While the losses weigh heavy on athletes and coaches alike, from the bottom, the only place a team can go is up. Whether that is seen in winning games or growing a stronger mentality. 

“It’s allowed us to raise our level of competition, and it’s allowed us to raise our level of preparation. I think a lot of times, it’s natural for us as humans to get comfortable. It’s definitely pushed a lot of our student-athletes and coaches out of their comfort zone,” said head coach of the boy’s basketball team, Josh Ortmann. 

Switching from the Mississippi 8 to the Lake Conference was a huge jump in competition level. It was a shock many athletes and coaches weren’t prepared for, but players have used the challenge to make them stronger.

“I feel like it’s a good challenge for us at the same time because then it like makes us strive to do better,” said Kaylee Dehmer ‘24, captain of the gymnastics team.

The endless challenges of being in the Lake Conference have forced Buffalo teams to grow mentally, but at what point do the challenges cause more harm than good? 

 “It kind of changes our mindset to work harder and like gets us to put more effort into practice, but I also think it can kind of get in our heads a little bit if we’re constantly losing. In a way, it takes away from the mental part of it. I ultimately think it does help us get better because we’re getting challenged more and more every game,” said Anya Pery ‘25, a member of the girls’ basketball team.

Some sports teams have been able to find success in the Lake Conference, while for others, it has been a continuous struggle. Being in the Lake Conference is a challenge for all, no matter the level of success. There has been some push to switch conferences now that we are eligible and many people are questioning if the challenge of being in the Lake Conference is worth it.

“I think every one of our student-athletes deserves an opportunity to see success. When it gets continuous, and you continuously lose, and lose and lose in different areas, it can be hard, it’s hard for the players, and it’s hard for the coaches because it’s not like anyone’s going out there trying to lose. Mentally, to be in a state of mind after losing a lot can be extremely difficult. And that’s when you’ve got to lean on the people that you trust in buying the little victories within the games itself,” said Ortmann.

“Sports were my life,” she said. “They were my whole identity. I am now relearning my self-value, separate from the sports I play. I’m me because of who I am, not because of the times I run.”

As briefly introduced above, sports and other recreational activities come with the risk of injury. The specific types of injury are hard to predict. It could be anything from a minor concussion to something way more severe, like the tearing of the Anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL). Whichever injury you find yourself with, the difficulties you’ll face will not change, and neither will the stress of their disappointments.

“Sitting on the sidelines and watching the game from the bench was always difficult,” said Varsity Soccer player Abigail Bolin ’25, who suffered from a lower body extremity last year. “I felt kinda helpless. I couldn’t do anything to support my team physically the way I knew I had been able to previously.”

Beating the back-to-basics blues is not as simple as merely changing your attitude, although one would think so.

One of the more significant factors is learning how to support others while giving yourself grace. It doesn’t matter if you cheered your team to victory or completed a more personal goal toward recovery because both have positive impacts. It’s hard to be a glass half-full in a half-empty world, but if you take the time to look, influencing others will have something to do with ease.

“I’ve always been a very relationally driven person,” said Claire Erickson ’24, an injured captain also in the Varsity soccer program. “Being able to connect with every person on the team, whether JV or Varsity or anyone else in the Soccer program, is super important to me. I’m so glad I could build relationships with everyone, even if I couldn’t do it on the field.”

Bolin agreed, “Even though I couldn’t bond in the same way most of the others were able to, I enjoyed my role on the team. I tried really hard to be a supportive teammate, someone the younger girls could come to for support. Even though they can’t comprehend what I’m going through, we can still relate. I used to be them, and I understand how it feels to be one of them.”

Even though the consequences and memories attached to an injury never go away, they don’t have to be unpleasant.

“I absolutely loved hearing the commentary on the sidelines,” said Erickson. “Everyone was always so electric, especially when someone was on a breakaway or about to score a goal. Even the coaches were jumping up and down with the sideline players. It was just a really fun atmosphere.”

Claire Erickson, Abigail Bolin, and our anonymous player all found strategies amid their pain to cause a difference in the world around them, and all three succeeded because every achievement is a win, large or small.

The team has worked relentlessly this off-season after a tough first round exit in March of 2023. Being in the Lake conference provides many tough matchups with strong programs like Hopkins and Wayzata, but the battle-tested Bison are used to the pressure.

“I don’t think there’s anybody that is gonna be too tough of a matchup for us,” Grady Guida ‘24 said. “I think we can beat anybody on our schedule and I think we have a good chance of doing exactly that.”

With a schedule filled with many tough Lake Conference opponents, it could be easy to drown in the pressure, but Head Coach Josh Ortmann said that the team has put in the work to rise to the challenge.

“Pressure is a privilege,” said Ortmann. “You earn those opportunities based on the work you put in as coaches and the work you put in as players.”

With strong words from the head coach, we asked some of the players how they felt about the upcoming season and how the team might have to change if they wanted to fulfill their high expectations.

“I feel like the team chemistry has definitely improved from last year,” said Austin Hegle ‘25, “with all of us not only being close friends but continuing to put in work with each building on our connections as teammates.”

Expectations and goals are great, but they need to have a plan if they want to be successful. Ben Mueller ‘25 touched on his ideas of what the team will have to do this year if they want to achieve their goals.

“Hustling, being the first person to dive on the floor for the loose ball and being aggressive,” Mueller said.

The Bison have a long road ahead of them, but with the combination of hard work, team chemistry, pressure, and determination, they believe that they have what it takes to go all the way.

Since third grade, volleyball has been an important part of life for Castle. Her volleyball journey started with Junior Bison, where she played until sixth grade. Once she got to seventh grade, Castle joined Club Bison, a club organization directed by her mother. Through Club Bison, Castle continued to work and grow as a player and person. In her freshman year of high school, she moved to MN Select, where she played on the 14U team. She attended camps, trained with her peers, and worked her way up to be one of the top players in the country.

On October 12, 2023, Castle was honored with a jersey for the 2024 Under Armour Next All-America Game at a high school volleyball game in Buffalo. “Kaia has been chosen as 1 of 24 seniors in the entire country to participate in the 2024 Under Armour Next All-America Game,” said Ziva Recek-Blackmon, an All-America Camp & Game Coordinator. 

Recipients of this award travel to Orlando, Florida to train and hone their skills. Castle, as a recipient, will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Orlando for training and competition with other high-level peers. This high-stakes game features the best high school athletes in the country and will be broadcasted live on ESPNU from the University of Central Florida on January 2, 2024. 

As well as playing, Castle has been coaching volleyball through Club Bison since seventh grade.

“When I was young, I was just coaching first grade and stepping in on the court to help my mom toss balls,” said Castle. “I wasn’t actually doing much coaching.” 

Over the years, Castle’s coaching has expanded as she has learned from her mentors. Through watching and learning from her coaches, Castle has shaped her coaching style to benefit the team as much as she can. 

“The way I act sets the tone for the team,” said Castle. 

Castle’s coaching style is especially effective with young students. Emry Mullenbach, a 7th-grade student at STFX, has been taking lessons with Castle for four months. After breaking her foot, Mullenbach was even more determined to be on the court. Castle adapted the sport of volleyball as much as possible to ensure that Mullenbach could continue to play and grow, even though she couldn’t move around the court. 

“I really liked [Kaia] coaching me when I broke my foot,” said Mullenbach. “I had to sit on a block, but she would still help me so I’d stay active.” 

Castle’s way of modifying the game for Mullenbach stretched far beyond the physical sport.

 “She just gives me that encouragement that wants me to do better,” said Mullenbach. “She’s an amazing, loving, sweet person and I love her.”

Castle’s ambitions with volleyball stretch beyond high school, and past college, too. 

“I want to play pro after [college],” said Castle. “There’s kind of a wide variety of things [I want to do]. I want to be a D1 collegiate volleyball coach, but I’m also really interested in marketing and sports photography, so I’m probably going to major in sports and history with a minor in French and marketing.” 

Castle continues to share her journey through her Instagram, @kaiacastle.

The Bison bring their 3-1 record into the game against the 0-4 Raiders. The entire student body is dressed in purple and white today in anticipation of tonight’s Homecoming game.

“Our coach always preaches to us that we have to bring energy starting on Monday,” said Logan Vrieze ‘25. “Having energy to start the week makes for good practice and having good practice helps us execute better at game time.”

Last week, the Bison won against Eastview by 15 points. Tickets are still available for the game against Roseville tonight for $7. Kickoff is at 7 pm and gates are open for the game at 6:00.

The Bison face Burnsville next week on October 7 at 7 p.m. at Buffalo High School.

Next year Crosland will be swimming at the collegiate level for Luther College in Decorah, IA. Going to college was already going to be a big change for Crosland, and losing the sport that she’d done for most of her life wasn’t a part of the plan.

“I’ve always wanted to swim in college just because I knew that I wouldn’t be ready to be done competing,” said Crosland.

According to Zoe Hiers ‘23 another aspect of competing at the collegiate level isn’t just continuing to be challenged, but doing it for the team aspect. Hiers is joining the swim team at Concordia College in St. Paul. Just knowing that there’s a supportive team willing to lift you up can make moving into a new situation a little easier.

“I’m looking forward to being part of a team atmosphere again,” said Hiers, “and just knowing that I’ll have a team that’s really supportive is going to be great and it calms some of the worries about making friends in a new place.”

For Crosland, making sure that she felt like she had a team that had her back was a very big deciding factor. She wanted to make sure that she fit in with the team and the coaching staff.

“I leaned towards Luther,” Crosland said, “because I enjoyed hanging out with the team a lot more than others. They seemed a lot more involved in getting to know me.”

According to Hiers, the memories made by having a good time with teammates last longer than the ones of winning a race or swimming at a meet.

“I loved the fun holiday practices we did,” Hiers said. “We always had fun sets to swim and we really grew as a team during those practices.”

Crosland and Hiers are both very excited to start a new chapter in their lives and are looking forward to making memories with their new teams.

For students who aren’t involved in a winter sport like volleyball, basketball, or hockey it may seem hard to find a daily workout plan that’ll last. At-home workouts are becoming increasingly popular post-pandemic. Now, more than ever is a great time to blow the dust off those musty yoga mats and dumbbells you’ve been avoiding.

“I have a lot of activity options to choose from,” says Evie Dockendorf ’26. “There’s a stable bike at home, the track after school, and my little brothers to play with if I really want a serious workout.” 

And if those mats and dumbbells aren’t intense enough, stop by the Weight Room. It’s totally free, after school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:35 to 4:45, although you can stay until 5:15 to finish your lifts. It’s an amazing workout for both in season and out of season athletes.

“When I’m out of season I use the weight room after school to stay active and prepared for when my season does start,” says Seth Cotton ’25.

If you’re looking for something more moderate, put on some running shoes and a jacket and you’re ready for a jog in the cold – just watch out for ice.

“I walk two miles a day,” says Elsa Emons ’26. “One mile to school, and one back, I’ve learned to look forward to it when I start my day.”

These are just a few ways you can keep your physical fitness up. Just don’t forget to bring water, a notebook, pencil, rest days, and a boat load of patience. Once you have all of that, you’re set to start your winter fitness plan.

6:30 Koren starts her typical day by snoozing her alarm, trying to preserve what little sleep she got over the past night. She does her morning routine slowly and sluggishly, only half awake after her long hours the day before.

8:10 Koren prepares her backpack, throws on her coat, and leaves for the bus stop.

8:45 She heads to her first block trying to cram as much information into her brain as it can take the entirety of the school day.

3:25 Koren sprints out of the school as fast as possible and heads straight to the rink for hockey practice.

4:00 She spends an hour working hard on the ice.

5:15 Koren begins her post-ice workout.

6:30 She departs the rink.

6:45 Koren arrives at home and hurries to make dinner. She pieces herself together whatever leftovers she can find from the dinner the rest of her family already ate without her presence.

7:30 She changes out of her sweaty clothes and takes a shower.

7:50 Koren then does her homework, typically spending an hour and a half across her four subjects.

9:30 She then does some hockey stickhandling and shooting practice that is technically optional but is expected of her team by her coaches.

10:15 Koren gets in bed and watches TV for about 45 minutes.

11:00 She goes to sleep only to repeat it all again tomorrow.

To many people, Koren’s schedule seems perfectly fair. Others might assume she has everything balanced and she is handling it fine That is not the case. Being a student-athlete sacrifices some parts of being a teenager.

Koren is missing out on sleep. Teenagers are supposed to get around 9 hours of sleep per night. Koren typically gets about 7 hours. Getting enough sleep is very important, and it has many benefits, yet many student-athletes don’t get enough sleep. The extra hours of sleep that many student-athletes miss can bring down their mood, productivity, and performance in both school and athletics.

Because of her busy schedule, Koren doesn’t have much time to spend with my family, and she never is available to hang out with her friends. Social connections are very important for growing and developing teenagers, and not getting these connections can affect both their mental and physical health.

Another thing she is missing out on is her hobbies. Koren loves to read, paint, sew, and bake. These things truly bring her joy. But lately, she hasn’t had time to do much of anything besides the sports she plays.

The immense amounts of pressure on students who choose to double as an athlete are causing them to miss out on important things in their lives. Students-athletes are going to be healthier and happier if we take away some of that pressure and let them live their teenage life to the fullest. Being productive and doing things that matter is great, but having fun and enjoying life is important, too.

    It is easy to judge a team based on how much they win or lose. Despite that, Head Coach Joshua Ortmann isn’t focused on points.

“I don’t care about records, I just love how hard we are playing. When you have a group of guys that are that bought into each other and not worrying about their own individual stats it’s really fun to work with every day,” said Ortmann. 

    This year’s Varsity team only contains two seniors, meaning the team has a lot of opportunity for growth. Creating a team bond is an important step in a team’s success.

    “[The team bond] is one of the biggest things that I’m most proud of. We have two seniors on our team, Jacob Bakeberg, and Nate Dahl. We have seven sophomores in JV/Varsity and they brought them all in with open arms and loved them up and have been unbelievable role models for them. They do a really good job representing what we hope our basketball program represents,” Ortmann said.

    “For me, it’s like another family. The team is always going to have your back, so it’s nice having them on your side,” said Nate Dahl ‘23.

    The Bison try to keep the energy high before and during the game. They use energy as a tool to boost each other’s morale.

“If it’s not going our way we look towards the bench to get us in the game,” said Dahl.

A positive team attitude is something they work hard at. 

Photo by Matthew Scherber

Being on Varsity Football was something that changed how Pederson felt about the team he was on. Having people on a team with him that were the same size as him was something new to Pederson.

“It felt weird to be the tallest person on a team every year,” Pederson said, “being on varsity made me feel like I fit in with the others, size-wise.”

Pederson’s Varsity Football season isn’t the same as other Varsity season experiences. Kami Moser ‘26, a shy hockey player, joined the varsity girl’s hockey team very young. For Moser, it wasn’t about her size that changed how she felt. It was easy for Moser to achieve what she wanted when the team was there to make her feel good. 

“It feels good,” Moser said, “I wasn’t really nervous because I knew most of the girls, it was a real confidence booster, and made me feel very proud of myself,” Moser said. “Reagan Wurm [‘23] really helped me feel more comfortable and welcomed,” Moser said “She really goes out of her way to make sure everyone is included and feels like they are a real part of the team.” 

In Moser’s season, a good teammate has helped her transition into the Varsity Hockey team, and feel involved even as a freshman. For others, joining a team might not always be like Moser’s. In Pederson’s experience, the team has brought on his inspirational aspect of being a freshman on Varsity Football, and he pushes others to go for their dreams just as he did. 

“If people think your dreams are crazy,” Pederson said, “show them what crazy can do.”

Moser and Pederson, though different people, had a similar experience. Both are very happy they got the opportunity to meet new people, and make their dreams come true. Hopefully, they inspire you to do the same.