Sports

by Tom Coombe
Ely’s high school softball team may be peaking at exactly the right time.
The Timberwolves have rattled off six straight victories and are heading into this week’s section playoffs with a full head of steam.
Seeding won’t be determined until the weekend, but it’s likely that Ely will be seeded second or third in the north half of Section 7A and host a playoff game at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the high school softball field.
Little more than a week ago, the Wolves were at the .500 mark and had given up runs in bunches, but their pitching settled in and the bats have warmed, leading a streak that has resulted in an 11-5 record.
The biggest win in the stretch was probably the first: a 5-2 upset at Class AA power Eveleth-Gilbert on May 9.
Junior pitching ace Erika Mattson had pinpoint control.
She didn’t walk a batter while going the distance and scattered seven hits, while getting the benefit of solid defense.

by Tom Coombe -

AT THE STICK IT to Cancer hockey tournament held at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine. Money raised went to the Masonic Cancer Center at the U of MN. Ely Chix with Stix won its division and played for #TeamZeke
Team pic: Back left to right. Chris Urbas, Anna Urbas, Tiffany Zemke, Joni Dahl, Jody Popesh, Reena Stage, Jess Edberg. Front left to right: Alyssa Nelson, Sarah Jonas, McKenzie Schreffler, Michelle Wagoner, Edie Evarts. Submitted photo.

by Tom Coombe
After gaining all-state acclaim in cross country, it’s only natural to expect that Luke Olson would have an immediate impact in his first season of high school track.
The Ely junior is living up to that billing and then some, helping lead the Timberwolves’ boys team to a victory at Tuesday’s Two Harbors Invitational, held at Esko.
Olson won the 800 meter run, and did so with a sizzling time of 2:02, and fellow juniors Eric Omerza (triple jump) and Nate Nettifee (400 dash) also came home with first-place finishes.
Overall, Ely piled up 110 points, easily topping runner-up Esko and 12 other schools.
“ There were big performances Tuesday, led by Luke Olson’s 2:02 in the 800,” said Ely Head Coach Will Helms. “ His time is the fastest since Adam Shultz’s section and state times from 13 years ago.”
Tuesday marked Olson’s second time in the 800 event, and he outpaced Esko’s Sam Rengo to get the win.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: this week the Echo previews Ely’s baseball and softball teams. Track to be featured next week)

by Tom Coombe -

SNOWFLAKES didn’t stop the VCC baseball team from playing last weekend. Photo by Sylvia Linkert.

For the first time in two years, Vermilion Community College is fielding a women’s softball team.
The Ironwomen are back on the field after a one-year hiatus, with a new head coach and an almost entirely new roster.
Justin Kosik, who also serves as head football coach at VCC, has taken the reins of a softball program that went dark in 2018 because of a lack of participation.
That shouldn’t be a problem in 2019, with a dozen athletes out for the squad, which opened its season in late-March with three nonconference games at the Rosemount Dome, south of the Twin Cities.
Shawna Butler, a former Ely Timberwolf, is one of the newcomers to the VCC lineup while the only holdover from the 2017 team is first baseman/outfielder Lynn Engler.
Others on the team are Ely graduate Maggie Isbell, as well as Jade Evans, Brittany Packer, Meghan Ferrell, Jessica Emmans, Hannah Larson, Ashley Goley, Lauren Huchel, Hanna Peitso and Morgan Schubert.

by Tom Coombe
Patrick Vanderbeek will no longer wear an Ely Timberwolves jersey, but his high school basketball career isn’t quite over yet.
Vanderbeek, who set three-point shooting records during a stellar varsity career in Ely, has been selected to play in the Iron Range Engineering All-Star Games, set for Friday, April 5 at Virginia.
Vanderbeek is one of 32 area seniors who will form four teams for the doubleheader, which will take place on the campus of Mesabi Community College.
Players from Grand Rapids, Greenway, Cloquet, Mt. Iron-Buhl, Crosby-Ironton, Lakeview Christian and state Class A runner-up North Woods will be on Vanderbeek’s team, which takes tot the court at 6 p.m.
They’ll match up against players from Hibbing, Proctor, Cromwell, Cook County, Deer River, Virginia, Mt. Iron-Buhl and Lakeview Christian.

For all but about 20 minutes, the Vermilion Ironmen had a near-perfect day of baseball.
But that 20-minute lull - in a span of more than four hours - cost Vermilion dearly and resulted in a doubleheader split with Northern Division rival Tuesday at Proctor.
After sophomore Lukas Adelman blanked the Norse 10-0 in the opening game, Vermilion blew a 9-3, sixth-inning lead in the nightcap when the Norse sent 12 batters to the plate and tied the score.
Mesabi went on to push across the winning run in the bottom of the seventh and secured the split with a dramatic 10-9 win.
The late-inning meltdown took some of the luster off an otherwise splendid day for the Ironmen, who got superb starting pitching performances from Adelman and fellow sophomore Connor Knettel and ripped 26 hits, including six by freshman Dawson Linkert.

ON THE BENCH - Blake Schaller, Peyton Gregory, Tommy Homer, Owen Brekke and Kaiden Zupancich watch Ty Walker pass the puck in the Pee Wee B State Tournament in Plymouth.

by Tom Coombe -