FOOTBALL
The Blue Devils (5-2, 2-2 WIAC) will try to make it two in a row, both for the season and over this next week's opponent, UW-La Crosse (3-3, 2-2), Saturday, Oct. 29, at La Crosse. Last week: The Blue Devils routed UW-River Falls, 38-6, Oct. 22. Offensive player of the week: Andy Reese, So, Lodi & Bill Bellingham, Jr, Faribault, Minn; Defensive player of the week: Steve Schils, So, Green Bay (Ashwaubenon); Special teams player of the week: Joe Seep, Sr, Reedsburg & Travis Hoffmann, Jr, Schofield (DC Everest)

VOLLEYBALL
The Blue Devils (16-14, 3-5) will close out the regular season this weekend, Oct. 28-29, at the UW-River Falls Trick-n-Treat Invitational. Stout will play St. Thomas (23-4), UW-Eau Claire (22-3), Bethel University (15-8), and Northwestern College (17-11). Stout will travel to UW-Eau Claire, Tuesday, Nov. 1 for the first round of the WIAC tournament. Last week: Stout went 2-3 on the week, losing 3-1 to UW-Superior, then lost to Hamline and Illinois Wesleyan on the first day of the UW-Stout Tournament, Oct. 21. The Blue Devils bounced back to down Viterbo and the University of Dubuque. Player of the week: Jenny McDermid, Jr, Oconto Falls

SOCCER
The Blue Devils (9-2-3, 4-1-2) will finish the regular season, Tuesday, Oct. 25 at UW-River Falls (10-3-2, 3-3-1) and Friday, Oct. 28 by playing Aurora University (11-6-0) at Breese Stevens Stadium in Madison. Stout will host a first-round WIAC contest, Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. against either the Falcons or UW-La Crosse. Last week: Stout defeated UW-Superior, 2-1, Oct. 18, and tied with UW-Eau Claire, 0-0, Oct. 21. Offensive player of the week: Shannon Hermes, Jr, Prior Lake, Minn; Defensive player of the week: Charla Buxbaum, Fr, Hermantown, Minn.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The Blue Devil women will be at the WIAC Championships, Saturday, Oct. 29 at Nemadji Golf Course in Superior, Wis. Stout was seventh last season. Last week: Stout won three-team Lake Wissota Invitational, Oct. 21. Runner of the week: Krista Jahimiak, So, La Crosse, Wis. (Central)

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The Blue Devil men will be at the WIAC Championships, Saturday, Oct. 29 at Nemadji Golf Course in Superior, Wis. Stout was eighth last season. Last week: Stout won a dual with UW-Eau Claire, Oct. 21 at the Lake Wissota invitational. Runner of the week: Nate Haeny, Jr, Sauk Rapids, Minn.

TENNIS
The Blue Devils (7-5, 2-4) wrapped up the fall season with a fifth place finish at the WIAC Championships, Oct. 22-23 in Madison, their best finish since the 1997 season.

HOCKEY
The Blue Devils (0-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHA, 0-0-0 WIAC) will drop the puck for the first time this season, Friday, Oct. 28 when they travel to Lawrence University in Appleton. Stout will take on NCAA Division II opponent, UM-Crookston, Saturday, Oct. 29 in Buffalo, Minn. Stout will make their first home appearance, Saturday, Nov. 5 against St.Olaf at the newly renovated Dunn County Ice Arena.

Football

BLUE DEVILS LOOK FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN OVER UW-LA CROSSE

In scoring eight points, Larsen catapulted himself from fifth to third on the Blue Devils' all-time scoring list. Larsen, with 169 career points, moved ahead of Kevin McCulley (1997-2000, 163 points) and Steve Burr (1976-79, 162). Larsen now trails only Luke Bundgaard (240, 2000-03) and Scott Frederickson (1986-89, 178) with three games remaining in his Stout career. Seep upped his WIAC-leading punt return average to 18.8 yards.

Last year, Stout never trailed in its 10-point victory at Don & Nona Williams Stadium. Larsen kicked a 19-yard field goal midway through the first quarter to put Stout ahead for good. Stout totaled 560 yards of offense on 88 plays while La Crosse picked up 410 yards on 65 plays. Nick Ohman led the way for Stout, tallying 125 rushing yards on 26 carries and completing 30-of-41 passes for 347 yards. Ohman passed for two TDs and added another on the ground. Wendt caught eight passes for 114 yards. Stout stuffed the Eagles' rushing attack, with Geldernick picking up a team-high 35 yards on 14 carries for La Crosse, but Schumann completed 20-of-37 passes for 327 yards and two scores. Stout won the turnover battle, 6-2.

"Obviously, going down to La Crosse, a traditional powerhouse not only in our conference but in all of (NCAA) Division III, we need to play a really solid football game. We have to execute, not turn the ball over and play well to give ourselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter."

MENOMONIE (October 22, 2005) - By offense, defense and special teams, UW-Stout scored all three ways on their way to a total domination over UW-River Falls, 38-6, Saturday, Oct. 22 at Don & Nona Williams Stadium.

Linebacker Steve Schils (So, Green Bay) opened the scoring for Stout with a 22-yard fumble return to close out the first quarter. Quarterback Tanner Kattre (So, Abbotsford) made his first start and threw his first collegiate touchdowns, both to Jesse Wendt (Jr, Chetek). Kattre ran for 100 yards and was complemented in the running game by Andy Reese (So, Lodi) with 116 yards and a score. Joe Seep (Sr, Reedsburg) returned a punt 69 yards for a score to close out the Stout scoring with three minutes left in the third period.

The Blue Devil (5-2, 2-2 WIAC) defense held the Falcons' vaunted wishbone to 250 yards, more than 50 yards below their average, but the Falcons (2-5, 1-3) ran for 116 yards in the fourth quarter, well after the game was essentially over.

The teams played to a near draw in the first quarter, with Stout throwing an interception early and each team losing a fumble.

But it was the Falcon fumble that turned the tide early towards the Blue Devils. Schils stripped Falcon quarterback Jeremy Wolff of the ball and carried it to paydirt as time ran out in the period.

Evan Larson (Sr, River Falls) booted a 35-yard field goal with seven minutes left in the second quarter. Along with the four extra-points, Larson brought his career scoring totals to 168 moving up to No. 3 on the all-time Stout scoring list.

Reese set up his only touchdown of the day on Stout's next drive, going 47 yards on a 66 yard drive, capping the effort with a 17-yard scamper with three minutes left in the half to give Stout a 17-0 lead at intermission.

Kattre got his first career passing TD in the middle of the third period, hooking up with Wendt on a 15-yard play with eight minutes left.

Rob Weinstein (Jr, Racine) gave Kattre another opportunity a couple of minutes later with his second interception of the game. Weinstein stopped a Falcon threat to end the first half with a bobbling interception deep in Stout territory.

Kattre needed only three plays to score. Reese ran for 16 yards, then Kattre added five yards on a run before connecting with Wendt for a 10-yard play and a 31-0 lead.

The Stout defense - and a River Falls penalty - stopped the Falcons on a three-and-out. Seep took the punt on the Stout 31, cut to his right and broke free down the sideline, following his blocks and shaking off a number of would-be tacklers for Stout's final score.

The Falcons had 133 going into the fourth quarter, and did get their machine in gear, but it was too little, too late.

Nose guard Travis Hoffmann (Jr, Schofield) had an outstanding day for the Blue Devils, racking up five solo tackles, four assisted tackles and a tackle for a loss.

The Falcons finished with 249 yards, all by rush. Jeremy Wolff attempted only three passes, of which two were intercepted by Weinstein. His other pass fell incomplete. The Falcons' Nathan Anderson rushed for a game-high 145 yards on 39 carries

Kattre finished with 100 rushing yards and compled 9-of-13 passes for 66 yards and two scores. Reese carried the ball 20 times for 116 yards. Wendt hauled in nine catches for 63 yards. Stout tallied 236 rushing yards and had 85 passing yards for a total of 321 yards.

Stout will be at UW-La Crosse Saturday, Oct. 29.

Volleyball

BLUE DEVILS GET BACK ON TRACK, EVEN RECORD AT TOURNEY

MENOMONIE (October 22, 2005) - UW-Stout got back on track by winning two matches at the UW-Stout Volleyball Tournament Saturday, Oct. 22 to even their tournament record at 2-2.

After dropping two matches the night before, Stout downed Viterbo University, 30-28, 30-28, 28-30, 31-33, 15-13, then flew by the University of Dubuque, 30-17, 30-14, 30-22.

Jenny McDermid (Jr, Oconto Falls), who was named to the all-tournament team, continued on her torrid pace during the tournament, putting down 21 kills, her third consecutive 20-plus kill match. Linda Meyer (So, Cedarburg) added 15 kills, Sarah McElfresh (Jr, Osceola) 13 and Natalie Naaktgeboren (So, Maple Lake, Minn) 11. Kat Roesler (Jr, Chippewa Falls) and Jenna Welsh (So, Abbotsford) each recorded 35 assists.

The Blue Devils (16-14) took care of Dubuque in three games, thanks to a balanced attack. Shannon Lentz (Fr, West Bend) had nine kills, while Meyer, McElfresh and MdDermid each finished with eight.

Stout will close out the regular season Oct. 28-29 at the UW-River Falls Trick-or-Treat Invitational.

MENOMONIE (October 21, 2005) - UW-Stout dropped two matches in the first day of their own UW-Stout Volleyball Tournament, falling 3-2 to Hamline University and 3-0 to Illinois Wesleyan, Friday, Oct. 21 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Stout (14-14) lost, 26-30, 30-23, 29-31, 30-28, 15-13 to Hamline and 30-26, 30-27, 36-34 to Illinois Wesleyan.

Jenny McDermid (Jr, Oconto Falls) notched a career-high 21 kills against the Pipers, and also had four block assists and two solo blocks. Linda Meyer (So, Cedarburg) finished with 14 kills and 10 digs.

Meyer topped the Blue Devils against Illinois Wesleyan, taking 12 kills and 13 digs.

MENOMONIE (October 14, 2005) - Badly needing a victory over UW-Stevens Point Friday night to prove to itself it could still win in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), UW-Stout earned one with a 3-1 defeat of visiting UW-Stevens Point at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The Blue Devils - who had lost five straight matches against WIAC foes entering the contest - used 65 kills to pound out a 30-21, 28-30, 30-25, 30-24 win over the Pointers. Stout improved to 14-11, 3-4 in the WIAC, picking up its first victory over a league opponent since edging the Pointers, 3-2, Sept. 23 at UW-Eau Claire's Lisa Siegenthaler Memorial Tournament. The Pointers, who lost their fifth straight match despite snapping a 13-game losing streak in the second game, dropped to 11-13, 1-5 in the WIAC.

Stout, which compiled a .233 hitting percentage to Stevens Point's .042 rate of attacking accuracy, got a team-high 16 kills from Linda Meyer (So, Cedarburg), 15 from Natalie Naaktgeboren (So, Maple Lake, Minn), 13 from Lacey Bunkelman (Fr, Chippewa Falls), 11 from Jenny McDermid (Jr, Oconto Falls) and 10 from Sarah McElfresh (Jr, Osceola). Naaktgeboren compiled an impressive .462 attack percentage. Kat Roesler (Jr, Chippewa Falls) dished out a match-high 61 assists.

Meanwhile, Rachel Linbo (Sr, Stewartville, Minn) hustled for 11 digs after being honored by her teammates and coaches prior to the match, which represented the Blue Devils' Senior Night. Linbo is Stout's only senior.

Shelly Maus (12 kills), Callie Kunde (21 assists) and Lori Marten (20 digs) paced Stevens Point statistically.

Soccer

BLUE DEVILS, BLUGOLDS PLAY TO SCORELESS TIE

MENOMONIE (October 21, 2005) - UW-Stout goalkeeper Charla Buxbaum (Fr, Hermantown, Minn) played 10-feet tall as the Blue Devils and UW-Eau Claire played to a scoreless tie, Friday, Oct. 21 at Nelson Field.

Buxbaum made some huge saves late in the game to preserve the tie, notching several key saves in the middle of traffic. Buxbaum finished with 13 saves on the evening, while her counterpart, Liz Weirick, made her share of saves to keep the scoreboard empty.

Weirick finished with 11 saves, and none were as big as shot Stout's Kelly Stolarczyk's (Sr, Elk River, Minn) shot early in the first overtime.

Stout had a another key chance late in the second period when Michelle Lizotte (So, Racine) got loose but her shot was just wide.

The tie keeps Stout (9-2-3, 4-1-2) out of the conference title race with one game remaining. Stout will travel to UW-River Falls Tuesday, Oct. 25. A win over the Falcons, and Stout will host the Falcons in a WIAC quarterfinal match Nov. 1. A loss or tie, and Stout will host either River Falls or UW-La Crosse.

SUPERIOR (October 18, 2005) - UW-Stout (9-2-2, 4-1-1) had plenty to talk about Tuesday evening on its lengthy bus trip home from UW-Superior (8-7-1, 0-7-0) after edging the Yellowjackets, 2-1, in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) make-up game.

To be sure, Blue Devil coach Dave Morris and the team's members probably spent plenty of time congratulating forward Kelly Stolarczyk (Sr, Elk River, Minn), who established a new Stout career scoring mark in increasing her career scoring total to 105 (41 goals, 23 assists). Nellie Sivertson, who scored 44 goals and 16 assists between 1999 and 2002, held the previous mark of 104.

"She has had a great career and she's having a great senior year," said Morris of Stolarczyk, who currently ranks second on the team in scoring with 11 points.

Stolarczyk had a hand in both of Stout's goals in the Blue Devils' 10th straight victory over Superior, assisting a goal netted by Michelle Lizotte (So, Racine) in the game's 16th minute and assisting a score by Shannon Hermes (Jr, Prior Lake, Minn) just under four minutes later. Suzie Kottwitz (Fr, Milwaukee) also earned an assist on Lizotte's goal and Heidi Schultz (Sr, River Falls) also assisted Hermes' score. With her goal, Lizotte improved her team-leading point total to 19 and team-leading goal count to seven. Hermes now has 10 points on the year.

The Blue Devils scored an "own goal" in the 89th minute to account for the Yellowjackets' lone point; however, Morris remained pleased with his team's play, particularly that submitted by the goalkeepers.

Charla Buxbaum (Fr, Hermantown, Minn) played 57 minutes in goal, making one save and improving to 8-1-2. Katie Thompson (Jr, St. Francis, Minn) provided 13 minutes of scoreless goalkeeping duty, while Anna Peterson (Fr, Burlington), who minded the net for 20 minutes, was charged with allowing the own goal.

"I'm really proud of the way we played," Morris said. "We were able to play everyone on our roster, establish momentum and keep control of the ball. We took care of business. You have to be happy about that."

MENOMONIE (October 18, 2005) - UW-Stout forward Michelle Lizotte (So, Racine/Horlick) scored the game winning goals in two UW-Stout conference wins last week and was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) offensive soccer player of the week. Lizotte scored the game-winner 22 minutes into the game in a 1-0 win over UW-La Crosse, Oct. 14, then came back the following night to score the winning goal five minutes into overtime against UW-Platteville for another 1-0 decision. Lizotte actually has three consecutive games where she has scored the game winning goal, stretching back to the Oct. 9 contest where the Blue Devils defeated Minnesota-Morris, 3-0. Lizotte is the team's leading scorer with six goals and five assists for 17 points.

Women's Cross Country

BLUE DEVILS TAKE TOP SPOTS AT LAKE WISSOTA MEET

CHIPPEWA FALLS (October 21, 2005) - UW-Stout's Krista Jahimiak (So, La Crosse) and Bridgette Crozier (So, Winona, Minn) took the top spots at the Lake Wissota 5K, at Lake Wissota State Park, Friday, Oct. 21.

Jahimiak finished just a second ahead of Crozier, coming in at 18-minutes, 57-seconds. Crozier was just back at 18:58.

Stephanie Nichols (Jr, Chetek) was fifth (19:13), while Abbey Ring (So, Manitowoc) was seventh (19:21). Katee Rosberg (Fr, Superior) was eighth (19:22).

Stout took first with 23 points, while UW-La Crosse was second, and UW-Eau Claire third. The meet was a final tuneup for the WIAC Championships next Saturday, Oct. 29 at Superior.

Men's Cross Country

HAENY WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE RACE

CHIPPEWA FALLS (October 21, 2005) - UW-Stout's Nate Haeny (Jr, Sauk Rapids, Minn) won his third race in as many tries as he easily took top honors in the Lake Wissota 5K at Lake Wissota State Park, Friday, Oct. 21.

Haeny finished first in a time of 15-minutes, 55-seconds as Stout runners took the top six spots in winning the dual with UW-Eau Claire.

Dave Schonscheck (So, Omro) was second (16:12), Brett Heimstead (Sr, Savage, Minn) was third (16:23), John Maresh (Sr, Bloomington, Minn) fourth (16:32), Mark Kempen (Sr, Kaukauna) fifth (16:42) and Mike Heinen (Sr, New London, Minn) sixth (16:44).

Stout will be at the WIAC Championships Saturday, Oct. 29 at Superior.

Women's Tennis

BLUE DEVIL TENNIS FINISHES FIFTH AT TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

MADISON (October 23, 2005) - Jodie Czech (Fr, Foley, Minn) placed fourth at No. 3 singles to lead UW-Stout to a fifth place finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Sunday.

Czech matched her seed by defeating Becky Briese of UW-River Falls, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, then fell to eventual runner up Kara Theis of UW-Whitewater in the semi-finals, 6-3, 6-4. Czech lost in the third place match to Liz Deprey of UW-Eau Claire, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Katie Brott (Sr, Sheboygan) finished fifth at No. 6, falling in the first round, then coming back to win in the semi-finals, 6-0, 6-3, to Sarah Koch of UW-Oshkosh. Brott defeated Sarah O'Melia of UW-Stevens Point, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, in the fifth place match.

Jenna Bettmann (Jr, Blaine, Minn) at No. 1, Danielle Farchmin (Fr, Waukesha) at No. 2, Michelle Hohl (So, Portage) at No. 4 and Nicole Hayek (Sr, Rochester, Minn) at No. 5 finished sixth.

Overall, Stout placed fifth after finishing fifth in the season's dual competition with a 2-4 overall record. The fifth place finish was Stout's highest finish since 1997 when Stout finished fourth.. UW-La Crosse, after winning all three doubles titles and three singles titles, captured the tournament, dual and overall titles.

MADISON (October 22, 2005) - After the first day of competition, UW-Stout is in fourth place after double competition at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.

Jenna Bettmann (Jr, Blaine, Minn) and Nicole Hayek (Sr, Rochester, Minn) finished fourth in No. 1 doubles. The duo, seeded fifth, defeated fourth seeded Michelle Baur and Jenna Abbott of UW-Oshkosh, 8-5, then lost to eventual champions Angie Riedel and Erica Schmelzer of UW-La Crosse, 8-2. The finished fourth after an 8-1 loss to Nicole Stamm and Jessie Farrar of UW-Whitewater.

Michele Hohl (So, Portage) and Julie Mirenda (Fr, East Troy) finished fifth at No. 2 and and Jodie Czech (Fr, Foley, Minn) and Danielle Farchmin (Fr, Waukesha) placed sixth at No. 3.

Singles play will be Sunday, Oct. 23.

Men's Ice Hockey

BLUE DEVILS' MIKE KAUTZ NAMED TO PRESEASON HOCKEY TEAM

MENOMONIE (October 20, 2005) - UW-Stout defenseman Mike Kautz (Sr, Des Plaines, Ill) was named to the USCHO DIII Men's Preseason All-USCHO team.

Kautz, who was a first team all-Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) and all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) last season, was placed on the second team of the West Region.

Kautz, a transfer from Lake Superior State last season, finished the 2004-05 season with eight goals and 10 assists, first among all Blue Devil defensemen. He had four power play goals and one shorthanded goal.

The teams were divided by regions - the West, predominately the Midwest, and the East, predominately East Coast schools.

The Blue Devils open the 2005-06 season, Friday, Oct. 28 at Lawrence University in Appleton. They will play their first home game, Saturday, Nov. 5 when they host St. Olaf at 7:30 p.m. at the Dunn County Ice Arena.

MENOMONIE (October 7, 2005) - Just as the Dunn County Ice Arena, UW-Stout's home for hockey, gets a renovation this fall, in a sense the same is true for the 2005-06 Blue Devil hockey team.

Improvements are in the making for the ice arena and Blue Devil coach Terry Watkins, entering his 10th year as the varsity coach and 21st with the Stout program, is doing the same with his team.

Stout lost only two players to graduation last season, returning a veteran squad that has been around the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA), giving Watkins a solid foundation to build on. At the same time, Watkins has brought in what, he believes, are nine solid recruits to work with the veterans.

"I am excited," Watkins said, noting that every coach is excited at the beginning of the season. "In more than 20 years of doing this, this is as talented as we have ever been.

"We had four goals for the beginning of the year - we wanted to get deeper in goal, we wanted a better defense, we wanted a couple more goal scorers, and we wanted to be bigger up front.

"I feel we have achieved all four goals."

Last season, the goalie position was a question mark. After losing Stout's first-ever All-American, Jeff Dotson, to graduation, the Blue Devils were faced with untested talent.

Mike Stone (So, West St. Paul, Minn), who saw action in 17 of 27 games and earned honorable mention all-conference honors in both the NCHA and WIAC, stepped up to the challenge and coaching staff was pleased with Stone's play.

Stone posted a 5-5-3 overall record, along with a 3.09 goals against average and a save percentage of .909.

Joining Stone will be Glen Walker (So, Verona), who red-shirted his first season, and freshman Matt Koenig (Lakeland, Minn), who has played three years in juniors.

"Mechanically, they are all good," Watkins said. "Our goaltending will be solid."

The Blue Devils return their top three scorers from last season from a team that went 10-13-4 overall.

Forwards Justin Huth (Sr, Shakopee, Minn), Andrew Stearns (Jr, Wadena, Minn) and Luke Schroeder (So, Minneapolis, Minn).

Huth, an honorable mention pick for the NCHA and the WIAC, led Stout with 12 goals and 14 assists. Huth also led Stout with eight power play goals. Sterns had 12 goals and 11 assists, while Schroeder finished with six goals and matched Huth for assists with 14.

The Blue Devils return forwards Matt Mlynarczyk (Jr, Oakdale, Minn), Kyle Crable (So, Bemidji, Minn), Scott Sikkink (So, Chippewa Falls), Andy Weisner (Jr, Rochester, Minn), Jake Erickson (So, Rochester, Minn), Mike Elm (Sr, Falcon Heights, Minn) and Jack O'Leary (So, Oakdale, Minn).

Watkins sees the addition of freshmen Cory Mozak (Sioux City, Iowa), Jeff Wheeler (Bainbridge, Wash), Mathew Grasseschi (Great Falls, Mont), Jayson Honer (Duluth, Minn), Rob Mueller (Fr, Buffalo, Minn) and Andrew Bader (Fr, Beaverton, Ore) as key to providing that additional scoring punch.

Defensively, the Blue Devils will be led by All-NCHA and All-WIAC first team selection Mike Kautz (Sr, Des Plaines, Ill). Kautz finished the season with eight goals and 10 assists. Kautz also has developed into a solid team leader, Watkins said.

BJ Garczynski (Jr, Sun Prairie), Todd Wynia (Jr, Minneapolis, Minn), and Adam Boche (Jr, South St. Paul, Minn) are defenders who have earned all-conference mention at some point in their collegiate careers.

Also returning will be Jeff DeFrancesca (Jr, Mt. Prospect, Ill), who plays both forward and defense, as well as defenders Josh Blair (Sr, Appleton) and Scott Hellquist (Jr, Bemidji, Minn).

Breaking their way into the lineup will be first year players Jack Wolgemuth (Fr, Anchorage, Alaska) and Nick Klaren (Fr, North St. Paul, Minn).

"Last year, we were basically a freshman-sophomore team," Watkins said. "We came a long way from the beginning to the end."

Watkins sees this team continuing to improve.

"This group is willing to work very hard," Watkins said. "This is a very dedicated group. These kids are very excited about this team."

Updated: October 24, 2005