SPORTS FEEVER – April 11, 2019

Wow….what a Final Four this past weekend.  Minneapolis did a great job of hosting all the events and over 72,000 people watch the semi-finals on Saturday and another 72,000-plus watched the championship game on Monday.

We saw a lot of local celebrities like Nevin Lubarski (Stephen-Argyle coach), Conrad Lubarski (longtime coach), Ben Hemberger (Fosston coach), Arly Ohm (Breckenridge Coach), to name a few.   We saw a lot of celebrities, from a distance and when we were leaving the championship game Kevin McHale walked right by us.  It was a zoo in front of the stadium so no picture was taken, but I said hello and my youngest son asked who Kevin McHale was and my wife goes… “Oh Kevin McHale.”  So that was pretty cool. I have had a one-on-one interview with McHale many years ago, have talked with him on the phone and met him several other times and he has always been a great guy and he actually knows where Crookston is.

We had a crazy, busy weekend.  Blake and I left Friday night for the cities and we woke up early and went to Fan Fest at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  We were playing games, winning free stuff, eating free B-dubs, drinking terrible (but free) orange-vanilla coke and having a good time.  We heard that Christian Laettner was making an appearance (one of my favorite college players ever) so we got in line to see him.  Christian Laettner talked for a little bit and then he said he will be throwing passes to the people in line to recreate his famous last-second shot in the 1992 NCAA tournament to beat Kentucky.  So, I had a chance to show Laettner the move that I basically practiced for hundreds of hours in the gym….and I bricked it off the front of the rim.  Oh well, but it was pretty cool to get the opportunity and in case you never saw me play, I patterned one of my “go to moves” after Christian Laettner’s shot from 1992.

Later on Saturday, my wife, mom and dad, and daughter Macy and then Alyssa arrived and we went to eat then went to the game and the two games were a little slow on the offensive end, but two pretty good games and the atmosphere was great.

Sunday morning my niece was playing hockey in St. Cloud so my mom and dad went to watch her play and Blake went with because he was scheduled to play two big section tennis matches against East Grand Forks and Fergus Falls even though we knew there was a very good chance they weren’t going to play because of the forecast of precipitation.  Blake caught a ride home from St. Cloud with my brother and sister and law.  Our youngest son Carter was playing in the Grand Am basketball tournament in Grand Forks and he played his last game on Sunday morning at 9 a.m.  We booked a plane ticket through Boutique Air for $89 and with the help of my awesome sister and brother in law (Shawn and John Regan) Carter was able to get to TRF and flew into MSP about 5:45 p.m.   About the same time, Blake calls us and he was very mad because it looked like he wasn’t going to play tennis on Monday. Monday morning rolls around and as all of us but East Grand Forks figured, the tennis matches were postponed and we had a VERY ticked kid in Crookston.  I will give this warning to Kyle…..when Crookston and EGF play in tennis, you might want to stand behind the fence for the first couple serves????
All joking aside, Blake was bummed, but we knew it was a possibility and it is what it is.
Monday, we went to Fan Fest where I got shown up by Carter in some shooting games.  We went to eat before taking in the Final Four tailgate party along Nicollet Mall and took in the sights and atmosphere, watched Virginia board their bus from their hotel before the game and went to the stadium.  Saw a great overtime game and got to bed around 1 AM.  Woke up, came home and both my wife and I went to work for a while.

It was a great weekend and Minneapolis did a great job hosting, the volunteers were great, all the law enforcement was top-notch, helpful and friendly and the businesses were ready and even though every bar and restaurant in downtown Minneapolis had over an hour wait to eat, it was an enjoyable weekend and well worth the money spent.

It was the second year in a row that Alyssa and I have been to the Final Four and the first for the rest of the family.   I have had a couple of people ask which one I liked better and I would lean towards San Antonio as my favorite.   San Antonio had pretty much everything within a three block radius, which was nice, but the River Walk is the huge deciding factor on why it was my favorite so far.  Another factor, the Alamo Dome was spacious and the concourses were much easier to navigate and weren’t anywhere as congested as U.S. Bank Stadium and the concessions were significantly cheaper and quicker in San Antonio.

I am looking to make it three Final Fours in a row next year when they play in Atlanta.  My aunt and uncle live in Lawrenceville (Suburb of Atlanta) and my aunt (a teacher) will be in her first year of retirement so either Blake or Carter will likely come with me.  I am going to try to make every Final Four as long as I can.  It is a goal and we will see how long I can.  We will see.  A boy can dream the dream.

— — —

Ryan Bittner, who won an NCAA D-3 National Championship a little over a week ago with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has signed a professional contract with the Pensacola Iceflyers in the SPHL and will play in his 1st game tonight (Friday) vs. Knoxville at 6:30 p.m. central time.  Pensacola has clinched a spot in the SPHL playoffs and is currently 25-23-6 on the season. Ryan’s younger brother, Paul, is currently playing for the Cleveland Monster’s in the AHL.  Cleveland is the affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Ryan has played two games and has a plus-two rating.  Pensacola will take on Huntsville on Thursday and Saturday in the playoffs.

— — —

Last week I wrote that I don’t blame UMC Baseball for trying to get their home games, but I side with Winona State for not wanting to play in crappy weather.
UMC Baseball Coach Steve Gust, wasn’t thrilled with my take and wrote a response, which I will post below.  I had a nice talk with Steve and both of us respect how hard each other work and I consider us friends.  But Winona State spends $3,000 to $5,000 to come up and doesn’t play.  In our phone conversation, I asked Steve if UMC was 1-7 instead of 7-1 in the NSIC if Winona State would have played.  I won’t tell you his answer, but we all know the answer to that question.  It is frustrating for Coach Gust to have the south teams basically try to screw the Golden Eagle’s out of home games and his response below shows that frustration.  If anybody ever has a problem with anything I post or would like to set the record straight, I am always open to telling both sides of the story.    I screw things up…and I don’t take myself too seriously.

Coach Gust’s response is below –

Chris,
I would like to set the record straight regarding your UMC baseball opinion piece in last week’s Sports Feever column. You sided with Winona State on their decision to come to Crookston but not play us in a 3-game piece because of cold weather. Your opinion on the subject was full of inaccurate and unsubstantiated information.

NSIC by-laws mandate that teams are expected to play when “real feel” temperatures are above 32 degrees at start times. Both days we achieved 32 degrees at expected start times. In fact, Monday was well above the 32 degree real feel for most of the afternoon. We practiced in the afternoon in short sleeves and several players and coaches actually broke a sweat. Winona did not want to play because the forecast was for the “real feel” to be at or a little below the 32 bench mark. However, as you should know, forecasts change drastically this time of year. In addition, there was little to no wind either day. The bottom line is if the NISC is going to schedule games in Crookston March 30, teams better be ready to play in that weather. You stated the “real feel” was in the teens and low 20s, but that was not accurate.

I hope you are not advocating that we should have traveled to Winona to play the games. Should we be expected to get on a bus and travel more than 15 hours round trip to play our home games on an opponent’s field because the temperatures are five degrees warmer? In fact, the real feel was colder in Winona than it was in Crookston on Sunday. I will not subject my kids to that. They deserve to sleep in their own beds, go to as many classes as possible and not endure another long trip. In short, we deserve to have a home field advantage and we cannot let the southern teams “bully” us because they want to play our home games at their places.

You stated that there was some type of injury issue with playing in colder weather, but I am wondering what you base that assumption on?  We are from Minnesota and should be used to being in cold temperatures. We practiced in them all week and played Sioux Falls two days later when the “real feel” was cooler than the weekend. Nobody got hurt. We live in a “soft” society and your opinion last week strengthened that statement. The Minnesota Twins played in 26-degree temperatures last week and Nebraska played the Minnesota Gophers when it was snowing on Sunday. To my knowledge, no player was injured, not even 100-mph arms or multi-million dollar players. I am pretty sure the Twins weren’t going to decide to travel to Kansas City or Cleveland for their home games.

Finally, your opinion makes no sense economically for the community of Crookston. Not having home games takes away revenue from the hotels, bars, restaurants and gas stations. And those places are what pay your bills through advertising dollars. Also, because we recruit many out of this region, having home games allow for our fans to come watch us play.

Were you in Crookston or at the park to see what the conditions were on those two days? Do you know how hard our kids worked at getting the field ready? Do you understand how much our kids wanted to play those games? Did you know that every other team in the NSIC played over the weekend, some in colder temperatures? Did you know Winona played a regular season game this year against Pittsburg State with a 28 degree temperature and winds 15-20 mph?

I would expect a little more research, compassion and intellect when writing future opinion pieces.

Steve Gust

Coach Gust and I had a chat Friday and we came to the conclusion that the NSIC baseball schedule and rules are flawed and the NSIC scheduling conference games in March is beyond foolish. Anyway, in case you are wondering Steve and I are good and we will get each other a frosty cold one and talk about the great game of baseball after the season is over!
I love what coach Gust has done and understand he is extremely frustrated with a lot of things out of his control and I can’t blame him one bit!  I share a lot of the same frustrations…I have just become immune to most after 20-plus years.

— — —

Crookston Pirate Volleyball’s Kylie Solheim will sign a letter of intent to play volleyball at Concordia College Thursday afternoon.

— — —

The Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors met on Thursday, April 4 at the MSHSL office in Brooklyn Center and there were a lot of interesting discussions going during the meeting. 

Board President Bonnie Spohn Schmaltz called the meeting to order at 9:37 a.m.
· Board member Mike Domin shared the reflection.
· The minutes of the Feb. 12, 2019 board meeting were approved.
· Public comments were heard on boys volleyball, Dance Team and soccer.

Lobbyist’s Report
· League Lobbyist Roger Aronson shared that the K-12 Bill was completed earlier in the day. Language included in the bill confirms that extracurricular activities are a privilege and not a right.
· The repeal of the sales tax sunset on League tickets is projected to be included in the House and Senate tax bills.
· The Legislative Session ends May 20.

Legal Counsel Report
· Legal Counsel Kevin Beck shared there are three pending cases.

Executive Director Report
· Executive Director Erich Martens reported on the planning of the first MBCA Showcase providing exposure of Minnesota boys basketball players to Division I coaches.
· Introduced new staff member Pam Inniger, Administrative Assistant for Officials
· Announced that Region Secretaries will meet Monday, April 8 at the League Office.
· Yielded the floor to tournament directors to share reflections on their winter tournaments.
· Discussed the Listening Sessions offered by board members at the MnIAAA conference.

Executive Committee Report
· The committee viewed and participated in the Competitive Section Placement and Appeals process.
· Approved League staffing adjustments and duties.
· Authorized executive staff to work with legal counsel in addressing the recent injunction granted in the girls Dance Team lawsuit.
· The board approved the Executive Committee report.

Action Items

9A · A motion to advance boys volleyball as an amendment to the Representative Assembly failed in a 12-7 voice roll-call vote.

9B  · A motion to accept the Competitive Section Placement assignments for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years was approved and are now posted on the League website.

9C and 9D · Future meeting dates and future tournament dates were approved.

Discussion Items

10A — Activity Advisory Proposals
·  Basketball — Class AAAA section tournament format; shot clock.
· Cross County — Three-class proposal. They want to move from two to three classes.
· Dance Team — Class AAA state tournament format.
· Boys Hockey — Add two weeks and two games to the season. This request is seeking a change in the bylaws, which needs to be presented through the Representative Assembly process.
· Nordic Skiing — Add a Sprint Relay event to the state meet.
· Boys and girls soccer — Three-class proposal. Moving from two to three classes was proposed.
· Boys and girls tennis — Three-class proposal.  Moving from two to three classes was proposed
· Volleyball — Four-class proposal.  Moving from three classes to four classes was proposed.
· Wrestling — Full consolation bracket; participants in regular-season individual tournaments; scrimmage and practice partners.

These will be Action Items on the agenda for the June 3, 2019 meeting.

Committee Reports

Eligibility Committee
· The minutes of the Eligibility Committee were approved as submitted.

Audit/Finance Committee
· The financial statements for January and February were approved.
· Assistant Director Rich Matter reviewed with the board the 2017-2018 Annual Financial Report and Management and Compliance Report.

Marketing and Communications Committee
· The committee is in unanimous support of continuing to provide a complimentary program for state tournament participants.
· Recommends in principle a plan for future publications. This will be presented for formal approval at the June 3, 2019 board meeting.
·  League Staff presented an update on sponsorships.
·  League Staff shared that Waseca High School’s Theater Department was the Section 5 recipient of the NFHS Heart of the Arts Award.

Education and Leadership Committee
· Coaches Education — Seventeen training sessions were conducted in four geographic regions in Minnesota.
· Course information for 2019-2020 will be available in May.
· School Board training — AD’s get out and work with local school boards
· Recommended addition to the Continuing Education Policy, effective for the Fall of 2019: All Athletic Administrators will be required to complete a MN Head Coaches Course prior to the Fall of 2022. AD’s will have three years to complete the requirement. This will be an Action Item at the June 3, 2019 board meeting.

Informational Items
· Spring Area Meetings begin April 15 in Mankato
· The Representative Assembly meeting is Monday, May 13, 2019.
· Election of Officers for the 2019-20 school year will take place at the June 3, 2019 meeting.
· Next meeting: Monday, June 3, 2019

— — —

The Crookston Pirate Trap Shooting team has begun practice and they have over 30 kids out for the team this year.   The team is coached by Darren Gjerswold.  The team is listed below –
Seniors – Jonathan Abeld, Jake Anderson, Eric Delorme, Nicholas Haugen, Dilon Owens
Juniors – Judy Baatz, Sawyer Bernd, Ty Hamre, Allie Hujanen, Cameron Hulst, Brylee Lessard, Lisa Lindemoen, Allie Love, Jade Selzler, Hannah Tahran, Isaiah Barlow
Sophomores – none
Freshman – Mavrick Broden, Erik Coauette, Zach Johnson, Gage Nelson, Grant Nelson, Mason Owens, Dillynn Wallace, Wendy Fay Willits, Isaac Wandrie, Noah Barlow
8th graders – Mackenzie Aamoth, Ryan Abeld, Jaren Bailey, Brady Klinnert, Jenna Seaver
7th graders – Jamie Brown, Clay Hanson, Chase Proulx, Koda Donarski, Jackson Reese, Wyatt Wilkens

— — —

The new Minnesota State High School League section alignment has been released for the 2019-20, 2020-21 school years.  We have put together the Section 8A and 8AA along with some Section 6 alignments by season and sport below.

FALL SPORTS ALIGNMENTS

SECTION 8 9-MAN (8 teams)
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Grgyla-Gatzke
Kelliher/Northome
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Northern Freeze
Stephen-Argyle
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo

SECTION 6 9-MAN FOOTBALL (8 teams) 
Blackduck
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Fertile-Beltrami (New to Section from 8A)
Laporte
Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal
Nevis
Park Christian
Win-E-Mac

SECTION 8A FOOTBALL (6 teams)
Cass Lake-Bena
Fosston
Mahnomen/Waubun
Polk County West
Red Lake County
Red Lake

SECTION 6A FOOTBALL (8 teams)
Ada-Borup
Breckenridge (drops to A from AA)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy
Lake Park-Audubon
New York Mills
Ottertail Central
Underwood
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

SECTION 8AA FOOTBALL (8 teams)
Bagley
Barnesville
Crookston
Frazee (Moves up from Class A)
Hawley
Pelican Rapids (Moves up from Class A)
United North Central
Warroad

SECTION 8AAA FOOTBALL (8 teams)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls (moves down from AAAA)
Park Rapids
Pequot Lakes
Perham
Roseau (Moves up from AA)
Thief River Falls

Section 8A Volleyball (25 teams)
Ada-Borup
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Bagley
Blackduck
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig
Cass Lake-Bena
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Climax-Fisher
Crookston (Moves down from AA)
Fertile-Beltrami
Fosston
Goodridge-Grygla-Gatzke
Indus
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Mahnomen-Waubun
Northern Freeze
Northome/Kelliher
Red Lake County Central
Red Lake Falls
Red Lake
Sacred Heart
Stephen-Argyle
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo
Win-E-Mac

SECTION 8AA VOLLEYBALL ALIGNMENT (16 teams)
Crosby-Ironton
Detroit Lakes
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls (moves down from AAA)
Hawley
Little Falls (Moves down from AAA)
Park Rapids
Pequot Lakes
Perham
Pierz (Moves in from 6AA)
Pillager (Moves up from Class A)
Roseau
Staples-Motley
Thief River Falls
Warroad

Section 8A Boys Soccer (20 teams)
Alexandria
Bemidji
Crookston
Detroit Lakes
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls
Fergus Falls Hillcrest Academy
Little Falls
Melrose
Minnewaska Area
Pelican Rapids
Rocori
Sartell-St. Stephen
Sauk Rapids-Rice
St. Cloud Apollo
St. Cloud Cathedral
St. Cloud Tech (Moves down from AA)
St. John’s Prep
Trek North
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

Section 8A Girls Soccer (18 teams)
Alexandria
Bemidji
Crookston
Detroit Lakes
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls
Fergus Falls Hillcrest
Little Falls
Melrose
Rocori
Sartell-St. Stephen
Sauk Rapids-Rice
St. Cloud Apollo
St. Cloud Cathedral
St. Cloud Tech (Moves down from AA)
St. John’s Prep
Trek North
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

SECTION 8A GIRLS TENNIS SECTION ALIGNMENT (8 teams)
Crookston
East Grand Forks
Park Rapids
Parkers Prairie
Perham/New York Mills
Roseau
Thief River Falls
Wadena-Deer Creek

SECTION 8A GIRLS SWIMMING ALIGNMENT (10 teams)
Bemidji
BGMR/Roseau/Warroad
Crookston
Detroit Lakes/Frazee
Fergus Falls
Fosston-Bagley
Grand Rapids
Park Rapids
Perham/New York Mills/Henning
Thief River Falls

SECTION 8A GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY (25 teams)
Ada-Borup
Bagley-Fosston
Cass Lake-Bena
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Climax-Fisher
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Frazee
Hawley
Lake of the Woods/Indus/Rainy River
Lake Park-Audubon
Laporte
Nevis
New York Mills
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids
Perham
Roseau/BGMR
Thief River Falls
United North Central
Wadena-Deer Creek
Warroad
West Marshall (Stephen-Argyle and Warren-A-O)

SECTION 8A BOYS CROSS COUNTRY (25 teams)
Ada-Borup
Bagley-Fosston
Cass Lake-Bena
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Climax-Fisher
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Frazee
Hawley
Lake of the Woods/Indus/Rainy River
Lake Park-Audubon
Laporte
Nevis
New York Mills
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids
Perham
Roseau/BGMR
Thief River Falls
United North Central
Wadena-Deer Creek
Warroad
West Marshall (Stephen-Argyle and Warren-A-O)

WINTER SPORTS SECTION ALIGNMENTS

SECTION 8AA BOYS BASKETBALL ALIGNMENT (18 teams)
Bagley
Barnesville
Breckenridge
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls (Moves in from AAA)
Frazee
Hawley
Menahga (Moves in from A)
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids (Moves in from A)
Perham
Roseau
Staples-Motley
Thief River Falls
Wadena-Deer Creek
Warroad

SECTION 8AA GIRLS BASKETBALL ALIGNMENT (18 teams)
Bagley
Barnesville
Breckenridge
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls (Moves in from AAA – defending 8AAA champs)
Frazee
Hawley
Menahga (Moves in from A – defending 5A champs)
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids (Moves in from A)
Perham
Roseau
Staples-Motley
Thief River Falls
Wadena-Deer Creek
Warroad

SECTION 8A BOYS BASKETBALL ALIGNMENT (20 teams)
Ada-Borup
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Blackduck
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig
Cass Lake-Bena
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Climax-Fisher
Fertile-Beltrami
Fosston
Goodridge-Grygla-Gatzke
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Northern Freeze
Northome/Kelliher
Red Lake County Rebels
Red Lake
Sacred Heart
Stephen-Argyle
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo
Win-E-Mac

SECTION 8A GIRLS BASKETBALL ALIGNMENT (20 teams)
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Blackduck
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig
Cass Lake-Bena
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Climax-Fisher
Fertile-Beltrami
Fosston
Goodridge-Grygla-Gatzke
Kelliher/Northome
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Northern Freeze
Red Lake County Central
Red Lake Falls
Red Lake
Sacred Heart
Stephen-Argyle
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo
Win-E-Mac

SECTION 8A BOYS HOCKEY (10 teams)
Bagley-Fosston
Crookston
Detroit Lakes/Perham
East Grand Forks
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Park Rapids (Nevis, Menahga, Walker-H-A)
Red Lake Falls
Thief River Falls (Marshall County Central, Goodridge, Warren-A-O)
Warroad

SECTION 8A GIRLS HOCKEY (6 teams)
Crookston
Detroit Lakes
East Grand Forks
Park Rapids
Thief River Falls (Goodridge, Red Lake Falls, Warren-A-O, RLCC)
Warroad

SECTION 8A WRESTLING (9 teams) (Roseau moves to 8AA)
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Crookston
Fertile-Beltrami
Fosston-Bagley
Frazee
Mahnomen/Waubun
Park Rapids (drops down from AA)
Red Lake County Central
United North Central

SECTION 8AA WRESTLING (11 teams)
Alexandria
Detroit Lakes
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
Fergus Falls
Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus
Perham
Pierz
Roseau (Moves up from 8A)
Sauk Centre-Melrose
Thief River Falls
United Clay Becker

SPRING SPORTS ALIGNMENT

Section 8AA Baseball (18 teams)
Bagley
Barnesville
Breckenridge
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls
Frazee
Hawley
Menahga
Ottertail Central
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids
Perham
Roseau
Thief River Falls
Wadena-Deer Creek
Warroad

SECTION 8A Baseball (17 teams)
Ada-Borup
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Blackduck
Fertile-Beltrami
Fosston
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Lake Park-Audubon
Mahnomen-Waubun
Northern Freeze
Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal
Northome/Kelliher
Red Lake County
Red Lake
Sacred Heart (includes Climax-Fisher)
West Marshall (Warren-A-O, Stephen-Argyle)
Win-E-Mac

SECTION 8AA SOFTBALL (17 teams)
Barnesville
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
East Polk (Fosston and Win-E-Mac)
Fergus Falls
Frazee
Hawley
Menahga
Ottertail Central
Park Rapids
Pequot Lakes
Perham
Roseau
Thief River Falls
Wadena-Deer Creek
Warroad

SECTION 8A SOFTBALL (17 teams)
Ada-Borup
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Bagley
Blackduck
Cass Lake-Bena
Fertile-Beltrami
Kelliher/Northome
Lake of the Woods
Lake Park-Audubon
Mahnomen-Waubun
Northern Freeze
Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal
Red Lake County Central
Red Lake Falls
Red Lake
Sacred Heart-Climax-Fisher
West Marshall (Warren-A-O and Stephen-Argyle)

SECTION 8A BOYS TENNIS (8 teams)
Benson (Moves in)
Crookston
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls
Minnewaska Area
Park Rapids
Perham
Thief River Falls

SECTION 8A BOYS TRACK (30 teams)
Ada-Borup
Bagley-Fosston
Barnesville
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Cass Lake-Bena
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fertile-Beltrami
Climax-Fisher-Sacred Heart
Frazee
Goodridge-Grygla-Gatzke
Lake of the Woods
Mahnomen-Waubun
Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal
Nevis
Northome/Kelliher/Blackduck
Park Christian
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids
Red Lake County
Roseau
Rothsay
Thief River Falls (Drops down from AA)
Trek North
United Clay Becker
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
Warroad
West Marshall (Warren-A-O and Stephen-Argyle)

SECTION 8A GIRLS TRACK (31 teams)
Ada-Borup
Bagley-Fosston
Barnesville
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Cass Lake-Bena
Clearbrook-Gonvick
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fertile-Beltrami
Climax-Fisher-Sacred Heart
Frazee
Goodridge-Grygla-Gatzke
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Mahnomen-Waubun
Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal
Nevis
Northome/Kelliher/Blackduck
Park Christian
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids
Red Lake County
Roseau
Rothsay
Thief River Falls (Drops down from AA)
Trek North
United Clay Becker
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
Warroad
West Marshall (Warren-A-O and Stephen-Argyle)

SECTION 8AA BOYS GOLF (17 teams)
Bagley
Barnesville
Crookston
Detroit Lakes
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls
Frazee
Hawley
Park Rapids
Perham
Roseau
Thief River Falls
United North Central
Wadena-Deer Creek
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
Warroad

SECTION 8AA GIRLS GOLF (17 teams) (Detroit Lakes moved to AAA)
Bagley
Barnesville
Crookston
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
East Grand Forks
Fergus Falls
Frazee
Hawley
Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids
Perham
Roseau
Thief River Falls
United North Central
Wadena-Deer Creek
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
Warroad

SECTION 8A BOYS GOLF (13 teams)
Ada-Borup
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Climax-Fisher
Fertile-Beltrami
Fosston
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Mahnomen-Waubun
Northern Freeze
Red Lake County
Red Lake
West Marshall
Win-E-Mac

SECTION 8A GIRLS GOLF (13 teams)
Ada-Borup
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Climax-Fisher
Fertile-Beltrami
Fosston
Kittson County Central
Lake of the Woods
Mahnomen-Waubun
Northern Freeze
Red Lake County
Red Lake
West Marshall
Win-E-Mac

FOR THE MUSIC, ART AND DRAMA SECTION ALIGNMENTS CLICK HERE

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If MIAC schools get their wish, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) might have a school to replace Augustana, who is leaving to go Division 1.
Pat Reusse had an article in the Star Tribune about MIAC schools looking to change bylaws to boot St. Thomas out of the MIAC.  Seriously….they are actually trying to kick St. Thomas out of the conference because they are dominating all sports and football is beating the daylights out of most of the teams.  They have an enrollment over 6,000 and that is significantly larger than any of the other teams in the conference.

Reusse wrote in his column –
Three MIAC sources said there is pressure being applied to Bethel, Concordia, Gustavus — the other competitive football programs — to support removing St. Thomas via threats that Augsburg, Hamline, St. Olaf and Carleton could drop out of MIAC football (as Macalester did years ago). This would leave five football schools in the MIAC without a full schedule to play.
The expectation is that, should St. Thomas be expelled, Macalester would return to play MIAC football (from the Midwest Conference) on a similar timetable as the Tommies leaving.
In addition to the nine MIAC football schools, coed Macalester and St. Mary’s and women’s colleges St. Catherine’s and St. Benedict also have votes.

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The State Speech Tournament is scheduled for April 12-13 at Wayzata High School. Here is a look at the tournament:

The schedule:
Class A (April 12) and AA (April 13) will follow the same schedule:
9:45 a.m.         Draws for Round 1
10:15 a.m.       Round 1 for All Events
11:15 a.m.       Draws for Round 2
11:45 a.m.       Round 2 for All Events
12:45 p.m.       Draws for Round 3
1:15 p.m.         Round 3 for All Events
3:00 p.m.         Draws for Final Round
3:30 p.m.         Championship Round for All Events
5:30 p.m.         Awards Ceremony

Tickets: The tournament is free and open to the public.

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

Class A: The Class A field features three returning gold medalists from 2018, with all three returning in the same category. Maia Bowman of East Grand Forks is looking to repeat in Discussion and Hannah Singewald of Cannon Falls is hoping to win her second championship in Serious Interpretation of Poetry. Singewald is also looking for her third medal overall.
Sarah Best of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown returns in search of her second consecutive title in Original Oratory. If she wins, it would be her fourth medal overall.
One additional champion returns to this year’s tournament. Moriah Lippert of Maple River of Mapleton, who won in Serious Interpretation of Poetry in 2017, will compete in Serious Interpretation of Drama. If Lippert earns a medal, it will be her third overall.
Sarah Dunn of River Valley, which is a co-op between Sleepy Eye, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s, and Springfield, is the only other qualifier looking for a fourth medal this year. She placed eighth in Duo Interpretation with Colton Jensen in 2018 and will compete in Humorous Interpretation this year. Dunn has placed in Humorous Interpretation before; she finished seventh in 2016 and third in 2017, respectively.
Eight additional qualifiers are looking for their third medals this year: Olivia McNair of Fairmont; Mollie Pierson of Pequot Lakes; Erika Doetkott of Melrose Area; Ryan Schlichting of Cannon Falls; Kindra Peterson of Underwood; Sabdi Bravo of Adrian; William Bernard of East Grand Forks; and Jessa Mueller of Melrose Area.
Cannon Falls leads the Class A field by qualifying 21 competitors. Mounds Park Academy of St. Paul qualified 17 competitors and Fairmont qualified 13.

Class AA: The Class AA field features six gold medalists from the 2018 field and four are returning in the same category. Joe Anderson of Elk River is looking for his second consecutive title in Discussion and Halima Badri of Apple Valley is competing for her second championship in Original Oratory. Jason Sobieck of Roseville Area returns to defend his title in Serious Interpretation of Prose and Josiah Chock of Chaska is looking for additional gold in Storytelling. Sobieck is also in the hunt for a third medal overall.
Campbell Bernstein of Eastview of Apple Valley, who won in Creative Expression in 2017, will compete in Humorous Interpretation this year. If she earns a medal, it will be her fourth overall. All of Bernstein’s previous medals came in Creative Expression.
Kellin Robinson of Roseville Area also returns. He won in Duo Interpretation with Vakare Bartkaitis last year and will compete in Serious Interpretation of Drama this year.
Three additional qualifiers are attempting to win third medals this year: Sophia Klindt of Moorhead; Katherine Leiseth of Moorhead; and Nadia Franzen of Woodbury.
Bernstein is the only competitor going after a coveted fourth medal this year.
Lakeville North qualified 27 individuals and Moorhead followed with 23. Eastview of Apple Valley qualified 20 competitors.

2018 STATE TOURNAMENT RECAP

Class A: Cannon Falls claimed its third consecutive team title with 41 points. Of the six returning gold medalists from 2017, two were successful in winning again in 2018.

Pranay Somayajula of Mounds Park Academy defended his crown in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Ellie Hansen of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley won in Duo Interpretation with Emma Burpo. Hansen won in Original Oratory last year. It was the third medal overall for Somayajula, Hansen, and Burpo.

Three participants won their fourth medals: Grant Schlichting of Cannon Falls, Maggie Schmaltz of Eden Valley-Watkins, and Paul Cushman of Wabasha-Kellogg.

In addition to Somayajula, Hansen, and Burpo, seven competitors earned their third medals: Brianna Kreft of West Central Area of Barrett; Lexi Fischer of Fairmont; Sarah Dunn of River Valley; Samantha Nupson of Cass Lake-Bena; Sarah Best of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown; Jordan Peterson of New London-Spicer; and Anthony McGee of Pipestone Area.

Class AA: Of the four returning gold medalists, only one succeeded in winning an event again in 2018. Izzy Larson of Moorhead, who won with Devon Solwold in Duo Interpretation in 2016 and 2017, took top honors in Serious Interpretation of Poetry. With the win, Larson was the only Class AA qualifier to earn a coveted fourth medal in 2018. She also became only the fifth Class AA competitor in state meet history to earn three gold medals.
Three competitors earned their third medals: Campbell Bernstein of Eastview of Apple Valley; Ava Ewald of Chanhassen; and Tony May of East Ridge of Woodbury.

Moorhead won its third consecutive team championship with 57 points.

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The Christian Laettner Basketball Academy will be conducting a youth basketball clinic in Pillager June 24-26 at Pillager High School.
4th-8th grade 9 am – noon (co-ed)
9th-12th grade 1 pm – 4 pm (co-ed)
Cost is $125, including a water bottle
Register Online at www.theclba.com

Christian Laettner is a retired NBA 13-year veteran whose hall-of-fame career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the greatest in National Collegiate Athletic Association history. Coach Laettner will provide a fun, learning environment for the committed basketball player looking to improve their game, with a focus on skill development, striving to help players improve their ball handling, and passing, while increasing their understanding of offensive and defensive concepts. There will be great attention to detail on the core fundamentals of the game. Players, nowadays, love to dribble, dribble, dribble the ball. With that in mind, the teaching point this academy will stress the most is “catch the ball, save your dribble-and look to pass first!”. This concept is often overlooked in today’s game with the younger players – so the coaches will stress how ball movement is a key ingredient to a players game and offensive efficiency!

For the Camp form and for more information, CLICK HERE.

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“LACE ‘EM UP” BASKETBALL CAMP

Make plans now to attend the 26th annual “Lace ‘em Up” basketball camp to be held in Red Lake Falls high school at the Robert Matzke Gym from June 3-7, 2019.

The camp is open to any boys or girls who are currently in grades K-11.  The camp is set up to run from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 for grades 6-11 each morning, and from 12:00 noon until 3:30 p.m. for grades K-6.  The cost of the camp is $60 with a maximum cost per family of $100.  If you register before May 25,  you will also receive a camp T-shirt.  After May 25, ALL SINGLE REGISTRATION FEES WILL BE $70 AND THE MAXIMUM COST PER FAMILY WILL BE $120, DUE TO CAMP PREPARATION AND AWARD ORDERS.

NOTE: by request, sixth graders may come in the morning, afternoon, or both for one price.

Cut on the dotted line and return the following to: Steve Philion, 518 Champagne Ave., Red Lake Falls, MN 56750.  (218-253-2499). E-mail: sphilion@rlfedu.org

Make checks payable to: Steve Philion

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Name____________________________________
Grade in 2018-2019________________(grade just completed)

I was a 6th grader this year and would like to come:
(circle one) MORNING    AFTERNOON    BOTH

T-shirt sizes:     Please circle one:

Youth sizes:       EXTRA SMALL           SMALL            MEDIUM             LARGE

Adult sizes:        SMALL     MEDIUM     LARGE      X-LARGE        XX-LARGE

Address:____________________________________________

MALE____________              FEMALE____________

I, the parent of the above student agree to allow my child to participate in the 2019 “Lace ‘em Up basketball camp in Red Lake Falls.  I also understand that the camp director, the City of RLF, and the RLF school district are not responsible for any injuries or accidents that my child might occur.

SIGNATURE OF PARENT OR GUARDIAN:_____________________________

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JOKES

How many flies does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Just two, but I have no idea how they got in there.

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