Luverne senior wing Justin Arndt (19) advances the puck during Saturday’s boys’ hockey game against Minneapolis Edison in the Blue Mound Ice Arena. The Tommies scored six unanswered goals at the end of the game to hand the Cardinals a 7-2 setback in their home opener.By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ hockey team opened the home portion of its 2003-04 schedule Saturday against Minneapolis Edison.Luverne sported 1-0 and 2-1 leads during the first two periods, but the Tommies went on a 6-0 run in the game’s final 21 minutes to upend the Cardinals 7-2.The Cards moved in front 2-1 when Jordan Siebenahler scored 1:18 into the second period after being set up by Nick Otten and Tim Drost.Edison, however, received goals from Cooper Burglund, Josh Engel and Pat LeClaire in a span of 3:39 late in the second period to take a 4-2 lead into the final 17 minutes of play.Berglund, Phil Cerepak and LeClaire all found the net in the final 10 minutes of the game to cap the scoring for the Tommies.Luverne opened the scoring when Drost drilled a slap shot from the point past the Edison goalie when the Cardinals were in a power-play situation. Steve Berghorst set up Drost’s goal.Joe Martinez tied the game at one for Edison with 9:53 remaining in the first period.Edison outshot the Cards 40-19 in the game. Brad Van Santen made 33 saves for LHS.Luverne was scheduled to play in Sleepy Eye Tuesday, but the game was postponed. The 0-2 Cardinals play in Fairmont tonight, at Mankato West Saturday and at Windom Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ basketball team broke into the win column for the first time this season by defeating Southwest Christian 46-33 in Luverne Saturday.A strong fourth quarter by the Cardinals helped the hosts break open a close game against the E-Gals.With the score tied at 29 entering the final eight minutes of play, Maggie Kuhlman led a 17-4 scoring run by netting eight of her team-high 13 points to help the Cards even their season record.Luverne sported slim 12-11 and 19-17 leads at the first two quarter breaks before putting the contest away in the fourth quarter."It was close the whole way until we outscored them 17-4 in the fourth quarter," said Cardinal coach Phelps. "There were a couple of possessions when we forced them into turnovers and converted them into layups. Shooting five of six from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter also helped."Kuhlman led the winners with six assists and four steals in the game. Samantha Gacke and Danielle Loosbrock collected seven and six rebounds respectively. Mindy Nieuwboer and Marissa Stewart contributed four steals each to the winning cause.Luverne was scheduled to play in Lennox, S.D., Tuesday, but the game was postponed. The 1-1 Cards host Pipestone tonight and Worthington Tuesday.Box scoreNieuwboer 3 0 2-3 8, Snyder 2 0 0-0 4, Peterson 0 0 0-0 0, Kuhlman 2 2 3-4 13, Stewart 2 1 1-2 8, Gacke 1 0 0-1 2, Loosbrock 3 0 3-3 9, VanDeBerg 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsLuverne: 17 of 42 field goals (40 percent), nine of 13 free throws (69 percent), 25 rebounds, 25 turnovers.SWC: 13 of 42 field goals (30 percent), six of seven free throws (85 percent), 37 rebounds, 25 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne wrestling team made its 2003-04 debut at the 31st annual Flandreau Booster Club Invitational in Flandreau, S.D., Saturday.Nine Cardinal wrestlers competed at the varsity level at the tournament, during which LHS placed eighth out of eight squads in team competition.Two Luverne brothers experienced success by placing first and second in their weight classes.Freshman Jesse Saravia captured the team’s lone individual title by going 2-0 at 160 pounds.After receiving a bye in the first round, Saravia recorded a 13-2 major decision victory over Michael Lustfield (unattached) in the semifinals. Saravia nipped Howard’s Shawn Wallen 8-6 to secure his title.Junior Jose Saravia made a bid to win the 189-pound crown before settling for second place.Jose posted a 3-1 win over Howard’s Zach Neises in the quarterfinals before topping Flandreau’s Aaron Lacey 6-1 in the semifinals.Saravia, however, lost by default to Elk Point-Jefferson’s Dallas Mitchell in the championship match.Luverne’s Kelsey Petersen placed fourth at 145 pounds with a 2-2 record. Luverne’s Aric Uithoven wrestled unattached at 145, going 0-2 overall.Cardinals’ Kerry Fink and Anthony Boyenga went 1-2 without placing at 135 and 140 respectively. Phillip Altman, Mike Fletcher and Dustin Donth went 0-2 at 103, 112 and 152.Luverne hosts Fulda-Murray County Central tonight before competing at the Jackson Tournament Saturday and wrestling at a triangular meet in Jackson Tuesday.

Adrian senior post Maria Gengler puts up a shot over Hills-Beaver Creek’s Kelly Mulder during Friday’s Red Rock Conference girls’ basketball game in Adrian. Gengler scored 29 points to lead the Dragons to an 84-54 win over the Patriots.By John RittenhouseThe Adrian girls’ basketball team made a statement when it played host to Hills-Beaver Creek for an early-season Red Rock Conference game Friday.In a clash of two preseason RRC favorites, the Dragons turned what was a close game for eight minutes into a lopsided 84-54 victory by outscoring the Patriots 69-42 in the final three quarters of play.Adrian, the defending RRC champion, upped its season and league mark to 2-0 with the victory.H-BC slips to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the conference with the loss.The game looked like it would be a tight one when both teams sported two-point leads in early stages of the first quarter.Adrian sported a 7-6 edge before receiving field goals from Maria Gengler and Andrea Lonneman to open an 11-5 lead, but the Patriots countered with a 4-0 surge capped by Brittney Rozeboom’s layup at the 1:21 mark of the stanza to make it an 11-10 game.The score was 13-12 before Adrian’s Sarah Kruger drained a shot with 15 seconds left to give the Dragons a 15-12 lead heading into the second period.The game swung into Adrian’s favor for good when the hosts went on a 14-0 scoring run in the first 4:20 of the second quarter. The run, which gave AHS a 29-12 lead, featured eight points by Gengler.Adrian padded its lead by 28 points (44-16) when Ashley Cox hit a jumper with 32 seconds remaining in the first half, but H-BC scored the next five points to trail (44-21) at the intermission.Adrian scored the first six points of the third quarter and led 54-24 at one stage of the third quarter.H-BC trimmed the difference to 25 points twice before facing a 64-35 difference at period’s end.The Patriots closed the gap to 22 points at one stage of the fourth quarter before falling by 30 points when the quarter was complete.Gengler poured in 29 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked five shots during a dominating performance for Adrian. Lonneman added a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Kruger chipped in 15 points and seven assists to the winning cause. Kylie Heronimus added seven assists.Cassi Tilstra scored 11 first-half points and led the Patriots with 17 counters, eight rebounds and three steals. Rozeboom netted 11 points for H-BC.Box scoreH-BCRozeboom 3 1 2-2 11, Bush 1 1 0-0 5, Sandstede 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 3 2 5-6 17, Hoyme 1 0 0-0 2, Boeve 1 0 7-12 9, Roozenboom 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 3 0 0-0 6, Mulder 1 0 2-2 4.AdrianHenning 1 0 0-0 2, Heronimus 1 1 0-0 5, Honermann 0 0 0-0 0, Thier 1 0 0-0 2, Banck 0 0 2-2 2, Kruger 6 1 0-0 15, Cox 2 0 0-0 4, Lonneman 7 0 7-11 21, Gengler 13 0 3-4 29, Strand 0 0 0-2 0, Loosbrock 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsH-BC: 17 of 56 field goals (30 percent), 16 of 22 free throws (72 percent), 21 rebounds, 16 turnovers.Adrian: 33 of 59 field goals (58 percent), 12 of 19 free throws (63 percent), 46 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseKerry Fink and the Luverne Cardinal wrestling team made its 2003-04 debut at the 31st annual Flandreau Booster Club Wrestling Tournament Saturday in Flandreau, S.D.The short-handed Cardinals filled eight of 14 weight classes for the tournament, which led to an eighth-place finish in the team standings.Fink experienced a decent opener, going 1-2 without placing at 135 pounds.Fink dropped an 8-5 decision to Garretson’s Sam Johnson in the quarterfinals to start the day,The H-BC sophomore bounced back to pin Jeremy Gonnerman (unattached) in 39 seconds in the consolation bracket before dropping a 9-1 major decision to Howard’s Jared Donahue in the next round.Fink and the Cardinals host Fulda-Murray County Central in Luverne tonight. The Cards will wrestle at a tournament and triangular meet in Jackson Saturday and Tuesday respectively.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team opened the season by posting a big win on the road Friday.Playing defending Section 3AA champion Pipestone in Pipestone, the Patriots gained some early-season momentum by posting a 58-45 victory over the Arrows."The boys played really well Friday," offered Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema.The Patriots started the game in impressive fashion by outscoring the Arrows 18-13 in the first quarter.Pipestone whittled the difference to three points (30-27) by halftime, but H-BC went on a 15-7 scoring run in the third quarter to open an 11-point cushion (45-34) before prevailing by 13 points at game’s end.The Patriots canned 50 percent of their field goals and outscored the Arrows 10-2 at the free-throw line during the victory.Tyler Bush, who charted seven assists, scored 11 points after making four of six shots from the field.Kale Wiertzema, who had nine rebounds to lead H-BC, recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Trey Van Wyhe added 14 points and six rebounds.Tom LeBoutillier contributed six rebounds and two steals to H-BC’s cause.Box scoreBush 3 1 2-3 11, Wysong 3 0 0-0 6, Jackson 0 0 0-0 0, Broesder 0 0 2-2 2, Wiertzema 5 1 1-2 14, Van Wyhe 5 0 4-4 14, Spykerboer 2 0 0-0 4, LeBoutillier 3 0 1-3 7.Team statisticsH-BC: 23 of 46 field goals (50 percent), 10 of 14 free throws (71 percent), 27 rebounds, eight turnovers.Pipestone: 20 of 61 field goals (33 percent), two of five free throws (40 percent), 23 rebounds, seven turnovers.

Hills-Beaver Creek senior post Erin Boeve drives to the basket against Adrian’s Ashley Cox during Friday’s girls’ basketball game in Adrian. Adrian topped the Patriots 84-54 during the Red Rock Conference clash.By John RittenhouseThe Adrian girls’ basketball team made a statement when it played host to Hills-Beaver Creek for an early-season Red Rock Conference game Friday.In a clash of two preseason RRC favorites, the Dragons turned what was a close game for eight minutes into a lopsided 84-54 victory by outscoring the Patriots 69-42 in the final three quarters of play.Adrian, the defending RRC champion, upped its season and league mark to 2-0 with the victory.H-BC slips to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the conference with the loss.The game looked like it would be a tight one when both teams sported two-point leads in early stages of the first quarter.Adrian sported a 7-6 edge before receiving field goals from Maria Gengler and Andrea Lonneman to open an 11-5 lead, but the Patriots countered with a 4-0 surge capped by Brittney Rozeboom’s layup at the 1:21 mark of the stanza to make it an 11-10 game.The score was 13-12 before Adrian’s Sarah Kruger drained a shot with 15 seconds left to give the Dragons a 15-12 lead heading into the second period.The game swung into Adrian’s favor for good when the hosts went on a 14-0 scoring run in the first 4:20 of the second quarter. The run, which gave AHS a 29-12 lead, featured eight points by Gengler.Adrian padded its lead by 28 points (44-16) when Ashley Cox hit a jumper with 32 seconds remaining in the first half, but H-BC scored the next five points to trail (44-21) at the intermission.Adrian scored the first six points of the third quarter and led 54-24 at one stage of the third quarter.H-BC trimmed the difference to 25 points twice before facing a 64-35 difference at period’s end.The Patriots closed the gap to 22 points at one stage of the fourth quarter before falling by 30 points when the quarter was complete.Gengler poured in 29 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked five shots during a dominating performance for Adrian. Lonneman added a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Kruger chipped in 15 points and seven assists to the winning cause. Kylie Heronimus added seven assists.Cassi Tilstra scored 11 first-half points and led the Patriots with 17 counters, eight rebounds and three steals. Rozeboom netted 11 points for H-BC.Box scoreH-BCRozeboom 3 1 2-2 11, Bush 1 1 0-0 5, Sandstede 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 3 2 5-6 17, Hoyme 1 0 0-0 2, Boeve 1 0 7-12 9, Roozenboom 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 3 0 0-0 6, Mulder 1 0 2-2 4.AdrianHenning 1 0 0-0 2, Heronimus 1 1 0-0 5, Honermann 0 0 0-0 0, Thier 1 0 0-0 2, Banck 0 0 2-2 2, Kruger 6 1 0-0 15, Cox 2 0 0-0 4, Lonneman 7 0 7-11 21, Gengler 13 0 3-4 29, Strand 0 0 0-2 0, Loosbrock 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsH-BC: 17 of 56 field goals (30 percent), 16 of 22 free throws (72 percent), 21 rebounds, 16 turnovers.Adrian: 33 of 59 field goals (58 percent), 12 of 19 free throws (63 percent), 46 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By Brenda WinterHills-Beaver Creek School Board members certified the district tax levy at their Dec. 8 meeting.Last year the district levied $297,659 for taxes paid this year. On Monday, the board set the levy at the maximum allowed by the state which comes to $338,060. Board member Gary Esslink asked if the district had to collect the maximum amount levied. "I know in past years there have been times when we didn’t need the full amount we levied," Esslink said, Superintendent Dave Deragisch said, "The dollars you see here are the dollars we need to run our school. There isn’t any place to cut back." Beginning in 2002, the state of Minnesota began to assume a greater portion of the funding of education. Deragisch said the move was intended to lift some of the local property tax burden. At the same time, the state began placing more restrictions on how local school districts can set levies. Deragisch said he is concerned that the district will soon find itself facing an excess levy referendum, which is a referendum used to pay for basic operating expenses.Deragisch said, "About $180,000 of our $330,000 levy is being used to pay for our building projects. (The elementary school addition and the new locker rooms.) That doesn’t leave us with a lot of flexibility."In a document prepared for the Dec. 2 Truth in Taxation hearing Deragisch said, "It is getting very difficult to balance the school budget without impacting the public through an increase in the levy. If we are to continue to offer excellent programs, we will need to pay for these. With the freeze/reduction in state funds, the people from Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen will be asked to help shoulder the financial responsibilities."Deragisch said the district may have to consider a referendum in the next year or two because of the state’s attempt to reduce local taxes. "We would have gone full circle," he said.

By Brenda WinterHills-Beaver Creek Elementary School students will use a new standardized test beginning in the spring of 2004, Elementary School Principal Todd Holthaus told the School Board Monday.Holthaus said the NorthWest Evaluation Association (NWEA) test, which will replace the California Achievement Test (CAT), is an interactive test that students will take on a computer. Results will be available to teachers immediately. "We’ll know how a student did as soon as he walks out of the computer lab," Holthaus said. Superintendent Dave Deragisch said the test can be given as often as four times a year. "We can give this test in the fall and have a better idea where the kids are at. With the CAT, we give the test in the spring and get the results in the summer which doesn’t do the teachers much good." Holthaus said he believes having test results sooner benefits everyone. "This is a great way to monitor teaching and learning," he said. "It will help us learn how we can change our curriculum to meet the needs of the kids. This will also be a better way for us to convey to parents how their kids are doing."Holthaus said the test is an adaptive test, which means the next question depends on the student’s last answer. If a student is doing well, the questions will get harder. If a student answers several questions incorrectly the questions will not increase in difficulty."This eases the frustration for kids who struggle on tests and will be more challenging for the kids who breeze right through them," Holthaus said.The cost of starting the NWEA testing program is $5,000 and will be funded through Title I and Title II. Annual cost of the test is $1,500 instead of the $2,500 spent on the CAT. The test will initially be given to students in grades 2 through 6 and it is designed for students in grades 2 through 10.Pulled quote"This is a great way to monitor teaching and learning. It will help us learn how we can change our curriculum to meet the needs of the kids," said H-BC Elementary Principal Todd Holthaus