By Mark HaugenEllsworth came within a point of winning the Holiday Tournament in Mitchell, S.D., but their 2-1 tournament performance evened their season record at 4-4.Ellsworth beat Geddes, S.D., 56-48 on Monday night in the Corn Palace and fell 48-47 to host Mitchell Christian on Tuesday.Cody Schilling and Ben Herman were named to the all-tournament team.The Panther boys have three home games coming up. They play Southwest Star Concept on Monday, Southwest Christian Tuesday and No. 1 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton on Thursday.Ellsworth 56, Geddes 48 OTBehind most of the game, Aaron VanDerStoep hit a 3-pointer to make it 44-42 in regulation. After an unsuccessful possession for Geddes, the Panthers missed a shot but Cody Schilling got the rebound and put-back with eight seconds left to force overtime."Once we were in overtime we kind of just stayed in control," Coach Ken Kvaale said. Schilling led with 27 points and 10 rebounds. VanDerStoep and Weston DeBerg netted eight each. DeBerg also had eight rebounds and VanDerStoep five assists.The Panther defense smothered Geddes in the second half and through overtime, allowing only 11 points over that stretch.Geddes led 37-26 at overtime but then scored only two points in the third period as their lead was cut to 39-33. Geddes then managed only five points in the fourth quarter as regulation ended at 44-44.Mitchell Christian 48,Ellsworth 47Ben Herman hit a 3-pointer to pull the Panthers within one point with 20 seconds left and a controversial foul call on a rebound under the Mitchell basket ended Ellsworth’s hopes of the title.Herman scored 16 and Bryan Kramer 10 for Ellsworth. Schilling managed only eight points, smothered in a box-and-one defense, but he did hand out eight assists.

By Mark HaugenHills-Beaver Creek split a pair of games Monday and Tuesday in the Albert Lea boys basketball tournament.The Patriots opened with a 72-47 drubbing of Farmington and then couldn’t hold off Albert Lea in a 58-54 loss Tuesday.Kale Wiertzema and Tyler Bush were named to the all-tournament team with Wiertzema nabbing MVP honors.H-BC, 8-2, opens 2005 with home games Jan. 3 against Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Jan. 6 against Adrian.H-BC 72, Farmington 47The Patriots used a 21-10 second quarter to break open a two-point game and cruise to the win.Wiertzema hit 9-14 shots on his way to 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Bush netted 16 points and dished eight assists. "It was a great two-day tournament," Coach Steve Wiertzema said. "The Farmington game we played very well on both ends of the court. We controlled the game."H-BC Box ScoreWysong 1 1 2-2 7, Bush 6 4-4 16, Wiertzema 9 1 4—6 25, Baker 1 3-6 5, Haak 0 0-1 0, Broesder 1 2-4 4, Hup 1 0-0 2, LeBoutillier 3 0-0 6, Martens 1 0-0 2, Rozeboom 2 1-1 5.Albert Lea 58, H-BC 54Wiertzema exploded for 34 points, helped by 15-19 at the free-throw stripe, but the Patriots went cold in the final minutes.H-BC led 49-41 to start the fourth quarter but was outscored 17-5 in the last quarter."We played very well for three and a half quarters," Coach Wiertzema said. "We lost our aggressiveness in the last four minutes and lost the game." H-BC Box ScoreWysong 0 1 0-0 3, Bush 2 0-0 4, Wiertzema 9 1 15-19 34, Baker 0 0-0 0, Broesder 0 1 0-1 3, LeBoutillier 3 2-2 8, Rozeboom 1 0-0 2.

JANUARY:The Luverne girls hockey team ran its record to 13-2-1 and defeated Windom 9-2 to clinch the Southwest Conference championship. The Cardinals went undefeated in the conference.In girls basketball, Erin Boeve of Hills-Beaver Creek joined the 1,000-point club.The Luverne boys hockey team beat Sleepy Eye 8-2 for its first Southwest Conference victory of the season.Luverne’s gymnastics team had its third record-setting performance of the season in a loss to JCC, 135.125 to 132.15. It was a school record for team points.FEBRUARY:Ellsworth’s Curt Schilling drained a 3-pointer to net his 2,000 career point in a victory over Russell-Tyler-Ruthton.The Luverne wrestlers finished the season 0-17.Adrian’s Kyle Knips notched the 1,000th point of his career in a win over Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster.The Luverne gymnastics team turned in another record-setting performance to end an 8-3 regular season. They scored 133.4 points in a loss to Martin County West. Luverne’s Callen Bosshart won the all-around.The Adrian wrestling team won its first section 3AA team tournament by defeating Redwood Valley and Yellow Medicine East. AHS, 34-5, advanced to the state championships.Luverne’s Callen Bosshart became the first Cardinal gymnast since 1990 to qualify for the state meet.The LHS boys hockey team ended the season 4-20.MARCH: The Luverne boys basketball team ended the regular season 10-14.Seven Adrian Dragons advanced to the state wrestling championships with their sectional performances. Taking section titles were Michal Barrie and Joey, Dusty, Levy and Brandon Bullerman. Second-place honors went to Tony Sauer and Josh Winselman.Luverne’s Callen Bosshart finished 31st at the state gymnastics meet.Luverne lost 75-47 to Southwest Conference co-champion Windom in the opening round of the South Section 3AA girls basketball tournament.Ellsworth beat SV-RL-B 62-29 in the first round of the South Section 3AA girls basketball tournament.The Hills-Beaver Creek girls upset Adrian 56-53 in the Section 3A semifinals. Adrian ended the season 19-6.The Ellsworth boys beat SSC 76-54 in the Section 3A opener.The Hills-Beaver Creek boys edged Adrian 60-57 in overtime of their Section 3A game. The Dragons ended their season 16-7.The Adrian wrestling team ended its best season ever by finishing second at state. Three individuals placed: Levi Bullerman was third at 189, Joey Bullerman was fifth at 112 and Dusty Bullerman sixth at 140.The H-BC girls downed Fulda 46-34 in the South Section 3A championship game.Luverne’s boys posted their first postseason basketball victory when they beat Murray County Central 69-37 in a quarterfinal game of the South Section 3AA tournament.H-BC’s girls lost 54-42 to Wabasso in the Section 3A championship game. The Patriots ended their season 17-11.Ellsworth won its second straight South Section 3A boys basketball championship with a 65-60 victory over Hills-Beaver Creek. The Patriots’ season ended at 20-9.The LHS boys basketball team bowed out of the South Section 3AA tournament with a 68-47 semifinal loss to Redwood Valley. The Cardinals ended their season 11-15.R-T-R snapped Ellsworth’s 12-game winning streak with a 56-53 victory in the Section 3A boys basketball championship game. The Panthers went 23-7 on the year.APRIL:Tim Rust of Luverne cleared 13-0 to set a new school record in the pole vault during the Dan Lennon Invitational Track and Field Championships in Vermillion, S.D.The Luverne girls track team successfully defended its team title at the Cardinal Relays.Adrian’s David Brake cleared 6-0 in the high jump at the Fulda Invitational to break the 39-year-old record of 5-11 set by Randy Rust.MAY: The Adrian girls won the team title at the Arrow Relays in Pipestone.Luverne’s boys tennis team swept Worthington to secure the Southwest Conference title.The Luverne girls won the Tri-State Relays in Luverne.Athletic directors announced that the Southwest Conference and South Central Conference will merge to form a new 13-team conference next season.The Luverne High School girls golf team captured the Sub-Section 10 championship in Tyler. Team members were Lindsey Severtson, Alyssa Klein, Mindy Lysne, Brittany Boeve, Jessica Klein and Nikki Van Dyk.The Luverne boys tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the Section 3A team tournament.Adrian’s girls golf team captured the Red Rock Conference team title in Westbrook firing a 10-stroke win.JUNE: Dusty Antoine and Patrick Bennett of Luverne qualified for the state tennis tournament with their doubles performances in the section tournament. The Luverne girls track team successfully defended its title in the Sub-Section 10 Championships. LHS had 14 individuals qualify for the Section 3A meet.The Luverne boys track team placed second in the Sub-Section and advanced 12 to the section.Tracy-Milroy-Balaton beat Luverne 1-0 in the first round of the section tournament to end the Cardinals’ softball season at 7-13.Luverne’s boys tennis team ended the season with an 18-5 record.Tim Rust, Justin VanWyhe and Jake Hendricks advanced to the state track meet for the Luverne boys team.Four Cardinal girls advanced to the state track meet: Lexi Heitkamp, Tera Boomgaarden, Kelsey Dooyema and Victoria Arends.Five Patriots qualified for the state track meet: Tyler Bush, Todd Alberty, Kale Wiertzema, Derek Haak and Lee Jackson.Adrian’s Sarah Kruger earned a trip to the state track meet in the 400 meters.Luverne’s Bennett and Antoine went 1-1 at the state tennis tournamentBush placed fourth in the state 800.Adrian’s baseball team captured their second section title in three years. The Dragons dropped two at the state tournament.JULY:Jeremy and Jason Sudenga won the Member-Guest Golf Tournament at Luverne Country Club.A pair of one-run losses in the opening rounds of the Area A American Legion baseball playoffs ended Luverne’s season at 10-8.Luverne dropped a 15-7 decision to Edgerton to cap a 17-8 regular season in VFW baseball.The Luverne Redbirds wrapped up a 10-8 regular season.Luverne VFW took top honors during the South Third District VFW baseball playoffs.AUGUST:The Luverne VFW baseball team came up one win short of qualifying for its first state tournament berth since 1994.The Luverne Redbirds were ousted by Hadley in the Gopher League playoffs.Luverne’s George McDonald won a pair of trophies at the Seniors’ Club Tournament at the LCC. He turned in a repeat performance as the tournament’s gross champion and won the low net title.Melissa Kopp successfully defended her title during the Women’s Club Tournament at the LCC. Paula Lammert and Karen Fey placed second and third, respectively.Dan Serie successfully defended his crown and won his fifth career Men’s Club Tournament championship at the LCC. Dick Iveland placed second and Tim Connell and Chris Nowatzki tied for third.The Steen fast-pitch softball team won a region tournament to earn a trip to the American Softball Association National Tournament in Nebraska.SEPTEMBER:Luverne beat Marshall 20-12 to secure their first high school football victory of the season.Adrian moved its football record to 3-0 with a 43-24 win over R-T-R, the defending conference champions.The Luverne boys and girls cross country teams swept the team titles at the Jackson County Central Invitational.OCTOBER:Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth won its homecoming football game 34-14 over Lincoln HI-Lake Benton.Samantha Gacke and Brittany Boeve advanced to the semifinals of the Section 3A Individual Tennis Tournament.The Luverne girls emerged as meet champions of the Cardinal Invitational cross country meet with top-10 finishes from Lexi Heitkamp, Amanda Saum and Kayla Raddle.The Luverne Cardinals held on to the coveted Battle Ax trophy after defeating Pipestone 19-12 in football.Luverne’s volleyball team wrapped up a 13-12-1 regular season.The Adrian Dragons secured a share of the Little Sioux Conference football championship by routing MCC50-28.Gacke and Boeve placed third as a doubles team in the section tennis tournament.Adrian’s Morgan Lynn and H-BC-E’s Tyler Bush raced their way to individual championships in the Red Rock Conference cross country meet.Luverne’s bid to win the Southwest Conference football championship outright came to an end with a 27-7 loss to Redwood Valley.The Cardinals beat Windom 24-20 to end its regular season football record at 6-2.Adrian beat Canby 39-8 in the first round of the Section 3A football playoffs.H-BC-E’s football season ended with 24-6 loss to Brewster in the Section 2 Nine-Man playoffs. They ended the season 3-6.The Cardinals rallied to beat Minnewaska Area 13-10 in the Section 3AAA football playoffs.NOVEMBER:Fulda upset Adrian 6-0 in overtime in the semifinals of the football playoffs.Luverne rallied with 13 points in the fourth quarter to beat Fairmont 21-20 in the semifinals of the football playoffs.Luverne’s Bruce Gluf was named Section 3A Girls Cross Country Co-Coach of the Year.The LHS boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the state meet for the second straight year, where the girls went on to place sixth and the boys eighth. Tom Ward placed 15th and Lexi Heitkamp was 11th.Luverne fell 28-19 to Redwood Valley in the championship game of the Section 3AAA football playoffs.Natalie Domagala went over the prestigious 200-career goal mark for the Luverne girls hockey team.DECEMBER:The Luverne boys basketball team started the season 6-0 before losing to Edgerton.Natalie Domagala and Sadie Dietrich each scored five goals in separate games to push the Cardinal girls hockey team to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the conference.The boys hockey team beat Redwood Valley 8-2 to get its first win after opening the season 0-4.Luverne’s girls basketball team notched its first win beating Edgerton 60-53.The Ellsworth girls basketball team went 4-0 for the month and raised its record to 5-3.The H-BC boys basketball team moved to 5-0 in the Red Rock Conference.

By Mark HaugenThe Luverne boys basketball team raised its record to 8-2 with a convincing 65-53 victory over Lake Benton on Tuesday night.Getting off to a sluggish start the Cardinals led only 8-7 after the first but rolled in the second by outscoring the Bobcats 25-11. Lake Benton didn’t come within nine the rest of the way."I thought we played pretty well in the second and third quarters and did not in the first and fourth," Coach Tom Rops said. "Luckily we had done enough in the middle two quarters to put the game away. They outworked us at times but we had more players."Brandon Deragisch led the Cardinals with 18 points, while Nick Heronimus and John Tofteland added 12 and 10, respectively. Brad Herman and Heronimus led with eight rebounds apiece and Dusty Antoine picked four steals.Luverne plays at Lincoln HI on Tuesday."I’m happy with where we’re at but we’re going to have to improve, especially against the good teams we are going to be seeing for the second time in the conference," Rops said. "We have to get more consistent. The Southwest Conference is a more physical style and we’ll have to match that with the other teams."Luverne won the "B" game 47-21 as every player scored, but none in double figures.Luverne Box ScorePick 2 0-0 4, Haakenson 1 0-0 2, Herman 3 0-0 6, Deragisch 4 2 44-5 18, Hendricks 1 1 0-4 5, Antoine 4 0-0 8, Tofteland 3 1 1-2 10, Heronimus 3 1 3-9 12.Team Totals:Rebounds: L 37 (Herman 8, Heronimus 8), LB 20. FG shooting: L 26-63, LB 19-41.

LUVERNE PUBLIC SCHOOLSLuverne, MinnesotaDecember 16, 2004Sealed bids will be received by the School Board of Independent School District No. 2184, Luverne, Minnesota, for the following item: A. Two (72)-Passenger Buses – Transit StyleB. One Suburban or Equal VehicleSaid bids will be received up to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 25, 2005, at the District Office in the Middle-Senior High School Building, Luverne, Minnesota. Bidders may receive specifications and information at the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. Any dealer may bid on the aforementioned items. The School Board reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any technicalities. Colleen DeutschClerk(12-30, 1-6)

As The Salvation Army’s 2004 service unit co-chairs in Rock County, we wish to recognize the hundreds of friends and supporters who have given donations and time to The Salvation Army. The Christmas fund-raising campaign is The Salvation Army’s most vital accounting for nearly 75 percent of its annual fund-raising totals. It is vital because we depend on this support to fund year-round programs. We are pleased to report that in Rock County we raised more than $1,200 this year, all of which stays local. It is only with generous support from the county during this time that The Salvation Army is able to continue to offer visitation to the lonely, toys and costs to less fortunate children, summer camping experiences for those who may not be able to afford one and back-to-school supplies. Again, from volunteerism to contributions, we appreciate the kindness, compassion and generosity that our county has and continues to show. Glen’s Food Center allowed us to set up our kettle in their store again this year and all the bellringers so generously gave their time. All this has helped us make a difference in the lives of those we serve.Greta VanDerBrink Patti WienekeRock County Salvation Army Co-Chairs

Why would this paper choose to print a commentary like this one? Richard [Engstrom] may be a fan, but he knows little about basketball. Richard is the type of person that will badmouth a team instead of saying, "Good luck next time." I know he only put Coach Rops down, but how does that help the team? Isn’t Luverne boys basketball off to the best start in 8-10 years? Didn’t Luverne beat Pipestone for the first time in about the same time frame? I encourage Richard to stay home if he feels it is too hard to watch the coach "badger" his players. Here is another idea: Why doesn’t Richard ask the kids why they lost the RWV game. Obviously they were doing something right to be ahead by 17 at one point. I am fully disappointed by this paper as well as by Richard. He obviously does not understand the amount of time and dedication it takes to build a winning program.Good luck, Cardinals! I know you will need it with fans like Richard! This paper is only adding to the credibility of a person that calls himself a fan.Steve RopsPipestone

This letter is in response to Mr. Engstrom’s letter regarding Mr. Tom Rops, Luverne High School boys basketball coach. The ongoing saga in Luverne athletics continues. Why do people in this community such as Mr. Engstrom feel the need to bash coaches? Mr. Rops has been a coach in the basketball system for quite some time and has brought the program out of the cellar to its present competitive level. He instills important values of life in the athletes while building a competitive basketball program. Mr. Rops deserves a round of applause for his team’s sportsmanship and performance on the court.Tim ChristensenBruce GlufCraig NelsonJason Phelps

As a long time sports fan and a head coach for 30 years, I feel compelled to respond to the letter to the editor from Richard Engstrom on "poor coaching" in the Dec. 23 edition of the Star Herald. I believe the issue is, "Did the Luverne coach get out-coached or was his team poorly prepared, or both." Like Mr. Engstrom, I watched with disappointment as the Luverne squad lost the game. However, a big factor in the outcome of the game was the way in which Redwood Valley responded after Luverne had a considerable lead. Redwood Valley became very aggressive and played with an attitude that demonstrated that they had nothing to lose. Luverne, on the other hand, played with an attitude of trying not to lose — rather than playing to retain their lead and win the game. Luverne should be criticized for not responding to the challenge. Redwood Valley, however, should be given a lot of credit for their effort and should be congratulated on their hard-fought victory.Based on my own experiences with tough losses, I know there was a lot of "soul searching" after the game and I am sure there are a number of people willing to accept the responsibility for what went wrong. This was a tremendous learning experience and something our team should benefit from. As for the forum in which Mr. Engstrom chose to criticize Coach Rops, I believe it is very inappropriate and is very destructive to the program. I acknowledge that Mr. Engstrom has a right to his comments. However, if he feels a change is necessary, his opinions and comments should go through the proper channels (i.e. direct communication with the coach, athletic director, superintendent and finally to the School Board members). Further, it seems somewhat disingenuous for Mr. Engstrom to call for the replacement of Coach Rops simply because of one unfortunate loss. Remember, Coach Rops and the team won their first six games (as well as one subsequent game). Based on my observations, Coach Rops did not suddenly change his coaching demeanor in the Redwood Valley game so as to warrant such harsh criticism. Laurin CarrollLuverne