Sports

Hockey Day Minnesota Date, Matchups Announced

The official matchups for Hockey Day MN 2026 were revealed at Rivertown Days on Friday night.

On January 24, the Hastings Raiders boys hockey team will take on the East Ridge Raptors and the Hastings Raiders girls hockey team will take on the Park Wolfpack at United Heroes League

Saint Thomas Academy will also take on Rock Ridge in boys hockey at the same venue. It is each school's first time at Hockey Day Minnesota.

The entire festivities will begin a week earlier on January 17, and on January 23, Hastings will make history, as Hockey Day Minnesota will host a professional game for the first time when the Iowa Wild, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, will play the Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators, at UHL's 5500-seat rink.

KDWA spoke with Shane Hudella of United Heroes League, one of the integral people behind Hastings being awarded the event:

Raider Track Wins Relay National Title At Nike Outdoor Nationals

The Hastings Track and Field team went to the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, OR over the weekend and came away with a national championship. The Raiders compiled the following results:

1 Boys 4x200m Relay Championship 1:26.22 C. Zeien, G. Hanstad, S. Strauss, L. Hoffman

13 Boys 4x100m Relay Championship - Preliminaries 42.92 'A' H3 C. Zeien, J. Vickney, J. Cloutier, L. Hoffman

6 Girls 4x200m Relay Championship 1:42.09 'A' H3 C. Kordosky, O. Erickson, J. Appert, E. Magnus

8 Boys 4x400m Relay Championship 3:19.70 'A' H3 J. Cloutier, G. Hanstad, J. Vickney, S. Strauss

3 Mixed 4x400m Relay Championship 3:32.95 'A' H3 G. Hanstad, E. Magnus, S. Strauss, O. Erickson

Boys 200m (Championship) - Prelims

25 Lane Hoffman 21.83

Boys 400m (Championship)

8 Sebastian Strauss 47.56

Boys 400m (Emerging Elite)

31 Gunner Hanstad 49.84

The 4x200 relay's time of 1:26.22 was nearly a second faster than the next closest team, while the other relays all finished in the top 10 or top 15.

In terms of individual events, the Raiders weren't as lucky, but the proof is in the pudding that the Raiders used their speed to run towards a national title in a race, much like they did for a state title.

The Raider track and field team will be honored at Wednesday night's school board meeting for their success.

Hastings Boys Track and Field Wins First State Title

The Hastings Raiders boys track team used four victories in finals to take the program's first ever state championship in St. Michael on Thursday.

The 4x200 relay of Sebastian Strauss, Gunnar Hanstad, Lane Hoffman and Cole Zeien won the first title of the day with a season best of 1:25.80, which also was the only time under 1:26 in the state this year.

Strauss won the 400 meters in 49.02 seconds, Hoffman won the 200 meters in 21.22 seconds. The 4x400 relay of Strauss, Hoffman, Jack Cloutier and Johnny Vickney was the deciding race, rallying from an early deficit to get the win on the anchor leg. This gave the Raiders 42 points, enough for their first title in program history. Hanstad's sixth place finish in the 400 meters also ended up being important, as it gave the Raiders additional points towards their victory.

The Raider girls finished 16th in the standings but had some solid performances as well.

Prescott Track Breaks Records At State Meet

The Prescott Cardinals Track and Field team was at the State Tournament in La Crosse last weekend, and had several fantastic results. The 4x100 team of Andrew Lesso (11), Andrew Russell (11), Wyatt Budworth (10), and Ethan West (12), finished 1st in a STATE RECORD time of 42.00.    The Previous state record mark was held by Denmark at 42.11 from 2023. Alternates on the 4x100 team were Reese Stanton (10) and Kobe Russell (11).

The boys 4x400 team of Jack Kreager (12), Kobe Russell (11), Will Packard (12), and Andrew Russell (11) finished on the podium in 6th.

Ethan West took 4th in the 200 meter dash and finished 5th in the pole vault.

Kyra Dix (10) took advantage of her first state track meet berth by breaking Prescott's school record in the 3200 meter run. Her 11:35.57 eclipsed Victoria Simones previous mark of 11:44.08 set in 2010.

Will Packard (12) also competed in the 300 hurdles. Packard missed making the finals, but he concluded his high school career as Prescott's school record holder in the event.

Park High School Mourns Loss Of Beloved Coach

Park of Cottage Grove High School is mourning the loss of a beloved baseball and football coach. Jeff Plaschko passed away suddenly over the weekend, and Park High School Activities Director Phil Kuemmel joined KDWA to reflect on his life and impact, and about the emotions of playing a baseball game after his passing:

Raider Sports Awards Take Place

The Raider Sports Awards again took place this year, with Raider parents, coaches and athletes alike in attendance. Athletes were honored for everything from academic all-conference to winning a section championship. The ExCel, AAA and Athena and Apollo award winners were also honored, as were this year's Wall of Honor, Russ Welch, Jake Moore and Paul Vaith. We will have a full recap to come.

MSHSL Releases 2025-2027 Section Placements

Every two years the MSHSL updates the section placement, and Hastings athletics has learned its placements for 2025-26 and 2026-27. One major change occurred, with boys hockey moving down to Class A. Full placement list:

Section 1

• 1A- Clay Target, Adapted Sports, Nordic Ski

• 1AA- Dance, Music

Section 3

• 3A- Lacrosse

• 3AA- Girls Hockey, Girls Soccer, Boys Tennis, Boys Swim and Dive, Gymnastics,

• 3AAA- Boys Soccer, Wrestling, Track and Field, Girls Tennis, Cross Country, Golf

• 3AAAA- Girls Volleyball, Softball, Basketball, Baseball

• 3AAAAA- Football

Section 4

• 4A- Alpine Skiing, Boys Hockey, Girls Swim and Dive

In football, Burnsville joins the section, replacing BOTH Bloomington schools and creating a five team section.

Boys hockey moves down to Class A based on enrollment numbers and being the lowest AA team on enrollment last season. While they move, Girls Hockey stays up in AA. The Raiders boys hockey section will include Mahtomedi, Simley, South Saint Paul, Osseo, Chisago Lakes, St. Paul Academy, Tartan, Irondale-Saint Anthony and St. Paul Co-op. Girls Soccer also is on the move to AA while Boys Soccer stays in AAA.

Hastings Archery Talks Season, Upcoming State Tournament

The Hastings Raiders Archery Team is gearing up for its State Tournament, and archers Lillie Shaleen and Alex Stanton joined us to talk the season, their archery experience, what they love about the team, and more.

Hastings Boys Basketball Season recap

The Hastings Raiders boys basketball team saw its season end a couple weeks ago, and Head Coach Chad Feikema joined us on the Coaches Show to recap the season:

Hastings Sharks Athlete Wins Gold At World Winter Games

Hastings is bringing home a gold medal. Michael Froehling, representing the Hastings Sharks and the United States at the Special Olympics World Winter Games, won the 200 Meter snowshoe race Thursday to secure the gold. Froehling finished 2nd earlier in the week in the semifinals to advance.

An interview with Froehling prior to leaving for Italy is posted on our KDWA website.

Prescott Holds Signing Ceremony For Five Athletes

5 Prescott Cardinals athletes signed to play college recently, and on Monday the school held a signing ceremony in celebration of these athletes. They are:

- Teddy Bernick, St Scholastica, Football

- Will Packard, UW La Crosse, Football

- David Regnier, St Thomas, Football

- Tyler Reiter, UW Parkside, Golf

- Ethan West, UW La Crosse, Track and Field

A full photo gallery will be posted on KDWA's Facebook page

Hastings, Prescott Basketball Seasons End In Heartbreak

The Prescott Cardinals basketball season ended in heartbreak on Saturday night with a 47-46 loss to Amery at Prescott High School.

The Cardinals got off to a slow start, going 6:00 without a made basket, but Amery didn't pull away, allowing Prescott to claw back. Teddy Bernick hit a three at the end of the half to make it 25-24 Amery at the break.

In the second half, the Cardinals couldn't take the lead but didn't let Amery pull away and gave themselves a chance at the end. With a missed free throw from Amery's Keaton Wollan, Barrett Temmers collected the rebound and threw it to a teammate up the floor for a game winning three, but the shot was short and Amery celebrated the win.

Prescott ends the year 17-9.

The Hastings Raiders put up a valiant fight on the road at Eagan in the section semifinals, failing to convert a buzzer beater in the final seconds and losing 70-69. The game went back and forth throughout, with Eagan leading most of the first half. But the Raiders would claw back and take the lead in the second half, when they began trading the lead with the Wildcats. Hastings connected on a shot to take a 69-67 lead in the final minutes, but Eagan responded with a late three to go up 70-69. Hastings got a chance for a final shot... after a couple of Eagan fouls.... but the shot wouldn't fall. The Raiders slip to 20-8 on the year and their season ends with the loss.

Weston Schult led the team with 17 points in the loss, and five Raiders scored in double figures. Eagan will play Apple Valley on Thursday in the section final, with the winner advancing to the state tournament.

Local Athlete Heads To Special Olympics World Games

A local athlete has gotten the opportunity of a lifetime, as Michael Froehling will represnt Hastings, Special Olympics MN and the United States in the Special Olympics World Games in Turin, Italy. Michael and his mother Penny joined us to talk about it.

Beissel, Edstrom Podium; Two Girls Wrestlers Named All-State

The Hastings Raiders had two state podium finishers and two girls wrestlers named all-State.

Trey Beissel made a quick run through the bracket at 133 pounds, heading to the championship match against Lincoln Robideau of STMA. In that match, Beissel controleld things for the first two periods, before Robideau would even it up in the third. This sent the match to overtime, which saw Robideau win 4-1 and take the championship. Beissel finished 2nd, but in the process of his run, he became the school's all-time winningest wrestler with 199 wins, and can become the first wrestler in school history with 200 wins next season.

Beckett Edstrom advanced to the semifinal round, where the eighth grader was defeated. He bounced back though, to take third place in the third place match.

On the girls side, Allison Weinzettel (5th place) and Ellie Levine (6th place) were also named all-State for their run through the tournament.

Taylon Little Soldier also advanced to Saturday on wrestle back, but sadly he was defeated.

Hastings Wrestling Falls To STMA, Bemidji

The Hastings Raiders wrestling team had a tough go at the team state tournament, being the unlucky recipient of facing eventual state champ and nationally ranked Saint Michael Albertville in the first round.

The Raiders actually took the opening match, with Beckett Edstrom winning the first match by a 7-3 decision to give Hastings a 3-0 lead. But it was all STMA after that, the only other match the Raiders were able to win coming from always consistently good Trey Beissel, but the final score was 60-8. That sent the Raiders to the consolation round, where they would face Bemidji after the latter lost to Albert Lea.

In that consolation match, the Raiders and Lumberjacks had an extremely close match, going back and forth throughout. Hastings trailed 27-23 late after seeing their 23-16 lead disintegrate thanks to back to back wins by Bemidji. But Adrian Fuchs had a huge rally in the 2nd period to give himself a lead, and then finished it off with a pin in the third period to give the Raiders a 29-27 lead, but Bemidji would win by decision at heavyweight to take the dual 30-29.

The Raiders now turn their attention to the individuals that took place the following days, check back for updates.

Hastings Wrestling Falls To STMA, Bemidji

The Hastings Raiders Wrestling team saw its season end in a tough way at the state tournament with a 60-8 loss to #1 Saint Michael Albertville and a heartbreaking 30-29 loss to Bemidji in consolation.

In the first match, the Raiders took the early lead, but struggled to keep up with the Knights, sending them to the consolation round, where a close battle came down to heavyweight, and the Raiders unfortunately could not win the match, ending their season.

Look for a deeper recap of the events on Friday.

Hastings Hockey Season Recap

The Hastings Raiders Boys Hockey team's season ended last week, and Assistan Coach Ryan Stoffel joined us for a recap of the season, discussing the seniors, and previewing Hockey Day MN 2026.

Raiders Fall In Sections To Eagan

The Hastings Raiders Boys hockey team saw its 2025 season end with a 7-3 loss to Eagan in the Section Play-In game.

The Raiders would strike first in the opening period, when Matt Sherry connected on his first goal of the season to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. Eagan would tie things up later in the period, and it was 1-1 after 1.

The 2nd period could be described as wild. Eagan put 5 goals on the board, with Hastings answering twice. After Eagan went up 4-1, Brayden Krauth scored to make it 4-2, but the Wildcats had a response to make it 5-2 and then 6-2. After Eagan took two penalties including a 5 minute major with mere seconds left in the period, Finn Zaruba connected on the only shot of the 5-on-3 to make it 6-3. The 5 minute major carried over to the third, giving Hastings a chance to get back in it.

Unfortunately, Hastings couldn't find the goals they needed. A penalty on Eagan gave Hastings a 6-on-4 late in the period, and Eagan would find the empty net to make it the final score of 7-3.

The Raiders finish the season with a record of 11-14-1. Eagan advanced to face Saint Thomas Academy in the quarterfinal round. The Raiders are already beginning the exciting process of Hockey Day 2026, with dates and opponents to be determined in June. More to come on the 2024-25 season.

Strain, Foss Named Athena, Apollo Award Winners

Hastings High School has announced Haley Strain and Lukas Foss as its 2025 Athena and Apollo Award Winners. According to Hastings Athletics,

"These annual awards are given to the outstanding athletes, one male (Apollo) and one female (Athena), in the senior class. Consideration is given based on excellence and accomplishments in both individual and team sports, throughout the duration of the student-athlete’s career. Consideration is given to both one-sport and multi-sport athletes. The award is an athletic award, with other accomplishments like leadership, character, and GPA included but secondary."

Strain and Foss were selected as the winners after a vote from all HHS Head Coaches.

According to the release:

"Lukas Foss has earned nine (9) varsity letters as a participant in football, basketball, and track and field. He is a 2x captain in all three sports, and was the recipient of the "Raider Award" for best representing the core values of HHS athletics in both basketball and football. He is involved in Peer Helpers, Athlete Leadership Council, and National Honor Society where he is an elected officer.    Lukas maintains a 4.0 GPA, is ranked #1 in his class, was the recipient of the 2024 ExCEL Award for service and leadership, and volunteers with Little Raiders football, traveling basketball, and GobbleGait. Lukas plans to attend Carleton College where he will play football and double-major in economics and math."

"Haley Strain has earned nine (9) varsity letters as a participant in volleyball, basketball, and softball. She has a combined six all-conference (two in each) and three all-conference honorable mention awards (one in each) in her three sports. In volleyball she was voted offensive player of the year twice and most improved during her career, and was academic all-state in 2024. In basketball has exceeded both 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. In softball she was voted team MVP three times and was named to the all section team in 2024.   She is involved in FCA, Spanish Honor Society, Link Crew and National Honor Society. She maintains a 3.95 GPA and volunteered with youth softball and basketball.

Haley plans to attend Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville where she will play softball and study nursing."

The Athena Award winner is honored at a banquet in Saint Paul in April and both will be honored at the Raider Sports Awards in May.

Photo credit to Hastings Raiders Athletics

Spring Sports Registration Opens Monday

Spring sports registration in Hastings opened on Monday. and will continue through the first days of practice for each sport. Spring sports start sporadically over a 21 day period in March. "All athletes must be completely registered and cleared by the athletic office before they can participate", according to the Hastings athletics website. "You will not be cleared if we require a medical note or if you are listed on the athletic fine list. All equipment from previous seasons must be turned before you will be cleared to start." Physicals are good for three years. but must be good for the entire season.

According to the website, the start dates for each sport is as follows:

Adapted Softball, Softball and Track & Field - first date of practice is Monday, March 10.

Baseball and Boys and Girls Golf - first date of practice is Monday, March 17.

Boys Tennis - first date of practice is Monday, March 24.

Lacrosse - first date of practice is Monday, March 31.

Hastings Girls Hockey Season Recap

The Hastings Raiders Girls Hockey team wrapped up its 2025 season last week with a hard fought section loss to Rosemount. Head Coach Jim Joseph joined us on The Coaches Show to wrap up the season:

Tuesday Sports Roundup

The Hastings Raiders boys hockey team won for the fourth time in five games with a gusty, hard earned win against a physical Hopkins team, 4-2 in Hopkins on Tuesday night.

In the first period, Brody Geib got a puck in the Raiders defensive zone and carried it up the near boards, skating towards the slot, where he buried it top shelf behind the goaltender to make it 1-0.

In the second period, Jon Harris scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0. Hopkins thought they had scored instantly after but the refs ruled it had hit the crossbar. Hopkins would later connect on a 5-on-3 to make it 2-1, but the Raiders would respond with a shorthanded goal from Rylan Krauth to reclaim the 2 goal advantage.

In the third period, Hopkins would again connect on the power play, and would push the rest of the way. A very late penalty put the Raiders in a 6-on-4 situation, but Geib was able to get to the puck and bury it on a breakaway for the empty netter with three seconds left to make it 4-2 and put the game away.

Hastings improved to 8-8-1 on the year ahead of a Thursday tilt with Simley, check back for more information on that game.

Prescott boys basketball beat Ellsworth 70-63, holding off a late rally by the Panthers to remain in first place in the Middle Border.

In Hastings basketball, the boys cruised to an 87-66 win over South Saint Paul. The Raiders are now 10-4 on the year, 4-2 in the Metro East Conference.

In girls hoops, the Raiders cruised over the Packers 56-44, led by Haley Strain's 29 points.

In girls hockey, the Raiders fell 6-1 to South Saint Paul.

Hastings Archery Team Makes Debut

Press release from Hastings Raiders Archery Club:

"In its inaugural season, the Hastings High School Raiders Archery Team competed in the NASP BULLSEYE Archery Tournament at the Faribault Falcon Classic, hosted at the Faribault High School!

The TEAM finished 7th out of 10 teams, and the Archers were excited about their first performance among well-established teams.

They also identified areas to focus on for improvement to become more competitive this season.

The HHS Raider's sister team, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Patriots also participated.

This marks the third consecutive year the SEAS TEAM has reached the podium at this tournament, with many INDIVIDUALS also earning podium spots.

Next, the HHS Raiders Archery Team will compete at its first-ever NASP/IBO 3D Tournament at White Bear Lake & LILA 3D Winter Shootout at Forrest Lake’s Lakes International Language Academy on Friday, January 10th with a FLIGHT TIME of 7PM and will be at the White Bear Lake & LILA BULLSEYE Winter Shootout at White Bear Lake High School Athletic Center on Saturday, January 11th with a FLIGHT TIME of 3PM.

The Raiders' competition season runs through the final weekend of March, with the MINNESOTA STATE NASP Bullseye & NASP/IBO 3D Tournaments in St. Cloud.

The season could extend into May if the team qualifies at the MN State Tournament for NATIONALS in Louisville, Kentucky, and into June if they qualify at Nationals for WORLDS held in North Carolina this year."

Haley Strain Reaches 1,000 Career Points In Loss To Hill-Murray

The Hastings Raiders Girls Basketball team suffered a heartbreaking defeat Friday against Hill-Murray in conference play, in what ended up being a historic night for the team.

The Raiders and Pioneers played a back and forth affair, with the Raiders asserting themselves to take a double digit lead in the second half. The Raiders were making a concerted effort to get the ball into the paint, as Haley Strain needed just 16 points to reach 1,000 for her career.

Sitting on 999 points, the Raiders got a transition chance off a steal, a pass under the basket could not go, and Strain collected the rebound and put it in to secure the milestone mark. The game was briefly stopped to celebrate her achievement. After that, the Pioneers began their comeback. Tied late, Hill-Murray would get a crucial bucket to take the lead, leaving the Raiders with little time to get the win.

For Strain, she joins an exclusive club of 1000 point scorers, with recent players to achieve that mark on the girls side including Lily Nuytten and Keagan McVicker.

The Raider boys beat Hill-Murray on the road 71-61.

ExCEL, AAA Award Winners Announced

Four Hastings High School students have received MSHSL Honors.

Ryder Ashcraft and Ellie Magnus are recipients of the ExCEL Award.   ExCEL - Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership -is a unique program designed exclusively for high school juniors who are active in school activities, who show leadership qualities, and who work voluntarily in their community.

According to the media release, "Ryder is a multi-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track and field. He has a 4.0 cumulative GPA, is ranked #1 in his class. He is a member of Peer Helpers and is a Captain and Huddle Leader in FCA. He volunteers over 500 hours per year at his church in a variety of roles; small group leader, videographer, and in stage production." "Ellie is a multi-sport athlete in soccer and track and field. She has a 4.0 cumulative GPA and is ranked #1 in her class. She is a captain in soccer, and in track is a repeat conference and section champion in multiple events holds multiple school records. She is active in Spanish Honor Society, Link Crew, and is a Huddle Leader in FCA. She volunteers teaching youth classes at her church, coaching youth sports and has served on two national mission trips."

Josey Larson and Elliott Renneke are recipients of the Triple "A" Award. Triple "A" – academics, athletics, and arts - is a program designed to honor high school seniors who have excelled in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in the fine arts.

The release states: "Josey has a 3.97 cumulative GPA and is enrolled in multiple Advanced Placement and College in the Schools courses. She is a 5x letter winner and 5x all-conference in swimming.   She has been in the HHS orchestra since 9th grade, is a section leader, and has participated in solo/ensemble contests.   Josey plans to attend the College of St. Benedict, where she intends to major in Global Business Leadership and participate on the swim and dive team.

Elliott has a 3.82 cumulative GPA and is enrolled in multiple College in the Schools and PSEO courses. He is a multi-sport athlete in football, wrestling, and track and field. He has also competed on the Trap team and with the Archery Club. Elliott has been in both HHS choir and band since 9th grade, has been in multiple solo/ensemble contests in band, and is in the HHS marching band. Elliot plans to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where he intends to enroll in the five-year masters program in Mining Engineering Management."

All award winners now move on to the state level recognition.