SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
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I found out the Park Rapids Panther Football program will be dropping from Class AAA down to Class AA next year after an appeal filed by Park Rapids A.D. Jeremy Nordick. First of all, that is great for Park Rapids. I am hoping they are in Section 8AA, and always loved the friendly rivalry between Crookston and Park Rapids in football.
I asked Jeremy for more information, and this is what we had to say.
We are excited about the opportunity to compete at the AA level. The appeal was quite the process the last few weeks which involved a lot of research, data, and facts.
In looking at many of the area schools, especially the teams we annually compete against. We are completely overmatched in many key categories and have been for years.
The data I can’t post, due to confidentiality, but we are pleased that the MSHSL Advisory Board was willing to listen to our situation. We thank them for their understanding, and we are extremely excited that we are able to compete on a level playing field.
We aren’t sure where this will put us as far as Section play. I could see us geographically in 6AA or 8AA. According to the MSHSL timeline, that will get configured in the next two weeks.
Then District placement is the last week of May.
Thank you, Jeremy! Great job on doing what is right for your program. As soon as the MSHSL makes the announcement on the realignment for all sports, KROX will have the info on our website, and we will break it down in this column too.
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Senator Mary Kunesh, (a democrat from New Brighton – I don’t think I have to list Democrat, that is pretty much a given in a case like this) has introduced Senate File 548, which would prohibit the use or adoption of a name or image that refers to an American Indian tribe as a mascot. The bill does allow school districts to request an exemption through a written request to the Tribal Nations Education Committee and the Indian Affairs Council.
Other bills, like Senate File 619, House File 1875 and House File 1269, the House education omnibus bill, all have sections similar to Kunesh’s bill. In each bill, school districts can be granted exemptions by either the Tribal Nations Education Committee and the Indians Affairs Council or all 11 federally recognized tribal nations in Minnesota and the Tribal Nations Education Committee.
Other co-sponsors or others that have introduced similar bills include – Rep. Laurie Pryor (D-Minnetonka); Rep. Heather Keeler (D-Moorhead); Rep. Hodan Hassan (D-Minneapolis); Rep. Kim Hicks (D-Rochester), and Rep. Greg Davids (D-Preston).
I have reached out to Warroad Boys Hockey Coach Jay Hardwick via email and haven’t heard back from him on his thoughts as he has posted some things on Twitter. If I hear back from him, I will share it on the column.
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Springs Sports practices are underway and we have a list of the participants for each Crookston Pirate sport.
Pirate Girls Golf – (22 out 7-12 – up 6 from last year)
Seniors – Grace Fischer, Hannah Brouse
Juniors – Cassie Solheim, Morgan Nelson, Coral Brekken
Sophomores – Addie Fee, Paige Abrahamson, Kaylie Clauson, Georgia Sanders
Freshman – Taylor Wieland, Lucy Smith, Taylor Schulz, Halle Nicholas, Ava Martin, Emelia Hoerner, Madelyn Anderson, Emma LaPlante
8th graders – None
7th graders – Grace Boll, Alyssa Johnson, Lilli Bridgeford, Abigail Bruley, Sylvia Christensen
Pirate Girls Track (31 out 7-12 – down 9 from last year)
Seniors (4)– Libbie Salentine, Katelynn Schulz, Carly Thode, Brianna Wardner
Juniors – (5) Emma Gunderson, Marissa Haugen, Isabelle Smith, Cassie Solheim, Halle Winjum
Sophomores (5) – Maddie Harbott, Naomi Johnson, Carley Knutson, Mariah Overgaard, Tessa Weber
Freshman (5) – Ashlyn Bailey, Chloe Boll, Sam Memengwaa, Kamryn Proulx, ZiiZi Sam
8th grade – (6) Rylee Anderson, Aubrey Bartrum, Teagan Fanfulik, Alaina Goelzer, Jaleianie Hebert, Katie Seaver
7th graders – (6) Kylah Boman, Grace Boll, Alexis Durham, Nora Groven, Maddie Hanson, Alyssa Johnson
Pirate Boys Track (17 out 7-12 – down 2 from last year)
Senior (1) – Thor Harbott
Juniors (2) – Caden Boike, Javen Lund
Sophomores (2) – Rylan Lubarski, Jayden Mulvey
Freshman (8)– Jeremiah Durden, Dereon Dyson-Roberts, Kahnen Hansen, Wyatt Marsyla, Ciaran Mulvey, Lennon Prudhomme, Alejandro Rodriguez, Makoti Weber
8th grade (1) – Aaron Gosse
7th graders (3) – Jackson Caputo, Erik Pruneda, Gavin Reitmeier
Crookston Pirate Baseball (37 out 7-12 – added 3 from last year)
Seniors (6) – Ethan Boll, Jack Doda, George Widman, Jackson Demarais, Alex Longoria, Tanner Giese
Juniors (4) – Blake Melsa, Lucas Miller, Carter Coauette, Evin Trudeau
Sophomores (4) – Teagen Lubinski, Matt Contreras, Parker Kelly, Conner Hanson
Freshman (11) Gavyn Hlucny, Lucas Perala, Jay Reese, Tarek Siegle, Brady Chandler, Greyson Ecker, Nolan Cassavant, Cody Demarais, Tony Elbinger, Carter Fee, Isaiah Donarski
8th graders (3) – Austin Lund, Jaron Knutson, Ethan Lanctot
7th graders (9) – Gabe Perala, Mauricio Arriaga, Cam Martin Jax Frederick, Erik Pruneda, Josiah Herberg, Sam Tappe, Kolton Bahrenfuss, Thomas McEndree
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The Minnesota Boys Basketball Coaches Association has announced the Senior All-Star game rosters, and some names from northwest Minnesota are on the teams.
Soren Anderson of Perham
Owen Leach of DGF
Adam Jenkins of Moorhead
And Coaching the Green team is Greg Garmen of Crookston and Keith Pearson of Fergus Falls.
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The Minnesota Boys Basketball Coaches Association has released the Class A and AA Academic All-State team. Area players making the team are below –
Dante Frank of Blackduck
Tate Inniger of Barnesville
William McGlynn of Stephen-Argyle
Cullen Norland of Fosston
Jack Rosendahl of TRF
Micah Thompson of Perham
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The Heart O’Lakes Conference has announced the Boys Basketball all-conference award winners.
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton – Owen Leach, Drew Sheely
Perham – Micah Thompson, Soren Anderson, Alex Ohm
Hawley – Sam Senske, Brevin Stoa
Barnesville – Tate Inniger, Gannon Bolgrean, Zach Bredman
Pelican Rapids – Ian Fahje, Charlie Larson
Breckenridge – Landon Blaufuss, Alex Sanchez
Frazee – Carter Sonnenberg
HOL MVP – Owen Leach (DGF)
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It is good to see the Roseau Ram wrestling program is having a lot of success. Roseau has had a tough couple of years on the varsity side, but the varsity team was full of solid young wrestlers, and now the youth team is having tremendous success.
This past weekend, Roseau’s youth wrestling team qualified for the Minnesota State Youth Wrestling tournament to be held in Rochester. This is the second year in a row that Roseau has qualified for team state. Roseau will begin first-round action at 3:30, Thursday afternoon at the Rochester Civic Center.
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Crookston Pirate Basketball will hold a Spring Shooting Camp for Crookston Public, Private, and home-schooled students in 2nd through 6th grade. The camp will be held April 4, 5, 11, and 12.
Grades 2-4 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Grades 5-6 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Pre-registration is required. Student name, parent name, school, grade, and phone number. Send registration to darinzimmerman@isd593.org.
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The Crookston Youth Soccer Association will have spring soccer from May 4-30 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
The schedule for each age group is below –
Pre-K – 5:00 to 5:45 p.m.
Kindergarten – 5:00 to 5:45 p.m.
Grades 1-2 – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Grades 3-4 – 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Grades 5-6 – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The cost is $30 per participant and the CYSA intends to provide a soccer ball for each kid. Pre-registration is required. The registration form is available below, and you can return the registration form and payment at Crookston City Hall. Or mail it to –
Crookston City Hall
Attn: Andrea
124 North Broadway
Crookston MN 56716
If you have any questions call Coach Sarah Reese at 218-349-0457. There is also a need for parent coaches. No experience is necessary.
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“LACE ‘EM UP” BASKETBALL CAMP
Make plans now to attend the 28th annual “Lace ‘em Up” basketball camp to be held in Red Lake Falls high school at the Robert Matzke Gym from June 5-8, 2023.
The camp is open to any boys or girls who are currently in grades K-10. The camp is set up to run from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 for grades 5-10 (grade they were in this past school year) each morning, and from 12:30 until 3:00 p.m. for grades K-4 (grade they were in this past school year). The cost of the camp is $70 with a maximum cost per family of $100. If you register before May 22, you will also receive a camp T-shirt. After May 22, ALL SINGLE REGISTRATION FEES WILL BE $80 AND THE MAXIMUM COST PER FAMILY WILL BE $120, DUE TO CAMP PREPARATION AND AWARD ORDERS.
Cut on the dotted line and return the following to: Steve Philion, 518 Champagne Ave., Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. (cell: 218-686-3608) (home: 218-253-2499). E-mail: sphilion@rlfedu.org
Make checks payable to: Lace ‘em Up Basketball Camp
If anyone needs help with the cost of the camp, let Mr. Philion know as we have people who have offered to cover costs for kids that need financial help.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Name____________________________________
Grade in 2022-2023________________ (GRADE JUST COMPLETED)
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 2023 “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, accidents, or COVID that my child might incur.
SIGNATURE OF PARENT OR GUARDIAN:______________________________
Emergency cell number of parent or guardian:____________________________
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JOKES
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It is World Piano Day!
A man walks into a bar with a small dog under his arm and sits down at the counter, placing the dog on the stool next to him. The bartender says, “Sorry, pal. No dogs allowed.”
The man says, “But this is a special dog – he plays the piano!”
The bartender replies, “Well, if he can play that piano, you both can stay… and have a drink on the house!”
So the man puts the dog on the piano stool, and the dog starts playing. Ragtime, Mozart… and then he plays some rock ‘n’ roll. The bartender and patrons are amazed.
Suddenly, a bigger dog runs in, grabs the small dog by the scruff of the neck, and drags him out. The bartender asks the man, “What was that all about?”
The man replies, “Oh, that was his mother. She wanted him to be a doctor.”
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Jack, a handsome man, walked into a sports bar around 9:58 pm. He sat down next to this blonde at the bar and stared up at the TV…
The 10:00 news was on. The news crew was covering a story of a man on a ledge of a large building preparing to jump. The blonde looked at Jack and said, ‘Do you think he’ll jump?’ Jack says, ‘You know what, I bet he will.’ The blonde replied, ‘Well, I bet he won’t.’ Jack placed $30 on the bar and said, ‘You’re on!’
Just as the blonde placed her money on the bar, the guy did a swan dive off of the building, falling to his death. The blonde was very upset and handed her $30 to Jack, saying, ‘Fair’s fair… Here’s your money.’ Jack replied, ‘I can’t take your money, I saw this earlier on the 5 o’clock news and knew he would jump.
‘The blonde replies, ‘I did too; but I didn’t think he’d do it again.’ Jack took the money.
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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
Breanna Kressin is a Freshman on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.
Emma Osborn is a freshman playing basketball at Northland Technical and Community College in Thief River Falls.
Jacey Larson is a freshman playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Olivia Huck is a freshman playing soccer at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Aleah Bienek is a freshman playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Elise Tangquist is the Assistant Girl’s Volleyball and Assistant Girl’s Golf Coach this year at Heritage Christian Academy in Maple Grove.
Kaleb Thingelstad is a sophomore playing golf at Dakota 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.
Paul Bittner is playing professional hockey in Norway.
Kate MacGregor is senior swimming at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Aleece Durbin is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team.
Nick Garmen is a junior playing tennis at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.
Crookston School District Coaches –
Ben Parkin is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Emily Meyer is the Pirate head girls’ hockey coach and softball assistant coach.
Lacia Hanson is the Junior High softball 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
Cody Brekken is the Crookston Community Pool Supervisor
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls’ Swimming coach
Brock Hanson is a Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach.
Ben Halos is a Pirate Baseball assistant coach.
Alex LaFrance is a 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
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 is the Head Girl’s Tennis Coach and 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 Minnesota State Mankato 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.
