Beating Mahtomedi-Stillwater in its section contest last week, the New Prague High School indoor softball team advanced to a return trip to the state tournament where the Trojans open play tomorrow, Friday, May 17.
New Prague opens state tournament at 8 p.m. tomorrow night against St. Cloud at Chanhassen High School. If New Prague tops the sluggers, they’ll face the winner of the Dakota United vs. Chaska-Chanhassen-Shakopee-Prior Lake Saturday, May 18, noon, at Chanhassen High School in the tournament’s semifinals round.

A big win last week set the New Prague indoor softball team up for a possible run to a return trip to the state tournament.
New Prague hosted a section tournament game yesterday, May 8. Details of the game were not available at Press time. See The New Prague Times’ Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) pages for more information as it becomes available.
Trojans 14, South Washington County 4
New Prague’s win Tuesday, April 30, set the Trojans up with the No. 3 seed heading into the section tournament.
Dakota United 9, Trojans 7

New Prague’s baseball team has gone 3-1 with a 1-0 win in nine innings over Bloomington Jefferson, a 12-2 loss to Chaska, a 10-6 win over Rochester John Marshall and a 4-0 win over Shakopee.
The Trojans were scheduled to host Orono, Tuesday, May 7. New Prague is on the road with its next two games. Tonight the Trojans are at Waconia at 7 p.m., Monday, May 13, New Prague is at Chanhassen at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, May 15, the Trojans host Benilde-St. Margaret’s at 4:30 p.m.

Hard work is paying off for the NPHS girls’ golf team. The Trojans topped a seven-team field at Hutchinson Friday, May 3.
The Trojans finished with a team score of 365 for 18 holes, 12 strokes clear of Delano. BOLD finished third at 384 and the hosts Tigers checked in fourth with a 387. Marshall, Litchfield, Le Sueur-Henderson and Dassel-Cokato rounded out the field.

New Prague’s Taylor Ledwein is taking aim at a childhood dream of making the field at the women’s U.S. Open when she competes at a qualifying tournament Monday.
Ledwein, a graduate of NPHS and Bradley University, will be part of a small field of women competing for a single berth at the U.S. Women’s Open May 30-June 2 at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Penn.

New Prague’s track and field teams enjoyed a pair of solid performances Thursday, taking the top two spots at a meet in Jordan.
The teams are continuing their efforts at building toward the championship portion of their schedules. The teams were in Orono Tuesday, April 30, for a varsity meet. Tuesday, May 7, NPHS will be at Rosemount for a meet followed by the Metro West Conference Championships Wednesday, May 15 at Trojan Stadium.
NP girls top the standings

New Prague High School’s baseball team’s expectations for this season is to be competitive in all aspects on the field.
The Trojans began their season at Rochester Mayo, Friday, April 5, with a close 2-1 loss. (See separate story.) New Prague’s home game against Rochester Century Monday, April 8, was postponed due to the weather. The Trojans are home tonight hosting Chaska at 4:30 p.m. then Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. New Prague is at Lakeville North and back home Tuesday, April 16, 6 p.m. against Waconia.

When it comes to playing competitive ice hockey, Braeden Woitas isn’t ready to put his skates away. Not yet.
Woitas, the son of Marisa and Kevin Woitas, has accepted a tender to play junior hockey in Mason City Iowa in the North American Tier III Hockey League. His long-term goal is to play college hockey. Where and at what level is yet to be determined, he said.

New Prague has joined a growing number of schools offering boys’ volleyball as an emerging activity sport. Tuesday, April 9, 7 p.m., the Trojans will make a little bit of history when they host their first match.
The Trojans opened formal practices Monday, April 1. Players have been working together during open gym sessions and camp for several weeks, said coach Greg Sayuk. The NPHS coach expected about 28 players out for the new team, enough to meet the requirement to have a varsity and junior varsity teams.

When he’s had a tough day in the classroom, Jeremy Biermaier always has basketball as an activity more often than not will end the day on a positive note. 

Other than an actor whose movies her grandpa cherished, she doesn’t know who John Wayne was. That’s all Jenna Hlavac needed to know before creating a drawing of the famed American icon.

The following New Prague High School student-athletes were named to the all-Metro West Conference teams for their performances during the winter season.
Boys’ Basketball
All-conference: Evan Weichert; honorable mention: George Songe, Jonny Connelly.
Girls’ Basketball
All-conference: Katie Boulanger, Taylor Hemann; honorable mention: Maya Kilian, Lily Schoenecker.
Gymnastics
All-conference: Hannah Kraft, Karly Ophus, Brooklyn Carter, Vayda Spicer, Maura Erickson; honorable mention: Maria Schoenbauer, Susie Dalsin.
Boys’ hockey

She’s a two-year starter on an NCAA Division II womens’ basketball team headed to the Elite Eight Monday night in St. Joseph, Mo. New Prague’s Emily Russo is enjoying quite a ride with the Mavericks.

New Prague High School wrestler, senior Destney Lofton is headed for the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) girls’ state championships Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2. Lofton qualified when she took second at 118 pounds during the section 2 and 4 tournament Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9 and 10, in Redwood Valley.
Fellow New Prague wrestler, junior Teva Feit placed fourth at 106 pounds after battling her way back into the top at the tourney.
“Both girls came to battle and wrestled to their seeds,” said New Prague head coach Dan Wagner.

After an early-season setback to the defending state champion, the Trojans’ floor hockey team are continuing to improve their overall game. “Overall, I like where we are at and I feel confident this team can make a push down the stretch to compete for another state tournament berth and hopefully compete for another state title, said coach Jeremy Kalal.
At 5-1, the Trojans travel to East Ridge High School today, Thursday, Feb. 8, to face South Washington County. Tuesday, Feb. 13, the Trojans will host Stillwater at 4:30 p.m. in the New Prague Community Center gym.

Heading into the section dance competition, New Prague High School’s dance team members knew everything had to fall just right for them to have an outside chance at making the state meet.
While the Trojans didn’t make the state field, they left the floor at Shakopee High School emotionally and physically exhausted knowing they offered their best. In a 12-team field, New Prague finished seventh in jazz and eighth in kick.