FGL Commodities gets new ownersMike Cleveringa and Brad Witt, owners of CWC Commodities in Rock Rapids have purchased FGL Commodities in Luverne.Cleveringa and Witt purchased the business from Roger Achterhof, who has owned the business since he started it in 1983.According to Cleveringa, Witt has more than 20 years of experience in the commodities business and he has been with the firm more than 6 years.The new owners have signed a lease for the current location, and will continue operating the business from 106 E. Main in Luverne.Scouts collect for food shelf this SaturdayThe Scouts need your help to restock the Rock County Emergency Food Shelf.The "scouting for food" drive will be Saturday, Oct. 25.Anyone wishing to donate to the food shelf should have their donations in plain view in front of their home by 10 a.m.The Scouts have collected food for the food shelf since 1988. Last year the Scouts collected 456 pounds of food, as well as 20 pairs of old glasses for the Lions Club.The Cub Scouts collect in Luverne, while the Boy Scouts collect in surrounding communities, according to organizer Patti Aubert.This year 41 boys are registered in the Cub Scouts, and they meet at 7 p.m. the last Monday of the month at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne.Boy Scouts meet every Monday at the Boy Scout Building at the fairgrounds.If you have any questions about the drive, or about scouting in Rock County, contact Aubert at 283-4017.Fireman’s show draws large crowdThe fireman had the Palace Theatre rocking this past week.The Luverne Fire Department’s annual show drew approximately 1,500 people according to Tom Nelson, the firefighter in charge of the project.The event has raised money for the Luverne Fire Department as far back as anyone can remember according to Nelson.The money raised from the event goes to purchasing non-emergency items such as a digital camera, TV and video player and other items that can be used for training.Thanks to the firemen’s efforts, the Palace Theatre also benefits.The movie, "Finding Nemo" was a big draw for the kids, even though the adults thought it was pretty good too.Any time you have lots of kids at a movie, you can count on selling a lot of pop, popcorn and candy. The profit from the sale of the concession items goes toward helping run the Palace and keeping it open for the community.Meulebroeck, Taubert & Co are on the moveMeulebroeck, Taubert & Co, (MTCO) one of Luverne’s accounting firms, is moving to a new location.MTCO came to Luverne in November 2003 when they bought the accounting practice from the Estenson Company.At that time the insurance division of the Estenson Company moved to their current location at 419 E. Main.With the three-year lease up on their current location, MTCO will now move into the new location at 109. S. Freeman, north of the Luverne Building Center.Tri-State Insurance originally built the building and most recently has been the home for Luverne Chiropractic Center, who will also continue to occupy part of the building.MTCO will be closed this Friday for the move, and will reopen at their new location on Monday morning.Halloween in LuverneYou can go trick or treating and then go to the Palace for movies on Halloween night in Luverne.The Chamber, in conjunction with the Palace Theatre, has a fun weekend planned for you and your kids.I’ll tell you more about it in next week’s column.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Modern day class system reduces us to toilet paperTo a certain extent, we identify with people of our own status. That’s why I recently stepped aside as a Charmin purchaser passed me in the toilet paper aisle. I was making my way to the Quilted Northern. It’s not the best subject, I realize, but in this day and age, we have to face the fact that toilet paper is one of the few ways that we can see class distinctions.Manufacturers make cheap shoes look better than they used to. People in high-paying jobs don’t have to wear the expensive suits they used to, because of relaxing dress codes. And many people buy vehicles and homes they can’t really afford, because they can pay over time. But toilet paper — you need cash in hand to buy.Of course, people’s different "tastes" can determine which bathroom tissue brand they buy, but my theory is, the pricier the roll in the cart, the bigger the pocketbook.It’s not that I really care what’s in people’s bathroom cupboards, or that I’m ashamed of my use of Soft’n Gentle, but it’s an interesting study.While the subject of TP was on my mind, I did a little research and found a company that even monograms toilet paper for people wanting to really invest in the product. Just Toilet Paper offers the following novelty toilet tissues: Saddam’s face, Osama’s face, dollar bills, camouflage, lip print, lucky charm and St. Patrick’s Day, the famous sleeping angels, "just married," Santa, Halloween and sheet music, just to name a few.I think the availability of this product line proves my point exactly.And I thought I was lazyI like to take a shortcut and save some time as much as the next guy, but I’ve noticed a few products out there that epitomize laziness. There are now pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I thought that was what lazy people (or people with no time to make lunch) already ate.Grocery stores also stock potatoes in the fresh produce department "ready to bake," as if rinsing a potato sucks precious time out of the day.Windex makes pre-moistened towels, too. Maybe they’re handy for travel or something, but most people aren’t too busy to spray their own towel with a cleaner. There’s even Kraft Easy Mac, which makes the very difficult process of boiling water and adding powdered cheese much simpler.Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I’d rather be lazy in more meaningful ways, like not exercising and watching TV.

By John RittenhouseAdrian finished a 7-1 regular season by recording a 41-32 football win over Dawson-Boyd in Dawson Wednesday, Oct. 15.Junior quarterback Levi Bullerman ran for three touchdowns and passed for two others as Adrian locked up second place in the Little Sioux Conference with a 6-1 record.The Dragons opened the Section 3A Playoffs by hosting Minneota Tuesday. Look for the game story on the front page of the sports section.Adrian and D-B battled to a draw at 14 before the Dragons went on a 27-18 scoring run in the final 24:35 of the game to win by nine.The surge started late in the second quarter, after the Blackjacks tied the score at 14 with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Justin Wajer to Tim Cariveau, and a successful conversion pass from Justin Wajer to Jordan Wajer with 1:26 remaining in the first half.Adrian regained the lead before the second quarter was complete with an 84-yard, three-play offensive series.On the third play of the possession, Bullerman and Billy Anderson hooked up for a 72-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds remaining in the half. A pass for a two-point conversion failed, leaving the Dragons sporting a 20-14 lead.The big play late in the second half gave the Dragons momentum heading into the third quarter, when they scored touchdowns with their first two possessions to open a 33-14 lead.Adrian’s Brandon Wolf picked off a pass by D-B to start the rally, and it set up a six-play, 58-yard march that ended with Wolf hauling in a 43-yard touchdown pass from Bullerman. The pass for a two-point conversion failed, keeping the difference at 12 points (26-14) at the 7:15 mark of the third quarter.The Dragon defense forced D-B to punt moments later, and the AHS offense moved the ball 56 yards in three plays with its second possession of the second half.Anthony Sauer capped the drive with a 41-yard touchdown run at the 4:02 mark of the third period. Bullerman added the extra point to make it a 33-14 game.The Blackjacks answered Sauer’s touchdown with a 66-yard, nine-play drive of their own. Preston Lee capped the advance with a 14-yard run with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. A failed two-point conversion pass left D-B facing a 33-20 deficit.D-B climbed within seven points of catching AHS early in the fourth quarter.Adrian lost the ball with a fumble on its own 49-yard line moments after Lee’s touchdown run. D-B covered the remaining 49 yards in five plays with Justin Wajer tossing a 38-yard touchdown pass to Dane Prestholdt at the 9:35 mark of the fourth quarter. A failed extra-point attempt left Adrian sporting a 33-26 cushion.The Blackjacks got the ball back with a chance to tie the game as the fourth quarter progressed, but Adrian defender Brett Block intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the D-B 34.Bullerman capped the ensuing drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge and threw a successful conversion pass to Block to make it a 41-26 difference with 1:20 left to play.D-B countered with a six-play, 49-yard drive that ended with Justin Wajer connecting with Cariveau for an eight-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds remaining. The run for a two-point conversion failed, leaving the Dragons with a nine-point cushion (41-32) that would stand up at game’s end.Both teams sported leads in the early stages of the game.Adrian’s first possession of the contest ended with a fumble that was returned 60 yards to the Dragons’ eight-yard line by D-B.Lee scored on a five-yard run moments later, but D-B missed the extra-point attempt, leaving the Blackjacks with a 6-0 cushion at the 8:20 mark of the first quarter.Adrian tied the score at six with a three-play, 69-yard drive 1:14 later. Bullerman scored on a 53-yard run with 7:06 remaining in the opening stanza, but the ensuing extra-point attempt failed.The score remained deadlocked at six until the second quarter.After the Adrian defense stopped D-B on downs on the Dragon’ eight-yard line, the AHS offense put together a 17-play, 92-yard drive. Bullerman scored on a two-yard run at the end of the march, and Wolf carried in a two-point conversion to give the Dragons their first lead at 14-6.D-B then tied the game before AHS regained the lead at 20-14 late in the first half.Adrian coach Randy Strand gave his offensive line credit for helping the team score 41 points in the game. At the same time, he was concerned about yielding 32 points to D-B."Our offensive line is really blocking well right now. Hopefully that keeps up as we head into the playoffs," he said. "D-B is a team that has aired things out all season offensively, but we didn’t make a lot of plays in the secondary."Team statisticsAdrian: 332 rushing yards, 180 passing yards, 512 total yards, 17 first downs, eight penalties for 55 yards, two turnovers.D-B: 108 rushing yards, 244 passing yards, 352 total yards, 17 first downs, three penalties for 20 yards, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Bullerman 20-148, Wolf 17-86, Sauer 9-77, Trent Bullerman 4-16, Anderson 2-5.Passing: L.Bullerman 6-9 for 180 yards.Receiving: Wolf 2-80, Block 2-13, Anderson 1-72, T.Bullerman 1-15.Defense: Sauer 15 tackles, Darren DeBeer 10 tackles, T.Bullerman nine tackles, Wolf one interception, Block one interception.

Luverne junior hitter Cassie Pap delivers a spike during Monday’s home volleyball match against Southwest Christian. Pap served 11 points and two aces during a 3-2 loss to the E-Gals.By John RittenhouseA late rally by Southwest Christian gave the E-Gals a 3-2 victory over Luverne in the regular season volleyball finale for both teams Monday in Luverne.The Cardinals were in a position to make Senior Night a special one for team leaders Tera Boomgaarden, Callen Bosshart and Stephanie Morgan as they sported a 2-1 lead after three games.SWC, however, used late surges in Games 4 and 5 to win the five-game battle.The loss ends Luverne’s 10-17-1 regular season.The Cardinals open the South Section 3AA Tournament in Jackson Friday. Sixth-seeded LHS takes on No. 3 Pipestone 25 minutes after a 6 p.m. match between Martin County West and Windom.Luverne will take back-to-back losses into the tournament, but the Cards had the opportunity to knock off the E-Gals Monday.The score was tied late in both the fourth and fifth games, with SWC managing to pull out victories.Two ace serves by Traci Evans gave the Cards an 8-5 advantage in Game 4, and Luverne led by three (13-10) when Boomgaarden served a point.SWC used an 8-3 surge to gain an 18-16 edge, but the Cards battled back to knot the score at 18 with a kill and a service point from Bosshart.The E-Gals went on a 7-0 run at that point to post a 25-18 win and knot the match at two games each.Game 5 was tied at two when SWC forged in front 7-4 with a 5-2 rally.The Cards tied the game at seven with a service point by Ashley Heitkamp, but the E-Gals countered with a 6-2 run to open a 13-9 lead.Luverne scored four straight points and tied the game at 13 with a block by Morgan before SWC scored the final two points of a 15-13 win.The Cardinals opened an 8-2 lead in Game 1 after Cassie Pap served four consecutive points.SWC pulled to within one point of the Cards at 20-19 at the end of a 17-12 rally before Luverne countered with a 4-1 surge capped by a service point from Boomgaarden to gain a 24-20 lead.The E-Gals scored two more points before the Cardinals recorded the final counter of a 25-22 win.Game 2 was tied at four when SWC put together a 5-0 run to open a 9-4 advantage.The Cardinals trimmed the difference to two points (16-14) with a 10-7 surge capped by a service point from Heitkamp.SWC, however, extended its lead to six points (21-15) before locking up a 25-20 win to knot the match at one game each.Brittney Williams served three straight points to help the Cardinals open a 7-3 lead in the third game of the match.SWC battled back to tie the game at seven, and no more than two points separated the teams the rest of the game.The score was tied at 24 when Bosshart produced a kill and Evans served a point to clinch a 26-24 victory for LHS.Williams, who registered 25 set assists during the match, led the Cardinals with 12 service points and three aces. Pap added 11 points and two aces.Bosshart and Boomgaarden led LHS with nine and eight kills respectively. Morgan and Heitkamp added eight and five blocks to the cause.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian Dragons became victims of an upset during the quarterfinal round of the Section 3A Football Playoffs Tuesday in Adrian.Entertaining seventh-seeded Minneota, a team the Dragons beat in overtime Oct. 3 in Minneota, second-seeded Adrian had to be considered the favorite.The Vikings, however, beat the Dragons 34-16 in the final 29 minutes of the game to earn a berth in Saturday’s section semifinals with a 42-22 victory.Adrian’s season ends with a 7-2 record.The Vikings clobbered the Dragons with a powerful running game that produced five rushing touchdowns in the contest.Minneota quarterback Derek Stripling ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. Backs Steffan Stiklestad and Todd Traen added two and one rushing touchdowns to the winning cause.The Vikings opened the game in dominating fashion by taking the opening kick and driving 63 yards in nine plays with Traen scoring on a 12-yard run.When Stiklestad carried in the two-point conversion, Minneota sported an 8-0 lead at the 8:04 mark of the first quarter.Adrian, which lost the ball on downs on the Minneota 33-yard line to end its first offensive possession of the contest, knotted the score at eight early in the second quarter.The Dragons marched 55 yards in five plays with running back Brandon Wolf scoring on a 20-yard run at the 10:54 mark of the second stanza.Quarterback Levi Bullerman connected with Wolf for a successful conversion pass after the touchdown.Adrian, which was haunted by five turnovers in the game, helped Minneota regain the lead for good before the first half was complete.Traen picked off a pass deep in Adrian territory and returned it to the Dragon 15-yard line at the 9:10 mark of the second period. Four plays later, Stiklestad scored on a three-yard run to give the Vikings a 14-8 advantage.Adrian’s Brett Block intercepted the two-point conversion attempt.Minneota added an improbable touchdown in the final minute of the first half.After receiving the ball on their own 40 with 29 seconds remaining, the Vikings covered 60 yards in three plays.Stripling tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Tony Ufkin to cap the drive with three seconds left in the period, and Stripling carried in the conversion to make it a 22-8 game at the intermission.The Dragons seemed to seize the game’s momentum when they returned the kick to start the second half covering 82 yards for a touchdown. A run for the conversion failed, but Adrian was back in the game after trimming Minneota’s lead to eight points (22-14).Minneota, however, countered with a successful scoring drive with its first possession of the second half and took advantage of four Adrian turnovers in the third and fourth quarters to put the game away.The Vikings mounted a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Stripling scoring on a one-yard run at the 5:30 mark of the third period. The run for a conversion failed, leaving Minneota with a 28-14 advantage.Adrian fumbled the ball during the ensuing kick return, giving the Vikings the ball on the AHS 35.Six plays later, Stripling scored on a one-yard run and tossed a successful conversion pass to Stiklestad to make it a 36-14 game with 3:10 left in the third quarter.The Vikings iced the win when Ricky Peterson intercepted a pass to end an AHS scoring threat.Minneota’s following possession turned into a six-play, 62-yard drive with Stiklestad capping the advance with a one-yard run. The run for a conversion failed, leaving the Vikings with a 42-14 cushion with 7:08 left in the fourth quarter.Adrian did receive a one-yard touchdown run by Wolf and a conversion pass from Bullerman to Anderson at the 3:33 mark of the fourth quarter, but the outcome had been settled by then.Team statisticsAdrian: 120 rushing yards, 105 passing yards, 225 total yards, 14 first downs, five turnovers.Minneota: 300 rushing yards, 43 passing yards, 343 total yards, 15 first downs, one turnover.

By John RittenhouseLuverne’s football season came to a sudden end under a pile of points in Redwood Falls Tuesday night.The Cardinals hoped to upset Redwood Valley when the Southwest Conference teams met in the quarterfinal-round of the Section 3AAA Playoffs, but RWV proved to be an unkind host while rolling to a 49-23 victory over LHS.The win sends RWV into Saturday’s semifinals.Luverne’s 3-6 campaign comes to an end.Unlike the 33-30 game RWV won when the teams met in Luverne Oct. 10, LHS didn’t have an answer to RWV’s offensive prowess in the game’s first half.RWV scored 43 consecutive points in the game’s first 24 minutes to take control of the contest before the intermission.The scoring spree began early as RWV received the opening kickoff and put the ball in the end zone after running nine plays.Scott Leopold capped the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run at the 8:08 mark of the first period.Luverne had to punt four plays into its opening possession of the game, and RWV put together another nine-play drive that ended with Blake Hagert scoring on a two-yard run with 1:04 remaining in the first quarter.When Bryan Busack returned a punt 50 yards for the hosts before the first period was complete, RWV sported a 22-0 lead.The situation grew worse for LHS in the second period.Hagert capped a five-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run early in the second stanza, and RWV turned a Luverne fumble into some more points when quarterback Travis Fluck tossed a 78-yard touchdown pass to Busack at the 4:00 mark of the period.It looked like Luverne might score when it moved the ball into RWV territory late in the half, but RWV’s Leopold intercepted a pass and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown with 10 seconds left to make it a 43-0 game.Luverne did put together three nice scoring drives in the second half.Senior quarterback Andy Stegemann scored Luverne’s first points with a 14-yard run at the 5:23 mark of the third quarter. Stegemann tossed a successful conversion pass to Brad Herman to make it a 43-8 game.Senior running back Tyler Elbers scored on a 38-yard dash with 35 seconds left in the third stanza. The Stegemann-to-Herman combination clicked for another conversion pass to make the score 43-16.Luverne’s final touchdown came with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter, when junior running back Scott Goebel scored on a 14-yard scamper. Elbers booted the extra point to make the difference 43-23.RWV, however, cappd the scoring when Dusty Bauman raced 59 yards for a touchdown with 3:03 left to play.Individual statisticsRushing: Elbers 11-80, Mark Remme 15-84, Nate Siebenahler 2-5, Stegemann 6-53, Nick Heronimus 2-25, Goebel 6-48.Passing: Stegemann 0-1 for zero yards; Heronimus 5-11 for 40 yards.Receiving: Ben Cornish 3-23, Scott Pick 1-9, Elbers 1-8.

Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth senior Blake Hanisch and his Patriots remained alive in the Section 2 Nine-Man Football Playoffs by defeating Westbrook-Walnut Grove 15-13 Tuesday in Hills. The Patriots host Cedar Mountain-Comfrey in the semifinals 3 p.m. Saturday in Hills.By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth survived a scare from Westbrook-Walnut Grove to win a quarterfinal-round game of the Section 2 Nine-Man Football Playoffs in Hills Tuesday.The second-seeded Patriots fell behind No. 7 W-WG 6-0 in the first half, but H-BC-E rallied to outscore the Chargers 15-7 the rest of the way to pull out a 15-13 victory.The win ups H-BC-E’s season record to 6-3, and it gives the Patriots a two-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s semifinals.H-BC-E will host No. 6 Cedar Mountain-Comfrey, a 42-28 upset winner over No. 3 Edgerton Tuesday, at 3 p.m. Saturday in Hills.The Patriots didn’t turn in their best performance of the season against W-WG, but they played well enough to get the job done.The H-BC-E defense made a couple of key stops to keep the Chargers from scoring during the course of the game. The Patriot offense produced 271 rushing yards and two touchdowns while helping the team pull out a two-point win.W-WG drew first blood in the game after the teams battled to a draw in a scoreless first quarter.A shuffle-pass from quarterback Brennan Enstad to Dominick Madson turned into a 69-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.W-WG, however, missed the extra-point attempt to keep the score at 6-0.The Patriots answered the Chargers touchdown by putting together a scoring drive with their next offensive possession.H-BC-E back Zach Wysong, who carried the ball 27 times for 135 yards in the game, tied the score at six with a 20-yard touchdown run late in the first half.Wysong added the extra point to give the Patriots a 7-6 edge.The H-BC-E defense forced the Chargers to punt early in the second half, giving the Patriots the ball for the first time.The H-BC-E offense turned its first possession into a touchdown march that provided what proved to be the decisive points of the game.Patriot quarterback Travis Broesder, who carried the ball nine times for 75 yards in the contest, capped the advance with a 25-yard touchdown jaunt midway though the third quarter.Wysong carried the two-point conversion to give the Patriots a 15-6 cushion.The difference remained at nine points until late in the fourth quarter, when W-WG used a double pass to create a long gain that gave it the ball on the H-BC-E four-yard line.W-WG’s Madson scored on a three-yard run moments later, and the Chargers added the extra point to make it a 15-13 game with less than 2:30 left to play.The Chargers tried to get the ball back with an on-side kick, but H-BC-E’s Chris Nuffer recovered the ball.H-BC-E’s offense was able to run the remaining time off the clock, icing the victory for the Patriots."We won, but it kind of was an ugly game," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "They made some big plays to keep them in the game, and we couldn’t put them away."Team statisticsH-BC-E: 217 rushing yards, zero passing yards, 217 total yards.W-WG: 41 rushing yards, 194 passing yards, 235 total yards.

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth survived a scare from Westbrook-Walnut Grove to win a quarterfinal-round game of the Section 2 Nine-Man Football Playoffs in Hills Tuesday.The second-seeded Patriots fell behind No. 7 W-WG 6-0 in the first half, but H-BC-E rallied to outscore the Chargers 15-7 the rest of the way to pull out a 15-13 victory.The win ups H-BC-E’s season record to 6-3, and it gives the Patriots a two-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s semifinals.H-BC-E will host No. 6 Cedar Mountain-Comfrey, a 42-28 upset winner over No. 3 Edgerton Tuesday, at 3 p.m. Saturday in Hills.The Patriots didn’t turn in their best performance of the season against W-WG, but they played well enough to get the job done.The H-BC-E defense made a couple of key stops to keep the Chargers from scoring during the course of the game. The Patriot offense produced 271 rushing yards and two touchdowns while helping the team pull out a two-point win.W-WG drew first blood in the game after the teams battled to a draw in a scoreless first quarter.A shuffle-pass from quarterback Brennan Enstad to Dominick Madson turned into a 69-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.W-WG, however, missed the extra-point attempt to keep the score at 6-0.The Patriots answered the Chargers touchdown by putting together a scoring drive with their next offensive possession.H-BC-E back Zach Wysong, who carried the ball 27 times for 135 yards in the game, tied the score at six with a 20-yard touchdown run late in the first half.Wysong added the extra point to give the Patriots a 7-6 edge.The H-BC-E defense forced the Chargers to punt early in the second half, giving the Patriots the ball for the first time.The H-BC-E offense turned its first possession into a touchdown march that provided what proved to be the decisive points of the game.Patriot quarterback Travis Broesder, who carried the ball nine times for 75 yards in the contest, capped the advance with a 25-yard touchdown jaunt midway though the third quarter.Wysong carried the two-point conversion to give the Patriots a 15-6 cushion.The difference remained at nine points until late in the fourth quarter, when W-WG used a double pass to create a long gain that gave it the ball on the H-BC-E four-yard line.W-WG’s Madson scored on a three-yard run moments later, and the Chargers added the extra point to make it a 15-13 game with less than 2:30 left to play.The Chargers tried to get the ball back with an on-side kick, but H-BC-E’s Chris Nuffer recovered the ball.H-BC-E’s offense was able to run the remaining time off the clock, icing the victory for the Patriots."We won, but it kind of was an ugly game," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "They made some big plays to keep them in the game, and we couldn’t put them away."Team statisticsH-BC-E: 217 rushing yards, zero passing yards, 217 total yards.W-WG: 41 rushing yards, 194 passing yards, 235 total yards.

Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth junior Zach Wysong is unable to haul in a potential two-point conversion pass during a 22-8 victory over Edgerton in Hills Wednesday, Oct. 15. Wysong ran for 105 yards and scored two touchdowns to help the Patriots snap a three-game losing streak. By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team snapped a three-game losing skid by upending Edgerton 22-8 in Hills Wednesday, Oct. 15.H-BC-E was hoping to pick up some momentum heading into the playoffs and did so by scoring 22 unanswered points to defeat the Flying Dutchmen in the regular-season finale.The win upped H-BC-E’s record to 5-3 entering Tuesday’s Section 2 Nine-Man Playoff game against Westbrook-Walnut Grove. Look for the game story on the front page of the sports section.The fact that the Patriots played their best game of the second half of the regular season against Edgerton wasn’t overlooked by H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson.Although Edgerton took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter, the Patriots kept their focus while battling back to win their first game since Sept. 19."We really came out ready to play in this game," Ellingson said. "Even though Edgerton scored first, the guys did a great job of responding to their first touchdown. I was really happy with the way we played."The game didn’t start in a positive way for the hosts.H-BC-E received the opening kick and fumbled the ball five plays into the contest.Edgerton’s Travis Hulstein recovered the loose ball on the Flying Dutchmen 46-yard line, setting up an eight-play, 54-yard drive that ended with Brett Elgersma scoring on an 11-yard run at the 7:02 mark of the first quarter. When Elgersma carried in the two-point conversion, Edgerton sported an 8-0 advantage.The Flying Dutchmen threatened to increase their lead the second time they controlled the ball, but the H-BC-E defense stopped Edgerton on downs on the H-BC-E 22.H-BC-E moved the ball inside Edgerton territory with its next possession before pinning the Flying Dutchmen inside their own 20 with a punt.Edgerton had to punt three plays later, and a nice return by the Patriots gave them the ball on the Flying Dutchmen 30-yard line midway through the second quarter.Four plays later H-BC-E quarterback Travis Broesder tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tom LeBoutillier. When Broesder carried in the two-point conversion, the game was tied at eight with 4:19 remaining in the first half.Neither team could produce any points during the final four minutes of the second quarter, but the Patriots did move the ball to Edgerton’s 30-yard line before time ran out.H-BC-E’s defense forced Edgerton to punt four plays into the third quarter, and the Patriot offense took over on its own 46. H-BC-E advanced the ball 54 yards in eight plays with running back Zach Wysong finding the end zone at the end of a five-yard run at the 6:50 mark of the third quarter. A pass for a two-point conversion failed, but the Patriots had their first lead at 14-8.A roughing the kicker penalty on the Patriots kept Edgerton’s next possession alive, and the Flying Dutchmen proceeded to advance the ball deep into H-BC-E territory before losing the possession on downs with 23 seconds remaining in the third quarter.The H-BC-E offense took over with the ball on the Patriot five-yard line, and put together a 14-play drive that chewed 7:28 off the clock.The march ended with Wysong scoring on a one-yard run with 4:55 left to play in the game, and Broesder carried in the two-point conversion to make the difference 22-8."That 95-yard drive in the second half was big," Ellingson said. "We ended up running nearly 7:30 off the clock, and we had to overcome some penalties to keep the drive alive. Edgerton ended up having two offensive plays in the fourth quarter. I was really happy with the way we finished the game."Edgerton’s first offensive play of the final period wasn’t very successful as Wysong picked off a pass and returned the ball to the Edgerton 22 with 4:39 remaining.The Patriots lost the ball on downs with 13 seconds remaining, giving the Edgerton offense an opportunity to run one play before time expired.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 285 rushing yards, 87 passing yards, 372 total yards, 15 first downs, 12 penalties for 80 yards, one turnover.Edgerton: 91 rushing yards, 126 passing yards, 217 total yards, 12 first downs, eight penalties for 60 yards, one turnover.Individual statisticsRushing: LeBoutillier 13-94, Wysong 21-105, Broesder 13-51, Blake Hanisch 2-35.Passing: Broesder 5-12 for 87 yards.Receiving: LeBoutillier 3-28, Greg Van Batavia 1-34, Wysong 1-25.Defense: Wysong six tackles and one interception, LeBoutillier six tackles and one sack, Cody Scholten nine tackles, Brian Gacke six tackles.