By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth ran its football record to 5-0 with a 20-6 victory over Lincoln HI in Ivanhoe Friday.

Senior tailback Chris Reid ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offense, while the H-BC-E defense limited the Rebels to 152 yards and one third-quarter touchdown as the Patriots remained unbeaten with three games to play in the regular season.

H-BC-E, 4-0 in the Southwest Ridge Conference, will try to keep its perfect record in tact when it travels to Brewster Friday to take on Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster.

The Patriots were able to overcome their second consecutive 10-penalty game in Ivanhoe.

Reid's explosiveness sparked the offense, and a stingy defense limited the Rebels to 90 rushing yards in the tilt. Add the fact that H-BC-E won the battle of field position, and all the conditions were right for a 14-point win.

"Our field position was a big key," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "Our run defense was good, and we were able to run the ball well on offense. Reid ran for 260 yards alone, which is a lot of yards."
H-BC-E took a 7-0 lead that it would never relinquish in the first quarter.

After the Patriots had what would have been a 65-yard touchdown pass erased due to a penalty during their first offensive possession of the game, they eventually lost the ball on downs.

That didnÕt happen during the second possession, when Reid turned the second play into an 82-yard touchdown dash. Zach Wysong added the extra point.

H-BC-E had some opportunities to increase their lead before halftime, but it didn't get the job done.

The Patriots advanced the ball inside LH's 10-yard line twice as the first half progressed. Both drives yielded no points.

H-BC-E did extend the lead to 13-0 with its first possession of the second half.

Reid capped a 74-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown scamper. The extra-point attempt failed.

The Rebels trimmed H-BC-E's lead to seven points (13-6) with a touchdown late in the third quarter.
LHÕs second possession of the half ended with Jared Beck hauling in a 62-yard touchdown pass. The run for a two-point conversion failed.

The score remained 13-6 until late in the fourth quarter. H-BC-E was able to take advantage of good field position that presented itself after an LH punt was returned to the Rebel 35.

Reid found the end zone at the end of a 21-yard run a few plays later. WysongÕs extra point capped the scoring with 1:11 left to play.

Ellingson tipped his hat to the Rebels at game's end.

"They are not a typical 0-5 team, and we knew it would be a battle going into the game. We knew they had good size. By looking at the conference statistics, we knew they didn't give up a lot of yardage defensively, and that they had lost a lot of close games," he said.

Ellingson expects his team to be tested again in Round Lake Friday. The Raiders are 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the SRC.

"They've got their quarterback from last year back. Cory Place, their top running back, is doing very well statistically. He's a fast kid who has made some big plays this year. I would say he's right up there with Reid in quickness and speed," said the Patriot coach.

Team statistics
H-BC-E: 325 rushing yards, 22 passing yards, 347 total yards, 13 first downs, 10 penalties for 90 yards, one turnover.

LH: 90 rushing yards, 62 passing yards, 152 total yards, five first downs, two penalties for 20 yards, two turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Reid 27-260, Jesse Leuthold 17-76, Wysong 1-4, Curt Schilling 4-minus 15.
Passing: Schilling 3-14 for 22 yards.

Receiving: Reid 1-14, Brant Deutsch 1-5, Tyson Metzger 1-3.

Defense: Schilling 17 tackles and two interceptions, Cody Scholten 10 tackles, Leuthold nine tackles, Deutsch seven tackles, Craig Gaul six tackles.

By John Rittenhouse
A Luverne High School senior produced a Southwest Conference championship during the annual SWC Tennis Tournament played in Redwood Falls Thursday.

Rachel Tofteland, Luverne's entry at No. 2 singles, came away with the team's lone SWC title. Tofteland went 2-0 to take top honors in her division.

Tofteland recorded 6-1 and 6-2 wins over Pipestone area's Kelly Cunningham in the semifinals. She topped Redwood ValleyÕs Linda Gano 6-0, 6-2 in the finals.

Cardinal Gabe Van Dyk made a bid to win the No. 3 singles title before placing second.

Van Dyk won a 6-7 (the tie-breaker was decided by a 5-7 tally), 7-5, 6-2 match against Marshall's Diana Naatz in the semifinals. RVÕs Alecia Prins handed Van Dyk a pair of 6-2 setbacks in the finals.

Cardinals Becky Antoine and Samantha Gacke placed third at No. 1 and No. 4 singles respectively with 1-1 records.

The No. 2 doubles team of Lexi Jauert and Brittany Boeve and the No. 3 squad of Andraya Gacke and Alyssa Klein placed fourth with 1-2 records.

Jenny Braa and Nikki Van Dyk went 0-1 and placed fifth at No. 1 doubles.

Luverne caps the regular season by hosting Martin County West today.

Adrian junior running back Trent Bullerman (43) fights his way through a pair of Minneota defenders to score his team's final touchdown of a 27-9 homecoming win Friday.

By John Rittenhouse
It was a special homecoming night in Adrian Friday when the Dragon football team rolled to a 27-9 win over Minneota.

The Dragons, who lost back-to-back games entering Friday's tilt, needed a good performance to remain in position to host at least one playoff game at the end of the regular season.

Adrian rose to the challenge with a solid defensive effort and an outstanding offensive performance by senior Dusty Henning.

The Dragon defense, which allowed 31 points in a loss to Canby the week before Friday's game, may have turned in its best performance of the year Friday. Adrian limited the Vikings to 52 total yards and four first downs in the game.

Henning compiled a total of 281 offensive yards (256 rushing and 25 receiving) while scoring three of his team's four touchdowns in the game.

Adrian coach Randy Strand said Henning's performance was a career-best, but it was his team's effort on defense that made the difference against the Vikings.

Minneota, one of the Little Sioux Conference's top offensive teams statistically, brought a three-game winning streak into the game. The Vikings were able to move the ball early, but the Dragons met the challenge, limiting them to a second-quarter field goal.

"Our defense played very well," Strand said. "Minneota is the leading offensive team in our conference. They have the top quarterback, the top running back and three of the four top receivers. They averaged 200 yards per game passing coming into the game. They got six passing yards against us. Defensive backs Levi Bullerman, Henning, Pete Hohn and Tyler Wolf did a good job of staying with their receivers."

Adrian's defense also gave the offense some good field position that led to the game's first touchdown in the first quarter.

The Dragons received the kick to start the game and advanced the ball deep into Minneota territory before an interception on the goal line ended the scoring threat.

The AHS defense forced the Vikings to punt moments later, giving the offense the ball on the Minneota 40-yard line.

Henning scampered for a 24-yard run on the first play of the possession, which set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Bullerman to Hohn three plays later. Bullerman added the extra point to make it a 7-0 game with 3:40 remaining in the first period.

Minneota made a bid to answer Adrian's first touchdown by advancing the ball 63 yards in 13 plays. The drive ran out of steam on the AHS four, and the Vikings settled for a 21-yard field goal by Wade Gillund at the 10:15 mark of the third quarter.

Penalties kept both teams from scoring as the second quarter progressed.
Hohn caught what looked to be his second touchdown pass of the game, but an illegal formation call against the Dragons negated the play. A Minneota player picked off a pass a few plays later and returned it for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on the Vikings during the return erased the play.

The score remained 7-3 until late in the third quarter, when Adrian turned its second possession of the second half into a 10-play, 53-yard drive. During a fourth-and-12 situation from the Minneota 21, Bullerman lofted a 21-yard touchdown pass to Henning. A missed extra-point attempt left the Dragons sporting a 13-3 lead with 1:05 left to play in the third period.

Adrian put the game away by scoring touchdowns with its next two possessions.

The Dragons marched 77 yards in 11 plays before Henning scored on a three-yard plunge at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter. The drive was aided by a roughing the passing penalty against the Vikings, and a 31-yard run by Henning. Adrian tried to pass for a two-point conversion, and the attempt fell incomplete.

Adrian's defense stopped Minneota on downs on the Viking 38 moments later, setting up a six-play drive capped by Trent Bullerman's two-yard touchdown plunge with 4:19 remaining. Levi Bullerman ran in the two-point conversion to make it a 27-9 game.

Minneota ended the scoring when Craig Myhre returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown with 1:17 left to play.

Strand also gave his offensive line some credit for playing well. The line helped the Dragons run for 324 yards and 20 of their 22 first downs in the contest.

"Our offensive line did a good job. We figured that this game would be won up front. We ended up running 75 offensive plays to their 40 plays. One game's telling statistics was third-down conversions. We were eight of 10. They were zero of nine," he said.

The 3-2 Dragons play 0-5 Murray County Central in Slayton Friday.

Team statistics
Adrian: 324 rushing yards, 39 passing yards, 363 total yards, 22 first downs, two penalties for 15 yards, three turnovers.
Minneota: 46 rushing yards, six passing yards, 52 total yards, four first downs, two penalties for 20 yards, zero turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Henning 39-256, L.Bullerman 11-27, Joe Kruger 8-22, Brandon Wolf 3-2, T.Bullerman 5-17.
Passing: L.Bullerman 3-9 for 39 yards.
Receiving: Henning 2-25, Hohn 1-14.
Defense: Kruger 12 tackles, Brent Voss 10 tackles and one sack, Brandon Schettler 11 tackles and one sack, Justin Wilson one sack.

By Jolene Farley
After a growing season with below average rain through July and above average rain in August, Rock County's harvest will be mixed, good and bad, this fall.

Yields so far are all over the board, according to Rock County Farm Services Director Roger Carlson.
"There is going to be a big variation in Rock County from one area to another," he said.

Carlson said many farmers were in the field earlier this week in the southern portion of the county, but in the northern portion of the county soybeans are too wet to combine.

"If rain would hold off in the next week," he said. "A lot (of farmers) would get started."

Jon Finke harvested 200 acres of soybeans from a field north of Steen on Monday.

He said he is pleased with yields so far.

"I was dry for awhile," he said. "But the rain came just in time, the way it looks."

In the northern portion of the county, beans and corn are shorter than in the rest of the county, according to Carlson.

"They might not be able to get the combine head down low enough to get them all," he said.

Rock County, along with Nobles County and Jackson County, applied for a federal drought disaster declaration in August.

Officials have not heard if Rock County is eligible for the declaration, according to Carlson.

Rainfall in southwest Minnesota was three to six inches below normal until an August storm dropped six inches of rain overnight. By the end of August, the area was four to eight inches above normal.

The August rain came too late to help most drought-stunted crops. Fields with sandy soil sustained more crop damage from the dry conditions earlier in the growing season.

"There is obviously some pressure to get some more disaster aid out there," said Carlson.

A disaster declaration, typically issued if there is 30 to 35 percent crop loss, would ensure farmers would be eligible for emergency loans through the Rock County Farm Service Agency and any additional compensation programs made available by Congress.

He said this year's crop prices are anyone's guess. Markets were up earlier this fall, but fell 14 cents on Monday. On the bright said, Carlson hopes this year's disasters will drive a price increase.

Hills-Beaver Creek junior hitter Erin Boeve reaches for one of her 20 blocks during a 3-2 volleyball loss to Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster in Hills Thursday.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team upped its Red Rock Conference record to 3-5 with a 3-0 win at Edgerton Public School Tuesday.

All three games of the match were fairly close, but the Patriots outscored the Flying Dutchmen 45-29 for the night while winning all three contests.

The win adds to what has been an impressive turn-around to H-BC's season. After starting the campaign with five straight losses, the Patriots evened their mark at 7-7-3 with the victory.

H-BC will host Westbrook-Walnut Grove tonight before playing road matches against Ellsworth and Southwest Star Concept Monday and Tuesday.

According to Patriot coach Curt Doorneweerd, a strong serving performance lifted H-BC to victory in Edgerton.

H-BC's servers kept the pressure on Edgerton most of the night, and keeping the ball in play helped the Patriots register 15-10, 15-8 and 15-11 wins.

"We played pretty well," said Patriot coach Curt Doorneweerd. "I think serving was the key for us. We served really well."

Jody Rentschler, Angie Sjaarda and Sarah Rozeboom led H-BCÕs assault on Edgerton from the service line.

Rentschler was 15 of 15 with one ace, Sjaarda 12 of 12 with one ace and Rozeboom five of five with one ace.

Tara Boeve, who had two ace serves, led the winners with 14 blocks and 12 kills.

Rozeboom added 10 kills to the cause. Kelly Mulder chipped in four blocks.

By Jolene Farley
M & M Repair, owned by Melvin and Minnie Van Batavia, will celebrate 25 years in the auto repair business with an open house from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

M & M Repair has been a constant on Main Street in Steen, a community of 190 people, for many years.

Melvin, a 1971 Hills High School graduate, purchased his car repair business in 1976 from retiring mechanic Clarence Erickson.

"When I started we still had gravel on Main Street," he said. "About two years after I started they black-topped Main Street."

Van Batavia attended Jackson Area Vocational School for auto mechanics and worked for three years at a Pontiac dealership in Rock Rapids before the purchase.

M & M Repair remained in the same location until 1990 when Melvin and Minnie moved to Alexandria where Melvin attended classes to update his mechanical skills.

In the fall of 1991, the Van Batavias moved back to Steen and reopened M & M Repair. They built a new building in the current location.

"My old building was really run down, dark and cold," Melvin said.

He said he really missed Steen when he was in Alexandria.

HeÕs pleased with how his business has grown over the years. "It gets more and more each year; I turn down a lot of customers," he said.

Most of his clientele comes from within a five- or six-mile radius of Steen.

"I just kind of do everything from go-carts to washing machines, lawn mowers all the way up to four-wheel-drive tractors," he said.

Automobiles have changed for the better over the years, even though cars are more dependent on computers, according to Van Batavia.

Cars last longer without the major repair work required in the past, so Van Batavia does more normal maintenance now.

He suggests customers service their cars regularly. He said replacing the fuel filter in an engine saves wear on the fuel injection system.

He added another tip. Some newer model cars have electric fuel pumps in the gas tanks that are lubricated by gas, so running your vehicle out of gas may ruin the fuel pump.

Van Batavia expects 250 to 300 people to attend the open house on Saturday. He will pass out free pens and screwdrivers. The Beaver Creek Sportsmen's Club will serve burgers and brats, and door prizes will be given away.

Ingeberg Maria Walker, 76, Adrian, died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, in Luverne Community Hospital.
Services were Saturday, Sept. 7, at First Baptist Church in Adrian. The Rev. Timothy Barr officiated. Burial was in Adrian Cemetery.

Ingeberg von Reidlitz was born on June 23, 1926, in Wroclaw, East Germany, the daughter of titled aristocracy. From age 6 to 10 she attended a German School; from 10 to 14 she studied at a Convent School in Nice, France; and from 14 to 16, she went to school in Switzerland. After returning from a vacation to her home in Wroclaw, she was drafted into the German Air Force. 1st Lieutenant von Reidlitz spent two years in the service of the German Air Force flying the Ju9 dive bomber and Bueker 82 Messersmidt.

Following the war, she became a hired interpreter for the military government. It was in this capacity, in 1946, at the age of 19, she met and became the interpreter for Master Sergeant Warren A. Walker, born and raised in Kenneth. They were married on May 14, 1949, in Donworth, Bavaria. Her husband remained with the U.S. Army where they were stationed all over the U.S. until retiring after 30 years of service. The couple then spent a year with her parents in Germany in 1960, before moving to Nebraska to live with and care for Mr. Walker's parents. When his parents entered a nursing home they returned to southwest Minnesota.

Mrs. Walker was a member of First Baptist Church in Adrian and PETA. She was an avid reader, enjoyed classical music, crochet work, animals, birds, and giving treats to children.

Survivors include her brother, Otto von Dalowski von Reidlitz, Germany; one sister, Johanna, Germany; three sisters-in-law, Addie Weis, Conway, Alaska, Bessy Bents, Pipestone, and Gracie (Berk) Wolf, Arlington, Neb., and one nephew, Hans Schirmer, South Africa.

Mrs. Walker, was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Warren, on June 15, 1983.

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

Mark and Leah Gath, Luverne, use their combine, tractor and wagon to help Jon Finke harvest soybeans north of Steen on Monday. With two combines running, all of Finke's 200 acres of beans were harvested in one day. Story inside.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Sister outing leads to
a 'falk in the worest'

Our annual Kroontje Sister Outing was last weekend. My four sisters, a niece, my mother and I piled into one vehicle and left our troubles behind.

This year our featured destination was the Renaissance Festival near Shakopee. I understand the festival has been a regular summer attraction for nearly 30 years, but it was a first for me.

The weather was gorgeous - a crisp, sunny 65 degrees - which made everything enjoyable.

We ate (yes, we sampled the giant turkey legs), we gabbed, we shopped, we gabbed, we watched the famous jousting match, and, of course, we gabbed some more.

One of our favorite sideshows was the "Tory Steller" comedian who swapped first letters on key words of classic children's fairy tales. His frequent reference to "falks in the worest" gave the stories more of a PG-13 rating than G.

Observations from a first-timer:

Pets are welcome on the Renaissance campus, which is a nice gesture. I noticed lots of water bowls set out to accommodate the canine visitors, but I didn't notice designated rest rooms for four-legged guests.

Annual Renaissance Festival visitors enjoy dressing for the medieval festival, which adds a certain amount of authenticity to the event.

Some of the costumes were beautiful period attire, but plenty of others were just cheap excuses to flaunt cleavage for a day. Let's just say there's a good reason for some fashion evolutions since the 15th century.

Definitely try the mock fencing competition. My youngest sister, Lavelle, and I donned protective metal head gear and armed ourselves with dangerous-looking swords. But just before the match began, officials duct taped party balloons to our helmets and told us to have at it. The one to emerge with unpopped balloons would be named the victor.

It was hilarious.

We looked more like cast-iron bunnies in space suits than medieval knights. Before it was over we were more breathless from the giggles than from actual combat.

For the record, I won, which is more than I can say about our word games in the hotel the previous night.

About meth in Rock County
WeÕve had several inquiries about why the Star Herald didnÕt cover last Wednesday's meeting at Pizza Ranch about meth use in Rock County.

While I was personally invited to attend, my offer to cover it as a news item was declined because the meeting was designed to encourage candid participation from affected private citizens.

We at the Star Herald support the efforts of those at the meeting, and we'll continue to do our part to educate readers about drugs in Rock County.

Please read all of our news coverage on drug enforcement and dependency in this week's paper. We've covered the topic before, but sometimes stories about drugs arenÕt interesting until they personally affect us.

Don't let that be the case in your family - stay informed about local drugs and know what warning signs to watch for in your own children.