Step II: another 3-0 sweep, Jaguars power past Comets for Final Four berth! (VIDEO)

A second straight 3-0 sweep has landed the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team a Final Four berth in Section 6A. The Jaguars won in three sets against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy thanks in large part to outstanding serving and smart play at the net. Next: the Jaguars (18-8) play at approximately 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4 at Fergus Falls. Their opponent will be Underwood. Please spread the word! We need a large crowd there to cheer our team to another win!

More to come. Video is uploading.

I've spent a large portion of the time following tonight's match visiting with Brady Erdmann, whose position as Sports Broadcaster at KMGK 107.1 FM at Glenwood ends tonight. Tonight was his final sports call at Smooth Magic. It is a wrap. He gave 12 fantastic years to faithfully covering B-B-E and Minnewaska Area sports. It will not be the same without him on the sideline. The station was purchased by Leighton Media, a large radio conglomerate with stations in Minnesota and North Dakota. The change officially happens at midnight on Saturday night (tomorrow). At that time, Smooth Magic 107 will no longer be a radio station. The new station will be a country music station with the same 107.1 FM spot on the radio. The local Leighton Media office is in Alexandria. The Glenwood radio station will be closed permanently.

Here's a video featuring the start of the match:


Game scores were 25-20, 25-12, 25-19.

In tonight's match against the Comets:
Overall, the Jaguars had an outstanding hitting efficiency figure of 25 percent. In the set that was a real battle, game three, the Jaguars still maintained a strong hitting mark of 13.2 percent. The Jaguars racked up 8 ace serves on the night with 7 solo blocks. Kamie Fischer had 31 set assists with 2 ace serves, 7 digs, 2 solo blocks and one block assist.

Hillcrest Lutheran Academy's season ends with a 16-12 overall record. In their top rotation, they had 2 freshmen and just one senior. Their roster had 4 seniors overall. After the match, I gave high praise to Coach Foss for her team's performance. They will be an incredibly tough team in 2027. By the QRF rating, they were the 31st-ranked Class 1A team. B-B-E is ranked No. 12 by QRF and No. 11 in the Minnesota Coaches Association Volleyball rankings.

B-B-E's student section was outstanding tonight! Perhaps it was some of the Halloween spirit, but I haven't seen them that fired up since a memorable Paynesville match on the same floor just a few years ago. Also, I have to give praise to the HLA student section. They were also very good. It was an incredible high school playoff atmosphere to be a part of!

Upset alert...Eden Valley-Watkins lost 3-1 to visiting Montevideo tonight in Sub-Section 3AA-North. The Thunderhawks are having an "okay" season that's quite good relatively speaking after their program has suffered through three straight two-win seasons. Four seasons ago, in 2022, they struggled in a 5-17 season. This year, the playoff win improves their record to 10-15 heading into a match with Paynesville Area. Montevideo was 10-15 in 2021, and their COVID season of 2020 yielded just a 2-4 record. Montevideo's last winning season was in 2017, when they went 15-13 overall and 8-6 in the West Central Conference. In a sub-.500 season, 2012, they finished as runners-up in Sub-Section 3AA-North. That was Montevideo's last serious playoff run. In 2009, they had another team hovering at about .500 but they managed a run to the Section 3AA championship, where they lost to Marshall Area. The last time they went over the 20-win mark was in back-to-back seasons of 2006 and 2007. Their 2006 team earned an upset 3-1 win over B-B-E in the Section 6AA championship at the University of Minnesota-Morris. I can still remember that night, when I dubbed UM-Morris's P.E. Center as a "House of Horrors" with our Jaguars losing a match that I never dreamed we would lose. Twenty years ago! THIS blog was not even 1 month old that night, which was Saturday, November 4, 2006. You can hop in a time machine and go back there by clicking here: 2006Section6AAchampionship.

Section 6A volleyball quarterfinal scores on October 30:
Border West 3, West Central Area 0 (Border West is the No. 1 seed)
Underwood 3, Hancock 1
Henning 3, Park Christian 1

Area volleyball playoff scores on October 30:
MACCRAY 3, Lakeview 2
Central Minnesota Christian-Prinsburg 3, Canby 0
Minneota 3, Dawson-Boyd 0
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 3, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 1 (a mild upset in Grove City in Sub-Section 3AA-North)
Paynesville Area 3, Litchfield 0
Montevideo 3, Eden Valley-Watkins 1 (a big upset in Eden Valley tonight; Montevideo improves to 10-15 with the win)

Volleyball playoff match updates

This Section 6A playoff quarterfinal match is on Smooth Magic 107.1 FM of Glenwood.  It's Brady's final sports broadcast with the station, which weighs heavily on me. He has given 12 incredible years to covering B-B-E Jaguar sports. It will be very tough to not have him calling our varsity sports.

In game one, the Jaguars and Comets are tied 14-14.

The Jaguars won game one 25-20.

More to come in a NEW blog post.

Playoffs continue tomorrow for Jaguar volleyball; Breitbach speeds into STATE! (VIDEO)

In case you haven't heard yet, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team will continue in the postseason with their second straight home playoff match tomorrow, Friday. First serve against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy of Fergus Falls will be at 7 p.m., and I know that KMGK Smooth Magic 107 FM will be on site. We look forward to seeing a large hometown crowd that welcomes the HLA private school to our town!

Also, it will be the final B-B-E sports broadcast for Brady Erdmann. The new station owner, unfortunately and tragically, has different staff who will be utilized for sports broadcasting. It's a shame.

Here's a video from game one last night against Benson:


And some exciting cross country news!

While her B-B-E/Paynesville girls' cross country team took third place, Brooklyn Breitbach led her squad with a 5K time of 19:16, finishing fourth overall in the section, earning a state qualifying spot. Breitbach advances to to the MSHSL class A State Tournament, which will be held on Saturday, November 7 at 12:15 p.m. at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake.

Breaking news out of New London-Spicer:
Minnesota's winningest high school basketball coach is retiring. Head coach Mike Dreier, NL-S's girls' basketball coach since 1978, is retiring. He will continue as a volunteer assistant with the program. I would still expect to see him at Pepsi League youth games next summer! He is a fantastic guy.

This is absolutely crazy:
A couple days ago, I learned something absolutely crazy. Two of the school board members at Fergus Falls public school do not stand for or recite the Pledge of Allegiance before their school board meetings begin. In the next day or two, I'll search who these board members are. They should be called out. Shameful behavior. What an embarrassment to their community! I'm going to jump out on a limb and guess that all school board members at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy honor and respect the American Flag and proudly say the Pledge of Allegiance at their board meetings (and athletic events).

In church news...
Click here for some church news by redirecting your attention to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: ElrosaChurchBreakfast2026.

Area volleyball playoff scores on Thursday, October 29:
Maple Lake 3, Dassel-Cokato 0
Minnewaska Area 3, Royalton 0
Kimball Area 3, Providence Academy 0
Milaca 3, Albany 0
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 3, Sebeka 2
BOLD 3, Mankato Loyola 1
Browerville 3, Verndale 0
Upsala 3, Mille Lacs 1
Pine River-Backus 3, Swanville 1
Sauk Centre 3, Foley 0
Pequot Lakes 3, Melrose Area 1

Step I: Jaguars overpower Benson Braves in 3-0 sweep (VIDEOS)

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team was victorious in their playoff opener tonight in a 3-0 sweep over the Benson Braves. Playing excellent volleyball on their home floor, the Jaguars won the first set 25-17 thanks in large part to a 6-1 run in the middle of the game.

Here's action at the start of the match:


While struggling on serve receive against the Jaguars in game two, the Braves faltered throughout the set after holding an early 4-1 lead. The Jaguars used strong serving and blocking that kept the Braves out of system most of the set. A small but late Benson rally for 3 straight points was not enough as B-B-E won 25-15.

The third set developed slowly before the Jaguars used a 5-0 run to break away from the Braves. A Kamie Fischer ace block gave the Jaguars an 11-5 lead. A block by Jaylee Jensen late in the set gave them a 20-12 lead. Laken Anderson's kill brought match point with a 24-14 score, and both teams traded net violations to end the match. Final score: B-B-E 25, Benson 15.

Here's a video from game three tonight:


NEXT: the No. 11-ranked Jaguars (17-8) host Hillcrest Lutheran Academy on Friday this week (October 30) at 7 p.m. in Brooten. The Comets are 16-11 overall after sweeping Lake Park-Audubon tonight in their playoff opener. In the Little Eight Conference this season, HLA tied Hancock for third place with a 6-2 record. Last season, the Comets met the Jaguars in the Section 6A semifinals and lost in a 3-0 sweep to finish 23-7 overall.

In other Section 6A second-round matches on October 28:
Border West 3, Pelican Rapids 1 (played at Graceville)
Underwood 3, Brandon-Evansville 0
Henning 3, Battle Lake 0
West Central Area 3, Breckenridge 0
Park Christian 3, Ortonville 0
Hancock 3, Parkers Prairie 0

PLAYOFF NIGHT! Bring on the Braves (VIDEO)

It's playoff time for the second day in a row. Tonight, a third varsity team at B-B-E enters the playoffs, with the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team hosting Benson at 7 p.m. in Brooten. The girls' tennis team held their playoff match in Long Prairie way back on October 6, and the football team was in the playoffs last night in a bitterly close loss. The cross country team (B-B-E/Paynesville) competes in the Section 5A championships in Litchfield on Thursday this week (tomorrow).

B-B-E is the No. 3 seed in Section 6A. Tonight is a second-round section match. Play-in round matches took place on Monday.

Benson is 11-13 overall after they won their playoff opener on Monday against No. 19-seeded Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal. The Braves are the No. 14 seed. Tess Nygaard (sophomore), Carly Tolifson (senior) and Mariah Goossen (senior) are some of the top players on their team. Benson's setter is senior Kaida Helgenset. They are very heavily senior-dominated with 6 seniors on the team. In the Prairie Conference, Benson went 2-8 to take fifth place.

I don't know if Smooth Magic 107 FM will carry the match, but I'm guessing they will. They stream online at https://www.kmgk1071.com. The station changes ownership this weekend, and listeners will notice dramatic changes as they switch over to country music. From what I've heard, local programming will end with the exception of continued B-B-E sports coverage. We are going to miss Brady, however, as he was not part of the sale.

Here's a video from game 3 of the Parkers Prairie match, which was held last Friday:


Match updates will follow here.

 
In game one, Benson has an early 7-4 lead.

Game one: B-B-E 25, Benson 17. The Braves kept it interesting after falling behind 18-11 and 19-12.

Friday Night Lights IX: Heartbreak at Brandon-Evansville

Across the 9 games this fall, it was a season to remember. It was an incredible season, but unfortunately, it ended in the first round of the playoffs.

At Brandon tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars football team played an outstanding game but lost 20-18 to see their season end with a 4-5 record. The A/B-E Bolts improve to 6-3 overall heading into the Section 5A semifinals, which will be Saturday at Swanville against Upsala/Swanville Area.

The Jaguars had the ball in the closing minute in the red zone, but a fourth down play at the A/B-E 15-yard line ended as an incomplete pass. The clock had 5 seconds on it, and the Bolts took a knee to close out the game.

How the second half played out...
At halftime, the Jaguars trailed 12-0.

During the third quarter, the Jaguars cut the deficit in half to trail 12-6. The Bolts had possession to start the fourth quarter, but they stalled out against stiff B-B-E defense plus an ill-timed procedure penalty. They punted from their 45-yard line, and Aiden Mueller got a nice return back to B-B-E's 44. The Jaguars then mounted a 56-yard scoring drive using 10 plays to tie the game. With 7:08 left in the game, Kaden Kollman caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Mueller in the right corner of the endzone. The extra-points conversion run was stuffed, leaving the score 12-12.

The Jaguars punched in one additional touchdown in the fourth quarter with 2:56 to go to take an 18-12 lead on Lance Radermacher's 9-yard touchdown carry up the middle. At that point, they had outscored the home team 18-0 since the 5:37 mark of the second quarter.

The Bolts came back to score a touchdown with a conversion for the 20-18 final score. They scored on a 53-yard scoring drive that used just 2 plays. Quarterback Evan Dingwall ran in the go-ahead touchdown from 22 yards out.

For the game, the Jaguars had 290 yards of offense compared to A/B-E gaining 281 yards. Aiden Mueller was 12-for-22 for 157 yards. His leading receiver was Kaden Coleman, who had 5 catches for 69 yards with two touchdowns. Mason Douvier had 5 carries for 51 yards, and Lance Radermacher ran 11 times for 46 yards. B-B-E rushed for 133 yards and totaled 15 first downs, while A/B-E rushed for 203 yards while earning 14 first downs.

A/B-E's Carter Rylander led his team's ground game with 112 yards on 12 carries.

Here's a third quarter video from last week against the Bolts:


In that video, Mason Douvier scores on a touchdown carry, and the conversion play got the Jaguars to a 24-14 deficit with 4:49 left in the third quarter.

A season we'll never forget...
Playing with either 19 or 20 players dressed on game night for 9 games, the Jaguars battled with everything they had for 48 minutes each time. The players gave a 200 percent effort. We could not ask for anything more than that.

In the other Section 5A quarterfinal game tonight, West Central Area defeated Browerville 30-8 to advance to Saturday's action. They will travel to Benson to face the No. 2-seeded Braves.

GAME DAY in Douglas County (VIDEOS, UPDATES)

Approximately 53 weeks after their last trip to the Brandon-Evansville high school football stadium, the B-B-E Jaguars football team is set to return to that location tonight for the Section 5A quarterfinals. The opponent will be No. 4-seeded Ashby/Brandon-Evansville, who has a 5-3 record. Their losses were to Benson, West Central Area and Upsala/Swanville Area.

Here's a video featuring the end of the third quarter in the Week 8 game against the Bolts:


In the video, the Jaguars are trailing 32-14 while advancing in the red zone in the final minute of the third quarter. In the video, the Jaguars gain first-and-goal at the A/B-E five-yard line.

That game was held one week ago, and A/B-E won 38-22.

Here's the B-B-E Pep Band performing the school song and the National Anthem before the volleyball team faced Maple Lake on Thursday, October 22:


More to come. I'm looking for some information on A/B-E's football team. 

GAME UPDATES at Brandon:
On the first play of the second quarter, the Bolts scored on a three-yard catch by AJ Olson. The Jaguars stuffed the 2-point conversion run and trail 6-0.

On B-B-E's first possession, the Jaguars gained just 3 net yards and punted on 4th-and-7 early in the second quarter.

On the second possession by the Bolts, they expanded the lead to 12-0 with a 48-yard touchdown drive after getting a healthy punt return by AJ Olson. Lance Radermacher stuffed the two-point conversion run. With 5:37 left in the second quarter, A/B-E quarterback Evan Dingwall scored on about a 15-yard run.

B-B-E's second possession of the game had something going after they started at their own 33-yard line, but it ended on an interception inside the A/B-E's 10-yard line.

HALFTIME: A/B-E 12, B-B-E 0.

In the third quarter, the Jaguars scored on a touchdown catch by Kaden Kollman. The conversion play was stuffed. With 9:16 left in the third quarter, the Jaguars trail 12-6.

UPDATE: at the end of the third quarter, the Jaguars trail 12-6. **REFRESH this blog to see a new blog post with the final score.

Volleyball Jaguars earn No. 3 seed in Section 6A (VIDEOS* UPDATES*)

In an astonishing turn of events, the QRF really did not call the shots in section seeding, in spite of it being advertised that way.

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team has the No. 3 seed in Section 6A. They have the highest QRF ranking at No. 12 overall in Class 1A, but they were placed behind Border West and Underwood. It's a mystery to both you and I! 

What the No. 3 seed does is earn a first-round bye in the section tournament. Opening-round matches will be played on Monday, October 26 at high seeds. B-B-E (16-8) will host a second-round match on Wednesday, October 28 with first serve at 7 p.m. in Brooten. The Jaguars will get the winner of the first-round match between No. 14-seeded Benson or No. 19-seeded Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal.

How this crappy section tournament schedule looks...
The Section 6A quarterfinals will be held at high seeds on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. The section semis are set for Wednesday, November 4 at Fergus Falls Kennedy high school. What is truly a load of crap about the No. 3 seed is that B-B-E would be placed in the 7:45 p.m. match on November 4 if they advance that far. The other semifinal that night starts at 6 p.m. Kennedy HS in Fergus Falls is basically a 1 1/2 hour drive...and in case you didn't realize it: November 4 is a school AND church night.

I'll add how this shakes out tonight to this blog post. I'll say this to the entire Jaguar team: you put this No. 3 seed as a chip on your shoulder and take it out on every section opponent that's put in front of you!

Here's a video from game 2 of the Maple Lake match on Thursday:


Section 6A 2026 volleyball seedings:
1. Border West (20-2)
2. Underwood (21-6)
3. B-B-E (16-8)
4. Park Christian, Moorhead (16-4)
5. Henning (20-7)
6. Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (15-11)
7. Hancock (14-8)
8. Breckenridge (14-12)
9. West Central Area (8-19)
10. Parkers Prairie (12-14)
11. Lake Park-Audubon (12-11)
12. Battle Lake (10-12-1)
13. Ortonville (9-11)
14. Benson (10-13)
15. Brandon-Evansville (10-12)
16. Pelican Rapids (7-16)
17. New York Mills (3-23)
18. Rothsay (3-16)
19. NCE/U-H (3-19-1)
20. Ashby (0-21)

In other section volleyball pairings...
In Sub-Section 3AA-North, New London-Spicer takes a 22-1 record into the postseason as the top seed. The Wildcats are having their best season since 2009. In 2009, their head coach was Mimi Knutson, whose daughter, Karsee, was a junior setter of that team. In the 2009 Section 6AA playoffs, NL-S earned sweeps in 3 of 4 contests, including a 3-0 sweep over a high-octane Sauk Centre team in the section finals. At state, they had a tough first-round draw with Hibbing and lost 3-2. They fell in the consolation semifinals 3-0 to Wadena-Deer Creekt to finish 31-3 overall. The 31 wins are the most in school history. Karsee went to college at Saint Catherine University, where she was a setter on their volleyball team and the starting setter as a junior. Also on that 2009 NL-S squad was Alanna (Dietz) Hunter, who was a junior on that team and is how a B-B-E middle school math teacher. Coach Hunter was head coach of the Jaguar volleyball team from 2020 through 2023.

Fun fact: in 2009, NL-S's only regular season loss was to our B-B-E Jaguars, who won a 5-setter on Monday, September 21 at Fort Knox, New London.

Eden Valley-Watkins has drawn the No. 2 seed in Sub-Section 3AA-North.

In Section 5AA, Maple Lake earned the No. 6 seed and has a first-round bye.

In Section 6AA, Minnewewaska Area has the No. 1 seed. The No. 2 seed was earned by Milaca out of the Granite Ridge Conference. Sauk Centre has the No. 3 seed, and Pequot Lakes has the No. 4 seed.

In Sub-Section 3A-North, Minneota is the top seed. In Sub-Section 3A-South, the top seed is Russel-Tyler-Ruthton.

And in other news...

Here's a video from the Padua Pub tonight:


The Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters gun blast had a nice turnout of just over 90 tonight in Padua. I'll write more about this in the October 29 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Also on Sunday! Don't forget! The St. Francis de Sales Catholic church pancake supper is being served from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Parish Center on Martin Avenue. Come out and support them!

On Monday, the Brooten city council meets in regular session at 7 p.m.

The newspaper website has a new theater post added: BBEFallMusical2026.

Jaguars sweep Panthers in tune-up for playoffs (VIDEOS**)

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is hot at just the right time, as the Section 6A playoffs loom on the horizon next week. Tonight, against visiting Parkers Prairie, the Jaguars overwhelmed a young Panthers squad in a 3-0 sweep. Parkers Prairie features a team with just one senior. They will be quite good next year.

Here's a video from game one tonight:


Game one: B-B-E 25, Parkers Prairie 20.
Game two: B-B-E 25, Parkers Prairie 6.
Game three: B-B-E 25, Parkers Prairie 21.

NEXT: the Jaguars (16-8) will host a Section 6A match next Wednesday, October 28 at 7 p.m. Parkers Prairie falls to 12-14 overall. The Panthers had been playing good volleyball lately. On October 12, they won 3-2 over New York Mills, and on Monday this week, they beat Browerville 3-2. Browerville, runners-up in the Prairie Conference this year, earned the No. 1 seed in Sub-Section 5A-West.

Here's a video featuring the end of tonight's match:


Prior to the start of the match, a review of the most recent QRF rankings put the Jaguars at No. 1 in the Section 6A standings. Sitting at No. 2 was Border West.

Here's a video from Thursday night, when Coach Breitbach spoke for Seniors Night:


This year's team includes four seniors: Mya Worms, Teagan Dingmann, Kamie Fischer and Averie Kampsen (student manager).

A new blog post on Saturday night will feature volleyball seeding and playoff information.

Last volleyball of the regular season

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is hosting Parkers Prairie to close out the regular season tonight. The JV Jaguars won an exciting game 3 earlier 16-14 after trailing 14-12.

The varsity match started at about 7:34 p.m.

Game one: B-B-E 25, Parkers Prairie 20.

Game two: B-B-E 25, Parkers Prairie 6.

More to come in a new blog post.

Jaguars claim sole possession of CMC title! Breitbach is All-CMC in cross country (VIDEOS)

It's been quite a night in Jaguar Country!

First, I have to point out that I missed the fact that football seedings can't take place until Friday. This is due to some football games still being played (Week 8 games) tonight. I'll explain more later.

As for volleyball...
With a 3-1 win tonight over Maple Lake, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team knew they had claimed at least a share of the Central Minnesota Conference title. Not long after finishing up the four-set win, the Jaguars learned that Royalton defeated Eden Valley-Watkins tonight in a four-set match. The Royals, on their home floor, won the first two sets before the Eagles won game three. In game four, the Royals had leads of 13-5 and then 16-6. Royalton finished the CMC schedule with a 4-3 record, while EV-W finishes 5-2 and in second place alone.

EV-W takes an 18-8 record into the Section 3AA-North playoffs, where I'm guessing they will earn a No. 2 seed behind state-ranked New London-Spicer.

Here's video featuring the end of tonight's match:


This gives B-B-E a fifth straight Central Minnesota Conference title. Traditions like that never get old! They were sole champs in 2021 before sharing the title with EV-W in 2022. The past three seasons brought 7-0 CMC records with sole possessions of the title. This year, the Jaguars (15-8 overall) went 6-1 and also took first place alone.

B-B-E finished with a strong 24 percent hitting mark, and Macey Roering led the Jaguars with 16 kills. They also racked up 11 ace serves compared to four Maple Lake ace serves.

The Irish fall to 16-12 overall. Coach Kiebel is hoping they can earn a No. 6 seed for the upcoming Section 5AA playoffs.

Next for B-B-E: the Jaguars host Parkers Prairie to close out the regular season tomorrow night at home. The C-squad match starts at 5 p.m., and the matches will be played in order back-to-back-to-back.

More exciting news...
At the Central Minnesota Conference cross country championships tonight at Koronis Golf Course in Paynesville, the B-B-E/Paynesville girls' cross country team earned second place. Individually, B-B-E eighth grader Brooklyn Breitbach ran a marvelous 5K to come out with a runner-up finish. The team now prepares for the Section 5A championships, which will be held on Thursday, October 29 at the Litchfield Golf Club. That's all the information I have right now. I hope to get a cross country article posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice website with additional information from the CMC meet.

In tonight's volleyball match...
This was Seniors Night and Youth Jaguars night for the volleyball program. Before the varsity match, head coach Holly Breitbach provided tributes to the four seniors: Mya Worms, Kamie Fischer, Averie Kampsen (student manager) and Teagan Dingmann. Youth volleyball players in grades K-5 joined the team before pre-match drills, and that was a great moment to see as they all took the floor together. You don't have a volleyball program without a great feeder program!

In game one, the Jaguars took advantage of a sluggish Irish start. An ace serve and a kill by Laken Anderson plus a kill by Teagan Dingmann gave the Jaguars a 6-1 lead, and Coach Marty Kiebel called a timeout to refocus his team. The Irish responded with a small rally that cut the score to 7-5 after a Maple Lake ace serve.

The Jaguars went on a big run to go up 16-8, and they were strong at the end in a 25-16 win.

Here's a video from game one tonight:


In game two, the Jaguars won 25-19. Maple Lake came out with much more intensity and energy in game three and challenged the Jaguars the whole way. After Maple Lake had a 22-20 lead, the Jaguars got big ace attacks from Macey Roering for a tie score. Back-to-back hitting errors by both teams made it 23-23. An Irish net violation brought game and match point with B-B-E ahead 24-23. An Irish error tied it at 24-all, and Maple Lake got an ace block for a 25-24 lead. The Irish served long, and the Jaguars served into the net to bring game point for the Irish. Junior setter Isabelle Melgaard's ace serve kept her team alive for a 27-25 win.

After Maple Lake's hitting error started game four, Kamie Fischer served 12 straight points, including four ace serves, as the Jaguars built a 13-0 lead. The Irish fought back almost point for point from there to bring a 24-14 score. Jaylee Jensen's kill finished the match with a 25-14 win and the final 6-1 record in the conference.

More to come. Video is uploading. I'll post more after 10 p.m.

Breaking news in football: the Jaguars are the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. They begin the playoffs on Tuesday, October 27 on the road against Ashby/Brandon-Evansville. The game will be played at Brandon-Evansville high school in Brandon with a 6 p.m. kickoff. The A/B-E Bolts are the No. 4 seed, and West Central Area is the No. 3 seed and will host Browerville (#6) next Tuesday. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle has forfeited the playoffs. Top-seeded Upsala/Swanville Area and No. 2-seeded Benson both have first-round byes.

Back to volleyball...
Tonight, at Holdingford, Paynesville Area won 3-2 to finish the regular season 13-10 overall. They went 4-3 in the CMC and tied Royalton for third place. Game scores were 25-13, 25-17, 28-30, 22-25, 15-10.

Tonight, at Henning, Underwood lost 3-0, and they will take a 21-6 record into the Section 6A playoffs. Currently, it's a guessing game as to who will earn the No. 1 seed in Section 6A. The Jaguars have a shot at it after beating Maple Lake tonight. Seeding by QRF will be released on Friday morning.

As for Halloween...
It's not too early to start planning for Halloween night! For those 21 and up, please consider the evening of Halloween at the Belgrade VFW. You can read about their Halloween night party by clicking over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: BelgradeVFWHalloween2026.

Football seeding forthcoming, Cross Country hosts CMC meet (*UPDATED)

Within an hour of now, we should know the playoff fate for the B-B-E Jaguars football team, who is currently sitting in fifth place in the Section 5A standings. The most recent QRF calculations took place while using Week 8 results, and the Jaguars hover just below West Central Area for QRF points. Both teams had 4-4 regular seasons. I am of the belief that the head-to-head matchup (a 20-14 win for the Jaguars in Week 2) should factor in the seeding. That's all I know! Let's hope for a home opener next Tuesday!

For certain: the Section 5A quarterfinals are on Tuesday, October 27. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. The No. 1 seed in Section 5A receives a first-round bye. The other teams will be paired in 2-versus-7, 3-versus-6 and 4-versus-5 quarterfinals matchups. High seeds host.

In cross country news...
The B-B-E/Paynesville cross country teams are hosting the Central Minnesota Conference championships today. This 5K race take place at 4 p.m. at Koronis Golf Course. B-B-E eighth grader Brooklyn Breitbach is ranked in the Top 5 in Section 6A, and she's in the top 30 overall in Class 1A. As for the postseason, Breitbach and possibly two other B-B-E/Paynesville girls' cross country teammates have a shot at making it to the state meet. First, they will compete today at the CMC championships.

Stay tuned. Updates to follow.

Here's a quick post on my fix to the error on the Belgrade mayor race, which I goofed on in the paper this week: BelgradeMayor2026.

**Mid-afternoon Thursday: nothing official has been posted yet. Which is odd. I see that Long Prairie-Grey Eagle has forfeited the playoffs, which is unfortunate, but not completely surprising. 

As of 6:25 p.m., no update on football playoffs. They have not been posted. I have to get to the volleyball match. I'm running late.

BREAKING NEWS late on Thursday night: the Jaguars have earned the No. 5 seed in Section 5A. They open the playoffs on the road against Ashby/Brandon-Evansville. That's it. West Central Area has the No. 3 seed in large part due to their 12-8 win over A/B-E earlier in the season. Sometimes, you're just wrong, and that's the case with what I wrote earlier today.