The year 2020 will likely have its own history textbook when it’s taught in school.
It was a year that started just like any other, then the COVID-19 virus hit in March and everything changed.
The pandemic hit the sports world in the United States on March 11 when the NBA shut down operations.
It then impacted the Minnesota prep sports scene when winter sports shut down right before some of the state tournaments were expected to start.
There were no spring sports in the state of Minnesota, forcing many prep athletes to miss an entire sports season.
Before those shutdowns, there were memorable moments in Rock County.
State tournament appearance
The Luverne girls’ hockey team capped off a memorable season by punching their ticket to the state tournament.
The Cardinals lost in the opening round of the state tournament but still finished the season with a 20-4 record.
Pair of gymnasts appear at state tournament
Luverne’s Amira Cowell and Ella Reisdorfer became the first LHS gymnasts to make a state tournament appearance since 2004.
Cowell earned her trip to the state meet by recording a score of 8.95 on the vault. She placed 38th at the state meet with a score of 8.9375.
Reisdorfer advanced to state by recording a score of 8.1 on the bars. She placed 39th at the state meet with a score of 7.8375.
Perfect H-BC football season
If it weren’t for COVID-19, the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots would have possibly been celebrating a nine-man state championship.
The Patriots cruised to a perfect 7-0 season that was capped off by a section championship victory over Mountain Lake Area.
The Associated Press recognized the Patriots as the top team in nine-man in their final poll of the season.
H-BC dominated each team they faced this season. In seven games the Patriots outscored their foes 338-35.
Rex Metzger, the H-BC head coach, was named Coach of the Year by the Minnesota Vikings. Senior Gavin Wysong was named to the Minnesota Vikings All-State team.
Section champions
If it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, the girls’ cross country team for Luverne would have competed in the state meet.
The Cardinals were one of the most dominant teams in Section 3A all season.
Luverne put an exclamation mark on a strong season by winning the section meet. The Cardinals had three runners finish inside the Top 10.
Tenley Nelson placed fifth at the section meet. Jenna DeBates finished sixth and Brooklynn Ver Steeg finished eighth, giving the Cardinals three runners inside the Top 10.
Comeback for the ages
The Luverne Cardinals football team enjoyed a successful 6-1 season that ended with a section championship.
The most memorable victory in the 2020 season was a 34-28 overtime victory over Redwood Valley.
Luverne and Redwood Valley both entered the Nov. 6 matchup with identical 3-1 records.
Redwood Valley jumped on Luverne early and looked to be the superior team. The visiting Cardinals led Luverne at halftime 21-6.
Luverne outscored Redwood Valley 28-7 in the second half and overtime period to pick up the 34-28 comeback victory.
Title game appearance
For the first time in 40 years, the Luverne girls’ basketball team reached the subsection championship.
The title game against Windom ended with the Eagles breaking Luverne’s heart by hitting a buzzer-beater to defeat the Cardinals 54-52.
The Cardinals return a strong group of players from last year’s No. 1 seed team and could be in store for another long postseason run in 2021.