SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
*** REMINDER***
The Summer Coaching Waiver No-Contact Period for 2024 is Saturday, June 29, through Friday, July 5.
As per Bylaw 208.4:
During the no-contact period, salaried and non-salaried coaches MAY NOT:
- Have any contact with members of their high school program,
- Travel with members of their high school program,
- Supervise members of their high school program in an open gym, strength and conditioning program of any sport-specific training session, or
- Schedule any activity, including leadership or team-building programs.
Please contact the Activities Director at your school for more information or with questions.
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The Crookston High School’s 22nd Annual Pirate Pride Golf Scramble will be held on Friday, July 12, at Minakwa Golf Course in Crookston.
Registration will be at 9:00 a.m., and a shotgun start at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will be served starting at 11:00
$100 per person ($400 per team of 4 players). This gets you 18 holes of golf, a T-shirt, lunch, Mulligans/Grenades, a Skins Game, and the Tee Game on Hole 8. There will still be a few additional games on the course during play. Call the Minakwa Clubhouse (218-281-1773) to reserve a cart (not included).
Must be 18 years of age or have graduated High School. All proceeds will help support Crookston High School Pirate Athletics.
PRE-REGISTRATION APPRECTIATED – Contact Steve Kofoed at 320-290-9904 or email stevenkofoed@isd593.org leaving a message with your team members is fine.
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One of the 2024 Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies will be held in Crookston on Sunday, July 7, at the Crookston Inn and Convention Center.
Two area wrestling pioneers, Ardell Knudsvig and Gary Brantl, will be honored during the ceremony.
The ceremony will be held from 1:00-3:00 p.m. with a free-will offering (appetizers will be served).
Paul Cyr will be the host. Charlie Bishop will present the award to Gary Brantl, and Rodd Olson will present the award to Ardell Knudsvig.
The biographies of the two honorees are below-
Ardell Knudsvig (started the program in Ada, MN)
Ardell attended Buxton High School, graduating from there in 1956. He later attended Concordia College, and earned a degree in Science Education, graduating from there in 1960. Ardell began teaching in Ada in the fall of 1960. Ardell started the wrestling program in Ada, coaching there until 1975. Roger Moe took the program over for the duration until the program was cut in the early 1980s. Ardell taught and coached in Crookston, MN, serving as an assistant from 1975-1998 under Rodd Olson.
Ardell worked closely with the Crookston Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as advisor from 1979-1998. Ardell served as the Head Girls Tennis Coach from 1982-1988, and his teams claimed three Section titles. Ardell continued his love of learning and teaching by working with the outreach labs at the University of Minnesota-Crookston and the MN Department of Agriculture. Over his 38 years of teaching Mr. “K,” as many of his students called him, believed and cared for each one of his students.
He was inducted into the Crookston High School Hall of Fame in 2007. At the top of his Hall of Fame plaque it says, “Teaching is a masterful profession, we make a difference.” This characterizes Ardell. He truly cared for all of his students. Ardell’s wife is Sandy, and they have four grown kids (Fred, Sue, Jana, and Rod) as well as several grandkids. Ardell still resides in Crookston, MN.
Gary Brantl (started the program in Plummer, MN)
Gary Brantl attended Crookston High School, graduating from there in 1966. Gary was involved in football, wrestling and track. He joined wrestling in 1964 when the program was only a few years old, as it started in 1960.
Gary attended Mayville State Teachers College, where he studied Physical Education, Health, and Social Studies. He wrestled for one year in college.
Upon graduating from Mayville in 1970, Gary interviewed at both Oklee and later Plummer, with Gary choosing the latter. He worked at Plummer High School for 49 years. Gary started the Plummer wrestling program in 1972. He had some very competitive teams until the numbers game caught up with them. In 1980, the Plummer program combined with Erskine, and in 1982, Plummer-Erskine combined with Oklee and McIntosh. It was a good pairing as Plummer-Erskine filled the upper weights, and Oklee-McIntosh filled the lower weights. The Oklee-Plummer program had their first state champion John Cyr (1983), and later would have Darrin Tougas (1984) and Todd Bergeron (2-time state champ in 1986 and 1987) win state titles as well.
Gary retired from the wrestling portion of his coaching duties in 1996. He coached football from 1970-2004, and he was the Athletic Director at Plummer High School for 48 years (1972-2019). Gary’s colleagues wrote that “Gary always went out of his way to help others, and his ‘easy-going’ manner made him very popular with athletes, parents, fans, and colleagues.
Today, Gary resides in Thief River Falls with his wife, Sue Ann.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston women’s basketball program announced the signing of Emma Osborn (G, 5-7, Crookston, Minn./Northland Community and Technical College). Osborn is the fifth signee for the Golden Eagles, joining Brynlea Mahlen (G, 5-9Fosston H.S.), Emme Munch (G, 5-10, Boise, Idaho/Boise H.S.), Willow Thiel (F, 5-11, Perham H.S.), and Halle Winjum (G, 5-6 Crookston H.S.).
Osborn joins a class that is strong in regional ties, and ties to Crookston. Osborn and Winjum are both Crookston-natives. Thiel is from the area, and her mom is originally from Crookston, and Mahlen’s father Nate is a long-time employee of the University of Minnesota Crookston, as are Winjum’s father, and Osborn’s mother.
“Emma joins us as an incoming junior from Northland Community and Technical College and is also a Crookston native,” said Head Coach Natalie Moynihan. “She is a 4.0 student and has one of the quickest releases in the game. Emma is a great teammate, hard worker and was one of the top three-point shooters in the nation in JUCO last year! We are excited to add Emma to our Golden Eagle family for this upcoming season!”
Prior to UMC:
Osborn averaged 15.4 points per game as a sophomore for Northland. She shot 40.3 percent from the field, and 38.6 percent from beyond the arc. Osborn notched 3.8 rebounds per game, and 2.0 steals per tilt as a sophomore.
As a freshman, she notched 16.5 points per tilt for the Pioneers. She shot 40.9 percent from the field, and 37.0 percent from distance. Osborn tallied 3.2 boards and 1.9 steals per game as a freshman.
Northland C.T.C. finished third-place at the NJCAA National Championship during the 2023-24 season. Osborn was named MCAC North Division First Team, was MCAC All-Academic. Osborn won the MCAC Player of the Week five-times.
In high school, Osborn was the All-Conference MVP in high school. She was Academic All-State for Crookston H.S…She earned the Carla Johnson Most Dedicated Award…She set records for single-season made three-pointers with 102…She also holds records for single-game most made three-pointers (10), single-season most made three-pointers (123), and career most made three-pointers (214).
Personal: She was a high school teammate of fellow signee Halle Winjum. Osborn plans to major in animal science/pre-veterinary…She is the daughter of Jessica and Doug Osborn.
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The Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association has announced the All-State Baseball teams for each class and several area players made the list.
CLASS A
Parker Erickson (Jr. Sacred Heart)
Max Bahr (Sr. Blackduck)
Eli Klimek (Jr. Nevis)
CLASS AA
Ashton Detloff (Jr. Perham)
Blaiz Schmidt (Sr. Perham)
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9 Minnesotans were selected in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The list is below.
42. Adam Kleber (Lincoln Stars-Chaska) by Buffalo
47. Max Plante (NTDP U19-Hermantown) by Detroit
48. Colin Ralph (Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep-Maple Grove) by St. Louis
71. Brodie Ziemer (NTDP U18- Carver, MN – U of M) by Buffalo
76. Will Zellers (Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep-Maple Grove) by Colorado
112. Javon Moore (Minnetonka High School) by Ottawa
121. Jake Fisher (Fargo Force – Cretin-Derham Hall) by Colorado
128. Hagen Burrows (Minnetonka High School) by Tampa Bay
182. Austin Burnevik (Madison Capitols-Blaine MN) by Anaheim
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Athletes & teams representing 456 high schools from across the nation are scheduled to participate at the 2024 USA High School Clay Target League National Championship this week!
The USAHSCTL National Championship will be held at the Michigan Trapshooting Association in Mason, MI July 10th-14th. The Championship features 3,000 athletes participating in team and individual qualifying events, culminating in a final Championship Round to award the top ten male and female athletes and top five teams in the country.
The National Championship is proudly presented by SCHEELS. Additional sponsors include: the U.S. Army, the Lansing Sports Commission, Ducks Unlimited, the Bass Pro/Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, Walker’s, Do-All Outdoors, Mark Zauhar, Friends of NRA, Sportsman’s Guide, GUNS.COM, Spandau Arms, Strike Visuals, and Winchester.
Wednesday & Thursday, July 10th & 11th: Check-in & Practice Days.
Friday, July 12th: Team Championship Qualifier – the top 80 of 260 teams will qualify to compete in Sunday’s Team Championship Round.
Saturday, July 13th: Individual Championship Qualifier – the top 400 of 1,800 athletes will qualify to compete in Sunday’s Individual Championship Round.
Sunday, July 14th: Championship Rounds. Qualifying athletes & teams will compete for the title of National Champion!
37,158 student athletes representing 1,795 high school teams across the country participated in USA Clay Target League programs this spring. Only the top athletes and teams qualified to register for the National Championship, based on season averages at the completion of the spring season.
MINNESOTA SCHOOLS COMPETING
Alexandria High School
Anoka High School
Apollo High School
Austin High School
Bemidji High School
Big Lake High School
Blackduck High School
Brandon-Evansville High School
Buffalo High School
Cambridge-Isanti High School
Centennial High School
Chaska-Chanhassen High School
Chatfield High School
Chisago Lakes High School
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsly High School
Comfrey High School
Coon Rapids High School
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School
Dover-Eyota High School
Duluth East High School
Eagan High School
East Ridge High School
Esko High School
Fairmont High School
Faribault.. High School
Farmington High School
Fergus Falls High School
Foothills Christian Academy
Forest Lake High School
Frazee-Vergas High School
Glencoe-Silver Lake High School
Goodhue High School
Grand Rapids High School
Groves Academy
Hastings High School
Henning High School
Heritage Christian Academy
Hill-Murray School
Holy Family Catholic High School
Hope Lutheran High School
Houston High School
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School
Jordan High School
Kasson-Mantorville High School
Kingsland High School
Kittson County Central
LaCrescent High School
Lake City High School
Lakeview High School
Lakeville South High School
LeRoy-Ostrander High School
Luverne High School
Mabel-Canton High School
Mahtomedi High School
Maple Lake High School
Maple River High School
Marshall High School
Marshall School – Duluth
Martin County West-Trimont High School
McGregor-Aitkin-Cromwell High School
Menahga High School
Milaca High School
Monticello High School
Moorhead High School
Mora High School
Mounds View High School
New Prague High School
North Branch High School
Northeast Range High School
Northfield High School
Norwood-Young America High School
NRHEG High School
Ogilvie High School
Ortonville High School
Osseo High School
Park High School
Park Rapids High School
Parkers Prairie High School
Pelican Rapids High School
Pequot Lakes High School
Pillager High School
Pine City High School
Princeton High School
Prior Lake High School
Richfield High School – Academy of Holy Angels
Robbinsdale Armstrong High School
Rockford High School
Roseau High School
Rosemount High School
Roseville Area High School
Rushford Peterson High School
Sauk Rapids-Rice High School
Sibley East High School
Spring Grove High School
Spring Lake Park High School
St. Cloud Tech High School
St. Croix Lutheran High School
St. Louis Park High School
St. Michael-Albertville High School
St. Peter High School
Stephen-Argyle Central High School
Stewartville High School
Stillwater High School
Thief River Falls High School
Tri-City United High School
Wabasha-Kellogg High School
Waconia High School
Walker/Hackensack/Akeley High School
White Bear Lake Area High School
William Kelley High School
Winona High School
Zumbrota-Mazeppa High School
NORTH DAKOTA SCHOOLS COMPETING
Berthold High School
Bishop Ryan Catholic High School
Central Cass High School
Central McLean High School
Dakota Prairie High School
Davies High School
Devils Lake High School
Fargo North High School
Horace High School
Lisbon High School
Minot High School
South Prairie High School
Surrey High School
Valley City High School
Wahpeton High School
West Fargo High School
Williston High School
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The Crookston High School Summer Weight Room will be open at the following times for CHS student-athletes.
(Grade Levels are based on the grade you will be in next school year)
6:30 am – 8:00 am (Monday – Friday) – Grades 10th-12th
8:00 am – 9:30 am (Monday – Friday) – Grades 10th- 12th
10:00 am – 11:00 am (Monday, Tuesday & Thursday) – Grades 7th- 9th
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The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball team is holding a Development Camp for grades 3-8 July 17-19 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The cost of the camp is $100. It will run from 1-3 p.m. If you are interested in registering for the camp please visit mensbasketball.
Campers will receive instruction from the Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball staff. The camp will help with skill development for kids going into grades 3-8. It is catered to both boys and girls interested in participating.
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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
Emilee Tate is a freshman playing Softball at Northland Community and Technical College.
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
Emilee Tate is the Pirate 7th grade volleyball coach.
Todd Miner is a Pirate Football assistant coach.
Ben Parkin is the head Pirate Baseball 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
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
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.
