Looking at upcoming playoff games (VIDEOS)

I'll get scouting information posted here as I find it for football and volleyball.

In yesterday's Section 4A football semifinal game at Upsala/Swanville Area, the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints trailed 24-0 at halftime. K-M-S found a spark in the third quarter, when quarterback Jared Cortez connected with Hunter Kallstrom for a 20-yard touchdown reception. The two-point conversion was successful for a 24-8 score. U/SA then scored a touchdown in the third quarter to make the score 32-8. K-M-S responded with Isaac Rudningen hauling in a 72-yard pass from Cortez for a touchdown and a 32-16 score at the end of three quarters. U/SA (8-2) posted eight more points in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring in the 40-16 win.

K-M-S (3-7) finished with just 24 rushing yards as their running backs were completely unable to see daylight. Quarterback Cortez was their leading rusher with 15 yards on four carries.

The Section 4A football championship is at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, November 5 at the FargoDome. The B-B-E Jaguars football team faces Upsala/Swanville Area for a state tournament berth!

The Sub-Section 6A-South volleyball championship is at 7:30 p.m. the night before, Thursday, November 4 at Fergus Falls high school. The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team faces Wheaton/Herman-Norcross. At 6 p.m. at Fergus Falls on Thursday, the North teams of Breckenridge and Henning will square off in their sub-section title match. When our match starts ultimately depends on how late that match goes.

**Here's a video from the third quarter of the football playoff opener; it features Luke Dingmann scoring on a 16-yard keeper:


Shifting to W/HN volleyball notes...the W/H-N Warriors defeated Hancock in a 3-2 match at Herman High School on Tuesday, October 12. The win clinched the Pheasant Conference title for W/HN with a 6-2 record, one match better than runner-up West Central Area. The Warriors won the Pheasant Conference for the first time since 2016, when they went 24-4 overall and finished as Sub-Section 6A-South runners-up to Underwood. W/HN was conference runners-up in 2017, 2018 and 2019 behind their rival neighbors to the south, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley. W/H-N went 19-9 in 2017 and finished in second place behind Underwood in the sub-section. W/H-N's 2012 squad had a 26-1 record going into the Sub-Section 6A-South championship, but they lost in that match by a 3-2 margin to Underwood to finish 26-2. The 2011 team was W/H-N's last squad to play in a section championship match, as the Warriors won Sub-Section 6A-South with a 3-2 win over Underwood. Ada-Borup defeated W/H-N in the 2011 Section 6A finals.

In the Hancock match on October 12, the Warriors were led by Brylie Schultz with 14 kills and a whopping 10 ace serves. The junior middle hitter/middle blocker also had one solo block, one block assist, 4 set assists and 9 digs. Schultz led the Warriors in their win over C-G-B last Friday with 16 kills plus three ace serves and just one service error on 18 serves. Against K-M-S in the playoff opener last Wednesday, Schultz was the leading hitter with 14 kills, 3 solo blocks and 2 block assists.

W/HN's seniors are hitter Kyah Thomas, defensive specialist Asia Schmidt, setter Emily Berger, hitter Ellissa Rinke, setter Lesley Rinke and defensive specialist Avah Sykora. Ellissa Rinke is another big gun for W/H-N, and she had 11 kills and 3 ace serves in the October 12 match with Hancock. I'm guessing they run a 6-2 offense, as Berger had 15 set assists and Lesley Rinke had 9 set assists with 13 digs.

*Here's a cell phone video from the last points scored in game one of the Benson match last Wednesday night:


In the October 27 match with K-M-S in Wheaton, the Warriors' stats sheet showed: Brylie Schultz led the Warriors attack with 14 kills, 3 solo blocks and 2 block assists. Megyn Kelly added 7 kills and Kyah Thomas had 5 kills. Emily Berger distributed 18 set assists and Lesley Rinke added 9 set assists.

During the C-G-B match in the semifinals on October 29 in Wheaton, the Warriors' stats sheet showed a very balanced offensive attack with outstanding serving: top servers were Kyah Thomas (19/19, 3 aces), Brylie Schultz (17/18, 3 aces), Ellissa Rinke (13/14, 3 aces), Emily Berger (13/14, 2 aces), Lesley Rinke (13/14, 1 ace) and Avah Sykora (16/18, 2 aces). Schultz led the attack with 16 kills and Ellissa Rinke added 13. Thomas contributed 7 kills, while Zaundra Determan and Megyn Kelly had six apiece. Berger (23) and Lesley Rinke (15) combined for 38 set assists in the match. Dig leaders were Ellissa Rinke with 20, Sykora with 19, Thomas with 17 and Lesley Rinke with 10. Anna Bright added 9 kills and Berger finished with 6.

Time to call it a night. Most of my Sunday evening was spent in the garden. We'll be getting multiple killing frosts in the next few nights.

Music Boosters Halloween Carnival (VIDEO)

Last Monday's Halloween Carnival, sponsored by the B-B-E Music Boosters, was a resounding success. Turnout was fantastic with children from all across the B-B-E area.

*Here's a video clip featuring the senior high band performing that night:


Additional coverage was published in the October 28 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

And today is the day of Halloween! Be safe out there as you are trick-or-treating! The weather will be quite cold compared to what we've been used to over the past two months of fall.

Also, I want to point out that the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website has multiple stories on the homepage right now. You can find that at http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com.

Friday Night Lights X: Jaguar football is heading to the 'Ship! (VIDEO)

This blog post was updated once at about 7:30 p.m. tonight

The B-B-E Jaguars football team won by 34 to 21 score over the Browerville/Stacey Family HomeSchool Tigers in today's Section 4A semifinal game in Belgrade! They led 28-0 at halftime and scored again in the third quarter to go up 34-0. With both teams playing their JV players, the Tigers outscored the Jaguars 14-0 in the fourth quarter. Browerville's varsity team scored their lone touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter with 11:51 on the clock.

B-B-E (7-3) totaled 299 yards of offense compared to 292 yards for Browerville. The Jaguars had 134 yards rushing to 231 for Browerville. Through the air, the Jaguars gained 165 yards of offense compared to 61 passing yards for the Tigers. Blaine Fischer was B-B-E's leading ball carrier with 83 yards on six carries with two touchdowns. Luke Dingmann was 8-for-10 in passing with one touchdown.

Up next: U/SA is on deck for the Jaguars at the FargoDome in the Section 4A finals on Friday, November 5 at 12:30 p.m. Spread the word!! The Osakis and West Central Area/Ashby football teams will battle in the Section 6AA championship at the FargoDome after our game is complete.

Upsala/Swanville Area defeated K-M-S in the other section semifinal game by a 40-16 score. The Fighting Saints finish their season 3-7 overall. The top-seeded U/SA Patriots, who had a first-round playoff bye, are 7-2 overall and the 14th-ranked team in Class 1A out of 62 teams, according to the QRF scale. They went 6-2 in the Mid-State Conference, good for third place. The Patriots beat Browerville 46-29 in Week Six in an afternoon game at Upsala. They defeated our Jaguars in Week Four in Belgrade by a 50-40 score after they scored the game's last 20 points.

Browerville finishes their season 5-5 overall. They put up a good fight, but they were fairly shell-shocked once time expired in the first quarter. Our Jaguars played very inspired football. Not much went right for the Tigers today beyond the lone varsity touchdown drive. In one of the classiest displays of sportsmanship I've seen in my career, Browerville's Coach Petermeier spoke with our Jaguars in their post-game huddle and gave marvelous, heartfelt words of encouragement. Hats off to Coach Ribsy!!!

Here's video from the opening drive of today's game; the kickoff happens at the 2:52 mark on the video, which started with the player introductions:


I won't get more posted here until much later tonight. But please spread the word about Friday's game! Let's get a thousand or more fans to the FargoDome! We can do it! And remember: we will be in Fergus Falls the night before cheering on our Jaguars volleyball team to a victory! Some of you may want to plan on a hotel room in Fergus Falls that night.

Area football playoff scores on Saturday, October 30:
Cedar Mountain 20, Hancock 14 (Hancock Owls take an upset loss at Big Cat Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Morris; their home field was unplayable after taking too much rain this week; Cedar Mountain improves to 6-4 overall, while the Owls finish 8-1 after having a first-round bye)
Osakis 34, Wadena-Deer Creek 19
Renville County West 27, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's 16
Verndale 46, Brandon-Evansville 8
Moorhead 21, Alexandria 7 (third quarter score)
Minneota 34, Dawson-Boyd 13 (the Blackjacks totaled negative 10 yards rushing on the day on 19 carries)
BOLD 34, Lakeview 12
Royalton 32, Paynesville Area 22
Fairbault 35, Willmar 28
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 29, Springfield 19 (T-M-B avenges a 44-38 loss in Week Four at Springfield by defeating the Tigers on their home field today; T-M-B is 8-2 now, while Springfield finishes 7-3)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 58, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 6 (W/H-N is 8-2 overall now with a 2-0 playoff mark and heading to the Section 4, 9-man championship game; that game will be played at the FargoDome with a 10 a.m. kickoff next Friday morning, with our B-B-E vs. U/SA game to follow)
Eden Valley-Watkins 16, Kimball Area 6 (the Cubs, who had a first-round playoff bye, end their season 8-1 overall after winning the Mid-State, Sub-District III regular season title...I don't believe they ever thought they'd be 0-1 in the playoffs; the EV-W Eagles improve to 8-1 overall with their lone loss coming on October 8 at Royalton; EV-W faces top-seeded Royalton now in the Section 5AA championship on Friday, November 5 at 7 p.m. at St. John's University)
West Central Area/Ashby 20, Sauk Centre 6 (the Knights trailed 7-6 in Barrett before scoring the final 14 points of the game to end Sauk Centre's season with a 5-5 mark; the WCA/A Knights are Section 6AA-finals bound with an 8-1 mark after having a first-round playoff bye)
New London-Spicer 14, Albany 12 (the Wildcats held an early 7-6 lead and held on in a nailbiter at the Albany field tonight; they entered the playoffs 3-5 overall but now are heading to the Section 6AAA finals where they'll face No. 2-seeded Pierz, who thrashed visiting Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta tonight by a 29-6 score; Albany, who tied with Zimmerman for a co-championship in the East Central North District with a 5-1 mark, finishes the season 6-3 with an 0-1 playoff record after having a first-round bye)

This blog post is a wrap.

Today is GAME DAY in Jaguar Country! (LIVE VIDEO) and updates

TWO O'CLOCK TODAY! Be there! Don't miss this game! Our team needs a huge, huge crowd to help cheer them on to another playoff win! Do whatever's needed to make it to this game. We've been out of the section final game for eight years. That streak is going to end today!

Keep in mind! Browerville will be tough as nails. They were 6-2 last year and 10-2 in 2019 when they advanced all the way to U.S. Bank Stadium and lost in the Class 1A state semifinals. BOLD ended their season with a 56-7 win before falling 41-15 to Blooming Prairie in the Prep Bowl. In 2018, Browerville went 3-6, but one of those three wins was a 44-7 win over our Jaguars in Belgrade in Week Four. Browerville also played in a section final in 2015 and 2016, winning and going to state in 2016 (all the way to the state semis) but falling in the 2015 Section 6A finals.

*Here's the live video player for today's game:


You can also take in today's game on the radio with Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood (Thanks Brady!). They are 107.1 FM on the radio, and you can tune in online at their website: https://www.kmgk1071.com.

Game updates to come...

At the end of the first quarter, the Jaguars have a 14-0 lead. With 8:39 on the clock, Blaine Fischer scored on a 42-yard touchdown catch. Gavin Kampsen carried in the 2 point conversion for an 8-0 lead.

With 1:47 left, the Jaguars scored again and had a 14-0 lead.

The Jaguars punched in two more touchdowns in the second quarter. They're ahead 28-0 at halftime.

With under four minutes to go, the Jaguars have a 34 to 13 lead in the game. They will soon be a section finalist team!!

THANK YOU to Bonanza Valley State Bank for sponsoring this blog post!

Step II: powerful B-B-E attack too much for Parkers Prairie, Jaguars heading to the 'Ship!!!! (VIDEOS)

Note: this blog post will be continously updated into the night.

Moving on to round three! B-B-E is heading to the 'Ship!

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is advancing to the third round of the playoffs after a convincing 3-0 sweep over a very talented Parkers Prairie Panthers team. Game scores were 25-10, 25-19, 25-19. Parkers Prairie put up a good fight and scrapped after most of B-B-E's attacks. They were unable to get a good block up on many of them, however, and the Jaguars were able to finish with a 26 percent hitting figure.

Up next: the Jaguars (22-7) travel to Fergus Falls high school on Thursday, November 4 for the Sub-Section 6A-South championship. The match will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. or later. They will face either No. 2-seeded Wheaton/Herman-Norcross or No. 6-seeded Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley. Let's get a huge crowd up there to cheer on the Jaguars!!! This is B-B-E's fourth straight appearance in a sub-section title match. They also advanced to the sub-section finals in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The 2020 season had no playoffs.

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 4 at Fergus Falls high school, Breckenridge and Henning will square off in the Sub-Section 6A-North championship. The winner of that match and the winner of B-B-E vs. W/H-N will advance to the Section 6A championship, which is on Saturday, November 6 at 7 p.m. at Fergus Falls high school.

Sub-Section 6A-South update! Holy cow! the Wheaton/Herman-Norcross Warriors have advanced to the finals with a 3-2 win in Wheaton over bordering and Pheasant Conference rival Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley, who finishes 12-16 overall. W/H-N is now 19-9 overall. In the regular season, W/H-N went 6-2, one match better than runner-up West Central Area, to claim the Pheasant Conference title. **Game scores tonight in Wheaton were 25-23, 16-25, 16-25, 25-13, 15-6. The Warriors had to come back from a 2-1 set deficit after C-G-B earned big wins in games 2 and 3. The Warriors put it together to stomp on their neighbors to the south in games 4 and 5.

Up in Sub-Section 6A-North...the Henning Hornets swept Underwood in their semifinal match; both teams were 21-8 at the conclusion of the match. In the other semifinal match, No. 1-seeded and state-ranked Breckenridge improved to 27-2 overall with a 3-0 sweep over Lake Park-Audubon (14-11).

*Here's a video clip recorded at the tail end of the pre-match warmup drills; it includes the B-B-E Pep Band performing the B-B-E school song:


*Here's a long video featuring the B-B-E Pep Band playing the National Anthem, the player introductions for both teams and then the entire game one:



Area volleyball playoff scores on Friday, October 29:
West Central Area 3, Litchfield 0 (Section 3AA first-round match; WCA, now 22-6 overall, was the No. 5 seed in this match and had to travel to No. 4-seeded Litchfield; now WCA faces Paynesville Area in the sub-section semifinals on Monday, November 1 at 7 p.m. in Paynesville)
Kimball Area 3, Spectrum 0 (the win lifts the Cubs to 14-13 overall; now they get to take on No. 1-seeded and state-ranked Watertown Mayer in the Section 6AA quarterfinals)
Albany Area 3, Pillager 2 (the Granite Ridge Conference champion Albany Huskies nearly get knocked out of the Section 6AA tournament in the first round, but they pulled through with a 15-7 win in game five to improve to 18-9 overall and advance to the section quarterfinals; the Huskies, seeded No. 4, beat the 13th-seeded Pillager Huskies 20-25, 25-13, 23-25, 25-10, 15-7; that's crazy! Albany went down 2-1 in sets before putting the hammer down in game four; Pillager finishes 6-21 overall; Pillager was 0-7 in the Park Region Conference, which was won by Henning with a 7-0 record)
Bertha-Hewitt 3, Upsala 2 (the B-H Bears improve to 17-14 overall with their first sub-section final berth since the 2010 season; they won at Upsala tonight in a Section 5A, sub-section match; in the 2010 playoffs, B-H lost 3-1 to our Jaguars in the subsection finals at Pierz in a season when the Jaguars advanced to state)
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, Minnewaska Area 0 (the Eagles are the No. 2 seed in Sub-Section 3AA-North and improve to 17-10 overall; the Lakers, seeded No. 7, end the season 7-20 overall; I haven't seen who EV-W plays next)
MACCRAY 3, Renville County West 1 (the Camden North Conference champion Wolverines are the No. 2 seed in Sub-Section 3A-North and improved to 20-7 overall with this quarterfinal win; up next for MACCRAY is No. 2-seeded Canby in the semifinals; the Lancers defeated MACCRAY 3-1 in a Camden Conference match in Canby on September 21, which is ancient history by now)
Browerville 3, Verndale 0 (the Prairie Conference champion Browerville Tigers are 23-2 overall after this Sub-Section 5A-South quarterfinal win)
Yellow Medicine East 3, Central Minnesota Christian-Prinsburg 0 (the YME Sting pull off a rather large upset and improve to 10-14 overall with this Sub-Section 3A-North quarterfinal win at Prinsburg; CMCS swept YME in Prinsburg on September 9 in a Camden Conference match but finish the year 18-10 overall with an 0-1 mark in the playoffs)
Paynesville Area 3, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 0 (Not much to say here, as it was a routine win for the top-seeded Bulldogs, who are 21-3 overall now)
New London-Spicer 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 2 (the MA/CA Tigers push NL-S to the limit in this opening-round match of Sub-Section 3AA-North but end their season 6-18 overall; the No. 3-seeded Wildcats, who are 16-12 overall, swept sixths-seeded MA/CA in a non-conference match on August 31 at Fort Knox in New London;)

THANK YOU to Coop's Corner of Belgrade and Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten for sponsoring this Jaguar sports playoff update! 

Live video link for volleyball playoffs

Here's the live video link for tonight's volleyball match..  https://youtu.be/D7ZZ0WwV8fY

I will revamp this blog post after I'm done at the fish fry, so the live video player will be active at 7 o'clock. 

The match starts at 7 p.m.

Don't forget to go to the Lions fish fry before you go watch volleyball!!  They start serving at 5 p.m. at the Brothers Bar in Belgrade.

*Update: I was unable to get this blog post revamped before the match. 

Game one update: the Jaguars jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Panthers started playing even with the Jaguars until late in the set. FINAL: B-B-E 25, Parkers Prairie 10.

Game 2 final score 25 to 19 Jaguars win.

Final scores and more in a new blog post.

B-B-E posts a 14, 30 percent decline

The Belgrade, Brooten and Elrosa zip codes posted the number 14 for new COVID-19 cases in the past week as reported by the Minnesota Department of Health. This represents a 30 percent decline in new cases compared to the previous week, when the local zip codes posted a 20.

For the local zip codes, the breakdown is:
Belgrade 56312 - 7 new cases (cumulative since January 2020 is 444)
Brooten 56316 - 7 new cases (cumulative since January 2020 is 225)
Elrosa 56325 - no new cases (cumulative since January 2020 is 34).

In the October 21 report, Belgrade 56312 posted 12 new cases, Brooten 56316 posted 7 new cases and Elrosa 56325 posted 1 new case.

The Sunburg 56289 zip code posted a zero this week. They had one new case reported in the October 21 report.

Some larger figures were posted by a few area zip codes. Some examples are: Melrose 56352 with 56 new cases (29 new last week), Paynesville 56362 with 34 new cases (27 new last week) and Sauk Centre 56378 with 63 new cases (36 new last week).

More area COVID-19 zip code information has been posted with this information at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://bit.ly/3boSMkl. That's all for now. The next three days are going to be super busy on my end.

Post-match after Benson: Abby Berge (VIDEO)

This blog post was updated at two different times on Thursday night.

Here's a post-match video interview of junior Abby Berge after the Jaguars defeated Benson last night:


Abby Berge finished with eight kills on 13 attacks with a 39 percent hitting percentage plus two block assists.

Next: the Jaguars (21-7) host Parkers Prairie (17-11) tomorrow night (Friday) at 7 p.m. in the Sub-Section 6A-South semifinal round.

I finally got this organized just before we get into the Halloween weekend. Here's a collection of events and announcements for the Halloween weekend across the Brooten and Belgrade area...click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website and read all about it: https://bit.ly/3jMG97g.

Also! Don't forget...Saturday night this weekend...the Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters is hosting a Gun Blast as their fall banquet and annual fundraiser at the Padua Pub. Read more at the newspaper website: https://bit.ly/31bOECp.

If you click over to the sports section of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website, you can see a recap of Tuesday night's football playoff win and read other information about Section 4A teams plus the upcoming Saturday game in Belgrade. It also includes a video clip from the Browerville game on October 15. Here's a short link to get you there: https://bit.ly/3mkbPm1.

*Here's an old video clip that I haven't gotten a chance to post from the Sauk Centre match back on September 14; it features the final points scored in game two, which the Jaguars won 26-24:


Remember! The match starts tomorrow night at 7 p.m. against Parkers Prairie! On our home floor! I've found more scouting information on the Parkers Prairie vs. Brandon-Evansville quarterfinal match played last night. The Panthers, the slight underdog, won a 3-2 barn burner over their Little Eight Conference rival. For the record, here were the game scores: 25-23,23-25, 27-25, 17-25, 15-12. The B-E Chargers won games two and four. Parkers Prairie's libero, Ashley Olson, had 40 digs on the night. Crazy. She's a 5'4" junior. Jada Lego, a 6'1" junior outside hitter, had 16 kills to lead the Panthers' attack. Cora Johnson, a 5'6" junior outside hitter, added 13 kills. Another crazy one to wrap your head around: Parkers Prairie trailed 24-19 in game three, but they clawed back to win 27-25. Again, crazy.

Step I: aggressive, impressive in playoff opener (VIDEOS)

On their playoff-opening night, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team made quick work of No. 8-seeded Benson with aggressive serving, outstanding defense and a balanced offensive attack. The Jaguars improved to 21-7 overall tonight with a 25-10, 25-9, 25-8 sweep over the Braves, who finish their season 6-23 overall. The Jaguars had a whopping 45.2 team hitting percentage with just eight hitting errors on 73 attacks. They missed just three of 73 serve attempts while tallying 10 ace serves.

Benson had just four seniors on the roster, the tallest of the four being just 5'7" (Adysen Himley, setter). Their tallest player is a sophomore, 5'10" middle hitter Kaylin Grube.

No word yet on the outcome of the Brandon-Evansville vs. Parkers Prairie match. The Jaguars will host the winner of that match just two nights from now, Friday, October 29. The match begins at 7 p.m. Before you go to the volleyball match on Friday, remember to go to the Belgrade Lions fish fry and meat raffle, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Brother's Bar in downtown Belgrade. The Belgrade Lions is a key financial supporter of B-B-E school activities. Here is your chance to thank them with your patronage at what is always a fun event!

*UPDATE: the fifth-seeded Parkers Prairie Panthers pulled off the mild upset tonight with a 3-1 win over No. 4-seeded Brandon-Evansville. CORRECTION: it was a 3-2 win, with the Panthers winning game five by a 15-12 score. The Panthers improve to 17-11 overall and will travel to B-B-E elementary school on Friday to take on our Jaguars in the sub-section semifinals. Tonight's win by Parkers Prairie avenges a Little Eight Conference loss to Brandon-Evansville on October 19 (27-25, 25-17, 25-16). Back on October 7, Parkers Prairie defeated Battle Lake by a 3-1 margin (20-25, 25-9, 25-23, 25-19). Parkers Prairie has six seniors on the roster. They have three returning hitters from their 2020 squad that went 7-4: junior Cora Johnson, senior Grace Schroeder and junior Jada Lego.

*Here's a video featuring the starter introductions and the first part of game one tonight; the clip ends with the Jaguars holding a 19-8 lead.


*Here's a video featuring the last few points scored in game two tonight; the clip started with the Jaguars ahead 20-9.


I forgot to post a score from Monday night's play-in round of Sub-Section 6A-South. The No. 7-seeded Kerkhoven-Murdock-Fighting Saints defeated No. 10 seeded Ashby by a 3-0 margin to advance to tonight's quarterfinal round. K-M-S (7-20-1 overall) traveled to Wheaton high school to take on the No. 2-seeded Wheaton/Herman-Norcross Warriors. The Ashby Arrows finished 2-25 overall (1-9 Little Eight Conference).

**Sub-Section 6A-South upset alert! According to MN-Scores.net, the No. 3-seeded Hancock Owls lost tonight on their home floor by a 3-1 margin to No. 6-seeded Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley. If that's true, C-G-B (12-15) will likely travel to the next school to the north of them, Wheaton-Herman-Norcross, for the next round of the playoffs. The Hancock Owls finish the season 10-10 overall.

**Update from Sub-Section 6A-South: in Wheaton tonight, the W/H-N Warriors volleyball team ended K-M-S's season by a 3-0 sweep. The Warriors (18-9 overall) will host neighboring rival C-G-B in the semifinals. That's going to be a wild night with an electric atmosphere at Wheaton Area high school.

Sub-Section 6A-North quarterfinal scores on October 27:
Breckenridge 3, Park Christian 1 (Breckenridge is the No. 1 seed in the north half of Section 6A; they improve to 26-2 overall with this four-set win over the No. 8 seed; in the final coaches' association state rankings, the Cowgirls were rated No. 6; Park Christian finishes 7-14 overall)
Underwood 3, Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal 0 (Underwood is the No. 3 seed in the North and improves to 21-7 overall; NCE/U-H finishes 9-12)
Lake Park-Audubon 3, New York Mills 1 (LPA was the underdog here, as they earn the four-set win on NYM's home floor; No. 4-seeded NYM finishes 18-8 overall, while No. 5-seeded LPA improves to 7-14 and now advances to face top-seeded Breckenridge in the North semifinals)
Henning 3, Battle Lake 0 (Henning is the No. 2 seed in the North; they're 20-8 overall)

Area volleyball playoff scores on October 27:
Willmar 3, New Ulm 1

Volleyball playoff opener (LIVE VIDEO)

I'll get the live video player posted here tonight before the match starts at 7 p.m.

*First, here's a video clip recorded at the very beginning of the season. The Jaguars are shown taking the court at Osakis high school on August 31:


Here's the live video player for the volleyball playoff opener:


The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team hosts neighboring rival Benson in the Sub-Section 6A-South quarterfinals. The match starts at 7 p.m. from B-B-E elementary school. The Braves hold a 6-22 record. They went 1-11 in the West Central Conference.

Match updates to follow here!

The Jaguars won game one 25-10.

In game two, the Jaguars have a 23 to 9 lead. Benson just called their last timeout.

In game three, the Jaguars have a 19-8 lead.

More to come in a new blog post, including the final score.

Friday Night Lights IX: Jaguars are 1-0 in the postseason (VIDEO)

Moving on!

The B-B-E Jaguars football team has advanced in the Section 4A football playoffs after they defeated visiting Long Prairie-Grey Eagle by a 36-8 score tonight. The Jaguars, who led 22-6 at halftime, are now 6-3 overall going into the section semifinals. This is their first playoff win since 2017, and it's their fifth Section 4A semifinal birth since 2010. The Jaguars were section quarterfinal winners in 2010, 2012 and 2013. They lost in the semifinals in 2011 and 2017. That 2017 loss in the semis to Upsala/Swanville Area still stings from my vantage point. The Jaguars need to come out strong and put away the Tigers early on Saturday!

The Jaguars scored on their first two drives of the game. With 8:21 left in the first quarter, Blaine Fischer caught a nine-yard pass from Luke Dingmann, and he then carried in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead. Later, with 5:05 left in the first quarter, Fischer ran in an 11-yard touchdown run. Gavin Kampsen scored on the two-point conversion for a 16-0 lead.

In tonight's win, B-B-E totaled 289 yards of offense with 15 first downs compared to 199 yards for the Thunder and 10 first downs. LP-GE lost the turnover battle by a 5-to-2 margin; they had three lost fumbles and two interceptions. B-B-E lost two fumbles. Luke Dingmann was 11-for-20 with 111 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Spread the word! The Jaguars will host a tough-as-nails No. 3-seeded Browerville Tigers team for the second round of the playoffs. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. this Saturday, October 30 at the B-B-E high school stadium.

*Here's a video featuring B-B-E's second touchdown drive of the game:


*Here's a video recorded in the early part of the 2nd quarter:


Browerville (5-4) defeated No. 6-seeded Parkers Prairie (1-8) tonight by a 28-12 score. In another Section 4A game, the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints ended Benson's season with a 20-0 shut out at Murdock. The Braves, who finish the season 3-6, were playing without their star running back Thomas Dineen. K-M-S will travel to Upsala/Swanville Area for the section semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

I saw that in Section 5AA, Kimball Area ended Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City's season by a 36-0 score tonight. In Section 6AAA, New London-Spicer defeated Melrose Area 42-6.

Area football playoff opener scores on October 26:
BOLD 52, MACCRAY 8
Lakeview 30, Canby 6
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 59, Rothsay 0
New York Mills 36, Menahga 0
Brandon-Evansville 38, Bertha-Hewitt 24
Sauk Centre 20, Pillager 12
Minneota 52, Yellow Medicine East 0
Litchfield 13, Rockford Area 6
Pierz 48, Minnewaska Area 18
Renville County West 42, Nicollet 14
Paynesville Area 48, Holdingford 27
Rush City 64, Maple Lake 27
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 37, Montevideo 0
Dawson-Boyd 20, Lac qui Parle Valley 13

(LIVE VIDEO) Football playoffs, the first step

Here's the live video player for tonight's game:


I hope to get updates posted as frequently as possible. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.!

Game updates...
At the end of the first quarter, the Jaguars have a 16-6 lead. The Thunder scored with 2 minutes left in the first quarter.

B-B-E scored a third touchdown on a 7-yard catch by Easton Hagen with just five seconds left in the second quarter. At halftime, they have a 22 to 6 lead.

**With 11 minutes left in the game, BBE is ahead 36 to 6.

More to follow in a new blog post.

It is GAME DAY in Jaguar Country!

Exciting times!

Today is game day in Jaguar Country, as the No. 2-seeded B-B-E Jaguars football team is set to host Long Prairie-Grey Eagle in the playoff opener.

Kickoff is at 6 p.m., so don't show up at 7 p.m. and expect to watch the whole game.

In volleyball news...
Benson won its play-in round match over Ortonville last night. The No. 8-seeded Braves will travel for a border battle against our 10th-ranked B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team tomorrow night at the B-B-E elementary school. The match starts at 7 p.m.

More to come later.

Smashing success for Halloween carnival

I am excited to report that tonight's B-B-E Music Boosters event was a smashing success! The turnout was terrific, and the bands who performed sounded fantastic. We will get more coverage in the upcoming issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

A big Halloween event tomorrow night

We've got a big, big event coming in Jaguar Country tomorrow night! (Monday) The B-B-E Band and Choir Halloween Carnival is tomorrow, Monday, October 25 at the B-B-E high school gymnasium and Olson Auditorium from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Come enjoy safe Halloween fun with games, crafts, costume and coloring contests, food, Trick-or-Treat Street (sponsored by local businesses), spooky music performed by B-B-E band and choir students with fun for all ages. The Music Boosters ask that guests bring 1 nonperishable food item to be donated to the B-B-E food shelf or a free-will donation to the Booster Club.

Here's a video clip that I've never posted that is almost two years old. It's the senior high band performing at the Band/Choir Halloween Spooktacular concert on October 28, 2019.


This is an event I strongly encourage everyone to take in!

Pancakes!

Don't forget!

St. Francis de Sales Catholic church in Belgrade is hosting a pancake/sausage supper today. They're serving until 6:30 p.m. This event was advertised in the Bonanza Valley Voice on page 2 of the October 14 and October 21 issues.

Volleyball playoff seedings are in, schedule is set

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has a complete map on the book for what lies ahead in the upcoming Section 6A playoff tournament. The conference champion Jaguars, with a 20-7 overall record, are the No. 1 seed in Sub-Section 6A-South. They rank ahead of No. 2 Wheaton/Herman-Norcross and No. 3 Hancock.

The sub-section quarterfinals are set for Wednesday, October 27 at 7 p.m. at the B-B-E elementary school. The Jaguars will host the winner of a play-in round match between No. 8-seeded Benson and No. 9-seeded Ortonville. The Braves and the Trojans will play at Benson high school on Monday, October 25.

2021 Sub-Section 6A-South volleyball seedings and overall records:
1. B-B-E (20-7)
2. Wheaton/Herman-Norcross (17-9)
3. Hancock (10-9)
4. Brandon-Evansville (14-10)
5. Parkers Prairie (16-11)
6. Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley (11-15)
7. Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (6-20-1)
8. Benson (5-22)
9. Ortonville (3-17)
10. Ashby (2-24)

Brandon-Evansville is ranked lower than Parkers Prairie on the QRF scale, but B-E won 3-0 over the Panthers in their Little Eight Conference match up on Tuesday this week. That gave them the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and a possible second home match for the playoffs if they win their quarterfinal match. Also noteworthy: on October 11, Brandon-Evansville won 3-2 over Hancock at Hancock.

In Section 6A, the higher seeds host both the quarterfinal and semifinal-round matches. This means that if the Jaguars win on Wednesday, they will host a Sub-Section 6A-South semifinal match on Friday, October 29 at 7 p.m. For planning purposes, the sub-section championship is set for Thursday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Fergus Falls senior high school. The Section 6A finals will be on Saturday, November 6 at 7 p.m. back at Fergus Falls H.S. Remember: those matches are miles away! Our focus should always be on the team that's right in front of us for the playoffs.

Looming large in Sub-Section 6A-North is state-ranked Breckenridge, Henning and Underwood. However, thoughts on those teams should be "miles away" right now, as there are many quality teams in the south half of Section 6A. W/H-N, Hancock, Brandon-Evansville and Parkers Prairie are all tough as nails. The semifinal and championship round of Sub-Section 6A-South will be very tough. The Jaguars are going to have to bring their "A" game every night!

Still waiting on volleyball seedings

I haven't seen official brackets yet for the Section 6A volleyball tournament. I'm hoping that will get posted tonight. As it stands now, it appears that the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team will face either Benson or Ortonville in the playoff opener on Wednesday, October 27.

I see that Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg moved up to No. 7 in the QRF power rankings in Sub-Section 6A-South after they went 2-2 at the Underwood Invitational yesterday. They did not face Benson in the regular season, so I don't know how seedings will shake out if they're stacked up against one another for No. 7 or No. 8 in the 10-team field.

Breckenridge appears to be a lock for the No. 1 seed in Sub-Section 6A-North.

(VIDEOS) This and that

Doing a little catch up here. I've been spending spare time lately uploading video and photos from the past couple of months. It's been an overwhelming fall so far, but we're managing.

Here's a video from the grill out held on Thursday of Homecoming week (September 30) at the B-B-E high school:


That was a fun event!

Here's Homecoming football night on October 1, when the Royal Court was introduced before the game. The video begins while the football team was praying the Lord's Prayer prior to starter introductions:


Here's a video clip from the Color FUND Run on September 29, with footage from the finish line:


That's all for now.

Big Grove supper/auction is tonight

Don't forget! Tonight is the soup supper and auction at Big Grove Lutheran Church. The supper begins at 5 p.m., and the auction will follow at 7 p.m. The event was advertised in the October 14 and October 21 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Here's a video from October 18, 2019 at Big Grove Lutheran:


Watch Mark Ziemer work the pie bid up to $55!

Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters fall banquet

It's fall banquet time! Two of our premier outdoor advocacy groups will be holding fall banquets in the coming weeks. On deck right now is the Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters fall Gun Blast, which is coming next Saturday, October 30 in Padua.  You can read more about that at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper: https://bit.ly/3vwkwNa.

The Bonanza Valley TrailBlazers group will hold their fall banquet later in November.

Section 4A football seedings (VIDEO)

The Section 4A football seedings have gone official. The rankings are out, and the pairings are set for the Tuesday, October 26 playoff openers. The B-B-E Jaguars football team has earned the No. 2 playoff seed in Section 4A. This is a huge achievement for the team. It's their best playoff ranking since 2017, when they entered the Section 4A playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The Jaguars were seeded No. 4 in the 2015 playoffs, when they went 1-1. **These are all the years in school history that the B-B-E Jaguars have earned a first-round home playoff game: 1988 (year one), 1997, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and now 2021. A first-round home playoff game is a very, very big deal!

Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, fresh off of their first win of the season, is the No. 7 seed in Section 4A, which puts them into the quarterfinal round pairing with the Jaguars.

Spread the word! Kickoff for the Section 4A playoff opener will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26 at the B-B-E high school football stadium. The Jaguars will be looking for their second win of the season over LP-GE, as the Jaguars beat the Thunder for Homecoming on October 1. Let's get a huge crowd to the stadium! If the Jaguars win, and I have to point out that it's not a guaranteed win, the second round of playoffs will be on Saturday, October 30 back at the B-B-E high school with a 2 p.m. kickoff time.

Section 4A football seedings and records:
1. Upsala/Swanville Area (6-2)
2. B-B-E (5-3)
3. Browerville (4-4)
4. Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (2-6)
5. Benson (3-5)
6. Parkers Prairie (1-7)
7. LP-GE (1-7)

Even though K-M-S has the poorer record, the Fighting Saints earned a home playoff game with the No. 4 seed thanks to their regular season win over Benson.

Here's video from the 2nd quarter of the Browerville win:


Other area football seedings...
In Section 4AA, Maple Lake received the No. 6 seed ahead of winless Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. The Irish will travel to Rush City (7-1) for their playoff opener.

Section 5AA football seedings:
1. Royalton (7-1)
2. Eden Valley-Watkins (7-1)
3. Kimball Area (8-0)
4. Paynesville Area (6-2)
5. Holdingford (3-5)
6. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (3-5)

Section 6AA football seedings:
1. Osakis (7-1)
2. West Central Area/Ashby (7-1)
3. Sauk Centre (4-4)
4. Staples-Motley (2-6)
5. Wadena-Deer Creek (4-4)
6. Pillager (0-8)

In volleyball news...the Section 6A seedings won't be finalized until Saturday, October 23. I was reading that Breckenridge, the top team in Sub-Section 6A-North, won the Heart O' Lakes Conference title for the first time in school history. They went 12-1 in the HOL and are 22-1 overall. They suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday this week at Hawley (19-6) in an HOL match by a 3-1 margin (25-23, 25-18, 18-25, 25-21). Breckenridge is very senior-heavy just like the Jaguars; they have eight seniors on their roster.

Friday Night Lights VIII: Warriors rack up 50 points

The B-B-E Jaguars football team suffered a 50-6 loss in the final regular season game. The Jaguars were facing the No. 3-ranked BOLD Warriors at Olivia. At halftime, BOLD held a 35-0 lead, with two first-half lost fumbles hurting the cause. B-B-E totaled just shy of 100 total yards of offense with 60 rushing yards and 37 passing yards. They had four first downs in the game compared to 11 by BOLD.

The Warriors are 7-1 going into the Section 5A playoffs, where they are looking at earning a No. 2 seed. The top four teams in Section 5A had a combined 26-3 record going into tonight's games.

B-B-E takes a 5-3 record into the Section 4A playoffs. They earned a huge achievement with the 5-3 mark by taking fourth place in the 10-team MidState, Sub-District III standings. The odds are high that the Jaguars will have a No. 2 seed in the seven-team section. **Spread the word! The first playoff game will be on Tuesday, October 26 at the B-B-E high school. I don't have a kickoff time.

Breaking news: the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Thunder have earned their first win of the season. LP-GE defeated visiting Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 12-8 to move to 1-7 overall heading into the Section 4A playoffs. It is possible that LP-GE will be a No. 6 seed.

In another mind-blowing score, the Benson Braves lost 42-6 at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City tonight to take a 3-5 record into the playoffs. They are likely the No. 4 seed in Section 4A and would then host K-M-S in the quarterfinals. The Falcons (3-5) snapped a three-game losing streak with the big win to gain some momentum going into the Section 5AA playoffs. *Note: Benson played without Thomas Dineen; they were out-rushed by a 344-to-49 yard margin.

At Upsala tonight, state-ranked Kimball Area won 52-0 to cap an 8-0 regular season as the MidState, Sub-District III champions. U/SA takes a 6-2 record into the Section 4A playoffs, where they will be the No. 1 seed.

Area Week 8 football scores on October 20:
Ortonville 60, Rothsay 20
West Central Area/Ashby 32, Underwood 6 (WCA/A takes a 7-1 record into the Section 6AA playoffs, where they'll be the No. 2 seed behind Osakis)
Verndale 26, Brandon-Evansville 20
Alexandria 35, St. Cloud Tech 6
Melrose Area 40, Holdingford 22
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 32, Sauk Centre 7
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 48, Sebeka 28
Ottertail Central 28, Parkers Prairie 0
Becker 17, Willmar 0
Royalton 16, Pierz 0 (a marquee win for the Royals)
Osakis 26, Pillager 0
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 33, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 14
Dassel-Cokato 41, New London-Spicer 7
Albany 40, Zimmerman 8
Minneota 29, Dawson-Boyd 6
Eden Valley-Watkins 34, Minnewaska Area 6
Paynesville Area 28, Montevideo 12 (Bulldogs rack up 380 rushing yards and 131 passing yards; they take a 6-2 record into the Section 5AA playoffs; Thunderhawks tally 433 rushing yards in the loss)
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 25, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
MACCRAY 18, Yellow Medicine East 6 (Wolverines get their first win of the season in a border battle of winless teams at Maynard, where the Wolverings out-gained the Sting by a 173-to-172 yard margin; MACCRAY had four interceptions; after trailing 6-0 after the first quarter, MACCRAY scored all of their 18 points in the second quarter; MACCRAY snapped a 15-game losing streak with the win)
Renville County West 27, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's 16 (RCW hands SESM their first loss of the year at the Danube football stadium and move to 5-3 overall; SESM had 199 passing yards but four interceptions plus one lost fumble; RCW won the game thanks in large part to a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown plus a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown; RCW will be a No. 3 seed in the Section 2, nine-man standings, while SESM will be a No. 2 seed behind top-seeded and undefeated Hancock)
Polk County West 28, New York Mills 14

Radio coverage at the Jungle

Tonight's football game between the B-B-E Jaguars and the BOLD Warriors is being aired on 100.1 FM out of Olivia from the BOLD high school football stadium, which has been known for decades as "The Jungle"  I have been out of the office all night and didn't get this updated until after kickoff. We had an important Belgrade Lions meeting tonight where we finalized plans for the upcoming Fish Fry. The Belgrade Lions Fish Fry has been advertised in the last two issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. It will be held on Friday, October 29 starting at 5 p.m. at the Brother's Bar in downtown Belgrade.

At halftime: BOLD 35, B-B-E 0. The Warriors had an unofficial total of 350 yards of offense in the first half, while the Jaguars managed just 33 yards of offense. B-B-E was held to one first down in the first half.

At the end of the third quarter, the BOLD Warriors have a 42-6 lead. The Jaguars scored on a two-yard touchdown by Wyatt Lewis with 3:08 left in the third quarter.

With 6:45 left in the game, the BOLD Warriors JV team scored to go up 50-6.

More to come.

(LIVE VIDEO) B-B-E volleyball at Grove City

Here's the live video player from ACGC high school...click on the YouTube link in the video player if it does not work on the blog:


The Jaguars are playing in the regular season finale tonight. They won the first set, and they hold a 16-8 lead in game two.

The Jaguars led 12-4 in game three before the Falcons scored six straight. After the Jaguars built a 15-11 lead, the Falcons cut it to 18-17. B-B-E pulled away down the stretch and completed the sweep with a 25-20 win.

Game scores were 25-10, 25-11, 25-20.

B-B-E (20-7) is undefeated conference champions with a 7-0 record in the Central Minnesota Conference. Up next is playoffs!

(VIDEO) B-B-E vs. Maple Lake

More video from the battle of conference unbeatens on October 7:


Tonight the Jaguars wrap up the regular season at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.

(VIDEO) B-B-E volleyball vs. Maple Lake

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team hosted Maple Lake on Thursday, October 7. The teams entered the match with 4-0 records in the Central Minnesota Conference.

Here's video from game one that night:


The Jaguars (19-7 overall) conclude the regular season with a trip to Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City high school on Tuesday this week.

Friday Night Liights VII: third in a row (VIDEOS)

The B-B-E Jaguars football team won for the third straight game as they prevailed in a hard-fought battle over Browerville by a 38-26 score. 

The first quarter ended with the teams sitting in a 6-6 tie. The Jaguars led 24-13 at halftime.

B-B-E is 5-2 overall and in the Mid State, Sub-District III standings going into the last game of the regular season. They complete the regular season at Olivia while facing the BOLD Warriors (6-1). BOLD just took their first loss of the season by a 41-28 score at Kimball Area.

Here's video featuring the first touchdown of the night:


Here's video featuring the two-point conversion attempt after the Jaguars scored to take a 12-6 lead in the 2nd quarter:

The Tigers entered the game with a 3-3 record, and their three losses were to teams with a combined 17-1 record through six contests. They are one of the better-coached units in the league, and it is never, ever a simple task to beat a Browerville football team.

Last year Browerville had two wins over the Jaguars by a 45-0 score (Week 6) and 48-18 (Section 4A quarterfinals). The Tigers finished 6-2 overall with a 1-1 mark in the playoffs. In 2019, the Tigers won 33-0 in Week Five at Belgrade. Browerville won 44-7 in Week Four in the 2018 season. B-B-E's district champion team in 2017 won at Browerville by a 42-20 score in Week Four. Browerville won in 2015 and 2016 in their regular season match-ups with the Jaguars.

In earning their fifth win of the season, the Jaguars gained a total of 364 yards compared to Browerville's 215 yards. The Jaguars gained 255 yards in the air and 109 on the ground. Browerville had 204 rushing yards and 11 passing yards on just one completion. 

B-B-E led 24-13 at halftime. Blaine Fischer's 17-yard interception return and then a two-point conversion carry gave the Jaguars a 32-13 score. The Tigers scored on a two-yard run to make it 32-19 with just 8 seconds left in the third quarter. Fischer later had a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 38-19 score in the fourth quarter. The lone Browerville scoring in the fourth quarter was an 11-yard touchdown in the closing minutes.

Mid-State, Sub-District III scores in Week 7 on October 15:
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 28, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 22 (Landon Blom carried 27 times for 201 yards in the loss; K-M-S's Jared Cortez passed for 232 yards in Murdock)
Upsala/Swanville Area 43, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 22
Benson 37, Maple Lake 0 (Irish held to 113 yards of offense at Brock Field; Thomas Dineen is back, and he rushed for 193 yards)
Kimball Area 41, BOLD 28

Week Seven area football scores on October 15
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 37, Yellow Medicine East 36 OT
Glencoe-Silver Lake 28, New London-Spicer 26
#4 Dassel-Cokato 20, #10 Litchfield 6
Paynesville Area 34, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 30
Holdingford 50, Montevideo 34
Minnewaska Area 26, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 6 (they were both 0-6 coming into the game)
Verndale 38, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 31
Elk River 57, Alexandria 56
New York Mills 35, Parkers Prairie 6
Albany 28, Foley 14
Sauk Centre 24, Melrose Area 13
Osakis 22, West Central Area/Ashby 20
Royalton 20, Rockford Area 6
Eden Valley-Watkins 34, Pierz 14
Brandon-Evansville 66, Bertha-Hewitt 6
Hancock 44, Sebeka 24

(LIVE VIDEO) Jaguars vs. Tigers

It's Game Day in Jaguar Country! Friday night football in the last home game of the regular season.

Here's the live video player for tonight's game:


Time to get to the stadium. The Jaguars will have their hands full with the Browerville Tigers, but I am convinced that they can come out with a win!

Updates to follow.

**After one quarter: Jaguars 6, Tigers 6. The Jaguars scored first, and then the Tigers scored in the last minute of the opening quarter.

At halftime: B-B-E 24, Browerville 13. The Jaguars scored in the final minute of the second quarter! 

Final: B-B-E 38, Browerville 26.

B-B-E' s new number: down by one

The new COVID-19 number posted for the week in the October 14 M.D.H. report shows a decline of new cases by one. (Good news) The number posted in the October 7 report for the Belgrade, Brooten and Elrosa zip codes was a 19. This week the new number is 18. 

Belgrade 56312 - 31 new cases (8 last week)
Brooten 56316 - 5 new cases (7 last week)
Elrosa 56325 - no new cases (4 last week)

That's all for now. Time to prepare for a football game.

Clinching a share

For the third time in the last four seasons, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has clinched a share of the Central Minnesota Conference title. This is a huge achievement that they earned based on the 6-0 record they hold in the CMC. The Jaguars swept Royalton last night 3-0 to improve to 19-7 overall.

The regular season wraps up next Tuesday at A-C-GC.

(LIVE VIDEO) CMC volleyball

Here's the live video player for tonight's volleyball match:


The Jaguars won the first two sets.

Tennis playoffs

The team portion of the schedule for the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team has concluded. The No. 6-seeded Jaguars traveled to No.3 -seeded Minnewaska Area last Thursday, October 7 for the quarterfinal round of the Section 6A tournament. The Lakers won 7-0, with the Jaguars seeing their season end with a record of 4-7. B-B-E's four wins equals the four-win season they enjoyed in 2019.

The Jaguars had at least six matches this fall affected by rain and weather. It was a season like I've never seen before. One match in which they were bearing down on a win was the week before Homecoming against Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area. The match was tied at 2-2 before a huge rain storm blasted the high school athletic complex. That certainly could have been their fifth win of the year. 

Minnewaska Area faces Osakis in the semifinals on Tuesday this week. The Silverstreaks ended Sauk Centre's season with a 7-0 quarterfinal round win.

Upper-bracket winners in the quarterfinals were No. 2-seeded New London-Spicer and No.1-seeded Litchfield.

Friday Night Lights VI: Jaguars are 4-2!

The B-B-E Jaguars football team won their second game in a row by defeating Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 28-22. They are 4-2 going into next week's home game with Browerville.

More updates to come in the morning.

An interception return for a touchdown by Ryan Jensen proved to be the difference-maker as it gave B-B-E a 28-8 lead in the third quarter. The Falcons scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to prevent them from falling to a 2-4 record. 

A-C-GC gained 290 total yards of offense compared to 185 yards for B-B-E. The Falcons totaled 228 rushing yards compared to just 12 for the Jaguars. B-B-E's Luke Dingmann was 8-of-18 for 173 passing yards with three touchdowns, all to Blaine Fischer. 

Next is the toughest game of the season so far when the Jaguars host Browerville for Parents Night on Friday, October 15. The Tigers are 3-3 overall, but the three losses are to teams who have a cumulative record of 17-1.

Week Six football scores, MidState Subdistrict III:
Upsala/Swanville Area 46, Browerville 29
Maple Lake 19, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 12
BOLD 36, Benson 9
Kimball Area 50, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 6

GAME DAY - live video

Here's the live video player from ACGC Falcons stadium:


The Jaguars built a 22-0 lead in the first quarter.

A huge step in the CMC race

In a battle for supremacy in the Central Minnesota Conference, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team defeated Class 2A No. 7-ranked Maple Lake 3-1 to improve to 5-0 in the league. Game scores were 25-20, 19-25, 25-22, 25-18. The Jaguars had a very solid 26.6 percent hitting efficiency.

The Jaguars hold an 18-7 record and have a one-week break in action. The next match is in CMC play on Thursday, October 14 at home against Royalton.

(LIVE VIDEO) CMC volleyball showdown

Here's the video player for tonight's match against Maple Lake:


The match should begin at about 7:15 p.m. 

I don't have time to get it all typed up, but we have a small increase for the weekly COVID-19 numbers. Last week it was 8, 4 and 2 for Belgrade, Brooten and Elrosa for the second straight week. This week the numbers were: Belgrade 8, Brooten 7, Elrosa 4. So nothing terrible, but still showing that it's out there.

The Jaguars won game one 25-20! But they trail 9 to 5 in game 2.

More to come in a new blog post.