By Lori EhdeThe five-inch drenching two weeks ago came too late to feed most drought-damaged crops in Rock County. For that reason, Farm Service Agency Director Roger Carlson predicts a 10- to 15-percent decrease in corn and soybean yields this year."It’s pretty early to tell, but that’s kind of my own prediction right now, before seeing any actual yields," Carlson said Tuesday."I can tell you my assessment overall, is that that we’ll have a smaller crop this year than last year and bigger variation in yields, because some parts of the county got more rain than others."Some combines ventured into fields this week, but Carlson said, with a little sunshine and some light winds, everyone will soon be harvesting. "Next week will be full bore."While some area counties submitted applications for drought disaster assistance, they need to show 30 percent yield losses to apply, and Carlson said Rock County, in general, won’t see that kind of drought damage."If we find out that I’m way off base, we can still apply for disaster assistance," he said.The drought scenario in Rock County is that some areas saw more damage than others. "The northeast parts of the county and areas along the river with lighter soil were hurting," Carlson said. "Those fields were pretty dead by the time we got rain."Most of Rock County received more than six inches of rain over a two-day period Sept. 10 and 11, but by that time local crops had already reached maturity."There were some corn and soybeans still green at that time, and were able to feed off that rain, but I think it didn’t benefit most crops," Carlson said.Prior to Sept. 10, Carlson said the last good rain in Rock County was around July 4. "Both July and August were real dry months," Carlson said.Despite its late arrival, the rain will make a big difference for Rock County crops in the future."It’s going to definitely have long-term benefits for the subsoil, especially next spring," Carlson said. "It came down so nice. Most of it soaked into the ground and didn’t run off."

By Jolene FarleySuperintendent Dave Deragisch presented a preliminary 2003-04 budget to Hills-Beaver Creek School Board members at their Monday meeting."Hopefully you keep in mind and understand this is a working budget," he told the board, noting that the budget will undergo changes throughout the year. Total revenues for the 2003-04 school year are estimated at $2,878,828, compared with last year’s $2,933,277. The totals reflect a $54,449 difference in state aid. The district’s four Title programs received substantial cuts with last year’s total of $67,063 and this year’s total $53,693."Those are areas where somehow we have to see if we can recoup our revenue," Deragisch said.On the plus side, the district is eligible for equalization aid in the amount of $27,890. This aid wasn’t received last year and likely won’t be received next year, Deragisch said. Food service is eligible for $96,000 aid, $7,000 less than last year. Expenses for 2003-04 are estimated at $109,612."It’s going to make the spread a little bit wider," said Deragisch. Total expenses for the 2003-04 school year are estimated at $2,878,668, total expenses for last year were $2,926,881. Debt service expenses increased from $157,010 last year to $182,000 this year, due to the building project.The district is eligible for a base of $4,601 in aid per student with different grade levels weighted at different dollar amounts. "When the smoke clears, it’s going to be very tight again this year," Deragisch said. "We try to keep things balanced, but this year and next are going to be tight."Special education bill owed to Luverne districtDeragisch told the board a special education bill owed to the Luverne School System has climbed to $139,664.The amount is owed for special education services provided for H-BC students who have open-enrolled into the Luverne district.The Luverne district has balances on their books for Hills-Beaver Creek back to the 1999-2000 school year. A $20,000 payment was remitted earlier this summer, according to Deragisch."It’s a bill we have had for quite a long time," Deragisch said. He presented three options to the board. The first option is to pay the bill in its entirety, the second is to request an arbitration hearing, the third is to negotiate a reduced fee with the Luverne district.Deragisch asked for direction on which option the board would like him to pursue. "We have to research the history of this," board member Gary Esselink said. Deragisch said he would contact the former superintendent and present all the information at the next board meeting.Deragisch added special education aid goes to the district the student attends, so the bills are for costs incurred over and above the state aid amount. Levy approved by boardThe board approved a preliminary levy of $329,930 payable 2004, which is an increase of about 10 percent over last year’s levy.Deragisch recommended the board approve raising the levy amount the maximum allowed by law. The board can always reduce the approved amount, but cannot increase it.A figure must be submitted to Rock County and the state by Tuesday, Sept. 30. "We can’t afford to reduce our levy," Deragisch said. Long-term rental of elementary facilityThe New Life Celebration Church has asked to rent the H-BC elementary gym, commons and media center for Sunday services. Current rental fees are $40 for the gym, $18 for the commons and $15 for the media center. Board member Lloyd DeBoer commented that the heat is usually turned down in the gym on Fridays and not turned back up until Monday morning unless there is an event scheduled. Since no custodian is on duty during the weekend, the board discussed snow removal and tracking into the facility. Deragisch told the board that with more than 150 people using the facility every weekend, there could be a chance more students would open enroll into the H-BC district from neighboring districts. The board directed Deragisch to investigate snow removal and liability issues. Representatives from New Life Church will be invited to the Monday, Oct. 13 board meeting.Pledge mandateThe board approved a policy on the Pledge of Allegiance, per new Minnesota legislation requiring districts to do so.The school’s policy generally states that elementary students recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily, as they have been doing. High school students will start saying the Pledge on Monday mornings by intercom, according to Deragisch. The new law requires districts to have a Pledge policy on record, but it allows individual students or teachers to choose not to participate.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team remained unbeaten in Red Rock Conference play with a 3-0 win in Adrian Thursday.The Patriots had to battle hard to fight off challenges offered by a pesky Adrian squad in the final two games, but H-BC was up to the task and completed the sweep while outscoring the Dragons 79-63 in the match.The win upped H-BC’s conference record to 4-0. Adrian fell to 0-4 in league play.H-BC started the match in style taking a 7-2 lead in Game 1 after Melinda Sandstede served an ace.The Dragons battled back to trail 7-5 after Kylie Heronimus turned a tip into a point, but the Patriots countered with a 7-1 surge capped by an ace serve from Amber Olson to open a 14-6 lead.H-BC led 19-11 before putting together a 6-1 run capped by a tip from Sandstede to clinch a 25-13 victory.There was nothing easy about H-BC’s wins in Games 2 and 3.H-BC led by five points (10-5) early in the second game and sported a six-point cushion (19-13) after Erin Boeve recorded a block at the net as the game progressed.The Patriots still led by six (21-15) when Adrian mounted an 8-1 run capped by an ace serve from Brittany Bullerman to give the hosts a 23-22 lead.The score was tied at 24 before Boeve gave the Patriots a 26-24 win with a kill and an ace tip.Cassi Tilstra served a four-point run to give the Patriots a 5-1 cushion early in Game 3, but the Dragons countered with a 10-4 surge capped by a kill from Heronimus to give AHS an 11-9 advantage.The Dragons led by three points (16-13) after Andrea Henning served a three-point run, and the hosts sported a 20-18 cushion before H-BC rallied to tie the game at 21 before Brittney Rozeboom served a pair of points to put the Patriots in front 23-21.Adrian regained the lead at 24-23 after Andrea Lonneman served a point, and the hosts sported a 25-24 edge after an ace tip off the fingers of Ashley Cox.H-BC, however, tied the game at 26 before posting a 28-26 win with two service points from Boeve.Boeve, who completed all nine of her serves in the match, had 19 kills and five blocks for the winners. Kelly Mulder added five blocks and four kills to the cause, while Tilstra chipped in five kills. Tilstra (14 of 14), Rozeboom (12 of 13) and Olson (16 of 16 with three aces) served well for H-BC.Heronimus led Adrian with 11 kills and three blocks. Bullerman and Lonneman registered eight and six kills respectively. Katie Bertrand charted 10 set assists.

By John RittenhouseTwo Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton runners won cross country races at the Murray County Central Invitational in Slayton Tuesday.Patriots Tyler Bush and Mya Mann won event titles to highlight H-BC-E-E’s appearance at the meet.Bush took top honors in the boys’ varsity race, leading the field with a time of 17:49.Mann took top honors with a time of 18:30 in the girls’ junior varsity event.With Bush leading the way, H-BC-E-E placed fourth in a seven-team boys’ varsity field with 102 points.The Patriots topped Jackson County Central (103), Worthington (117) and Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin (169) in the standings. Southwest Christian (30), Luverne (76) and Adrian (81) led the field.Kale Wiertzema (20th in 19:26), Todd Alberty (21st in 19:30), Lee Jackson (26th in 19:48) and Adam Finke (53rd in 23:11) made contributions to H-BC-E-E’s team performance in varsity competition.Jill Weitgenant pushed Mann during the girls’ junior varsity race, finishing second in 18:40.Rayna Sandoval and Amanda Connors placed fourth and ninth in the junior varsity race with 19:16 and 20:07 times.Dustin Verhey placed fifth in 16:22 to lead H-BC-E-E runners in the boys’ junior varsity race.Derek Haak (seventh in 16:28), John Sandbulte (ninth in 16:50), Devin DeBoer (16th in 17:29), Tom Janssen (25th in 18:23) and Jared Drenth (27th in 18:53) joined Verhey in the junior varsity run.Cody Penning set the pace for H-BC-E-E runners in the boys’ junior high event, touring the course in 7:33 to place 14th.Grant Hoogendoorn (15th in 7:34), Tyler Larson (17th in 7:38), Luke Tiesler (18th in 7:40), Derek Drenth (25th in 18:10), Tom Nolte (28th in 8:25) and B.J Kruse (31st in 8:28) represented the Patriots in the junior high field.The H-BC-E-E runners will host a meet in Beaver Creek Monday.

Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth quarterback Curt Schilling (11) delivers a pass during Friday’s 39-35 football win over Edgerton in Hills. Schilling passed for 174 yards during H-BC’s homecoming game before a knee injury late in the fourth quarter put him out of commission for the rest of the season.By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth Patriots rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Edgerton 39-35 in a high school football game played in Hills Friday.After opening a 14-0 cushion in the first 7:12 of play, the Patriots found themselves trailing 27-20 at the intermission during homecoming night at H-BC.H-BC-E responded to the challenge to outscore the Flying Dutchmen 19-8 in the second half to run its season record to 4-0.The game was a wild one as the teams racked up a combined 897 yards of total offense, but it was H-BC-E’s ability to make big plays that turned the tide in a shootout."As long as we kept scoring points, I thought everything would be o.k.," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "We had a lot of big plays in this game. Wysong (Zach, an H-BC-E running back) had three touchdown runs over 50 yards. We also had touchdown passes of 68 and 37 yards. The big plays were the key."Wysong, who carried the ball 16 times for 222 yards, passed the 100-yard barrier before the first quarter was complete.On the third play of H-BC-E’s opening offensive possession of the game, Wysong dashed 62 yards for a touchdown before adding the extra point to make it a 7-0 game at the 10:19 mark of the first quarter.Edgerton lost the ball on downs to end its first offensive possession of the game, and Wysong raced 53 yards for a touchdown on the third play of H-BC-E’s second possession of the game. Wysong added the extra point to make the difference 14-0 with 4:48 remaining in the first period.The Flying Dutchmen displayed some big-play ability of their own when back Travis Hulstein ran 45 yards for a touchdown with 2:59 left in the first quarter. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Patriots with a 14-6 cushion.Edgerton managed to knot the score before the first quarter was complete.After forcing the Patriots to punt, the Flying Dutchmen put together a six-play drive that ended with Hulstein scoring on a one-yard run as time elapsed in the period. A Max Zwart-to-Brad Bosma conversion pass tied the game at 14.H-BC-E regained the lead at 20-14 1:03 later, when Patriot running back Tom LeBoutillier scored on a three-yard run.The rest of the first half belonged to Edgerton, which scored 13 unanswered points to gain a 27-20 halftime lead.Edgerton answered LeBoutillier’s touchdown with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Zwart to Brett Elgersma with 6:58 left in the first half. The Flying Dutchmen sported their first lead of the game (21-20) after a successful extra point.The Zwart-to-Elgersma combination clicked again for a six-yard touchdown pass with 1:49 remaining in the second period. A failed extra-point attempt followed, leaving Edgerton with a 27-20 lead.Touchdown passes gave Edgerton the halftime advantage, but it was a ground game that churned out 232 yards and gave H-BC-E defenders fits."They were running off tackle and blowing us off the ball," Ellingson admitted. "They have a good passing game, but they kept running the off tackle play and we couldn’t stop it."The Patriots kept Edgerton out of the end zone in the third quarter while scoring 13 points of their own to regain the lead at 33-27.H-BC-E quarterback Curt Schilling, who completed seven of 11 passes for 174 yards in the game, tossed a pair of touchdown strikes in the third quarter.H-BC-E’s first possession of the second half ended with Schilling hitting Travis Broesder for a 68-yard touchdown pass at the 7:02 mark of the third period. Wysong knotted the score at 27 with an extra point.Wysong, who had 312 yards of total offense with 90 receiving yards, hauled in a 37-yard touchdown pass from Schilling with 1:19 remaining in the third quarter. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Patriots with a 33-27 cushion.Edgerton threatened to score early in the fourth quarter when Patriot defender Lee Jackson ended the threat by picking off a pass in the end zone.The interception set up an 80-yard drive that ended with Wysong scoring on a 53-yard run with 10:45 left in the game. The score remained 39-27 when a pass for a two-point conversion failed.Edgerton climbed back into the game when Zwart hit Hulstein for a touchdown pass with 8:17 remaining in the game, and Zach Boyum carried in the two-point conversion to make the difference 39-35.The Patriots chewed some time off the clock with a drive that ended on downs inside the Edgerton five-yard line.Wysong intercepted a pass moments later, and the Patriots were able to run the remaining time off the clock to secure the victory.H-BC-E had to pay a big price for their win. Schilling, the leader of H-BC-E’s offense and defense, left the game with a serious knee injury late in the fourth quarter. He will miss the rest of the season.The Patriots will face one of their biggest tests of the year when they take on 3-1 Lincoln HI-Lake Benton without Schilling in Lake Benton Friday.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 348 rushing yards, 174 passing yards, 522 total yards, eight penalties for 50 yards, 20 first downs, zero turnovers.Edgerton: 232 rushing yards, 143 passing yards, 375 total yards, five penalties for 40 yards, 13 first downs, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Wysong 16-222, LeBoutillier 20-102, Schilling 3-19, Broesder 2-3, Jackson 1-2.Passing: Schilling 7-11 for 174 yards.Receiving: Wysong 5-90, Broesder 1-68, Jackson 1-16.Defense: Schilling 16 tackles, Wysong five tackles and one interception, Brian Gacke 12 tackles, Cody Scholten 10 tackles, Jackson one interception.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian football team bounced back from its first loss of the season Sept. 12 by thumping Fulda 38-22 in Adrian Friday.The 3-1 Dragons responded to the challenge of recovering from a 13-point loss in Tyler seven days ago by rolling to a 14-point win over the 2-2 Raiders in front of a Parents’ Night crowd in Adrian.Fulda gained a reputation as being a tough defensive team during the first three weeks of the season, but the Dragons tarnished the image while racking up 429 total yards in the game.Adrian’s ground game did most of the damage to the Raiders. The Dragons ran for 329 yards with four players running for a combined five touchdowns."Fulda has a pretty good team," admitted AHS coach Randy Strand. "All we heard about going into the game was how their defense was shutting everyone down. We still have some things to clean up, but we were able to get some yards and points against them."It didn’t take Adrian’s offense long to solve Fulda’s defensive scheme as the Dragons scored 25 points in the first half.Fulda gave the Dragons excellent field position early in the game when the Raiders fumbled a punt and Adrian’s Tyler Wolf recovered the ball on the Fulda 36-yard line.Adrian covered 36 yards in six plays with quarterback Levi Bullerman scoring on a one-yard touchdown run at the 8:19 mark of the first quarter. A failed extra-point attempt kept the score at 6-0.The Dragons doubled their lead by driving 55 yards in seven plays with their next possession.The drive featured a 24-yard pass from Bullerman to Tyler Wolf, but it was Bullerman who capped the advance with a seven-yard run with 3:33 remaining in the first quarter. A run for a two-point conversion came up short, leaving the Dragons with a 12-0 lead.Adrian lost the ball on downs at the Fulda one early in the second quarter, but the Dragons found the end zone twice before the first half was complete.The Dragons scored on a three-play, 46-yard possession with 5:09 remaining in the second period. A 44-yard run by Billy Anderson set up a four-yard scoring run by Tyler Bullerman to make it an 18-0 game. A pass for a two-point conversion failed.A long kickoff return by the Raiders set up a 44-yard drive that ended with quarterback Jake Lubben scoring on a seven-yard run at the 4:03 mark of the second period. Eastman Laackmann ran in a two-point conversion to make the difference 18-8.The Dragons squashed any momentum Fulda may have gained with its touchdown when Brandon Wolf returned the ensuing kick 87 yards for a score with 3:46 left in the half.It was Wolf’s second kickoff return for a touchdown in as many weeks, and it was followed by a successful extra-point by Levi Bullerman that gave the Dragons a 25-8 cushion.The Dragons put the game away by scoring the first 13 points of the second half.Adrian’s first possession of the third quarter turned into a nine-play, 67-yard scoring march.Wolf, who had a 38-yard run during the drive, capped the advance with a one-yard touchdown plunge at the 3:13 mark of the stanza. Levi Bullerman added the extra point to make it a 32-8 game.The Dragons scored during a two-play possession in the fourth quarter when Billy Anderson scampered 50 yards for a touchdown with 5:32 left to play. The touchdown, which was followed by an unsuccessful kick, gave AHS a 38-8 lead.Fulda scored twice in the game’s final six minutes, but the issue was settled at that point.Jeremy Crowley returned a kick 90 yards for a touchdown and Lubben carried in the two-point conversion following Anderson’s touchdown run.A 73-yard drive ended with Fulda’s Ryan Koopman scoring on a 24-yard run with 1:20 left to play to cap the scoring.Strand said the play of Adrian’s offensive line was the difference in the game."The key for us was the play of our line. We were getting pretty good yards behind some pretty good blocks," he said.The Dragons will entertain Canby for their 2003 homecoming game Friday.Canby won the Little Sioux Conference in 2002, but the Lancers are 1-3 this season after losing an 8-7 decision to Murray County Central Friday.Team statisticsAdrian: 329 rushing yards, 100 passing yards, 429 total yards, 15 first downs, two penalties for 10 yards, zero turnovers.Fulda: 241 rushing yards, 115 passing yards, 356 total yards, 12 first downs, three penalties for 12 yards, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 13-153, B.Wolf 14-75, L.Bullerman 11-47, Anthony Sauer 5-19, T.Bullerman 8-35.Passing: L.Bullerman 4-5 for 100 yards.Receiving: B.Wolf 2-45, Brett Block 1-43, T.Wolf 1-12.Defense: Sauer 18 tackles and one interception, T.Wolf one fumble recovery, B.Wolf 10 tackles, T.Bullerman 10 tackles.

Luverne High School tennis player Nikki Van Dyk strikes a shot during Monday’s home tennis match against Marshall. The visiting Tigers topped the Cardinals 5-2 in a Southwest Conference clash.By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ tennis team went 2-1 while playing three matches since Thursday, Sept. 18.The Cardinals nipped Pipestone by one point in Pipestone Thursday before capping a 2-2 Southwest Conference season with a three-point home loss to Marshall Tuesday.Luverne then posted a three-point home win over Sleepy Eye Tuesday.The 5-6 Cards play at the Southwest Conference Tournament in Redwood Falls today before ending the regular season in Springfield Monday.Luverne 5, SE 2The Cardinals came out on the winning end of a three-point decision when they took on Sleepy Eye in their final home match of the campaign Tuesday.Luverne won three of four singles matches and went 2-1 in doubles to win the contest handily."The girls who won at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles found out that being aggressive can be a good thing," said Cardinal coach Greg Antoine. "All three of our doubles teams really played well, too."Nikki Van Dyk, Alyssa Klein and Kaitlyn Deragisch all posted singles wins.Van Dyk secured a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Allie Seifert at No. 2 singles. Klein notched a pair of 6-3 wins over Andrea Bruggeman at No. 3. Deragisch posted 6-0 and 6-4 wins against Katherine Busch at No. 4.Luverne’s Lindsey Severtson and Heidi Sandbulte topped Kelleigh Treback and Jill Meyer by 6-2 and 6-3 scores at No. 3 doubles, while Cardinals Samantha Gacke and Brittany Boeve recorded 6-2 and 6-4 victories over Meghan Anderson and Sandy Deibele at No. 1.Samantha Gacke was playing doubles for the first time this year thanks to senior Jenny Braa, who decided to play in the No. 1 singles slot for her teammate. Braa came up on the short end of 6-1 scores against Sarah Ibberson.SE’s Sandy Deibele and Meghan Anderson downed Andraya Gacke and Jessica Klein at No. 2 doubles by 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4 in the tie-breaker) scores.Marshall 5, Luverne 2The Cardinals slipped to 2-2 in conference play with a three-point home loss to the Tigers Monday.Marshall swept all three doubles matches from LHS and split the singles battles with the hosts to win the match."If you look at the scores, you see that we won a lot of games," said Cardinal coach Antoine. "We’re just a little too inconsistent to win the sets. We’ve just got to get a few more points in a few more games, and we’ll be OK. That will come with experience."Luverne’s Alyssa Klein and Deragisch came up with points at No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Klein notched 6-3 and 6-4 wins over Gracie Henderson, and Deragisch topped Jessie Henderson by 6-0 and 6-2 scores.Marshall’s Rachel Henderson topped Samantha Gacke by 6-2 and 6-3 scores at No. 1 singles. Kayla Pruitt bested Van Dyk by 6-2 and 6-1 counts at No. 2.The Tigers took all three doubles matches in straight sets.Heather Buesing and Amanda Herrmann notched 7-5 and 6-3 wins over Braa and Boeve at No. 1. Nicole and Courtney St. Aubin upended Jessica Klein and Sandbulte by 6-3 and 6-4 tallies at No. 2, and Rachelle Kunde and Kristi Clark prevailed by 6-3 and 6-4 scores against Andraya Gacke and Severtson at No. 3.Luverne 4, Pipestone 3The Cardinals won their second straight league match when they topped the Arrows by one point in Pipestone Thursday.Going 1-3 in singles, the Cards needed their doubles teams to come up big in Pipestone. The squads answered the challenge by sweeping all three doubles tests to ice the match for LHS."It was the strength of our doubles teams that did it for us," said Cardinal coach Antoine. "Actually, everyone played well. I can’t remember a match when all four singles matches went three sets, but it happened. At the beginning of the season I said we were a team that needed to get some experience and would get better as the season goes on. Thursday’s match was a good case in point."Luverne’s No. 1 doubles team of Braa and Boeve had to come from behind to beat Allison Hubers and Christy Cunningham. The Pipestone squad took Game 1 by a 7-5 score, but the Cards rallied to win the next two games by 7-5 and 6-3 tallies.Luverne’s Jessica Klein and Sandbulte notched a pair of 6-2 wins over Amy Keller and Tracy Eeten at No. 2 doubles. Andraya Gacke and Severtson rolled to 6-0 and 6-4 victories against Nargis Rabin and Britt Sendelbeck at No. 3.Luverne’s singles win came from Alyssa Klein in the No. 3 slot, who topped Amber Baustian 7-5, 6-7 (5-7 in the tiebreaker) and 6-3.Pipestone’s Tory Hess topped Samantha Gacke, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5 in the tie-breaker) at No. 1, Abby Brody bested Van Dyk, 5-7, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2, and Lauren Jones upended Deragisch 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 at No. 4.

By John RittenhouseAll three cross country programs from the Star Herald coverage area gathered in Slayton for the Murray County Central Invitational Tuesday.Luverne, Adrian and Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton all fielded complete teams for the boys’ varsity race. Luverne led the way by placing second, Adrian came in third and H-BC-E-E finished fourth.Luverne placed second and Adrian fourth in the girls’ varsity standings.Lexi Heitkamp captured an individual title while leading the Luverne girls to a second-place finish as a team Tuesday.Heitkamp, who has been ranked as the state’s No. 11 Class A runner, covered the course in 16:10.Amanda Saum finished fifth in 17:09, Amanda Kannas 13th in 18:20, Kristy Heikes 17th in 18:36 and Victoria Arends 22nd in 19:03 to cap the team scoring for LHS.Kayla Raddle placed 24th in 19:14 without impacting the scoring.Tom Ward set the pace for the Luverne boys by placing fourth in 18:32.Ruston Aaker placed 14th in 19:10, Nick Otten 18th in 19:20, Jesson Vogt 23rd in 19:38 and Thomas Pinkel 34th in 20:08) to round out the scoring for the Cardinals.Michael Nelson and Brent DeGroot finished 45th and 49th in 21:57 and 22:20 without impacting influencing the team effort.Consistent efforts helped the Adrian boys place third as a team at the meet.Brandon Bullerman (15th in 19:10), Paul Honermann (17th in 19:27), Lee Stover (19th in 19:30), Pete Jensen (24th in 19:41) and Chad Janssen (25th in 19:48) ran well as a pack to make contributions to the team performance.Ethan Wieneke and Aaron Mormann finished 37th and 43rd with respective 19:48 and 20:24 without influencing the scoring for AHS.Morgan Lynn ran a strong race to finish second individually to lead the Adrian girls to their fourth-place finish as a team.Kelly Banck (14th in 18:22), Krissi Thier (21st in 18:54), Megan Henning (27th in 20:43) and Sarah Kruger (30th in 21:17) round out the scoring for AHS.H-BC-E-E didn’t have a runner entered in the girls’ varsity race, but Patriot Tyler Bush turned in a solid showing while winning the boys’ event with a time of 17:49.Kale Wiertzema placed 20th in 19:26, Todd Alberty 21st in 19:30, Lee Jackson 26th in 19:48 and Adam Finke 53rd in 23:11 to round out H-BC-E-E’s team performance.Here is a look at the final varsity team standings and the rest of the individual performances turned in by area runners in Slayton.Boys’ standings: Southwest Christian 30, Luverne 76, Adrian 81, H-BC-E-E 102, Jackson County Central 103, Worthington 117, Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin 169.Girls’ standings: Martin County West 38, Luverne 58, JCC 61, Adrian 94, MCC 106, Worthington 136.Boys’ junior varsityAdrian: Kyle Knips, eighth, 16:43; David Brake, 10th, 16:58; Kelly Seeman, 15th, 17:27; Dustin Lonneman, 22nd, 18:08; Jarod Bolrjes, 24th, 18:14; Brad Brake, 26th, 18:28; Eldon Vaselaar, 30th, 19:12; Michal Berrie, 36th, 20:07; Trent Lutmer, 43rd, 21:34.Luverne: Travis Halfmann, first, 15:42; Dusty Antoine, fourth, 16:14; Craig Oeding, 13th, 17:20; Eric Kraetsch, 20th, 17:54; Jerome Willers, 28th, 19:01; David Nelson, 29th, 19:05.H-BC-E-E: Dustin Verhey, fifth, 16:22; Derek Haak, seventh, 16:28; John Sandbulte, ninth, 16:50; Devin DeBoer, 16th, 17:29; Tom Janssen, 25th, 18:23; Jared Drenth, 27th, 18:53.Girls’ junior varsityH-BC-E-E: Mya Mann, first, 18:30; Jill Weitgenant, second, 18:40; Rayna Sandoval, fourth, 19:16; Amanda Connors, ninth, 20:07.Girls’ junior highAdrian: Anna Sauer, 18th, 10:19.Boys’ junior highAdrian: Ross Wieneke, fourth, 6:54; Kyle Henning, 10th, 7:15; Zach Runia, 17th, 7:31; Collin Lynn, 20th, 7:38; Jordan Pater, 23rd, 7:56; Jared Altman, 30th, 8:27.H-BC-E-E: Cody Penning, 14th, 7:33; Grant Hoogendoorn, 15th, 7:34; Tyler Larson, 7:38; Luke Tiesler, 18th, 7:40; Derek Drenth, 25th, 8:10; Tom Nolte, 28th, 8:25; B.J. Kruse, 31st, 8:28.

Luverne junior back Brad Herman drags some Worthington defenders along with him during a run late in Friday’s Southwest Conference football game at Cardinal Field. Herman ran for a 14-yard gain during a 75-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter that clinched a 28-14 win for the Cardinals.By John RittenhouseA strong first half and a crucial drive in the fourth quarter gave the Luverne football team a 28-14 home victory over Worthington Friday.Luverne dominated the first half while opening a commanding 21-0 lead.Worthington rallied to score 14 points in the fourth quarter to get back into the game, but the Cardinals responded when the Trojans cut the lead to seven points with a long scoring march that iced the game for LHS.The win evened Luverne’s season record at 2-2 and gave it a 2-1 record in the Southwest Conference. Worthington slipped to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the league.The situation grew tense when Worthington scored 14 points in a 7:06 span during the fourth quarter.Instead of being disappointed by letting Worthington back into the game, LHS rose to the challenge and mounted an impressive drive that helped keep the Cardinals 2-0 at home for the season."That was a huge drive to answer their touchdowns," said LHS coach Todd Oye. "At first we were thinking about getting a couple of first downs. Then we realized the guys wouldn’t settle for that. They wanted to poke it in."Luverne took over on its own 25-yard line after Worthington scored to make it a 21-14 game with 4:24 left to play.The Cardinals marched 75 yards in eight plays with quarterback Andy Stegemann running an option play 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:26 showing on the clock. When Adam Kurtz added the extra point, scoring was complete as Worthington was unable score the rest of the way.Although it was Stegemann who cast the decisive stone with his touchdown run, Luverne’s 75-yard drive featured runs of 16 and 17 yards by Tyler Elbers and a 14-yard run by Brad Herman.Luverne was able to run the ball at will while building a 21-0 lead in the first half.The Cardinals received the kickoff to start the game and went on a six-play, 78-yard drive capped by a 38-yard touchdown run by Elbers. Elbers, who had 201 rushing yards in the game, found the end zone at the 9:19 mark of the first quarter. Kurtz added the extra point to make it 7-0.Stegemann had a 17-yard run during the opening drive.Luverne defender Ben Cornish gave the ball back to the offense after picking off a pass to end Worthington’s first possession of the game.The LHS squad received a 38-yard run by Elbers on the second play of the ensuing series before Mark Remme scored on a 32-yard run to cap a three-play, 53-yard drive. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Cards with a 13-0 cushion.Luverne increased its lead to 21 points three possessions later.The Cards went on a 10-play, 80-yard drive with Elbers scoring on a five-yard run with 3:01 remaining in the first half. A Stegemann-to-Cornish conversion pass followed the touchdown.Luverne’s 80-yard march featured a 38-yard run by Elbers, a pair of 12-yard runs by Remme and an 11-yard carry by Nate Siebenahler."We were executing our offense really well in the first half and they didn’t adjust to it until halftime," Oye said. "Our line was blocking very well, and our backs did a good job. They didn’t go down with the first tackler."Worthington did make some adjustments to silence Luverne’s running game to start the second half.Worthington’s first possession ended with Luverne’s Brandon Deragisch intercepting a pass inside LHS territory, but the visitors found pay dirt the third time they owned the ball. The Trojans advanced the ball 80 yards in nine plays and scored on a one-yard run with 11:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. A failed two-point conversion attempt kept the score at 21-6.The Trojans lost the ball on downs at the LHS 27 with their next possession, but they caught a big break when a Worthington player blocked a punt moments later, giving them the ball on the LHS five.Trojan quarterback Jay Scheidt scored four plays later on a one-yard run before throwing a conversion pass to Joe Klumper to make the difference 21-14 with 4:34 left to play.Worthington, however, was unable to get any closer as Luverne put the game away with its 75-yard drive.The Cards will entertain Vermillion, S.D., for their 2003 homecoming game Friday. Vermillion is 3-0 overall and ranked second in South Dakota’s Class 11B."They have a good team," Oye said. "They have not allowed many points this season. Most of the points they have given up have come at the end of games, when the games were out of reach. The keys for us will be to execute our offense without turning the ball over and playing aggressive defense."Team statisticsLuverne: 368 rushing yards, 29 passing yards, 397 total yards, 16 first downs, eight penalties, zero turnovers.Worthington: 148 rushing yards, 120 passing yards, 268 total yards, 14 first downs, six penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Elbers 21-201, Remme 12-91, Herman 3-17, Nick Heronimus 1-minus 10, Stegemann 2-35, Siebenahler 6-28.Passing: Stegemann 2-8 for 29 yards.Receiving: Cornish 1-15, Nathan Stehlik 1-14.Defense: Deragisch one interception and one fumble recovery, Cornish one interception, Jose Saravia one sack.