extended sports coverage for the B-B-E community brought to you by the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper in Brooten, MN. (Address: P.O. Box 250, Brooten) http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com. ALL VIEWS posted are strictly and without exception the opinions of the newspaper owner and no one else; they're written in first hand format. Please submit feedback in writing to the address posted above. **This is Minnesota's oldest varsity high school sports blog. We hope to keep it going into the future!
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Gearing up for Bonanza Valley Days 2021
If you haven't noticed, blog posts have been few and far between for about the past week or so. The lion's share of my "spare time" has been consumed in two ways: our 2,000 square foot family garden and gearing up for Bonanza Valley Days 2021 in Brooten.
Read more about BVD at the following web article on the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website (short link): https://bit.ly/3jJL9KP. *Also: the Bonanza Valley Voice website's community calendar has finally been updated to be current for July 1. You can see that by clicking on this short link: https://bit.ly/3ygQddD.
I missed posting about tonight's amateur baseball game between the Elrosa Saints and the Paynesville Pirates. Smooth Magic 107 FM was calling that game.
That's all for tonight. Every day will get busier and busier as we approach next Thursday, July 8!
(HD VIDEO) Elrosa starter introductions at Elite 8 tournament
Here's video from the starter introductions and then the top of the first inning in the Saturday, June 19 game between the Elrosa Saints and the Cold Spring Muskies.
This game was the semifinal game of Elrosa's Elite 8 tournament. It drew a crowd of nearly 200 fans that night, and first pitch took place shortly after 9 p.m.
More to come. After taking a little break from full-time work, it's time to rev up this news and sports reporting machine!
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team travels to Farming tonight for a Stearns County League game. First pitch is at 8 p.m.
The Flames are 3-5 in the SCL-South standings, while Elrosa is 3-6 in the SCL-North standings.
*Update:the Saints fell 7-1 to the Flames in the Friday night game.
This is a camping weekend and a big gardening weekend, which means there's been little time for blogging. We haven't even caught up with the June 24 Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 zip code report yet, and it is now Sunday night as I type this.
This week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper included a large school board story based on the Monday meeting held this week at the high school library. It included information on the 2020-2021 school year that was very wrong...it was somewhat an oversight, but what was stated was very factually incorrect.
In describing the 2020-2021 school year, the article said that grades preK-3 were in school (in person) for all 39 weeks of the year. That is correct.
However, the story "went off the rails" from there. I don't know what I was thinking, but in focusing on the elementary grades, it then went on to say that grades 4-6 were in school (in person) for 36 of 39 weeks. That is correct...but it said that from December 1 to December 22, that grades 4-6 were "off"...as in, off of school...no school. That's wildly inaccurate. They were very much "at school" but through distance learning. I should know, as one of our children were very much 'at school' with distance learning in that time. It seems like years ago, but it's just a half a year ago. So much has happened since that time.
I feel terrible about it because I know first hand how much work and effort our teachers put into distance learning. Our students were very much not "off" during that time. Not in the least bit.
Accurate: (corrected again***!) grades 4-12 at B-B-E were using the a hybrid model of e-learning with a small mix of students still utilizing in-person learning. The shift to this model was in part due to a rise in COVID-19 cases on the local front and the very real fear of not having adequate staff who are not in quarantine to operate the full, in-person PreK-12 model. This lasted from December 1 to December 22. It was a challenging period of time, but a challenge that B-B-E rose up for. Students who needed special education services or to do work such as in a science lab could do that in December. It was a "relief valve" of sorts to the education system at B-B-E to weather the storm that Minnesota was experiencing at the time.
Other than that three-week period, B-B-E kids in grades 4-12 were in school (in person) the entire time for 36 of the 39 weeks of the school year.
To have all of our students (with the exception of a few kids who used full distance learning for 2020-2021)...in person and in class for grades PreK-12 for 36 of 39 weeks is absolutely tremendous. It is marvelous. I am so proud of B-B-E school for pulling that off! The staff and students deserve a huge, huge round of applause.
I don't know how I can get something so near and dear to me so incorrect in a news article. It was the result of haste, working too fast and working in a somewhat sloppy manner. The turnaround for a school board story in 24 hours is tough, but I usually pull it off without issues. If I can't confidently write about it, then I just hold it for another week. Lesson: haste makes waste! A lesson for everyone: if you hurry through your work, you have a much greater chance of making mistakes.
Now that I've got your attention...click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice website and read more about the upcoming Bonanza Valley Days 2021 celebration in Brooten! It's coming! July 8, 9, 10 and 11. (short link) https://bit.ly/3h6nAIS. Spread the word and get everyone you know to town that weekend!
The B-B-E Clay Trapshooting JV squad won the Class 6A state title at the state meet last weekend on Saturday. They did so by a one-clay margin over second-place Warroad. B-B-E shot down a total of 434 clays, while Warroad shot down a total of 433 clays. In third place was Fergus Falls JV with a score of 428.
Minnesota's Class 6A of state clay trap shooting included 23 teams.
Here's a cell phone-recorded video clip from that morning:
And here's another video clip shot with a camcorder at the state meet:
B-B-E's varsity trapshooting team placed 14th out of 20 teams with a cumulative score of 446. Red Wing was varsity state champions in Class 6A with a 483.
This was one of a handful of items that didn't make it into this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. The good news is, the June 24 issue didn't bury me. I'm still here.
Here's info on BVD 2021 in Brooten! (short link) https://bit.ly/3A59u3t. Included is a video clip from the BVD Vintage Snowmobile show in July 2017.
We have a very heavy lift to pull through on today, as the Bonanza Valley Voice is shaping up as a 14-page newspaper this week. It is crazy. Everything is racing by at full speed right now. We are hoping to get more published regarding the upcoming Bonanza Valley Days celebration. That's coming fast!!! July 8, 9, 10 and 11 in Brooten.
The Elrosa Saints Little Dipper team's home game with Spring Hill was rained out last night. The makeup date for the game is July 7. Elrosa's next Little Dipper league game is Wednesday this week at Regal. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.
Tomorrow night, Tuesday, the B-B-E Jaguars 14-U fastpitch team has their first home game of the summer at 6 p.m. The opponent will be Osakis II. (Osakis offers two 14-U summer rec teams.)
Extra, extra! Read all about it! This is a news story that I have been meaning to write since January.
January!!!!
Finally getting to this. It's a fairly important story to share with readers and local citizens of the Bonanza Valley area. We have had many, many weeks in 2021 where it would have been beneficial to be a newspaper that published twice per week. (YES, you read that correctly.) Publishing twice a week has just not been practical. It's a thought we've entertained, but the logistics of it make it all but impossible. This all illustrates how busy the past six months have been here.
The Voice took a huge hit in what was a disastrous 2019 as the Brooten Commercial Club scandal blew up the town. The result was a loss here of over 50 subscribers who punished the newspaper for publishing those BCC-related stories. It really didn't start to come back until two winters ago as the COVID-19 drama unfolded.
With all that behind us, it's good to be growing again!!
I have an update that Starbuck defeated Rogers 6-2 in a rain-shortened, six-inning game. Two games were scrubbed: fifth place and third place games. The championship game was played, and Sartell emerged as champions of the Elite 8 tournament with a win over Tri City.
We are mildly celebrating the rainfall received across the Bonanza Valley area, although it ultimately hasn't turned out to be much.
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is hosting their annual Elite 8 tournament this weekend.
In the second game on Friday night in Elrosa, Hastings beat New London-Spicer 9-1.
Sartell won 5-0 over Fergus Falls to advance to the Saturday night game. Sartell and Elrosa are playing now in today's final game, which started just shy of 9 p.m. We've got about 150 fans in the park tonight. It's a great atmosphere!!
Here's video from the end of the Elrosa vs. Starbuck game last night:
The other Round One score was Tri City 4, Rogers 3.
Round Two scores: Fergus Falls 8, Starbuck 1; NL-S 9, Rogers 8; and Tri City 5, Hastings 4.
*Late Saturday night update: in the Saturday night game to end the second day of action, the Sartell Muskies defeated Elrosa 8-2 in the last semifinal game to advance to the championship. They'll face Tri City at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Elrosa.
It's been quite a day, and the Saints win! (VIDEO)
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won 2-0 tonight over Starbuck. And after that, we prayed for rain at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Elrosa with a crowd of at least 150 farmers and concerned local citizens. That was a very special experience, although what's happening with the drought conditions is tough to witness.
Elrosa's next game is tomorrow night at 8 p.m. The Saints will play the winner of Saturday's 10 a.m. game between Sartell and Fergus Falls.
The Tri City Sharks and Rogers Red Devils will square off at noon in Elrosa on Saturday. That's all I've got now. It's Saturday morning as I type this and I have to get to the state clay trapshooting meet ASAP! That's in Alexandria at 10:30 a.m.
Here's the National Anthem prior to tonight's game:
Here's video from the bottom of the second inning when the Saints scored their first run of the game:
When you're in Elrosa this weekend, be sure to stop and patronize Bucky's Bar and Bayer Gas and Grocery! They are loyal and steady supporters of both the Elrosa baseball program plus the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Thank you for your support!
(HD VIDEO and more) Third annual Curd Fest is tomorrow! (Saturday)
From page one of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper...the third annual Curd Fest at Redhead Creamery is tomorrow! Hopefully that's not news to you by now. It's been published in the last few issues of The Voice plus an initial press release published in May.
Read more about it at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website (short link) = https://bit.ly/3gC5JJy.
Here's a video clip from a tour at Redhead Creamery way back in April of 2015!
Also, tonight! Elrosa vs. Starbuck in amateur baseball action. They square off in the first game of the Elite 8 tournament tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Elrosa. The weekend will wrap up for the newspaper's sports department with an Elrosa Little Dipper game at Saints Field on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. against Spring Hill. A jam packed weekend!
What can I say? It's a day like no other, as we celebrated a 100-year birthday party with John O. Bohmer of Brooten. The atmosphere and turnout were incredible today for his birthday party at Bonanza Valley State Bank. It is safe to say that the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper would not exist in its present form without the loyal support of BVSB. They are a regular advertiser in both the newspaper and The Voice website. This support is crucial to keep this operation going!
More to come.
Here's video from the party!
And get this on your schedule...another party! This time we celebrate a 30th anniversary of one of our local insurance agencies: Mary Olmscheid Agency of Elrosa and Sauk Centre. Click for details = https://bit.ly/3iOLU4t.
I have known Mary since I was in 7th grade at B-B-E high school. She is a dearly beloved member of our community. John and Mary Olmscheid have done so much for us, where do I begin? John served for over 20 years as gambling manager of the Elrosa Baseball Club before recently retiring. The list goes on and on...congrats Mary!
And...other news...here's more good news! Great news! This is the latest update on COVID-19 for the local zip code area of Belgrade, Brooten and Elrosa...which includes about 4,300 children and adults living in town and in the country with the zip codes 56312, 56316 and 56325. Read more here = https://bit.ly/3wCRn2n. There you can also view a video highlighting the topic of natural immunity in the U.S.
To the west in South Dakota, today they reported their first COVID-19 related death in over a week. That's right: they went over a week with no COVID-related deaths. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, those deaths are still hovering in the 4 to 9 per day range. Also, today South Dakota had just 11 new COVID-19 cases in a state of about 900,000 people. Extrapolated out in Minnesota, that would be equal on a population basis as our state having 66 new cases. What was our actual new case count today? That number is 142. Hmm? Maybe they mask up better in South Dakota??? (That's sarcasm, by the way)
And! The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team hosts Starbuck to kick off the Elite 8 tournament this weekend. The Saints face the Stars in Elrosa on Friday (tomorrow) at 6:30 p.m. The game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. (Thanks, Brady!) That's not the only game tomorrow night. The 8:30 p.m. game will feature New London-Spicer against the Hastings Hawks. It will be an exciting weekend to welcome numerous teams from across Minnesota to Elrosa!
Tonight the B-B-E Jaguars 12-U baseball team hosted ROCORI at the high school sports complex. The Jaguars were down a couple solid players and lost 8-2 to the Spartans. Last week in their summer season opener, the 12-U Jaguars defeated Minnewaska Area by a 6-4 score.
And! Before this gets too outdated, here's video from Sunday, May 30 at the beach at Grove Lake Township park:
That's all for this post. Time flies when you're in the fast lane.
In a solid ending to the 2021 season, the Minnewaska/B-B-E Blue Jackets girls' golf team finished in fourth place at the Class 2A state meet today in Belle Plaine. Minnewaska/B-B-E finished with a score of 732, which was five strokes behind third-place Fergus Falls. Providence Academy shot a 717 for state runner-up honors. Lake City is the state champion with a score of 673.
More to come later. I have to get back in the garden!
I don't have time for anything tonight other than posting about the exciting doubleheader sweep tonight for the B-B-E Jaguars 12-U fastpitch team. The Jaguars defeated Osakis 9-6 and then 11-3 on the home diamond.
Time to get back to my June 17 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice.
Elrosa Little Dipper wins, B-B-E Legion falls by one
The Elrosa Saints Little Dipper baseball team won at New Munich last night (Sunday) by an 8-6 score to square their record at 2-2 overall. The game lasted nine innings, two more than the regulation standard of seven innings in that division.
The Stearns County League Little Dipper division is comprised of players who have completed 4th through 8th grade this past school year.
Next: the Elrosa Little Dipper team hosts Spring Hill on Sunday, June 20 with a 6:30 p.m. start time. The Chargers are 4-0 this season.
The B-B-E Jaguars American Legion Post No. 288 team lost a heartbreaker tonight by a 4-3 score at the Minnewaska Area high school stadium to the Glenwood-Lowry Legion team. The game was aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood, and I knew that last week...but I have been quite overwhelmed with news and sports lately, and I forgot to post that information here.
Here's the link to view the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper photo gallery from the Sub-Section 6A-21 meet in Wheaton on June 3: (short link) https://bit.ly/3xn4XXL.
That's all for tonight. The Brooten city council meeting lasted until 10 p.m. tonight, and it took the wind out of my sails.
(VIDEOS) More from Section 6A track and field, fastpitch...and clay trapshooting
Tonight I'll get more video posted from the section meet on Thursday in Fergus Falls.
Here's Branton Jones in his second throw of the shot put event:
Branton's finish of 10th place met his goal of being in the Top 10 out of 16 competitors at the Section 6A meet. He is a sophomore with two more years to make a bid for the state tournament.
(Added Monday afternoon) Here's Allisa Knight in the medals ceremony for the girls' triple jump event at Fergus Falls:
*Here's video I haven't posted yet from the top of the fifth inning of the final fastpitch game of the playoffs, which was almost two weeks ago, during the Sub-Section 6A-South quarterfinals in Benson between our Jaguars and the host Braves:
More to come...with updates on Monday afternoon here.
B-B-E Clay Trap Top Guns
This year's winners of the Top Gun Award from the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa clay trapshooting team went to Jack Paulson and Kara Wold.
The Top Gun Award goes to the male and female athlete with the highest season average in shooting trap.
The Trap Team finishes its season this Saturday, June 19, at the State Trap Championship at Alexandria Shooting Park starting at 10:30 a.m. All spectators are welcome. Food and non-alchoholic beverages can be brought to the event or purchased on event grounds and consumed in spectator or camping areas.
Classifications include Novice (0-14.99 average per round), junior varsity (15-18.99 average per round) and varsity (19-25 average per round).
This weekend has been pretty much "100-miles-an-hour" since the trip to Fergus Falls on Thursday, and it hasn't slowed much even though today is Sunday. Go, go, go, go, go!
It's been about 12 hours since I returned from the Sunburg Fire Department street dance. It was, as they say, "Off the hook!". It was a really, really tremendous street dance. They had a record turnout. It was awesome!
Also today: the Sedan Fire and Rescue is hosting another always-fun meat raffle at 2 p.m. at Rooney's Bar.
In news from over in South Dakota...they reported just eight new COVID cases on Friday, June 11. Just eight in a state of 900,000 people. I need to post a blog post with our new COVID numbers from June 10. The MDH reported just one case for Belgrade for the prior week, none in Brooten and none in Elrosa.
Click here and get a sneak preview of Bonanza Valley Days 2021 = https://bit.ly/2ROANgS.
It's Battle for the Keg night in Elrosa! The big game is tonight at 8 p.m. at Saints Field!
The game was previewed on page one of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. The game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood and also 1150 AM KASM of Albany.
Let's get a huge crowd to the stadium!
UPDATES TO FOLLOW.
Well, that's in the book. It was a tough night for the Elrosa Saints, who played with a slightly shorter roster than usual. The Spring Hill Chargers kept possession of the Keg with a 14-0 seven-inning win over Elrosa. The Chargers tallied 13 hits compared to just two by the Saints.
That's all for now. I'm heading to the street dance in Sunburg!! Let the good times roll.
And! Open the windows tonight...low of 59 degrees. Oh, My! That is some good sleeping weather. It will get hot tomorrow with a high of 92 degrees.
(VIDEOS) More from the Section 6A track and field meet
Here's the start of the boys' 1600-meter run at Fergus Falls yesterday:
Here's the final stretch of the 1600 run:
And here's Pieper finishing up the 1600-meter run at Fergus Falls:
B-B-E's Kaden Pieper finished in fifth place with a Section 6A medal in his first trip there. Now it's time to get back in the garden!
*Update late Friday night: the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team picked up a big win at Freeport tonight by a 15-4 score. They had 10 hits compared to six by the Black Sox, and Luke VanBeck earned the pitching win in four innings of work.
Next: the Saints host Spring Hill tomorrow night in the big Battle For the Keg game. Come out to the park in Elrosa! Bring friends, family, neighbors!
I'll get updates posted here around noon, possibly earlier, from Fergus Falls high school on Thursday. Four members of the B-B-E Jaguars track and field teams are competing for state berths at the Section 6A meet.
More to come. (Videos added below on Thursday night)
UPDATES from Fergus Falls high school:
Allisa Knight started at 10 a.m. today in the long jump preliminaries. That's all I have right now.
**Allisa Knight finished in third place in the long jump with a best distance of 15 feet, 11 inches. That's a great medal to add to her huge pile of track and field medals!!
Branton Jones finished in 10th place in the shot put prelims. He had a goal of getting to the Top 10 and met that goal! His best throw was 39 ft 1.5 in.
Allisa Knight qualified for the triple jump finals! She's still going as of 1 p.m.
**Mid-afternoon update: Kaden Pieper had a great race in the 800 run. He finished in fifth place for a section medal in his first trip here.
And Allisa Knight finished a tremendous career at B-B-E with a fifth-place finish in the triple jump. Her best was a 33' 6.75" jump.
Ryan Schwinghammer ended his fantastic three-sport career at B-B-E with a section medalist performance in the triple jump. He finished tied for fifth place.
The heat is tremendously tremendously difficult right now. I scrubbed any post meet interviews with the athletes. We all need to get home and cool off and get rehydrated!!!
Headed out from Otter Stadium at 15:30. Even with the heat, it's been an awesome meet!!!!
Update - back at home now...the first thing I did after arriving at the office was to FINALLY post the worship video from Sunday at Games Lake county park. That's on the Bonanza Valley Voice website, and you can view it by clicking on the following short link: https://bit.ly/2TSwFwZ.
Here's video, finally! From today...the first clip I recorded at Fergus Falls:
Here's a video of Knight's second jump in the Section 6A long jump finals today:
Knight jumped 15'11" in the first video posted. In the second video, which was her second in the finals, she jumped to 15 feet, six inches. Her jump of 15'11" was good for third place out of 16 competitors at sections.
And here's sophomore Branton Jones in the shot put prelims today at Fergus Falls:
Section 6A baseball update: the K-M-S Fighting Saints saw their tremendous season come to a close in the elimination bracket final. The Ashby Arrows defeated them 12-2 today. Their final record was 19-2, including a 10-0 mark in the Camden Conference.
Ashby takes a 24-2 record into the Section 6A championship series against New York Mills. They squared off tonight, and if Ashby wins, a second game will be on Saturday. If the Eagles win, they will repeat as section champions. In 2019, they defeated the B-B-E Jaguars in the Section 6A championship series and ultimately took second at the Class 1A state tournament.
Section 6A fastpitch update: the Benson Braves, who nearly lost in their first-round game to our B-B-E Jaguars but prevailed by a 7-6 score, defeated Hancock today in the elimination bracket final by a 2-1 score. That win qualified them for the Section 6A championship series against undefeated Browerville. The Tigers were too much for the Braves and won their second straight shut out game in the postseason. Final score: Browerville 9, Benson 0. The Tigers take a 23-0 record into the state tournament, while Benson finishes an excellent season 18-8 overall.
THANK YOU to Coop's Corner of Belgrade and Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten for the extended support of our Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper sports department! This is crucial for the ability to deliver up-to-date sports coverage for our B-B-E Jaguars.
Section 6A track and field (tomorrow) ...and other random notes
It's gonna be a scorcher tomorrow for the Section 6A track and field meet in Fergus Falls. Action begins at 10 a.m. at Fergus Falls high school. Section officials moved up the start time from the usual time of noon in order to try beating some of the heat that will arrive at high levels in the afternoon. The forecast says it will get to 96 degrees just after 3 p.m.
Competing for the B-B-E Jaguars track and field teams at sections are sophomore Branton Jones, sophomore Kaden Pieper, senior Ryan Schwinghammer and senior Allisa Knight. They were featured in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice in a group photo at the Greg Deal Track and Field Complex in Wheaton last Thursday. I was unable to get action photos of them published, as instead I featured kids who did not advance. I somehow managed to publish pictures that included 11 members of the track and field team in this week's Voice. I will get this sports blog updated at Fergus Falls as frequently as I can...look for updates in a new blog post later in the morning. Those four Jaguars will compete in the following events as listed below.
Branton Jones: shot put.
Kaden Pieper: 800 and 1600 runs
Allisa Knight: long and triple jumps
Ryan Schwinghammer: 200 dash and triple jump
I have been keeping close tabs on the per-capita COVID-19 new case numbers comparing South Dakota and Minnesota since mid-March. On a consistent basis since about April 1, South Dakota has had half (or less) the new case numbers per capita than Minnesota has. For example, in today's health department reports...South Dakota reported 12 new cases of COVID-19. If you extrapolate that out based on population, that would be comparable to Minnesota having 72 new cases. However, what was Minnesota's new case count today? That number was 150...over twice the per-capita level of South Dakota. And remember: the state of South Dakota NEVER MANDATED MASKS FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. NOT FOR ONE SINGLE DAY in 2020 or 2021.
End rant.
In other news...I spent about an hour tonight on an approximately 25-square foot plot in our family garden planting more sweet corn. Oh, boy, it was hot! And this happened after the sun went down with a flashlight in one hand. That was a good workout!!
And here's a plug for the Sunburg Fire Department street dance! Coming this Saturday, June 12 at the Sunburg Fire Hall. They're featured on page one of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper, and you can read it online by clicking here = https://bit.ly/2Sn5EBy.
Here's more video from the fastpitch playoffs on Tuesday, June 1 in Benson. This clip is from the sub-section quarterfinals against Benson:
The video clip was recorded in the top of the fourth inning, during which the Jaguars scored their first run of the game. A seventh-inning rally fell just short as they saw the season come to a close with a 7-6 loss. Benson is still alive and takes a 17-7 overall record into Thursday's action in the Section 6A tournament. They picked up two wins in the elimination bracket on Tuesday by scores of 9-1 over Parkers Prairie and then 9-8 over a very good Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley team. The C-G-B Wolverines were Pheasant Conference runners-up this season.
A big weekend is shaping up for the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team. They travel to Freeport on Friday this week (June 11) with first pitch at Black Sox Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
The “big game” is this coming Saturday, when the Saints (3-4) host Stearns County League North leader Spring Hill (5-2) in the KASM 1150 AM radio Game of the Week. First pitch at Saints Field on the 12th is at 8 p.m., and Randy Rothstein will have the call.
Another big weekend follows this one, with Elrosa hosting their Elite 8 tournament on June 18, 19 and 20 beginning with a Friday night game with Starbuck visiting Saints Field with first pitch at 6:30 p.m.
The Starz of Tomorrow Baseball Academy youth camp is on Friday, June 25 in Elrosa from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for baseball players age 13 and younger. A skills camp lasts until 2 p.m. with a game to follow. Lunch is provided. This is a great opportunity for area youth baseball players that’s directed by SCSU head coach Pat Dolan, 2016 National Coach of the Year plus his staff.
Registration forms are available on their website at Starzbaseballcamp.com under “camps and programs” or by visiting the Jaguars Sports extended coverage blog, where you can find more information.
With spring high school sports coming to a close soon, The Voice will ramp up Elrosa baseball coverage and Jaguar Summer Youth sports coverage.
The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team kept their season alive with an exciting 5-4 win over Browerville today in the elimination bracket of the Section 6A tournament.
Here's video from last Thursday's sub-section game against Upsala/Swanville Area:
Action featured is from the bottom of the fifth inning at the home of the Clinton Cards amateur baseball team in western Minnesota.
The Jaguars (11-11) are playing at New York Mills today. Their next elimination game is at approximately 5:15 p.m. today.
More to come.
*Update: the K-M-S vs. New York Mills winner's bracket game is still underway at 5:30 p.m. Final score: New York Mills 2, K-M-S 1. The Fighting Saints take their first loss of the season and fall into the elimination bracket of the Section 6A tournament.
The B-B-E vs. Ashby game will start at about 6 p.m. tonight, and it will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. (Thank you, Brady!...click on that link in this paragraph to pull up their audio player on your computer or Smartphone.
The Ashby Arrows (22-2) ended U/SA's season with a 1-0 win earlier today at Bluffton. Ashby lost 5-4 in eight innings last Thursday in a winner's bracket game to New York Mills.
*Tuesday night update...the Jaguars and Arrows are tied 1-1 after two innings of play.
Final score: Ashby 8, B-B-E 2. The Jaguars see their season come to an end with a 12-12 final overall record. They played five games deep into the Section 6A playoffs.
Playoffs continue today! The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team (11-11) takes on Browerville in an elimination game at 1:15 p.m. at New York Mills. The Tigers are 7-14 overall after eliminating Parkers Prairie from the Section 6A tournament with a 6-5 win in eight innings last Thursday at Bluffton.
The game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. Thanks, Brady! You can tune in through their website for easy listing on your SmartPhone.
Updates to follow.
*Update: if the Jaguars win, their second game today will be at 5:15 p.m. today in New York Mills.
GAME UPDATES
At New York Mills, the Jaguars have a 2-0 lead through three-and-a-half innings over Browerville. They've scored both runs on Tiger errors. Gavin Kampsen just scored the second run when the Browerville first baseman missed the throw from the pitcher on a pick-off move to Tanner Shelton, who was looking to steal second.
Andrew Weller scored B-B-E's first run of the game in the top of the second inning on a passed ball.
*Late game update...the Jaguars and Tigers are in a 3-3 tie after the sixth inning.
And the Jaguars win! Final score:B-B-E 5, Browerville 4. The Jaguars advance to play the winner of the Ashby vs. Upsala/Swanville Area elimination game. B-B-E's game starts tonight at approximately 5:15 p.m. at Russ Jacobson Field in New York Mills.
(HD VIDEO) B-B-E fastpitch playoff opener + track and field notes
The B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch team found success early in their playoff opener against Ortonville last Tuesday. They finished the first inning with a 6-0 lead. I'm working on a feature story about their playoff games to publish in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. I ran out of time and energy to get it done in time to print in last week's edition. To make up for it, I was very happy to get numerous color and gray action photos in that issue.
Here's video from the bottom of the first inning in Benson.
Remember: tomorrow's baseball playoff game at New York Mills will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. First pitch is at 2:30 p.m. from Russ Jacobson Field. I found a neat amateur baseball-related story about their field online; you can read it by clicking here: https://bit.ly/34Zi4lY. B-B-E's baseball Jaguars face No. 5-seeded Browerville in an elimination game of the Section 6A tournament. The Tigers are in the north subsection.
Brooten to New York Mills is about an 80 mile drive.
More to come.
*UPDATE: I just learned that the Section 6A track and field meet in Fergus Falls will start at 10 a.m. due to the high heat that is in the forecast. The original and usual start time is 12 p.m. for the running events. The Section 6A 3200-meter run starts at 10 a.m. along with the field events.
Fun fact: among the 16 runners competing for a state berth in the 1600-meter run at the section meet, B-B-E's Kaden Pieper has the sixth-best time in the seedings. In the 200-meter dash, B-B-E's Ryan Schwinghammer has the sixth-best time out of 16 student athletes in that competition. In the boys' triple jump, Schwinghammer has approximately the sixth-best seeding. In the girls' long jump, B-B-E's Allisa Knight has the second-best seeding out of 16 student athletes. That's tremendous! In the girls' triple jump, Knight has the fifth-best seeding.
All things considered, it is looking hopeful for me to get to the section track and field meet on Thursday. However, there is no chance that I'll be able to get to New York Mills tomorrow, which is very unfortunate. I really, really wanted to get there. I will take in the Smooth Magic 107 FM radio broadcast. I hope you can too if you aren't attending the game in person!
I spent the better part of an hour tonight both watering the garden and also adding and fortifying my fence! The rabbits and squirrels have been very, very tough on our family garden.
THANK YOU to Bonanza Valley State Bank for extended advertising support of the Jaguars Sports playoff coverage by the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper sports department!
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team fell 4-0 this afternoon to the Brainerd Bees to wrap up their third and final game of the Sartell invitational.
Remember: the baseball playoff game at New York Mills on Tuesday will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. The game starts at 2:30 p.m.
Monday update:
I hope to post a different post with more information, but I just got the Sub-Section 6A-21 results and saw that the girls' track team placed fifth out of nine teams with a score of 26.333 points. The B-B-E boys' track and field team finished in sixth place out of nine teams with 27 points. Minnewaska Area won the girl's title with 200 points, and Sauk Centre won the boys' title with 145 points.
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won a thriller by a 3-2 score over Clearwater today in Sartell's Omann Insurance baseball invitational. Payton VanBeck pitched a complete game with 12 strikeouts for the win.
They play again today, but I haven't tracked down when. Updates to follow. I know Elrosa's second game was is this afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
I also learned that St. Martin and Lake Henry are hosting the Stearns County Classic tournament this weekend. However, I don't have that full schedule in front of me. The host Martins lost a tough one by a 4-3 score in extra innings to Avon earlier today.
In Stearns County League Little Dipper action, the host Saints lost by a 4-3 score to Roscoe this past Wednesday night to fall to 1-1 overall. The Rangers improve to 1-1. Elrosa's next Little Dipper game is at Farming tomorrow night (June 6) at 6:30 p.m.
*Added Saturday night...here's video from the fastpitch sub-section playoffs last Tuesday with the B-B-E vs. Ortonville game. I've got more to get to this weekend, and probably more next week. It was an exciting day of fastpitch softball in Benson!
*Here's video from after the top of the sixth inning.
Catcher Kylie Winter caught a pop fly for the third out to end the top of the sixth inning. The Jaguars held a 15-10 lead over the Trojans at that point.
More to come. I have to swing over to the Belgrade V.F.W. Auxiliary Steak Fry and Pork Chop feed now.
**Update late Saturday night...the Elrosa Saints were unable to make it two straight as they lost 7-3 today to the Nisswa Lightning in the second game at Sartell. Even though they were only out-hit b a 7-to-6 margin, the Saints had two errors compared to none by the Lightning. The Saints are next in action in their third and final game of the tournament at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday).
The June 3 report by the Minnesota Department of Health showed, for the second week in a row, no case increases for COVID-19 in the zip code areas of Brooten, Belgrade and Elrosa. This is awesome!
And the irony: tonight I was on the International Falls Journal newspaper website reading about how that 110-year old newspaper will cease to exist this month. What advertisement was on the webpage? It was an advertisement from South Dakota encouraging people to move there and start businesses there.
Let that sink in.
Also...Melrose reported no new cases in the last week! That includes rural and city residents of the zip code of 56352. Another large zip code area with no new cases in the last week was Benson 56215. Also great news! Pennock and Sunburg also had no new cases in the last week.
Here's a video clip from the top of the fifth inning of yesterday's Sub-Section 6A-South semifinal game.
The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team started the playoffs 2-0 before losing a tough one by a 1-0 score to No. 1-seeded Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. The Fighting Saints advance to next week in the winner's bracket of Section 6A, while the Jaguars will battle in the elimination bracket. B-B-E's next game is at 2:30 p.m. in New York Mills on Tuesday, June 8, when they face Browerville. **And that game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. I just got off the phone with Brady, and he's excited to pick up the game!
Here's some pole vault action from Wheaton yesterday:
In the first part, Bree Thieschafer is shown clearing the bar. Taylor Oeltjenbruns then makes her attempt and was oh-so-close to clearing it.
More to come.
Here's a web article with video from graduation. It was so awesome to see the seniors walk in and sit in a normal, full-scale graduation ceremony! Link = https://bit.ly/3fPUIp2.
*Added late Friday night...here's video from the triple jump at the subsection meet in Wheaton:
Hoping to get updates here later today!! It's a super HOT day with temperatures approaching 90 degrees. Wow. I packed a bunch of water and a bunch of ice in the van. We'll see how it goes.
**Update: in the fifth inning, the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team is ahead 2-0 over the Upsala/Swanville Area Patriots.
The Jaguars won 5-0 to advance!! They head to Ortonville now to face KMS in another winners' bracket game.
**Update...bummer!! The Jaguars lost by a score of 1-0 to KMS to fall into the loser's bracket. **The Jaguars (11-11 overall) advance to play on Tuesday, June 8 against Browerville. The game will be played at New York Mills (no kidding) starting at 2:30 p.m. If the Jaguars win, they stay alive. If they lose, their season is over.
Update from Wheaton at the track and field Sub-Section 6A-1 meet... It's been a great day for the B-B-E Jaguars track and field teams! They have four student athletes advancing to the Section 5A meet: Branton Jones, Allisa Knight, Ryan Schwinghammer and Kaden Pieper. I have to head home and now... it is getting past 9 p.m. so I will update more when I get home. **The Section 5A state-qualifying meet will be on Thursday, June 10 at Fergus Falls high school.
More to come!
Here's senior Allisa Knight reviewing her two big accomplishments at today's Sub-Section 6A-1 meet in Wheaton!
*And a few minutes after 11 o'clock...we're back home from the track and field meet. We got help in a huge way by the town of Herman, where we had a much-needed pit stop for a bathroom break and some supper! Thank you Broken Door Bar and Grill and AJ's Gas Station!!
More to come. **That's it for this blog post. A new one is posted as of Friday.
THANK YOU to Coop's Corner of Belgrade and Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten for your extended playoff advertising in support of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's sports department!
PLAYOFFS playoffs playoffs! Major playoff action today
It's the third straight day of major playoff action for the varsity sports of the B-B-E Jaguars athletic program. Today it's all about baseball and track and field!
The No. 3-seeded B-B-E Jaguars baseball team continues their journey in the playoffs when they travel to Clinton, Minnesota, today (Thursday) for a 2:30 p.m. semifinal game. Their opponent will be No. 2-seeded Upsala/Swanville Area, who the Jaguars lost to by a 1-0 score on May 20 in Elrosa.
In the other side of the bracket, No. 1-seeded Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg takes on No. 4-seeded Border West at 2:30 p.m. in Ortonville. Border West ended Hancock's season with a 5-2 quarterfinal win yesterday. The Fighting Saints had a first-round bye. If the Jaguars beat the Patriots, they head south to Ortonville for a 4:30 p.m. game tomorrow in the winner's bracket to face the winner of the K-M-S/Border West game. If the Jaguars lose to the Patriots, they stay in Clinton and play again at 4:30 p.m. in the elimination bracket.
The next round after tomorrow is on June 8 with locations and opponents to be determined.
And if that wasn't enough!
At Wheaton Area high school today, the B-B-E Jaguars track and field teams competes at the Sub-Section 6A-1 championships. The action begins at 4 p.m. with field events.
I've got more to post, but I may not get it written until tonight. It's time to prepare for the trip to Clinton and Wheaton!
THANK YOU to Coop's Corner of Belgrade and to Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten for extended support of the Bonanza Valley Voice sports department! We need it for the current playoff push!
Boys' and girls' golf section playoff update: Girls' Golf to STATE!
The Bluejackets girls' golf team with their Section 3AA trophy and medals at Oakdale Golf Club in rural Buffalo Lake this afternoon. PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Minnewaska/B-B-E Bluejackets girls' golf team is heading to state! This is the second time in the two-year existence of the paired program that they are Section 3AA champions, the first coming in 2019. M/B-B-E's Annika Stensrud was the tournament medalist with an outstanding score of 75 (80-75-155 two day total) in the second round of action today at Buffalo Lake's golf course. The Bluejackets shot a score that was 75 shots better than runner-up Redwood Valley (686 compared to 751). B-B-E's Paige Rupp shot a 187, while Morgan Schwinghammer shot a 201. Both are juniors.
At Oak Creek golf course in Willmar today, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' golf team finished in fourth place at the Section 5A meet. It was a very competitive tournament, with the Jaguars finishing just 23 strokes behind first-place Benson. The Benson Braves are heading to state for the first time since 1978! Wow! They are coached by Belgrade high school graduate Roger Lindahl.
I had a wonderful evening at Crow River Lutheran church! It was magnificent!!! Details on the event were published on page one of the May 27 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.
More to come later tonight.
**Update: the No. 3-seeded B-B-E Jaguars baseball team continues their journey in the playoffs when they travel to Clinton, Minnesota, tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon for a 2:30 p.m. semifinal game. Their opponent will be No. 2-seeded Upsala/Swanville Area, who the Jaguars lost to by a 1-0 score on May 20 in Elrosa.
With two innings complete, the B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch team has an 8-7 lead over Ortonville.
Update: through four innings, the Jaguars have a 15-7 lead.
Final score:B-B-E 17, Ortonville 10. The Jaguars advance to play top-seeded Benson in the subsection quarterfinals tonight.
**Update: the Jaguars trail 2-0 after one inning in the Sub-Section 6A-South quarterfinals against Benson.
*Update: through three innings, the Braves have a 4-1 lead.
*Update: through six innings, the Braves hold a 7-3 lead. It's rally time!
Here's a video clip shot between the fifth and sixth innings of the Benson game tonight:
Final score: Benson 7, B-B-E 6. The season has concluded. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of the players and coaches on the team! Regardless of their win total for the season, I am honored by the privilege of covering them. They battled with all they had today to the very last out. Through the entire season, they were always in good spirits, cheery, friendly and grateful for the opportunity to compete in spite of the challenges they faced. They have earned my full admiration for all their efforts.
The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team won 10-0 in five innings over No. 6-seeded Ortonville on the home diamond in Elrosa in the Sub-Section 6A-South quarterfinals tonight. They advance to Thursday's sub-section semifinal round to be played at Clinton, Minnesota. Info TBA. Time to get back to the office.
*Baseball update: the Jaguars will play Upsala/Swanville Area in the semifinal round on Thursday (this week) at Clinton. Game time is at 2:30 p.m. The No. 2-seeded Patriots improved to 18-2 overall with an 8-1 win over St. John's Prep today in their quarterfinal game. It's also noteworthy that U/SA was co-champions of the Prairie Conference this spring with Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. They both went 7-1 in the league. Browerville and Osakis tied for second place with 3-5 records, while St. John's Prep finished in fifth place at 0-8.
**And I think I've posted incorrectly about the boys' golf team. They play in the Section 5A finals tomorrow (Wednesday) at Willmar.
(Wednesday update...YouTube appears to not be working properly. I'm looking into it.)
The Elrosa Little Dipper (Little League) baseball team won 15-3 at Lake Henry last Wednesday in their 2021 Stearns County League season opener. The Saints look to improve to 2-0 with a home game tomorrow (Wednesday, June 2) against Roscoe.
Elrosa travels to Farming (1-0) on Sunday, June 6. All Little Dipper games (unless otherwise stated) start at 6:30 p.m.
