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!
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Jaguars sweep Owls (VIDEOS)
In a Section 6A match up with the Hancock Owls, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team played through an emotional Parents and Seniors Night on the home floor. While the night wasn't smooth, the result was what they wanted: B-B-E 3, Hancock 0. All three sets were close, and the Jaguars really didn't find their groove until the middle of the second set.
Game scores were 25-21, 25-20, 25-22.
Here's a video from the second set tonight against Hancock:
In game two, the Jaguars recovered from an 0-2 deficit and built a 12-6 lead. The Owls scored 4 straight points, but the Jaguars got back into system with an assisted block by Kadynce Haider and Kamie Fischer, Makenna Roelike's ace serve and a kill from McKinley Haider for a 16-10 lead. After the lead grew to 22-14, the teams traded side outs. Teagan Dingmann's kill made it a 23-15 lead, but the Owls went on a 5-0 run. A Hancock service error and an ace serve from Kacey Fischer finished off the set.
Here's the last few points scored in game two:
Now 13-5 overall, the Jaguars prepare for a tough Paynesville Area squad, who comes to Brooten on Thursday this week. It will be B-B-E's first Central Minnesota Conference action since September 18, when they won in Grove City.
Hancock, with a roster including 6 seniors, falls to 9-12 overall. They were scrappy the entire night, and their hitting looked strong when they were in system.
That's all for now. It appears that there's a 99% chance I have to add 2 more pages to this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. I have a long night ahead of me.
Please continue praying for B-B-E's students and staff.
On to Wednesday...the newspaper is off to the press...
It was a nailbiter, but the newspaper was completed and off to the press on schedule this morning. It was a tough one to put together. I did not have time to stretch it to 16 pages. Today will bring two big stops on my schedule: the girls' tennis playoffs at Long Prairie and Levi Adrian's visitation at the funeral home in Belgrade.
The Powder Puff flag football photos have been uploaded, here's the link to find that: https://shorturl.at/fdIVW.
Area volleyball scores on September 30:
Melrose Area 3, Montevideo 0
Sauk Rapids-Rice 3, Alexandria 0
Parkers Prairie 3, Bertha-Hewitt 0
Minnewaska Area 3, Sauk Centre 0 (the Lakers are the real deal; they dismantled the Mainstreeters with a roster featuring just 2 seniors and just 1 senior in their top rotation)
Maple Lake 3, Litchfield 2
Dassel-Cokato 3, New London-Spicer 2
Willmar 3, St. Cloud Tech 0
Park Christian 3, Rothsay 1
MACCRAY 3, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Brandon-Evansville 3, Ashby 0
Canby 3, Renville County West 0
Central MN Christian 3, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
Royalton 3, Osakis 0
Today is game day: parents and seniors night (UPDATES, VIDEO)
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team hosts Hancock tonight in a non-conference match. This is also Parents and Seniors night for the team. That's all hard to believe, as it feels like the season just started.
And a community announcement:
The Belgrade Fire Department will host an Open House to help kick off Fire Prevention Week, which is October 5-11. They invite the public to this event on Saturday, October 4 from 10 to 12 p.m. noon. The address is 120 Walker Street, which is adjacent to the Belgrade Steel Tank campus.
Also on Saturday: the Belgrade VFW will hold a steak and pork chop fry fundraiser from 5 to 7:30 p.m. plus a meat raffle at the same time. At 7 p.m., Beaches Entertainment will provide karaoke and music for guests to the VFW.
Let's go back a week to see the National Anthem played before the Sauk Centre match:
Match updates to follow here. The Hancock Owls are 9-11 overall and ranked No. 13 in Section 6A, which has 21 teams. In the Little Eight Conference, Hancock holds a 3-3 record, which puts them in fifth place.
Now we regroup and band together (multiple UPDATES)
What lies ahead will be a long, difficult week. I've spent a fair portion of this weekend in deep reflection while having valuable conversations with many local parents. A recurring theme in these conversations is that we have two big tasks ahead of us:
1.) Support and pray for Levi Adrian's family and extended family.
2.) Support and pray for the student body at B-B-E and especially at the high school, where both students and staff need our support!
I don't know much, but I know one thing: this does not seem real. Denial is a part of the grieving process, and it's important that parents recognize that. There's plenty of other stages to grief beyond that.
It's cruel. The Reed and Carrie Adrian family was still reeling after their grandson Dechlan Lindner died on April 15 of this year at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis at just 10 months old from an unexpected illness. Dechlan's father, Taiton, was a B-B-E Class of 2020 graduate.
Celebration of Life information: the Celebration of Life for Levi Adrian will be on Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 2 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church in New London. A viewing will take place on Wednesday night in Belgrade from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Click here for more information at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper: https://shorturl.at/djTwR.
Here's a Color FUND Run video that includes Levi crossing the finish line, which takes place early in the clip:
On Monday I learned...parents and families should watch for a special announcement from B-B-E schools to be released later today. This will involve information for Thursday. I don't want to pre-empt the announcement, but we all should be flexible and understanding in the coming days (and weeks) as the staff themselves work through what is one of the most difficult things they can endure - the loss of a colleague's child. They are re-living the horror the community experienced in January 2024, when the Dahl brothers died after a UTV-truck accident in Norway Lake Township. I'll repeat myself: let's all practice a heavy dose of caring, compassion and empathy this week.
This will be a long process, and part of the process is keeping B-B-E staff in your prayers - in addition to the 600+ students in our school buildings each week. The school is working with high-level professionals in their own circles, but that does not make them immune to sadness or grief. Remember to reach out if you need help at this time. If I am profoundly sad and stricken with grief, imagine how the students feel right now. This weighs heavily.
Monday afternoon update from the school: on Thursday this week (October 2), school will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. The athletic events schedule for that evening are still on, but the schedule may be slightly adjusted. Stay tuned for further updates. At about 1 p.m. today, parents were notified of this change. It continues to be a very difficult time for staff and students alike.
Varsity sports updates:
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team will host Hancock tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 30) in a non-conference match. This will also be Seniors and Parents Night. The Jaguars also host Paynesville Area on Thursday this week in a conference match.
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team will open the Section 6A playoffs on Wednesday this week (October 1) with a play-in round at 3 p.m. at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle high school. If they win, they travel the next day (October 2) to Minnewaska Area for the Section 6A quarterfinals.
Also, the volleyball team will make up the CMC match with Eden Valley-Watkins on Saturday, October 11 at home in Brooten. The C-squad and JV-squad matches start at 3 p.m., and the varsity match is set to follow at about 4:30 p.m. Please pass the word.
Here's a video from the conference tournament at Osakis on September 18:
I'm working on getting this Fall 2025 sports folder updated with more photo galleries. I'm in the midst of uploading Friday Night Lights IV against Browerville. Here's the general link for the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's fall sports galleries: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/BBE-Fall-Sports-2025.
Friday Night Lights V: such a difficult loss, hard to describe (VIDEOS)
Because the weather is far too nice for me to sit on the computer, the blog updates won't be done until later in the day. One video from the 3rd quarter was posted below. Also, the funeral information for Levi Adrian is posted near the end of this blog post before the scoreboard.
The B-B-E Jaguars football team left everything they had on the field tonight against Maple Lake for Homecoming. They played a rather solid first half where they earned over 200 yards of offense and held a 12-0 lead at halftime. Kameron Hiltner scored one touchdown in both the first and second quarters, the first on a 10-yard pass from Aiden Mueller and the second on a 24-yard run. However, both conversion plays failed.
Maple Lake scored on an 11-yard carry in the third quarter, and the conversion carry was good to cut B-B-E's lead to 12-8. The visiting team then put a dagger in B-B-E's Homecoming hopes when Joseph Aasen picked off a bullet-style pass in the shallow left flats and returned it 54 yards for a game-changing Pick-Six interception.
This was a difficult game to endure. The second half was very, very difficult to get through. I'll get to some type of a longer description later. In a nutshell, a rash of ill-timed penalties along with one gut-punching type of a holding penalty call all but removed the odds of winning from the Jaguars.
Final: Maple Lake 14, B-B-E 12. The Irish scored the go-ahead touchdown with 6:54 left in the game, and two late B-B-E possessions were unsuccessful to regain the lead.
Light game statistics:
The Jaguars had 361 yards of offense compared to 294 by the Irish. The airways were tough for both teams, with the game featuring 32 total pass attempts and just 9 of them being completions. For B-B-E, Jesse Niklaus ran for 124 yards. B-B-E's offense was generated by 190 rushing yards and 171 passing yards.
In a fitting and touching gesture of kindness and wonderful sportsmanship, the postgame handshakes became a lengthy meet-and-greet with hugs between Maple Lake and B-B-E players as the Irish players and coaching staff shared words of comfort at midfield after the game. Yes, some things are far bigger than sports.
Next: the Jaguars travel to Benson (2-3) next week for another district game. I am exhausted. Before I do anything tonight, I am going to enjoy some fresh watermelon from my garden.
Here's a video to take our minds off of sports for a moment; this is from today's Homecoming pep fest:
Let the record show that the student council put together a terrific pep fest today. It was what the students needed to help close out the end of the final school day of Homecoming week. More to come. Game stats are being reviewed.
Here's a video featuring the 4th quarter touchdown that was erased by a controversial holding call:
Here's a video added on Saturday afternoon.
From the last 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter against Maple Lake:
For the game, the Jaguars had 361 yards of offense, while Maple Lake had 297 yards. B-B-E had 190 rushing yards, and Aiden Mueller passed for 171 yards.
More to come on Saturday morning, when this blog post will be extensively revised.
Saturday update: the funeral for Levi Adrian will be on Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 2 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church in New London. Click here for more information at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper: https://shorturl.at/djTwR.
Mid-Northwest Gold District Week Five scores on September 26:
Upsala/Swanville Area 38, Browerville 8
Benson 36, West Central Area 0
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 46, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
Area football scores in Week 5 on September 26:
Holdingford 39, Minnewaska Area 6
Springfield 54, BOLD 6
Paynesville 52, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 12
New London-Spicer 55, Montevideo 0
Dawson-Boyd 53, Canby 13
Melrose Area 43, Royalton 22
Dassel-Cokato 42, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 28
Dawson-Boyd 53, Canby 13
Murray County Central 64, Lac qui Parle Valley 6
Willmar 29, Hutchinson 23
Parkers Prairie 31, Frazee 12
Hancock 36, Underwood 15
Eden Valley-Watkins 18, St. Cloud Cathedral 12
Kimball Area 48, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Lake Park-Audubon 20, New York Mills 14
Minneota 64, MACCRAY 0
Eden Valley-Watkins 18, St. Cloud Cathedral 12
Please do your part: come out and support the Adrians and our school tonight (VIDEOS*)
On Thursday night this week, B-B-E schools announced that the Homecoming football game will not have a gate fee. Instead, the school is collecting a free will offering at the gate which will be fully donated to the Reed and Carrie Adrian family. The B-B-E Jaguars football team hosts Maple Lake, and kickoff is at 7 p.m. At halftime, the 5th-6th grade youth tackle football team will play in an intrasquad scrimmage. I have heard they have very good numbers this fall, which bodes well for the future of the program.
The Homecoming tailgating party, sponsored by the Belgrade Commercial Club, starts at 5:30 p.m. at the ag shop on the east side of the school building. That is also where the free will donation will be collected.
Here's my fourth fall sports show of the season:
As stated in the prior blog post, Reed Adrian is a Class of 2000 graduate of B-B-E schools.
It is great to hear all the concern from people, and I also want to ask the public to be patient with a funeral announcement. My suggestion is to be prepared to be flexible and be willing to sacrifice part of your time and energy next week for that whole process. There is no playbook here. Also, pray endlessly, and be willing to offer grace to others.
Here's a video featuring the beginning of today's pep fest at the high school:
The fall sports teams were introduced along with the fall theater students.
GAME UPDATES... After the first quarter, BBE 6, Irish 0. The Jaguars scored with 7:04 left in the first quarter on Kameron Hiltner's 10-yard catch.
Halftime: BBE 12, Maple Lake 0. The final score will be posted in a NEW blog post.
A super extended period of time that can simply be called good fortune has come to an end in Jaguar Country. What we are experiencing is so rare here, we can almost forget how to deal with it. Honestly, there is no playbook to follow. On March 4, 2017, B-B-E Class of 2019 member Austin Young died after a one-vehicle accident south of the high school on County Road 197. That was over 8 1/2 years ago.
The horror and worst nightmare in a school is back...
On Wednesday, September 24, B-B-E Class of 2027 member Levi Adrian passed away. He is the first B-B-E student to pass away before graduation since Austin died in 2017. Levi was a dual-sport athlete in Jaguar Countryas a member of the boys' basketball and track and field teams in addition to being who you could call a near life-long member of the B-B-E Resistance Robotics team. This past spring, Levi was just 1 of 2 members of the Class of 2027 who were on the track and field teams.
This past winter, Levi was a sophomore member of the JV and varsity boys' basketball teams under first-year head coach Austin Rambow. Also last winter, Levi was one of 7 students in the Class of 2027 who were on the robotics team. What's remarkable about that is that this figure represented around 23 percent of the entire grade. As of the latest count, the Class of 2027 had 31 students enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year.
Levi's passing will leave a deep and lasting impact on all three extra-curricular programs at B-B-E.
Here's Levi during one of his three triple jump attempts at the Dave Sieben Invitational in Melrose on May 9, 2024:
Standing off to the far left in the video player and from the right of the triple jump approach that Levi ran on is his younger brother, Braeden, seen by the fenceline. Braeden is a 7th grader at B-B-E high school.
Levi was a freshman who competed at the varsity level during that Spring 2024 season. He was a super, incredibly nice kid. He was hard working, respectful, kind and caring. Those words do not do justice to just how remarkable of a person he was.
One of the many difficult tasks we have ahead of us is the dual roles we have to both honor and remember Levi and show love to his family while also knowing there are 600-plus students in our district who also need to be loved and cared for. This is the case 365 days of the year. We are a small school. We can and will care for our students every day of the year. It should go without saying. In terms of what would be helpful at this current time, remembering the positive impact Levi had on everyone who was in his life is what I think we should focus on right now. In addition, please pray for his family. His parents are Reed and Carrie Adrian of Crow Lake Township, rural Belgrade. Reed is a B-B-E Class of 2000 graduate. He is pictured with a large number of his Class of 2000 peers on page 14 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice in a class reunion picture at Lucky Shots Bowling Alley.
I've tried twice to record a sports show today, and both times, I couldn't pull it off. I will try a third time tonight. I want to share with the public that our Homecoming activities are scheduled for Friday that culminate with the football game and then a senior high Homecoming dance. Also! I really, really would encourage everyone to come out and attend our Tailgating party before the football game. It starts at 5:30 p.m. at the high school ag shop. This is part of being a citizen of our community. Come and be present!
The initial moment of the color burst, which was followed by the announcing of prizes at B-B-E's 10th annual Color FUND Run on Wednesday this week.
Everything is different today. This is a day where it will be difficult, if not impossible, to find joy.
I am preparing another sports video, but it will be very difficult to post today. We are still very early in the grieving process of losing a student in Jaguar Country. I'd almost say we're only about a 1/2 a mile into what will be a 100-mile journey. The loss will weigh heavy on every single one of us for an indefinite period of time. Please pray for the staff and students of B-B-E schools. It's important that we are there for each other - young, old and in between!
There is no home tennis match or volleyball today.
Video from the third quarter of Friday Night Lights IV against Browerville has been posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/a9utz. In that video, you can watch the Jaguars finish a lengthy scoring drive that put the ahead 22-0.
Another amazing Color FUND Run takes place: 10th annual! (VIDEOS)
The temperatures approached 80 degrees today with full sunshine for B-B-E's 10th annual Color FUND Run! It was incredible! Hats off to everyone who helped pull it off! This includes an incredible level of planning. The 98 percent participation rate in the high school is just absolutely outstanding! We should all be proud of our school and community. I've got about a dozen videos to upload and process tonight.
Here's my first video recorded this afternoon:
I have a LOT to say about the naysayers who object to the Color FUND Run. None of their arguments make sense! The fact that there are so few of them speaks VOLUMES. As a parent, I would STRONGLY object to returning school fundraising ideas to peddling wrapping paper, candles, candy and more. Doing such types of fundraising for specific events like a band/choir Florida trip is one thing that I have no issue with, but for a school's general fundraising efforts - you will not find a more exciting, meaningful and fun-filled fundraiser than a Color FUND Run. There is a reason why schools from across central Minnesota REPEATEDLY approach B-B-E staff and ask how we do this Color Run each year. Think about that!
Yes, I'll get to more on this later after I record another sports show video.
Here's a video from the finish line...
I'd like to shift your attention briefly to theater...The Barn Theater!
This is a terrific show I've been asked to promote. The play is called Exit Laughing at The Barn Theater in Willmar. It is directed by my high school classmate Thomas Dougherty-Rosengren. We shared the theater stage at B-B-E high school when I was in senior high. He became a seasoned veteran of the theater at B-B-E. His first play was 35 years ago! Dang it, Thom, we are getting old!
And here's my third fall sports show of the season:
Now that this is posted...we advance into the darkness...
It was tough to record that, but I wanted to get it done. I recorded this video with the distraction and heavy heart of news that is breaking across Jaguar Country about a tragic loss we have experienced in B-B-E high school with the death of a current student. It must be noted that the two competitions for Thursday that I spoke about are being postponed (which I should have realized while recording): girls' tennis in Belgrade and volleyball in Brooten. These events will not take place tomorrow. Additional information is forthcoming, but I will not share anything until it has been shared by school administrators.
I'll go back to the key point I was trying to make: we continue with a grand experiment to sustain what we've got going in Jaguar Country. It is a noble and worthy experiment. What we have here is a blessing, and this blessing of our community is needed in both good and bad times.
Our varsity teams have taken two tough, close losses during the front half of Homecoming week at B-B-E. In a non-conference border battle tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team fell 3-1 to Sauk Centre. After the Jaguars won the opening set, the Mainstreeters won out in sets to improve to 13-3 overall. Game scores were 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 21-25.
Sauk Centre trailed 11-9 in game 4 before going on an 8-2 run. The Jaguars could get no closer than 3 points the rest of the way.
Here's a short video from game one tonight:
In game three, which Sauk Centre won 25-20, the Jaguars had a hitting percentage of just 9.3 percent. They had a respectable 91.1 percent serving percentage, but the Mainstreeters were especially tough at their service game, and it showed in games 3 and 4.
Next: the Jaguars (12-5 overall) host Eden Valley-Watkins on Thursday this week in Central Minnesota Conference action.
Here's a video featuring the player introductions tonight:
If you're reading this sentence, that means this blog post is a wrap...this is all I've got to post. I need to get the newspaper to press and get a good night's sleep to be fully prepared for the 10th annual Color FUND Run! It starts at 1 p.m. sharp tomorrow at the high school athletic complex.
Shifting back to girls' tennis coverage...
Here's doubles action on Monday against LPGE/USA:
Today, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team had a makeup match at Parkers Prairie. They host MACCRAY on Thursday this week to wrap up their regular season.
Today was a terrific day for being outdoors, including the Belgrade Co-op lunch and learn event held in conjunction with FFA students from B-B-E, K-M-S and Sauk Centre.
Area volleyball scores on September 23:
Royalton 3, Melrose Area 1
Willmar 3, Detroit Lakes 0
Battle Lake 3, Hancock 1
Parkers Prairie 3, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 0
Underwood 3, Rothsay 1
On Day TWO of Homecoming Week, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team will have their hands full as they host state-ranked Sauk Centre. The Mainstreeters are ranked No. 9 in this week's Class 2A poll, which is up one spot from last week. They are 12-3 overall and currently on a 5-match winning streak. In the West Central Conference, they are 6-1 and one match out of first place behind Minnewaska Area.
First serve should be right after 7 p.m. Updates to follow!
In game one, the Jaguars fell behind 3-0 before they let the clutch out and started rolling. They built a 19-14 lead only to see Sauk Centre tie it at 23-23. Kadynce Haider in the middle and Mya Worms on the right side both had back-to-back kills to hand the Jaguars a 25-23 win!
Game two: Sauk Centre 25, B-B-E 20; the Jaguars trailed 19-17 late, tied it at 19-19 and then 20-20, but the Mainstreeters closed out on a 5-0 run that stung.
Game three: Sauk Centre 25, B-B-E 23. The outcome will be posted in a new blog post.
Homecoming Coronation was terrific (VIDEOS*, UPDATES)
Over an hour later, I am finally getting to video from the coronation.
Tonight, on Day One of Homecoming week, B-B-E high school's Olson Auditorium was the site of another wonderful Homecoming coronation ceremony. Year after year, this event does not disappoint! I can't say enough about how enjoyable this event is. HATS OFF to the hard work of the student council and their fearless advisor, Mrs. Carrie Halvorson!
And the exciting part of coronation...
Here's the crowning of the 37th Homecoming King and Queen at BBE High School...click on the link: https://shorturl.at/qNfiu.
Here's a short video featuring student council members showing the Homecoming Week dress-up days:
In sports news...
TheB-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team lost in what felt like a bone-crushing defeat tonight in the first of their two Homecoming matches this week. Against Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area, the Jaguars suffered a 4-3 loss. It was a back-and-forth match the entire night. The Thunder won at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, and the Jaguars then won at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. The Thunder then won 2 of the final 3 points on the table to earn the Prairie Conference win. Next: the Jaguars have a makeup match at Parkers Prairie on Tuesday.
Here's a video from the postmatch huddle after the match:
More to come in the morning.
Tuesday...Hawaiian Day at the high school! Homecoming Day No. 2...
The girls' tennis team hits the road to Parkers Prairie for a Prairie Conference match at 4:30 p.m. The volleyball team hosts Sauk Centre in a highly anticipated border battle clash. This is their first meeting on the volleyball court since 2021, when the Mainstreeters went 33-1 and won the Class 2A state title.
This is Homecoming Week in Jaguar Country, today is Day One!
We woke up in Jaguar Country to thick fog and tremendous dew on the ground. It was wet! The sun is supposed to burn through it and give us a warm, sunny day.
Two big events are today for Day One of the Homecoming week, the 37th annual at B-B-E schools. The first Homecoming at B-B-E was in October 1989 during the first year of the academic pairing between Brooten and Belgrade-Elrosa schools.
1.) The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team host Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area in a Prairie Conference match. This begins at 3 p.m. at the high school courts.
2.) The Homecoming Coronation ceremony is at 7 p.m. tonight at the high school's Olson Auditorium. This is open to the public.
Here's another video from Grove City last week:
Over the noon hour today, the sun came out! It is shining strong, which is great. It's easy to tell that this is fall, and the sun does not have quite the kick it had across June-July-August. That saddens me, because it means winter is coming.
**A new blog post that will be added later tonight will feature more Homecoming and sports coverage.
It's exciting to report that turnout was terrific for events held yesterday in Swift Falls and Sedan. The Turkey Fest, sponsored by Brink's Beer Joint, drew a great crowed to Swift Falls who were centered around a turkey cook-off contest that had 6 families participating. The cooked turkey was very good. In the evening in Sedan, the Sedan Fire and Rescue squad hosted a 40-gun raffle that had almost a packed house at the bar.
Here's a video from the first half of the Browerville game:
On Saturday, the area of Brooten received about 1.5 inches of rain. None of it was needed! It got me out of watering vegetables in the garden, but the rain was very unwelcome for area farmers.
It's way too nice outside today to spend any more time blogging. I hope you can get out and enjoy today's strong sunshine.
I found this interesting...for current MSHSL enrollment figures, which is used to determine what playoff class a school competes in, we see B-B-E has a grades 9-12 figure of 161. For neighboring K-M-S, they have a grades 9-12 figure of 209. That's substantially bigger. It is a bigger number by 29.8 percent! That represents 48 more students who theoretically could play MSHSL sports along with other school activities. For K-M-S's football team, it pits them in Class 2A, where they are at a huge, huge disadvantage. They recently played St. Cloud Cathedral, whose grades 9-12 enrollment is 307. Good grief! That's 98 more students in those grades, which is almost 47 percent bigger. The Fighting Saints vs. SCC Crusaders game did not go well; K-M-S lost in Week 3 to the Crusaders 55-8.
Brink's Beer Joint in Swift Falls is excited to host Turkey Fest today. Their parade is at 5:30 p.m. Hopefully some of you can make the trip out! If so, I'll see you there. Bring your umbrella and rain jacket! Brink's Beer Joint is one of countless small businesses around the Bonanza Valley area who support the coverage you see in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper each week.
Here's a short video featuring the end of Coach Moscho's pregame talk with his team last night:
The Sedan Fire and Rescue squad hosts their 40-gun raffle tonight. That's next on the list.
Friday Night Lights IV: Jaguars post statement win! (VIDEOS*)
One more video was added here on Sunday morning...this first quarter video below.
A great week of practice, time spent on game film and an outstanding effort all came together for the B-B-E Jaguars football team in a statement 30-0 shutout win against visiting Browerville. This improves their overall record to 3-1, and they sit in a 5-way tie for second place in the Mid-Northwest Gold District with a 2-1 record. B-B-E also started 3-1 in the 1988, 2013, 2017 and 2022 seasons.
After B-B-E came up empty on the first 2 drives with failed 4th down plays in the red zone, the Jaguars punched through on their third series with a 34-yard touchdown catch by Kameron Hiltner.
Here's a video from the 1st quarter:
Kameron Hiltner caught a second touchdown before halftime in the second quarter, this time from 25 yards out. After the second quarter touchdown, Jesse Niklaus ran in the conversion for a 14-0 lead.
Here's a video from B-B-E's first offensive series of the game:
Browerville suffered a lost fumble on the game's very first play. They were set up on their own 37-yard line, and the lost fumble was recovered with 11:40 on the clock at Browerville's 41-yard line. The Jaguars later had first down on Browerville's 23, but they stalled out 3 plays later on a 4th-and-4 pass that fell incomplete with 9:32 left in the first quarter.
In the third quarter, Noah Kampsen had a 7-yard touchdown carry with 6:18 left. Niklaus ran in the conversion for a 22-0 lead. The touchdown run by Kampsen capped an 11-play, 63-yard drive.
It was exactly what the team needed to put the Week Three loss at Swanville behind them. The Jaguars posted over 400 yards of offense while scoring on 4 out of 9 offensive drives. The JV Jaguars took over in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. They were bearing down on an additional touchdown, and with 1:02 on the clock, quarterback Walker Winter took a knee to end the game at the Browerville 28-yard line.
B-B-E totaled 431 yards of offense on 63 plays. They held Browerville to just 55 yards of offense on 39 plays. Aiden Mueller passed for 206 yards, and Jesse Niklaus ran for 151 yards.
Browerville suffered three lost fumbles in the first half, which was a major factor in B-B-E building their 14-0 halftime lead.
B-B-E went 8-for-13 on third down conversions, while the Tigers were 1-for-10 on third down tries.
The Jaguars now prepare for Homecoming week with Maple Lake coming to town. Game time is at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 26. Maple Lake is tough this year! They are not the pushover teams that they fielded in 2022, 2023 and 2024. It will be a tough game.
Update: tonight, in Maple Lake, the Irish thrashed Benson 38-14. They are 3-1 and having their best season since 2019, when they finished 7-3.
Here's a postgame interview with Coach Moscho:
More to come. Additional video is uploading, and the game statistics are being reviewed!
Mid-Northwest Gold District scores in Week Four on Sept. 19:
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 22, West Central Area 12
Upsala/Swanville Area 58, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 7
Maple Lake 38, Benson 14
Area Week Four football scores on September 19:
Hancock 50, Ortonville 0
Minneota 53, Lakeview 0
Eden Valley-Watkins 46, Redwood Valley 34
Springfield 34, Dawson-Boyd 7 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 12, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 6
Litchfield 54, Montevideo 6
Rothsay 36, Underwood 6
Pierz 21, Albany 14
New London-Spicer 20, Dassel-Cokato 14 (2 OT!)
St. Cloud Cathedral 28, Kimball Area 0
Royalton 31, Sauk Centre 28
Marshall 49, Hutchinson 6
MACCRAY 20, Lac qui Parle Valley 6
Canby 29, Yellow Medicine East 7
Paynesville Area 44, BOLD 39
Minnewaska Area 26, Melrose Area 25
Kerkhoven-Murdock 26, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 22
So far, we have a wet day to endure as the B-B-E Jaguars football team prepares for Week Four of their regular season. They will host Browerville, a team that's on a two-game winning streak. The Tigers handily defeated West Central Area 36-14 last week in Barrett. They are averaging about 21 points per game on offense with a defensive average of 12 points. In Week Two, the Tigers won 28-0 at home against Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, who had to call the white flag in the 3rd quarter after sustaining too many injuries to key players. In Week One, the Tigers lost 22-0 to Class 2A Frazee (2-1).
Browerville is tough as nails! They will be highly motivated to win tonight's game, which I expect to be a very entertaining contest.
Here's a video from the last action of the 1st quarter and early action in the 2nd quarter at WCA:
The Jaguars had scored earlier in the first quarter at WCA to hold a 6-0 lead leading into when that video was recorded.
In church news...
Here's a small web article highlighting a very, very special upcoming event: https://shorturl.at/zqqkj. East Norway Lake Lutheran church was my childhood church, continues as my home church and was the church where my wife and I were married. It is also the church were my family paid our last respects to my late father, Brian, who died in January 2005.
Game updates to follow here on this blog post.
GAME UPDATES...
With 3:51 left in the first quarter, the Jaguars scored on a 34-yard touchdown catch by Kameron Hiltner.
Halftime: BBE 14, Browerville 0.
End of Q3: BBE 22, Tigers 0. The final score will be posted in a NEW blog post!
Jaguars sweep Falcons in close battle, tennis competes in conference tournament (VIDEOS*)
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove city tonight to improve to 3-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference. Game scores were 25-22, 25-23, 25-19.
The Jaguars had a very strong hitting night with 27 percent efficiency on 122 attacks. Libero Kenna Lieser led the back row with 12 digs, Kamie Fischer guided 34 set assists and Kacey Fischer had 18 kills as part of B-B-E's 49-kill attack.
Next: the No. 10 QRF-ranked Jaguars (12-4 overall) host state-ranked Sauk Centre (11-3, 5-1 West Central Conference) in their next action next Tuesday as part of Homecoming week! Be there!
Here's a video from game 2 tonight in Grove City:
Here's another video from late in game 2 with a 20-20 tie score:
A-C-GC falls to 7-8 overall and 2-1 in the CMC.
Added on Friday morning...additional coverage of the Jaguars is posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice website. You can see that here: https://shorturl.at/weztt.
In girls' tennis action today...
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team competed in the Prairie Conference tournament at Osakis. The tournament featured 6 total teams with Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg joining the Prairie this fall for the first time ever. I haven't had a chance to look deep through the results. At No. 1 singles, Skylar Knight-DeWeerd won a close battle by a 7-5, 6-4 score over Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area's Reagan Larsen. At No. 2 singles, Ellan Fischer picked up a 6-1, 3-6, 10-6 win over St. John's Prep's Lucy Bechtold. At No. 4 singles, Kwynn Quade won 7-5, 6-4 over Lola Spychala of St. John's Prep.
At No. 1 doubles, Grace Berndt and Hannah Wurm won 6-4, 6-3 over LPGE/USA's Addison Hovland and Brynlee Ostendorf. At No. 3 doubles, Jena Borgerding and Harper Herickhoff won 7-6 (10-2), 6-0 over LPGE/USA's Jada Stocco/Peyton Remer.
Here's a short video featuring No. 3 doubles action in Osakis:
That doubles match was from the opening round and featured B-B-E seventh graders Harper Herickhoff and Jena Borgerding facing LPGE/USA. The video was from the first set tiebreaker.
The girls' tennis team hosts LPGE/USA next Monday to officially kick off B-B-E's Homecoming week. The Jaguars and Thunder square off starting at 3 p.m. in Belgrade.
Central MN Conference volleyball scores on Sept. 18:
Maple Lake 3, Kimball Area 2
Holdingford 3, Eden Valley-Watkins 0
Royalton 3, Paynesville Area 0
Area volleyball scores on Sept. 18:
Browerville 3, LP-GE 1
Sauk Centre 3, BOLD 0
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 3, Melrose Area 0
New London-Spicer 3, Rockford 0
Minnewaska Area 3, West Central Area 0
K-M-S 3, Lakeview 2
Henning 3, Bertha-Hewitt 0
Swanville 3, Upsala 0
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 3, Underwood 2
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has a 2-0 set lead at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City high school. They won the first two sets by close margins with late comebacks both times!
Game three final score: B-B-E 25, A-C-GC 19. B-B-E (12-4) and Falcons were in a 16-16 tie before the Jaguars came on strong to close out the match on a 6-2 run.
More to come after returning to my sports department's home office! Video will be uploading shortly to be posted to a NEW blog post that will feature additional coverage from tonight's match plus an area scoreboard PLUS coverage from the Prairie Conference girls' tennis tournament in Osakis.
Volleyball Jaguars defeat West Central Area, tennis plays on back-to-back days (VIDEO)
In a non-conference match at West Central Area, theB-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has a 2-1 set lead in Barrett.
Game four final score: B-B-E 25, WCA 19. The Jaguars improve to 11-4 overall with the big Section 6A win.
Next: the Jaguars travel to Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City high school on Thursday this week to resume Central Minnesota Conference action. The Falcons are also undefeated in the CMC and hold a 7-7 overall record after losing 3-2 tonight to neighboring rival BOLD.
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team has had back-to-back matches yesterday and today. They were in Granite Falls on Monday. Today, the Jaguars hosted New London-Spicer. Both matches began in tremendous heat, with highs hovering in the mid to upper 80s yesterday and today.
Here's a video from YME high school yesterday:
More to come.
Area volleyball scores on September 16:
BOLD 3, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 2
And now it's Monday - tennis team heading to Yellow Medicine County + Fall Sports Show #2 (VIDEO)
The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's sports department has a long road trip ahead. Today, The Voice will head to Granite Falls to cover the non-conference match between our B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team and the Yellow Medicine East Sting. The match starts at 4:30 p.m.
If you want to see the agenda for tonight's Belgrade City Council meeting, click over to the newspaper's editor's blog at this link: https://shorturl.at/hamq9.
Finally, I got back in the saddle and recorded a fall sports show. It has been a full 13 days! The fall is moving too fast.
Here's The Voice sports department's Fall Sports Show No. 2:
Time to pack up for the 65-mile trip south.
Temperatures climbed into the upper 80s today. It was a crazy but necessary level of heat to help push the crops along. It's also been great for our family garden!
Volleyball wins 4th straight title at Crosby-Ironton (UPDATED, VIDEOS)
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team won four matches today at the Crosby-Ironton Invitational to win their fourth straight title at this event. The Jaguars breezed past three opponents leading into the championship match. In the finals, the Jaguars faced undefeated Swanville and won in straight sets by scores of 25-23, 25-22.
Next: the Jaguars (10-4) travel to West Central Area high school in Barrett on Tuesday, September 16 for a non-conference match against the two-time defending Section 6A champion Knights. WCA is 5-4 overall and 1-3 in the West Central Conference.
And on to Sunday night...
I spent Friday night and Saturday focusing my time and energy (outside of getting football game notes) with a drive to Pepin, Wisconsin, for that town's two-day Laura Ingalls Wilder celebration. This is the second year I've taken in this event. It is well worth the time and expense! More on this will be published in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.
Now, for something fun during the difficult times our nation is enduring...
Here's Principal Trent Johnson leading the elementary school in the Pledge of Allegiance on the first day of school:
It's hard to believe that was nearly 3 weeks ago. The fall is moving too fast!
If only all elementary schools would have their students begin the school day with the Pledge of Allegiance. I am grateful we do that here in Jaguar Country.
Here's a video from the 2nd quarter at West Central Area in Week Two:
More to come. I've got a high volume of Pepin, Wisconsin video to work through.
The Terrace Mill held a thoroughly enjoyable Bluegrass Festival one week ago. I've got two videos posted at the newspaper's website from the High 48s performing. Click here to see that: https://shorturl.at/xUSdJ.
Friday Night Lights III: disastrous second half spells doom for Jaguars (VIDEO ADDED)
At halftime tonight in Swanville, theB-B-E Jaguars football teamhad to feel solid about their chances. They played a strong enough game in the first half to be well within striking distance of the Upsala/Swanville Area Patriots in an early season battle of Mid-Northwest Gold District powers. At halftime, the Patriots held a 14-6 lead.
After scoring with 3:26 left in the first quarter, the Jaguar offense spent the rest of the game unable to get into the U/SA red zone.
Countless mistakes and miscues in the second half fueled what was an unmitigated disaster for the Jaguars, however, as they suffered a blowout 53-6 loss to fall to 2-1 overall.
Here's a video from the West Central Area game; featuring action in the 2nd quarter:
After falling behind 8-0 when U/SA scored on the game's first series, the Jaguars got on the scoreboard with a touchdown by Jesse Niklaus from 5 yards out with 3:26 left in the first quarter. The touchdown was set up by an interception by Kaden Kollman that was returned to the U/SA 11-yard line with 5:21 on the clock. This gave B-B-E first down at the U/SA 11-yard line. Niklaus scored his touchdown on a 4th-and-3 play. The Patriots stopped the 2-point conversion about a yard short of the endzone as they held onto an 8-6 lead.
With 11:48 left in the game, the Patriots scored on a one play, 8-second long touchdown drive of 46 yards. A successful PAT kick gave U/SA a 37-6 lead at that point. Their final touchdown was scored on an interception return from 22 yards out with 53 seconds left in the game. A successful two-point conversion carry lifted U/SA to 53 total points.
U/SA, who won the Section 4A title last November with a heart-stopping 19-12 win over the Jaguars at the FargoDome, appears unstoppable in the district. They sent Benson packing early last week in a 45-8 win over the Braves in Swanville.
The Jaguars can't lick their wounds for too long, though, as they have another tough game ahead with Browerville coming to our house for Week Four. The Jaguars and Tigers kick off at B-B-E high school at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 19. Tonight, Browerville handled West Central Area in Barrett in a 36-14 win to improve to 2-0 in the Mid-Northwest Gold District. WCA is now winless in three games.
Mid-Northwest Gold District scores in Week Three on September 12:
Benson 44, Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 8
Maple Lake 48, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0 (Maple Lake is 2-1 for the first time in the post-COVID era)
Browerville 36, West Central Area 14
Area football Week Three scores on September 12:
Border West 20, Clearbrook-Gonvick 8
Dawson-Boyd 54, Lac qui Parle Valley 6
BOLD 29, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 22
Albany 43, Melrose Area 16
Redwood Valley 44, Paynesville Area 8
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 46, Sauk Centre 7
Springfield 68, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 18
Pierz 30, Minnewaska Area 7
Marshall 41, Willmar 7
St. Cloud Cathedral 55, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 8
New London-Spicer 22, Watertown-Mayer 0
Parkers Prairie 14, New York Mills 6
Bertha-Hewitt 30, Verndale 6
The B-B-E Jaguars football teamhas a big game tonight in a district battle against Upsala/Swanville Area. This regular season game has routinely featured two of the top teams in the district, and this year is no different! U/SA is 1-1 overall after destroying Benson 45-8 in their district opener last week in Swanville.
Kickoff in Swanville is at 7 p.m. Updates to follow.
**Halftime: U/SA 14, B-B-E 6. It has been a great game so far.
With 9:10 left in the third quarter, the patriots took a 22-6 lead. The final score will be posted in a new blog post after 10 p.m.
Strong hitting night leads Jaguars to sweep of Huskers
Getting back into Central Minnesota Conference action tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep over visiting Holdingford. The win raises their CMC record to 2-0, and they are 6-4 overall.
Holdingford falls to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in the CMC.
As a team, the Jaguars had a strong 92 percent serving rate. The Jaguars had 16 errors on 110 total attacks with a hitting efficiency of 20 percent.
Next: the Jaguars travel to Crosby-Ironton high school on Saturday. They are the three-time defending champions of this tournament. Last season, they defeated Swanville in the championship. In 2023, they defeated state qualifier Pine River-Backus in the championship. In 2022, they defeated Class 3A Hermantown 2-1 in the championship. In 2021, the Jaguars placed third at this tournament.
More to come. I'm currently reviewing the area scoreboard from tonight's action.
Central MN Conference volleyball scores on September 11:
Royalton 3, Kimball Area 0
Paynesville Area 3, Maple Lake 0
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 3, Eden Valley-Watkins 2
I noticed the latest Minnesota football media state rankings show our B-B-E Jaguars football team sitting at No. 15 with 13 votes. Cool! On paper, they are not the underdogs going into Friday's game at Swanville.
Wednesday night: due to the politically driven assassination of Charlie Kirk, a man who I held deep respect for and spent countless hours listening and watching across the past 5+ years, blogging will be on hold until Thursday. Today is a very, deeply dark day.
Volleyball wins huge section thriller at Parkers Prairie
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team earned huge momentum tonight in a tough road match at Parkers Prairie. After going down 2-1 in sets, the Jaguars came alive and won game four 25-13 and then game five 15-12.
B-B-E's strong 93 percent serving with 11 aces were big factors in the win. Three Jaguars had double digit kills: Kacey Fischer (25), Macey Roering (11) and Teagan Dingmann (10).
Next for the Jaguars (5-4 overall) is a home Central Minnesota Conference match on Thursday this week against Holdingford (1-2, 0-1).
I'm excited to give a huge SHOUT OUT to the B-B-E Jaguars JV football team for coming out as victors today by a 22-18 score against West Central Area. Their JV season opener today in Belgrade was an epic battle from start to finish. The Jaguars trailed 18-6 with under 10 minutes to go in the game before mounting a thrilling comeback. I don't have much for notes, but I heard that an interception with a big return by Cash Lehner was a factor in the win.
Area volleyball scores on September 8:
New London-Spicer 3, Wabasso 1
Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal 3, Ashby 0
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 3, Milbank SD 0
Hancock 3, Dawson-Boyd 0
A beautiful day in Terrace...and Grove Lake, to name a few
Later today, I'll have good news to report from both Terrace and Grove Lake, communities on the outer corners of the Bonanza Valley Voice coverage area. It is always exciting to report good news!
Also exciting: the temperatures are supposed to climb into the upper 70s on Monday with a great deal of sunshine. This bodes well for farmers of all types as well as all gardeners!
I've been working to get this updated at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's SmugMug photo galleries: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/BBE-Fall-Sports-2025. Besides traveling to Grove Lake and Terrace today, there's been a giant mountain of catch-up work completed.
I recorded numerous videos at Friday night's game in Barrett. It was an unusually high number of videos in what was a thoroughly entertaining game. It will take a while to get caught up on that.
Here's a cell phone video from early in the 1st quarter against West Central Area:
Coming next...tomorrow!
On Monday, the varsity volleyball and tennis teams compete in non-conference events. The volleyball team travels to Parkers Prairie (2-0 overall), while the tennis team travels the opposite direction to Montevideo. The temperature is supposed to climb towards 80 degrees on Monday. The outlook is really terrific in terms of the warm weather that's in the forecast. This is what farmers (and gardeners) need this month.
Friday Night Lights II: the Jaguars are 2-0 (VIDEOS**) and a volleyball update
Who else is a believer! YES! BELIEVE!
When the chips were down, the B-B-E Jaguars football team came through with one of their more thrilling come-from-behind wins tonight in their Mid-Northwest Gold District opener. On the road at a traditionally tough stadium to play in, the Jaguars trailed 8-6 going into the 4th quarter against West Central Area in Barrett. The first 3 offensive series of the second half for the Jaguars all failed to produce points.
Finally, on their 10th drive of the game, the Jaguars took advantage of a wildly bad decision by WCA in the 4th quarter as they scored on what was just a 30-yard field. With 5:45 left, the Jaguars used 4 plays to cover the distance. Jesse Niklaus plunged in for a 6-yard touchdown carry with 4:41 to go. The 64-second drive gave the Jaguars a 12-8 lead. Niklaus also ran in the two-point conversion off left tackle to make it 14-8.
Final score:B-B-E 14, West Central Area 8.
How the game turned in B-B-E's favor...
WCA had first down at their own 39-yard line earlier in the 4th quarter. They were held to 4th-and-9 after two incomplete passes. On fourth down, they elected to attempt a fake punt, and it was stuffed for a 9-yard loss. B-B-E earned possession at the WCA 30-yard line with 5:45 left as I said earlier.
The game was a lesson in persistence! The Jaguars struggled in their first series which gained just 3 yards on their first 3 plays before they punted. On their second drive, the Jaguars scored on a distance of 75 yards on 4 plays. The last two were explosive: Aiden Mueller running for 37 yards, and Lance Radermacher catching a 33-yard grab from Mueller for a touchdown. With 5:30 left in the first quarter, the Jaguars led 6-0.
After playing through adversity across most of the second half and struggling offensively, the Jaguars kept at it and wore down WCA when it mattered.
Here's a video featuring one of the more exciting moments in the game, which was in the 4th quarter and the game in the balance:
In the final minutes of the third quarter, the Jaguars had a terrific opportunity to score as they drove into the red zone on a drive that began on their own 40-yard line with 4:35 on the clock. A 15-yard catch by Austin Berge gave the Jaguars first down on the WCA 13-yard line. The drive stalled out on downs, however, on an incomplete pass on 4th-and-10 with 1:24 left in the third quarter.
Here's a video featuring action in the final minute of the game:
How the Jaguars built a 6-0 halftime lead:
B-B-E went to the run on the game's first series, but they went 3-and-out with just 3 yards gained. WCA received the punt and set up at their 30. On a quarterback keeper, Noah Kampsen stopped them with a 1-yard run On 3rd-and-4, WCA converted with a 14-yard catch. An 8-yard run on a sweep followed that, and their quarterback converted 2nd-and-2. Next came an incomplete pass, Kampsen earning a 4-yard tackle for a loss and no gain on third down. WCA punted on B-B-E's 41, but they had a penalty that gave B-B-E possession at their own 25-yard line with 6:30 left in the first quarter.
On B-B-E's second series of the game, they had two short gains on running plays. On third down, Aiden Mueller broke right and sped past numerous WCA defenders down the right sideline for a 37-yard run. On first down, Lance Radermacher caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Mueller with 5:30 left. The conversion failed for a 6-0 lead.
Later in the first quarter, WCA appeared poised to score when they had first down at the B-B-E 25-yard line. After one incomplete pass and a run for no gain, their quarterback threw a long pass to the right flats. Kameron Hiltner stepped in front of the pass for an interception with about a 7 yard return. This gave B-B-E the ball at their own 26 with 1:14 on the clock.
As the first quarter came to an end, the Jaguars drove into WCA territory. A 13-yard reception brought first down at the WCA 36. Two incomplete passes and B-B-E's first penalty of the game thwarted their momentum, however, and they punted from their 39 with 9:51 left before halftime.
Here's a video featuring action in the last 4 minutes of the first quarter:
WCA built momentum after being tagged with Noah Kampsen's quarterback sack on their 3rd series of the game. On 2nd-and-21, they picked up a 38-yard run to midfield. Helped by a WCA delay of game penalty, the Jaguars later stuffed the Knights on a 4th-and-2 conversion at B-B-E's 41-yard line. B-B-E's 4th series of the game was halted on the 5th play, when WCA's Brady Sabolik earned an interception. WCA then had possession at their own 20-yard line. On their next series, WCA was hurt by a false start penalty on their first play. On first down, Noah DeRoo had a pass knock down. On 3rd-and-10, Lance Radermacher and Noah Kampsen stopped a run play with a 2-yard gain. On 4th-and-8, WCA punted with 4:30 left before halftime.
B-B-E's 5th series of the game stalled out at midfield. The Knights then blasted the Jaguars on their second play of the series with a 37-yard catch to gain goal-to-go at the B-B-E 10. After a 5-yard run, Austin Berge had a huge pass knock down, and the Jaguars stopped a quarterback run for no gain on 3rd down. On 4th-and-5, the Knights were stopped cold and suffered a lost fumble. Lance Radermacher recovered it with 1:19 left at B-B-E's 7-yard line. The Jaguars smartly used 3 run plays to close out the first half.
Here's a short postgame interview with senior Nate Geer:
Note: late Saturday morning, this blog post received another update. It will get a 3rd major update on Saturday afternoon.
The second half...
The Knights tied the game in the third quarter on a 70-yard touchdown drive. With 5:01 left, WCA took an 8-6 lead on Hunter Gruchow's 9-yard pass to Austin Bennett.
B-B-E's first drive of the second half (7th overall) started at their own 40. Jesse Niklaus ran for 13 yards on the first play, and Kameron Hiltner later converted 3rd-and-7 with a 16-yard reception. The drive stalled out on downs, however, on 4th-and-10 with 1:24 on the clock.
WCA started their next drive on their own 8, but they later punted on 4th-and-19 on their own 22. The Jaguars had great field position after Mueller's 16-yard punt return to have first down on the WCA 39 with 9:28 left on the game. Two incomplete passes and a quarterback sack halted the drive. WCA then suffered a lost fumble (recovered by Austin Berge) on their first play from scrimmage.
B-B-E went to work starting on the WCA 42 with 7:47 left, but this drive also stalled out on downs with an incomplete pass in the endzone. This led to WCA's costly decision to go for it on 4th-and-9 from their own 40-yard line with just under 6 minutes left in the game.
Some light game statistics:
Overall, the Jaguars outgained WCA 288 to 270. A key to the game was winning the turnover battle, which showed the Jaguars ahead 3 to 1. That was a huge factor in B-B-E's defense stopping WCA from scoring on 9 of their 10 total series in the game Defensively, the Jaguars held WCA to 3.26 yards per carry rushing, while B-B-E's offense earned 5.81 yards per carry.
The quarterback passing marks were fairly close: for B-B-E, 11-for-25 for 131 yards, one touchdown, one interception with the longest pass good for 30 yards; for WCA, 14-for-28 for 156 yards, one touchdown, one interception and the longest pass good for 36 yards.
The win was incredibly exciting to me because it marked a special achievement that I have outlined below. I can recall multiple tough, bitter football losses at B-B-E. Tonight was not a night we were going to get another one!
This is just the 6th time in B-B-E history that the football team has started 2-0. Three of those 6 starts with 2-0 records have been in the last 3 seasons! This means that from 1988 through 2022, the Jaguars had just three 2-0 starts. Those other 2-0 starts were in 1997, 2006 and 2013.
Let's go back to the very first season that Coach Moscho was on our football staff, which was in 2008. In the season opener that year, the Jaguars were stung with a 27-20 loss at WCA. At that time, the Knights were a Class 2A football team. B-B-E fell behind 27-6 in the 4th quarter before they came roaring back. Time ran out on the Jaguars, and they came up short in receiving what would have been extremely valuable seeding points for Section 5A. Fast forward to the playoffs that year, and the Jaguars were the No. 4 seed and got throttled in a 55-6 loss in the semifinals by top-seeded Minneota.
In 2016, when they had a junior-dominated team, the Jaguars suffered a 33-27 loss at WCA in a game they should have won. It would have helped in a huge way for the Section 4A seedings as well, but the Jaguars took a 2-6 record into the playoffs and then lost in the first round.
On Friday night in volleyball action at Marshall...
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team lost their first match to Wayzata by 25-13, 25-14 scores. The final Friday match resulted in a tough three set loss to Northfield by scores of 19-25, 25-19, 5-15. The Northfield Raiders are very, very good. They were 22-9 last year while winning the Big 9 Conference title with an 11-0 record for the third straight year. In fact, in the post-COVID era, Northfield has only lost one time in Big 9 Conference play.
In Saturday's first match, the Jaguars won in 3 sets by scores of 24-26, 25-23, 15-5 against Class 4A Owatonna. The Huskies were 3-0 coming into the tournament. The Jaguars utilized a balanced attack with 10 kills by Teagan Dingmann, 8 kills from both Kacey Fischer and Kadynce Haider and 3 kills each from Kamie Fischer, Mya Worms and Macey Roering. B-B-E's second match of Saturday is against Class 4A Bloomington Jefferson.
More to come on Saturday afternoon.
Next: the Jaguars travel to Swanville for Week Three; they play there next Friday, September 12 with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Upsala/Swanville Area. The Patriots demolished Benson in their district opener 45-8 in Swanville.
Mid-Northwest Gold District Week One scores on September 5:
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 18, Maple Lake 16 OT (the Bolts win on their home field in Brandon in overtime)
Upsala/Swanville Area 45, Benson 8
Browerville 28, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0 (sadly, this game was called in the 3rd quarter after LPGE had sustained multiple key injuries)
Area football Week 2 scores on September 5:
BOLD 18, Lester Prairie 16
St. Cloud Cathedral 49, ACGC 8
Kimball 44, Paynesville 0
Litchfield 28, New London-Spicer 8
Canby 10, MACCRAY 6
Osakis 43, Minnewaska Area 15
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 48, Montevideo 0
Redwood Valley 45, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Minneota 37, Eden Valley-Watkins 30
