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Athletes of the week

By Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune, 10/17/11, 10:33PM CDT

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Wesley Tucker sparks St. Croix Lutheran.


Wesley Tucker, St. Croix football

WESLEY TUCKER: St. Croix Lutheran, football
 
St. Croix Lutheran faced third-and-9 on its first drive of the game Friday.
 
Host St. Anthony led 7-0 after returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. If the Huskies could force the No. 1, Class 3A Crusaders to punt, they would have early control of the game.
 
"We gave the ball to Wesley on an outside dive and he carried three people with him and got the first down," St. Croix Lutheran coach Carl Lemke said.
 
Tucker carried the ball 21 more times and finished with 356 yards and four touchdowns as his team improved to 7-0 on the season with an impressive 54-14 victory.
 
"He was special Friday night," Lemke said. "He played like he was possessed in that first half. He was running through the St. Anthony defense with guys hanging all over him. And that’s a very good defense."
 
Tucker and backfield mate Jackson Goplen combined for 567 yards and seven touchdowns. Each had touchdown runs of more than 80 yards – 84 for Tucker, 85 for Goplen. St. Croix Lutheran’s option offense rolled up 650 rushing yards.
 
"I was totally surprised at the final outcome," Lemke said. 
"We’re not 40 points better than St. Anthony. It was fun to watch."
 
DANIELLE ANDERSON: Eagan, cross-country
 
She outkicked Lakeville South’s Kaytlyn Larson to win the South Suburban Conference meet Friday at Eagan High School. Anderson, the No. 3-ranked runner in Class 2A, covered the 4K course in 14 minutes, 30.3 seconds.
 
MELISSA KOOP: Roseville, volleyball
  
Twin sister of Meghan Koop — an athlete of the week earlier this year — Melissa paced the Raiders to a 3-0 week. The junior outside hitter led the team in kills with 29 (with a hitting percentage of .306), digs (43) and service aces (19).
 
JUSTIN MCLAIN: St. Michael-Albertville, soccer
  
The junior forward scored five consecutive goals in a 7-2 victory over Rogers. He also scored his team’s only goal in regulation, and then scored the deciding shootout goal, in a victory over Elk River, sending the Knights to the Class 2A, Section 8 championship game for the first time in team history.
  
BRENNA MACK: Mound-Westonka, volleyball
 
During a 39-kill performance in the White Hawks’ five-set victory over Glencoe-Silver Lake, the junior outside hitter recorded her 1,000th career kill, becoming the school’s first player to reach that milestone.
 
RYAN MCLEAN: Mpls. Southwest, soccer
 
The senior forward assisted on two goals in a 3-0 victory over Hopkins and tallied his 30th goal of the season — one short of the team record — in a 3-0 victory over Wayzata. The two victoriess put the Lakers in the Class 2A, Section 6 championship game Tuesday night against rival Minneapolis South.
 
MARIAH SCHARF: Orono, volleyball
 
The senior outside hitter broke the school record for service aces in a season when she drilled seven of them in a five-set victory over Litchfield Thursday, topping the old record of 114. After four matches Saturday, Scharf increased her metro-leading total to 123.

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