Choose the bike path instead of aBig Mac on the couchThere’s been significant grumbling in the past year about the wisdom of spending nearly $1 million on Rock County’s bike path during a time of state and local budget crisis.I would argue it’s money well-spent for a number of reasons, but anyone in the North Blue Mound Avenue area Tuesday night could see that the path is at least seeing plenty of use.It was a gorgeous, sunny evening with a hint of fall in the crisp, cool air.It made me smile to see a steady stream of traffic on the Blue Mound Trail, as it’s called. There were bicycles, tricycles, training wheels, inline skates, strollers and plenty of sneakers.The point of the bike path is purely recreational, and state and local governments have long seen community parks and recreation as an obligation worth funding.Outside of its recreational value, though, the path could be saving money for the state through the indirect benefit of promoting healthier lifestyles.It’s no secret that Americans are unhealthier than ever, with smoking and obesity sharing most of the blame for diseases and conditions that are killing us and driving up health care costs.I’ve often wished for laws against both smoking and fast food, since both are costing the entire nation a lot of money.Unfortunately, like most social problems, we can’t legislate them away, but we can approach them on an individual basis and work to "improve our own little corners of the universe."In Rock County’s case, if Tuesday was any indication, the bike path appears to be nurturing healthy behaviors among our own residents.We can’t impose restrictions on Big Macs and too much time on the couch, but we can all take steps to improve our own health – and maybe even inspire one or two others around us.Do we really need a million-dollar bike path to be healthy?No.We can all run laps around our back yards, if we’re really bent on healthy living.But there’s something very inviting about a long, smooth path winding away from the city to a quieter place in the country.If that kind of solitude doesn’t clear our arteries, it will at least calm our nerves. … And less stress, as we all know, leads to better health.On the other hand, there’s also something socially inviting about a wide, paved trail that accommodates a few walkers and strollers at a time.It’s a fun place to see people who I’d rarely cross paths with otherwise, and there’s nothing like a lively conversation to make exercise seem fun and the miles fly by quickly.Keep up the good work, all you on wheels, skates and sneakers. If we can’t affect the national health averages, at least individually, we’ll reap the benefits.

By John RittenhouseThe Labor Day weekend brought three A features and two B feature titles to area racers.Two of the wins came Friday at Rapid Speedway, in Rock Rapids, Iowa, for Adrian’s Mark DeBoer and Luverne’s Robert Carlson.DeBoer’s win came in the late model street stock competition, where he took the feature title after winning the second heat race.Adrian’s Brad Klaassen (second in the second heat and sixth in the feature), Luverne’s Scott Overgaard (fourth in the second heat and third in the feature) and former Rock County resident Darrin Korthals (third in second heat and 10th in the feature) also raced in the street stock class Friday.Carlson won the B feature race in the hobby stock class. Carlson, who placed fifth in the first heat race, went on to place 12th in the feature.Magnolia’s Josh Klay (fourth in the first heat and fifth in the A feature), Magnolia’s Larry Kracht (first in the third heat and third in the A feature) and Kanaranzi’s Colter Deutsch (fifth in the third heat and eighth in the B feature) also raced in the hobby stock class Friday.Klay came up with a feature win during Saturday’s races at Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D. After placing second in the second heat in the hobby stock division, Klay won the feature title.Former Luverne resident Anthony Mann and Ellsworth’s Greg Roemen won heat races in the sportsman class at Rapid Speedway before placing second and fifth respectively in the feature race.Klay came up with a feature win during Saturday’s races at Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D. After placing second in the second heat in the hobby stock division, Klay won the feature title.Both Mann and Roemen raced at Lake County Speedway. Mann placed fourth in the third heat, won the B feature and placed 11th in the A feature. Roemen placed second in the third heat and third in the A feature.Luverne’s Overgaard (second in the first heat and fifth in the feature) and Adrian’s DeBoer (first in the second heat and second in the feature) competed in the street stock class in Madison.Luverne’s Mike Steensma won the modified feature event at Nobles County Speedway in Worthington Saturday.Overgaard and Luverne’s Jesse Akkerman raced in the street stock class during Monday’s races at Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, S.D. Overgaard placed fourth in the third heat and third in the feature. Akkerman finished third in the second heat and fourth in the feature.Ellsworth’s Roemen competed in the sportsman class at Huset’s, placing third in the second heat and third in the feature.Magnolia’s Kracht (fourth in the first heat and third in the feature), Luverne’s Cory Schmuck (sixth in the first heat and fifth in the feature), Kanaranzi’s Deutsch (third in the first heat and seventh in the feature) and Magnolia’s Klay (third in the second heat and ninth in the feature) raced in the hobby stock class at Huset’s.Luverne’s Alex Wiese completed a successful season as at Thunder Valley Raceway in Marion, S.D., over the weekend.Wiese, 13, won a track championship in the junior dragster division this year.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne tennis team went 1-2 while playing at a pair of different events since Saturday.The Cardinals lost matches to Redwood Valley and Montevideo during the Redwood Valley Triangular Saturday. LHS beat MACCRAY by three points in Luverne Tuesday.Luverne, 3-2 overall, hosts Brandon Valley today before traveling to Marshall Monday.Luverne 5,MACCRAY 2Strong performances from the singles players carried the Cardinals to victory during Tuesday’s home match against MACCRAY.LHS swept the four singles tilts and went 1-2 in doubles to rise above the .500 mark in match play."Our singles girls played really well," said Cardinal coach Greg Antoine. "All four girls played hard."Samantha Gacke secured 6-3 and 6-2 wins over Melissa Gustafson at No. 1, Alyssa Klein rolled to 6-2 and 6-0 victories over Claire Jaenisch at No. 2, and Nikki Van Dyk posted a pair of 6-3 wins over Amanda Forstrom at No. 3.Kaitlyn Deragisch won a three-set match from Ashley Forstrom at No. 4. After falling 4-6 in the first set, Deragisch won 6-0 in the second set and won a tiebreaker (7-2) for the third set.Luverne’s Brittney Boeve and Andraya Gracke prevailed in a three-set match (6-3, 4-6, 6-2) against Megan Hansen and Stephanie Grussing at No. 1 doubles.MACCRAY’s Amanda Bonnema and Ashley Trulock topped Jessica Klein and Heidi Sandbulte by 7-5 and 7-6 (7-3 in the tiebreaker) scores at No. 2 doubles. Anna Hagameyer and Shannon Hilbrands topped Lindsey Severtson and Katie Kraetsch 7-6 (7-4 in the tiebreaker), 4-6 and 8-6 at No. 3 doubles.RWV triangularThe Cardinals experienced defeat for the first time this season when they traveled to Redwood Falls for a triangular meet Saturday.Host RWV topped Luverne 6-1 in the first match of the day. Montevideo nipped the Cards 4-3 in the finale."I thought Montevideo was a better team than RWV," admitted LHS coach Antoine."I think the girls were a little tired in the first match. We had a long bus ride, and they had a school dance the night before. All of the kids played better in the second match."Samantha Gacke played well all day at No. 1 singles.Gacke topped RWV’s Sam Bouschek 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the first match, and posed a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Montevideo’s Dijana Vrtar in the finale."Sam had a great day," Antoine said. "She played well in her first match, and played an incredible match against Montevideo. She played six sets of tennis, which is a lot on a hot and windy day."Deragisch, who posted a pair of 6-3 victories against Montevideo’s Jenny Fitcher after falling in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) to RWV’s Caitilin MaGuire at No. 4 singles. Luverne’s third doubles team of Robin Madtson and Amy Herman won by 6-3 and 6-4 scores against Montevideo’s Trisha Baldwin and Tina Flaherty.Alyssa Klein went 0-2 at No. 2 singles. Van Dyk was 0-2 at No. 3 singles.Andraya Gacke and Boeve lost at No. 1 doubles against RWV, and Jessica Klein and Sandbulte fell against the host school.Klein and Boeve teamed up at No. 1 doubles against Montevideo, while Andraya Gacke and Sandbulte played at No. 2. Both LHS teams lost their matches in straight sets.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne volleyball team turned in an eye-opening performance to begin the 2004 campaign in Edgerton Thursday.After being outscored 50-35 in two losses to start the match against Southwest Christian, the Cardinals rallied to secure three straight wins and pull out a 3-2 victory over the E-Gals.According to LHS coach Lori Oechsle, a subtle change in positioning on the floor made a difference in the final three games."We tweaked our lineup a little bit," she said. "We made a few minor adjustments in the third game, and it worked out for us. Thank God."The moves LHS made included moving Cassi Pap from the left-side to the right-side hitting positions, and putting Jessa Dahl on the floor as a middle hitter. Both players made impacts at their respective positions, and SWC did nothing to stop the momentum Luverne gained as the match progressed.Game 3 was tied at four when Luverne went on a 6-1 spurt to take a 10-5 advantage when Maggie Kuhlman recorded one of her team-high 12 kills. The Cards led 17-12 before closing the match with an 8-1 run that gave the visitors a 25-13 victory.Luverne took a two-point lead early in the fourth game and led by four (6-2) when Kimberly Xaisongkham served a point as the game progressed. The Cards extended their lead to seven points (16-9) with an ace serve from Brittney Williams. They still led by seven (21-14) before using a 4-2 spurt capped by a kill from Kuhlman to knot the match at two games each with a 25-16 win.SWC scored the first two points of Game 5 and led 7-6 when the Cards put together an 8-1 run that ended with a kill from Kuhlman to gain a 14-8 cushion. SWC scored the next three points, but another kill from Kuhlman iced a 15-11 victory for LHS.Luverne, which scored the first two points of Game 1, found itself in a deadlock at eight with SWC moments later. The E-Gals then opened a 22-13 lead with a 14-5 surge before the Cards trimmed the difference to five points (24-19) when Pap served a point late in the game. SWC scored the final point to prevail 25-19.The E-Gals led 6-1 early in Game 2 before Luverne closed the gap to three points (10-7) when Birdie Xaphakdy served a point to cap a 6-4 spurt. SWC still led by three points (18-15) when it closed the game with a 7-1 run to notch a 25-16 win.Chelsea Park and Williams charted 12 set assists each for the winners, and Park chipped in five kills. Ashley Heitkamp, Dahl and Pap contributed four, three and two blocks respectively to the cause. Heitkamp was 20 of 22 serving with five aces and 15 points. Xaphakdy, who had five digs,was 18 of 20 serving with one ace and 12 points. Xaisongkham led the Cards with seven digs.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Cardinals opened the 2004 season in a promising way by recording a 19-0 home win over New Ulm Friday.Luverne scored 19 points in the first half, which proved to be more than enough offensive support for a team that turned in one of its most impressive defensive performances in recent years.The Cardinal defense limited the Eagles to 96 total yards, recorded five sacks and gave up one first down in the game’s first half. When the contest was complete, LHS coach Todd Oye tipped his hat to the defensive unit."Our defense set the tone with a three-and-out to start the game," said Oye, who registered his first coaching win over New Ulm. "Overall, it was the most complete performance by our defense we’ve had (during Oye’s two-plus year coaching tenure).The LHS defense recorded four straight three-and-out series to start the game and came up with an interception to end New Ulm’s fifth possession of the contest. The Cardinal defense made an early statement by not allowing the Eagles to pick up a single yard during the first three plays of the game.After New Ulm punted the ball, the LHS offense took over on its own 41-yard line before mounting a 59-yard drive consisting of six running plays. The march, which featured runs of 19 and 18 yards by tailback Scott Goebel, ended with quarterback Nick Heronimus scoring on a seven-yard scamper at the 7:59 mark of the first quarter. When Chris Engesser booted the extra point, the Cards sported a 7-0 cushion.Luverne lost the ball on downs and by an interception at the end of its second and third offensive possessions of the game, but the Cards capped the scoring in the game by reaching the end zone twice in the final six minutes of the second quarter.Luverne overcame three penalties during a six-play, 45-yard touchdown drive during its fourth offensive possession of the game. After tossing a 42-yard pass to Derek Johnson that moved the ball to the Eagle 8-yard line, Heronimus scored two plays later on a one-yard plunge at the 5:53 mark of the second quarter. A bobbled snap during the extra-point attempt led to a run that fell short of reaching the end zone, leaving the Cards with a 13-0 cushion.Cardinal defender Jared Pick intercepted a pass two plays into New Ulm’s ensuing offensive possession.The turnover set up an eight-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Heronimus tossing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Brad Herman with 44 seconds left in the first half. The toss for a two-point conversion fell incomplete.Neither team could produce any points in the second half.One interception, one fumbled punt and a missed 25-yard field goal attempt played a role in keeping the Cardinals scoreless in the third and fourth quarters. The LHS defense yielded 81 yards and six first downs in the second half, but it came up with one interception while completing the shutout."Our offense executed pretty well in the first half, but we had a lot of penalties (10 in the game) and made a lot of mistakes after that," Oye said. "It was a typical first game with the mistakes and penalties, but it was a good first step for us. It’s nice to start the season 1-0, and it gives us a good start as far as collecting section playoff points."The Luverne defense will be tested again when the Cards travel to Worthington to take on quarterback Jay Scheidt and the Trojans Friday. Scheidt threw for one touchdown pass and ran for another to lead the Trojans to a 20-12 win over Fairmont last Friday."They have a talented quarterback who set a lot of passing records for them last season," Oye said of the Trojans. "We’ll have to play well in all three phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams) to be successful."Team statisticsLuverne: 174 rushing yards, 144 passing yards, 318 total yards, 11 first downs, 10 penalties for 60 yards, three turnovers.New Ulm: 37 rushing yards, 59 passing yards, 96 total yards, seven first downs, zero penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Jake Hendricks 9-62, Goebel 10-44, Nate Siebenahler 9-28, Ben Nath 2-13, Heronimus 7-11, Nathan Boler 6-8, Elbers 3-8.Passing: Heronimus 7-13 for 144 yards.Receiving: Herman 2-73, Pick 2-16, Johnson 1-42, Hendricks 2-13.Defense: Tony Willers two sacks, Boler one sack, Siebenahler one sack, Jose Saravia one sack, Herman one interception and one fumble recovery, Pick one interception.

By John RittenhouseTwo-plus weeks of practice paid off for the Adrian Dragons during the 2004 football opener in Wells Friday.Taking Class 2A United South Central on its home turf, Adrian made an early statement by strolling to a 29-6 victory."We just played Adrian football," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "We thought we might be able to surprise them by the way we got ready in the first two weeks of practice, and we did."The Dragons made some early noise when defender David Hoffer picked off a pass three plays into the game, setting up a three-play series that covered 66 yards and ended with the visitors sporting a 7-0 lead.A 42-yard pass from Levi Bullerman to Brett Block pushed the ball deep into USC territory on Adrian’s first play from scrimmage, and Billy Anderson scored on a three-yard run two plays later. Bullerman added the extra point at the 9:55 mark of the opening period.The Dragons doubled their lead (14-0) with a 14-play, 74-yard march during their second offensive possession.After Bullerman hit Anderson for a 12-yard pass completion to give AHS a key first down during a third-and-seven situation, Bullerman capped the march with a one-yard plunge on the first play of the second quarter. Bullerman then kicked his second extra point.Two big plays from Bullerman helped the Dragons open a 21-0 advantage with their third possession of the game.Bullerman returned a punt 39 yards to the USC 49-yard line, setting up an eight-play drive that ended with the senior quarterback tossing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Block with 5:59 remaining in the first half. Bullerman kicked his third straight extra point after the touchdown.Adrian’s near-perfect first half was tainted when the Dragons lost the ball on a fumble as the second quarter progressed. USC took advantage of the turnover by marching 62 yards in eight plays, with quarterback Josh Kauffman tossing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Adam Schrader to end the drive. A failed extra-point attempt ended the scoring in the first half with 47 seconds left in the second period.Adrian ended the scoring in the game in the third quarter after Block recovered a fumbled punt on the USC 27. Bullerman scored on a three-yard run five plays later before connecting with Cody Reverts for a successful two-point conversion toss."We were very surprised our offense looked good," Strand admitted. "Casey Knips (offensive and defensive lineman) made a lot of things happen for us. He opened some holes on offense, and plugged things up on defense."The Dragons entertain Ortonville for their home opener Friday.Team statisticsAdrian: 309 rushing yards, 74 passing yards, 383 total yards, 16 first downs, four penalties for 30 yards, three turnovers.USC: 88 rushing yards, 107 passing yards, 195 total yards, eight first downs, four penalties for 25 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 37-165, Bullerman 13-73, Tony Sauer 8-31, Reverts 1-1, Jordan Brake 1-6, Clint Metz 3-20, Jory Haken 2-10, Nick Weidert 2-3.Passing: Bullerman 4-7 for 74 yards.Receiving: Block 2-59, Anderson 1-12, Reverts 1-3.Defense: Metz 12 tackles, Haken 11 tackles, Anderson one fumble recovery, Block one fumble recovery, Hoffer one interception.

By Jolene FarleyVoters in the Hills-Beaver Creek school district will decide in November on a proposal for a 10-year operating levy referendum.The H-BC School Board passed a resolution at a special meeting Tuesday allowing voters to decide whether to eliminate the current $229 per pupil unit levy and replace it with a $855 per student unit levy beginning with property taxes payable in 2005. After equalization, taxpayers would pick up 46.53 percent or $92,993 per year of the increase, while the state would pay for 53.47 percent or $106,882 per year. Agricultural property will pay taxes for the proposed referendum based on the value of the house, garage and one acre. Seasonal recreational residential property will pay no taxes for the proposed referendum.The current $229 per pupil levy, which expires next year, generates about $79,622 in income for the district. Current cash flow levels aren’t enough to keep the district running, according to Superintendent Dave Deragisch."We struggle every month to pay the bills from one month to the next," he said. Sometimes bills approved by the board cannot be paid until another aid payment arrives from the state, Deragisch said. "I’ve been telling teachers for the last year and a half that we are broke," he said. "I just want you to know that we don’t have money sitting in the bank somewhere."Before the board voted on three referendum levels, Deragisch gave the board some background on when cash flow issues began for the district. Four years ago, the district had a $1 million levy. When the state of Minnesota implemented tax reforms four years ago, the district lost more than $700,000 in revenue. Since the tax reforms, the state of Minnesota hasn’t replaced the missing revenue. The district was fortunate that it had a healthy general fund balance when the tax reforms were implemented, Deragisch said. After spending down the general fund balance, the district made more than $100,000 in budget cuts earlier this year in an attempt not to raise the levy.Deragisch and board member Gary Esselink stressed that many other districts have already asked voters to increase their operating levy in previous years and are back at the polls again this year. "We did not go for a referendum four years ago when a number of schools did," Deragisch said.The board was presented with three options before voting. Canceling the current $229 levy and passing a $500 per pupil unit levy would generate $173,295 for the district each year.Setting the levy at $700 per pupil unit would generate $242,613 for the district. The $855 levy, if passed, would generate $296,608 extra per year in revenue for the district. "I’ll be blunt with you, $500 isn’t enough," Deragisch said. Finance committee chairperson Gary Esselink recommended that the board approve the resolution for $855 per student unit for the ten-year term."It’s tough," he said. "It’s never easy to raise taxes."Another round of budget cuts would be devastating for the district. "It’s pretty hard to cut what we’ve got …" he said. The referendum was originally on the agenda for the regular school board meeting next Monday, but a special meeting was called when Deragisch discovered state law changed the deadline from 49 to 53 days before an election.Deragisch pointed out that counties, cities and townships have also been forced to cut their budgets and increase taxes but those entities aren’t required to put tax increases on the ballot."Our obligation is, we have to go before the voters," Deragisch said.

By Jolene Farley Steen voters will decide who will fill two city council seats at the election in November. There will be no race in Hills or Beaver Creek. Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen had mayor and city council seats open this year. Milton Van Batavia refiled for mayor of Steen. Rod Scholten, Marlin Elbers and Scott Kessler filed for the two open council seats. The council seats are four-year terms.In Hills, the mayor and two council member terms expire at the end of the year. Jim Jellema refiled for the four-year mayor term. Dana Dahlquist refiled for the four-year city council seat. The Hills City Council tried unsuccessfully to recruit someone to fill the seat vacated by Arlen Leenderts when he resigned June 30. No one stepped forward after repeated advertising and posters hung around the community. Since no one filed to fill the seat as of the first of the year, anyone’s name can be written on the ballot at election time. A write-in candidate has the option to decline the position. In Beaver Creek, Al Blank re-filed for mayor and Carolyn DeBoer refiled for the city council. Jeff Dysthe didn’t file, but his brother, Jamie, filed for his seat.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth Patriots opened the 2004 football season by rolling to a 32-12 victory over Lakeview in Cottonwood Thursday.Senior Zach Wysong scored three touchdowns in three different ways to help the Patriots best the Lakers by 20 points in a non-conference clash.Wysong, who ran for 173 yards and picked up 55 yards as a pass receiver, scored one rushing touchdown, one receiving touchdown and returned a punt for a six-pointer to lead the Patriots to victory."We were really pleased with the way we played," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "It was a really good effort. The kids played the entire game hard, and we even got the chance to play some younger kids late in the game."H-BC-E assumed control of the contest by opening a 20-6 halftime advantage.After their first offensive possession of the game stalled in Laker territory, the Patriots moved in front to stay with their second possession of the game.Tom LeBoutiller, who carried the ball 14 times for 118 yards in the game, scored on a five-yard run to cap the possession. The pass for a two-point conversion fell incomplete, leaving H-BC-E with a 6-0 cushion.The Patriots doubled their lead (12-0) four plays later.After H-BC-E’s defense forced Lakeview to punt three plays after LeBoutillier’s touchdown, Wysong fielded the kick and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown. Another pass for a conversion failed, leaving the Patriots with a 12-point lead that would end the scoring in the first quarter.Lakeview got back into the game when quarterback Cody Fruin tossed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Cam Hauge early in the second quarter. The Lakers, however, were unable to run in the two-point conversion and were left facing a 12-6 deficit.Lakeview got the ball back later in the period, but H-BC-E’s Cody Scholten took it away by intercepting a pass.The Patriot offense then displayed some quick-strike ability when a screen pass from quarterback Travis Broesder to Wysong turned into a 55-yard catch and touchdown run. Broesder carried in the two-point conversion to give the Patriots a 20-6 halftime lead.H-BC-E iced the game by scoring the first two touchdowns in the second half.Wysong picked off a pass that set up a three-yard touchdown pass from Broesder to Cody Rozeboom in the third quarter. A failed conversion pass left the Patriots sporting a 26-6 lead.Wysong capped the scoring for H-BC-E when he dashed for a 47-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to make the difference 32-6.Lakeview produced a late touchdown when Derby Wiesen scored on a four-yard run to end the scoring in the game.Take away 10 penalties that hurt H-BC-E on both sides of the ball, and Ellingson would have had no complaints about his team’s performance in the opener."It was the first game, and you’re never quite sure how things will come together," he said. "We did have 10 penalties, and our stats (statistics) would have been a lot better if we would have played a cleaner game. Our offense played well without Jason Martens (center) and Chris Nuffer (tight end), who missed the game with a score knee and strep throat. Our defense played really well, but we did give up a couple of long gains because of some missed assignments. But we can work those things out."H-BC-E makes its home debut Friday by hosting Westbrook-Walnut Grove.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 356 rushing yards, 60 passing yards, 416 total yards, 19 first downs, 10 penalties for 60 yards, three turnovers.Lakeview: 186 rushing yards, 107 passing yards, 293 total yards, nine first downs, five penalties for 41 yards, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: LeBoutillier 14-118, Wysong 15-173, Broesder 13-32, Adam Finke 2-32, Tom Leuthold 1-3, Kerry Fink 1-2, Josh Nolte 1-minus 1.Passing: Broesder 3-12 for 60 yards.Receiving: Wysong 1-55, Rozeboom 1-3, Greg Van Batavia 1-2.Defense: Rozeboom nine tackles, Brian Gacke eight tackles, Jason Hup six tackles, Kenny Bittner two tackles and one sack, Scholten one interception, Wysong one interception.