Luverne’s 6-0 pounding of the Wildcats in Luverne’s Blue Mound Ice Arena. Pictured in the foreground is Luverne’s Chris Morgan (18).

By Sara Strong
The Luverne boys’ hockey team is still unbeaten after Saturday’s 6-0 home win over Dodge County.
The game started in favor of Luverne with four goals in the first period. The second and third periods each brought the Cardinals a goal.

The Wildcats let the first goal by when Chris Morgan scored with an assist by Nick Otten and Dan Schneekloth.

Then, Eric Lammert scored with an assist from Morgan.

Tyler Elbers also made a goal with an assist from Dan Park, which was followed by another goal by Steven Berghorst, assisted by Otten and Justin Arndt.

The Cardinals had one save and the Wildcats had seven saves in the first period.

Tony Smedsrud scored the only goal of the second period. The Cards recorded three saves in the second period, with visitors tallying seven saves.

The third period brought a goal by Andy Hess, assisted by Park. The Cardinals had four saves and the Wildcats had nine saves in the third period.

The Cardinal boys’ hockey team plays in the Bulldog Tournament Dec. 26-28.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team gave their home fans a thrill Tuesday night in Hills.

Playing four-time defending state champion Southwest Christian in a Red Rock Conference clash, the Patriots stunned the Eagles by saddling them with a 62-57 setback.

Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema couldn’t recall the last time one of his H-BC teams beat SWC, but he was proud of the way his young Patriots took care of business Tuesday.

"The kids played really well," he said.

The Patriots led 21-20 at the end of the first quarter before increasing the difference to four points (39-35) by halftime with an 18-15 scoring advantage in the second quarter.

With Trey Van Wyhe and Kale Wiertzema netting four points each to lead the way, H-BC outscored the Eagles 11-6 in the third quarter to take a 50-41 advantage into the final stanza.

SWC trimmed the difference to three points at one stage of the fourth quarter, but the Patriots met the challenge by fighting back to win by five points.

Van Wyhe led the Patriots with 18 points and nine rebounds in the game.

Tyson Metzger scored 15 points and latched on to seven rebounds, Wiertzema scored 14 points, passed for eight assists and collected six rebounds, and Tyler Bush added 10 points and six steals to the winning cause.

Turning the ball over seven fewer times (12-19) and outrebounding the Eagles by seven (29-22) were keys to the win for H-BC.

The 3-2 Patriots will take a two-game winning streak into another RRC clash against Murray County Central in Slayton Friday.

Box score
Bush 2 0 6-11 10, Wysong 0 0 0-0 0, Broesder 1 0 0-0 2, Wiertzema 1 3 3-5 14, Metzger 4 1 4-6 15, Leuthold 0 0 3-6 3, Van Wyhe 8 0 2-4 18.

Team statistics
H-BC: 20 of 43 field goals (47 percent), 18 of 32 free throws (56 percent), 12 turnovers, 29 rebounds.
SWC: 23 of 47 field goals (49 percent), five of 10 free throws (50 percent), 19 turnovers, 22 rebounds.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team opened the Red Rock Conference play by posting an impressive road win Thursday in Edgerton.

Taking on a talented Flying Dutchmen squad on their home floor, the Patriots battled hard before pulling out a 69-66 victory at game’s end.

H-BC trailed at the first three quarter breaks before outscoring Edgerton 25-21 in the fourth quarter to win by three.

Edgerton led 16-15 after eight minutes of play before increasing the difference to three points (29-26) at the intermission with a 13-11 scoring edge in the second quarter.

H-BC trimmed the difference to one point (45-44) in the third quarter before winning the contest with its fourth-quarter rally.

Tyson Metzger, who put the Patriots in front 67-66 with a free throw with three seconds remaining, played a key role in H-BC’s victory.

Metzger made all eight of his two-point field goals he attempted in the game and was 10 of 14 from the floor (71 percent) overall.

The Patriot senior had a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Metzger also recorded five assists and three steals.

Kale Wiertzema and Trey Van Wyhe also turned in solid performances for H-BC.

Wiertzema, who had six rebounds, five assists and four steals, made 53 percent (seven of 13) of his field goals while scoring 18 points.

Van Wyhe cashed in on four of five field goals (80 percent) while scoring 12 points.

Tyler Bush added 11 points, five assists and three steals to the winning effort. Bush drained a pair of charity shots with one second left to put the game away.

Box score
Bush 2 0 7-10 11, Wysong 0 0 0-0 0, Roozeboom 0 0 3-4 3, Broesder 0 0 0-0 0, Wiertzema 4 3 1-3 18, Metzger 8 2 2-5 24, Leuthold 0 0 1-4 1, Van Wyhe 4 0 4-6 12.

Team statistics
H-BC: 23 of 43 field goals (54 percent), 18 of 32 free throws (56 percent), 27 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
Edgerton: 28 of 52 field goals (54 percent), six of eight free throws (75 percent), 31 rebounds, 17 turnovers.

By Jolene Farley
Hills-Beaver Creek School Board members reviewed a great deal of information at their Tuesday meeting, but made no decisions on the proposed high school locker room project.

Initial cost estimates for the project, without a weight room, range from $398,144 to $439,552 or $80.31 to $88.67 per square foot.

A weight room would add $113,302 to $127,512 to the cost of the project, handled by Group II Architects, Sioux Falls.

Department of Children, Families and Learning and Title 9 requirements increased the cost of the project, according to Superintendent Dave Deragisch.

CFL now requires a minimum of 1,500 square feet for each locker room when the board initially discussed 900 square feet of space for each locker room.

Title 9 rules require that girls’ and boys’ locker rooms have equal square footage.

"We are meeting the minimum requirements by the CFL," Deragisch said.

The district could comfortably pay for a portion of the construction from current cash assets, but would ask voters for the rest of the money in the form of a new levy.

The building committee and Deragisch worked extensively with the architects to streamline the design.

"They (the architects) started out with the Taj Mahal, and we are down to the minimum requirements set by CFL," said Deragisch.

If the project cost remains less than $500,000, the CFL doesn’t require a Review and Comment, Deragisch said.

But if a new high school or any other project is planned for the future, CFL could make the district bring all previous construction up to code.

"As I stand before you, I refuse to go over $500,000 in cost," Deragisch said.

He suggested reducing the hall width from eight to seven feet to shave an estimated $8,500 off the price tag. Not finishing the weight room space or not building a weight room at all were also mentioned as cost saving options. Hiring local contractors could also reduce costs.

A letter, including plans and cost estimates, will be sent to Hills-Beaver Creek residens asking if they are in favor of the project. The board will review the responses at their Monday, Jan. 13, meeting.

Based on the responses, the board will decide how to proceed.

"If we had overwhelming support from the public I would feel comfortable hiring the architecture firm," Deragisch said.

If support doesn’t seem to be there, community meetings may be planned to educate the public further on the project.

Group II made preliminary drawings for the project for a fee of $3,500, but future work is quoted at 10 to 12 percent of the total project cost.

Unless renegotiated, these fees would add an additional $43,955 to $52,746 (high end estimate) to the locker room project alone.

Deragisch said the board would need a plan in place on how to utilize the old locker room space.
Board member Ann Boeve asked for a list of options for the board’s next meeting.

In a survey sent to district residents two years ago, 87 percent of respondents expressed concern about the current locker room facilities, according to Deragisch.

Personnel changes
Current band and choir instructor Brent Steinert will be full-time fifth- through 12th-grade band for the second semester.

There are 84 students in band, and Deragisch estimates the numbers could jump to 115 students next year.

Elementary choir instructor and special education instructor Jodi Ackerman will take over the high school choir.

"Now we’ve got an individual that’s very dedicated and showing great results," said Board Member Gary Esselink. "I think as a board we should support that."

Marie LaRock will increase her speech/language time by 12 hours per week at a cost of $4,636, because student numbers have doubled.

Mary Mudder will work full-time in the elementary school, replacing Jodi Ackerman, and the district will hire a part-time special education instructor for the high school at a salary of $15,000.

By Jolene Farley
Officials in Beaver Creek are waiting for the results of a camera probe of the city well to determine if they can fix the existing well or if they need to drill a new well.

"We’ve got a problem with the old well," said Beaver Creek Mayor Al Blank. "We’re getting a bit of sand in the water."

City employee Lloyd DeBoer and some residents began noticing sand in the water two to three weeks ago.

He said DeBoer immediately slowed the flow and began flushing the hydrants closest to the well periodically hoping to decrease the amount of sand in the water.

The council hired Thein Well, Spicer, to pull the pump and send a submersible camera down the 30-year–old well so officials can determine the extent of the problem. Work on the well was scheduled to begin Tuesday.

The problem appears to stem from a screen in the well that allows water through but is supposed to filter out sand and other solid materials. The screens can deteriorate with age.

The decision to fix the well or drill a new one will hinge on cost, according to Blank. An optimistic estimate for drilling a new city well is $50,000.

"I think in another week we probably will have devised a plan of action," he said.

Blank said the council hasn’t determined where to drill another well if the need arises.

"We don’t know where to drill," he said. "The health department has a lot to say about where you can and cannot drill a well."

The council explored hooking up to the Rock County Rural Water System, but decided against it, due to cost.

The council received a quote of $219,000 for initial hookup and a charge of $1.85 per thousand gallons of water for usage.

"The council and myself have agreed that that’s not an option," said Blank. "The cost would be to great."
Residents shouldn’t be concerned about running out of water. Even though the pumps are slowed, they still keep up with the winter demand for water, Blank said.

Residents also shouldn’t be concerned about the quality of drinking water.

Periodic water testing is required by the Environmental Protection Agency and the water is safe.

Though the well problems have been linked to a recent earthquake in Nebraska and South Dakota, Blank said that’s not the likely cause.

He said although there has been a rash of well problems that developed around the region after the quake, it would be a long jump to connect the two incidents.

Arnold Thorin has completed more than 20 designs, usually wildlife, out of wood. He is particularly fond of the pheasant pattern made from walnut, cherry, cedar and basswood.

By Jolene Farley
Arnold Thorin, Hills, has a sign on his door in the Tuff Village telling visitors where to find him if he’s not at home.

The sign, complete with hammer and nail graphics, reads, "Hey there!! I’m down in the shop. Arnold.

In his shop Thorin creates intricate wildlife designs and other projects from different types of wood.

Each piece in the design is cut out individually, sanded, then glued to a backing board. Spray varnish is used to seal the natural wood. Some designs require a little painting to set off the face or neck.

Thorin was able to continue his lifelong hobby, woodworking, even after moving into the Tuff Village.

He set up his shop, including eight major machines and miscellaneous tools and supplies, in a basement storage area.

"They got me enough room down there so I got to bring it all along," he said.

Thorin began working with wood "way down in the grades."

While attending country school, he completed a woodworking class. "Manual training was what they liked to call the class at the time," he said.

Thorin didn’t have the luxury of power tools back then.

"Dad encouraged me to keep going," he said. "We got our lumber out of peach crates or anything out of the grocery store that came in a wood box."

Thorin went on to become a machinist by trade, but he always continued woodworking.

He subscribes to woodworking magazines and finds his patterns, usually wildlife-related, in these publications.

"I’m not an artist," he said. "I’m a good copier."

Thorin admits he’s a "dumpster digger," and if he sees material he could use for his projects he asks if he can have it.

A morning walk netted him a good supply of walnut wood when a resident was cutting down a tree and was willing to let Arnold have the wood if he hauled it away.

"I got a nice big supply of it," he said.

Other woods he purchases at area lumber yards.

His favorite wood to work with is walnut. "It’s got a pretty color and it’s got a workable consistency," he said.

Thorin’s least favorite wood to work with is cherry wood. "It’s very hard, and you need real sharp tools to make it look nice," he said.

Thorin doesn’t sell his work, because he doesn’t want to work on a deadline.

He has been known to give his work away as a gift or a donation to different causes.

"I don’t want to get tied down making things," he said. "You have to be in the mood, if you aren’t it’s no fun. … I usually have two or three projects going," he said. "You move to another one if you get stuck."

Showing off the results of his hard work is the reward for Thorin, and he’s developed a reputation as the "handyman" around the building.

"I always say I like to do things like that to get my points in … cause if you stay on top of it, they’ll stay on top for you."

Luverne freshman guard Maggie Kuhlman delivers a bounce pass during Thursday’s home basketball game against Marshall. Kuhlman netted seven points in a 58-37 loss.

By John Rittenhouse
Marshall spoiled the home debut for the Luverne girls’ basketball team by handing the Cardinals a 58-37 setback in Luverne Thursday.

Luverne got off to a good start in the first quarter and led by six points early, but the rest of the game belonged to the Tigers as they outscored the Cards 56-29 after the first four minutes to prevail by 21 points.

The loss was Luverne’s fifth straight to open the season. The Cards will attempt to snap the skid when they host Jackson County Central Friday.

After dropping four road games to open the year, the Cards hoped to change their fortunes by playing in familiar surroundings.

The situation looked good for LHS when Tera Boomgaarden, Serena Franken and Maggie Kuhlman contributed field goals to a 6-0 run that gave the Cards an 8-2 advantage early.

Marshall, however, scored the next 10 points to lead 12-8 before Luverne’s Abby Klosterbuer drained a shot at the buzzer to make it a 12-10 game after eight minutes of play.

The Tigers scored the first seven points of the second quarter and led by as many as 15 (29-14), but another buzzer-beater by Luverne’s Krista Wynia made the score 29-16 at the intermission.

The Cards scored the first four points in the third quarter to trail 29-20 before Marshall closed the period with a 12-4 run to lead 41-24 heading into the final period of play.

Luverne trimmed the difference to 14 points (44-30) in the fourth quarter before falling by 21 at game’s end.

Rachel Tofteland scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and charted three assists for LHS. She netted seven points in the second half. Franken also collected four rebounds.

Box score
Williams 0 0 0-0 0, Kuhlman 2 1 0-0 7, Boomgaarden 3 0 0-0 6, Tofteland 4 0 3-3 11, Klosterbuer 1 0 0-0 2, Franken 1 0 0-4 2, Stewart 0 0 0-0 0, Wynia 2 0 0-0 4, Loosbrock 1 0 0-0 2.

Team statistics
Luverne: 16 of 49 field goals (33 percent), three of seven free throws (43 percent), 16 rebounds, 16 turnovers.

Marshall: 17 of 55 field goals (31 percent), 11 of 39 free throws (28 percent), 37 rebounds, eight turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
A pair of dominating performances by the Ellsworth boys’ basketball team kept the Panthers unbeaten for the season.

Ellsworth rolled to a 23-point win over Dawson-Boyd in Dawson Friday. The Panthers upended George-Little Rock (Iowa), by 29 points in Ellsworth Monday.

The 6-0 Panthers cap their pre-Christmas schedule by hosting Lake Benton tonight.

Ellsworth 82, G-LR 53
Ellsworth’s physical superiority proved to be the difference in Monday’s 29-point home win over George-Little Rock.

The Panthers dominated the paint by outrebounding G-LR 44-16 and outscoring the hosts in every quarter.

"We outmuscled them," said Panther coach Ken Kvaale. "We were physically stronger than they were. We dominated the boards, and we shot around 55 percent. We played pretty well."

Ellsworth led 22-10 after eight minutes of play and doubled G-LR’s scoring output (44-22) by halftime. The Panthers led by 24 points (58-34) after three quarters before winning by 29.

Curt Schilling (22 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists) and Brant Deutsch (20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists) recorded double-doubles for the winners. Dylan Kvaale chipped in 19 points and six assists. Adam Sieff netted 10 counters.

Box score
Schilling 8 0 6-7 22, Jenniges 0 0 2-2 2, Janssen 1 0 0-0 2, Kvaale 7 1 2-2 19, Sieff 2 1 3-4 10, Deutsch 9 0 2-4 20, Brommer 2 1 0-0 7, Gacke 0 0 0-1 0.

Ellsworth 78, D-B 55
A strong effort as a team carried Ellsworth to a 23-point road win in Dawson Friday.

Four Panthers reached double figures in scoring for a team that made 49 percent of its field goals and collected a season-high 55 rebounds during the contest.

"We did a really good job on the boards, and we ran our offensive plays well," said Panther coach Kvaale. "We played a pretty good ballgame, and it was a good team effort."

The Panthers led 19-12 after eight minutes of play before opening a 14-point cushion (38-24) by halftime. The difference was 17 points (59-42) after three quarters, and EHS outscored Dawson-Boyd 19-13 in the fourth quarter to win by 23.

Schilling, Brant Deutsch and Kvaale all recorded double-doubles for the winners. Schilling had 22 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, while Deutsch had 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Kvaale, who had nine rebounds, scored 15 points and passed for 10 assists.

Blake Brommer added 11 points and eight rebounds to the winning cause.

Box score
Schilling 8 0 6-7 22, Jenniges 3 0 0-0 6, Janssen 0 0 3-4 3, Kvaale 7 0 1-4 15, Sieff 1 0 0-1 2, Deutsch 8 0 2-2 18, Brommer 2 2 1-2 11, Gacke 0 0 1-2 1.

Team statistics
Ellsworth: 31 of 63 field goals (49 percent), 14 of 22 free throws (64 percent), 55 rebounds, 12 turnovers.

Pamida’s toy department manager, Vicky VanHulzen, displays one of the Bratz dolls that have been popular gifts for pre-teens this Christmas. What she can’t show is Rapunzel Barbie and Radio Shack’s micro-mini remote control cars, which have been sold out since Thanksgiving.

By Lori Ehde
Last year at this time, shoppers were beating down the doors for Sony’s Playstation II and Microsoft’s X-Box. Other years, Ferbie and Tickle Me Elmo have taken center stage.

This year, for local shoppers anyway, Rapunzel Barbie and Radio Shack’s micro-mini remote control cars were the big sellers in the toy aisle.

According to Pamida’s Diane Stearns, shoppers purchased more than 200 mini remote control cars by 8 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving.

"People were just crazy for them," she said. "We knew they were going to go, but we didn’t realize they would be that popular."

At the time, they were sale priced at $7.77 apiece, but she said kiosks in the Sioux Empire Mall are now offering them for more than $20.

Pamida’s been sold out Rapunzel Barbie – both the prince and the princess dolls — since long before Thanksgiving, but Stearns said all Barbie dolls and accessories continue to be popular gifts.

Also popular this year for girls are the Bratz heads and Bratz mini dolls, which come with hair and makeup kits for pre-teen color and styling fun. Pamida has these in stock and continues to sell plenty of them, Stearns said.

Among gifts for older recipients, she said all electronic toys and gadgets continue to be big sellers, particularly Gameboy Advance and Playstation II.

Karen Loosbrock at M-M Farm and Home Discount said Barbie dolls and Bratz are big sellers there too, but she said M-M caters to other gift shoppers.

"Being a farming community, we carry a big line of the Ertl equipment," she said. "It’s tractors, combines and farm equipment."

She said people looking for specific John Deere and Case IH equipment can go to the dealerships for those items, but M-M carries most models under both names.

"We also have some more expensive collector farm toys, and we have people who come to Luverne just for them, because they know we have them," she said.

Breyer horses are another line of toy collectibles that bring shoppers to M-M every Christmas.

"We have a collector in Brandon who comes every year to see what we have new," Loosbrock said.

She said M-M stocks a sampling of most popular toy brands, but the farm toys take up about half the shelves in M-M’s toy department.

"Being a farm and home store, I think people look to us for those items," Loosbrock said.

According to information from the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, shoppers can still get in on 0 percent loans to purchase Christmas gifts from local businesses.

For information, inquire at any Luverne bank.