By John Rittenhouse

As time was winding down during Luverne's season-opening football win over New Ulm, a nervous Joel Swanson made a comment that had to sum up the emotions experienced by every father of a Cardinal player.

By John Rittenhouse
Five members of the Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team drew honorable mention or were selected to the 2000 All-Southwest Ridge Conference Football Team that was announced Monday.

H-BC-E, which tied for third place in the league with a 4-3 record, placed three players on the 24-player All-SRC roster. Two more Patriots drew honorable mention.

Seniors Lance Crawford and Chris Willers and junior Lyle DeBoer made the all-league squad for H-BC-E.

Crawford is an end-linebacker, Willers a running back-cornerback, and DeBoer a running back-linebacker.

State and conference champion Westbrook-Walnut Grove led all league teams by having six players named to the All-SRC team.

Seniors Dan Butler, Alex Ourada, Darren Tietz and Isaiah Wahl and juniors Ryan Baker and Dustin Krick made the team for the Chargers.

Tietz also was named the SRC's Offensive Back of the Year, and W-WG co-coaches were named the league's Coaches of the Year.

Lincoln HI, which placed second in the league, and Edgerton, which tied for third with H-BC-E, received four All-SRC selections each.

Seniors Jared Moen, Jordan Moen and Josh Vierhuf and junior Jack Weber made the team for LH.

Jared Moen also was named the league's Lineman of the Year.

Seniors Eric Elgersma, Jeff Evink and Jonny Kooiman and junior Josh Bleyenburg made the team for Edgerton.

Lakeview, Lake Benton and Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster drew two All-SRC selections each.

Lakeview senior Derek Dahl and junior Taylor Kroger, LB seniors Drew Bunkers and Matt Johnson, and SV-RL-B juniors Paul Paplow and Matt Sather grace the roster.

Southwest Star Concept sophomore Tyler Leopold caps the all-league team.

Seventeen players drew honorable mention from the T-CC coaches, including two from H-BC-E.

Senior offensive and defensive linemen Stephen Swayze and junior offensive and defensive lineman Kyle Braun drew honorable mention for the Patriots.

W-WG seniors Michael Burns, Jeff Mathiason and John Schulz, LH senior Evan Eidem and junior Josh Eastman, Edgerton seniors Brooks Hendriks and Chase Schelhaas, Lakeview seniors Nick Girard and Corey Rigge and junior Braden Rosa, LB seniors Dustin Drietz and Caleb Lowery, SV-RL-B senior Jim Morrison and junior Josh Ihrke, and SSC senior Ryan Pavelko round out the honorable mention selections.

H-BC-E also had six players make the SRC's All-Academic Team.

Seniors Swayze, Willers, Crawford, juniors Justin Van Maanen and Kevin Van Batavia, and sophomore Jesse Leuthold made that honorary team.

Two Hills-Beaver Creek High School students are expected to make an impact on the mat as members of the Luverne-Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth wrestling team this winter.

Sophomore Dusty Seachris and seventh-grader Kerry Fink are considered top contenders to wrestle for the varsity team by Cardinal coach Dave Duffy.

Seachris, who returns to the fold as a letter winner from the 1999-00 campaign, has the most experience of H-BC's two matmen.

Fink is a member of the program for the first time.

Seachris is one of nine letter winners returning to the L-H-BC-E team.

As a freshman, Seachris represented the Cardinals in the 112-pound weight class during the Section 3AA Individual Tournament in Montevideo.

Seachris went 0-2 without placing at the section event.

Seachris is one of three wrestlers expected to compete at either the 125-, 130- and 135-pound weight classes for L-H-BC-E this season.

Junior Chris Tiesler, a state-qualifier from last season, and eighth-grade letter winner Ruston Aaker are in the mix with Seachris between the 125-135-pound weight classes.

Fink is battling for the nod at 103 pounds along with two other seventh-graders.
Aric Uithoven and Anthony Boyenga are battling with Fink for mat time at 103.

L-H-BC-E is coming off an 11-9 season that featured a third-place finish (4-2) in the Southwest Conference.

The Cardinals beat Montevideo 52-16 in the first round of the Section 3AA Team Tournament before bowing to eventual state champion Jackson County Central in the semifinals. L-H-BC-E ended up placing third in the event after edging Windom-Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin, a team that handed the Cards one of their conference losses in the regular season, 34-32 in the third- and fourth-place match.

L-H-BC-E sent a program-high seven wrestlers to the state tournament with a successful outing during the Section 3AA Individual Tournament.

Senior section champions Alex Serie and Jordan Petersen went on to place first and second at 160 pounds and heavyweight respectively. Tom Jenniges, a section champion at 189, placed fourth at state.

Seniors Jeremy Kopp (140) and Brad Cowell (152) advanced to state without placing.

Tiesler and senior Zach Skattum return to the team with state experience from the 1999-2000 squad.

Senior Kevin Schultz, sophomore Marcus Walgrave and freshman Justin Mann return to the team with section experience from last winter. Sophomores Joel Evans and Canaan Petersen are other returning letter winners.

L-H-BC-E opens the season at the Flandreau (S.D.) Tournament Saturday.

After a one-year layoff, Hills-Beaver Creek High School will be sending an athlete to compete with the Luverne-H-BC gymnastics program this winter.

No H-BC students opted to compete in gymnastics during the 1999-2000 season, but one Patriot has thrown her hat in the ring this year.

Angi Bush, an H-BC sophomore, is listed on L-H-BC coach Phoebe FlomÕs pre-season roster.

Flom said Bush has been a program member in the past, but not for a couple of years.

The Cardinal coach said Bush has been preparing for the season as an all-round competitor and added that she will make an immediate impact with L-H-BC's junior varsity team to start the 2000-01 season on the floor and beam.

L-H-BC is coming off a 5-9 season in 1999-00.

The Cardinals placed fifth in the Southwest Conference with a 2-4 record and turned in a strong showing by placing fourth as a team at the Section 3A Championships in February.

L-H-BC lost one senior (Brooke Nelson) member of last year's varsity team to graduation, and two other varsity contributors (Brooke Lundgren and Alicia Moerke) decided not to compete in gymnastics this season.

The Cardinals do have senior Allana Gacke, juniors Amanda Aning and Jessica Mann, sophomore Gabe Van Dyk and freshman Callen Bosshart with past section experience returning to the fold, as well as freshman letter winner Danielle Cook.

L-H-BC's 20-athlete roster consists of three seniors, two juniors, seven sophomores, two freshmen, four eighth-graders and two seventh-graders.

The team opens the season by hosting Pipestone-Jasper Tuesday, Dec. 5.

By John Rittenhouse
For a coach who lost nearly one-half of his varsity roster from the year before, Hills-Beaver Creek boys' basketball mentor Steve Wiertzema doesn't seem a bit uncomfortable.

H-BC took a big hit from graduation last spring when it lost seven contributing members from last year's team, but Wiertzema is coping with the situation well.

"We lost seven kids who played a lot for us last year," the Patriot coach admitted. "Basically, we have one kid coming back who started most of our games last year, and another one who started for us after Christmas. That's the experience we have coming back."

All seven of last year's seniors earned starting assignments for a Patriots team that had an up-and-down campaign.

H-BC played its way to an above .400 record (4-3) in the Tri-County Conference in 1999-2000 and finished the season with an 8-15 record after falling 58-49 to Westbrook-Walnut Grove in a preliminary-round game in the South Section 3A Tournament.

Eric Harnack and Ryan Rentschler were the senior leaders of last year's team.
Harnack, who led the Patriots in scoring as a starting guard, played his way onto the All-T-CC roster.

Rentschler, a forward, played well enough to draw honorable mention from the league's coaches when the season was complete.

To compound the situation, H-BC lost five more seniors who made contributions at every position on the floor.

Chris Nelson and Ryan Behr helped the Patriots at the guard position, while classmate Nathan Fodness made an impact at center. Like Rentschler, Andy Tofteland was a senior who manned the forward position for H-BC.

Wiertzema's first task of the year will be to fill the roles played by last yearÕs seniors with athletes who will be short on varsity experience.

H-BC's pre-season roster consists of 13 players. Three are seniors, nine are juniors and one is a freshman.

Two of the team members did draw starting assignments during the course of last season, and two more earned varsity letters.

According to Wiertzema, there is a silver lining to this situation. What these Patriots lack in experience can be countered with individual desire.

"We have a really hard-working bunch of kids. They are an unselfish group who work well together. ThatÕs a positive sign. We'll be able to play eight to nine guys this year so we have good depth. Having depth and kids who really put out effort is a nice combination to have," he said.

Senior Lance Crawford and junior Matt Buck are returning players who started for H-BC last season.

Crawford, a 6-1 post, is an excellent athlete with the most varsity experience.
Buck, a 6-1 post, is the player who entered H-BC's starting five in January. A solid performer in the paint, Buck played his way onto the All-T-CC roster as a sophomore.

Wiertzema also expects seniors Chris Fransman and Derek Ehde to play expanded roles for the Patriots this winter.

Fransman is a 6-1 forward, and Ehde is a 5-10 guard. Both players lettered for H-BC last winter.

"I think Lance Crawford and Matt Buck will be our leaders," Wiertzema said. "They have the most experience, and the other kids seem to be following those two. I expect the other two seniors (Fransman and Ehde) to play a lot, too."

The coach feels four more juniors appear to be ready to help the Patriots on the floor even though they don't have a lot of varsity experience working for them.
Brad Haak, David Top and Lyle and Darin DeBoer are the juniors who will need to produce for H-BC this season.

Darin DeBoer is a 6-1 guard. Haak (6-1), Top (6-4) and Lyle DeBoer (6-1) are projected forwards.

Of the first eight players Wiertzema mentioned during his pre-season interview, seven are posts or forwards and the other is a guard.

Along with a lack of experience, the coach also lists unproven play at guards as areas of concerns as the season approaches.

"Experience is a concern. We have a little experience in the post area, but we donÕt have very much experience at the guard positions. We'll be strong in the post. We've got to develop some guard play," Wiertzema said.

Paul Jess, a 5-10 junior, is the only other guard besides Ehde and Darin DeBoer listed on the roster.

Rounding out the junior members on the squad are Justin Van Maanen, Kevin Van Batavia and Randy Krull.

Van Maanen and Van Batavia are 5-11 and 6-1 forwards respectively. Krull is a 6-0 center.

Trey Van Wyhe, a 6-1 freshman post, caps the pre-season roster.

H-BC will not be a tall team, so Wiertzema hopes to make up for it by playing an up-tempo style of basketball on both ends of the floor.

"We'll try to push the ball up and down the court and take the first good shot that is available. We also want to hit the boards hard. We'll be a man-to-man team defensively. I donÕt know how much we'll be able to press, but we'll try to play man-to-man defense and really get after it," he said.

Wiertzema feels defending state champion Southwest Christian may come back to the basketball pack after losing a lot of seniors last spring, but he still lists the Eagles as the favorite in the T-CC this winter. Edgerton also will be strong team in the conference.

SWC, Edgerton, Murray County Central and Adrian are teams to beat in what should be a balanced South Section 3A field.

The coach said H-BC has not set any goals for the season, but he does expect a successful year on the court.

"We're looking for a real good year. I think we'll develop into a real nice team. The way these kids are playing together, they will have a lot of fun. I think we will surprise a lot of people this season," he concluded.

The Patriots open the season at the Lake Park (Iowa) Tournament tomorrow.

Tara Boeve and the rest of the members of Augustana College's volleyball team accomplished their goal of winning the NCAA Division 2 North Central Region Volleyball Tournament over the weekend.

Boeve, a 1999 Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate, and the Vikings hosted the regional at the Elmen Center Thursday through Saturday.

The Vikings, the nationÕs sixth-ranked team, drew the tournament's top seed and made it stand up by disposing of a pair of opponents by 3-0 scores.

By winning the North Central Region, Augustana College has qualified for the Elite Eight Tournament for the first time in school history.

It was learned Monday that the Vikings will host the single elimination Elite Eight National Tournament Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

The quarterfinal round of the single elimination tournament is set for Nov. 30, with 28-3 Augustana taking on 35-1 West Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m at the Elmen Center. The Vikings handed West Texas A&M its lone loss of the season during a tournament early in the season.

Other quarterfinal-round games have California University of Pennsylvania (26-10) playing Pace University (35-4) at noon, Hawaii Pacific (25-0) meeting Grand Valley State University (31-3) at 2:30 p.m., and University of North Alabama (39-2) squaring off against University of Tampa (29-3) at 5 p.m.

The semifinals will be at 6 and 8 p.m. Dec. 1, and the title match is set for 7 p.m. Dec. 2.

Augustana won its region championship by besting the University of Northern Colorado Friday and South Dakota State University Saturday.

The Viking handed UNC 15-7, 15-9 and 15-8 setbacks during the semifinals Friday.
Boeve made a contribution to the victory by completing 21 of 24 spikes and registering 11 kills. She also had one solo and one assisted block and two defensive digs during the win.

Augustana met SDSU in the region championship game and posted 15-10, 15-6 and 15-6 victories.

Boeve completed all nine of her spikes and notched five kills in the title match. She also had three assisted blocks and three defensive digs in the contest.

Hills Christian School students practice Friday afernoon for a vocal contest. They are, front row left to right: Preston VandenBosch, Eric Bork, Toni Nagel, and back row Danielle Fransman, Kelsey Leuthold, Katie Bosch, and Sara Davis. Nine students, grades five through eight, will travel to Edgerton christian School to compete.

Four Hills-Beaver Creek spikers were honored when the All-Tri County Conference Volleyball Team was announced last week.

H-BC, which placed second in the league with a 4-4 record, picked up a pair of All-T-CC selections. Two more Patriots drew honorable mention.

Making the 12-player All-T-CC roster for the Patriots are senior hitter Shanna Tilstra and freshman hitter Erin Boeve.

H-BC junior hitters Becky Broesder and Tonya Leenderts were two of six players to receive honorable mention from the league's coaches.

Southwest Christian, the conference champion, led all teams by drawing five all-league selections.

Seniors Renita Buys, Dawn Dreessen, Beth Basselink and Tosha Top and junior Ginnie Vis made the team for the E-Gals.

Edgerton, which placed second in the loop, picked up three all-conference selections.

Seniors Robin Vander Stoep and Kristin Rieck and junior Kala Menning made the team for the Flying Dutchmen.

Ellsworth seniors Connie Lewis and Holly Timmer round out the all-conference roster.

Besides Leenderts and Broesder, Edgerton junior Brittany Kruisselbrink and sophomore Amber Poppen, SWC junior Brigette Schelhaas and Faith Christian junior Andrea Teerink received honorable mention from the coaches.

Final T-CC standings: SWC 6-0, Edgerton 6-2, H-BC 4-4, Ellsworth 2-5, FC 0-7.

We usually think of turkeys as the main course for Thanksgiving dinner, but 4- and 5-year-old students in Jane Gropel's Discovery Time preschool class have been thinking about how turkeys might celebrate the holiday.

They wore turkey headgear, which they had created in an earlier class, and pretended to be turkeys, which involved crouching down, flapping their wings and, of course, lots of gobbling.

Above, Gropel and the student turkeys prepare to enjoy a special turkey treat of pudding and snack mix. At right, Victoria Kalass sorts through her snack pack for just the right turkey tidbit.