Rock County to have its first wild turkey hunt
This year for the first time, the permit areas open to turkey hunting in Minnesota will include Rock, Murray, Nobles and Pipestone counties.

Although turkeys have been present in southwest Minnesota for many years, the numbers have been small.

Rock County is listed by the DNR as one of the counties in Minnesota having a population of turkeys back in the early 1900s.

The first efforts to restock Minnesota with wild turkeys started in 1973, when a Minnesota biologist traded some ruffed grouse to Missouri in exchange for wild-captured juvenile and adult turkeys.

Houston County, in southeast Minnesota, now bills itself as the ‘Turkey Capital of Minnesota.’

In recent years, the state has been trapping birds in Houston County and transplanting them in locations across the state, that are deemed to have acceptable habitat, which is a mix of agricultural land and forest, for sustaining wild turkeys. Two of those location efforts are Murray and Rock counties.

In the winter of 1999, 21 birds were released on the Rock River WMA, as well as 21 in Murray County.

According to Dick Kimmel, DNR Turkey Biologist, the turkey populations have been growing slowly, but steadily.

Since this is the first season in Rock County, success rates may be generally high, as the birds will not be conditioned to hearing calls, seeing decoys and basically being hunted.

There is only one registration station per county. In Rock County, that station is Harvey’s Trading Post.

Any birds from the original release in 1999 will have a metal band on their leg or a tag on their wing.

If one of these birds are shot, hunters should contact the DNR because valuable information collected can help researchers learn more about wild turkeys in Minnesota.

‘Sale of the decade’
At a sale the state bills as the ‘sale of the decade,’ the State of Minnesota will be selling unclaimed property.

Once every 10 years, the Minnesota Commerce Department is required by law to sell the contents of safe deposit boxes that have been remitted to the state’s unclaimed property program.

From 1992 to 2000, approximately 5,500 safe deposit boxes were declared abandoned and turned over to the state.

There will be a total of 919 items sold at the auction, with jewelry alone valued at approximately $98,000.

Some of the unique items to be sold include:
Baseball from a 1931 Japan Exhibition Tour autographed by 14 major leaguers.
Rare U.S. coins, including a 1795 1/2 dime.
1866 discharge papers signed by President Andrew Johnson.

The auction will be Saturday, March 22, at the Lumber Baron Hotel in Stillwater. The sale will begin at 8:30 a.m.

If you are unable to attend, a new online option will also be available this year.

Online bids are now being accepted for all the auction items. In addition, bidders will also have the opportunity to bid against bidders located on the auction house floor.

The exact bidding activity will be posted on a web site following the auctioneer’s bid and call.

If you would like to view all the items and register for the online portion of the auction, follow the link on the Department of Commerce Web site: www.commerce.state.mn.us.

Internet bidders must register at least two days in advance of the auction.

Spring weight restrictions, now in effect
As of midnight, last Saturday, March 15, weight restrictions were put into effect by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The maximum duration for spring weight restrictions will not exceed eight weeks unless extraordinary conditions exist that require additional time or route specific signage is posted, according to MnDOT.

Because the soils and aggregate materials are weak while the frost leaves the ground, spring is a critical period for roads.

Through a pavement research facility, the state was able to predict when weakening will occur using air temperatures currently recorded and forecasted for most of Minnesota.

The procedure uses a thawing index and a three-day forecast.

More information is available on their Web site: www.mrr.dot.state.mn.us

Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Donald D. “Don” Soehl, 68, Hills, died Tuesday, March 11, 2003, at Luverne Community Hospital of a lingering illness.

Services were Friday, March 14, at First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. Burial was in Pleasant View Cemetery, rural Beaver Creek.

Donald Soehl was born to Elmer and Bena (Klosterbuer) Soehl on Nov. 1, 1934, at the home place near Beaver Creek. He received his education in country schools and graduated from Hills High School in 1953. He entered the U.S. Army on Nov. 16, 1954, and was discharged on Nov. 15, 1956.

He married Barbara Morris on Nov. 30, 1957. He worked for John Morrell and Co. in Sioux Falls, S.D., and also farmed.

He later married Marie (Kerkhove) Van Wyhe on Oct. 17, 1981.

Mr. Soehl was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Beaver Creek where he served as an elder and on other committees. He was a member of American Legion Post 131 of Valley Springs, S.D.

Survivors include his wife, Marie Soehl, Hills; three sons, Doug Soehl, Port Townsend, Wash., Curt (Tammi) Soehl, Sioux Falls, and Brian (Darlene) Soehl, Lewiston, Maine; two daughters, Amy (Ty) Soehl, Poulso, Wash., and Jo (Denny) Erickson, Sioux Falls; 10 grandchildren, Erin, Paul, Alison, Matt, Amanda, Elizabeth, Emma, Neil, Heidi and Anne; three brothers, Elden (Karen) Soehl, Hills, Glenn (Diane) Soehl, Albany, Ore., and Howard (Linda) Soehl, Howell, Mich.; two sisters, Lorretta Soehl, Medford, Ore., Delores (John) Wiemals, Othello, Wash., and many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Soehl was preceded in death by his parents.

Roste Funeral Home, Hills, was in charge of arrangements.

Ducille Patton, 86, Rock Rapids, Iowa, formerly of Luverne, died Sunday, March 16, 2003, at Merrill Pioneer Community Hospital in Rock Rapids.

Services were Wednesday, March 19, at United Methodist Church in Rock Rapids. The Rev. Deborah Stowers officiated. Burial was in Riverview Cemetery.

Ducille Elaine Lewis was born to Ben and Ethel (Tatge) Lewis on Nov. 29, 1916, in Larchwood, Iowa. She moved with her family as a young girl to Magnolia. She grew up in Luverne and graduated from Luverne High School in 1936.

She married Kenneth Patton on June 2, 1936, at First Methodist Church parsonage in Sioux Falls, S.D. Following their marriage, they lived for short time on Robert’s Turkey Farm near Luverne before moving to Rock Rapids. While living in Rock Rapids, she worked as the cleaning person at the Rapids Theater before becoming a clerk at Red Owl grocery store. They purchased the Home Plate Café’ in the early 1950s. She began working as a clerk with the J.C. Penney Store in Rock Rapids in 1960, working there until she retired. Mr. Patton died on Feb. 3, 1992. She was a resident of Rock Rapids Health Center.

Mrs. Patton was an active member of United Methodist Church, the UMW and the quilter’s group. She was a great cook and also played the piano.

Survivors include two sons, Bob Patton, Lincoln, Neb., and Don (Nancy) Patton, Hardwick; five grandchildren, Ron Patton, Sioux Falls, Dan Patton, San Antonio, Texas, Kim (Mike) Null, O’Fallon, Mo., Bobbie Patton, Chaska, and Dustin Patton, Denver, Colo.; and eight great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Patton was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Ken, and a great-grandson, Lawrence Null.

Roste Funeral Home, Rock Rapids, was in charge of arrangements.

Norma Meyer, 87, Luverne, died Monday, March 10 at the Minnesota Veterans Home, Luverne. Memorial mass will be Thursday, March 13 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church, Luverne, with Fr. Andrew Beerman officiating. Burial of cremains will be in st. Catherine's Cemetery. Dingmann Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Luverne, is in charge of arrangements.

Noah Michael Taylor, infant son of Mike and Terri (Lorenzen) Taylor, Adrian, died Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. Noah was born Feb. 24, at Avera McKennan Hospital.

Services were Saturday, March 8, at Dingmann Funeral Home in Adrian. The Rev. Bill Blundell officiated. Burial was in St. Adrian Cemetery, Adrian.

Survivors include his parents, Mike and Terri Taylor, Adrian; one brother, Austin James Taylor, Adrian; paternal grandparents, Jim and Joan Taylor, Adrian; maternal grandmother, Gloria Hibma and her husband, Dennis, rural Worthington; maternal grandfather, Dennis Lorenzen, Rapid City, S.D.; four uncles, Randy (Anita) Taylor, Rock Valley, Iowa, Roger (Rochelle) Taylor, Lakeville, Bruce (Kathy) Taylor, Sioux Falls, and Steve Lorenzen, Adrian; two aunts, Donna Taylor, Brandon, S.D., and Peggi (John) Olson, Hull, Iowa; and many cousins.

In lieu of flows, memorials are requested to a fund set up for the family at Ellsworth State Bank in Ellsworth.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Adrian, was in charge of arrangements.

By John Rittenhouse
Ellsworth opened the South Section 3A Boys’ Basketball Tournament in impressive fashion by destroying Southwest Star Concept 82-42 in a quarterfinal-round game played in Worthington Saturday.

Ellsworth, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, backed up its pre-tournament ranking by outscoring the eighth-seeded Quasars in every quarter during what ended up being a 40-point victory.

The win gives the Panthers a 24-2 record heading into tonight’s semifinal round in Worthington.

Ellsworth takes on No. 5 Adrian, a 53-42 victor over Fulda Saturday, at 6 p.m.

The Panthers entered Saturday’s game with a business-like approach, and they took care of their business well.

Ellsworth made 20 of 27 field goals (74 percent) while opening a 20-point halftime lead that set the stage for a 40-point thrashing of the Quasars.

"We did what we know how to do," said Panther coach Ken Kvaale. "We don’t take any team for granted, and we played really well against SSC."

SSC sported a 6-5 edge in the first quarter before the momentum moved into Ellsworth’s corner for good.
Panther senior Dylan Kvaale, who led EHS with 24 points in the game, provided some spark for his team by nailing a pair of three-point shots to give the Panthers a 11-6 advantage.

Ellsworth went on to outscore SSC 15-5 the rest of the period to make it a 26-10 game.

The Panthers controlled play while outscoring the Quasars 20-9 in the second period to open a 46-19 halftime cushion.

Ellsworth increased its lead to 29 points (59-28) with a 13-11 scoring edge in the third quarter before outscoring SSC 23-14 in the fourth quarter to prevail by 40.

Curt Schilling recorded a double-double for EHS by scoring 19 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Tom Janssen added 13 points to the cause, while Travis Jenniges turned in a 10-point, eight-assist, three-steal effort.

Kvaale had seven rebounds and five steals for the winners, while Brant Deutsch added nine rebounds and seven assists.

Box score
Schilling 8 1 0-0 19, Jenniges 4 0 2-2 10, Janssen 2 2 3-4 13, Kvaale 7 3 1-5 24, Deutsch 3 0 1-3 7, Brommer 1 1 2-2 7, Myhrer 0 0 2-2 2.

Team statistics
Ellsworth: 31 of 63 field goals (49 percent), 11 of 18 free throws (61 percent), 40 rebounds, 11 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne-Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth wrestling team competed in a pair of events since Saturday.

The Cardinals placed 12th as a team at the Jackson County Central Tournament in Jackson Saturday. L-H-BC-E went 0-2 at the Garretson (S.D.) Triangular Tuesday.

L-H-BC-E, 0-3 overall, wrestles in Pipestone Friday.

Garretson triangular
The Cardinals came up empty in two attempts to pick up their first win of the campaign Tuesday in Garretson.

The Cardinals fell 52-19 in the opener against Harrisburg before taking a 56-24 setback from the host school in the finale.

L-H-BC-E’s Joel Evans and Cody Jagow both went 2-0 at 215 pounds and heavyweight respectively.

Wrestling for the first time this season, Evans was impressive in pinning Harrisburg’s Brice Hamberg and Garretson’s Josh Tomsick in 1:23 and 36 seconds respectively.

Jagow stuck Harrisburg’s Pat Aleck in 3:54 before pinning Garretson’s Ryan Vander Snick in 1:16.

Justin Mann produced a pin and Dusty Seachris drew a forfeit for L-H-BC-E in the match against Garretson. Canaan Petersen won a decision and Ruston Aaker a major decision in the match against Harrisburg.

Match wrap-ups
Harrisburg 52, L-H-BC-E 19
145 (H) Hudson pins Mann.
152 (H) Johnson pins Je.Saravia.
160 (L) Petersen dec. Gackle.
171 (H) Cawthorne by forfeit.
189 (H) Enger dec. Jo.Saravia.
215 (L) Evans pins Hamburg.
275 (A) Jagow pins Aleck.
103 (H) Fink by forfeit.
112 (H) Harris pins Van Wyhe.
119 (H) Cawthorne by forfeit.
125 (H) Fink pins Boyenga.
130 (H) Wright pins Fink.
135 (L) Aaker m.d. Ballard.
140 (H) Eberg pins Seachris.

Garretson 56, L-H-B-E 24
145 (L) Mann pins Vander Snick.
152 (G) Franka pins Je.Saravia.
160 (G) Dickey dec. Petersen.
171 (G) Sorenson by forfeit.
189 (G) Sorenson pins Cronberg.
215 (L) Evan pins Tomsick.
275 (L) Jagow pins Vander Snick.
103 (G) Bonte by forfeit.
112 (G) Martens pins Van Wyhe.
119 (G) Brugseman by forfeit.
125 (G) Bonte pins Boyenga.
130 (G) Johnson t.f. Fink.
135 (G) Kringen pins Aaker.
140 (L) Seachris by forfeit.

JCC tourney
A short-handed L-H-BC-E squad helped form a 12-team field during Saturday’s tournament in Jackson.

L-H-BC-E was represented by six athletes in varsity competition at the event, which was a major reason why the Cardinals capped the 12-team field with 37 points.

The Cardinals did receive some solid individual performances from seniors Canaan Petersen and Cody Jagow, who placed second and fifth in their respective weight classes.

Wrestling at 152, Petersen won two straight bouts to earn a berth in the championship match, where he lost an 8-6 decision in overtime to Worthington’s Jeff Campbell.

Petersen saddled Adrian’s Tom Slater with an 8-0 major decision setback in the quarterfinals before topping Fulda-Murray County Central’s Nick Henning 7-3 in the semifinals.

Jagow went 2-2 at heavyweight.

Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove’s Tim Johnson, the eventual tournament champion, pinned Jagow in 1:45 during the first round.

Jagow received a forfeit in the consolation bracket before falling 3-1 in overtime to Wabasha-Kellogg’s Nate Stumpf. Jagow then pinned JCC’s Jared Knips in 3:59 during the match for fifth and sixth place.

Cardinal Justin Mann placed sixth at 145 pounds with an 0-3 record. Ruston Aaker and Dusty Seachris both went 1-2 without placing at 135 and 140. Kerry Fink was 0-2 at 130.

Team standings: Windom-Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin 202 points, Stewartville 181.5, W-K 163.5, Adrian 159, Madelia-Truman 140, RRC-W-WG 126, River Valley 88, F-MCC 66, Pipestone 52, JCC 48, Worthington 41.5, L-H-BC-E 37.

Luverne players Natalie Domagala (left), Jenny Braa (second, left), Sadie Dietrich (second, right) and Suzanne Gluf (right) made the 2002-03 All-Southwest Conference Girls’ Hockey team. Taylor Nelson (not pictured) drew honorable mention.

By John Rittenhouse
Five members of the Luverne High School girls’ hockey team made a list of 18 athletes that formed the 2002-03 All-Southwest Conference Girls’ Hockey roster.

The list, released Friday, revealed that four Cardinals made the All-SWC team and another drew honorable mention.

Making the 12-player all-league roster for LHS are senior forward Suzanne Gluf, junior defenseman Jenny Braa and sophomore forwards Sadie Dietrich and Natalie Domagala.

Luverne drew more all-conference selections than league champion Worthington, which was represented by senior Amanda Duitsman and junior Danielle Koopman.

Marshall also drew four all-league selections in junior Kayla Kaas and sophomores Chelsea Hoselton, Danielle Andres and Ashley Verdeck.

Windom junior Kari Schwecke and sophomore Katie MacRae round out the all-conference selections.

Luverne junior defenseman Taylor Nelson is one of six players to draw honorable mention from the SWC coaches.

Windom senior Christina Flatebo and junior Amanda Ringquist, Worthington junior Samantha Pospisil and eighth-grader Megan Ahlberg and Marshall freshman Chelsea Crowell also drew honorable mention.

By John Rittenhouse
The Ellsworth boys have played well as a basketball team all season, and another strong team effort paid off for the Panthers in a big way Thursday at Southwest State University in Marshall.

Taking on Wabasso in the Section 3A championship game, the Panthers used all their weapons to hand the Rabbits a 75-64 setback and earn its first berth in a state basketball tournament in school history.

The 27-2 Panthers opened the state tournament at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter Tuesday when they took on New Life Academy in Class 1A quarterfinals. Look for that game story on the front page of the sports section.

If the Panthers continue to display the offensive balance they showed against Wabasso Thursday, there’s reason to believe they’ll do just as well in the state competition.

Four EHS players scored between 13 and 22 points in the 11-point victory over the Rabbits, a team that ultimately was overmatched by all of Ellsworth’s offensive weapons.

"It was nice to see that type of balance," said Panther coach Ken Kvaale. "That is something we’ve taken pride in all season long. We don’t care who gets the credit, just as long as we get the job done."

Junior Curt Schilling and seniors Dylan Kvaale, Blake Brommer and Brant Deutsch got the job done in the section title tilt.

Schilling led the parade by scoring 22 points and ripping down 19 rebounds. He also contributed six assists and four steals to the winning cause.

Kvaale wasn’t far behind Schilling with 20 points and a team-high seven assists.

Brommer, who finished the game with 14 points and three steals, and Deutsch, who recorded 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, also made key contributions at different times during Ellsworth’s successful Rabbit hunt.

Senior guard Travis Jenniges (four assists) and junior Tom Janssen (five assists) were limited to a combined six points for EHS, but they hurt the Rabbits with their hustle and all-around team play.

Wabasso got off to a good start by taking 2-0 and 3-2 leads in the early stages of the game, but the Panthers moved in front 7-3 with a three-point shot from Deutsch and a field goal by Jenniges at the 5:09 mark of the opening period.

The Rabbits battled back to knot the score at seven before Brommer scored five consecutive points to give the Panthers a 12-7 advantage.

Ellsworth led by seven points (16-9) when Kvaale scored from close range with 1:11 left in the period, but a three-point shot by Wabasso as time expired made it a 16-12 difference heading into the second quarter.

The Panthers could have been disheartened by Wabasso’s late three, instead, they rose to the challenge like champions. Ellsworth went on a 10-0 run consisting of eight points from Schilling and two from Kvaale in the first 3:10 of the second period to open a 26-12 lead.

"That was a big run," coach Kvaale said. "Our thinking heading into the game was to keep Wabasso from getting runs. If we could get a couple of runs of our own, the more power to us."

Wabasso did counter with a 9-2 surge to trim the difference to seven points (28-21) with 1:21 left to play in the first half. Brommer, however, drained a three at the 1:03 mark of the second period to cap the scoring in the first half, and gave EHS a 31-21 halftime lead.

Ellsworth made 20 of 28 field goals in the second half, and opened the third quarter with a 10-5 surge capped by a field goal from Schilling with 5:27 remaining in the third period to give the Panthers their biggest lead of the game at 41-26.

Wabasso scored nine of the next 11 points to trim the difference to eight (43-35) with 3:57 left, but Kvaale came up with two field goals and Jenniges added another during a 6-0 run that made it a 52-37 game as the third period progressed.

The Rabbits then scored five straight points before Schilling connected for a field goal with 11 seconds left in the stanza to make it a 54-42 game heading into the fourth quarter.

Wabasso outscored Ellsworth 10-5 in the first 2:04 of the fourth quarter to climb within seven points (59-52) of the Panthers. Brommer, who scored 10 points in Ellsworth’s first three post-season games combined, then broke the Rabbits’ will when he nailed three consecutive field goals during an 8-2 EHS run that gave it a 67-54 lead with 3:36 left to play.

"It was good to see Blake (Brommer) come out and play well," said coach Kvaale. "It was the first time he reached double figures in the post season. The thing is we have a lot of guys capable of scoring a lot of points."

The Rabbits closed the gap to 10 points twice in the game’s final three minutes before falling by 11 points in the end.

Box score
Schilling 10 0 2-6 22, Jenniges 2 0 0-0 4, Janssen 0 0 2-2 2, Kvaale 8 1 1-4 20, Deutsch 4 1 2-2 13, Brommer 3 2 2-2 14.

Team statistics
Ellsworth: 31 of 51 field goals (61 percent), nine of 17 free throws (53 percent), 32 rebounds, 13 turnovers.
Wabasso: 23 of 53 field goals (43 percent), 10 of 17 free throws (59 percent), 17 rebounds, seven turnovers.