By John Rittenhouse
The stage has been set for what will be the biggest regular season game for the Luverne Cardinal football team.
After a sound, 34-6 thrashing of Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Friday, the Cardinals will have the honor of hosting what essentially could be the Southwest Conference championship game tomorrow when they entertain Jackson County Central.
Luverne brings a 3-1 league record and a 4-2 overall mark into the showdown.
JCC, the state’s sixth-ranked team in the latest Class 3A poll, checks into the tilt with a 6-0 overall record and a 4-0 conference mark.
With no other team in the league with less than two conference losses, tomorrow’s tilt will go a long way toward settling the SWC championship.
There’s no doubt tomorrow’s game is a big one, but Cardinal coach Joel Swanson is downplaying its importance. A win would give LHS a shot at winning at least a share of the SWC crown, but he’s not looking at the contest like it’s a must-win situation.
"Like any other game we play, our goal is to show improvement and cut down the number of mistakes we’re making. The keys will be to limit our number of turnovers and cut down on our penalties," he said.
The Cards made some mistakes during Friday’s game in Redwood Falls, but they were able to overcome them with a dominating running performance on offense and solid effort on defense.
Luverne ran the ball for 311 yards and five touchdowns against RWV. After losing the ball by a fumble during its first possession of the game, the Cardinal offense scored touchdowns with its next three possessions in the first half and its first two possessions of the second half.
At the same time, Luverne’s defense blanked RWV through three quarters before yielding a meaningless fourth-quarter tally. RWV did pass for 220 yards and compile 303 yards against the LHS resistance, but a good share of the yardage came when Luverne’s regulars were on the bench late in the game.
"It was a good team effort," Swanson said. "We came out and moved the ball pretty well to start the game. Everybody did a good job. The big thing was we didn’t have key turnovers in big situations. We did fumble on our first possession, but that was it."
Luverne recovered from the fumble that ended its opening possession of the game by recording a pair of touchdowns in a 3:19 span in the first quarter with its next two possessions.
After forcing RWV to punt after three plays during its first possession, the Cardinal offense went on an eight-play, 50-yard drive that ended with Kyle Crable scoring on an eight-yard run at the 4:58 mark of the first quarter. James Fisher added his first of four extra points to make the difference 7-0.
Crable, who carried the ball 19 times for a team-high 123 yards in the game, ran for 45 of Luverne’s 50 yards during the initial scoring drive.
The Cardinals received a break moments later when RWV’s punter mishandled the snap from center four plays after Crable’s touchdown run. Luverne’s punt return team chased RWV’s punter out of bounds far short of a first down when he tried to run with the ball, giving the LHS offense good field position on the RWV 22-yard line.
Luverne took advantage of the field position when Crable scored on a 10-yard run five plays later to make the difference 14-0 with 1:39 remaining in the opening period.
RWV made a bid to get back into the game when it advanced the ball deep into Luverne territory in the second quarter, but a five-yard gain during a fourth-and-seven situation ended the threat on downs at the LHS six-yard line.
When the Cardinal offense followed the stop with an 11-play, 94-yard scoring drive, RWV’s will was broken.
The drive, which was capped by Tony Sandbulte’s four-yard touchdown run with 2:22 left to play in the first half, featured a 41-yard pass completion from James Fisher to Luke Iveland. Sandbulte and Zach Skattum had runs of 17 and 13 yards during the march that gave LHS a 21-0 lead.
Luverne’s 21-point eruption in the first half ended a streak of sub-par performances during the first two quarters of nearly every game this year.
"I think our kids were ready to play during this game. We need to have more first halves like that for the rest of the season and when we get into the playoffs," Swanson said.
Luverne had an equally impressive start to the second half, when it scored 13 points with its first two possessions to put the game out of reach.
The Cards put together a four-play, 53-yard drive that ended with Sandbulte scoring on a 20-yard jaunt at the 8:45 mark of the third quarter, making it a 28-0 game.
Sandbulte, who ran for 94 yards with seven carries during the contest, had a 25-yard gain before scoring on his 20-yard run.
Luverne’s second possession of the second half resulted in an 11-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard plunge by Skattum with 2:47 left to play in the third quarter.
Sandbulte had a 17-yard run during the drive, but a missed extra-point attempt kept the score at 34-0 after the touchdown.
RWV ended the scoring at the 7:40 mark of the fourth quarter, when quarterback Cory Boe tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ted Johnson against Luverne’s defensive reserves. The extra-point attempt failed.

Team statistics
Luverne: 311 rushing yards, 41 passing yards, 352 total yards, 17 first downs, 11 penalties for 100 yards, one turnover.
RWV: 83 rushing yards, 220 passing yards, 303 total yards, 14 first downs, nine penalties for 60 yards, two turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Crable 19-123, Sandbulte 7-94, Skattum 8-40, Ryan Goebel 4-16, Fisher 2-15, Marcus Walgrave 5-11, Joel Evans 2-6, Aaron Schmidt 1-3, Pete Connell 1-3.
Passing: Fisher 1-4 for 41 yards, Connell 0-2 for zero yards.
Receiving: Iveland 1-41.
Defense: Fisher one interception, Matt Herman one interception.

By John Rittenhouse
Adrian solidified its place among the Little Sioux Conference football elite by overpowering Murray County Central 31-8 in Slayton Friday.
The Dragon offense ran the ball for 284 yards and four touchdowns and the defense played well when it had to during a 23-point win.
The game was an important one as AHS and MCC had 3-1 conference records as well as being tied in the point standings for the section playoffs.
Adrian, which seemed to be taking a step backwards when it lost back-to-back games recently, erased any lingering doubts about its competitiveness while winning a second straight title to improve to 4-2 for the season.
"It was a surprising game for us because MCC is not too bad of a ball club," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "We played really well."
The Dragons took any suspense out of the game by scoring the first 31 points of the tilt.
Adrian mounted three 60-plus-yard scoring drives in the first three periods to take an 18-0 lead and put the contest away by turning a pair of MCC turnovers into 13 points in the fourth quarter.
AHS opened the scoring with its second possession of the game.
The Dragons marched 63 yards in nine plays before quarterback Mark Kroon hooked up with Brad Lonneman for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 1:52 remaining in the opening quarter. An incomplete conversion pass kept the difference at 6-0.
Adrian put together an even more impressive drive in the second quarter to make it a 12-0 game.
A 13-play, 71-yard march that consisted of 13 running plays ended with a six-yard touchdown run by Kroon with 5:31 left to play in the first half. Another incomplete pass during the conversion attempt followed the touchdown.
The Dragon defense did its share to keep the difference at 12-0 late in the first half.
MCC moved the ball to the AHS 16-yard line, but the Dragon defense stopped the march on downs with 1:00 remaining in the second period.
Adrian received the kick to start the second half and increased its lead to 18-0 at the end of the possession.
A 13-play, 67-yard drive, which was kept alive when Kroon hit Travis Rupp for a 14-yard gain during a third-and-five situation, ended with Tyler Bullerman scoring on a one-yard plunge at the 5:40 mark of the third quarter. An incomplete pass for a conversion followed the touchdown.
Adrian’s defense, which allowed 309 yards during the game with few consequences, helped the Dragons put the game away by coming up with two turnovers as the second half progressed.
Kroon came up with the first take-away when he recovered an MCC fumble on the AHS 35.
After leading the offense during a 10-play, 65-yard drive, Kroon scored his second rushing touchdown of the contest with a one-yard run 1:25 into the fourth quarter. A failed extra-point attempt kept the score at 24-0.
Senior Jared Henriksen came up with a key play during the drive. AHS faced a third-and-five situation when Henriksen took a handoff from Kroon. He slipped out of the arms of an MCC defender to avoid a two-yard loss before running 17 yards for a first down.
The Dragon defense came up big again moments later when lineman Lonneman picked up a fumble on the MCC 44 and returned it 42 yards to the Rebel two. Dusty Henning scored on a first-down run at the 3:48 mark of the fourth quarter, and Matt Loosbrock added an extra point to make the difference 31-0.
MCC spoiled Adrian’s bid for a shutout when Adam Tentinger scored a rushing touchdown with eight seconds left to play against Adrian’s second team defense. A successful conversion run followed.
The late score didn’t seem to bother Strand, who was happy with his team’s play on both sides of the ball.
"We ran the ball well offensively, and I give a lot of the credit for that to our linemen. Our offensive line did an excellent job. Defensively, we bent, but we didn’t break. We gave up 309 yards, but we came up big when we had to. MCC was zero of five on fourth downs against our defense. We were eight of 11 on converting third downs offensively. Those were the keys in this game," he said.
The Dragons remain one game behind Canby in the LSC standings with two games remaining. The Dragons host Dawson-Boyd (1-4 in the conference and 1-5 overall) in a rare Thursday night game tonight.

Team statistics
Adrian: 285 rushing yards, 39 passing yards, 324 total yards, 18 first downs, five penalties for 25 yards, zero turnovers.
MCC: 292 rushing yards, 17 passing yards, 309 total yards, 16 first downs, five penalties for45 yards, three turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Bullerman 20-127, Henriksen 3-20, Kroon 12-74, Seth Bullerman 9-40, Henning 3-20, Kyle Dorn 1-3, Levi Bullerman 1-1.
Passing: Kroon 5-9 for 39 yards.
Receiving: Lonneman 2-14, S.Bullerman 2-11, Rupp 1-14.
Defense: Henriksen 10 tackles, Joey Anderson seven tackles, Justin Wieneke six tackles, S.Bullerman six tackles and one interception, Kroon one fumble recovery, Lonneman one fumble recovery.

Physical Therapist Pat Smedsrud and Occupational Therapist Lori Mulder recognized the problem among some of their patients and developed a program aimed at treating the disorder with exercises, rather than medicine or surgery.

"Sometimes I think women ignore this problem and use a pad in their underwear and think it's a normal part of aging," Smedsrud said.

She said incontinent people often avoid social functions and give up physical exercise for fear their bladder may leak. A sneeze or cough can be disastrous for some.

"It can be stopped, and we're trying to tell people, why not try exercises versus other options?" Mulder said. "It's effective for 90 percent of the people who try it."

The exercises Smedsrud and Mulder recommend are the same ones recommended for new mothers recovering from delivery. Called "Kegels," the exercise is performed by contracting the muscle that would be used to stop the flow of urine midstream.

While that's the best way to describe the exercise, Smedsrud and Mulder caution never to actually do it while urinating, because it can exacerbate a urinary incontinence problem.

The exercise can be done any time, anywhere. "Driving is an excellent time to do them," Smedsrud said. "Or while you're standing doing dishes."

According to the Center for Bladder Control, 5 percent of men between 15 and 64 years old are affected by urinary incontinence, and up to 30 percent of women in that age group suffer from the disorder.

An estimated 50 percent of elderly suffer from urinary incontinence. More than 43 percent of elderly women and nearly 21 percent of elderly men are affected.

Direct medical costs of urinary incontinence in 1994 was $16.4 billion, and adult diapers sales were projected to exceed $2 billion in 1999.

Luverne Community Hospital's prenatal program already encourages new mothers to get their pelvic muscles back in shape with Kegel exercises.

But Smedsrud and Mulder know countless other men and women (often seniors) are also suffering and may not be aware there's something they can do about it.

That's why they asked local physicians to refer patients to their new program. "We're expecting quite a few referrals," Smedsrud said.

"Once the issue is out in the open and people are willing to talk about it, we will probably be pretty busy," Mulder said.

For starters, they want to encourage people to seek help from their doctors. "We're trying to get women - and men - to understand it's a problem that can be fixed," Mulder said.

Once patients are referred to a therapist, the program starts with an evaluation to see how serious the condition is. "For example, getting up five to six times a night is not normal," Mulder said.

In addition to the questioning process, some patients may be evaluated with a bio-feedback electrode that senses muscular activity and can stimulate activity if there is none.

When therapists determine a patient can be helped by Kegels, treatment (which is covered by Medicare) is simple, Mulder said.

"It doesn't take a lot of treatment sessions at all," she said, adding that it's important patients understand the proper way to perform the exercise. "Our goal is two to five sessions."

The long-term success of treatment is up to the patient. "It's something that people need to do the rest of their lives," Smedsrud said. "You can't just fix the problem and it goes away."

People who think they can be helped by the program are encouraged to talk to their doctors about a referral.

For more information about the therapy, call Luverne Community Hospital at 283-2321. The rehabilitation department is extension 229.

By Sara Quam

Ordinary people have a chance to help the hungry - near and far - during the Rock County Crop Walk Sunday.

Last year the Crop Walk brought in a total of nearly $5,000. The Rock County Emergency Food Shelf gets 25 percent of funds raised. Although the local benefits don't seem astronomical, the food shelf can usually last for more than three months on $1,000.

Dorothy Dorn, who manages the food shelf out of the Luverne Methodist Church, said use of the service is slightly down this year, which has been the case in most Minnesota food shelves. But, she said, "People are still hungry and still need our help."

This is the fourth year Rock County has had a Crop Walk, and it begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at the Rock County Highway Department. Participants have the option of walking 1.5- or 2.6-mile routes. It is open to individuals, congregations, groups and families.

Jane Wildung said 100 to 125 people have usually attended. "It's a nice leisurely afternoon. A lot of parents and kids come."

She said she would be available to answer questions at 283-4691 or 283-4053. The Rev. Dell Sanderson and George Bonnema are organizers.

Those interested can just show up at the highway building (on North Blue Mound Avenue) with pledges and contributions.

Other than the local food shelf, Church World Service will receive proceeds from the fund-raiser and distribute them to various hunger organizations in the area and around the world.

By Jolene Farley
The twists and turns of life can be very trying. Life is a difficult test for even the strongest and fittest.
Beaver Creek’s Ron Rauk and his family were tested recently. Ron has a good life that will continue thanks to a donated liver he recently received.

By Sara Quam
Tonight could bring a final decision in the Fledgling Field development issue, but both sides of the debate aren’t holding their breath.
The Luverne Planning Commission meets at 7:30 p.m. in council chambers to discuss the future of Fledgling Field after Tuesday’s meeting ended in a recess.
Since May, the commission has listened to those in favor of allowing Cornerstone Construction to build a funeral home on the lot and listened to those against varying from a strict residential zoning.
The commission has already taken a 60-day extension, which expires Nov. 8, and unless a decision is made tonight, it will have to ask for another extension.
Letting the deadline pass without decision would mean the request is automatically approved by the commission. The City Council still has final say in the matter but will give high consideration to the commission’s recommendation.
Funeral homes aren’t specifically named in any existing zoning codes — business or residential, so the Fledgling Field decision comes down to a judgment call by commission members.
Acting city attorney Ben Vander Kooi, said at this point the commission has three choices:
Members can decide to grant the conditional use permit.
They can deny the permit.
They can put a hold on the vote and amend the zoning ordinance to specify placement of funeral homes. This would require writing the amendment, a public hearing and council approval.
Vander Kooi recommended the third option but said the process couldn’t be completed before the Nov. 8 deadline. Since the commission has already received an extension, it would have to ask Cornerstone for the extension.
Commission members who will be voting on the conditional use permit are Bob Dorn, Mike Rofshus, Curt Gacke and Jim Kirchhofer. Joel Johnson is abstaining because as a funeral home director, he has a conflict of interest.

Kids, you can prevent fires too
Children start 100,000 fires in their homes every year. Fires are scary and very dangerous. They are loud and hot, and the smoke makes it hard to see. Fires hurt and destroy things in your home. You and your family can help make your home safer from fire. Here’s how:

IN THE KITCHEN
Don’t cook alone or without asking an adult.
Remind your parents to turn pot handles toward the center of the stove. They should never hang over the edge where someone could bump into them and knock them off the stove.

THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
Never put anything over a lamp, like clothes or a blanket, not even when playing.
Don’t stand too close to the fireplace or a wood stove. You could get burned or your clothes could catch fire.
Never touch matches, lighters, or candles. If you see matches or lighters in a room, tell an adult right away.
Remind grownups to change smoke alarm batteries at least once a year.

AROUND ELECTRICITY
Don’t play with electrical cords.
Never stick anything into an electrical socket.
Turn off lights, stereos, TVs and other electrical equipment when you are finished using them.

Salute area firefighters

October 8-14 is National Fire Prevention Week
Luverne: Chief Kurt Kester, Asst. Chief Don Deutsch, Tim Anderson, Sam Berghorst, Brad Goembel, Cory Bloemendaal, Fred Boll, Roy Buss Jr., Rick Buysse, David Cook, Dan Nath, Mike Elbers, Bob Frakes, Todd Frankenhoff, Curt Gacke, Kevin Gruis, Glen Gust, Gary Holmgren, Mike Jarchow, Jody Reisch, Bill Ketterling, Mark Kurtz, Mike Lammert, Ronnal McClure, Tom Nelson, Mike Raddle, Tom Rager, Cory Schneekloth, Bryce Stoltenberg, Bart Thielbar, Rick Ward, Steven Wynia, Troy Buss, Scott Ketterling, Tom Martius, Clyde Menning, Mike Ketterling.

Hills: Chief Al Top, Assistant Chief Doug Chapman, Assistant Chief Arlen Leenderts, Secretary Jared Roozeboom, Treasurer Jeff Bass, Ron Arp, Ron Behr, Neil Bly, Stacen Burgers, Tom Bush, Dana Dahlquist, Mark DeBoer, Tim DeHaan, Tim Durst, Wilmer Elbers, Steve Fagerness, Larry Haak, Pete Hoff, Jim Jellema, Larry Leuthold, Jack Paulsen, Mark Top, Stan VanWyhe, Steve Wiertzema.

Hardwick: Chief Dan Kindt, Assistant Chief Randy Scott, Jason Aanenson, Don Bryan, Rick Buss, Ken Frey, Sam Hansen, Steve Hansen, Jarnet Johansen, Randy Johnson, Terry Johnson, Tom Johnson, Joan Kindt, Bill Rolfs, Dave Sietsema, Randy Sprik, Brock Thielbar.

Magnolia:
Chief Dennis Strassburg, Assistant Chief Dallas Dohlmann, Scott Dohlmann, Jason Dohlmann, Dave Groen, Norman Nelson, Brad Skattum, Bruce Olson, Steve DeGroot, Robert Somnis, Carol Dohlmann, Carol Nelson, Diane Strassburg.

Beaver Creek:
Chief Rick Tatge, Assistant Chief Rick Rauk, Lloyd DeBoer, Arnie Brondsema, Ron Rauk, Roger Van Roekel, Jim Sammons, Greg Koel, Dave Anderson, Jim Vanderburg, Daryl Fuerstenberg, Shannon Tatge, Jason Rauk, Ryan Rauk, Chris Harnack.

Kenneth:
Danny Roskamp, Doris Hoven, Sterling Severtson, David Groen, Bonnie Groen, Diane Strassburg, Dennis Strassburg, Lori Gangestad, Keith Hoven, Dalwyn Schelhaas, Del Nieuwboer, Delbert Gangestad and David Severtson.

But fires do happen and when they do, Kester and the rest of the department — occupied solely by volunteers — are ready. Luverne firefighters keep up with physical and informational training by meeting almost every Monday. Those training sessions prove to be valuable.
"Every time there’s a fire, it’s serious," Kester said. "You have to be ready, and the blood pressure kind of starts up."
Because all firefighters are volunteers they carry pagers, and captains and chiefs carry radios for contact at any time. When they’re paged, all report to the station and leave from there with appropriate gear and in the fire vehicles.
In the event of a pumper running out of water in a rural area, there’s an agreement among departments to help respond. For example, a fire in rural Kenneth could get support from Edgerton, Luverne and Magnolia.
Because firefighters sometimes work in Sioux Falls, Kester said some don’t respond as fast as others, but the department is always covered.
Area fire departments have a good reputation for adequate services, and it’s even better this year for Luverne with a new fire pumper.
"The city takes pretty good care of us — in personnel and equipment," Kester said. Kester would ideally like to see a larger fire station to store all of the department’s equipment. Right now, the department uses the fire station, county highway department and outdoor storage.
While facilities may lack a little space, Kester said the manpower is sizeable. "We’re really lucky in Luverne. … The last time three positions opened up, seven applied," Kester said.
Kester said fire department funding is local, 75 percent city and 25 percent township. "Rural communities have more of an expense. ... There are less people out there to tax."
Kester said support from the community allows Luverne firefighters extras that other rural departments may not be able to enjoy. "Our strength is the support from the community," he said. "Two years ago we ran a fund drive [for fire cameras], thinking it would take a year to get one, and within six months we had two."
In observance of National Fire Prevention Week, the Luverne Fire Department is also hosting numerous educational tours for elementary students.

Here's how you can help
prevent and handle house fires

Smoke is responsible for three out of four deaths.

Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and outside of sleeping areas.
Test every detector at least once a month. [See your instruction book for the location of the test button.]
Keep smoke detectors dust free. Replace batteries with new ones at least once a year, or sooner if the detector makes a chirping sound.
If you have a smoke detector directly wired into your electrical system, be sure that the little signal light is blinking periodically. This tells you that the alarm is active.
Inexpensive smoke detectors are available for the hearing impaired.

As with other things, the best motto is, "Be Prepared."

Prepare a floor plan of your home showing at least two ways out of each room.
Sleep with your bedroom door closed. In the event of fire, it helps to hold back heat and smoke. But if a door feels hot, do not open it; escape through another door or window.
Easy-to-use window escape ladders are available through many catalogues and outlet stores.
Agree on a fixed location out-of-doors where family members are to gather for a head count.
Stay together away from the fire. Call 911 from another location. Make certain that no one goes back inside the burning building.
Check corridors and stairways to make sure they are free of obstructions and combustibles.
To help cut down on the need for an emergency exit in the first place, clear all unnecessary items from the attic, basement, garage, and closets.

Remember, you're deliberately bringing fire into your home; respect it.

Use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks from flying.
Don't store newspapers, kindling, or matches near the fireplace or have an exposed rug or wooden floor right in front of the fireplace.
Have your chimney inspected by a professional prior to the start of every heating season and cleaned to remove combustible creosote build-up if necessary.
Install a chimney spark arrester to prevent roof fires.
When lighting a gas fireplace, strike your match first, then turn on the gas.

Careless cooking is the number one cause of residential fires.

It's wise to have a fire extinguisher near the kitchen. Keep it 10 feet away from the stove on the exit side of the kitchen.
Never pour water on a grease fire; turn off the stove and cover the pan with a lid, or close the oven door.
Keep pot handles on the stove pointing to the back, and always watch young children in the kitchen.
Don't store items on the stove top, as they could catch fire.
Keep kitchen appliances clean and in good condition, and turn them off and disconnect them when not in use.
Don't overload kitchen electrical outlets and don't use appliances with frayed or cracked wires.
Wear tight-fitting clothing when you cook. Here's why: An electrical coil on the stove reaches a temperature of 800 degrees. A gas flame goes over 1,000 degrees. Your dish towel or pot holder can catch fire at 400 degrees. So can your bathrobe, apron, or loose sleeve.
Be sure your stove is not located under a window in which curtains are hanging.
Clean the exhaust hood and duct over the stove regularly. and wipe up spilled grease as soon as the surface of the stove is cool.
Operate your microwave only when there is food in it.