Sports

A dominant first-half performance lifted the Vermilion Ironmen to victory Sept. 25 at Brainerd.<BR><BR>The community college football team built a 23-0 lead in the first half and cruised to a 30-14 win over Central Lakes, ending a two-game losing skid and evening its record at 2-2.<BR><BR>“We needed that one badly,” said Vermilion Head Coach Keith Turner.

The odds were stacked against the International Falls Broncos Tuesday afternoon.<BR><BR>Not only did they face an Ely high school girls swimming and diving team that was undefeated in dual meets, but their foes were celebrating Fall Homecoming with a festive atmosphere at the Ely pool, including a hallway performance by the high school pep band.<BR><BR>The Broncos never had a chance.<BR><BR>Backed by an enthusiastic home crowd, Ely won seven of the first eight events and finished with nine firsts overall in a 61-41 decision over International Falls.<BR><BR>The Wolves maintained their perfect (4-0) mark in dual meets and had a string of dominant performances.<BR><BR>Seniors Angie Mackie, Marlayna Whiting and Ali Schulze all won two individual events apiece.<BR><BR>“We’re 4-0 and we’re moving,” said Ely Head Coach Nancy Smrekar. “We are just swimming very well right now. We’ve got depth and we’re proud of it.

As several scoring opportunities went by the wayside, so did the Ely Timberwolves’ hopes for an upset win at Nashwauk-Keewatin.<BR><BR>The high school football team didn’t reach the end zone until the final minute of the Sept. 25 Polar Conference contest. By then, it was too late and the Spartans were on their way to a 23-6 victory.<BR><BR>Ely (1-3) turned the ball over on downs three times in N-K territory, twice inside the Spartan 10.<BR><BR>That doomed the Wolves, whose defense contained the Spartans after the hosts jumped out to a 13-0 first quarter lead.<BR><BR>“Take away the first quarter and I thought we played three very good quarters of defense,” said Ely Head Coach Darren Visser.

The Vermilion Ironwomen came oh-so-close Wednesday night.<BR><BR>Winless since the 2002 season, the community college volleyball team nearly broke into the victory column at Hibbing.<BR><BR>The Ironwomen won two of the first three games of the Northern Division match before the host Cardinals rallied to take the five-game marathon.<BR><BR>Scores were 24-30, 30-10, 28-30, 30-14, 15-8.<BR><BR>Vermilion fell to 0-5, but won its first games of the season and had its best overall performance, despite the early loss of Ely freshman Gena Jerich.<BR><BR>“Gena went down early in game one with an ankle injury and did not return,” said VCC Head Coach Mandy Jelinek.

Ely’s high school volleyball team may be rounding into midseason form.<BR><BR>The Timberwolves won five of six matches last week, finishing second in a Sept. 18 tournament at Cromwell and scoring impressive home sweeps over Iron Range rivals Mesabi East and Chisholm.<BR><BR>Ely battled back from a slow start, rallied in both the first and second games and swept Mesabi East 25-23, 25-21, 25-12 Thursday at the high school gymnasium.<BR><BR>Exchange student Rafaela Cavalcante led the way with 10 kills and four ace serves, and Ely (8-4) had an efficient performance, especially in the third game.<BR><BR>“Our passing was a little off in the first two games, but we had excellent passing in the third game of the match,” said Ely Head Coach Mindy LaTourell. “It really made the difference.

A wet and muddy course slowed down the Ely Timberwolves, but not enough to stop them from picking up another victory.<BR><BR>Ely made it three-for-three for the 2004 high school girls cross country season by winning the Class A team title at Tuesday’s Hibbing Invitational.<BR><BR>Casey Sovil and Jenna Klein finished third and fourth overall, respectively, while five other Wolves were among the top 20 finishers.<BR><BR>“It was a good race,” said Ely Head Coach Jayne Dusich. “It was more of a race this time, not a run, and we did very well even though we had four people with colds and it was kind of damp.”<BR><BR>Steady rains prior to the meet resulted in a soggy course and less than ideal conditions.<BR><BR>“You wouldn’t believe how muddy it was,” said Dusich.

They moved the ball. Their defense was sound. Opportunities were numerous.<BR><BR>But all the Vermilion Ironmen had to show for their Sept. 18 home matchup with Ridgewater was a disappointing loss.<BR><BR>The visiting Warriors kept the community college football team out of the end zone until the final quarter and held on to win 15-7.<BR><BR>The Ironmen fell to 1-2 and misfired on several chances to take control of the game.<BR><BR>Vermilion amassed nearly 400 yards of total offense, but didn’t score until a fourth-quarter throw from quarterback Lenny Serfling to Irvin Bethea.<BR><BR>“There were too many inconsistencies, missed assignments,” said Vermilion Head Coach Keith Turner. “Defensively we played very tough and the kids are getting after it. I attribute that to sophomore leadership on that side of the ball.

Ely’s high school football team broke out of an early-season scoring slump in style, racking up 41 points and hammering Carlton for Ely's first win of the fall.<BR><BR>The Timberwolves’ 41-15 blowout of the winless Bulldogs was even more lopsided than the final score indicated.<BR><BR>Ely scored 35 unanswered points from late in the first quarter until early in the fourth, and the hosts’ second and third stringers saw extensive action in the final stanza of the Sept.

Ely’s high school girls cross country team faced some of the best competition in northeastern Minnesota at Thursday’s Virginia Invitational.<BR><BR>The Timberwolves were more than up to the challenge.<BR><BR>Paced by a second-place finish by Casey Sovil, Ely won the Class A division and was second overall among 19 schools.<BR><BR>It was the second straight Class A win for the Wolves, the defending Section 7A champions.<BR><BR>“That was a surprise,” Ely Head Coach Jayne Dusich said after the meet. “I was thinking we’d do well, but you never know. The times were fast and everybody did real well.”<BR><BR>Sovil, an individual state meet qualifier last fall, continued to shine for the Wolves.

A late rally fell just short as the Ely Timberwolves lost for the second time in as many games.<BR><BR>Cook County held off the high school football team down the stretch and won the Sept. 10 game 14-6, spoiling the high school football team’s home debut.<BR><BR>Ely’s offense sputtered for most of the contest but junior Steve Milkovich gave his team - as well as most in a crowd of about 550 fans at Ely School Stadium - a second-half jolt.<BR><BR>Milkovich’s 82-yard kickoff return put the Timberwolves on the board and ignited hopes for a comeback.<BR><BR>The Ely defense stiffened in the final quarter, but the hosts couldn’t capitalize on three separate chances to score.<BR><BR>Their best opportunity ended midway through the fourth quarter.