PROBATE COURTDISTRICT COURT—COUNTY COURTPROBATE DIVISIONORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING FOR FORMAL PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE IN SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSANCILLARY PROCEEDINGSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTYOF ROCKIn Re: Estate ofHenry C. Barjenbruch a/k/aHank Barjenbruch, DeceasedTO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS: It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 22nd day of September, 2003, at 9:45 O’clock A.M., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at Rock County Courthouse, Luverne, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of the above named deceased, dated October 14, 1992, and for the appointment of Leslie M. Jones, whose address is 6501 W. 43rd Street, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57106, as personal representative of the estate of the above named decedent in a supervised administration, and that any objections hereto must be filed with the Court. That, if proper, and no objections are filed, said personal representative will be appointed to administer the estate, to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, and sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the estate. Upon completion of the administration, the representative shall file a final account for the allowance and shall distribute the estate to the persons thereto entitled as ordered by the Court, and close the estate.Notice is further given that ALL CREDITORS having claims against said estate are required to present the same to said personal representative or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred. Dated: August 25, 2003 /s/ Timothy K. ConnellTimothy K. ConnellDistrict Court Judge/s/ Douglas E. Eisma /s/ Sandra L. VrtacnikDouglas E. Eisma Sandra L. VrtacnikAttorney for Petitioner Court AdministratorEisma and Eisma130 East Main, Box 625Luverne, MN 56156(507)283-4828I.D. #158343(8-28, 9-4)

JULY 24, 2003MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 2184, ROCK COUNTY, LUVERNE, MINNESOTA.A regular meeting of the Board of Education, ISD #2184, was held in the MS/HS Media Center on Thursday, June 26, 2003, at 7:30 p.m. The following members were present: Don Bryan, Dan Kopp, Cary Radisewitz, Bill Stegemann, Steve Tofteland, and Becky Walgrave. Absent: Colleen Deutsch. Also present: Superintendent Vince Schaefer, Marlene Mann, Gary Fisher, Stacy Gillette, Jan Olson, Dave Siebenahler, Mary Gehrke, Dale Nelson, Lisa Dinger, and Lori Ehde, Rock County Star Herald.The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Dan Kopp. Mr. Schaefer gave announcements. Motion by Stegemann, second by Radisewitz, to approve the agenda with addendum. Motion unanimously carried. Mary Gehrke, president of the Luverne Hockey Association, gave a report to the School Board. Administrative reports were given.Motion by Bryan, second by Radisewitz, to approve the consent agenda which included the minutes of the June 26, 2003, school board meeting and the Student Activity Report showing the balances as of June 30, 2003. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Tofteland, to approve payment of the District bills in the amount of $1,620,525.13. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Bryan, second by Walgrave, to approve the agreement with the Prairie Stewardship Project for use of some of the school land for wildflower plantings. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Walgrave, second by Radisewitz, to continue membership in the Minnesota School Board Association for the 2003-04 school year. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Walgrave, second by Bryan, to change the date of the Levy Continuation Hearing, if needed, to December 18. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Radisewitz, to approve Policy 502.01 – School Discipline as revised by the principals. Superintendent Schaefer reviewed the changes made. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Walgrave, to designate the following depositories: First Farmers and Merchants National Bank, Minnwest Bank of Luverne and/or Minnwest Bank Systems, Hardwick State Bank, First National Bank, Minnesota School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus, and Smith Barney, Inc. Member Bryan noted he is an officer of the Hardwick State Bank and Member Tofteland noted he is a director of Minnwest Bank. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Tofteland, second by Stegemann, to designate the Rock County Star Herald as the official newspaper for publication of meeting minutes. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Walgrave, second by Bryan, to designate the following school attorneys: Skewes, Klosterbuer and Vajgrt; Knutson, Flynn and Deans; and, Ratwick, Roszak, Maloney and Bartel. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Walgrave, to designate Todd Oye as student activities representative and Vincent Schaefer as school representative to the High School League Governing Board. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Tofteland, second by Bryan, to authorize Marlene Mann, Vincent Schaefer, and Brenda Teal to wire transfer depositories. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Radisewitz, second by Stegemann, to set the 2003-2004 school board compensation at $50.00 for each scheduled regular board meeting and $30.00 for special meetings with members of the Board of Education covered by Workers Compensation. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Bryan, second by Walgrave, to set the bus driver physical reimbursement at $82.00 for the physical and $33.50 for the license for a total of $115.50. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Walgrave, to set the bus driver compensation at $56.15 per day for a regular route, $68.00 per day for the Sioux Falls special route, $27.00 per day for the preschool route, and $9.30 per hour for activities trips. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Bryan, to set the substitute teacher rate for $85.00 per day. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Tofteland, to set the contract for private transportation with Southwest Christian at $35.00. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Bryan, second by Stegemann, to approve the Elementary School parent/student handbook. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Tofteland, to approve the Middle School handbook. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Bryan, to approve the High School parent/student handbook. Motion unanimously carried.Jan Olson reviewed the changes to the Alternative School handbook. Motion by Walgrave, second by Radisewitz, to approve the Alternative School handbook. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Bryan, second by Stegemann, to approve the District Policy handbook. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Radisewitz, second by Tofteland, to approve the following food service prices: Grades K-5 Lunch: $1.25 per dayGrades 6-12 Lunch: $1.50 per dayAdult Lunch: $2.50 per day Elementary Milk: $27.00 annuallyK-12 Reduced Price Lunch: $0.40 per dayStudent Breakfast: $1.00 per dayAdult Breakfast: $1.40 per dayMotion unanimously carried.Discussion was held regarding the activity fees. Member Stegemann made a motion to maintain the present level of activity fees of $30.00 for grades 9-12 and $20.00 for grades 7-8 for forensics, math league, mock trial, plays (cast only), cheerleading, band, choir, and speech; to increase the activity fee for all sports to $50.00 for grades 9-12 and $30.00 for grades 7-8; and, to increase the family cap to $200.00. Member Tofteland seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken with those in favor: Radisewitz, Walgrave, Stegemann, Tofteland, and Kopp; and those against: Bryan; Member Deutsch was absent. Motion carried. Motion by Tofteland, second by Walgrave, to approve a student teaching clinical agreement with the University of Sioux Falls in history for this fall. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Bryan, second by Tofteland, to approve the Attachment 99 Performance Criteria as amended. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Walgrave, second by Stegemann, to approve the Environmental/Occupational Health and Safety Management Program. It was noted that Jerry Jensen is replacing John Oksness as the Laboratory Safety contact person. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Radisewitz, to accept the resignation of Larry VanGrootheest, Custodian, effective July 23, 2003. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Bryan, to approve Stacy Lihs as Middle School Student Council advisor. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Bryan, to approve a salary of $25,920.00 for Gretchen Davis, Food Service Director. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Tofteland, second by Stegemann, to approve a salary of $42,493.00 for Lon Remme, Transportation Supervisor. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Walgrave, second by Radisewitz, to approve a salary of $42,472.00 for Wade Hiller, Technology Coordinator. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Bryan, second by Radisewitz, to approve a salary of $47,632.00 for Marlene Mann, Business Manager. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Bryan, to approve a salary of $45,448.00 for Larry Roos, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Bryan, second by Walgrave, to approve a salary of $30,680.00 for Brenda Teal, Payroll Accountant/Administrative Secretary. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Walgrave, second by Tofteland, to accept the resignation of Cami McAndrew, management paraprofessional. Motion unanimously carried. Discussion was held regarding the proposed changing of the room signage and numbers in the Middle/High School. Member Bryan made a motion to recommend not approving putting in new signage at this time. Member Walgrave made a second to the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Those who voted in favor: Radisewitz, Bryan, Walgrave, Stegemann, and Kopp. Those who voted against: Tofteland. Member Deutsch was absent. Motion carried. Committee reports were given. The upcoming meeting dates were reviewed. Motion by Stegemann, second by Walgrave, to adjourn the meeting. Motion unanimously carried. Dated: July 24, 2003William Stegemann, Clerk(8-28)

10 years ago (1993)"In an emergency, it doesn’t matter to Rock County residents whether a person in a blue uniform or brown uniform comes to the rescue. The only thing that matters is that someone is trained to handle the situation.… In an attempt to get more mileage out of pooled resources, the county and city are considering combining the law enforcement departments of city police and county sheriff."25 years ago (1978)"A huge corn crop is ripening in Rock County fields, but a poor market price currently faces the farmers and a lack of storage space to safely hold the grain until the price improves seems apparent.One logical alternative would seem to be feeding the corn to cattle and gaining a decent price for the crop through the sale of the cattle.Richard Bakken, president of the Rock County Livestock Feeders Association, told the Star Herald that alternative is not as attractive as one might think."50 years ago (1953)"Lewis Noll, Beaver Creek service station operator, became the first armed robbery victim in Rock County in a number of years Monday evening.Two unmasked men, one of them carrying a gun, robbed him of between $138 and $145 about 8:30 p.m. and escaped in a late-model yellow Oldsmobile, heading west on U.S. Highway 16."75 years ago (1928)"Work is now well advanced on the installation of a balcony at the Luverne Armory that will make it possible to accommodate approximately six hundred more people in the hall. This improvement will fill a long-felt want, for on several occasions each year the Armory has not been sufficiently spacious to accommodate the crowds, especially at such events as the annual auto-radio show."100 years ago (1903)"Merchants in Luverne and all other towns on the line of the Rock Island road have been greatly inconvenienced by the condition brought about by the reduction of freight service on that road. Their protests to the railroad company and the jobbing houses have produced an arrangement that promises more prompt delivery of goods."

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team opened the 2003 season by dropping a five-game match in Lake Benton Tuesday.H-BC made its debut without standout hitter Erin Boeve, who missed the match with the flu.The Patriots who were on hand for the match impressed H-BC coach Curt Doorneweerd with their play."I hate losing. But, since it was our first match of the year, I was quite pleased with the way we played," he said. "The girls could have given up after we lost the third game, but they battled back and nearly won it in five," he said.The Patriots notched a 25-20 win in the opener before dropping 25-18 and 25-15 decisions in Games 2 and 3 respectively.H-BC forced a fifth game with a 25-16 victory in Game 4, but the Bobcats pulled out a thrilling 15-13 win in the finale.Cassi Tilstra (five blocks, 11 kills and 16 of 16 serving with one ace), Kelly Mulder (seven blocks, 12 kills and 21 of 23 serving with two aces) and Amanda Olson (two blocks, six kills and 13 of 15 serving with two aces) turned in solid, all-around performances for H-BC.Melissa Sandstede (five kills), Ashley Bosch (two kills and one ace serve) and Alissa Hoyme (eight of nine serving) also helped the cause.The 0-1 Patriots host Red Rock Central Sept. 4.

By John RittenhouseArea drivers posted heat wins in three different classes at Rapid Speedway, in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Friday.The local racers found success in the late model street stock, sportsmen and hobby stock classes at the Iowa track.Former Hills resident Darrin Korthals had the best night, winning the first heat race and feature event in the street stock class.Former Ash Creek resident David Kruger, Ellsworth’s Scott Overgaard, Luverne’s Chad Overgaard and Adrian’s Mark DeBoer competed against Korthals Friday.Kruger placed second in the first heat and sixth in the feature. Scott Overgaard finished fourth in the first heat and fourth in the feature. Chad Overgaard placed third in the second heat and second in the feature. DeBoer placed fourth in the second heat and third in the feature.Ellsworth’s Greg Roemen had a good night in the sportsmen’s class at Rapid Speedway.Roemen won the first heat race before finishing second in the feature.Former Luverne resident Anthony Mann and Steen’s Pete Kracht also mixed it up in the sportsmen’s class.Mann placed third in the first heat and fourth in the feature. Kracht placed seventh in the first heat and 10th in the feature.Kanaranzi’s Colter Deutsch won the first heat race in the hobby stock class before finishing sixth in the feature Friday.Steen’s Billy Cowell won the second heat race before placing eighth in the hobby stock feature.Luverne’s Mike Buss, Magnolia’s Larry Kracht, Ash Creek’s Bobbi Kracht and Ellsworth’s Chris Tiesler also raced in the hobby stock class at Rapid Speedway.Buss placed second in the first heat and sixth in the feature. Larry Kracht finished third in the first heat and 16th in the feature. Bobbi Kracht placed fifth in the first heat and 13th in the feature. Tiesler placed sixth in the first heat and 11th in the feature.Jeff Haubrich, Luverne, saw success at Murray County Speedway in Slayton Friday, placing third in his heat race and third in the hobby stock feature.Luverne’s Mike Steensma won his heat race and the feature in the modified class in Slayton.Luverne’s Brad Buysse competed in the 360 sprints at Rapid Speedway, finishing fifth in the third heat and 15th in the feature.Adrian’s DeBoer and Luverne’s Jesse Akkerman raced street stocks at different tracks in South Dakota Saturday night.DeBoer placed fourth in the first heat and fifth in the feature at Lake County Speedway in Madison.Akkerman placed second in his heat race and third in the feature at I-90 Speedway in Madison.Ellsworth’s Roemen placed fourth in the street stock feature at Worthington Speedway Sunday.Correction: The Aug. 21 edition of the Star Herald reported Luverne’s Brandon Buysse competed in the 360 sprints at Huset’s and Rapid Speedways.It was Brad Buysse racing at those tracks. The Star Herald regrets the error.

By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth volleyball team opened the season in impressive fashion by beating a pair of teams early this week.The Panthers posted a four-game win over Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster in Round Lake Monday before winning a four-game match against Fulda in Ellsworth Tuesday.Ellsworth plays Westbrook-Walnut Grove in Westbrook Friday.Ellsworth 3, Fulda 1The Panthers came out on the winning end for the second consecutive night when they topped the Raiders in Ellsworth Tuesday.All four games of the match were close, but EHS used some scrappy defensive play to win three of them."We played good defense and it kept us in the match," said EHS coach Jason Langland. "It really wasn’t an offensive match. Neither team hit the ball very well."The match was entertaining, as a four-point difference was the largest margin of victory in four games.Ellsworth led 2-0 after posting 25-23 and 25-22 wins in Games 1 and 2, but the Raiders came back to post a 25-21 victory in the third game. The Panthers iced the win by pulling out a 26-24 win in Game 4.Marla Groen completed 12 of 13 serves and recorded five aces for the winners. Lynette Drenth and Amy Timmer charted six set assists each.Amy Tiesler and Brittney Kramer led with eight and seven kills respectively. Laurel Drenth charted eight digs and five blocks.Ellsworth 3, SV-RL-B 1The Panthers opened the season in style by posting a four-game win over the Raiders in Round Lake Monday."It was the first time we won the first match of the season since I’ve been here," said Panther coach Langland. "I was pretty happy with the way we played. We worked some of the kinks out."Ellsworth rolled to a 25-12 win in Game 1 before falling behind by four points late in the second game. EHS, however, rallied to knot the score at 26 before using an ace tip by Brittney Kramer to take a 27-26 edge. The Panthers scored the next point to seal a 28-26 win.SV-RL-B pulled out a 25-21 win in Game 3 before EHS settled the issue with a 25-16 win in the fourth tilt.Kramer (eight kills and eight blocks) and Laurel Drenth (10 kills, eight blocks and six digs) turned in strong performances at the net for the winners. Kramer was 14 of 16 serving with seven aces.Amy Tiesler completed all 14 of her serves and registered three aces to go along with six digs during the match.Lynette Drenth and Marla Groen contributed eight and six set assists respectively to the winning cause."I thought we passed the ball fairly well, and Kramer and Laurel Drenth did a good job of blocking at the net. We served the ball pretty well, too. It was a good first match," Langland concluded.

By John RittenhouseA total of nine golfers won flight championships during the 65th Men’s Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club over the weekend.Along with Dan Serie collecting his fourth club championship, Doug Van Kley, Craig Nelson, Matt Kopp, Tom Foster, Scott Spronk, Cory Bloemendaal, Virgil Van Hulzen and Cliff Boom entered the winner’s circle as flight champions at the end of the two-day, 36-hole tournament.Van Kley emerged as the winner of the president’s flight. He was one of eight players who competed in the championship flight on Saturday before they were placed in the president’s flight Sunday.Van Kley (85) took a one-shot lead over James Stratton (86) and two-shot advantages over Gary Golla (87) and Jeremy Sudenga (87) into Sunday’s rounds.Both Van Kley and Stratton carded 41s during Sunday’s opening round to remain one stroke apart. Van Kley nipped Stratton 37-38 during the second round to win the flight by two strokes.Van Kley finished the event with a 40-45-41-37-163. Stratton’s final numbers were 46-40-41-38-165.Golla and Sudenga slipped out of contention Sunday, opening the door for George McDonald. McDonald, who shot an 89 Saturday, rallied to record a 79 Sunday to finish third. His final numbers were 40-49-41-38-168.Craig Nelson used a late surge to win the first flight.Scott Remme shot an 85 Saturday to open a two-shot cushion over Nelson, Steve Sehr and Jason Phelps, who all shot 87s. Dave Iverson was three shots off the pace with his 88.Sehr fired a 42 during Sunday’s first round to move in front of Remme by one shot and take a two-shot lead over Nelson.While Sehr dropped out of the picture after shooting a 52 during Sunday’s second round, Nelson heated up and shot a 40 to win the flight by five strokes with a 41-46-44-40-171.Remme placed second (42-43-45-46-176) and Iverson finished third (45-43-44-45-177).Matt Kopp won a two-hole playoff to take top honors in the third flight.Kopp shot an 83 Saturday to open a two-shot cushion over Dan Kern, who carded an 85.Kern outshot Kopp 38-42 during Sunday’s first round to gain a two-shot advantage, but Kopp rallied to tie Kern for the flight lead with a 42-44 scoring advantage during the second round.Kopp and Kern both made par on the first playoff hole. Kopp won the flight title by making par on the second playoff hole. Kern bogeyed the same hole.Kopp’s numbers for the tournament were 43-40-42-42-167, while Kern turned in a 43-42-38-44-167. Dave Gangestad placed third with a 44-45-43-43-175.Tom Foster posted a one-stroke win in a very competitive third flight.Foster, who shot a 40 during Saturday’s first round, finished the day with an 88 to sport a one-shot lead over Jeff Sehr (89), a two-shot cushion over Tom Serie (90) and a three-shot advantage over Mark Sehr (91).Serie fired a 44 to begin play Sunday, giving him a two-shot advantage over Foster and Jeff Sehr and a three-shot lead over Mark Sehr, who slipped out of contention with a 51 in the second round.Foster bounced back with a 43 during the final round to nip Serie and Jeff Sehr by one shot in the final standings.Foster finished the event with a 40-48-48-43-179. Sehr (50-39-47-44-180) and Serie (46-44-44-46-180) shared second place.Scott Spronk posted a three-shot win in the fourth flight.Spronk recorded a 92 Saturday to sport one-shot leads over Don Lien and Bill Den Hoed (92s), a two-shot lead over Tom Kopp (94) and a three-shot lead over Tom Skattum (95).Den Hoed and Kopp slipped out of the picture during Sunday’s first round, when Spronk shot a 42 to increase his lead to four shots over Lien and eight shots over Skattum.Lien outscored Spronk 45-46 during Sunday’s second round, but it wasn’t enough to keep Spronk from winning the flight title with his 44-48-42-46-180. Lien (46-47-45-45-183) finished second and Skattum (47-48-47-44-186) placed third.Cory Bloemendaal rallied from a one-shot deficit to post a comfortable, eight-stroke win in the fifth flight.Gary Kurtz carded a 90 Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Bloemendaal (91) and a five-shot lead over Sam Hansen (95).Bloemendaal moved in front of Kurtz by two strokes after outscoring him 46-49 during Sunday’s first round. Bloemendaal iced the flight title by outscoring Kurtz 45-51 in the final round.Bloemendaal’s final numbers are 48-43-46-45-182. Kurtz (46-44-49-51-190) placed second and Hansen (48-47-45-52-192) finished third.Virgil Van Hulzen erased a six-shot deficit on Sunday to win the sixth flight by one stroke.Jason Heard shot a 92 Saturday to take a two-shot lead over Bruce Olson and Nate Jarchow (94s) and a three-shot lead over Dennis Holtrop (95).Heard and Holtrop dropped back in the pack after shooting 100- and 107-stroke scores Sunday.Jarchow fired a 41 during Sunday’s first round to gain a five-shot lead over Olson and Van Hulzen, but Jarchow carded a 53 during the second round to fall into third place.Van Hulzen nipped Olson 45-46 during Sunday’s second round to win by one shot.Van Hulzen finished the tournament with a 53-45-43-45-186. Olson (47-47-47-46-187) placed second and Jarchow (45-50-41-53-189) finished third.Cliff Boom posted a seven-stroke win in the seventh flight.Mark Sas carded a 94 Saturday to lead Boom and Ryan DeBates (96s) by two shots and Dave Arends (97), who slipped out of contention Sunday, by three strokes.Boom shot a 47 during Sunday’s first round to gain a two-shot lead over DeBates and a four-shot cushion over Sas.Boom locked up the flight title by shooting a 46 during the final round.Boom finished the event with a 52-44-47-46-189. Sas placed second (46-48-53-49-196) and DeBates placed third (49-47-49-52-197).

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne tennis team was put to the test of playing in four events in a seven-day span.The Cardinals competed at doubles tournaments in St. James and Fairmont Wednesday, Aug. 20, and Friday respectively.Luverne then dropped a seven-point match against Yellow Medicine East in Pipestone Monday before posting a three-point win over Brandon Valley in Brandon, S.D., Tuesday.The 1-1 Cardinals host Redwood Valley for an 11 a.m. match Friday before playing at Sioux Falls Lincoln Tuesday.Luverne 6, BV 3The Cardinals recorded their first team victory of the season in Brandon, S.D., Tuesday.Luverne won four of six singles matches and took two of three doubles tests to topple the Lynx on their home court.Samantha Gacke, Alyssa Klein, Kaitlyn Deragisch and Jessica Klein posted singles wins for the Cards.Gacke and Deragisch notched 10-6 victories over Hilary Green and Jill Tucek in the No. 1 and No. 4 slots. Alyssa Klein blanked Arin Kundtson 10-0 at No. 3. After falling behind 7-2 against Ashley Rubin at No. 6 singles, Jessica Klein rallied to steal an 11-9 victory.BV’s Julia Lappe handed Brittany Boeve a 10-5 setback at No. 2 singles. Lynx’ Jamie Vermeer downed Andraya Gacke 10-4 at No. 5.Samantha Gacke and Boeve teamed up at No. 1 doubles and recorded a 10-3 victory over Green and Lappe. Alyssa Klein and Heidi Sandbulte won 10-3 over Knudtson and Tucek at No. 2.BV’s Vermeer and Rubin bested Katie Kraetsch and Lindsey Severtson by a 10-6 decision at No. 3 doubles."The girls played well," said Cardinal coach Greg Antoine. "Samantha (Gacke) and Alyssa (Klein) took control and kept control of their matches. Brittany (Boeve) lost, but she was playing their best player. Jessica (Klein) came back as far as anyone can to win her match. I think all of the doubles tournaments we played in last week helped our doubles players today. All three teams played well."YME 7, Luverne 0The Cardinals were unable to post a match victory when they took on Yellow Medicine East in Pipestone Monday.Luverne had to mix up its lineup to cover the absence of a singles player, and that played a role in the outcome."We were missing Nikki Van Dyk in singles," said Cardinal coach Antoine. "We had a lot of players playing in different positions, and that makes a big difference in tennis."The highlights of the match for Luverne turned out to be set wins posted by the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams.After dropping a 6-3 decision to Jessie Pederson and Michelle Miller at No. 2 doubles, Luverne’s Jessica Klein and Heidi Sandbulte evened the match with a 6-4 victory in the second set. The YME team won a 7-2 decision in the tiebreaker that was used to settle the third set.Luverne’s Lindsey Severtson and Katie Kraetsch fell by a 6-2 tally in the first set of the No. 3 doubles match against Hailey Bennett and Meghan Bredeson. The Luverne team won the second set 7-6 after posting a 7-3 victory in the tie-breaker for the set. The YME team won a super tie-breaker by a 10-4 margin to take the third set.YME’s Cassie Barber and Jessica Oloove secured 6-1 and 6-0 wins over Jenny Braa and Andraya Gacke at No. 1 doubles.The Sting won all the singles matches in straight sets.Ashley Bennett topped Samantha Gacke by 6-1 and 6-4 scores at No. 1, Jamie Euger nailed down 6-0 and 6-1 wins over Brittany Boeve at No. 2, Kelly O’Connell bested Alyssa Klein by 6-4 and 6-1 tallies at No. 3, and Melissa Rasmussen notched 6-1 and 6-3 wins over Kaitlyn Deragisch at No. 4."One thing I noticed about our play was we need to be more aggressive. I saw the kids were trying to use strategies, but they just couldn’t get it done," Antoine said.Fairmont tourneyThe Cardinals placed third as a team during Friday’s doubles tournament in Fairmont.The host school took top honors in the event and was followed in order by Worthington, Luverne and Springfield."I thought our girls really played well in Fairmont," Antoine said. "We started doing some of the things we’ve been working on in practice. Now we just need more practice."Samantha Gacke and Brittany Boeve provided the highlight of the day by placing second in the championship flight. The Luverne squad won 32 games, finishing second behind a Fairmont team that won 34 games.Nikki Van Dyk and Alyssa Klein also played in the championship flight, winning 21 games to place fifth.Cardinals’ Kaitlyn Deragisch and Andraya Gacke won 26 games to place third in the second flight. Heidi Sandbulte and Jessica Klein finished sixth in the same flight with 20 wins.Lindsey Severtson and Amy Herman posted 25 wins to place fourth in the third flight. Whitney Maine and Katie Kraetsch tied for fifth place in the third flight with 17 wins.St. James tourneyThe Cardinals dropped three matches during a doubles tournament in St. James Wednesday, Aug. 21.Luverne came up on the short end of 7-1, 8-0 and 5-3 scores against Sibley East, the host team and Maple River respectively, but the Cardinals did earn something in the process."We gained a lot of good experience," said Cardinal coach Antoine. "We won a lot of the games, but we just didn’t come out on top in the matches. Hopefully, we learned some things that we can build on down the road."Luverne’s No. 1 doubles team of Brittany Boeve and Samantha Gacke had a successful day that featured winning two of three matches.Boeve and Gacke posted a 5-1, 1-5, 10-3 (super tie-breaker) against a team from SE before dropping a 2-5, 5-2, 10-5 (super tiebreaker) match to SJ. They beat the MR team by a 5-3, 2-5, 10-7 (super tie-breaker) decision.Cardinals Nikki Van Dyk and Kalina Vander Poel won their match against MR by scores of 5-2 and 5-3 at No. 2 doubles. Luverne’s No. 7 team notched a 1-5, 5-3, 13-11 (super tiebreaker) during the match against MR.

Dan Serie (middle) won his fourth club tournament championship during the Men’s Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club over the weekend. Joe Dorhout (left) placed third. Chris Nowatzki (right) finished second.By John RittenhouseDan Serie left little doubt that he’s the best golfer the Luverne Country Club has to offer during the 65th Men’s Club Tournament played Saturday and Sunday.Serie led the championship flight after all four rounds during the two-day, 36-hole tournament, winning his fourth club championship since 1991.Serie, who has won three of the last four club tournaments, met all the challenges that confronted him during the 2003 version of the event.He withstood windy conditions and lightning-fast greens to shoot a five-over-par 72 on Saturday. On Sunday, Serie survived humid, 90-degree temperatures and a late challenge by runner-up Chris Nowatzki to shoot a one-over-par 73 and win the championship flight by four strokes."I played pretty well," Serie said, at tournament’s end. "I actually think I played better Saturday than I did on Sunday. I got a few lucky breaks on Sunday to stay ahead of Chris, who is due to win won of these tournaments."The problem for Nowatzki and the rest of the 11 players in the championship flight on Sunday was Serie’s not giving mood.He doubled his first-day lead of two strokes to four during Sunday’s opening round. Serie did leave the door open for Nowatzki to trim the difference to two strokes during the final round, but he made par five times and recorded one birdie over the final six holes to close the door on the competition.After a miserable performance during the 2002 version of the event, Serie served notice that things would be different this year with his play in Saturday’s first round.Serie fired a one-over-par 37 during the opening round to sport a two-shot lead over Darwin Elbers and Jon Jarchow, who shot 79s. Steve Smedsrud and Joe Dorhout were three strokes back with 40s.The eventual champion was unable to match his early success during Saturday’s second round, when Serie shot a four-over-par 40. It proved to be the highest score for a nine-hole round during the tournament.The competition, however, was unable to cut into the two-shot lead Serie brought into the second round.Nowatzki, who carded a 44 during the first round, shot an impressive one-under-par 35 during the second round to climb within two shots of Serie (77-79). Smedsrud was three shots back after shooting his second 40 of the day, and Jarchow (81) trailed by four shots after shooting a 41."The course was tough to play Saturday," Serie said. "The wind was blowing 30 to 35 miles-per-hour, and that made it hard on all of us. Winds like that made what were fast greens in the first place even faster."The humidity helped slow down the greens on Sunday, but the heat was a factor everyone had to endure.Serie and Nowatzki were paired with Smedsrud and Elbers in Sunday’s final group, but the title-chase turned into a showdown between Serie and Nowatzki as Elbers and Smedsrud carded 43- and 46-stroke opening rounds to slip out of contention.Dorhout, a member of the second-to-the-last group, played well by shooting a 75 Sunday. He climbed to within four strokes of Serie at one point in the final round, but he ended up finishing third with 157, seven strokes behind the champion.Like Saturday, Serie got off to a good start by shooting his second 37 of the tournament.Nowatzki countered with a 39, leaving him with a four-shot deficit (114-118) to make up.Nowatzki climbed within three shots of the lead when he made par on the first hole of the fourth round, while Serie took a bogey.It looked like Nowatzki would pick up some more strokes when he reached the green on the par-5 second hole with his second shot before two-putting for birdie.Serie, however, came up with a birdie of his own on the same hole.After both his drive and second shots found the right rough, Serie faced a 110-yard approach with trees and a sand trap in the line to the green. Serie met the challenge by striking a shot that eluded the obstacles and came to rest six inches away from the cup."I was thinking bogey," Serie admitted after the event. "I thought if I could get a bogey, I still would be ahead of Chris. I took a 5-iron and punched it. It was a good shot, but it was a very lucky shot."Serie proceeded to miss the green with his tee shot on the par-3 third hole, which led to his last bogey of the tournament. Nowatzki made par to cut Serie’s lead to two strokes with six holes left to play.The players proceeded to par the fourth and fifth holes before another defining moment fell in Serie’s favor on the sixth green.Serie faced a 15-foot putt for birdie with a four-foot break from right to left. To the amazement of the crowd, Serie sank the putt to increase his lead to three shots after Nowatzki made par."It definitely was the putt of the tournament for me," Serie offered. "The thing is I had a similar putt on the same hole during the first round, so I knew the line. I told my caddie that it was about time I made a putt. Making that putt made the situation a lot more comfortable for me."Both players made par on the seventh hole before Serie iced the championship by making par on the eighth hole. Nowatzki, who had to chip the ball onto the fairway after his drive rolled under an evergreen in the right rough, made bogey on the same hole to slip four shots off the pace.Both players made par on the ninth hole, which ended with Serie sporting a 150-154 lead over the challenger. Both players shot 36s during the final round.Serie said having a four-shot lead to play with heading into the final round was crucial."It was a lot better to be ahead by four strokes than being down by four. I was just trying to hit fairways and greens and make par," he said. "I knew Chris would make some birdies the way he was playing. I think Chris and Joe (Dorhout) are two of the better golfers out here who have never won a club tournament. But I was comfortable with my swing heading into the final round, and I knew wouldn’t make too many mistakes."The champion credits caddie Paul Ebert (Elk River), a long-time friend and Luverne High School classmate, as being a calming influence on him during the two-day event."This is the 10th year Paul has been my caddie, and this was the third time I’ve won the tournament with him. He does a great job," Serie said. Here is look at the final results of all players in the championship flight.Dan Serie 37-40-37-36-150, Chris Nowatzki 44-35-39-36-154, Joe Dorhout 40-42-38-37-157, Tim Connell 41-42-40-36-159, Darwin Elbers 39-40-43-39-161, Victor Van Dyk 45-39-39-42-165, Jon Jarchow 39-41-41-45-166, Steve Smedsrud 40-40-46-42-168, Cory Stratton 44-40-43-42-169, Micky Sehr 43-39-45-42-169, Craig Hohn 42-42-42-46-172.