Joe Nordstrom
Elk River • football
One year ago, Nordstrom was in street clothes on the Elk River sideline, waylaid by the recurrence of a childhood condition characterized by low levels of platelets in his blood that can cause excessive bruising and bleeding.
On Friday, the 5-11, 200-pound senior running was back doing was he does best: Running past, and occasionally over, opposing defenses. He rushed 21 times for 329 yards and scored on runs of 80, 79, 34 and 6 yards as the Elks outlasted Buffalo 46-37.
"It was pretty tough to watch last year, with all your buddies out there," Nordstrom said. "I just had to remember the blessings I had and keep fighting."
Three of Nordstrom's touchdowns came in the second half when the Elks were clinging to razor-thin leads. They would not have happened, he said, without the Elks' precision blocking and deft fakes, two hallmarks of their offense.
"You can't have 80-yard runs without great blocking and fakes," he said.
After a season away, Nordstrom said he has a renewed fondness for the game.
"When you love sports as much as I do, you can take it for granted," he said. "I think now, I do appreciate it a little bit more."
NICOLE COPELAND
Edina • tennis
Copeland, the two-time defending Class 2A champ, remained undefeated with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Minnetonka's Sarah Shahbaz as the Hornets defeated the Skippers 4-3 in the finals of the Edina Invitational. "Minnetonka is our biggest competition this year, so I'm super happy," she said.
