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6 days ago | 
pinejournal.com | Reagan Hoverman
ESKO — More than a dozen years ago, a young Sam Haugen sat on the sideline watching his older brother, Cale, play basketball. It was just one Saturday morning, but with each passing week, Haugen found himself getting more interested in the sport. It didn’t take long for him to work his way into drills and begin competing against a group of older kids. “He usually sat on the side or would be in the drills, and soon he worked himself in the scrimmages,” Sam’s father, Ben Haugen, said.
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1 week ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
SUPERIOR — Carter Gilbertson walked off the mound and headed for the dugout as rain began to fall. The precipitation paled in comparison to the praise he was showered with in the dugout. Gilbertson had just tossed six shutout innings against Cloquet, and his teammates and the coaching staff could not have been happier for him. “He’s always been one of those kids who is reliable,” Superior head coach Ryan Hendry said.
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1 week ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
SUPERIOR — There were fewer than 90 seconds remaining in regulation when Tyler Olson sparked a play that changed the game. The senior midfielder gained control of the ball, and passed it up the field to Cayden Reamer, who dumped it in front of the goal to Henry Haugen. The freshman attacker put it in the back of the net, which gave the Spartans a 10-9 lead. “That was just a really great look by (Tyler Olson) to get it to me,” Reamer said.
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1 week ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
SUPERIOR — There is nothing like walking into the NBC Spartan Sports Complex during soccer season. This year, perhaps more than ever before, the gates are lined with Spartan senior portraits, of which there are more than a dozen for the girls soccer program, including one of senior forward Brynn Johnson. “Have you seen the fence? We look like a football team with how many seniors we have,” Johnson said while laughing. “We’ve all played together since we were like 6 or even younger.
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1 week ago | 
pinejournal.com | Reagan Hoverman
CROMWELL — It took Dave Foster just a few seconds to know this time was going to be different. When Cromwell-Wright’s longtime assistant girls basketball coach walked into the locker room in Hibbing minutes before opening tip against Mountain Iron-Buhl in the Section 7A championship game, he sensed confidence. “I remember as soon as we walked in the locker room before the game, we could tell how calm they were,” Foster said. “They had the mentality, and they were so confident.
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2 weeks ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
SUPERIOR — As Superior’s Elena Almonte made the final turn of the 1,600-meter, she wasn’t quite sure what was happening. Almonte was at the front of the pack, but she had not heard the bell signifying the final lap. Coaches and fans surrounding the track shouted at Almonte, which told her it was time to kick. “I usually rely on the bell for my last lap,” Almonte said. “In my head I was like, ‘Wait? Where is the bell?’ I kind of eased up and then people started yelling that it was almost over.
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2 weeks ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
SUPERIOR — Three straight Lake Superior Conference titles and multiple regional and sectional championships would satiate most players. Superior’s Ari Robillard, Paige ‘Peeps’ Johnson and the other five seniors are grateful for sustained success across their tenure as Spartans, but their appetite for dominance remains, and they want one more special season. “I think we have a really strong group this year,” Johnson said.
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2 weeks ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
SUPERIOR — Most teams would have taken one look at the scoreboard and thrown in the towel. Superior trailed Grand Rapids 5-0 through three innings Tuesday evening. It was an admittedly disappointing start for the Spartans, one that came less than 72 hours after a pair of losses to Menomonie that kicked off the season. “We had a tough weekend, lost two, then we’re down five early, a lot of people would pack up and decide we’re done,” Superior head coach Ryan Hendry said.
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2 weeks ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
MAPLE — Shelley Johnson heard her phone ringing on a chilly Valentine’s Day evening just over a year ago. She glanced at the screen and saw it was Abby Johnson, her daughter, calling around the time Northwestern’s final regular-season basketball practice was supposed to be wrapping up. “She called me crying,” Shelley said. “She just cried, and I cried, too, because I knew what it was.”Abby had torn the ACL and meniscus in her left knee just minutes before that emotional call.
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2 weeks ago | 
superiortelegram.com | Reagan Hoverman
SUPERIOR — For some, this season was the final chapter of a storied career, and for others, it was their first opportunity to achieve success at the varsity level. Five of the 10 all-area selections are seniors, while the other five slots feature two juniors, as many freshmen and a sophomore. This is the first instance since 2021 that multiple freshmen have made the all-area team. Northwestern’s Abby Johnson, a two-time all-area selection, is the Superior Telegram’s Player of the Year.
