The dream is cut short: Elrosa baseball suffers one-run loss in state finals (VIDEOS*)

I don't use this phrase often, but I think it's fitting to include it. The game was not for the faint of heart!

With their backs to the wall late in the Class C state tournament amateur baseball championship, the Elrosa Saints baseball team rallied and battled and hung in there after falling behind 5-1 to Fairmont. Three runs plated in the bottom of the 7th inning were not enough, however.

Final score on Sunday, September 6 in New Prague: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. The Saints finish an incredible season with a 27-9 overall record. It was an incredible ride. Thanks for the memories! This is just the third time in the history of the Stearns County League that one of our teams has played in the state championship game. The first was in 1998, when Richmond lost in the state finals by a 6-4 score to Glencoe. In 2017, Lake Henry lost 6-4 to Kimball in the Class C state finals.

Here's a video from an action-packed bottom of the second inning on Sunday night:


Time to rest up and recharge the batteries! It's Labor Day. Don't forget this event in rural Villard: BreakfastOntheFarm2026.

Monday afternoon update: I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to, and the time spent at Breakfast on the Farm in rural Villard. The Reichmann family is wonderful! One of their daughters-in-law is Tara Reichmann, who is the Minnewaska Area boys' and girls' head tennis coach. Her brother is former B-B-E superintendent Patrick Walsh.

Alas, it's time to get back to some very important sports writing.

And now back to baseball...
The Elrosa Saints finished 27-8 overall after completing a terrific 4-1 record at the state tournament. This is remarkable!

Here's a video from the bottom of the fourth inning against Fairmont:


The Saints had numerous players earn post-tournament awards. I'm getting that compiled tonight to write about.

Some additional coverage is being posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: StateFinals6thInning.

Here's a video featuring action in the bottom of the 7th inning:


Peyton Winter, batting No. 8 in the lineup, is shown batting at the plate with three runners on with zero outs. At that point, Elrosa trailed 5-1.

Elrosa's dreams were gashed in the bottom of the ninth inning, when they left the tying run stranded at third base.

State championship day!

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is playing at 6 p.m. tonight in the Class C state championship game at New Prague's Memorial Park Stadium. 

Hopefully that's not news to you by now!

The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's sports department is on its way to the game. Updates to follow.

UPDATES...(and these are edited somewhat after the game as I prepare for the 129-mile drive home!)

At 6:05 p.m., the first inning wrapped up, and the score is 0-0.

In the top of the 2nd inning, Fairmont got a 3-RBI double on 2 outs. They lead 3-0 going into the bottom of the frame.

**In the bottom of the 2nd, Jackson Peter hit an RBI single, and the score is now 3-1 going into the third inning.

**Four complete: Fairmont 4, Elrosa 1.

**After 5 1/2 innings: Fairmont 5. Elrosa 1.

After 7 complete: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. The Saints scored 3 times in the bottom of the seventh inning. Derek Wiener led off with a single, Luke Illies walked, and Gavin Kampsen singled to load the bases.

On a fielders choice to the shortstop, Peyton Winter advanced to first while Wiener scored. The 6-5 throw to third went wide, so all 4 runners were safe! No outs!

On a new pitcher, Blaine Fischer walked. On a 2-0 count, Illies attempted to score on a wild pitch, but the catcher tagged him out at the plate. Jackson Peter hit an RBI fly to bring Kampsen home. Ethan Mueller then hit an RBI-single for a 5-4 score. 

Fairmont's third relief pitcher recorded the third out, with Elrosa leaving 2 stranded but making the outcome in doubt.

After 8 complete: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. Both teams went quietly at the plate in this inning. 

Final score: Fairmont 5, Elrosa 4. A late game rally fell short. Game and season a wrap.

Time to drive home safely. 

*NOTE: a new blog post is going up on Monday morning, and it will be heavily edited throughout the day.

Elrosa Saints are heading to the 'Ship! (VIDEO)

Don't look now! The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is heading to the state championship game! They now take on Fairmont in the Class C state title game. This game will be played at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, September 6 in New Prague. The site is Memorial Park Baseball Stadium, where Elrosa won its first two state ball games. They are playing in their 13th state tournament in program history. Overall, this is Minnesota's 103rd state amateur baseball tournament. How about that!!

This marks the first time in Elrosa history that the baseball team will play for a state title. It will also be just the third time in the history of the Stearns County League that a team will play for a state title. It first occurred in 1998, when Richmond took second place. In 2017, Lake Henry also made it to the Class C finals but fell to Kimball.

Box score, Elrosa vs. Hanska:
Elrosa 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 - 6
Hanska 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2

In tonight's game:
Tonight, in New Prague, the Saints faced Hanska in the state semifinals. They had a 5-2 lead going into the 9th inning. In the top of the 9th, the Saints scored one more run to make it 6-2. In the bottom of the 9th, Hanska loaded the bases on no outs with two walks and one hit batsman. Jared Cortez, a draftee from Norway Lake-Sunburg, entered as the second relief pitcher of the game. He proceeded to earn three straight strikeouts to seal the win!

Hanska (22-5-1) loaded the bases in the first inning but pushed just one run across home plate on an Elrosa error. They had a runner forced out at home, and the inning ended with a Lakers runner thrown out at home after tagging up on a fly ball to left field.

Elrosa scored once in the top of the second inning on a sacrifice fly-RBI to make it a 1-1 tie. The Lakers pulled ahead with one run scored in the bottom of the second for a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Elrosa scored 3 times to gain a 4-2 lead and never looked back.

Overall, the Hanska Lakers left 15 runners stranded. They were held in check for the bulk of the game by Greenwald draftee Grant Moscho, who pitched 7 innings and earned the win with 6 walks and 7 strikeouts. Moscho is a first cousin to B-B-E head football coach Chris Moscho. He threw 136 total pitches and surrendered just 3 hits with no runs.

Derek Wiener and Luke Illies had 3 hits each to lead the offense, while Blaine Fischer and Ethan Mueller each had two hits with two RBI apiece. Altogether, Elrosa launched 13 hits on the Hanska Lakers.

Cortez, a Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Class of 2024 graduate, is the son of James and Kris Cortez of Lake Johanna Township. Kris (Skarpness) is a B-B-E Class of 1996 graduate, while James was a 1996 K-M-S grad. Just for fun! Here's Jared's Southwest Minnesota State University baseball biography page: https://smsumustangs.com/sports/baseball/roster/jared-cortez/13611.

By the way! Fairmont's 2020 population is listed at 10,487. Elrosa's population stands around 230 people.

Here's a video from the state opener against Pierz back on August 23:


That video was recorded in the bottom of the fourth inning with Payton VanBeck pitching.

In case you missed it...


The Cedar Creek Gospel Band, made up of musicians based in Kandiyohi County, performed for the worship service held at the Brooten Pavilion on Sunday, August 30. The worship was hosted by the Big Grove-Crow River-Grace Lutheran and Trinity-West Lake Johanna Lutheran parishes.

More to come...lots of game notes to review!

Elrosa vs. Hanska! In Le Sueur County

The Class C state semifinal amateur tournament game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107.1 FM of Glenwood. I encourage you to tune in either on the radio or at their website: https://www.kmgk1071.com.

 The Starbuck Stars semifinal game ended at 6:34 p.m., and they lost 10-0 in 7 innings to Fairmont. 

The Elrosa game should start sometime after 7 p.m. in New Prague. I expect a time of about 7:05 p.m. for first pitch.

**Game updates won't be posted here until after 9 p.m. 

**UPDATE: Elrosa leads 6-2 in the 9th!

Final score: Elrosa 6, Hanska 2! The Saints advance to the championship!

More to come in a new blog post at 10 p.m. tonight. 

Elrosa Saints are heading to the State Final Four!

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team has made program history by advancing deeper in the state tournament than any previous team. The Saints won 3-2 tonight in a nailbiter against Glencoe in the state quarterfinals at Shakopee.

In relief on the mound, Ashton Dingmann threw just 2 pitches to record 2 outs and earn the save. It was an incredible finish that had right fielder Derek Wiener reaching high above his head for a pop fly grab and the third out!

Payton VanBeck started and earned the win in 8 1/3 innings with 13 strikeouts. While he pitched, Glencoe earned just 3 hits. They finish their season 23-7 overall.

NEXT! Please spread the word! The Elrosa Saints (26-8) play at 6:30 p.m. in New Prague tomorrow, Saturday, September 5 against Hanska. At stake is a berth in the Class C state championship game.

In the other state semifinal game tomorrow: Starbuck advanced to the state semifinals after winning 6-5 in 12 innings against Luxemburg. The Stars trailed 4-0 early before coming back to tie the game at 4-4 and then 5-5 to force extra innigs. Starbuck plays at 4 p.m. in New Prague tomorrow against Fairmont.

Fairmont bounced Richmond from the tournament in their quarterfinal game tonight in Chaska. I don't have that final score.

Elrosa vs. Glencoe is underway (UPDATES!)

Elrosa is currently facing off with Glencoe in the state quarterfinals of the Class C amateur baseball tournament. The game is being played in Shakopee at Joe Schleper Stadium. After the first inning is complete, the score is zero to zero. Payton VanBeck is Elrosa's starter, and he earned 3 strikeouts in the top of the first inning.

Here's the link to Elrosa's new website: https://www.elrosasaints.com. Bookmark it! They have done a great job building that new website.

After two innings complete: Elrosa 0, Glencoe 0.
After three innings complete: Elrosa 0, Glencoe 0.
After four innings complete: Elrosa 0, Glencoe 0.

In the top of the fifth inning, Payton VanBeck fired back-to-back strikeouts to retire the side. The first out was recorded on a ground ball play by shortstop Gavin Kampsen to first baseman Ashton Dingmann. VanBeck has now retired 7 straight Glencoe batters.

UPDATE! In the bottom of the fifth inning: the Saints took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by Jackson Peter with no outs! Three batters later in the inning, designated hitter Luke Dingmann hit a bomb to centerfield for a standup 2-RBI double. Scoring on the hit were Blaine Fischer and Jackson Peter.

After five innings complete: Elrosa 3, Glencoe 0.

UPDATE in the Starbuck game: the Stars fell behind 4-0 early in the game against Luxemburg. In the 8th inning, Starbuck scored 3 runs to tie the game at 4-4.

Back to the Elrosa game...in the top of the sixth inning: Glencoe had bases loaded, but Payton VanBeck fired his 11th strikeout of the game to leave 3 runners stranded! How about that!

After six innings complete: Elrosa 3, Glencoe 0.
After seven innings complete: Elrosa 3, Glencoe 0. I've also heard that the Starbuck game is tied at 5-5. I don't know what inning they're in.

UPDATE! We are going to the 9th inning in Shakopee with Elrosa holding a 3-0 lead. The 9th inning is starting at about 9:43 p.m.

Action in the top of the 9th inning at Shakopee:
The first batter for Glencoe flew out to third base...Peyton Winter calmly grabbed a pop fly grab for the first out! The second batter hit a high ball on the infield, and it dropped for a base hit.

And now we have Ashton Dingmann pitching for Elrosa. The Saints have a 3-1 lead with 1 out on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth inning.

Let's have the FINAL score in a new blog post...hit refresh!

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.

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 touchdown pass. The 2-point conversion failed. With 9 minutes 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.

Elrosa Saints set for battle in state quarterfinals (VIDEOS)

In a tournament that has just 8 teams remaining, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is geared up for the Elite 8 of the Class C state tournament. They face the Glencoe Brewers at 7:30 p.m. this Friday in Shakopee. The site is Joe Schleper Stadium.

Here's a short video from the postgame celebrating after Elrosa beat Dumont on Saturday:


Here's a video from the game at state:


This week's newspaper includes a feature article about Joe Schleper, a Farming native who passed away in 1998. He taught and coached at Belgrade high school from 1954 to 1962. From Belgrade, he and his wife went to Shakopee.

Jaguars take five-set road loss vs. Top 10 New London-Spicer (VIDEOS)

The storied bordering rivalry between the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team and New London-Spicer continued at the home of the Wildcats tonight. It did not disappoint! With a huge crowd cheering on both teams, the match went the distance lasting nearly 2 hours. In the July 29 preseason Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association poll, B-B-E was ranked No. 8 in Class 1A, while NL-S was rated No. 6 in Class 2A.

Here's the first video recorded tonight at NL-S:


That video begins with the score tied at 4-4 in game one.

Here's a video from later in game one, beginning as NL-S held an 18-14 lead:


After erasing that four-point deficit to force a 20-20 tie in game one, the Jaguars gave up four straight points to see NL-S take control with the Wildcats earning a kill and ace serve to go with consecutive B-B-E hitting errors. Teagan Dingmann had a kill for a side out, and the Wildcats then hit long to make it 24-22. Out of an NL-S timeout, senior setter Ezri Boelter hit her first kill of the night to give her team a 25-22 win.

Here's a video featuring action in game two, including the end:


The Jaguars won back-to-back sets in games two and three and brought strong momentum into game four. That faded, however, as the Wildcats brought a tremendous block in the fourth set while earning a 25-18 win. They were in command for nearly the entire fifth set and took the match with a 15-9 win.

Final: NL-S 3, B-B-E 2. Abysmal four percent hitting for the night was costly, with a total of 35 hitting errors on 176 attacks.

The Wildcats (5-0) were just coming off of earning the tournament title at the Albany Early Bird Invitational last Friday. They have 5 seniors on their roster, and they are going to make noise in the brutally tough Wright County West Conference while being one of the contenders in the Section 3AA playoffs in November.

Next for the volleyball team: the Jaguars continue on a non-conference slate while hosting MACCRAY next Tuesday, September 8.

Video is uploading, and more will be posted on Wednesday. It's time to finish out the September 3 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper and prepare it for the printing press.

Area volleyball scores on September 1:
Maple Lake 3, Litchfield 1
Paynesville Area 3, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Adrian/Ellsworth 3, MACCRAY 2
Border West 3, Lac qui Parle Valley 0
BOLD 3, Melrose Area 2
Minnewaska Area 3, Sauk Centre 1 (a huge win for Minnewaska at Sauk Centre)

BORDER BATTLE! At Wildcats Country (Updates)

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team played remarkably well, but near the end, New London-Spicer had just the exact firepower needed to come out with a 25-22 win in game one tonight. The Jaguars trailed 18-14 before forcing a tie at 20-20.

Game two will start at 7:22 p.m.

Game two final score: B-B-E 25, NL-S 17. With Macey Roering heating up on the left side down the stretch, the Jaguars expanded on a slim 16-15 lead to even the match at one set apiece.

Game three should start at 7:47 p.m.

GAME THREE final score: B-B-E 25, NL-S 23.

Game four final score: NL-S 25, B-B-E 18. We go to a 5th set! It will start at 8:37 p.m.

Game 5 update: NL-S has an early 7-2 lead. Not good!

Final: NLS 15, B-B-E 9. 

38th year of B-B-E schools is underway

Who knew we'd make it this far!? Back in the late 1980s, no one in the communities knew how far the B-B-E experiment would go. As it stands nearly 40 years later, it's looking like the existing school is primed for another generation of small-school, rural values-based education in central Minnesota in the area commonly referred to as Jaguar Country.

Today, September 1, classes resumed at both buildings for students in preschool through grade 12. This week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper will include the initial enrollment figures, which are not official.

Here's an important item posted at the newspaper website which was also found on page one in last week's August 27 issue: BeLikeJesse.

The Elrosa Saints baseball team has a new website: http://www.elrosasaints.com. Bookmark it!

TODAY in varsity sports action:
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team has a Prairie Conference match at Osakis at 4 p.m.

Just down the road, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team opens their season with a non-conference border battle at New London-Spicer. The varsity match should get underway at about 7 p.m.

In community news...here's an announcement for Sedan:
Come join the always-friendly Sedan Fire and Rescue for their always-exciting 40-gun raffle on Saturday, September 26 at Heidi's Bar in downtown Sedan. The social hour starts at 6 p.m., and the raffle gets underway at 7 p.m. Tickets are available from Sedan Fire Department members or at Heidi’s Bar. They hope to see you there!