Athletes of the week: Annandale's Knickerbocker assumes scoring load

Graduation has left Knickerbocker, now a senior, as one of the few holdovers from Annandale's Class 2A state tournament teams of 2013 and 2014. It's meant a larger role for the 6-6 forward.

So far, so good. The Cardinals won three times last week, improving to 7-5, thanks toKnickerbocker. He had 34 points in a 65-59 victory over Morris, a school-record 44 in a 68-61 victory over Cannon Falls and 22, despite a box-and-1 defense designed to stop him, in a victory over Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.

Knickerbocker, who has signed with Minnesota-Crookston, wasn't aware that he was approaching a school record for points until the opportunity was staring him in the face.

"I had made three three-pointers in a row and that put me at 42," he said. "I went to the [free-throw] line with 9 seconds left and I knew the record was 43. That's when it hit me."

Scoring aside, Knickerbocker said more important is how well the Cardinals have been playing recently.

"We got three victories, " he said. That's the thing I'm most excited for."

The junior guard led the Cougars to the championship of the Burnsville Tournament. She had 28 points in a 66-63 win over Rochester Lourdes and 32 points — her sixth 30-point game of the season — in a 64-61 victory over Burnsville.

The senior, a multiple-time athlete of the week, earned another mention with a dominant performance at the MJGA Invite Saturday in Faribault. She won all four events en route to an all-around score of 38.625, the best of the season in Minnesota by nearly a full point.

ADAM HEDIN, Rosemount • wrestling

The junior, who is the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the state at 132 pounds in Class 3A, won the 138-pound title at the 60-team Rumble on the Red in Fargo, N.D. He defeated four-time North Dakota state champ Erik Loepp 3-2 in double overtime in the finals.

In Saturday's Maroon and Gold Invitational at the University of Minnesota, Schilling was the lone two-event winner from Minnesota in the elite Gold Division. He won the 200 freestyle in 1:42.27 and the 500 freestyle in 4:39.64, helping the Skippers to third place.

The sophomore forward paced the undefeated Crimson (15-0-1) to four victories last week, including the championship of the Edina Tournament, scoring five goals and adding four assists.