SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Minnesota’s own Joe Mauer became a first-ballot hall of famer and will be the youngest baseball player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, this year.
I have been fortunate to meet Joe Mauer a couple of times. Once, he gave us an autograph on a baseball, and I thanked him. He responded with, no, thank you! He isn’t only one of the best athletes to ever come out of Minnesota (he could have been a pro quarterback, and he was an all-state basketball player), along with the likes of Bud Grant (played in the NBA and NFL), Dave Winfield (drafted by the San Diego Padres fourth overall, drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA in the fifth round, the Utah Stars of the ABA in the fourth round, and the Minnesota Vikings in the 17th round and didn’t even play football in college).
Obviously, Joe is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and is a true Minnesotan. He is a legend athletically, but even more so he is a legend on how to act and how to treat people, as evidence by the video below.
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SECTION 8A BOYS BASKETBALL –
In the past, Section 8A Boys Basketball has had a hard time getting a decent seed, if they even got one at all at the state tournament, unless it was Cass Lake-Bena. Part of the problem is the schedules teams played, but this year, Section 8A is making a name for itself with Fertile-Beltrami beating Nevis and Ada-Borup-West, who were both ranked. They play Cherry at the end of February and games like that help gain extra points at state seeding time. Especially went he coaches seed at state. Cass Lake-Bena knocking off #7 Mountain Iron-Buhl was a nice win too. That will help this year, and having Fertile-Beltrami ranked #3, and Red Lake County ranked #5 doesn’t hurt a chance for a good seed this year either! If you know you are going to have a good team, getting big games on your schedule against teams outside the area is extremely important so hats off to Fertile-Beltrami on adding #1 ranked Cherry to its schedule.
The QRF, which is what Section 8A is seeded, looks like this as of Wednesday evening.
WEST SUBSECTION
1. Red Lake County 14-0 (82.8)
2. Fertile-Beltrami 13-1 (76.3)
3. Goodridge/Grygla 12-3 (65.4)
4. Sacred Heart 11-5 (56.8)
5. Northern Freeze 10-6 (54.8)
6. Kittson County Central 7-7 (49.9)
7. Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 7-9 (41.3)
8. Stephen-Argyle 4-10 (28.1)
9. BGMR 1-13 (19.0)
10. Climax-Fisher 1-15 (17.9)
I don’t argue with much in the QRF rankings, but right now, I think Fertile-Beltrami is the top team. They are playing well and have some size, with 6’5 sophomore post Preston Hanson getting better every game and is an outstanding player that can do it all. Of course, they have Caiden Swenby, Derek Sorenson, Mason Nowacki, and Caleb Stoltman, who have been outstanding all year long. Swenby is one of the top all-around guards in the section and the thing that separates him from others is his size at 6’3 or 6’4. Off the bench, they have Bryer Strem, who is a solid defender and fantastic guard and would start on most teams around the area. Easton Petry comes off the bench and is a nice mix of physical and finesse, and Cody Opdahl comes in and gives them some more height at 6’4.
Red Lake County, right now, is a very close second (one could say a tie for first and nobody would really argue). The Rebels are another outstanding team. They have two of the top guards in the section, with Connor Duden (a sophomore), who can shoot the three and can also drive for layups and hit jump shots in between. He is an offensive force. Owen Chervestad makes hay by driving better than anybody. Gunnar Halverson, Will Gieseke, and John Powers (the only senior that plays regularly) are great pieces to the Rebel puzzle and add something different and that makes them such valuable players. Off the bench, you have Ethan Majeres, who can flat-out shoot, Ben Gullingsrud, who can also flat-out shoot, and Ethan Johnson, who does a little bit of everything.
Not far behind in the third spot is Goodridge/Grgyla. Speaking of outstanding players, the Chargers have some special players. Lewis Jones broke the Charger basketball scoring record earlier this year and is one of the top guards in the section. He can shoot, drive, and dish. He is quick and athletic and is a superb guard. Blake Rychlock is another top player in the section and he can score. Those two lead the way and make a tough match-up for a lot of teams. They also are solid defensively.
Sacred Heart is the two-time defending Section 8A champion. They have another outstanding point guard, Josiah Sundby, who can drive, shoot, and facilitate the offense well. Parker Erickson is a 6’4 junior who can shoot the three, post-up, and drive. Mike Gapp is a great all-around player. Greg Downs gives them more size at 6’5 in the post area, and off the bench, you have Isaac Sundby, who is just like his older brother.
Northern Freeze, Kittson County Central, and Warren-Alvarado-Oslo are VERY GOOD teams that can beat the top four teams! This is one of the deepest and best West Sub-sections I have seen since Minnesota has gone to four classes.
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SECTION 8A BOYS HOCKEY
Section 8A Boys Hockey is seeded by the coaches. So we will look at that but also include QRF rankings for fun.
Here is how I see the Section right now, as of Wednesday evening.
1. Warroad 15-3 (4-0)
2. East Grand Forks 12-6-1 (3-1)
3. Thief River Falls 10-6-1 (5-2)
4. Detroit Lakes 9-8-1 (2-5)
5. Park Rapids 10-3-3 (4-2)
6. Crookston 9-7 (6-5)
7. Red Lake Falls 12-3 (7-2)
8. Lake of the Woods 11-6 (3-5)
9. Bagley/Fosston 5-12 (1-7)
10. Kittson County Central 2-18 (1-7)
The top three are no-brainers right now. Warroad is ranked #1 in the state and has an outstanding team. East Grand Forks is easily the second-best team when they meet Warroad a second time this season, the game will likely be for the top seed in the tournament.
Thief River Falls is the third seed as of today.
The rest of the way gets interesting. And this is why I put each team in their spots.
Detroit Lakes is in the fourth spot because they have beat Crookston, and Park Rapids. But, they have lost to Red Lake Falls, EGF twice, TRF, and Warroad. They play a tough schedule, but they only have one section game left when they play Park Rapids. If they lose to Park Rapids that is going to make things super interesting at section seeding time.
Park Rapids comes in fifth because they beat Red Lake Falls and Crookston, but have a loss to Lake of the Woods. They play Crookston, Red Lake Falls, Lake of the Woods, Detroit Lakes and those four games will make or break their seed. They also play KCC and Bagley-Fosston.
Crookston is in the sixth spot because they beat Red Lake Falls and Lake of the Woods. They lost to Detroit Lakes and Park Rapids. The Pirates have games with EGF, Park Rapids, Lake of the Woods, and Red Lake Falls. If Crookston beats PR, LOW, and RLF, they would have to be the fifth seed.
Red Lake Falls comes in at the seventh spot because they lost to Crookston and Park Rapids. But they beat Detroit Lakes 4-2 and have beaten LOW twice. Red Lake Falls has games with Thief River Falls and two huge games for seeding purposes with Park Rapids and Crookston. If Red Lake Falls beats Crookston and Park Rapids, I would say they would be the fifth seed, hands down.
Lake of the Woods is eight right now because they lost to RLF twice, KCC, and Crookston. They have beaten Park Rapids and have important games with Park Rapids, KCC, and Crookston left in section play. So, three wins in those games would move them up.
Rounding things out, the ninth team is Bagley/Fosston because they have a 7-3 win over KCC. The game for the ninth seed will be played on February 13 when Bagley/Fosston takes on KCC.
If Section 8A Boys hockey seeding went by the QRF, things would look a lot different. But like I have said many times, coach seeding is the best, and the games that matter most are section games. So here are the QRF rankings as of Wednesday night.
1. Warroad (100.6 – #1 in Class A)
2. East Grand Forks (85.7 – #5 in Class A)
3. Thief River Falls (65.8)
4. Red Lake Falls (61.6)
5. Lake of the Woods (53.2)
6. Detroit Lakes (51.9)
7. Park Rapids (51.3)
8. Crookston (51.0)
9. Bagley/Fosston (35.7)
10. Kittson County Central (25.7)
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SECTION 8A Wrestling is going to be an interesting seeding meeting. It is wide-open right now.
This is how I see the standings as of Wednesday.
1.United North Central
2. Frazee
3. Fosston/Bagley
4. Fertile-Beltrami
5. Barnesville
6. Mahnomen/Waubun
7. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River
8. Crookston
There haven’t been a lot of section duals so far.
The top team is United North Central right now because of their 40-30 victory over Frazee. They have also beaten Thief River Falls, West Central Area, Tracy-Milroy, and Brainerd. They have losses to Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 30-28, Holdingford, and Staples-Motley. They also finished over double the points of Fertile-Beltrami in the TRF tournament.
Frazee is Frazee.
Fosston/Bagley is a “third” seed right now, but that all could change in the next three section duals. They wrestle UNC on Thursday, Barnesville on January 30, and Frazee on February 1. Obviously, if they win all three, they would be the top seed!!!
Fertile-Beltrami is in the fourth spot because they were beaten in a dual by Fosston/Bagley.
Barnesville is fifth right now because they have one section dual, and that was a close win over Mahnomen/Waubun.
BGMR is in seventh and lost a good battle with Fosston/Bagley.
Crookston comes in at eighth. They are struggling to get a full line-up and with that they will struggle to get a win in a dual unless they can fill all 13 weights.
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I still have some Gopher Women’s and Men’s Basketball tickets available. I have FOUR tickets for each game. Email chrisjfee@yahoo.com and include your cell phone number, and I can electronically transfer them to you. NO CHARGE! They are free for whoever can use them!
Tickets available –
Men’s games-
February 18 (Sunday) vs Rutgers at 5:30 PM
February 22 (Thursday) vs Ohio State at 7PM
March 2 (Saturday) vs Penn State at 2:15 PM
Women’s games –
January 31 (Wednesday) vs Penn State at 7PM
February 17 (Saturday) vs Northwestern at 2PM
February 20 (Tuesday) vs Wisconsin at 6PM
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University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Women’s Basketball commit and current Perham High School Girls Basketball player, Willow Thiel was chosen by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and Maxpreps as a National Player of the Week last week. Nine girls throughout the US are chosen every week and Willow is the second girl from Minnesota to receive the award this season (Maddyn Greenway was the other). In three games last week Willow scored 92 points and grabbed 46 rebounds, including her 1,000th rebound, as well as leading Perham to wins over two state ranked teams. For the season, she’s averaging nearly 28 ppg and 14 rpg.
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Minnesota State Moorhead Dragon Women’s Basketball got a big commitment this week as Barnesville’s Abby John has verbally committed to play basketball for Coach Karla Nelson and the Dragons after she graduates next year.
Big get for the Dragons!
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The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball team had their best season in program history in 2023 with a 38-20 record while going 26-10 in the Northern Sun Conference. UMC has been picked to finish fourth place this year in the NSIC preseason coaches poll, and Jake Hjelle (Sr. East Grand Forks) has been tabbed as the preseason player of the year. UMC Head Coach Steve Gust became the first Golden Eagle Coach to win 200 games in Crookston.
Hjelle earns the preseason honor after being named the NSIC Player of the Year in 2023, joining his brother Reed Hjelle as Golden Eagles to receive the distinguished accolade. Hjelle was also the D2CCA and NCBWA Region Player of the Year, and the NCBWA National Player of the Year. Josh Dykhoff (So., P/1B, Wadena) returns after earning NSIC Freshman of the Year and NCBWA All-Region honors in his first season with the Golden Eagles. Brody Sorenson (Sr., Grand Forks, N.D.) returns after being named to the All-NSIC Second Team in 2023 as a reliever. Jake Osowski (Sr., RHP, East Grand Forks) is the Pitcher to Watch for the Golden Eagles after going unheralded for Minnesota Crookston after posting a 16-2 mark and a 3.46 ERA in the last three seasons. Osowski has 158 career strikeouts to just 48 walks.
The Golden Eagles return seven starters at the plate from the 2023 squad, including Hjelle and Dykhoff. In addition, Caden Headlee (Jr., OF, Fargo, N.D.) returns after hitting .348 last season, with 37 runs scored and 38 RBIs. Ben Goelz (Sr., OF, Maple Lake, Minn.) returns after batting .303 last season, while Sawyer Satrom (Soph., IF, Portland, N.D.) hit .301 as a redshirt freshman. Danny Wensloff (Sr., OF, Roseau, Minn.) and Mitch Goodwin (Sr., SS, Prior Lake, Minn.) also return from last season’s starting line-up. Kobe Senn (So., IF, Fargo, N.D.) and Teddy Giefer (Sr., 1B, Courtland, Minn.) were also key contributors for the Golden Eagles last season.
On the mound, Osowski, Dykhoff, and Sorenson pace Minnesota Crookston. The Golden Eagles have several pitchers who saw action last season and will look to have increased roles in 2024. Osowski is the leading returnee with 73 innings pitched last season. Sorenson paced Minnesota Crookston with 19 appearances, mostly out of the bullpen. He did make two starts. Josh Dykhoff started seven games as a freshman for the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles finished third in the conference standings last season and made it to the NSIC Tournament, where they lost in the consolation semifinals to Augustana University. The Vikings were picked to finish first in the NSIC, with Minnesota State University slotted behind them. Caleb Saari of Augustana was named the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
UMC opens the season on February 9 on the road at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
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University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle baseball players Jake Hjelle (Sr., OF/1B, East Grand Forks), and Josh Dykhoff (So., RHP/1B, Wadena) were named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-Central Region Team.
Hjelle is the reigning NCBWA National Player of the Year and the reigning NCBWA Central Region Player of the Year. Dykhoff was an NCBWA All-Central Region Second Team selection as a freshman.
Hjelle had an amazing junior season for the Golden Eagles, joining his brother Reed Hjelle as Golden Eagles to earn NSIC Player of the Year. He added on honors for All-Region and All-America, also joining his brother in those accomplishments. Hjelle hit .401 last season, with a 1.345 OPS, and a .876 slugging percentage. Hjelle scored 56 runs, with 16 doubles, four triples, 24 home runs, and a team-high 79 RBIs.
Dykhoff had a great debut season in the maroon and gold. He hit .335, with 57 runs scored, 15 doubles, 15 home runs, and 53 RBIs. On the mound, Dykhoff went 3-2 with a 6.50 ERA in 36 innings of work. He appeared in 11 games, starting seven. Dykhoff struck out 27, and walked nine. He was named the 2023 NSIC Freshman of the Year.
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The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released the annual preseason coaches poll earlier this morning. The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles were picked to finish 14th in the NSIC.
For the fifth consecutive season, traditional NSIC power Augustana was picked to win the NSIC. It’s the sixth time that the Vikings have been picked to win the Northern Sun. The University of Minnesota Duluth, who the Golden Eagles will play three times this season, the most of any NSIC opponent, was picked to finish behind Augustana. Winona State, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State round out the top five, respectively.
Torri Chute, an outfielder from Augustana is the preseason Player of the Year, while 2023 NSIC Pitcher of the Year and All-Region Performer Lauren Dixon of Minnesota Duluth was picked as the preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Whitnee Curry (Jr., MIF/OF, Lincoln Neb.) was picked as the player to watch for the Golden Eagles, while senior Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa) was tabbed as the pitcher to watch for the Golden Eagles for the second consecutive season.
PRESEASON SOFTBALL POLL RESULTS
1. Augustana (11) 193
2. UM-Duluth (4) 186
3. Winona State 168
4. MSU-Mankato 155
5. St. Cloud State 144
6. MSU-Moorhead 123
7. Concordia-St. Paul 119
8. Bemidji State 87
9. SW MN State 85
10. Minot State 79
11. Sioux Falls 72
12. Northern State 62
13. Wayne State 59
14. UM-Crookston 28
15. U of Mary 15
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MILESTONES –
Peyton Hoffman (Climax-Fisher) scored the 1,000th point of her career last week in a win over Bagley. The eighth-grader is well on her way to passing her mom’s (Brenda Slyt) Knight scoring record of over 2,000 points.
Dominic Fairbanks (Cass Lake-Bena) scored the 2,000th point of his career in a win over #7 ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl. Fairbanks is a BSU commit.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston tennis team announced the signing of Abby VanPelt and Katie VanPelt (Austin, Minn.).
Abby VanPelt (Austin, Minn./Austin H.S.)
Abby VanPelt was an All-Big Nine Team selection. She posted an 8-7 mark as a senior at No. 1 doubles with her sister Katie VanPelt. They won the Consolation Championship at No. 1 doubles at the Big Nine meet in 2023 in Rochester, Minn. Named an Academic All Star. Played softball for Austin H.S.
Katie VanPelt (Austin, Minn./Austin H.S.)
Katie VanPelt was selected to the All-Big Nine Team as an honorable mention pick. She went 8-7 at No. 1 doubles as a senior with her sister Abby VanPelt. The pair won the Consolation Championship at No. 1 doubles at the Big Nine Meet in 2023 in Rochester, Minn. Selected as an Academic All Star. Played softball at Austin H.S.
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The latest Minnesota High School sports rankings are available by clicking the link below.
Minnesota High School Rankings – KROX (kroxam.com)
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The Crookston Pirate Winter Sports Schedules are available on our website. Click on the link below –
CROOKSTON PIRATE WINTER SPORTS SCHEDULES – KROX (kroxam.com)
JOKES
Two inexperienced hunters are out in the woods, and after a while they come upon some tracks.
“These are bear tracks!” the first hunter exclaims.
“No, idiot, they’re deer tracks!” the second one retorts.
“No, moron …”
And they go on like this for hours, until a train hits them.
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A wife asks her husband: “What do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy body?”
He looks at her from head to toe and replied: “I like your sense of humor!”
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“Your underwear is much too tight and revealing,” I said to my wife.
She replied, “Wear your own then.”
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A guy and a girl meet at a bar. They get along so well that they decide to go to the girl’s place.
A few drinks later, the guy takes off his shirt and then washes his hands.
He then takes of his trousers and washes his hands again.
The girl has been watching him and says, “You must be a dentist.”
The guy, surprised, says “Yes! How did you figure that out?”
“Easy,” she replied, “you keep washing your hands.”
One thing led to another and they make love.
After they have done, the girl says, “You must be a good dentist.”
The guy, now with a boosted ego says, “Sure, I’m a good dentist, How did you figure that out?”
“Didn’t feel a thing!”
—
Two inexperienced hunters are out in the woods, and after a while they come upon some tracks.
“These are bear tracks!” the first hunter exclaims.
“No, idiot, they’re deer tracks!” the second one retorts.
“No, moron …”
And they go on like this for hours, until a train hits them.
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Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses.
He’s not breathing and his eyes are glazed, so his friend calls 911.
“My friend is dead! What should I do?”
The operator replies, “Calm down, sir.
I can help.
First make sure that he’s dead.”
There’s a silence, then a loud bang.
Back on the phone, the guy says,
“OK, now what?”
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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
Halle Bruggeman is a freshman on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Tennis team.
Grace Fischer is a freshman on the Concordia College (Moorhead) Women’s Golf team.
Ethan Boll is a Freshman on the University of North Dakota Football team.
Breanna Kressin is a Sophomore on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.
Emma Osborn is a Sophomore playing basketball at Northland Technical and Community College in Thief River Falls.
Jacey Larson is a Sophomore playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Aleah Bienek is a Sophomore playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Elise Tangquist is the Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND..
Kaleb Thingelstad is a junior playing golf at Kansas Wesleyan.
Joslynn Leach is a sophomore playing golf at Concordia College in Moorhead. The Cobbers wrapped up the Fall season.
Brady Butt is a Junior playing football at the University of Jamestown.
Ty Hamre is playing football at Bemidji State University.
Aleece Durbin is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Womens Track and Field team.
Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.
Crookston School District Coaches
Todd Miner is a Pirate Football assistant coach.
Ben Parkin is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Emily Meyer is the Pirate head girls hockey coach and softball assistant coach.
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls Swimming coach and assistant girls golf 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
Colton Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc
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.
Katy (Westrom) Horgen is the Head Boys Tennis coach at Monticello High School.
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 Wyoming.
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
Ben Andringa is serving our country in the Army and is now a Ranger.
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 a grad of West Point and currently 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.
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.
