The Pioneers, tied for 6th place in the Granite Ridge Conference, pushed the Conference-leading Crusaders to 5 sets in Pierz on Thursday.  The Pierz were serving for the match at 14-13 in the 5th, but the Crusaders managed to score the final 3 points to win 16-14 and avoid the Pioneers bid for a major upset.  Game scores were 16-25, 25-22, 11-25, 25-21, 14-16.

The Pioneers were unable to hold a 2-1 lead as the Thunder rallied for a 3-2 victory in Granite Ridge Conference action on Tuesday in Zimmerman.  Game scores were 24-26, 25-22, 25-21, 10-25, 9-15.

The Pioneers lost their Homecoming game 26-24 when the Tigers scored 2 touchdowns and added a 2-point conversion in the final 8 minutes to rally. Jacob LeBlanc ran for 2 touchdowns while Derek Stangl and Garrett Cummings also scored rushing touchdowns.  Kirby Fischer rushed for a season-high 108 yards for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers beat the Mustangs 3-1 to pick up their 2nd Conference win of the season.  Game scores were 24-26, 25-10, 25-20 and 26-24.  Ashley Kimman delivered 23 kills and had 13 digs, Alyssa Sadlovsky added 10 kills and 11 digs and Kendra Cekalla dished out 37 assists in the victory.

The Pioneers beat the Thunder Hawks 35-21 at Jacob LeBlanc ran for a career-high 224 yards and 2 touchdowns, Garrett Cummings added 2 scoring runs and Reese Young also found the end zone.  Kirby Fischer was a perfect 5-5 on extra-point kicks as Pierz improved to 3-0.

The Pioneers road to a 4-0 record wasn't a smooth one as they won a tight 12-7 battle with the Rockets.  Jacob LeBlanc ran the ball 30 times for 184 yards and both Pierz touchdowns.  But the lead trimmed to 12-7 late in the 4th quarter and the Rockets driving, Caden Knutson intercepted a pass at the Pierz 13 with under a minute left to play to seal the 12-7 victory for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers drop an exhilarating 3-2 match to the Flyers by scores of 19-25, 25-14, 26-24, 17-25, 16-18.  In the decisive 5th set, both teams had potential Match Point opportunities twice before the Flyers prevailed with an 18-16 win in Set 5. 

The Pioneers beat the Lakers 43-14 to improve to 2-0. Garrett Cummings ran for 3 touchdowns while Jacob LeBlanc and Derek Stangl also rushed for touchdowns. The Pioneers also got a defensive score when Reese Young scooped up a fumble and raced 33 yards for a 3rd quarter score as Pierz won on the road for the first time this season.

The Pioneers fall 3-1 to the Falcons in Granite Ridge Conference action despite 21 kills from Ashley Kimman.

The Lightning capped off a dream season by beating their Victory League rival from Buckman 12-3 in the Class C State Championship in Faribault on Labor Day.  Brett Kramer, a draftee from Fort Ripley, earned the Win in relief.  After the Billygoats scored 3 in the top of the 1st, it was all Nisswa after that, as the Lightning plated 12 unanswered runs to win the first State Title in team history.  Jeremiah Piepkorn had 4 hits and drove in 4 runs, Kody Ruedisili was 3-4 and Aaron Jenkins was 3-4 with a Homer and 3 rbi to lead the offense.  Lane Girtz, Noah Boser and Matt Kummet drove in 1st inning runs for Buckman, who finished as State runner-up for the 2nd time in franchise history.