Jaguars Girls Tennis Defeats Melrose Area For First Time Ever, 4-3 Result, Picks up Top-Four Playoff Seed... Volleyball Sweeps Minnewaska

The Jaguars girls tennis team won their 6th match of the year with a 4-3 win over the Melrose Area Dutchmen. Going into the match, which was at home, the winner would take the 4th seed in Sub-Section 5A-North. Tonight's win gains the Jaguars a home playoff match for the opening round, held on Wednesday, October 1st at 3:30.

Later into the evening, the Jaguars volleyball team defeated the Minnewaska Area Lakers in a 3-0 sweep. Though they entered the match hovering around .500, showing they are an improved team over the past 3 seasons during which 7-17 was their best mark (2005), the Lakers failed to mount a serious challenge to the Jaguars. It was ugly at times. So it goes for a team that's one of the best in the area, our 6th-ranked Jaguars volleyball team.

They are now 17-1. The regular season record is 25-3, set in 2006. The Jaguars have nine matches left before playoffs, including four on Saturday in the Willmar tournament.

In other Jaguars sports news, the Jaguars Junior Varsity girls tennis team defeated Melrose Area 7-0 at the high school tennis courts. It was also Parents' Night for the team, and pizza and sloppy joe's were served in the high school auxiliary gym. (And it was good eatin'!) After the match, Coach Dan Jasmer told the team that if they won tomorrow against Annandale, they would have a new record for wins for the JV tennis program at B-B-E. Currently, they are 6-5-1 in duals.

Photos from the JV tennis match, as well as the Pierz vs. B-B-E JV football game held at the high school football field, will be added today to the Sauk Herald online photo gallery.

http://saukherald.mycapture.com is the link.

Monday, September 29th State Class A Coaches Volleyball poll:
1. Bethlehem Academy
2. Windom Area
3. Minneota
4. Wabasha-Kellogg
5. B-B-E
6. Mabel-Canton
7. Ada-Borup
8. SWChristian
9. Lakeview
10. Martin County West
11. Onamia
12. Climax-Fischer
13. SW Star Concept
14. Northern Freeze
15. Chisolm
16. Parkers Prairie
17. Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg
18. SW MN Christian
19. Meadow Creek Christian
20. Renville County West
21. WinEMac

Note: There are 183 teams in Class A for volleyball in Minnesota. K-M-S joined the top 20 this week, and they have a record of 12-4-1. Parkers Prairie, who the Jaguars beat in last year's Willmar tournament championship, is 20-1 going into this week's action.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Jaguars Volleyball, Girls Tennis in Home Action Today

The Jaguars girls tennis team hosts Melrose Area at 4:30 today in a match that has playoff implications, as the winner will host the opening round of Sub-Section 5A-North. The team playoffs begin on Wednesday, October 1 at 4:00. I am excited about today's match, as I feel the Jaguars have a good shot at defeating the Dutchmen for the first time in school history.

The Jaguars volleyball team hosts their Pope County neighbors tonight, when Minnewaska Area comes to town for our Parents' Night. The Lakers are on a three-match slide, now 9-11 overall and 3-5 in the West Central South Conference. Make no mistake though in overconfidence, the Lakers are much-improved unit over past seasons. In 2007 they were 4-20-3, in 2006 they were 416, and in 2005 they finished 7-17.

What amazing weather we had over the weekend. A cold front came in today, though, ushering in more fall weather.

Friday Night Lights Part V...Jaguars Football is Humbled at Pierz 43-0...Section 5A Standings Shakeup

**Update after the game, after that long trip back from Pierz...The Jaguars lost 43-0. It was tough to watch. The guys played hard, but execution issues were apparent the whole night.

Check http://saukherald.mycapture.com for a photo gallery from the game.

I have results for all Section 5A teams that played tonight. #1-ranked K-M-S lost at their Homecoming to unranked Ottertail Central 16-12. A pretty big upset. Minneota, ranked #3 in the latest Class A poll, won a close game over Adrian to rise to the top at 5-0 in the Section 5A standings.

The big game was in Springfield, where Renville County West was looking to go 4-1 with a win against the Tigers. Springfield entered the game 1-3 and were slight underdogs going into the game against the Jaguars. RCW lost 34-20. This puts them at 3-2, and based on the points system in Section 5A, they are tied for 4th place with B-B-E, even though we are 2-3. Springfield did a BIG favor to us by beating RCW. This was a must-LOSE for RCW in order for B-B-E to have a chance at finishing in the top-four of Section 5A, assuming we can finish 4-4.

Next week RCW HAS to lose to Wabasso, and even though Wabasso is not as strong as they have been in past years, I think the Rabbits will pull off the win. That game will be in Danube. You can bet that my sources in the Danube/Olivia area will be pressed to keep me updated on that game. I think RCW will win their final two games, against two pretty bad teams (Lamberton, Red Rock Central...and Southwestern United, a conglomerate of Heron Lake and Brewster in extreme southwestern Minnesota).
RCW has to finish 5-3 in order to fall behind the Jaguars in the final standings.

There is a good chance Dawson-Boyd could also finish 5-3 at the end of the year. This would be HUGE! They have to win home games against two very tough teams, Adrian and Maccray. Dawson-Boyd's 5-3 would give them 31 points, and if B-B-E goes 4-4 we would finish with 32 section points. The Jaguars just could take 3rd place in the final section standings if we go 4-4, and RCW and Dawson-Boyd both finish 5-3.

I think the top two final teams in Section 5A will be Minneota and K-M-S. Any betting man would say the same. As of now we don't care who #1 and #2 is, we just need to take care of business and finish 4-4 going into playoffs.

A quick view of the Section 5A standings:
Minneota (5-0)
K-M-S (4-1)
Dawson-Boyd (4-1)
(4th-TIE) RCW & B-B-E, RCW is 3-2 & we are 2-3
Lakeview (3-1) *They play a South Dakota team on Saturday afternoon
Ortonville (1-4)
R-T-R (1-4)
Canby (0-5)

Games involving Section 5A teams:
Dawson-Boyd destroyed Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 61-0 in Dawson, as the Blackjacks totaled 369 yards rushing! Maccray thumped Canby 40-7 in Canby. Minneota traveled in a long trip south to Adrian, near the Iowa-Minnesota border, and came home as 19-14 victors. This win makes Minneota appear as Section 5A favorites.

That leaves me with Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. Wow, did they fall flat tonight against Ottertail Central, trailing 16-0 at halftime. I did not see that coming. The Fighting Saints, who made their deepest playoff run in school history when they played in the Class A state semi-finals in the HHH Metrodome in 2007, travel to Royalton to face a state-ranked Royals team that has a shot at adding to the K-M-S loss total.

At the beginning of the season, I assumed K-M-S would go 8-0 and most likely steamroll their way to the state playoffs. Assumptions like that are usually proved wrong.

Central Minnesota Conference results:
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 28, Rockford 20
Eden Valley-Watkins 39, Kimball Area 8
Maple Lake 27, Holdingford 14

Other area scores:
Sauk Centre fell to 0-5 on the season with a very tough 42-13 loss to state-ranked New London-Spicer. It was the Mainstreeters' Homecoming no less. (Ouch!)
BOLD killed Lac qui Parle Valley 50-0. Montevideo beat Paynesville 35-20, as the Bulldogs dipped below .500 at 2-3. Tough times indeed at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, who lost their 24th straight game spanning the past 3 seasons tonight when they lost to Benson 42-12. Morris Area squeezed out a close road win at Minnewaska Area, winning 18-12 in OT. Hancock won a 9-man road game at Brandon-Evansville 38-6.

Albany survived a challenge from one of the West Central North Conference newcomers, defeating the Milaca Wolverines 40-38 on the road.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Jaguars Volleyball Sweeps Pierz, Takes Sole Possession of 1st Place in the Central Minnesota Conference

The Jaguars move to 16-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference. Pierz falls to 9-5 overall and 3-1 in the CMC.

**Friday morning update...The Jaguars girls tennis team will host New London-Spicer at 4:30 today. The West Central Tribune was incorrect at saying the match will be held at our high school. It is unfortunate that we must deal with such confusion in the media while trying to promote Jaguars athletics and build a fan base for all of our teams. I won't elaborate on the parties who are responsible for this confusion. I think my opinions on this have been well-stated over the past 3 years.

Also...the 7th-8th grade volleyball matches with Willmar's Community Christian school will be held at the elementary gymnasium at 4:30.

Other scores in the CMC:
Kimball 3, Eden Valley-Watkins 0
Holdingford 3, Maple Lake 2 (Holdingford's first win ever over Maple Lake since Maple Lake joined the CMC in 2002)

Central Minnesota Conference volleyball standings and places:
(1)B-B-E (4-0)
(2-tie)Holdingford (3-1)
(2-tie)Pierz (3-1)
(4-tie)Kimball Area (2-2)
(4-tie)Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (2-2)
(6-tie)Maple Lake (1-3)
(6-tie)Eden Valley-Watkins (1-3)
(8)Rockford (0-4)

I actually was guessing on Rockford & HL-W-W, as I do not have results for the match that took place between those teams. I'm assuming that the Rockets lost to the Lakers. The Rockets were 3-15 overall going into tonight.

Other area results:
NL-S 3, Foley 0
Osakis 3, Royalton 0
Willmar 3, Sartell 2
Upsala 3, Eagle Valley 1

On a related note, the Kimball Area Cubs are the surprise of the CMC this season. After tonight's results, their overall record is 9-4. They were 4-20 in 2006 and 7-15 in the 2007 season.

Holdingford is also doing very well, with a 7-6 overall record and a second-place tie with Pierz in the CMC.

I just made it home from my 165-mile trip to-and-from Pierz in time to watch the 10th inning of the Twins vs. White Sox game on Fox Sports Network. The Twins won! They pulled it off with a two-out single-RBI to center field by Alexi Casilla to win 7-6. They trailed 6-1 after a horrible fourth inning. The Twins gave up SIX runs in that inning. What a comeback! The Twins, playing in front of a crowd of 43,000 fans tonight, completed a shocking, unbelievable three-game sweep over the veteran, high-powered Chicago White Sox.

Ron Gardenhire in the post-game interview: "Those fans, they were the loudest fans I've seen. That was one helluva baseball game and one helluva baseball series. We picked up some injuries but we threw everything we had at them."

Gardy went on to add, "This ballclub won't give up, they're game on, all the way. Everybody got their money's worth tonight....That was as emotional of a game that I've been involved with in a long time...This club won't quit, after having some of the toughest losses you can imagine on the road this year."

This Jaguars (and Twins!) sports update brought to you by:

Online Photo Gallery at Sauk Herald website loaded with photos... 137 from Homecoming Football Game With More to Come on Thursday...

http://www.saukherald.mycapture.com... is the link.

I'm currently finishing up Homecoming football game photos, as well as photos from the Jaguars vs. Osakis volleyball match, and JV girls tennis Jaguars vs. Osakis.

I have 137 photos in the Homecoming football game album. I have at least 40 more to add as well to that album. I have about 90 photos for my Osakis varsity volleyball album.

At the Sauk Herald, we are currently working on creating a "Jaguars Junction" section on the website (www.saukherald.com). Here I will be able to load up information/stats/photos from the games the night of any given event. It's another great way to add coverage for our Jaguars sports team.

On Thursday at 4:30, the Jaguars girls tennis team hosts New London-Spicer in a non-conference match against the fellow Section 5A member Wildcats.

There was some confusion on Tuesday with some tennis fans that thought the varsity played at the high school, when they hosted Maccray. They were dismayed to see our junior varsity team playing at the high school courts. I happened to be there to let them know that they were 7 miles away from where they should be, if they wanted to catch our varsity team in action.

On Thursday night the Jaguars volleyball team travels to Pierz for what I feel will be the Central Minnesota Conference championship. Pierz is stinging after losing on Tuesday night, so I believe they will want to rebound with an upset win over our Jaguars. I hope a nice crowd can make the 82-mile trip.

On Friday night, the Jaguars football team travels to Pierz in a game that I feel the Jaguars can win. They need around 4 or 5 Pierz turnovers to get the job done, and I think the Pioneers will comply with my wish. Pierz has been turnover-happy this season, and I hope it continues in Game #5. When Pierz hosted Eden Valley-Watkins 2 weeks ago, they gave up 5 turnovers in the first half of the game, falling behind 21-0 in the process. Last week in a road game at Rockford, the Pioneers coughed up four lost fumbles and threw one interception.

Pierz out-rushed Rockford 239 to 40! Their secondary also feasted on five Rockets interceptions. The Pioneers' leading rusher was Cody Stangl, who totaled 109 yards in 15 carries. Chad Lanners hauled in five catches for 101 yards.

From the Brainerd Dispatch:

"We moved the ball very well, but turnovers hurt us," said Pierz head coach Leo Pohlkamp. "We ran the ball extremely well and stuffed Rockford's rushing game.

"We have to stop hurting ourselves with turnovers."

(Hey, Pierz, can you hold off just 1 more week before you fix your turnover problem?)

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Jaguars Volleyball Gives a Game to Osakis, Emerges as 3-1 Match Winners Over Section Rival Silverstreaks -- Up Next: CMC Clash at Pierz

It wasn't pretty at times, but the Jaguars volleyball team won their 15th match of the season on the road with a 3-1 win over Osakis. The Silverstreaks entered the match 10-5 overall and 4-0 in the Prairie Conference, good for first place alone.

The Jaguars now prepare for a tough Pierz squad on Thursday night, another road game, in a battle that most likely will determine the conference champion. Pierz is 8-3 overall and 3-0 in the CMC.

Area volleyball scores:
Kimball 3, Royalton 0

**An extended version of the volleyball story featuring the B-B-E vs. NL-S match will be available on the Sauk Centre Herald website.

The link is = http://www.saukherald.com

On that same website, viewers can find my online Jaguars Sports Photos gallery. The link is on the left-hand column of the Sauk Herald website, labeled "photo gallery". I have a handful of albums featuring hundreds of photos from Homecoming week, including girls tennis at Osakis, Coronation, Powder Puff game, JV tennis against Sauk Centre, post-volleyball match bonfire, and the Friday night football game.

On Tuesday, the Jaguars girls tennis team hosts Maccray at 4:30. The Jaguars cross country team will perform at a meet in Albany at 4:30.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

WOW Again -- Friday Night Lights Part IV -- Jaguars Football Team Jazzes Up Homecoming Week With 28-7 Whipping of the Maple Lake Irish

Following the game, this father-to-son exchange went something like this, "Son, why didn't you make that catch? You had open field to the endzone!"

JAGUARS PICK UP 6TH HOMECOMING WIN IN B-B-E HISTORY, first since 2005.

I'm not sure if Maple Lake saw this one coming, but the Irish left town battered and bruised after taking a 28-7 thrashing from the Jaguars football team on our Homecoming night. The Irish were coming off an impressive 45-0 pummeling of Kimball Area on the Cubs' Homecoming game last week.

Photos will be added tonight, and I will start the process of uploading almost 200 photos from the football game to the Sauk Herald photo gallery. URL = http://saukherald.mycapture.com

**The reason I was completely psyched out of my mind as the end of the game got closer, and it appeared that we were on our way to a win over the Irish tonight...is that Homecoming football wins at B-B-E are RARE. How rare? Well, while the last win for Homecoming was not too long ago...a 39-26 win over Kimball Area in 2005 in which Jordan Weller totaled a school-record 505 all-purpose yards... prior to that the Jaguars had won only four Homecoming football games since the 1988 pairing. Talk about miserable for hometown fans.

I actually mistakenly told the football team and coaches in the post-game huddle that this was our 8th win in school history for Homecoming.

I was wrong.

Here is the list of the years in which we won a football game on Homecoming night: 1988, 1993, 1994, 2003, 2005. **This was only the 6th Homecoming football win in school history, out of 21 seasons! Even in 1997, when the Jaguars went 5-3 and almost made the Class AA state tournament, they hosted a powerful Morris Area team for Homecoming and lost 40-18.

Against Maple Lake, the Jaguars totaled 305 yards of offense. They won the turnover battle by a 4-3 margin, although one of the interceptions was meaningless at the end of the first half. Winning the turnover battle is key to winning football games, as if you're on the wrong end of that formula in the Central Minnesota Conference you will pay for it.

They've now had 2 straight games with no lost fumbles. It's only one detail in the big picture of developing a winning team, but it's progress and I'll take it!

Good grief...I just heard that Eden Valley-Watkins blanked Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 35-0 in Eden Valley tonight. The Eagles appear unstoppable at this point. They earned four interceptions against the Lakers tonight. The Lakers' quarterback was 6-of-24 in passing!

Pierz tagged Rockford with another loss, beating the Rockets 28-6 in Rockford. The Pioneers coughed up four lost fumbles, while the Rockets threw five interceptions!

The Jaguars travel to Pierz next Friday for the Pioneers Homecoming. The Jaguars' last trip to Pierz was also for their Homecoming, on September 22, 2006. In that game, the Jaguars were driving downfield in the 4th quarter, trailing by 2 scores, but ended up losing 34-12. They were smoked by Pierz in 2005 at home 64-0.

Holdingford defeated Kimball Area in a home game 20-8, most likely sending the Cubs on their way to their first 0-8 season since 2005. The Cubs scored first for an 8-0 lead, but it was all Huskers from there, as their sophomore quarterback went 12-of-22 in passing for 216 yards and 2 TD's.

Other area games...
New London-Spicer took a tough loss at Albany tonight by an 8-7 margin. (Ouch!)
Willmar won their homecoming over a down-on-their-luck Little Falls team 40-0.
Sauk Centre is 0-4 after losing to Mora 39-10. (Ouch!)
Melrose lost at home to Milaca 49-7, also falling to 0-4.
Paynesville Area whooped up on Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at home 41-12.
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 54, Minnewaska Area 7
BOLD 38, Benson 8
Browerville 26, Osakis 6


Number-one Class A-ranked Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg beat a bad, winless Parkers Prairie team 55-14 tonight on the road. The Parkers Prairie volleyball team is 11-0, while their football team is 0-4. The Fighting Saints, meanwhile, have yet to play a quality opponent.

-Section 5A team member scores:
Minneota 41, Canby 0
Dawson-Boyd 34, Fulda 7
Renville County West 36, Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin 6
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 30, Murray County Central 16
Adrian 27, Ortonville 0

As the second half of the regular season is about to begin...I will now unveil the Section 5A standings, after four weeks of play. With their 2-2 record, the Jaguars are also in the middle of the pack of the Section 5A teams. A win next Friday over Pierz would send a big statement to the rest of the section, especially No.1-ranked K-M-S, that our Jaguars are for real and they mean business.

1 - (24 points) K-M-S (4-0)
2 - (24 points) Minneota (4-0)
3 - (18 points) Dawson-Boyd (3-1)
4 - (18 points) Renville County West (3-1)
5 - (18 points) Lakeview (3-1)
6 - (17 points) B-B-E (2-2)
7 - (6 points) Ortonville (1-3)
8 - (6 points) R-T-R (1-3)
9 - (Zero) Canby winless

I will point out that, halfway through the regular season, it appears that Section 5A has numerous quality teams. The top four all look very, very good. We need to hope for more losses to be added to the record of Dawson-Boyd, Minneota, and RCW over the final four weeks. At the same time, the Jaguars need to go at least 2-2 if not 3-1 over the final four weeks in order to secure a first-round home playoff game. Section 5A has considerably stronger teams in 2008 than it had in 2006. That year, the Jaguars finished 2-6 but were seeded #4 based on their strength-of-schedule, and the bottom half of the section had some pretty bad teams. This year, 2-6 for the Jaguars would put them probably at #6 for the playoffs. (Not acceptable) They need to build off of tonight's win and earn at least 2 more before playoffs begin in late October.

While I'm at it, I might as well throw out the regular season records for the Jaguars dating back to 1988...this will point out how non-special 2-6 is, and why a 4-4 or 5-3 regular season record would be so special for B-B-E. The following is regular season records in parentheses, not counting playoffs, with playoff info added after the regular season record.

1988 (7-1) 1-1 playoffs, second-round loss to Morris in Class B
1989 (1-7)
1990 (2-6)
1991 (0-8)
1992 (2-6) 0-1 playoffs, first-round loss to Browerville
1993 (4-4) 1-1 playoffs, second-round loss to Osakis
1994 (1-7)
1995 (0-8)
1996 (0-8)
1997 (5-3) 2-1 playoffs, Section 5AA loss to Eden Valley-Watkins
1998 (0-8)
1999 (0-8)
2000 (2-6) 0-1 playoffs, first-round loss to A-C-GC
2001 (0-8) 0-1 playoffs, first-round loss to Osakis
2002 (2-6) 0-1 playoffs, first-round loss to Dawson-Boyd
2003 (2-6) 1-1 playoffs, second-round loss to Wabasso
2004 (0-8) 0-1 playoffs, first-round loss to Upsala-Swanville Area
2005 (2-6) 0-1 playoffs, first-round loss to Wabasso
2006 (2-6) 1-1 playoffs, second-round loss to K-M-S
2007 (2-6) 0-1 playoffs, first-round loss to Minneota
2008 (???) playoffs???... to be written in October...or November?

Last week's win over Rockford helped mark one noteworthy turning point for the Jaguars football program. Since the pairing in 1988, every four years had at least one winless football team. If you look at my list, you'll also notice that twice a winless season was followed by another winless season (1995, 1996...1998, 1999) Losing tends to bring more losing. The 1991 season was a shock to football fans at B-B-E, when the Jaguars had their first winless team. They totaled 8 wins over the next 3 years, though, including one in playoffs in 1993. Then a bad stretch came from 1995-1996 when they went a combined 0-17. The year 1997 was special, when the Jaguars actually came awfully close to a state tournament berth (in Class AA no less!). Then...two more winless seasons. And then winless in 2001 and 2004.

I'm still not ready to say we've turned the corner in football. I said it in my football story for last week's local newspapers, and I'll say it again, two wins in the regular season is nothing special. We've done it 8 times since 1988, and 6 times this decade. All three of Coach Richards' first teams since he took over in 2005 have gone 2-6 before playoffs. I'll also add, if we finish 3-5 it will be a huge disappointment, with the talent we have on this team. Going 2-6 or 3-5 before playoffs will not impress me.

That being said, tonight was one step in the right direction, on top of the good things that took place in the Rockford game last week. Our first two games of the year...What about 'em? I forgot...they're history, we've moved on.

We certainly can turn the corner with football, and we have the athletes to do it. It now comes down to a matter of execution and keeping the guys excited about the sport. No longer can we say "Oh we don't have the numbers or the players to compete"... that's NONSENSE after seeing what we've done to the Rockford and Maple Lake, both larger schools. I better not hear any more of that talk, or I just might get mad.

Keep in mind, winning brings more winning. The B-B-E community needs to rally behind our football team and give them the support and fan base they deserve as they make winless seasons a distant, faded memory.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Who Called For Rain? It's Homecoming For Crying Out Loud

Shown above is a photo from the Friday afternoon Pep Rally, held for the high school student body at the main gymnasium. While this was taking place, a heavy rain came down as scattered showers passed through the area. At 5:09pm, the rain has stopped but it's still cloudy and gloomy out... By 6:00 the sun was finally poking through the clouds. It should turn out to be a great night for football.

Exciting Night for the Jaguars Volleyball Team -- 25-13, 25-17, 25-15 Win Over CMC Rival Maple Lake For Homecoming

Now isn't that special?


A beach party at the elementary baseball field... complete with fire!


The seniors (on the right) ... vs... just Rachel?

The Jaguars moved to 14-1 overall and 3-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference with tonight's convincing win over the Irish, who fell to 5-8-2 overall and 1-2 in the CMC.

While I normally don't point out individual accomplishments of Jaguars team members on this website...that's normally saved for the newspapers... I have to point out that senior volleyball outside hitter Emily Roelike went 20-of-20 in her attacks tonight, while 10 went down for kills. Not only is the 100% attack percentage impressive, but the .500 kill percentage is also an incredible mark. Heidi Lensing has broke the 50% kill percentage mark in other matches this season, and it's nice to see another of our hitters achieve this as well.

Another noteworthy item is the return of senior setter Whitney Bertram to the regular rotation, after a lengthy absence following an injury she picked up last winter. She was 31-of-32 in sets with 8 set assists.

Following the match, the "J-A-G-U-A-R-S" letters were lit up, wrapped in cloth soaked with diesel fuel.

If you copy & paste the following URL into a browser, you'll go straight to the Sauk Herald photo gallery that has all my photos from the "bonfire."

http://saukherald.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=
596510&CategoryID=30108&ListSubAlbums=1

Area volleyball scores:
CMC matches:
-Holdingford 3, Kimball Area 0
-Pierz defeated Rockford 25-12, 25-19, 15-25, 25-20
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted defeated Eden Valley-Watkins, 25-17, 21-25, 25-15, 21-25, 15-10!

Other area matches:
-Foley 3, Albany 0
-Sauk Centre 3, Melrose Area 0 (An impressive win for the Mainstreeters, who reversed their season-opening loss to the Dutchmen with this sweep)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 3, Dawson-Boyd 0
Windom Area 3, Minneota 0 (*Windom picks up bragging rights in a possible preview of the Section 3A championship...Windom finished 2nd at last year's Class A state tournament)

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Jaguars Girls Tennis vs. Osakis Match Photos -- Jaguars Elementary Football Practice Photos

Coach Westrom, Jaguars girls tennis coach, thinking, "Dude, I'm trying to coach here."



On my way to the Jaguars vs. Osakis girls tennis match on Tuesday, I stopped by the elementary football practice being held at the elementary football field. Coach Evenson was working with a group of 6th graders. The 5th grade was in the middle of their 3-day science class trip, so it was just 8 kids at the practice.

As always, more of these photos can be found at the Sauk Herald photo gallery. I haven't gotten to upload the albums with these photos, but I will on Friday.

The link is= http://saukherald.mycapture.com.

Second Day of Homecoming Brings Coronation & PowderPuff -- Seniors Shutout Juniors 14-0, Anthony Rooney & Whitney Bertram Crowned King & Queen

Coach Richards giving explicit instructions to the Seniors & Juniors captains not to hurt their opponents during the game.


This foreign-exchange student at B-B-E runs the ball for the seniors' team during the Powder Puff football game. She just had a cast removed from a leg today, yet showed no problems with mobility running the pigskin!


It was a successful evening for Homecoming activities at B-B-E tonight. I was impressed at the level of school spirit displayed by the junior and seniors classes, as the boys helped coach their fellow classmates in both grades to a competitive game of Powder Puff. Best of all, no injuries to report to the varsity coaches!

I'll add all my photos to the Sauk Herald photo gallery, beginning Wednesday night.

The link is= http://saukherald.mycapture.com

The Jaguars tennis team fell 7-0 to a powerful once-beaten squad at Osakis. The Silverstreaks had just beaten Minnewaska, one of the best teams in central Minnesota, on Monday.

I would urge anyone planning on attending the volleyball match at home on Thursday night to get there early, as we learned on Monday night how hard it is to find a place to sit if you show up anytime after 7:00. The Jaguars host Maple Lake in their 3rd CMC tilt of the season.

Maple Lake is on a two-match losing streak, as they fell on Monday night to Watertown-Mayer 3-1 and Dassel-Cokato 3-0. Watertown-Mayer is 11-3 overall, a solid team out of the Wright County Conference. Maple Lake's overall record is 5-7-2, and 1-1 in the CMC.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Barn Burner vs. Long-Time Neighboring Rival, Jaguars Volleyball Defeats New London-Spicer 25-22, 25-14, 19-25, 25-21

With a packed crowd and fans flowing into the elementary school hallway, the Jaguars volleyball team kept their long-running win streak against New London-Spicer alive with an intensely-played 3-1 win in non-conference action. As recently as two seasons ago, this match would have counted for playoff seedings. Tonight, it was simply for pride and off-season bragging rights.

Numerous Wildcat fans were heard throughout the match wondering why the match wasn't held at our bigger high school gymnasium. Adults and students were tightly packed into the stands. I had no answer for them.

It was extremely frustrating for me to sit in the stands and see numerous Jaguars tennis players stand in the hallway, peering up to the crowd, looking for somewhere to sit and cheer on their fellow Jaguars. In fact, the steam may roll from my ears for the rest of the week over the spectacle that took place during tonight's match.

It's Homecoming week. I can only imagine the high level of enthusiasm from our student body one would see had tonight's match been at the high school.

The Jaguars are ranked #6 in the latest Class A coaches poll. Their record is 13-1 overall, and 2-0 in the CMC. The 12-0 start for the Jaguars is the best start to any volleyball season since 1994, when they won all 22 regular season matches and a West Central South Championship.

The last time NL-S beat the Jaguars was in October 2001, during the Sub-Section 6AA-17 semi-finals. It was a five-game marathon in which the Wildcats pulled out game five by a 15-13 score. They were then swept by state-ranked Sauk Centre in the sub-section championship.

That loss to the Wildcats in 2001 was the last time the Jaguars failed to reach a sub-section championship match.

Recent wins that I remember over the Wildcats include the 2002 & 2004 sub-section semi-finals, as well as numerous wins in the Willmar tournament. NL-S had all the motivation in the world to beat the Jaguars, and the Blue & Silver stood tall to a very stiff test from the now 8-2 Wildcats.

Also noteable...on October 28, 2005, numerous players on the NL-S team faced the Jaguars in the Sub-Section 6AA-17 quarterfinals. The Jaguars soundly beat the Wildcats 3-0 on their way to their first-ever state tournament berth. The juniors of the Wildcats' team today, making up the core of their squad, were regulars as eighth graders on that team in 2005.

Other area volleyball scores:
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 3, Ortonville 0
Renville County West 3, Dawson-Boyd 1
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 3, Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 1
Kimball Area 3, Swanville 0

In other Jaguars sports notes: On Tuesday, the Jaguars girls tennis team travels to Osakis to face the Prairie Conference-leading Silverstreaks. The match begins at 4:30. I'll be timing it right to cover that while returning to the high school in time for the 7:00 Homecoming coronation.

On Thursday, the Jaguars cross country teams travel to Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball for a 4:15 meet. The volleyball team hosts Maple Lake in a CMC clash.

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Furious Comeback Falls Short in Bethel Showcase Championship, Jaguars Volleyball Takes Runner-Up Trophy

The Jaguars Volleyball team played with a jekyl-and-hyde personality in the championship match against Southwest Christian (Chaska) this afternoon. After dropping game one 20-25, the Jaguars played with their tails between their legs while falling behind 1-6, 4-10, and 8-18 before mounting a rally to tie the game at 24-24. Southwest Christian would win game two 26-24. They are now 9-0 on the season, picking up five wins in the past 2 days after going 4-0 in other action earlier this season. Southwest began the year ranked #7 in Class A, and they entered the match ranked #8, while the Jaguars were ranked #5 in Class A coming into the tournament.

This tournament championship match was the culmination of both teams going 4-0 in their other matches of the tournament. With the loss, the Jaguars record is now 12-1.

On Sunday I'll be busy adding tennis, volleyball, and football pictures to the Sauk Herald photo gallery.

I currently have over 60 photos added from the Jaguars 31-13 whoopin' over Rockford on Friday night.

http://saukherald.mycapture.com is the web address. Go to the "Jaguars sports photos" album.

**Special Note on radio broadcasting: On Glenwood's FM radio station, 107.1, they will be covering the following Jaguars sporting events: September 22nd Jaguars volleyball at Osakis, September 29th Jaguars volleyball hosting Minnewaska Area, October 6th Jaguars volleyball at Morris Area, October 10th Jaguars footballat Kimball Area.

Up next for the Jaguars volleyball team, the distractions of Homecoming week, and neighboring arch-rival New London-Spicer on Monday night!

**Special note, the monthly school board meeting will be held on Monday night at the elementary school media center. It begins at 7:30.

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Friday Night Lights, Part III - WOW What a Game, Football Crushes Class 3A Rockford 31-13

It was a spectacular night on the gridiron for the Jaguars football team. After a small stumble near the end of the second quarter, taking a 14-7 halftime lead, the Jaguars won convincingly in a 31-13 win. It was a total team effort, they came out fired up and did what was needed to give the hometown crowd a great game.

**31 Photos from the game have been added to my photo gallery on the Sauk Centre Herald website. You can preview the photos and purchase any you like. More will be added on Sunday, out of my 123 total photos from the game.

**Sunday night update...over 60 photos have been added...

The link: http://saukherald.mycapture.com.

The football team will relax to come down off of their high from the huge win over 2007 state tournament-entry Rockford. They have to mentally prepare themselves for Homecoming week, and their next opponent, the Maple Lake Irish.

The Maple Lake Irish demolished Kimball Area in Kimball tonight 45-0. Uuf Da!

I could say quite a bit already about playoffs or predictions for later in the season. Section 5A is already setting up with a handful of very good teams. It is not a watered down section by any means. None of that matters right now, though. The Jaguars have to concentrate on a good week of practice and then defending the home turf against an excellent 2-1 Maple Lake Irish football team.

I also heard that Pierz got crushed by visiting Eden Valley-Watkins Eden Valley-Watkins 41, Pierz 13. Good grief that is an eye-opener. EV-W looks like they're on a mission from God, for crying out loud. They blanked Holdingford last week 40-0, and I'm guessing their reserves got healthy playing time in that game. I also read that Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted crushed visiting Holdingford 42-14.

The Jaguars volleyball team (10-0) will open up at 9am on Saturday in the third match of the Bethel University Showcase tournament. They won in straight sets (2-0) tonight against New Life Academy (Woodbury private school) and LeRoy-Ostrander. L-O was 9-1 coming into the nightcap match, with their only loss coming against Class 1A 6th-ranked Mabel-Canton (12-0). The Jaguars won 25-17, 25-14 over L-O. Against NLA, the Jaguars won 25-9, 25-15.

Lastly, kudos to the Jaguars J.V. girls tennis team, who went 14-0 in sets tonight against Melrose Area.

Area football scores:
Section 5A teams =
Minneota at Dawson-Boyd, Minneota winners 41-14 (ouch!) Both are in Section 5A, with Dawson-Boyd being the runners-up in 2007.
K-M-S pounded a bad New York Mills team in Murdock. I heard they were leading 41-6 in the fourth quarter.
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's 32, Renville County West 14 (RCW is now 2-1)
St. Cloud Cathedral 34, Sauk Centre 20 (Ouch, Sauk is 0-3)

Other teams in the area:
Benson 41, Paynesville Area 38 (Wow what a game)
Albany 40, Mora 6
Minnewaska Area 14, Lac qui Parle Valley 12
Morris Area 24, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
New London-Spicer 43, Melrose 20
Ortonville 19, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 13 (Ortonville's first win since 2006)
Ogilvie 49, Carlton 22 (Remember the Lions? We pounded them in the 2006 season opener...well they're now 3-0)

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Showcase Volleyball Tournament at Bethel University

As I'm typing this the Jaguars are probably leaving town. Their first match is at 5:30 against the New Life Academy Eagles, who are 3-4 so far this season. They then face LeRoy-Ostrander at 8:00 tonight from southeast Minnesota. The LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals are 8-1 this season, with the only loss coming in a sweep against undefeated Mabel-Canton (12-0). The Cardinals play in a Class A conference, the Southeast Conference.

By around 9:00 tonight we'll know just how good our Jaguars volleyball team really is.

The tournament begins its second day of action at 9:00am on Saturday, and it should wrap up with a championship match around 3:00 in the afternoon.

**Update on Friday night...The Jaguars defeated New Life Academy (of Woodbury) in two straight games. Apparently, the team did not play well but they did what was necessary to advance with a win. They take a 9-0 record into the 8:00pm match against LeRoy-Ostrander.

Jaguars Volleyball Moves to 2-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference, 25-11, 25-15, 25-10 Sweep of Rockford

It wasn't the Rockets' night in volleyball, as they got a serious whoopin' to show for the 78-mile drive up Highway 55. Ouch!

Noteworthy: The Rockets remain winless on the year. They have 8 seniors on the squad, while the Jaguars have 7. Rockford's school enrollment in the top 4 grades is 503! B-B-E's is 190. While their enrollment suggests they should be moved to the Wright County Conference, their athletic programs are in no shape to handle that level of competition (with the exception of their boys basketball program).

Pierz swept Eden Valley-Watkins. Maple Lake faced off with Kimball. For the first time...since at least 2003, Kimball Area defeated Maple Lake. The match score was 3-1. That's an eye-opener. It appears right now that the only teams in the CMC with any "juice" is Pierz and our Jaguars. The Pioneers are 7-2 overall, 2-0 CMC. Holdingford defeated Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 3-1.

The Jaguars volleyball team heads to the cities on Friday, ready for battle in the Bethel University Showcase tournament. A full slate of the top Class A teams in Minnesota will be competing. It opens at 5:30pm on Friday night, and then continues at 9:00am Saturday.

Good luck to the team... and I will add, please save a little juice for Monday, when New London-Spicer comes to town. I do NOT want to see an upset take place to the Wildcats.

I won't hold any punches here, the Jaguars have played cupcakes in seven of their eight wins. Sauk Centre (in the opener) was the exception. Now the real tests begin. The schedule has been beefed up, rightly so, and I feel the Jaguars are ready for it.

I will add, it was great to get Ortonville off of our schedule. They are currently 0-7 against Class A competition. Had Mr. Lindstrom not pulled off what he did with our volleyball schedule, our opener would've been AT Ortonville, an easy breeze of a match, then the 82-mile trip back home.

After the next 4 days have passed, we'll know just what our volleyball team is made of, that's for sure.

Area volleyball scores:
NL-S 3, Albany 0 (That's crazy, and it's never happened before)
BOLD 3, Paynesville Area 0
Minneota 3, MACCRAY 0
Montevideo 3, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
Osakis 3, Eagle Valley 0
Renville County West 3, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 1

Up next, Friday Night Lights, Part III!

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Renville County West voters Turn Down Building Levy by 2-to-1 Margin, 1325 to 618

By an overwhelming margin, the taxpayers/voters of Renville County West voted down a building bond levy by a 1325 to 618 margin. That's what's called "shock and awe" in my mind. I'd be a little numb if I was in charge at that school district.

What do you suppose construction costs will be doing year-to-year from now until... forever?

To be fair, this is once again another sign of the times. I sure hope it will not be a hard decision as to who to vote for this November.

What happened today at RCW should show the residents of our school district that we must be thankful for what the voters/taxpayers did in the early 1990s, in the November 1992 election to be exact. That was when the building bond was passed to create the two facilities we use today. I'm almost certain (I'm almost always certain on anything I say, right?)... that we only have four years left to pay off the bonds for our school buildings. We just added a $2 million bond for roof repairs, but I think the state will pick up part of that tab.

Another Winning Night for the Jaguars - Tennis Defeats West Central Area 6-1, Volleyball Sweeps Hancock 25-11, 25-12, 25-12

The tennis team how has 5 wins on the season, and the volleyball team is 7-0.

The Jaguars tennis team has a long break until a road game next Tuesday (16th) at Osakis at 4:30.

The Jaguars volleyball team hosts Rockford on Thursday night in their 2nd conference match of the season. They go to Bethel University, St.Paul, on Friday night and Saturday for the Showcase Tournament.

Teams at the Bethel Class A Showcase tournament: Underwood, Nevis, Lake of the Woods, LeRoy-Ostrander, Meadow Creek Christian, New Life Academy, Southwest Christian, Murray County Central, Onamia, Buffalo Lake-Hector, and Carlton.

The cross country teams travel to NL-S for the Little Crow Invite on Thursday at 4:30. Area teams at this event include: Minnewaska Area, Sauk Centre, and Long Prairie-Grey Eagle.

The football team hosts Rockford on Friday night. The Rockets are 0-2.

Man do I miss summer! We might have 70's this weekend...it can't come soon enough.

Jaguars Volleyball Takes Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Tournament, 6-0 Record Overall

After dropping the first game of Pool Play's match #1, the Jaguars volleyball team rallied to take 2 games from Norwood-Young America and go on to win the rest of their matches for a second straight HL-W-W tournament title.

The Jaguars defeated Eden Valley-Watkins and Isle in pool play before winning the championship match over the host Lakers team. Both the EV-W and HL-W-W matches do not count as conference wins, though.

Noteworthy was that the Jaguars played with a different setter than they had in the first two matches of the year. Their high-octane offense didn't miss a beat.

This week Monday, varsity action: The volleyball team hosts Hancock in a 7:30 varsity match, 6:00 B & C-squad. The girls tennis team hosts West Central Area in a 4:30 match, also at home.

Friday Night Lights Part II - Jaguars Fall at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 34-14

The Lakers picked up their first win at their new football stadium, at the site of their sparkling new senior high facility 3 miles south of Howard Lake. The Jaguars trailed 21-0 at halftime. A 14-7 halftime score was not out of the question... in the end, the game came down to the issue of execution.

Area football scores:
Eden Valley-Watkins 40, Holdingford 0
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 54, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 20
Albany 20, Sauk Centre 17
BOLD 33, Minnewaska Area 13
Foley 30, Melrose 14
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 28, Osakis 0
Montevideo 33, Lac qui Parle Valley 21
New London-Spicer 35, Mora 20
Paynesville Area 31, Morris Area 8
Pierz 55, Kimball Area 13
Upsala/Swanville Area 17, Browerville 14 F/2OT
Wheaton 42, Hancock 28
Yellow Medicine East 7, Benson 6

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Jaguars Girls Tennis Sweeps St.John's Prep 7-0 -- Volleyball Buries Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 3-0 -- Jaguars Cross Country Invite at Prairie View

The Jaguars Cross Country Invite was held tonight at Prairie View Golf Course. Linda Keller of Paynesville won the girls varsity race in an exceptional early-season time of 14:16.51. She finished over a minute ahead of second-place Halle Christianson of Minnewaska (15:23). Over 250 runners were at this event, which had a Junior High, Varsity, and Junior Varsity race. A total of 17 schools participated. It was a great event, with the weather cooperating even as dark clouds gathered to the north. (Rain never materialized, though.) For the Jaguars, we had two runners in the boys varsity race, and one runner in the junior varsity girls race.

It was a great night for both the Jaguars girls tennis and volleyball teams, as they won all sets on their way to sweeps on the tennis and volleyball courts. The tennis team won in straight sets in all but one of their matches, and the volleyball team gave a big statement to the rest of the CMC that there will be no let down in their attempt at a second straight undefeated conference championship. They won 25-11, 25-14, 25-10 at the Lakers' new high school gymnasium. HL-W-W is 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the CMC.

Area volleyball scores:
K-M-S 3, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 0
Renville County West 3, Maccray 1
St.Cloud Cathedral 3, New London-Spicer 1
Sauk Centre 3, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 1 (Sauk's 1st win, achieved at home tonight)
Yellow Medicine East 3, Montevideo 0
Minnewaska 3, BOLD 2
Lac qui Parle Valley 3, Benson 2 (Benson lost game 5 by a 15-13 score, Ouch!)
Morris Area 3, Paynesville Area 0


In Central Minnesota Conference play...Eden Valley-Watkins moved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the CMC after defeating Holdingford tonight in a five-game match. Game five went down to the wire, with a 15-12 result in the Huskers' gym. Pierz, who hopes to be in the CMC race this year as they have been this whole decade, got a scare from Kimball but managed to eke out a 3-2 win on the Cubs' home court. Game five was 15-12, crazy to have that score in two game fives in the CMC on the same night, with the visitors winning no less... balance in the league, perhaps? The Pioneers have eight seniors on their squad, six of whom are hitters. The Jaguars face the Pioneers at Pierz on September 25th, and I predict that will decide the 2008 CMC championship.

Maple Lake swept visiting Rockford tonight 25-14, 25-11, 25-17. The Irish are breaking in a freshmen setter, looking to rebuild after graduation hit their varsity team with a vengeance this past spring. They have had powerful teams since 2004, taking the CMC that year as well as 2005 with 7-0 records. They were Co-Champions in the CMC with our Jaguars in 2006. I expect them to give every team a battle, including our Jaguars, as Coach Marty Kiebel's got a great program going there in Maple Lake. They have 3 seniors on the roster, with six talented juniors being the bulk of their varsity squad.

The Jaguars volleyball team plays in the annual Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Tournament on Saturday, beginning at 9:00am. Other teams participating include Melrose Area, Eden Valley-Watkins, Norwood-Young America, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Cedar Mountain/Comfrey, and Isle. The tournament will be held at the H.H.H. Humphrey Auditorium at the HL-W-W Middle School in Howard Lake. This is the former HL-W-W high school, the gym we've been accustomed to playing in. I'm happy to see after tonigh's convincing win over HL-W-W that the Jaguars are not letting up in their intensity on the hardwood in every match they play. They cannot afford to look down at anyone they play, regardless of that opponent's record. It takes a great deal of stamina and tenacity to give 110% every time an athlete competes. That's what we get with our Jaguars volleyball team. It's great for our communities to be able to follow and support a team like theirs.

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State Football Polls Released...

Defending Section 5A Champion Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg is ranked #1 in the latest Class A poll. I think they were ranked #1 back in the 1999 season, when their season ended in the state quarterfinals to Cook County. In 2007, K-M-S lost in the state semi-finals, playing the last game in the H.H.H. Metrodome.

This year's version looks to be just as good as last year's. They've grown quite a bit since their 14-7 section semi-final loss to our Jaguars on October 28, 2006. (They were soundly beaten by Wabasso in the Section 5A championship that season.)

Dawson-Boyd also received votes in the poll. They went 10-1 in 2007, losing to K-M-S in the section championship. So we've got state-ranked teams in both our football and volleyball playoff sections.

The HL-W-W Lakers football team lost 27-14 to Norwood-Young America, a team that played in the state tournament in 2007. N-YA has a powerful running attack, and their defense kept the Lakers off of the scoreboard until the 4th quarter. The Raiders totaled 270 rushing yards, led by a sophomore running back who tallied 184 yards rushing on 22 carries. N-YA's senior quarterback went 7-for-13 in passing, with one touchdown pass, one interception, and a rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

I'm still in the process of updating my advertising on this website, basically getting them spiced up with more color and photography included. More local businesses have been purchasing ads lately, so I'll be getting them up as well. I can't say enough how great it is to have the support of local B-B-E businesses from all parts of the district. I'll continue doing all I possibly can to promote and support their small-town enterprises as well as the accomplishments of our Jaguars sports teams.

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This Week's Jaguars Sports Preview

On Thursday, the Jaguars volleyball, girls tennis, and boys and girls cross country teams will be in action. The volleyball team travels to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's new high school, between Howard Lake and Winsted, for the Central Minnesota Conference opener. The girls tennis team hosts St.John's Prep in a 4:30 match. The cross country teams hosts the annual Jaguar Invite at 4:30 at the Prairie View Community Golf Course.

**Update on Wednesday night...from Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted head volleyball coach Christin LaMott, "The Lakers have been playing pretty well with wins over Glencoe-Silver Lake and Buffalo Lake-Hector coming into their CMC opener tomorrow vs. B-B-E. The team has been led by senior Katie Pettit and junior Maggie Horstmann. We look to improve the 10-15 record from last year."

Teams at the cross country meet from the area include: Albany, Sauk Centre, Benson/K-M-S, BOLD/Buffalo Lake-Hector, Litchfield, Minnewaska Area, Montevideo, New London-Spicer, Paynesville aBenson/KMS, BOLD/Buffalo Lake-Hector, Litchfield, Minnewaska, Montevideo, New London-Spicer, Paynesville Area, Redwood Valley and Renville County West, Redwood Valley and Renville County West.

On Friday night, the Jaguars football team travels to the HL-W-W high school to hopefully put a damper on the Lakers' christening of their new football field. Game time is at 7:00 for this conference opener.

HL-W-W Lakers head football coach George Montgomery gave the following information on their new field and the team:

"The new field looks fairly good. We think that it is ready. We will only be playing our four home varsity games there, trying to limit the amount of wear and tear during the first year. The field was part of the original plan…we just thought that it would be another year before we would be on it...There are many things we need to improve upon before we take the field on Friday. It is always tough to do that, however, during the first week of school. Our goal is to try to get our guys to focus on what they need to accomplish on Friday."

A new football field at any level is always an exciting thing. Let's hope for good weather and a strong showing of B-B-E fans at Part II of the Jaguars' Friday Night Lights.

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