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. 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!
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Tonight is Bingo night in Sunburg
The annual fall ham and turkey bingo fundraiser is coming to Sunburg tonight. This is hosted by the Sunburg Fire and Rescue squad. It also features a gun raffle. All the fun begins at 7 p.m. at the fire hall/community center.
On Friday and Saturday this weekend, 15 junior high students from the Lutheran parishes of Trinity/West Lake Johanna churches and Big Grove-Crow River-Grace churches attended the ELCA Southwest Minnesota Synod youth gathering in Willmar.
Here's a video recorded last night at the last mass worship gathering of the night:
Dave Scherer, known by his stage name of Agape, is an American rapper and musician from Minnesota. His official music website is https://www.hiphopoutreach.com. In the early 2000s, Agape performed a concert at the B-B-E elementary school. How cool is that!
It feels like I was just in the Twin Cities, and that's probably because I was...a little less than 2 weeks ago. It was 13 days ago at this time (late afternoon) that I was driving home from the state volleyball tournament in Saint Paul.
Right now, I'm gearing up for a jaunt down I-94 and Highway 169 to Minnetonka. Here's why: FarmBureauAwardStory. More on this and the Farm Bureau convention will be reported next week.
In other news...
The Brooten city council meets in regular session next Monday. The agenda summary is posted at my editor's blog: BrootenCouncilAgenda.
'Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon' drew in the students
For numerous members of B-B-E's theater this fall, the fall two-act play was their first official high school activity. This took place with 28 cast members and 7 crew members. We should all be proud that numerous kids got to experience comeraderie and teamwork that's found in an organized school activity.
Here's a clip featuring part of Scene I from Act II in the final show on Sunday:
More to come. Today is press day. I have to make good progress and brace myself for the possibility that utility workers could knock out my power - or Internet. Everything in our alley is marked behind the office...but I'm paranoid.
And now it's Tuesday night... OH! For the love of God...that note I wrote mid-morning on this blog about being paranoid about what was taking place in the alley behind my office rang true...at about 1:40 p.m., the Brooten Fire Department responded to a call that a natural gas line had been severed. It was a 2-inch line that ended up spewing natural gas into the air for just over 50 minutes. By 2:25 p.m., Dooley's Natural Gas workers had repaired the line. They didn't cause the damage, but they had to fix it. Thank goodness they did so in a timely fashion!
We just had one of the greatest weekends I can remember (VIDEOS)
A remarkable, incredible achievement took place this weekend...or rather, a string of achievements, with the B-B-E high school theater pulling off three outstanding performances of the fall two-act play Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon at the Olson Auditorium stage.
Here's a video of the cast and crew soaking up the love from fans after opening night on Friday:
Exact turnout figures will be tallied this week. The estimate is around 700! That is the most for three nights of a fall theater performance at B-B-E since the 2013 fall musical featured Tarzan. In 2013, the musical production of Tarzan featured 22 cast members and 3 crew members. It was directed by Julie Lloyd and Lucy Lloyd.
The families and the staff members involved in B-B-E's theater have worked incredibly hard to build and build and build! The hard work paid off this fall with 35 students taking part in the fall two-act play.
A quick glance over all of my cameras shows at least 1,400 pictures from all three shows. When the dust settles, I hope to get 40 to 50 of them printed in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper in the November 20 and November 27 issues.
And now it's Monday night...
Here's a video featuring the end of game one in the third-place match at state...
We're a little more than one week past the state volleyball tournament. I'm still finishing up volleyball coverage for the newspaper, and I will need quite a few days to get through all of my fall two-act play pictures from The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon.
Olson Auditorium and the fall play draws FULL house on Friday night! (iMovie added)
That was incredible!
Here's a highlight reel just produced on Saturday afternoon:
Click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website for additional coverage from last night: OPENINGnightCoverage. Included in that web coverage is a picture of the crowd taken just a few minutes before the show opened.
As the cast and crew were preparing themselves in the band room, just before 7 p.m., additional chairs were brought over from the gymnasium to give everyone a place to sit. The 278 permanent chairs had filled by that point. The estimated crowd numbered about 290, which is a record crowd since Tarzan was performed at B-B-E high school in 2013.
Cast interviews, come see the show! Opening night is tonight! (VIDEOS)
The opening show for B-B-E's fall two-act play "The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon" starts at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, November 14 at B-B-E high school's Olson Auditorium. Additional coverage is found at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/4t2QK. The second night is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and the matinee finale is at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
After last night's final dress rehearsal, I put a couple of the younger members of the cast on the spot with brief interviews. They are part of 35 students in the cast and crew!
Here's Morgan Theis and Henry Bromenshenkel...
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Olson Auditorium. You can see a few photos from the final night of dress rehearsals by clicking here: FinalDressRehearsal.
Created Friday morning...
Here's an iMovie reel lasting about 1 1/2 minutes...
With footage from fall rehearsals, including last night...
Don't miss out! Three shows...pick one! Or more than one!
Friday night update...opening night was SOLD OUT! It was a FULL HOUSE at Olson Auditorium! More to come. I took 293 pictures tonight just on my cell phone. I'm pretty sure I went over 500 pictures from opening night.
In just over 24 hours from when I'm typing this, the opening night will be underway for B-B-E's fall two-act play The Brother's Grimm Spectaculathon.
Created Friday morning...
Here's an iMovie reel lasting about 1 1/2 minutes...
With footage from fall rehearsals, including last night...
Which show are you coming to?
Here's part of a scene from rehearsal tonight during Act I:
And here's a video clip from early in Act II tonight at rehearsal:
The theater students pulled off two complete run-throughs tonight. They are a group of rock stars at the Olson Auditorium stage!
The opening show starts at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, November 14 at B-B-E high school's Olson Auditorium. Additional coverage is found at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/4t2QK. The second night is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and the matinee finale is at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Here's a video recorded during the prematch drills last Friday during the state semifinals at Grand Casino Arena:
In other news...
The AT and T cellular tower on the west side of Brooten has been restored. Since before 6 a.m. today and into the evening hours, cell service from AT and T was non-existent unless you could grab some of the signal off of Belgrade's AT and T tower. Once I got home from the play dress rehearsal, I noticed that the AT and T 5G network had been fully restored.
It was a LONG day without cell service in town.
I was reading University of Minnesota-Morris news, and I see Kaden Pieper is on the UMM Cougars men's basketball roster. He is a junior at UMM and a 2023 graduate of B-B-E high school. As a junior at B-B-E, he had a key role in the boys' basketball team's playoff run to the state finals in March of 2022. Through the first two games of the current season, Pieper has scored 25 points while collecting 18 rebounds.
On Friday...
Today, I've learned that the U.S. Post Office has lost numerous bundles of newspapers this week. From what I can tell, Glenwood and Elrosa newspapers are missing. The list may grow as the day goes on. It is currently my belief that the U.S. Post Office is trying to kill my business.
On a brighter note, a new (refurbished) videocamera is on its way to our news operation! It was ordered earlier this week. As of this afternoon, it arrived in a FedEx Chicago distributing center. It may arrive in time to record the Saturday night show of the fall play.
We have just two days remaining before the opening night of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon two-act play will be performed at Olson Auditorium, B-B-E high school. Which show or shows are you going to?
The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website is getting articles updated: https://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com. One of the new web articles features coverage from the Brooten Veterans Day program held on Tuesday at the elementary school.
**UPDATE on Thursday...
Here's a fix from a big mistake I made in the newspaper this week: https://shorturl.at/9XmPW.
The Belgrade VFW and VFW Auxiliary invites the public to B-B-E high school on Tuesday, November 11 for their Veterans Day program at 1:10 p.m. in the main gymnasium with the student body included.
I am thrilled to say that three green patches of lettuce, spinach and kale are still going strong in our family garden! With the use of some blankets, somehow, they managed to survive multiple freezing nights last week. Today, we have strong sunshine that I hope the vegetables will soak up. And! The high for this Friday is supposed to be 62!
I'm juggling numerous tasks today in order to prepare the November 13 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice issue for press. Currently, I'm on the fence on whether or not we'll see 14 or 16 pages in the layout. Time will tell! Just a few hours will tell...
Meanwhile, you can take in a large portion of Sunday worship at Sunburg Free Lutheran church. The video is at the newspaper website; click here to see: https://shorturl.at/dPJw7. Sunburg Free Lutheran is guided by Pastor Ron Knutson, who is a 1958 graduate of Brooten high school.
Here's a video from tonight's rehearsal at Olson Auditorium:
Additional fall play coverage is posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/axIhC.
*Wednesday update...
Here's a link to see the elementary Veterans Day program: https://shorturl.at/WXG5C. Tonight, a new blog post will be added.
Let's enjoy more from STATE! (VIDEOS* and throwback video added**)
A giant stack of video and photos are waiting to be reviewed from the state volleyball tournament. What I have to comb through goes all the way back to last Wednesday's elementary pep fest. I've got close to 1,400 pictures taken since the first one taken at the elementary pep fest. Both pep fest albums have been uploaded, although they are not complete yet. They can be found at this link: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/BBE-Fall-Sports-2025. From the state quarterfinal match on Thursday, I've got 333 pictures in that album.
Here's a video featuring action from the state quarterfinals:
The video includes the final points scored in game three of the Cleveland win on Thursday night.
Here's a video from early in game 2 against Ada-Borup West:
That video begins while the Cougars held a 9-8 lead.
The welcome home ceremony held last night was enjoyable and emotional. The families of our coaches and players have much to be proud of! I could publish THREE newspapers this week without putting a small dent in my supply of pictures from Saint Paul. This was so much fun from start to finish!
AND HOW about a THROWBACK! This video below features multiple current members of the volleyball team...back when they were in 6th grade.
At the state volleyball pep fest on Wednesday, November 6, 2019!
The Pep Fest that day was held in the final hour of the morning just before noon. The lunch schedule was adjusted to allow for the team to depart for Saint Paul in the afternoon.
UPDATE on Monday night:
The B-B-E fall play is this weekend! Click here to read more at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/cDOYB. Also, the play posters are going up around the towns on Tuesday and Wednesday!
Monday night is super busy with a school board meeting in the elementary and a Brooten city council meeting. Both start at 7 p.m.
In state football news...
During the Class 2A state quarterfinals, Holdingford defeated Barnesville 40-24 on Friday night at Brainerd high school. The Huskers, champions of Section 6AA, play next Friday, November 14 at 4:30 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium. Their opponent will be Goodhue, Section 4AA champions.
Section 5AA champion Eden Valley-Watkins defeated Moose Lake/Willow River 30-14 in their quarterfinal game played last Thursday at St. Cloud Apollo. In the Class 2A state semifinals, the Eagles play on Friday, November 14 at 9 a.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium. Their opponent will be Jackson County Central, champions of Section 3AA.
Step VII: JAGUARS WIN on final day of STATE! (VIDEOS, UPDATES)
This blog post will be updated again on Sunday during the Vikings-Ravens game.
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is bringing home bronze medals after finishing with a win at the Class 1A state tournament today. They defeated upstart Ada-Borup West in grand fashion, a 3-0 sweep, to finish an incredible season with a 26-6 record. They can be incredibly proud to start the season unranked and finish with the state third place trophy!
Game scores were 25-21, 25-18, 25-14.
Here's the post match medals/trophy ceremony today in Saint Paul:
During B-B-E's press conference yesterday after Mayer Lutheran overcame the Jaguars in the state semifinals, sophomore hitter Macey Roering spoke about the mindset held by the team after their terrific effort came up short in their bid to get to the championship, "It's really fun to be here. It's still okay, we're gonna bounce back. We're still having fun here."
That positive mindset translated into a monster effort against No. 6-seeded Ada-Borup West this afternoon. The Cougars already had one big upset in the tournament when they defeated No. 3-seeded Fillmore Central 3-1 in Thursday's quarterfinals. They never got on track against B-B-E, who put up a strong block and used their quick offense to make it difficult for Ada-Borup West's back row.
Here's action from game one today against the Cougars:
The video begins with the Jaguars holding a 13-8 lead.
How game one played out today...
B-B-E gained an early 2-0 lead on Macey Roering's ace serve, and a kill by Kadynce Haider broke a 3-all tie. A kill from Mya Worms broke a 4-all tie, but two Jaguar hitting errors brought a 7-all tie. Two Roering kills helped push the Jaguars in front 13-8. After Ada-Borup West's first timeout was called, each team scored 5 points. Roering had a kill down the left line, and the Cougars called their final timeout trailing 18-13. Kamie Fischer's kill later made it 22-18. The Cougars had a late push to cut the gap to 23-21, which was the closest they got.
How game 2 played out today...
B-B-E had a great response to the start of game two after the Cougars got the first point on a Jaguar service error. That 1-0 score represented Ada-Borup West's first lead of the day. Kacey Fischer's kill made it a 4-1 lead, but the Jaguars went into a brief let down to fall behind 7-5. In that stretch, a back row kill from Macey Roering was all they got. Two Cougars errors tied the set, and Roering's kill put the Jaguars back in front with an 8-7 lead.
Two B-B-E errors lifted the Cougars back in front with a 9-8 score, but that was short-lived when Roering's cross court kill put her team ahead 10-9. A kill by Worms made it 12-9, and the Cougars called a timeout. Ada-Borup West showed a good response to that break to cut it to one point. The Jaguars response halted that two-point rally with a kill by Roering and a solo block by Teagan Dingmann. Back-to-back Dingmann kills, a joint block by Dingmann and Kamie Fischer plus a Roering ace serve put the Cougars on their heels. They called their final timeout trailing 18-12.
B-B-E's lead grew to 20-13, but Ada-Borup West's front line came to life with 3 straight kills. A Cougars hitting error brought a side out, and Kamie Fischer's ace serve made it 22-15. Ahead 23-18, Kamie Fischer's kill and Kenna Lieser's ace serve gave B-B-E a 25-18 win. B-B-E's block was impressive, and they held the Cougars to negative 4.1 percent hitting on 49 attacks with just 9 kills. B-B-E had 9.3 percent hitting with 10 kills on 43 attacks.
How game 3 played out today...
Another hot start helped the Jaguars gain control early in game three. Two Dingmann kills, a Roering ace serve and a kill by Kacey Fischer made it 4-1. Kacey Fischer hit 5 straight kills, the latter two coming after a Cougars timeout, for a 9-2 lead.
Ada-Borup West got a couple kills but then had two net violations as they showed signs of disarray. Worms added to their problems with two straight kills for a 13-6 lead. Roering's ace serve forced the Cougars to call their final timeout as they trailed 17-8. Josie Buckentine's ace serve, a joint block from Haider and Kamie Fischer and a Kacey Fischer kill extended the lead to 21-9. Late kills from Haider and a kill by Roering helped bring game and match point. A Cougars hitting error ended the match, sending the Jaguars into an excited sequence of jumping, cheering and hugging with the third-place achievement in their hands.
In the 3rd set, the Cougars had solid 18.2 percent hitting, but they were doubled up on that by the Jaguars, who had 44.4 percent hitting, an 18-9 advantage in kills with just 2 misses in 36 total attacks. Just 2 Ada-Borup West hitters earned kills in the 3rd set, while the Jaguars had 5 players with 2 or more kills. Kacey Fischer had 10 of her 16 kills in the set. Overall, the Jaguars had 22.5 percent hitting to 5.5 percent by the Cougars.
B-B-E kill totals: Kacey Fischer 16, Macey Roering 11, Kadynce Haider 5, Mya Worms 5, Teagan Dingmann 4, Kamie Fischer 3. Roering racked up 4 ace serves, Kamie Fischer had 37 set assists and Kenna Lieser led the back row with 14 digs.
Saturday afternoon announcements...
The welcome-home ceremony will take place TONIGHT at the high school in Belgrade between 6 and 7 p.m. The exact time is up in the air right now. Stay tuned.
In the Class 1A state championship this afternoon, Mayer Lutheran won 25-17 in game one against Russell-Tyler-Ruthton. UPDATE: in game two, Mayer Lutheran holds a 21-11 lead.
In the Class 2A state volleyball tournament, New London-Spicer lost in a sweep yesterday to Southwest Christian (a Metro private school) to finish a fine season 17-12 overall. The Wildcats, 3-5 in the Wright County West Conference in a tie for fifth place, earned a repeat trip to state after suffering huge graduation losses last spring.
Today, in the Class 2A third-place match, New Life Academy of Woodbury defeated Albany. That's all I have for information.
In the Class 1A state consolation championship match, Fillmore Central swept Cleveland by scores of 25-22, 25-22, 25-14 to claim fifth place.
In the Class 1A state finals: Mayer Lutheran defeated R-T-R in a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-15, 25-23). The Knights (30-6) put up a terrific fight in the final set, but it was not enough to overcome a richly talented Crusaders squad. R-T-R was gunning for another state title after they won their school's first volleyball state championship in 2023. In today's meeting with Mayer Lutheran, the Knights were held to just 3.5 percent hitting. The Crusaders had 4 players who had between 9 and 12 kills. Today's state finals loss was the first time R-T-R experienced losing since September 19.
I won't get more on this blog post until later tonight! Now it's time to get some interviews done here at Grand Casino Arena. We've all gotta watch the clock to plan for the drive home!
ANNOUNCEMENT: the welcome home should start at approximately 6:30 p.m. at the High School...Belgrade. I would arrive a little before that, my advice. Time to make tracks west!!!
Saturday night update:
Congratulations to B-B-E senior Kacey Fischer, who was named to the 10-player Trustone FCU All-Tournament team today at Grand Casino Arena.
Second-year head coach Brittany Borgerding finishes the season with a 52-11 overall record. She was a varsity player for Coach Kevin Weller during the 2010 to 2012 seasons. Borgerding, daughter of Joel and Joyce Roelike of Lake Henry, is a 2013 B-B-E graduate. She was also a key player on current head girls' basketball coach Kristina Anderson's first team.
Here's a video featuring the introductions of the All-Tournament team:
That took place after the completion of the state championship match.
We are back in Ramsey County for the third straight day to support our B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team, as they gear up for the third-place match at the Class 1A state tournament! The Jaguars will be going to war against the Section 8A champion Ada-Borup West Cougars. These two teams have met multiple times in recent years at the Alexandria Cardinal Classic Invitational. It is going to be a terrific match!
I do not see radio coverage from Glenwood.
Here's my 11th fall sports show of the season! In St. Paul...
MATCH UPDATES...
Game one: BBE 25, Cougars 21.
Game 2 will start at 12:53.
Game 2 final score: BBE 25, Ada-Borup West 18. The Cougars led 9-7 early on. Game 3 starts at 13:19! LET'S GO!!!
In game 3, the Jaguars now hold a 17-8 lead.
MORE TO COME in a NEW blog post.
A welcome-home ceremony will take place at the high school between 6 and 7 p.m... Stay tuned for more details.
THANK YOU to Dani and her staff at Coop's Corner in Belgrade for sponsoring this Jaguar state tournament blog post!
Step VI: Jaguars suffer through difficult battle vs. defending state champions (UPDATES)
This blog post is getting a makeover between 10 and 11:15 a.m. on Saturday morning. Hopefully you are on your way to Saint Paul!
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball teamwas on fire for 1 1/2 sets, but the defending state champion Mayer Lutheran Crusaders found a badly needed gear and rallied to take a 3-1 win in today's state semifinals.
In game one, the Jaguars stuck right with the vaunted Crusaders and had the top seed reeling in the early stages after Kacey Fischer dropped back-to-back ace serves for a 9-4 lead. While Mayer Lutheran kept pace with the Jaguars throughout that set, they never truly threatened the underdogs. B-B-E won 25-17 and finished the set with incredible 42.4 percent hitting, while Mayer Lutheran's figure was 18.9 percent.
Here's a video from later in game one today:
That video begins with the Jaguars holding an 18-14 lead.
In game two, with the Crusaders trailing 9-5, Mayer Lutheran head coach Joelle Grimsley called a timeout to rally her team. In the back of her mind, she felt they were in trouble. They had to adjust what was happening in the back row. Coach Grimsley told her players that they were getting out-hustled in a bad way. What followed was a night-and-day difference. The Crusaders rallied for a 14-0 run to take firm control of the game. After the Jaguars fell behind 19-9, they played even to the end in a 25-14 loss.
Mayer Lutheran (26-7) followed that with 25-11, 25-18 wins to advance to the state finals for the fifth straight year.
During the postmatch media interviews, Coach Grimsley pointed out that it took her three straight timeouts for her "getting out-hustled" message to sink in. Up to that point, the Jaguars were playing superior volleyball.
I'm still processing the loss, my notes and some short video clips. It was tough to see the Jaguars go down today. They fought like crazy, but it just wasn't breaking their way when we needed it to.
How game one played out vs. the Crusaders...
Both teams traded jabs early, and the Jaguars showed no signs of fear against a taller, more experienced Crusaders front line. They got a kill from Teagan Dingmann for a 1-1 tie, and the Crusaders got a kill shot on a tip by their setter while going up 3-2. Kamie Fischer caught the Crusaders back row flat footed with consecutive ace serves for a 5-3 lead. Kacey Fischer and Macey Roering each had kills, and Kacey Fischer then dropped two straight ace serves on the Crusaders to make it a 9-4 lead. Mayer Lutheran answered with two straight kills after taking that left hook from B-B-E, but after the Jaguars gave up 2 straight points, Roering's ace tip plus a Crusaders hitting error made it 11-7.
The Jaguars continued to maintain the lead, which did not shrink below 3 points the rest of that first set. Three more kills by Kacey Fischer plus another ace serve by Kacey and a kill by Kamie Fischer made it an 18-13 lead. This pushed Coach Grimsley into her first timeout.
Out of that timeout, the Crusaders got a kill from Courtney Tuttle, her 3rd of the set, but Kadynce Haider answered with a kill for a quick side out. Kills from Kamie Fischer and Dingmann made it 21-15, and Coach Grimsley called her last timeout after a Crusaders hittinge error trailing 22-15.
During that 2nd timeout of game one, Cleveland finished up a 25-9 first set win over North Woods in the other match being played at Grand Casino Arena. The Clippers went on to sweep North Woods to move into the consolation championship.
To close out their first set, B-B-E got a late kill by Dingmann for a 24-16 lead. After a B-B-E service error, Dingmann confidently and swiftly leaped for one last kill as Mayer Lutheran sat in stunned disbelief to what just happened. They were out-hit by a massive 42-to-19 percent hitting efficiency. That first set lasted just 19 minutes. The Jaguars had a balanced attack: Teagan Dingmann 5 kills, Kacey Fischer 4 kills, Macey Roering 3 kills and Kamie Fischer and Kadynce Haider with 2 kills each. They also racked up 4 ace serves to help counter their 3 service errors. Also huge: B-B-E's service receive was perfect on Mayer Lutheran's 17 serve attempts.
How game two played out against the Crusaders...
An assisted middle block by Ada Hahn and Hallie Hunter is how game 2 started, with the Crusaders quickly showing they were going to respect B-B-E's middle attack.
Hunter then got a taste of B-B-E's block, with Dingmann and Kacie Fischer's assisted block making a 1-all tie. Dingmann's solo block and two Crusaders errors made it a 3-1 lead for B-B-E. Three kills by Kacey Fischer helped the Jaguars hold a 6-4 lead. After Tuttle's kill to make it a one-point game, the Crusaders committed 3 straight hitting errors. Coach Grimsley called a timeout with the urgent "You're getting out-hustled" message for her squad.
A kill by Tuttle brought a side out and a 9-6 score. The Jaguars then malfunctioned numerous times while Mayer Lutheran picked up their speed. Five straight B-B-E hitting errors put the Crusaders ahead 11-9 with Tuttle on the service line. Her serves were tough and effective, and the Jaguars were unable to mount an effective attack. Mayer Lutheran went in system to precision, with 5 straight kills giving them a 16-9 lead.
The wheels were falling off. Tuttle took advantage and fired an ace serve. Their setter, Izabelle Keaveny, got in the action with a kill. Another Tuttle ace serve pushed it to a 19-9 score with a 14-0 run.
Finally, a Crusaders missed pass brought a side out. A kill from Roering made it 20-11, but the Crusaders had too much going their way as they evened the match with a 25-14 win. Game two statistics... the hitting disparity was wide in the second set as it was in the first set, but now it was the Crusaders with superior efficiency: 24.4 percent hitting on 41 attacks compared to B-B-E's 2.6 percent hitting on 39 attacks. Five Crusaders had 2 or more kills, while the Jaguars just 3 players earning kills (6 of the 9 B-B-E kills from Kacey Fischer). The second set lasted 22 minutes.
How the third set played out against the Crusaders...
If it felt like the wheels were beginning to come off in the second set, the third set began as if a wheel had spun off into the ditch. The Jaguars were flat footed and fell behind 8-2. After Coach Borgerding's timeout, the gap extended to 11-2 before the Crusaders hit long. Kacey Fischer had two kills to make it 11-4 and then 12-5.
After Mayer Lutheran got the lead back to double digits at 15-5, Coach Borgerding called her last timeout. Roering had a kill out of the break, but two Crusaders kills plus a net violation made it 18-6. All the Jaguars had left were kills by Kacey Fischer and Haider, while the Crusaders cut a wide gash through B-B-E's state championship hopes with a 25-11 win. Game three statistics...the Crusaders enjoyed 38.6 percent hitting in the third set, almost as good as B-B-E's 42 percent hitting in the opening set. Their quick offense generated 20 kills on 44 attacks with just 3 misses. B-B-E had 5.7 percent hitting with just 5 kills on 35 attacks.
How the fourth set played out against the Crusaders...
With nothing to lose, the Jaguars came out swinging and fought like hell to push the match to a fifth set. Roering's kill off a block and a Crusaders hitting error made it 2-0. Kacey Fischer's kill gave the Jaguars a 3-2 lead, but Mayer Lutheran's Ada Hahn got an ace serve to give them a 5-3 lead.
Hallie Hunter's ace serve gave the Crusaders an 8-4 lead. The Jaguars were not backing down, and Kacey Fischer had 2 kills to bring it to a 12-10 and later a 14-12 deficit. A roofing penalty against the Crusaders brought it to 14-13.
Three straight B-B-E hitting errors gave the Crusaders an 18-13 lead. Roering got a kill off a block, but the Crusaders responded by pushing ahead 20-14 and bring Coach Borgerding to call a timeout.
Out of that break, the Jaguars were unable to piece it back together. Mayer Lutheran got 3 late kills to go with a B-B-E hitting error and win 25-18. In that 4th set, the Jaguars had another rough hitting figure: 2.9 percent. The Crusaders were not quite as prolific as they were in the 3rd set, but they were still strong with a 21.6 percent mark.
Some light overall match statistics:
Just as what happened to North Woods in the quarterfinals, Mayer Lutheran had a big advantage in hitting efficiency: 26.4 percent to B-B-E's 12.7 percent. Across games 2 and 3, B-B-E had a total of 14 kills, while the Crusaders had 34 kills.
The Jaguars are now 25-7 overall, and they play at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, for third place back at Grand Casino Arena. The opponent will be Ada-Borup West. The Cougars fell 3-1 to Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in the other state semifinal this afternoon. Game scores were 25-12, 25-17, 21-25, 25-13.
Let's go back to game 1 yesterday in the quarterfinals...
In their match today, Cleveland made quick work of ending North Woods' season in a 3-0 sweep.
How about a throwback to 15 years ago! Yes, that is right...here's action from the state tournament in 2010!
This is the start of the consolation semifinals against Cherry...
The Jaguars pulled off an incredible 27-25 win in game two against Cherry after they trailed 24-21. A sweep over Cherry advanced them to the consolation championship, where they lost to Win-E-Mac to finish in 6th place.
FUN FACT! the setter on that 2010 state tournament team was Julie Hieserich (now Schoenberg)...Julie's daughter joined with current junior middle hitter Teagan Dingmann to win the marshmellow challenge during Wednesday's elementary pep fest. HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!!
Tomorrow, Step VII of the postseason, now becomes all about finishing the season with a win and going out of the state tournament in style. The Jaguars will gun for the third place trophy while facing a familiar opponent they've seen regularly in recent years at the Alexandria Invitational.
At the state football tournament today, Upsala/Swanville Area lost 17-8 to Mahnomen/Waubun in the quarterfinals in a game played at Becker high school. They finish the season 9-2 overall.
UPDATE: this blog post is getting a major makeover as of 23:00 (Army time) tonight. I have a mountain of match notes to comb through while being jacked on adrenaline! This high is gonna go well past midnight.
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team won 25-17 in game four today to advance to the Class 1A state Final Four! That final set became lopsided at times, and the Jaguars racked up 16 kills with just 1 attack error on 33 attacks for a whopping 45.5 percent hitting. It was an INCREDIBLE match that played out at Grand Casino Arena, formerly the Xcel Energy Center. The program improves to 6-14 overall in all state tournament appearances. This dates back to 2005, in case anyone was wondering! What an incredible 20-year ride it has been!
In the first set, the Jaguars were out-hit by a razor-thin margin: 21.7 percent to 21.3 percent. In spite of that, they prevailed 25-22.
In game two, the Jaguars had to work to overcome a deficit as wide as 7 points. They pulled it to a 24-24 tie before the Clippers scored the last 2 points to even the match at one set apiece.
In game three, the Jaguars won 25-15 after they rocketed out to an initial lead of 6-0.
Here's the final points scored in game 3:
To overcome an inspired, determined Cleveland team that had won 15 straight coming into today (last losses were on September 20), the Jaguars had to figure out Melia Sathoff. Sathoff is a 5'11" outside hitter who did considerable damage from the left side. She was outstanding in the back row as well, using her length to pull out numerous digs. Cleveland's Taylor McCabe unleashed 70 attacks on the Jaguars, and she led the Clippers with 23 kills (12.9% hitting). She is a 5'9" junior outside/middle. McCabe and Sathoff are the REAL deal. I cannot fathom the work those two will put in during the offseason as they prepare for the fall of 2026. For now, Cleveland will do damage in the consolation bracket of state. I predict they will do well while improving on their 26-7 overall record.
NEXT: the Jaguars (25-6) play in the state semifinals at 1 p.m. They face defending state champion and top-seeded Mayer Lutheran for a shot at advancing to the state finals. Tonight, Mayer Lutheran won 25-18, 25-17, 25-19 against No. 8-seeded North Woods in the other quarterfinal on our side of the bracket.
How game one played out:
Things did not start well for the Jaguars in their first state appearance since 2022. A kill by Kacey Fischer tied it at 1-1, but the Clippers continued with the momentum they earned in a 3-2 win against state-ranked Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart to claim the Section 2A title. Cleveland had 3 straight kills that were followed by B-B-E's attack error and another Clippers kill to give the No. 5 seed a 6-1 lead. Kadynce Haider's kill followed by her assisted block with Kamie Fischer gave the Jaguars 2 valuable points to stop the bleeding. A Cleveland hitting error plus a kill into a block by Mya Worms got it down to one point, and Kamie Fischer's ace serve tied it at 6-all.
The outlook still felt uphill after the Clippers had back-to-back kills, but three straight Clippers errors lifted the Jaguars on top for the first time of the match at 9-8. After the Clippers went ahead 12-10, the Jaguars got back-to-back kills by Teagan Dingmann plus a Macey Roering ace serve to gain 14-13 lead. Cleveland was unable to get back in front, and the Jaguars moved the ball around while getting kills by Dingmann and Haider. Roering and Worms had big swings later in the set to gain a 22-17 lead. Cleveland showed their unending tenacity by cutting it to 24-22, but Kacey Fischer ended the 25-minute set with a kill for a 25-22 win.
How game two played out:
Dingmann's solo block gave B-B-E an early 2-1 lead, but the Clippers stormed ahead 4-2 and then 6-3. A kill by Kacey Fischer stopped a 5-1 run, but the Jaguars suffered multiple hitting errors, and Coach Borgerding called her first timeout trailing 10-5.
Out of that timeout, Worms and Dingmann each had kills, and an ace attack by Kamie Fischer cut it to an 11-9 score. Cleveland's head coach Dave Nixon called a timeout. I found that interesting, as his team was still in the lead, but the reporter next to me (who followed them closely this season) mentioned, "He's probably talking about block positioning...he did not like what he was seeing."
Whatever Coach Nixon said worked to precision, as the Clippers scored 5 unanswered points to push it to 16-9. Coach Borgerding called her final timeout, and a kill by Roering followed that for a huge side out. Cleveland continued to maintain the lead, though, at 18-12. Each time went into a flurry of errors, and a kill by Roering cut the score to 19-16. After an ace attack into a block by Worms cut it to 20-18, Coach Nixon called his final timeout. Sathoff's kill and a B-B-E error made it 22-18. Roering's back-to-back kills were followed by a Sathoff kill to bring a 23-20 Cleveland lead. Dingmann stepped up with two straight kills, and an assisted block by Dingmann and Kamie Fischer tied the set at 24-24. Back-to-back B-B-E errors handed the Clippers a 26-24 win to even things at one set each.
Here's a video from late in game two...
How game three played out...
The Jaguars absolutely caught fire out of the gate in game three. Kacey Fischer had a different look in her eyes, and B-B-E quickly had a 6-0 lead to force Coach Nixon to burn a timeout early. Sathoff had a kill out of the timeout, but Fischer had 3 kills during a stretch that was followed by an assisted block from Haider and Roering plus a kill by Worms for an 11-5 lead. B-B-E's attack continued at a furious pace, and after Haider had another kill, Coach Nixon burned his final timeout trailing 12-5.
A five-point deficit was the closest Cleveland could get from there. Makenna Roelike's ace serve made it 16-8, and Josie Buckentine's ace serve plus Haider's kill pushed it to 20-11. Two more Haider kills plus a kill by Kamie Fischer pushed it to 23-14. McCabe's back row attack was good for a kill and a side out, but the Clippers had two straight hitting errors to hand the Jaguars a 25-15 win. It was rough going for Cleveland, who had 3 percent hitting to B-B-E's 23.7 percent mark.
How game four played out...
Cleveland had an early 2-1 lead to start game four, but three straight B-B-E kills from 3 different hitters put the Jaguars up 4-2. Each team delivered counterpunches before the Jaguars found their footing and exploded with an 8-0 run. The attack became relentless in that run: 3 kills by Kacey Fischer, one each by Kamie Fischer and Haider plus an ace serve by Kamie Fischer.
The 13-3 lead got a bit wider with 2 additional kills and a 15-4 lead. The Clippers had one last push in them, and they dug in and surged with a 9-3 run. Kills from Cleveland's Jocelyn Kortuem (setter) and Keira Schipper made it an 18-13 score, and Coach Borgerding called a timeout. Coming out of that, Dingmann's kill and a Cleveland error made it 20-13. The Clippers cut it to 20-15, but Dingmann's kill sparked a 3-0 run. Buckentine's ace serve made it 23-15. Kortuem's ace serve kept the match going for a 24-17 score, but Kacey Fischer's 19th kill of the night finished the match with an exclamation point.
Some match statistics:
B-B-E's night at Grand Casino Arena featured 165 attacks, while Cleveland had 155 attacks. Just one Cleveland hitter surpassed 15 percent hitting, and that was Sathoff with 17.4 percent efficiency with just 5 misses in 46 attacks. B-B-E had four hitters over 15 percent on those with more than 10 attacks: Macey Roering (26.9% with 8 kills), Kacey Fischer (15.5% with 19 kills), Teagan Dingmann (19.4% with 10 kills) and Kadynce Haider (34.8% with 11 kills).
Kamie Fischer had 41 set assists, 134 total sets, 4 kills, 9 digs plus a team-high 4 ace serves on 18-of-20 serving. Roering had a team-high 22 digs. Others who came up big in the back row were libero Kenna Lieser (12 digs) plus Kacey Fischer and Kamie Fischer with 9 digs each.
A key statistic: the Jaguars had a solid 19.4 hitting percentage, while the Clippers were held to 12.3 percent hitting. Cleveland entered the state tournament with a strong block, but they had just 2 block assists compared to 8 for B-B-E. The Clippers had 3 solo blocks, and the Jaguars had two.
A few other Cleveland notes... Cleveland's libero, Delaney Thompson, led her team with 21 digs while also having perfect 18-for-18 serving plus 4 set assists. The setter for the Clippers, Jocelyn Kortuem, had 36 set assists guiding their 5-1 offense.
And a short postmatch video!
After the match, during the postgame interview, Coach Brittany Borgerding spoke about how the Jaguars practiced this week for Cleveland's style of attack. They knew what was coming.
"We're feeling very good about our match tonight," said Coach Borgerding in the postmatch interview with local and statewide media.
"I thought we executed really well in sets 1, 2 and 4. I feel like we have a curse on set 2 among us. We dug ourselves a hole in that one, but we came back, just not quite enough."
"We came out after that and stuck to our game plan and played our game to finish the match out."
Each team can have up to 3 players in the postmatch press briefing room. B-B-E's players were Kacey Fischer, Kamie Fischer and Kenna Lieser.
Kacey Fischer said about how the team remained focused after the comeback fell short in game two, "I think we just leaned on our teammates and one another. If we make a mistake, we just shake it off and go for the next ball."
Coach Borgerding said about their game plan on defending Cleveland's tough swings on their outsides, "We worked on our blocking quite a bit this past week, focusing on that outside block. Getting out on that line and pushing McCabe (Taylor) back in. We knew that was her favorite shot, I feel like we did a good job executing that."
Asked about her stronger attacks beginning in the third set, Kacey Fischer said, "I feel like my teammates picked me up more. I got more comfortable out there."
Speaking about the outlook from the back row, Kenna Lieser said, "It was tough back there, but like Kacey said, we just leaned on each other. We communicated through it."
Asked about the work she put into spreading the ball around the front line, Kamie Fischer said, "I started switching up my sets. I felt like that set up our success. We had more shots available."
UPSET alert: on the other side of the Class 1A state bracket, No. 6-seeded Ada-Borup West (24-8) earned a 3-1 win over No. 3-seeded Fillmore Central by scores of 27-25, 25-23, 13-25, 26-24. This occurred during one of the 7 p.m. matches, and I had already arrived at my Uncle Kim's place in Andover by the time that match concluded. I am anxious to see how Ada-Borup West does in the semifinals, when they take on No. 2-seeded Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (29-5) tomorrow afternoon. The Ada-Borup West Cougars faced our Jaguars in the Alexandria Invitational on October 4 during the opening match that day. Against the Cougars, the Jaguars won 22-22, 19-25, 15-9.
On the QRF rankings, Ada-Borup West is No. 14 in Class 1A; Fillmore Central is No. 2 on that same power rankings scale.
Coming on Friday in the Class 1A tournament...
In Friday's consolation bracket semifinal matches, Cleveland faces North Woods at 1 p.m., and Nevis faces Fillmore Central at 3 p.m.
In the semifinals, B-B-E takes on the underdog role against Mayer Lutheran at 1 p.m. In the other semifinal, R-T-R takes on Ada-Borup West at 3 p.m.
About Mayer Lutheran...
In their quarterfinal match against North Woods, the Crusaders had an outstanding hitting percentage of 28.6 compared to 10.9 percent for the Section 7A champions. Courtney Tuttle was the leading hitter with 17 kills on 48.4 percent hitting. She also had 9 digs and 2 block assists. North Woods had just 3 players earn kills broken out with 15, 13 and 3 kills. The Crusaders had a huge block, earning 2 solo blocks and 12 block assists. North Woods had one solo and 2 assisted. The lone category North Woods had an advantage was in ace serves: 5 to Mayer Lutheran's four.
More to come in the morning after I get a few hours of much-needed sleep!
THANK YOU to the Bonanza Valley State Bank and Belgrade Co-op for sponsoring this state tournament blog post!
Enjoy...a few quick sights from yesterday and today...our B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team was the honored guest at two pep fests in the last 24 hours! These are exciting times. You had to be there: the elementary school gym was rocking for a 40-minute pep fest on Wednesday afternoon.
iMovie video by the newspaper's sports department:
Match time is at 5 p.m. tonight. The match will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. They stream online...link to follow once I arrive at our destination. And the link:https://www.kmgk1071.com.
**We are in game 5 of the Class 2A quarterfinals now. Albany and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted are in the fifth game...Albany is up 8-4...the time is 4:45 p.m. Final in game five: Albany 15, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 9. The HL-W-W Lakers trailed 22-18 in game four before storming back to earn a 26-24 win. The Huskies are the No. 2 seed in the Class 2A tournament. Hawley and New Life Academy of Woodbury were winners in other Class 2A quarterfinals today.
UPDATE: according to the pre-match clock, the B-B-E vs. Cleveland match should start at about 17:20 (Army time)...stay tuned.
GAME ONE:
In the opening set. The Jaguars trail 6-1.
Game one: BBE 25. Cleveland 22.
In game two, the Clippers are ahead 10-5.
Now in game 2, the Jaguars trail 16-9. **The Clippers won 26-24.
MORE TO COME in a new blog post.
THANK YOU to the Bonanza Valley State Bank for sponsoring this state tournament blog post!
I had to cut out a big portion of my publisher's column this week...to make room for volleyball coverage. Yikes! I don't think I've ever jumped a volleyball story back to page 2. That happened this week.
In more volleyball news...
B-B-E senior outside hitter Kacey Fischer has earned All-State honors by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association. The MVCA held their annual banquet last night at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. Kacey, her teammates and the coaches traveled there after an afternoon practice was held in the high school.
In case anyone was curious what's left in our family garden...
For our family garden, here’s what’s left: broccoli, brussels sprout, sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, kale and lettuce. It all comes to an end this weekend when we enter a stretch of temperatures in the upper teens/low 20s overnight. Then the wait is on until next April for the 2026 edition of our garden.
Time to prepare for today's volleyball state tournament pep fest! The elementary school will honor the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team on the eve of their state tournament opener.
Here's a lengthy video from Fergus Falls on Saturday night...including the player introductions, the National Anthem and the start of the section finals:
The elementary pep fest was outstanding! Principal Johnson, his staff and all the students should be super, immensely proud! The blindfolded beach volleyball game was one of the more entertaining pep fest games I've seen in a long time.
Here's a video from early in game 2 against Parkers Prairie...
Later on Wednesday night, I'm finally getting a chance to finish uploading my videos from Saturday night at Fergus Falls.
Here's a thriller featuring the final points scored in game 2 against Parkers Prairie:
More to come after I get more scouting done on Cleveland!
State tournament coming our way! (VIDEOS** UPDATES)
A new was added this evening.
Here's Coach Brittany Borgerding talking today before their practice got underway at the high school:
The team was heading to the All-State banquet this evening.
In reference to Cleveland having no seniors, I mentioned that in the interview with Coach Borgerding. From my view, that can work as an advantage for the Clippers. With no seniors, they don't have that pressure of "now or never" - even though in the world of sports, nothing is ever promised to you. A team could do major damage with a young team at a state tournament, and it does not mean they're promised a state tournament trip one year later.
Here's a video from the practice held today:
PEP FEST updates:
The B-B-E elementary school will host a Pep Fest at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, the B-B-E high school will host a pep fest at 10:45 a.m. before the team departs to St. Paul for the state opener.
An immense amount of hard work, dedication, focus and determination by the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has paid off by punching a ticket to the program's 8th state tournament in school history. Our community will benefit from what the coaches and players (and their families) have devoted to the volleyball program. I hope each and every one of you out there is grateful for that!
Here's action from early in game 3 of the Section 6A semifinals:
The video started with the Jaguars holding a 5-0 lead over Hillcrest Lutheran Academy.
...and let's go back to Fargo!
Here's a third quarter video from the FargoDome last Friday:
More to come this afternoon.
Please send a special prayer for safety during their travels today as the volleyball team drives to the Twin Cities for the Minnesota All-State Volleyball banquet. They departed B-B-E high school at 2:30 p.m.
In college sports news...
Tonight, two college sports notes for B-B-E graduates...Class of 2023 graduate Tiyana Schwinghammer's Valley City State University team hosts the University of Minnesota-Morris. In junior college sports, B-B-E Class of 2024 graduate Brooklyn Fischer's St. Cloud Technical and Community College team learns about their National Tournament fate. More updates to follow.
UPDATE from Valley City, North Dakota...Schwinghammer is leading her team with 16 points, with 8 coming in the third quarter, as the Vikings are blowing the University of Minnesota-Morris off the court. With 2:40 left in the third quarter, the Vikings are ahead 53-27. Update: Schwinghammer has scored 12 points in the third quarter, and she leads the Vikings with 20 points. Her last bucket put the Vikings ahead 59-29 going into the last minute of the third.
Her shooting was incredible: 6-of-6 on field goals, which included 2 makes on 2 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, Schwinghammer was 6-for-8 to get her to 20 points in 20 minutes of the 40-minute game. The 6'0" junior forward also had 4 rebounds and 4 steals. With 2 minutes to go, VCSU leads UMM 73-38.
With her team-leading 20 points today, Schwinghammer is now just 23 points away from scoring 1,000 career points at the collegiate level!
UPDATE: at St. Cloud, Fischer's SCTCC Cyclones learned tonight that they've earned a trip to the Division III National Tournament! They head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the tournament opener on Thursday, November 13. At 3 p.m. that day, the Cyclones face Sandhills Community College.
Jaguars earn the 4 seed at state!!! (VIDEO, UPDATES)
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team grabbed the No. 4 seed for the state tournament that begins next Thursday evening for Jaguar Country!
It's official: the Jaguars (24-6) open state at 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 6 at Xcel Energy Center. Spread the word! Their opponent will be the No. 5-seeded Cleveland Clippers, the Section 2A champions from southern Minnesota. In the other 5 p.m. match, Mayer Lutheran faces North Woods.
Cleveland's roster is heavy on sophomores and juniors with no seniors. Additional information on the Clippers will be posted after church.
Here's a video featuring the final points scored in game one last night:
NOTE: I have learned that where we are going is not called "Xcel Energy Center" but rather "Grand Casino Arena."
In B-B-E school history, this is the program's 8th state volleyball tournament trip. Before the pairing, the Belgrade Redmen volleyball team played in one state tournament back in 1984. That season, the Redmen placed 3rd in Class 1A in the former two-class format.
Cleveland's volleyball team is riding an incredible wave of recent success. They enter their first-ever state tournament on a 15-match winning streak. This state tournament berth marks an end to recent misery in section championships, where the Clippers have fallen short of state 3 out of the last 5 seasons.
Cleveland's roster is built around a tall, talented 5'10" sophomore setter, Jocelyn Kortuem. They've got two 5'9" hitters, a 5'10" sophomore middle blocker/right side plus a 5'11" junior outside hitter. I've been spending a fair amount of time today gathering more information on their volleyball team.
In the Section 2A championship, the Clippers played poorly and fell behind 2-0 in sets to Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart. The match turned in game three after falling behind 10-3 to start that set, and Cleveland earned a thrilling reverse sweep with a nailbiter 15-13 win in game five.
B-B-E and Cleveland have one common opponent this fall: the MACCRAY Wolverines, who beat the Jaguars 3-0 in August and also won in straight sets (2-0) over the Clippers at the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse in Burnsville on September 19 in the first pool play match that day.
In the latest QRF rankings for Class 1A, Cleveland was No. 7, while our Jaguars were No. 5. On paper, this is going to be a close battle! The Clippers are 26-6 overall, and they went 6-0 to claim the Tomahawk/Valley Conference - Valley division title. They swept BOLD in the Sub-Section 2A-North championship, and next was a 3-2 thriller over state-ranked Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart.
More to come by mid-afternoon. It's time to catch lunch at the ham and breakfast dinner at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic church. They serve until 1 p.m.!
The Rambow, Inc. state volleyball shirt store is open until MIDNIGHT tonight! (Sunday) Http://www.rambow.com. The store code is BBEVB. Pick up for the shirts will be at the high school office at some point this week.
Class 1A state volleyball tournament seeding:
1. #1 Mayer Lutheran of Section 4A; ranked No. 1 by QRF.
2. #3 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton of Section 3A; ranked No. 4 by QRF.
3. #4 Fillmore Central of Section 1A; ranked No. 2 by QRF.
4. #10 B-B-E of Section 6A; ranked No. 5 by QRF.
5. Cleveland of Section 2A; ranked No. 7 by QRF.
6. #12 Ada-Borup West of Section 8A; ranked No. 13 by QRF.
7. Nevis of Section 5A; ranked No. 20 by QRF.
8. North Woods of Section 7A; ranked No. 15 by QRF.
A few other notes about the Class 1A state tournament field:
Mayer Lutheran (24-7) is the defending Class 1A state champion. This is Mayer Lutheran's 8th state volleyball trip in the past 10 seasons.
R-T-R is 28-5 overall. They are back at state for the first time since 2023, when they finished 30-6 overall and won the Class 1A title with a 3-1 win against Mayer Lutheran in the championship. To get to state, the Knights won 3-2 against Minneota in the Section 3A finals. This season, against their biggest playoff rival, the Minneota Vikings, the Knights lost 3-0 at Minneota on August 26 (light years ago)...at the Southwest Minnesota Challenge in Marshall in their second match of the day on Saturday, September 6, the Knights won 2-0. In the Section 3A championship last night, the Knights beat Minneota 3-1.
Fillmore Central is returning to state after they placed fourth last year with a 3-0 loss in the third-place match to West Central Area. The Falcons are 25-6 overall and were runners-up in the tough Three Rivers Conference (9-1) behind champion Caledonia. In 2023, Fillmore Central lost 3-1 to Mabel-Canton in the Section 1A championship match.
The No. 12-ranked (coaches poll) and No. 14-ranked (QRF) Ada-Borup West Cougars are 23-8 overall. They went 10-0 in the Pine to Prairie Conference. Back in 2008, the Cougars faced our Jaguars in the third-place match at state. Ada-Borup won that match to finish 32-2 overall. B-B-E went 31-3 that season to set the school record for overall wins.
In the Class 2A state tournament, New London-Spicer earned the No. 8 seed. The Wildcats open state on Thursday, November 6 at 1 p.m. against No. 1-seeded Hawley. Albany is the No. 2 seed.
More will be added here later this evening.
And very, very sad news...
One of B-B-E's staunchest and most loyal supporters passed away on Saturday. Rick Gerhardson, age 69, died peacefully at home after suffering for months from a stroke he endured last summer. Rick was one of a kind! This is a devastating loss for his family. His obituary and funeral information can be found here at the Bonanza Valley Voice website: https://shorturl.at/EJxRi. He currently has two grandchildren who attend B-B-E schools (Decker and McCoy); his other grandchildren, all girls, are B-B-E graduates between 2019 and 2025 (McKenzie, Olivia, Presley and Bree).
Please include the Detloff/Thieschafer/Gerhardson/Lindahl families in your prayers.
My last item for this blog post...added Monday night.
Here's action from the 1st quarter at the FargoDome last week:
Early in that video, Lance Radermacher converted a 3rd-and-1 play.
I've got a mountain of video and notes from Fargo and Fergus Falls to continue going through.
Step IV! It's a SWEEP! STATE it is! How SWEET it is! (VIDEOS!!)
Yes, indeed! It was an incredible night in Fergus Falls.
Facing a loaded, experienced Parkers Prairie team for a state tournament berth, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team won 25-17 in game one before grinding out two close wins over the Panthers for a Section 6A championship sweep. The Jaguars earned an incredible 25-23 comeback win in game two after they trailed 23-21. In game three, they built a 23-15 lead before fighting off the Panthers down the stretch. Game three final score: B-B-E 25, Parkers Prairie 20.
Overall, the 3-0 win lasted 70 minutes.
HERE it is! Match point is earned in this video!
NEXT! the Jaguars improve to 24-6 overall and open the Class 1A state tournament on Thursday, November 6. My prediction: we open state at 5 p.m. that night. We will know tomorrow morning once the seeding is made public. More information to come! SO MUCH EXCITEMENT! B-B-E is back in the state volleyball tournament for the first time since 2022. It is also our second trip to state since we went in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.
More to come. Video is uploading. I lost a great video when my camera popped off the tripod...it was a video featuring the medals/trophy presentation. I might be able to pull it off of my camera in low-quality fashion. We'll see. Fingers crossed!
In game one tonight...
The Jaguars pushed out to a 5-2 lead only to see the Panthers surge ahead with a 10-8 advantage after they went on a 5-0 run. Terrific serving by Makenna Roelike helped the Jaguars regain the lead, with her ace serve bringing a 10-all tie. They took a 15-11 lead and maintained control of the set the rest of the way. Back-to-back Kacey Fischer ace serves made it 23-14. Teagan Dingmann's kill finished off a 25-17 win.
Here's a video from the middle of game one tonight:
And then in game two...it was a BATTLE...
Both teams were scrapping from the get go in game two. Teagan Dingmann dropped a nice kill off a block attempt for a 1-0 lead. Parkers Prairie's sophomore middle blocker, Nevaeh Koep, had a kill to make it 1-all, and the Panthers soon had a 6-3 lead. A kill from Mya Worms put the Jaguars up 7-6, but Parkers Prairie then got in front 10-9. Ties at 10-all, 11-all and 12-all followed, and the Jaguars then took small 14-12 and 15-13 leads. Consecutive B-B-E hitting errors helped the Panthers earn a 4-1 scoring run and a 17-16 lead. Macey Roering's kill later put the Jaguars up 19-17.
Parkers Prairie caught fire and surged ahead 23-21 on Alyssa Revering's kill, and B-B-E's Coach Borgerding called a timeout. The Jaguars ran the table while scoring the last 4 points to earn a 25-23 win with a valuable 2-0 lead in sets.
Game notes from the third set will be reviewed and summarized after I get home tonight.
Light match statistics:
B-B-E's offense ran strong all night, and they finished with a 21.7 hitting efficiency. If you can hit over 20 percent, your odds are good! In 126 total attacks, the Jaguars had just 13 misses. Kamie Fischer had 34 set assists, and libero Kenna Lieser had a team-high 11 digs. Key stat: B-B-E served at a 96 percent clip with just 3 misses in 74 serve attempts. That's huge! The Jaguars racked up 7 ace serves: 3 by Kacey Fischer, 2 by Macey Roering and one apiece from Kamie Fischer and Makenna Roelike.
Here's a short postmatch interview with Kacey Fischer:
It's worth noting that the sound system was blaring some loud tunes in the B-B-E locker room right by our interview location. The Jaguars had much to celebrate!
In other Class 1A section finals tonight:
In the Section 3A championship in Marshall, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton won the first set against Minnesota. Update: R-T-R won 25-23 in game two, but the Vikings kept their season alive by winning the third set. In game four, the Knights have a 15-8 lead over the Vikings. Update: R-T-R is going to state! Their high school principal is Mr. Rick Gossen, who devoted 16 years in education to B-B-E as our elementary principal (and also our A.D. from 2011-2022). The Knights defeated Minneota 25-15 in game four to leave no doubt. They are the likely No. 2 seed at the state tournament with a super young lineup. R-T-R has just 2 seniors: a setter and a middle blocker; the rest are 9th-11th graders. Minneota, meanwhile, also had just 2 seniors: a libero and a middle blocker.
In Section 7A, North Woods defeated Floodwood by a 3-1 margin. Both teams were the No. 2 seeds in their respective subsections.
In Class 2A section championships today...
Rush City, ranked No. 9 in the final coaches poll in Class 2A, lost a heartbreaker to fall short of state. Game five went to Esko by a 17-15 margin. That's harsh! Rush City high school is where Mrs. Brystin LaMont (BBE band director) played in her high school days as a three-sport athlete.
In Section 3AA, upstart New London-Spicer won 15-12 in game five to take down Jackson County Central and earn a repeat trip to state. They graduated a pile of seniors after a state run last year but reloaded this season.
**A new blog post on Sunday morning will feature the official state seeds.
