SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
We were sad to hear that Warroad hockey legend Henry Boucha died Monday at the age of 72. Boucha’s funeral will be on Friday at the Gardens Arena in Warroad. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. at the arena, and the funeral will begin at 2 p.m. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery in Warroad.
Boucha was a legend and played in the NHL and played on the U.S. Olympic team in 1972, where he won a silver medal.
He was also on KROX Radio when we carried the Boys State hockey tournament before the added girl’s hockey and 4 classes for basketball. Frank Fee would have him on during intermission whenever Warroad played at the state tournament.
I had a chance to meet him and talk with him several times, and he was one of the nicest guys you will meet.
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This past weekend, my wife and I traveled to St. Paul to watch the Pirate Boys Soccer team play against Higher Ground Academy. Our son Carter plays soccer this year and plays mostly J.V. and has played a few minutes on varsity, but we went down to watch, and some players stayed behind to watch the Minnesota Loons game that evening. So we went to that too, which was fun.
The Crookston vs Higher Ground Academy game was a physical game full of trash talking from the start. Both teams like to talk, and the official never cracked down on either team for the ridiculous amount of trash talk.
The game was getting chippy, and the talking continued to get worse as the game went along due to the officiating not punishing either team. As the game went along, it continued to get worse. With about 7 to 10 minutes left in the game (there was no scoreboard, so I used my watch), Crookston scored on a penalty kick, and a few Crookston players clapped in the faces of the Higher Ground Academy players. Over the next couple of minutes, the play got more physical, with more trash-talking (really, it was shit-talking (pardon my French), which is way more than trash-talking on both sides. To be honest, it got old about 10 minutes into the game).
A Crookston player went for a tackle, and it turned out to be a hard tackle (sliding to knock the ball away) from behind, and he took down the HGA player. It very easily could have been a yellow card, but nothing terrible in a normal situation. The HGA player got up, and American Football tackled the Crookston kid from behind, and a scuffle ensued. The Crookston coaches yelled at the bench to stay on the bench, and they did. If anybody comes off the bench in that situation, they get a red card and have to sit out the next game, so the Crookston bench players did a great job of staying put, which is hard to do when a teammate gets attacked from behind, and there is a melee on the field. With that said, the HGA bench cleared (only a couple of players on the bench), and coaches and parents from both teams tried to break it up.
In reviewing the video, both teams threw a couple of punches. A Crookston player got kicked twice while down on the ground by an HGA player (#15). The HGA coach grabbed Kadin Edwards in the neck area and later grabbed Blake Melsa by the front of the jersey with two hands, which I have been told is 100 percent a firable offense.
Were both teams at fault for the scuffle? Absolutely. There was a lot of (pardon my French again) unnecessary crap-talking and taunting, and Crookston was just as guilty as Higher Ground Academy in those categories.
Was the officiating at fault? Absolutely. The official let it get to a point where things were boiling over. I told my wife about 15 to 20 minutes before the incident that the match would end in a fight. You could tell. It was more than evident something bad was going to happen. The official was doing nothing to stop the talking, the physical play, and the unnecessary play (which should have resulted in about 10 or more yellow cards that weren’t ever given).
It was frustrating as a parent because I could see it coming, and you could do nothing about it. Crookston Assistant Coach Jason Tangquist said something to the official about not keeping things clean out there, and he basically asked him if he wanted to officiate.
The Minnesota State High School League gave Crookston a one-game suspension, a fair punishment. As the old saying goes….it takes two to tango, and Crookston has to learn to quit talking and let their play do the talking, my kid included.
Higher Ground Academy received a several-game suspension, and I haven’t heard what has happened to the kid who kicked a Crookston kid or the HGA coach.
Needless to say, Crookston won’t be playing Higher Ground Academy again.
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Perham High School’s Willow Thiel has committed to play basketball next year at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Thiel has scored 1409 points and grabbed 790 rebounds. She’s on pace to break Katrina Moenkedick’s career scoring record of 1563 early in the season. She has been named All-Conference three times and last year was unanimous HOL MVP as well as All-State Honorable Mention. She led her team to the State Class AA Girls Basketball tournament last year.
Perham Girls Basketball Coach TJ Super said Willow is a great player and person. “I knew Willow was a special player in 7th grade, but she’s worked hard to become the player she is today. You don’t get footwork around the basket and have touch shooting with both hands at all angles without working hard. She’s also grown as a leader so much, leading us to a couple of conference championships and a state tournament. I’m just so proud of her and glad she found a school that fits her with a coach that she’s really excited to play for!”
The last Perham girls basketball player to play for UMC was Katrina Moenkedick, who was one of the better players UMC has seen in the last 20 years. Thiel could have the same impact as Moenkedick.
Thiel is also an outstanding volleyball player and has competed at the state track meet.
The commitment is the second from one of the top girl’s basketball players in northwest Minnesota as Crookston High School’s Halle Winjum committed this summer.
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The first QRF rankings of the football season have been released by Minnesota-Scores.net. we have the area sections listed below.
SECTION 8AA
The Section 8AA Football rankings are below. It’s no surprise that Barnesville is the top team, and they have the second-best QRF ranking in the state in AA.
The winner of the Pelican Rapids vs Park Rapids will likely be the second seed. Remember, with three of eight games played, things will change over the next three weeks, but one thing I don’t see changing is Barnesville at the top as they have almost doubled Park Rapids’ QRF ranking. The Crookston vs Roseau game in a few weeks will likely be the game to see who has to play Barnesville in the first round of the playoffs! The loser will more than likely be the 8th seed and have to play Barnesville in the first round.
| Team | Section | Overall | QRF Value | QRF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnesville | 2-0 | 3-0 | 53.1 | 2 |
| Park Rapids | 2-0 | 2-1 | 28.0 | 22 |
| Hawley | 2-0 | 2-1 | 27.6 | 24 |
| Pelican Rapids | 1-1 | 2-1 | 27.6 | 24 |
| Warroad | 0-2 | 1-2 | 17.2 | 31 |
| Frazee | 1-1 | 1-2 | 15.1 | 37 |
| Roseau | 0-2 | 0-3 | 3.6 | 51 |
| Crookston | 0-2 | 0-3 | 2.7 | 52 |
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SECTION 8A
The Section 8A standings don’t surprise anyone as Mahnomen/Waubun are on top with another undefeated team, Red Lake County in second place. Ada-Borup-West and Polk County West round out the top four. The top two teams will get a first-round bye, so being in the top two would be nice to rest up and get healthier going into playoffs. And actually, the third see could possibly get a bye as Red Lake has struggled to field a team at playoff time in the past.
| Team | Section | Overall | QRF Value | QRF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahnomen/Waubun | 2-0 | 3-0 | 35.6 | 11 |
| Red Lake County | 1-0 | 3-0 | 31.0 | 16 |
| Ada-Borup-West | 1-1 | 2-1 | 22.9 | 25 |
| Polk County West | 1-1 | 1-2 | 11.9 | 42 |
| Bagley | 0-2 | 0-3 | 2.5 | 53 |
| Red Lake | 0-1 | 0-3 | 1.7 | 55 |
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SECTION 6 9-MAN
Clearbrook-Gonvick is the top team in the section, according to the QRF as they lead Fertile-Beltrami by point-four points!! Both teams are 3-0, and I am pretty certain the game on Wednesday, October 18 will be the game for the top seed as the two teams play each other in the final week of the regular season. I don’t see anybody else coming close to these two in the section, so I believe the final game can/will be a section championship preview.
| Team | Section | Overall | QRF Value | QRF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearbrook-G | 1-0 | 3-0 | 27.1 | 2 |
| Fertile-Beltrami | 1-0 | 3-0 | 26.7 | 4 |
| Park Christian | 0-1 | 2-1 | 14.3 | 28 |
| Blackduck | 0-0 | 1-2 | 12.4 | 32 |
| Fosston | 0-0 | 1-2 | 10.2 | 33 |
| Cass Lake-B | 0-0 | 1-2 | 8.3 | 35 |
| NCE/U-H | 0-1 | 1-2 | 8.3 | 35 |
| Laporte | 0-0 | 0-3 | 2.6 | 49 |
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SECTOPM 8 9-MAN
Kittson County Central is the only undefeated team left in the section, but they barely lead Win-E-Mac and Goodridge/Grygla in the QRF, so this is still a race of four teams. KCC, WEM, GG, and Stephen-Argyle. A lot of big games are coming up that will solidify section seeding over the next several weeks. This section is still wide open.
| Team | Section | Overall | QRF Value | QRF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kittson Co. Central | 2-0 | 3-0 | 21.4 | 14 |
| Win-E-Mac | 0-1 | 2-1 | 20.0 | 15 |
| Goodridge/Grygla | 2-0 | 2-1 | 18.5 | 19 |
| Stephen-Argyle | 2-0 | 2-1 | 14.3 | 28 |
| Northern Freeze | 0-2 | 0-3 | 2.3 | 51 |
| Warren-A-O | 0-1 | 0-3 | 1.8 | 53 |
| Badger/G-MR | 0-2 | 0-3 | 1.8 | 53 |
| Lake of the Woods | 0-0 | 0-3 | 1.2 | 58 |
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SECTION 8AAA
Welcome to the section Morris Area! They have come in and look to be the early favorite, along with Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton! Morris is leading DGF by almost 20 points in the QRF! That is because Barnesville beat DGF in week one, proving Class AA is better than AAA again! I am partially kidding. Barnesville is one of the best teams in AA and DGF is definitely in the top 20 of AAA. All it shows is that Barnesville is really, really, really, really good again.
| Team | Section | Overall | QRF Value | QRF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris Area/ | 1-0 | 3-0 | 59.4 | 5 |
| Dilworth-GF | 2-0 | 2-1 | 39.8 | 16 |
| East Grand | 1-0 | 2-1 | 32.5 | 24 |
| Perham | 0-1 | 1-2 | 22.9 | 31 |
| Fergus Falls | 0-1 | 1-2 | 22.8 | 32 |
| Thief River Falls | 0-2 | 1-2 | 16.3 | 40 |
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To see the latest Minnesota High School Fall Sports rankings for Football, Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Soccer, and Swimming, click on the link below.
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The 9-Man West-North Sub-District Football stats after week 2 have been compiled by Dave Peterson. To see the stats for Clearbrook-Gonvick, Fertile-Beltrami, Kittson County Central, Stephen-Argyle, Win-E-Mac, Fosston, Goodridge/Grygla, Park Christian, BGMR, NCE/UH, Northern Freeze, and Warren-A-O, CLICK HERE.
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The Valley Plains District Football stats have also been compiled by Dave Peterson. To see the stats from Ada-Borup-West, Mahnomen/Waubun, Red Lake County, Lake Park-Audubon, Bagley, Menahga, Polk County West, and Red Lake, CLICK HERE.
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JOKES
Got my daughter a fridge for her birthday.
I can’t wait to see her face light up when she opens it.
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I asked my wife why she chose to marry me.
She said, “Because you are funny”
I said, “I thought it was because I was skilled in the bed”
To which she responded, “See? You’re hilarious!”
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A man drives his date up to lovers lane and parks. “I have to be honest with you” the woman says as the guy makes his move.”I`m a hooker”.
The man thinks about this for a bit and decides he`s ok with it. He agrees to pay her $25 and they go at it.
After they finish, the guy says, “Now I should be honest too. I`m a cab driver and its going to cost you $25 to get back to town”.
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A sweet grandmother telephoned St. Joseph’s Hospital. She timidly asked, ‘Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?’
The operator said, ‘I’ll be glad to help, dear. What’s the name and room number?’
The grandmother, in her weak tremulous voice said, ”Norma Findlay, Room 302.’
The operator replied, ‘Let me place you on hold while I check with her nurse.’
After a few minutes the operator returned to the phone and said, ‘Oh, I have good news. Her nurse told me that Norma is doing very well.. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work is normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday.’
The grandmother said, ‘Thank you. That’s wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news.’
The operator replied, ‘You’re more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?’
The grandmother said, ‘No, I’m Norma Findlay in 302. No one tells me s**t.’
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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
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 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 Womens Track and Field team.
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.
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.
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