Tribune Notebook: Shane Zylstra latches on with Lions
Sep. 2—DETROIT — Shane Zylstra will try to do his part to restore the roar for the Detroit Lions.
Zylstra, a 2015 New London-Spicer grad, made the 53-man roster for the Lions as a backup tight end. He'll be in uniform when Detroit opens the season on Sunday, Sept. 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field.
Zylstra, 25, played in four games for the Lions last season, grabbing three passes for 34 yards. He transitioned to tight end after playing wide receiver in college at Minnesota State-Mankato.
An NFC North rival with the Minnesota Vikings, Zylstra the Lions play Week 3 at Minnesota (Sept. 25) and against the Vikings in Detroit on Week 14 (Dec. 11).
Shane's older brother, Brandon, was one of the final cuts for the Carolina Panthers. Brandon, 29, has played four seasons in the NFL at wide receiver, with the last three coming with Carolina. Over his career, Brandon has 30 receptions for 414 yards and one touchdown while also seeing time as a special teams player.
Another player with area ties made the Minnesota Vikings practice squad in wide receiver Travis Toivonen. Toivonen, a Red Wing High School grad who played collegiately at North Dakota, was cut by the New York Giants before latching on with the Vikings. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 and also competed in the Fan Controlled Football League. Travis is the son of Doug Toivonen, a 1985 Starbuck grad, and Lisa (Hanson) Toivonen, a 1986 Willmar grad.
The New London-Spicer Athletic Hall of Fame banquet is set to take place Thursday, Sept. 15 at Little Crow Country Club in Spicer. The event starts with a 6 p.m. social, followed by the induction ceremony at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available for online purchase at www.nls.k12.mn.us/ticketsales.
For more information, contact NLS Activities Director Thane Johnson at (320) 354-2252 ex. 2603. Hall of Fame nominations can be found on the NLS website.
Two west central girls basketball players — Yellow Medicine East's Hannah Stark and Montevideo's Hailey Dirksen — committed to play collegiately at Briar Cliff University.
Stark is a 5-foot-9 forward that helped the Sting to a 13-11 record last season.
Dirksen is a 6-0 forward that was part of the Thunder Hawks squad that went 26-5 and qualified for the Class AA state tournament.
Briar Cliff University is an NAIA school in Sioux City, Iowa that plays in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Last season, the Chargers went 13-9 in the GPAC and 18-13 overall.
Six area athletes were suited up for the Concordia-Moorhead football team on Thursday as the Cobbers won their season opener.
Taking on Valley City State in Valley City, North Dakota, Concordia scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to come away with a 14-12 victory.
Making the biggest impact from west central Minnesota was Peyton Mortenson. A senior running back from Marietta and a 2018 Lac qui Parle Valley grad, Mortenson ran the ball a team-high 21 times for 74 yards. He also caught two balls for seven yards.
Mortenson also had the decisive score with a 6-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes, 53 seconds left to play.
Willmar's Jake Evans also played in Thursday's victory. A 2019 Willmar High School grad, Evans had one catch for eight yards.
Four other area athletes are on the Cobbers' roster this fall:
* Ike Nienhaus, sophomore running back from Morris (Hancock)
* Connor Plumley, freshman linebacker from Olivia (BOLD)
* Nate Walstrom, freshman offensive lineman from Belgrade (Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa)
* Mason Swanson, freshman defensive lineman from Willmar
The Cobbers are coached by Terry Horan, a 1985 Willmar High School grad.
