Byrnes stars as a freshman for Big Ten champion Gophers
by Matt Thomas (From 12/17 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

Success just seems to follow certain people and Jessica Byrnes is no stranger to it. But nobody thought she would burst on to the national scene at the University of Minnesota like she has.
At Minnetonka High School, Byrnes was all-everything in volleyball including a three-time Classic Lake All-Conference selection. In 2001 she earned first team all metro honors as a senior. She also owns Minnetonka’s school record for career kills with 1,087.
When Byrnes made the switch from blue and white to maroon and gold, some people thought it make take a year or two before the six foot, two inch middle blocker made an impact on one of the best volleyball teams in the nation.
Apparently Byrnes didn’t get the memo. She quickly stepped into the starting lineup and played in 119 of the teams 124 games.
“Of course you always want the chance to play,” Byrnes said. “I knew I would have to fight hard to get into the line-up and things have just worked out.”
She is third on the team in kills with 325, second on the team and seventh in the Big Ten with a .319 hitting percentage. Her 103 total blocks are third on the team and she recorded 74 digs and 16 service aces during the regular season.
The Gophers won the Big Ten Championship with a 17-3 conference record and a 30-5 overall record. Byrnes was named to the Big Ten All Freshman Team and the Gophers received the highest seed in the NCAA tournament in school history.
“Every weekend there seems to be a new highlight,” Byrnes said. “But when we won the Big Ten at home that was so exciting.”
Yes, things are good for Byrnes and the Gophers who made it to the sweet 16 before falling to 12th ranked Arizona in Palo Alto, Calif.
“I am thrilled with my decision to come here,” Byrnes said of her decision to attend the University of Minnesota. “When you decide where to go you never really know what it’s going to be like. Every day I am so honored to be around who I’m around.”
Byrnes says she is surrounded by talented players who have become more like family to her and a coaching staff that she showered with complements.
“We have so much fun together and there isn’t anyone who doesn’t get along,” Byrnes said. “Our coaching staff is so knowledgeable, it’s amazing the things I’ve learned since being here.”
Byrnes is currently living with two other freshman on the volleyball team, Paula Gentil (Fortaleza Ceara', Brazil) and Athena Mallakis (Simi Valley, CA).
“It’s been really fun…they are both from warm climates so I’ve had to explain some things like windchill to them,” Byrnes joked.
While volleyball has been a huge part of Byrnes’ freshman year, she is taking a full load of classes and thinking about going into nursing.
A typical day for Byrnes starts with class early in the morning and ends by 1:30 in the afternoon. She gets to the gym around 2 p.m. for any necessary treatment from team trainers and then takes part in a one to three hour practice depending on the day.
The scariest aspect for Big Ten opponents is that Byrnes is just a freshman and will be gracing the court at the University Sports Pavilion for three more years.
The Gophers seem to have found a road to success that has put them among the elite volleyball teams in the nation. With Byrnes on their side, they might have found someone to lead the pack for the future.


Athletic Spartans top Delano
By Matt Thomas (From 12/17 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

When you play the Orono boys basketball team the first thing you might notice is that they do not have a tall center anchoring the team’s offense inside the lane. What they do have is five athletic starters with considerable speed and strength who make up for their lack of size with hustle.
The Spartans came out of the gates on fire from the field and eventually pulled away from visiting Delano for a 64-54 non-conference victory.
While seniors Ross Devor and Matt Roybal have led the way in the scoring column for the Spartans early in the season, it was senior Bobby Innes who got the Spartans on track in the first quarter against the Tigers.
Innes ran the floor extremely well and was the beneficiary of several fast break lay-ups in the first quarter. Innes scored eight first quarter points on 4-4 from the field to help the Spartans to a 19-17 lead.
“Bobby is our sleeper because I don’t think people know much about him,” Spartans head coach Mike Blanski said. “We have Ross Devor who everyone is looking at and they were double teaming him in the first half and that left Bobby open. Bobby’s a good player and he goes to the basket as well as anyone I’ve ever coached.”
Things remained tight in the second quarter until the Spartans ended the first half on a 10-2 run.
Roybal converted a reverse lay-up while being fouled and made the free throw to put the Spartans up 35-25. After a Tigers basket, junior Jared Reynolds hit a three-pointer with three seconds left to put the Spartans up 38-27 going into halftime.
While Innes, Roybal and Reynolds gave the Spartans a spark at key moments in the game, it was Devor who consistently gave the Tigers fits when the Spartans had the ball.
Devor, a six foot, three inch forward and an all-conference performer last year, scored a game high 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. His nose for the ball on the boards is crucial for the Spartans who lack a big and physical presence down low.
“We like to post [Devor] up because he seals so well down there and we expect that from him,” Blanski said.
The Tigers eventually cut the Spartans lead to nine with five minutes left in the game, but the Spartans scored nine straight points to ensure the victory.
Roybal hit a three from the outside and followed it with a traditional three-point play on a lay-up and free throw. On the Spartans next possession, senior guard Ryan Tims hit a three pointer of his own to extend the lead to 64-46.
The Spartans shot 43 percent from the field on 26-60 while holding the Tigers to just 35 percent on 18-51.
Innes finished the night with 16 points on an efficient 7-10 from the field while Roybal and Reynolds added 15 and ten points respectively. Senior Aaron Swenson led the Tigers with 14 points on 4-10 from the field.
The Spartans raised their overall record to 3-0 on the season with a 64-49 victory over Prior Lake on Dec. 13.
Upcoming games for the Spartans include a road game at Hutchinson on Dec. 17 and the team’s conference opener at home against Brooklyn Center on Dec. 20.
The Spartans figure to be in the thick of things atop the Metro Alliance Conference this year if they can remain injury-free.
“Benilde is certainly going to challenge us and St. Anthony and Fridley should challenge us as well. The conference is definitely up from last year,” Blanski said.


Bears withstand rally for 6-4 victory
By Matt Thomas (From 12/17 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

The Blake boys hockey team has the pressure of going for their third straight and fifth conference championship in the past seven years. If last week’s game against St. Louis Park is any indication of how the Bears handle pressure, they should be in good shape to win another Tri Metro Championship.
The Bears showed why they are considered one of the best Class A hockey programs in the state with smooth offensive execution and the ability to withstand a rally.
The Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and every time the Orioles looked like they were creeping back into the game, the Bears shut the door. The end result was a 6-4 victory against a formidable non-conference opponent.
After the Orioles got within a goal just fifty seconds into the second period, Blake’s Brendan Kennedy stretched the lead back to two.
Just one minute and ten seconds after the Orioles goal, Kennedy got the corner on an Oriole defender and beat goalie Ben Levy for his second goal of the game.
After Blake took a 4-1 lead on a goal by Doug Holm, the Orioles made it 4-2 before Blake struck back again.
Less than one minute after the Orioles second goal, Blake’s Jeremy Robert got behind the Oriole defense for a breakaway goal to give the Bears a 5-2 lead.
A goal in the opening minutes of the third period by the Orioles cut the lead to 5-3, but the Bears didn’t wait long to pad their lead once more.
Junior Will Engasser parked himself in front of the Orioles net and stuffed home a rebound off a shot from Rob Page.
The Orioles scored a shorthanded goal with 3:49 left in the game to cut the lead to 6-4, but the scoring ended at that point.
Senior captain Dan Feinberg recorded his third win between the pipes on the season and made 25 saves in the effort. Levy made 23 saves for the Orioles.
Kennedy finished the game with his fifth and sixth goals on the season and also added an assist on a first period goal. Engasser’s goal was his fourth of the season to go along with his four assists.
The Bears followed the victory with a 5-1 decision over Duluth Marshall on Dec. 14. Andrew Schremp sparked the victory with two goals and one assist.
Junior goaltender Justin Kowalkoski earned his third victory of the season by making 15 saves in the contest.
The Bears are 6-0 on the season and looking forward to a non-conference showdown with Benilde-St. Margaret’s on Thursday, December 19 at the St. Louis Park Recreation Center. The Bears will return home on Saturday, December 21 for another showdown with Rochester Lourdes. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. start times.


'Tis The Season To Be Braggy
by Matt Thomas

Yep, it's that time of year again. I'm not talking about eggnog and reindeer, menorahs and sleigh bells or Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas." I'm talking about receiving those obnoxious, arrogant, god-awful christmas letters.
You know, the ones that must be drafted by a pair of overly proud parents with way too much time on their hands. Apparently all the holiday decorations are perfectly in place because they find the time to write down a bunch of sweet nothings about their own family and send it to everyone they know.
As I became seriously ill while reading one of these letters from a friend of the family, I decided enough is enough. So here is your all-purpose guide to writing a holiday letter without sounding a complete idiot.
1. Do not include the fact that your children are on the school honor roll. First of all, in most middle schools half the school is on the honor roll. It's not that great of an accomplishment. Secondly, the only people more obnoxious than the ones who include this information on a holiday letter, are the one's who plaster the information on their car's bumper.
2. Sticking with the educational theme, it is not necessary to include your child's college grade point average on a holiday letter. If your child graduated from college, that is a worthy accomplishment to include on such a letter. It is not relevant, however, to point out that little Suzy got a 3.56 taking Psychology 101 and a bunch of other remedial classes her freshman year.
3. The common car reference. Some people like to give highlights of their year such as purchasing a new vehicle for example. All you need to say in this case is that you bought a new "car." It is unnecessary, however, to say "Jack just loves cruising around in his new and fully loaded BMW."
4. The summer's review. Another common reference in Minnesota (my home state) holiday letters is to say how you had a relaxing summer up at the cabin. That's exactly what it is: a cabin. Some people however like to exaggerate a little and refer to it as "the lake home." They try to make it sound as if the property is surrounded by palm trees and a state of the art yacht. In reality the only accommodations at "the lake home" are an outhouse in the back yard and a Lund fishing boat from 1974.
5. If you belong to a country club, don't reference it. Some people's biggest concern of the year seems to be the fact that their golf handicap went up two strokes. Most people, however, spend their days at WORK so they can pay the bills! They don't want to hear about your birdie putt on the 18th hole that secured the best round of your life.
6. The new baby or grandchild. Another common holiday letter mistake occurs when a new child is brought into the world. While this is the most exciting event of the year for many people, try to avoid referring to the baby as "the most beautiful and precious thing alive." Everybody thinks their own children are the cutest; leave it out of the letter.
While following these guidelines won't ensure you of sounding like an egotistical moron in this year's holiday letter, it can't hurt. The best advice I can give you is to not write a letter at all. People seem to enjoy a simple card and family picture much more.