Friday Night Lights VII: Jaguars earn 4th win via shutout (VIDEOS**)

It was anything but pretty, but when they had to, the B-B-E Jaguars football team made the plays necessary to record the second shutout win of the season tonight at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. After posting a 12-0 halftime lead, the Jaguars went home with a 24-0 win. They are now 4-3 overall going into a home game for Week 8 next Tuesday against Ashby/Brandon-Evansville.

The Jaguars racked up 331 yards of offense, including 246 rushing yards on 31 carries. LP-GE (0-7) had 129 total yards, including 48 rushing yards and 81 passing.

Of the team's four wins this year, this win was not the sharpest. The Jaguars have much to clean up as they prepare for a huge, huge game on Tuesday. At stake is a shot at earning a No. 3 seed in Section 5A. For both teams, and I don't say this as an excuse, it seemed like the players were adjusting to playing in the colder weather. Temperatures at game time hovered around 50 degrees. Through the first six games of the season, the game temperatures have been anywhere between 60 to roughly 80 degrees.

Also, credit to Long Prairie and their school district for the revamped football field! Thunder Stadium now features artificial turf with a brand new track. The facility is beautiful. Artificial turf is not something we see much of in rural Minnesota. It is very expensive. In 2012, when Sauk Centre installed turf, the cost with a new track was over $1 million. (Keep in mind: Sauk Centre went up to that point without having an actual paved track.) A legitimate argument exists that they can save money on maintenance costs compared to regular sod. I also know that a well-maintained sod field is also something a school can be proud of. In today's cash-strapped climate and abysmal test scores, artificial turf is not something a school should consider in my opinion.

I've added three videos to this blog post, and they are all videos from the first half of play. It will be awhile before I get to video clips from the second half, and they likely wouldn't be added until later this weekend. Currently, the team has to prepare for Ashby/Brandon-Evansville. This is the whole universe right now. The Bolts are 4-3 overall after taking a shellacking from Upsala/Swanville Area tonight at the Brandon-Evansville stadium in Brandon. The Patriots improved to 7-0 with a 55-12 win. Setting that aside, as things sit, I currently believe the Jaguars will be slight underdogs going into Week 8. They will need to pull off some big plays to overcome their opponents in Belgrade next Tuesday.

The area scoreboard has been updated on this blog post.

As for the playoff outlook...
In the Section 5A standings, U/SA is running away with the top seed. At the same time, Benson is running away with the No. 2 seed. However, there is a battle shaping up for the No. 3 seed. In the running are West Central Area, A/B-E and B-B-E. As far as the head-to-head matchup, which was also a border battle, WCA defeated A/B-E in Week 4 at WCA's stadium by a 12-8 score. That was WCA's second straight win after an 0-2 start. After that loss, A/B-E won two straight, 50-16 against visiting LP-GE and 16-8 in Browerville.

Here's a video from early in the 2nd quarter tonight:


In that video, Austin Berge catches a 38-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Mueller. This was the first score of the game. Berge finished the game with 3 catches for 58 yards.

How the first half played out tonight at LP-GE:
B-B-E's first series of the first quarter brought great movement downfield after starting on the B-B-E 40. A pass interference call on the Thunder gave the Jaguars first down at the LP-GE 21. Four plays later, the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs. With 8:09 left, the Thunder took possession for their first series from their own 19.

LP-GE converted a couple of first downs and gained first down on the B-B-E 37. Four plays later, on 4th-and-3, Aiden Mueller earned a solo tackle for a loss to force a turnover on downs. With 2:50 left, the Jaguars had the ball starting on their own 32.

B-B-E's second series brought one first down conversion, but the drive stalled out while gaining just 8 net yards. A recovered fumble plus a false start penalty hurt the Jaguars.

LP-GE received B-B-E's punt with just 12 seconds on the clock. Somehow, the Thunder were able to pull off 3 plays, but they also had two big penalties along the way. After the second quarter started, the Thunder gained no yards on 2 plays and punted on 4th-and-28 with 11:09 left.

B-B-E moved the chains just once on their third series, but it was enough. With the drive starting on the 50, the Jaguars scored on Austin Berge's 38-yard reception from Mueller on 4th-and-10. With 9:18 to go in the second quarter, the Jaguars had a 6-0 lead.

On their third series of the game, LP-GE gained just 3 yards on 3 plays. They attempted a fake punt, but the play ultimately lost one net yard for a turnover on downs. With 7:02 left, the Jaguars took over on LP-GE's 38. This fourth touch of the ball also failed, and the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs at LP-GE's 35 with just over 5 minutes to go.

Here's a long video featuring second quarter action tonight:


B-B-E's defense came up big once again as they held on LP-GE's fourth series of the game. On 4th-and-2, the Jaguars stopped LP-GE one yard short of converting. With about 2:50 to go, the Jaguars started their fifth series of the game on LP-GE's 44.

The fifth offensive series of the game earned paydirt when Aiden Mueller ran in a 38-yard touchdown with 1:27 to go for a 12-0 lead.

Here's another video featuring action late in the second quarter; early in this video, Elliot Spanier records his tackle with a 14-yard loss:


To finish the half, the Thunder lost huge yardage when Elliot Spanier tackled a runner with a 14-yard loss. They punted on 4th-and-24, and the Jaguars had time to run 2 plays before halftime.

How the second half played out tonight:
LP-GE had a great start to the third quarter with a 28-yard reception on the first play. Now at B-B-E's 38, they converted one additional first down before stalling out on downs on 4th-and-14 with 5:55 left.

B-B-E's first drive of the third quarter started on their 30. Quarterback Aiden Mueller converted 3rd-and-2. A 9-yard gain by Noah DeRoo helped the Jaguars gain first down at the LP-GE 45. The drive stalled out 3 plays later on 4th-and-3 with a turnover on downs with 59 seconds left.

LP-GE started on their 38, but a holding penalty on the last play of the third quarter set up 2nd-and-19 to start the fourth. The Thunder later punted on 4th-and-20, but a B-B-E roughing the kicker penalty gave them first down at their 44. The drive stalled out on downs, and LP-GE punted from their 48 with 9:48 left in the game.

B-B-E mounted a 64-yard scoring drive that needed 5 plays. Mason Douvier had a 17-yard carry that was combined with a 15-yard LP-GE penalty that got first down on the 28. Aiden Mueller then ran in a 21-yard touchdown carry. A failed PAT kick made it 18-0 with 8:10 left in the game.

On the next series, Riley Gullickson earned a fumble recovery with 6:48 left at LP-GE's 41. The Jaguars used 6 plays to extend the lead to 24-0. With 2:08 left, Aiden Mueller ran a bootleg carry for 32 yards.

LP-GE's final series stalled out on downs at B-B-E's 16-yard line. The Jaguars later closed out the game taking a knee in the last minute of play.

More to come on Thursday morning. It's been a very long day. Time for rest.

Mid-Northwest Gold District Week 7 scores on October 14:
Benson 61, Browerville 16
West Central Area 34, Maple Lake 8
Upsala/Swanville Area 55, Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 12

Area Week 7 scores on October 14:
Albany 34, New London-Spicer 28
Redwood Valley 47, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 0
Osakis 26, St. Cloud Cathedral 0
Willmar 63, Detroit Lakes 2
Brainerd 21, Alexandria 14
Melrose Area 43, Little Falls 36
Paynesville Area 38, Royalton 16
Minnewaska Area 56, Montevideo 6
Lac qui Parle Valley 44, Canby 30
Hancock 46, Rothsay 16
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 39, Cedar Mountain 18
Breckenridge 56, New York Mills 6
Holdingford 35, St. Cloud Apollo 14
Kimball Area 34, Eden Valley-Watkins 0 (You'd have to go back to the 1990s to see the last time Kimball may have shut out EV-W)
Pierz 65, Rockford Area 7
Dawson-Boyd 49, Lakeview 12
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 46, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Springfield 41, Russel-Tyler-Ruthon 0
Wabasso 50, Red Rock Central 20 (Wabasso is 7-0
Hutchinson 27, Totino-Grace 23
Litchfield 42, Sauk Centre 22
Sleepy Eye United 49, MACCRAY 21
New Ulm Cathedral 57, Renville County West 6

GAME NIGHT! In Todd County

Eight days after tennis playoffs, the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's sports department returns to Todd County. Next, tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars football team travels to Long Prairie-Grey Eagle's football stadium for their Week 7 game with the Thunder. Their football stadium is just partially south of their elementary school, which is the former Long Prairie high school campus.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Here's a video featuring the first touchdown B-B-E scored against Benson...


That touchdown occurred about 4 minutes before halftime, and at halftime, the Jaguars trailed 16-6.

In tennis section playoffs...
B-B-E senior Ellan Fischer won her opener at the Section 6A individual tournament at the Rogers Tennis Club. She won by scores of 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 in three sets over LP-GE senior Reagan Larsen. In the quarterfinals, Fischer faced NL-S's Brooke Glauvitz and fell 1-6, 0-6 to see her season conclude. Other tennis results are forthcoming. Six members of the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team were competing in the postseason.

FOOTBALL GAME updates...
At halftime: B-B-E 12, LP-GE 0. The Thunder have struggled to move the ball, but their defense played rather well across the first half. 

Hit refresh to see the Friday Night Lights VII blog post with the final score.

Volleyball Jaguars sweep Royalton, one match to go in title hunt! (VIDEOS)

A successful Dig Pink night took place this evening for the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team, as they defeated visiting Royalton in straight sets in Central Minnesota Conference action. This moves their conference record to 5-1. All that's left is a home match with Maple Lake next week, Thursday, October 22. In the CMC race, Eden Valley-Watkins kept pace with the Jaguars by defeating Maple Lake on the road tonight in four sets.

B-B-E is 14-8 overall with two matches to go before the playoffs begin.

In tonight's win, the Jaguars had 27.6 percent hitting. The Jaguars had a balanced attack: Laken Anderson 9 kills, Macey Roering 7 kills, Jaylee Jensen 6 kills, Kamie Fischer and Mya Worms 4 kills each.

Both teams traded punches as game one got rolling. After a Royalton kill cut an early B-B-E lead to 5-4, Macey Roering's kill started a 4-0 run. A kill by Jaylee Jensen got the lead to 10-5, and Laken Anderson's kill later made it a 20-7 lead. The Royals settled in and scored 6 straight points, but the Jaguars regained control with an ace serve by Kamie Fischer and a Mya Worms kill to bring it to 24-13. A late flurry of Royalton points followed before Roering shut it down with a kill and a 25-18 win.

Here's a video from the final points scored in game 1 tonight:


B-B-E led 4-2 early in game two, and they fought past a 7-5 deficit to go up 12-9. The Royals tied the set multiple times, later at 15-15, before fading in the final stretch. They trailed 24-17 before scoring 3 straight points, but the Royals served out of bounds to give the Jaguars a 25-20 win.

Here's a video featuring the end of game two:


Royalton came out flat in game three, and the Jaguars capitalized with aggressive serving to take leads of 4-0 and 16-1. Royalton had a couple late kills after falling behind 23-7, but Anderson finished the match with two straight kills for a 25-9 win.

Additional coverage will be published in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Central MN Conference volleyball scores on October 13:
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 3, Paynesville Area 0 (a mild upset in CMC action in Grove City tonight)
Holdingford 3, Kimball Area 1
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, Maple Lake 1

Area volleyball scores on October 12-13:
Parkers Prairie 3, New York Mills (played last night)
Osakis 3, Browerville 0
Willmar 3, Detroit Lakes 0
Albany 3, Pierz 0
New London-Spicer 3, Watertown-Mayer 0
Battle Lake 3, Ashby 0
Minneota 3, Canby 0

It's game night, bring on the Royals

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is hosting Royalton tonight. The Jaguars won game one 25-18 after holding a 20-7 lead at one point.

In game two, Royalton held a 17-16 lead, but the Jaguars caught fire and rallied for a 25-20 win.

In the Dig Pink cancer fundraiser, over $2,200 was donated free-will fashion by the home and visiting fans. These funds are being donated to the Joslyn and Brandon Deters family. 

More to come after 9 p.m.

Dig Pink night is tomorrow, tennis heading to section individuals (VIDEOS**)

The Dig Pink cancer awareness night for the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is set for tomorrow night, Tuesday, when Royalton visits our place for a Central Minnesota Conference match. The Royals are currently tied for third place with a 3-2 record along with Paynesville Area. In the latest QRF rankings, the Jaguars (13-8) have climbed to No. 14 in Class 1A while also moving up in the Section 6A standings. They are currently No. 2 in Section 6A behind Underwood, who is ranked No. 14 by the QRF.

The Royals are 10-10 overall. They compete in Section 6AA in the postseason.

Additional Dig Pink night information:
All proceeds from the evening will go to the Joslyn and Brandon Deters family. Two gift baskets are being raffled off, and a free will donation will be accepted. Raffle tickets are $20 each. You can see more about the Deters family and Joslyn's battle with cancer by clicking over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: ElrosaFireSteakFryNight.

As stated in that web article, a marvelous showing of support for the Deters family took place on Saturday night in Elrosa. It should warm everyone's heart!

For six members of the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team, their season continues with the Section 6A individual tournament, which is held on Wednesday, October 14 at the Rogers Tennis Club. This spacious, indoor facility features 7 hard courts, and both a singles and a doubles bracket will be in play that morning. The six Jaguars competing are Ellan Fischer, Hannah Wurm, Olive Olson, Kwynn Quade, Harper Herickhoff and Jena Borgerding.

Here's a video from Long Prairie-Grey Eagle six day ago:


The girls' tennis team season concluded last Tuesday in the Section 6A play-in round. Of the 10 players competing in the varsity lineup, just one was a senior: Ellan Fischer.

Let's back up a few days to last week...

Here's a video from the finish line of the Color FUND Run last Wednesday:


The forecast for the weather is remarkably cold this week compared to what we've had across the first 11 or so days of October. The temperatures should be in the low 50s for Wednesday's football game at Long Prairie.

Here's a video from game two of the Paynesville volleyball match held one week ago:


After the Jaguars won a back-and-forth battle in game one, they won 25-14 in game two.

B-B-E Volleyball records 3 wins at Runestone Invitational (VIDEO)

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team had a strong outing today in Alexandria for the Runestone Invitational. Playing at Alexandria Area high school, the Jaguars went 3-0 in pool play before falling to state-ranked Minnewaska Area in straight sets in the playoffs. I have to head back to my Friday Night Lights VI post and finish writing my game recap from last night. Once that's done, this blog post will get revamped.

Pool play results for B-B-E at Alexandria:
B-B-E defeated Fergus Falls to open pool play;
B-B-E won 25-9, 25-15 vs. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta;
B-B-E won 22-25, 25-14, 15-12 vs. BOLD;

Game scores against Minnewaska Area were 25-18, 25-17. The Lakers appear to be running away with the West Central Conference title, and they are one of the top teams in Section 6AA. B-B-E improves to 13-8 overall as they prepare for a tough home match on Tuesday, October 13 against Royalton. That night is also Dig Pink night with their cancer awareness fundraiser.

Minnewaska Area won their way to the championship, where they won 2-1 against Alexandria. The Lakers are 21-1 overall.

Here's a video featuring the end of the volleyball team's Homecoming match on Thursday:


It's been a terribly busy and productive day. The turnout and support in Elrosa for the Joslyn and Brandon Deters family was remarkable. The Elrosa Fire Department also turned out well with their steak fry fundraiser. I have a lot more to report on that.

Here's light coverage that includes very special news out of Elrosa tonight...click on the following link to move over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: ElrosaSteakFry2026.

I have church at 9 a.m. tomorrow, so it's time to call it a night and come back tomorrow to add more here. My first half game recap from Friday Night Lights VI has been added to the previous blog post.

*UPDATE on Monday: in the latest Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association poll, the Jaguars are sitting in a tie for 12th place with Martin County West.

Friday Night Lights VI: Jaguars give 200-percent effort in close Homecoming loss (VIDEOS added**)

Two things stand out as I settle in and start reviewing Homecoming game notes tonight. On the home gridiron, the B-B-E Jaguars football team gave a 200-percent effort against a bigger, deeper Benson Braves team across the entire 48 minutes of play on Tackle Cancer night. Not a soul in the stadium walked away with the ability to say one team outplayed the other. For the entire 48 minutes, a terrific football game played out. Yes, Benson came to play, but in spite of that 200-percent effort by the Jaguars, the Braves capitalized on a plus-three figure in the turnover department to claim a 24-14 win and improve to 4-2 overall.

The outcome was in doubt until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. For Benson, this was their fourth straight win. In that span, this was far and away their toughest of all four. Benson has a terrific team with a roster of just 28 players. B-B-E's official roster is 22. In tonight's game, the Jaguars had 20 players dressed, while Benson had 26 players suited up. Benson has 7 seniors.

Four uncharacteristic-like turnovers cost the Jaguars a shot at ending a Homecoming game skid. They've now fallen in three straight Homecoming games, with these latest two being by close margins. Last year, Maple Lake won 14-12 on a night when both the Irish and Jaguars entered the game with identical 4-1 records.

Turnovers are part of the game, and turnovers happen in football. The tell-tale sign is how a team recovers from them, and on this night, the Jaguars almost overcame four turnovers. (Almost) A three turnover game may very well have had a different outcome. Nevertheless, how blessed are we in Jaguar Country! We are extremely blessed to have a group of football players who study and work their tails off while competing at a high level. This continues to be far and away my favorite B-B-E football team. The heart and stamina which they display is something I'll never forget as long as I live.

As for Tackle Cancer night, it was quite special to get a front-row seat to the pregame coin flip. Two guests of the coin flip huddle were Bentley Deters and Easton Rood. Easton is an elementary student at B-B-E who is also a cancer survivor. Bentley Deters is a member of the football team. His mom, Joslyn, is currently receiving cancer treatments. Funds raised tonight are earmarked for the Deters family.

Next: the Jaguars (3-3) have a short week while preparing for their MEA week game. They travel to Long Prairie-Grey Eagle next Wednesday, October 14. In their Week 6 game, the Thunder were defeated 43-0 by West Central Area in Long Prairie. I am sure that WCA was smarting and in a bad mood after getting thrashed by Benson last week at their home stadium in Barrett. They no doubt took out that frustration on LP-GE tonight.

In the Mid-Northwest Gold District standings, the Jaguars hold a 2-3 record and have fallen into a tie for fifth place with Maple Lake. Benson has control of second place with a 4-1 record. State-ranked Upsala/Swanville Area continues in first place with a 5-0 record (6-0 overall). Their district winning streak dates back to October of 2023.

NOTE: this blog post will be fully updated on Saturday. It probably won't be finished until later in the afternoon. The day of Saturday, October 10 is going to be super, super busy.

Here's a video featuring action in the second quarter tonight:


More to come. Video is uploading.

*Here's the final minutes of the second quarter tonight:


If the Jaguars could have narrowed the score to 16-12 or even 16-14 at halftime, the outcome could have been a win. Who knows what would have played out in the second half. It wasn't quite as difficult as last week's loss, but this Homecoming loss was a really tough one to swallow.

Scoring summary:
With 11:54 left in the second quarter, Benson scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak. Adrian Young ran in the two-point conversion. Benson 8, B-B-E 0.
With 6:50 left in the second quarter, Benson scored on Connor Stine's 42-yard carry. Young carried in the conversion play. Benson 16, B-B-E 0.
With 3:54 left in the second quarter, B-B-E scored on a one-yard carry by Noah DeRoo. The two-point conversion pass was incomplete. Benson 16, B-B-E 6.
With 7:38 left in the fourth quarter, B-B-E scored on DeRoo's 10-yard reception. Aiden Mueller ran the quarterback sneak for the conversion play. Benson 16, B-B-E 14.
With 2:13 left in the fourth quarter, Benson scored on Young's 3-yard carry. Ethan Tolifson caught the conversion pass. Benson 24, B-B-E 14.

The dagger...which all but sealed the game's outcome: after Benson scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, their kickoff team came up big with a fumble recovery. With just over 2 minutes to go, the Braves ran the ball once. On second down and third downs, Benson quarterback Darin Hippe took a knee in a classy move by the Braves to close out the game.

How the first half played out tonight:
Benson's game-opening kickoff sailed out of bounds as the Braves entered the game knowing B-B-E's kickoff return game was a threat. This set up the Jaguars at their own 40 for their first drive. Three run plays converted a first down, with Noah DeRoo's carry for 5 yards getting the Jaguars to the Benson 48 and moving the chains. Austin Berge's 7-yard catch had the Jaguars moving, but two plays later, the Braves earned a tackle for a four-yard loss to bring 4th-and-6. With 8:17 left, B-B-E punted on Benson's 44.

Benson started their first drive of the game on their own 7-yard line. On the second play, running back Young carried 11 yards. Later, on 3rd-and-7, DeRoo and Aiden Mueller earned assisted tackles with a one-yard loss. With 4:45 left, Benson punted on their own 36.

B-B-E began their second drive on their own 35. A Benson holding penalty helped on a 3rd-and-12 play. On the 3rd-and-2, Lance Radermacher carried for 10 yards to get to Benson's 47. Disaster struck, however, when Benson recovered a lost fumble on a failed pitch. With 2:13 left in the opening quarter, Benson had the ball on B-B-E's 48.

Benson's second drive of the game used 7 plays to cover the distance as the first quarter clock ran to zero. On Benson's first play of the second quarter, quarterback Darin Hippe scored on a one-yard touchdown carry. With 11:54 left, the Braves had an 8-0 lead.

The Jaguars had a good start to their 3rd series of the half when DeRoo carried for 11 yards on the first play. Benson later helped with an offsides penalty, and DeRoo converted 3rd down to get 1st-and-10 on Benson's 39. Two plays later, however, the Jaguars coughed up possession on another lost fumble. With 9:43 left before halftime, Benson had the ball for their third series of the half on their own 46. Young converted 4th-and-2 to get first down at B-B-E's 42. On the next play, Connor Stine ran in the 42-yard touchdown. With 6:50 left, Benson led 16-0.

B-B-E quickly went 3-and-out with just 4 yards gained on 3 plays. Their punt put Benson back in the saddle with 6 minutes to go. On the second play of the next drive, however, Benson lost possession on a fumble near midfield. With 5:30 left, B-B-E started on their own 41-yard line with their fifth possession of the game. On the third play, Berge hauled in a 31-yard reception. On the next play, Aiden Mueller ran for 21 yards and nearly scored before getting tackled just shy of the left pylon. DeRoo then punched in a touchdown on 1st-and-goal. With 3:54 left, the Jaguars trailed 16-6.

Benson's next series, which started on their own 35 after the kickoff, resulted in a three-and-out and a punt. Berge had a 20-yard punt return that gave B-B-E outstanding field position. With 2:14 left, they began their next drive on their 49. Kaden Kollman caught an 11-yard pass on the first play. DeRoo then ran for 13 yards, and Mueller ran for 7 yards to get to Benson's 20. Two plays later, with about 90 seconds to go, Mueller converted 3rd down with a 9-yard carry. Three plays later, the Jaguars had 4th-and-6 with about 30 seconds to go. Their final play of the half resulted in an incomplete pass to bring halftime.

How the second half played out tonight at Homecoming:
Benson opened the third quarter with possession and their sixth overall drive of the game. After starting on their own 23, they were held to 3rd-and-4 before Adrian Young converted with a 7-yard run. Back-to-back tackles for losses brought 3rd-and-15, but the Braves had a 14-yard catch to bring a situation to gamble. The Braves converted 4th-and-1 with Young's 18-yard carry into B-B-E territory. B-B-E's defense once again had two straight big plays that made it 3rd-and-13. The defense continued to shine by causing back-to-back incomplete passes. On fourth down, Mason Douvier earned a knock down to give the Jaguars the ball with 5:49 left at their own 38.

The Jaguars started their first series of the second half with a bang, as DeRoo hauled in a 24-yard pass. Two plays later, DeRoo caught a nine-yard pass for first down on Benson's 28. On the next play, Benson's Bentley Ascheman intercepted a pass but was immediately tackled at Benson's 5-yard line. The Braves had a false start penalty, but two plays later, they moved the chains with a 10-yard run. The next play brought a 15-yard gain on the ground, and the Braves continued moving the ball with short gains before getting first down on their own 42 and then advancing into B-B-E territory as the third quarter closed out.

Near midfield, the Braves lost four yards to start the fourth quarter with Aiden Mueller earning a tackle for a loss. Benson ran the ball twice for a total of 2 yards and then punted on 4th-and-12.

With 9:39 left in the game, the Jaguars started their eighth series of the game on their own 39 in search of their second score. Another big gain on a DeRoo reception moved the Jaguars 17 yards downfield on the drive's second play. Benson held B-B-E to 3rd-and-7, but Lance Radermacher came up big with a 29-yard reception as he bulled his way down the left side for 1st-and-goal at the Benson 10. On 2nd-and-10, DeRoo ran in a touchdown off left tackle. Aiden Mueller ran a quarterback sneak to draw the Jaguars within 16-14 with 7:38 left.

Great kickoff coverage by the Jaguars set up Benson at the 20. The Braves ran the ball 6 times to gain 21 yards. On the seventh play, the Braves ran the ball 9 yards to get first down at the 50. Elliot Spanier's tackle on the next play gave up just 2 yards. On the next play, Benson's Young broke a handful of tackles while running down the right sideline to B-B-E's five-yard line.

With 2:30 left, B-B-E's Coach Moscho called a timeout with Benson having 1st-and-goal. On 3rd-and-goal, Young carried in a three-yard touchdown with 2:13 left. Sophomore Ethan Tolifson caught the conversion pass from Hippe for a 24-14 score.

Next, the dagger was delivered in B-B-E's hopes with the lost fumble on the ensuing kickoff.

Some light game statistics:
The Jaguars continue to play outstanding high school football. They racked up nearly 250 yards of offense, which is remarkable playing with such a short roster. Statistics show 245 yards gained on 49 plays. For Benson, they had 317 yards on 60 plays. Benson managed to gain 317 yards with just two completed passes, a 14-yard catch and a 13-yard catch. The Braves had just one lost fumble compared to three by the Jaguars.

I continue to be amazed at B-B-E's diversity on offense. Quarterback Aiden Mueller was 13-of-24 for 143 yards while connecting with five different receivers tonight.

DON'T forget! Saturday night this weekend: the Crow River Lutheran supper and auction (4 to 9 p.m.) plus the Elrosa Fire Department steak fry (4 to 8 p.m.)! Please spread the word.

Mid-Northwest Gold District Week 6 football scores on October 9:
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 16, Browerville 8
West Central Area 43, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
Upsala/Swanville Area 55, Maple Lake 12

Area Week 6 football scores on October 9:
Menahga 46, New York Mills 6
Pierz 79, St. Cloud Apollo 7
Dawson-Boyd 28, MACCRAY 7
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 47, BOLD 0
Royalton 36, Osakis 34
Hancock 58, Fertile-Beltrami 8
Albany 35, Little Falls 20
Dassel-Cokato 57, Montevideo 6
Litchfield 62, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 35
Alexandria 41, Bemidji 21
Minnewaska Area 37, Sauk Centre 16
Minneota 47, Lac qui Parle Valley 8
Willmar 62, St. Cloud Tech 14
Paynesville Area 26, St. Cloud Cathedral 7
Melrose Area 38, Holdingford 27
Eden Valley-Watkins 54, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 8
New London-Spicer 47, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 21
Redwood Valley 38, Kimball Area 18
Red Rock Central 27, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 24
Canby 21, Lakeview 20
Hutchinson 37, Detroit Lakes 12
Maple River 47, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 14
Menagha 46, New York Mills 6

GAME NIGHT! It is HOMECOMING! Bring on the Braves!

We have another high-stakes game on our hands, as the B-B-E Jaguars football team is prepared for the school's 38th annual Homecoming game. The loaded-for-bear Benson Braves team is the opponent. Benson defeated Maple Lake on their Homecoming two weeks ago 42-6. They defeated West Central Area last week in Barrett by a 30-6 score. Fans will see that Benson has 3 very talented running backs. They are going to be a LOAD to handle.

Here's a high drama fourth quarter video from Maple Lake:


The Jaguars were fighting tooth and nail to keep Maple Lake out of the endzone as the fourth quarter minutes faded away. They got a fourth down stop with under a minute to go...but unfortunately, Maple Lake (2-3) came out on top 8-7 for their second win of the season.

Tonight's game will be aired on 93.5 FM of Benson. They have a website, and I'll get that link posted. **I am going on the assumption that Benson radio will carry this game. Tonight, Brady with Smooth Magic 107 FM is covering Minnewaska Area vs. Sauk Centre football.

Radio link: https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cwa/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KSCR.

Also! Some Homecoming coverage has been posted to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com.

GAME UPDATES!
After the end of the 1st quarter, the score is 0-0.

With 3:54 left in the 2nd quarter, the Jaguars scored on Noah DeRoo's one yard run. They trail 16-6.

Halftime: Benson 16, B-B-E 6. The Jaguars were stopped at the end of the half on Benson's 8-yard line on 4th down. That was harsh!

**After 3 quarters, it's still 16-6. 

Hit refresh to see Friday Night Lights VI with a game recap coming.

Jaguars in four vs. WCA Knights (VIDEOS**)

Two additional videos were added to this blog post plus the area scoreboard on Friday afternoon. In the latest QRF calculations, the Jaguars have climbed to No. 17 in Class 1A.

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team brought it at just the right time in order to avoid going to a fifth set tonight against West Central Area. Sitting in a 16-all tie in game four, the Jaguars came on strong with 6 kills and one ace serve to finish the match on a 9-2 run and a 25-18 Parents Night win. Another feature of the evening was the introduction of the Homecoming royal court, whose names were announced before the B-B-E Pep Band performed the National Anthem.

Game scores were 25-12, 25-15, 22-25, 25-18.

The Jaguars used 36 percent hitting in game four to overcome an inspired performance by WCA, who was coming off of tough back-to-back West Central Conference losses to last-place Montevideo and first-place Minnewaska Area. The Knights (7-14) are currently on a five-match losing streak.

Next: the Jaguars (10-7 overall) travel to the Alexandria Invitational on Saturday. I haven't studied their schedule for the day, but I know they will face BOLD in pool play in the morning. Other top teams there include Minnewaska Area and the host Cardinals.

Here's action featuring the beginning of the match in game one tonight:


WCA struggled against a relentless B-B-E attack in game one. It took a few serves for the Jaguars to get rolling, but after holding a 5-4 lead, they rattled off 7 straight points while scoring on a kill and an ace block by Jaylee Jensen plus an ace serve from Macey Roering. A kill from Laken Anderson and Kamie Fischer's ace serve made it 15-6. Jensen's kill got the Jaguars to a 20-10 lead, and they finished off the set on a 5-0 run to win 25-12 with Fischer's kill good for the 25th point.

Here's a video from the final points scored in game one tonight:


The Knights played better at the start of game two and trailed 6-5 before the Jaguars scored 3 straight points. A kill from Mya Worms and Jensen's ace block extended the lead to 16-9, which brought a timeout from WCA. Roering's ace serve and an ace tip from Jensen made it 20-13, and WCA called their final timeout. The Jaguars kept the pressure on, and late kills from Anderson and Fischer set up a 25-15 win that ended on a WCA attack error.

Here's action late in game three tonight:


That video begins with the Jaguars trailing 21-20.

B-B-E held leads of 8-4 and 11-7 early in game three, but the Knights tied it at 11-11 with a kill. WCA later pulled ahead 15-14 on a kill, but the Jaguars got a 4-0 run that seemed to right the ship. WCA came on strong and closed out a 25-22 win on a 10-4 run.

Here's the end of game four tonight:


In game four, the Jaguars trailed 8-7 before pulling ahead 14-11 on a Dingmann kill. The Knights tied it at 16-16, but after Anderson's kill sliced a WCA block attempt, the Jaguars never trailed in a 25-18 win.

Central MN Conference volleyball scores on October 8:
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, Kimball Area 0
Holdingford 3, Maple Lake 0
Royalton 3, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 0

Area volleyball scores on October 8:
St. Cloud Cathedral 3, Albany 1
Browerville 3, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 1
New London-Spicer 3, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 1
Willmar 3, Bemidi 0
Henning 3, Menahga 1
Upsala 3, Swanville 0
Renville County West 3, Canby 0
Sauk Centre 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 0
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 3, Parkers Prairie 0
Breckenridge 3, Staples-Motley 1
Ortonville 3, Dawson-Boyd 2

GAME DAY! Volleyball Homecoming (VIDEO)

After a grueling mid-season schedule featuring a three-match road swing, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team looks forward to home cooking with their Homecoming week match tonight. They take on the West Central Area Knights in a big Section 6A matchup. It is also Parents Night, and the pep band will be in action! Something I am terribly excited about!!!

**Tonight's match is being aired on Smooth Magic 107.1 FM of Glenwood. Please spread the word!  

Here's a video from game one at Paynesville this week:


That was a fun match, and the Jaguars really picked things up in games two and three to record the big conference sweep.

In other news...
To catch up on a few upcoming local events, you can refer to this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper advertising. If you don't have a copy available wherever you are, you can always click online to see what's coming up by visiting the newspaper's website. Here's the direct link to the online community calendar: BBECommunityCalendar.

**B-B-E won the first two sets by scores of 25-12, 25-15. 

In game three, the Jaguars blew a late 22-21 lead and lost 25-22. Ouch.

Hit refresh for a new blog post to see how the match turned out.

Volleyball sweeps Bulldogs; tennis falls in playoffs (VIDEOS)

Late Wednesday night...the Color FUND Run is in the rear-view mirror. Now I can get this blog post updated and wrapped up. I see in the new QRF rankings that the volleyball team has climbed to No.3 in the Section 6A standings. Good!

In a high-stakes Central Minnesota Conference border battle tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team put together strong performance across games two and three as they swept the Paynesville Bulldogs out of a three-way tie for first place. Game scores were 25-21, 25-14, 25-17.

The Bulldogs fall into third place with a 3-2 record in the CMC. The Jaguars are now a half-match ahead of EV-W in first place with a 4-1 CMC record. The EV-W Eagles are 3-1 in the CMC and have these teams in front of them on the schedule: Kimball Area, Maple Lake and Royalton.

Tonight's sweep was a terrific win for the Jaguars as they come off a tough five-set loss at Eden Valley-Watkins last Thursday. The Bulldogs (11-8 overall) have a firm grip on the No. 3 position in Sub-Section 3AA-North and were winners of four straight coming into tonight. They are looking up at EV-W (16-7) and New London-Spicer (19-1) in their subsection.

B-B-E improves to 9-7 overall with the win as they prepare for the Homecoming match on Thursday with Section 6A rival West Central Area (7-13) in Brooten.

Here's a video from early in game three tonight:


Earlier in the match, the Jaguars had to overcome a somewhat sluggish performance in game one to come out with a 25-21 win. They had an 18-15 lead that brought a Bulldogs timeout. Trailing 21-20, the Bulldogs served long to fall behind by two points. They got a kill, but then back-to-back Paynesville hitting errors brought game point. Laken Anderson finished things off with a kill to make it a 1-0 set lead.

Here's how the end of game one played out:


In recent years, the Jaguars have had some terrific battles against Paynesville. The Bulldogs have become a formidable Highway 55 rival. With that said, you have to go all the way back to the 2017 season to see the last time the Jaguars fell to the Bulldogs in volleyball.

In girls' tennis news...
In their playoff opener today, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team went down swinging in a 6-1 loss at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle high school. The LP-GE/Upsala-Swanville Area Thunder feature a team with four seniors, and their senior leadership pulled through while helping the home team take straight-set wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles plus No. 1 doubles. B-B-E eighth grader Jena Borgerding won the lone point for the Jaguars with a straight-set win at No. 4 singles.

Here's a video with doubles action today at LP-GE:


At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Abby Coners and eighth grader Tiffany Douvier played an incredible match but fell in a third-set tiebreaker. They won the first set 6-4 before falling 7-5 in the second set. Their LP-GE/USA doubles counterparts featured a freshman and a senior.

Although the tennis team's season has ended, the tennis season continues with the upcoming Section 6A individual tournament. You can read more about that in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

More to come in the morning when I can get more updates posted before the Color FUND Run. I took a little time off once I got home from Paynesville to enjoy a delicious watermelon I picked from our family garden earlier today! Mmmm Mmm GOOD!!!

Area volleyball scores on October 6:
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, Litchfield 1
Royalton 3, St. Cloud Tech 1
New London-Spicer 3, Dassel-Cokato 0
Kimball Area 3, St. Cloud Apollo 0
Browerville 3, Upsala 0
Melrose Area 3, Sauk Centre 2
Minneota 3, Renville County West 0
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 3, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
Minnewaska Area 3, West Central Area 0
Brandon-Evansville 3, Rothsay 1
Breckenridge 3, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 2
Underwood 3, Battle Lake 0
Hancock 3, Parkers Prairie 1
Swanville 3, Benson 1

A day for travel: playoffs in Todd County! And more

The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team begins their postseason today at Long Prairie. If they win, they play again on Thursday this week at Foley in the Section 6A quarterfinals. Updates to follow.

**Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area has clinched the team win in the Section 6A playoffs. The match has not concluded yet.

At No. 3 singles, Jena Borgerding won in straight sets.

**At Paynesville, the volleyball team won game one 25-21.

Hit refresh to see a new blog post with the match's outcome.