By John RittenhouseA slumping Ellsworth volleyball team was unable to regain its winning form from earlier in the season during a pair of outings late last week.The Panthers, who have lost six of their last seven matches, were swept in a three-game match played in Minneota Thursday. Ellsworth went 1-3 and placed sixth at Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Tournament in Russell Saturday.Ellsworth, 9-7 overall, plays in Lake Benton tonight before traveling to Edgerton Monday.R-T-R tourneyThe Panthers placed sixth during Saturday’s eight-team tournament played in Russell.Ellsworth did snap a losing skid by defeating Canby during the second round of the event, but the Panthers lost matches to Southwest Star Concept, Wabasso and Lake Benton before the tournament was complete."We’re just not jelling at all right now," said Panther coach Jason Langland. "We were getting after it and diving for every ball earlier in the season. Now it seems like were standing around a lot."The Panthers opened the tournament by splitting two games with SSC to open the tournament, but the Quasars were given the win based on total points scored in the games. EHS won 28-26 in the opener before falling 25-20 in Game 2.Lynette Drenth charted 18 set assists and Laurel Drenth delivered four kills in the first match. Amy Tiesler, who was eight of eight serving with two aces, charted three blocks. Brittney Kramer and Amanda Deutsch contributed three blocks and five digs to the cause respectively.The Panthers posted their win against Canby in the second round. EHS recorded 25-15 and 25-17 victories over the Lancers.Kramer led the Panthers with seven blocks and five kills in the match. Lynette Drenth notched nine set assists. Tiesler was 10 of 11 serving with six aces. Deutsch recorded six digs.Wabasso bested the Panthers by 25-23 and 25-17 tallies in the third round.Laurel Drenth was seven of seven serving with one ace against the Rabbits, and shared the team lead in digs (three each) with Tiesler, and Deutsch. Tiesler produced a team-high five kills, while Kramer led the way with two blocks. Lynette Drenth charted eight set assists.EHS beat Lake Benton 25-22 in the first game of the fifth-place match before falling 25-22 and 15-10 in the final two contests.Kramer and Tiesler led the Panthers at the net with 10 kills and four blocks respectively. Kramer, who had five digs, was 13 of 15 serving with two aces. Laurel Drenth tallied 13 set assists in the finale. Deutsch contributed five digs.Minneota 3,Ellsworth 0The state’s third-ranked Class A team had little trouble in disposing of the Panthers Thursday in Minnesota.The highly-regarded Vikings outscored EHS 75-30 during a convincing, three-game victory."They got the whole package," admitted Panther coach Langland. "They run a lot of different offensive sets, and there are not a lot of high school teams that are quick enough to block them. They are a very good team. There’s no doubt about that.Minneota made an early statement by rolling to a 25-8 win over the Panthers in Game 1.Ellsworth scored 15 points in a 25-15 loss in the second game, but the Vikings dominated play again while coasting to a 25-7 victory in the finale.Rosie Lewis charted three kills and three blocks for EHS, while Lynette Drenth added three kills and three set assists to the cause. Laurel Drenth, who had three digs along with Deutsch, completed eight of nine serves with one ace and five points. Tiesler completed all five of her serves and scored two points.

By John RittenhouseLuverne cross country squads swept the boys’ and girls’ varsity team titles at the Jackson County Central Invitational in Jackson Thursday.In a meet that also attracted Adrian, the Cardinals proved to be the top teams in the field.The LHS boys tallied 34 points to win the nine-team event. The Cardinal girls emerged as the top squad in an eight-team field after scoring 37 points."We had a tremendous meet," said Cardinal coach Bruce Gluf. "Our boys ran like they were possessed. They were not listed in the Top 20 teams when the state’s Class A cross country rankings came out, and they want to get back their respect. Our girls had a great meet, too."Five solid performances turned in by Tom Ward, Thomas Pinkal, Steve Schneiderman, Nick Otten and Dusty Antoine carried the LHS boys to victory. Ward placed fifth in 17:12, Pinkal seventh in 17:57, Schneiderman eighth in 17:59, Otten ninth in 17:59 and Antoine 10th in 18:08.Travis Halfmann (12th in 18:08), David Nelson (44th in 19:52), Craig Oeding (48th in 20:00), Michael Nelson (60th in 20:30), Eric Kraetsch (77th in 21:40), Tyler Muck (92nd in 24:54) and Jerome Willers (94th in 25:04) also ran in the varsity race for LHS.Three Cardinal girls finished fifth or better as individuals during their win in varsity competition.Lexi Heitkamp won the individual crown with a time of 15:20. Amanda Saum and Kayla Raddle placed fourth and fifth with respective 16:00 and 16:42 times.Kelsey Dooyema and Amanda Kannas capped the team scoring for LHS by placing 11th and 20th in 16:42 and 17:14.Kristy Heikes (27th in 17:44), Ashley Kraetsch (79th in 21:15) and Christy Van Dyke (85th in 21:55) ran in the varsity race without influencing the scoring.Adrian, which placed sixth as a team in the boys’ field, was paced by Brandon Bullerman’s 32nd-place finish in 19:15.Lee Stover (35th in 19:23), Ethan Wieneke (38th in 19:35), Jarod Boltjes (39th in 19:40) and Robert Swayze (42nd in 19:48) made contributions to Adrian’s team effort.Aaron Mormann (45th in 19:54), Brad Brake (54th in 20:09), Bryce Antelope (56th in 20:16), Jack Albertson (68th in 20:42), Dustin Lonneman (76th in 21:16), Eldon Vaselaar (95th in 25:09) and Trent Lutmer (100th in 26:29) ran the varsity race without padding the team tally.Adrian ran an incomplete team in the girls’ varsity race.Leslie Stover (sixth in 16:05), Erica Thier (eighth in 16:08), Megan Henning (37th in 18:15) and Kelly Banck (51st in 18:50) represented AHS in the varsity field.Here is a look at the team standings and the junior high results from the JCC Invitational.Girls’ standings: Luverne 37, Martin County West 46, Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin 107, Comfrey-Springfield 120, Blue Earth Area 144, Worthington 152, Westbrook-Walnut Grove 261, St. Peter 302.Boys’ standings: Luverne 34, BEA 50, St. Peter 91, JCC 106, C-S 121, Adrian 171, Worthington 180, MCW 207, ML-B-O 225.Junior high boysLuverne: Davonte Maine, 10th, 6:10; Nick Den Herder, 36th, 8:51.Adrian: Nathan Reyne, first, 5:29; Ross Wieneke, third, 5:36; Kyle Henning, sixth, 6:00; Zach Runia, seventh, 6:07; Jordan Pater, 16th, 6:29; Nick Kellen, 19th, 6:40; Huston Heitkamp, 20th, 6:58; Nick McCann, 29th, 7:40.Junior high girlsLuverne: Rachel Saum, sixth, 6:41; Whitney Oehlerts, 22nd, 7:24.Adrian: Hailee Heitkamp, 22nd, 6:03; Anna Sauer, 15th, 7:00; Alissa Sauer, 30th, 7:40; Samantha Vaselaar, 40th, 8:33.

By John RittenhouseThe longest winning streak of the season for the Luverne tennis team reached three games when the Cardinals recorded a pair of victories at different sites.The Cardinals capped Southwest Conference play with a 3-2 record by nipping Pipestone Thursday in Luverne. The Cards posted another one-point win in Sleepy Eye Tuesday.Luverne, 7-3 overall, plays at the Southwest Conference Tournament in Redwood Falls today.Luverne 4, SE 3A run of wins late in the match gave the Cardinals a one-point victory in Sleepy Eye Tuesday.SE led 3-1 after the first four matches were complete, but Luverne rallied to win the final three matches to pull out a 4-3 victory."We needed to win all of the last three matches, and the girls came through," said LHS coach Greg Antoine.Alyssa Klein and Nikki Van Dyk posted crucial singles wins late in the match.After losing the first three games to Ali Tews at No. 3 singles, Klein bounced back to win 11 of the last 12 games on the way to 6-3 and 6-1 victories. Van Dyk padded a personal winning streak to six straight matches by downing Katie Carrothers by 6-0 and 6-1 tallies at No. 4 singles.Robin Madtson and Amy Herman locked up the win for LHS by besting Jenna Taehler and Jessica Little by 6-3 and 6-0 scores at No. 3 doubles.Luverne’s Samantha Gacke recorded her ninth straight win by notching 7-5 and 6-2 victories over Megan Anderson at No. 1 singles.SE’s Allie Siefert secured 6-0 and 6-4 victories over Brittany Boeve at No. 2 singles.SE’s Ann Roiger and Emily Carrothers handed Andraya Gacke and Kaitlyn Deragisch a pair of 6-3 setbacks at No. 1 doubles. SE’s No. 2 team consisting of Sammi Sellner and Cassie Jarvis saddled Heidi Sandbulte and Christina Lovett with a pair of 6-1 setbacks."I thought all of our singles players played well again," Antoine said. "They were very aggressive. They got to the net real well and forced their opponents to make good shots."Luverne 4, Pipestone 3The Cardinals completed a 3-2 Southwest Conference season by edging the Arrows by one point in Luverne Thursday.In a match played under windy conditions and featured a 45-minute rain delay, the Cardinals were able to rise above the adversity to win their second straight match.All four of Luverne’s team points came from the singles players, who assured the team of having a winning SWC record with their performances against the Arrows."Our singles played very smart," said Cardinal coach Antoine. "They were really aggressive and took advantage of their experience."Luverne’s Samantha Gacke and Van Dyk extended their personal winning-streaks to eight and five straight matches at No. 1 and No. 4 singles respectively.After falling 6-3 in the first set to Pipestone’s Amber Baustian, Gacke rallied to post 6-2 and 6-1 wins and win the match. Van Dyk notched 6-2 and 6-1 victories over Kaitlyn Templin.Luverne’s Alyssa Klein coasted to a pair of 6-0 wins over Allison Zollner at No. 3 singles. Boeve saddled Travie Eeten with a pair of 6-1 setbacks at No. 2.Pipestone took all three tightly-contested doubles matches.Tory Hess and Abby Brady notched a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4 in the tiebreaker) win over Andraya Gacke and Deragisch at No. 1.Lauren Jones and Christy Cunningham topped Jessica Klein and Lovett by 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 scores at No. 2. Britt Sendelback and Nargis Kabiri topped Sandbulte and Lindsey Severtson by 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 tallies at No. 3.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian Dragons took over the top spot in the Little Sioux Conference football standings Friday night.Adrian helped its own cause in that respect by notching a 12-6 win in Fulda during a clash between teams that brought 2-0 league records into the game.When Russell-Tyler-Ruthton defeated Dawson-Boyd, a team that also sported a 2-0 record in league play entering Friday’s games, Adrian found itself at the top of the standings with a 3-0 record on Saturday morning.Although Dragon coach Randy Strand likes where his team is sitting in the LSC, he wasn’t pleased with the way AHS performed in Fulda."It was a battle," he said. "We didn’t play extremely well. I thought the Fulda kids stepped up and played hard and well."All 18 points scored in the game came in the first quarter, and Adrian’s two touchdowns came on fourth-down plays.The Dragons got off to a good start when they turned their opening possession of the game into a 6-0 lead.Senior quarterback Levi Bullerman hit Brent Tjepkes for a 43-yard pass reception on the first play of what turned into a 10-play, 83-yard drive.The march ended with Bullerman tossing a 23-yard touchdown pass to running back Billy Anderson, who scored all 12 of Adrian’s points in the game. The ensuing extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Dragons with a 6-0 cushion at the 7:30 mark of the opening period.Adrian doubled its lead (12-0) after forcing the Raiders to punt four plays into their first offensive possession of the game.The AHS offense advanced the ball 53 yards in 10 plays with Anderson capping the drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge at the 2:23 mark of the opening period. A fumbled snap led to a failed two-point conversion attempt after Anderson’s touchdown run.Fulda got back into the game by scoring six points with its second offensive possession, but the Raiders were unable to reach the end zone the rest of the game.The Raiders mounted a six-play, 55-yard scoring drive late in the first quarter.Raider quarterback Easton Laackmann threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Jon Isder to cap the march with eight seconds remaining in the opening period. The run for a two-point conversion failed.According to Strand, Fulda never threatened to score after the first quarter.The Dragons were in position to add to their lead as the game progressed, but mistakes thwarted the threats."We had the ball inside their 20-yard line three more times, but all three drives ended up stalling because of penalties. We had a 21-play drive in the third quarter that didn’t result in any points," Strand said.The 4-0 Dragons will hit the road again Friday when they travel to Canby to face the 0-4 Lancers.Team statisticsAdrian: 198 rushing yards, 180 passing yards, 378 total yards, 16 first downs, four penalties for four yards, one turnover.Fulda: 104 rushing yards, 74 passing yards, 178 total yards, seven first downs, five penalties for 55 yards, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 23-68, Bullerman 13-67, Tony Sauer 12-51, Clint Metz 2-12.Passing: Bullerman 8-17 for 180 yards.Receiving: Brett Block 3-70, Tjepkes 1-43, Anderson 3-44, Cody Reverts 1-23.Defense: Metz 13 tackles, Sauer 10 tackles and one sack, Casey Knips nine tackles and one sack, Block one interception, Anderson one interception.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Cardinals threw a wet blanket on Vermillion’s Homecoming festivities at the Dakota Dome Friday night.Playing in what was Luverne’s first game in a dome since qualifying for the state semifinals in 1993, the Cardinals seemed to adapt to the environment well by scoring 21 first-half points on the way to a 21-13 victory over the home-standing Tanagers.Vermillion did generate some excitement by pulling to within eight points of the Cardinals in the third quarter, but Luverne blanked the Tanagers the rest of the night to record its second straight win.The victory upped Luverne’s season record to 3-1, which is the team’s best start since winning the first three games of the 2001 season before falling to Worthington in the fourth game.Cardinal coach Todd Oye, who was an assistant coach for the 2001 team, is excited about Luverne’s 3-1 start in 2004. He was especially happy with the way his Cardinals adapted to the circumstances of playing in a dome against a fired-up team playing its homecoming game."We went to Vermillion early just so the kids got some extra time on the field before the game. It definitely was an adjustment for the kids, but I think they handled it," Oye said.The Cardinals proved they were ready for the challenge early.After the LHS team forced Vermillion to punt five plays into the game, the Cardinal offense took over on its own 20-yard line and put together its first of two 80-yard scoring drives.The march drew to a close with quarterback Nick Heronimus scoring on a five-yard run at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter and ended with a missed extra point.Heronimus played a big role in the opening march, completing a 25-yard pass to Jared Pick on the first play of the possession and running for 21- and 12-yard gains before scoring the touchdown.Luverne extended its lead to 14-0 with a drive that started late in the first quarter and ended early in the second stanza.Cardinal linebacker Mike Kunstle gave the offense the ball when he recovered a fumble on the Vermillion 44-yard line with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter.The LHS offense took over and moved the ball 44 yards in 12 plays before running back Derek Elbers scored on a one-yard run at the 10:38 mark of the second quarter.Heronimus threw a successful conversion pass to Pick after the touchdown, but it was a pass he completed during the drive that proved to be a key play in the possession.Facing a fourth-and-eight situation on the Vermillion 18, Heronimus flipped a screen pass to halfback Jake Hendricks. Hendricks ran his way to a nine-yard gain after making the reception, giving the Cardinals a new set of downs on the nine-yard line.What nearly was a flawless first half for the Luverne offense became tainted as the second quarter progressed.After taking over on the LHS 24 with 7:35 remaining in the first half, the Cardinal offense lost 14 yards in three plays. The situation took a turn for the worse when the snap from center during a punting situation skipped to the punter, who was tackled by the Tanagers on the LHS one-yard line.One play later, Vermillion’s Jordan Anderson scored on a one-yard run and Sean Pederson added the extra-point to make it a 14-7 game with 4:23 remaining in the first half.The LHS offense regained its form that led to its best first half of the season during its next possession.Luverne moved the ball 80 yards in six plays with Heronimus throwing a 54-yard touchdown pass to Brad Herman. Chris Engesser booted the extra point, giving the Cards a 21-7 lead at the 1:40 mark of the second stanza.The Cardinals got the ball back and moved it to the Vermillion 10-yard line with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half, but a pass in the end zone was intercepted by the Tanagers."We did have a good first half," Oye admitted. "I think our offensive line played its best game of the year. We executed our passing game well, which set up our running game."After moving the ball efficiently and picking up nine first downs in the first half, the LHS offense became stagnant in the second.The Cards did pick up one first down during the opening series of the third quarter, but they had to punt moments later. Luverne’s next three offensive possessions were of the three-and-out variety.After forcing the Cards to punt five plays into the second half, the Vermillion offense put together its most successful drive of the game.The Tanagers used 12 running plays to cover 74 yards with Cody Hays scoring a four-yard run with 3:26 left in the third quarter. Luverne lineman Jose Saravia blocked the extra-point attempt, keeping the score at 21-13.Vermillion moved the ball to the Luverne 38-yard line before punting early in the fourth quarter.The Tanagers had the ball on the Luverne 24 as the quarter progressed, but a fourth-and-two pass fell incomplete to end the threat with 5:43 left to play.Vermillion pushed the ball into Luverne territory one more time, but Saravia forced a fumble that was recovered by Luverne’s Ben Nath on the LHS 49-yard line with 2:41 left to play."Jose Saravia made some big defensive plays for us," Oye offered. "It was his play on defense that was one of the keys for us winning the game."The Luverne offense picked up two first downs during the ensuing series, enabling the Cardinals to run the remaining time off the clock."Our defense has been the key to our team all season, but we had a hard time keeping Vermillion’s offense off the field in the second half," Oye said. "They did a good job offensively after making some adjustments at halftime. They were playing on their home field, and it was their Homecoming game, and there was no way they were going to fold in the second half."The table will be turned on the Cardinals when they entertain Jackson County Central for their Homecoming game Friday.The 2-2 Huskies are coming off a 28-0 loss to Pipestone, but Oye expects JCC to offer the Cardinals one of their stiffest challenges of the season."They are very big on the line," he said. "They have the size of some college teams. They also have a good quarterback. The keys for us will be to execute our assignments and not give up big plays."Team statisticsLuverne: 186 rushing yards, 161 passing yards, 347 total yards, 12 first downs, four penalties for 35 yards, two turnovers.Vermillion: 166 rushing yards, zero passing yards, 166 total yards, nine first downs, zero penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Heronimus13-60, Hendricks 9-54, Nate Siebenahler 3-16, Elbers 10-54, Nath 1-2.Passing: Heronimus 9-18 for 161 yards.Receiving: Pick 5-87, Herman 2-63, Hendricks 2-11.Defense: Saravia one blocked extra point, Brandon Deragisch one interception, Nath one fumble recovery, Kunstle one fumble recovery.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team dropped its second consecutive game when it traveled to Brewster Friday to challenge the Southwest United Wildcats.SWU, the defending Southwest Ridge Conference champion, is a team H-BC-E needed to beat in order to challenge for a league title.The injury-plagued Patriots, however, were unable to knock off the 2003 state runners-up.SWU scored 20 first-quarter points and never looked back on the way to a 38-13 win."We basically gave them the first 20 points," said H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson. "We gave them three touchdowns in the first quarter, and it’s hard to recover from that."The Patriots were generous to the Wildcats in the opening period.H-BC-E was attempting to punt after three unsuccessful plays to start the game when SWU blocked the kick and recovered the loose ball on the SWU one-yard line. Wildcat running back Nick Carlson scored on a one-yard run moments later to make it a 6-0 game.The Patriots were unable to mount a serious offensive threat with their second possession of the game, which ended with a punt. SWU took over and opened a 12-0 lead when Keith Rogers scored on a seven-yard run with 5:42 remaining in the first period.SWU scored with its third offensive possession of the game to cap its 20-point first quarter.Wildcat quarterback Jared Smith threw his first of three touchdown passes to Ryan Scheevel with 3:05 remaining in the opening stanza. Carlson carried in the two-point conversion to end the scoring in the period.H-BC-E threatened to score early in the second quarter, but a long drive ended with a fumble on the SWU one-yard line.Pushing the ball deep into SWU territory paid off for the Patriots moments later. H-BC-E defender Tom LeBoutiller picked off a pass and returned the ball 11 yards for a touchdown to make it a 20-6 game with 8:16 remaining in the second quarter.SWU answered H-BC-E’s challenge late in the second quarter, when Smith kept the ball during an option play and dashed 70 yards for a score with 2:45 left in the first half. The extra-point attempt failed, but the Wildcats sported a comfortable 26-6 lead they were able to take into the second half.The Wildcats struck quickly in the third quarter as the Smith-to-Scheevel combination clicked for a 37-yard touchdown pass 1:12 into the second half to give SWU a 32-6 lead.H-BC-E countered with what Ellingson said was the team’s most impressive drive of the game, which ended with quarterback Travis Broesder tossing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Cody Rozeboom. Adam Finke booted the extra point to cut SWU’s lead to 19 points at 32-19.SWU blanked the Patriots the rest of the night, and the hosts capped the scoring when Scheevel hauled in a nine-yard touchdown pass from Smith with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter.H-BC-E, which started the season with two straight wins, now stands at 2-2 as the injury list continues to expand. Broesder sustained a shoulder injury late in the SWU game, and Ellingson thinks his senior quarterback will miss Friday’s homecoming game against 1-3 Linoln HI-Lake Benton in Hills.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 98 rushing yards, 53 passing yards, 151 total yards, eight first downs, three penalties for 30 yards, one turnover.SWU: 222 rushing yards, 105 passing yards, 327 total yards, 13 first downs, six penalties for 49 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Kerry Fink 20-51, Rozeboom 6-28.Passing: Broesder 8-17 for 53 yards.Receiving: Chris Nuffer 3-24, Rozeboom 4-24, Fink 1-5.Defense: LeBoutillier 14 tackles and two interceptions, Cody Scholten nine tackles, Jason Martens six tackles, Nuffer three tackles and one fumble recovery.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team slipped to 1-3 in Red Rock Conference play after dropping a 3-1 decision to Adrian in Hills Thursday.The Patriots bounced back from a convincing loss in Game 1 to drop a tight second game and win Game 3, but the Dragons regrouped in the finale to prevail 25-15 and win the match in four games.H-BC led 3-1 when Melinda Feucht served a pair of points early in Game 1, but Adrian controlled the rest of the tilt by mounting a 24-8 run capped by a service point from Brittany Bullerman to clinch a 25-11 win.The second game was winnable for both teams.After Adrian fell behind 2-0 early, the Dragons rallied to open a 15-7 lead with Abbey Henning serving a point to end the surge.H-BC battled back to knot the score at 24 and 25 with consecutive blocks by Mulder.Adrian, however, moved in front 26-25 when an H-BC serve sailed out of bounds. Dragon Amanda Lynn then iced a 27-25 win with an ace serve.A kill by Jessica Parsley gave AHS an 8-1 advantage in Game 3, but the Patriots battled back to knot the score at 12 when Cassi Tilstra served a pair of points. The score was tied at 21 when Lynn delivered an ace serve for the Dragons. H-BC countered with a 4-0 surge capped by a service point from Tilstra to clinch a 25-21 win.Adrian, which scored the first three points of Game 4, opened a commanding 22-10 lead with an ace tip by Parsley.H-BC trimmed the difference to eight points (22-14) after Feucht served a three-point run. Adrian scored three of the next four points and prevailed 25-15 when Kayla Bullerman delivered an ace tip.Feucht (15-15) and Tilstra (10-10 with two aces) led the Patriots in serving. Mulder produced 18 kills and 14 blocks at the net, while Tilstra added 13 kills and five blocks. Brittney Rozeboom chipped in five kills and Kari Roozenboom added three kills and one block to H-BC’s effort.

By Jolene FarleyAn accident Saturday northeast of Steen on Minnesota 270 in Rock County, sent two men to the hospital. The Minnesota State Highway Patrol investigated a "T-Bone" accident at 11:14 a.m. involving Kim Kimmel, 57, of Magnolia, and John (Jack) Hokeness, 57, of Rushmore. Hokeness, whose 2001 Chevrolet Silverado was a total loss, was towing a trailer of pumpkins west on Highway 270 for delivery to one of Hokeness Farms’ produce stands in Sioux Falls, S.D.Kimmel who was driving south, failed to stop at a stop sign, according to Hokeness. "By the time I realized he wasn’t going to stop," Hokeness said. "I was right on top of him."Kim Kimmel’s vehicle, a 1996 Chevrolet Suburban was also totaled.A passerby after both vehicles were towed said pumpkins were scattered everywhere.Both drivers were taken to Luverne Community Hospital and then airlifted to Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, S.D. Hokeness, who was wearing a seatbelt, was released from the hospital Saturday night. He had broken and bruised ribs and head lacerations. Kimmel, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, was reached by phone at the hospital but declined an interview. Hokeness went back to the scene of the accident after leaving the hospital, and he said he Kimmel’s view was obstructed by a cornfield."It was a pretty blind intersection for him," he said. First Responder Joe Deutsch, Ellsworth, happened to drive by the scene soon after the vehicles collided, and he administered initial first aid, according to Hokeness.

By Jolene FarleyThe Hills-Beaver Creek School Board reviewed 2004-05 preliminary budget numbers at a Monday meeting."I’m not trying to scare anybody, but I’m showing the cold hard facts," Superintendent Dave Deragisch said. Total revenues for the district decreased from $2,878,828 in the 2003-04 school year to $2,767,075 for the 2004-05 school year while total expenses increased from $2,878,668 to $3,140,850, a shortfall of $373,775. Deragisch explained a $14,264 increase in the transportation budget was due to rising fuel costs. He said a $32,734 decrease in capital spending was due to very limited purchasing. "We didn’t buy supplies this year because we didn’t have the money," he said. Debt service increased in this year’s budget because of the locker room project. Deragisch reiterated to the board that the budget is preliminary and school funding sources can change."When you’re talking budgets and you’re talking money," he said. "It’s coming and going."Later in the meeting, the board certified the $855 per student unit levy approved at the special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The levy would be payable beginning with 2005 property taxes.Voters in the Hills-Beaver Creek school district will decide in November whether to approve the proposal for the 10-year operating levy referendum.Choir and band tripVocal music teacher Jody Ackerman and instrumental music teacher Josh Hogburg updated the board on the choir and band trip in April. Former band instructor Brent Steinert began planning the four-day/three-night trip to Chicago last year. "We checked out prices and qualifications for groups," Ackerman said. He and Hogburg were the most comfortable with Group Travel Planners of St. Paul. The cost of the trip with Group Travel is estimated at $331 per person. This amount could increase if fewer than 60 students and chaperones signed up for the trip. Each student has a separate account for money they raised through different fundraisers to help pay for the cost of the trip. In other business …
Grant applications were submitted to the Rock County Family Services Collaborative for continuing the KidKare Program, the Reading, Math and Writing Family Nights, Summer Book of the Week Club. The district will know by the end of December the status of these grants.
Deragisch informed the board a contract was offered for the school social worker opening. The social worker is a joint position for the Rock County Collaborative (Rock County Family Services, Southwestern Mental Health, Luverne School District and Hills-Beaver Creek School District).H-BC is the financial agent for this position with the money coming from the collaborative. This allows federal special education reimbursement for the position.