Klein grateful for adapted coaching staff

Mike Klein feels blessed. His son Jesse, a senior at Armstrong, just completed an undefeated season (13-0) as a member of the Robbinsdale/Hopkins/Mound-Westonka adapted soccer team.

The Robins won the PI (Physically Impaired) Division championship and Jesse was a key component, scoring five goals and adding five assists in three state tournament games.

But what makes Klein so happy is that his son has a chance to play for Robins' coaches Marcus and Steve Onsum.

Together, the Onsums have coached various Robbinsdale-area adapted sports teams to seven state titles. More importantly, the Onsums are skilled at communicating with the athletes they coach.

"It is such a wonderful thing to have coaches like them," said Klein. "I've had two children go through adapted sports and I could not ask for better coaches. Jesse loves them. We couldn't ask for anything better."

The Wayzata boys' and the Eden Prairie girls' cross-country teams recently won the Nike Heartland Regional Championship, qualifying them to run in the Nike National Championship Meet on Dec. 6 in Portland, Ore.

Eden Prairie, which won the 2008 Class 2A team championship, was led by Class 2A individual champion Cassy Opitz. Wayzata has won two consecutive class 2A boys titles.

Congratulations to these West Metro athletes who recently signed collegiate letters of intent:

• Baseball: Andy Johnson, Wayzata (Bradley); Billy Soule, Wayzata (Minnesota)

• Boys' basketball: Michael Broghammer, Hopkins (Notre Dame); Raymond Cowels, Hopkins (Santa Clara); Sam Dower, Osseo (Gonzaga); Trent Lockett, Hopkins (Arizona St.); Royce White, Hopkins, (Minnesota); Rodney Williams Jr., Cooper (Minnesota); Ethan Wragge, Eden Prairie (Creighton)

• Girls' basketball: Brianna Edwards, Mpls. North (Providence); Kara Elofson, Hopkins, (NYU-Binghamton); Pam January, Richfield (South Dakota); Carly Rothfusz, Eden Prairie (North Dakota); Kate Thompson, Wayzata (Michigan)

• Boys' golf: John Pavelko, Chaska (DePaul)

• Boys' hockey: Zach Budish, Edina (Minnesota); Blake Doerring, Blake (Vermont); Marshall Everson, Edina (Harvard); Nick Leddy, Eden Prairie (Minnesota); Danny Mattson, Holy Angels (North Dakota)

• Girls' hockey: Sally Komarek, Blake (Dartmouth); Becky Kortum, Hopkins (Minnesota); Lisa Martinson, St. Louis Park (St. Cloud State); Kelsey Romatoski, Holy Angels (Harvard)

• Boys' lacrosse: Kevin Knight, Wayzata (Fairfield)

• Rowing: Britta Syverson, Mpls Southwest (UCLA)

• Softball: Allie Siu, Wayzata (Minnesota)

• Girls' swimming and diving: Heather Bodin, Maple Grove (Wis.-Green Bay); Annalise Colton, Edina (Minnesota); Nicole Solberg, Edina (Denver); Alyson Twenge, Minnetonka (South Dakota St.)

• Volleyball: Tia Gaffen, Wayzata (Cal.-Berkeley); Madeline Haben, Holy Angels (Michigan Tech); Brianna Haugen, Mpls. Southwest (Minnesota); Katherine Harms, St. Michael-Albertville (Minnesota); Catherine Yager, St. Michael-Albertville (Michigan)

• Wrestling: David Thorn, St. Michael-Albertville (Minnesota); Danny Zilverberg, Wayzata (Minnesota)