Nov. 12—MINNEAPOLIS — Lyla Stadtherr leads three area swimmers who’ll compete in the Class A state girls swimming and diving championships this week.
Competition begins with diving prelims Thursday, swim prelims on Friday and the championships on Saturday. All three days start at noon at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the University of Minnesota campus.
Stadtherr is in the hunt for two medals.
The senior for the Gators is the third seed in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 6.55 seconds. She is behind Visitation junior Merry Miller (1:03.96) and Sauk Rapids sophomore Kate Walz (1:05.56). Miller finished third at last year’s state meet at 1:05.52.
Stadtherr is also seeded ninth in the 50 freestyle at 24.76. The top seed in the 50 free is Tri-City United senior Ella Schmiesing at 23.85.
Montevideo senior Elizabeth O’Malley and Minnewaska/Morris senior Claire Barnstuble are among the 32 athletes in the field for diving. The top two returning divers from last year’s field are Red Wing junior Kylie Moffett and Monticello junior Chloe Schwietering. Moffett placed third with a score of 354.55. Schwietering was fourth at 344.70.
Litchfield senior Noah Dietel has one more game left in his Dragons’ football helmet.
The standout senior offensive lineman was selected for the North roster in the 2025 Minnesota High School Football All-Star Game. The game is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Dietel helped Litchfield to an 8-4 record and the Section 6AAA championship. That secured the Dragons’ first state appearance since 2006. Litchfield lost to Annandale in the Class AAA quarterfinals on Saturday, 19-7.
Dietel is committed to Division I South Dakota State University. Measuring in at 6-foot-8 and 305 pounds, Dietel paved the way for a Dragons’ offense that ran for 3,979 yards and 57 touchdowns this season.
The last Litchfield player to compete in the All-Star game was defensive lineman TJ Christensen in 2023.
The North roster includes: Sawyer Riffle, PK, Brainerd; Easton Ridlehoover, DB, Rogers; Colbe Tappe, DB, Staples-Motley; Godson Rufus-Okomhanru, WR, Mounds View; Isaiah Holmes, WR, Fergus Falls (injured); Tanner Stech, WR, Mahnomen/Waubun; Calan Pilon, OLB, Robbinsdale Armstrong; Oliver Kuhn, OLB, Breck; Sawyer Brown, WR, Becker; Kaden Harney, QB, Maple Grove; Ajibola Afuye, DT, Stillwater; Kevin Ndirangu, RB, Forest Lake; Jack Morrissette, DT, Alexandria; Oliver Spahn, LB, Grand Rapids; Calvin Coppersmith, RB, Centennial; Thomas McEachern, QB, Zimmerman; Sawyer Thomsen, LB, Spring Lake Park; Dan Reilley, TE, Maple Lake; Peyton Allen, DE, Sartell; Jaxon Bartkowicz, DE, Holdingford; David Erlandson, RB, Breckenridge; Joseph Mapson, WR, Andover; Gabe Westman, DB, Annandale; J’Marion Sanders, WR, Minneapolis North; Brayden Dozier, DB, Maple Grove; Philip Sieh, DB, Osseo; Miles Gish, WR, Bemidji; Levi Harris, DB, Elk River; Ryder Skanson, LB, Maple Grove; Garett Bauer, LB, Monticello; Bryce Nordlund, DT, Zimmerman; Julian Wanna, C, Monticello; Dylan Widner, LB, Stephen-Argyle; Brady Goihl, OL, Melrose; Tyler Curnow, C, Stillwater; Evan Zabel, OL, Alexandria; Matthew Perusse, OL, Maple Grove; Ashton Tucker, OL, Champlin Park; Noah Dietel, OL, Litchfield; Josh O’Shea, DE, Centennial; Jerome Eichele, OL, Blaine; Andrew Trout, OL, Rocori; Earl Brown, OL, Pillager; Simon Vinton, DE, Orono; and Howie Johnson, DT, Forest Lake.
North Branch’s Juston Voss is the head coach for the North. Assistant coaches are Adam Spurrell of Maple Grove, Chris Grabowska of Fergus Falls, Kevin Pope of Morris/Chokio-Alberta, Drew Potter of Staples-Motley and Ethan Marquis of Stephen-Argyle.
The South roster includes: Maxwell Jones, LB, Rosemount; Queries Barnslater, DB, Apple Valley; Micah Fenney, WR, Norwood Young America; Jacob Hartman, WR, Minneapolis Southwest; Everett Eichten, TE, Minneapolis Washburn; Jaidyn Garibaldi, DB, Benilde-St. Margaret’s; Kaizen Johnson, WR, Chatfield; Micah Bush, WR, Hills-Beaver Creek; Xavier Banjoko, LB, Pipestone; Pierce Petersohn, DB, Triton; Jeremiah Peterson-Gordon, DB, Kasson-Mantorville; Daniel Devine, OLB, Holy Angels; Kane Larson, OLB, Fillmore Central; Brody Schmidt, RB, Rochester Mayo; JR Vierstraete, DT, Marshall; Roman Voss, QB, Jackson County Central; Gavin Walden, DE, Eden Prairie; Caleb Francois, RB, Minnetonka; Nathan Ramler, QB, Chanhassen; Caleb Kamara, RB, Burnsville; Sammy Summer, DB, Chaska; Deron Russell, DB, Waseca; Nick Thein, OLB, Pine Island; Trevor Sheldrup, RB, Mankato West; Carson Heimer, RB, Byron (injured); Jack Carlson, LB, Goodhue; Chris Rehak, RB, Farmington; Sawyer Jezierski, DT, Edina; Josh Bergan, DT, Lakeville South; Tyler Bicknase, C, Fairmont; Parker Maloney, OL, St. Peter; Samuel McGill, OL, Albert Lea; Ethan Sather, OL, Eden Prairie; Kyson Arndt, DE, Minneota; Brady Struble, OL, Rosemount; Aiden Zapzalka, C, Minnetonka; Weston Rowe, OL, Jackson County Central; Owen Linder, OL, Chanhassen; Ethan Beckman, OL, Prior Lake; Jayveon Kelly, OL, Bloomington Kennedy; Braden Petzel, OL, Mankato East; Isaac Spencer, TE, Stewartville; Arsene Lukong, DE, Rochester John Marshall; Skyler Werner, DE, Prior Lake; and Roman Johnson, OLB, Lakeville North.
The head coach for the South is Stewartville’s Garrett Mueller. Assistant coaches are Cleveland’s Dustin Bosshart, Lakeville South’s Ben Burk, Sleepy Eye’s Brent Kucera, Chaska’s Bryan Dahl and Chanhassen’s Joe Coenen.
Willmar’s Hermis Alvarado Reyes and Mubashir Muse and Minnewaska’s Connor Erickson were all named All-State boys soccer players.
Alvarado Reyes, a senior defender for the Cardinals, was named to the Class AA All-State first team. This season, Alvarado Reyes captained a defense that gave up 1.3 goals a game, ranking fourth in the Central Lakes Conference and third in Section 8AA. He also contributed on offense with two goals and five assists.
Alvarado Reyes was also selected as a member of the Boys Senior Classic that took place on Nov. 5 at the Minnesota Health East Sports Center in Woodbury.
Muse, a senior forward, was named to the Class AA All-State second team for the 9-6-3 Cardinals. He finished with 18 goals and five assists.
Erickson, a senior midfielder, was selected to the Class A All-State second team. He helped the Lakers to a 10-5-0 record.
