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A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Cloquet soccer players Kendra Kelley (left) and Kiana Bender pose with coach Dustin Randall at the recent All-State Soccer Awards banquet in the Twin Cities.
Two members of the Cloquet girls varsity team were selected to be part of the 2018 Class A All-State Girls Soccer team by the Soccer Coaches Association.
Senior Kendra Kelley was selected for First Team All-State, while junior Kiana Bender made the Second Team All-State. It was the second year in a row of the honor for Kelley, who is tied for third place in the state for most goals scored, with 133 goals scored in her five years on varsity.
Kelley, a champion sprinter, has decided to pursue running in college rather than soccer. She has yet to commit to running for any university.
"I'm sad to see it go," said Kelley. "But it's a decision I'm confident about. I'm really just grateful for everything I've had in this sport. I'm really close to my coach, Dustin Randall, and my teammates."
Randall said losing Kelley will be difficult and mean rebuilding to a degree.
"She's put up some unimaginable scoring numbers," said Randall, who just finished his 10th season as the Lumberjacks head coach. "She holds all the school records (for scoring). She's a very special player."
Bender is also a special player, he said.
"She also has some ridiculous numbers, but she's been overshadowed a bit by Kendra. But Kiana is a big part of the reason for our success. She's hard-working and a really good contributor. She will be fun to watch next year."
