Strong third period helps CL bury Princeton
The Wildcats exploded for five goals in the third period – including three in a row by Jacob Kletti – to shut out the Princeton Tigers 6-0 Thursday, November 20 at Princeton First Bank & Trust Ice Arena. The Wildcats dominated from start to finish, outshooting the Tigers 45-16 for the game. Sophomore goalie Jacob Schaeppi, making his first career start, stopped all 16 shots he faced to pick up the shutout. Kletti scored the game’s first four goals and added an assist, while Max Koch had a goal and assisted on three of Kletti’s goals.
Wildcats get off to blistering hot start
The Wildcat girls’ hockey team has kicked off the 2025-2026 season with four straight wins, the first time they have had four or more straight wins to start off a season since the 2019-2020 campaign.
Koch shines in Elite League
Wildcat senior defenseman Max Koch is the first player from Chisago Lakes High School to be selected to play in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League, a fall league for Minnesota’s top high school hockey players. Koch played for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine team in 2024 and skated for APX this season. Koch was selected to the Elite League all-star team this season, and his Elite White squad played in the International Invitational Tournament two weekends ago at New Hope Ice Arena.
South St. Paul ends ‘Cats season
The second-seeded South St. Paul Packers scored 30 points in the first half and went on to beat the sixth-seeded Wildcat football team 30-10 in the semifinals of the Section 3AAAA tournament Saturday, October 25 at South St. Paul High School. The loss ended the 2025 season for the Wildcats.
Wildcats play SSP tough, but fall to 1-6 on the year
Trailing 14-7 at halftime against South St. Paul, the Wildcats appeared poised to tie the game after a nice kickoff return by Carter Anderson and a 15-yard penalty for a late hit out of bounds gave the Wildcats the ball at the South St. Paul 40. But the Wildcats managed only four yards on four plays. The Packers’ Jake “Mini-Me” Baldus ran 64 yards for a touchdown on the next play, and the Packers never looked back as they went on to beat the Wildcats 36-20 last Friday, October 10 at Ettinger Field in South St. Paul.
Wildcats lose to previously winless Princeton Tigers
The Princeton Tigers used two touchdown runs of 80 yards or more – one in the first quarter and one in the third quarter – and ate up a lot of clock with a couple of long drives long drives to beat the Wildcats 27-16 last Friday, October 3 at Chisago Lakes High School. It was the first win of the year for the Tigers (1-5), and the Wildcats dropped to a 1-5 record for the season.
AREA SOCCER ROUND UP: Sections begin for teams
Here are results of Tuesday night’s opening round quarterfinal games for section soccer playoffs, along with a look ahead for the two winners, the North Branch Viking boys, and the Chisago Lakes Wildcat girls, who both play tonight.
CL can’t keep momentum going, loses to NSP 33-27
After Wildcat quarterback Kelen Meissner scored with just seconds left in the fourth quarter to cut the North St. Paul Polar lead to 33-28, Polar quarterback Eijah Adzmahe - the star of the game for North St. Paul – recovered the Wildcats’ last ditch onside kick attempt to seal the win for the Polars. The game was played at Polar Field in North St. Paul on Saturday, September 27.
AREA SOCCER ROUND UP: Seasons winding down
The Viking and Wildcat boys’ soccer teams battled to a 0-0 tie last Thursday, September 25 at North Branch. The Vikings lost two away games, 4-1 to Princeton and 5-0 to Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. They will finish up the regular season tonight against Mesabi East Area at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College at 5 p.m. The Wildcats lost 2-1 at home to Zimmerman, and will play their final regular season game at home tonight against Grand Rapids at 6:30 p.m.
Spartans outlast Wildcats to send them to 0-3 start
The tough start continued for the Wildcat football team as they lost 24-16 to the Simley Spartans Friday, September 12 at Chisago Lakes High School. The Wildcats have now dropped to 0-3 for the season.
AREA SOCCER ROUND UP: NB boys having great rebound year
The Wildcat girls’ soccer team won three of four games over the past week to improve their season record to 6-3-2.
Turnovers doom Wildcats as they start 0-2
The Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets (2-0) jumped out to a 14-0 lead and went on to beat the Wildcat football team 42-13 on Friday September 5 at Cambridge-Isanti High School. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 0-2 on the season.
AREA SOCCER ROUND UP: NB girls stay unbeaten
The Viking girls’ soccer team (2-0-4) stayed undefeated this season, tying the Monticello Magic 2-2 on Thursday, September 4 at Monticello.
Wildcats fall flat in first game, lose 52-15 to Pioneers
In the season opener for both teams, the Wildcat football team was crushed by the Hill-Murray Pioneers 52-15 Friday, August 29 at Chisago Lakes High School.
Bulldogs split two non-league games, playoff game vs NB next
Ty Escobedo drove in three runs to lead the Bulldog baseball team to a 7-2 win over the Albertville Anglers in the opening game of the Minnesota Baseball Association District 1B playoffs on Saturday, July 26 at Brennan Field in Hinckley. Jacob Mickelson started and went six innings to pick up the win, and Carson Luxem pitched the final three innings to get the save.
Bulldogs get back on track with three straight wins
Playing at Elk River on Monday, July 14, the Bulldogs ran into a left-handed buzzsaw named Max Loven.
11 inning pitchers’ duel goes to Princeton over the Bulldogs
In the best pitcher’s duel in the Eastern Minny League in at least a decade, the Princeton Panthers scored the only run of the game on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the eleventh inning to beat the Chisago Lakes Bulldog baseball team 1-0 on Friday, June 27 at Mark Park in Princeton. Winning pitcher Cedric Moreno went the distance for the Panthers. In eleven innings allowed no runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out 13. Beau Fandel, who took the loss for the Bulldogs, also pitched a complete game. He allowed one earned run on seven hits, walked six and struck out 15.
BULLDOGS SLAMMING THEIR WAY TO WINS
The Bulldogs pounded out 18 hits as they crushed one of the top teams in the Eastern Minny League, the Hinckley Knights, 15-1 at Brennan Field in Hinckley on Tuesday, June 17. The game was shortened to seven innings because of the ten-run rule. Every Bulldog starter had at least one hit. Beau Fandel went the distance for the Bulldogs. He allowed one earned run on three hits, walked two and struck out 13.
Bulldogs finding their groove at the right time
The Chisago Lakes Bulldogs town baseball team played some of the best teams in the state to get ready for the Eastern Minny League season. Even though they lost all four games, the experience prepared them well. The Bulldogs have started the league season 6-1, including two exciting comeback wins.
‘Cats make a deep push into sections, but run out of gas late
Catcher Kellen Meissner would likely have started the fourth-seeded Wildcat baseball team’s opening Section 7AAA playoff game at home against the fifth-seeded Hermantown Hawks, but the Wildcats’ only other catcher missed the game, so Meissner had to go behind the plate. The Wildcats exploded for six runs in the bottom of the second inning, but Wildcat pitchers allowed multiple runs if five of the game’s seven innings, and the Hawks beat the Wildcats 12-8. The loss sent the Wildcats to the elimination bracket for the section tourney.
Wildcats steal their way to a state berth
Jesa Leritz stole home in the bottom of the tenth inning to give the Wildcat softball team a 2-1 win over the Rock Ridge Wolverines in the Section 7AAA championship game on Thursday, May 29 at North Branch High School. The win sends the Wildcats to their third state tournament appearance in four years. They finished third at state in 2022 and second in 2023. The Wildcats, now ranked second in the state, will play their opening state tournament game at Caswell Park in North Mankato on Tuesday, June 3 at 12:30 p.m.
Girls track team continues to pile up accolades, claiming the Mississippi 8 Conference title
The Wildcats girls won the Mississippi 8 Conference Championship by nine points over second place Monticello. The Wildcat boys came in sixth on their side of things. The girls had four conference champions: freshman Annika Hall in the 800 meters and the 1600 meters, senior Ava Bringgold in the 300-meter hurdles, and freshman Madison Eagle in the discus. The meet was held at Cambridge-Isanti High School last Thursday, May 22.
CL cruises through top half, one win away from state
The Wildcat softball team, who jumped from sixth to third in the state in Class AAA in the latest rankings by the Minnesota High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association, are headed to the Section 7AAA championship game after shutting out third-seeded Rock Ridge 3-0 Tuesday May 27 at Hermantown. Rock Ridge beat Hermantown later on Tuesday in the elimination bracket final, so the Wildcats will face Rock Ridge for the section championship today at 3 p.m. at North Branch High School. If the Wildcats win, they will head to the state tournament, to be held June 3-5 at Caswell Park in North Mankato. Their opening game would be Tuesday, June 3 at 12:30 p.m., and their schedule after that will depend on whether they win or lose their opening game. The Class AAA championship game will be played at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 6 at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on the University of Minnesota Campus.
‘Cats finish strong, earn top seed and advance
The top-seeded Wildcats opened the Section 7AAA Tournament with a 10-0 win over eighth-seeded Duluth Denfeld Tuesday, May 20 at Chisago Lakes High School. Beating section opponents Hermantown and Rock Ridge last week solidified the Wildcats’ seeding at the top of the section. The win sends the Wildcats to a winner’s bracket game today at Braun Park in Cloquet today at 10 a.m., with the opponent yet to be determined at our publication deadline. A loss would give the Wildcats another game in the elimination bracket today at Braun Park. If Wildcat move on from the games at Braun Park, they will play at Hermantown next Tuesday in one of the two brackets. The section championship game or games will be held at North Branch High School on Thursday, May 27.
Chisago Lakes bests Mankato West, crowned Scarlet Invite champions
The Wildcats won all three of their games at the Wiest Mankato Scarlet Invitational last Saturday at Caswell Park in North Mankato to claim the tournament championship.
Hunters chase down Wildcats
The Duluth Denfeld Hunters broke open a close game with six runs in the bottom of the fifth and beat the Wildcats 8-2 Friday, April 18 at historic Wade Stadium in Duluth. Zander Bleymeyer started and took the loss for the Wildcats.
Offensive explosion gives ‘Cats convincing 10-3 win over North Branch that moved them to 6-1
Jess Dittel went 4-for-5, scored four runs, drove in two and stole three bases from her spot at the top of the order to lead the Chisago Lakes Wildcats to a 10-3 win over the North Branch Vikings at North Branch High School. The Wildcats, who pounded out 18 hits, scored in every inning but the first, and put the game out of reach with a four-run seventh inning. Makenna Thorsen went the first six innings to pick up the win. She allowed three runs – two earned – on six hits, walked one and struck out two. Anna Zaruba saw her first action as a pitcher this season, pitching a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning. Alyssa Rediske went all the way for the Vikings and took the loss.
After a tight start to the game, Chisago Lakes ran away with an 8-3 win over North Branch
Trailing 3-1 after four innings, the Chisago Lakes Wildcat baseball team scored seven runs in the final three innings to beat the North Branch Vikings 8-3 on Tuesday, April 15 at North Branch High School. Lucas Weinzetl started and picked up the win for the Wildcats, allowing three runs – two earned – on four hits. He walked seven and struck out seven. Lucas Goggin started for the Vikings. Ethan Thorsen pitched just 2/3 of an inning but took the loss for the Vikings.
Trio of former CL teammates thriving on college hockey’s biggest stage
In 2021, senior Jenna Lawry and juniors Dani Burgen and Dani Brunette led the Wildcat girls’ hockey team to its highest finish ever. The Wildcats beat Mound-Westonka 4-3 in the opening round of the state tournament and lost 6-0 to Gentry Academy in the semifinals. The third-place game was not played that year due to pandemic-related restrictions. Lawry graduated and went to Division 1 University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) in the fall of 2021. The three players were reunited when Burgen and Brunette followed Lawry to UMD the next year.
Franconia Township notes...
The Franconia town meeting was held at the Franconia Town Hall March 11. Highlights included updates on several road projects to take place over the next three years, including the roundabout at Highways 243 and 95, the road rebuild on 240th Street (the border between Franconia Township and the City of Scandia), the replacement of the bridge between Franconia Township and Osceola, and the relocation of the intersection of Highway 95 and Pleasant Valley Road (CR 26).
Logan Bender crowned heavyweight champ again
Senior Logan Bender had a scary medical incident near the end of the first period of his championship match at last Saturday’s state championship match against senior Samuel Winkels of Austin but recovered and went on to beat Winkels 5-1 to claim the Class AA state title at 285 pounds for the second year in a row. Bender is only the third Wildcat wrestler to win a state title, and he is the first one to win two state titles. Seniors Connor Frederixon and Conner Aspenson both lost the two matches they wrestled in the tournament and did not place.
Chisago Lakes wins instant classic over Princeton; earns top seed in section
Junior Jacob Kletti’s laser beam from 40 feet out into the top right corner of the net with 1:09 left in overtime gave the Wildcats a 5-4 win over the Princeton Tigers in the Wildcats’ final home game of the 2024-2025 season. An aside –this reporter has watched hundreds of high school hockey games over the past 20-plus years, and this is one of the most exciting and most entertaining games I have ever seen. There was end-to-end action the entire game, nearly 100 combined shots on goal, great saves by both goalies. For Wildcat fans who were lucky enough to be there, a fantastic way to end the home season with a comeback win as the Wildcats head for the section playoffs.
Wildcats hang with top seed early, run out of gas late
The Wildcats scored first in their Section 4A semifinal matchup against the fourth-ranked Holy Angels Stars and trailed just 2-1 late in the third period. But the Stars added an insurance goal with just over five minutes remaining and went on to beat the Wildcats 4-1, ending the Wildcats’ season. The game was played Tuesday, February 11 at Richfield Ice Arena.
CL wins one before bowing out to Simley
The eighth-seeded Wildcat wrestling team defeated the ninth-seeded St. Paul Humboldt-Open World Learning 39-30 in the opening round of the Section 4AA Team tournament on Saturday, February 15 at Mahtomedi High School.
Wildcats draw fifth seed in section play; take on Mpls.
Lauren Schmidt notched her second hat trick of the season to lead the Wildcat girls’ hockey team to a 5-1 win over the River Lakes Stars Tuesday, January 28 at Chisago Lakes Arena. The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, scoring three goals in a two-minute stretch in the first period, and never looked back. The Wildcats outshot the Stars 30-27 for the game. Wildcat goalie Evi Reedy came up big in this one, stopping 26 of the 27 shots she faced.
‘Cats establish themselves in sectional games with three wins
Jacob Kletti scored two power play goals in the third period to give the Wildcats a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Mahtomedi Zephyrs at the St. Croix Rec Center in Mahtomedi Tuesday, January 28. Wildcat special teams were key to this win, as the Wildcats killed off all four penalties they incurred while scoring on three of their six power play opportunities.
Chisago Lakes loses both home wrestling triangulars; Osceola next
The Wildcats hosted two triangulars last week, on Tuesday, January 28 and Thursday, January 30. The Wildcats lost all four of their duals in the two triangulars by remarkably similar scores.
NB WRESTLING
The Vikings lost both of their duals at the St. Francis Triangular on Thursday, January 30. They fell to the hosts 53-24 and lost to the Monticello Magic 39-36. Jack Baker (114) pinned both of his opponents, and Nicholas Andreotti (133), Aydan Loren (215) and Moses Ochoa (285) were all 2-0 for the evening. The score in the Mahtomedi match is a bit deceiving. The Zephyrs had a 39-6 edge in contested matches, with Jack Baker’s pin being the only points scored for the Vikings. But the Zephyrs forfeited at five weights to give the Vikings their other 30 points.
Chisago Lakes winding down regular season
The Wildcat girls’ hockey team and the Northern Tier Stars skated to a 4-4 overtime tie Wednesday, January 22 at Chisago Lakes Arena.
Wildcats win defensive battle with Pine City
Goalie Brett Hanson allowed just one goal on 27 shots and Max Bobrowski and Jacob Kletti gave the Wildcat boys’ hockey team just enough offense to beat the Pine City Dragons 2-1 last Thursday, January 23 at Pine City High School.
Wildcat grapplers score last 12 points to upend Irondale
The Wildcats participated in the Irondale Team Tournament last Thursday, January 23. They opened with a 60-16 loss to Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. In their next dual, the Wildcats lost to Ogilvie 45-27. In their final match of the day, the Wildcats beat tournament hosts Irondale 37-34 to claim seventh place.
Vikings sweep home tri
The Viking wrestling team won both of its duals at the North Branch Triangular, held last Thursday, January 23 at North Branch High School. The Vikings beat St. Croix Lutheran 62-10 and bested Somerset, Wisc. 51-18. Even without the benefit of forfeits, the Vikings would have come out on top in both duals. They won 38-10 over St. Croix Lutheran in contested matches. The score against Somerset was a lot closer, but the Vikings prevailed 21-18 in contested matches.
Bender triumphs in clash of heavyweight titans
The senior defending Class AA champ locked horns with two-time Class A heavyweight champion Keegan Kuball of W-E-M and came out on top 4-1
The Wildcats lost both of their duals at the Cambridge-Isanti Triangular Thursday, January 16. They fell 65-6 to the hosts and 58-18 to St. Francis. The only Wildcat wrestler to get points against Cambridge was Logan Bender, ranked first in the state in Class AA at 285 pounds. He pinned Brady Anderson, ranked eighth in the state in Class AAA, at 1:44. Connor Frederixon (215) lost by a 5-3 decision to Jacob Henderson, ranked sixth in the state in Class AAA. And Conner Aspenson (114) also faced a top ten Class AAA wrestler, eighth-ranked Wyatt Wald. Wald won by technical fall over Aspenson, 17-1 at 2:35. Against St. Francis, those three wrestlers accounted for all the Wildcat points. Frederixon and Bender won by forfeit, and Aspenson (114) pinned Landon Borgen.
Wildcats put a scare in top ranked Monticello, but lose in OT
Wyatt Garvey of the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets scored at 11:55 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie, and the Bluejackets hung on to beat the Wildcat boys’ hockey team 3-2 on Tuesday, January 14 at Isanti Ice Arena. The Wildcats dominated the game, outshooting the Bluejackets 44-27. But Bluejacket goalie Jason Sibell stood on his head, stopping 42 of the 44 shots he faced.
Packers blank Chisago Lakes
Having played two ranked teams out of their previous three games, things didn’t get any easier for the Wildcat girls’ hockey team when they hosted the unranked South St. Paul Packers (17-6) on Tuesday, January 14 at Chisago Lakes Arena. The Packers shut out the Wildcats 2-0. They scored midway through the first period to take a 1-0 lead, and added an insurance goal midway through the second period. The Packers outshot the Wildcats 34-22 for the game. The Wildcats outshot South St. Paul 8-6 in the third period as the Packers didn’t take a lot of chances with a 2-0 lead. Both goalies played well. Packer freshman goalie Reagan Tracy, who has played every game for the Packers this season, stopped all 22 shots she faced. Senior Evi Reedy stopped 32 of 34 shots for the Wildcats.
‘Cats hang 16 goals up in two blowout wins
The Wildcat boys’ hockey team scored four times in a five-minute stretch in the first period and went on to shut out the Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars 8-0 Tuesday, January 7 at Richfield Ice Arena. Max Koch, Ben Kerkow, and Max Bobrowski each had three assists for the Wildcats. Jacob Kletti, Austin Slettom, and Landon Kerkow scored two goals apiece. Alex Bever and Bobrowski each scored once. Kletti had two assists to go along with his two goals. And picking up one assist apiece were Colton Whiterabbit, Bever, and Slettom. The Wildcats came bursting out of the gate, outshooting the Star 16-5 in the first period. They went on to have a 34-21 shot advantage for the game. Corbin Shandley stopped all 21 shots he faced to pick up the shutout.
CL grounded in triangular
The Wildcat grapplers took part in the Monticello Triangular last Friday, January 10. They fell 65-10 to Becker, ranked seventh in Class AA, and lost 69-18 to Monticello. Connor Frederixon (215) pinned Deegan Schmidt of Becker at 2:53 and won by forfeit against Monticello. Frederixon, 16-2 overall this season, is riding a 12-match winning streak. William Naatz (285) was the only other Wildcat wrestler to win both of his matches. He won by a 14-4 major decision over Aiden Goley of Becker and pinned Bradley Peterson of Monticello at 4:17. And Lucas Yang (127), after being pinned by Boston Kuschel of Becker six seconds before the end of the first period, came back to win by fall over Jaron Swanson of Monticello at 1:22.
Two tough teams send CL to losses
Mckenzie Perry scored four goals to lead Delano/Rockford to a 6-2 win over the Wildcats girls’ hockey team on Tuesday, January 7 at the Delano Area Sports Arena. Perry scored twice in the first period as Delano took a 3-0 lead. Joee Westland scored a power play goal at exactly the halfway point of the second period, assisted by Allie Smothers and Nora DeVries, to cut the Delano lead to 3-1. But Delano responded with a power play goal of their own just over a minute later to stretch their lead back to three goals. Kali Hanson next scored a shorthanded goal a minute later to cut the Delano lead to 4-2. Lexi Smothers got the single assist on Hanson’s goal. But Perry put one in the back of the net with 54 seconds left in the second period to earn her hat trick and increase the Delano lead to 5-2. Perry added her fourth goal of the game in the third period to make the final score 6-2.
Wildcats can’t overcome second-ranked Dodge County
The Wildcats girls’ hockey team played the second-ranked Dodge County Wildcats for the second time in a little over a week, and the results weren’t much different from the first meeting. Chisago Lakes put up a good fight but found it difficult to score goals and were shut out 4-0. Dodge County outshot Chisago Lakes 40-16 for the game. Chisago Lakes goalie Evi Reedy performed well, stopping 36 of the 40 shots she faced.
Familiar name spoils New Years Eve showdown for CL
Chisago Lakes Arena featured fireworks on New Year’s Eve, well before midnight, as the Wildcat boys’ hockey team tangled with local rivals, the Forest Lake Rangers. Five times, one of the teams scored to take a one-goal lead, and all five times the other team scored to tie the game. But early in the third period, the Rangers scored to take another one-goal lead and the Wildcats did not respond.
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