Prep Athletes of the Week: Just call Chaska's Kennedy Sanders 'dynamic'

Chaska • basketball

Sanders leads the Hawks in scoring at 22.7 points per game and has been held to fewer than 22 points just once this season.

But the 5-8 guard, who is in her fifth season on the Chaska varsity, is not just a scorer.

"She's picked up her scoring," Chaska coach Tara Seifert said. "We knew we were going to need that from her. But she's also creating for the other kids. She's just a very dynamic player who also defends."

Last week, Sanders paced the Hawks (8-1), ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, to victories over Owatonna and Eden Prairie in the Park Center Holiday Tournament.

She scored 23 points in the Hawks' 73-34 victory over Owatonna and had 22 points in a 72-63 victory over No. 3 Eden Prairie.

Against Eden Prairie, she also became the program's leader in career assists.

"She's a really humble player," Seifert said. "She's had a huge impact on our program. She's going to finish and break a lot of records here."

Hill-Murray • hockey

The junior forward scored eight goals to lead the Pioneers to three victories and the championship of the Eden Prairie Tournament. She had four goals in a 6-1 victory over Benilde-St. Margaret's and three in a 6-1 victory over Shakopee in the final. She has 18 goals in 13 games.

Chanhassen • hockey

The junior goaltender paced the Storm, ranked No. 3 in Class 2A, to three victories last week. He made 22 saves in a 6-2 victory over Rosemount and had back-to-back shutouts in victories over Lakeville South and St. Louis Park. He is 8-1 this season with five shutouts and a 1.11 goals-against average.

Hopkins • basketball

The freshman guard scored 82 points to lead the Royals, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, to three victories. He scored 31 points in an 83-55 victory over Cambridge-Isanti, 17 in an 82-69 victory over Andover and 34, his season high, in an 83-62 victory over Osseo.

Breck • hockey

The senior goaltender stopped 132 of 137 shots in three games. Peterson, who is nearing 2,000 saves for her career and approaching the school record for career saves, had 46 saves in Breck's 2-0 loss to Stillwater, ranked No. 9 in Class 2A, on Dec. 27.

St. Michael-Albertville • wrestling

The sophomore went 4-0 — with three victories by technical fall and one by pin — to help the Knights win the team title at the Rogers Tournament. Robideau, the top-ranked wrestler at 132 pounds in Class 3A, improved to 16-0 this season.

Champlin Park • hockey

The senior had eight points (five goals and three assists) as the Rebels went 3-0 at the Premier Holiday Classic in St. Louis Park. In the Rebels' 7-4 victory over Rosemount, he had three goals and an assist. He leads the Rebels with 13 goals and eight assists in nine games.

Nominate an athlete: Send an e-mail with supporting information to preps@startribune.com. Include a photo and a link, if available, to video.