Making a Play for State

For 16 years now, Mark Klingsporn has walked the sideline as the head coach of the Tartan boys basketball team. As a member of the school's Class of 1976, his team's performances in that time have certainly brought him a lot of Titan Pride. "It's been a great experience," Klingsporn said. "More than the wins or losses, it's been wonderful to help prepare so many kids to be productive members of society." Tartan teams have seen more than their share of forthright young men come through its ranks and the program has seen a good share of success over the years as well. The Titans won a 2000 State Title and appeared in the Class AAAA Tournament for eight-straight seasons — 1998-2005 — which tied Tartan with Bemidji for the state record. The Lumberjacks went to eight-straight tournaments in the 1920's. "There are some great memories there," Klingsporn said of the Titans' state runs. "Lots of pride." There's reason to believe that Tartan could be gearing up for another state run this season as the Titans are cutting a swath through the Classic Suburban Conference and are on pace to win 20 games in a season for the 11th time in a row. "We have had 10-straight 20-win seasons," Klingsporn said. "It's an indicator of a strong program and is a great source of pride." The Titans opened the season with six-straight wins before suffering their first loss in the final game of 2007. The team opened Classic Suburban play on a roll before making their every-other season pilgrimage to Las Vegas for a two-game set on January 18th and 19th. "We started doing that in 2001," Klingsporn said. "It's a great lifetime experience for the kids. We do it every other season so every kid can go either as a junior or a senior." Not ones to play just within their own circuit, the Titans also scheduled games against teams from Wisconsin and Iowa. "It's all about giving kids experiences that they might not otherwise have," Klingsporn said. This season's Titans sport a strong line-up that features leading scorer Marc Sonnen, a junior guard that is averaging around 17 points-per-game. Like former Tartan alumnus and Cyclones standout Jake Sullivan, Sonnen is getting attention from Iowa State University. "Marc is an excellent player," Klingsporn said. "He's the kind of player you really like having on your team." Joining Sonnen in the backcourt is senior guard Sam Ryan. Ryan, still recovering from a broken leg suffered last fall while quarterbacking Tartan's football team, also averages over double-digits per game in scoring. "Sam is a four-year starter for us," Klingsporn said. "Between him and Marc we have two very solid leaders on this team." Tartan features several potent weapons on the hardcourt, including the likes of senior guard Aaron Hoverson, senior forward James Pritschet, senior center Shawn Marlowe and sophomore forward Manani Beavers. "We were anticipating having a good season and so far that has happened," Klingsporn said. "We look to be in the race for both the conference and section titles." However, the coach is quick to note that every season is unpredictable and success is not to be taken for granted. "It's a long season full of ups and downs," he said. "I just hope we continue to get better every day in practice. If we do that, all the other stuff will take care of itself."