It's no secret that there are some elite girls golf teams in southeastern Minnesota.
But could those girls golf squads complete a rare trifecta this week at state?
It's certainly possible, and some may argue it's even likely.
Red Wing, Lake City and Fillmore Central all will represent the area at state Tuesday and Wednesday. And all figure to be in the mix for state titles, and possibly even favorites.
Red Wing coach Mark Herzog has his squad back at state again, this time in Class AAA at Bunker Hills Golf Course. The Wingers won the Class AA state title last season before opting up to AAA in spring. It was Red Wing's fifth state title in girls golf, all coming under Herzog. The Wingers also have four runner-up finishes and a third-place finish during this incredible dynasty.
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The Wingers are among the favorites in Class AAA, along with Edina. Red Wing is ranked No. 1, with Edina No. 2. The Hornets and Wingers both have significant stroke advantages on the rest of the Class AAA field.
Stephanie Herzog is Red Wing's top player; she was fourth in Class AA last season. Sydney Flack, Maddy Hardyman, Solveig Christenson, Leah Herzog and Sophia Yoemans make up the rest of the Wingers, who will tee off on the East Course starting at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Lake City might be talking about a dynasty, too, if Red Wing hadn't blocked it from state so many times. Tigers coach Steve Randgaard has built some incredible teams over the years, but they're still seeking their first state title. That just may happen this week.
Lake City enters state ranked No. 2, behind only Detroit Lakes. The Tigers averaged 317.7 strokes per round this season, while Detroit Lakes came in at 316.9. The next-best team at state — Minnewaska — averaged 350 this season.
Lake City senior Emily Schimbeno is up for Minnesota's Ms. Golf award. She's had a remarkable career. Lexi Geolat had the Tigers' top finish at state last season, eighth. Both figure to be key contributors this week. Joining them at state are Morgan Matanich, Ava Wallerich, Olivia Matzke and Lidia Wallerich.
The Tigers are set to attack the Ridges at Sand Creek on Tuesday and Wednesday. Other area players in the Class AA girls field include Stewartville's Jordynn Danielson and Mackayla Olsen, Chatfield's Paige Isensee, Byron's Grace Hillemeier and La Crescent's Alex Nutter.
In Class A, Fillmore Central enters the state meet at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker as a heavy favorite. The Falcons are the top-ranked team in the state, averaging 354.7 strokes per round. That's nearly 10 strokes better than No. 2-ranked Minneota.
FC features one of the state's top players in Grace Miller, who's just a sophomore. She enters state at No. 6 in the individual rankings.
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Tayah Barnes will kick things off for FC, teeing off at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday on the White Course at Pebble Creek, a short but narrow course. Other Falcons in action include Cailey Rindels, Laura Donney, Elayna Kiehne and Madison Scheevel.
Other area girls in the Class A meet are Blooming Prairie's Taylor Christianson, Wabasha-Kellogg's Natalie Schmit and Caledonia's Katrina Paulson, Ashley Gavin and Rebeckah Schroeder.
On the boys side of the Class A meet, Blooming Prairie has earned its first-ever appearance in the team championship. Tommy Braaten leads the Blossoms; he's ranked No. 10 in Class A. Other Blossoms at state include Ethan Strunk, Jake Ressler, Jon Hatch and Luke Noble. Other area players in action are Kingsland's Simon Broadwater, Lewiston-Altura's Brady Borkowski, Caledonia's Ethan DuCharme and Rushford-Peterson's Kyle Wiedemann.
The only other area player in action this week is John Marshall's Brady Dahl, who's making his first appearance at the Class AAA meet at Bunker Hills.
