By Sara Strong
A group of concerned residents attended the Luverne City Council meeting Tuesday night to ask for help and support in stopping the county's drug problem.

Members of Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force represented many community members by speaking at the meeting.

Lila Bauer, Luverne, said, "I think we've had our heads in the sand for too long."

Realizing that the City Council can't necessarily fund more officers or dictate how the Sheriff's Department is run, the group still wanted a show of support.

For the Task Force, that support can be shown through serving on committees, helping to network in the community or advising the group through a grant-writing process.

They hope to find grants for educational programs for parents to teach what to look for in young drug users. Also, ideally, the group hopes to get an officer or some type of staff person to work with drug issues at the school level.

The city is a joint partner in Rock County law enforcement, and the Task Force has already been at a Rock County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Not the first task force
Council member Keith Erickson said, "It'd be nice to get more people involved than just those who are affected."

As a former high school teacher and counselor, Erickson was a key member of a similar task force in the 1980s. He said, "ItÕs ecstasy and meth now, but it's always been booze and marijuana."

The former task force got a good response at first, Erickson said, but by the second round of community education, turnout was scant.

"About 30 of us met monthly through the '80s," Erickson said. "And the biggest number of parents came [to one particular meeting] because we fed them chicken."

Parents of addicts at the council meeting admitted they hadn't expected drug problems to visit their families, but said more education would have helped them.

"Maybe the parents we tried to educate then are now grandparents," Erickson said, indicating a new task force may reach parents of todayÕs younger people.

Stan Nelson, Hills, said, "It's important to start thinking about it, talking about it."

Even though the parent task force is speaking very vocally about drugs like methamphetamines, it acknowledges that cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana are as big a problem as other substances.

Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force scheduled a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Luverne Pizza Ranch.

In other business,
the City Council:
Is proceeding with the application for the Small Cities Grant program that could bring $1.4 million for home and business improvements to Luverne. In order to apply, the target areas of town had to answer surveys at a 70 percent or better return rate.

Joined the Minnesota Community Capital Fund for $25,000. The Luverne Economic Development Authority recommended the city join because, as a member, it can borrow up to 10 times what it's invested to use for economic development projects. The city can also get the $25,000 back if it wants to withdraw from the organization.

Approved a new policy manual for the Luverne Fire Department. The constitution and by-laws were updated. Notable items in the new version are that firefighters are required to respond to at least 35 percent of the calls and must live within seven minutes of the fire hall to be members.

All current Luverne Fire Department members already comply with these updates, according to assistant fire chief Don Deutsch.

By Jolene Farley
Dan Heidt, surrounded by many autographed photos of celebrities he protected in his 30 years as a bodyguard, spoke to students at Hills-Beaver Creek High School on Tuesday.

Heidt has traveled around the country delivering workshops with strong messages on right choices, drug abuse and defusing potentially violent situations.

In Hills, Heidt told students the reason he achieved such success as a bodyguard wasnÕt because of his strength, it was because of his ability to calm people down.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt anyone," he said. "Ninety-nine percent of the time I can get people to work with me, I can calm them down."

He stressed to students that even though he has black belts in 10 styles of Karate and is one of the top bodyguards in the United States he has been hurt.

"I want you to know that life is not like Walker Texas Ranger," he said, enforcing the fact that violence doesnÕt always mirror what we see on television or in the movies.

As a professional bodyguard, he always uses just enough force to protect his clients.

Heidt has first-hand knowledge of the devastation that occurs as a result of violence. He worked with staff and students at some of the recent school shootings in our country.

All the tragedies share a common grain: a lack of respect.

The shooters were bullied or teased in some way, according to Heidt.

"It's seldom ever the bully that commits the shootings," he said.

When kids get to the point that everybody is beating them badly, they give up hope.

"You can choose to be violent, or you can choose to tease someone when it isnÕt funny anymore," he said. "You have choices."

He added that drugs contributed to many of the tragedies. Someone who is battling depression can become more depressed if they take drugs, according to Heidt.

Heidt discussed some of his celebrity clients who provide good role models for youth including basketball players David Robinson and Michael Jordan and actor Harrison Ford.

Heidt used comedian Chris Farley, who died of a drug overdose, as an example of someone who made bad choices. Heidt, FarleyÕs bodyguard on more than one occasion, liked him.

"He is a perfect example of somebody who made the wrong choices," he said. "He was making millions, but had a horrible drug problem and couldn't quit."

He said many celebrities have made wrong choices about drugs. "All the time I was protecting them, they were slowly killing themselves," he said.

Heidt, who grew up in Iowa, attributes his desire to share his message to his mother and sister, both teachers.

He also thinks of his own daughter. "The last thing I ever wanted was for her to get caught up in a violent situation," he said.

Heidt grew up in a home with domestic violence and wants kids to know that they choose their path in life.

"I really believe that young people want good information," he said.

"If I can win over a few of you I will be happy."

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans paid for the workshop at Hills.

By Lori Ehde
Rock County is advertising to hire new deputies.

Investigator Clyde Menning has announced he will retire at the end of this year after roughly 30 combined years with the Sheriff's Department and former Luverne Police Department.

Another part-time deputy has indicated he will retire, and the county anticipates additional retirements in the next few years.

"What we're doing is gathering a pool of interested candidates," said Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre.

According to the advertisement, applicants must have a high school diploma and a two-year degree in law enforcement, plus an eight-week skill course.

"The position assists the Rock County Sheriff's Department in enforcing the law and the protection of life and property throughout the county," the printed ad reads.

Oldre, who serves as the county personnel director, said the application process will continue through October 2003.

Wyatt Fey, an employee of Oehlerts and Sons Construction, Luverne, works on a new sidewalk for First National Bank in Beaver Creek Tuesday.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Hills-Beaver Creek junior setter Melinda Sandstede slips the ball past a Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster blocker during a Red Rock Conference volleyball match played in Hills Thursday.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills Beaver Creek volleyball team battled Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster for nearly two hours in Hills Thursday before falling in a five-game Red Rock Conference match.

H-BC seemed destined to win its second consecutive match when it took Games 2 and 3 of the tilt to open a 2-1 lead, but the Raiders regrouped to win Games 4 and 5 to secure a 3-2 victory.

Game 1 of the tilt served notice that this would be a hard-fought match between two evenly-matched teams.

The teams exchanged leads in the early stages of the game, with H-BC taking an 8-7 edge with a service point from Erin Boeve. SV-RL-B then reeled off eight straight points to post a 15-8 win.

H-BC never trailed while posting a 15-9 win in Game 2.

The Patriots led 8-5 when they went on a 6-0 run consisting of three service points from Melinda Sandstede, one point and one kill from Sarah Rozeboom and one kill from Angie Sjaarda to open a 14-5 cushion.

The Raiders scored the next four points before Sjaarda served an ace to put the game away.

Another late run carried the Patriots to a 15-6 win in Game 3.

The hosts led 8-6 when Rozeboom produced three kills, Sandstede served two points, Cassi Tilstra recorded a kill and Sjaarda served a point during a 7-0 run that clinched the win for H-BC.

SV-RL-B dominated H-BC in Game 4 by outscoring the Patriots 10-2 early in the tilt before winning 15-6 in the end.

Game 5 was a tight contest that had the Patriots knotting the score at 10 with a pair of ace tips by Boeve before the Raiders put together a 5-0 run that gave them a 15-10 win.

Boeve, who was 12 of 12 serving in the match, led the Patriots with 22 kills and 20 blocks. Rozeboom and Sjaarda charted nine and six kills respectively. Kelly Mulder and Amanda Olson had six blocks each.

Rozeboom was 13 of 15 serving with two aces. Melissa Fagerness went 17 of 19 with three aces at the line.

Luverne junior setter Lyndsie Johnson hits the floor to keep a ball in play during Tuesday's homecoming match against Russell-Tyler-Ruthton. Johnson recorded 20 set assists during a 3-1 victory.

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne volleyball team went 1-1 while playing a pair of home games since last Thursday.
Windom swept Luverne in a Southwest Conference tilt Thursday before the Cardinals posted a four-game win over Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in their homecoming match Tuesday.

Luverne, 9-7-1 overall, plays in Worthington tonight and Brandon, S.D., Tuesday. The Cards host Martin County West Monday.

Luverne 3, R-T-R 1
The Cardinals turned their annual homecoming match into a reason to celebrate when they downed the Knights in a four-game match Tuesday.

The teams split a pair of tightly-contested games to start the match, but Luverne outscored R-T-R 30-16 in the final two games to win in four.

"It was a great homecoming win," said Cardinal coach Mary Jo Graphenteen. "The crowd was great, and there was some exciting play. You like to win matches like this one."

Luverne's ability to forget about what happened in Game 2 of the match played a key part in the victory.

The Cards took a 5-0 lead with two kills from Stephanie Morgan and two service points and an ace serve by Emily Oksness, and led 10-2 after Lyndise Johnson served a pair of points as the game progressed.

It looked like the Cards were on the verge of taking a 2-0 lead in games when Morgan came up with a block to make it a 14-8 difference, but the roof caved in on the hosts after that as R-T-R went on an 8-0 run to steal a 16-14 win.

After falling behind 4-2 early in Game 3, LHS used two points and an ace serve by Morgan, a point from Tara Boomgaarden and kills from Oksness and Rashel Boeve to gain an 8-4 cushion.

The score was 10-6 when Boeve recorded three kills and Johnson and Cassi Pap served points to give the Cards a 15-6 victory and a 2-1 lead.

Both teams had seven-point runs early in the fourth game, but the Cards moved in front 13-7 with a point and an ace serve by Johnson, a tip by Boomgaarden and two kills and a point from Morgan.

R-T-R closed the gap to three points (13-10) before Morgan came up with a block and a kill to clinch a 15-10 win for the Cards.

Luverne led 8-4 in Game 1 before the Knights went on a 7-1 run to take an 11-9 edge.

Two points from Morgan and a point and an ace serve by Pap put the Cards in front 13-11, and they won 15-13 when Morgan came up with the game-winning tip.

Morgan and Boeve led the Cards with 15 and 13 kills respectively. Johnson charted 20 set assists.

Johnson (19 of 21 with 13 points), Boomgaarden (18 of 20 with 11 points) and Pap (16 of 17 with 10 points) led the Cards in serving. Boomgaarden was credited with doing an outstanding job in the serve receive area by coach Graphenteen.

Windom 3, Luverne 0
The Cardinals slipped to 0-3 in Southwest Conference play when they dropped a three-game tilt to a talented Eagles' squad in Luverne Thursday.

According to LHS coach Graphenteen, serving problems on the part of the Cardinals proved to be their undoing against Windom.

"I know it's beginning to sound like a broken record, but we are really struggling at the service line. We had 12 service errors, which is way too many in a three-game match. We just couldn't get any runs going because of the missed serves. Our serving forced us to play defense most of the night," she said.

Mistakes at the line helped the Eagles record 15-4 wins in the first two games of the match.

Luverne did play better in Game 3, but it wasnÕt enough to keep Windom from ending the match with a 15-12 win.

"Windom is an experienced team and it showed," Graphenteen said. "They did have a couple of sophomores playing, but a majority of their players were seniors, and their experience showed."

Boomgaarden, who had five kills for LHS, led the Cards at the line by completing nine of 10 serves and scoring five points. Oksness was 10 of 13 at the line.

Stephanie Morgan recorded a team-high six kills for the Cards. Boeve and Pap had four kills each, while Johnson contributed eight set assists to the cause.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth ran its football record to 5-0 with a 20-6 victory over Lincoln HI in Ivanhoe Friday.

Senior tailback Chris Reid ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offense, while the H-BC-E defense limited the Rebels to 152 yards and one third-quarter touchdown as the Patriots remained unbeaten with three games to play in the regular season.

H-BC-E, 4-0 in the Southwest Ridge Conference, will try to keep its perfect record in tact when it travels to Brewster Friday to take on Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster.

The Patriots were able to overcome their second consecutive 10-penalty game in Ivanhoe.

Reid's explosiveness sparked the offense, and a stingy defense limited the Rebels to 90 rushing yards in the tilt. Add the fact that H-BC-E won the battle of field position, and all the conditions were right for a 14-point win.

"Our field position was a big key," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "Our run defense was good, and we were able to run the ball well on offense. Reid ran for 260 yards alone, which is a lot of yards."
H-BC-E took a 7-0 lead that it would never relinquish in the first quarter.

After the Patriots had what would have been a 65-yard touchdown pass erased due to a penalty during their first offensive possession of the game, they eventually lost the ball on downs.

That didnÕt happen during the second possession, when Reid turned the second play into an 82-yard touchdown dash. Zach Wysong added the extra point.

H-BC-E had some opportunities to increase their lead before halftime, but it didn't get the job done.

The Patriots advanced the ball inside LH's 10-yard line twice as the first half progressed. Both drives yielded no points.

H-BC-E did extend the lead to 13-0 with its first possession of the second half.

Reid capped a 74-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown scamper. The extra-point attempt failed.

The Rebels trimmed H-BC-E's lead to seven points (13-6) with a touchdown late in the third quarter.
LHÕs second possession of the half ended with Jared Beck hauling in a 62-yard touchdown pass. The run for a two-point conversion failed.

The score remained 13-6 until late in the fourth quarter. H-BC-E was able to take advantage of good field position that presented itself after an LH punt was returned to the Rebel 35.

Reid found the end zone at the end of a 21-yard run a few plays later. WysongÕs extra point capped the scoring with 1:11 left to play.

Ellingson tipped his hat to the Rebels at game's end.

"They are not a typical 0-5 team, and we knew it would be a battle going into the game. We knew they had good size. By looking at the conference statistics, we knew they didn't give up a lot of yardage defensively, and that they had lost a lot of close games," he said.

Ellingson expects his team to be tested again in Round Lake Friday. The Raiders are 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the SRC.

"They've got their quarterback from last year back. Cory Place, their top running back, is doing very well statistically. He's a fast kid who has made some big plays this year. I would say he's right up there with Reid in quickness and speed," said the Patriot coach.

Team statistics
H-BC-E: 325 rushing yards, 22 passing yards, 347 total yards, 13 first downs, 10 penalties for 90 yards, one turnover.

LH: 90 rushing yards, 62 passing yards, 152 total yards, five first downs, two penalties for 20 yards, two turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Reid 27-260, Jesse Leuthold 17-76, Wysong 1-4, Curt Schilling 4-minus 15.
Passing: Schilling 3-14 for 22 yards.

Receiving: Reid 1-14, Brant Deutsch 1-5, Tyson Metzger 1-3.

Defense: Schilling 17 tackles and two interceptions, Cody Scholten 10 tackles, Leuthold nine tackles, Deutsch seven tackles, Craig Gaul six tackles.

By John Rittenhouse
A Luverne High School senior produced a Southwest Conference championship during the annual SWC Tennis Tournament played in Redwood Falls Thursday.

Rachel Tofteland, Luverne's entry at No. 2 singles, came away with the team's lone SWC title. Tofteland went 2-0 to take top honors in her division.

Tofteland recorded 6-1 and 6-2 wins over Pipestone area's Kelly Cunningham in the semifinals. She topped Redwood ValleyÕs Linda Gano 6-0, 6-2 in the finals.

Cardinal Gabe Van Dyk made a bid to win the No. 3 singles title before placing second.

Van Dyk won a 6-7 (the tie-breaker was decided by a 5-7 tally), 7-5, 6-2 match against Marshall's Diana Naatz in the semifinals. RVÕs Alecia Prins handed Van Dyk a pair of 6-2 setbacks in the finals.

Cardinals Becky Antoine and Samantha Gacke placed third at No. 1 and No. 4 singles respectively with 1-1 records.

The No. 2 doubles team of Lexi Jauert and Brittany Boeve and the No. 3 squad of Andraya Gacke and Alyssa Klein placed fourth with 1-2 records.

Jenny Braa and Nikki Van Dyk went 0-1 and placed fifth at No. 1 doubles.

Luverne caps the regular season by hosting Martin County West today.

Adrian junior running back Trent Bullerman (43) fights his way through a pair of Minneota defenders to score his team's final touchdown of a 27-9 homecoming win Friday.

By John Rittenhouse
It was a special homecoming night in Adrian Friday when the Dragon football team rolled to a 27-9 win over Minneota.

The Dragons, who lost back-to-back games entering Friday's tilt, needed a good performance to remain in position to host at least one playoff game at the end of the regular season.

Adrian rose to the challenge with a solid defensive effort and an outstanding offensive performance by senior Dusty Henning.

The Dragon defense, which allowed 31 points in a loss to Canby the week before Friday's game, may have turned in its best performance of the year Friday. Adrian limited the Vikings to 52 total yards and four first downs in the game.

Henning compiled a total of 281 offensive yards (256 rushing and 25 receiving) while scoring three of his team's four touchdowns in the game.

Adrian coach Randy Strand said Henning's performance was a career-best, but it was his team's effort on defense that made the difference against the Vikings.

Minneota, one of the Little Sioux Conference's top offensive teams statistically, brought a three-game winning streak into the game. The Vikings were able to move the ball early, but the Dragons met the challenge, limiting them to a second-quarter field goal.

"Our defense played very well," Strand said. "Minneota is the leading offensive team in our conference. They have the top quarterback, the top running back and three of the four top receivers. They averaged 200 yards per game passing coming into the game. They got six passing yards against us. Defensive backs Levi Bullerman, Henning, Pete Hohn and Tyler Wolf did a good job of staying with their receivers."

Adrian's defense also gave the offense some good field position that led to the game's first touchdown in the first quarter.

The Dragons received the kick to start the game and advanced the ball deep into Minneota territory before an interception on the goal line ended the scoring threat.

The AHS defense forced the Vikings to punt moments later, giving the offense the ball on the Minneota 40-yard line.

Henning scampered for a 24-yard run on the first play of the possession, which set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Bullerman to Hohn three plays later. Bullerman added the extra point to make it a 7-0 game with 3:40 remaining in the first period.

Minneota made a bid to answer Adrian's first touchdown by advancing the ball 63 yards in 13 plays. The drive ran out of steam on the AHS four, and the Vikings settled for a 21-yard field goal by Wade Gillund at the 10:15 mark of the third quarter.

Penalties kept both teams from scoring as the second quarter progressed.
Hohn caught what looked to be his second touchdown pass of the game, but an illegal formation call against the Dragons negated the play. A Minneota player picked off a pass a few plays later and returned it for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on the Vikings during the return erased the play.

The score remained 7-3 until late in the third quarter, when Adrian turned its second possession of the second half into a 10-play, 53-yard drive. During a fourth-and-12 situation from the Minneota 21, Bullerman lofted a 21-yard touchdown pass to Henning. A missed extra-point attempt left the Dragons sporting a 13-3 lead with 1:05 left to play in the third period.

Adrian put the game away by scoring touchdowns with its next two possessions.

The Dragons marched 77 yards in 11 plays before Henning scored on a three-yard plunge at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter. The drive was aided by a roughing the passing penalty against the Vikings, and a 31-yard run by Henning. Adrian tried to pass for a two-point conversion, and the attempt fell incomplete.

Adrian's defense stopped Minneota on downs on the Viking 38 moments later, setting up a six-play drive capped by Trent Bullerman's two-yard touchdown plunge with 4:19 remaining. Levi Bullerman ran in the two-point conversion to make it a 27-9 game.

Minneota ended the scoring when Craig Myhre returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown with 1:17 left to play.

Strand also gave his offensive line some credit for playing well. The line helped the Dragons run for 324 yards and 20 of their 22 first downs in the contest.

"Our offensive line did a good job. We figured that this game would be won up front. We ended up running 75 offensive plays to their 40 plays. One game's telling statistics was third-down conversions. We were eight of 10. They were zero of nine," he said.

The 3-2 Dragons play 0-5 Murray County Central in Slayton Friday.

Team statistics
Adrian: 324 rushing yards, 39 passing yards, 363 total yards, 22 first downs, two penalties for 15 yards, three turnovers.
Minneota: 46 rushing yards, six passing yards, 52 total yards, four first downs, two penalties for 20 yards, zero turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Henning 39-256, L.Bullerman 11-27, Joe Kruger 8-22, Brandon Wolf 3-2, T.Bullerman 5-17.
Passing: L.Bullerman 3-9 for 39 yards.
Receiving: Henning 2-25, Hohn 1-14.
Defense: Kruger 12 tackles, Brent Voss 10 tackles and one sack, Brandon Schettler 11 tackles and one sack, Justin Wilson one sack.