By Jolene FarleyFans didn’t know what to expect from a benefit basketball game featuring the Keloland Almost Stars versus a Hills-Beaver Creek team at the high school gym Monday.The game ended with a tied score of 171, but the scores were not attained by traditional basketball scoring rules. Fun and bending the rules was the name of the game for the evening."They just do this to have fun and raise money for whatever organization," Linda Bosch said.Bosch and other junior parents from the After Prom committee invited the KELO Almost Stars to Hills. The evening raised more than $1,200 for the After Prom group.Some of the antics during the evening included a purse planted in the stands next to Hills Mayor Jim Jellema and his wife, Marilyn. The crowd found the items in Jim’s purse a little racy — a pair of boxer shorts with a heart pattern and a negligee top.Later in the evening, a recording was played over the sound system about Almost Star player Scott Mundt. The recording was meant to mimic the "thoughts" in someone’s head about how "dreamy" Mundt is. The referee made Erin Boeve stand up, and he tried to attribute those "thoughts" to Boeve. Throughout the evening, fans were grabbed from the audience to shoot free throws and participate in the game.The Almost Stars distributed KELO cups and basketballs and signed autographs for fans.The Spotlight Dancers performed at halftime, along with the Hills-Beaver Creek Danceline. Announcer for the event was Dan LaRock, Hills.

By John RittenhouseThree members of the Ellsworth High School boys’ basketball team received postseason honors from the Camden Conference last week.Ellsworth, which placed second in the conference with a 10-4 record, drew three of the league’s 13 All-CC Team selections.Along with making the all-conference team, senior Curt Schilling was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and Free-Throw champion (86-100) for the 2003-04 campaign.Senior guard Adam Sieff and senior forward Todd Alberty also made the All-CC Team.League champion Canby picked up four All-CC selections in Jeremy Blackwelder, Andy Nefstead, Kevin Peterson and Joe Miller.Russell-Tyler-Ruthton matched Ellsworth with three selections. Brett Newton, Brooks Newton and Kyle Minett made the team for the Knights.Lakeview’s Tyler Jeseritz, Dawson-Boyd’s Tim Cariveau and Lincoln HI’s Brock Citterman round out the roster.Ellsworth seniors Tom Janssen and Lee Farrell are honorable mention selections to the All-CC team.Final standings: Canby 13-1, Ellsworth 10-4, R-T-R 9-5, D-B 9-5, LH 8-6, Lakeview 3-11, Minneota 3-11, Lake Benton 1-13.

By John RittenhouseSome members of the Luverne High School track teams received their first taste of competition in 2004 Saturday in Vermillion, S.D.The Cardinals traveled to the Dakota Dome to compete in the United States Track Coaches Association’s Navy Run, Jump and Throw event.Luverne boys recorded five Top-10 performances at the meet, and the girls tallied four finishes in the Top-10."Our kids did a nice job," said Cardinal coach Craig Nelson. "It was a meet with good competition. We competed against a lot of good schools from Nebraska and Iowa."Tim Rust turned in Luverne’s top effort at the meet by placing second in the pole vault. Rust, who placed sixth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.39, cleared 12-0 in the pole vault.Tyler Elbers also picked up a pair of places for the Cardinals. Elbers cleared 6-0 to finish third in the high jump, and covered 19-2 to place seventh in the long jump.Nick Otten also turned in a strong performance by running 1,000 meters in 2:56.2 to place fourth.Maggie Kuhlman came up with the best performances for the Cardinal girls Saturday.Kuhlman, who recorded a 10.3 in the 60-meter hurdles without placing, finished fifth in the high jump (4-6) and triple jump (30-4 1/4).Cassie Pap placed sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 29-6.Pap, Kuhlman, Jenni Christensen and Tera Boomgaarden placed ninth in the 800-meter relay with a time of 1:59.1.Here is a look at the rest of the individual performances turned in by Cardinals during Saturday’s meet.Luverne boysBen Cornish, 17-8 in the long jump, 9-6 in the pole vault, 7-5 in the 60-meter dash; Andres Wellig, 8.7 in the 60; Jordan Siebenahler, 8.6 in the 60 and 1:01 in the 400-meter dash; Scott Goebel, Eric Kraetsch and Thomas Pinkal ran the 1,500-meter run (no times were available); Tony Willers, 38-6 in the shot put; Casey Swenson, Josh Fick and Mike Van Wyhe threw the shot without being measured; Ben Uphoff, 59.9 in the 400; Kraetsch and Pinkal ran the 3,000-meter run (no times were available), Steve Schneiderman, 3:28.1 in the 1,000.Luverne girlsJessica Willers, 10.7 in the 60 hurdles and 1:47 in the 500-meter run; Amanda Kannas, 6:15 in the 1,500- and 13:55 in the 3,200-meter runs; Pap, 14-6 in the long jump; Ramona Taubert, 1:18 in the 400 and no distance available in the long jump; Katie Schneiderman, 1:21 in the 400; Ashley Kraetsch, 1:21 in the 400; Boomgaarden, 3:30 in the 1,500; Marissa Stewart, 31-7 in the shot; Natalie Willers, 25-7 in the shot; Debbie Schneiderman, 21-3 in the shot.

April 1 is the perfect time to announce a May 1 career changeI’ve been told the best time to look for a job is when you’re happily employed.I love it here at the Star Herald, but I’ll be leaving the paper at the end of the month for new opportunities.Change can be a good thing for everyone, and after almost 11 years here as editor, both I and the paper are probably way overdue.Starting May 1, I’ll be working as the new Community Relations Officer in the Luverne City Administrator’s Office.My job duties, among other things, will be to serve as a liaison between City Hall and representatives in other local governments and the community.It’s no secret that public relations has been a weak point for our city officials, and I hope to change that in my new position.The theory is that even though the city and county actually have similar goals for the community, poor diplomacy — or lack of it — has stymied efforts at any real progress toward those goals.Through more than 10 years of covering city and county government, I bring some knowledge to the position, and, if nothing else, will be able to effectively communicate on key topics.After playing the role of public watchdog for the press, I look forward to working side-by-side with city officials on the same issues, this time working with them on the same team.At a time when budgets are tight, I admire the city for recognizing the importance of developing this position, and I thank you, the city taxpayers, for helping to pay for my salary— a modest $55,785.89, plus benefits.Meanwhile, though, the career transition will be painful.Of all the fun and interesting jobs out there, I’d say heading up a community paper ranks among the most rewarding.Being able to do that in my home county makes it even more rewarding. In fact, reader feedback is one of the things I’ll miss the most about this work. There are fewer things more satisfying than getting a thank-you card (real, hand-written snail mail) from someone telling me my writing has touched their lives.I’ll also miss working on new stories that put me in touch with people I may not have otherwise had a chance to meet.I’ll miss our Thursday morning news meetings, where we spend more time catching up on each other than we spend planning the next week’s paper.I won’t miss the late Tuesday news deadlines or weekend photo assignments.I won’t miss correcting errors in obituaries and anniversary announcements.And I really won’t miss having to write sad stories about tragic losses among local families. Having said all that, and since the date today is April 1, I must add …… April fool, readers! This column is a spoof. It’s not unthinkable that I’d make a career move, but, and someday maybe I’ll actually be brave enough to do that.Until then, readers, we’ll continue our small-town news adventures together.Sorry to get your hopes up, City Councilmen. … We’re having way too much fun to change things now.

By John RittenhousePartial Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton track squads opened the 2004 campaign at the Dan Lennon Invitational Track and Field Championships in Vermillion, S.D., Tuesday.A total of 31 H-BC-E-E athletes tested their skills against talent from South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa during the Class B version of the event staged in the Dakota Dome.The debut was a successful one for the Patriots, who recorded nine Top-10 finishes at meet’s end."With this being a meet as big as it is, and considering we’ve only been practicing for one week, I think we had a great meet," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "Our performances were above and beyond my expectations, both time-wise and in our places."Tyler Bush started the season in style by helping the Patriots secure two meet championships.Bush won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:06.6, and ran a leg with the champion 1,600-meter relay team. Todd Alberty, Kale Wiertzema, Lee Jackson and Bush won the event with a time of 3:40.13.Tom LeBoutillier and Cody Scholten secured individual places for the Patriot boys.LeBoutillier placed third in the long jump with a distance of 20-2 and finished fifth with a time of 9.21 in the 60-meter hurdles.Scholten cleared 5-8 in the high jump to place eighth.The boys’ 800-meter relay team of Scholten, LeBoutillier, John Sandbulte and Alberty turned in a 10th place performance with a time of 1:45.55.Cassi Tilstra turned in the top effort for the H-BC-E-E girls.Tilstra ran 800 meters in 2:28.77 to place second.The girls’ medley relay team of Shelly Sas, Kelly Mulder, Tilstra and Mya Mann placed fourth with a time of 4:38.54.The girls’ 1,600-meter relay team finished 10th with a time of 4:32.74. Mann Jocelyn Bucher, Ashley Bucher and Brittany Helgeson formed the team.H-BC-E-E will open the outdoor portion of its 2004 schedule at the Cardinal Quadrangular in Luverne Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ track team turned in an outstanding performance during the Class A version of the Dan Lennon Invitational Track and Field Championships staged in Vermillion, S.D., Monday.Luverne, one of the smallest schools in Class A, did more than hold its ground against bigger teams from South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.The Cardinal boys locked up seven Top-10 performances during what was a satisfying meet for LHS coach Craig Nelson."Our boys had a lot of good place finishes," he said. "The girls did well, too. But, our boys had an outstanding meet."Tim Rust turned in a record-setting performance at the meet.Rust, who placed sixth with a time of 7.37 in the 60-meter dash, won the pole vault and set a school record in the event by clearing 13-0. Rust’s effort surpassed the old school standard of 12-8 set in the 1990s.Justin Van Wyhe made a bid to win an event title at the meet with his distance of 42-7 in the triple jump. Van Wyhe placed second in the event.Van Wyhe also ran with Luverne’s sprint-medley relay team, which placed 10th with a time of 3:57.88. Ben Cornish, Jake Hendricks and Nick Otten round out the team.Tyler Elbers and Ruston Aaker placed sixth and ninth in the 400-meter dash with respective 55.06 and 56.0 times.Elbers, Aaker, Hendricks and Rust placed sixth in the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3:44.51.Brittany Mulder turned in the lone Top-10 performance for the Cardinal girls Monday.Mulder cleared 7-0 to place seventh in the pole vault.The Luverne teams host the annual Cardinal Quadrangular Tuesday.Here is a look at the rest of Luverne’s efforts during the Dan Lennon Invitational.Luverne boysAaker and Mike Nelson cleared 9-0 to share 13th place in the pole vault; Thomas Pinkal, 25th in 3,200-meter run, 11:24.9; Cornish, 45th in 60-meter dash, 7.8; Jordan Siebenahler, 57th in the 60 dash, 8.09; Ryan Jacobsma, 65th in the 60 dash, 8.62; 800 relay (Siebenahler, Hendricks, Aaker and Otten), 18th in 1:43.72; Scott Goebel, 27th in 1,600-meter run, 5:12.54; Pinkal, 42nd in 1,600, 5:25.46; Travis Halfmann, 46th in 1,600, 5:34.78; Jon May, 50th in 1,600, 5:48.64; Jacobsma, 55th in 400 dash, 1:06.61; Goebel, 17th in 800-meter run, 2:16.06; Halfmann, 35th in 800, 2:29.87; Steve Schneiderman, 38th in 800, 2:35.93.Luverne girlsMaggie Kuhlman, 16th in triple jump, 30-0; Marissa Stewart, 22nd in shot put, 31-1; Callen Bosshart, 14th in long jump, 14-6 1/2; Erin Hoiland, 20th in long jump, 14-0 1/4; Amanda Kannas, 32nd in 3,200, 14:29.7; Kuhlman, 24th in 60 hurdles, 10.5; Jessica Willers, 61st in 60 hurdles, 11.74; C.Bosshart, 24th in 60 dash, 8.55; Nicole Willers, 40th in 60 dash, 8.83; Morgan Bosshart, 51st in 60 dash, 8.98; Hoiland, 57th in 60 dash, 9.04; 800 relay (Jenni Christensen, C.Bosshart, Amanda Dooyema, Nicole Willers), 15th in 1:57.56; Kannas, 38th in 1,600 run, 6:35.31; sprint-medley relay (C.Bosshart, Christensen, Kuhlman and Lexi Heitkamp), 4:43.5; J.Willers, 400, 48th in 1:16.44; Kesley Dooyema, 20th in 800 run, 2:41.24; 1,600 relay (Heitkamp, Christensen, A.Dooyema and Tera Boomgaarden), 13th in 4:35.7.

Red Rock Conference wrestling champion Adrian landed eight all-conference selections and four honorable mention selections on the 2003-04 All-RRC Team. Standing (from left) are Pete Jensen, Nate Engelkes, Dusty Bullerman, Trent Bullerman, Brandon Bullerman, Cody Reverts, Tony Sauer, Josh Winselman, Joey Bullerman, Levi Bullerman and Michal Barrie. Joey Bullerman, Barrie, Brandon Bullerman, Sauer, Levi Bullerman, Josh Winselman, Dusty Bullerman and Trent Bullerman made the All-RRC squad. Reverts, Jensen, Engelkes and Cody Lutmer (not pictured), drew honorable mention.By John RittenhouseThe Adrian High School wrestling team reaped the benefits of an outstanding season when the 2003-04 All-Red Rock Conference Wrestling Team was announced last week.Adrian won the league title with a 4-0 record on the way to a second-place finish at the state tournament, and the Dragons had 12 players receive postseason honors from the RRC coaches.Eight Dragons made the all-conference team. Four more drew honorable mention.Making the 22-athlete All-RRC roster for Adrian are seniors Michal Barrie , Josh Winselman and Trent Bullerman, juniors Joey Bullerman, Tony Sauer, Levi Bullerman and Dusty Bullerman and sophomore Brandon Bullerman.Adrian senior Pete Jensen, junior Cody Lutmer and sophomores Cody Reverts and Nate Engelkes picked up four of 13 honorable mention selections offered by the RRC coaches.Windom-Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin and Jackson County Central landed five all-conference selections each.W-ML-B-O seniors Jeff Stuckenbroker and Brady Janzan, juniors Nick Kulseth and Ryan Fast and sophomore Travis Elg made the team.JCC seniors Jordan Burmeister, Tom Nesseth and Kent Scheff, sophomore Justin Kolander and eighth-grader Torey Stewart made the team for the Huskies.Rounding out the all-conference roster are Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove seniors Kirk Nekon and Mike Hubert, and Fulda-Murray County Central senior Dean Paulzine and junior Luke Giese.Other wrestlers receiving honorable mention include W-ML-B-O senior Travis Winters, junior Scott Winters and sophomores Chris Fast and Colt Bergendahl, JCC sophomore Jared Knips and eighth-grader Jacob Johnson, F-MCC senior Loren Clark and sophomore Nick Henning and RRC-W-WG junior Donavon Walz.

By John RittenhousePartial Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton track squads opened the 2004 campaign at the Dan Lennon Invitational Track and Field Championships in Vermillion, S.D., Tuesday.A total of 31 H-BC-E-E athletes tested their skills against talent from South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa during the Class B version of the event staged in the Dakota Dome.The debut was a successful one for the Patriots, who recorded nine Top-10 finishes at meet’s end."With this being a meet as big as it is, and considering we’ve only been practicing for one week, I think we had a great meet," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "Our performances were above and beyond my expectations, both time-wise and in our places."Tyler Bush started the season in style by helping the Patriots secure two meet championships.Bush won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:06.6, and ran a leg with the champion 1,600-meter relay team. Todd Alberty, Kale Wiertzema, Lee Jackson and Bush won the event with a time of 3:40.13.Tom LeBoutillier and Cody Scholten secured individual places for the Patriot boys.LeBoutillier placed third in the long jump with a distance of 20-2 and finished fifth with a time of 9.21 in the 60-meter hurdles.Scholten cleared 5-8 in the high jump to place eighth.The boys’ 800-meter relay team of Scholten, LeBoutillier, John Sandbulte and Alberty turned in a 10th place performance with a time of 1:45.55.Cassi Tilstra turned in the top effort for the H-BC-E-E girls.Tilstra ran 800 meters in 2:28.77 to place second.The girls’ medley relay team of Shelly Sas, Kelly Mulder, Tilstra and Mya Mann placed fourth with a time of 4:38.54.The girls’ 1,600-meter relay team finished 10th with a time of 4:32.74. Mann Jocelyn Bucher, Ashley Bucher and Brittany Helgeson formed the team.H-BC-E-E will open the outdoor portion of its 2004 schedule at the Cardinal Quadrangular in Luverne Tuesday.

Hills-Beaver Creek’s Trey Van Wyhe (second, left), Kale Wiertzema (second, right) and Tyler Bush (right) made the 2003-04 All-Red Rock Conference Boys’ Basketball Team. Zach Wysong (left) drew honorable mention.By John RittenhouseFour Hills-Beaver Creek players received postseason recognition when the 2003-04 All-Red Rock Conference Boys’ Basketball Team was announced last week.Three Patriots secured spots on the 18-player All-RRC Team. Another H-BC player drew honorable mention from the RRC coaches.Making the all-conference squad are senior Trey Van Wyhe and juniors Tyler Bush and Kale Wiertzema.Junior Zach Wysong drew honorable mention.League champion Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin picked up four all-conference selections to lead all schools. Seniors Mark DeYounge and Sitt Thammavongkeo and juniors Grant Wall and Travis Ratzlaff are the Wolverines on the roster.Adrian, Southwest Christian and Edgerton placed two players each on the roster.SWC seniors John Top and Marshall Pater graced the roster. Edgerton senior Brad Van Dyke and junior Jordan Menning made the team. Adrian seniors Brandon Wolf and Kyle Knips are the Dragons on the squad.Rounding out the roster are Fulda senior Aaron Crowley, Red Rock Central junior Mark Engen, Southwest Star Concept junior Ryan Scheevel and Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster senior Mark Riley.Eleven players drew honorable mention from the RRC coaches along with Wysong.Adrian junior Casey Knips, SWC seniors Tyler Prins and Cody Top, RRC senior Andy DeCock and junior Dusty Sykora, Fulda junior Jeremy Crowley, SSC senior Brooke Mathias and freshman James Granstra, Murray County Central senior Adam Bergeson and Westbrook-Walnut Grove sophomore Dominick Madson round out the honorable mention selections.