By Lori EhdeLocal high school sports fans will see a new face at competitions and a new byline on game stories starting with this week’s Star Herald.Mark Haugen is filling the shoes of 18-year Star Herald sportswriter John Rittenhouse who left the paper last week.For a "sports guy," Haugen admits his background isn’t typical of most sportswriters.He spent six years as a sportswriter for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, but his professional resume includes editorships at the Tri-State Neighbor, Sioux Falls, Rock Valley Bee, Rock Valley, Iowa, and Cottonwood County Citizen, Windom.He has degrees in English and journalism from Augustana College, Sioux Falls.His proudest and most recent accomplishment, though, is the launch of his own paper, the Tea & Harrisburg Champion in July 1999. It covers the communities and school districts of Tea and Harrisburg, S.D."It’s not that hard to start a paper anymore," he said. "You don’t need a dark room, you don’t need a press. … You buy a Mac, a printer and a digital camera and you’re in business."It also doesn’t hurt to know a thing or two about weekly journalism. Haugen knows that local newspapers define a community and give it identity. He filled the Champion with local names and faces, and handled everything from news and sports to subscriptions and advertising.And his hard work paid off. "The people just love it," he said. "They loved having their own paper."Before long the Champion became the legal newspaper of Lincoln County, and the venture started turning a profit. "I’m very proud of it About that time, the Argus Leader made an offer to buy the Champion that Haugen couldn’t resist.This spring he sold the publication, paid off some bills and since then has been free-lance writing for various publications.But Haugen said that hasn’t satisfied his need to cover local news, and that’s what prompted him to respond to the Star Herald’s help wanted ad for a sportswriter."I missed the contact with the people," he said, adding that he enjoys the relationship sportswriters share with coaches, athletes, parents and fans.Haugen makes the 18-minute commute to Luverne from Valley Springs, where he lives with his wife, Nancy, and children Katie, 13, Rylee, 11, and Luke, 7.Nancy is youth director for Risen Savior Catholic Church in Brandon.Haugen’s hobbies include running — about 25 miles per week — and gardening.He’s a conservative Republican who closely watched John Thune’s senate campaign last month, and he enjoys writing columns with political twists.His first contributions to the Star Herald sports pages can be found on page 2B.