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Parker Betts

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

St. Michael-Albertville Wrestlers Enjoying Summer Success

Recent graduate Parker Betts added a national title to his list of accomplishments before heading to Northern Michigan, while Tommy Thorn earned a pair of national crowns.

Like any 2011 graduate, Parker Betts is excited to head off to college in a few short days. "Yeah. Definitely. It's going to be great," Betts, who's headed to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, said. Northern Michigan will welcome Betts into its Greco-Roman program, and with good reason. Betts captured the national title at the USA Wrestling National Championships, held in July. It was his second trip to the Fargodome in North Dakota. Last year, he was eighth in junior freestyle. "I liked Greco because it focuses so much on technique. You don't have a lot of scoring, either way, in my weight class [heavyweight]. It just looked like something I could do and succeed at." Betts topped wrestlers from all over the map–Louisiana, Illinois, Kansas…

Monday, April 18, 2011

UPDATE: St. Michael-Albertville Prom-Goers Find Refuge from Winter in Moonlit Garden

A look at Prom 2011, with even more to come.

STMA students had a day to remember, with snow in the morning, wind Saturday afternoon, and a chilly night. "How many people can say that they had snow on the morning of prom?" one senior girl asked. Not many.  But Saturday had a little of everything. There was wind, cold and even a bit of a break, just in time for pictures around town.  Inside the STMA gym, it was plenty warm, with a huge crowd of parents and friends welcoming the nearly 190 couples through grand march.  St. Michael Patch will have dozens of photos from the night, posted some time Monday, April 18. Plus, we have bonus video of grand march itself. For now, here's a sneak peek, with a couple of Local Editor Mike Schoemer's top snapshots from Saturday. 

Gretchen Lowery

2:32 pm on Monday, April 18, 2011

Great prom pics!! Love all of the beautiful bright colors that people wore.   more ›

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Wrestling Knights Roll to Section 7AAA Title

St. Michael-Albertville had no troubles with two Top 10 opponents on its way to a date with Apple Valley at the Xcel Energy Center.

St. Michael-Albertville head coach Dan Lefebvre though his Knights were in "good position" heading into the Section 7-3A team tournament Friday night.  His Knights made it look easy. At 4 p.m., they dropped Andover (who beat host Blaine to get into Friday’s tournament the night before) 64-9, losing just two matches. Then, they steamrolled Forest Lake, ranked in the Top 10 in Class AAA by The Guillotine, 50-12. In the section final, Parker Betts, Tommy Thorn and the rest of the Knights were challenged, but it wasn’t too close for comfort, as they defeated Cambridge-Isanti 34-16. “You, obviously, want to see the team succeed,” Thorn, a freshman ranked No. 1 at 103 pounds, said. “That’s our first goal is to get there as a team. Then the rest …

Michelle LeMonds

7:47 pm on Saturday, February 19, 2011

We love these pictures... esp. Hayden LeMonds a 3rd grade STMA wrestler.   more ›

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

St.Michael-Albertville Wrestling Squad on Top Heading into Section Tournament

The Knights, ranked No. 3 in the state and the top seed in the Section 7-3A tournament, could face two other ranked teams en route to another state tournament berth.

St. Michael-Albertville is a wrestling tradition, winning state trophies at every level possible in the state of Minnesota over the past four decades.  Now at the top in Class AAA, the Knights (28-4) are ranked No. 3 in the state, and have every intention of getting back to that podium as a team, where they finished second  last season. "That's what we're all about," said Tommy Thorn, a freshman and top-ranked wrestler at 103 pounds. "You have to wrestle well yourself, but we all want to see the team succeed."  That mentality will be key this Friday, as the boys head up to Blaine to take on some tough opponents in Section 7-3A. Quarterfinal action begins at 4 p.m.It is, unarguably, the top section in Class 3A. A total of four teams are …

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Knight Games

Hastings Knocks off St. Michael-Albertville in St. Cloud

The fourth-ranked team surprised the second-ranked Knights in the finals of the Kiffmeyer Duals at St. Cloud Tech.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Kiffmeyer Duals championship Saturday afternoon.  Hastings, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, knocked off the second-ranked St. Michael-Albertville Knights, chalking up a mild upset and creating a new look for the March tournaments. While everyone has had Apple Valley and St. Michael 1 and 2 in the coaches' polls all year, the Raiders showed they might have something to say about that with the strength of their middleweight lineup.  Both teams cruised the finals, with Hastings dominating Class 2A favorite Foley and St. Michael knocking off Albert Lea in the semis.  Shaun Little, STMA's 189-pounder, reached a career milestone in the semifinal, picking up a 3-2 decision for his career 100th victory.  In the …

Friday, December 17, 2010

St. Michael-Albertville Quiets Upstart Magic

The No. 2 team in Class 3A was no match for Monticello, even on the road. The win sets the Knights up for another Mississippi 8 title.

The St. Michael-Albertville Knights, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, traveled to a packed and hostile gym in Monticello to take on the No. 9-ranked Magic on Thursday night and spent the first half of the match keeping the fans sitting on their hands. The Knights jumped out to a 31-0 lead in what became one of two duals that will likely decide the conference title for STMA, after Monticello knocked off other Mississippi 8 powerhouse Cambridge-Isanti earlier in the season. The Knights didn't trail in a wrestling match until the eighth match of the night, and by the ninth, the dual was mathematically over, as the Knights coasted to a 41-18 win. St. Michael-Albertville coach Dan Lefebvre was happy with the team performance, especially coming into …

Laura Nielsen

3:34 pm on Friday, December 17, 2010

Wowzers, that feature picture is really good! That move looked like it could maybe hurt a liitle bit in the morning.   more ›

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

St. Michael-Albertville Wrestlers Aim Big, Ranked Nationally

The Knights are coming off a runner-up performance in Class 3A last year. A run for a state title starts Thursday versus a tough Monticello team.

Rarely does a high school team finish second in state and come back the next year with realistic hopes of improving. For the Knights, that is a goal that just may be attainable. Following up on a year where they were runners up in Class 3A, they come into this year ranked 46th in the country by Intermat, a nationally recognized wrestling website. A spot that high in the country would lead many to believe they must be favored in their own state, but unfortunately the Knights reside in the same state as the team that holds the number one spot in the national rankings, Apple Valley. However, that match up remains in the distant future for a Knights squad that brings back Varsity wrestling experience at nearly every weight, including 14 …

Jim Thorp

6:39 pm on Friday, December 17, 2010

At my high school in Michigan, the wrestlers were second-class citizens. So much fun to have a middle-schooler learning the ropes in a district where folks get fired up about it -- Go, Knights!   more ›

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