We have another jam-packed column as we are almost complete with the first week of fall sports practice without any reports of a breakout. A win-win so far. The big test will be when school comes back in session.
To all the athletes – stay safe, stay healthy, and most importantly….be smart. We have a lot of news, so here is this week’s column.
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Crookston High School graduate Jason Keuhn and his son Bennet pulled off a pretty awesome and rare feat on Tuesday. Jason is currently the Principal at Rossman Elementary School in Detroit Lakes.
Bennett was the first to record a hole in one at Lakeview Golf Course in Detroit Lakes on the fourth hole from 100 yards out with a 6-iron. One of the witnesses of the hole in one was Bennett’s brother, Cooper.
A few hours later, Jason went to the course and started on the 10th hole. On the 11th hole, he recorded a hole in one on the 132-yard hole while using a pitching wedge. Jason’s sons Cooper and Bennet were witnesses to his hole in one also.
I am thinking Cooper is a good luck charm!
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The Crookston Pirate Fall sports schedules are “finalized” as of 6 p.m. August 19. Of course, all schedules are subject to change. September will be a busy month for the teams and the schedules are cut down a handful of events in most cases, but I think most are happy to be playing! The Pirate fall sports schedules are below –
CROOKSTON GIRLS TENNIS –
August 25 – host Roseau – 2:00 p.m.
September 1 – host Park Rapids – Noon
September 3 – at Perham – 4:00 p.m.
September 10 – at East Grand Forks – 4:00 p.m.
September 15 – host Thief River Falls – 5:00 p.m.
September 17 – host East Grand Forks – 4:30 p.m.
September 22 – host Detroit Lakes – 4:00 p.m.
September 24 – at Park Rapids – 4:00 p.m.
September 29 – at Thief River Falls – 4:30 p.m.
October 3 – at Roseau – 11:00 a.m.
CROOKSTON BOYS SOCCER –
September 1 – host Pelican Rapids – 4:00 p.m.
September 3 – at East Grand Forks – 7:00 p.m.
September 8 – at Detroit Lakes – 7:00 p.m.
September 10 – host Hillcrest Lutheran Academy – 4:00 p.m.
September 15 – at Pelican Rapids – 4:00 p.m.
September 22 – host Detroit Lakes – 4:00 p.m.
September 26 – host Fargo North – Noon (MSHSL gave OK)
September 28 – host Red River – 4:00 p.m.
September 29 – at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (Fergus Falls) – 3:30 p.m.
October 6 – host East Grand Forks – 3:30 p.m.
CROOKSTON GIRLS SOCCER –
August 27 – host Walker-Hackensack-Akeley – 2:00 p.m.
September 1 – at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy – 4:00 p.m.
September 3 – host Detroit Lakes – 3:30 p.m.
September 8 – host Pelican Rapids – 4:00 p.m.
September 10 – at Detroit Lakes – 7:00 p.m.
September 15 – at East Grand Forks – 7:00 p.m.
September 21 – host East Grand Forks – 4:00 p.m.
September 24 – host Hillcrest Lutheran Academy – 3:30 p.m.
September 28 – at Pelican Rapids – 3:30 p.m.
September 29 – at Walker-Hackensack-Akely – 4:30 p.m.
CROOKSTON GIRLS SWIMMING –
September 1 – host Fosston – 5:30 p.m.
September 11 – at Grand Forks Central – 5:30 p.m.
September 17 – host Warroad – 5:30 p.m.
September 22 – at Park Rapids – 5:30 p.m.
September 24 – host Detroit Lakes – 5:30 p.m.
September 29 – at Warroad – 5:30 p.m.
October 1 – at Thief River Falls – 5:30 p.m.
October 8 – at Fosston – 5:30 p.m.
October 13 – host Thief River Falls – 5:30 p.m.
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The 16th Annual Crookston Blue Line Club Golf Scramble was postponed because of rain and has been rescheduled to Friday, August 21. They have room for more teams, so if you’re interested see the info below.
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Several Crookston and area kids have made the Minnesota Hockey High Performance Tier 1 fall hockey league teams representing northwest Minnesota. The list of area players is below –
14U Girls Hockey – Team Blue Ox (Representing District 15 and 16)
Brekken Tull – Crookston
Reese Swanson – Crookston
Maggey Plante – East Grand Forks
Kali Knutson – Red Lake Falls
The rest of the roster –
Ericah Folden – Brainerd (formerly of Crookston)
Morgan Aure – Alexandria (formerly of Crookston)
Cami Woidtke, Lauren Heneman, Taylor Brueske, Kellsey Kludt, Kendall Lund – Moorhead
Payton Remick – Badger
Emily Lorenson, Kaiya Sandy, Talia Hanson – Warroad
Lauren Hornstein – Garfield
Kylie Lattimer, Madison Schwartz, Rachael Mohr – Alexandria
Jerrett Tietz – East Gull Lake
14 U Boys Hockey – Blue Ox (Representing District 15/16)
Ryan Gerlich, Dylan Wikoff, Easton Anderson – Brainerd
Taylor Berg – Deerwoeed
Wyatt Balmer – Cross Lake
Dominic Arndt, Nick Johnson, Noah Mannausau, Carver Hasbargen, Tate Metcalf – Bemidji
Taven James, Luke Alderson, Carson Kuntz – Moorhead
Kash Benson – Detroit Lakes
Jace Erickson, Bradyin Lund, Max Arlt – Thief River Falls
Tucker Kvien – Roseau
Cooper Hills – East Grand Forks
Carson Pilgrim – Warroad
15U Boys Hockey – Blue Ox (Representing District 11, 12, 15 and 16)
Hampton Slykynsky, Murray Marvin Cordes – Warroad
Hayden Davis, Bauer Murphy, Kyler Miller, Blayne Mortenson – Grand Rapids
William Westerbrooks, Evan Gunderson, Kade Kohanski – Hermantown
Isaac Peterson – Pequot Lakes
Aidan Spenningsby, Joseph Stauber, Thomas Gunderson, Sam Kartch – Duluth
Abraham Carlson, Aaron Reierson – Moorhead
Pierce Gouin – International Falls
Landon Mackcow – Brainerd
Isaac Johnson, Benjamin Swanson – Fergus Falls
16U Boys Hockey – Blue Ox (Northern Minnesota)
Caleb Alderson, Harper Bentz, Ian Ness, Thomas Shroeder – Moorhead
Wyatt Carlson, Jack Olson, George Peterson, Dominic Thomas – Hermantown
Justin Funk, Brett Holmer – Thief River Falls
Coltin Johnson – Little Falls (son of Crookston grads Paul and Carmen (Kreibech) Johnson)
Justin Kerr, Henry Sterle – Grand Rapids
Jed Klang, Maxwell Roby – Brainerd
Joe Lalli – Bemidji (?)
Andrew Larson – Duluth
Zach Stocker – East Grand Forks
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As we approach the NBA draft…….
Wait……I know you are thinking….”Chris, who the hell cares!!” You are correct and I don’t care. But, I wanted to tie in something that I guarantee will happen.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a 14 percent chance of getting a lottery pick and if you tie that with the T-Wolves franchise luck……it means they have a 99.9 percent chance of not getting a lottery pick. Mark it down!!!
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If you like high school football in the fall….it really depends on who you vote for!!! Look at the info below. It is hard to believe, but the coronavirus has been political and if you are playing football this fall could also be considered a political decision –
If you live in a state with a Republican governor, there is a 25 out of 26 chance you will have HS football this fall. If you live in a state with a Democratic governor, there’s a 15 out of 22 chance (2 states undecided) you won’t be playing HS football this fall.
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For Division 1 football fans (FBS), it looks like college football could come sooner than we thought according to CBS Sports –
“The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel reports that the Big Ten has been working on a revised schedule that would begin in early January. The report cites multiple sources within the conference, saying that the Big Ten is now concentrating on starting the season as early as possible.
It’s a report that coincides with Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour telling reporters earlier in the week that the league could release a new schedule within a week or so.
The reported reason the Big Ten has decided to start the season as soon as possible is that it wants to have its season finished before the NFL Draft, currently scheduled to begin on April 29 and end May 1. If the Big Ten were to push the season into the spring, the odds are many of the top players in the conference would opt out to prepare for their NFL futures. If the season is held earlier, it increases the chances of players like Justin Fields taking part.”
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Remember last week when I had the stat that the NCAA makes 80 percent of its revenue on March Madness. NCAA officials have begun work on contingencies for the basketball tournaments, possibly moving dates and looking into creating bubbles in which the teams can compete.
The NCAA is looking at staging championships in winter and spring sports because they were canceled when COVID-19 first spiked across the United States in March, including the Men’s Basketball tourney (March Madness)
Having fall sports moved to the spring isn’t a for sure thing, because it must go through the Division I Council, which is comprised of representatives of all 32 conferences, and be approved by the DI Board of Directors. The spring calendar already features more sports than the fall so cramming still more in, including FCS football, will create logistical challenges.
Championship events in all sports could be modified going forward to deal with COVID-19, including fewer teams participating and fewer locations
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Alaska Anchorage has announced they will eliminate their Men’s Hockey program after the upcoming season. The school will also eliminate women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s skiing. The cutting of the four sports is expected to save $2.5 million.
The announcement came as no surprise because the formation of the Central Collegiate Hockey Conference left them without a conference.
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In light of the NCAA Board of Governors’ decision to direct all institutions and conferences to meet specific requirements to conduct fall sports and the NCAA Division II Presidents Council’s announcement that all NCAA Division II fall championships are canceled, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s (NSIC) Board of Directors has canceled NSIC fall competition & championships, and has suspended all athletic competition through December 31, 2020. The University of Minnesota Crookston is one of the 16 members of the NSIC, along with Minnesota State Moorhead, Bemidji State, and others.
The NSIC recognizes the value an NCAA championship experience provides for student-athletes and that was a factor in the analysis. However, health and safety concerns prevailed in the league’s decision. Additionally, current recommendations for testing, exposure, and quarantine make it very difficult for a season to be successfully completed at an institution or across the conference without severe disruptions.
“The league’s initial decision to delay the start of fall sports was made with the rationale to allow campuses the ability to focus solely on reopening safely for their broader university communities,” said NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. “In light of the recent decisions made by the NCAA Board of Governors, it is no longer feasible to conduct outside competition this fall semester. Our student-athletes deserve a competitive experience that provides a greater degree of safety and certainty than current conditions would allow. We believe now is the right time to provide clarity to our student-athletes so we can turn our efforts towards helping institutions reopen and ensuring a safe return to campus to start the academic year.”
Although the NSIC will not conduct a league schedule for 2020 fall sports, competition is an integral part of the student-athlete experience, therefore, the membership is committed to exploring meaningful opportunities and experiences for fall student-athletes in the spring, if it can be done reasonably and safely.
The conference will continue to monitor the landscape and conditions surrounding the pandemic, locally, regionally, and nationally, and make any decisions or announcements, as necessary.
NSIC Cancellation of Competition for Fall Semester Frequently Asked Questions
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JOKES
The Sheer Nightgown.
A husband walks into ‘Victoria’s Secret’ to purchase a sheer negligee for his wife. He is shown several possibilities that range from $250 to $500 in price…the more sheer, the higher the price. Naturally, he opts for the most sheer item, pays the $500, and takes it home.
He presents it to his wife and asks her to go upstairs, put it on, and model it for him.
Upstairs the wife thinks (she’s no dummy), ‘I have an idea It’s so sheer that it might as well be nothing. I won’t put it on, but I’ll do the modelling naked, return it tomorrow, and keep the $500 refund for myself.’ She appears naked on the balcony and strikes a pose.
The husband says, ‘Good Grief! You’d think for $500, they’d at least iron it!’
The funeral is on Thursday at Noon.
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I went to the liquor store Tuesday afternoon on my bicycle, bought a bottle of Jack Daniels and put it in the bicycle basket.
As I was about to leave, I thought to myself that if I fell off the bicycle, the bottle would break.
So I drank all the Jack Daniels before I cycled home.
It turned out to be a very good decision, because,
I fell off my bicycle seven times on the way home.
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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
Paul Bittner is playing for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Bluejacket.
Brady Heppner, is playing hockey for the Roanoke Raildogs in the SPHL.
Aleece Durbin, is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team.
Brita Fagerlund, is a Senior on the University of Jamestown Jimmy Women’s Track team.
Ben Trostad, is a Junior member of the University of Minnesota Crookston golf team.
Elise Tangquist, is a Senior golfer for the University of Northwestern in St. Paul.
Mason LaPlante, a sophomore, is playing soccer at the University of Jamestown.
Rachel Hefta, a sophmore, is playing volleyball at Hastings College in Nebraska.
Cade Salentine is a redshirt Freshman playing football at the University of North Dakota.
Nick Garmen, is a sophomore playing basketball and tennis at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Caden Osborn, is a freshman playing basketball at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Thea Oman, a sophomore, is swimming at St. Ben’s.
Crookston School District Coaches –
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach and assistant volleyball coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Cody Brekken is the Head Pirate Girls and Boys Tennis coach and Crookston Community Pool Supervisor
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls Swimming coach
Mitch Bakken is the head Pirate Baseball coach.
Brock Hanson is the Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach.
Jeff Perreault is the Pirate Girls Golf head coach
Wes Hanson is the Pirate Wrestling Head Coach and assistant boys golf coach
Kevin Weber is a Pirate Boys Basketball volunteer assistant coach
Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Sam Melbye is the Pirate Boys J.V. Hockey coach
Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach
Blake Fee is an assistant wrestling coach
Colton Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching –
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown
Kaylee Desrosier is a softball coach for Fargo Davies Middle School.
Justin Johnson is an assistant softball coach at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Josh Edlund is an assistant football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach in Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is Head Wrestling coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.
Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson, is Head Volleyball coach at Little Falls High School.
Katy Westrom, is Head Girls Tennis Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Monticello High School.
Matt Harris, is a Director of Athletics at the British International School of Houston.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of Wyoming
Mike Hastings is the Minnesota State Mankato Men’s head Hockey coach
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Thief River Falls High School
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football and volleyball and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for the Bison media relations
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College
Chris Myrold is a Tennis Pro on Nevis Island in the West Indies
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy
Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.
Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and also a grad of West Point and is currently is serving in the U.S. Army.
Erik Ellingson is serving our country with the U.S. Air Force at Minot.
Philip Kujawa class of 2004 from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.
Scott Riopelle is head of Crookston Parks and Recreation
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
