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!
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Jaguars sweep Owls
In back-to-back nights, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has formed a three-match winning streak. Tonight, at Hancock, the Jaguars utilized 27.5 percent hitting on their way to a 3-0 sweep over the Owls. The Jaguars had 6 service aces, two each by Kamie Fischer and Lydia Primus.
Laken Anderson had 8 kills, and Jaylee Jensen and McKinley Haider each had 7 kills.
B-B-E is now 8-6 overall going into this week's tough conference match at Eden Valley-Watkins on Thursday, October 1. That's all I've got tonight. I have a big newspaper issue to finish, and I hope this week a software error won't butcher the sports section like it did last week.
Noteworthy: Browerville's football roster has 40 players on it. Their grades 9-12 enrollment is near identical to B-B-E. The Tigers have 12 seniors football players...while B-B-E has 2.
Coming on Thursday: the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team concludes the regular season with a non-conference match at MACCRAY in Clara City. The match starts at 4 p.m.
Area volleyball scores on September 29:
Henning 3, Battle Lake 2
Maple Lake 3, Braham 0
Willmar 3, Fergus Falls 0
Albany 3, Little Falls 0
New London-Spicer 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 1
Melrose Area 3, Royalton 2
Browerville 3, Benson 1
Holdingford 3, Pillager 0
It's been raining (basically) all day + volleyball updates
Around 9 a.m. today, I dumped our rain gauge at home. It showed that we received about 1/4 inch of rain this morning up to that point. Since then, however, it has continued raining. I'm interested to see what the guage says later this afternoon.
Schedule changes due to weather:
Today's Prairie Conference girls' tennis match at home against Parkers Prairie has been canceled due to the rain. As of 2:45 p.m., it is raining.
Also, the home cross country meet in Paynesville has been postponed to Thursday, October 1.
STILL taking place...indoor activities plus the junior high football game in Belgrade.
TONIGHTon KMGK 107.1 FM of Glenwood: the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team will be hunting down their third straight win. They are in Hancock tonight for a big Section 6A contest. The radio station website is https://www.kmgk1071.com.
UPDATES in Hancock:
With the score tied 16-16 in game three, Kamie Fischer earned a kill and later an ace serve to get the Jaguars ahead 19-16. With a 20-16 deficit, Hancock called a timeout.
To this point, the Jaguars have not trailed, but there's been at least 12 ties, according to Brady Erdmann. Teagan Dingmann's kill made it a 21-16 lead. Fischer then got her third ace serve of the night for a 22-16 lead. B-B-E's 10th service error of the night brought a side out, but Hancock then had their 6th service error of the night for a 23-17 score. Dingmann and Mya Worms earned an ace block on Hancock's 6'1" hitter to bring game and match point at 24-17. On Laken Anderson's serve, the Owls could not return the ball to cap a 25-17 win.
Hit refresh for a new blog post to see the final score.
B-B-E volleyball takes K-M-S in four sets (VIDEOS)
A scrappy and athletic Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints gave the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team all they wanted tonight in a non-conference border battle. As a battle-tested unit in the Camden Conference, K-M-S faced a 2-0 deficit in sets late in game two, when they trailed 24-22. They stormed back to claim a 27-25 win.
Here's a video featuring the end of game one tonight:
After hitting just 2.8 percent in game two, the Jaguars utilized 17.2 percent hitting in game three while winning 25-15.
Here's the end of game three tonight:
In the fourth set, the Jaguars steamrolled the Fighting Saints with 43 percent hitting and just one attack error while winning 25-11.
Laken Anderson led the Jaguars with 12 kills on powerful 37 percent hitting. Macey Roering added 9 kills on 24 attacks plus 12 digs. B-B-E had 94 percent serving with 22.8 percent hitting for the night.
With no time to rest, B-B-E (7-6) hits the road tomorrow for a huge Section 6A contest at Hancock. The Owls (11-6) were idle tonight. On Saturday, they went 2-2 at the Bertha-Hewitt Invitational. Hancock will be a formidable opponent, and they are gunning for a Top 5 seed for the playoffs. As of Tuesday morning, September 29, the Jaguars sit in third place in Section 6A, while Hancock is in seventh place. At the top, according to the QRF, is Underwood. Henning is in second, and Park Christian is in fourth.
K-M-S falls to 4-8 overall, but they are vastly better than their record shows. While not having generous height in their front line, they are very quick. They put up a fierce battle on numerous points tonight. In the current Section 3AA-North standings, they sit around the No. 5 position just behind Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.
Area volleyball scores on September 28:
Kimball Area 3, Rockford 1
Renville County West 3, Wabasso 0
Paynesville Area 3, Litchfield 1
Brandon-Evansville 3, Ashby 0
Park Christian 3, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 2
Rothsay 3, Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal 1
BOLD 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 1
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is hosting Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg tonight in a non-conference border battle. The Fighting Saints hold a 4-7 overall record, and they are 2-3 in the rugged Camden North Conference.
After the conclusion of the JV match, members of the varsity team presented Suicide Prevention Awareness Night. It was a touching, heartfelt moment to be a part of. All of Jaguar Country continues to mourn the loss of Levi Adrian, who passed away on September 24 a year ago. He was a member of the current senior class, the Class of 2027.
Tonight's match will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. Thanks, Brady!
Here's game one action from last Thursday night:
First serve tonight should take place at about 7 p.m.
**After the Jaguars won game one, the Fighting Saints won a thriller by a 27-25 score in game two.
See a new blog post for the rest of the evening's action.
The month has gotten wet and gloomy, but today, we see near full sunshine after 4 p.m. in Jaguar Country! I was going to get videos posted here and more updates, but instead, I encourage you to get outside! Take the Vikings game with you, if you can, on a device! Final score: Minnesota Vikings 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16. The Vikings are 3-0 to start the season, which no one saw coming.
And for some local news...
Between Thursday morning and today, the city of Brooten received a little over 3 inches of rain. The sunshine today was a welcome change!
One week ago, Turkey Fest in Swift Falls took place without rainfall. Organizers were grateful for that.
Here's a short video showing some of the activities of Turkey Fest on September 19:
More to come with updates on Monday morning.
Coming this weekend at Sunburg!
I don't always have time to do extra promotion of all local events, but here's one I wanted to give a shout out to for an event that was advertised on page 3 of last week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Hope Lutheran Church of Sunburg invites everyone to their Vintage Wedding fall bazaar on Saturday, October 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They have much to see on this day, and a great luncheon will be served simultaneously in their spacious fellowship hall. The Hope Lutheran bazaar includes a bakery shoppe (lefse and other Scandinavian goodies), garden produce, jams, jellies, salsa, freezer meals plus crafts, cards, napkins and a book sale. The quilt raffle takes place at 1 p.m. to conclude the event (winner need not be present). The luncheon includes 2 kinds of soup, ham and turkey sandwiches, macaroni salad, Rommegrot and a wide variety of homemade pies.
Speaking of sports...
On Monday night: the No. 11-ranked B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team will host Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg in a non-conference border battle. It is also the team's Suicide Prevention Awareness Night. The Fighting Saints (4-7) will bring a young squad to town that has just 3 seniors.
I see that the B-B-E Jaguars football team currently sits in a three-way tie for second place in the Mid-Northwest Gold District standings. Also in second are Benson (2-2 overall) and West Central Area (2-2 overall). Both of those teams have won 2 straight games after starting the season 0-2.
As for B-B-E, halfway through the regular season, the Jaguars have the third-best defense in the district. They give up 17 points a game, and WCA has a 17-ppg defensive average. No. 4-ranked Upsala/Swanville Area has allowed 5.5 points per game. WCA does not meet U/SA until Week 8, when they travel to Swanville on Tuesday, October 20.
Here's a video featuring the final touchdown scored at Browerville last Friday:
Friday Night Lights IV: B-B-E wins shootout at Browerville (VIDEOS* added)
A week after Browerville lost 14-8, they hosted Homecoming against our B-B-E Jaguars football team tonight at Jack Dressen Field. With something to prove, the Tigers played a strong first half and trailed 18-12 at halftime in a game where both teams entered the stadium with identical 2-1 records.
Final:B-B-E 41, Browerville 26. Penalties at inopportune times hampered the Tigers, who were soundly outplayed in the fourth quarter.
**This blog post is getting revamped with new game notes on Saturday morning and late morning. The area Week 4 scoreboard is also being reviewed and updated below.
Here's a video from B-B-E's 5th offensive series tonight:
The Jaguars started that fifth series of the game at the beginning of the third quarter on their own 40-yard line. The drive finished with Aiden Mueller's 19-yard touchdown carry with 8:45 left in the third quarter. Mueller ran in the two-point conversion that made it a 27-12 lead.
The teams traded touchdowns from that point forward.
Here's a video from the first half tonight:
More to come!
How the first half played out tonight
Browerville came out strong on the game's first series starting on their 35. After 6 plays, Browerville had 1st-and-10 at the B-B-E 28-yard line. On the next play, the running back lost the ball, and the fumble was recovered by Lance Radermacher with 7:56 left. The Jaguars, starting on their 27, then moved into Browerville territory. They stalled out on 4th-and-7 at the Browerville 41.
On Browerville's second possession, they scored on a 17-yard touchdown run with 10:44 left in the second quarter. A failed 2-point conversion left the score at 6-0.
A 47-second long scoring drive then took place, and the Jaguars needed just 3 plays to score from their own 46. On the second play, Noah DeRoo caught a 44-yard pass. With 9:59 left, quarterback Aiden Mueller ran in a 3-yard touchdown. The PAT kick was wide left for a 6-6 tie.
The Jaguars held Browerville and forced a punt. With 8:15 left in the second quarter, the Jaguars started their third series of the game on their 46. On the fourth play, Kaden Kollman caught a touchdown pass with 6:57 left. The extra points conversion failed, so the Jaguars had a 12-6 lead.
On the third play of Browerville's next drive, they scored on a 42-+-yard run. The two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, and the Jaguars were in a 12-12 tie with 6:06 left.
B-B-E then began their 4th series of the game on their own 42. Mueller finished off that drive with a 29-yard touchdown carry. After a blocked PAT kick, with 4:04 left, the Jaguars led 18-12.
Browerville drove into B-B-E territory, but they ran out of time after having 1st-and-goal at B-B-E's 3-yard line with 14 seconds to go.
...AND! Here's how the first half ended tonight:
To conclude the second quarter, the Jaguars earned a quarterback sack with a huge loss of yards. In fact, the loss of yardage was so severe, the play ended deep in the backfield and out of the view of my videocamera. The Jaguars annihilated Browerville's front line. In reaction to that, Browerville's quarterback yanked his helmet from his head before play had stopped and began shouting in a fit of rage. No penalties were assessed.
Out of respect for the coaching staff of Browerville and not wanting the video to be clipped and used in a negative way against the Tigers and the player himself, I am not posting that part of the video. That moment began right as the above video clip stops. The quarterback made a mistake. Hopefully that won't happen again. The fact is the Tigers played incredibly hard from start to finish. The Jaguars had to put up their best effort of the season so far in order to come out with a win. This game sets them up well for the Week 5 road trip to Maple Lake.
This blog post will be updated again on Saturday morning.
And here's more second half notes from tonight's game:
As said above, B-B-E started the third quarter with possession and had a 60-yard scoring drive that used 6 plays. The drive also included a Browerville pass interference penalty that gave B-B-E first down at the Tigers' 13-yard line. Mueller finished it off with a quarterback carry while scoring from 19 yards out. He ran in the conversion carry for a 26-12 lead.
Browerville answered right away, and they got a boost by a huge kickoff return that gave them first down at their 40. They needed just 3 plays to go 60 yards. Browerville's No. 30 ran in a 50-yard touchdown with 7:12 on the third quarter clock. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 26-18.
Each team traded punts, and B-B-E then started their 7th possession of the game on Browerville's 38 with 3 minutes left. The Jaguars needed just 3 plays to cover the distance, and with 2:23 left, Mueller ran in a one-yard touchdown. Mauricio Hernandez-Valdiviezo's PAT kick sailed through the uprights to make it a 33-18 lead.
As the third quarter finished up, Browerville mounted a 70-yard scoring drive. They started the fourth quarter with 1st-and-15 (false start penalty to end Q3) at B-B-E's 39-yard line. The Tigers scored on a 41-yard touchdown catch in the endzone with 11:07 left. A successful two-point conversion made it a 33-26 game.
As it happened in the third quarter, both teams traded punts. B-B-E then started their 9th series of the game on their 30-yard line. On the first play of that series...this happened (Watch the video)
Here's exciting action in the fourth quarter:
Six plays after that big reception, the Jaguars scored on Lance Radermacher's 3-yard touchdown carry. Noah DeRoo caught the two-point conversion pass in the right flats to give the Jaguars a 42-26 lead with 3:21 left in the game.
In a classy move that I've seen many times from him, Coach Wayne "Ribsy" Petermeier provided word to the referees that he was subbing down to JV players to play out the game.
Some light game statistics:
B-B-E tallied a whopping season-high 389 yards of offense. They outgained Browerville by the smallest margin: one yard. B-B-E's goal-line stand in the final minute of the second quarter made a huge difference in gaining the upper hand in the game.
Aiden Mueller was 9-for-16 for 209 yards in passing with no interceptions. Mueller had 5 separate targets for his passes. The Jaguars had a powerful run game totaling 180 yards by four different ball carriers. Browerville racked up 304 rushing yards, and their quarterback had 84 passing yards.
Lance Radermacher had one fumble recovery.
NEXT: the Jaguars take their 3-1 record to Maple Lake as they continue the two-game road swing. They play at Irish Stadium on Friday, October 2. Maple Lake played at Benson tonight. I do not have a final score from that game. Last week, Maple Lake blasted Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 40-0 in Long Prairie.
UPDATE: the Benson Braves hammered Maple Lake in a 46-6 Homecoming win to even their record at 2-2. The Irish fall to 1-3. Benson led 32-0 at halftime, and their defense made it tough on the Irish with sophomore Bentley Ascheman earning three interceptions. Maple Lake scored in the third quarter on a 32-yard pass from Jaxson Diebold to George Riviere.
Mid-Northwest Gold District Week 4 scores on September 25:
Upsala/Swanville Area 42, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
West Central Area 12, Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 8
Benson 46, Maple Lake 6
At Minnewaska Area tonight, the Melrose Area Dutchmen spoiled the Lakers' Homecoming with a wild 43-41 win. This improves the Dutchmen's record to 3-1 overall. The Lakers are 1-3. Melrose Area is the alma mater of B-B-E head coach Chris Moscho.
I want to also give a shout out to the Willmar Cardinals, who now have a 4-0 start to their season. The Cardinals won 28-7 at Blattner Stadium in Cold Spring tonight. Their community is suffering right now after a double homicide of two young men took place near Lakeland Broadcasting and the Kandiyohi County Fairgrounds last Monday night. Please continue praying for their community.
Area football Week 4 scores on September 25:
Elk River 39, Alexandria 14
Parkers Prairie 56, Menahga 18
Frazee 33, New York Mills 14 (NYM falls to 0-4)
Lac qui Parle Valley 38, MACCRAY 16
Paynesville 36, BOLD 0
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 26, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 6 (Fighting Saints falls to 0-4; the Falcons are 2-2)
Marshall 27, Hutchinson 13
Kimball Area 28, St. Cloud Cathedral 3
Border West 28, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 6
Redwood Valley 47, Eden Valley-Watkins 12 (EV-W falls to 1-3 overall; last season, EV-W won at Redwood Falls by a 46-34 score)
Osakis 12, Holdingford 7
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 28, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 18
Minneota 42, Lakeview 12
Litchfield 59, Montevideo 6
Royalton 14, Sauk Centre 6
Hancock 24, Ortonville 20
North Branch 12, Rock Ridge 6
Willmar 28, Rocori 7
Pierz 27, Albany 6
New London-Spicer 16, Dassel-Cokato 14
Renville County West 20, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 6
Rothsay 20, Underwood 0
The B-B-E Jaguars football team is doing battle with the Tigers in a big district game in Browerville. Both teams enter the game with identical 2-1 overall records.
With 6:06 left before halftime, the game is tied 12-12.
Halftime: B-B-E 18, Browerville 12. No one can make extra point conversions...yet.
The final score will be posted in a NEW blog post called Friday Night Lights IV.
Volleyball team takes over first place alone (VIDEOS!*)
After a dominant performance in the opening set tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team dispatched a gritty Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Falcons squad in a 3-0 sweep. During the third set, senior setter/hitter Kamie Fischer surpassed 2,000 career set assists. On a pass from Laken Anderson, Fischer set to the left side for Macey Roering. Roering completed the 2,000-career-set-assist sequence with a kill that gave the Jaguars a 15-14 lead.
Coming into the match, Fischer needed 29 set assists to get to the 2,000 mark.
And here's the video! Featuring that exciting moment...
Both teams entered the match with 2-0 records in the Central Minnesota Conference. The win puts the Jaguars in first place alone in the CMC and evens their overall record at 6-6. A-C-GC falls to 7-9 overall. Next: the Jaguars host a border battle next Monday, Sept. 28 against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg.
Here's a video featuring the end of the match:
Backing up to earlier in the match...which lasted about 1 hour and 5 minutes...
After getting handled easily in game one, the Falcons came out with a much better block in game two and put up a fight. The Jaguars had leads of 10-8 and 13-11 in the middle of game two. Two straight A-C-GC points to make it 18-16 pushed B-B-E into a timeout. Late kills by Kamie Fischer and two by Laken Anderson brought game point. Fischer ended the set with an ace serve and a 25-20 win.
Here's a video from late in game two:
Game three was a back-and-forth affair after the Jaguars had an initial 4-1 lead. The Falcons cut it to 6-5 and then took an 8-7 lead on two straight Kenlie Blom ace serves. Jaylee Jensen's ace block put the Jaguars ahead 9-8. On the left side, Kelsie Blom had two straight kills that tied the score at 11-11. Teagan Dingmann's kill off of a block put the Jaguars ahead 13-12. A Falcons hitting error tied the set at 14-14, and Roering's kill on Fischer's 2,000th set assist made it a 15-14 lead. The Jaguars repelled a tough fight down the stretch, and Anderson hit back-to-back kills to finish the match with B-B-E winning 25-21.
For the night, the Jaguars had 21.7 percent hitting, which helped overcome a tough match at the service line, where they had 10 errors against just 4 ace serves. Laken Anderson led the Jaguars team with 10 kills, and Macey Roering throttled over 8 kills. The Falcons were led by 7 kills from senior Kenlie Blom, who also added 3 ace serves and 13 digs.
After the match, Kamie Fischer was part of countless pictures with teammates, friends and family. The team and coaches gathered with her for a photo before the rest of the pictures were taken. I had the distinct honor of being able to interview her after the match. I attempted to think of different questions than I've had in the past for volleyball interviews.
Here's Kamie Fischer in her post-match interview tonight:
In a big match to the west, Minnewaska Area won 3-2 against Sauk Centre. The Mainstreeters won game four 25-22 to force the tiebreaking set, but the Lakers overpowered them in a 15-5 win to remain undefeated.
Friday afternoon...
A light football story with a video has been posted to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: BBEfootballvsUSA-9-18.
Central MN Conference volleyball scores on September 24:
Paynesville Area 3, Royalton 1
Maple Lake 3, Kimball Area 0
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, Holdingford 0 (the Eagles are having a strong season and are now 10-6 overall)
Area volleyball scores on September 24:
Bertha-Hewitt 3, New York Mills 2
Henning 3, Verndale 2
Milaca 3, Albany 0
Swanville 3, LP-GE 1
New London-Spicer 3, Rockford 0
Ortonville 3, Yellow Medicine East 2
Renville County West 3, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
Osakis 3, Browerville 0
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 3, Brandon-Evansville 0
West Central Area 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 1
Minnewaska Area 3, Sauk Centre 2 (the Lakers take control of the West Central Conference)
Upsala 3, Benson 1
Central MN Christian 3, Canby 0
Battle Lake 3, Parkers Prairie 0
Melrose 3, BOLD 1
After a lackluster performance in the first two sets, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team found themselves in a position where they had to run the table to pick up a border battle win at Sauk Centre on Monday night.
Sauk Centre, a team loaded for bear with 8 seniors, won game one 25-15 and game two 25-13. In game three, the Jaguars had a much better start than they had in the first two sets and carried that momentum to a 25-22 win. They quickly fell into an 8-2 deficit in game four, and a late rally couldn't save them in a 25-18 loss.
Cool 9 percent hitting was a factor in the loss. Sauk Centre was tough to tip against, and attacks regularly needed to cut an angle through the blocks to find open spots in the corners. Junior outside Macey Roering led the Jaguars with a robust 15-kill performance on 12.8 percent hitting and a whopping 47 total attacks. The Jaguars managed 5 solo blocks, two each by seniors Kamie Fischer and Mya Worms.
No. 10-ranked (Coaches Association) B-B-E falls to 5-6 overall as they prepare for a home conference match with Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Thursday this week.
The Mainstreeters move to 12-2 overall and are currently the No. 3-ranked team in a tough Section 6AA. In the state polls, Sauk Centre stands at No. 7 in Class 2A. They don't have a particularly tall lineup for a Class 2A school, but a large array of 5'9" and 5'10" hitters were able to mount an effective block. In the back row, they were tough as nails with scrappy defense that's typical of Jim Klaphake-coached teams.
MARK your calendars! Lions Fish Fry!
The Belgrade Lions invites everyone to their upcoming fish fry night at The Spot in downtown Belgrade. They will be serving all-you-can eat fish from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Meal prices: $12 for adults and for kids ages 10 and under it's $7. Serving: fish, baked beans, potato salad, bread. A Lions meat raffle also takes place starting at 5 p.m., and the Lions fall raffle drawing will take place at 9 p.m. at the same location that night. Proceeds from this event will go towards the Belgrade city park bathroom and shelter project. This event was advertised in the September 17 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper, and the ad will continue through these next two weeks leading up to the event.
On Tuesday night...
I have been severely distracted from getting the newspaper completed by news of a double-homicide at Rau Park in Willmar late last night. This is a location sitting between KWLM Radio (Lakeland Broadcasting) and the Kandiyohi County Fairgrounds. My mind is blown! For the 2022 county fair, I parked our minivan right at this park. This news is insane. A third victim has initially survived being shot. The news is still unfolding...
Area volleyball scores on September 21:
New London-Spicer 3, Annandale 2 (the Wildcats survive a stiff Wright County West challenge from a Cardinals team that entered the match 6-6 overall; they are 14-0 overall)
Royalton 3, Osakis 0
Kimball Area 3, Maranatha Christian 0
Holdingford 3, Swanville 0
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 3, Lake Park-Audubon 1
Pine River-Backus 3, Sebeka 2
Bertha-Hewitt 3, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 1
Hancock 3, Dawson-Boyd 0
Paynesville Area 3, Benson 2 (Bulldogs are 8-6 overall)
Underwood 3, Barnesville 1
I have never seen a coaching staff get as much out of a team as I've seen this fall with the B-B-E Jaguars football team. It is truly remarkable where we sit after the first three weeks of the season. Yes, it's true that multiple difficult games are in front of the Jaguars. At this point, to hold a 2-1 record is a huge achievement!
For the Week 3 contest, the Jaguars hosted No. 4-ranked Upsala/Swanville Area. B-B-E's roster features 22 players, and two of them are on the injured reserve list. The Patriots have 48 on their roster, including 19 seniors.
It took at least an hour until the game was over before I sat down at Lucky Shots Bowling Alley in Brooten and took my first look at the Associated Press football state rankings. My! Oh my! Little did I know that after the first two weeks, the Jaguars were sitting in a tie for 11th place! Goodness! Meanwhile, U/SA was a Top 5 team.
POSTED on Monday afternoon:
The 9-11 tribute provided by Coach Goodwin before kickoff on Friday can be viewed by clicking over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: 911-tribute-football.
Also! The home girls' tennis meet with Yellow Medicine East is cancelled due to the weather.
Here's a video from the second quarter against U/SA:
Here's another second quarter video:
More to come after I review more game notes. Additional video is uploading.
How the second half played out against Upsala/Swanville Area...
With a 22-7 lead, the Patriots opened the third quarter with their 7th drive of the game while starting at their 37-yard line. On the first play, U/SA gained 12 yards. On the next play, with first down at their own 49, U/SA ran for one yard with B-B-E's Aiden Mueller earning a solo tackle. The Jaguar defense did the same thing on the next play, bringing a 3rd-and-8 try. U/SA quarterback William Schafer had a 4-yard run. At B-B-E's 45, the Patriots converted a 4th-and-4 try. A 13-yard run came next, with Austin Berge making a touchdown-saving tackle at the 18. On the next play, Baron Breitbach and Noah DeRoo earned assisted tackles with a one-yard loss. B-B-E's defense held and stopped U/SA on 4th down at the 10-yard line. With 6:49 left in the third quarter, the Jaguars had the ball.
B-B-E's drive gained 4 yards on 3 plays, and they punted with 5:20 left. This gave U/SA the ball at B-B-E's 46. The Patriots had more momentum at this point than when the 3rd quarter started, and they got a 21-yard reception on the first play. Three run plays followed that gave U/SA first down at B-B-E's 13. At about the 3:40 mark, Mason Douvier came up with an interception, which he returned to B-B-E's 20. After three straight incomplete passes, however, the Jaguars punted with 3:26 left.
U/SA's ninth possession of the game started on their 47. Shafer had back-to-back quarterback runs, the first for 7 yards and the next with no gain. On 3rd-and-3, U/SA's junior running back Dalton Welinski had a 5-yard run. The 4th play of the drive was on 1st-and-10 at B-B-E's 41. Senior running back Carson Primus ran for 13 yards. With 28 yards to go, the Patriots had to battle both a penalty bug and a toughening Jaguar defense. A total of 7 plays and 2 penalties later, U/SA scored on a 4-yard run by Primus with 11:34 left in the fourth quarter. The 2-point conversion was stuffed, making it a 28-7 score.
B-B-E's 9th drive of the game was set up by a nice kickoff return by Douvier to the 43-yard line. A 15-yard catch by Grayson Rooney converted 3rd-and-9 to advance the Jaguars to U/SA's 41. A 2-yard run by Noah DeRoo plus two U/SA penalties advanced the Jaguars to the 12-yard line. On 2nd down, Berge hauled in a 7-yard catch. Two plays later, the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs at the 5-yard line.
The final minutes of the 4th quarter saw U/SA attempting to march downfield. They faced a Jaguar defense determined to keep them from scoring again. At the 5-minute mark, Welinski's 11-yard run advanced the Patriots to their own 42. Later, with just over a minute to go, the Patriots took a knee in a classy move to wind out the game.
In volleyball news...
Tonight, I glanced at the latest QRF rankings in Class 1A. Our B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has climbed from No. 6 in the Section 6A standings to No. 3 out of 20 teams. On the QRF scale, they are rated 29th out of 145 teams. Sitting far above them in the section rankings are Underwood (8th in the state rankings) and Henning (19th in the rankings). B-B-E's firepower will be put to a major test tomorrow, when the Jaguars travel the short trip north to face Highway 71 rival Sauk Centre. The Mainstreeters are having a terrific season and are currently 11-2 overall while on an 8-match winning streak.
Friday Night Lights III: Jaguars give Patriots all they wanted, rain doesn't help, in first loss of season
In one of the most memorable games played on the home field, the B-B-E Jaguars football team dished out everything they had - and more - in a 28-7 loss to No. 4-ranked Upsala/Swanville Area. Both teams entered the game with 2-0 records. Something had to give. This was a night where the Jaguars were badly outmanned, but that did not faze them.
B-B-E led 7-0 after their second possession of the game. That was short-lived, however, with U/SA scoring on their next series on a 42-yard touchdown carry. Their conversion was good for an 8-7 lead. They scored one more time in the first quarter to take a 16-7 lead.
To get that initial touchdown, the Jaguars were outstanding on their first defensive series. The Patriots gained 7 yards on 3 plays and had to punt with 8:35 left in the first quarter. On the punt, Tyler Myers blew through the line and blocked the ball. It brougth a resounding thud sound as the ball bounced off of his pads. Boom! With 8:28 left, the Jaguars had first down on U/SA's 30-yard line.
Two incomplete passes and one rushing play for no yards brought 4th-and-10. On that play, Noah DeRoo hauled in a touchdown in the endzone. With 7:40 left, the Jaguars lined up for the PAT kick. That kick sailed straight through the uprights! B-B-E 7, U/SA 0.
On the next series of the game, U/SA had the ball for their second possession. That drive started on their 40-yard line. They used 6 plays to get to 4th-and-1. On the next play, Cal Leners ran for a 41-yard touchdown carry. He also ran in the conversion play, and with 5:24 left, the Patriots held an 8-7 lead.
U/SA then scored on their third possession of the game on a 48-yard drive. On a 7-yard touchdown carry, the Patriots led 16-7 with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Patriots did not score on their fourth and fifth possession. On their sixth possession, U/SA scored on a 32-yard drive after recovering a B-B-E lost fumble with the drive finished off by a 10-yard carry. The conversion was stopped short, and with 49 seconds left, they led 22-7.
A breakdown of the second half of the football game will be posted in a NEW blog post.
More to come. Additional video is uploading.
A few other football notes...
In the September 16 Associated Press state rankings, U/SA was ranked No. 4 in Class 1A. Their team features 19 seniors. Meanwhile, B-B-E had just 20 total players dressed and in uniform for the game. Two players remain on the injured reserve list.
Let that sink in! A team with 19 seniors and a roster with 48 players...against a team with just 2 seniors and 20 total players. On paper, was this going to be a game? No, it was not.
Here's a video from the first quarter tonight:
The Jaguars trailed 22-7 at halftime. On the final play of the first half, Aiden Mueller was stopped one yard short of the end zone. Had he gotten in, the Jaguars may have trailed either 22-15 or 22-13 at that point. Those first two quarters were wild.
The Patriots were only able to score one more time in the second half. You really can't say enough about the effort given by B-B-E's players. They were warriors to the end.
TOO GOOD not to share:after the postgame handshakes took place, both football teams gathered at midfield to pray. An unnamed U/SA player stood in the center of the circle of kneeling players to lead the prayer. It was heartwarming.
Some game statistics: U/SA totaled 489 offensive yards. Of that total, 462 yards came on the ground. The Patriots had 25 first downs compared to 8 by the Jaguars. U/SA was 7-of-14 on third down conversions and 3-of-4 on fourth down tries.
Mid-Northwest Gold District Week III scores on September 18:
West Central Area 14, Browerville 8
Benson 30, Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 14
Maple Lake 40, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
Area Week III football scores on September 18:
Pierz 60, Minnewaska Area 0
Sauk Centre 34, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 21
Royalton 30, St. Cloud Apollo 8
Rothsay 34, Ortonville 12
Albany 41, Melrose Area 16
Willmar 27, Marshall 14
Glencoe-Silver Lake 31, Montevideo 22
MACCRAY 27, Yellow Medicine East 0
St. Cloud Cathedral 7, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Parkers Prairie 42, New York Mills 8
Minneota 65, Canby 14
An early-season Mud Bowl is soon underway on the home gridiron, as the B-B-E Jaguars football team puts their 2-0 record up against the Upsala/Swanville Area Patriots, who are also 2-0. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. It is STILL raining as of 6:30 p.m., although it is lightening up. My home rain gauge is past 1.5 inches for the day.
Game updates to follow...probably not until halftime.
The Jaguars led 7-0 in the first quarter.
At halftime, U/SA is ahead 22-7.
*Hit refresh to see the final score.
Time to head to Lucky Shots in Brooten! The local Lutheran youth group is sponsoring an event there.
Girls' tennis does battle at conference tournament, volleyball sweeps Huskers (VIDEOS)
The B-B-E Jaguars girl's tennis team traveled to the massive 10-court complex at Osakis high school today for the Prairie Conference tournament. At No. 1 doubles, Hannah Wurm and Harper Herickhoff played the match of their life in their tournament opener. After holding leads of 3-2 and 4-3 in the first set, they suffered a tough 7-5 loss. In the second set, they came on strong after holding early leads of 2-1 and 3-2 to win convincingly by a 6-2 score and force a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, a Pro 10 set, the game was a neck-and-neck all the way to the end. The St. John's Prep doubles team came away with a 11-9 win to advance to the winner's bracket semifinals.
Here's a video from early in the first set of that doubles match:
Here's action from late in the first set of that No. 1 doubles match:
Hannah Wurms, a junior, and Harper Herickhoff, an eighth grader, ultimately finished with fifth place at the tournament.
Other tennis information is forthcoming. Also, additional football and volleyball videos are being uploaded to be shared. Next: the girls' tennis team hosts Yellow Medicine East next Monday at 4:30 p.m. in a non-conference match.
In volleyball news...
At Holdingford, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team evened their record at 5-5 with a 3-0 sweep of the Huskers in Central Minnesota Conference action. They're now 2-0 in the CMC, in which they are currently a five-time defending champion.
Game scores at Holdingford were 25-19, 25-17, 27-25. The Jaguars had 14.5 percent hitting with 37 kills on 131 attacks. Junior outside Macey Roering had 12 kills on 23 percent hitting, and Laken Anderson powered over 10 kills o 27 percent hitting. Kamie Fischer (20 set assists) and Reese Kampsen (11 set assists) guided the offense.
Next: the volleyball team travels to Sauk Centre next Monday for a big border battle with the state-ranked Mainstreeters.
Here's a video from the 3rd quarter of the WCA game last week:
The B-B-E Jaguars football teamhosts Upsala/Swanville Area tomorrow night for Week 3 action.
Get a load of this! Tonight, Holdingford hosted Eden Valley-Watkins in their Week 3 game. The Huskers were all over the Eagles and won 24-2 to improve to 3-0 this season. EV-W, who lost last week 55-0 to Minneota, is now 1-2. Holdingford, who went 12-1 last season and lost in the Class 2A state semifinals, has now won 11 straight regular season games.
ON FRIDAY: I have to travel to Glenwood for my 9:30 a.m. radio show and then attend the annual Waterfest activities with B-B-E's Class of 2033 students. That event is hosted at the Pope County Fairgrounds. It will be wet!
As for the football game...it is currently in limbo, and a decision will be made this afternoon (Friday) on whether or not it will be played tonight or tomorrow. The game may have an 11 a.m. kickoff on Saturday. Stay tuned.
Central MN Conference volleyball scores on September 17:
Kimball Area 3, Royalton 2
Paynesville Area 3, Maple Lake 0
Area volleyball scores on September 17:
Redwood Valley 3, Eden Valley-Watkins 1
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 3, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 0
Wednesday night: this blog post was updated with an area scoreboard...see below...
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team moved one match under .500 with a 3-0 sweep against defending Prairie Conference champion Swanville. Game scores were 25-17, 25-23, 25-17.
Early leads of 5-2 and 10-5 got the Jaguars off to a good start in game one. Macey Roering's ace serve brought an 8-4 lead, and Teagan Dingmann's kill started a 5-0 run that culminated with Kamie Fischer's ace serve for a 15-6 lead. The Bulldogs fought back to close it to 17-13, but an ace block by Kamie Fischer sparked a 4-0 run. Roering's kill made it 22-14, and the Bulldogs could not narrow the gap with B-B-E winning 25-17.
Here's a video from the middle of game one tonight:
Here's a video featuring the conclusion of game one:
In the third set, the Jaguars trailed 7-6 and 11-10 before getting a better block in place. Jaylee Jensen's kill made it a 15-14 lead, and Jaguars opened up a 19-15 lead before Swanville called a timeout. An ace block by Laken Anderson gave the Jaguars a 22-15 lead. Jensen's kill made it 23-16, and Laken Anderson's kill achieved game and match point with the 25-17 win.
The Jaguars now have one practice available before making the trek north into Morrison County to face the conference rival Holdingford Huskers. More to come. Video is uploading.
Area volleyball scores on September 15:
Benson 3, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
Willmar 3, Sauk Rapids-Rice 1
Melrose Area 3, Montevideo 1
Osakis 3, Upsala 0
Maple Lake 3, Sebeka 0
Central MN Christian 3, Renville County West 0
Underwood 3, West Central Area 0
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 3, Yellow Medicine East 0
Royalton 3, Pierz 0
Kimball Area 3, Litchfield 0
Barnesville 3, Henning 1
New London-Spicer 3, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 0
Border West 3, Rothsay 0
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 3, Battle Lake 1
MACCRAY 3, Lakeview 1
Hancock 3, Brandon-Evansville 1
Minnewaska Area 3, BOLD 0
Sauk Centre 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 0
After they were dispatched 25-18 in game one, the Swanville Bulldogs gave the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team a battle in game two. After closing a 22-18 deficit down to 22-21, the Bulldogs served long for game point, as B-B-E won 25-23 for a 2-0 set lead.
Volleyball Jaguars at Southwest Minnesota Challenge (VIDEOS)
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team went 0-2 at the opening night of action at the Southwest Minnesota Challenge tournament in Marshall. In one of the matches, they split the first two sets. In the tiebreaker set, they held a 13-11 lead but lost 16-14. Other details are being sought out.
The Jaguars finished with a 1-4 record at Marshall. They lost by a 2-1 set margin to Class 4A Prior Lake in their first Friday match. In the last match last night, the Jaguars lost 2-0 to Sioux Falls Christian.
Today, the Jaguars faced Sioux Falls Roosevelt and earned a 2-1 win. They finished with 2-0 losses to No. 3-ranked Mayer Lutheran and Class 4A Eastview. Next: the Jaguars (3-5 overall) host Swanville in a non-conference match on Tuesday, September 15. The Bulldogs, 24-3 overall a year ago, are defending Prairie Conference champions and Section 5A runners-up.
How about the B-B-E football team!
And back to last night's thrilling win...the scoreboard for last night's games has been updated in the previous blog post. It includes the other 3 Mid-Northwest Gold District final scores.
Here's a video featuring the final plays of B-B-E's first scoring drive last night:
Also, a video from the second quarter of last night's football game was just posted to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website. That can be found by clicking here: BBEvsWCAfootball2026.
The Jaguars improved to 4-0 in the past four meetings with West Central Area.
Here's a postgame interview with Coach Moscho last night:
I'll repost that at a future date.
After studying the scores of the first two games with teams that the Jaguars face, I have a declaration: if the football team can draw 3 to 5 more players, consisting of players who quit the team this summer, I have full confidence that the Jaguars can have a 7-1 or 6-2 regular season. It is possible, but they have to have more depth. How can we make it happen? Playing with 22 players leads to having too many players going both ways. It's not the way you want to grind through a regular season of football. Think about it: the Jaguars have the talent this season to have another very special season!
Update: I learned that MSHSL rules suggest that if a player joined the team now, they would not be eligible for the postseason. That's a perfectly reasonable rule. I believe a kid can always join a team, but whether or not they can enjoy the spoils of that team's success is a different matter.
More to come later tonight. Tomorrow will be a busy day with the Bluegrass Festival at Terrace and the Fall Festival at Trinity Lutheran in Grove Lake. I hope you can make it to one or both of those events!
Friday Night Lights II: Jaguar football is 2-0! (VIDEOS)
It is a VIVID and EXCITING MEMORY! It was 20 years ago this night! (Technically, it was Friday, September 8, 2006) The B-B-E Jaguars football team improved to 2-0 early in the 2006 season with a 27-0 beat down of Class 3A Rockford on the home gridiron. In the 2006 season opener, the Jaguars traveled to Ogilvie and won 36-22. That season had a final record of 3-7, however, as the Jaguars did not win again until the playoff opener in Belgrade. It was during THAT football season that this sports blog was born. (More on that, later.)
Fast forward to tonight: while hosting the Mid-Northwest Gold District opener on the home gridiron, the Jaguars faced West Central Area. With 20 players dressed for the game, the Jaguars battled with all kinds of heart until the final horn while recording a 20-14 win. It marks just the 8th time in B-B-E history that the football team has a 2-0 start to the season. The first time was in 1997, and the second time did not occur until the 2006 season. Under Coach Chris Moscho, the Jaguars started 2-0 in the 2013 season. The fourth 2-0 start in school history was in 2021. At this point, B-B-E now has four straight 2-0 starts to the football season. I find this a terrific accomplishment!
Next: the Jaguars host Upsala/Swanville Area in Week 3.
How the first half played out:
The WCA Knights were the superior team in the first quarter and led 8-0 at the first break. They took a 14-0 lead on a fumble recovery and roughly a 35-yard return for a touchdown. This occurred with 8:44 on the clock in the second quarter. The two-point conversion pass was tipped in the end zone, and WCA held a 14-0 lead at that point.
The Jaguars responded in the exact fashion they needed to. They failed to score on their first four possessions of the game. The fifth possession started at their own 30-yard line. Two carries by Lance Radermacher and then an 8-yard catch by Radermacher moved the chains. Aiden Mueller then ran a 29-yard quarterback keeper to WCA's 28. On 3rd-and-3, Austin Berge got a 3-yard catch to move the chains a third time. On the next play, which was the drive's 8th play overall, Berge hauled in an 18-yard touchdown reception from Mueller. Mueller then ran off left tackle for the two-point conversion, and now the Jaguars trailed 14-8 with 5:06 on the clock.
WCA's next drive lasted just two plays. On the second play, Tyler Myers knocked the ball loose from a WCA ball carrier, and Baron Breitbach was Johnny-on-the-spot with a fumble recovery. With 4:55 to go, the Jaguars were in business again, and they had the ball starting on WCA's 39-yard line.
B-B-E needed just 2 plays to score again. On 2nd-and-9, Mueller threw a bomb to the endzone, and Noah DeRoo caught the ball in the endzone for a 38-yard reception. It was a jump ball play, and WCA's defender was in the exact right spot. DeRoo tipped the ball but kept running. He managed to catch the ball and land in pay dirt. Tie game! 14 to 14! The PAT kick was blocked. With 4:08 left before halftime, the Jaguars and Knights had battled to a draw. That score stood to halftime.
Here's a third quarter video tonight:
Here's a video from early in the fourth quarter:
I still have a massive amount of notes to comb through.
Here's a video showing the game in the balance in the latter part of the fourth quarter tonight:
A few game statistics:
The Jaguars outgained the Knights 254 yards to 181 overall. WCA had 100 rushing yards to 122 for the Jaguars. Turnovers were a draw: each team had one interception thrown, and each team had one lost fumble. This was a very even game, but the Jaguars managed to outplay WCA in the second, third and fourth quarters to earn the big district win.
One statistic jumps out at me: WCA's talented senior quarterback, Owen Gruchow, carried the ball two times tonight. On those two carries, the Knights had a net loss of 18 yards. That made a huge difference in the game.
Mid-Northwest Gold District Week 2 scores on September 11:
Browerville 20, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 8
Upsala/Swanville Area 52, Benson 7
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 28, Maple Lake 22 (A/BE Bolts improve to 2-0)
Week 2 area football scores on September 11:
Border West 46, Hancock 0
Albany 20, Pequot Lakes 19
Willmar 42, Westonka 0
Rock Ridge 50, St. Cloud Apollo 6
Osakis 22, Minnewaska Area 21
Otter Tail Central 28, New York Mills 6
Hills-Beaver Creek 46, Renville County West 6
Minneota 55, Eden Valley-Watkins 0
Monticello 22, Alexandria 6
Kimball Area 24, Paynesville 14
Hutchinson 26, Becker 20
Dawson-Boyd 41, Yellow Medicine East 0
MACCRAY 40, Canby 0
Holdingford 9, Royalton 8
Lester Prairie 28, BOLD 8
Melrose Area 40, Sauk Centre 32
Redwood Valley 64, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 14
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 49, Montevideo 6
The B-B-E Jaguars football team is facing their home opener tonight as they play West Central Area with a 5 p.m. kickoff. The Knights are in the hunt for their first win of the season after losing 28-14 last week at their home stadium against Lake Park-Audubon. WCA has a big, beefy front line that will challenge the Jaguars, according to head coach Chris Moscho.
Here's a video from Hudl with action in the final minutes of the second quarter last week Thursday:
The Jaguars played at New York Mills in the season opener 8 nights ago.
Game updates to follow here. A storm is supposed to hit Jaguar Country by 9 p.m. tonight.
**After quarter number one: WCA 8, B-B-E 0.
Halftime: B-B-E 14, WCA 14. The Jaguars overcame adversity and won the second quarter!
After 3 quarters: B-B-E 20, WCA 14.
To see the final score, hit refresh to read the Friday Night Lights II blog post.
After 8 p.m., rainfall blasted part of the area. Fortunately, by that point, the stadium was empty.
Volleyball wins at Kimball, football game is at 5!
The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team won the Central Minnesota Conference opener at Kimball on Thursday night.
The Jaguars utilized outstanding 34.5 percent hitting to sweep the Cubs by scores of 25-15, 25-18, 25-11. The top hitters were Macey Roering with 11 kills and McKinley Haider with 8 kills. Kamie Fischer racked up 6 ace serves, and Kimball Area struggled to put up an attack. Mya Worms and Teagan Dingmann each had 2 solo blocks.
A weather-related announcement: the B-B-E Jaguars football team's home opener will have a 5 p.m. kickoff tonight. Please spread the word. Also, the game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107.1 FM.
Central Minnesota Conference volleyball scores on September 10:
Royalton 3, Maple Lake 1
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 3, Holdingford 1
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, Paynesville Area 1
Here's action from the state championship game on Sunday night in New Prague:
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team completed the season with a 27-8 record after losing a nailbiter 5-4 in the Class C state championship game on Sunday. Coverage of the state tournament is in print this week and next week in the Bonanza Valley Voice.
Here's a link to the newspaper's SmugMug gallery featuring pictures from the Fairmont game: ElrosaSaints-vs-Fairmont.
In other news...>
Time to put humpty-dumpty back together again and re-start the newspaper's sports department. It has been a hellish week. On Tuesday, a major cocaine bust took place in downtown Brooten. This was mentioned on page one of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Additional crime coverage is forthcoming online and in print. On Friday afternoon, a web article was posted to the newspaper's website regarding the arrest: BrootenCocaineBust9-8-26.
I am hoping to plow through a mountain of work this afternoon and make it to the football game on time. Fingers crossed.
An incredible ending handed the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team an improbable 3-2 win over MACCRAY tonight in their second straight non-conference match. The Jaguars were in tough shape late in game five as they faced a steep, uphill climb in the form of a 14-11 deficit.
The Wolverines had a 4-1 run that lifted them ahead 6-5 in game five, but Macey Roering's kill tied it at 6-6. MACCRAY got traction in the form of a kill, an ace serve and an ace block to go up 9-6. Out of a B-B-E timeout, MACCRAY served long for a huge side out. The Wolverines got a kill, but Teagan Dingmann's kill made it a 10-8 score. MACCRAY's hitting error made it 10-9, and head coach Tory Brouwer called her first timeout of the set. Laken Anderson's kill tied it at 10-10, and Mya Worms had a kill to tie it at 11-11. MACCRAY then got two kills and an ace block to go up 14-11.
Roering buried a left side attack for a kill and a crucial side out that staved off defeat. On the next volley, Roering knocked an attack into a MACCRAY block attempt. The ball sailed out of bounds, but the referees held a conference to discuss whether or not the ball got across the net for an attack. The call held, and the Jaguars then trailed 14-13. Out of MACCRAY's final timeout, Roering hit another ace attack for a 14-14 tie.
On the next volley, Kamie Fischer knocked a direct attack over to the right corner. MACCRAY's pass was shanked, and the hitter was unable to recover it for an attack. This lifted the Jaguars in front 15-14 with four straight points scored. Teagan Dingmann then finished the match with an ace serve after she served the last four points of the night.
Game scores were 20-25, 26-24, 18-25, 25-8, 16-14. Hitting percentages for B-B-E across all five sets: negative 2.5 in game one, 24.5 in game two, 10.3 in game three, 36 in game four and 32 in game five.
Earlier in the match...
After getting demolished in game three and losing 25-18, the Jaguars regrouped and took it to the Wolverines with a 25-8 win that tied the match at two sets each.
Here's action featuring the final points scored in game four tonight:
B-B-E had small early leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2 in the fifth set. After falling back 14-11, the Jaguars stormed back to claim a thrilling, roller coaster-like 16-14 win and even their record at 1-1. It also marked head coach Holly Breitbach's first career varsity win.
Here's the full video of game five:
B-B-E had 18 percent hitting tonight, which marked a significant improvement from the 4 percent hitting they had one week ago at New London-Spicer.
Next: the Jaguars travel to Kimball this Thursday for the Central Minnesota Conference opener. The Cubs are 4-1 overall after beating neighborhood rival Dassel-Cokato 3-2 tonight at D-C high school.
The Wolverines (1-2) now have back-to-back 3-2 losses heading into their Camden Conference opener, which is next Tuesday, September 15.
Business announcement: the last day of the season for the Jenniges Meat Chuckwagon is Friday, September 18. Please spread the word!
A well-tuned MACCRAY Wolverines team is causing havoc for the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team, and the visiting team has a 2-1 set lead tonight in Brooten. Earlier this evening, the JV football team won 54-0 against Benson in Belgrade.
The Wolverines took it to the Jaguars and won game three by a 25-18 score. B-B-E trailed by 6 to 9 points for a large chunk of that set.
Game four: B-B-E 25, MACCRAY 8. We are going to a 5th set. This final set should start at about 8:36 p.m.
In game five, the score is tied 5-5. To see the outcome of the match, hit refresh to see a new blog post.
The dream is cut short: Elrosa baseball suffers one-run loss in state finals (VIDEOS*)
I don't use this phrase often, but I think it's fitting to include it. The game was not for the faint of heart!
With their backs to the wall late in the Class C state tournament amateur baseball championship, the Elrosa Saints baseball team rallied and battled and hung in there after falling behind 5-1 to Fairmont. Three runs plated in the bottom of the 7th inning were not enough, however.
Final score on Sunday, September 6 in New Prague: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. The Saints finish an incredible season with a 27-9 overall record. It was an incredible ride. Thanks for the memories! This is just the third time in the history of the Stearns County League that one of our teams has played in the state championship game. The first was in 1998, when Richmond lost in the state finals by a 6-4 score to Glencoe. In 2017, Lake Henry lost 6-4 to Kimball in the Class C state finals.
Here's a video from an action-packed bottom of the second inning on Sunday night:
Time to rest up and recharge the batteries! It's Labor Day. Don't forget this event in rural Villard: BreakfastOntheFarm2026.
Monday afternoon update: I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to, and the time spent at Breakfast on the Farm in rural Villard. The Reichmann family is wonderful! One of their daughters-in-law is Tara Reichmann, who is the Minnewaska Area boys' and girls' head tennis coach. Her brother is former B-B-E superintendent Patrick Walsh.
Alas, it's time to get back to some very important sports writing.
And now back to baseball...
The Elrosa Saints finished 27-8 overall after completing a terrific 4-1 record at the state tournament. This is remarkable!
Here's a video from the bottom of the fourth inning against Fairmont:
The Saints had numerous players earn post-tournament awards. I'm getting that compiled tonight to write about.
Some additional coverage is being posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: StateFinals6thInning.
Here's a video featuring action in the bottom of the 7th inning:
Peyton Winter, batting No. 8 in the lineup, is shown batting at the plate with three runners on with zero outs. At that point, Elrosa trailed 5-1.
Elrosa's dreams were gashed in the bottom of the ninth inning, when they left the tying run stranded at third base.
Community event announcement!
The Honebrink family and all the friendly staff of Brink's Beer Joint in Swift Falls invites everyone to the annual Turkey Fest celebration, which is on Saturday, September 19 in the scenic village of Swift Falls. Other details to follow in The Voice...the Turkey Fest parade starts at 5:30 p.m.!
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is playing at 6 p.m. tonight in the Class C state championship game at New Prague's Memorial Park Stadium.
Hopefully that's not news to you by now!
The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's sports department is on its way to the game. Updates to follow.
UPDATES...(and these are edited somewhat after the game as I prepare for the 129-mile drive home!)
At 6:05 p.m., the first inning wrapped up, and the score is 0-0.
In the top of the 2nd inning, Fairmont got a 3-RBI double on 2 outs. They lead 3-0 going into the bottom of the frame.
**In the bottom of the 2nd, Jackson Peter hit an RBI single, and the score is now 3-1 going into the third inning.
**Four complete: Fairmont 4, Elrosa 1.
**After 5 1/2 innings: Fairmont 5. Elrosa 1.
After 7 complete: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. The Saints scored 3 times in the bottom of the seventh inning. Derek Wiener led off with a single, Luke Illies walked, and Gavin Kampsen singled to load the bases.
On a fielders choice to the shortstop, Peyton Winter advanced to first while Wiener scored. The 6-5 throw to third went wide, so all 4 runners were safe! No outs!
On a new pitcher, Blaine Fischer walked. On a 2-0 count, Illies attempted to score on a wild pitch, but the catcher tagged him out at the plate. Jackson Peter hit an RBI fly to bring Kampsen home. Ethan Mueller then hit an RBI-single for a 5-4 score.
Fairmont's third relief pitcher recorded the third out, with Elrosa leaving 2 stranded but making the outcome in doubt.
After 8 complete: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. Both teams went quietly at the plate in this inning.
Final score: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. A late game rally fell short. Game and season a wrap.
Time to drive home safely.
*NOTE: a new blog post is going up on Monday morning, and it will be heavily edited throughout the day.
