Prep athletes of the week: Adapted hockey player's five goals sparks title

Hamann led a furious comeback for North Suburban in the adapted floor hockey championship game in the cognitively impaired division. The junior forward helped erase a three-goal deficit to Anoka-Hennepin with five goals of his own, ensuring a 10-7 victory and North Suburban's second consecutive championship.

Cougars coach Deb Kline said Hamann was phenomenal all season, routinely scoring six or seven goals per game. Despite trailing for much of the championship on Saturday, North Suburban (16-0) was dominant all season. Behind Hamann's leadership, the Cougars finished the year with an impressive 181-28 goal differential.

The 6-2 senior guard paced the surprising Huskies to the Class 4A, Section 7 championship. Rezac scored 19 points in the seventh-seeded Huskies' 74-71 victory over No. 3 seeded Coon Rapids in the semifinals, and then scored 24 in the Huskies' 63-53 victory over top-seeded Forest Lake for a state tournament berth. The Huskies outlasted No. 2 seed Blaine in overtime on March 9 in the section quarterfinals as Rezac scored 14 points.

Earlier this season, Orono coach Lavesa Glover-Verhagen called the 6-1 senior center "one of the best natural rebounders I've ever seen." Smaron proved that by averaging a double-double — 12.7 points and 11.7 rebounds — over three state tournament games as the Spartans won the Class 3A championship.

The 6-foot senior forward was the Elks' best all-around player in their march to the Class 4A state championship. In three games, Wentland scored 39 points, grabbed 23 rebounds, dished out 14 assists, blocked seven shots and made five steals. Wentland will play Division I basketball at the University of Denver.

The 6-6 senior forward finished with 43 points in an 82-76 victory over Watertown-Mayer in the Class 2A, Section 5 semifinals. He followed up with 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Cardinals defeated Breck 74-60 to advance to the Class 2A state tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

JIM PAULSEN