Prep athletes of the week: Rogers senior Jake Clauson opens up with a no-hitter

Rogers • baseball

Clauson opened his final high school season in style.

The senior righthanded pitcher threw a no-hitter in his season debut, a 3-0 victory over Coon Rapids in a Northwest Suburban Conference matchup. He struck out 12 and walked one.

The Cardinals had a difficult time catching up with Clauson's 82-85-miles-per-hour fastball in the cold weather. He also kept them off balance with his slider and changeup.

"I was locating my fastball in good spots, and they were behind it," Clauson said. "I was pounding the strike zone and getting ahead."

It was the first no-hitter in program history.

"I wasn't surprised to see Jake open up the season pounding the strike zone with some real good stuff," Rogers coach Brian Harapat said. "To kick our conference season off by throwing the first no-hitter in our school's 19-year history? Wow, that's pretty special stuff."

"It was a total team effort," Clauson said. "... Our defense was great. It's a day I will remember for a long time."

Forest Lake • softball

The junior catcher went 2-for-3 with six RBI, leading the Rangers to a 7-3 victory over Park of Cottage Grove in Suburban East Conference play. She belted a two-run home run, a bases-loaded triple and added a sacrifice fly. "Bethany came up big in two crucial situations," Forest Lake coach Sean Hall said.

Anoka • baseball

A junior, Reeder went 7-for-9 with two doubles, a home run and nine RBI in the first three games of the season. "He had a huge growth spurt between his freshman and sophomore years that took him a while to regain his balance," Anoka coach Shannon Blansette said. "He has a bright future in this game if he continues on this trajectory."

After losing their top three goal scorers to graduation, the Sabers are looking for somebody to pick up the slack. That appears to be Brook. The senior attacker had seven goals and one assist in the season opener, leading the Sabers to a 13-6 victory over Hopkins. She had 17 goals and nine assists in 2021.

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