

This year marked the program’s eighth consecutive berth in the state Class A tournament, where the team finished fourth. Continuing team success was something like a theme in 2022, which brings us to the Edgerton/Southwest Christian Flying Dutchmen in girls fast-pitch softball juggernaut. THREE: For E/SWC, five rings for one hand, three (and counting?) for the other. In the regular season, the LHS girls grabbed second in the state Class A True Team meet. Teammate Ashton Sandbulte was a champion for the boys in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Nelson was also a champion in the 800-meter girls race. This time it was with Elizabeth Wagner, Tiana Lais, Jenna DeBates and Tenley Nelson, and their clocking was 9:35.81, just a little bit better than the runner-up team from Murray County Central (9:36.93). For the fourth year in a row, in fact, the girls 4x800-meter relay team won a state Class A championship. Year in and year out, the Luverne Cardinals track and field athletes are impressive in the most important meets, and this year was no exception.

TWO: Luverne track athletes continue to shine. The WHS tracksters were mentored this year by co-head coaches Cory Smidt and Jessica Hogan.
