BLOOMING PRAIRIE — When the Blooming Prairie football team needed someone to stop Ryan Schoenfelder in the Section 1A title game this past fall, the Awesome Blossoms turned to a first year starting sophomore named Karson Vigeland to cover him.

Schoenfelder is a 6-5, 215-pound matchup nightmare who will be playing football at the University of North Dakota next fall and his size and quickness could intimidate the most experienced of high school defensive backs. But Vigeland didn’t back down  in the contest as he contained Schoenfelder to four catches and 124 yards in that 19-14 loss to the Wildcats.

Vigeland has learned early on that when it’s time to compete, it doesn’t matter who’s on the other sideline.

“You prepare for every time like they’re the best team out there,” Vigeland said. “[Schoenfelder] was big, quick and he was good. He was really nice too. You’ve got to out-tough him and mentally and physically beat him.”

Vigeland, who is currently preparing for baseball season with BP, has had a sophomore year to remember in sports. He finished with 37 tackles, two interceptions and 10 pass break-ups in football and he averaged 10.7 points and 6.5 rebounds for BP basketball team that advanced to the Section 1A quarterfinals this past winter.

Vigeland’s success has come as a result of his hard work and his focus, which he picked up with the BP clay target shooting team. Vigeland has been with the team since he was a seventh grader and he was voted the team’s MVP last year. He has hit 50 targets in a row for his career-best score.

“It takes a lot of practice to get better [at shooting],” Vigeland said. “It’s a fun sport and it’s safe too. It gets kids outdoors. It’s a stress reliever for me to see that poof of that clay pigeon.”

Vigeland, who also hunts and plays guitar, says that trap shooting hasn’t slowed him down in other sports. It’s actually been a boost as it’s helped him to relax and learn to focus.

“It’s a focus game,” Vigeland said. “It’s all mentality. You have to stay focused the whole time and you can’t daydream.”

No matter what Vigeland is involved in, he’s trying his best to win. Whether it’s a playoff football game under the lights at RCTC stadium, a playoff basketball game at Mayo Civic Center, or a game of one-on-one in his driveway against his younger brother Kolby, who is 12 years old, Vigeland is bringing his best.

“I am very competitive. It doesn’t matter what it is,” Vigeland said. “It’s always a game with me to compete with other people. It starts here at home with my brother and my parents.”

Vigeland enjoys being a multi-sport athlete as it keeps him conditioned throughout the year. He’s also learned the importance of work ethic and been a coachable athlete this season.

“In basketball, I had to work hard every day in practice and listen to the coaches and older kids,” Vigeland said. “It was a great group of seniors and they were great role models. It was so much fun this year.”

There are currently 11,936 students from 349 high school teams in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League’s spring season, which began April 1. Those participation numbers are the highest ever for the state.