Sports News

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Ashley Haines, Hillsboro’s 6 ft. big time middle hitter, was named to the Class B All-State volleyball team Saturday night in Minot.
Haines and Kendra Leidholm, outside hitter for the Burros, were named to the State Class B All-Tournament team following Hillsboro’s 3-2 win over Kenmare in the final match of the state tourney played at the Minot State University Dome. (more…)

Persistent, aggressive, dominant.
Hillsboro’s wrestling team opened its 2006-07 season with a convincing win over MayPort-CG Tuesday.
The Burros charged to a 53-27 win, giving up two forfeits (12 team points) along the way. (more…)

Led by its senior core of players, Hillsboro won the 2006 Class B state volleyball tournament last weekend in Minot, giving the Burros their second state title in seven years.
The 33-9 Burros won the state championship in an exhausting but exciting five-game match over the Kenmare Honkers Saturday night at the Minot State University Dome. (more…)

When the roar of the crowd subsided, the floor partially cleared, the post-season honors awarded, and the clock nearer the midnight hour than the supper hour, the last team standing was the Hillsboro Burros, North Dakota’s 2006 Class B state championship volleyball team.
In keeping with tradition, the Burros, under first-year coach Jamie Rerick, returned the first place trophy to Region 2. East region teams have won the state Class B volleyball tournament the last 11 years, dating back to 1997.
Thompson has won the state classic four times, MayPort-CG three times, Hillsboro twice, and Langdon and Central Cass once each.
Hillsboro last won the state in 2000. Scott Toenies was the coach of the Burros seven years ago. The 2000 Burros were led by all-state Kinsey Coles.
This year, the Burros, led by all-state Ashley Haines, beat Flasher, Tioga and Kenmare at the state tournament in Minot.
The Burros finished the 2006 campaign with a 33-9 record
For more photos of the state tourney, turn to pages 6 and 7. The Banner’s Sports Page is page 9.

Stronger, faster, more mature.
The faces of the 2006-07 Burro wrestling squad haven’t changed much from last season — but the bodies have.
“The Burro fans can expect a stronger, faster and more mature team than the past years. We should have a full lineup and be one of the most competitive teams in the Region,” promised coach Eric Ptacek. (more…)

State Class B tourney dominated by east region teams

Hillsboro’s state-bound volleyball team left town Wednesday for Minot and the start of the North Dakota High School Class B Volleyball Tournament.
The Burros met Flasher yesterday (Thursday) in the opening round of the tournament. The state Class B title tourney is being played at the Minot State University Dome.
This issue of the Banner was en route to the printer when the Hillsboro-Flasher match was being played.
The winner of the Hillsboro-Flasher match will play the winner of the Lisbon-Tioga match tonight (Friday) at 8 p.m.
Thursday’s earlier matches had Langdon playing Dickinson-Trinity and Edgeley-Kulm battling Kenmare.
The championship round’s third place match will be played tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 p.m.
The Class B title match will be played at 8 p.m. Consolation round matches will be played Friday and Saturday afternoons.
The state Class A tournament is also being played on the floor of the Minot Dome. The Class A title match will start at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Burros are playing in their second state volleyball tournament. The 2000 team won the title, defeating Hazen, 3-0, in the final match played at the Fargo Civic Center. Hillsboro beat Kenmare, 3-2, and MayPort-CG, 3-2 to reach the final.
Hillsboro, the Region 2 entrant this year, is entering the state with a 30-9 record.
Region 2 teams have dominated the state Class B volleyball tournament since 1995. Thompson, the two-time defending state champion, has won five titles in the last 11 years. May-Port-CG has captured three championships (1999, 2001, 2002). Langdon and Casselton have each won once. Add Hillsboro’s 2000 title, and the east has owned the Class B tourney since 1995.
Ashley Haines, the Burros’ 6 ft. middle hitter and the athlete of the year in District 3 and Region 2, has accumulated 338 kills this year. She’s also second on the team with 33 serve aces.
Senior setter Mary Huotari is the team’s leader in assists, with 532. Laura Schumacher has 208 assists. Kendra Leidholm has 53 serve aces, the team’s best. Huotari has 47.
The Burros’ Megan Mueller is the team leader in digs with 306. Leidholm is second with 288. Haines has 203 digs and Allison Bertsch 169.
Haines is also the team leader in blocks, with 59. Kristen Eblen has 53 blocks.
Flasher, meanwhile, is playing in its fourth state classic in five years. The Bulldogs, winless in their four state appearances, are led by Christy Gabrielson, who has 723 kills this season. She picked up 93 kills in the Region 5 tournament. The 5-9 senior has 1,893 career kills.
Hillsboro fans and students crowded the high school auditorium Wednesday afternoon for a pep rally. The team left by bus 30 minutes later.
The Hillsboro team and coaches are staying at the Comfort Inn in Minot.
KMAV Radio, Mayville, is broadcasting the Hillsboro matches on its FM station 105.5.