By John RittenhouseA 24-point eruption in the first quarter sent Southwest United on its way to a 37-7 victory over Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth during a Southwest Ridge Conference football game played Friday in Ellsworth.During a quarter in which everything went right for the Wildcats, SWU scored touchdowns with its first two offensive plays to open an early 12-0 lead.SWU went on to score two more touchdowns before the period was complete, padding its lead to 24 points and taking the zest out of Ellsworth’s homecoming celebration in the process."We just let them jump out to too big of a lead right away, which made it impossible for us to come back," said H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson. "We played better after the first quarter, but that’s been the story of our year. We play well for one half, but we can’t put a full game together."SWU’s ability to strike quickly proved to be the difference in the game’s first quarter.After forcing the Patriots to punt four plays into the game, SWU tailback Dustin Leopold dashed through the H-BC-E defense for a 64-yard touchdown run on his team’s first play from scrimmage.The touchdown run was the beginning of a big game for Leopold, who ran for 197 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats.After forcing H-BC-E to punt four plays later, SWU gained excellent field position by blocking the kick and recovering the ball on H-BC-E’s 24-yard line. Wildcat quarterback Jared Smith hooked up with Keith Rogers for a 24-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage, doubling SWU’s lead at 12-0.SWU picked off a pass to end H-BC-E’s next offensive possession. Two plays later, Leopold raced 45 yards for a touchdown to make it an 18-0 game.Smith threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jay Malenke late in the period to cap SWU’s 24-point outburst in the first 12 minutes of play.The scoring pace slowed for SWU after the first quarter, but the Wildcats did increase their lead to 37-0 with a one-yard touchdown run by Leopold in the second quarter and a nine-yard Leopold run in the fourth quarter.H-BC-E’s lone touchdown of the game came in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Adam Finke, who ran for 44 yards in the game, scored on a 10-yard run late in the contest. John Sandbulte added the extra point.Ellingson said SWU’s line play was the difference in the contest."SWU’s line played really well. They have good, quick linemen. They really gave us fits," he said.The 2-5 Patriots hosted Westbrook-Walnut Grove to end the regular season Wednesday night.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 70 rushing yards, 25 passing yards, 95 total yards, five first downs, five penalties for 27 yards, three turnovers.SWU: 250 rushing yards, 174 passing yards, 424 total yards, 10 first downs, five penalties for 40 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Finke 14-44, Jon Klaassen 12-34, Kerry Fink 4-3, Jarid Hoogendoorn 3-1, Tom Leuthold 1-1, Cody Rozeboom 1-minus 2.Passing: Finke 4-12 for 25 yards.Receiving: Klaassen 1-0, Rozeboom 1-14, Devin DeBoer 1-10, Finke 1-1.Defense: Leuthold 10 tackles and one sack, Tanner Scholten eight tackles, Fink six tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception, Jason Hup eight tackles, Rozeboom one interception.

By Sara QuamIt’s no secret that public health educator Paula Anderson not only believes everyone should quit smoking but that they should not smoke around others.She said Tuesday to the Rock County Commissioners that she thinks the only way to do that would be to get a county-wide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.But Anderson hasn’t asked commissioners to do that yet. Even she, with all her enthusiasm for a ban, thinks it’s too soon.Anderson and other workers in the health field are not alone in their opinion. There is even a Safe Air For Everyone coalition in the county. She said their theory is essentially, "You can smoke, but don’t do it around other people. It’s like, you can drink, but you can’t drive and endanger other people."Smoking, obesity and alcohol are the top leading causes of preventable death nationwide. Following those is second-hand smoke.Anderson said the additives, not necessarily the tobacco itself, in cigarettes are harmful to breathe second-hand. Tobacco manufacturers put chromium VI (the chemical made famous in the movie "Erin Brockovitch"), lead, ammonia, asbestos and hydrogen cyanide as additives in cigarettes. She said to commissioners that forcing bars and restaurants to be non-smoking doesn’t hurt them. "Our information comes from objective sales tax data that says their sales stay the same or increase after the switch," Anderson said.She said special interest groups that say bars and restaurants are hurt by going non-smoking are misleading the public."The tobacco industry has a lot of money," Anderson said.And, speaking of money, smoking costs Minnesotans $2.64 billion a year, she said.Sharkee’s owner Dave Halverson said current sales tax figures show that Minneapolis’ ban on smoking in bars hurt them. "I looked at information that came from sales tax, too," Halverson said.He said a county or city ban on smoking would hurt business because people could easily go just outside the county to smoke in bars."It’s not just the smokers, but they bring their non-smoking friends out with them. I’m not saying all my customers smoke, but they all go out together and I think the smoking friends would get them to go somewhere else," Halvorson said."If the whole state does it, then fine, I’d have no objection to it."Anderson said people should see second-hand smoke elimination like any other health standard, such as sanitation practices in a restaurant.Anderson said she worries about restaurant and bar workers who are exposed to the 250 cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes without even smoking themselves.Anderson said, "People say it’s their choice to work there, but that’s like saying someone who is sexually harassed has a choice to stay at their job. Sometimes they don’t have a choice."Even sitting in a non-smoking section of a restaurant, if it’s not completely enclosed, can be harmful she said. "Sitting in that non-smoking section for two hours is like smoking 1 1/2 cigarettes. … It’s kind of like saying there’s a non-peeing section of a pool. It just spreads."Ten states have banned smoking altogether in bars and restaurants. Anderson said the trend may become nationwide but would be better coming from a local initiative.Anderson also plans to talk to the Luverne City Council about second-hand smoke issues but won’t ask them to ban smoking yet.

By Lexi MooreA troop of Brownies has formed in the area for the first time in over a decade.Elizabeth Ranfranz and Penny Taubert decided to form the troop after their girls returned home from school with an informational letter in their backpacks.The women decided it would be a nice activity for the children and a way for the girls to have more opportunities to help the community.Ranfranz hosted the first parent meeting for the organization on Thursday to discuss possible activities and fund-raisers."The worst part about forming a new group like this is that you don’t have any money," Ranfranz said in a recent interview.Sundem Oil and Donatello’s have both offered to sponsor some of the group’s activities, but Ranfranz does not think that will be enough."We need money for snacks at our meetings, crafts, garbage bags (for when we help clean up yards) and badges."In addition to providing food for the parent meeting, Donatello’s is sponsoring a raffle at the store.Raffle tickets for one of two Minnesota Vikings sweatshirts are available at the store for $1.Owners Eugene and Diane Immediato said they want to see the troop succeed and know that takes money."We just want to see these girls get some money. Hopefully the town will understand it isn’t about a sweatshirt; it’s about the money in the jar," Diane said.Winners will be selected during the troop’s next meeting on Oct. 24.The group wants to volunteer to help elderly residents with yard work and is interested in assisting at the Tuff Home.So far, six girls between the ages of seven and 10 have signed up to be members of Brownie Troop #805. Each member is responsible for paying a $10 registration fee.The troop will meet every other Monday. The next meeting will include a stop at Wally’s Nursery in Hills.

By Lexi MooreThe Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School opened its doors for Family Reading Night on Monday.Family Reading Nights started seven years ago at the elementary school as a way of encouraging parents to become more involved with their children’s education.Administrators plan for three family nights per school year, each focusing on a different discipline. Future events will feature math and written language.H-BC Principal Todd Holthaus said both students and parents benefit from attending the event."It is important for parents to attend, because it sends a strong message to their children that reading (or other focus areas) is important to them as a family."On Monday, 25 families came to the school for a meal and to spend time working in four activity stations set up by H-BC staff.The stations included computer time, reading games, library time and quality reading with a family member or friend."The most important achievement is spending quality time with their children," Holthaus said. "Parents should walk away with some good tools to assist them in helping their children discover the joy of reading."At the end of the evening, winners were chosen for door prizes. Three students from each grade, preschool to fifth, received books.The door prizes and food for Family Night are sponsored by Rock County Family Services Collaborative, Exchange State Bank and H-BC Schools.

By John RittenhouseFive Luverne runners earned individual honors during the Southwest Conference Cross Country Meet staged Tuesday in Redwood Falls.Four Cardinals made their respective All-SWC Teams by placing seventh or better in varsity competition. Another LHS boy drew honorable mention during the event.In team competition, the LHS girls placed second and the boys finished third."I thought we might have a chance to win, but it was a good meet for us overall," said LHS coach Bruce Gluf."Everything didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. We lost a place here and there, and that’s all it takes."Lexi Heitkamp and Debbie Schneiderman led the girls to a second-place finish as a team by placing second and sixth with respective 15:07 and 15:30 times.Katie Schneiderman placed 15th in 16:28, Kayla Raddle 22nd in 16:59 and Kelsey Dooyema 25th in 17:16 to round out the scoring for the Cards.Amanda Kannas and Ashlie Hess placed 28th and 37th in the varsity race with times of 17:25 and 17:47.Thomas Pinkal and Steve Schneiderman made the All-RRC roster for the LHS boys by placing second and fifth in 16:49 and 17:31. Tom Ward received honorable mention status by finishing eighth in 17:56.David Nelson and Craig Oeding rounded out the scoring for LHS by placing 20th and 23rd in 19:10 and 19:24. Eric Stegemann placed 41st in 20:45 without influencing the scoring.Girls’ standings: Marshall 26, Luverne 69, Redwood Valley 91, Windom 102, Pipestone 121.Boys’ standings: Marshall 48, RWV 49, Luverne 57, Windom 119, Worthington 129.Junior varsity boys: Eric Kraetsch, 11th, 20:29; Matthew Stensland-Bos 25th, 24:40.Junior varsity girls: Tara Muck, fourth, 17:48; Rachel Saum, fifth, 7:48; Christy Van Dyke, 21st, 20:50; Ashley Kraetsch, 22nd, 21:03.Junior high boys: Davonte Maine, third, 5:48; Justin Krueger, 29th, 7:33; Nick Den Herder, 31st, 8:52.Junior high girls: Whitney Oehlerts, 12th, 7:16; Stephanie Schultz, 15th, 7:42.

By John RittenhouseA 24-point eruption in the first quarter sent Southwest United on its way to a 37-7 victory over Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth during a Southwest Ridge Conference football game played Friday in Ellsworth.During a quarter in which everything went right for the Wildcats, SWU scored touchdowns with its first two offensive plays to open an early 12-0 lead.SWU went on to score two more touchdowns before the period was complete, padding its lead to 24 points and taking the zest out of Ellsworth’s homecoming celebration in the process."We just let them jump out to too big of a lead right away, which made it impossible for us to come back," said H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson. "We played better after the first quarter, but that’s been the story of our year. We play well for one half, but we can’t put a full game together."SWU’s ability to strike quickly proved to be the difference in the game’s first quarter.After forcing the Patriots to punt four plays into the game, SWU tailback Dustin Leopold dashed through the H-BC-E defense for a 64-yard touchdown run on his team’s first play from scrimmage.The touchdown run was the beginning of a big game for Leopold, who ran for 197 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats.After forcing H-BC-E to punt four plays later, SWU gained excellent field position by blocking the kick and recovering the ball on H-BC-E’s 24-yard line. Wildcat quarterback Jared Smith hooked up with Keith Rogers for a 24-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage, doubling SWU’s lead at 12-0.SWU picked off a pass to end H-BC-E’s next offensive possession. Two plays later, Leopold raced 45 yards for a touchdown to make it an 18-0 game.Smith threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jay Malenke late in the period to cap SWU’s 24-point outburst in the first 12 minutes of play.The scoring pace slowed for SWU after the first quarter, but the Wildcats did increase their lead to 37-0 with a one-yard touchdown run by Leopold in the second quarter and a nine-yard Leopold run in the fourth quarter.H-BC-E’s lone touchdown of the game came in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Adam Finke, who ran for 44 yards in the game, scored on a 10-yard run late in the contest. John Sandbulte added the extra point.Ellingson said SWU’s line play was the difference in the contest."SWU’s line played really well. They have good, quick linemen. They really gave us fits," he said.The 2-5 Patriots hosted Westbrook-Walnut Grove to end the regular season Wednesday night.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 70 rushing yards, 25 passing yards, 95 total yards, five first downs, five penalties for 27 yards, three turnovers.SWU: 250 rushing yards, 174 passing yards, 424 total yards, 10 first downs, five penalties for 40 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Finke 14-44, Jon Klaassen 12-34, Kerry Fink 4-3, Jarid Hoogendoorn 3-1, Tom Leuthold 1-1, Cody Rozeboom 1-minus 2.Passing: Finke 4-12 for 25 yards.Receiving: Klaassen 1-0, Rozeboom 1-14, Devin DeBoer 1-10, Finke 1-1.Defense: Leuthold 10 tackles and one sack, Tanner Scholten eight tackles, Fink six tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception, Jason Hup eight tackles, Rozeboom one interception.

By John RittenhouseIn a ragged football game that included a combined 13 penalties and 11 turnovers, the Adrian Dragons made enough positive plays to earn a 14-0 home win over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Thursday in Adrian.The penalty flags and turnovers kept both teams from scoring additional points during the course of the game.Thanks to the play of Adrian’s defense, 14 points was more than enough to win the game."We played pretty well on defense," said Dragon coach Randy Strand."Other than that, it was a very poorly-played game. If we could have given our quarterback some time to pass the football, or if we could have caught the football, it could have been a 30-point game."Adrian, which sported a decisive advantage in total yardage (302-145) in the contest, didn’t take advantage of it.The Dragons were flagged for six penalties and turned the ball over four times in the game, and the mistakes kept AHS from icing the game early.Fortunately for AHS, T-M-B was plagued by miscues as well. The Panthers turned the ball over in seven times and were flagged seven times in the contest.With Adrian’s defensive giving the offense a short field to play on, the Dragons did record first- and third-quarter touchdowns.After the defense forced the Panthers to punt from deep inside their own territory late in the first quarter, a short kick allowed the AHS offense to set up shop on T-M-B’s 34-yard line. On the third play of the possession, Adrian quarterback Cody Reverts hooked up with Jory Haken for a 27-yard touchdown pass to give the Dragons a 6-0 lead with 26 seconds remaining in the first period.Adrian’s third-quarter touchdown was set up by a fumble recovery from Clint Metz on the T-M-B 11.Reverts, who ran for 115 yards and passed for 112 during the game, scored two plays later on a two-yard run. A Reverts-to-Billy Anderson conversion pass capped the scoring with 1:41 left in the third period.The victory upped Adrian’s season record to 4-3. The Dragons completed the regular season by hosting Dawson-Boyd Wednesday night.Team statisticsAdrian: 190 passing yards, 112 rushing yards, 302 total yards, nine first downs, six penalties for 55 yards, four turnovers.T-M-B: 78 rushing yards, 67 passing yards, 145 total yards, eight first downs, seven penalties for 45 yards, seven turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 12-36, Reverts 20-115, Haken 11-39.Passing: Reverts 7-16 for 112 yards.Receiving: Cody Kontz 3-42, Haken 1-27, Anderson 2-41, Brandon Diekmann 1-2.Defense: Will Lutmer seven tackles and one sack, Jordan Brake eight tackles and two sacks, Anderson two interceptions, Nate Engelkes one interception, Glen Kruger one interception, Kontz one interception, Metz one fumble recovery, Joel Hoffman one fumble recovery.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne volleyball team wrapped up a 6-18-2 regular season by playing in three events since last Thursday.The Cardinals finished 0-6 in Southwest Conference play after losing a three-game match in Windom Thursday before falling in four games at home to Worthington Tuesday. Luverne went 1-4 and placed fourth at the Pipestone Tournament Saturday.Luverne drew the eighth seed for the South Section 3AA Tournament. The Cards play No. 9 Lake Crystal-Welcome-Memorial to open the event at 7 p.m. Monday in Jackson.Worthington 3, Luverne 1The Cardinals came up empty in an attempt to record a SWC win against the Trojans Tuesday.The match was tied at one game each before Worthington prevailed in Games 3 and 4 to upend the Cards in front of their Parents’ Night crowd.Game 1 was tied at one when Worthington went on a 15-2 run to open a commanding 16-3 lead. Luverne trimmed the difference to eight points (16-8) with a kill by Chelsea Park, but the Trojans wouldn’t let the Cards creep any closer before prevailing 25-14.Luverne led 10-3 after Lindsey Olson delivered a service point in Game 2. Worthington countered with a 12-6 surge to trail 17-15 before Park capped a 5-1 surge to give the Cards a 22-16 lead they would turn into a 25-22 win.Worthington scored the first four points of the third game on the way to building a 19-7 advantage. Luverne rallied to trail by four (21-17) when Dinah Xaphakdy served a point as the game progressed, but the Trojans scored the next four points to win 25-17.Luverne scored the first three points of the fourth game and led 8-7 moments later. The score was knotted at 11 when Worthington rattled off six straight points to gain a 17-11 lead.Luverne closed to within two points (17-15) of the Trojans with a service point from Olson, but a 6-4 spurt for the Trojans gave them a 25-19 victory.Maggie Kuhlman led the Cards with 10 kills and nine digs, while Meghan Cronberg added six kills and three blocks. Xaphakdy was 19 of 19 serving with 14 points and two aces, Park charted 14 set assists and Erin Hoiland registered three blocks.Pipestone tourneyThe Cardinals went 1-2 and placed fourth during Saturday’s six-team tournament in Pipestone.Luverne went 1-1 in pool play, earning a position in the third-place match. Brookings, S.D., swept the Cardinals in the finale, leaving LHS in fourth place.The Cards opened the tournament by securing a 2-1 victory against RWV. The teams each won one game by 25-22 tallies to start the match. Luverne notched a 15-12 win in the third game to take the match.Mitchell, S.D. upended the Cardinals by 25-23, 27-25 and 15-9 scores in the second round of pool play.Brookings saddled the Cards with 25-10, 25-14 and 25-15 setbacks in the third-place match.LHS coach Lori Oechsle was happy with the way her short-handed team played during the tourney."We played well with the people we had. We had to bring up three freshmen for the tournament because of a band event, and they played pretty well," she said.Park, who charted 60 set assists during the tournament, completed 27 of 30 serves with seven aces and 15 points. Along with recording four blocks, Becca Sandager completed 23 of 25 serves with three aces and 12 points. Kuhlman led the Cards with 26 kills and went 28 of 30 serving with 16 points and two aces.Cronberg registered 18 kills and nine blocks during the event. Hoiland added 16 kills to the cause.Windom 3, Luverne 0Luverne’s best serving night of the season wasn’t enough to give the Cardinals their first conference win of the season when they traveled to Windom Thursday.The Cards completed 93 percent of their serves, but it was receiving serves that hampered LHS during 25-8, 25-19 and 25-15 losses to the Eagles."We did serve the ball well," said LHS coach Oechsle. "We just couldn’t pass it very well. Windom was hitting the ball to the open spots, and our girls were not getting there to pick them up."Xaphakdy (10 of 11 with six points), Kuhlman (eight of eight with three points and one ace) and Hoiland (eight of eight with three points) led the Cards in serving. Kuhlman and Hoiland charted six and four kills respectively. Xaphakdy had six set assists.Park recorded six set assists and Cronberg added four blocks to Luverne’s cause.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne football team battled back from a halftime deficit to defeat Jackson County Central 28-16 Friday in Luverne.Trailing 10-7 at the intermission, the Cardinals turned things around in the third and fourth quarters to outscore the Huskies 21-6 and win the game by 12 points.The victory was Luverne’s fourth straight and placed more importance on the annual Battle Ax game played in Pipestone Wednesday night. If the Cardinals could beat their long-time rivals in the regular-season finale, they would host a game to open the playoffs Tuesday night."If we beat Pipestone, we would be either a third or a fourth seed. If we lose, we could slip to a sixth seed," said LHS coach Todd Oye.Luverne needed to beat JCC to put itself in a position to host a playoff game.Coach Oye said the Huskies played well throughout the contest, but it was Luverne’s ability to pass the ball in the second half that settled the issue.Cardinal quarterback Nick Heronimus completed four of five passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns to ignite Luverne’s second half comeback."Our ability to pass the ball in the second half was the difference," Oye offered.Luverne’s rally began in the third quarter, when the Cardinals struck quickly with their second and fourth offensive possessions of the second half.The teams exchanged punts to open the second half, and the Cardinals gained possession of the ball on JCC’s 45-yard line to start their second offensive series.After Heronimus gained seven yards with a run on the first down, he hooked up with Jake Hendricks for a 38-yard touchdown pass on second down. Chris Engesser booted his second of four straight extra points after the touchdown to give the Cards a 14-10 advantage.The Luverne defense came up big by forcing JCC to punt from deep inside its own territory late in the third quarter.With pressure being applied on the punter by Luverne’s front linemen with the punt return squad, JCC ended up losing three yards with the kick.LHS took over on the JCC 10-yard line, where Heronimus threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mike Kunstle on the first play of the possession to make it a 21-10 game with 1:16 remaining in the third period."Being able to get that extra cushion was important," Oye admitted."Being able to score on the first play after a short punt was big for us."The importance of Luverne’s second touchdown of the third quarter became evident when the Huskies climbed back into the game with a 13-play, 62-yard drive with their next offensive possession.Running back Nathan Stender capped the march with a two-yard touchdown run at the 8:13 mark of the fourth quarter, ending a six-game streak of playing shutout ball in the second half by the LHS defense.The defense, however, successfully stopped JCC’s run for a two-point conversion, leaving the Cardinals with a 21-16 lead.JCC gained possession of the ball with 5:59 left to play, but a sack by Luverne’s Seth Goembel forced the Huskies to punt with 2:26 remaining.Luverne took over on its own 49-yard line and put the game away when Derek Elbers dashed 39 yards for a touchdown four plays later.JCC, which put together two nice offensive drives to open the game, scored the game’s first points with a field goal at the 11:48 mark of the second quarter.Luverne countered with a 19-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Chris Ashby scoring on a five-yard run to make it a 7-3 game with 3:15 remaining in the first half.The scoring march featured the Cardinals converting five third-down situations and two fourth-down situations into first downs.After Luverne gained its four-point lead, JCC returned the ensuing kickoff 62 yards to the LHS 35. Five plays later, JCC’s Marcus Schultz scored on a nine-yard run with 35 seconds remaining in the second period to give the Huskies a 10-7 halftime advantage.Team statisticsLuverne: 174 rushing yards, 106 passing yards, 280 total yards, 11 first downs, seven penalties, zero turnovers.JCC: 109 rushing yards, 90 passing yards, 199 total yards, 13 first downs, seven penalties, zero turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Ashby 6-15, Ben Nath 9-58, Elbers 14-74, Heronimus 8-27.Passing: Heronimus 8-12 for 106 yards.Receiving: Clark 2-38, Kunstle 3-18, Elbers 1-11, Hendricks 2-39.Defense: Kunstle two sacks, Goembel one sack.