Some thoughts on the weekend

Some thoughts on this weekend in Augsburg sports (WARNING: SID COMMENTARY AHEAD):

-- The Auggie football team made an impressive opening statement with its 49-14 victory at Crown on Saturday. The Auggies took charge early, scoring the first 28 points of the game, and dominated in virtually every statistical category. The players people would expect to have big games -- namely, QB Jordan Berg and WR Royce Winford -- didn't disappoint. Berg reached the 50-touchdown plateau for his career with a three-touchdown, 304-yard passing effort, and Winford caught nine passes for 101 yards and two scores. Also on offense, nice performances by LeRoy Roby and David Tilton at running back -- two players who were on defense last year, and ended up combining for 64 yards on nine carries. More solid performances by receivers Muneer Al-Hameed and Dan Brown, and by the offensive line, which kept Berg safe from sacks and helped the Auggies produce 410 yards of total offense.

Equally impressive was the Augsburg defense. The Auggies allowed just 155 yards by Crown -- the fewest yards allowed in a single game since 2003 -- and even got into the scoring, as Tyler Judkins scored on a 40-yard interception return, one of three picks the Auggies had on the day. Twenty-four Auggies were listed as having tackles on the day, an impressive number that means that a lot of players got valuable experience that will help later in the season, when the MIAC competition intensifies.

I know I can't wait for this Saturday's home-opener against Wartburg (Iowa). Should be a fun game under the lights at Edor Nelson Field.

-- The Auggie volleyball team had a solid fourth-place effort at the very competitive Augsburg Invitational over the weekend. There were some up-and-down moments for this team, but that may be expected this early in the season. I was pleased with how the team played in their sweeps of Schreiner (Texas) and Macalester (a team that had beaten regional power Wisconsin-Eau Claire the night before) and in their five-set marathon third-place match loss to St. Benedict.

Setter Shanna Reed has been very impressive early this season. A setter is the "quarterback" of the team in volleyball, and Shanna has really taken over the role well so far, with two All-Tournament Team selections to her credit. Coach Jessica Rinehart has changed the team's setup from the 6-2 formation to a 5-1 (meaning that Reed is now the lone setter in the lineup, compared to previous years, when she shared setting duties with versatile Julie Jenkins), which has really opened up the Auggie attack. Five Auggie hitters had 14 or more kills this past weekend, meaning that the ball is really getting around to everyone.

The Auggies are going to be much-improved in the MIAC this year. And if this weekend is any forecast of how good the MIAC volleyball race is going to be (all four MIAC teams in the Augsburg tournament had strong showings), it should be a competitive year in the conference.

-- Didn't see the women's soccer game at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, but I'm sure coach Mike Navarre will see the 3-0 loss as a learning experience. The Blugolds are ranked No. 16 in the Division III national rankings, and are the first of three straight opponents the Auggies will see that were in the Division III national tournament last season. Augsburg could only get off one shot against the Blugolds, a number that will need to improve for the Auggies to win against tough opponents.

This Wednesday, the Auggies travel to Concordia-Moorhead, an MIAC power the last few seasons. Augsburg and Concordia have always played tough, close games over the past few years, as the two teams have established themselves as prime contenders in the conference year after year.

-- The men's golf team had a very nice effort in their own invitational out in Hutchinson over the weekend, finishing fifth as a team against a strong regional field. Senior Colby Anderson had a great performance, finishing fourth overall with a 5-over-par 148 in one of the best performances of his career. Sophomore Jason Henning also played well, finishing in a tie for 19th overall.

The Auggies are a young team, with just two seniors and seven first-years and sophomores on the roster. And they are playing in one of the top men's golf conferences in the country, the MIAC. But under head coach Ted Vickerman, Augsburg has a good chance of getting back into the top five in the league race, which would be a solid improvement for this squad after last year's eighth-place conference finish.

-- The women's golf team competed at the Concordia-Moorhead Invitational over the weekend in Detroit Lakes, and two Auggies finished in the top 40 -- sophomores Stefani Zappa (26th) and Johanna Frykmark (36th). The Auggies continue to make progress toward improvement under coach Laura Patrick. This coming weekend will be a strong test at the Carleton Division III Midwest Classic.

-- Don Stoner