The Warriors won the Class 2A state football championship last fall and added the 2A girls Basketball title in March. Among the four schools we are visiting this week, Caledonia is the only one to capture two state titles this school year. For the Warriors football team, the championship was their second in a row.

After being in Ada-Borup two days earlier, the geographical differences could not be more stark. Northwest Minnesota is as flat as a pancake, while the southeast is all hills and valleys. You drive out of the bluffs and all of a sudden you see Caledonia, sitting up on the prairie surrounded by farmland. The school is new (built in 2002) and?very roomy. Rich and I videotaped interviews in the weight room, with championship football banners and racks of iron as the backdrop.

We interviewed coaches Carl Fruechte (football) and Scott Sorenson (girls Basketball), along with three-sport athletes Cassie Gran, Ryan Goetzinger, Laquita Becker and Isaac Fruechte (Carls son). As the school day ended, a dozen or so male athletes jammed into the coaches office to watch the video from last falls Prep Bowl victory over Luverne. ?You wouldnt believe how often they watch it, Carl Fruechte said to me.

After school we watched the track teams practice in a downpour. Im darn glad I brought my big golf umbrella, which I held over?Rich and I in an effort to keep his expensive equipment relatively dry (we were both soaked from the waist down, however).

On the wall of the coaches office I saw a photograph of the outside of the Metrodome, and written on a white board in the weight room were these words: ?97 days until football practice. The athletes in Caledonia are serious about what they do, and they take a great deal of pride in their work ethic. Asked about the secret to the Warriors success, Ryan Goetzinger said, ?A lot of passion, a lot of hard work.

Ada-Borup, Bethlehem Academy and now Caledonia; the final stop in our journey will be New London-Spicer on Thursday. The Wildcats are having an exceptional year, going to state in football, girls Basketball and boys Basketball.

Once our travels are completed, Rich and I will definitely take a day or two off to rest (after driving more than 1,100 miles in five days), then well get?to work on the production end of this project. Rich will edit video and photos, and Ill start the process of writing separate stories about each school and a main story that will tie together the theme of our project: Small Schools, Big Success.

We dont have a definite date locked in yet for when these stories will be published and hit the web site. Right now, it sounds like Sunday, May 17 is the target date.

Thats it for todays report. In a few short hours well be off to New London-Spicer.

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