By Scott A. Kolb

Post-Bulletin, Austin MN 

Making the transition to the winter sports schedule begins in earnest for Austin area teams this week, while there are still a few clinging to the remnants of the fall season.

The Riverland men and women's basketball teams have already been practicing for the last few weeks. The Blue Devils teams will take part in a scrimmage with Crown College tonight in preparation for their season openers on Friday.

Opening up on the road, the Riverland men and women will play in the Minnesota West Tournament in Worthington. They open the season with games on Friday evening and then, also play a second round at the tournament on Saturday afternoon.

It will be interesting to see how Riverland women's coach Suzy Hebrink retools her team after the most successful season in school history last year. Without the height in the low post, the Lady Blue Devils will rely more on their speed and defensive pressure this season.

Riverland men's coach Dan Swift nearly had his team in the state tournament a few years ago, but they lost in a playoff game. Since that time it's been tough to win very many games in the rugged Minnesota College Athletic Conference, South Division.

Fall sports

There are only two remaining remnants of the fall season for Austin High with Haley Splinter running in the Class AA state cross country meet on Saturday at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

Her sister, Averi Splinter, will be leading the Austin Packers girls swimming and diving team into the Section One, Class A Meet next week at the Ellis pool. The section swimming preliminaries take place next Wednesday and then the finals to determine state qualifiers will be on Nov. 13.

The AHS swimming and diving team is always the last to finish the fall season, with the section meet being an annual event in the city. However, the presence of a runner at the state cross country meet is a bit of a surprise.

Haley Splinter is the first Austin girl to qualify for state in 16 years. She is only a freshman and this trip to state could be the start of big things to come for the Packers runner.

Hockey highlights

Austin High girls hockey coach Denny Bray held a camp at Riverside Arena a few weekends ago, and now his team is in the full practice mode for next week's season opener. The Austin girls are traditionally the first to open the winter season, and thus the first to finish in February.

Prior to their early departure from the section playoffs last season, the Austin Packers had been extending their seasons nearly into March with trips to the state tournament. Bray will try to get his team back to that level this season.

The Packers girls hockey team opens the season on the road with two games next week. The girls better get things worked out in their practice sessions, because the season opener is only eight days away. Austin opens at Northfield next Thursday night.

After a non-conference opener, the Austin girls begin their trek through the Big Nine Conference schedule. The first conference game is a week from Saturday, Nov. 14, in Rochester against the John Marshall Rockets.

Rest of pack

Although the rest of the winter teams are still a few weeks away from getting going, it won't be long and the indoor season will have begun with a multitude of teams competing for athletic glory over the next four months.

Soon they'll be shooting hoops, grappling on the wrestling mat, skating with the puck, and the boys will take over the swimming pool. The Packers Dance Team will also be competing in the coming weeks as they look to defend their conference title.

In the glorious epochs of the past, Austin was once know as a basketball town. Local kids started playing ball at the Shaw Gym and continued the Packers tradition of winning on through to the high school stage. Even through last season, the Packers teams were trying to recapture that past glory by playing at the fabled Ove Berven Gym.

Then a strange thing happened as Packers long-range gunner Connor Gunderson decided he liked the rims at the new Packer Gym better, and the throngs of his followers moved down the hall. Gunderson returns for his senior season this winter and it should be exciting for basketball fans.

Brady Stier and Cody Meyer will be finishing up their stellar high school basketball careers for the Lyle/Austin Pacelli Athletics right across the street. The Athletics will play their home games this season at the Pacelli Gym in Austin with the green of the Shamrocks as the backdrop. It won't be too long and the whistles will be blowing to start the winter season.

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