Prep Athletes of the Week: Owen Erickson of Lakeville North finds his soccer scoring touch

OWEN ERICKSON

Lakeville North • soccer

Erickson lived a golden moment.

The sophomore midfielder scored the golden goal on a breakaway with six minutes remaining in overtime, giving the seventh-seeded Panthers a 2-1 boys soccer victory over Owatonna with the wind howling during a downpour in the Class 3A, Section 1 semifinals.

"I was ready to go home," Erickson said. "That was the second-worst game I've ever played in [in terms of weather]. It was like I was in the shower with all my clothes on, and it was freezing. I didn't want our fans to drive all the way down there and sit out in those conditions to watch us lose."

Junior Patrick Zich played a perfect ball through to Erickson to set him free. It was Erickson's third goal of the season, all coming in the past five games.

"Owen used his speed to beat the defenders to the ball and beat the goalkeeper with a spectacular finish, especially when you take the wind and rain into consideration," Panthers coach Peter Tyma said.

Erickson also netted a goal in the Panthers' 3-1 victory over Rochester Century in the quarterfinals. It avenged a 3-2 setback during the regular season.

"Our formation changed a little bit," Erickson said. "I play more up the field now."

Lakeville North (7-6-3) will travel to New Prague (12-4-2) on Tuesday with a berth in the state tournament on the line.

"It's been a crazy season for us," Erickson said. "We have beaten some really good teams and lost to some we should have beaten. It took us some time to figure things out.

"Nobody expected us to make is this far. Making it to the state tournament is our next goal."

NORAH HUSHAGEN

Forest Lake • cross-country

The junior has been a model of consistency. Hushagen won the Princeton Invitational with a time of 17 minutes, 31.7 seconds over a 5-kilometer course. She is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by the coaches association. "Norah is an outstanding human being who happens to be a pretty special runner," Forest Lake coach John Fick said. Hushagen took third place in the state meet last year.

BRANDON JANSKY

Litchfield • football

In only his second start, the junior running back rushed for 234 yards on 16 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 38-8 victory over Glencoe-Silver Lake. The 5-8, 145-pound Jansky scored on runs of 2, 32, 57 and 58 yards. "Brandon is a quick back, with great vision," Dragons coach Jim Jackman said. "He does an excellent job seeing the field and getting north and south."

SUMMER ODE

Maple Grove • tennis

Ode excels in tennis but isn't afraid of marathons. The No. 2 singles player in Maple Grove's lineup outlasted Wayzata's Tasha Piyabongkarn 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a 3-hour, 40-minute match that avenged a straight-sets loss earlier in the season. It vaulted the Crimson to their third consecutive state tournament appearance with a 4-3 victory over the Class 2A, No. 4 Trojans in the Section 5 championship. "In 36 years of coaching I have never seen anything like this," Crimson coach Dan Haertl said. "It was a classic tennis match."

THOMAS LAAKSONEN

Holy Family • soccer

The senior forward, who has been playing through injury most of the season, scored two goals in each of the Class 1A, Section 6 tournament games for the Fire, including a 3-2 overtime victory over Southwest Christian in the semifinals. Holy Family will play Breck on Tuesday for a spot in the state tournament. "Thomas is truly an iron man on the field," Fire coach Robb Richter said. "He is a school ambassador to incoming students, community volunteer and definition of 'student-athlete.'"

MESAIYA BETTIS

Burnsville • volleyball

Bettis has become the face of the Blaze program. A 6-1 junior outside hitter committed to Iowa State, she is closing in on 400 kills for the season and has surpassed 1,100 for her career. "She doesn't come from a program with a bunch of state titles or anything like that," Blaze coach Josh Wastvedt said. "She's had to work to earn everything she's gotten, and what's even more impressive is that she's bought in from the beginning. She has worn the Blaze black and gold proudly and does it with class."

RIVER SANTIAGO

Blaine • cross-country

Santiago remains perfect, having won every race he has run this season. The senior was the medalist in the Northwest Suburban Conference Invitational with a time of 15 minutes, 49.5 seconds over the 5-kilometer course at Elk River Golf Club. He is ranked No. 5 in the Class 3A poll by the coaches association. "River is super hardworking and driven," Bengals coach Rachel Karel said. "His pacing is great and he runs smart races."

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