SPORTS FEEVER – Written by Chris Fee (chrisjfee@yahoo.com)
Hello Winter, my old friend……
At least mother nature is getting the terrible weather out of the way early…..right?? Let’s hope so. The first round of the state tournament football tournament has had some changes because of the weather.
Kittson County Central vs. Mountain Iron-Buhl at Moorhead on Thursday, November 10, has been postponed to Friday, November 11, at 5:00 p.m.
We haven’t received anything new on Thursday’s Fertile-Beltrami vs. Ogilvie game in Grand Rapids at 5:00 p.m. If anything changes, we will pass it along. KROX will be carrying the Fertile-Beltram vs. Ogilvie game whenever they play it. You can listen on KROX Radio, KROXAM.com, the KROX app, or your smart speaker by saying, “Listen to K-R-O-X in Crookston.”
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The Crookston Pirate Fall sports teams are sure getting things done in the classroom this fall! The team GPAs are listed below, and you will notice that they are impressive –
Tennis – 3.93
Volleyball – 3.875
Girls Soccer – 3.56
Football – 3.11
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Section 6 9-Man Champion
The Section 6 9-Man champion Fertile-Beltrami Falcons finished state runner-up last year and is looking to return to U.S. Bank Stadium again. Fertile-Beltrami, 11-0 on the year, dismantled all of their opponents in the regular season and section playoffs. They are coached by veteran head coach Brian Nelson, who is in his 28th year with a record of 181-94. Nelson is assisted by Craig Larson, Neil Steffes, Chris Zimmel, Mike Wang, and Dan Hanson. They have a ton of weapons with four or five backs that can all carry the ball.
Fertile-Beltrami’s opponent and score are below –
Northern Freeze – 54-8
Laporte – 57-12
Park Christian – 58-6
Nevis – 30-0
Clearbrook-Gonvick – 48-8
Norman County East/U-H – 40-12
Blackduck – 42-12
Cass Lake-Bena – 52-0
Section tourney –
Norman County East/U-H – 42-8
Blackduck – 46-14
Fertile-Beltrami outscored opponents 469 to 80 in the ten games. Their opponent will be the Ogilvie Lions out of Section 5. Ogilvie has a record of 7-2 on the year. They are coached by Dave Halvorson, in his 19th year with a record of 83-74. The Lions have some big boys with linemen at 6’4 300 pounds, 5’8 280 pounds, 6’2 250 pounds, 5’10 260 pounds, and 6’1 275 pounds. How good are the big guys? I’m not sure, but I am sure a couple of them are playing.
Ogilvie’s opponents and score are below –
Cherry – 22-30
Mountain Iron-Buhl 0-44
South Ridge – 56-6
McGregor – 60-6
Cromwell-Wright 50-0
Hill City/Northland 68-8
Cook County – 50-14
Section tourney –
McGregor – 66-0
South Ridge – 50-8
My thoughts on the game –
IF Fertile-Beltrami plays like they are capable, I like their chances of a comfortable victory. But the weather will play a factor, and the Falcons played in snowy, slushy conditions in Grand Rapids last year, so they know how to play and win in the slop!
You can hear the game on KROX Radio!!!
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Section 8A Champion-
Mahnomen-Waubun did it again. They won the Section 8A Championship game and advance to the state. Over the past 22 years, Mahnomen and Mahnomen/Waubun have reached the Section championship football game 15 (out of 22) times. Teams coached by the man, the myth, the legend, and future hall of famer, John Clark Jr., are 14-1 in those 15 championship games. They have outscored their opponents from 453 to 124! By the way, Clark has a record of 204-44 in his career. They beat great programs easily when they get to the section championship. The Thunderbird opponents and scores are below –
Opponent – score –
Polk County West – 22-7
Lake Park-Audubon – 40-12
Warroad – 31-14
Ada-Borup-West – 14-8
Red Lake County – 22-20
Fosston – 33-12
Menahga – 38-6
New York Mills – 21-26
Section tourney –
Polk County West – 30-30
Red Lake County – 32-0
Mahnomen-Waubun is 9-1 on the year and will take on Deer River, the Section 7A champion, with a record of 11-0. Brent Schimek coaches them in his 25th year.
Deer River’s opponents and scores are listed below.
Opponent – Score –
Greenway – 16-0
Braham – 28-6
North Woods – 26-6
International Falls – 45-20
East Central – 42-0
Barnum – 38-14
Mille Lacs – 52-6
Chisholm – 42-0
Section Playoffs –
Mille Lacs – 64-6
Chisholm – 42-8
Barnum – 28-14
This should be a good game, but I give the advantage to Mahnomen-Waubun by 18 points.
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Section 8 9-Man Champion –
On Thursday, the Kittson County Central Bearcats cruised to a Section 8 9-Man title. They improved to 11-0 on the year and are coached by Cory Waling, in his 12th year, with a record of 91-52.
The Bearcats have a nice mix of size, strength, speed, and tremendous athletes. They are outstanding on both sides of the ball and seem to wear teams down as the game progresses. KCC only had one close game this year, and it was the final game of the regular season. The opponents and scores of the games are below –
Opponent and score –
Park Christian – 56-6
Stephen-Argyle – 36-8
Northern Freeze – 14-0
Lake of the Woods – 41-6
Win-E-Mac – 43-6
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo – 35-14
BGMR – 41-12
Goodridge/Grygla-Gatzke – 30-22
Section tourney –
Lake of the Woods – 49-0
Win-E-Mac – 34-0
Goodridge/Grygla-Gatzke – 35-20
Kittson County Central will take on the high-flying and explosive Mountain Iron-Buhl Rangers in the first round on Friday at 5:00 p.m. in Moorhead. MIB lost to Fertile-Beltrami in the first round of state at Grand Rapids last year. MIB is 10-0 on the year, and Dan Zubich IV coaches them in his 14th year with a record of 98-40. Their schedule is below.
Opponent – Score
Hill City – 78-0
Ogilvie – 44-0
North Central – 54-30
Bigfork – 48-0
Ely – 83-0
Cherry – 34-24
Cook County – 74-20
South Ridge – 59-0
Section tourney –
North Central 50-0
Cherry – 56-24
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Section 8AA Champion –
The Section 8AA champion was the mighty Barnesville Trojans. They dismantled a solid Crookston team with a 56-3 victory in the section championship. Barnesville is 10-0 on the year, is coached by Bryan Strand in his 18th year, and has a record of 153-44. The Trojan opponents and scores are below –
Opponent-score –
West Central Area – 29-6
Crookston 28-0
Pelican Rapids – 43-0
Osakis – 51-8
Pillager – 62-0
Detroit Lakes – 28-13
Staples-Motley – 56-0
Hawley – 42-6
Section Playoffs –
Frazee – 57-0
Crookston 56-3
Barnesville makes another return trip to the state playoffs and will play Section 7 champion Moose Lake/Willow River in the first round. The Rebels are 9-1 on the year and are coached by Dave Louzek, who is in season 24. The MLWR opponents and scores are below.
Opponents – score –
Hermantown – 14-31
International Falls – 38-0
Nashwauk-Keewatin – 48-14
Crosby-Ironton – 12-6
Mesabi East – 43-14
Braham – 48-12
Hinckley-Finlayson – 42-12
Rush City – 7-0
Section tourney –
Hinckley-Finlayson – 47-8
Crosby-Ironton – 25-0
The teams will play Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at St. Cloud Tech High School.
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The #1 ranked Warroad Warrior Girls Hockey team has three girls that signed National Letters of Intent to play college hockey next year. Three will play Division 1, one will play D-3, and one will play club hockey.
Talya Hendrickson is going to Bemidji State (D1)
Kate Johnson is going to Bemidji State (D1)
Rylee Bartz is going to St. Thomas (D1)
Cahlilah Lindquist is going to Wisconsin-River Falls (D3)
Lexi Kirkeby will play Club Hockey at Assumption
Other NLI day signees –
Ryan Engel of Ada signed to golf at Bemidji State.
Teagan LaPlante of Roseau signed to play golf at Bemidji State
Caden Kappes and Jackson Fliflet of Wahpeton signed to play baseball at UMC.
Cam Neito of Breckenridge signed to play baseball at UMC.
Aaron Wensloff of Roseau signed to play baseball at UMC. (I hope he gets a family discount!!!)
Owen Leach of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton signed to play basketball at Minnesota Duluth.
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Another Northern Sun Conference team is going all in for the facility arms race. The University of Mary has proposed a new turf football complex, baseball field, softball field, soccer field, track, and more ON CAMPUS!!!
The envisioned University of Mary Vision 2030 athletics facilities serve not merely the winning of championships but also the formation of character and the building of community. The desire for a new stadium on campus includes plans for scholar-athlete academic support and additional classroom space for the entire university community. Artificial turf surfaces and an Air Dome in the winter will allow our teams to practice and all of our students a place for recreation in the colder months. And hosting our games on campus makes athletics even more a place for the student body, alumni, and the local community to rally around our athletic programs and experience true Benedictine hospitality.
The new Stadium and Research Pavilion is truly a multi-purpose facility for use year-round and where athletics and academics come together. On football game day, the east side of the pavilion will be multi-tiered seating including suites that in total will accommodate approximately 2,500 fans on the main grandstand. The berm surrounding the football field will provide room for thousands-more spectators and students, providing an up-close, intimate, and exciting gameday experience and atmosphere guaranteeing home-field advantage for the Marauders football team. Inside the Pavilion will house the press box, coaches’ offices and locker rooms, team meeting rooms, Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences research laboratories, the Institute for Faith, Virtue, and Sport, and more.
Air Dome
Like many other Northern Sun conference members, an air dome will be placed during the colder months on our football field to allow greater training and practice opportunities for our athletic teams. This will be a game-changer for athletic recruitment and allows year-round use.
The Game Day Plaza will be a place for gathering before entering the ticketing area and stadium. It will be adjacent to the parking lot, serving the main tailgating area. The Plaza will be linked to the Lumen Vitae University Center with a lighted commemorative walk that will be generously scaled to accommodate tents, food trucks, or vendors for festivals and sporting events.
Baseball and Softball Fields
Baseball returns to campus, while the softball field provides the Marauders a new home on campus. Both fields will have a turf playing surface with stadium seating, bullpens, batting cages, and covered dugouts.
Marauders soccer returns to campus with a turf pitch. Additionally, 400-meter track surrounds the field to serve our nationally-recognized track & field programs.
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The first day of MSHSL Winter Sports practices, the first competition date, and state tourney dates are listed below –
Boys Hockey starts November 14 (first competition date is November 23, and State is March 8-11)
Girls’ Basketball starts November 14 (first competition date is November 23, and State is March 15-18)
Boys Basketball starts November 21 (first competition date is December 1, and State is March 22-25)
Wrestling starts November 21 (first competition date is December 1, and State is March 2-4)
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We have posted the Crookston Pirate Winter Sports team’s schedules on our site. Click on the link below to go to the page. The schedules, of course, are likely to change more than once for several reasons, including winter storms.
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JOKES
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A British man was killed by a shark while on his honeymoon in Australia.
Reports say he didn’t suffer too long…
As he was only married 3 days!
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Two college seniors had a week of exams coming up. They decided to party instead.
Their biggest exam was on Wednesday and they showed up telling the professor that their car had broken down the night before due to a very flat tire and they needed a bit more time to study. The professor told them that they could have another day to study.
That evening, both of the boys crammed all night until they were sure that they knew just about everything. Arriving to class the next morning, each boy was told to go to separate classrooms to take the exam.
Each shrugged and went to two different parts of the building. As each sat down, they read the first question. “For 5 points, explain the contents of an atom.”
At this point, they both thought that this was going to be a piece of cake, and answered the question with ease. Then, the test continued.
“For 95 points, tell me which tire it was.”
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A golfer was having a tough day and in his frustration he blurted out, “I would give anything for a birdie on this hole.” A nearby stranger walked out of the woods beside the hole and whispered, “If you give up one quarter of your sex life, I guarantee you will make this shot.”The golfer said “OK.” He made the shot for birdie.A few holes later, he was having trouble on another hole. “Please, let me make this for eagle” he said.Again, the stranger stepped up to him and said, “If you give up another quarter of your sex life, you will make eagle.””You’re on,” the golfer said, and made the shot for eagle.On the eighteenth hole, the golfer needed an eagle to win. The stranger again stepped up and said “If you give up the last half of your sex life, you will make eagle to win.””OK,” the golfer said, and made his shot for eagle, winning the round.As he was walking back to the clubhouse, the stranger walked up beside him and said, “I think I should inform you that I am the Devil, and from now on you will have no sex life.”The golfer turned to him, smiled, and said, “Nice to meet you, my name is Father O’Malley!”
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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
Jacey Larson is a freshman playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Olivia Huck is a freshman playing soccer at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Brooks Butt is a freshman playing football at the University of Jamestown.
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.
Emma Borowicz is a sophomore running track at Minnesota State Mankato.
Kaleb Thingelstad is a sophomore playing golf at North Central University in the Twin Cities.
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.
Rachel Hefta is a Senior playing volleyball at Hastings College in Nebraska.
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 –
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 –
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 with the Army and is deployed to Iraq for nine months.
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.
