It does not take long after the ice is gone for the open water anglers to start trying to satisfy their itch to go fishing.
The weather has been totally awful, but I still see people out fishing. The game fish season in Minnesota is currently closed, and all you can legally target are panfish right now. These include crappies, perch and bluegills. You cannot target walleyes or other game fish this time of year even if you let them all go.
Crappies are the fish that seem to be the most cooperative this time of year, and they are not biting very aggressively, at least not this year, as water temperatures are still very low. On my local lake a week ago, the water temperature was 42 degrees.  Walleyes around here get active and start to spawn when the temperatures reach the high 40s.
Crappies can be targeted in the shallows and caught with either minnows or imitation plastics. Everybody thinks crappies move to shallow water because it is the warmest. This is not exactly why they move shallow. What attracts them to warmer water is that it’s the first place the food chain starts to become active in the spring.
Insects and other aquatic bugs start to show up, and the crappies are there looking for food, not to warm up. I see it all the time that folks will dunk bait off the shoreline in 3 to 5 feet of water looking for these fish. You would do better on most days fishing way shallower than that.
A great fisherman that taught me more than I could have ever learned by myself would target crappies in about 12-16 inches of water. When everybody else was catching one or two, he would catch a limit and then go home.
You do need to be stealthy when pursuing super shallow crappies. I creep slowly along a rocky bank with a long light action rod and just dip my offerings ahead of me along the shore.
If there are kids running up and down the bank, the fish can actually feel the vibration of their feet. If you are fishing from a dock, start at the shallow end of the dock, and if you hook a fish, move slowly toward the bank.  Fighting the fish where other fish might be present will spook off the others. I slowly work my way to the posts and wheels of the dock and after about 5-10 minutes I will move on to the next spot.
I usually take two rods with different offerings. If I work a spot with a yellow crappie jig, after I’ve made a pass or two, I will then toss in a jig of a different color and manage to hook up maybe one or two more. When I catch a fish on a yellow jig, everyone that sees it will change to that same color. This will be about the same time I am changing to a different one.
If fish are going to bite on a certain color, they will most likely do so right away. Different fish that won’t bite on yellow might bite on a different color. Either jump from dock to dock or work your way slowly down the shoreline to show your offering to as many fish as possible.
On certain lakes with lots of trees or brush, I will don a pair of chest waders and actually fish from the lake side toward the shore. I tie a floating minnow bucket to my wader belt and take along one of the skinny yellow rope stringers. I work about 200 yards of shoreline, dropping my bait into less than 12 inches of water. Feeling the stretch on my line is sure some sort of therapy.
You can work you way back to where you started and then that spot has probably had it for the day. We don’t get the opportunity in southwest Minnesota, but in shallow clear water lakes you can oftentimes actually see the fish and use a really long crappie cane to drop the offering right in from of their noses.
My neighbor lady used to take me fishing when I was quite young. She was a very special sort of gal and we must have gone about 75 times over a 5-year period. I miss her and the stories she told.
We used old-fashioned cane poles and all we fished for were crappies. No reels and no fancy line to tangle. Just sitting on a rock waiting for the bobber to go under. I believe you can still buy those old-fashioned cane poles today.
Consider being my neighbor lady. A small investment in equipment and your valuable time might just endear your little neighbor kid to stroll down memory lane when they are 61 years old.
Giving the gift of your time is the greatest gift. Every child is born with a curiosity of the outdoor world. It is so sad that many of them are gifted some electronics and left to their own devices in the video room in someone’s basement.
Be my neighbor lady. Take a kid fishing. You will get far greater than you give.
 
Scott Rall, Worthington, is a habitat conservationist, avid hunting and fishing enthusiast and is president of Nobles County Pheasants Forever. He can be reached at scottarall@gmail.com. or on Twitter @habitat champion.

The Luverne High School baseball team won its first games of the season this week after coming up short in its first four contests. 
After dropping two games to Redwood Valley at home April 19, the Cardinals defeated Pipestone Area 7-4 and swept a doubleheader in Blue Earth 14-3 and 16-6 Saturday. 
“It was nice getting our first wins under our belts,” said Phil Paquette, LHS head coach. “You can tell a weight was lifted for the group as a whole. Our pitching staff has continued to do its job, and we were finally able to produce runs for them at the plate.”
LHS is now 3-4 on the season. The Cardinals were scheduled to play games in Windom and Adrian on Tuesday and in Worthington on Thursday before hosting Pipestone Area on Tuesday and St. James on May 5 at Redbird Field. 
 
RWV 6, Luverne 2
Luverne continued to have a hard time producing runs during a 6-2 loss to the Redwood Valley Cardinals at home on Tuesday, April 19. 
The home team scored one run in the fourth inning to take the lead before Redwood Valley scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning to open up a late-game lead. 
Luverne’s fourth inning score came from effective base running by sophomore Jacob Stroh. 
After reaching base on a fielder’s choice, Stroh stole second and third bases and scored on a wild pitch all during the next at bat. 
LHS scored its other run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. 
Connor Overgaard gained first base after being hit by a pitch. He then stole second base before advancing to third base on a wild pitch. Overgaard scored when Stroh grounded out to third base. 
Casey Sehr led the Luverne offense with four hits, including a double in the fifth inning. 
Conner Connell pitched the first five innings for Luverne. Connell gave up two hits, no runs, walked none and struck out 13 Redwood Valley batters. 
Kaden Anderson was on the mound for the final two innings. He gave up three hits, six runs (one earned), two walks and struck out six. 
 
RWV        0 0 0 0 0 5 1  6
Luverne  0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2
 
                       AB  R  H  BI
B Ripka            4   0   0   0
K Anderson     4   0   0   0
C. Sehr             4   0   4   0
C Connell         3   0   1   0
R Sneller          4   0   0   0
C Overgaard    2   1   0   0
Z DeBoer         1   0   0   0
J Stroh             3   1   0   1
Carter Sehr      2   0   0   0
K Buss             0   0   0   0
N Cole-Kraty    0   0   0   0
 
RWV 8, Luverne 5
The Cardinals lost their second game of the day and fourth of the season when Redwood Valley won the second game of a doubleheader in Luverne April 19. 
LHS had built a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning before RWV scored eight runs in that frame. 
When neither team scored the remainder of the game, Luverne lost 8-5. 
The scoring began for the Cardinals when Connell and Braydon Ripka crossed home plate after Will Serie hit a 2-RBI line drive single to left field in the second inning. 
In the third inning, Ripka and Nathaniel Cole-Kraty, who was courtesy running for Serie, scored Luverne’s next two runs when Overgaard hit a ground ball and reached on an error by the RWV third baseman. 
The Cardinals’ fifth and final run came in the fifth inning when Anderson scored on a sacrifice hit to the pitcher by Ripka. 
Sehr, Ripka, Serie and Overgaard had one hit each for Luverne. 
Zach DeBoer pitched 4 1/3 innings for the Cards. He gave up five hits, five runs and four walks while striking out six RWV batters. 
Ripka pitched in relief for the final 1 2/3 innings. Ripka gave up three hits, three runs and two walks. 
 
Luverne      0 2 2 0 1 0 0  5
RWV           0 0 0 0 8 0 X  8
 
                      AB  R  H  BI
J Stroh            2   0   0   0
K Anderson    4   1   0   0
C Sehr             4   0   1   0
C Connell        2   1   0   0
B Ripka           2   2   1   1
W Serie           3   0   1   2
C Overgaard   2   0   1   0
Z DeBoer         2   0   0   0
E Domagala    3   0   0   0
R Sneller         0   0   0   0
N Cole-Kraty   0   1   0   0
 
Luverne 7, Pipestone 4
LHS won its first baseball game of the season when the Cardinals defeated their rivals from Pipestone Area 7-4 on a beautiful day for baseball at Redbird Field April 21. 
The game was tied 1-1 until the bottom of the fourth inning when Luverne added two runs.
The Arrows took the lead when they scored three runs in the top of the fifth, but the Cardinals answered with three more runs in the bottom of the same stanza to take a 6-4 lead. 
When the home team scored on more fun in the bottom of the sixth inning, the score was 7-4, which would be the final score. 
Ripka and Connell scored two runs each for Luverne. 
Serie had two hits in the game, both doubles, and tallied three RBIs to lead the Cardinal offense. 
Stroh had two hits and two RBIs. Six Cardinals had hits in the contest. 
Sehr pitched five innings for LHS. He struck out eight Arrow batters and gave up eight hits and four runs, three of which were earned. 
Stroh was on the mound for the final two innings. He struck out four batters and walked one while giving up no hits and no runs. 
 
Pipestone   1 0 0 0 3 0 0  4
Luverne      0 1 0 2 3 1 x  7
 
                       AB  R  H  BI
B Ripka            3   2   1   0
K Anderson     2   1   1   1
C Sehr             3    1   1   0
C Connell        1   2   0   0
C Overgaard   3   1   1   0
W Serie           3   0   2   3
R Sneller         2   0   0   0
J Stroh            3   0   2   2
E Domagala    2   0   0   0
Z DeBoer        1   0   0   0
K Buss            0   0   0   0
N Cole-Kraty   0   0   0   0
P Kroski          0   0   0   0
 
Luverne 14, BEA 3
The Cardinals found their offense during the first game of a doubleheader in Blue Earth Saturday morning. 
After struggling at times to produce runs in the first five games, Luverne outscored the Bucs 14-3 to secure the win and move to 2-4 on the season. 
LHS plated at least one run in five of the six innings played before the game ended due to the ten-run rule. 
Ripka was the first Luverne batter to come to the plate and he scored the first run. After being hit by a pitch, he advanced to second base on a wild pitch and then scored on an RBI single by Anderson. 
The Cards opened up the game in the top of the second inning by scoring four runs. Riley Sneller, Cole-Kraty, DeBoer and Anderson all crossed home plate to bring the score to 5-0. 
In the third inning, Luverne increased its lead to 8-0 when Cole-Kraty and Stroh plated runs. 
After BEA scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cardinals exploded for six more runs in the top of the sixth inning. 
Sehr and Connell scored before Stroh hit a grand slam, his first varsity homerun, to clear the bases. 
“It felt pretty cool to get the ten-run rule and get us out of the game,” Stroh said. 
Connell pitched the first four innings. He gave up one hit, no runs, no walks and struck out six BEA batters. 
Ripka came in to pitch the final two innings. He gave up three runs, four hits and one walk while striking out two. 
 
Luverne    1 4 2 1 0 6 x  14
BEA           0 0 0 0 3 0 x   3
 
                       AB  R   H  BI
B Ripka            4   1   2   3
K Anderson     3   1   1   1
C Sehr              3   1   1   0
C Connell         2   1   0   1
C Overgaard    3   1   1   1
W Serie            2   1   0   0
R Sneller          2   2   1   2
N Cole-Kraty    1   3   0   1
J Stroh             3   2   1   4
Z DeBoer          0   1   0   0 
 
Luverne 16, BEA 6
LHS tallied its second win of the day and third of the year while scoring its most runs of the season to date in the afternoon game in Blue Earth Saturday. 
The Cardinals came out on top of the Bucs 16-6 in only five innings due to the ten-run rule. 
Anderson pitched the entire game for the victors. He gave up eight hits, six runs and walked four BEA batters while striking out four. 
Blue Earth Area took the early lead by scoring twice in the top of the first inning. 
Luverne quickly answered, however, scoring seven runs in the second, three in the third, four in the fourth and two in the fifth inning. 
Sehr and Ripka led the offense for Luverne with three hits each. Sehr had four RBIs in the game. 
DeBoer scored three runs for the Cardinals and Anderson, Sehr, Stroh and Elliot Domagala each scored twice. 
Serie had two hits, including a solo homerun, and two RBIs. Ripka and Connell had three RBIs apiece. 
 
BEA          2 0 2 0 2 x x    8
Luverne   0 7 3 4 2 x x   16
 
                       AB  R  H  BI
B Ripka            4   1   3   3
K Anderson     3   2   0   0
C Sehr              3   2   3   4
C Connell         3   1   1   3
C Overgaard    4   1   2   1
W Serie            4   1   2   2
R Sneller          3   0   0   0
Z DeBoer          2   3   1   0
J Stroh             2   2   1   1
P Kroski           0   1   0   0
E Domagala     0   2   0   0

Extremely windy conditions posed major challenges Saturday at the Pipestone Invitational Track Meet.
A strong south wind presented a direct headwind for the final 100 meters of each race, effectively slowing times. 
The pole vault was canceled prior to the start of the meet due to the wind and the concern for athletes’ safety, and high jump competition ended when the pit literally blew away, landing on the nearby infield fence. 
At the end of the day, the Luverne girls took home the team title and the Cardinal boys finished second.  
Sarah Stegenga won in the 400-meter dash in 1:06.30 with Tiana Lais a very close second at 1:06.36. Stegenga also won the long jump (15-06 1/2). 
Tenley Nelson took home first in the 800 meters with a time of 2:24.20.
Jenna DeBates was champion in the 1600-meter with a time of 5:27.68.
The 4-by-400 relay team of Tiana Lais, Elizabeth Wagner, Jenna DeBates and Tenley Nelson took first in a time of 4:32.01. 
The 4-by-800 relay runners were champions as well with Elizabeth Wagner, Maria Rops, Ella Schmuck and Cassi Chesley (10:51.35). 
Jocelyn Hart won the shot put with a throw of 37-08.
Schmuck (13:53.71) and Kayla Bloemendaal (14:15.64) finished second and third respectively in the 3200-meter run. 
For the boys, Eli Radtke took first in the 100-meter dash in 11.97. 
Ashton Sandbulte was first in the 200-meter dash (24.33). 
Owen Janiszeski finished first in the 3200-meter in a time of 11:22.66 followed by Ryan Fick in second at 11:44.12. 
Camden Janiszeski finished second in the 1600-meter (5:00.13).
Other finishes are as follows:
 
LHS boys
100 4. Lucky Dara 12.55  15. Coulter Thone13.73
200  9. Zachary Terrio 26.05  13. Ashton Hood 27.92  17. Anyuon Atem 29.39
400  3. Lucky Dara 57.45  8. Ryan Fick 1:00.19  13. Micah Anderson 1:03.17  14. Tyler Rolfs 1:03.98  
800  9. Carsen Tofteland 2:29.82  12. Nathan Kinsinger 2:48.00 16. Uriel Hernandez 2:53.67 17.  Eli McLendon 3:02.62 
1600  13. Kaleb Hemme 6:01.77  14. Eli McLendon 6:27.50 
3200  4. Sage Viessman 12:25.98  7. Leif Ingebretson 12:35.85
110H  11. Micah Andersen 22.87
300H  8.  Gavin DeBeer 52.52 13. Darius Dolo 55.16
4x100  8. Ethan Rahm, Isaac DeBates, Tyler Rolfs, Zachary Terrio 51.31
4x200  3. Eli Radtke, Noah Mehlhaff, Coulter Thone, Ashton Hood 1:42.95
4x400  3. Ashton Sandbulte, Camden Janiszeski, Ethan Rahm, Zachary Terrio 3:52.63
4x800  3. Owen Janiszeski, Leif Ingebretson, Sage Viessmann, Kaleb Hemme 9:42.76
Shot put  3. Jordan Friedrichsen 46-03.  6. Elijah Woodley 37-09.  10. Keaton Ahrendt 36-00.  26. Ryker Johnson 30-10.
Discus  4. Jordan Friedrichsen 115-01  15. Elijah Woodley 97-02  24. Keaton Ahrendt 79-09  27. Ryker Johnson 75-00.   
Long jump  11. Anyuon Atem 17-01 1/4  14. Isaac DeBates 16-09.
Triple jump  4. Gavin DeBeer 37-10 1/2  7. Ethan Rahm 37-01 3/4
 
LHS girls
100  3.  Isabella Oye 14.02  15. Corynne Oye 15.19  18. Reinha John 15.53  19. Skylar VanderSteen 15.60
200  3. Anna Banck 30.56  7. Morgan Hadler 31.46 9. Hailey Como 31.60  25. Brynn Boyenga 33.34
400  7. Makena Nelson 1:11.86  15. Skylar VanderSteen 1:15.80
800  10. Hannah Cowell 3:10.53  13. Olivia Lund 3:20.44  17. Josie Anderson 3:30.97
1600  7. Hannah Cowell 6:45.14  15. Josie Anderson 7:37.35
110H  6. Augusta Papik 19.93  7. Kendra Thorson 20.10  13. Roselynn Hartshorn 22.10
300H  5. Roselynn Hartshorn 1:00.28  6. Cassi Chesley 1:01.01
4x100  6. Alexis Hultgren, Morgan Hadler, Reinha John, Hailey Como 57.99
4x200  3. Makena Nelson, Anna Banck, Isabella Oye, Sarah Stegenga 1:54.37
Shot put   3. Jadyn Hart 34-08.  16. Rayann Remme 25-04.  21. Andrea Luitjens 23-11.
Discus  3. Jadyn Hart 109-09  4. Jocelyn Hart 105-03  13. Rayann Remme 68-04  15. Hannah Sneller 66-03 1/2
Long jump  6. Kendra Thorson 14-10 1/2 
Triple jump  4. Makena Nelson 30-10.  12. Abby Boltjes 26-10 1/2

The two Rock County golf teams faced off Thursday afternoon, April 21, at Meadow Acres Golf Course in Larchwood, Iowa.
“It was a great opportunity for us to have the junior varsity and varsity compete,” said H-BC coach Dan Ellingson.
“We were able to have a few kids get their best individual scores for the year.”
The Cardinal boys were able to come away with a win in the dual meet vs the Patriots by a score of 168 to 205.
“The scores weren’t as good as the kids hoped, but I think they were just happy to finally get an actual round in on a nice day,” said Cardinal coach John Sichmeller.
Luverne junior Brady Bork was the medalist winner on the boys’ side with a 40.
“Brady had a very solid round and hit the ball nicely,” Sichmeller said.
“He missed a lot of short birdie putts, but as long as he keeps putting himself in those positions, I know they will start dropping for him.”
Rounding out the Luverne squad were sophomore Owen Sudenga (41), sophomore Henry Hartquist (42), sophomore Tyler Arends (45), senior Colin Schoeneman (50) and freshman Levi Gonnerman (52).
Senior Austin Allen led the way for the Patriots, finishing in fifth place with a score of 49.
Senior Dallas Page (50), senior Ethan Kruger (52), senior Jacob Axness (54), and senior Daniel Martinyuk (58) made up the rest of the team for H-BC.
The Luverne girls’ team finished with a score of 207 while the H-BC girls’ team was incomplete.
Senior Tess Van Maanen from H-BC and senior Morgan Gonnerman from Luverne tied for medalist honors with a 48.
The rest of the Cardinal team consisted of junior Lauren Hansen (49), senior Cheyenne Schutz (53), junior Jocelynn Mann (57), sophomore Perceyis Trierweiler (59) and junior Mallory Nelson (62).
Senior Danette Leenderts was the only other golfer for the Patriot girls, and she finished with a 56.
The H-BC boys head to Fulda Thursday while the Patriot girls compete in Westbrook for their first conference meet of the season.
The Luverne girls golf in Windom and the boys in Redwood Falls Thursday, and both Cardinal teams host Pipestone Friday at the Luverne Country Club.

The H-BC track and field teams traveled to Pipestone on a very windy Saturday afternoon to compete against nine other area schools.
The meet included Adrian/Ellsworth, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda, Lakeview, Luverne, Murray County Central, Pipestone Area, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Southwest Christian/Edgerton, and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton.
The weather was less than ideal with the wind blowing 35 mph in the opposite direction of the home stretch for the entire meet, with gusts well above 50 mph, but the athletes made the most of it.
H-BC girls placed sixth as a team and the boys were ninth. 
H-BC girls’ track
Seventh-grader Brynn Bakken took first place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.67.
She also ran the 4-by-100 relay (53.67) and 4-by-200 relay (1:51.80) along with eighth-grader Abbie Harris, sophomore Brynn Rauk and sophomore Layla Deelstra. Both relay teams took first place.
Senior Kenadie Fick finished third in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:57.05.
Fick was also on the 4-by-400 and 4-by-800-meter relay teams that each came in fourth place.
The 4-by-400-meter relay (4:52.29) was run by Fick, Rauk, Emma Deelstra and Taylor Durst while the 4-by-800-meter relay (11:19.45) was run by Fick, Durst, Bailey Spykerboer and Emma Deelstra.
 
Boys’ track results
The boys’ 4-by-200-meter relay team of Liam Raymon, Luke Fuerstenberg, Eli Taubert and Cooper Gehrke turned in a second-place effort with a time of 1:38.87.
Raymon also placed second in the triple jump with a jump of 41 1/2.
Eighth-grader Micah Bush finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:26.51.
The 4-by-100-meter-relay team of Ty Bundesen, Fuerstenberg, Raymon and Gehrke also came in third with a time of 47.08.
Raymon, Gehrke, Taubert and Fuerstenberg also made up the 4-by-400 team that came in fourth with a time of 3:59.38.
Junior Brock Harnack came in fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a season best 49.36.
Following are the rest of H-BC’s results from the day.
Girls’ track
100 8. Abbie Harris 14.78  17. Larissa Steinhoff 15.49
200 16. Emma Deelstra 32.06  32. Aspen Shimp 36.64
400 13. Bailey Spykerboer 1:14.96 
100mH 12. Ava Steinhoff 21.99
300mH 8. Ava Steinhoff 1:02.55
Shot Put 9. Larissa Steinhoff 28  32. Clara VandenBosch 18-1
Discus 8. Larissa Steinhoff 80-3 36. Clara VandenBosch 29-1
Long Jump 7. Abbie Harris 14-9 10. Brynn Rauk 14-1 1/4   20. Bailey Spykerboer 12-8 3/4
Triple Jump 9.. Emma Deelstra 29-2  11. Bailey Spykerboer 28-2 1/2
 
Boys’ track
100 7. Eli Taubert 12.78  10. Beau Bakken 13.16  12. Blake Leenderts 13.35
200 16. James VandenBosch 28.7  18. Jackson Gacke 29.55  21. Cameron Allen 30.23
400 10. Blake Leenderts 1:01.37 
300mH 12. James VandenBosch 54.45
Shot Put 9. Alex Harris 36-4  10. Max Scholten 36  14. Beau Bakken 35-6  21. Riley Tatge 33-1
Discus 9. Max Scholten 108-8  17. Riley Tatge 94-9 1/2  20. Alex Harris 88-7 
Long Jump 12. Brock Harnack 16-11 3/4  16. Beau Bakken 16-4 3/4  20. James VandenBosch 15-1  24. Cameron Allen 14-7 1/4
Triple Jump 9. Blake Leenderts 34-9 1/2  10. Brock Harnack 34-8

The Luverne and the Hills-Beaver Creek high schools’ trap shooting teams opened the five-week Spring 2022 season April 18.
“Scores weren’t the best because of the wind (which averaged 11 mph with high gusts up to 35 mph),” said LHS coach Scott Loosbrock. “Overall, not too bad for the conditions.”
Luverne competed at the Rock County Sportsmen’s Club near Luverne.
H-BC travels to the Garretson Sportsmen’s Club.
Each participant shoots two rounds of 25 shots at their respective sportsmen’s club. Scores are then recorded with the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League.
LHS senior Hunter Ahrendt shot a round of 25-straight to open his season.
For the Spring 2022 season, Luverne and H-BC are among the 337 high school teams assigned to nine classes and 43 conferences based on team size.
Luverne is assigned to Class 2A Conference 7 with 20 athletes scoring for the team.
H-BC is assigned to Class 3A Conference 1 with 21 athletes scoring for the team.
The competition season ends May 15.
The results for the first trap shooting event of the season for each school show the two individual rounds of 25 attempts as well as the two-game totals:
 
Luverne High School
Hunter Ahrendt, 25, 23, 48; Chris Aning, 13, 14, 27; Cash Bonnett, 18, 21, 39; Ayden Bonnett, 22, 14, 36; Morgan Bonnett, 13, 11, 24; Alex DeWispelaere, 19, 19, 38; Trygve Gangestad, 20, 22, 42; Jacob Henning, 21, 19, 40; Samuel Honerman, 20, 18, 38; Hans Hoven, 18, 22, 40; Kayetlin Huiskes, 16, 18, 34; Andrew Kinsinger, 19, 16, 35; Linkon Knorr, 14, 13, 27; Jacob Madison, 11, 11, 22; Chase Matthiesen, 11, 18, 29;Elijah McLendon, 4, 5, 9; Liam Murphy, 19, 21, 40; Chase Overgaard, 18, 18, 36; Holden Overgaard, 21, 20, 41; JT Remme, 17, 18, 35; Rayann Remme, 14, 13, 27; Tucker Remme, 15, 16, 31; Cheyenne Schutz, 17, 19, 36; Grant Wieneke, 16, 21, 37; Piper Wynia, 22, 19, 41
 
H-BC High School:
Cameron Allen, 19, 17, 36; Olivia Bork, 19, 19, 38; Sawyer Bosch, 22, 16, 38; Camdyn Broesder, 11, 17, 28; Ty Bundesen, 15, 12, 27; Robert Drake, 17, 14, 31; Journey Dwire, 20, 20, 40; Luke Fuerstenberg, 18, 18, 36; Cooper Gehrke, 21, 19, 40; Alex Harris, 19, 17, 36; Brooklynne Hubbard, 19, 14, 33; Lukas Hubbard, 19, 13, 32; Clayton Kellenberger, 19, 19, 38; Weston Kellenberger, 20, 21, 41; Casey Kueter, 21, 18, 39; Blake Leenderts, 16, 21, 37; Danette Leenderts, 20, 20, 40; Hunter Leenderts, 20, 20, 40; Daniel Martinyuk, 20, 16, 36; Cody Moser, 17, 20, 37; Jack Moser, 22, 16, 38; Sam Moser, 17, 15, 32; Tara Paulsen, 22, 18, 40; Cole Rozeboom, 15, 11, 26; Max Scholten, 20, 20, 40; John Tiesler, 20, 19, 39; Michael Ykema, 16, 17, 33.

By Stacy Olson
For the Star Herald
The Luverne High School softball team took on Pipestone Tuesday, April 19, and swept the Arrows for the first time in over two decades.
The Cardinals are on a seven-game winning streak after sweeping Blue Earth Friday at home (see the related story), and they’ll host the Edgerton Dutchmen at 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 29.  
 
LHS 6, Pipestone 3
The Cardinals started Game 1 with some strong scoring with two runs in the first inning.
Singles by Billi Connell, Peyton Behr and Carly Olson put runners on base and put the Cardinals on the board.
In the second inning the Cardinals were able to plate four more with a single from Ella Reisdorfer, a two-RBI single from Behr and an RBI double from Olson.
The third and fourth innings were scoreless by both teams.
In the fifth inning the Cardinals gave up one run to the Arrows on an error, bringing the score to 6-1. The Arrows scored two more runs in the sixth, bringing the score to 6-3, before the Cardinals racked up a double from Reisdorfer but couldn't score a run.
 The Arrows were unable to score in the seventh inning, giving the Cardinals the 6 -3 victory. 
Gracie Nath pitched all seven innings for LHS, allowing three hits and three runs. Nath struck out seven and walked four. 
 
Box score    AB R H RBI
B Connell      4   2   1   0  
P Behr           3   2   2   3  
C Olson         3   1   2   2  
R Bork           2   0   0   0  
B Smidt          2   0   0   0
A Boll             2   0   0   0 
G Nath           3   0   0   0  
J Smith          3   0   0   0  
E Reisdorfer 3   1   2   0  
 
LHS 12, Pipestone 7
The Cardinals continued to play well in the wind and cold for Game 2.
Still rolling with excitement from the Game 1 win, LHS started the second game with a double from Connell, a single from Behr, a bunt single from Reghan Bork and a single from Smidt to put the Cards on the board with 3.
Pipestone responded by scoring two runs off one hit.
In the second inning the Cardinals were unable to score, while the Arrows plated one to tie the game at three.
The Cardinals busted open the third inning with five runs on five hits.
Singles from Belle Smidt, Anika Boll, Jacey Smith and Reisdorfer got the ball rolling.
A double from Olson scored three runs and put the Cardinals back in the lead.
The Arrows were unable to plate a run, moving the Cardinals into an 8-3 lead over the Arrows.
The fourth inning went to the Arrows with one run, dropping Luverne’s lead to 8-4. 
The Cardinals were able to plate four runs in the fifth inning with a two-run homerun from Connell, her third of the season. 
A double off the bat of Behr and a sacrifice fly from Boll also added to the score for the Cards.
The Arrows came to the plate with three hits but were only able to score one, bringing the Cardinals’ lead to 12-5.
The Cardinals had one hit in the sixth from Smith but were unable to push anything across the plate. Pipestone scored two runs off a pair of singles, but a double play ended the inning at 12-7.
The seventh inning remained scoreless, giving the Cardinals a 12-7 victory. 
Reisdorfer started on the mound for the Cardinals, pitching one inning and allowing one hit and one run. She struck out one and walked two.
Nath earned the win for the Cardinals, pitching six innings and allowing 11 hits and five runs. She struck out two and walked three. 
 
Box score        AB R H RBI
B Connell         3     3   2   2
P Behr              4     2   2   1
C Olson            4     0   1   3
R Bork              5     2   2   1
B Smidt            4     1   3   0
A Boll               4     1   1   1 
G Nath              2     0   0   0
T Serie              2     0   0   0
J Smith             3     1   2   0
E Reisdorfer    4     2   1   0

The Luverne boys’ tennis team returned to its winning ways over the past week with three consecutive victories. 
The Cardinals, now 7-1 on the season, defeated Blue Earth Area on Thursday and Yellow Medicine East and Montevideo on Saturday.
The scheduled meet in Fairmont Monday was postponed to May 2. 
The LHS team is currently ranked eighth in Class A in the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Association poll. 
Luverne is scheduled to play in Worthington today (Thursday), in Fairmont on Monday and in St. James on Tuesday before hosting Redwood Valley next Thursday, May 5. 
 
Luverne 5, BEA 2
The LHS boys’ tennis team enjoyed the best weather of the season for a meet on Thursday when they defeated the Blue Earth Area Bucs 5-2 at home. 
“It was an awesome meet,” said Luverne head coach Lucas Larson. “It was closer than it appears, and there was some good competition.”
 He credited the doubles teams for the win.
“Both our No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams lost their first sets but came back to win their matches. If they don’t do that, we don’t win,” Larson said. “I was really pleased with those guys.”
At No. 1 doubles, Logan Ommen and Chance Tunnissen of Luverne lost a close set to Devin Haase and Brady Lorenz 7-5 before coming back to win the next two sets 7-5 and 6-3. 
At No. 2 doubles, Luverne’s Jase Arp and Kyle Ferguson came back after a 6-3 setback in the first set to defeat Blue Earth’s Jerry Passe and Seth Stevermer 7-6 and 6-1 to secure their win. 
Luverne’s Luke Bosch and Levi Thielbar lost to John Lappe and Calvin Farrow 6-3 and 7-6 at No. 3 doubles. 
The Cardinals won three of the four singles matches against Blue Earth Area. 
At No. 1 singles, Luverne’s Pierce Cunningham defeated Vern Johnson 6-3, 6-0. 
Griffen Jarchow, playing at No. 2 singles for the Cardinals, defeated Nick Frundt of BEA 6-1, 6-1.
At No. 3 singles, Luverne’s Blake Frahm won over Joe Frundt 6-4, 7-6 in close sets. Jamie Johnson of BEA defeated Ethan Nath of LHS at No. 4 singles 6-3, 7-5. 
 
Luverne 5, YME 2
The Cardinals defeated the first of two opponents on Saturday when LHS came out on top of Yellow Medicine East of Granite Falls 5-2 in the morning matchup. 
Although Luverne was playing YME, the real foe on Saturday was the weather. 
“It was as if we were battling the wind more than our opponents for most of the matches,” said LHS No. 2 singles player Griffen Jarchow.
“It totally changed all of our play styles and made us think a little differently when playing our matches.”
Although playing on one of the windiest days in years was a challenge, the Cardinals still recorded a solid win, taking the first three singles matches and two of three doubles. 
At No. 1 singles, Cunningham defeated Ean Clarke in a close match 7-5, 7-6. 
Jarchow was victorious over Jackson Torgerson 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. 
At No. 3 singles, Blake Frahm won 6-2, 6-1 over Ryan Syring.
Spencer Kracht was defeated by Derrick Lien at No. 4 singles 6-2, 6-3. 
At No. 1 doubles, Nath and Ommen defeated Austin Canatsey and Isaac Olevson 6-2, 6-1. 
At No. 2 doubles, Ferguson and Arp bested Karter Canatsey and Ryan Brouwer 6-1, 6-0. 
The most competitive match of the meet was at No. 3 doubles. Levi Thielbar and Ross Bergman lost to Mason Rhode and Gage Corner 4-6, 6-3, 12-10. 
 
Luverne 6, Montevideo 1
Luverne earned its second win of the day when the Cards came out on top of the Montevideo Thunderhawks 6-1 Saturday afternoon. 
The Cardinals won three of four singles matches. 
At No. 1 singles, Cunningham continued his winning ways over Tyson Quigley 6-2, 6-0. 
Jarchow defeated Andrew Soden at No. 2 singles 6-2, 6-1.
At No. 3 singles, Frahm bested Simon Fitzkappes 6-0, 6-1.
Kracht was defeated by Talan Brock 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in a competitive match at No. 4 singles.
LHS swept the doubles matches against the Thunderhawks. 
At No. 1 doubles, Ommen and Nath were victorious 6-1, 6-0 over Connor Hagen and Sam Ostendorf. 
Ferguson and Arp defeated Oscar Anariba and Jarrett Rhode 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles. 
At No. 3 doubles, Thielbar and Hunter Gaffaney defeated Karl Krueger and Kyle Canatsey 6-4, 6-0.

John 20:21-22: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” 
Here in our text, Jesus offers us peace. Then Jesus sends us out into the world. He breathes on them, sending the Holy Spirit!
What an important text! Jesus offers us peace! Then he sends us out into the world, to share the good news! Jesus breathes on us the Holy Spirit, giving us everything we need to do the work that God has for us to do.
So, what is it that we are to do? The text goes on to say in John 20:23, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Jesus is teaching us to live together as brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus is teaching us to live in peace with each other, to expect the best of each other, and to give the best to each other! Receive the Holy Spirit! Live in peace!
There is one big expectation here that we are sent out – sent out of the sanctuary, sent into our communities, into our county, into our state and into the world. We are to share the love of Christ in a way that will breathe life into others.
What is your mission? What is the task that God is asking you to do? What is the mission of each of us, and what is it that we are supposed to do?
Sometimes that mission is to invite and include new people to our worship and Bible studies. Sometimes we are to share the scriptures with others. Sharing God’s Good News with others is important. Sometimes we are to offer joy, peace and love to our neighbors and family and friends.
Sometimes we are asked to take another step, to reach out to those who are not so close. Sharing money with other mission projects who go to various places is important. We have a group of youth going to Greenville, Mississippi, in June. We will reach out, help others in the neighborhood, paint, clean and build friendships.
We each have own path that God gives us, and we each need to look closely at what we are asked to do. Can you share God’s love in your unique way? Are you doing all that you are asked to do to share the Good News? Jesus has the answer!
Mission-minded people look for new ways to help others, to reach out and share the Good News. Mission-minded people do their best to share the love of God with others by inviting them to worship, inviting other kids to VBS, inviting others to join them on a mission trip, and sharing money in a way that supports the mission project!
Please take time to look at where you might reach out to others and share God’s love!