Week #6 POW: Jaclyn Jarnot (2018)

Maranatha Academy advanced to the Class A title game last year, thanks largely to the exploits of the Jarnot sisters, Alaina and Jaclyn. Well, Alaina is gone — graduated and gone to Monmount, where she's earned immediate minutes — and Jaclyn is now carrying the load.

After a rough start to the season amid a brutal schedule, the Mustangs are again rolling. Naturally, Jaclyn is leading the charge.

Our readers voted her the Player of the Week, just edging out Watertown-Mayer's Claire Killian and Rosemount's Maddy Olson. She earned the support by averaging 20-12-6.5 with 6 steals in victories over St. Croix Lutheran and Annandale, two ranked teams, to solidify Maranatha's #2 ranking in our Class A poll.

The younger Jarnot followed those performances up by crossing 1,000 points on Jan. 6.

We've got Jarnot, who plays with the MN Stars, ranked #15 in our 2018 rankings. She's an athletic 6-1 wing who can play inside and out. She's hearing from a number of Division I programs, but her first official visit is scheduled for Monmouth in April. That means it's possible the Jarnot sisters could be teammates again for the 2018-19 season.

Q & A

NORTHSTAR: Your Maranatha squad has played a crazy schedule to start the year, including your first six games against ranked teams. How did you prepare for and approach that rough stretch?

JARNOT: I knew these up coming games were going to be tough so I just has to mentally prepare myself going into the games knowing it's not going to be easy. My team and I put in a lot of hard work by practicing and conditioning to prepare for those tough games.

NORTHSTAR: You helped the Mustangs reach the state title game last season, but then graduated your sister, Alaina, and began the year 0-3. You've now won 5 straight and are second in our Class AA poll. What did you learn from those losses?

JARNOT: I learned that losses always tell you a lot about yourself and your team and what you need to improve on. After those losses, we were able to grow from those experiences and learn more about what we had to do both mentally and physically.

NORTHSTAR: You've emerged as the go-to player this year, averaging 16-10-6 and leading your team in all three categories. You also went over 1,000 points a few days ago. How much different has this year felt, now that you're a junior? Did Alaina have any advice for you?

JARNOT: Now that Alaina has graduated and I am a junior, it did take an adjustment just because I was so used to always playing with her. She made me a better player so without her I am forced to step up and become more of a leader. Some advice Alaina gave me was to embrace the player you are and continue to keep working hard and getting better. 

NORTHSTAR: As a multi-talented 6-foot forward, we've got you ranked #15 in our Class of 2018 rankings. What are some things on your wish list at the next level? Have you started visiting colleges yet? How soon would you like to make a decision?

JARNOT: At the next level, I would like to keep improving on my game and continue it at a higher level. I would like to have similar success as I did in my high school career and be a good team player. I've talked to multiple D1 schools but I'm planning my official visit to Monmouth in April. 

NORTHSTAR: You've got a big week ahead with Section 4 clashes against West Lutheran (8-2) and Heritage Christian (7-2), but there's actually five teams in your section ranked in the Top 11 by QRF. What are the team's goals? Do you have any particular game(s) circled in the weeks ahead?

JARNOT: Our overall goal and what we're striving for is to make it back to state and win it. To get there, it takes a whole team to be dedicated and put in hard work to be able to succeed. I think every game is important so we have to approach it in the right way and we can't take any games lightly.