Labor Day is right around the corner. You know what that means.
But if you don’t, allow me to fill you in — the high school sports season is back, and there’s a lot to be excited about. You have Week 1 of football season, volleyball is back in action, and that’s the tip of the iceberg.
I’ll have my eyes (and physical body) on three events in particular this week. Here’s what I’m looking forward to this week.
Scarlet swing
Mankato West volleyball opens its season Tuesday against Winona. The Scarlets begin at 7:15 p.m. at Dakota Meadows Middle School, not at the high school.
I mean, you could try and watch this match at West High School. I won’t stop you. But you’ll be left disappointed and probably get a few weird looks in the process.
Anyway…
The Scarlets are intriguing to me. Maybe it’s the 1-2 punch on the outside with senior Maleah Grunst and sophomore Alex Barten. Maybe it’s senior setter Courtney O’Connor. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
No matter how you slice it the Scarlets won’t have much problem generating offense and making the ball bounce off the floor. It’s like when Daunte Culpepper had Cris Carter and Randy Moss to throw the ball to.
But what is West going to look like defensively? That’s where the intrigue lies.
The question isn’t whether West will have someone emerge defensively. It’s way too talented for that question to exist. The question is who will emerge.
We’ll find the first clues to that answer Tuesday.
Running it back
Cleveland volleyball claimed its first section title and trip to state last season. The Clippers’ roster in 2025 had no seniors. Everyone returns to run it back.
I’ve seen teams in that scenario before. The teams that get that magic balance in their classes where this situation arises. But never in my career have I had a team in my coverage area with this scenario and this much talent.
Setter Jocelyn Kortuem recently eclipsed 1,000 career assists. She’s a junior. Senior Melia Sathoff is on the verge of 1,000 career kills and is probably on her way to career records from the service line.
The Clippers have Sleepy Eye rolling into town at 7 p.m. Thursday. It’s the perfect time to take a trip to Cleveland for the first time.
Nice puppies, kitties
Last season’s Week 1 game for Mankato East saw me venture out to Owatonna and its facility which trumps a lot of college facilities back in Michigan. The Cougars claimed that win 28-7, handing the Huskies their first loss at what former editor Joe Spear called Owatonna’s “Taj Mahal.”
The Cougars and Huskies collide again Week 1, this time at East’s Wolverton Field (7 p.m. kickoff). You’ll catch me there, this will also be my first trip to Wolverton for a football game.
But what intrigues me about East, may you ask? Well, how do they replace another loaded senior class?
Six graduates are off playing college football this season. I don’t care what program you are, that’s going to hurt for a little while.
At the same time though I’m not doubting this group in the slightest. I’m intrigued beyond belief to see how these new and returning faces handle the pressure.
I’m intrigued to see how Brady Valberg carves his own path at left tackle. I’m intrigued to see what kind of step forward junior quarterback Kellen Willaert takes. I’m intrigued to see what kind of season senior Blake Kamphoff can have.
That journey starts Friday.
Mitch Vosburg is a multi-time award-winning sports writer and photographer who proudly serves as sports editor for The Free Press. He can be reached at mvosburg@mankatofreepress.com. Follow him on X (@realmitchvburg) and on Instagram (@themantheycallmitch).