth defect.
Both boys overcame their adversity and returned to wrestle again for the Vikings.
Because they had to miss so much time away from the sport, Monzon, a senior, and Coequyt, a sophomore, were well behind their teammates in terms of wrestling experience. Both have put their battles behind them and were just happy to be able to compete again.
"Zeke and Bretten have been dealt a tough hand, there is no doubt, but you will never hear them complain or feel sorry for themselves," said Minneota co-head coach Matt Myrvik. "We are excited to have them back in our room and competing on our team."
Coequyt wrestled mainly on JV this season. Monzon steadily improved on varsity as the season progressed and placed third in the Section 5A tournament, just missing a trip to state.

(7) Francis wins Wynston Boe title
Bryan Francis of Lakeville earned his third Wynston Boe Golf Open title on July 15 at Countryside Golf Club in Minneota.
With the temperature in the mid-70s, 77 golfers competed in the tournament named for Boe, who was a longtime clubhouse manager.
Francis shot a 109 to edge Tyler Lund by one stroke, Jake Wagner and Daniel Niemi by two strokes, and Marius VonRensburg by three strokes.
"I'm one of those guys who thrives under pressure," said Francis with a smile. "I was the closer on the SMSU baseball team. The closer the score, the better I was. Same with golf."
Francis led by two shots after the first round, then found himself trailing Lund and Niemi by one shot entering the third and final round.
Tied with Lund entering the final hole of the tournament, Francis pulled out his driver and reached the green about 35 feet from the pin. His putt stopped about six feet from the cup. While Lund shot par on the final hole. Francis sank the six-foot putt for the win.

(8) Larson qualifies for U.S. Amateur
Jesse Larson, a 1993 Minneota High School graduate, earned the third trip of his golfing career to the U.S. Mid-Amateur Golf Championship after finishing second in the Mid-Amateur qualifying tournament on Aug. 7.
Larson, who lives in Shakopee, carded a 3-under par 68 to earn one of the three qualifying spots. Jesse Bull of Hopkins shot a 6-under 65 to finish in the top spot.
Larson's qualifying round included seven birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey. He also qualified in 2010 and 2019.
"I feel I'm a better player now," said Larson. "I've been improving every year as I've done a lot of dedicated training to get stronger. The clock is maybe starting to click for me but I'm excited to have another chance."
The U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship was held Sept. 9-14 at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, NY.

(9) Esping enters Pesch Hall of Fame
Trent "T.J." Esping, who won a Class A state heavyweight title in 2017, was inducted into the Wally Pesch Wrestling Hall of Fame at the Minneota wrestling banquet on April 15 at the Heritage Event Center in Taunton.
Esping received a plaque from Wally's son, J.D. Pesch.
"It means a lot to me," the personable Esping said. "I had no idea I was going to get this until J.D. texted me."
The Wally Pesch Hall of Fame was started in 2010 by the Pesch family in honor of the former supporter and contributor to the Minneota wrestling program.
Esping joins 20 other wrestlers, coaches, teams and contributors who have been inducted over the years.
Esping captured his state title as a junior when he beat Bradey Berg of Barnesville 3-1 in overtime. Because of an injury his senior year, he chose to wrestle in the team portion of sections and forego the individual tournament.

(10) A summer to remember
Qualifying for their first-ever state amateur tournament wasn't the only reason several players on the Minneota Mudhens team will always remember the summer of 2023.
Two Mudhen players got engaged this summer, one became a first-time father, and two others announced upcoming births.
Center fielder/manager Tyson Sonnenburg got engaged to Kylie Hanson on May 20. Three days later, pitcher Danny Hennen announced his engagement to Jen Schwieger.
Right fielder Brock Buysse and his wife, Alexis, became parents on May 31 with the birth of their daughter, Sutton Rae.
First baseman Alex Pohlen and his wife, Jennifer, announced they were expecting their first child in December,
Third baseman Austin Buysse and his wife, Kennedy, announced that they were expecting twins in November.