Jul. 24—The 2021 Hengstler-Ranweiler Award won’t be leaving the Sagedahl household.
For the third time in the award’s history, a pair of brothers are the male recipients of the West Central Tribune’s Hengstler-Ranweiler Award in back-to-back years.
The 2021 winner is BOLD’s Drew Sagedahl, who keeps the award in house after his older brother Jordan took the honor in 2020.
Drew certainly didn’t live in his brother’s shadow. He’s a four-sport athlete — football, basketball, golf and baseball — with his own impressive resume.
“Seeing my brother win it last year and being able to win it now is a cool thing to have,” Drew said. “I’ll cherish the memories at BOLD.”
Football
A three-year letterwinner and two-year starter in football, Drew was as versatile as any player in the area, playing wideout, quarterback, cornerback, safety, kick returner and punter.
A starting receiver on the Warriors’ state runner-up team in 2019, Drew made the switch to quarterback in 2020. He completed 50.8% of his passes for 603 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran the ball for 303 yards and six scores.
“Going into the season, coach asked me if I wanted to play quarterback and I said yeah, I’ll be in the footsteps of my brother,” Drew said. “Before, I had always played scout QB.”
And in the red zone, he’d step in at receiver, coming up with four touchdown grabs.
“I’ll do anything to help the team win any way I can,” Drew said. “As an experienced player and a senior, it was not a problem because of (playing receiver) the year before.”
A member of the All-Area football team, Drew was named the Mid State 2 District’s Defensive Back of the Year after coming up with 24 total tackles and four interceptions. In an abbreviated football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Warriors finished 6-2.
“He kept us in every game and made key plays in big games that we needed,” said BOLD football coach Derek Flann. “He always stepped up when games were on the line.”
Basketball
In his top sport, Drew lifted his game to another level as a senior.
Drew was the only returning starter from the 2019-20 squad that sat at the top of Class A for much of the season. A four-year letterwinner, Drew was the focus of every team’s scouting report in 2020-21.
And what did he do? He led the area with 30.7 points per game along with 7.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game as the Warriors went 5-8.
“We weren’t the biggest team but we had the right offensive and defensive plays and we had the energy to finish games,” Drew said. “You had to adapt to everyone new coming in. Personally, being one of the only players with varsity experience, it was fun to be back with the guys again.”
His biggest performance of the year came in the Warriors’ opening game of the Section 2A tournament. Returning to action after having to take two weeks off due to COVID protocols, In the playoff opener, Drew scored a school record 43 points as BOLD beat Sleepy Eye 76-62.
“I told my coach before that we’re not losing this game,” Drew said. “That was a big game to get our playoff run going. All my teammates were in on the big win. That was one of the most fun games of my life.”
A two-time All-Area selection, Drew was also an All-West Central Conference selection for the third time while also being named a McDonald Award semifinalist and was on the Mr. Basketball watchlist. He holds state records for highest 3-point % in a game (10-for-10) and most consecutive 3-point shots made (10), and is fifth in state history for highest 3-point % in a season (44.8). Drew also owns school records for: field goals made in a game (16); career 3-pointers (274); points per game in a season; free-throw percentage in a season (88.1%); career free-throw percentage (76.5%); and career 3-point percentage (42.1%). He is second all-time in BOLD history for career points (1,634).
“Drew was a constant leader on and off the floor and set the standard for hard work in practice every day,” said Warriors boys basketball coach Jake Brustuen. “Drew was always willing to help with our youth program and was a constant role model for our program. Drew loved taking the big shots in big moments and always competed at the highest level.”
Drew will resume his basketball career in college at Division III St. John’s.
“They contacted me before the season started, so I took a visit there and really liked the campus,” Drew said. “We played at their gym last year against Henning and they have a great atmosphere. I called my coach later on and said this is where I want to play. It felt like home to play at the next level there.”
A spring two-fer
Golf has been Drew’s spring sport of choice, being a four-year letterwinner and a three-time All-WCC selection.
But this spring offered a unique opportunity. Because numbers were low on the BOLD baseball team due to injuries, Drew jumped in and played center field midway through the season.
“The seniors on the team said to come play with us one more time,” said Drew, who last played baseball in eighth grade. “Some days, it got a little tough playing 18 holes then playing baseball. But I definitely don’t regret that decision.”
The Warriors’ baseball team finished a game away from state, finishing with a 20-7 record. Batting in the No. 9 spot, Drew hit for a .256 average with 10 runs, four RBIs and seven stolen bases.
“Drew was a very valuable contributor to our success,” said BOLD head baseball coach Brian Kingery. “Drew was a very good center fielder who commanded the outfield. … Drew was a great addition to the baseball team this season.”
On the golf course, Drew got to represent BOLD in the state tournament after placing fifth in the Section 4A championship with a two-day score of 162.
“It was a cool moment,” Drew said about qualifying for state. “With the section tournament in Becker, I got to know what the state course was like. Playing one last time for BOLD, it was a blessing.”
At the Class A championship meet at Pebble Creek Golf Club, Drew finished tied for 43rd with a two-day score of 172.
“It was super fun having an atmosphere like that,” Drew said of playing at state. “I golfed with Brett Reid (of Community Christian School of Willmar) one day and he had like 30 followers behind us. It was fun to have not just two parents, but 40 people watching. It was a little nerve-wracking but it was fun having people cheer for you. It was a special moment.”
Warriors boys golf coach Dan Gross added, “Drew was a very humble, competitive and steady performer. No matter the weather, competition or course, we always knew that Drew would go out to compete and score well. Drew is a very determined individual who always has the team’s best interests in mind. … He was a leader by example and always open to helping his teammates.”