Wildcats story meant for Hollywood

I write an estimate of at least 500 bylines a year.
Over the course of a decade-long career…well it’s a lot of stories!
Like most reporters, there are some stories I don’t remember, or forget all of the details.
Then there comes along stories made for Hollywood, likely never to be forgotten.
In this case it’s the Dodge County Wildcats hockey team.
This is my first time covering sports outside of pinch hitting every once in a while, when I was a cub reporter, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
From the beginning I was told about the Wildcats, a team most expected to go far into the playoffs.
Some even thought the Wildcats would win a state championship this year. It’s something almost no one could imagine just a few years ago.
It wasn’t very long ago when the girls hockey team was rejected as a high school team, as a former Dodge County judge pointed out.
Some still argue the program shouldn’t have disbanded its original coop which included many schools aside Kasson-Mantorville and Byron.
While the jury is still out on whether or not it was the right decision, it’s important to note, Zoe Heimer, who scored the game winning goal for the Wildcats is from Blooming Prairie and then open- enrolled at K-M, a couple of years ago.
The Wildcats program, including past players, parents, coaches, donors, and everyone who made the program possible past and present should be extremely proud.
It’s a major accomplishment which is why the paper has dedicated an entire section to the team this week.
We hope you enjoy the coverage!