Prep athletes of the week

The junior is the epitome of a captain.

"Simone does it all, and all for the benefit of the team," Lakeville North coach Josh Linde said. "She is a great example of doing whatever it takes to help the team succeed."

Kolander has been instrumental in the Panthers' climb in the state rankings to No. 1 in Class 2A. They weren't ranked in the Top 10 in the coaches association preseason poll.

The daughter of former Gophers basketball player Chad Kolander is the Panthers' leading scorer (16 goals and 24 assists in 14 games). They are 12-0-2 this season.

"She is leading the state in assists while playing in the toughest [South Suburban] conference in the state," Linde said. "The only reason she is not leading the state in goals is due to double- and triple-teams she deals with on a regular basis."

The Division I recruit had her first hat trick of the season in a 7-0 victory over Mayo. She has eight goals in her past five games.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Kolander moved to goalie in the Panthers' most recent game, a 0-0 tie with No. 7 Eagan, when their starter was injured.

The senior running back scored three consecutive touchdowns on four offensive plays in the Lakers' 30-13 victory over Bloomington Kennedy. Kaiser scored on runs of 39, 59 and 51 yards. He finished the night with 303 yards on 24 carries.

The sophomore posted the fastest time of all the girls in the field at the Swain Invitational in Duluth. Flanagan covered the 4,000-meter course in 14 minutes, 52.9 seconds en route to the Class A title. She was coming off a third-place finish in the Roy Griak Invitational.

The senior attacker scored all five goals, including one on a penalty kick and another on a header, in a 5-1 victory over Park Center. Gross has 15 goals and seven assists this season.

With first place on the line in the Tri-Metro Conference, the junior hitter had 12 kills in 24 attempts with only one error and 19 digs as the Blazers swept Minnehaha Academy in three games.

Johnson, a senior running back/defensive end, was all over the field in helping the Minutemen move a step closer to winning the St. Paul City Conference title. He rushed 16 times for 205 yards and four touchdowns, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in a 40-0 victory over Johnson.