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by Tom Coombe
Northeast Range/Ely is in new territory as a new high school golf season begins.
The NRE girls made history in 2024, winning the Section 7A title and placing fifth in the state Class A tournament Becker.
With the regular season set to begin Wednesday at Hoyt Lakes, NRE now finds itself in the position of defending its 7A crown, and returning for of the top five golfers from the state tournament team.
Maizy Sundblad was fifth in the section and 49th in the state a year ago, while Carena DeBeltz was 51st in the state.
Cylvia DeBeltz and Danica Sundblad round out the strong returning quartet, and all four were among the top-11 in the section in 2024.
The strong nucleus should put NRE in contention as it launches a sprint of a regular season, which lasts roughly a month and hinges on both weather and course conditions around the area.
While the girls golf team boasts plenty of experience, the varsity boys are out to make strides with a relatively small roster.
Ely senior Alex Merriman is back while Jayden Zemke and Jesse Oelke, both juniors, are joining the lineup.
The team also has new leadership with Adam Hagen taking over as head coach and Cheri DeBeltz assisting.
The schedule includes a combination of girls, boys and dual meets, including a May 12 girls event at the Ely course.
NER/Ely 2025 Golf Schedule
Apr. 24: ERC at Hoyt Lakes,
4:15 p.m./Girls
Apr. 28: Rock Ridge Invite at The Quarry, noon/Girls
May 5: Mes. East Inivte at The Quarry, 11 a.m./Girls and Boys
May 8: Wilderness Invite at
The Wilderness, 11:30 a.m./Girls and Boys
May 9: Northern Invite at
The Quarry, 11 a.m./Boys
May 12: Ely Meet, 4:15 p.m,/Girls
May 14: IRC Championship at The Quarry, 11 a.m./Girls and Boys
May 15: Rock Ridge Invite
at Virginia, 10 a.m./Girls and Boys
May 19: North Woods at
Verm. Fairways, 1 p.m./Giris
May 20: Mesabi East ERC
at Hoyt Lakes, 4:15 p.m,/Boys
May 27-28: Sections at McGregor, girls and boys
Games at 4 p.m. unless noted
