2nd-place tourney finish lifts Blaine volleyball

Blaine's second-place finish at the Apple Valley Invitational volleyball tournament last weekend provided hope to a team in need.

The third-ranked Bengals were swept by No. 7 Osseo on Sept. 10 and then, two days later, lost standout middle blocker Taylor Morgan to a torn ACL. Coach Celeste Gorman called Morgan's injury "devastating" but encouraged her team to stay the course.

"She is not an athlete you want to lose — ever," Gorman said. "But we have to deal with the circumstances we have. We want to keep playing volleyball our way and we still have amazing players."

Last season, a veteran Blaine team took a 29-1 record and the No. 2 seed into the Class 3A state tournament and finished third. A new-look roster this fall figured to test the Bengals' patience and persistence.

Gorman said losing a veteran such as Morgan "doesn't mean we start over. If anything, it kick-started that process because we need to welcome in a new middle hitter."

Senior Cadence Daniels assumed Morgan's duties. Gorman called her "unfazed by the bigness of it all. She's an in-the-moment type of player."

She is surrounded by talented players. Junior Rebecca Hawkins had a strong offseason, earning tournament most valuable player honors as the Northern Lights' 16-2 team won a USA Division national championship.

The team played its way into the championship match in Apple Valley, where it fell to top-ranked Eagan.

"We put our best foot forward in Apple Valley, and it was a great team confidence builder,'' Gorman said. "The challenge now is to maintain."

• Blaine senior forward Jason Scheeler scored a goal and added an assist in a 2-0 victory against Maple Grove on Sept. 17. Two nights later he scored a goal in a 3-0 victory against Park Center. On Saturday he got an assist as the Bengals topped Minneapolis South 2-1.

• Elk River/Zimmerman senior forward Storm Heyer scored some timely goals last week. He got the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Park Center on Sept. 17. The Elks beat Osseo 2-1 two nights later and Heyer tallied both goals, his second with 40 seconds remaining in the game. Heyer entered this week ranked No. 7 all-time among goal-scorers and ninth in career points at the school.

Brooklyn Center's defeated Spectrum of Elk River 20-14 on Friday, the Centaurs' first football victory in 17 games covering nearly two full years.