Hills-Beaver Creek guard Tyler Bush puts up a shot in traffic during Saturday’s South Section 3A Tournament game in Worthington. Edgerton upset the Patriots 72-70.

By John Rittenhouse
Edgerton High School senior Zach Hadler built some relationships with Hills-Beaver students as a member of the Luverne-H-BC-Ellsworth-Edgerton cross country program last fall.

But he didn’t make many friends at H-BC with his performance in Saturday’s quarterfinal-round game of the South Section 3A Boys’ Basketball Tournament in Worthington.

Hadler, a guard for the Flying Dutchmen, drained a 15-foot jumper with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give seventh-seeded EHS a 72-70 victory over No. 2 H-BC.

Edgerton’s win, which came after two losses to H-BC during the regular season, sends it to the tournament semifinals tonight in Worthington. EHS plays No. 3 Southwest Christian, a 60-46 winner over Red Rock Central, at 7:30 p.m.

H-BC ends the year with a 19-6 record.

With Hadler leading the way by scoring 19 points, Edgerton pulled off the tournament’s biggest upset to date knocking off H-BC. The game was competitive from beginning to end, with Edgerton settling the issue with Hadler’s late blow.

Edgerton sported a 54-47 lead when it converted a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but it seemed to lose its grip on the game when H-BC’s Kale Wiertzema drained a pair of free throws at the 4:01 mark of the period to cap a 9-2 run that knotted the score at 56.

The game was tied at 58 when Edgerton started a 10-5 surge that gave it a 68-63 cushion with 1:11 left to play, but the Patriots battled back to tie the game at 70 when Wiertzema converted a field goal with 9.5 seconds remaining.

After an Edgerton timeout, Hadler received the in-bound pass and dribbled the ball past the half-court line before being met with pressure by H-BC. Hadler proceeded to move the ball to the right baseline, where he stopped and hit a jumper with two seconds left.

H-BC took a timeout and set up a play that ended up with the ball in the hands of senior Tyson Metzger near center court, but his desperation shot clanked off the backboard without hitting the rim.

Both teams sported three-point leads in the early stages of the first quarter before H-BC moved in front 15-11 with a field goal from Trey Van Wyhe with 1:00 mark.

Edgerton trimmed the difference to one point (17-16) by period’s end, and tied the game at 19 before going on a 7-0 run to take a 26-19 lead early in the second quarter.

The Flying Dutchmen led by nine (34-25) with 2:26 left in the first half, but the Patriots sliced the margin to six points (36-30) when Zach Wysong sank a pair of free throws in the final minute of the first half.

Edgerton scored the first three points of the third quarter before H-BC started an 8-2 run capped by a free throw from Tyler Bush at the 4:58 mark of the period to bring the Patriots within three points (41-38) of the Flying Dutchmen. Edgerton’s lead swelled to seven points later in the period, but Van Wyhe converted a field goal with six seconds left to trim Edgerton’s lead to four points (51-47) heading into the fourth quarter.

Metzger scored a game-high 24 points for H-BC. Wiertzema (17 points and 11 assists) and Van Wyhe (13 points and 10 rebounds) registered double-doubles for H-BC. Bush charted seven assists.

Box score
Bush 1 0 3-4 5, Wysong 0 0 4-4 4, Roozenboom 0 0 1-2 1, Wiertzema 1 4 3-4 17, Metzger 4 5 1-2 24, Leuthold 3 0 0-0 6, Van Wyhe 6 0 1-5 13.

Team statistics
H-BC: 24 of 48 field goals (50 percent), 13 of 21 free throws (62 percent), 21 rebounds, eight turnovers.
Edgerton: 29 of 55 field goals (53 percent), seven of 12 free throws (58 percent), 23 rebounds, nine turnovers.

Adrian sophomore Levi Bullerman has his hand raised in victory after a match at the Minnesota State Class A Wrestling Championships at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul over the weekend. Bullerman went 3-2 and placed fifth at 171 pounds.

By John Rittenhouse
An Adrian High School sophomore battled his way to a fifth-place finish during the Minnnesota State Class A Wrestling Tournament staged at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Thursday through Saturday.

Levi Bullerman, one of three Dragons competing in the event, went 3-2 to place fifth at 171 pounds.

Making his first appearance at the state tournament, Bullerman got off to a good start Thursday by beating Rushford-Peterson’s Ryan Agrimson 4-1 in the preliminaries before besting Parkers Prairie’s Chris Stewart 7-2 in the quarterfinals.

Bullerman fell from the tournament’s unbeaten ranks when he dropped a 7-5 decision to Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton’s Jeremiah Enger, the eventual state runner-up, in Friday’s semifinals.

Levi then dropped a 6-4 decision to Canby’s Ross Kockelman on Saturday before beating New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva’s Caleb Jacobson 14-3 in the match for fifth- and sixth-place.

Levi Bullerman ends the season with an 18-6 record.

Joey Bullerman, another AHS sophomore, went 2-2 without placing at 103 pounds.

Joey Bullerman beat Medford’s Nick Blum by criteria after the two athletes battled to a draw at eight through two overtimes in the preliminary round Thursday. Barnesville’s Kirk Anderson, who eventually placed second at 103, handed Joey a 9-1 setback in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Joey Bullerman bounced back in the wrestlebacks Friday to pin Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City’s Adam Hoeper in 2:53 before his 29-8 season came to an end with a 6-4 loss to Madelia-Truman’s Brandon Greiner later Friday. Greiner went on to place sixth.

Brandon Bullerman, an AHS freshman, went 0-2 without placing at state.

The 119-pound Bullerman was pinned by Meadow Creek-River Christian’s Jason Cazett in 26 seconds during Thursday’s preliminary round. Bullerman’s 19-10 season ended with an 11-3 loss to Menahga-Sebeka’s Austin Rife in Friday’s wrestlebacks.

By Lori Ehde
It was a small crowd that gathered in Luverne High School’s auditorium Tuesday night for the "Take Back Minnesota" meeting.

The meeting was organized by a non-partisan coalition of local government leaders and public employees to raise awareness of how the proposed state budget cuts will affect rural Minnesota.

Speakers at the two-hour meeting included Luverne Public Schools Superintendent Vince Schaefer, Community Education Director Karen Willers, Luverne School teacher Jane Cote, County Administrator Kyle Oldre, County Commissioner Ron Boyenga, Luverne City Financial Officer Barb Berghorst and Mary Jane Brown Administrator Tony Lin.

Luverne Education Association President Dan Amborn moderated the gathering, attended by nearly 50 people, including presenters and a high school civics class.

"Gov. Pawlenty is faced with the daunting task of balancing the budget without raising taxes. His proposal will affect all of us in one way or another," Amborn said.

"Our purpose tonight is to see how that proposal will affect you."

He stressed that the governor’s proposal is still just a proposal, but that everyone needs to closely monitor its process of approval.

"If we wait to get definite answers, it will be too late. It will be a law and we’ll be stuck with it," Amborn said.

Most of the presenters urged local citizens to get involved with the state’s budget balancing process so that rural Minnesota doesn’t bear a disproportionate share of the cuts.

"I’m concerned not so much about Pawlenty," Schaefer said. "I’m more concerned about our politicians. Are they going to be part of the answer or part of the problem?"

Education
Schaefer said one of the most troublesome ways the cuts would affect Luverne School District is in its Alternative School.

There are currently more than 20 Luverne students enrolled part time in alternative school classes to catch up on classes they’ve failed for various reasons.

Proposed cuts would eliminate funding for this part-time enrollment.

"This is one of our sad points in the budget game," Schaefer said. "My fear is that without this funding, it will increase the drop-out rate — not so much for Luverne, but statewide."

Other students who may be directly affected are those taking college courses while in high school on the Post Secondary Education Option.

Schaefer and other presenters mentioned that cuts could have a devastating effect on the Rock County Collaborative, which coordinates resources through multiple government agencies to bring services to local families.

"It hasn’t been eliminated, but it certainly will be reduced," Schaefer said. "It has served us well and it will be missed in many ways."

Willers offered information on school-based early childhood services.

She shared information on the importance of Rock County’s Healthy Families programs and the long-term success early childhood programs foster in local families.

She said her programs are slated for 30 percent reductions in funding, and that the governor has proposed adjusting future funding based on free and reduced lunch populations.

Since very few Rock County families participate in the state’s free and reduced lunch program, the funding structure will be detrimental to local programs.

Public employee
wage freeze
Cote spoke on behalf of teachers with regard to the governor’s plan to freeze public employees’ salaries for two years.

She said freezing teacher’s salaries would provide a disincentive for top-quality people to enter the teaching profession.

"Some of our brightest and best are getting frustrated and are leaving the profession," Cote said. "Plus, the pay freeze is actually a pay cut, because health insurance costs continue to rise, and less money is taken home."

She said in the long run, students will lose if Minnesota schools can’t attract quality teachers.

Amborn said public employees represent 8 percent of the state’s population, but in Rock County, they represent a much higher percentage.

"They’re putting a lot of money into the local economy, and with a pay freeze their buying power is going to decrease substantially," Amborn said.

"We need to ask are we going to be able to progress economically?"

County government
County Administrator Kyle Oldre shared information about how the county’s services would be affected by the proposed funding cuts.

"I think what I learned when Gov. Pawlenty said everyone will feel it, he was not lying," Oldre said.

"It’s clearly an issue in front of all of us. The county’s goal will be to have as many public meetings as possible to set priorities."

He pointed out that 75 percent of what county governments do is driven by state and federal mandates, many of which are already under funded.

He said this is where state representatives need to work to get the state to support the mandates or reduce them.

LGA
Berghorst presented information on how Local Government Aid would be affected by the governor’s proposal.

The state provides the City of Luverne with property tax relief in the amount of 40 percent of its $3.55 million governmental budget. Without it, Luverne could not provide basic city services like police and fire protection at reasonable tax rates.

While there’s no risk of LGA being cut by the full 40 percent in Luverne, Berghorst said it’s important that legislators stand up for rural Minnesota to make sure the cuts are shared equally.

Meanwhile, Berghorst said the city is tightening its belt.

"What’s the city doing about this? We’ve put a hold on all capital expenditures and deferring capital items and maintenance where we can," Berghorst said.

Mary Jane Brown
Lin said the governor is proposing cutting 12 percent in the Medicare reimbursement rates to nursing homes.

In Luverne, 14 of MJB’s 70 beds could be lost, and 7,700 statewide.

"The fact of the matter is many nursing homes will close if this goes into effect," Lin said. "Quality is definitely at risk under this system."

Grants for training and attracting a shrinking pool of certified nursing assistants will be cut while demographers predict a 4 percent increase in demand for nursing home services in the near future.

"Elderly are frail," Lin said. "If they live in an inappropriate setting and end up getting hurt and hospitalized, how is that a savings?"

‘We’ll survive’
Commissioner Ron Boyenga spoke briefly about keeping the budget cuts in perspective.

"We will survive," he said. "Will it be the same? No. Nothing stays the same. But we will survive."

His cousin is a missionary in Northern Uganda where people live on a subsistence level.

"We have so much in this country that we take for granted," Boyenga said.

Children's Miracle Netowrk telephone operators Jamie Hamilton (left), Jackie Petersen, Chelsie Fick and Angie Cleveringa, all of Luverne, take telephone donations from the Pizza Ranch storefront window Tuesday. Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization affiliated with Sioux Valley Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls. Proceeds are used to buy medical equipment and help families with medical costs. Funds also support research, educationa nd "camperships" for summer camps for children with medical needs.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Among other services, the Southwest Crisis Center offers some start-up goods to people beginning new lives after leaving abusive partners. Here, director Raevette Loonan is surrounded by clothing used for the Dress for Success program, which helps people get ready for job interviews. Other donated items include dishes, blankets and home furnishings. Story inside.

Photo by Sara Strong

By Sara Strong
The Rock County Courthouse will get building improvements that the county sees as saving money in the long-term. The bill for the improvements is $656,000 from the private firm Johnson Controls.

Board of Commissioners Chairman Ron Boyenga said, "It might sound funny when we’re talking about how bad the budgets are to do improvements, but government has to go on and this is a good time to borrow money with the interest rates."

There are some mold issues in the courthouse, and the boiler is almost 40 years old, converted from a steam to hot water boiler years ago.

There is no back-up heat source, and a new boiler system would improve energy efficiency.

An upgraded cooling system is also a part of the contract, along with increasing heating and cooling receivers for specific areas of the courthouse that aren’t currently reached effectively, and ventilation improvements.

New lighting was at first considered to be an unnecessary part of the building improvements, but Johnson Controls estimates a savings of $4,000 a year in utility costs just from the lighting.

The county can bond for up to $295,000 of the costs and finance the rest through Johnson Controls.

The Commissioners decided against further improvements in the Highway Department building.

Work will go on during regular business hours for much of the project, trying to adjust for employee needs — such as the auditor’s office during tax season.

Hills-Beaver Creek senior post Jesse Leuthold splits Ellsworth defenders Brant Deutsch (left) and Curt Schilling during Monday’s 62-59 boys’ basketball loss in Ellsworth.

By John Rittenhouse
In a basketball game involving boys’ teams that rely on their starting fives, it was a reserve that cast the crucial stones during Ellsworth’s 62-59 win over Hills-Beaver Creek in Ellsworth Monday.

Adam Sieff, an EHS junior who has seen his playing time increase in the closing stages of the regular season, scored seven crucial points to lead the Camden Conference champion Panthers to a three-point win over the H-BC Patriots, the champions of the Red Rock Conference.

Ellsworth faced its second seven-point deficit (48-41) of the game when H-BC’s Tyson Metzger buried a pair of free throws in the first minute of fourth quarter before putting together an 11-3 run capped by a field goal from Curt Schilling with 4:28 left to play to give the hosts a 52-51 edge.

The game could have gone to either team at that point, but Sieff was able to swing the momentum in Ellsworth’s favor when he drained a pair damaging three-point shots during a 6-2 surge that gave the Panthers a five-point cushion (58-53) with 2:48 left.

H-BC clawed its way back into contention and trailed 60-59 when Trey Van Wyhe buried a pair of free throws with 49 seconds left. It appeared H-BC had tied the game at 61 when Metzger hit a shot in the lane with 10 seconds left, but the Patriot senior was called for a charging foul that negated the field goal.

Sieff then hit one free throw to make it a 62-59 game with eight seconds left, and the score remained in tact when Metzger’s last-second attempt to tie the game hit the backboard without drawing iron.

The win gives Ellsworth, the No. 1 seed for the South Section 3A Tournament, a 23-2 record heading into post-season play. The Panthers play a quarterfinal-round game against No. 9 Southwest Star Concept or No. 9 Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster at 1 p.m. Saturday in Worthington.

The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Patriots, the No.2 seed for the post-season tourney. H-BC, 19-5, plays No. 7 Edgerton or No. 10 Murray County Central at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Worthington.

Monday’s game was memorable for Ellsworth senior Dylan Kvaale, who needed five points to reach the 1,000-point plateau for his career. Kvaale hit an early three before coming up with a steal, which was followed by a layup to reach his milestone and give the Panthers a 5-4 edge at the 6:06 mark of the first quarter.

The teams exchanged leads for the rest of the first quarter, which ended with EHS sporting a 15-14 edge.

The second quarter belonged to H-BC as Patriot Kale Wiertzema hit a three-point shot at 5:34 to give H-BC a 25-20 cushion, which was the biggest lead sported by either team at that point of the game. Ellsworth closed the gap to three points (33-30) before Metzger made a pair of free throws and H-BC reserve Clint Roozenboom produced a steal that lead to his layup with eight seconds left in the first half to give the Patriots a 37-30 advantage.

Ellsworth pulled to within two points of H-BC (39-37) in the third quarter before Wiertzema capped a 5-0 run with a free throw with 4.5 seconds remaining to give the Patriots a 46-39 lead. Brant Deutsch hit a jumper at the buzzer for EHS to make it a 46-41 difference heading into the fourth quarter.

Deutsch recorded a double-double for the winners with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kvaale scored 16 points and distributed six assists. Schilling added 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Tom Janssen and Travis Jenniges contributed six and five assists to the winning cause.

Metzger and Wiertzema netted 16 and 15 points to pace H-BC. Tyler Bush, who had seven assists and three steals, drained 10 consecutive free throws to highlight a 12-point performance. Jesse Leuthold led H-BC with five rebounds.

Box score
H-BC
Bush 1 0 10-10 12, Roozenboom 2 0 0-0 4, Wiertzema 4 1 4-6 15, Metzger 4 1 5-5 16, Leuthold 2 0 0-0 4, Van Wyhe 3 0 2-2 8.
Ellsworth
Schilling 6 1 0-0 15, Jenniges 1 0 0-1 2, Janssen 2 0 1-1 5, Kvaale 4 2 2-2 16, Sieff 1 2 1-2 9, Deutsch 4 1 4-10 15, Brommer 0 0 0-0 0.

Team statistics
H-BC: 18 of 43 field goals (42 percent), 21 of 24 free throws (88 percent), 20 rebounds, 10 turnovers.
Ellsworth: 24 of 46 field goals (52 percent), eight of 16 free throws (50 percent), 25 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By Sara Strong
Palisade Lutheran is a stereotypical little country church whose new remodeling brought it up to modern standards. Now its small congregation can comfortably age in a church that’s accessible to everyone, and focus on adding new members.

A special church dedication and open house is Sunday at Palisade Lutheran Church on the western edge of Rock County.

Lifelong member Richard Bakken was chairman of the building committee. He said the overall project was, "smoother than anticipated," considering the difficulties some churches have. Work started in July and was finished in December.

The front steps were removed and the small addition allows the new entryway to include an elevator and stairways going either up to the church or down to the basement.

The efficient use of space blends with the architecture of the original structure.

"It’s a traditional, plain, country church, with a simple addition," Bakken said.

The updates to the church became necessary over time. The old concrete steps went straight up into the church where a cramped entryway moved immediately into the sanctuary.

The stairway was long and nightmarish to navigate in the winter. Escaping heat from storage under it melted snow into ice, and the constant freezing and thawing deteriorated the surface. Top that with heavy doses of salt, and, over time, the steps became difficult to climb — even for members who normally wouldn’t mind them.

The completed project means a lot to the church and has been under consideration for about 10 years. The final decision came when selling its share of a joint parsonage (with First Lutheran in Valley Springs) gave Palisade just enough money to tackle the $162,000 project.

"Otherwise, we would’ve had soup suppers until I don’t know how long," Bakken said.

The church didn’t only meet the cost objective, but the real goal behind the remodel — to make it easier for members to attend church and, hopefully, to attract new ones.

Sustaining the elderly church membership was important to the building committee. "With no new elevator, our time would be limited," Bakken said.

One active member died before he was able to walk up the new steps as he said he looked forward to. Palmer Williamson poured the original concrete steps in front of the church, but his funeral came before he could see the church remodel completed.

The Rev. Ray Heidensen said, "He was a lifetime member and it was important for the family to have the funeral there. And he was so in favor of the project."

Some concrete work was finished just in time for his funeral.

Curt Valnes, president of Design Craft of Luverne, Inc., gets much of the credit for the success of the project. His son, Derek, ran the job on site and Gene Valnes did the interior trim work.

The church retained its unique roof line and the siding even matches around the entire building.

Building committee members included Bakken, Heidensen, Harlowe Sundem, Gary Lingen, Carrole Horn, A.J. Johnson, Kelly Kruse, Mark Bjorneberg and Theresa Kramer.

Playing on
Organist Doreen Rollag has a special interest in the church update. Along with the ease of entry and more space, parishioners will be able to enjoy the sounds of a better organ.

Just enough money was raised to get a new organ to the church in time for Sunday’s open house.

With about 180 members, the church has a congregation of about 80 during Sunday services. Christmas Eve draws a bigger crowd, with about 140 attending this year.

Palisade has even gotten a few new members from non-farming families who recently moved to the country. The small congregation is appealing to its members, who often stay after moving closer to bigger churches.

"Fellowship is so important to us," Rollag said. "As soon as church is over, everyone stands up and starts to talk."

The new design helps facilitate that important time of fellowship after and before church services. Before, the church entryway was small and a few people taking off their coats almost blocked entrance into the sanctuary. Now, there’s plenty of room to hang up coats, take off boots and chat before heading into the service.

Rollag said it’s a wonderful bonus that the extra space looks like a natural fit with the original. She said the church’s simple beauty has always been appreciated by her. "Back when they built it in the ‘30s, the dust was a’ blowing and they had no money — but they had a vision for this church."

Rollag said that it cost just $17,000.

Bakken said, "When it was built in 1939, the location was chosen because it’s close to the roads and is kind of on a hill. It was supposed to be a beacon for the community."

Bakken said that truckers use it as a landmark when they’re on their routes. "It’s still serving its purpose," he said.

This Sunday
Church service starts at 10:30 a.m., with a catered dinner following. The church will have a program at 2 p.m. with recital by musicians who grew up in the church, Dr. Howard Bakken on organ and Jeff Eitreim on trumpet.

Palisade Lutheran Church is located on the junction of Rock County Road 5 and Highway 23.

By Jolene Farley
The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board set a time and date for a public forum on the proposed locker room and fitness center project.

The forum and open house are planned for Monday, March 3, in the high school gymnasium. Tours of the locker rooms will be offered before the forum, from 6:30 to 7:20 p.m. and continue after the meeting is over.

Superintendent Dave Deragisch will open the forum with a history of the construction project, including results of two surveys mailed to district residents.

Discussion topics include building requirements, where the new locker rooms will be located and the proposed materials for the project.

Information will be provided on the estimated property tax impact of the project, according to property type, and changes in property taxes since 2001.

Deragisch asked board members if they thought written statements from area coaches should be included with the other information.

"They (the coaches) all said point blank, "You have the worst locker rooms," he said.

Agendas for the public forum will be posted in Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen.

Voters will go to the polls Tuesday, March 11, to decide on the proposed $400,000 levy needed for the project.

School budget cuts
The full February state aid payments were dispersed despite Minnesota Governor Pawlenty’s budget cuts, according to Deragisch.

"You don’t know how I was worrying about the February payment," he told the board.

"Everyone in this room and everyone in these communities will be affected by these budget cuts," he said.

Costa Rica trip
Spanish teacher Teri Richards updated the board on the student trip to Costa Rica, Central America, in June.

Richards assured the board that the company that booked the trip will postpone or refund the money for the trip if the United States goes to war and it is unsafe to travel.

Twenty Hills-Beaver Creek students are signed up for the joint science and Spanish trip.

"We’re going to make the best decision," said Richards. "We’re not going to put anyone in any danger."

Curriculum update
The Curriculum Advisory committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11, touched on many topics. The language arts program purchased last spring from Scholastic was discussed.

Roger Jackson presented information on adding three classes, pre-algebra, consumer math and geometry to the curriculum.

Business, Industrial Arts/Technology and Vocational Agriculture are on the cycle to purchase textbooks for this year.

The Power Mechanics class is pricing hoists for the shop. The class maintains some school vehicles. Cost for a hoist is estimated at around $5,500.

Steve Wiertzema is looking at new Accounting I and II textbooks.

A sub-committee was formed to research and evaluate the current science curriculum and prepare for when textbooks are due to be purchased next spring.

In other board business:
oEnrollment projections are stable for the next few years.

"We are seeing a very steady, consistent number of students from year to year," Deragisch said. "We’re a very efficient one-section school."

oConcession stand sales totaled $11,349 this year. Of this amount, various groups received $4,539.