Prep athletes of the week: Chanhassen tennis champ exudes calm this time
A look at this week's selections from recent top performances.
November 2, 2015 at 11:58PM
Chanhassen • tennis
Waiting for the biggest match of her high school career to start on Friday, Haakenstad wandered through the U of M's Baseline Tennis Center, taking selfies, chatting up friends and fans and even finding the time to grab a bite.
Despite a nearly four-hour delay between her Class 2A semifinal victory over Elk River's Meagan Brown and her championship matchup again Minnetonka's Isabella Lambert, Haakenstad was the picture of calm. It was a stark contrast to the nerves she battled in the 2014 finals.
Her demeanor showed through in the finals. She played nearly flawless tennis, defeating No. 2-seeded Lambert 6-2, 6-2 to finish off her high school career as the Class 2A singles champion.
"I felt like this was my day today," Haakenstad.
When the match was over, Haakenstad patiently posed for photos with the many fans and teammates who wanted to share the moment, taking time with everyone who wanted to be a part of it.
"It was my last match for Chanhassen," she said. "I just tried to enjoy it as much as I could."
TYLER JOHNSON
Minneapolis North • football
The senior quarterback carried the Polars to a 54-29 victory over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton in the Class 1A quarterfinals on Saturday in St. Peter. He produced 471 yards of total offense — 285 passing, 186 rushing — and passed for six touchdowns and ran for another.
ELI KRAHN
Stillwater • cross-country
The senior has been a record-setting distance runner in track and field but has never matched that success as a cross-country runner. He earned a chance to amend that by winning the Class 2A, Section 4 meet Wednesday, leading Stillwater to the team title.
DOMINIK LONDON
East Ridge • football
There's an inevitability to the junior running back's pounding style of play. The 5-8, 195-pound battering ram ran 44 times for 243 yards and a touchdown in the Raptors' 31-28 victory over Wayzata. It was his fourth 200-yard game of the season.
JEREMY NEUMANN
Andover • football
The final result — a 47-44 loss to Moorhead —was not what he had hoped for, but there's no denying the brilliance of the senior QB's performance. He completed 30-of-42 passes for 379 yards and seven touchdowns.
LIBBY RICKEMAN
Blake • tennis
The junior added to her growing list of state championships with an impressive 6-1, 6-0 victory over teammate Arlina Shen in the Class 1A singles final. Rickeman now has four titles — two team, one singes, one doubles — to her credit.
SOPHIE WHICHER
Minnetonka • cross-country
The sophomore won the girls' individual championship at the Class 2A, Section 6 meet Wednesday at Gale Woods Park. She won the 5K race in a time of 18:40.2, more than 4 seconds ahead of runner-up Emily Covert of Minneapolis Washburn.
JIM PAULSEN
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Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
