Glenwood's Smooth Magic 107 will broadcast Jaguars Baseball at Kimball Area

The Central Minnesota Conference double-header at Kimball begins at 3:30 on Thursday afternoon.

The Jaguars fastpitch team will host Kimball Area in an important double-header on Thursday. Kimball Area is also in Sub-Section 5A-West.

The Jaguars track and field teams will perform at the Little Crow Invitational at NL-S on Thursday. The meet begins at 3:30pm and includes 10 area teams.

Jaguars Fastpitch inches over .500 with a 17-2 hammering at Upsala

The Jaguars fastpitch team is now 5-4 overall as they gear up for an important double-header at home against Kimball Area. The game is also a match up between two teams that reside in Sub-Section 5A-West, so two wins for the Jaguars would make it a 4-0 week against section opponents.

The Jaguars baseball team lost a home outing against section opponent Upsala-Swanville Area by an 8-4 margin.

The Jaguars girls golf team placed third in a CMC meet held at Pierz. Team scores: (1) Kimball/EV-W 189 (2) Rockford 201 (3) B-B-E 212 (4) Pierz 213 (5) Maple Lake 229.

Area baseball results:
Paynesville 15, Morris 6 (Paynesville takes over sole possession of the WCC-South)
Albany 3, Melrose 1 (Albany is 6-2)
Maple Lake 11, Rockford 6 (Maple Lake is 6-3, Rockford is 1-8)
Minnewaska Area 12, YME 2
A-C-GC 12, Benson 2
Benson 9, A-C-GC 6
BOLD 9, Montevideo 3
NL-Spicer 7, Foley
Hancock 10, Brandon-Evansville 2 (The Owls are 6-2)
MACCRAY 6, RCW 2
K-M-S 2, Dawson-Boyd 1 (K-M-S is on a 7-0 streak after an 0-4 start)
Rocori 9, St. Cloud Apollo 6
Sauk Rapids 5, Alexandria 4
Alexandria 10, Sauk Rapids 2
St.Cloud Tech 5, Fergus Falls 3
St.Cloud Tech 6, Fergus Falls 5
Willmar 6, Sartell 5
Willmar 4, Sartell 2
St. Cloud Cathedral 11, Mora 2
Sauk Centre 9, Milaca 3

Area fastpitch results:
Albany 10, Melrose 0
Milaca 7, Sauk Centre 2
Milaca 10, Sauk Centre 6
Willmar 9, Sartell 0
Willmar 4, Sartell 3
Alexandria 3, Sauk Rapids 1
Alexandria 10, Sauk Rapids 0
Osakis 12, Royalton 4
Osakis 14, Royalton 4 (Osakis takes control of the Prairie Conference)
Foley 8, NL-S 7 (2nd straight loss for NL-S, who started the season 8-0)
Paynesville 14, Morris Area 3
Morris Area 14, Paynesville 11 (first loss of the season for Paynesville)
A-C-GC 5, Benson/Hancock 0
A-C-GC 4, Benson/Hancock 3
BOLD 20, Montevideo 0
Montevideo 4, BOLD 3
Minnewaska 5, YME 4
K-M-S 1, Dawson-Boyd 0
K-M-S 8, Dawson-Boyd 3
RCW 8, T-M-B 0
T-M-B 6, RCW 2 (RCW's first Camden Conference loss)
MACCRAY 14, Minneota/Canby 0
MACCRAY 14, Minneota/Canby 5

Coming on Wednesday Night to John O's Dinner Theater - The Train 106.5FM with Bill Dean and Don Leukam will be on hand to talk sports

At 6:30 on Wednesday this week (April 29) at John O's Dinner Theater Bill Dean and Don Leukam will be on hand to talk sports with area B-B-E sports fans.

Come on out to show your support for The Train and have a chance to talk sports, be it local, state, or national. Spring is here and the Minnesota Twins' season is in full swing. Plenty to chat it up about!

The Menu on tap for Wednesday night at John O's:
Lunch In the Lounge: Asian Beef & Broccoli - $5.95
Soup and Salad Buffet - $6.95
Dinner in the Lounge: All you can eat Taco Bar - $5.95

Their website: www.myjohnos.com

Jaguars Fastpitch finishes season series sweep against Eden Valley-Watkins, winning 17-10

It was reported that the Jaguars fastpitch team defeated Eden Valley-Watkins 17-10 in Central Minnesota Conference action today. A four-hit, 10-run third inning propelled the Jaguars to the win.

The Jaguars squared their overall record at 4-4, while also improving to 3-3 in the CMC. Fastpitch is on the road at Upsala on Tuesday in non-conference action. The Cardinals (2-5) are in Section 5A, so it's an important game to win for the sub-section standings.

The Jaguars baseball team fell in a five-inning game at Eden Valley-Watkins by an 11-1 score.

The Jaguars boys and girls golf teams were in action today.

The Jaguars girls golf team finished eighth out of 15 at the very tough Willmar Golf Invite. Senior Whitney Bertram's score of 94 led the way for the Jaguars, who was one of only two Class A teams at the meet. Top four scores for the Jaguars were: Whitney Bertram 94, Amy Knutson 104, Jordan Gruendeman 113, Marissa Quade 126 (total: 437).

Central Minnesota Conference baseball score:
Kimball Area 8, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 7

Central Minnesota Conference fastpitch scores:
Holdingford 3, Pierz 2 (Huskers are 5-1 in the CMC)
Maple Lake 14, Rockford 4 (Irish are 5-1 in the CMC)

Area fastpitch scores:
Paynesville 4, NL-S 2 (both teams were unbeaten going into the game)
Minnewaska 5, LQPV 2
BOLD 1, Benson/Hancock 0

Area baseball scores:
Paynesville 2, BOLD 0
Paynesville 13, BOLD 7
Morris 9, LQPV 7
NL-S 12, Melrose 8
NL-S 5, Melrose 3
K-M-S 14, Canby 4
RCW 9, Minneota 0

More scores will be posted later in the day on Tuesday.

Coming up on Monday for the Jaguars

The Jaguars Fastpitch team looks for a Central Minnesota Conference win on Monday in a 4:30 game at home against Eden Valley-Watkins.

The Jaguars baseball team will search for its second win of the season in a CMC game at Eden Valley-Watkins at 4:30.

The Jaguars girls golf team takes part in a 25-team invitational in Willmar on Monday at 9:30am.

Saturday results around the area

Saturday baseball results:
Albany 10, Little Falls 4

@the Kimball Tournament:
Royalton 5, Kimball Area 1 (Kimball Area is 2-6 overall)
Royalton 2, A-C-GC 0 (Royals are 7-1 overall)

Saturday fastpitch results:
Little Falls 7, Upsala 5
Upsala 8, Isle 5

Late Friday results:
St.Cloud Cathedral 16, LP-GE 6 (baseball)
Mora 12, Foley 0 (5 innings) (baseball)
Little Falls 8, Melrose 1 (baseball)
Rocori 7, Albany 2 (baseball)
Osakis 10, Browerville 0, 5 innings (fastpitch)
Osakis 9, Browerville 8 (fastpitch)
West Central Area 13, Chokio-Alberta-Herman-Norcross 3 (fastpitch)
MACCRAY 23, West Central Area 3 (fastpitch)
Ortonville 13, West Central Area 9 (fastpitch)

Late results...Central Minnesota Conference baseball from Thursday:
Maple Lake 4, Holdingford 3
Holdingford 6, Maple Lake 2
Eden Valley-Watkins 18, Kimball Area 0
Eden Valley-Watkins 18, Kimball Area 7
Pierz 10, Rockford 0
Pierz 22, Rockford 1

Late results...Central Minnesota Conference fastpitch from Thursday:
Holdingford 11, Maple Lake 5 (**First CMC loss for Maple Lake since April 28, 2005 in a 6-5 loss to HL-W-W)
Maple Lake 10, Holdingford 1
Rockford 4, Pierz 2
Rockford 11, Pierz 0
Kimball Area 7, Eden Valley-Watkins 6
Kimball Area 16, Eden Valley-Watkins 12

Prairie Conference baseball results on Thursday:
Royalton 5, Upsala/Swanville 3

Prairie Conference fastpitch results on Thursday:
Royalton 10, Browerville 7 (Royals are 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Prairie)

A look at the "Dairy Star Conference"

B-B-E in the Central Minnesota Conference, average trip is about 55 minutes/miles against 7 schools.

*B-B-E in the Dairy Star Conference:

BBE - Paynesville, 15 miles
BBE - Minnewaska, 29 miles
BBE - Morris Area, 50 miles
BBE - WCA/Barrett, 55 miles
BBE - Sauk Centre, 20 miles
BBE - Long Prairie, 40 miles
BBE - Melrose, 25 miles
BBE - Osakis, 35 miles

Average trip = 269 miles, 34 mile average!

*BBE - Holdingford, 45 miles roughly, via Albany, if Holdingford came into the mix. Keep in mind, Morris may be on the fence about the move, along with Melrose Area.

Time to get the discussion moving.

Area baseball scores from Friday:
Litchfield 12, Watertown-Mayer 11
Minnewaska 8, Sauk Centre 2
BOLD 14, Redwood Valley 7
MACCRAY 11, West Central Area 1 (5 inn)
Benson 11, New London-Spicer 5

Area fastpitch scores:
K-M-S 4, BOLD 1
Paynesville Area 14, Melrose Area 3
Minnewaska 7, Benson/Hancock 0
Minnewaska 1, Sauk Centre 0
Watertown-Mayer 10, Litchfield 0
Montevideo 18, LQPV 3
Morris Area 9, A-C-GC 5

Jaguars Fastpitch drops both games at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted double-header, Jaguars Baseball falls twice in Elrosa, including 13-inn heartbreaker

The Jaguars Fastpitch team fell to 2-3 in the Central Minnesota Conference and 3-3 overall with two losses to the Lakers. The scores were 8-4 and 11-4.

HL-W-W's fastpitch team improved to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the Central Minnesota Conference.

The Jaguars Baseball team dropped two games in Elrosa to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. The scores were 7-4 and 4-3 (13 innings!). The Jaguars are now 0-5 in the CMC and 1-5 overall.

HL-W-W's baseball team improved to 4-1 in the CMC and 4-3 overall.

Area baseball scores:
Hutchinson 26, Shakopee 16 (Uuf Da!)
Lac qui Parle Valley 4, Minnewaska Area 3
Foley 5, Melrose 2
Alexandria 7, Sartell 6
Willmar 12, St.Cloud Apollo 11
Hancock 4, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 1
K-M-S 9, Minneota 8
Canby 12, Renville County West 8 (RCW's first loss in Camden Conference play)
Montevideo 8, Morris 7
MACCRAY 10, Lakeview 0
St. Cloud Cathedral 7, Sauk Centre 2

Area fastpitch scores:
Montevideo 8, Morris Area 5
Minnewaska 12, LQPV 6
Y-M-E 7, A-C-GC 4
K-M-S 13, Ortonville 0
Rockford 11, Pierz 0
Rockford 4, Pierz 2
Brandon-Evansville 3, Osakis 2
Foley 5, Melrose Area 1
St.Cloud Cathedral 10, Sauk Centre 0
Alexandria 12, Sartell 8
Willmar 3, St.Cloud Apollo 2

New Conference ideas - Forgotten West Central Area is in the same boat... here's a list of schools that I'd call "The Dairy Star Conference"

On the west edge, possibilities include Morris Area, West Central Area (due west of Alexandria), Minnewaska Area...then in the center you've got Osakis, Sauk Centre, B-B-E, Melrose...then on the north and east edges you've got Holdingford, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, and on the south you've got Benson, New London-Spicer, and Paynesville Area.

That's a total of 12 schools, too many for one conference obviously. But it's doubtful all 12 of those schools would want to form a new conference.

One school that everyone has forgotten about around the B-B-E area is West Central Area (Hoffman-Barrett-Kensington-Elbow Lake), who the Jaguars have played in football for the season opener the past 2 seasons. They are badly in need of a new conference and would jump in a heartbeat if something opened up.

High contenders who I feel would definitely pursue the feasibility are the following schools. These schools have big budget problems, as well as plenty of unhappiness about their current conference affiliation =

West Central Area, B-B-E, Minnewaska Area, Sauk Centre, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Paynesville Area. That's 6 schools all within a reasonable driving distance. (longest trip, Paynesville to West Central Area, which is 70 miles.

Numerous neighborhood rivalries that already exist would continue. Right now you've got Minnewaska running down to Highway 212 to Granite Falls and Olivia. You have West Central Area driving up to Roseau and Warroad in football! Paynesville is peddling down to Montevideo/Granite/Olivia. B-B-E is driving clear down to the Metro Area (Rockford) and up to Pierz. Sauk Centre is driving over to Milaca and Mora. LP-GE is having big budget issues, as is West Central Area. I could go on and on and the problems these schools have with their current conference affiliations.

I think a core of B-B-E, Sauk Centre, Paynesville Area, Minnewaska Area, West Central Area, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle...that gets you 6 schools, which is a good place to start. Then throw in Holdingford and Osakis, and you're suddenly at 8 schools, which is a perfect number for a conference!

Another long trip wouldn't be terrible, Holdingford to West Central Area...also about 70-80 miles...80 if you take I-94, which means 43 miles of easy interstate driving from the Freeport exit to northwest of Alexandria... Or Benson to Holdingford, 82 miles and a 90-minute drive. They'd be worst-case scenarios, if Benson wanted to plug out of the West Central South Conference. I don't see that happening, since they've got nice neighborhood rivalries with Lac qui Parle Valley, Montevideo, and Yellow Medicine East (Granite Falls).

I think it absolutely would work, with the biggest schools being Minnewaska and Sauk Centre, with B-B-E and Osakis at the bottom of the list.

Why not?

Even a Melrose or Sauk Centre to West Central Area trip would not be bad at all, just a skip up I-94 to the Alexandria area, and then jump over on Highway 28 to Hoffman/Barrett. The trip from Melrose to the West Central Area High School (in Barrett) would be 60 miles, in a very easy trip.

Currently, Holdingford travels 70 miles to Rockford, and 61 miles down to Howard Lake. Even if Morris Area and Holdingford were anchoring the west and east sides of this new conference, that trip would be about 75 miles. (And Holdingford would play a team that they are in for most post-season pairings.)

Right now Melrose has an 80-mile trip to Mora, an ugly, ugly, ugly trip around or through the St.Cloud area. It's madness if you ask me, especially when better options exist.

School boards/Athletic Directors of the above-mentioned schools need to get a discussion going. It's something that could happen for the 2010-2011 athletic season, if agreements are made during the summer of 2009.

It's time to put the taxpayers first, and give them the respect they deserve, in a time when most schools are regularly begging them for more property tax money. Athletic rivalries should be local, trips to your children's games should be local.

Gas won't always be around the $2 mark! We saw firsthand that obvious fact in 2008.

Write down this list and think about it, look at the similarities in enrollment, geography, and economic makeup. It's mostly a group of schools with light industry and small farms.

West Central Area, Morris Area, B-B-E, Osakis, Sauk Centre, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Paynesville Area, Minnewaska, Holdingford. (That's 9 schools)

How about...the "Dairy Star Conference"???? It would be a nice tip of the hat towards all the hard working farmers that build the backbone of our rural communities.

Sounds good to me!

Elrosa's Saints Field hosts baseball double-header in CMC action: Jaguars. vs. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted ...schedules for other teams below

The Jaguars are searching for their first win in CMC play, hoping to improve on their 1-3 overall record, 0-3 in the league.

First pitch is set for 4:00pm at Elrosa.

On another note on Jaguars baseball...Smooth Magic 107.1 will be in Kimball next Thursday, April 30th, for the CMC double-header between the Jaguars baseball team and the Cubs. I confirmed that with sports broadcaster Dave McClurg on Monday night.

The Jaguars fastpitch team travels to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted for a double-header on Thursday. They begin at 4:00 as well.

The Jaguars girls golf team travels to Howard Lake for a Central Minnesota Conference meet on Thursday at 4:15.

The Jaguars boys golf team travels to Osakis for a dual meet at 4:15 on Thursday.

The Junior High (7th/8th) grade baseball team travels to Benson for a 4:30 game on Thursday.

On Friday, the Jaguars girls golf team hosts a dual meet with Osakis at the Prairie View Community Golf Course at 4:15.

The Junior High (7th-9th) track team travels to Sauk Centre for a track meet at 4:15 on Friday.

The Jaguars boys golf team travels to Long Prairie-Grey Eagle for a golf meet at 9:00am on Friday.

The 7th grade baseball team travels to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg for a game at 4:15 on Friday. The game will be held in Kerkhoven at their high school baseball diamond.

The Junior High (7th/8th grade) fastpitch team travels to A-C-GC for a game at 4:30 on Friday.

Jaguars baseball team picks up first win of the season in a non-conference 10-5 win over Minnewaska Area - Boys Golf finishes 1st in CMC meet

The Jaguars are now 1-3 overall going into a home double-header against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted on Thursday. The Central Minnesota Conference action will be held in Elrosa, with the first game beginning at 4:00pm.

Tuesday's game against Minnewaska was aired on Glenwood's Smooth Magic 107.1 FM. The Lakers fell to 2-5 overall. Seven runs scored in the third inning propelled the Jaguars to the big victory over the Class AA Lakers. Sophomore Kevin Kuefler pitched the first five innings for the win, his first as a varsity pitcher. He allowed four runs on six hits.

The Jaguars boys golf team finished in a three-way tie for first place in a Central Minnesota Conference meet on Tuesday at Maple Lake. Cory Tonn, Matt Goodwin and Mike Rodgers each shot a 45 for the Jaguars.

Team scoring was as follows:
(1) tie, B-B-E 182, Howard Lake-Waverly 182, Pierz 182 (4) Rockford 183 (5) Maple Lake 184 (6) Kimball-Eden Valley-Watkins 185

Area baseball results:
West Lutheran 8, Maple Lake 4
LQPV 5, A-C-GC 4
Litchfield 11, Glencoe-Silver Lake 7
St.Cloud Cathedral 11, NL-S 7
Montevideo 15, Benson 1
Sleepy Eye 6, BOLD 5
Minnesota Valley Lutheran 10, Buffalo Lake-Hector 1
Paynesville 11, Yellow Medicine East 1
K-M-S 8, Chokio-Alberta 6
Bertha-Hewitt 2, Ottertail Central 1 (B-H is 5-0)
Willmar 3, Rocori 2
Sartell 7, Brainerd 1
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 6, Foley 1
St.Cloud Apollo 4, Sauk Rapids 2
Little Falls 3, St.Cloud Tech 1

Area fastpitch results:
K-M-S 6, MACCRAY 3
K-M-S 5, MACCRAY 4
Paynesville Area 9, Yellow Medicine East 1 (Paynesville is 5-0)
BOLD 8, Redwood Valley 2
Dawson-Boyd 12, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 2
Dawson-Boyd 7, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 5
A-C-GC 7, LQPV 6
Benson/Hancock 8, Montevideo 0
Ashby 6, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 4
Brandon-Evansville 8, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 3
Hutchinson 6, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 4
Kimball Area 19, St. John's Prep 5
Ottertail Central 7, Bertha-Hewitt 6
Pierz 3, Braham 0 (Pierz snaps a 4-game losing streak)
NL-S 5, St.Cloud Cathedral 3
St.Cloud Tech 9, Little Falls 7
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 10, Foley 7
Willmar 7, Rocori 6

Central Minnesota Conference baseball results on Monday:
Eden Valley-Watkins 6, Holdingford 2
Maple Lake 14, Kimball 7

Central Minnesota Conference fastpitch results on Monday:
Holdingford 6, Eden Valley-Watkins 3
Maple Lake 8, Kimball 7

Jaguars Fastpitch wins at Pierz via 10-run rule, 14-4 - Jaguars baseball falls 11-2 to Pierz

The Jaguars fastpitch team improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Central Minnesota Conference tonight in a road win at Pierz. The game was shortened due to the 10-run rule, with a final score of 14-4 after six innings.

The Jaguars baseball team fell to 0-3 on the season with an 11-2 loss to Pierz. The game was hosted by the Jaguars in Regal. Tomorrow they will head to Elrosa to host Minnewaska Area in a non-conference game against the 2-4 Lakers. It will be the first action of the 2009 baseball season for Saints Field.

The Jaguars girls golf team placed third in a Central Minnesota Conference meet that they hosted at Prairie View Community Golf Course. Team scores were as follows: (1) Kimball/Eden Valley-Watkins 211 (2) Rockford 213 (3) B-B-E 218 (4) Pierz 218 (5) Maple Lake 232.

Tuesday's baseball game will be aired on Glenwood's 107.1 FM. Fans who can't get the station on their radios can tune in via the world wide web at Smooth Magic 107's website http://smoothmagic107.com/

Pre-game begins at 4:15, with first pitch at Elrosa set for 4:30.

Area fastpitch results on Monday:
NLS 12, Melrose 0 (5 inn)
ACGC 8, Montevideo 6
Benson/Hancock 8, Yellow Medicine East 6
Benson/Hancock 9, Yellow Medicine East 4
Dawson-Boyd 5, Ortonville 3
Minnewaska 4, K-M-S 2 (the Lakers hand the Fighting Saints their first loss)

Area baseball results on Monday:
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 8, Sauk Centre 1
Albany 6, Mora 4
MACCRAY 15, RCW 2
New Ulm Cathedral 9, Buffalo Lake-Hector 1
New London-Spicer 3, Melrose 3 (halted due to darkness after 12 innings... sucks for Melrose that they don't have a field with lights!)
Hancock 11, Ashby 0
BOLD 15, Red Rock Central 1
YME 7, Benson 3
YME 6, Benson 1
ACGC 5, Montevideo 4
Minnewaska 6, BOLD 5

More fill follow on Tuesday morning.

Glenwood's Smooth Magic 107 will broadcast Jaguars baseball vs. Minnewaska on Tuesday at 4:30

The Jaguars baseball team will host Minnewaska Area on Tuesday in a 4:30 non-conference game. Pre-game broadcasting with Smooth Magic's sports broadcaster Dave McClurg will begin at 4:15.

Fans can tune in online at http://smoothmagic107.com/ and listen in on their computers with a strong internet connection and Windows Media Player.

Minnewaska Area is 2-4 overall and 2-3 in the West Central South Conference. On Monday they snapped a four-game losing streak with a win in Bird Island over the BOLD Warriors in conference action.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, entered Monday 0-2 with a home game against Pierz in Central Minnesota Conference action.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Lengthy school board meeting on tap for Monday night at the High School auditorium at 7:30pm

Below is a link that will bring you to the B-B-E school website District Office page, where the agenda for the April school board meeting is posted.

http://news.bbe.k12.mn.us/home/meeting-agenda

The front page for the B-B-E school website is http://bbe.k12.mn.us

Area residents should be thankful that B-B-E does not have to endure the heavy level of cuts that numerous area schools are going through right now - some of those include Maccray, Willmar, West Central Area, and Renville County West.

Monday: Jaguars fastpitch travels to Pierz today, baseball hosts Pioneers - Jaguars girls golf hosts Central Minnesota Conference meet @ Prairie View

The Jaguars girls golf team will host the Central Minnesota Conference meet at the Prairie View Community Golf Course today at 4:15.

No word yet if the baseball team will host Pierz in Regal or in Elrosa.

The Jaguars track and field squads travel to Maple Lake today for what will be a cold and windy meet.

The Jaguars fastpitch team has a week of two long road trips, first on Monday to Pierz and then on Thursday to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. A double-header will be played against HL-W-W.

**The regular B-B-E school board meeting for April will be held tonight, Monday, at 7:30 at the high school auditorium.

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Jaguars boys golf team has strong showing at the Minnewaska Golf Invitational on Saturday

The Jaguars finished third behind area powers St.Cloud Cathedral and Minnewasaka Area.

They defeated Class AA power Alexandria, as well as Paynesville and Foley out of the West Central North Conference.

Team scores — 1. St. Cloud Cathedral 318; 2. Minnewaska 333; 3. B-B-E 336; 4. Alexandria 338; 5. Paynesville 360; 6. Foley 442.

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Jaguars track and field boys squad pulls in 168 team points at Paynesville Invitational on Thursday

Earning points for the Jaguars with top-three finishes were Shane Olmscheid, Levi Anderson, Shane Weller, Mac Derichs, Grant Bell, and the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800-meter relay teams.

Heidi Lensing, Whitney White, and Brittany Roering earned top-three finishes for the Jaguars girls track and field team at the same meet in Paynesville.

More results from the meet will be posted in next week's local newspapers.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Jaguars Fastpitch earns 8-6 road win at Browerville, a great win for sub-section standingsthe

The Jaguars fastpitch team evened their overall record on Friday night with an 8-6 win over the Browerville Tigers. Now 2-2 overall, they took some sting out of the 8-6 loss the previous night to Holdingford.

The Jaguars scored 7 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a five-run deficit. Laura Johnson earned the win in 6 1/3 innings of relief pitching.

Browerville is a member of Sub-Section 5A-West.

The Pierz Pioneers baseball team made a big statement with a 5-2 win over West Central North Conference power Albany on Friday night. Pierz remains undefeated (4-0), while Albany falls to 3-1.

Area fastpitch results on Friday:
NL-S 10, Sauk Centre 0 (6 inn)
YME 1, K-M-S 0
Morris Area 6, Benson-Hancock 5
RCW 10, Buffalo Lake-Hector 7
Royalton 3, Upsala 2
Milaca 5, Pierz 1
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 11, Melrose 1 (5 innings)

Area baseball results on Friday:
Morris 13, A-C-GC 9
YME 10, K-M-S 5
MACCRAY 4, EV-W 3
Sauk Centre 16, Benson 3 (ouch)
Maple Lake 10, Upsala/Swanville Area 8
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 5, Browerville/Eagle Valley 4
Melrose 5 Minnewaska 0
Royalton 5, Holdingford 1

Area baseball results on Thursday:
BOLD 18, Benson 1
BOLD 8, Benson 6
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 8, Minnewaska Area 4
Chokio-Alberta 11, Ashby 1 F/5

Area fastpitch results on Thursday:
Ashby 18, West Central Area 7
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 3, Milaca 2
Osakis 7, Sauk Centre 6

More scores from Thursday and Friday's area action will be posted on Saturday.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Jaguars Baseball loses second straight one-run loss, this time 8-7 at Holdingford *Fastpitch drops 8-6 contest to Holdingford *Boys golf wins CMC Meet

Another tough loss for the Jaguars baseball team, who fell to 0-2 in the Central Minnesota Conference and 0-2 overall with an 8-7 loss at Holdingford on Thursday afternoon. The host Huskers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to come from behind for the win.

In a home game, the Jaguars fastpitch team fell to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the CMC with an 8-6 loss to the Huskers.

The Jaguars boys golf team won a Central Minnesota Conference meet yesterday by a one-stroke margin over host Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. Complete results are as follows:
(1) B-B-E 177 (2) Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 178 (3) Pierz 182 (4) Kimball/Eden Valley-Watkins 183 (5) Rockford 197 (6) Maple Lake 198.

Central Minnesota Conference baseball results:
Pierz 13, Eden Valley-Watkins 6
Rockford 3, Kimball 2
Maple Lake 4, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 1

Central Minnesota Conference fastpitch results:
Maple Lake 7, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 2
Rockford 8, Kimball Area 6

Area baseball results:
Browerville/Eagle Valley 8, Upsala/Swanville 0 (B-EV ace Scott Lieser, who has family ties to the Lake Henry area, pitched five shutout innings with 8 strikeouts)
Osakis 7, St. John's Prep 0
Royalton 8, Isle 1
Albany 8, Foley 4
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 2, Milaca 0
Lac qui Parle Valley 9, Paynesville Area 2
Paynesville Area 11, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
Sauk Rapids 8, Rocori 4
Willmar 2, Little Falls 1

More information will be posted later on Friday.

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Another first-place finish for the Jaguars boys track and field 4 x 100-meter Relay team, this time at home invite on Tuesday

The Jaguars took first place again in the 4 x 100-meter relay race, this time at the home invitational on Tuesday afternoon. They placed first with a time of 46.18 seconds, ahead of runner-up St.Cloud Cathedral at 46.55 seconds.

Placewinners on the boys side were Shane Olmscheid (110 High Hurdles), Levi Anderson (100 Sprint, High Jump), Jackson Illies (High Jump), Grant Bell (1600 Run, 3200 Run) and Ben Borgerding (Pole Vault).

On the girls side, Heidi Lensing placed in four events, winning the 300 Low Hurdles, Long Jump, and High Jump. She also placed second in the 100-meter Sprint.

Full results with times will appear in next week's newspapers.

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Jaguars Baseball loses a 5-0 first-inning lead in a 7-6 season-opening loss to Eden Valley-Watkins ... Fastpitch drubs EV-W 11-3

The Jaguars baseball team took a hard loss on the diamond in their season opener on Tuesday afternoon in Regal. After going up 5-0 in the first inning, the Eagles clawed back into the game, ultimately winning with a four-run seventh inning rally.

The baseball team continues CMC action on Thursday at Holdingford with a 4:30 game.

The Jaguars fastpitch team got off to a good start to their 2009 Central Minnesota Conference schedule, when they picked up an 11-3 win at Eden Valley on Tuesday afternoon.

Fastpitch will host Holdingford at 4:30 on Thursday.

Other action for the Jaguars on Thursday: the Track and Field teams are at Paynesville for a 4:30 meet. The boys golf team is at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted for a 4:15 meet. The Junior High baseball teams (7th/8th grade) hosts Melrose at 4:15 at the High School sports complex diamonds.

Action on Friday/Saturday: The Fastpitch team travels to Browerville for a non-conference game against the Tigers at 4:30 on Friday. It is also a Section 5A game, so a win will be key for the Jaguars to stay near the top of the sub-section rankings. Also, the Junior High baseball teams host Eden Valley-Watkins at 4:15 on Friday at the high school diamonds.

On Saturday, the boys golf team is at Minnewaska for a 9:00am meet. The girls golf team travels to Benson for a 9:00am meet the same day.

Central Minnesota Conference baseball results:
Pierz 3, Holdingford 0
Maple Lake 4, Rockford 2
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 14, Kimball Area 3

Central Minnesota Conference fastpitch results:
Holdingford 4, Pierz 0
Maple Lake 10, Rockford 1 (ML's 48th straight CMC win)
HL-W-W 7, Kimball Area 5

Area baseball results on Tuesday:
Albany 10, Sauk Centre 3
Foley 16, Melrose Area 1
St. Cloud Cathedral 5, Milaca 0
Paynesville Area 11, Montevideo 1 (5 innings)
LQPV 14, Benson 4 (5 inn)
BOLD 10, ACGC 2
Morris 9, Minnewaska 8
NL-S 9, LP-GE 0
Rocori 5, Alexandria 4
Sauk Rapids 5, Little Falls 1
Sartell 6, Fergus Falls 5
Albany 14, Sauk Centre 6 (Huskies make a big statement in the West Central North Conference)
St. Cloud Cathedral 10, Milaca 0
Buffalo 5, Becker 0
Annandale 9, Litchfield 7
Upsala/Swanville 11, St. John’s Prep 1
Royalton 3, Osakis 0

Area fastpitch results on Tuesday:
Osakis 12, St. John’s Prep 0
BOLD 3, ACGC 2
NL-S 5, LP-GE 0
Minnewaska 7, Morris 2
Paynesville 8, Montevideo 0
Benson/Hancock 5, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
Redwood 8, Luverne 0
Redwood 9, Luverne 6
K-M-S 20, Canby/Minneota 2 (6 innings, Fighting Saints plate 9 runs in the sixth inning!)
KMS 6, Canby/Minneota 0
St.Cloud Tech 7, St.Cloud Apollo 6
Sauk Rapids 1, Little Falls 0
Rocori 8, Alexandria 2
Fergus Falls 5, Sartell 0

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Jaguars track and field hosts invitational at the High School sports complex

Other area teams included at the meet are NL-S and Paynesville Area.

The Jaguars baseball team opens their 2009 season today with a home game against Eden Valley-Watkins. The game begins at 4:30 in Regal. The Elrosa diamond may be ready as early as next week for action.

The Jaguars fastpitch team (0-1) looks for their first win of the season at Eden Valley-Watkins today. The Central Minnesota Conference opener is set for 4:30 at the Eagles' softball park on the east end of Eden Valley.

Area fastpitch results on Monday:
YME 3, RCW 2
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 12, Buffalo Lake-Hector 0 (5 inn)
Paynesville 11, Sauk Centre 0 (5 inn, Woehler spins a no-hitter)
NLS 15, Foley 4 (6 inn)
St. Cloud Cathedral 5, Albany 4 (an early showdown between top West Central Conference North teams)
Osakis 8, Kimball Area 3

Area baseball results on Monday:
LQPV 5, Montevideo 4
Morris 11, YME 0
Sauk Centre 3, Paynesville 1
MACCRAY 22, Dawson-Boyd 5 (Uuf Da!)
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 5, K-M-S 2
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 5, Redwood Valley 2
Cedar Mountain 8, Buffalo Lake-Hector 1
Albany 5, St.Cloud Cathedral 2
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 2, Osakis 1

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Jaguars Boys Track team has strong 5th-place showing at Paynesville Invitational on Thursday

The Jaguars boys track team got its first taste of outdoors competition on Thursday afternoon when they participated in the Paynesville Invitational. The Jaguars beat New London-Spicer, Eden Valley-Watkins, and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, totaling 71 team points.

They were led by Levi Anderson, Jackson Illies, and the 4 x 100-meter relay team, who took first place with a time of 45.07 seconds. Anderson won the 100-meter sprint with a time of 11.34 seconds.

The Jaguars girls track team placed 7th with 38.5 team points. They were led by Heidi Lensing's first place performances in the 200-meter sprint (27.19 seconds), the long jump (15-6 1/2), and the high jump (5-4)...the standout senior three-sport athlete is in her fourth year of varsity competition for the Jaguars track team.

Coming up next week... the Jaguars baseball team is set to open their 2009 season when they host Eden Valley-Watkins at Elrosa. The game is set for 4:30.

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Jaguars Fastpitch falls to Osakis in season opener 5-1

The Jaguars Fastpitch team fell in its season opener by a 5-1 margin to the Osakis Silverstreaks on Thursday afternoon. The Jaguars were limited to three hits by Silverstreaks' freshmen Sabrina Zimmel. Jaguars' starting pitcher Michelle Sanders (also a freshmen) was roughed up for five runs on six hits in six innings of work in the circle. Only one of the Osakis runs were earned.

It was a tough loss for the defending Sub-Section 5A-West champions, as the visiting Silverstreaks avenged last year's 8-4 sub-section semi-final loss to the Jaguars.

The Jaguars (0-1) travel to Eden Valley-Watkins to face the Eagles in their Central Minnesota Conference opener next Tuesday, April 14.

Area fastpitch results:
Yellow Medicine East 14, Dawson-Boyd 11
Rocori 11, Fergus Falls 0 (5 innings)
Paynesville Area 7, Minnewaska Area 4 (the Bulldogs totaled 12 hits)
Foley 8, Pierz 7
Eden Valley-Watkins 7, Litchfield 1
Dassel-Cokato 7, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 3

Area baseball results:
Renville County West 10, Dawson-Boyd 0
MACCRAY 16, Minneota 1 (The Wolverines totaled 18 hits)
Paynesville 6, Minnewaska 1
Royalton 12, Maple Lake 2

...Just a sidebar note...This is a great link to bookmark if you want to take a look at the 9th-12th grade enrollment figures for Minnesota high schools. This is the figure that was used to determine what class of playoff sections a school is assigned to. B-B-E's figure is 213 students enrolled in the top-four grades (based on figures from earlier this academic year). It actually represents a small dip from the last re-classification period, where B-B-E had 219 enrolled. Fortunately, it was just enough of a dip to allow the basketball teams to get back into Class A.

Enough of my rambling...here's the link: http://mshsl.org/mshsl/enrollments09.asp

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In a recent survey of businesses in the U.S., a whopping 40% of businesses are freezing or cutting wages in 2009

Businesses in the U.S. are in the fight of their lives, trying to get through the recession, which began over 14 months ago in December 2007. That is an eye-opener, 40% of businesses freezing or cutting wages for their workers.

My question: Will public entities (schools, counties, state, etc) follow suit?

Jaguars Boys Golf beats other Jaguars teams to the punch, opens 2009 season with a CMC meet at Plymouth

The Jaguars boys golf team, 2008 Sub-Section 5A-North runners-up, made a trip down to the Twin Cities on Tuesday afternoon for the first Central Minnesota Conference meet of the season.

Conference team Rockford hosted the meet at Hollydale Golf Club in Plymouth.

Jordan Lewis led the Jaguars with a 49. As a team, they tied with Maple Lake for fourth place with a 204.

Team scoring: (1) Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 186 (2) Rockford 196 (3) Kimball/Eden Valley-Watkins 199 (4) tie Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Maple Lake 204 (6) Pierz 206

Individual medalist – Kyle LeDoux, Rockford, 43

Results for the Jaguars – Jordan Lewis 49, Corey Tonn 51, Matt Goodwin 52, Mike Rodgers 52, Aaron Roelike 52.

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Finally, area spring sports action gets going this week

A number of area fastpitch and baseball teams jump-started their seasons on Monday and Tuesday this week, as a few diamonds around Central Minnesota are finally fit to see action.

Area baseball scores:
Minnewaska Area 6, Benson 3

Area fastpitch scores:
Paynesville Area 4, BOLD 0
Minn. Valley Luth. 14, Buffalo Lake-Hector 4
LQPV 17, YME 14

Jaguars fastpitch game at New London-Spicer is cancelled - No make-up date set (yet)

The Jaguars fastpitch was set to open at New London-Spicer today. However, field conditions at NL-S warrant the cancellation of the game.

We need the weather to help us out! Keep wishing for some 60s on the thermometer.

A tragedy of epic proportions rocks the Montevideo school district - Fourth grader drowns during swimming event in Granite Falls

The Montevideo school district will be searching for answers as they come to grips with the following tragedy. Details are outlined below in a statement by Superintendent David Baukol, from the Montevideo School District website: http://www.montevideoschools.com/

"On Friday, April 3rd, 2009, the students of Sanford Elementary in Montevideo were at the Kilowatt Center in Granite Falls for a swim outing as part of a reward day for AR and AM performance. During the afternoon, one of the 4th grade students, Eddie Ojer, was found underwater. He was removed from the water and CPR was begun at the center. Paramedics were called but attempts to revive Eddie at the site were not successful. He was transported by ambulance to the Granite Falls hospital. A helicopter then transported him to the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

On Sunday, April 5, 2009, school district officials were notified by HCMC that Eddie had passed away. Funeral arrangements are pending at this time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Eddie's family and friends.

Montevideo schools will be in session on Monday. Counselors and social workers will be at the schools to help students, parents and staff."

Montevideo is a member of the West Central South Conference, of which the Jaguars were also members for 11 seasons from 1989-1999. Current Montevideo Middle School principal Chad Pederson is a former B-B-E science teacher (1994-1998) and coach.

(Hopefully) Jaguars fastpitch/golf/track can begin their seasons in earnest next week

Though the weather doesn't forecast much for warmth next week, competitions are scheduled for the Jaguars fastpitch and track teams. On Monday (April 6), the girls and boys track teams are slated for a meet at Paynesville. On Tuesday (April 7), the girls golf team has a golf meet at Melrose, with the boys golf team scheduled at Rockford.

The Jaguars fastpitch team has games at New London-Spicer (on Monday) and home against Osakis (on Thursday) for next week. The Jaguars are the defending Sub-Section 5A-West champions from 2008. After going 5-3 in their first eight Central Minnesota Conference games last year, the Jaguars got hot heading towards playoffs by finishing the league schedule 5-1 for a 10-4 finish, good for second place alone. Maple Lake won the CMC for the third straight season, unblemished at 14-0.

The Jaguars fastpitch finished 11-5 overall in the regular season last year before going 3-0 in the Sub-Section 5A-West tournament and 0-2 in Section 5A action. Their 14-7 record last year was the best for Jaguars fastpitch since 1998, when they set the school record with a 16-win campaign.

In terms of how they stacked up against the 145 Class A fastpitch teams in Minnesota, the Jaguars finished 2008 at #22, based on strength-of-schedule rankings.

I doubt any of the field conditions will allow competitions in the early part of next week.

The Jaguars baseball team isn't scheduled to begin their season for a couple more weeks. They went 15-5 last season on the diamond. In the Central Minnesota Conference, the Jaguars finished in second place with a 10-4 record. Pierz won the CMC with a 12-2 record. In Sub-Section 5A-South, the Jaguars went 1-1, losing to eventual Section 5A champion Browerville/Eagle Valley 7-0 in the semi-finals.

A story showing a sign of the times - and a warning, if you don't support something, you will lose it

"The Big Store grocery in New London closing Monday"

By: Garret Felder, West Central Tribune

NEW LONDON — Longtime New London grocery the Big Store will close Monday after struggling for business during the winter months.

Carla Hedtke of the Big Store told the Tribune today the downtown New London grocery store will close sometime Monday following a 30-percent-off sale of the store’s goods.

Hedtke said the Big Store’s staff was informed about the grocery store’s closing yesterday. The Hedtke family, headed by Brian Hedtke, has owned the store for over three years, she said.

“It’s just slow,” Hedtke said. “We’re just trying to get over the winter months.”

The store will hold the 30-percent-off sale on its goods until its closing, Hedtke said.

Look for more information on the Big Store’s closing in Friday’s edition of the West Central Tribune.

The moral of the story is, if you don't support your local businesses, you will lose them. If you have any decency in you, remember that Wal-Mart does not need your money!

Story on the Pierz Pioneers baseball team - From the Morrison County Record

"Pierz eyes fourth straight CMC title"

Matt Perkins
Staff Writer

With three straight Central Minnesota Conference (CMC) championships under its belt, the Pierz baseball team is hungry for a fourth consecutive title.

In his 11th season as head coach of the Pioneers, Dave Rocheleau contributes the success of his high school program to the strong baseball program at all levels in Pierz which generates young talent to fill the void when senior starters graduate.

And after losing seven starters, the Pioneers (12-2 in the CMC last season, 13-7 overall) will once again need younger players to contribute, beginning April 7 when the team opens the season on the road against St. Cloud Cathedral.

"The last few years we've lost key seniors and always replaced them," Rocheleau said. "This year will have to be no different if we're going to compete."

Seniors Michael Weber, Breck Weber and Tyler Monson will lead a Pioneers' lineup that has boasted some power in previous seasons. Michael Weber hit .400 last season while Breck finished with a .310 average.

Michael Weber will also be the Pierz ace on the mound this season, coming off a 2008 campaign in which he went 6-1 as a starter. Monson will also headline the starting rotation.

And while seniors and juniors like Mike Poser, Brett Barrett, Zach Doroff, Travis Kahl, Zach Pohlkamp, Zach Kummet and Mitch Woitalla bring letterwinner experience to the field for the Pioneers this season, Rocheleau also expects non-letterwinners to contribute.

Jesse Nordmann, Dillon Wieczorek and Dylan Kummet are three players Rocheleau believes can help bring a fourth-straight conference title to Pierz.

But there is always competition in the CMC.

Rocheleau looks at Eden Valley-Watkins and Holdingford as conference favorites this season, with things getting even tougher in Section 6AA.

One of the toughest sections in Class AA, Pierz has to compete with Little Falls, Albany and St. Cloud Cathedral.

"We're going to have to be solid on defense," Rocheleau said. "To get three conference championships in a row we've played good defense, minimizing mistakes. We'll need to continue that tradition."

Good luck and best wishes to the B-B-E Speech Team in the upcoming Section 5A meet on Saturday

Last weekend, the B-B-E Speech team won the Sub-Section 5A-19 championship with a dominating performance at the Swanville high school. At the end of the day, they totaled 281 team points compared to second-place Sauk Centre's 222.

Twenty entries from the B-B-E team will compete on Saturday (April 4) at St.Cloud Cathedral High School.

The Jaguars are now three-time defending Sub-Section 5A-19 champions.

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