SPORTS FEEVER – May 23, 2024

SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com

 

It was a pretty busy week for Crookston High School Activities Director Nate Lubarski as he made two head basketball coaching hires.  Lubarski said the interviews went well, and having the Middle School Principal, Cierra Roebuck Hangsleben, in the interviews was a big help. Information on the two new head coaches are below.

Bruce Elliot Erdmann has been named the new Crookston Pirate Boys Basketball coach, pending school board approval at their meeting on Monday.

Erdmann graduated from Crookston High School in 2001, where he played football, basketball, and golf. He was part of a Section 8AA basketball runner-up team. He played college basketball at Dana College in Nebraska, a member of the GPAC Conference in the NAIA. Bruce was a 1,000-point scorer by his junior season and was named to the GPAC All-Conference team.

Erdmann coached 9th-grade boys’ basketball at Omaha Westside School before taking an assistant coaching job at Mayville State University for the 2006-07 season. The Comets made it to the National Championship game under the guidance of Craig Smith, who is now the head Men’s Basketball Coach at Utah.
Erdmann was a Graduate Assistant coach at the University of Mary for the 2007-8 and 2008-9 seasons before returning to Mayville State, where he was an assistant coach for two years.

He moved back to Crookston to farm with his father. He coached eighth grade for two years and coached Junior Varsity for two years under Greg Garmen.

Erdmann is married to Andrea, who was head girls basketball coach at Bismarck High School in 2009 when they won the State Championship. They have four children, Isaac-13, Otto-10, Archie-8, and Hope-4.

Bruce is currently the Crookston Youth Basketball Association President and has been coaching in the CYBA for several years.

For KROX’s interview with Erdmann, CLICK HERE.

 

Kory Baril has been named the new Crookston Pirate Girls Basketball Coach, pending school board approval on Monday evening. Baril has also accepted a job to teach Social Studies at Crookston High School.

Baril is a 2007 Warroad High School graduate. He attended Bemidji State University and received his Education Degree. He student-taught in Red Lake Falls and was a volunteer coach for the Red Lake County Boys’ Basketball team. After graduating from Bemidji State, he took a job at Red Lake County Central as a Social Studies teacher. He helped coach boys’ basketball for the Red Lake County Rebels under Hall of Fame Coach Steve Philion. For the last four years, he has been an assistant coach for the Red Lake County Central Mustang Girls Basketball team.

Baril has coached football from elementary to an assistant coach over the past 10 years in the Red Lake County Rebel football program under Coach Brian Remick.  He is also an assistant track and field coach for the Red Lake County Rebels.

Baril said he is excited about the opportunity to be in the Crookston School District and be the Head Crookston Pirate Girls Basketball coach.

To listen to KROX’s Chris Fee’s interview with Baril, CLICK HERE.

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Congratulations to Minnewaska Area on becoming the first Spring Sports Section Champions as they beat East Grand Forks in a fantastic match 4-3 in the Section 8A Championship. What a run by East Grand Forks…they won their first two matches 4-3 and lost 4-3. I guess we could call the Green Wave the cardiac kids this year. Most of their matches were close all season long.

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I have received some emails the last week and the 8AA basketball seems to be the hot topic once again. Every email, call, or in-person conversation from those up north has been Thank you for speaking up for the North teams that seem to get screwed.  A reoccurring topic was taking the rotation of Crookston and Moorhead away and just going to Moorhead or Detroit Lakes shows a lack of caring about the north teams like Roseau, Warroad, Thief River Falls, etc.

I LOVE how they do the volleyball championship. It is moved to a neutral site as close to the middle of the two schools as possible. Maybe something like that for basketball should be used for the championship, especially with the lower crowd numbers and the availability of streaming, where casual fans can now stay home and watch the game from home.

DL could easily be used. Crookston High School or UMC, Glyndon, Perham, Barnesville, etc, There are so many great and spacious gyms that could be used. It really would be cool to try out.

I also suggest a North/South in the first round, then seed the 8 teams left and play at the high seed on a Saturday. Travel for anybody won’t be an issue since it is a Saturday. Again, just an idea that might work. But there might be a reason why that wouldn’t work.

We can talk more about this when things are slower in the summer but any suggestions are welcome.

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I have talked to several people familiar with the Section 8AA golf situation this year. It sounds like Bemidji Town and Country Club was unsure if they would want to host 8A and 8AA golf tournaments, especially the 8AA tournament in the first week of June.  Being a business, they have to keep their members happy too and June is usually prime golf time, especially for the retired members.

There was some delay in decision making by the course and that coused issues figuring out if they would play. That has sparked a search for a new course (rightfully so).  That is on the backburner and will be decided later as they are worried about this year.

One thing that still doesn’t make sense to me is the dropping of sub-sections, but that really isn’t a huge deal.

I have heard some good news. It sounds like next year the 8AA golf tournament could have Boys one day, girls the second day, and the boys and girls that make the cut play on day 3. I think that is great, and kudos to those who came up with that idea. I like it (not that it matters what the heck I think). So, some good is coming out of all of this. All the same, kids will be advancing most years, so a sub-section or a first-day cut at sections won’t make a difference most years, so I think that is a great plan.

One thing Region 6A has to work on is communication. While the MSHSL has put the Region in a tough spot with their constant changing of things, Coaches and A.D.s had no idea what was going on when the season started, and to me, that is 100 percent unacceptable. If they had reached out to all the coaches and A.D.s and said something like, ” FYI – here is the situation with the Section 8AA golf tournament…..blah blah blah.” I am sure the coaches and A.D.’s could have teamed up and figured something out with everyone on the same page.

Example of communication: Region 8A’s Todd Selk (and Jim Weinzerl) are great at communicating with the media to let them know what is going on. With all the Softball and Tennis changes, I think I received a total of five emails, a couple of text messages, and a phone call with changes. That is so appreciated) he is/was great and important for us to get the information out.

Anyway, some things seem to be much better with 8AA golf. The first day will be tough this year, but I am looking forward to next year’s format.

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SECTION 8AA BASEBALL will have its seeding meeting this weekend. How do I see it going? This is a tricky one this year, but this is how I see it as of now! It will likely change by Thursday night.

NORTH –
1. EGF (no question)
2. Thief River Falls (should be the second spot after Warroad lost 2 to Crookston)
3. Roseau (Roseau has the tie-breaker with Warroad)
4. Warroad
5. Park Rapids
6. Crookston (I am not sure if they can jump above Park Rapids)

SOUTH
1. Perham (no question)
2. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (playing well rightt now
3. Ottertail Central
4. Pelican Rapids
5. Barnesville (lost twice to Pelican Rapids)
6. Menagha (beat Hawley for head to head tie-breaker)
7. Hawley

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SECTION 8A BASEBALL – 

The Section 8A tournament seeding will be coaches vote. So here is how I would vote the teams as of Wednesday night.

WEST SUBSECTION –
1. Sacred Heart (beat Red Lake County and Ada-Borup-West)
2. Red Lake County (beat Ada-Borup-West)
3. Ada-Borup-West (lost to RLC, beat West Marshall)
4. West Marshall (lost to ABW, beat Fertile-Beltrami)
5.  Northern Freeze (beat Fertile-Beltrami)
6. Fertile-Beltrami
7. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River (Beat KCC)
8, Kittson County Central

EAST SUBSECTION –
1. Fosston
2. Win-E-Mac
3. Blackduck
4. Lake of the Woods
5. Mahnomen-Waubun
6. Bagley
7. Norman County East/UH
8. Northome/Kelliher
9. Red Lake

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SECTION 8A BOYS AND GIRLS TRACK
May 23 – East Sub-Section meet at Baudette
May 23 – West Sub-Section meet at Ada
May 31 – Section 8A meet at Gylndon

SECTION 8A BASEBALL –
May 24 – Seeding (Coaches vote)
May 28 – Sub-Section play-in game at #1 seed
May 28 – Sub-Section East Quarter-finals at high seeds
May 28 – Sub-Section West Quarter-finals at high seeds
May 30 – Sub-Section East semi-finals and finals at Bemidji State
May 30 – Sub-Section West semi-finals and finals at Fertile
June 1 – Section 8A tournament at Crookston
June 4 – Section 8A tournament at Crookston
June 6 – Section 8A Championship at Crookston

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JOKES

“Mr. Clark, I’m afraid I have bad news,” the doctor told his anxious patient. “You only have six months to live.”

The man sat in stunned silence for several minutes. Regaining his composure, he apologetically announced that he had no medical insurance. “I can’t possibly pay you in that time,” he said.

“OK,” the doctor said. “let’s make it nine months.”

— —

An elderly couple visits their grown-up grandson one night. While in the bathroom, Grandpa discovers a bottle of Viagra in his grandson’s medicine cupboard.

“I don’t think you should take one of those,” says the grandson when his grandpa asks him about them: “They’re pretty expensive.”

“How much?” asks the old timer.

“$20 a pill,” replies the grandson.

“I’d still like to try one,” says the old man: “Before we go in the morning I’ll leave the money under the pillow in the guest room.”

The next day the grandson goes into the guest room, and lifts the pillow to find $120. Puzzled, he calls his grandpa. “Grandpa, I told you the pills were $20 each!” he says.

“I know,” says the old man: “The extra $100 is from your grandma!”

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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.