Hengstler-Ranweiler Award: BOLD Warrior met the criteria ... and then some

In sports, there are a number of qualities to measure what makes an athlete a cut above the rest.

Those qualities include consistency, production over time, performance in big moments and wins.

It didn’t matter if it was in the fall, winter or spring, during his time as a BOLD High School athlete, Jordan Sagedahl met that criteria … and then some.

After leading the Warriors to a Class A state baseball championship, back-to-back appearances to the Prep Bowl and three consecutive 20-win basketball seasons, Sagedahl is the male recipient of the 2020 West Central Tribune’s Hengstler-Ranweiler Award.

He is the sixth male athlete from the BOLD area — Bird Island, Olivia, Lake Lillian district — to capture the H-R award and the first Warrior to win it since Ben Kuznia in 2005.

“Speechless,” Sagedahl said. “It’s just really cool to be in the top tier with all the other great athletes that came from this area. I know Barry Wohler is one of them. ... It’s just so cool.”

“That’s amazing,” said Daren Sagedahl, Jordan’s father. “Just being at BOLD for almost 24 years, I know just how important that award is and it’s such an amazing thing for all these years. I know we’ve been fortunate to have a lot of nominees and I think our last (winner) was Kuznia. As a parent, proud is the best word I could use.”

With Makayla Snow being named the 2020 female recipient Friday, Snow and Sagedahl are the fourth duo from the same school to sweep the award in the same year. They join Litchfield’s Carin Rambow and Alex Carlson in 2000, Willmar’s Cayle Hovland and Noah Slagter in 2018 and Willmar’s Erica Schramm and Drey Dirksen in 2019.

“It’s well deserved for her, she really earned it,” Jordan said of Snow. “I’m good friends with her, a lot of us classmates are good friends. ... I know that she’s worked really hard to get where she is and she has earned everything she’s got with all the awards she has received.”

Since his freshman year, Sagedahl opened his athletic calendar as the starting quarterback of the Warriors football team. When his career came to an end in November, no quarterback in Minnesota high school history had thrown more touchdown passes in 11-man football than him.

Completing more than 63 percent of his passes, Sagedahl wrapped up his career with 7,330 passing yards, 107 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. Additionally, he added 1,673 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns. Named to the Minnesota Vikings All-State Team and a Mr. Football finalist as a senior, Sagedahl tossed 32 touchdown passes to just two interceptions and reached the end zone 12 more times on the ground.

Never losing in the regular season, Sagedahl won 92 percent of his games and took the Warriors to Class A runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019.

“Jordan is the best high school quarterback I have ever seen,” Warriors football head coach Derek Flann said. “He has the arm strength and touch to make every throw, he was a great runner when needed and he understands our system like a coach.”

Playing on the guard and forward positions on the hardwood, Sagedahl was a three-year full-timer starter and captain for the basketball team. In each of those three seasons, the Warriors never won less than 22 games.

Opening this past season with victories in its first 19 contests, BOLD ended the regular season as the top-ranked squad in Class A before finishing the year with a 27-2 record. Sagedahl was integral in the team’s success, averaging 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He poured in 1,560 points over the course of his career.

“Jordan was an extension of the coach on the floor and was a true student of the game,” BOLD boys basketball head coach Jake Brustuen said. “Jordan gave us consistent effort and production every night for the four years he played for us. We could rely on Jordan for leadership and accountability on every play.”

As impressive as he was in the fall and spring, Sagedahl saved his best for the spring.

During his four years starting at catcher, shortstop or as a pitcher, he helped the Warriors baseball team to a 73-20 record.

Sagedahl racked up 105 base hits to produce a .401 batting average. He displayed power, smashing five home runs and four triples. He set school records with 24 doubles and 79 RBIs. Additionally, he scored 85 runs, stole 48 bases and had a OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.058.

On the mound, the right-hander recorded a 12-4 record with 129 strikeouts and a 1.07 ERA. After a stellar high school career, he will take his baseball talents to South Dakota State University next year.

“Jordan has been an elite baseball player for the BOLD Warriors,” baseball head coach Brian Kingery said. “He is one of the best catchers, pitchers and hitters in the state, and is in the conversation for the best all-around player in the state.”

More BOLD records were bound to fall this past spring as Sagedahl was named to the preseason Mr. Baseball watch list, but a proper close to his BOLD playing days was ruined due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the last time the future Jackrabbit donned the Warrior colors, he delivered the performance of a lifetime at Target Field. Pitching a one-hit shutout and hitting an inside-the-park home run, Sagedahl carried BOLD to a 8-0 triumph over New York Mills in the 2019 Class A title game.

“Jordan is a true competitor who loves the big moments,” Kingery said. “I have coached a lot of good players and Jordan is top on that list.”

Sagedahl lettered 14 times during his athletic career at BOLD. During those times, he was named All-West Central Conference on 10 occasions. Yet, with all the individual accolades, Sagedahl reflected on all the work it took to get to this point and who was there along the way.

“It was a grind, but I knew that everything that was happening when I was young was for a reason” he said. “My coaches saw it and they’d bring me up for the future that I would have. It’s just really cool seeing all my teammates develop along with me as we keep on getting older and stronger and better. I don’t know how else to put it, but it’s really cool that each one of us had a chance to play with each other.”

Year Recipient School

1961 Stan Skjei Appleton

1962 Bob Bruggers Danube

1963 Gary Lottman Kerkhoven

1964 Dave Mueller Buffalo Lake

1965 Lane Erickson Willmar

and Jeff Hinz Willmar

1966 Paul Kelly Morris

1967 Rob Anderson Renville

1968 Ken Haskamp Belgrade

1969 Steve Dooley Murdock

1970 Russ Livingood Olivia

1971 Brad Rheingans Appleton

1972 Larry Mulder Renville

1973 Loren Beste Sauk Centre

1974 Greg Mulder Renville

1975 Kevin Mulder Renville

1976 Dave Klug Litchfield

1977 Dan Neubauer Bird Island

1978 Tom Stackpool Glenwood

1979 Mike Kingery Atwater

1980 Lee Monson Atwater

1981 Barry Wohler Bird Island

1982 Corey Haaland Clarkfield

1983 Jim Williamson Appleton

1984 Tim Piechowski Raymond

1985 Tom Zenner Belgrade

1986 David Hanson Montevideo

1987 Barry Beck Appleton

1988 Craig Hawley Benson

1989 Tom Hagert Willmar

1990 Scott Wilts Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg

1991 Jeff Nordgaard Dawson-Boyd

1992 Bobby Beck Lac qui Parle Valley

1993 Link Steffen Granite Falls-Clarkfield

1994 Brian Bock Willmar

1995 Jason Jacobs BOLD

1996 Ryan Rettke Morris

1997 Josh Kotelnicki Litchfield

1998 Ken Sather Dawson-Boyd

1999 Eric Rambow Litchfield

2000 Alex Carlson Litchfield

2001 Mike Patten Litchfield

2002 David Blom Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City

2003 John Carlson Litchfield

2004 Brett Winkelman Morris

2005 Ben Kuznia BOLD

2006 Joey Fragodt Benson

2007 Daniel Fragodt Benson

2008 Tyler Grey Montevideo

2009 Mike Felt Redwood Valley

and Kevin Steinhaus Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg

2010 Joel Bauman Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg

2011 Ryan Swenson Dawson-Boyd

2012 Sam Haas Lac qui Parle Valley

2013 Zach Kinny Litchfield

2014 Brian Goodwin Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa

and Joey Lee Dawson-Boyd

2015 Shane Zylstra New London-Spicer

2016 Colten Carlson Willmar

2017 Jacob Zosel Morris/Chokio-Alberta

2018 Noah Slagter Willmar

2019 Drey Dirksen Willmar

2020 Jordan Sagedah BOLD