State Champs!
Two New Prague High School athletes brought home gold from their respective state tournaments last weekend.
Justin Turek, left, won first place in the 140-pound weight class at the Class AA wrestling tournament. Turek, who was born with half of a left arm, was the media darling of the tourney, with stories about him on KARE-11 TV each night of the tourney and reports on him in newspapers and on TV stations around the state. He received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul after winning a 3-2 decision in the championship match.
Steph Solheid, right, won her gold medal on the balance beam at the Class A individual meet Saturday afternoon at the Roy Wilkens Auditorium in St. Paul. Solheid was the only one of five Trojan athletes who won an individual gold medal. On Friday, New Prague took second place in the Class A team meet, finishing behind Perham, which scored a state record 150.4 points in winning its second straight title. In the past seven years, New Prague has won two state titles and finished second five times.