Clifton, Rindy named top CHS athletes

Contributors to Carrington Cardinal athletic programs, from the varsity down to junior varsity and C-squad levels, were all honored at the school's Athletic Awards Night for the 2021-22 season Tuesday evening, March 29.

Nine activities and their past seasons were granted time for recognition, with each team's coach or advisor speaking on the successes their respective students enjoyed. Four additional sports that played last spring were also honored.

Plaques were given to all seniors who participated in an athletic activity at least once during their careers, which denoted their sport and number of years they dedicated to it.

Because girls' golf had both a spring and a fall season due to the NDHSAA's decision to change that season to the fall, both teams were featured at Athletic Awards Night.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Michael Clifton and Emma Rindy were named CHS' Male and Female Senior Athlete of the Year, and Teresa Edland was named to the Honorary 'C' Club.

Michael Clifton

Clifton was never one to shy away from responsibility, or the spotlight.

The senior carried the load for the Cardinal football team as a running back/linebacker beginning in his freshman year, when he saw spot duty, to the last several fall seasons, where he became one of the top two-way players in the state.

Clifton ran for 989 yards and 11 touchdowns on 156 attempts during his Second Team All-State final season, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 53 yards and one additional score.

At the middle linebacker position, he led the team with 69 solo and 35 assisted stops for a combined 104 tackles, and 15 tackles for loss this past year. He also had one sack and forced two fumbles.

He also brought that bulldog mentality to the wrestling mat, and that focus and tenacity resulted in two individual state championships at 182 pounds. He was also the 170-pound runner-up his sophomore season in 2020.

For his career, he accumulated 217 victories, and racked up 153 pins, four technical falls and 13 major decisions. In 2021-22, he set the Class B record for most pins in a season with 47, and finished with a 56-3 record that included being undefeated against Class B grapplers.

Last season, Clifton played in the spring high school baseball season, and was voted most improved player by his teammates.

Michael is the son of Jamie and Deb Clifton of Carrington. His future plans and major are undecided, but he's narrowed his choice of college to either Bismarck State or NDSCS.

Emma Rindy

Whether it was as the setter for the volleyball team, or the reliable guard that could be counted on to make a clutch three-pointer or make a defensive stop, Rindy was at the forefront of successful Cardinal girls' teams.

She was a two-year starter and multi-year varsity contributor in the fall net season, and put up 734 assists this past year and 885 for her career. Rindy also has varsity totals of 488 digs, 16 blocks and 58 service aces. During the years she started in the setter's box, the Cards were District 5 Tournament champions.

Rindy made the All-District 5 Team this past winter for the Cardinal girls' basketball team, and was also selected once as an all-Stutsman County Tournament player. She averaged 7.2 points per game during her senior year on the floor, and had game averages of 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 steals. From the arc, she had the most three-pointers with 34. For two years worth of varsity starts, she finished with 58 threes.

Rindy was also a two-year cross country participant, and played fastpitch softball during the summer for one season.

Emma is the daughter of Bill and Lanette Rindy of Carrington, and her future plans are to attend NDSU and major in Nursing.

Teresa Edland

Edland has been a big supporter to the success of the athletic programs at CHS, and her contributions also extend beyond the sporting arena.

For many years, she has served as the accompanist for the school's choral concerts.

She and her husband, Greg, raised three children, sons Jacob and Bryce, and daughter Kenzie, all of whom played sports at Carrington High School.

Edland works at CHI St. Alexius Health Carrington Medical Center as a Medical Technician for the laboratory department.

A full list of award honorees for each completed varsity sport to date this season, along with sports from the 2021 spring season, are as follows:

Football

Team Most Valuable Player: Michael Clifton

Most Valuable Offensive Player: Michael Clifton

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Michael Clifton

Most Valuable Offensive JV Player: Josh Bickett

Most Valuable Defensive JV Player: Logan Weninger

Most Improved: Logan Weninger

Hardest Worker: Michael Clifton

Top Rock: Michael Clifton

Most Valuable Defensive Lineman: Hunter Beumer

Most Valuable Offensive Lineman: Hunter Beumer

Most Valuable Special Teams Player: Jack Paulson

All-Region: Michael Clifton, Kaulder Kvamme, Hunter Beumer, Tate Larsen

Honorable Mention: Hudson Schmitz, Grady Shipman, Jack Paulson, Drew Schroeder

Second Team All-State: Michael Clifton

Cross Country

Girls' MVP: Kenadie Pazdernik

Most Improved: Jaedyn Lura

Hardest Worker: Kenadie Pazdernik

Boys' MVP: Jacob Rexin

Most Improved: Ewan Aberle

Hardest Worker: Jacob Rexin

Volleyball

Offensive MVP: Sydnie Grager

Defensive MVP: Mya Schroeder

Most Kills: Sydnie Grager, 445

Most Aces: Haley Wolsky, 46

Most Assists: Emma Rindy, 734

Most Blocks: Sydnie Grager, 102

Most Digs: Mya Schroeder, 652

Most Improved Player: Isabel Wendel, Kennedy Wendel

Hardest Worker: Mya Schroeder

Cardinal Spirit Award: Emma Hone, Kennedy Wendel (varsity), Sydney Friedt (JV/C-squad)

JV MVP: Kacie Rexin

C-Squad MVP: Sadie Lura

Girls' Golf (2021 fall)

Most Birdies: Kacie Rexin

Most Pars: Kacie Rexin

Lowest Scoring Average: Kacie Rexin

Most Improved: Dawsyn Anderson, Aubrey Neis

Hardest Worker: Dawsyn Anderson

Girls' Basketball

Most Assists: Isabel Wendel, 3.0 apg

Most Steals: Edyn Hoornaert, 2.9 spg

Best Free Throw %: Sydnie Grager, 57%

Most Rebounds: Edyn Hoornaert, 5.7 rpg

Hardest Worker: Madison Johnson

Best Defense: Haley Wolsky, Emma Rindy

Most Improved: Edyn Hoornaert

MVP: Emma Rindy

All-District 5 Team: Sydnie Grager, Emma Rindy

Stutsman Co. Tournament Team: Sydnie Grager, Emma Rindy

Boys' Basketball

C-Squad MVP: Owen Hagel

JV MVP: Jack Paulson

Most Improved: McCoy Beckley

Teamwork Award: Hudson Topp

Defensive MVP: Lucas Hen-drickson

Offensive MVP: Lucas Hen-drickson

Marksman Award (highest 2-pt. field goal percentage): Lucas Hendrickson, 58.8%

Deep Threat Marksman (highest 3-pt. field goal percentage, minimum 36 attempts): Josh Bickett, 32.3%

Most Steals: Grady Shipman, 3.5/game, 80 total)

Most Assists: Grady Shipman, (2.43/game)

Most Rebounds: Lucas Hendrickson (5.7/game)

Wrestling

Most Takedowns: Brecken Lura, 100

Most Escapes: Logan Weninger, 47

Most Reversals: Trace Hoggarth, 22

Most 3-pt. Near Falls: Trace Hoggarth, 22

Most 2-pt. Near Falls: Kael Kovar, 18

Most Wins: Michael Clifton, 56

Most Pins: Michael Clifton, 47

Most Major Decisions: Brecken Lura, 7

Most Technical Falls: Brecken Lura and Trace Hoggarth, 2

Best Winning Percentage: Michael Clifton, 56-3 (95 percent)

Most Improved: Jonathan Lura

Hardest Worker: Matthew Duchscherer

Courage and Guts: Matthew Duchscherer, Corbin Clifton, Nic Garber

Lance Koenig Most Valuable Wrestler: Michael Clifton

Al Larson Leadership Award: Michael Clifton

Region 2 Champions: Trace Hoggarth (113), Matthew Duchscherer (126), Brecken Lura (138), Logan Weninger (160), Michael Clifton (182)

State Placers: Trace Hoggarth (1st, 113), Brecken Lura (1st, 138), Michael Clifton (1st, 182), Matthew Duchscherer (2nd, 126)

State Qualifiers: Trace Hoggarth (113), Matthew Duchscherer (126), Brecken Lura (138), Kael Kovar (152), Logan Weninger (160), Jonathan Lura (170), Michael Clifton (182), Callen Garber (195)

Cardinaires

Best Smile: Tesslin Lura

Best Fame: Reagan Wolsky

Best Leaps: Jazmyn Ybarra

Best Jumps: Sydney Friedt

Best Turns: Tessa Mittleider

Best Kicks: Sierra Friedt

Best Splits: Tessa Mittleider

Most Spirited: Rori Ricter, Bella Garr

Hardest Worker: Madalina Ciubotareanu, Tesslin Lura

Most Improved: Elayna Konschak

Most Valuable Dancer: Tessa Mittleider

Archery

Most Valuable Archer (Male): Taylor Braaten

Most Valuable Archer (Fe-male): Hailee Weber

Most Improved Archer (Male): Braden Kruse

Most Improved Archer (Fe-male): Zoey Kollman

2021 Spring Award Winners

Track and Field

Boys

Most Valuable Track Athlete: Jacob Rexin

Most Improved Track Athlete: Jaxon Schaefer

Hardest Working Track Athlete: Jacob Seaburg

Most Valuable Sprinter: Cade Lura

Most Valuable Jumper: Cade Lura

Most Valuable Thrower: Beau Retzlaff

Most Valuable Distance: Jacob Rexin

Girls

Most Valuable Track Athlete: Hannah Hagel, Allison Jarrett

Most Improved Track Athlete: Edyn Hoornaert, Anna Irion

Hardest Working Track Athlete: Mya Schroeder

Most Valuable Sprinter: Kylie Skadberg

Most Valuable Jumper: Hannah Hagel

Most Valuable Thrower: Anna Irion

Most Valuable Distance: Madison Johnson

Baseball

Most RBI: Ethan Buskness

Highest Batting Average: Lucas Hendrickson

Most Wins: Lucas Hendrickson

Staff ERA Award: Grady Shipman

Most Improved: Michael Clifton

Gold Glove Award: Lucas Hendrickson, Grady Shipman

Team MVP: Ethan Buskness

Boys' Golf

Varsity Lowest Average: Grady Shipman, 86.8

Varsity Pars: Wyatt Walker, 48

Varsity Birdies: Jacob Rexin, 4

JV Lowest Average: Carter Larson, 91.7

Varsity Hardest Worker: Hudson Topp, Wyatt Walker

Varsity Most Improved: McCoy Beckley

JV Hardest Worker: Wyatt Weninger

JV Most Improved: Gabe Ricter

Girls' Golf (2021 spring)

Most Valuable Player: Lexi Page

Most Improved: Dawsyn Anderson

Most Coachable: Lauren Skadberg