Although it melted quickly, more than one-half inch of snow fell on the area on Tuesday. This harvest display at the Lonny Bucher home in Beaver Creek seemed to weather the snow just fine.

Photo by Jolene Farley

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton cross country squads locked up team championships during the Red Rock Conference meet ran at the Slayton Country Club Tuesday.

The Patriot boys' varsity team won its second consecutive RRC title during the meet, and the boysÕ junior varsity squad also came out on top of their field.

Patriot coach Tom Goehle was happy with the way his junior varsity boys competed, but he was proud of the way his varsity team performed while repeating as the meet champion.

"These kids have been working awfully hard for two and one-half months for an opportunity to win a conference championship, and you donÕt take something like that for granted just because we won this meet last year. This is a great accomplishment. IÕm really proud of these guys," he said.

H-BC-E-E scored 22 points to best Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin (45), Southwest Christian (80), Adrian (85) and Southwest Star Concept-Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster (123) in the team standings.

The top-10 finishers in each varsity race make the All-RRC team at the league meet, and the Patriot boys locked up five positions on the roster.

Tyler Bush (first in 16:38), Zach Hadler (second in 16:59), Kale Wiertzema (fifth in 17:28), Todd Alberty (sixth in 17:30) and Greg Van Batavia (eighth in 17:38) cracked the All-RRC roster and made contributions to H-BC-E-EÕs winning team tally.

Lee Jackson and Derek Haak placed 15th and 16th in 18:37 and 18:47 without influencing the scoring.

Devin DeBoer led the Patriot boys' junior varsity team to its title by winning the race individually with a time of 16:47.

John Sandbulte (second in 16:57), Jared Drenth (seventh in 17:54), Michael Bos (eighth in 18:30) and Justin Hinks (11th in 21:31) also ran with the junior varsity squad.

Adam Finke and Grant Hoogendoorn placed first and fifth with respective 6:53 and 7:03 times in the boysÕ junior high race.

Mya Mann and Erika Fransen finished 12th and 15th with respective times of 18:21 and 18:36 in the girls' varsity race.

The H-BC-E-E runners will compete at the Section 3A meet in Slayton Oct. 24.

Ben Henry Hector, 88, Ellsworth, died Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Services were Monday, Oct. 21, at Zion Presbyterian Church in Ellsworth. The Rev. Robert Raedeke officiated. Burial was in Grand Prairie Cemetery, Ellsworth.

Ben Hector was born to Oney and Bertha (Klooster) Hector on Sept. 26, 1914, in rural Adrian. He attended country school in rural Adrian.

He married Anna May Mulder on Oct. 2, 1941, in Ellsworth. After their marriage, the couple farmed all their married life in rural Ellsworth.

Mr. Hector was a member of Zion Presbyterian Church in Ellsworth for 50 years where he served as an elder and deacon. He loved farming, gardening and his pet cats.

Survivors include his wife, Anna May Hector, Ellsworth; one son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Sammie Hector, Decatur, Ala.; one daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Gene Reisdorfer, Southport, N.C.; four grandchildren, Daniel (Diane) Reisdorfer, Victoria (Mark) Schaller, Laura (John) Meisinger and Deborah (Eric) Cottingham; four great-grandchildren, Gabrielle, Anna and Claire Schaller and Leiara Cottingham; one brother, Richard Hector, Ellsworth, two sisters, Grace Mammen and Marion Hector, both of Ellsworth, and nieces, nephews and many friends.

Mr. Hector was preceded in death by his parents.

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

By John Rittenhouse
In a night when everything went right, the Adrian Dragon football team crushed Ortonville 76-6 in Adrian Wednesday, Oct. 16.

The Dragons had 11 offensive possessions on offense and scored 11 touchdowns in the contest.

After surrendering a touchdown to Ortonville during the Trojans’ second possession of the game, the AHS defense blanked the visitors over the final three quarters of the game.

When the game was complete, Adrian won its fourth consecutive game by a comfortable 70-point margin.

Revenge may have been on the minds of Adrian players Oct. 16, but no one could have predicted the way the game unfolded.

It was Ortonville that spoiled what was Adrian’s perfect regular season in 2001 by routing the Dragons 38-6 in the eighth week of the campaign.

An unbeaten season wasn’t on the line when Adrian played an Ortonville team that was ravaged by graduation last spring, but the Dragons did play with a sense of purpose.

"They ran one up on us last year," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "We did it this year, but they didn’t help their cause. They lost the ball on downs a couple of times, and our C team only had to drive 20 or 30 yards to score."

Adrian had the game well in hand before halftime.

A 14-point first quarter was followed by a 28-point eruption in the second period, leaving the Dragons with a 42-6 halftime cushion.

After stopping the Trojans on downs to start the game, Adrian drove 72 yards in nine plays with Levi Bullerman scoring on a 15-yard run at 6:54 of the first quarter. A pass for a two-point conversion fell incomplete.

Ortonville bounced back to knot the score at six with its second possession. The Trojans moved the ball 60 yards in seven plays. Ross Randell tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ryley Sammon to cap the drive, but an unsuccessful run for a two-point conversion kept the game tied.

The Dragons scored 36 unanswered points to end the first half.

Brandon Wolf returned the kick following Ortonville’s touchdown 48 yards to the Trojan 32-yard line, setting up a 21-yard touchdown run by Dusty Henning two plays later. Henning carried in the conversion to make it a 14-6 game with 3:07 remaining in the first period.

Wolf then returned a punt 38 yards to the Ortonville 32 late in the first quarter. The return set up a 30-yard touchdown pass from Levi Bullerman to Brett Block eight seconds into the second quarter. Bullerman added the extra point for a 21-6 cushion.

Dragon Pete Hohn picked off a pass to end Ortonville’s next possession, and Adrian went on a 61-yard drive after the pick. Henning scored on a six-yard run at 9:49. Bullerman added the extra point.

Adrian put together a seven-play 55-yard drive with its next possession. Kruger capped the march with a five-yard touchdown run at 4:56. Bullerman’s kick made it a 35-6 difference.

After Adrian’s defense forced the Trojans to punt moments later, Henning returned the kick 65 yards for a score. Bullerman booted the extra point to make it a 42-6 game at the intermission.

The rout continued in the third quarter as Adrian scored 21 points to increase its lead to 63-6.

Adrian moved the ball 43 yards in three plays before fumbling in the end zone to start the second half. The fumble didn’t hurt AHS as Block recovered the loose ball for a touchdown at 10:36. Hohn carried in the two-point conversion for a 50-6 lead.

Dragon defender Casey Knips scooped up a Trojan fumble and returned to the Ortonville 10 moments later. Henning scored on a 10-yard run on the first play. Bullerman added the extra point.

Another Ortonville fumble was recovered by Adrian’s David Hoffer as the third period progressed, setting up a 13-play, 62-yard drive. Darren DeBeer scored on a one-yard plunge to cap the drive with nine seconds left in the third period.

Adrian stopped the Trojans on downs early in the fourth quarter before driving 40 yards in six plays. Nick Weidert scored on a five-yard run at 8:25 to make the difference 69-6.

Ortonville gave the ball up on downs at its own 29 moments later. Clint Metz scored from five yards out with 2:10 remaining, and Wolf added the extra point to cap the scoring.

"Ortonville was down a little bit this year, but we played well. Anytime you get the ball 11 times and score 11 times, you’re playing pretty well," Strand said.

Adrian ends the regular season with a 6-2 record.

Team statistics
Adrian: 384 rushing yards, 67 passing yards, 451 total yards, 21 first downs, one penalty for 15 yards, zero turnovers.
Ortonville: 100 rushing yards, 39 passing yards, 139 total yards, seven first downs, two penalties for 15 yards, three turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Henning 14-155, Kruger 5-22, L.Bullerman 4-35, Wolf 6-48, Trent Bullerman 4-36, Billy Anderson 6-37, Weidert 4-22, Hoffer 3-6, Hohn 1-3, Metz 3-5, Jory Harken 3-6, DeBeer 1-1.
Passing: L.Bullerman 2-2 for 67 yards.
Receiving: Block 1-30, Henning 1-37.
Defense: Kruger 15 tackles, Brady Hassebroek 10 tackles, Hohn one interception, Knips one fumble recovery, Hoffer one fumble recovery.

Do they teach English in Nerds 101?

On the tails of Lori's column last week about workplace technology changes, I will also add my comments on changes in the workplace.

I've been walking around with a very tense look on my face, but it's nothing against the people I face. It's just no fun to change. Well, it's fun to learn new programs and experiment with an entirely new system - just not on deadline.

I know this office has nothing special to whine about, as most professionals go through this.

How people deal with change is what interests me. As for my reaction to it so far, my skin is blotchy, my hair seems dryer, my back hurts and I think I'm omitting a foul odor. Not to mention that I have a blister on my wrist from sliding around my mouse for unusually long periods of time.

I hope I've been kind to my co-workers through the changes in our office. And I hope readers who make drastic changes in their homes or workplaces follow this way of constructive thinking...

SAY: Don't worry, Lori, I'll just work over the weekend. INSTEAD OF: And when do you expect me to do this, Kathy Lee?

SAY: I'm certain that isn't a possibility. INSTEAD OF: No way!

SAY: Isn't that interesting? INSTEAD OF: I want my old system back!

SAY: Perhaps you should check with Sue. INSTEAD OF: Tell someone who cares.

SAY: I wasn't involved in that project. INSTEAD OF: Not my problem.

SAY: I'm not sure if this can be implemented. INSTEAD OF: No!

SAY: I'll try to finish that by Monday. INSTEAD OF: Why didn't you tell me sooner?

SAY: She's not familiar with the program. INSTEAD OF: She's an idiot.

SAY: Excuse me, Mr. Technical Support? INSTEAD OF: Do they even teach English in Nerd School?

SAY: So, you weren't happy with it? INSTEAD OF: Kiss it!

SAY: I don't think I understand that function. INSTEAD OF: Who am I and how long have I been asleep?

SAY: You want me to take care of that? INSTEAD OF: Who made you boss?

SAY: She's just a little overworked right now. INSTEAD OF: How rude!

SAY: I think you could use more training. INSTEAD OF: You don't know what you are doing!

SAY: I love a challenge. INSTEAD OF: I want my mommy.

Genevieve "Mutt" Carlson, 79, Hardwick, died Monday, Oct. 14, 2002, in Luverne Community Hospital.

Services were Friday, Oct. 18, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Genevieve DeBates was born to Richard and Elizabeth (VerBaker) DeBates on Oct. 31, 1922, near Jasper where she was raised and attended country school. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper.

She married Howard Carlson on Feb. 5, 1945, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. Following their marriage, they lived on a farm in Springwater Township near Jasper.

Mrs. Carlson was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. She was a member of the church ladiesÕ circle and Hardwick Auxiliary. She enjoyed canning, caring for her flowers, feeding the birds and playing pinochle.

Survivors include her husband, Howard Carlson, Hardwick; nine children, Jean Elizabeth McGeath, Michael Richard (Lorae) Carlson, Paul Thomas (Ihla) Carlson, all of Pipestone, Kathleen Mary (Donald) Soderblom, Winter Springs, Fla., Richard Lawrence (Darcy) Carlson, Luverne, Donald James (Kimberly) Carlson, Winfield, Pa., Duane David (Jane) Carlson, Orlando, Fla., Howard Lee (Karen) Carlson, Willmar, and Mary Beth (Robert) Schueller, Tyler; 25 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Carlson was preceded in death by her parents, one infant son, David Lawrence Carlson, on Jan. 27, 1947, five brothers, Richard, John, Edward, Charles and Francis DeBates, and four sisters, Anne Heckt, Florence Gilbertson, Marie Haraldson and Emily Berthelsen.

Hartquist Funeral Chapel, Pipestone, was in charge of arrangements.

Mildred "Millie" Ida Clark, Kenneth, died Friday, Oct. 18, 2002, at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.

Services were Tuesday, Oct. 22, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Lismore. The Rev. Robert Maher, a long-time family member, officiated. Burial was at West St. Anthony Cemetery located between Kenneth and Lismore.

Mildred Gamber was born to Edward J. and Marguerite (Thorndyke) Gamber on Sept. 26, 1921, near Woodstock. She attended Woodstock Grade School until the eighth grade and graduated from Ruthton High School. She graduated from the Minneapolis School of Beauty Culture and worked in St. Paul.

She married Joseph A. Clark at St. Catherine Catholic Church on Sept. 17, 1941. During World War II they lived in Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Sill, Okla. After the war, they farmed in Rock County for 17 years and moved to Kenneth in 1964. She was the first woman mayor in Rock County and led the nationally acknowledged fight against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to retain the rights of small cities. She was instrumental in acquiring rural water for Kenneth.

Mrs. Clark was actively involved in the American Legion Auxiliary, Home Extension Club, Catholic Daughters, Southwestern Minnesota Mental Health Board, Rock County Welfare Board, Senior Citizens and North Star 4-H Club. She loved traveling with her husband, dancing, reading antiques, gardening, fishing, playing cards, sewing, casinos, and Minnesota Twins baseball.

Survivors include her husband, Joseph Albertus Clark; four children, Karen (Jacquelyn) Clark, Minneapolis, Dr. Edward (Mary) Clark, Craig (Pam) Clark, all of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Cynthia (Wayne) Pratt, Ramsey; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; three brothers, Darryl (Anita) Gamber, Don (Ruth) Gamber and Jerry (Mary Frances) Gamber; a special sister-in-law, Lucille, a brother-in-law Edsel (Elaine); many nieces and nephews; and friends.

Mrs. Clark was preceded in death by her parents, one son, Larry, and an infant son, Philip, one brother, V. Duane, and one sister, Marjorie.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in chare of arrangements.

Photo by John Rittenhouse
Adrian quarterback Levi Bullerman follows a block from Trent Bullerman to pick up some of his 141 rushing yards during Tuesday’s Section 3A Football Playoff game against Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in Adrian. Adrian routed the Knights 55-6 to advance to Saturday’s semifinals in Wabasso.

By John Rittenhouse
Adrian stormed into the semifinal round of the Section 3A Football Playoffs by routing Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 55-6 in Adrian Tuesday.

Sophomore quarterback Levi Bullerman ran for two touchdowns and passed for three more while helping the Dragon’s build a 48-0 lead in the first three quarters of play.

Several sacks by the Adrian defense played a key role in stopping R-T-R’s passing attack when the Adrian offense was putting the game away.

The win ups Adrian’s season record to 7-2 heading into Saturday’s semifinals.

Third-seeded Adrian plays No. 2 Wabasso, which upended Lakeview Tuesday night, at 3 p.m. in Wabasso.

Adrian controlled play in the first half while rolling to a 28-0 lead at the intermission.

The Dragons scored six points in the first quarter before exploding for 22 counters in an 8:04 span in the second period.

Bullerman, who ran the ball eight times for 141 yards in the game, made his presence felt early. On the second play from scrimmage, the AHS signal-caller dashed 57 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead at the 11:12 mark of the opening period.

R-T-R had a chance to score as the first half progressed, but a fourth-and-one pass on the AHS 14-yard line fell incomplete on the first play of the second quarter.

Six plays after taking over the ball on downs, Bullerman struck again with a 48-yard touchdown run at the 9:43 mark of the second quarter. A failed conversion run left the Dragons sporting a 12-0 lead.

Adrian then scored touchdowns and added two-point conversions with its next two offensive possessions to open a 28-0 lead before the first half was complete.

On the third play of Adrian’s next offensive possession, Bullerman tossed a 62-yard touchdown strike to Pete Hohn.

Dusty Henning carried in the two point conversion to make it a 20-0 game at 7:07 mark of the second quarter.

After forcing the Knights to punt four plays later, the Dragons marched 56 yards before Bullerman hit Hohn for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 1:39 remaining in the second period. Hohn, who hauled in three passes for 130 yards in the game, then completed a conversion pass to Henning.

The Dragons put the game out of reach by scoring 20 points in the first nine minutes of the third quarter.

Adrian drove 74 yards with its first possession of the second half. The drive ended with Hohn latching onto a 45-yard touchdown pass from Bullerman. Bullerman added the extra point to make it 35-0 at the 7:12 mark of the third stanza.

R-T-R had to punt four plays later, setting a 46-yard drive that ended with Brandon Wolf scoring on a six-yard run with 4:02 left in the period. The extra-point attempt was blocked.

Dragon defender Dusty Spieker picked off a pass three plays into R-T-R’s next possession and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. Wolf added the extra point to make it a 48-0 difference.

R-T-R ended Adrian’s shutout when Ramsey Gravely caught a screen pass from Reed Burckhardt and ran 25 yards for a touchdown with 1:37 remaining in the third period.

Wolf scored on a 14-yard run before kicking the extra point at 3:38 in the fourth quarter to make it a 55-6 game in the end.

Team statistics
Adrian: 288 rushing yards, 164 passing yards, 452 total yards, 15 first downs, five penalties for 45 yards, one turnover.

R-T-R: 100 rushing yards, 99 passing yards, 199 total yards, eight first downs, three penalties for 20 yards, three turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Henning 14-62, David Hoffer 2-7, Joe Kruger 6-22, L.Bullerman 8-141, Wolf 5-25, Trent Bullerman 11-31.
Passing: L.Bullerman 5-9 for 164 yards.
Receiving: Hohn 3-130, Henning 2-34.

By Sara Strong
The second meeting of Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force drew at least 85 people to the Pizza Ranch Tuesday night.

Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt spoke at the meeting. "We must be making progress," he said. "It's difficult to share personal stories with others as these parents have."

The group started out as frustrated parents trying to deal with their children's drug abuse problems. It branched out to include many concerned community people who wanted education on drugs and drug abuse, more communication from law enforcement and a list of goals and objectives for leaders to address.

Vajgrt was there as an educational source on warrants and how law enforcement gets information that the County Attorney's Office uses in prosecutions.

"The Fourth Amendment protects us all from a government that can become too intrusive. It gives us all rights to privacy and prevents unreasonable search and seizure," he said.

Vajgrt said it's important to place the burden on government to justify searches with the right information.

People in the community have complained about a perceived lack of results from tips to law enforcement.

"We have to have probable cause to determine if we can get a warrant signed," Vajgrt said.

Probable cause is loosely defined as being more likely than not that evidence of a crime will be found after a search. Third-hand rumors can't be used on their own for search warrants, nor can neighbors seeing lots of traffic coming and going from a home.

Officers can use that information to ask questions and start an investigation, but it's not enough to get a warrant.

"They are cautious," Vajgrt said, "and I think rightfully so. We have an entry team of about 11 armed officers that execute search warrants, and we don't want that to be a mistake."

Vajgrt went through recent drug arrests and explained the chain of evidence used in getting search warrants. "The unfortunate thing is that primarily law enforcement gets information from bad guys. Ordinary citizens have a harder time giving better information," Vajgrt said.

"It's critically important in my mind that the public have good communication with law enforcement, and that's what community policing is doing."

Luverne resident Bob Osterday spoke up at the meeting to caution concerned parents from forming vigilante groups. Intimidating letters have been circulated to suspected people involved with drugs, and Osterday said those should stop.

"I'm all for this group, but it could get ugly," he said.

"Don't try to find out from your children who drug dealers are. That's got to be left up to the police. It puts unsafe pressure on kids. And let's remember that it's not just kids who are using."

In other business at the Parents meeting:
Lila Bauer, owner of the Pizza Ranch, said she recently obtained $20 home drug-test kits for other parents who might be interested in buying them.

Public Health Educator Paula Anderson reminded parents that her office has educational material on drugs and prevention along with general parenting information.

She pointed out that the danger zone for school-aged children to start using drugs is from 4 to 6 p.m., before parents get home from work.

With alcohol and tobacco being "gateway" drugs, Anderson said it's important to tell children they aren't allowed to experiment with those either. "Alcohol is not a right of passage, and don't write off smoking either."

Luverne Community Hospital drug assessment and abuse counselor Stephanie Pierce said the hospital offers aftercare to recovering addicts, so driving for services isn't necessary. "Staying locally connected is so important," she said.