By Lori EhdeActing on a tip from an unnamed informant, Rock County deputies arrested three local young people last week for possession of methamphetamine.According to documents filed Monday in Rock County District Court, 22-year-old Jeremy Alan Wallenberg, 23-year-old Shaun Robert Edberg and 18-year-old Ashley Wynn Mortimer were arrested Thursday, Sept. 16.The arrests were the result of a search warrant executed on a trailer home on West Mead Court after someone tipped off police about drug use there.At about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sheriff Mike Winkels and five deputies searched the trailer, rented by Wallenberg and Mortimer. Edberg said he’s also been staying at the trailer.According to the complaint, law enforcement found all three in the trailer, in addition to Michael Reverts, who doesn’t face any charges at this time.All were handcuffed during the search as a precaution, but no weapons were found in the home.Small amounts of powder and rock meth were found around the trailer, and Wallenberg and Edberg admitted to smoking marijuana and meth the night before.Wallenberg, Mortimer and Edberg were transported to the Nobles County Jail and now face charges of fourth-degree controlled substance crime.Investigator Jeff Wieneke said it’s not been established whether the three were dealing drugs or if they had connections to the Steven Mauch case in Nobles County."That part is still being investigated," he said.

By Jolene FarleyFour local men traveled around the world to share their convictions with others. Scott Harnack, Tom Goehle, Chris Fransman and Andrew Kellenberger signed up for a trip through a non-denominational Christian organization from Colorado Springs, Colo. "We went with a group called Sports Ambassadors," team member Scott Harnack said. "They take Christian sports teams to different countries every year."Sports Ambassadors uses sporting events as the stage for testimonials from team members about their faith. The group didn’t know for certain what their destination would be when they signed up, but they soon learned they would travel to India on their mission trip. Goehle previously took a trip to Singapore with the organization and was instrumental in organizing this summer’s trip to India.The four men left home Monday, July 26, for Colorado Springs, where they stayed for a couple of days before departing on the second leg of their journey. "They told us about Sports Ambassadors and what their goal was," Harnack said. "They prepared us a little for India and what we would see over there." The group also met the last member of their basketball team, Jon Cain from Michigan, and organizer Robin Cook, who also traveled with the group. Cain signed up for a Sports Ambassador trip online and was matched with Harnack, Goehle, Fransman and Kellenberger. After 50 hours of travel, the basketball team arrived in Chenai, India. They boarded a train to Coimbatore and took a van up a mountain to Coonoor, a village of 100,000 residents. "There are just so many people in India," Harnack said. "That’s considered a small village."After arriving in Coonoor, the team began offering basketball clinics and sharing their faith with the locals. "It’s an easy way to get people gathered," Harnack said. "We got a great opportunity to talk to them about Jesus."The five men talked at schools during morning services and at breaks during games. They shared Bible stories with the children."We talked to them about Jesus and what he’s done in our lives," Harnack said. The group stayed in Coonoor for five days before traveling back to Coimbatore where they played again. "We played eight basketball games, and then shared testimonials at half-time," Harnack said "We also did basketball clinics at the YMCA and a college." Before a recent change in government, open Christian worship wasn’t allowed in the predominantly Hindu and Islamic country. Until now India wouldn’t have been a travel option for a Christian mission trip. "We were lucky enough to be one of the first groups to go over," Harnack said. "Two months ago, we wouldn’t have been able to do this." While talking during the opening ceremonies at the schools telling their stories, the group often heard Hindu chants originating from shrines in the background. The men were well-received, according to Harnack. "They love to see Americans. They were open to whatever we wanted to talk about."The group shared their faith with more than 4,000 people during their time in India. Harnack said they hope to travel again next year with Sports Ambassadors, this time inviting a group of high school athletes along.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian volleyball team played a pair of hard-fought five-game matches in Red Rock Conference play since last Thursday.The Dragons edged Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin in a five-game match played in Mountain Lake Thursday. Southwest Christian nipped the Dragons by the same score on Tuesday.Adrian, 3-6-2 overall, plays in Hills tonight and in Tyler Monday before hosting Westbrook-Walnut Grove Tuesday.SWC 3, Adrian 2Adrian came up on the short end of the final score during its second five-game match of the week against the E-Gals.SWC stunned the Dragons by posting 25-20 and 25-15 wins to open the match in Adrian, but the hosts battled back to knot the match at two games each before falling in the finale."We didn’t play well in the first two games," admitted AHS coach Jessica Hogan. "Then we woke up from our slumber and made a match out of it."The Dragons shocked the Eagles in Game 3 by turning a 20-19 deficit into a 25-21 win by outscoring SWC 6-1 late in the game.Game 4 was tight the entire way with AHS pulling out a 25-23 victory.SWC opened an 11-7 lead in the fifth game and settled the issue by topping the Dragons 15-11.Amber Loosbrock and Brittany Bullerman served nine points each for the Dragons. Jessica Parsley charted 11 kills and eight blocks. Kayla Bullerman distributed 24 set assists to the Adrian hitters.Adrian 3, ML-B-O 2The Dragons won their second straight conference match when they outlasted the Wolverines in Mountain Lake Thursday.Trailing 2-1 after ML-B-O took Game 3 by a 25-15 tally, the Dragons needed a rally to come out on top. AHS met the challenge by securing 25-20 and 15-11 victories in Games 4 and 5 to win the five-game match."Our play in the third game wasn’t up to our standard, but we fought back to win the last two games," said AHS coach Hogan. "We found a way to win and that’s huge for us."In a tightly-contested first game, Adrian sported a 24-23 edge before ML-B-O bounced back to pull out a 27-25 win.Adrian evened the match at one game each with a 25-13 win in Game 2, and the teams split the next two contests, setting up a decisive fifth game. The Dragons scored the first four points of finale and went on to win by four.Parsley paced AHS at the net with 12 kills and 12 blocks. Brittany Bullerman added 14 kills to the cause, while Amanda Lynn chipped in nine digs.Loosbrock completed all 22 of her serves and recorded 15 points in the match. Kayla Bullerman, who led the Dragons with 21 set assists, went 18 of 18 serving with nine points.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian Dragons ran their football record to 3-0 after thumping Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 43-24 in Adrian Friday.AHS senior quarterback Levi Bullerman tossed for three touchdown passes in the first half and senior tailback Billy Anderson ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Dragons to a 19-point win over an injury-plagued Knights squad.R-T-R, the defending Red Rock Conference champions, entered the game at an offensive disadvantage. With the starting quarterback, fullback and wide receiver on the sidelines with injuries, it was a bad time for the Knights to face a fired-up AHS squad."They were dinged up," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "They were missing some kids who could have made some plays for them."Injuries aside, R-T-R would have been hard-pressed to stop Adrian’s impressive offensive performance Friday. The Dragons racked up 432 total yards in the game and scored 22 points in the first 9:51 of play.Bullerman, who completed 11 of 14 passes for 18 yards in the game, did most of his damage in the first quarter. Bullerman threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and set up another score with a long pass when the Dragons opened a 22-0 lead they would never relinquish."We felt that we could get at them through the air early," Strand said. "Actually, our entire game plan worked pretty well. We were able to pass the ball, and we did a good job of holding down Minett (Kyle, R-T-R’s standout running back). Minett ran for 300 yards against us last year, and we held him to 110 yards this time. We did a good job of getting him on the ground."Three explosive plays left the Dragons sporting a 6-0 lead 36 seconds into the game.After Bullerman returned the opening kickoff 43 yards into R-T-R territory, he tossed a 33-yard pass to Clint Metz and moved the ball to the Knights’ six-yard line on the first play from scrimmage. Anderson scored on a six-yard run during the next play, giving the Dragons their six-point advantage at the 11:24 mark of the opening period.The Dragons came up with another key play when R-T-R was forced to punt as the first period progressed.A bad snap from center led to the R-T-R punter being tackled at the AHS 20-yard line. On the first play of the possession, Bullerman tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Brent Tjepkes at the 5:35 mark of the opening period. Anderson carried in the two-point conversion to make it a 14-0 game.Adrian received another key special-teams play when R-T-R fumbled the ball during the kickoff return following Tjepkes’ touchdown. Anderson recovered the fumble on the R-T-R 47, setting up a seven-play drive that ended with Bullerman throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tjepkes. Bullerman then threw a successful conversion pass to Brett Block, giving the Dragons a 22-0 lead at the 2:09 mark of the first period.The score remained 22-0 until the final minute of the first half, when both teams managed to register one touchdown.R-T-R trimmed the difference to 16 points (22-16) at the end of a 16-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Minett scored on a three-yard run with 40 seconds left in the second period.The Dragons marched 55 yards during the next possession, which ended with Bullerman throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Block as time expired. Bullerman added the extra point to make it a 29-6 game at halftime.Adrian turned its first possession of the first half into a 36-6 advantage. The Dragons marched 59 yards in six plays, with Tony Sauer scoring on a 10-yard run at the 8:17 mark of the third quarter. Bullerman booted the extra point to make it a 30-point difference.R-T-R countered with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Minett scoring on a three-yard run with 3:12 left in the third stanza. A pass for the two-point conversion failed, leaving the Dragons with a 36-12 lead.Minett scored his third touchdown of the game on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter, but the Dragons answered with an eight-play, 57-yard drive capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Anderson. Bullerman’s extra point gave AHS a 43-18 lead.R-T-R capped the scoring when Brandon Johnson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Drew Mikelsen with 3:31 left in the game.The Dragons will play RRC unbeaten Fulda in Fulda Friday.Team statisticsAdrian: 252 rushing yards, 180 passing yards, 432 total yards, 17 first downs, six penalties for 57 yards, zero turnovers.R-T-R: 140 rushing yards, 110 passing yards, 250 total yards, eight first downs, two penalties for 10 yards, one turnover.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 19-103, Sauer 6-41, Bullerman 7-53, Metz 2-7, Brandon Biekmann 2-19, Tyler Vaske 2-21, Glen Kruger 1-6, Reid Strand 1-2.Passing: Bullerman 11-14 for 180 yards.Receiving: Metz 1-33, Tjepkes 3-54, Block 3-36, Reverts 1-15, Anderson 2-34, Sauer 1-8.Defense: Bullerman 14 tackles, Metz 14 tackles, Sauer 13 tackles, Casey Knips 12 tackles and one deflected pass, Anderson one fumble recovery.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne volleyball team put together one of its strongest weeks of the 2004 season.Luverne went 3-0-1 and placed first at the Montevideo Tournament Saturday. The Cardinals returned home Tuesday to sweep a three-game match from Lincoln HI.The 9-3-1 Cardinals will play home matches against Marshall tonight and Lennox, S.D., Tuesday.Luverne 3, LH 0The Cardinals turned in a strong performance in front of their home fans during Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Rebels.Luverne outscored Lincoln HI 75-44 on the way to a three-game sweep of the Rebels.After falling behind 1-0 in Game 1, the Cards put together an 8-3 surge capped by a service point from Chelsea Park to take an 8-4 lead.The Rebels closed the gap to one point at 8-7, but Luverne pulled away with a 17-7 run that ended with Traci Evans delivering a kill that locked up a 25-14 victory for the hosts.Evans came up with a kill to end a 10-2 spurt to start Game 2. The Rebels trimmed the difference to four points (12-8) as the game progressed. Luverne, however, led by 11 points (21-10) after Brittney Williams served a point to cap a 9-2 run that set the stage for a 25-16 win.Luverne led 7-3 when Chelsea Park delivered an ace serve early in the third game, but the Rebels countered with a 6-3 spurt to trail 10-9. The Cards answered the challenge by mounting a 15-5 run capped by a kill by Maggie Kuhlman that locked up a 25-14 win for LHS.Five Cardinals served well during the match. Williams was 14 of 15 with 10 points and eight aces, Kuhlman 15 of 16 with 10 points, Ashley Heitkamp 14 of 15 with nine points, Park 10 of 12 with three aces and eight points and Cassie Pap six of eight with three aces and five points.Pap led the Cards with nine kills and three blocks. Kuhlman and Evans chipped in six and five kills respectively, while Heitkamp charted two blocks. Park and Williams contributed 14 and 10 set assists respectively to the winning cause.Montevideo tourneyThe Cardinals turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season while going 3-0-1 and winning Saturday’s tournament in Montevideo.Luverne went 2-0-1 to win the four-team pool it competed in. The Cards then posted a 2-0 win over the host school in the championship match."We had a great day," said Cardinal coach Lori Oechsle. "We did everything well. It was a total team-effort. Everyone got to play, and all the kids played well."The Cardinals got off to a good start by winning their first two pool matches. Luverne saddled Yellow Medicine East with 25-14 and 25-21 setbacks before topping Lincoln HI by 25-11 and 25-13 tallies.Luverne split matches with Benson in the pool finale, which was good enough to secure a berth in the championship match.Benson nipped the Cards 25-23 in Game 1 of the final pool match. Luverne returned the favor by edging the Braves 27-25 in the second game.Luverne dominated play during the championship match against Montevideo, posting 25-16 and 25-18 wins over the Thunder Hawks."We had a really strong serving tournament," Oechsle offered. "We completed 90 percent of our serves, which is awesome. We also got rid of a lot of our unforced passing and hitting errors.Heitkamp (42 of 42, 28 points and six aces), Evans (22 of 24, seven aces and 14 points) and Kuhlman (32 of 34, 18 points and one ace) led the Cards in serving. Park was 26 of 33 with 21 points and six aces at the line. Williams was 39 of 45 with 27 points and four aces.Evans, Kuhlman and Heitkamp led the Cards with 22, 21 and 19 kills respectively. Heitkamp and Pap charted 13 and eight blocks.Williams and Park contributed 44 and 31 set assists to the winning cause.

By John RittenhouseHarry Franz is remembered locally as a man with important connections with the 1964 Luverne High School state championship boys’ basektball team.Franz, a long-time teacher and coach at LHS, died in St. Peter on Saturday.Although he did most of his work out of the spotlight for the 1964 title team, Franz’s contributions during the championship-chase won’t be forgotten by then head coach, Ray Merry."They guy was a winner," Merry said from his Minneapolis home Monday."He had the greatest basketball mind I’ve ever known. Harry served as an assistant coach the three years I was in Luverne, and he did a lot of scouting for us. We were fortunate to have him because whenever he scouted other teams, he came back with reports that were in complete detail. Everything Harry said, the opposing teams did. That was a great advantage for us. Much of the success we had goes directly to him."Franz began coaching and teaching in Luverne in 1947, after winning a state basketball championship as a player in 1939 at Mountain Lake High School.He served as an assistant football and basketball coach that year, and he was named the head boys’ basketball coach in 1952.Franz’s five-year run as head basketball coach in Luverne began with three average seasons and ended with two memorable years.Under his leadership, the Cardinals went 10-7 in 1952-53, 11-8 in 1953-54 and 9-9 in 1954-55.The Cardinals soared during the final two years of his tenure, compiling a 36-7 record.The 1955-56 campaign was highlighted by Luverne winning its first District 8 Tournament championship in nine years, defeating Fulda 78-57 in the title game. Luverne beat Windom in the semifinals of the Region 2 Tournament before an 18-4 campaign came to an end with a 68-57 loss to Blue Earth in the championship game.Luverne repeated as the District 8 champion in 1956-57, nipping Worthington 59-57 in the championship game. Pemberton ended Luverne’s 18-3 year by besting the Cards 60-57 in the region semifinals.As fate would have it, the loss to Pemberton in March of 1957 would be the last game as head coach for Franz, who compiled a 66-31 record his five seasons at LHS.Less than two weeks prior to the start of practice for the 1957-58 season, Franz suffered a heart attack that ended his head-coaching run.Current Luverne resident Gordon Gits, who was a young teacher at LHS in 1957, was asked to replace Franz for the 1957-58 campaign."I was asked to take the assistant coaching position that summer, and I accepted it," Gits recalled. "Then a week or 10 days prior to practice, Harry had his heart attack. That was when I was promoted."Franz regained his health as the season progressed, and Gits remembers the man he described as small in stature and a firm believer in discipline screaming at the top of his lungs at a young LHS post at one practice late in the season."Harry was a tough coach, but the kids played hard for him," Gits stated. "He was a great guy who was very intense. He was a very good teacher, and he was well-liked by a lot of people in the community."Franz and his wife, Emma (Goehle, the sister of long-time Hills and Hills-Beaver Creek basketball coach Hugo Goehle), left Luverne for a short stay in Willmar in the early 1980s. They moved to St. Peter in 1983, where Harry was an assistant coach at Gustavus Aldophus for several years.Coach Merry considered Franz as being a good friend and said he will always remember him as a man and a coaching peer."I can’t tell you how much he has done for Luverne basketball over the years," Merry said. "He was a fantastic teacher, and he couldn’t have been a better assistant coach when I was there. Harry always was willing to take the extra step to help me."I remember when he came to watch one of our games when I was coaching in Robbinsdale after I left Luverne. I told him we would have won two or three more games that year if he was scouting for us. He thought I was kidding him, and he said, ‘Oh, Ray.’ I wasn’t kidding."

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne football team erased a pair of deficits to record its first Southwest Conference win of the season Friday at Cardinal Field.Trailing Marshall 6-0 at the intermission, the Cardinals snapped an eight-quarter scoreless streak with a touchdown 1:41 into the third quarter.After Marshall regained the lead at 12-7 as the third period progressed, Luverne bounced back to score 13 unanswered points to secure a 20-12 victory over the Tigers.According to Cardinal coach Todd Oye, Luverne’s first win over Marshall in four years was a result of better execution in the second half."We ran the same plays in the second half that we did in the first half. We just executed better. We made one formation adjustment, but I wouldn’t say it was a major adjustment. We just executed better," he said.A lack of execution in the first half and three turnovers put the Cardinals in a bind during the first half. Luverne had some golden scoring opportunities in the first two quarters, but the Cards were unable to produce any points.The Cardinals caught an early break when defender Mike Kunstle picked off his third pass of the season on the third play of the game and returned the ball 10 yards to the Marshall 10-yard line. After being limited to two yards in three offensive plays, Luverne lost a chance to take an early lead when a 25-yard field-goal attempt sailed off the mark.Luverne lost one offensive possession stopped on downs inside Marshall territory as the first quarter progressed. The Cardinals were plagued by turnovers the remainder of the first half. The Tigers picked off two passes and recovered one fumble in the first and second periods, when Luverne’s scoreless streak reached eight consecutive quarters.The Cardinals had to pay a price for their final turnover of the first half. After intercepting a pass late in the second quarter, Marshall put together a nine-play, 35-yard drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Matt Koster to Ben Haugen with 14 seconds left in the first half to give the Tigers a 6-0 advantage.Luverne didn’t waste any time getting back into the game in the third quarter. On the third play of the opening possession of the second half, Cardinal quarterback Nick Heronimus hooked up with tight end Brad Herman for a 75-yard touchdown pass. When Chris Engesser added the extra point, Luverne sported a 7-6 edge at the 10:19 mark of the third period.Marshall responded to the challenge with their first offensive possession of the second half. The Tigers put together a 10-play, 61-yard touchdown drive to regain the lead at 12-7 with 5:19 remaining in the third period. The drive featured two successful fourth-down conversions and was capped by a 32-yard pass from Koster to Nathan Baumann during a fourth-and-12 situation.Luverne moved in front to stay by scoring 13 points with its second and third offensive possessions of the second half. Heronimus, who racked up a combined 244 rushing and passing yards during the game, took the momentum away from the Tigers when he ripped off a 59-yard gain during the first play from scrimmage following Baumann’s touchdown. Heronimus plunged into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown run four plays later, giving the Cards a 13-12 lead at the 3:13 mark of the third quarter.After the Luverne defense forced Marshall to punt as the third period progressed, the Cardinal offense put together its most impressive drive of the game. Luverne moved the ball 84 yards in 13 plays, and the drive ended with Heronimus tossing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jared Pick with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. Engesser added the extra point to cap the scoring.The Heronimus-to-Pick touchdown came during a fourth-and-nine situation. It was Luverne’s second fourth-down conversion during the drive.Marshall controlled the ball three times during the final six minutes of the game, but the Tigers were unable to produce any points. LHS senior Brandon Deragisch stopped two of Marshall’s final three possessions by recovering one fumble and picking off one pass. Marshall lost the ball on downs with 1:07 left to play, and the Cards ran the remaining time off the clock to ice the win."Our defense played really well again," Oye admitted. "Brandon (Deragisch) played an excellent defensive game. They tried his side of the field a couple of times, and they didn’t get anything. Jose Saravia also played well on the line. He was all over the field and caused a lot of problems for Marshall with his play up front."The 2-1 Cardinals will complete their non-conference schedule by playing Vermillion, S.D., in the Dakota Dome Friday. Vermillion will take a 1-2 record into the game."Vermillion is a perennial football power, and was ranked second in the state at the start of the season," Oye said. "They always play well at home, and they pride themselves on playing tough, hard-nosed defense."Team statisticsLuverne: 143 rushing yards, 141 passing yards, 284 total yards, seven first downs, four penalties, three turnovers.Marshall: 87 rushing yards, 68 passing yards, 155 total yards, seven first downs, seven penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Scott Goebel 3-2, Heronimus 12-103, Jake Hendricks 5-0, Nate Siebenahler 10-11, Derek Elbers 11-27.Passing: Heronimus 4-10 for 141 yards.Receiving: Pick 3-47, Herman 1-75, Hendricks 1-19.Defense: Jose Saravia one sack, Kunstle one interception, Deragisch one interception and one fumble recovery.

10 years ago (1994)"Rock climbers and hikers who use the eastern part of the Blue Mounds State Park will have to walk a little farther to get there, thanks to a new set of no-parking signs.Hikers and climbers are accustomed to parking in the driveway and along the shoulder of County Road 8 in order to access the quarry and rock outcroppings in the eastern part of the park.Recent park emergencies, including two fallen rock climbers, have drawn attention to the danger in parking there. According to Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure, the biggest reason for enforcing the no-parking rule in that area is to allow emergency vehicles to get through if need be."25 years ago (1979)"For the third year in a row, property taxes in Luverne should decrease.The proposed 1980 city budget shows a total tax levy of $267,170, a decrease of $24,2906 from 1979.The city tax levy in 1978 was $300,488 and in 1979 was $291,466."50 years ago (1954)"‘Hello Al, I haven’t seen you since Washington,’ said Vice President Richard M. Nixon as he jumped out of his car Wednesday afternoon at the Star Herald office to say ‘hello’ to Alan C. McIntosh, publisher of the Star Herald.The Vice President and his official party were returning from Worthington where he had made a speech at the Turkey Day celebration. … When the Vice President said he hadn’t seen the Luverne man ‘since Washington’ he was referring to the night of June 19 when Vice President Nixon sat on McIntosh’s left at a banquet held in honor of President Eisenhower in the Shoreham Hotel. At that time McIntosh presented President Eisenhower with a plaque honoring his service to his countrymen."75 years ago (1929)"A number of farmers of Pleasant View and Hardwick communities are securing very satisfactory returns from their foresight in growing a substantial acreage of flax this season. In fact, the yield and quality are so good that the returns are ranging anywhere from $42 to $62 an acre. The first mentioned figure is not exceptional, even if the last is extreme." 100 years ago (1904)"Sparks from the engine of the ‘Bonnie Doon’ line again set fire in the cut weeds on the vacant property in the southeast part of town, while switching Monday afternoon, and for a time it looked as though the fire would result disastrously to the buildings adjoining the property on the north, as at the time a strong wind was blowing from the south. The fire department was called out and when they arrived the fire was within a few rods of the barn belonging to Mrs. E.J. Schmidt, but by their prompt action the blaze was gotten under control before any damage was done."

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team picked up two wins during a stretch of playing three events in a six-day span.The Patriots lost a four-game home match to Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster Thursday before going 1-1 at the West Lyon Tournament (near Inwood, Iowa) Monday. H-BC traveled to Comfrey Tuesday, where it recorded a four-game win.H-BC, 5-6 overall, hosts Adrian tonight and Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin Tuesday.H-BC 3, Comfrey 1The Patriots broke into the win column in Red Rock Conference play by besting the Rockets in a four-game match played in Comfrey Tuesday.The situation looked bleak for H-BC when the hosts pulled out a 25-23 win in Game 1. The Patriots, however, rallied to outscore Comfrey 75-52 the rest of the night to pick up their first league win of the year."It was just a matter of time before we started playing better," said Patriot coach Curt Doorneweerd. "The girls decided in the second game that it was the right time to start doing it."H-BC controlled play after the opening game by posting comfortable 25-17, 25-18 and 25-17 victories.Brittney Rozeboom completed all 18 of her serves in the match and charted two aces. Melinda Feucht went 13 of 14 at the line with one ace, while Ashley Bosch and Cassi Tilstra served three and two aces respectively.Kelly Mulder recorded 11 kills and five blocks at the net. Tilstra added eight blocks and four kills, Kari Roozenboom chipped in three kills and two blocks, and Rozeboom added four kills to the winning cause.WL tourneyThe Patriots split two matches during Monday’s three-team, round robin tournament near Inwood, Iowa.H-BC opened the event by nipping host West Lyon in a three-game match, but a three-game loss to Boyden-Hull in the finale kept the Patriots from winning the tournament title.Patriot coach Doorneweerd said inconsistent passing kept H-BC from winning the event."I was disappointed in our passing," he said. "It’s tough to get good sets and hits when your passes are not on target."The Patriots completed enough passes to nip WL in a tight, three-game match to open the event. H-BC prevailed in a match featuring 21-19, 20-22 and 15-11 tallies.Mulder charted 10 kills and five blocks against the Lions. Tilstra contributed five kills to the cause, while Rozeboom chipped in four kills and two ace serves. Bosch completed all seven of her serves and delivered two aces in the WL match.The H-BC vs. B-H battle was another hard-fought match.B-H prevailed 22-20 in the opener, but H-BC forced a third game with a 21-12 win in Game 2. B-H nipped the Patriots 16-14 in the finale.Mulder charted 11 kills, six blocks and two ace serves against B-H. Tilstra recorded four kills and three blocks. Roozenboom served three aces.SV-RL-B3, H-BC 2The Patriots dropped their second straight league game when they fell to the Raiders in four games Thursday in Hills.The Patriots got off to a good start by winning Game 1, but the rest of the match belonged to SV-RL-B, which outscored H-BC 75-49 to win the final three games.Game 1 was tied at two when H-BC put together an 18-6 run that ended with a service point from Roozenboom, giving the Patriots a 20-8 lead.SV-RL-B battled back with a 12-3 run that trimmed H-BC’s lead to three points at 23-20. The Raiders, however, were unable to complete the comeback as H-BC scored two out of the next three points to clinch a 25-21 win.H-BC led 12-9 when Mulder registered a kill in Game 2, but the Raiders rallied to knot the score at 14 moments later.The Patriots led 16-14 when Kaitlyn Bos delivered an ace serve. SV-RL-B, however, countered with an 11-4 spurt to post a 25-20 victory.Game 3 was knotted at eight when the Raiders gained some separation with an 8-1 run that gave them a 16-9 cushion.H-BC trimmed the difference to three points (16-13) with a service point from Roozenboom, and the difference remained at three points (17-14) when SV-RL-B put together an 8-2 surge to ice a 25-16 victory.SV-RL-B dominated Game 4, turning a deadlock at two into a 24-5 lead with a 22-3 run. H-BC’s Tilstra served a seven-point run as the game progressed, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Patriots from dropping a 25-13 decision.Tilstra completed all 15 of her service attempts in the match. She also recorded six kills and three blocks. Mulder led H-BC with 11 kills and eight blocks. Rozeboom completed all nine of her serves.