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Brooke announcing her new status as a qualified Recruiter in Charge. Submitted photo

Maple River Alum Brooke (Oachs) Rios Finds Confidence, Career...

Decision made on a ‘whim’ leads to becoming a recruiter for the Navy ReserveThey might not admit it, but a large portion of the students graduating...

PHOTO COURTESY
KATHY SOHRE
It was a record-setting kind of week for the Eagles. The 4x100 relay team of Lucas Proehl, Anthony Orduna, Julius Schneider and Zach Trio set a new school record with a time of 43.14, taking first at the State True Team meet. Proehl also broke a 42-year-old school record in the 100m dash.

Proehl Breaks 42-Year-Old Record

Yonkey sets two more records, along with boys 4x100 teamSouth Central Conference MeetThe boys track team extended their streak of conference...

drive in Boening. A play later, Buckholtz doubled to give the Eagles a 7-2 lead.
The Eagles weren’t done. Grace Sohre’s single led to an error and score to put the team up 8-2. After Madison Ward and Ertman walked, Bria Cole’s single knocked in two more runs. MVL managed to score a run in the fifth inning, but the Eagles answered right back with a Grace Sohre single to score Reagan FitzSimmons.
With a big lead, Macy Sohre fought through two late runs to finish the game and earn the win.

Maple River 17 MVL 2
The offense would only get hotter in Tuesday’s second game. Alli Boening got the game started with a double, and after a bunt single from Sellers, Ally Mersman singled to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Addison Frank then doubled to add a second runner.
Lydia Buckholtz then blasted a three-run homer to left field to increase the lead to 5-0. Reagan FitzSimmons took the mound for the Eagles and shut down the Chargers in the first two innings.
The offense then went right back to work. After Mersman and Buckholtz drew walks, Madison Ward singled to center field for an RBI. Grace Sohre’s double scored another run. After Reagan FitzSimmons was hit by a pitch, Bria Cole added another score on a single. Although Boening’s deep blast to center came up short for a home run, she nevertheless added an RBI for a 9-0 lead.
In the 3rd inning, the Eagles put the game away. Buckholtz hit a double to score Frank, and after a Madison Ward walk, Grace Sohre laced a line drive triple to extend the lead to 12-0. Following a FitzSimmons walk, Bria Cole hit a single that scored Sohre and pinch-runner Izzy Hollerich.
Three straight walks led to another run and a 15-0 lead. MVL managed to score two runs in the bottom of the 3rd, but Izzy Hollerich and Brynn Davis got the Eagles going again to keep the lead at 15 as the game ended after only four innings. Buckholtz finished with four RBI while Cole and Sohre each had three hits. For FitzSimmons, she picked up the win with 36 strikes on 60 pitches including four strikeouts.

Maple River 7 Fairmont 8
In one of the few “close” games of the season, the Eagles came up short in an extra-inning thriller in Fairmont. Early on, the Friday night contest was dominated by the Eagles. The Eagles drew first blood when Addison Frank drove in Alli Boening for a 1-0 lead.
In the second inning, Madison Ward walked and Grace Sohre reached on a single, and Bria Cole walked to load the bases for Allie Boening, who also walked for a 2-0 lead. Olivia Sellers’ single drew an out but also created enough chaos to allow two runs to score. Before the next out, Allie Boening scored from 3rd on a passed ball.
With a 5-0 lead, freshman Reagan FitzSimmons cruised along to five scoreless innings, but in the 5th and 6th inning, the gem unraveled due to errors and walks that let the Cardinals back in the game. Back-to-back triples in the 6th inning tied the game and a passed ball gave Fairmont the 6-5 lead. FitzSimmons then took matters into her own hands, and as a batter, doubled to start the top of the 7th inning. With two outs, Olivia Sellers scored the tying run that extended the game. FitzSimmons then shut down the next six batters.
In the 9th inning, FitzSimmons hit a triple that allowed Bria Cole to give the Eagles the late lead. With the opportunity to end the game, the lead slipped away and the bases loaded. Fairmont tied the game on a hit-by-pitch, but FitzSimmons dug deep to get out the jam.
In the 10th inning, Madison Ward got things going with a lead-off single and advanced to second base on a hit from FitzSimmons, but Eagles went down swinging to end the inning. Having thrown 91 strikes on 145 pitches, the night ended with three straight singles as the Cardinals scored in the bottom of the 10th. FitzSimmons led the team with three hits while Olivia Sellers collected two RBI.

Maple River 8 Blooming Prairie 2
In their fifth contest of the busy week, the Eagles put together a complete game for the Saturday morning win. Macy Sohre took the mound for the Eagles and provided three scoreless innings to get the Eagles off on the right foot.
With a lineup of hitters, the Eagles shared the hero’s cape with Addy Frank, who knocked in four RBI for the Eagles. Competition for the hero’s cape was fierce, though, as Ally Mersman gathered three RBI and Alli Boening had two hits. With Boeing getting to second on a single and an error, Olivia Sellers walked to join her on the base pads. Mersman hit a sacrifice fly to get the Eagles on the board. Frank followed with her own line drive to make it 2-0.
A Grace Sohre walk and Makynna Ertman single got the next inning started, and following two hit-by-pitches, the Eagles scored Sohre and Fox on a Mersman single. With a lead, Macy Sohre cruised through the lineup to the fourth inning.
After surrendering two runs (one earned), Sohre was relieved by FitzSimmons, who shook off the loss from Friday night to throw three innings of scoreless pitching as she collected seven strikeouts. The Eagles fired right back and countered in the bottom of the 4th inning with three runs of their own, including a three-run blast from Frank that scored Ertman, Boening, and Sellers. Ertman scored another run in the 5th on a Boening single for good measure. The win gave the Eagles a winning week and lifted the season record to 8-6 overall.

Lady Eagles Win Double-Header at Home, Split Week for 8-6 Overall...

Maple River 1 USC 8The Eagles four-game winning streak came to an end when they faced another powerhouse pitcher in MSU bound Mariah Anderson....

Mr. Nienhaus’s students enjoy fishing at in Eagle Pond at the school.

There’s No Catching a Break

Student schedules full of extras as end of the year approachesStudent schedules have been full to the brim lately with the warming weather and end...

Bonnie Klein Closes the Book

After 40 Years of Service, Mapleton’s Librarian RetiresThe Mapleton Library has blessed the city with education, information and entertainment...

Celebrating the grand opening of the Three Brothers Meat Market on Friday, May 1, 2026 are, in back from left to right: Tara Garbes and James Gordon, Mapleton EDA; Gary Kunz; Reese Gartner, employee; Jack Wheeler, CEDA; Kim Wilde, Mapleton EDA; and Ken Kunz, Maple River Area Chamber of Commerce. In front are Sarah Moore, City of Mapleton Clerk/Treasurer; Brandon Doering, owner; Jenny Doering; Brian Doering, owner; Jason Doering; Brock Doering, owner; Nancy Kunz; Nicole Bangasser, Mapleton Community Development Director; Steven Shute and Cheri Landsteiner, Maple River Area Chamber; and Jon Rossow, Mapleton EDA.

Three Brothers Meat Market Holds Grand Opening

MAPLETON — Three Brothers Meat Market officially celebrated its grand opening May 1, marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony supported by the Economic...

MESSENGER PHOTO
Store owners Vivian and Michael Rosillo stand in front of the feature that gave their store its name: the historic bank vault.

The Vault Thrift & More Opens in Amboy

Where thriftiness meets passion and community comes firstAMBOY — It was no April Fool’s Joke — the historic bank building in Amboy had a new...

PHOTOS BY KATHY SOHRE
Mr. Green, Professor Plum, Ms. Scarlet, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Yvette the maid, Colonel Mustard and Wadsworth the butler try and surmise who is responsible for the sudden death of dinner part host Mr. Boddy and the cook (both lying on the floor).

Cast Members Dying to Perform ‘Clue’

It was a weekend full of mystery and mayhem as the Maple River Drama Department presented Clue: The High School Edition. Performances were held...

MESSENGER PHOTO
The drive-thru style pork chop fundraiser, held at Protein Sources Truck Wash, raised nearly $15,000 for the Bravo Zulu House, which has therapy dogs as part of their sober living program for veterans.

Pork Chops for Pups

NHS project raises nearly $15k for area veteran sober living home.MAPLETON, Minn. — A local student turned a family tradition of grilling into a...

Lexi Hansen, a 2019 graduate of Maple River High School, has gone from showing horses as part of a 4H project to making them her full-time job on her family’s farm near Good Thunder.

Not Horsin’ Around

Maple River Grad Lexi Hansen turns hobby into a careerGOOD THUNDER — It’s a parental expectation that when a child shows interest in something,...

Rebecca Walters started the season by first tying the school record she had previously set, then she broke that record by a full three strokes, shooting a 41 on the course.
MESSENGER PHOTO

R. Walters Sets New School Record

JWP InviteThe weather was cold, but the golfing was hot as the girls’ golf team took 1st place and the boys golf team finished 2nd in the season...

MESSENGER PHOTO
Eagles pitcher Caleb Thompson throws a no-hitter against the JCC Huskies.

Thompson Monopolizes Mound as Eagles Open the Season 2-0

Thompson Shuts Out the HuskiesOn Friday, April 10, the Maple River Varsity Eagles hosted Jackson County Central and picked up a 7-0 win to start...

SUBMITTED PHOTO
Maple River #7541 proudly poses with their robot, Oscar, at the MN Granite City Regional Robotics Competition. Members took turns operating Oscar during a series of competitions April 9-11.

Robotics Team Places 4th at MN Granite City Regional Robotics

Maple River Robotics: where teams of bots weighing up to 120 lbs. each drive around at speeds of up to 15 miles an hour while trying to outscore...

This digitally enhanced photo shows Mapleton’s library mid-construction, in 1909. The building was the first “small” Carnegie library and the result of a $5000 grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, which hinged on the town’s commitment to allot funds for its upkeep. It was dedicated on February 11, 1910. The original photo is on display at the Maple River Heritage Museum.

Mapleton’s Carnegie Library Marks 116 Years

MAPLETON — While many towns house at least a small library, the one in Mapleton happens to stand on a unique legacy. In 1905, prominent Mapleton...

Don and Kathy Wilkening look for fossils in North Dakota.

Couple with Mapleton Ties to Celebrate 59 Years Together

February 25, 2026

Kathy (Roloff) and Don Wilkening, who will celebrate 59 years of marriage on March 25, were high school sweethearts since the night Don asked Kathy...

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