Luverne Sports
By Greg HoogeveenAugust 23, 2023The Luverne girls’ tennis team started the 2023 season beating Morris 4-3 and Benson 4-3 on the road Saturday, Aug. 19. “It was great to start the season off with two wins,” Luverne head coach Jon Beers said. “The girls played really well considering how hot it was. The weather really made it a challenging day for all the teams.” Luverne jumps into the thick of play next week hosting Yellow…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 23, 2023Fall sports teams at Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek high schools began practices Monday, Aug. 14, three weeks before the start of the 2023-24 school year on Sept. 5. Many of the teams have already competed in their season-opening games, including the LHS girls’ tennis team matches at Morris Area and Benson on Saturday. Photos by Mavis Fodness A familiar task at sports practices is the gathering…
By Greg HoogeveenAugust 09, 2023The Luverne Jr. American Legion baseball team took third place in the 2023 Division II State Tournament Sunday, Aug. 6, in Granite Falls. At the state competition, Luverne beat Le Sueur 9-0 Friday, Aug. 4, lost to an undefeated Montevideo team 13-2 Saturday, Aug. 5, and beat Granite Falls 7-5 to take third place in the tournament. Luverne finished the season with a record of 17-7 under first-…
By Greg HoogeveenAugust 09, 2023The Luverne Redbirds beat Hadley 5-2 on Aug. 2 and 13-2 on Aug. 7 to move on to the Region 13C championship. Luverne will play Jackson Aug. 9, 11 and 13 for the Region 13C championship. If the Redbirds win that series, they’ll have a first-round bye in the state tournament The Redbirds and the Bulls will play Game 1 of three at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, at Redbird Field. Game 2 will be at 7…
By Greg HoogeveenAugust 09, 2023Following are racing results for local drivers competing in Luverne, Rock Rapids, Hartford, Slayton, Worthington and Brandon for the week of August 1-7. Rapid Speedway Aug. 4 Rock Rapids, IA Sportsmen 5th-#17 Brandon Boeve, Beaver Creek 7th-#24H Brock Harnack, Hills Hobby Stock 1st-#22E Eric Gaul, Luverne 7th-#10 Blake Schneekloth, Brandon DNF-#15X Kaden Kracht, Steen DNF-#14K…
By Greg HoogeveenAugust 02, 2023Luverne took the Region 13C playoff series against Heron Lake 2-0. The Redbirds beat Heron Lake 15-0 at home July 26 and finished the Lakers on the road 3-0 July 29. The Luverne Redbirds move on to the Final Four against the Hadley Buttermakers in a best-of-three series while qualifing for the state tournament. Luverne’s first game against Hadley will be at Redbird Field at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday…
By Greg HoogeveenAugust 02, 2023The Redbirds swooped in and knocked Heron Lake out of the Region 13C playoffs, beating the Lakers 15-0 Wednesday, July 26, and 3-0 Saturday, July 29 in a best-of-three series. Here is a recap of other Region 13C baseball playoff action. Game 1 Wednesday July 26 Windom 6, Hadley 3 Fairmont 10, Lakefield 0 Jackson 17, Milroy 0 Game 2 Friday July 28 Fairmont 10, Lakefield 0 - Martins win…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 27, 2023This week is the 2023 Rock County Fair, and it’s a big week for the sports guy at the Star Herald. I have committed to being on the Star Herald teams for Wednesday night’s Donkey Races and Friday Night’s Ag Olympic. Being a city boy with limited barnyard experience, I am a bit scared and excited to see how these events go. Growing up, I have had the opportunity to ride a pig or two at a relative’…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 27, 2023This past week two local race car drivers were honored for their careers in the sport. Jeremy Smith was inducted into the Murray County Speedway Hall of Fame on July 15. Smith has been racing since he was 17 years old. He started out in the sportsmen class and worked his way through hobby stock, B-Mod and eventually A-Mods where he has been racing for the past seven years. Some of the races…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 27, 2023Luverne is heading to the Division II American Legion State Baseball Tournament Aug. 4, 5 and 6. Their first game will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 4, in Granite Falls against a team yet to be determined. “Any time you make it to a state tournament, the competition is always tough, but we are going to go into every game expecting to win no matter who we are playing,” said head coach Jake Haugen.…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 27, 2023Luverne Blaze fastpitch softball team sent two teams on to state competition this past week. The Blaze 14U team traveled to Rochester July 22-23 and took home second place in the Minnesota State Championship. The 14U team played three games Saturday, July 22. The Blaze won the first game against New Ulm Blue 11-1, then lost to Redwood 2-1, and finished the day beating Hutchinson 13-5. On Sunday…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 27, 2023The Luverne Redbirds qualified for the Region 13C tournament, finishing the regular season with a 19-1 record overall and capturing the Gopher League Championship with a 14-1 record. The Redbirds received a bye in the 13C playoffs, winning the Gopher League, along with the runner-up Milroy Irish. The Fairmont Martins also got a bye, winning the First Nite League, along with the runner-up Windom…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 19, 2023The Redbirds posted six homeruns in two games this past week, beating Hadley 10-1 at home July 12 and Ruthton 17-1 on the road July 16. The win against Hadley clinched Luverne’s Gopher League regular season championship. The Redbirds will play their last regular season game against the Tea Steam Wednesday, July 19, at home. Redbirds 10, Hadley 1 The Redbirds beat the Buttermakers 10-1 at…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 19, 2023Early in the morning on Saturday, July 15, more than 100 bikers were gearing up for the Sixth Annual Tour de Donut bicycle event in Luverne. The competition, organized by Dave Duffy and volunteers, draws bikers from as far away as Minneapolis, Grand Forks and Kansas City to ride bikes, eat donuts and have fun. The event is broken into four routes based on distance. •The untimed 7-mile or 11-…
By Greg HoogeveenJuly 02, 2023When I started my job at the Star Herald, I was asked to do a sports column from time to time. Having been here for just over seven months and feeling more confident about my position, I decided it’s time. The first thing I had to do was to come up with a name for my sports-related column. After a few suggestions that went afoul, such as “Sports Shorts” (a nod to my short stature), I decided to…- By Brennen RuppMarch 23, 2021For a second straight year, the Luverne Cardinals girls’ hockey team is heading to the Xcel Energy Center for the Class A State Tournament. On Friday, March 19, the Cardinals punched their ticket to the state tournament by defeating Mankato East 7-2. “To win a section championship on your home ice is pretty cool,” Luverne head coach Tony Sandbulte said. “It’s never been done before. It has to be…
You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.