SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
I saw this and figured this would be a fitting way to kick off the column this week. I am pretty sure has happened many times!!!
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Crookston Pirate Girls Basketball’s Maddie Bruggeman will sign a letter of intent to play basketball at Mayville State on Friday. We will have more on that after she has the ceremonial signing on Friday afternoon!
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The Section 8A Girls Tennis Tournament begins next week on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (October 15-17) at Choice Fitness in Grand Forks, North Dakota. This is how I see the seeding going for the tournament.
1. Thief River Falls
2. East Grand Forks
3. Staples-Motley
4. Park Rapids
5. Crookston
6 – 8 is a toss up. Wadena-Deer Creek, Roseau, and Parkers Prairie.
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The Section 8A Soccer Tournament starts on Saturday with a play-in game, and Crookston will be at either Pelican Rapids or Walker-Hackensack-Akeley in the first round.
Crookston plays WHA tonight, and if they win or lose, I don’t think they can move ahead of the Wolves. Crookston lost to Pelican Rapids 4-1 in the first meeting and tied in the second meeting.
Crookston lost to Walker-H-A in the first meeting 3-0. With that said, the girls are playing some of their best soccer right now, so the play-in game on Saturday will be an exciting one.
Section 8A – North Standings
QRF Seeded – October 9
| Team | Section | Overall | QRF Value | QRF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Grand Forks | 7-1-0 | 11-3-0 | 57.4 | 8 |
| Hillcrest Lutheran Academy | 8-3-0 | 8-6-0 | 33.9 | 35 |
| Pelican Rapids | 3-6-1 | 3-7-1 | 20.5 | 50 |
| Walker-Hackensack-Akeley | 4-6-0 | 4-10-1 | 19.4 | 53 |
| Crookston | 0-8-1 | 0-11-1 | 12.5 | 67 |
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The Section 8A Boys Soccer tournament begins on Saturday with the play-in games. There will be two play-in games with Crookston and Morris on the road. Crookston has the tie-breaker with Morris with a head-to-head victory. The only other seed that seems to be a lock is Hillcrest at the #1 seed. Pelican Rapids and Minnewaska Area didn’t play. East Grand Forks and Pelican Rapids tied in their only meeting.
Section 8A – West Standings
QRF Seeded – October 9
| Team | Section | Overall | QRF Value | QRF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest Lutheran Academy | 9-0-0 | 10-3-0 | 48.5 | 15 |
| Minnewaska Area | 4-5-4 | 4-6-4 | 25.7 | 52 |
| Pelican Rapids | 3-3-1 | 3-7-1 | 25.5 | 53 |
| East Grand Forks | 2-3-1 | 2-6-2 | 19.5 | 66 |
| Morris Area | 0-10-1 | 0-12-1 | 12.2 | 80 |
| Crookston | 1-7-0 | 1-10-0 | 11.4 | 82 |
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The Crookston Pirate Boys Hockey program has a bunch of guys playing juniors and club hockey this winter. Here is a list of what the guys are doing.
It seems like we will call the UMC Club Hockey team the Crookston Senior Pirates with all the Pirates they have on the team this year. The Pirate players make up over 1/5th of the roster!
UMC Club Hockey –
Conner Hanson (5’7 145lb Soph)
Brandon Colborn (5’9 160lb Fresh)
Teagen Lubinski (5’10 190lb Fresh)
Riley Benson (6’0 180lb Soph)
Kadin Edwards (6’1 175lb Soph)
Garrett Fischer is playing for the Pueblo Peppers in the NAHL after being traded from Fairbanks. He has sweater #77 and in the first five games of the year, he had two goals and one assist and a plus/minus of a plus 3.
Jay Reese is playing for the Gillette Wild in the Na3hl
Greyson Ecker is also playing for the Gillette Wild in the Na3hl
Parker Kelly is playing for the Bandlands Sabres in the Na3hl Parker has started all four games and is 2-2 on the year with a 3.235 goals against average and a save percentage of 88.7 percent.
Nathan Kelly is playing for the NDSU Club Hockey team
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The Northern Sun Conference continues to be an arms race of facility improvement and Southwest Minnesota State is getting a $5.5 million upgrade.
Southwest Minnesota State University has received a historic $5.5 million leadership gift from the Schwan’s Corporate Giving Foundation to support the development of the Southwest Minnesota Indoor Sports and Recreation Dome. The gift represents the largest single gift in the university’s history.
The transformational commitment moves the dome project significantly closer to reality and reflects a shared vision of expanding opportunities for wellness, recreation, athletics, and community engagement across Southwest Minnesota.
The Schwan’s Corporate Giving Foundation has a longstanding history of supporting initiatives that strengthen communities and create opportunities for people of all ages. Its leadership investment in the dome project reflects a
commitment to enhancing quality of life throughout Southwest Minnesota.
Once completed, the Southwest Minnesota Indoor Sports and Recreation Dome will provide expanded opportunities for SMSU students through recreation, health and wellness programs, athletic development, and campus engagement. The facility will also serve as a regional asset, offering year-round space for youth sports, camps, tournaments, community walking programs, fitness activities, and special events.
The indoor dome project is envisioned as a regional destination that will enhance recreational opportunities, support economic activity, and strengthen connections among communities across Southwest Minnesota.
The Southwest Minnesota Indoor Sports and Recreation Dome is being developed to serve both SMSU and the broader region by providing year-round indoor space for athletic competition, recreation, wellness programming, community events, camps, and youth activities. The facility is intended to address growing regional needs for accessible indoor recreational space while enhancing opportunities for students and community members alike.
While the $5.5 million commitment from the Schwan’s Corporate Giving Foundation represents a significant portion of the project’s fundraising goal, additional philanthropic and community support will be needed to bring the Southwest Minnesota Indoor Sports and Recreation Dome to completion. University leaders hope the historic leadership gift will inspire others to join in investing in a facility that will serve students, families, organizations, and communities throughout the region. Individuals, businesses, and organizations interested in supporting the project are encouraged to contact the SMSU Foundation for more information about giving opportunities. www.SMSUFoundation.org.
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MORE MILESTONES
Climax-Fisher’s Kinley Korynta recorded the 1,000th assist of her career last week.
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More Hall of Fame news –
Former University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Men’s Hockey coach and all-around great guy, Gary Warren, is being inducted into the Dakota College of Bottineau Hall of Fame.
Warren was the Lumberjack Hockey Coach from 1984-2001. Coaching the Lumberjacks to 3 National Championships, 9 National Runner-ups, and 8 Region XIII Championships. With a legacy defined by championship standards and an enduring impact on the community, he cemented his place among the game’s icons. Warren cannot attend the October presentation. He will be recognized at a home Men’s Lumberjack hockey game.
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We have the Minnesota High School Football polls out this week and we have also updated the football, volleyball, boys and girls soccer, and girls tennis polls. To see the latest polls, click below.
https://kroxam.com/mn-high-school-rankings/
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The 9-PLAYER WEST-NORTH SUB-DISTRICT FOOTBALL Stats after week 4 are below –
The VALLEY PLAINS FOOTBALL DISTRICT stat leaders after week 4 are below-
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KROX Radio and KROX TV will be video-streaming every Crookston Pirate Varsity Fall sporting event again this season. We have direct links to the streams for each home game. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel ((155) KROX Radio – YouTube) to get reminders when we go live with all our coverage.
October 8 –
Crookston Pirate Girls Soccer vs Walker-Hackensack-Akeley – https://youtube.com/live/1OvbRNo7usU
Crookston Pirate Volleyball vs East Grand Forks – https://youtube.com/live/7L4Y6cx91Ng
October 9 –
Crookston Pirate Football vs Red Lake County – https://youtube.com/live/purUdRsZ_xY
October 12 –
Crookston Pirate Volleyball vs Northome/Kelliher – https://youtube.com/live/EVXbjKHDWeA
October 21 –
Crookston Pirate Football vs Red Lake – https://youtube.com/live/NwlNvw1izos
October 22 –
Crookston Pirate Volleyball vs Climax-Fisher – https://youtube.com/live/dbH4RVra80Y
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JOKES
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How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST. Email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Ava Martin is a freshman playing golf at Gustavus Aldolphus.
Matt Contreras is a Sophomore playing baseball at Concordia College in Moorhead.
Teagen Lubinski is playing Junior Hockey for the Badlands Sabers in the NA3HL.
Parker Kelly is playing Junior Hockey for the Badlands Sabers in the NA3HL.
Addie Fee is a Sophomore playing hockey at Wisconsin-Superior.
Kambelle Freije is a Sophomore playing hockey at Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Riley Helgeson is a Sophomore playing football at Northern State.
Emily Bowman is a Sophomore playing Softball at North Dakota State College of Science.
Halle Winjum is a Junior playing basketball at Minnesota Crookston.
Matt Contreras is a Sophomore playing baseball at Concordia College.
Naomi Johnson is a Sophomore playing soccer at Alexandria Tech
Reese Swanson is a Junior playing hockey at St. Olaf.
Carter Coauette is a Junior playing football at Minot State.
Isaac Thomforde is a Junior playing Tennis at Northwestern College in St. Paul.
Halle Bruggeman is a Senior on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Rugby team.
Ethan Boll is a Senior on the University of North Dakota Football team.
Breanna Kressin is a Senior the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.
Jacey Larson is a Senior playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Paul Bittner is an assistant coach on the University of Wisconsin-Superior Men’s Hockey team.
Seth Heppner – Head Coach of Men’s and Women’s Golf at Jessup University
Brady Heppner – Head Coach of Women’s Golf at UMC and Assistant Hockey Coach
Crookston School District Coaches
Blake Bergeron is the head Pirate Wrestling Coach.
Colton Weiland is an assistant Pirate Wrestling Coach
Jason Cassavant is a Jr. High Baseball Coach and Head American Legion Baseball coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Marley Melbye is an assistant girls golf coach
Connor Morgan is the Head Pirate Boys Hockey coach
Ben Trostad is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Ethan Magsam is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc
Elise Tangquist is the Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND.
Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson is the head Little Falls Volleyball coach.
Tim Desrosier is an Assistant Coach for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Pony Boys Basketball
Pat Wolfe is the head wrestling coach for Fosston/Bagley.
Austin Sommerfeld is an Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.
Collin Reynolds is the head baseball coach for the University of Colorado Buffalo Club Baseball team.
Trent Stahlecker is a School Security Specialist & he works for the Brevard Public Schools, Florida.
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown.
Josh Edlund is the head football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach at Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is the Head Wrestling Coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.
Matt Harris is an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of North Dakota.
Mike Hastings is the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s head Hockey coach.
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Grand Forks Schools.
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football, volleyball, and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for Bison media relations.
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College.
Chris Myrold is the Director and Fitness at Mission Ranch and Fitness in Camel, California.
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Jaren Bailey is serving our country and is Lance Corporal in the Marines.
Ben Andringa is serving our country in the Army and is now a Ranger.
Philip Kujawa class of 2004, from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.
Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome
That’s it for this week. Thanks for the comments, and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call. Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com..
