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Winterfest is this weekend

By Sara QuamThe eighth annual Winterfest in Luverne has the theme "Traditions of Christmas," but it also brings some new changes to the festive weekend.A new addition to this year’s Winterfest is the gingerbread house contest. Entries are displayed in Luverne businesses. Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce Director Dave Smith said Winterfest makes a good kickoff for many businesses’ shopping season."People come into town and see what the stores have to offer," he said."Something new that might be happening for Winterfest this year is Lincoln High School marching in the parade. They’re going to the Rose Bowl and would like the opportunity to practice here, so they gave us a call," Smith said. "Weather permitting, they’ll be here."The Winterfest Parade route will be the same as usual, but city lights will remain on this year. The Winterfest Committee will decide which option is best for the parade after the event this year.The parade route begins at 7 p.m. at the corner of Main and Freeman, proceeding on Main Street to Blue Mound Avenue. Floats will then turn north on Blue Mound to Luverne Street and then turn west on Luverne to Cedar Street. This allows for the parade entries to travel by the Hospice Cottage, the hospital and Blue Mound Tower.Handicapped parking will be available at Connell Car Care on west Main Street. Cars aren’t allowed on Main Street but can park on Luverne Street. Gingerbread house contest winners Adult:
1st Place — Myrna and Russ Van Voorst (displayed at Luverne Style Shop)
2nd Place — NU Alpha Sorority, submitted by Kirsten Eisma (displayed at Brandenburg Gallery)13 and younger:
1st Place — Luverne Elementary 4th Grade, Jennifer Engesser, teacher (displayed at Gabe’s Clothing and Shoes) Members of the class are Jordan Almond, Autumn Altman, Wyatt Aubert, Bo Biever, Nicholas Buss, Allison Dohlman, Lucas Dohlman, Elija Dooyema, Blade Fry, Zachary Gillette, Logan Herman, Nathan Kannas, Cassandra Liebhard, Alex Moran, Cody Raddle, Christian Rise-Schrader, Emily Robinson, Kelly Sandager, Katlynn Staeffler, Casey Van Engelenhoven, Skyler Wenninger, and Kaitlin Wohnoutka.
2nd Place — St. Catherine’s Youth (displayed at Ace Hardware)Those who made the house were Kiley Henrichs, Jordan Huls and Cody Vanderziel with chaperones Amanda Kannas, Lindsey Richters and Sara DohertyOther gingerbread houses:
Bill & Janet Preuss & Diane Arends — adult category (displayed at Pizza Ranch)
Alex Dover — 13 and younger category (displayed at Final Touch)All houses were judged by the Winterfest Committee.Other activitiesWinterfest weekend includes many events:Open swimming for adults and kids (for $1) at the Rock County Community Pool from 6 to 8:45 p.m. Friday; from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday; and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Carnegie Cultural Center Festival of Trees open Friday 1 to 5 p.m.
Neighborhood Lighted Lanes decorating contest. Maps are available at the Chamber Office and local convenience stores.
"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" dinner theater at the Palace Theatre. Show is at 8 p.m. Friday; after the parade Saturday, and at 8 p.m. Sunday. The dinner is at the American Reformed Church at 6 p.m. Friday and Sunday. Call (507) 483-2296 for reservations.Friday:
Story Hour will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Rock County Community Library.
Carnegie Cultural Center 100th anniversary open house from 4 to 6 p.m.
De-Light-Full 5K Run at 6 p.m. Registration begins at 5 p.m. in the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center.
Cribbage tournament at the Eagles Club at 6:30 p.m. Saturday:
Craft Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Luverne Cardinal Gymnasium with more than 90 food and craft vendors.
Santa’s Workshop and Make and Take Projects from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Elementary School Music Rooms. This activity is for children in grades kindergarten through fourth.
Pictures with Santa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Elementary School Commons
Parade of Homes from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the Carnegie Cultural Center.
Senior Citizens Holiday Bake Sale starts at 10:30 a.m. with a soup/dessert luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Senior Center.
Parade of Lights begins at 7 p.m.
Sno-Masters Stock Snowmobile Drag Race begins at 11 a.m. Registration starts at 10 a.m. at Papik Motors. (Call 283-4606 for more information.)
Snow Bowling: $2 bowling and free shoe rental at Luverne Lanes from 2 to 7 p.m. before the parade starts.
Soup supper from 5 to 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church.
Festival of Trees with warm cider and Christmas goodies after the parade at the Carnegie Cultural Center.Sunday:
Hospice Tree Lighting Ceremony 7 p.m. at the Hospice Cottage.

Luverne Marine injured in Iraq

By Lori EhdeMarine Pfc. Kevin Miller is recovering in a military hospital just 10 miles away from Falluja where he was injured by Iraqi enemy fire.In a Saturday ambush, a bullet went through his arm, and a grenade bloodied his legs when it exploded at close range.Kevin called his parents, Steve and Kari Schultz, Sunday to say he’d been injured but is safe. "Right now I feel relief," Steve said Tuesday.For the first time in nearly a month, Kevin’s family back home in Luverne can exhale."Last night was the first time we slept well in a long time," Kari said. "I know for a fact that he’s safe and well-cared for. … For the first time we’re certain of something."Miller is a member of Bravo Company of the First Battalion, Eighth Marines, which has seen some of the worst infantry fighting so far in the war.He was injured in a follow-up mission after more than a week of heavy combat in the streets of Falluja.After no correspondence in more than a month, Kevin called his parents on Nov. 22 at 5:15 a.m. Minnesota time (2:15 p.m. Falluja time)."The call only lasted about two or three minutes," Steve said. "He was in the streets of Falluja. He told us they were still going door to door looking for insurgents and weapons caches, and he didn’t know when they would return to their base camp."The next call, Steve said, was on the cell phone Sunday, when Kevin called from the hospital at Camp Falluja.Like something from the movies …This call lasted several minutes, but it packed enough information to fill a Hollywood movie script.On Saturday Kevin was the lead Marine in his unit, kicking in doors one house at a time in the war-torn city. In one of the houses, Kevin’s group was ambushed. When he kicked in a door he found himself face-to-face with an enemy AK-47 which started spraying ammunition.Kevin’s 100-pound flak jacket absorbed most of the hits, but one bullet found his arm and he dropped his weapon and fell to the floor.His friend, Lance Cpl. Joshua Lucero, lay dead in the middle of the room while Kevin was pinned down by insurgent fire. Incidentally, he and Lucero had survived a close call in an ambush the day before. "After that close call, Lucero told Kevin that he was going to start going to church often," Steve said. "The next day, Lucero is dead."Lying there on the floor, Kevin then heard the distinctive "tick, tick, tick" of a nearby grenade that exploded just three feet away from him.When the shooting stopped, he was covered with blood — especially his legs, which were chewed from hip to toe by grenade shrapnel.But he was alive.And his injuries meant he’d spend the rest of his tour — until mid January — recuperating out of combat."Well, I got my Purple Heart," Kevin told his dad on the phone Sunday.‘I’m not afraid anymore’His parents were less concerned about the medal."I’m just so elated, I can’t even describe it," Kari said Tuesday. Since Kevin left in June, his role in Iraq has been hard on the Schultz family — Steve, Kari and their other children, Brandon and Stephanie — at home in Luverne.November was particularly difficult for Steve and Kari, because in Kevin’s last correspondence, sent Oct. 17, they detected an eerie tone."hey guys, its been awhile. not much i can say over the computer. pray for me tonight. thats what i need. i miss all you guys. im half way finished. i live in a new place. its not very nice. dirty and beat up. i havent had a shower since i talked to you last. i havnt been getting much sleep. so i havnt had time to write you a letter. sorry.i cant wait to get home.God has made me at peace and im not afraid anymore. i love you all very much and i hope to see you in a few months. love kevin."To Steve and Kari, that message sounded like good-bye."It’s like he was telling us he’s ready to die, and that he was OK with that," Kari said.Meanwhile, Steve and Kari knew just enough about the war in Iraq to be very afraid for Kevin’s life.Through the Web site, www.marineparents.com, they could plug into their son’s specific unit and battalion and stay in touch with other parents of marines in combat.If they heard useful information from their children, they’d pass it along to other parents.And when bad news struck, that also found its way to the Web site.Kevin’s parents knew, for example, that both of his Camp Lejuene roommates (three Marines share a room in the barracks) were killed during that first week of operations at Falluja.From the front lines …They also became avid readers of the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and New York Times, as they all had reporters imbedded with Bravo Company."The 150 marines with whom I traveled, Bravo Company of the First Battalion, Eighth Marines, had it as tough as any unit in the fight," wrote New York Times reporter Dexter Filkins in a story published Nov. 21. "They moved through the city almost entirely on foot, into the heart of the resistance, rarely protected by tanks or troop carriers, working their way through Falluja's narrow streets with 75-pound packs on their backs."In eight days of fighting, Kevin’s unit had 36 casualties, including six dead, meaning he had a one-in-four chance of being wounded or killed in little more than a week."So went eight days of combat for this Iraqi city," Filkins wrote, "the most sustained period of street-to-street fighting that Americans have encountered since the Vietnam War. The proximity gave the fighting a hellish intensity, with soldiers often close enough to look their enemies in the eyes."Reading this made waiting for word — and hearing nothing — agonizing for families at home. "It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life," Kari said. She describes herself as an otherwise happy person but admitted she may have suffered from depression."Sometimes I was paralyzed with fear. I’d sit here with a robe on all day. I couldn’t do dishes, I couldn’t do all these things that needed doing. … I’d go to work and put my smile on all day, and then I’d get home at night and just let it all out."Steve said the whole family was on pins and needles, startling at the sound of the phone or doorbell, for fear of bad news.That’s why the joy of hearing Kevin’s voice in Sunday’s phone call was equally hard to describe."I’m just praising God, because I feel like he was protected — that’s the reason he’s coming home to us," Kari said. "One thing that really helped me was my faith. I read my Bible; I’d page through it and somehow I’d always find something that would help."Despite the recent good news, Kari said she hurts for the families whose loved ones died. "While I’m happy, I’m still aching inside for them," she said.A remarkable kidAfter talking to him Monday, Kari said questions came to mind she wished she’d asked Kevin."… but I guess I was just enjoying hearing his voice and letting him talk," she said. "I was thinking, ‘That’s my boy.’ He really is a remarkable kid."Miller grew up in Luverne and graduated from Luverne High School in 2001. He was a baby when his mother married Steve, and he was known as Kevin Schultz while growing up in Luverne.He was 17 when he signed up for the Marines the summer before his senior year in high school.He graduated from basic training Sept. 14, 2001, three days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America."I had a sick feeling in my gut," Kari said about that day. "I knew my boy was in it for the long haul. He was committed, and he was going to be part of what’s happening. I knew because he’s infantry, he’d be called to duty."… but he wanted that, to be part of history."This is Kevin’s second tour in Iraq. His first one was from March to August 2003. He was home in May, for 10 days, and his current tour started June 22.Bravo Company is expected to return to Camp Lejeune in mid-January.

Mark my words

A couple of basketball scores popped out at me recently – one was in college basketball and the other at the fifth-grade level (you probably missed that one on Sportscenter). The college score was a men’s game between Mankato State and Crossroads. Final score: Mankato 132, Cross Roads 35. Now I’m not one of these nicey-nicey liberals who wants to even the playing field with some sort of basketball affirmative action plan, maybe by spotting the other team 50 points or playing with only four players. But I do try to be a nice compassionate conservative and just wonder how it is that a team wins by almost 100 points, without running up the score, and what purpose it serves. Wouldn’t Mankato have been better served to have their reserves run through their offense a few times before taking a shot? Wouldn’t that have been a good basic practice for them? I know there’s a shot clock in college, but maybe MSU’s coach could have decreed that they run 20 seconds off the clock before attempting to score, or tell them to make 10 crisp passes before scoring. For one, it would have been classy. For two, it could’ve served as a practice. But class isn’t something running rampant in sports these days. Before you write me to tell me that it is no longer Mankato State, that it is Minnesota State University-Mankato, I’ll tell you that I know that but I choose to ignore the change. I also still call the University of Sioux Falls by its old name – Sioux Falls College. And it’s still the St. John’s Redmen, not the St. John’s Storm for me. Call me a throw-back or stubborn, but mostly it’s just an old habit. But I digress ... The youth score was a girls basketball game in Brandon, where an all-star team from Sioux Falls beat a Brandon team 90-0. No, my daughter was not on the Brandon team, so that’s not why I mention it. (My daughter’s team won their first game 3-0, with my daughter scoring two-thirds of her team’s points – not exactly an all-star in the making with one field goal. )The Sioux Falls team was actually an all-star team brought together from two other all-star teams. So it was an all-star all-star team in the tournament playing just your average run-off the mill group of girls from Brandon. I didn’t witness it, so I don’t know how it came to be that the Sioux Falls team managed 90 points. Sure, it’s tough to tell fifth-grade girls not to try to score, but they still could’ve resorted to the previous techniques I described before scoring. Both teams probably would’ve gotten more out of it. There’s no sense to it, other than giving the coach something to laugh about at the bar later that night. As it was, the organizer of the tournament went up to the Sioux Falls coach after the game, gave him his entry fee back and told him to get lost. I don’t know if that was necessary, but it probably was wise as that coach was probably cruisin’ for a bruisin’ if he kept up that nonsense the rest of the day. Some parent probably would have gone all "Wisconsin deer hunter" on him.Coaches need to remember that what comes around goes around, just ask the Nebraska Cornhuskers – the old kings of running up the football score, who now are just thrilled to score at all.

Ellsworth tripped up by turnovers

By Mark HaugenTurnovers plagued the Panthers the first two games of their season and things were no different for them in two losses last week.The Ellsworth girls basketball team dropped to 1-3 overall with a 56-54 overtime loss to Southwest Christian last Tuesday night and 73-63 loss to Lakeview on Monday night. Both games were in Ellsworth.A bright spot for Ellsworth was senior Laurel Drenth passing the 1,000-point mark for her career.The Panthers will attempt to turn the turnover tide Friday night in a conference game at Canby.SWC 56, Ellsworth 54 — OTThe Panthers shot themselves in the foot with 31 turnovers, but the most costly came on an over-and-back violation with six seconds left in overtime that SWC then converted into a layup with two seconds left for the win."The difference in the game was the turnovers (31-16)," coach Dean Schnaible said. "We played them evenly from the floor with field goals and free throws. I told the girls if you take away a third of the turnovers that’s down to about 21 and there’s a possibility for 10 more points or so."Laurel Drenth paced the Panthers with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Junior Amy Tiesler netted 12 and also had nine rebounds and two blocks. Senior Marla Groen scored 10.Ellsworth Box ScoreTiesler 5 0 2-2 12, Kvaale 2 0 0-0 4, Lynette Drenth 0 0-0 0, Laurel Drenth 4 0 6-7 14, Lewis 2 0 0-0 4, Groen 1 2 2-2 10, Brittney Kramer 1 0 0-0 2, Amy Timmer 2 0 4-5 8. Total: 17 2 14-16 54.Team totals:Shooting: E 19-44 for 43.2 percent, SWC 19-44. Rebounds: E 35 (Amy Tiesler 9, Laurel Drenth 9, Amy Timmer 5). Blocks: Tiesler 2. Steals: E 4. Turnovers: E 31, SWC 16. Assists: Laurel Drenth 6.Lakeview 73,Ellsworth 63The Panthers dug themselves a 20-8 hole after the first quarter and couldn’t recover, despite outscoring the Lakers 55-53 the last three quarters in the Camden Conference opener for both teams.Laurel Drenth again led the way with 24 points, giving her 1,007 on her career. She also grabbed nine rebounds with four assists and two steals. Groen tossed in 17 points, including a couple of 3-pointers, and had six assists. Tiesler scored nine points and had three steals."They just beat us on transition," Schnaible said. "We could not convert quickly enough from offense to defense. They beat us back numerous times on their transition and we couldn’t adjust."Team speed is one of our weaknesses and it showed. They were so much quicker — that was the difference. They were go, go, go."It was Lakeview’s first game of the season and Ellsworth’s fourth.Ellsworth Box ScoreTiesler 3 0 3-4 9, Brooke Kramer 1 0 0-0 2, Kvaale 0 0-0 0, Lynette Drenth 0 0-0 0, Laurel Drenth 6 3 33-6 24, Lewis 0 0 3-4 3, Groen 5 2 1-2 17, Brittney Kramer 2 0 0-0 4, Amy Timmer 2 0 0-0 4. Total: 19 5 10-16 63.Team totals:Shooting: E 24-63 for 38.1 percent, L 24-59 for 40.7 percent. Rebounds: E 35 (Laurel Drenth 9, Groen 6, Tiesler 5, Lewis 5), L 27. Steals: E, Tiesler 3, Laurel Drenth 2. Assists: E, Groen 6, Laurel Drenth 4, Brittney Kramer 3.

Dragons lose first

By Mark HaugenA whole new cast of characters took the stage for their first Adrian varsity girls basketball game Tuesday night and came up short, 66-53, to Southwest Christian in Edgerton."I thought we played well for the first time out," Coach Randy Strand said. "For most of the girls it was their first varsity game. I think they accepted it well and handled the pressure. We’re never satisfied with a loss, but I am pleased with the effort."Sam Lynn led the way with 15 points and seven assists. Kelly Banck had 11 points and five rebounds. Kayla Bullerman and Brittany Bullerman scored 10 and nine points, respectively."Midway through the second quarter they got up by 22 points and we weren’t getting back on defense. We kind of let them stretch it out on us there."Adrian battled back to within 58-51 with 2 minutes, 30 seconds to go, but could get no closer.Adrian hosts Edgerton Thursday and hosts SSC on Saturday afternoon.Box ScoreEmily Their 1 0-0 2,Banck 3 1 2-4 11, Lynn 5 1 2-4 15, Reisdorfer 1 0-0 2, Courtney Their 1 0-0 2, Kayla Bullerman 2 6-6 10, Brittany Bullerman 4 1-2 9, Loosbrock 1 0-0 2.Team totals:Shooting: A 20-61 for 33 percent, SWC 24-57 for 42 percent. Rebounds: A 25, SWC 25. Turnovers: A 15, SWC 15.

Lincoln HI too much for Luverne girls

By Mark HaugenCoach Jason Phelps figured that consistent play would be an early problem for the Luverne girls basketball team. He was right as the Cardinals lost their season-opener 63-52 to Lincoln HI on Tuesday, Nov. 23, in Ivanhoe.Luverne clung close early, trailing only 13-12 after the first quarter and 28-23 at halftime, but couldn’t get over the hump."We played well at times," Phelps said. "We had a run of eight straight points there in the first half. We would look good for a couple of minutes at a time and then had times defensively when we gave them open looks, especially in the second half."The Cardinals, 0-2, had trouble stopping Lincoln HI’s Tiffany Sitterman, who nailed six 3-pointers, and then had trouble hitting their own 3-pointers (0-8)."That was the difference. We didn’t make our open shots so we had trouble making runs back against them," Phelps said. "We’ve always talked about consistency on offense but we need it on defense too. We had a little trouble putting bodies on somebody rebounding."Sam Gacke led Luverne with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Ashley Heitkamp netted 10 points, while Maggie Kuhlman notched five steals and six assists."Lincoln got a nice lead up to 15 in the fourth quarter and we kept coming back," Phelps said. "We had it under 10 with less than two minutes to go, but never quite got it all the way back."Luverne plays Thursday at Pipestone in its first conference game of the year and then is at Southwest Christian on Saturday."Offensively we’ve had four or five different double-figure scorers in our first two games. We need to have them all contribute on the same night. We’ve been good on balance but just had a number of possessions where we give up the ball and give them too many open looks."Box ScoreHeitkamp 4 2-2 10, Nieuwboer 3 0-1 6, Snyder 2 2-4 6, Petersen 0 0-0 0, Kuhlman 3 2-6 8, Gacke 7 0-0 14, Evans 2 4-5 8. Team: 21 10-18 52.Team totals:3-pointers: L 0-8. 2-pt shooting: L 21-46 for 45.7 percent; Rebounds: L 21 (Gacke 10); Assists: L 12 (Kuhlman 6, Snyder 3); Turnovers: L 24; Blocks: L 4 (Gacke 4).

Pipestone flexes muscle

By Mark HaugenSaturday’s opener against Pipestone Area was the first of what coach Steve Wiertzema anticipates will be many physical games this season. He hopes future outcomes are different.Pipestone held the Hills-Beaver Creek boys to 33 percent shooting from the field and beat the Patriots 48-45 in the season-opener Saturday night in Hills."It was a very physical game and we didn’t adjust to that very well," Wiertzema said. "They were big and physical and that’s going to happen to us all year long. We’ll have to learn to adjust and use our strengths to our advantage. We’re going to be better shooters than that, but we did not have a good night."H-BC had its chance to win as they had the ball with 20 seconds left and the game tied 45-45. But a missed free throw resulted in a loose ball getting kicked around. A Pipestone player picked it up and was fouled on the layup resulting in a three-point play."Then we didn’t get a very good shot off to try and tie," Wiertzema said. "Considering how we shot and the way the game went, we were fortunate to be tied with 20 seconds left."Kale Wiertzema dropped in 30 points for the Patriots, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished four assists. Tyler Bush scored 10 points, led with seven assists and had four steals.H-BC shot only 5-21 from the field in the first half, yet committed only six turnovers for the game and forced 19 from Pipestone."We played defense pretty well and rebounded well against a team that size. When you only have six turnovers against a team that pressures you like they did, that’s pretty good," he said. H-BC hosts Edgerton on Friday night and hosts Central Lyon on Monday.Box ScoreWysong 0 0-0 0, Bush 3 4-9 10, Wiertzema 9 1 9-10 30, Baker 0 0-2 0, Broesder 1 1-2 3, Hup 0 0-0 0, LaBoutillier 1 0-2 2. 14 1 14-25 45.Team totals:Field goals: HBC 15-45, 33 percent, P 16-42, 38 percent. Free throws: HBC 14-25, P 13-17. Rebounds: HBC 26 (Wiertzema 14), P 34. Steals: HBC 11 (Wysong 4, Bush 4). Assists: HBC 13 (Bush 7, Wiertzema 4). Turnovers: HBC 6, P 19.

Three-game streak has girls hockey team on track

By Mark HaugenTwo victories last week have produced a mini three-game winning streak and pushed the Luverne girls hockey team to 3-2 on the season.Luverne outskated Waseca 7-4 Saturday night in Waseca and followed with a 5-1 win over Windom on the Cardinals’ home ice Tuesday.Luverne plays at Fairmont on Thursday and returns home to play Sioux Falls Blue on Thursday, Dec. 9.Luverne 7, Waseca 4The Cardinals jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first period Saturday and didn’t look back in notching their second victory of the season.Seniors Sadie Dietrich and Natalie Domagala each netted three goals in the win.Despite the first-period lead, coach Dave Siebenahler said the team came out sluggish. "We had a little Thanksgiving supper together Friday night with the whole team, and it seemed they just came out a little slow. It was one of those ugly wins."Dietrich started the scoring parade with an unassisted powerplay goal 3 minutes, 50 seconds into the game. She followed less than two minutes later with another assisted by Domagala.Domagala then knocked home two unassisted goals to give the Cardinals the 4-0 lead.Waseca managed a goal within the first minute of the second period, but Domagala answered that off a Dietrich assist 7:28 into the period. Waseca pulled within 5-2 with a goal 30 seconds later.Ninth-grader Heather Kruse got Luverne back on track with a goal off a Domagala assist 5:33 into the third. Dietrich followed nine seconds later off a Domagala assist and Luverne led 7-2.Waseca managed two goals later in the period to make the score look respectable.Luverne goalie Sarah Schneekloth saved 19 of 23 shots in the game, as Luverne had 34 shots on goal."The girls are coming along real well," Siebenahler said. "The seventh-graders are really stepping it up and don’t seem to get too intimidated by the older players. The team is really starting to show potential.ScoringWaseca 0 2 2 – 4Luverne 4 1 2 – 7Luverne 5, Windom 1The Cardinals rolled to a 5-0 lead behind Domagala’s three-goal performance to dominate Windom.Dietrich assisted Domagala’s first goal at the seven-minute mark of the first period and Domagala added unassisted goals at 14:15 and 6:19 of the second period.Dietrich netted an unassisted goal with 3:30 left in the second as Luverne built its lead to 4-0. Freshman Heather Kruse got an assist from Domagala in getting her goal to start the third period.Windom avoided the shutout with a shorthanded goal with 3:31 left.Schneekloth saved 25 shots, while Luverne fired 30 shots of its own.ScoringLuverne 1 3 1 – 5Windom 0 0 1 – 1

Cardinals beat Fulda, Adrian

By Mark HaugenThe Luverne boys basketball team started its season in fine fashion by posting two non-conference victories last week.The Cardinals edged Adrian 60-52 on Tuesday night in Adrian, and thumped Fulda 59-35 to open the season Saturday on their home court.Coach Tom Rops’ team will be tested with three games in five days this coming week: Friday at Pipestone, Saturday at Southwest Christian and Tuesday hosting Worthington.Adrian opens its conference season Friday at home against Fulda, then plays at R-T-R on Tuesday.Luverne 60, Adrian 52Ahead 13-12 after the first quarter and tied 27-27 at halftime, the Cardinals used a third-quarter spurt to carry them to victory."We got down a little to start the third but we didn’t panic," Rops said. "We stayed with the game plan and it worked out. There was a spurt where they had five bad possessions in a row and we made a run. It was a matter of our defense creating a turnover or bad shot."Senior guard Brandon Deragisch netted 23 points to lead LHS. Junior Nick Heronimus had nine points and led the team with six rebounds."Brandon did a good job shooting but everybody on the team contributed," Rops said.Luverne forced 19 Dragon turnovers and committed only eight of their own. The Cardinals shot only 5-16 from the free-throw line in the first half, but turned it around to hit 12-14 in the second."I knew it would be a tougher game and hopefully we can improve as we get into the conference, because that’s who we have to compare ourselves with. We still haven’t shot the ball that well and hopefully we’ll improve on that."Brett Block led Adrian with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Casey Knips pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked five shots."They controlled the ball down the stretch," Dragons coach Chris Rozell said. "We couldn’t handle the pressure all night. Turnovers were the key for us. They kept up the pressure all night on us."I think it was a good contest for us to start the year. We see our weaknesses and can concentrate on controlling the ball. Our halfcourt set was good. It’s just a matter of getting there."Luverne Box ScorePick 1 4-10 6, Herman 1 2-3 4, Deragisch 5 3 4-4 23, Hendricks 1 4-6 6, Antoine 2 1 0-0 7, Tofteland 1 3-6 5, Heronimus 3 1 0-2 9. Team 19 17-30 60.Adrian Box ScoreBlock 6 1 4-7 19, Brake 6 0-1 12, Stover 1 1 0-0 5, Knips 1 1-2 3, Lonneman 0 3-4 3, Haken 0 1 0-0 3, Claassen 0 2-2 2, Weidert 0 2-2 2, Engelkes 1 0-0 2, Tjepkes 0 1-2 1.Team Totals:Rebounds: L 28 (Heronimus 6), A 32 (Block 11, Knips 10, Brake 8). Steals L (Deragisch 3, Hendricks 3. Turnovers: L 8, A 19. Shooting: L 19-54, A 18-47.Luverne 59, Fulda 35The Cardinals forced 21 Fulda turnovers and limited their own to eight as Luverne won its season opener on the home court.Tied 10-10 after the first quarter, Luverne turned up the defensive heat and held Fulda to two points in the second quarter and 5 points in the third."That’s where we got way ahead," coach Tom Rops said. "We started a little slow, but then we increased the pressure and got some easy buckets out of it."The team also shot free throws well, hitting 18-26.Jon Tofteland scored a dozen points and Brandon Deragisch and Jared Pick had 11 points each to lead 13 Cardinals who scored. Deragisch led with seven rebounds.Tom Sandhurst and Sam Woitalewicz netted nine apiece for Fulda.Luverne Box ScorePick 4 3-5 11, Haakenson 2 0-1 4, Herman 1 0-1 2, Deragisch 2 7-8 11, Tofteland 2 1 5-6 12, Boeve 1 0-1 2, Boelman 1 0-0 2, Heronimus 3 0-0 6, Miller 0 2-2 2, Hendricks 0 1 0-0 3, Antoine 0 1 0-0 3, Ward 0 1-2 1. Team Totals:Rebounds: L 25 (Deragisch 7), F 18. Turnovers: L 8, F 21.

Remember when?

10 years ago (1994)
After property owners received tax statements, about 25 people gathered to hear why the school portion of their taxes had increased more than the 5.51 percent the board had requested. Many saw double digit increases on their tax statements.
After a Thanksgiving weekend storm, the highway department spread about 190 tons of sand and salt, about 25 truckloads, on county roads. School was delayed two hours Monday morning and let out at 1:30 p.m.25 years ago (1979)
Rates at the Luverne Community Hospital will increase the first of the year. Joe McFadden was hospital administrator and reported a deficit of $230,764 if the current rate structure stayed in place. Rates will be increased by $15. A semi-private room will cost $88.50 per day and a private room will cost $93.50. Emergency room services will be increased from $10 to $20. Nursery room rates will increase from $35 to $45.
Voters in the Adrian School District will go to the polls for the fifth time in recent history to cast ballots on a building proposal. The building plan facing voters calls for demolition of the old middle section of the school and replacing that with a new structure.50 years ago (1954)
The new Presbyterian school building will be dedicated this week. The Rev. Ekstrom will use the school for all Christian educational activities. Members of the building committee are Ben Fitzer, Dick Creeger, Dal Levey, Ken Getman, Ed Henningsen, Charles Norelius, Gay Maxwell, Dr. G.N. Getman and Lester Rolfs.
A new home agent was hired by the Rock County Extension Committee. She is Miss Helen Matheis.
Eight inches of heavy snow blanketed the county, snarling road traffic and closing most schools in the area.75 years ago (1929)
The mysterious disappearance of cattle owned by Henry Hansen of Kanaranzi Township was solved when two men from Nobles County were arrested for the theft.
Rock County Cow Testing association completed another year’s work, finding that the highest fat-producing cow was owned by Jasper Christensen, with 68.8 pounds of butterfat.
Two picture shows played at the Palace this week: "The Sap," a story of life in a small Dakota town, and "The Virginian," a cowboy classic.100 years ago (1904)"Leicher Bros. Have a department devoted exclusively to the manufacture and repairing of buggy tops, side curtains, cushions, etc. Good side curtains are a necessity at this time of the year, and no one can afford to be without them."
Mr. and Mrs. Christian Jauert celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
Ed. Knudtson last week purchased the Grant dairy and left Monday for his old home in Round Lake to complete arrangements for moving to Luverne.

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