Legacy Christian Academy

Baseball:

For the first time since 2017, baseball won the MCAA conference title only losing ONE conference game. With a record of 15-5, it was the best spring in the win-loss column in 5 years. The coaching staff was very pleased with the boys’ performance this year, and we are excited to continue working with them through the summer (via Legion Baseball) to prepare for 2023.

2022 Baseball By The Numbers:

1 MCAA Conference Championship Title
5 All-Conference Players
3 All-Section Players
2 All-State players

Team Strikeouts (pitching) – 232 (2nd in school history and 8th in MN history)

Team BAA – .164 (1st in school history and 3rd in MN history)

Team RBI – 109 (3rd in school history)

Team ERA – 1.76 (4th in school history)

Team SBs – 95 (4th in school history)

Alex Christian ‘23 – 7HRs (1st in school history), 27 RBI (4th in school history)

Drew Albrecht ’23 – 9 multi-hit games

Andrew Price ‘22 – 17 HBP (1st in school history and 3rd in MN history), 84 Ks (4th in school history)

Nolan Lindholm ‘23 – 35 1/3 consecutive scoreless IPs (1st in school history and 7th in MN history), 86 Ks (3rd in school history), 0.91 ERA (4th in school history), 0.81 WHIP (2nd in school history)

Clay Target: Trap Shooting

The Legacy Clay Target team had another successful season finishing 3rd in the conference overall. Cadence Werth ’22 was 3rd for females and Ben Stroyny ’24 came in 2nd for males. Six of our shooters had 25 straight at least once, and Carter McMullin ’26 had 50 straight at the State Championships. Senior Cadence Werth placed 2nd out of all female competitors at the Alexandria tournament.

The team is already looking forward to the next season of breaking clay and continuing to grow this fun sport!

Golf: Girls

The Legacy Girls Golf Team had a successful 2022 season. They not only won the conference but also won the Section 4A tournament earning a birth to the state golf tournament. Emily Brandt ‘24, Raquelle Nelson ‘24, Bri Brandt ‘25, and Miranda Demars ‘22 earned All-Conference and Sondra Melby ‘23 and Kaylyn Otteson ‘22 All-Conference Honorable Mention.

The girls started off their state tournament week by attending the State Golf Banquet in St. Cloud where the Legacy girls’ team was recognized as the Section 4A Academic All-State Team and Raquelle Nelson was named All-State.

The girls came into the tournament ranked #2 but despite adverse conditions shot the lowest round they had posted all year and finished the first day tied for first. Emily Brandt posted a personal best round of 81 to lead the field. Day 2 was exciting and suspenseful. With the state moving to live scoring, fans, coaches, and players could watch the lead change the moment the girls would finish each hole. The girls ended up winning the state by 7 strokes. Emily Brandt finished day 2 with incredible poise, posting the second-best round of her life to win the state tournament individually with a two-day total score of 165. Emily became the 2nd Legacy player in school history to win the state golf tournament individually, and the team win marks the Legacy girl’s 4th State Championship in 10 years.

Congratulations to Miranda Demars, Kaylyn Otteson, Hannah Compton, Sondra Melby, Emily Brandt, Raquelle Nelson, and Bri Brandt on their State Championship season!

Golf: Boys

Despite graduating 5 seniors from last year’s 2nd place State Tournament team, the Legacy boys’ team rebuilt, worked hard, and played well. Ty Nelson ‘26 and Elijah Wade ‘25 earned All-Conference honors, and Even Bovee ‘25 was named All-Conference Honorable Mention. The boys’ team finished their season by placing 3rd in the Section 4A tournament. Ty Nelson shot a personal best 82 on day 2 of the tournament to place 6th individually and advanced to the State Tournament.

Track & Field

The Track & Field 2022 season was a huge success. As we look back on this season, what a year it has been. We have been rained out, blown out by the cold air, snowed out, frozen out, you name it. After all the back and forth scheduling, we were able to have 8 solid track meets. Our goal this year was to change our meets and make sure we experience more challenging competition than in the past years. I don’t think we even thought that the scheduled meets would have as many as 17 teams. Let’s just say the competition this year was much more difficult than last, and we ran with the best of them. Over the course of the year we set 132 personal records, 11 all conference athletes, 9 all conference honorable mention and 12 individuals qualified for the state track meet. We had 3 all-state individuals and 2 all-state relays. As a team we set 5 new school records: girls pole vault, girls 300m hurdles, girls 800m run, girls 4x200m relay, and girls 4x400m relay. Our success continues to come with hard work and growing participation in the program.

Story Credits: Team Coaching Staff

LCA finished their season winning the Consolation Championship against Breckenridge 3-1 taking 5th place at the Class A State Tournament. Congrats to the girls for a great season finishing with a record of 26-7. Congratulations to Tezra Rudzitis who finished her season at the top of the State with 574 kills. She was also voted onto the Class A “All-Tournament” State team with 9 other players. Tezra will be participating in the “All Star” games at Champlin Park, on Saturday, November 20, 2021, featuring all of the All-State players from all classes A-AAAA.

MSHSL Game Summaries

Consolation Championship

Consolation Semi-Final

Quarter Final

MSHSL Tournament Program

In three quick games, the Lions have secured their spot in the Class A State Volleyball Tournament to be held at the Excel Energy Center on November 10-13, 2021.

Lions have received the #3 seed and will host Walker-Hackensack at 7:00 pm on Thursday, November 11 on court #1 at the Xcel Energy Center.

The team is departing for their stay in St. Paul on Tuesday afternoon preceding the State Tournament Banquet that evening.

A pep rally & school send-off is being planned for 1:20 pm Tuesday, November 9. More information being sent once confirmed.

Congratulations Lions!

Section Game Results

Quarterfinal vs. #8 St. Paul Humboldt: 25-6, 25-15, 25-8

Semifinal vs. #5 New Life Academy: 25-13, 25-17, 25-19

Final vs. #2 West Lutheran High School: 25-10, 25-20, 25-13

MSHSL State Volleyball Tournament Schedule

Legacy Athletics is committed to developing programs of excellence. Up until this year, our weight room facility has limited the opportunities student-athletes have to better themselves and their physical fitness. With the new building came a new weight room and new equipment that provides a state-of-the-art experience for our student-athletes. In addition, the Athletic Department created a new role of Head Strength & Conditioning Coach to work with our student-athletes throughout the school year. This individual will work with athletes who are both in and out of season to help them become stronger, faster, more powerful and more confident in their abilities. We are thrilled to announce that George Obitz has accepted this new role and will be serving our athletes beginning November 16th.

“Coach Obitz is going to take our athletic programs to the next level of excellence,” says Athletic Director, Nathan Bellefeuille. “His experience leading his teammates and classmates at the University of Northwestern speaks for itself. Our athletes are going to have opportunities unlike any of the schools in our area and the benefits are going to be exponential for those who take advantage of it. You are going to see faster, stronger and more confident athletes who are engaging in a community of development and commitment. The relationships George will create in his space are going to further the mission of Legacy and help our athletes rise up and be bold in pursuing their relationship with Christ.” Head Baseball Coach, Adam Hill, adds, “I am very excited that we have hired a Strength and Conditioning Coach. After meeting with Coach Obitz and hearing his vision and plan for each program at Legacy, I am confident our athletes are in great hands. I fully believe that the confidence and strength built with George will inevitably transfer from the weight room to the field, court, etc.”

Coach George Obitz says, “I am very excited to get the opportunity to work with athletes and coaches at LCA and thankful the staff put their faith and trust in me to serve the school’s community. Strength and conditioning is an integral part of athletics. My goal is to serve the coaches so they can give their sport-specific duties their full attention and I can take the strength programming off of their hands. The athletes will learn how to train safely and effectively while under my instruction. They will learn to love the weight room and see its benefit in their respective sports. I remember the impact my coaches have had on me throughout my athletic journey and hope to have that same impact on the athletes here at Legacy by being a role model of a servant of Christ. Legacy gives me the opportunity to work in an environment where my faith and passion for training can be integrated together. I love that I can openly talk about who Christ is and who He has called us to be.”

George Obitz has served as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Northwestern for the last three years. He was the lead programmer and trainer for the Mens and Womens Soccer teams as well as the Football team.

Coach Obitz will be working with athletes who are in and out of season Monday-Thursday from 3:30-6:30 pm in the weight room. Watch for announcements from your coaches regarding days and times of training.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 (9th grade) for winning this year’s boys’ volleyball tournament! The freshman boys started Legacy’s annual Takedown Tournament with a 25–18 upset win over the Class of 2023 (Juniors), before an equally impressive 15–11, 15–11 win over the Class of 2024 (Sophomores) to take home the 2021 Takedown Tournament trophy.

While the freshmen boys dominated the upper grades in the official boys’ tournament, they couldn’t quite muster the same decisive victory in the impromptu matchup versus Legacy’s faculty/staff team. In that case, we offer our congratulations to the faculty/staff team who proceeded to overcome the Class of 2025 with a score of 25–12 in this year’s bonus action.

Legacy/PACT Track really showed up at the Section 5A meet held Wednesday, June 9 at St. John’s. This team created an incredible season and culture, cheering each other on and inspiring others!

Reanna Cruz’s first place 2:18.9 finish in the 800m broke the Section meet record that was set in 1982!

In addition to Cruz, the team is advancing to the state tournament in 4×400 boys relay (D.Zoa, C.Johnson, J.Domeyer, T. Rudzitis), 100m Boys (C.Pratt), and 400m Boys (T.Rudzitis).

They will compete at St. Michael-Albertville on Friday, June 18 at 10:00 am (boys) and 3:30 pm (girls).

Full meet results at: MN MileSplit

Boys Golf takes 1st in Section; Girls Golf takes 2nd

Congratulations to both boys and girls golf teams on successful rounds during section competition. Here are the Section 4A Golf Tournament results from Pebble Creek Golf Course in Becker.

Boys – Team: 1st Place – Trent Harrison, Tommy Steffen, Brian Halcomb, Parker Stromquist, Jake Wald, Ty Nelson
– Individuals: 2nd Place – Trent Harrison, 4th Place – Tommy Steffen

Girls – Team: 2nd Place – Miranda Demars, Ari Cimbura, Kaylyn Otteson, Hannah Compton, Raquelle Nelson, Emily Brandt
Individual: 2nd Place – Raquelle Nelson, 3rd Place – Hannah Compton
Individual State Qualifiers: Raquelle Nelson, Hannah Compton, Emily Brandt, Miranda Demars

State Tournament will be held at Pebble Creek Golf Course on June 15th and 16th.

Clay Target: Trap Shooting 1st in Conference

The Legacy Trap Team took 1st place in their conference with 7 of their 15 team members placing in the top 25. This is the first team championship for the program!

On the boys’ team, Ben Stroyny ’23 finished 2nd and Alex Domeyer ’21 finished 4th.
For the girls’ team, Cadence Werth ’22 placed 1st and Jessa Delich ’22 finished in 3rd.

The team travels to Alexandria, MN June 14th for the State Championship.

Baseball and Track & Field are still competing in section tournaments.

Between donations made at the game and several matching-donor gifts, the Legacy Baseball team recently raised more than $3,300 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) during its annual “Strike-Out Cancer” game. The team partnered with Team T.O. for this year’s event. Todd Oakes (T.O.) was the pitching coach for the University of Minnesota for nearly 20 years and his son TJ was a former Legacy Baseball head coach. When T.O. lost his battle to cancer in 2016 it was a sad day, but it is an honor to know that his Legacy lives on through his three sons (who all coach baseball), his wife Terri, and many others. Current head coach Adam Hill writes, “There are things we do in the LCA program that are a direct reflection of T.O.’s impact.”

The game’s ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Russ Bovee, a retired police officer and army veteran who played baseball for the U.S. Army team. Russ is a survivor of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and is now battling the return of prostate and lung cancer. Russ’ son Brian is on the LCA Board and his grandchildren Charlie ’22, Ayla ’24, and Evan ’25 currently attend Legacy. Thank you to those who continue to care for and honor the memory of those whose lives and families have been affected by cancer. No One Fights Alone

Legacy Athletics is delighted to announce that Christina Goodman has been selected as the next head coach for the Lions Girls’ Soccer program. Goodman shared that she is excited to build on the Christ-centered culture of the Girls’ Soccer program stating, “I would like to mentor girls in their walk and help them use the game to build stronger relationships and use talents God has given them to minister to others.” Athletic Director Nathan Bellefeuille shares, “As I watched the JV basketball girls develop over the winter, it was obvious that Coach Goodman knew how to inspire and teach. The girls on the team were not only becoming better basketball players, but you could see their love for the game and for each other grow as the season went on. I know Christina will bring those same qualities to our girls’ soccer program.”

Coach Goodman played soccer and basketball at North Central University. Her passion for coaching grew out of a collegiate injury her senior year that had her sidelined, but not inactive. She saw that time as an opportunity to develop her passion for coaching and to allow sports to be more of a platform to connect and share God’s love for those in need. She was first introduced to the Legacy Lions this past winter when she joined the Legacy Girls’ Basketball staff, assisting with the JV program under Head Coach Kaia Hill. Coach Hill says, “I could not be more excited to have Coach Christina Goodman join the LCA coaching staff as the Head Girls’ Soccer Coach! Coach Goodman brings a contagious energy to our girls’ basketball team and I know she will bring that same energy to the girls’ soccer program. She is passionate about the sport and growing the program, but even more passionate about helping the girls on her team grow to know and love Jesus.”

Outside of coaching, Coach Goodman is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She recently began attending Eagle Brook Church in Wayzata and is looking forward to getting involved within the church. She likes spending time with family, friends and her boyfriend along with staying active in a co-ed soccer club and enjoying the outdoors in her free time.

Please join us in welcoming Coach Christina Goodman to the Lions field in her new role as Head Girls’ Soccer Coach!

Andover, MN — State Tournament Preview 2021

After every win this season, the Legacy Christian Academy boys’ basketball team has celebrated its win at Boston’s. After twenty of these trips, the boys are not done yet. The team now heads to the school’s first-ever boys’ basketball state tournament as the number one seed in the South region of the Class A tournament. They face the #4 seed Hayfield on March 31 at Rochester Mayo High School with tip-off at 4:30 pm.

Before the opening tipoff of the state tournament, the boys took time to think about the legacy that this team has established for the program. Harley Kendall, one of the seven seniors on the team, said that this is the “culmination of all of the team’s hard work.” Coach Nathan Bellefeuille agreed and noted “how committed each player is to the process of establishing our culture and getting better.”

Jake Wald echoed that sentiment when he said that this proves that “hard work pays off.” Wald knows the team has built a strong culture due to each player’s “investment and

dedication” while being serious but having fun and doing everything to build each other up. Those are the hallmarks of Coach Bellefeuille’s system, and the boys have established a culture rivaling any program in the state.

This team has shown the Legacy community the importance of never giving up. Each of these players believed they were a state tournament-caliber team last year, but they could not realize the dream last year due to Covid. After another year of development, they are back, deeper and scarier than last year. Kendall said that he hopes to show the next generation of Legacy basketball players to “work hard and never keep their head low.” Trent Harrison added that he wants people to recognize to “never push yourself so far that you don’t have fun.” This team always seems to enjoy the game of basketball, which is one of the primary reasons they are in the position that they are. The enjoyment for the game of basketball has allowed them to welcome its only new member of the team in the 2020- 21 school year, Micah Strand. The freshman said that he was initially worried about joining a team that had played together for so long but that he fit right in. Strand mentioned that Coach Bellefeuille is “the best coach in the state, and he plugged me in right away and made me feel welcome.”

Charlie Bovee, a junior on the team, focused on how this team has “set the bar for next year.” They are prepared to keep going, and no one expects this to be a one and done in the state tournament. Coach Bellefeuille knows that “the young guys see that it is possible to win and believe they can get there too.” Bellefeuille knows how much hard work it took this team to make it happen, though, and hopes the young guys recognize that as well. To advance this far, “it takes a committed group of players spending time in the gym and the weight room to be the best version of ourself” and that is something that the next group of Legacy players have taken notice of. The Head of School, Jake Mulvihill, says that “Because of who they are as men, and how they play, they have a solid group of passionate and talented basketball players wanting to follow their footsteps over the next few years” that will continue wherever this team leaves off.

Coach Bellefeuille has established a culture of winning and hard work at Legacy, which will help keep the train rolling even after the seven seniors graduate in May. When he took the job, the school was coming off a 2-24 season in 2017-18. Three years later, he has brought them to the state tournament. It’s a remarkable turnaround, and Mulvihill says that Bellefeuille uses the game of basketball to “disciple, transform, and train young men to love Christ and be prepared for their next stage in life. It is rare finding a coach that is so gifted at the X’s and O’s of basketball while caring deeply for the hearts and souls of his players.”

Assistant Coach Adam Hill talks about how the guys have an opportunity to “glorify Christ on a big stage” and to show the state why they play. They want to set a standard for excellence to win on the court and glorify Christ while they are doing it. They understand the intensity of this tournament, but they know that they are competing for something even more significant than a title.

The team cannot wait for the atmosphere and the memories that will come along with a state tournament run. With a potential of three more games on the schedule, the boys plan on taking three more trips to Boston’s to celebrate three victories to finish off the season and bring home the school’s first state basketball championship.