A tattoo of hands clasped in prayer is needled to the outside of Will Kalberg-Taylor's left arm. He added "Mom" to the underside of the same arm recently, fresh ink for a fresh wound.
Kalberg-Taylor, a senior football player at Minneapolis Southwest, lost his mother, Tammy Kalberg, in August three days before the start of the season. He already had decided to play football after a four-year hiatus, unsure of what he could offer and never imagining how much he would need the support of teammates.
Everything came together in the Lakers' season-opening victory over Minneapolis Edison. The Tommies' first drive into Lakers territory ended with a Kalberg-Taylor interception and 84-yard touchdown return. After scoring, Kalberg-Taylor touched his new tattoo in tribute.
"I think she set it up," Kalberg-Taylor said of his mother. "On offense you get the ball, defense you don't. But the ball came to me. I think it was set up for me."
Kalberg-Taylor said playing football gives him a welcome mix of support and distraction. Football coach John Biezuns recruited Kalberg-Taylor, a starting point guard on the boys' basketball team, for two years before the young man accepted. Though he last played football in eighth grade, Kalberg-Taylor said he believed the sport would pay dividends on and off the field.
"I just wanted to try it because I didn't want to do anything stupid," Kalberg-Taylor said. "I knew I wouldn't but it's better to be playing and practicing instead of walking around and not having anything to do and then have something bad happen."
Abuzz in the poolEdina won 10 of 12 events last weekend at the 15-team girls' swimming and diving Minneapolis South Invitational to take the team crown by 133 points over Stillwater.
Nikki Larson and Madeleine Eden each had a hand in four victories for the Hornets. Larson won the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke events and was also on the winning 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle events while Eden won the 100 butterfly and the 500 freestyle events in addition to being part of the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Heather Laedtke was also part of two winning relays and picked up a third victory in the 200 individual medley. She was also second in the 100 breaststroke behind teammate Olivia Anderson.
