Angels' run through regions impressive

See what happens when you can field your full team?

For the Detroit Lakes Angels, having a full roster finally proved that they still are the Angels of old from last year, when they went 19-0 at home and a good run into the state playoffs.

The Angels will be playing Sunday in Carlos to defend their Region 14C championship and either ending with a one or two seed for the upcoming state tournament.

If DL wins, they will face the Region 16C runner-up Thursday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. in either Chaska or Shakopee. If the Angels lose Sunday, they will face the Region 16C champion (either Vergas or Wolf Lake) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14.

 

Posted by: Brian W. on 8/07/2008 at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Favre Watch is cancelled

Well, now the Big Apple can handle the three-ring circus known as Brett Favre. But fortunately for the Jets, they are in an atmosphere which thrives with that kind of attention.

Anyways, the poison pill the Packers put in the trade with the Jets of if N.Y. trades Favre to the Vikes, the Jets owe the Pack THREE first round pick, pretty much summed it up that Favre was not coming to play under the Teflon of the Metrodome.

Personally, I'm fine by going with Tarvaris Jackson. This is his year to shine or bust. To judge Jackson now, with only 14 starts (8-4 last year) under his belt, is prejudgemental and very short-sighted.

Vikes' fans will just have to trust in Brad Childress' judgement of sticking with Jackson. So far, Childress isn't batting so bad, with hits with his drafts - which brought the likes of Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, Chad Greenway and Cedric Griffin - and his free agent or trade pickups of Jared Allen, Bernard Berrian and Mideau Williams.

So it's starts Friday night with the SeaHags coming in for the first preseason game. And the thought of having Favre playing with the Vikes banished for good, makes it all that much better for the start of the season.

Posted by: Brian W. on 8/07/2008 at 9:58 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Favre Caution Watch hits yellow

After reading some of the recent "speculation" on the Brett Favre saga, I must say there is some smoke in regards of him possibly playing for the Vikings this season.

My 0% chance from last week was raised to about 7.5% and forcing me to increase the Caution Level from "green" to "yellow". In the STRIB's blog, it was stated the Packers contacted the Vikings about a possible trade. That was followed by Favre's reinstatement.

Now, although this probably means nothing, Gus Frerotte - the Vikes' backup QB - is not practicing today. Of course, put your speculating glasses on and one could assume the Vikes are holding him out because he is possibly a part of the deal in a potential trade for Favre.

If there are more reports of the two teams in discussions, that "yellow" is raised to "orange"...a bit too hot for my comfort, because red will mean he is probably on a flight to Mankato.

Now, back to your regular broadcast, which is now in progress.

Posted by: Brian W. on 8/04/2008 at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

All she wrote

Vacation is over (sigh) and now the calm before the storm before I start earning my paycheck again.

Next week is the start of the Pine to Palm Golf Tournament, which can arguably boast as being one of the top amateur golf tournaments in the region. It's a grinding six-day golfing affair for some of the top amateur linksters in the nation. And that's not over-exaggerating it either, with many D-I college golfers making their trek to the Detroit Country Club for some fun golf - most use it as a vacation before their college season starts up.

It's competitive, but still a laid back atmosphere. Hopefully we don't get the storms we had last year which caused plenty of delays and longer hours.

After the Pine to Palm, the work starts on the annual football tab and I'm actually quite anxious to start visiting each football team because there are many storylines which are popping up in the area.

The month of August includes previews of all the DL fall sports, as well. I will also be working on a series about Grant Johnson's induction into the University of Minnesota's "M" Hall of Fame, which I'm looking forward to working on.

Add in the fact the DL Angels made a great run through the Region 14C playoffs and earning a berth in the state tournament...August will be chalk full of local sports.

Posted by: Brian W. on 8/04/2008 at 10:59 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Vacation trickling away

As my vacation dwindles away, there has been plenty going on in the MLB world and even Brett Favre's world.

The Angels are playing in the Region 14C playoffs, while the Screaming Eagles wrap up their first season Saturday at Frazee, beginning at 5 p.m.

Well, let's start with all the Favre talk. Actually, been kind of interesting, but not as interesting as the national media has portrayed it to be. The speculative articles and commentary are tiresome, they should just admit they don't have a clue what's going on because no one is talking. But that won't be newsworthy, so they make up all this "speculation" to garner headlines, not that Favre isn't helping fuel the fire.

For one, taking a $20 million payday to NOT show up for work, is ummmm, tempting. That as of now, is the way I think Favre will take. The speculation of the Vikings trading everything from a second round pick to a package deal of a third and Chester Taylor is made up from the imagination of some bored writers. Won't happen...not this late in the game.

Training camp is already two weeks old and only just over a week remaining. No reason to bring in a 38-year-old QB not familiar with the offense (yes, I know it's the West Coast, but still is different from Green Bay's) and having absolutely zero chemistry with the players.

What I've seen of Tarvaris Jackson down at training camp is encouraging. I'll hitch my bandwagon up to Jackson and go with the third-year pro.

Maybe the Manny Ramirez for Favre trade would have been better? Now that would have been something to write about. But as of today, the Favre to Vikings story should be put to put and buried. But I'm just speculating here.

Posted by: Brian W. on 8/01/2008 at 9:57 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

More after-practice pics

Bernard Berrian signing autographs.

 

Sidney Rice.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/29/2008 at 5:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Day Two pics

Just some pics of after-practice, since there wasn't much in the first half hour of practice.


Adrian Peterson autographing for kids.


Tarvaris Jackson at the podium.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/29/2008 at 5:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Day Two at Southern Valhalla

Sorry it took sometime to post the Vikings' Day Two Training Camp notes. I made the 9 a.m. practice, hot as Jessica Alba in a see-through, but was the weather was still manageable. The wife, me and Brody made the trek north to Rockford then after the practice to stay with my aunt, so am just now getting online.

Anyways, the practice went pretty smooth, no injuries. Bernard Berrian was hobbling around a bit after the practice, but said he was fine. I was able to sit in the Brad Childress and Tarvaris Jackson press conferences and will breakdown all my interviews I gathered sometime this week - since I am on vacation this week.

Here are some highlights from the practice:

In a passing drill, rookie Jaymar Johnson put in yet another solid day, hauling in several diving catches. He did end up dropping one during a scrimmage, but the young fella should be ahead in points of making the team.

Jackson's arm strength still amazes me. He has tight spirals and are all on a rope. His accuracy still needs some work, but he is able to get passes in some tight coverage.

But the defense did play well in the scrimmage. Antoine Winfield had a nice break-up of a pass by Jackson intended for Sidney Rice on an out route down the sideline. Benny Sapp, the free-agent defensive back from Kansas City, had a good-looking pass defensed on Johnson, slapping the ball away at the last second.

Jackson made a solid play after rolling out right and hitting a tight end down the seam. Childress could be heard yelling "Nice play No. 7!"

A funny moment was had after DE stud Jared Allen was called offsides by referees who were at the practice. Childress chided Allen for the flag, with Allen - who is as personable as they come - sparred with the head coach verbally. Childress ended it making a first-down motion...pretty funny nonetheless.

Rice had several nice slant snags by Jackson, with Jimmy Kleinsasser making an over-the-shoulder catch down the left sideline.

J.D. Booty didn't show a lively arm during the morning, throwing an interception.

Bobby Wade was given the day off, while Thomas Tapeh was on the stationary bike after having a "slight" concussion the day before.

Ray Edwards was doing running drills on the empty practice field, hopefully signifying his return soon.

Childress said Cedric Griffin was having a great training camp, and he has. Griffin, the third-year CB out of Texas, has been in on many pass-breakups. If he improves in his coverage, that secondary could be dangerous with WInfield and Griffin as No. 1 and 2, with Marcus McCauley and Charles Gordon each fighting for the nickle spot. Good depth.

Adrian Peterson had only a couple of carries, again displaying his strength by carrying a couple of would-be defenders along for a 3-4 yard ride. The guy is an absolute stud, and Darren Sharper said he is looking even better this year than last year.

Childress is much more looser and having fun with the players this year. That will be important for the building of chemistry.

Brody got a couple of autographs from two hopeful big contributors in Berrian and Rice. His first Viking autographs.

Overall, a wonderful experience. Last night I looked like I had Carl Malden's nose, it was burnt so bad. The sun has been hot, hot. But one can feel the chemistry being made by the Vikings during practices. There will be some good players cut by the Vikings by the end of training camp, because that is how deep this team is right now. That's a good problem to have.

WIthout any key injuries, this could be the start of something special. Jackson is the key of course, and he still needs lots of improvement, but the three practices that I've seen him, it looks as if the first steps of that improvement is coming along.

Frerotte has looked serviceable and Brooks Bollinger hasn't looked special, pretty average. The hope of J.D. Booty be "NFL ready" was much exaggerated, he still is looking like a rookie, with a not-so-strong arm. But he is still making reads and is my hope he will beat out Bollinger for the third string QB position. Booty has done somethings well, but in scrimmages has struggled some with his arm strength. But a keeper for the future, for sure.

It just adds to the excruciating wait of the season opener after leaving Mankato.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/29/2008 at 5:05 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Brody at Vikings' Camp

Brody has taste....

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 5:58 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Viking duo

Kevin Williams (93) and Jared Allen (69) will be making up quite the duo of the Vikings' D-line. Make it a very good trio with big Pat Williams in the picture, who was not picture in this one.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 5:52 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Evening camp notes

Pretty laid back practice from 3-5 p.m. No pads, just helmets and shorts.

The first part of the practice was individual unit drills, with a red zone passing scrimmage between the offense and defense ending the day.

Jackson wasn't as sharp tonight, throwing two interceptions - one by Cedric Griffin (who had a strong showing today) and Charles Gordon. Griffin made up for a TD on a great catch by Bernard Berrian, who nabbed the Jackson pass with his fingertips over Griffin - probably the play of the day.

Berrian had one drop tonight, on a crossing route, with Marcus McCauley applying the coverage.

Practice ended early then.

Heading to the 9 a.m. practice tomorrow, hopefully going to meet the NFL Network's Mike Mayock, who is the network's draft guru - i.e. Mel Kiper - but I like Mayock a bit better. So will be interesting to meet Mr. Mayock if he's there.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 5:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Camp notes

Here are some observations from the first practice Monday:

* Tarvaris Jackson was on today. He was 7-7 in the 7-on-7 drill, even seeing his tight end Visanthe Shiancoe catch two passes over the middle, drawing some cheers from head coach Brad Childress.
    Jackson hit newly acquired Bernard Berrian twice on 45-yard bombs on 1-on-1 drills. The QB had some overthrows, but overall, his arm strength was quite amazing. He was able to put his passes on a rope in some tight areas.

* One of the defensive standouts this morning was CB Cedric Griffin, who had two nice pass defenses during the offensive/defensive scrimmage. He struggled last year in coverage, but at least on this day, held his own. He also played physical, containing his WR on the sideline and then making the play on the ball.

* Jared Allen is simply a hyperactive kid playing ball. His energy is contagious as his D-line mates caught on it. He looks as if he has been a Viking for the last 10 years. And by the way, he can play.
    He made a bullrush on Chase Johnson, pushing the OL in the backfield, as Gus Frerotte would have been dead meat if not for his red "do not touch" jersey. Allen also had a deflected pass, using all his 6-6 frame and wingspan. He was in the backfield, not only as a pass rusher, but made several tackles for losses on RB's.

* EJ Henderson has remarkable sideline-to-sideline speed. He made several tackles on the outside for minimal gains on RB's who tried to turn the corner. The competition at LB is intense, with the starters basically set with Greenway/Henderson/Leber installed as starters. But Erin Henderson, J Lehman, Rufus Alexander and Heath Farwell are in a battle for the backup positions. Vinny Ciurciu is a ST ace, but just looks too small to be a LB on defense.

* The rookie WR Jaymar Johnson impressed by making three catches on one drive in the scrimmage from QB Frerotte. He made a couple diving sideline catches and possesses some impressive shifty moves in the open field.

* Sidney Rice is a big WR who can go over the middle. With Jackson's strong arm, Rice made a couple passes over the middle on some quick slants. Rice's size and hands and his ability to produce a good amount of yards after the catch, will be a big asset.

* Berrian not only showed some good hands on some fly routes, but he is taller than I thought. This receiving corp. is shaping up. But Robert Ferguson had one drop, but Bobby Wade made an excellent sticky hands catch from his slot position as he tore down the seam.

* Adrian Peterson carried the pile 3-4 yards on two runs behind RG. He didn't get many carries in the scrimmage, with Taylor receiving the bulk of the first-team carries. John David Booty fumbled a snap...while Kevin Williams made a one-hand sack on Frerotte in the scrimmage.

*Mideau Williams, the new safety from Cincin, was brought in to be a coverage man along with Darren Sharper. But he had a huge hit on Taylor, popping William's helmet off in the hard collision.

I'll have some more after the 3 p.m. practice, which I'm heading out to now. Don't know if I'll have any pics, because don't know if they are allowing it.

Also will breakdown interviews I was able to get with Adrian Peterson, Darren Sharper and Jared Allen.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 2:18 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Booty pass

John David Booty - not the "other" NO. 4.


Adrian Peterson helps CB Charles Gordon (41) after a collision.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 2:11 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Ferguson catch

Robert Ferguson hauls in a pass from Gus Frerotte.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 2:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

T. Jack looking solid

Tarvaris Jackson drops back to pass during a 1-on-1 drill.


Second-year WR Sidney Rice hauls in a Jackson pass.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 1:58 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Albert Young carry

Iowa rookie running back Albert Young takes a carry during an offensive drill.


Head coach Brad Childress instructs his running backs - including Chester Taylor (29) during Monday's morning practice.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 1:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Peterson takes handoff from J.D. Booty

Booty to Peterson.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 1:47 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

More Vikings Training Camp pics

Jimmy Kleinsasser hauls in an end zone pass from Tarvaris Jackson during a goal line drill.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 1:43 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Adrian Peterson in action

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 1:16 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Monday morning at Viking Training camp

The alarm went off early today...actually at 3 a.m. as my wife Chrisy, son Brody and I all hopped into the car and headed south.

Not really as far south as I went on my January vacation at Florida, but a tad bit less as in Mankato. The heat was apparent by the time the Vikes took to the practice fields by 8:30 a.m.

This was the first time I covered a Brad Childress training camp, and soon realized there is a bit more tighter grips on the media. There was only a halfhour allowed for media photos to be taken...so I concentrated on the offensive drills with my time alotted.

First...I'll post my pics....and give my breakdown of the 2-hour morning practice, which included 7-on-7 passing drills, 1-on-1 passing drills and a defensive-offensive full-pad scrimmage.

First some of the photos I took during the first morning practice.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/28/2008 at 1:09 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Kickstarting the blog back up starting Monday

I'll be kicking off the 2008 blog season back up starting this coming Monday when I travel down to the Summer Valhalla site - otherwise known as Vikings' Training Camp in Mankato.

This year's camp should be buzzing - and not with the Brett Favre talk - with the offseason the Vikes had, propelling them up the charts in the NFC.

I'll be posting photos and interviews I will be having with players and coaches and also some personal observations starting later Monday afternoon. The first practice is from 9-11 a.m. and the second from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday will be the same schedule, although I don't know if I'll be staying for the afternoon practice.

Finally, the dead season of the sports world is coming to an end with the NFL training camps opening up, as well as the high school sports knocking on the door.

After next week, I'll be doing live blogging from the Pine to Palm Golf Tournament, which starts Monday, Aug. 11 and runs through Aug. 17. There will be plenty of news generated from the Detroit Country Club that week.

Then after the golf marathon, it's off to area football practices in which I will start working on the annual Football Tab. I'll provide some insight on the area high school football teams, as well as some info on the fall sports, which start Aug. 11.

So with my slow dog days of summer slowly winding down, recharging the battery is a priority the next couple of weeks,  so  we'll see ya soon the cyber world of sports!

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/24/2008 at 10:33 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Angels picking right time to replicate 2007

The Detroit Lakes Angels look to have found their swagger from 2007 - where they won the Hi-10 League playoffs and the Region tournament.

The Angels upset the Hi-10's top seed Wadena-Deer Creek Shockers Saturday in Deer Creek in a well-played game by both sides by the score of 3-2. That ensures a trip to the Region 14C playoffs for the Angels, now they will just be playing for a seed. The Hi-10 will be sending three teams this year to the regions. W-DC and Perham will be vying for the final spot, with Bluffton also already clinching a regional berth.

Here is how the Regions will stack up:

Round 1 Thursday 7-31 All games 8:00pm

G1 L&P Champ vrs Hi-10 Wild Card @ Menahga
G2 Res East Champ vrs Hi-10 runner up @ Carlos
G3 L&P runnerup vrs Res East runnerup @ Clarissa
G4 Hi-10 Champ vrs Res East Wild Card @ Dent

Round 2 Sat Aug 2

G5 W1 vrs W2 @ Carlos 5pm
G6 W3 vrs W4 @ Carlos 8:00pm
G7 L1 vrs L2 @ Clarissa 5pm
G8 L3 vrs L4 @ Clarissa 8:00pm

Round 3 Sun Aug 3
G9 W5 vrs W6 @ Carlos 1:30 (Winner to State)
G10 L6 vrs W7 @ Clarissa 1:30
G11 W8 vrs L5 @ Carlos 4:30

Round 4 Thurs Aug 7

G12 W10 vrs W11 @ Carlos 8pm

Round 5 Friday Aug 9

G13 L9 vrs W 12 @ Carlos 5pm (winner to State)

Championship Game Sun Aug. 10

W9 vrs W 13 @ Carlos 1:30

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/22/2008 at 1:17 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Great funny article on Favre situation

I haven't posted anything on my thoughts of the Brett Favre saga...still pondering what my feelings are on it as of yet.

Anyways, this is by far the best work and view point of the Favre drama - and there has been plenty out there to digest.

This is by Jason Whitlock - a very good sports columnist from the Kansas City Star:

Jason Whitlock brings his edgy and thought-provoking style to FOXSports.com. Columnist for the Kansas City Star, he has won the National Journalism Award for Commentary for "his ability to seamlessly integrate sports and social commentary and to challenge widely held assumptions along the racial divide."

Dear Ted Thompson:

Hi, my name is Jason Whitlock. I'm sure you've heard of me. My reputation in football circles is well established.

I'm the guy who told Bill Belichick to stick with Tom Brady over Drew Bledsoe years ago. When Bill Polian was debating Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf, I was the voice on the phone at 2 a.m. the morning of the draft assuring Polian that Manning was the right choice. I told Parcells to take a long look at an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois.

You cannot possibly believe Aaron Rodgers gives the Packers a better chance at winning in 2008 than Brett Favre. If you do, you are the dumbest general manager in the history of professional sports. I don't believe you're that stupid.

Brett threw for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns last season. He completed a career-high 66.5 percent of his passes and averaged a career-high 7.8 yards per attempt. He led your team to the NFC Championship. He was as good as he's ever been in his career, and the continued maturation of Greg Jennings and the addition of rookie Jordy Nelson are only going to make The Mississippi Hickey even more effective.

You don't discard the Pro Bowl quarterback who came within three points of the Super Bowl just because he's a 38-year-old diva who doesn't want to play football in March.
Here's my solution. Call a press conference immediately  today, if not sooner. Announce that you're a huge Barack Obama supporter, you got swept up in the mania and wanted to do your part to show America how far we've come in terms of racial equality.
Say that you took a dump on Brett Favre to show Ray Lewis that NFL franchises will disrespect any and all of their employees regardless of color.

You remember when Rev. Ray Ray went on national TV and claimed that Brett Favre and Peyton Manning, two of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league, would never be treated as poorly as the Titans treated Steve McNair, a three-time Pro Bowler whose career is a shade below Rich Gannon's?

After a 4-12, 16-TD, 11-interception season, the Titans had the audacity to cut ties with and lock out their nine-year starting quarterback from the team's training facilities. Oh, the horror, indignity and racism of it all. A fired employee got escorted out of the building. That never happens.

Well, you can now argue you did Favre much worse. For a decade and a half, the man never missed a game  even when his father passed away.
I know, I know playing through pain, injury and grief for 16 years doesn't compensate for the fact that Favre acts like a spoiled baby when you refuse to acquire a quarterback's best friend, Randy Moss. And I know it's really tough on the franchise when Favre's aching, middle-aged body and mood swings tell him to retire in March and play in July.

Get over it. The great ones are always a pain in the ass.

Seriously, call a press conference today, take the high road by accepting blame for not being more patient with Favre and beg him to return for another season or as many as he wants.

You have him positioned perfectly now. All the pressure will be on Brett this season. He'll need to be disciplined and play at a very high level or he'll take all the heat for putting the Packers in an awful position during the offseason.

That's my advice. Take it or leave it. The last guy not to listen to me was former Kansas City Chiefs head coach John Mackovic when he passed on Dan Marino and took Todd Blackledge in the 1983 draft.

Sincerely,
Jason Whitlock

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/18/2008 at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Dog Days of the Sports World summer

Well, I decided to just let some of the few sports happenings going on over the past week accumulate into one big heap before getting back on this blog...not a lot happening in the month of July, but there are still some things going on.

The Angels have earned the No. 3 seed and will host Bertha Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the Hi-10 Playoffs. Detroit Lakes had an up-and-down season after a marvelous inaugural year in 2007. It might be a little more difficult this time around as Wadena-Deer Creek is the No. 1 seed and Perham the No. 2 seed.

Fortunately for the Angels, three teams from the Hi-10 will earn a berth in the Regions. Some injuries have plagued DL throughout the season, including at the catcher position where starter Taylor Fuhs had a bum rotator cuff and second catcher Kyle Danner suffered a season-ending knee injury. DL also lost a solid pitcher in Chad Griffin, who should be back for a hopeful playoff run.

The Water Carnival Legion Tournament is also this week, starting Thursday. Post 15's record is 10-13 under head coach Mitch McLeod, who looks to have the Legion program doing well and is doing a good job building it up.

On a personal note, I've been sticking to my training regiment for the 5K challenge coming Sept. 6 for the Beardsley Marathon. Finally, my sore legs are no more and now I just have to concentrate on conditioning my lower legs. The training has been coming along well, with only one near pass-out experience thus far.

The Screaming Eagles will have one more road game, this Saturday at South Metro, and then host their final two to wrap up the regular season schedule. They will host Fargo-Moorhead for Turkey Days Saturday July 26, and Willmar Aug. 2.

I've been busy delving into the Pine to Palm coverage and currently working on the Tradition Magazine we publish every year. Cory Blenkush will return to defend his 2007 title and for sure, there will be a tough contingent trying to pry away that banner. It sounds like all six of the Class 2A state champion DL boys' golf team members will be in Championship Flight. Ben Bergquist made a remarkable run last year to the Sweet 16. He will be joined by teammates Josh Herzog (fresh off of two All-Star game football appearances), Ben Osowski, Mike Brodsho, Adam Thielen and Ryan Kuehne.

On an unofficial note, former Detroit Lakes superintendent Grant Johnson, who now resides in Florida, has been named to the U of M Athletic Hall of Fame. I am still awaiting on the official press release from Gopher-land, but am planning on doing a couple feature stories on Grant (who is one quite amazing individual). I hopefully will be meeting with Grant to talk about his basketball playing days at the U of M this coming month.

For now, that's about all...July is the calm before the storm for me, with the month of August being one of my busiest with the Pine to Palm Tournament and the start of the fall sports teams - including the beast project I start working on in the form of the Annual Football Tab, which is bringing some very interesting stories on the area gridiron.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/15/2008 at 10:23 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Angels Fourth of July game starts at 7 p.m.

The Angels will be hosting the Frazee Flames Friday at 7 p.m.

The event should be pretty fun, since there is a beer garden run by the DL Jaycees, starting at 6 p.m. and the Detroit Lakes Newspapers will be handing out Angel posters to the first 200 fans. The posters look pretty dang nice, so make sure you get there early to snag one yourself.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/03/2008 at 9:57 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Minnesota All-Star game on at 7 p.m. tonight

Watch the Minnesota All-Star football broadcast at 7 p.m. tonight on Fox Sports Network (Channel 17 on cable, 436 on DishNetwork). The Outstate team was coached by Flint Motschenbacher and had two Lakers on the squad in Adam Thielen and Josh Herzog.

Won't give away the ending (although you can read the story in Wednesday's Becker County Record), but it's a very good game to watch to quell some of that football thirst at this time of year.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/02/2008 at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Watch Pechmann in Olympic Trials via the internet

Detroit Lakes swimmer/sprinter Luke Pechmann will be competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials Friday, in the 50-meter freestyle preliminaries.

It can be watched here via the internet:    

NBCOlympics.com will webcast the morning prelim sessions live from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Neb. Olympic gold medalist and former National Team captain Josh Davis will be the commentator. The webcasts begin Sunday (June 28) and will air each day of Trials starting at 11 a.m. Central Time.

Posted by: Brian W. on 7/01/2008 at 10:38 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tingelstad moving on

As reported in the Fargo Forum, LP-A basketball and track phenom will be transferring to East Grand Forks for her senior year, where her mother has bought a house.

It's a big blow to the Raiders, after an outstanding career in hoops where she already is a 1,000-point scorer and is coming off a memorable Triple Crown in Class 1A track sprinting events.

The Raider girls' athletic programs lost some elite athletes this year, including seniors Toni Tollefson (repeat high jumping state champion) and Dawnelle Askelson (LP-A's all-time leading scorer in basketball).

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/30/2008 at 6:59 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Screaming Eagles stats

Dave Moll busts out for his second 100-yard rushing game, while WR Mike Christensen of Detroit Lakes catches his second-straight 40-plus yard TD. Moll is a former OTC Bulldog RB, who played at Concordia as a LB and SS.

Tabs are not the best...but still readable.

Farmington at Lakes Area in Frazee, Saturday, June 28.

Screaming Ealges 27, Lions 6
Farmington    -    0    0    0    6        6
Lakes Area    -    7    6    0    14        27

LA - Dave Moll 11-yard run; Mike Christensen kick. 2:06, 1st quarter.
LA - Chris Roberts interception in the end zone; kick failed. :40, 2nd.
LA - Moll 5-yard run; Christensen kick. 13:45, 4th.
Farm - Joma Saleem 45-yard run; pass failed. 12:12, 4th.
LA - Christensen 47-yard pass from Jason McCloskey; Christensen kick. 3:01, 4th.

                                                 LA    Farm
First Downs        9    12
    By Rushing        7    7
    By passing        1    2
    By penalty        1    3
Net Yards Rushing        143    96
    No. rushes        44    27
    Yards gained        181    118
    Yards lost        38    22
Net Yards Passing        77    69
    No. passes        16    37
    Completed        3    11
    Incomplete        11    21
    Had intercepted        2    5
    Interception yards        87    27
    Total Offensive Plays        65    68
    TOTAL NET YARDS        220    165
Kickoffs        5    2
    Yards        189    36
    Ave. kickoff        37.8    18
Kickoffs Returned        2    3
    Yards        18    8
    Ave. return        9    2.7
Fumbles        8    6
    Fumbles lost        3    4
Penalties        9    10
    Yards        80    77

* * *
Individual Rushing
LA 
Player        NR    YG    YL    Net
Dave Moll        23    114    4    110
Kyler Wegner        14    55    15    40
Jason McCloskey        7    12    19    (-7)    
Farm 
Joma Saleem        5    70    0    70
Brandon James        11    31    7    24
Mo Abumayyaleh        2    5    0    5
Matt Falco        2    2    0    2
Jimmy Gunn        7    10    15    (-5)

* * *
Individual Passing
Player    No    Comp    Inc    Int    Yds    TD    
LA 
McCloskey    16    3    11    2    77    1
Farm 
Gunn    29    8    18    3    55    0
James    8    3    3    2    14    0

* * *
Pass Receiving
Player    No.    Yds.    TD    
LA 
Wegner    2    30    0
Mike Christensen    1    47    1
Farm 
Quentin Allen    5    32    0
AJAckley    2    19    0
Abumayyaleh    2    0    0
Aaron James    1    9    0
Saleem    1    9    0

* * *
Kickoffs
Player        No.    Yds.    Ave.
LA 
No. 8        5    189    37.8
Farm
Michael McDermott       2    36    18

* * *
Kickoffs Returned
Player        No.    Yds.    Ave.
LA 
Anthony Carpenter        1    18    18
Gemini Strehlow        1    0    0
Farm 
Ireece Smith        1    8    8
B. James        1    0    0
Ackley        1    0    0

* * *
Pass Interceptions
Player        No.    Yds.
LA 
Carpenter        1    48
Nick Kaputh        1    24
Rob Peterson        1    15
Chris Roberts        1    0
Josh Rehnelt        1    0
Farm  
McDermott        1    18
No. 14        1    9

* * *
Sacks
Player        No.    Yds. lost
LA 
Roberts        1    10
Carpenter        1    5
Farm  
None. 

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/30/2008 at 4:23 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Screaming Eagles gain first win

It was sloppy...field and weather....but the Screaming Eagles finally registered their first win...beating the visiting Farmington Lions 27-6 in a typhoon on Frazee High School field.

There were a total of 13 turnovers in the contest, but the Eagles' defense was up to the task by limiting any big plays by the Lions. The ball was like a greased pig, with a combined 14 fumbles by both teams, with three lost by Lakes Area and four lost by Farmington.

I'm in the process of breaking down the stats now...will post them in a bit.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/30/2008 at 11:04 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

OK...I'm calm now

Took the majority of the morning, but I have vented my last of frustrations about the Mayo/Love trade.

The trade itself probably isn't all that bad. But, I just have a hard time trusting in McHale's decisions with trading and draft picks. He struck out with the Roy/Foye trade - at least so far - and missed big time on the Ray Allen/Stephon Marbury trade.

The fact that McHale is looking too arrogant for my taste. It almost looks like he forced this trade because everyone was saying Mayo was the easy choice. The trade of Mario Chalmers, too, doesn't make any sense. The addition of Mayo/Chalmers would have been a solid one.

Owner Glen Taylor will start feeling McHale's moves when the Target Center starts being empty.

And it will be gut-wrenching if Mayo turns into an All-Star, playing Brandon Roy, who already is on that path.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/27/2008 at 12:22 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Surprise, surprise....Frankenstein strikes again

Here's the new plan for the new Vikings' stadium: Tear down the Target Center and build it there and move the Timberwolves to On, Alaska, and take McFrankenstein with them.

I woke up this morning to the great news (sarcasm) that McHale got his McLovin' by trading O.J. Mayo for Brad Miller and Kevin Love - now known as McLove with his connection with the worst mind in basketball.

Miller, not bad...but just a third option on the floor offensively. McLove...a good, solid mid-1st round pick who has a great future as a role player. Mayo? Only time will tell, but he has at least potential of becoming the go-to guy on a team, the face of the franchise type of player you don't just give away like McFool did.

Now we get to see the demise of Al Jefferson linger in basketball hell, much like Kevin Garnett did for all those years.

But, hey...the T-Wolves have their McLovin'.

Sad.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/27/2008 at 9:18 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Ooops! NBA Draft not until Thursday

I goofed...I read something on espn.com stating that draft coverage starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday and it was just a draft preview show. Instead, the draft is Thursday.

My bad...but then again, knowing the date of the NBA Draft is like knowing what day Potato Day falls on.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/25/2008 at 7:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Eidenschink wins gold at Pan-Am games

The University of Minnesota's and former Detroit Lakes wrestler Brent Eidenschink won gold at the Junior Pan-Am Games, as the ex-Laker is gearing up to shine in his junior season for the Gophers.

Eidenschink won both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman divisions. Congrats to Eidenschink, who is looking to be a force on one of the traditionally top D-I college teams in the nation.

From the U of M wrestling website:

University of Minnesota wrestlers Brent Eidenschink and Ben Berhow combined for three medals at the Pan American Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships this weekend in Cuenca, Ecuador. The United States won team championships in both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions.

Eidenschink (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) was one of two U.S. wrestlers to win gold medals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines, capturing both his crowns at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

After finishing sixth in the Greco-Roman event on Friday evening, Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) rallied for a bronze medal in Freestyle competition on Sunday.

The U.S. tallied 67 points to edge Ecuador by two points for the Greco-Roman title on Friday night before cruising to the Freestyle crown on Sunday. The United States 74 points in the Freestyle event eclipsed closest competitors Venezuela (64 pts) and Canada (45 pts).

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1482615

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/24/2008 at 9:54 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Have my brick ready for Tuesday's NBA Draft

Here we go again.

The T-Wolves once again have a high draft pick, one of their highest in their franchise history at No. 3 overall.

That's the good news. The bad news is, it's the Timberwolves who are picking.

T-Wolf GM Kevin McHale is once again in charge of the annual fiasco, but this year it maybe hard to screw up. Wait, I take that back, it's yet another grand opportunity to screw up.

It is almost a given that guards Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose will go 1-2 to either Miami or Chicago. It's been said/wrote that this year's draft is a three-player draft...and the T-Wolves should be able to get the third-best player in USC's O.J. Mayo.

If Mayo is sitting there at No. 3, he brings his 6-4, 200-pound frame to Minnesota to go with a healthy backcourt of Randy Foye and Rashard McCants. Add in an ever-improving Sebastian Telfair, depth and talent abounds for the Wolves.

The only strike on Mayo (besides his first two initials which remind me of O.J. Simpson, another USC alum) is that he may have personal baggage. That baggage isn't all too heavy, though, not that of J.R. Rider's - the infamous T-Wolf draft pick from UNLV (and yet another one with a two-letter initial first-name).

Even if the accusations on the 20-year-old shooting guard is true that he took money during his time at USC, that shouldn't prevent McHale from pulling the trigger.

But it is no guarantee McHale will do the right thing. He has an obsession with Euro-trash players. This year's European bust is Italian prospect Danilo Gallinari, which has caught McHale's untrained-for-talent eye.

Of course, McHale could go for the big-man projects - i.e. Paul Grant and Nbi Ebi ring a bell?

That would come in the form of UCLA's Kevin Love, a 6-10 power forward or Stanford's Brooks Lopez.

Both could become good role players with some time (probably 3-4 year projects). Nice and all, but the No. 3 overall pick needs to be star-like quality and potential.

That's what Mayo brings. He, along with Foye, and big-man Al Jefferson, that is the forming of a very respectable trio for the future. Add in Corey Brewer, this is becoming an athletic team. Mayo has great potential to be the leader of this young and athletic team.

If McHale passes on the Mayo Tuesday night...look for another decade of bland basketball flowing out of the Target Center  and it's NBA resident.

A breakdown of the NBA draft from espn.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=MockDraft-080617

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/23/2008 at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Ode to George Carlin

George Carlin passed away Sunday...a huge loss in the satire and comedy universe. I was a big fan of his blunt and direct outlooks on life. He will be missed...

Here is one of his bits on baseball and football...a great read from a great comedian.

George Carlin:

"Baseball is different from any other sport, very different. For instance, in most sports you score points or goals; in baseball you score runs. In most sports the ball, or object, is put in play by the offensive team; in baseball the defensive team puts the ball in play, and only the defense is allowed to touch the ball. In fact, in baseball if an offensive player touches the ball intentionally, he's out; sometimes unintentionally, he's out.
Also: in football,basketball, soccer, volleyball, and all sports played with a ball, you score with the ball and in baseball the ball prevents you from scoring.
In most sports the team is run by a coach; in baseball the team is run by a manager. And only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you'd ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform,you'd know the reason for this custom.
Now, I've mentioned football. Baseball & football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. And as such, it seems they ought to be able to tell us something about ourselves and our values.
I enjoy comparing baseball and football:
~Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game.
~~Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle.
~Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park!
~~Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.
~Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.
~~Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying.
~~In football you wear a helmet.
~In baseball you wear a cap.
~~Football is concerned with downs - what down is it?
~Baseball is concerned with ups - who's up?
~~In football you receive a penalty.
~In baseball you make an error.
~~In football the specialist comes in to kick.
~In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.
~~Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.
~Baseball has the sacrifice.
~~Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog...
~In baseball, if it rains, we don't go out to play.
~Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.
~~Football has the two minute warning.
~Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end - might have extra innings.
~~Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death.
~In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there's kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there's not too much unpleasantness.
~~In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you're capable of taking the life of a fellow human being.
And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:
~~In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
~In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I'll be safe at home!"

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/23/2008 at 12:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Two Lakers on All-Star Football Outstate team

    The Minnesota High School All-Star Football game has been a top-notch event to display some of the states top senior players.
    NFL players such as Mar-ion Barber III, Trevor Laws, Thomas Tapeh and Todd Bouman have played in the prestigious game.
    Some standout D-I college players have also graced the rosters of the game, including Ohio State star linebacker James Laurinaitis and current University of Minnesota Golden Gophers QB Adam Weber and WR Erik Decker.
    Detroit Lakes players have also made their mark on the all-star stage, as quarterback Reed Manke earned Outstate MVP honors in 2002 and Brent Eidenschink doing the same in 2006.
    Every year, the game has had an outgoing senior make a name for himself on the next level.
    This year should be no dif-ferent as the Outstate team will meet up with the Metro squad in the 35th edition of the All-Star Classic Saturday at 7 p.m. inside the St. Cloud State University Husky Stadium.
    The Outstate team currently holds a 15-13 edge on the Metro All-Stars and there will be some big Detroit Lakes influence going for win 16.
    DL head coach Flint Motschenbacher will be the head coach for the Outstate squad, while a pair of Lakers will be suiting up, as well, in wide receiver Adam Thielen and outside linebacker Josh Herzog  who was added as the first alternate after a player from Foley had to withdraw due to injury.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/20/2008 at 3:39 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Woods done for the season

After playing 91 holes to win his 14th major and the 2008 U.S. Open, Tiger Woods is done for the season.

He will have ACL surgery and rehab a double-stress fracture to his tibia.

With the biggest name in possibly the sports world, golf may take a bit of hit for the rest of their schedule. But, now Tiger can't hog all the championships, so the rest of the field better take note and clamor for all the gold while they can.

More kudos to Woods for playing as well and as much as he did with that injury. Very impressive.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/18/2008 at 11:17 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Started the training

Instead of jumping into the pool feet first and probably sinking like a rock, I decided to train for the Beardsley 5K run (3.2 miles). The training program fits my schedule much better and I probably won't be seen on the side of road heaving up my noon lunch.

So I started the training, which the first two days is just 30 minutes of walking. Wednesday I'll have to run for two minutes and walk for four 5 times.

My dog, Nash, has joined on - voluntarily or non-voluntarily, doesn't matter because we are on top of the food chain - so he'll be shedding off some of that winter fat as well.

I'm looking forward to the training program and getting outside more and maybe even getting in some decent shape. It's good probably that the Twins are stinking, no temptation to stay in the house and watch them.

Speaking of the Twins, my son Brody and I get to go see them and the majority of their Class AAA players Thursday against Washington Thursday. Hopefully it's one of their games they actually have over five hits - which I think is about a 1-out-of-5 chance of happening.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/17/2008 at 10:40 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Woods No. 14

It's No. 14 for Tiger Woods, as in his 14th major win in professional golf.

I'll give Woods a lot of credit for maintaining his composure and not performing for the cameras with his knee issue. He went another 18 holes today, along with an extra 19th to finish the extra-extra playoff hole with par, while Rocco Mediate - who deserves his kudos for a memorable performance nipping at Wood's heels the entire way, while most would have folded like the Weasle Petrino did on the Atlanta Falcons.

Woods was in obvious pain throughout the tournament, but downplayed it.

Meanwhile in Boston, Paul Pierce has missed a lick of playing time after his dramatic carry-off in game one. That was embarrassing even to have someone get carried off the court by two teammates and somehow, magically (maybe God healed him like he did Jon Kitna when he suffered a concussion vs. the Vikes last year), Pierce comes storming back and leads the Celtics to victory.

Pierce's injury was full-blown Hollywood, so much, that he should have been wearing a Laker uniform, not Boston. Pierce's story was not a sentimental "comeback hero" type of story. He and the NBA would like the public to gobble up that slop, hopefully you are not.

Woods' performance was not to glorify his comeback from his knee injury - it was just to go out and win another major.

Pierce and the Celtics may win the championship, but for history's sake, hopefully they leave out his faux-injury and "amazing comeback" from game one.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/16/2008 at 4:51 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

I've lost my mind finally

I'm always up for challenges and I think I just took on one of my biggest in quite sometime.

Starting next week, I will be taking part in the DLCCC Training Program, a 12-week program to gear up for the Dick Beardsley Run Sept. 6, in Detroit Lakes.

I will be doing weekly updates in Sunday's Detroit Lakes Tribune on my progress through the training program. Brent Wolff and Kesley Myhre of the DLCCC were kind enough to offer a spot in the program, giving me first hand-experience of training for either a 5K or Half-Marathon.

Truthfully, I haven't run seriously in about my entire life. I was always playing the short-spurt type of sports like football, basketball and baseball and never really have sustained a long-distance type of running.

So, the next 12 weeks will be very interesting for me. My motto always was only run if something is chasing you....so hopefully I'm up for the challenge.

I will try to train for the half-marathon (13.2 miles) and will have to run three miles next week to qualify for that training program. Don't know if I can even do that and if I can't...I'll train for the 5K race, which is a modest 3.2 miles.

That will be the first challenge running the 3 miles next week, that will set the tone for where I will start training for. I'm not just starting from ground zero as a runner, but probably a couple sub-levels below ground zero. Angie Johnson, the trainer of the programs this summer, will have her work cut out for her for me to become a legit runner.

So from the puking to the jogging to the passing out, I will keep the readers up to date on how a first-time runner progresses through each stage on his way to a possible entry into either the Half-Marathon or 5K.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/12/2008 at 12:59 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Angels Tournament starts tonight

Thank God for sunny skies!

Yes, it's been as rare as Twins' homerun, but the sun is out and shining down on Washington Ballpark, hopefully drying out the last 2 weeks worth of rain for tonight's start of the First Annual Angels' Tournament.

The Angels start up against their rival Perham Pirates at 7:30 p.m. tonight, with two games being played tomorrow pitting North Dakota state champions Jamestown Merchants vs. Wolf Lake at 8:30 p.m. and Bluffton vs. Vergas opening Friday up at 6:30 p.m.

Crookston will face the Jamestown Elks at 11 a.m. which precludes the second round of action, with games being played from 1-7 p.m. Sunday is the placing rounds and the championship is at 4:30 p.m.

See ya at the ballpark!

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/12/2008 at 12:55 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Long weekend produces six state titles in area

The MSHSL donated a load full of hardware which made its way to the Northwestern part of the state as six state championships and several all-state finishes were had by Detroit Lakes, Lake Park-Audubon and Frazee.

For LP-A, the dynamic duo of junior Ashley Tingelstad and senior Toni Tollefson finished in second place overall as a team in the Class 1A state girls' track and field meet.

Forget Big Brown, it was Tingelstad who captured the Triple Crown victory Saturday at Hamline University by sweeping the dash events by taking the 100, 200 and 400 events. She set the state record in the 400 with a time of 55.83, which eclipsed the former record of 56.19 by Anne Hillier of Blake in 2001.

Tingelstad joined Tollefson, who accomplished back-to-back state high jumping championships after she finished with a height of 5-07. The four state titles gathered LP-A a total of 48 points, which was good for second overall behind first-place Providence Academy, which had 55 points.

The two Raider athletes have cemented their place in the Minnesota Track World as elite athletes. Like Coral Lunde, LP-A head track coach said, it's rare to have one of those types of athletes come through the program, but to have two is darn near impossible.

Tingelstad has one more year to make some more school history - if not state history - by repeating as a Triple Crown winner. She also has each of the 100 and 200 dash event state records in her sites and don't doubt one bit she will not be celebrating those feats in 2009.

Tollefson moves on to NDSU where she will be high jumping. No doubt again, Tollefson will keep improving and her competitive edge will potentially catapult her from being a high school star to being an elite high jumper on the national stage of Division I competition.

For Frazee, junior Skyler Jackson not only came out of nowhere in the Class 1A 100 dash, he actually dominated it. Jackson was seeded third in the finals and bolted out front in the final 20 meters to tie the state record of 10.94, set by Isaac Anderson of Blake in 2005.

Jackson also finished third in the 200 dash, thus setting up another goal for next year for the athletic Hornet. The junior trackster's state experience from the previous two years as a relay runner was a huge help, while his confidence was boosted by his entrance in the Hamline Elite Meet, which was held a few weeks ago, showing him he could compete with the best after beating last year's 100-dash champion.

Jackson will get plenty of training over the summer, too. He is heading south to Fort Benning in Georgia for over two months of basic training. He joked with his upcoming rigorous training, that might stretch out his legs for the 400 dash. Jackson is leaving in two days and I wish him the best of luck with his basic training and come back safe for the fall and his senior season of sports and a repeat run to defend his 100 Crown and pursuit of additional state championships in track.

The DL boys' golf title was a long time coming, as the six seniors have played solid golf since their junior high years.

The Lakers were a gloomy bunch coming in the clubhouse to report their scores after the Class 2A state meet late Friday afternoon-evening, thinking they were not able to cut the 13-stroke lead held by Orono after the first round.

The winds were relentless for most of the day and some players like Ben Bergquist had to play 12 holes in the morning (from Thursday's suspended play) and 18 more for the second round in the afternoon.

After doing interviews with all the golfers after they came in from the 18th green, word was spreading that the Lakers were actually nearing Orono's score. All the interviews were a bit down, with words like "disappointment" and "wish could have done better" spattered on my notebook.

But lo and behold, after an hour of waiting for the MSHSL officials to make a ruling on the tie, relief on the Laker players' faces was apparent.

With a state co-championship in tow and my previous interviews basically worthless, I had to go around to the players and get the post-championship interviews - which one could imagine were all pretty much opposite from my first one's.

A dip in the holding pond by the Lakers put the exclamation point on a wonderful and historical season for the DL boys' golf team. The two golf programs of the boys' and girls' are quickly becoming the cream of the crop in the state, with the Laker girls garnering a third-place this year to go with their state title in 2006.

Credit can go to head coaches Bob Gorden and Jen Hendrickson, but also to the numerous assistant coaches through the years and as well as the organizers of the junior golf program, which has been going on for 20-plus years.

It was more than a busy four days in the sports world, but also add in historical and memorable days, as well.

But a vacation is due very soon for this tired scribe.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/10/2008 at 3:42 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

DL girls finish third in state

The Lakers accomplished their goal of finishing third in the Class 2A state meet, after finishing with a 724. Minnewaska became back-to-back champions, winning with a 643, while Red Wing was second with a 697.

DL was chasing Hibbing all day, as the Lakers finished nine strokes lower than the Bluejackets.

Laker scores include: Danelle Olson 78-88-166; Robin Hutchinson 85-92-177; Caitlin Berg 98-90-188; Katie Osowski 96-99-195; Courtney Hedstrom 96-108-204; Katie Engberg 102-106-208.

Taking third was a huge accomplishment for this team, which is headed by Jen Hendrickson. It was a great ending to a great season. The girls really had to grind it out in the heavy winds and a third-place finish will sit well with the 2006 state championship trophy.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/06/2008 at 4:02 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Boys teeing off of one

The Laker boys are teeing off of the first teebox, while the girls will slowly be trickling in from their second round.

I'll be working on the scores, interviews and full article for the girls as they come in.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/06/2008 at 2:13 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

DL girls make the turn

With the wind gusting at speeds of up to 30-35 mph, the scores are reflecting the weather conditions.

The Laker girls have all made the turn and here are their scores - with 36 being par: Danelle Olson 44, Robin Hutchinson 45, Caitlin Berg 46, Katie Engberg 52, Katie Osowski 53 and Courtney Hedstrom 54.

And with the scores for the boys from this morning's round, the Lakers are in fourth place with a 324, behind Orono (311), Benilde-St. Margeret (317) and Hermantown (317).

Tee times for the boys' second round is running 45 minutes behind schedule.

The wind has played havoc on the MSHSL rules committee, with balls on the green being blown around. It's certainly not great conditions for the game of golf.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/06/2008 at 1:10 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

DL boys have some ground to make up

The wind and bad weather has taken its toll on the Class 2A state teams, with the Lakers shooting a season-high 324, which lands them in third place after the first 18-hole round.

Mike Brodsho was DL's low man with a 38-40 for a six-over par 78, while Ben Osowski was second on the team with a 38-42-80. Adam Thielen stroked a 40-41-81 and Josh Herzog was DL's final score counted with a 45-39-84.

The state's No. 1 ranked golfer Ben Bergquist shot a 41-44-85 and Ryan Kuehne rounded out DL's card with a 43-44-87. Bergquist started off slow, shooting five-over par heading into eighth hole.

Orono leads the pack with a 311.

The boys will tee off again around the 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. hour to finish out the tournament.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/06/2008 at 11:16 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Back at it

Back at the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course...and it's windy.

The wind is at least 30-35 mph as the boys are finishing up their suspended play from yesterday. The girls teed off at 8:30 a.m. and will be coming in for their final round around the 12:30-1 p.m. hour.

Going to check out the DL boys' score and be back in a bit with a report.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/06/2008 at 10:50 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Boys play suspended for day

The Class 2A boys' state meet is suspended for the day and will continue tomorrow.

The boys will now tee off at 7 a.m. Friday and finish today's round, with the girls teeing off immediately after, approximately around 8:30 a.m.

The boys will then tee off after the girls and play their second 18-hole round.

See you tomorrow!

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 6:03 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Final decision to be made at 6 p.m.

The decision will be made final at 6 p.m. to either play today the rest of the round or start up again tomorrow.

No decision until 6 p.m. though.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 4:43 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Boys play still suspended

It's looking like more and more that the boys' play will be suspended until tomorrow morning. The MSHSL will be waiting another half hour to 45 minutes to decide what to do.

A couple of scenarios would have the boys teeing off at 7:30 a.m. and play the remainder of their holes from today. The girls will then tee off later and the boys would tee off again in the afternoon for their second 18.

The most likely scenario, though, (the way it sounds so far in the clubhouse) is that the boys will tee off at 7:30 a.m. instead of the girls and play an 18-hole round, which would determine the tournament. In essence, all play today will be scratched and the state meet will be determined with one 18-hole round.

The girls will tee off after the boys and finish their state play, which would be a two 18-round tournament.

More to come when the decision is made.

The DL girls' article is on dl-online.com with photos and complete breakdown of day one, along with interviews from all six golfers and head coach Jen Hendrickson.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 4:25 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Boy golfers coming in for thunderstorms

The horn just blew to bring in all the boy golfers, since there are some thunderstorms rolling in. Some lightning and t-storms are coming in, so the delay started at exactly 3 p.m.

Let you know when/if the delay is lifted...most of the golfers have made the turn at least. If no more golf can be played today, the boys will tee off first in the morning to finish today's holes and will have to tee-off again for the final round.

The scores reported for DL has been Ryan Kuehne with a 7-over par 43 and Ben Osowski with a solid two-over par 38 at the turn.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 2:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

More pics from Brian Basham

A loose bunch of the Laker boys golf players, as Adam Thielen, Ben Osowski and Josh Herzog play around on the practice tee before the Class 2A boys' start.


Mike Brodsho tees off on Hole 9 to start the Class 2A boys' state meet.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 2:14 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Pics from state meet

Robin Hutchinson makes an approach shot




Danelle Olson tees off.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 2:12 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

DL girls are in

With the skies spitting out some mist on the Jordan area, the Laker girls' golf team came in with a solid 355. That leaves them in fourth place. The order of teams is as follows: Minnewaska 305, Red Wing 332, Hibbing 351, DL 355, Visitation 376, Holy Family 380, Litchfield 399 and Jordan 414.

Danelle Olson shot a six-over par 78, with a 38 on the front and a 40 on the back. She finished with eight pars on the back, with one double-bogey, so a very solid first state outing for Olson.

She was followed by Robin Hutchinson's 85, after starting with a 44 and ending strong with a 41 and a long par putt on No. 18.

Both eighth graders - Courtney Hedstrom and Katie Osowski - each carded a 96, as Osowski had a strong front with a 44, but fell off a bit on the back with a 52.

Caitlin Berg stroked a 98 and Katie Engberg a 102.

Photos to follow soon.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 2:04 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Girls' first nine scores in

Here are the first nine-hole scores for the Detroit Lakes girls' golf team at the Class 2A state meet:

Danelle Olson - four-over 40
Robin Hutchinson - 44
Katie Osowski - 44
Courtney Hedstrom - 49
Katie Engberg - 49
Caitlin Berg - 52

Olson had a solid front nine, shooting a one-under par after seven holes, but had a double-bogey on eight and nine, lipping out a short putt on No. 9.

Minnewaska already has two scores of 37 on the first nine holes, with Allie Ostrander and Emily Roering each having a one-over par. The Lakers of Minnewaska are the heavy favorites to win their second-consecutive Class 2A title.

The wind has picked up, but rain is holding off until at least 1 p.m.

The DL boys also have taken to the practice green, with the first Laker - Ryan Kuehne - teeing off at 11:58 a.m. Currently, the girls' tournament is only three minutes behind schedule on holes.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 11:29 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Cloudy skies for opening of Class 2A golf meet

Certainly is cloudy and a bit gloomy here at the Class 2A meet on the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course in Jordan.

There is supposed to be some possible severe weather coming through around the noon hour with a potential tornado warning in effect by then.

All the DL girls have been out for at least the last hour and a half, with Katie Osowski already making the turn.

A little bit about the course: the front nine is very wide open, with some young trees sprinkled over in the roughs. Plenty of water and sand, so it's a course where it can punisher a golfer if they get into trouble.

The back nine is wooded and again, plenty of water again. The course plays long with five Par five holes, including a 496-yard 18th hole, which looks to be a nice finishing hole.

There are also five par three holes. Course rating for the boys is 71.8/134 and the girls 75.6/135.

Let's hope the weather holds off for the day, since the boys will be out on the course until around the 5-6 p.m. area. I talked to a couple of MSHSL officials and they do have contingent plans in case of bad weather, which could include playing in to Saturday if there is an extended suspension.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 10:19 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Getting ready to head to the state meet

Well, not surprisingly, it's cloudy skies with good chance of rain today in Jordan for the Class 2A boys and girls state golf meet.

Going to head out soon for the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course in Jordan from the alcohol-free Mystic Lake Casino. The Laker girls should all be out on the course by now, with Robin Hutchinson being the last one to tee-off at 8:51 a.m. A round takes on average around the four-hour mark. Maybe a little more now with the inclement weather rolling in.

The boys start with Ryan Kuehne teeing off at 11:58 a.m. on hole one. Ben Osowski tees off at 12:25 p.m. as does Adam Thielen on hole 10. Josh Herzog tees off at 12:43 p.m., Mike Brodsho at 1:01 p.m. and Ben Bergquist at 1:01 p.m. on hole one.

DL Newspaper photograher Brian Basham will capture many images today, while I'll be working the video camera for video footage for the dl-online.com website. I'll also be posting an up-to-date article on the website and do some posting today from the clubhouse on the computer in the In the Zone blog.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/05/2008 at 8:46 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Blogging live from state golf and track meets

I will be heading down south to Jordan and to Hamline University Wednesday through Saturday to cover each of the boys' and girls' Class 2A golf meet and track and field meet.

I'll be blogging from both, with the Lakers boys' and girls' golf teams playing Thursday and Friday in Jordan and LP-A and Frazee tracksters going Saturday at Hamline.

LP-A phenoms Ashley Tingelstad and Toni Tollefson each have great opportunities to bring home some Minnesota state gold, with Tingelstad be a contender in the 100, 200 and 400 dash events, while Tollefson will be looking to repeat as the Class 1A high jump champion.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/02/2008 at 3:25 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Gilson hero for Lakers

Not only did Laker senior pitcher/slugger Chris Gilson pitch a five-hitter in the second round of the Section 8-2A playoffs against visiting Warroad, he delivered the game-winning hit to boot Saturday at Washington Ballpark.

After giving up a two-out, two-run single to Warroad's Hebel to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead, an angry Gilson was due up as the fourth batter in the bottom of the sixth inning. A walk drawn by Aaron Gnoinsky, followed by two strikeouts, Gilson ripped a long ball over the centerfield fence for the 3-2 lead.

Gilson then proceeded to put the Warriors down in order to advance the Lakers to Tuesday's double-elimination portion of the playoffs to be played in Wahpeton, N.D., starting at 3 p.m.

Posted by: Brian W. on 6/02/2008 at 3:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Halbur secures Class 2A track state berth

Freshman Bre Halbur will be heading to the Class 2A state track and field meet after marking a personal-best distance in the long jump at 11-16.5 Wednesday in St. Cloud.

The victory in the event ensures her spot in the state meet. She hit her personal best on her second try, which was huge, since she had to rush over and run the 300 hurdles - which incidentally she won her heat and finished third overall and qualified for the section finals, which will be held in Alexandria Saturday.

Halbur has plenty of state experience, placing high in the Class 1A state gymnastics her last two years, so the pressure shouldn't be a distraction for the young athlete.

Dustin Rietsema also finished third in the 100 dash, which also qualifies him for the section. The junior is .10 off from the second-fast time and .20 off the fastest time.

Ali Nielsen also finished third in the discus, which didn't qualify her for state. If the rules were like North Dakota, where if you throw for the state-cut, you make state. Nielsen threw for the state-cut in the discus for Minnesota three times this season, but fell short of the distance Wednesday. She will be throwing the shot put Saturday, for another chance to make the state meet.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/29/2008 at 6:33 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Comeback Kids couldn't quite comeback tonight

The marvelous run by the Detroit Lakes softball team came to an end Thursday night in Frazee after losing to undefeated Ottertail Central 9-0 in the Section 8-2A championship game.

A big four-run inning aided the Knights in the third inning, which gave them control. The Lakers had a few too many errors on defense, while their bats - which produced 42 hits Tuesday in their three playoff wins - were silent.

The Knights are 23-0 for a reason, and its consistent pitching and defense which has brought them were they are today - the Class 2A state tournament. OTC was able to gobble up any routine play in the infield and made the catches in the outfield. The Lakers stayed true to their courageous attitude to the end, but couldn't get a run past home plate.

Callea Butz pitched well, but her accuracy wasn't where it has been in the last month.

"I had too many walks, which didn't help the defense any," Butz said in an after-game interview. "Like coach (Phil Kirchner) said, we just were not ready to play tonight."

It was a great run into the section playoffs this year, no matter the final outcome Tuesday. It's definitely something the younger Lakers can build on and something the outgoing seniors can hang their hat on.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/29/2008 at 6:26 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Screaming Eagles game a good time

With over 300 fans in attendance, the Screaming Eagles inaugural game ended up being a good time.

Even the referees, headed by Wade Johnson and including locals Phil Kirchner, Terry Eiter and Phil Hanson, said the game was played well and had a good flow to it.

Even though the Lakes Area squad looked as if it needs some work in practice and some team chemistry and experience, there was no reason not to come back to watch a game.

The team will steadily improve as it grows accustomed to playing together and wins will start to show up in the left column. The line on both sides will be a strength for the Screaming Eagles, and the skill positions will need some work, but there is good potential there as well.

The next home game will be next Saturday, June 7, against South Metro. It's a fine activity to do on a Saturday afternoon and good way to transition from a lazy afternoon to a fun-filled evening. Game time is 5 p.m.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/28/2008 at 4:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

DL softball becoming Cinderella

The Laker softball team has now eliminated top seeds in the North (one and two) and the second and third seeds in the south. Next up will be a handful in 22-0 Ottertail Central, which holds the south's No. 1 seed.

OTC is strong in all facets of the game, meaning the Lakers will more than likely have to play some flawless defense, making the Knights earn every run.

But no one can say it can't be done. The Lakers have a rising star at pitcher in Callea Butz, a sophomore, and a bolstered batting order which produced 42 hits in three playoff games Tuesday.

Senior Alice Branden is hitting a ridiculous .516, going 33-64, with six doubles and 12 RBIs. The shortstop is a strong-armed defensive player, anchoring an ever-improving infield. Jennifer Wenner is hitting .452, going 33-73 with 11 RBIs, while senior centerfielder Janaye Johnson is crushing the ball with a .408 average, with 16 RBIs and seven doubles. She also made not one, but two, remarkable catches in a row in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the Lakers' victory over Warroad.

DL head coach Phil Kirchner is coaching in his first-ever section championship and the Lakers are playing in their only second-ever section title tilt. They have never made the state.

As for pitching, Butz is quickly establishing herself as one of the best in the area. Her improvement over last year is leaps and bounds. She has pitched in 130.1 innings, striking out 158, walking 80 and posting a low 1.83 ERA. She has a good backup in sophomore Cady Cartmell, who has provided good relief for Butz.

Here are the batting stats for the season for the Lakers (avg-H-RBI): Alice Branden .516-33-12; Jennifer Wenner .452-33-11; Janaye Johnson .408-20-16; Molly Braun .354-28-8; Amalei Branden .333-7-3; Brittni Larson .301-25-8; Dana Dugger .299-20-6; Jessica Anderson .268-11-5; Jessica Pudwill .259-15-5; Sarah Wilson .237-14-7; Shayna Dugger .208-5-4; Kylee Johnson .206-14-4; Ashley Baer 200-1-0; Jalen Even .154-2-1; Callea Butz 1.000-1-0; Cadie Cartmell 0-0-2; Stephanie Ianairo 1.000-2-3; Ali Olds .000-0-2; Megan Savaguea .000-0-1.

The Lakers will have to defeat OTC twice Thursday at a site to be determined, with the first game starting at 4 p.m.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/28/2008 at 4:22 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

DL softball playing deep into playoffs

The Laker softball team remains pretty gutsy, beating Fergus Falls in the elimination bracket today and then surviving an extra-inning game against Wadena-Deer Creek. DL is now (as I am typing) playing Warroad, the same team which handed the Lakers their first loss in the Section 8-2A double-elimination tournament.

The game against W-DC was pretty intense, after the Wolverines scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game 9-9 and force extra innings. But in the top of the eighth, the Lakers scored twice to eventually win 11-9.

Yet another Laker team delving deep into playoff action. This spring certainly perked up when that blasted snow finally melted. The Laker baseball team opens their section play Thursday with the No. 2 seed, hosting No. 7 D-G-F at 5 p.m.

Laker boys' tennis player Ryan Borgeson also played his section True Second match today in Moorhead. If he won (I haven't heard yet), he will be the first DL tennis player in over 15-20 years to qualify for state.

Add in the fact the Screaming Eagles opened their first-ever season in front of 300-plus fans in a pretty well-played 22-12 loss, it's a busy week already in my sports world.

More on all these stories in Wednesday's paper....looks to be an early morning for me tomorrow.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/27/2008 at 6:01 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

State berths earned by each of DL boys' and girls' golf teams

The Detroit Lakes' golf program for the boys and girls reached yet another height Tuesday, as both Laker teams won their respected section meets to advance to the Class 2A state tournaments, which will be played Thursday and Friday, June 5-6, in Jordan.

The boys won the Section 8-2A meet at Longbow Golf Course after shooting a 301. The team is compromised of all seniors, with Ben Bergquist winning medalist honors with an even-par 72. Bergquist, who shot an 11 on the No. 14 water hole in last week's Sub-Section, took par this time. He carded a two-under par for most of the day, but a double-bogey on No. 18 left him even, which was good enough to take top honors anyways.

I just got back from the meet, which was played under sunny skies and just a little bit of a chill from the wind. The Laker guys were obviously excited to win the section and earn DL's first boys' golf team state berth since 1979, but they were still pretty calm and it looks like they have their focus on something much bigger - the Class 2A state championship - which is a very realistic goal after carrying the No. 1 average in the state for the majority of the season.

I wasn't able to make it out to Wildflower, where the girls won their section title - which is their second one since 2006 - which incidentally that was the year the Lakers became Class 2A state champions.

Robin Hutchinson led the way with an 80 and Danelle Olson an 81. Each of Hutchinson and Olson are the two leftover players from that 2006 magical run.

I'll have much more tomorrow after writing both articles for Wednesday's paper. I am planning on having live blogging, as well, from Jordan June 5-6, with some pictures from Brian Basham, as well.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/27/2008 at 5:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Section 8-2A playoff schedule

The Section 8-2A baseball playoffs will start Thursday, May 29, at 5 p.m. at the different high seeds.

The No. 2 Detroit Lakes will host No. 7 Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton at Washington Ballpark. The victor moves on to play the winner of No. 3 Warroad and No. 6 Bagley Saturday at 4 p.m. at the high seed.
   
The Semifinals will be played at Breckenridge Tuesday, June 3, in a double elimination format. The first two rounds are single elimination.

The site for the finals will be determined at a later date.

Other North Sub-Section games include (high seeds are the home teams) No. 1 TRF vs. No. 8 Crookson; No. 4 Park Rapids vs. Roseau; No. 2 Detroit Lakes vs. No. 7 D-G-F and No. 3 Warroad vs. No. 6 Bagley.

DL head coach said sophomore Brock Johnson will be the potential starter against DGF, after he pitched two solid games against Bemidji and Frazee in his last two outings. No. 1 senior pitcher Chris Gilson would then start in round two, if the Lakers are successful. Pitching Johnson will also allow the Lakers to field their best defensive lineup in the field.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/23/2008 at 1:56 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

DL softball still alive

The Laker softball team have made their way through to the final six team in the Section 8-2A playoffs. DL beat each of the No. 2 and 3 seeds with wins over (3) Crookston in the first round and an impressive 4-3 win over (2) Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Thursday in Thief River Falls.

But DL was bumped down to the loser's bracket after falling to No. 4 Warroad 7-0 in the second game Thursday. The two undefeated teams left in the playoffs include Warroad and the south's No. 4 seed West Central. Those two teams will play for the right to advance to the section title game Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Lakers will play Fergus Falls Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. If DL wins, they will then play the winner of D-G-F and Wadena-Deer Creek at 3:30 p.m. and try to advance to the title game, where they would have to win twice over the victor between Warroad and OTC.

That means, DL could play up to three games in one day Tuesday, with all the games being played in Thief River Falls. The first game of the championship will begin at 5 p.m.

I'm meeting with DL head baseball coach Steve Fuhs at noon to get the breakdown of the Section 8-2A playoffs, which start this coming Thursday. DL has solidified the No. 2 seed, with TRF gaining the No. 1.

The Laker baseball team will host the first round game - which could be against D-G-F - and if DL wins, will host the second game Saturday. The first two rounds are single elimination, while the double-elimination portion will be played in Breckenridge the following week.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/23/2008 at 10:05 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Remember, Screaming Eagles open Saturday

The inaugural season officially gets underway Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. for the Lakes Area Screaming Eagles on the Frazee High School football field.

All preparations are set, the t's are crossed and i's dotted, now it's time to start smacking some pads.

Jason McCloskey and AJ Knutson, along with a host of others have been working hard to get this team off the ground and it all comes to fruition Saturday.

Personally, I'm pretty excited to see what this league has to offer in terms of football. Hopefully a big crowd attends and supports the Screaming Eagles, making it a fun summer ahead.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/22/2008 at 12:47 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Clark/McCloskey decision causing waves

Obviously, the Waubun school board's decision to vote 4-3 to hire Jason McCloskey as the new Bomber head coach has caused some controversy in the small community of Waubun.

I wrapped up my article on the topic and it took some different turns and twists yesterday, while I was gathering info and interviews. First, Tuesday morning, our Waubun school board reporter Jason Adkins told me that the school board voted on McCloskey and not Clark.

Pretty surprising, I thought. So, deciding that the board not re-hiring the longtime Clark was a big story, I had to cancel my trip to Walker to cover the Detroit Lakes boys' golf Sub-Section meet. I was going to take photos and interviews with the Laker team, but since it was just the Sub-Section and the top six teams make the Section, it was pretty sure that the DL team was going to make it (and they did by winning the Sub-Section with a 307).

Instead, I headed north to Waubun High School, where I met with Clark. I have covered Clark's teams now for 10 years and I like "Bomber" Clark much and he's been a great help for me in getting the Bomber football coverage in Wednesday's paper for quite some time - and last year's run to the state title game was a great ride. It was a sad way, for me personally, to go and interview him on such a subject.

Then I moved on to interview McCloskey. Earlier in the day, A.D. Dave Peterson informed me that acting-Superintendent Joe Merseth directed everyone involved not to talk to the media, but direct all questions to Merseth. Understandable, since it's a controversial subject, but the problem was Merseth was out until Thursday - I needed the story by Wednesday morning. McCloskey was also directed not to talk with the media.

Not wanting to leave out a big side of the story, which included Merseth, McCloskey and Peterson, I talked with Merseth's two secretaries in the Superintendent's office. They understood my plight and were very, very helpful in contacting Merseth by phone. Again, very appreciative to the staff at Waubun High School.

Merseth was very helpful in the phone interview, something which was very much appreciated by me. That opened the door to interview McCloskey and Peterson.

I've covered and done several stories which involved McCloskey, since he's owner of the Screaming Eagles. I also like and get along with Jason and have gotten to know him well. So this was a difficult article doing, since I know both Clark and McCloskey well.

Anyways, McCloskey was forthcoming - like Clark was - making me feel pretty comfortable that I was able to get a balanced story.

Personally, I am on the fence on this decision. Both are top-notch people and I believe both are great for the community of Waubun. Unfortunately, on this subject, there is division and some mud will be slung by people within in the community.

McCloskey did make a good point, in that in the end, this is about the players/students of Waubun. The hope is this small community can weather this storm, get some healing in over the summer and reunite to support the Bombers this coming fall - because that's a team which can be very good once again.

I will miss Clark's candor for my Football Preview Tab stories. He is/was a great coach, winning up to 70-percent of his games in his 19 years of coaching. More importantly, he is a good person, which I can say of McCloskey, as well.

You can disagree with the decision, but support the program and the team.

Posted by: Brian W. on 5/21/2008 at 1:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

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