Friday Night Lights V: late safety tips scales to the Irish (VIDEOS* UPDATES*)

Saturday morning update: sports blogging has been PAUSED for a good portion of today. Game updates from Friday Night Lights V will resume later in the day. Currently, I have been in contact with a Wayzata football mom as well as journalist Lou Raguse, who have been filling me in on multiple need-to-know matters on Eden Prairie football. This will be part of a story I'm writing regarding the Somali gang-related gun violence that erupted at the Eden Prairie Homecoming football game. This was located just FOURTY-FOUR MILES from the Maple Lake stadium. What on earth is happening in Minnesota?
Noteworthy: the Eden Prairie football stadium is perhaps the most fortified, heavily-armed high school stadium in the state. Also, last night was Eden Prairie's Homecoming game. Yet, with all that, gang violence still broke out.

B-B-E vs. Maple Lake, Friday Night Lights V: (game recap is being crafted; see below)

For a game that had just one lead change, it was not for the faint of heart. Punch after punch after punch, the B-B-E Jaguars football team took what was dished out and didn't back down from the fight on their hands at Maple Lake's Homecoming. 

Trailing 7-6 with inside 6 minutes left in the game, Maple Lake was held to 4th and 3 on B-B-E's 45 yard line. They elected to punt, and they got what was an absolutely perfect punt that rolled to the one-yard line.

On B-B-E's first play from scrimmage, Aiden Mueller corralled a high snap and attempted valiantly to bull his way out of the end zone.  He was tackled just inside the goal line, however, giving the Irish a safety to pull ahead 8-7.

Fast forward to the final minute of the game, the Jaguars made a defensive stop just outside the red zone to keep their chances alive. Maple Lake was attempting to put the game away, but they were stopped on 4th-and-15 at B-B-E's 26-yard line with 19 seconds to go.

On the first play from scrimmage, Noah DeRoo hauled in an incredible, deep pass for a 67-yard gain. Unfortunately, a Maple Lake player was able to tackle him just outside the endzone. With 4 seconds left, Aiden Mueller spiked the ball to stop the clock once the down marker was set up.

B-B-E's field goal unit lined up, and the kick had enough height and distance but fell wide right.

Final: Maple Lake 8, B-B-E 7.

Tear your heart out! That was a tough loss. One of the toughest losses to swallow. 

I don't know much, but I know this: you can search all over the state of Minnesota, and you will not find a team with bigger hearts than our Jaguars.

With 4:38 left in the first quarter, Austin Berge caught a 19-yard touchdown pass. A successful PAT kick made it a 7-0 lead.

With 3:40 left in the second quarter, Maple Lake scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars stuffed the two-point run and led 7-6 at halftime. 

Here's a video featuring the second-to-last play of the game:


The video begins right after the Jaguars made that big defensive stop in the final 30 seconds of the game. The video ends right after unrelenting pandemonium gripped the stadium with DeRoo's catch changing the complexion of the game.

Here's a video featuring the last play of the game:


The field goal attempt took place with 4 seconds on the clock.

Here's a video featuring an extended portion of the first quarter at Maple Lake:


More to come.

Tear your heart out! On B-B-E's second drive, the Jaguars ran the ball twice for a total gain of 21 yards. On first-and-10 at the Maple Lake 38 as the very first play of the second quarter, Lance Radermacher ran a post route. Aiden Mueller's pass was spot on perfect, and Radermacher had gotten well past his defender. Radermacher reached out and had the ball in his hands, but it was moving just the smallest fraction too fast. He couldn't bring it in, but had he caught it, it would have given the Jaguars a 13-0 lead to start the second quarter.

How the first half played out tonight in Maple Lake:
The Irish started with possession to open their Homecoming game, and a huge 32-yard kickoff return got them a start at their own 48. The Irish gained 23 yards on 5 plays before their sixth play ended in disaster. Their quarterback had a bead on a deep receiver near the endzone, but his pass was snared high in the air by a leaping Austin Berge just inside the 10-yard line. Berge returned the interception 26 yards.

B-B-E's first possession began at their own 33 with 8:43 left. Utilizing 9 plays, the Jaguars drove downfield with a giant gain when Noah DeRoo caught a 39-yard pass before being tackled at Maple Lake's 13. An incomplete pass, a four-yard run by Lance Radermacher and a B-B-E holding penalty brought 3rd-and-16. Another incomplete pass followed, setting up fourth down. Austin Berge streaked to the right corner of the field, and he hauled in an Aiden Mueller pass just inside the right pylon for a touchdown. Mauricio Hernandez-Valdiviezo's PAT kick sailed straight through the uprights to make it a 7-0 score with 4:32 left in the first quarter

Maple Lake started their next series on their own 35. They faltered when Tyler Myers earned a solo tackle with a loss of 7 yards to bring 3rd-and-12. After a 5-yard catch, Maple Lake had a penalty on a punt attempt. The second punt attempt sailed high out of bounds.

With 48 seconds left in the first quarter, the Jaguars started on their 39 and ran two plays, a 10-yard run by Aiden Mueller and an 11-yard catch by Mason Douvier. After the quarter break, Douvier had two good runs for a total of 11 yards to set up 1st-and-10 at the Irish 27. The drive stalled out, however, on 4th-and-10. A high snap forced Mueller back about 10 yards to recover the loose pigskin. With 9:08 left, the Irish had the ball again on the turnover on downs.

The Irish benefited from a B-B-E personal foul on their third drive's first play. Moved to B-B-E's 37, the Irish lost 2 yards with Lance Radermacher and Tyler Myer earning assisted tackles. The second down pass attempt was tipped by Radermacher and fell incomplete. After another incomplete pass, the Irish punted and earned a touchback.

From their own 20, B-B-E quickly went three-and-out with no gain on 3 plays. This gave Maple Lake possession at their own 40 after the punt with 6:57 left. A 15-yard quarterback run was followed by a 14-yard run to get to B-B-E's 31 in just 2 plays. The Jaguar defense then held the Irish to 4th-and-4, but they got exactly a four-yard run to move the chains. An 18-yard run down the right sideline followed for first-and-goal. Maple Lake finished the 60-yard drive on the 8th play, which resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run. On the two-point try, Elliot Spanier and Noah DeRoo pushed the quarterback out of bounds 5 yards short. With 3:40 left, the Jaguars' lead was now 7-6.

Maple Lake then pulled off a successful onside kick that gave them possession at B-B-E's 48. On 3rd-and-6, they fumbled the ball but recovered it. With 1:52 left in the third, the Irish punted from midfield.

B-B-E started their fourth series of the game on their 24. They had a holding penalty on second down, but much of that was got back when Douvier ran a pitch for 14 yards. Radermacher's 10-yard reception moved the chains. Disaster followed with another holding penalty and an unsportsmanlike penalty to bring 1st-and-35. On that first down, Grayson Rooney caught a 15-yard pass. Back-to-back incomplete passes followed. Mueller's punt was good for 36 yards, which got Maple Lake back to their own 35 with just 32 seconds to go. They ran 2 plays before time expired.

FIRST HALF summaries: Maple Lake's offense had first half time of possession of 13 minutes, 22 seconds. They gained 101 yards from scrimmage, and their quarterback was 1-of-6 for 5 yards. For B-B-E, Aiden Mueller was 6-of-15 for 60 yards in the first half. B-B-E's offense gained 92 yards, and their time of possession was 10 minutes, 15 seconds.

Second half notes will be added here late on Saturday night. I'm also watching the University of Minnesota-Morris Cougars play in their Homecoming (via the internet)...I'll add that the Jaguars had a turnover on downs at Maple Lake's 37-yard line to start the third quarter. B-B-E's defense then forced Maple Lake to lose 5 yards on 3 plays on their first drive of the third quarter. The chess match was underway.

B-B-E's sixth overall series of the game and second of the third quarter started at midfield. On the second play of that drive, Radermacher ran 15 yards on an option pitch. DeRoo then hauled in a 32-yard catch to get first-and-goal at the Maple Lake three-yard line. Things did not work out, however, and B-B-E turned the ball over on downs at Maple Lake's three-yard line with 5:31 left in the third quarter.

The Jaguar defense gave outstanding resistance on six straight plays, with Maple Lake getting to 3rd-and-4 at their own 21 after 5 plays. They managed to convert that third down play by the narrowest of margins. On the next play, they got a 22-yard run to get near midfield as the third quarter went inside 2 minutes. Aiden Mueller earned a quarterback sack, and that was followed by an incomplete pass. On 3rd-and-14, the Irish got a 7-yard reception as the receiver made a move to evade McCoy Detloff and slipped on the sod. Maple Lake then punted on 4th-and-7 at the 50 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars started what was just their 7th possession of the game as the fourth quarter got rolling. They began with excellent field position at their own 42. Radermacher's 9-yard catch was followed two plays later by an 8-yard catch by Grayson Rooney. On second down, however, the Irish got a sack with a 10-yard loss. The Jaguars later punted on 4th-and-25 with 8:46 left.

Maple Lake started their 9th series of the game on their own 29. Their quarterback ran for 19 yards on the first play, but the Jaguar defense went on lockdown at that point and gave up 7 yards on 3 plays. Sitting at B-B-E's 45, the Irish elected to punt. That punt was the best you will see in high school football, as it landed perfectly and rolled down the sideline before stopping at B-B-E's one.

Maple Lake's defense came up with a safety on the next play for the game's only lead change with 5:30 on the clock.

Some light game statistics:
The Jaguars were in no way outplayed by the bigger, deeper Maple Lake team. By my count, the Maple Lake roster featured 44 players and 8 seniors. B-B-E gained 275 yards of offense against 189 by the Irish.

Defensively, the Jaguars had a season-high 7 tackles for a loss. Earning one quarterback sack each were Tyler Myers and Mason Douvier.

Ultimately, penalties may have been somewhat of a factor in the loss. Just like Browerville hurt themselves last week against our Jaguars, this week, the Jaguars did themselves no favors with a few key penalties. Penalties especially hurt them in the second half. You have to give credit to Maple Lake. They were outplayed at numerous junctions of the game, but they had players make the exact necessary plays needed to come out with a win.

What's next...
With no time to lick their wounds, the Jaguars (3-2, 2-2) now have to prepare for a loaded-for-bear Benson Braves team that trounced West Central Area tonight 36-8 in Barrett. It was somewhat of a statement win by Benson, who trampled Maple Lake last week at Benson's Homecoming 44-6. With tonight's win over WCA, Benson pulls second place alone in the Mid-Northwest Gold District. The Braves are on a three-game winning streak.

Currently, B-B-E sits in a four-way tie for third place in the district along with WCA, Maple Lake and Ashby/Brandon-Evansville. Incredibly, with just a 22-man roster (22 if everyone is healthy)...the Jaguars currently have the second-best rated defense in the district. Through 5 games, they are giving up just 15.2 points per game.

In another district game tonight, Upsala/Swanville Area ran roughshot over Browerville. Late in the game, the Patriots had a 42-8 lead.

Mid-Northwest Gold District football Week 5 football scores on October 2:
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 50, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 16 (this game was played in Brandon)
Upsala/Swanville Area 42, Browerville 8 (at Swanville)
Benson 36, West Central Area 8 (at Barrett)

Area Week 5 football scores on October 2:
Paynesville Area 35, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 6 (the Bulldogs win on Homecoming night in a border battle with the Falcons)
Albany 28, Milaca 12
Osakis 34, Sauk Centre 13
New London-Spicer 35, Montevideo 6
Kimball Area 30, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Minneota 57, MACCRAY 0
Willmar 28, Hutchinson 7
Hancock 34, Underwood 6
Parkers Prairie 33, Frazee 6
Dassel-Cokato 40, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 25
Holdingford 24, Minnewaska Area 7

GAME NIGHT! In Wright County (VIDEO)

The B-B-E Jaguars football team prepared all week for a brawny, run-happy Maple Lake Irish squad. The Irish are smarting, and they are hosting Homecoming against our Jaguars. Last week's 46-6 loss at Benson did not sit right for Maple Lake, so they have something to prove tonight. The Jaguars have a tall task ahead of them!

After an 0-2 start to their season, Maple Lake won 40-0 at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. In their Mid-Northwest Gold District opener in Week Two, the Irish lost a wild battle 36-28 in overtime to visiting Ashby/Brandon-Evansville.

Last season! Maple Lake spoiled our Homecoming with a 14-12 win. The Jaguars are looking for payback.

Kickoff at Irish Stadium is at 7 p.m. tonight.

Here, you can take in the final minutes of the second quarter at Browerville last week:


Updates will follow on this blog post. Hopefully by halftime! Stay tuned.

**HALFTIME: B-B-E 7, Maple Lake 6. This game is a battle royale. The Jaguars scored first with 4:38 left in the first quarter. 

The second half is starting at 20:25.

*The Jaguars took that 7-6 lead into the 4th quarter. 

Refresh to see a new blog post with the final score...Friday Night Lights V.

The Jaguars played their hearts out like I have never seen. 

I will never forget this game.

This blog post has concluded.

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

GAME DAY! In Todd County

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.

Week 3 football was tough (VIDEOS)

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

Game night at HOME! It will be a Mud Bowl

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.

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

More to come. Video is uploading.

GAME NIGHT! Gridiron home opener (VIDEO)

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.

Friday Night Lights I: Jaguars are incredible in Otter Tail County!

Friday morning note: after my radio show in Glenwood, multiple updates to this blog post will be added. I have an extensive amount of game notes to review.

You can listen to my radio show by tuning in at 107.1 FM on your radio, or you can listen online: https://www.kmgk1071.com. The radio show should start at about 9:30 a.m. Friday, September 4. *Well! I won't get this updated until after Elrosa's Friday night baseball game. I'm busy blogging that game on Friday night in a new blog post.


As for that football game!
In a brief interview with Coach Moscho earlier today, he expressed cautious optimism at how his team's season opener would go. While everyone and their uncle knows that a turnout of 22 players is not a situation we want to be in, this is the hand we've been dealt. We will make the most of it! Tonight, that's just what happened, as the B-B-E Jaguars football team won their season opener for the fourth straight season!

FINAL SCORE: B-B-E 33, New York Mills 0. Yes, that's right! The Jaguars pitched a shutout on the road to start the new season!

Aiden Mueller passed for 183 yards with 37 attempts and 23 completions with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. His quarterback rating was 110.5! Lance Radermacher led the ground game with 60 rushing yards on 8 carries. Overall, B-B-E totaled 306 yards of offense.

For the guys who quit the team, I think they should strongly reconsider their decision. I strongly believe that! I'm not a coach or a player, but the right thing to do would be to welcome you back with open arms. There are still 7 regular season games left in which you can make a difference.

Checking the numbers:
B-B-E grades 9-12 enrollment: 161.
New York Mills grades 9-12 enrollment: 197.
Football roster turnout (grades 9-12): B-B-E 22, NYM 32. Also: New York Mills lists 15 players with linemen numbers (50 and above); the Jaguars have 10 such players.

Next: the Jaguars host West Central Area in the home opener on Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m. The WCA Knights will open their season tomorrow at home in Barrett against Lake Park-Audubon. SUPER ironic: WCA has a grades 9-12 enrollment of 197; their football roster lists 32 players, making both figures identical to New York Mills.

Game notes from the first half tonight:
With 11 minutes left in the first quarter, the Jaguars scored their first touchdown. It was B-B-E's first play from scrimmage. The PAT kick was blocked for a 6-0 lead. That first touchdown was set up by B-B-E's defense, which held NYM to three-and-out on the game's first series. The ensuing punt was miffed, which set up the Jaguar offense on a short field. On the first play, Austin Berge caught a pass from Aiden Mueller for a 20-yard touchdown.

The Jaguars scored two more times in the first quarter. B-B-E's second series was set up on a turnover, which gave them another short field to work on. On the first play from scrimmage, Kaden Kollman caught a 35-yard touchdown pass on the very first play. The drive took just 7 seconds! The 2-point conversion failed. With 8:39 to go in the first quarter, B-B-E had a 12-0 lead.

New York Mills started their third series of the game on their own 18-yard line. They had possession for nearly 5 minutes, but they turned the ball over on 4th-and-5 on a quarterback sack with an 11-yard loss.

B-B-E started their third series of the game on their own 40-yard line with 4:09 left. Using 10 plays, the Jaguars moved downfield to the endzone. Aiden Mueller had a long gain on a quarterback carry to get first-and-goal at the NYM eight. After three plays, the Jaguars had 4th-and-goal. Lance Radermacher ran in a 5-yard touchdown carry with 1:13 left in the first quarter.

After that third B-B-E touchdown, the PAT kick by Mauricio Hernandez-Valdiviezo sailed through the uprights for a 19-0 lead!

No scoring took place in the second quarter.

Game notes from the second half tonight:
Ahead 25-0 as the third quarter was in its final minutes, Kaden Kollman caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Mueller. The 2-point conversion pass was good to Austin Berge for a 33-0 score. The Jaguars continued playing lights-out defense the rest of the way.

Due to a variety of reasons, the coaches of both teams mutually agreed to cut the fourth quarter in half. Once the third quarter ended, the clock time was cut to 6 minutes, and the game played out from there. Inclement weather was approaching the New York Mills school district.

In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, NYM moved into Jaguar territory with the benefit of a facemask penalty. They had first down on B-B-E's 18-yard line, but disaster struck when they lost a fumble on the next play. With 5:40 left in the game, the Jaguars took possession on their own 12-yard line.

Area football scores on Thursday, September 3:
Kittson County Central 27, Rothsay 0
Menahga 42, Maple Lake 12
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 62, Ortonville 26
Minnewaska Area 24, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 15
Lac qui Parle Valley 32, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 6
Goodridge/Grygla 20, Hancock 8
Royalton 32, Kimball Area 26
Paynesville Area 41, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0 (Ouch!)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 27, Jordan 7
Eden Valley-Watkins 46, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 14
Tracy-Milroy-Balton 38, MACCRAY 16
Osakis 30, St. Cloud Apollo 0
Hutchinson 35, Princeton 14
Minneota 44, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 6
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 30, Otter Tail Central 14
Mayer Lutheran 38, Sibley East 0
Melrose Area 60, Montevideo 0
Holy Family Catholic 17, New London-Spicer 7
Redwood Valley 49, Pipestone Area 12
Springfield 80, Canby 19
Holdingford 7, St. Cloud Cathedral 6
Nicollet 26, Renville County West 20
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 34, Yellow Medicine East 0

Kickoff time has changed for tonight *UPDATES!

School officials at New York Mills and B-B-E have agreed to move up the kickoff for tonight's football season opener. The game will start in New York Mills at 6 p.m. due to the threat of inclement weather later in the evening.

It's a perfectly reasonable adjustment, although it will bring more stress on the roster-thin B-B-E Jaguars football team. The weather is very warm today. The breeze helps, but holding the entire game before sunset will bring an extra layer of burden for B-B-E's endurance. I'm still weighing my options. I have to sell tomatoes (and more) at the Brooten Farmers Market. I planned to be there from 4 to 5:20 p.m., but now that plan is out the window. I could hold to my schedule and miss the first half of the game. It's an 80-mile drive from Brooten.

**Update: I will get game updates posted here after 6 p.m.

Meanwhile...here's another video from Tuesday night in New London:


That video was recorded during game three of the 3-2 loss.

GAME UPDATES from New York Mills:
After the first quarter, the Jaguars are ahead 19-0. Their defense has been playing tremendously well! The Jaguars scored on just a 15-yard field on their first possession of the game after holding the Eagles on their first series. On the third touchdown, sophomore Mauricio Hernandez-Valdiviezo kicked a successful PAT for a 19-0 lead.

Currently...the Eagles are threatening, and they have first down on B-B-E's 21-yard line. There's about 3 minutes left in the first half. UPDATE! It's a turnover on downs! With 1:46 left, the Jaguars take over on about their own 25-yard line.

With 1:09 left, Coach Moscho called his second timeout of the first half. The Jaguars have 2nd-and-10 on their own 38-yard line.

Halftime started at 7:12 p.m. At the half, B-B-E holds a 19-0 lead. The second quarter had no scoring.

THIRD quarter updates:
With 6:09 left in the third quarter, the Jaguars took a 25-0 lead when Kaden Kollman caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Mueller. The PAT kick was unsuccessful.

The livestream on Hudl has tremendous levels of "Buffering" that I did not experience in the first half. The third quarter is not working out for the broadcast. It keeps freezing up with 6 minutes left in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, with 4:38 left, Noah DeRoo grabbed an interception and returned it to the 50-yard line. GO JAGS!

More to come in a NEW blog post, including the final score. Hit refresh!

I don't know where things stand right now, but I saw that the 4th quarter was cut in half. Yes, that's right. The fourth quarter was played out with a 6-minute clock after a mid-field conference was held between the head coaches and referees. It was announced on the NYM football field loudspeakers that threatening weather was approaching that area.

GAME DAY! Back in Otter Tail County (VIDEOS *SPORTS SHOW!)

First serve from Kennedy High School in Fergus Falls is at 7 p.m. tonight, Saturday, November 1. The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is geared up for a giant battle with Parkers Prairie! It will be a terrific battle between two state tournament contenders. The match will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. They stream online at https://www.kmgk1071.com.

Here's my 10th fall sports show this season:


For the record: the first B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team to play in a playoff championship game was the 1994 squad, which went 22-0 in the regular season with a 14-0 West Central South Conference record. They fell 3-0 to Sauk Centre in the overall West Central Conference playoffs, and in the Sub-Section 5A-3 tournament, the Jaguars went 2-1 with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the championship at the College of St. Benedict. Final record: 24-2 in Carrie Halvorson's 5th season as head coach. She retired after the 1998 season.

Here's a video from the end of game one against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy:


A few notes on Parkers Prairie and the upcoming match tonight have been added to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's website sports section: https://shorturl.at/Juaoh. Their team has a 26-4 overall record. In the latest QRF rankings, they are No. 16 in Class 1A. Our Jaguars are power ranked No. 5.

The Panthers have a very tall lineup, beginning with 6'0" sophomore middle blocker Nevaeh Koep. Two of their 8 seniors are listed at 5'11" and another at 5'10". Of their roster of players, just one is a junior: 5'5" utility player Autumn Hartman.

In September, Parkers Prairie won two tournaments: on September 20 at home (5-0 record) and on September 27 at Bertha-Hewitt (4-0 record). They went 3-1 at Perham in a tournament on October 4.

And here's the exciting ending to B-B-E's game two win vs. HLA:


Time to get back to writing about football. I've finally finished combing through all of my first half notes from the FargoDome.

In other section volleyball championship matches being played today...
In Section 4A, heavily favored Mayer Lutheran hammered Liberty Classical in their state qualifier by scores of 25-9, 25-6, 25-14. The Crusaders will likely gain a top four seed in the state tournament. This is their 8th state berth in the past 10 seasons. Also qualified for the Class 1A state tournament: No. 4-ranked Fillmore Central (Section 1), unranked Cleveland (Section 2), unranked Nevis (Section 5) and No. 12-ranked Ada-Borup-West (Section 8).

**Game one: 25-17 Jaguars win!

Game 2: the Panthers led 23-21, but the Jaguars won 25-23!!!

Friday Night Lights X: Jaguars put up a fight, simple physics said no (VIDEOS*)

Saturday note: this blog post is being updated today.

It had the makings of a David vs. Goliath-style fight, and at times there were glimmers of hope, but the B-B-E Jaguars football team suffered a 54-12 loss at the hands of Upsala/Swanville Area today and finish second in Section 5A. The Jaguars had 26 players suited up for the game, and they were warriors from start to finish. The Jaguars fell behind 8-0 in the first quarter before scoring one touchdown to make it 8-6. A Patriots scoring rampage of 22 unanswered points followed before halftime.

Beginning the game with one starting lineman on the injured reserve list, the Jaguars battled valiantly against a wave of pressure applied by a deep and supremely talented U/SA squad. The physics said No. It was not happening today.

A quick glance at the U/SA roster shows 53 players, including 19 juniors. From a central Minnesota football perspective, it is terrific to see a small school football program have over 50 players in grades 9-12. We need more of that.

For the Jaguars, the future is bright in coming years. The JV unit had a stellar 5-1 record this season. Their lone loss was by a 40-30 score to U/SA. The junior high football team had 19 players, and the grades 5-6 youth tackle team had 26 players.

Here's a video featuring the playing of the National Anthem today plus the kickoff and opening minutes of the game:


The first quarter...
B-B-E had a nice 20-yard kickoff return by Kameron Hiltner to set up good field position at their own 39-yard line to start the game. The Jaguars went 3-and-out, however, punting on 4th-and-5.

The Patriots mounted a 62-yard scoring drive that used 6 plays to get 1st-and-goal at the B-B-E one-yard line. Frankie Meagher then ran a quarterback sneak, and the 2-point was good for an 8-0 score with 8:13 left in the opening quarter.

The Jaguars struggled on their second drive and punted on 4th-and-12 with 5:54 left.

U/SA started on their 40 after the punt, and the Jaguars held strong to force a punt on 4th-and-9.

The Jaguars started their 3rd series from their 31 with 4:32 on the clock. They used just 2 plays to move 59 yards with back-to-back catches by Kameron Hiltner and Taylor Pieper. With goal-to-go at the U/SA 10, Jesse Niklaus and Aiden Mueller ran for 5 total yards. Kaden Kollman then caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mueller deep in the left corner of the endzone. The extra-points throw had too much oats on it, so with 2:52 left, the Jaguars trailed 8-6.

Here's a video featuring the last few plays of that scoring drive:


It was at this point in the first half when the Jaguars needed a stop, but that did not happen. After a small kickoff return, U/SA started on their 35-yard line. B-B-E committed an offsides penalty, however, and the defensive series did not improve from there. The Patriots needed just 3 plays to get 1st-and-goal on the B-B-E 5-yard line. The Jaguars stuffed a run play for a one-yard gain, but U/SA scored and got the conversion to go ahead 16-6 with 1:17 left on the clock.

Taylor Pieper's 11-yard kickoff return put B-B-E at their 29 to begin the 4th series of the game. A facemask penalty against U/SA on the first play moved the Jaguars to their 44. They had a false start, however, and a 2nd-and-12 pass attempt was incomplete to bring third down. U/SA's Noah Ripplinger had a pass breakup on a nice Mueller throw to force a punt near the end of the first quarter.

As the second quarter got underway, the Jaguars came up with a stop with 2 run plays for 4 yards and then an incomplete pass. The punt with 11:10 left sailed high at midfield, and it took a huge B-B-E bounce after landing and rolled to the U/SA 39. The Jaguars had momentum and put it to use with 3 straight running plays, with 4 yards from Noah DeRoo followed by 2 by Radermacher and then 2 more by DeRoo. The 4th-and-2 conversion attempt was stopped for no gain, however, giving U/SA the ball with 9:15 left at their own 31.

The Jaguars gave up one first down before holding U/SA to a 3rd-and-2 play. On that play, their running back used a great spin move out of two tackles to advance the Patriots to B-B-E's 44. From there, they needed just 2 additional plays to find the endzone. Dalton Welinski ran for 14 yards with 6:28 left for a 22-6 lead. The conversion was good to make it 24-8.

The sixth series for B-B-E was rough, as they lost 5 yards on the first two plays. A third down pass was incomplete, and the Jaguars punted with 5:07 to go.

Starting on B-B-E's 41, U/SA met a fired-up B-B-E defense but ground out multiple plays on the ground for gains primarily between 2 and 5 yards each after they got 7 yards on the first play from scrimmage. After 7 plays, the Patriots ran for 8 yards to get 1st-and-goal at the 7. Ethan Barthel, U/SA's 5'10" 195-pound senior running back (who is also listed as a lineman), ran for 6 yards and then the last yard for paydirt. The conversion gave U/SA a 32-6 lead with 1:37 to go.

Pieper had another 11-yard kickoff return, and the Jaguars started the next series from their 33. Kaden Kollman's 8-yard catch brought excitement to the sidelines, but an incomplete pass and a false start penalty stunted that momentum. The Jaguars punted on 4th down with 1:18 left. The saving grace in the final 78 seconds was the Jaguar defense holding U/SA out of the endzone after they set up their 7th series of the game on B-B-E's 49.

Some light notes from the second half...
After the Patriots took a 32-6 lead into halftime, they added two more scores for a 48-6 lead in the third quarter. They started the third quarter with possession at the 50-yard line after the opening kickoff of the second half. U/SA needed 7 plays to advance to B-B-E's 26-yard line. The last 26 yards were covered in 2 plays, with Barthel running 17 yards wide right for a touchdown with 8:44 left. The conversion made it 40-6.

B-B-E's first series of the third quarter ended fast after they started at their 37. U/SA came up with an interception plus a return to give them possession at B-B-E's 31. Four plays later, they had first down and goal at the 7. With 6:49 left in the third quarter, they scored on the next play and made it a 48-6 lead.

After the next kickoff, the Jaguars started their 9th series of the game from their 36. Three straight running plays gained 18 yards on carries by Mueller, Lance Radermacher and Niklaus. On U/SA's 46, Mueller rolled out and launched a deep pass to Hiltner on the right sideline. Hiltner had an opening between his defender and the sideline and made a great catch for a 30-yard gain. U/SA had pass interference, and 2 plays later, Niklaus converted 2nd-and-2 with a three-yard gain to get goal-to-go at the U/SA five. Noah Kampsen took it from there, running 3 yards up the gut for second down. Kampsen ran again for a 2-yard touchdown with 4:22 left. U/SA 48, B-B-E 12.

More to come much later tonight. It's time to enjoy more of Halloween. Additional video is uploading. This blog post is mostly a wrap!

Light game statistics:
The Jaguars were outrun on the ground by a 329-to-73-yard margin. To be blunt: it was a brutal disparity. Overall, U/SA's offense ran 74 plays for 422 total yards. The Jaguars had some nice gains, and they totaled 186 yards with 113 coming in the air (108 yards by starter Aiden Mueller on 7-of-19 passing). The game was remarkably well played, with just one turnover each, and the penalties were not a factor. Kameron Hiltner was the leading receiver for B-B-E with 3 catches for 62 yards.

In his final game as a Jaguar football player, Kampsen left everything on the field and racked up 7 solo tackles and 5 assists. Noah DeRoo, a promising freshman, also had 7 solos plus one assist. Additional statistics are being reviewed.

Area football section championship results on October 31:
Minneota 42, Dawson-Boyd 16
Murray County Central 31, Springfield 20
Breckenridge 29, Parkers Prairie 14
Holdingford 48, Osakis 14
Eden Valley-Watkins 28, St. Cloud Cathedral 14
Litchfield 23, Albany 6
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 35, Border West 14

GAME DAY! In Cass County, NoDak! (SPORTS SHOW!)

Friday is GAME DAY for the B-B-E Jaguars football team as they wake up bright and early to drive to Cass County, North Dakota. Kickoff at the FargoDome is at 10 a.m. on Halloween Day. The Section 5A championship will be broadcast on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. They stream online at their website: https://www.kmgk1071.com. Thanks, Brady!

In today's game, Upsala/Swanville Area is the opponent, and the Patriots are 8-1 overall after thrashing Browerville 42-0 in the section semifinals last Saturday in Swanville. U/SA has played in the section championship every year since 2021. In each of the past 5 seasons, the Jaguars and Patriots have met in the playoffs. In 4 of those 5 seasons, the Jaguars and Patriots have played for STATE. This is quite a run by both teams! In 2022, U/SA upset the Jaguars in the section semifinals by a 22-6 win, but they fell 7-6 in the Section 4A championship in Fargo to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. U/SA finally punched through to state last year with a 19-12 win over our Jaguars in the section finals. That game tore my heart out. It was by far the toughest football playoff loss I've watched since the 1997 Section 5AA championship (which was exactly 28 years ago today.

Here's my latest installment of a fall sports show. The focus here is on the benefits of youth sports and how it provides kids with purpose, structure and reward! Not necessarily in that order.

Sports show video:


About Upsala/Swanville Area...
Their quarterback is third-year signal caller Frankie Meagher, a senior. He's one of the top small-school quarterbacks in central Minnesota. On defense, the Patriots are outstanding. In Saturday's section semis, they held resurging Browerville to 135 net yards from scrimmage. U/SA had 345 total yards against Browerville, 200 in the air and 145 on the ground. Meagher was 9-of-11 for 131 yards with one touchdown. Their QB2 (Schafer) was 2-for-3 for 69 yards and one touchdown.

Here's a long video from the end of the 2nd quarter last Saturday:


This blog post will include game updates from the FargoDome.

Some light volleyball news...in the Section 6AA championship tonight at St. Cloud Apollo, the Albany Huskies upended previously undefeated Minnewaska Area by a 3-1 margin to advance to the state tournament for the second straight season. For the Lakers, they look to next year with a team that graduates just 2 seniors and just 1 player in their top rotation. In Section 5A, the Swanville Bulldogs saw their season end in a 3-1 loss to perennial power Nevis. This was the state qualifier and was played at Crosby-Ironton. In Section 3A, Minneota ended MACCRAY's season with a 3-1 win for the north sub-section title.

Game updates to follow here after 10 a.m. on Friday...
Kickoff was at 10:02 a.m.

With 1:17 left in the 1st quarter, U/SA score their second touchdown on a one yard run. The extra point conversion run was good for a score of 16-6.

Halftime: U/SA 32, BBE 6. The second half starts at 11:30.

The final score and more will be posted in a NEW blog post.

Now we gear up for two BIG playoff games! (VIDEOS**)

**Thursday night...we are packed up for FARGO! I added a long video at the end of this blog post tonight. This is from the 2nd quarter of the section semifinal football game...see below.

It's one of the most exciting times of the year! BAR NONE! We have the fall theater students, volleyball team and football team all in action as we are about to turn the page to November. Hopefully you are aware of the next steps! In a nutshell: football is at 10 a.m. on Friday (Halloween) at the FargoDome; volleyball is the next day, Saturday, at 7 p.m. at Kennedy High School in Fergus Falls; and the fall 2-act play The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon is November 14, 15 and 16 at the Phil and Lucille Olson Auditorium in Belgrade.

Here's a video from the 4th quarter against Ashby/Brandon-Evansville:


And action from the 3rd quarter...


Early in that video, the Bolts converted 4th down to get first down at around B-B-E's 13-yard line. On the next play, Evan Dingwall threw a pass to the endzone. Kameron Hiltner reached out with two hands and snared an interception to stop Ashby/Brandon-Evansville's biggest scoring threat of the game. It was a giant defensive play!

I am currently catching up with the theater crew!

Also...
The Bonanza Valley Voice sports department's fall sports albums have been updated through the volleyball playoff opener: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/BBE-Fall-Sports-2025.

Now it's Thursday morning...
The newspaper's sports department finds itself on the 16th floor of Rochester Mayo's Gonda Building. Heavy, heavy fog outside! I hear there is heavy fog back home in the Bonanza Valley area. We are here for a 2-year check up for a back surgery done in August 2023.

Here's the first video I recorded on Tuesday at Fergus Falls:


Hillcrest Lutheran Academy used back-to-back kills to take a 5-2 lead as game one got underway in the Section 6A semifinals. A kill from Mya Worms and an ace serve from Kamie Fischer tied it at 5-5. The Jaguars came alive again after trailing 9-8 while forging an 18-10 lead. The Comets struggled to recover, and they got no closer than 7 points from there in B-B-E's 25-16 win. HLA is an outstanding team, but I believe excellent serving and effective blocking were key factors in the playoff win. This advances B-B-E to the section finals for the first time since 2022.

About Parkers Prairie, they have 8 seniors and have a tall and talented front line. I don't know the last time they played for state in a section championship. It's been since at least 2014. This current playoff run by the Panthers is their deepest in at least 12 seasons. I have not looked back in the archives beyond 2014. Right now I am gonna dig more into football scouting!

Here's some light business news out of Belgrade...
Click! https://shorturl.at/s1QF2. The Belgrade Steel Tank is an important business partner with the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's news and sports department! Their support is greatly appreciated.

...ADDED Thursday night, here's a video with a good chunk of B-B-E's lone scoring drive of the section semis.

On Saturday at our football field...


Remember! Kickoff is at 10 a.m. at the FargoDome! The game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. Please spread the word!