Luverne junior Jenny Braa returens a ball during Tuesday's first home tennis match of the season against Brandon Valley.

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne tennis team was put to a test of playing in four events during a six-day span that started last Thursday.

The Cardinals played at doubles tournaments in St. James and Fairmont Thursday and Friday respectively before taking on Yellow Medicine East in Pipestone Monday. The stretch ended with a home match against Brandon Valley (S.D.) Tuesday.

Luverne, 3-2 overall, plays in Redwood Falls tomorrow before hosting Marshall Tuesday.

Luverne 6, BV 1
The Cards had little trouble disposing of the Lynx during Tuesday’s home opener for LHS.

Luverne swept the four singles matches in straight sets and went 2-1 in doubles to win by five points.

"It went pretty well," said Cardinal coach Greg Antoine. "Everyone was focused, and they all played pretty well."

Luverne dominated singles play, where Becky Antoine posted 6-3 and 6-1 wins over Kristina Kuntze at No. 1, Rachel Tofteland notched a pair of 6-1 wins over Jamie Ver Meer at No. 2, Gabe Van Dyk recorded 6-0 and 6-2 wins over Connie Volgeman at No. 3, and Brittany Boeve secured 6-1 and 6-0 victories over Jillian Tucek at No. 4.

Playing at No. 1 doubles for LHS, Jenny Braa and Nikki Van Dyk saddled Jessica Wehrkamp and Hillary Green with 6-0 and 6-4 setbacks. Cardinals Alyssa Klein and Andraya Gacke topped Jillian Bright and Amber Schmidt by 7-5 and 6-2 counts at No. 3.

BV avoided a sweep when Hillary Rubin and Arin Kundtson bested Lexi Jauert and Samantha Gacke by 6-2 tallies at No. 2 doubles.

YME 4, Luverne 3
The Cardinals came up one point short when they played the Sting in a match in Pipestone Monday.

LHS received wins from two singles players and a doubles team, but the Cards were unable to get enough team points to swing the match in their favor.

"The girls played hard and well," said Cardinal coach Antoine. "We were down 3-2 while the final two matches were being played. We won one of them and lost the other."

Tofteland and Gabe Van Dyk notched Luverne's singles wins.

Tofteland was a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victor over Cassie Barber in the No. 2 slot. Van Dyk was awarded a point at No. 3 when YME's Ashley Bennett retired.

YME's Grete Peterson handed Antoine a pair of 6-2 setbacks at No. 1 singles, while teammate Kelly O'Connell topped Boeve by 0-6, 7-6 and 3-6 tallies.

Luverne's doubles win came from the No. 3 team of Klein and Andraya Gacke, who saddled Haley Bennett and Melissa Rasmussen with 6-4 and 6-2 setbacks.

YME's Brandee Bennett and Carly Barber bested Braa and Jauert by 6-4 and 6-1 scores at No. 1 doubles. Sting's Jessica Pederson and Jamie Enger nipped Nikki Van Dyk and Samantha Gacke by 7-5 and 7-6 margins at No. 2.

Fairmont tourney
The Cardinals secured one tournament championship and placed second as a team during Friday's doubles tournament in Fairmont.

The unique event attracted teams from the host school, Luverne, Worthington and Springfield.

Each school places two doubles teams into each of the tournament's three flights, where the teams play under a round-robin format. The total game wins by each doubles team are compiled to settle the flight championships, and the team title is decided by adding the total game wins produced by all of the school’s doubles teams during the tournament.

Fairmont won the team crown by receiving 190 wins from its six doubles squads. Luverne came in second with 161, Worthington third with 125 and Springfield fourth with 111.

Luverne was at its best in the Championship Flight, where the top doubles teams from each school were placed.

Luverne's Gabe Van Dyk won the flight title with 41 game wins, and Antoine and Tofteland placed second with 25 wins.

"We swept the Championship Flight by placing first and second," said Cardinal coach Antoine. "That was kind of nice. It was more than I expected."

Teams consisting of Nikki Van Dyk and Boeve, and Alyssa Klein and Samantha Gacke represented LHS in the Captain's Flight.

Van Dyk and Boeve placed fourth in the flight with 25 wins. Klein and Gacke finished fifth with 24 victories.

Teams consisting of Andraya Gacke and Kaitlyn Deragisch, and Anissa Hanson and Amy Herman played in the Mr. T’s flight for the Cardinals.

Gacke and Deragisch produced 23 wins to place fourth. Hanson and Herman finished seventh with 13 wins.

St. James tourney
The Cardinals played in a four-team, all-doubles tournament in St. James Thursday.

Luverne ended up going 0-2-1 as a team at the event.

The Cards battled Maple River to a draw at three games each. Luverne fell to Sibley East (2-4) and St. James (0-6).

Two LHS doubles teams went 2-1 for the day.

Antoine and Tofteland teamed up at No. 1. They posted 5-2 and 5-1 wins against SE before dropping 6-5 and 5-2 decisions to SJ. Antoine and Tofteland won their first set (5-1) against MR before falling 5-0 in the second set. A 7-2 victory in a tie-breaker gave the Cardinals the win.

Gabe Van Dyk and Braa went 2-1 at No. 2 doubles.

They beat the SE No. 2 team by 6-4 and 5-2 tallies in the first round. Braa and Van Dyk bounced back from a 5-1 loss in the first set to SJ before winning the second set by a 5-3 margin. SJ won the tie-breaker, 7-3. The Cardinals then lost a 6-4 decision to MR in the first set before evening the match with a 5-3 win in the second set. Braa and Van Dyk then won the tie-breaker, 7-5.

Herman and Hanson won their first doubles match as a team by 5-3 and 6-5 scores against MR. They came up short in their matches against SJ and SE.

Nikki Van Dyk and Samantha Gacke, Klein and Andaraya Gacke, and Deragisch and Bailey Scholten all went 0-3 at the event.

By John Rittenhouse
Experience was served during the 64th Annual Men's Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club over the weekend.

While conventional wisdom led many to believe the LCC's two-time defending champion would stroll to victory in the championship flight, a battle-tested, seasoned veteran had other ideas.

At the age of 53, Tim Connell finds himself at what could be described as a crossroads in his golfing life.

He may not be able to send the ball as far as the younger players in the championship flight do, but Connell still possesses an outstanding short game and a burning desire to play competitive golf.

The way things turned out this weekend, Connell's skills and determination proved to be enough to capture his fourth club championship.

"This is great," Connell said Sunday night, while standing in the shade of the scorer's tent after winning the title.

"I'm 53 now, and you can look into it, but I think I'm probably the oldest player to win a club championship out here. This is really great."

Although Connell says he's happy just to be playing competitive golf in his 50s, he played like a true champion Saturday and Sunday. He grabbed the lead with a sensational round to open the tournament Saturday afternoon, and he never gave it up, while his confidence grew over the final 27 holes of play.

Connell found himself playing in the final group of players to start the tournament Saturday. It was a threesome, which included two-time defending champ Dan Serie and Joe Dorhout.

While his playing partners were much younger, it was Connell who dictated play by firing a two-under-par 34 over the first nine holes.

"It was a pretty good round," said Connell. "I had two birdies (on holes No. 6 and 9) and seven pars."

Connell's first-round effort gave him some early breathing room.

Dorhout shot a solid 37 during the same round, which was good for second place at the time. Chris Nowatzki, who was playing in a foursome in front of Connell, was five shots back after carding a 39.

Connell was unable to keep up the blistering pace he set during the opening round, but he did turn in a solid 39 on the back nine while extending his lead in the process.

He ended the day shooting a one-over-par 73, which was four shots better than Dorhout's 77.

Serie, who struggled during the first round by shooting a 42, battled back to card a 37 during the second nine to finish six strokes back at 79. Mike Haakenson shot a 40-39 Saturday to share third place with Serie.

"I just had a good two rounds on Saturday. The big thing was I only had 26 putts during an 18-hole round," Connell said.

With the comfortable lead, the LCC champion in 1993, 1994 and 1997 turned to his past experiences in an attempt to keep the lead.

"I figured all I had to do was stay with the guys (Serie and Dorhout) in my group. They were the two closest guys to me, so I knew I had to shoot about the same as they did," Connell said.

Connell accomplished his goal of staying with the players in the final threesome during Sunday's first round, but it didn't work in his favor.

He outshot (42-43) both Dorhout and Serie to increase his lead to five strokes over Dorhout and seven over Serie, but another player assumed the role of ConnellÕs main challenger at that point.
Nowatzki, who was playing in the group in front of the leaders for the second straight round , made a strong first-round charge.

After starting the day seven strokes behind Connell, Nowatzki put together a two-over-par round of 38 strokes during Sunday's opening round. NowatzkiÕs effort trimmed Connell's lead to three strokes (115-118) and gave him second place heading into the final round.

Connell didnÕt know it at the time, but Nowatzki was knocking at the door.

While the leader was plagued by a pair of double-bogeys (on the third and eighth holes) during his 42-stroke round, he mentally recovered in time to record a birdie on the par-4 ninth hole.

That birdie gave Connell an emotional lift that helped him ice the championship early in the final round.

Still playing in the group in front of Connell, Nowatzki took a bogey on the first hole of the fourth round and made par on the second hole.

They were decent efforts, but they weren't good enough to stay with Connell.

Connell opened the fourth round with a tee shot in the middle of the first fairway. After a 140-yard approach shot came to rest six to eight feet from the hole, Connell used a two-putt par to gain a four shot lead over Nowatzki.

Two well-struck woods left Connell a few yards short of the green on the par-5 second hole, where he chipped to within two feet of the hole before tapping in a birdie putt to make it a five-shot difference.

"That was a big three-hole stretch for me. The birdie on No. 9 to end the third round got me going again. I played both holes well to start the second round. My birdie attempt on No. 1 just lipped the cup and rolled out. I hit two really good shots on No. 2, chipped to within two feet and made birdie," Connell said.

Nowatzki made par on the third hole to gain one stroke on the leader, but he lost a golden opportunity to slice the lead down some more when he three-putted the fifth green for a bogey five. Connell also bogeyed the fourth hole to remain four shots in front.

After both Connell and Nowatzki made par on the 14th hole, Connell extended his lead to six strokes on No. 15.

Nowatzki found sand with his second shot on 15, and it led to a double bogey. Connell, on the other hand, was on the green in regulation and nearly missed another birdie attempt before settling for a par.

Connell found the sand on the right side of the par-3 16th hole, and he ended up taking a double-bogey five. Nowatzki, however, didnÕt gain much ground as he recorded a bogey five on the same hole to trail by five.

Nowatzki did make it a four-stroke difference with a par on the 17th hole, but Connell made birdie on the 18th hole to increase his final margin of victory to five strokes (154-159) over the runner up.

Connell was quick to congratulate Nowatzki and Dorhout, who placed third with a 160. He feels both players will be a factor in the MenÕs Club Tournament for many years to come.

At the same time, Connell shared some of the pain felt by Serie, who lost out on an opportunity to make LCC history by winning a third straight championship.

"Dan Serie is the best player out there (at the LCC) right now. He had an unfortunate couple of days, and I give him a lot of credit for hanging in there like he did," Connell said.

"He had some trouble with his swing, which is something that happens to all of us from time to time. He'll be back, and he still could be the first person to win three championships in a row."

Here is a look at the complete results produced by all 11 players in the championship flight.

Connell 34-39-42-39-154, Nowatzki 39-41-38-41-159, Dorhout 37-40-43-40-160, Dick Iveland 40-42-39-43-161, Haakenson 40-39-43-40-162, Steve Smedsrud 40-42-39-43-164, Gary Golla 42-40-43-39-164, Tim Knoll 44-37-43-40-164, Serie 42-37-43-46-168.

By John Rittenhouse
Ellsworth second-year volleyball coach Jason Langland thought his Panthers would be a better offensive team in 2002.

The Panthers did show some offensive spark during the season opener against Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster in Ellsworth Tuesday, but it wasnÕt enough to keep EHS from coming up on the short end of a 3-1 decision.

"It was a good game," Langland said. "We've got a little more horsepower this year. We showed a lot of hitting ability, but they were digging up whatever we hit at them. SV-RL-B is a good defensive team."

All four games in the match were tight ones.

SV-RL-B pulled out a 15-13 victory in the opener before Ellsworth returned the favor with a 15-10 win in Game 2.

The Raiders regained the lead at 2-1 with a 15-11 victory in Game 3 before icing the match with a 15-12 win in the finale.

"I think our girls might have run out of gas in the end," Langland said.

Senior Jenna Groen turned in an outstanding performance for EHS by completing all 16 of her service attempts and recording four aces. She also led the charge at the net with 29 kills.

Laurel Drenth added 20 kills to Ellsworth's cause. Laci DeLeeuw and Devon DeBerg recorded 20 assists each.

The 0-1 Panthers host Westbrook-Walnut Grove tonight before traveling to Fulda Tuesday.

By Lori Ehde
After more than 15 years of haggling with the state over a fair price for his property by the Blue Mounds State Park, Dennis DeJongh, Jasper, brought negotiations to a grinding halt last week.

In a move that prevents any legal action on the land for 30 to 40 years, DeJongh has placed the property in an irrevocable trust until the death of his wife, Carolyn.

"I'm not bitter about it ... I don't really care. They (DNR) had 15 years of opportunity, and they let it go," DeJongh said Tuesday from his home in Jasper. "Maybe the next generation will be more intelligent."

The land in question is a 236-acre piece between the cliff line of the Blue Mounds State Park and the curve of County Road 8 from the quarry parking lot north to the tree line.

According to Assistant Park Manager Tom Sawtelle, the park's been interested in the property because it allows a contiguous piece of prairie along the cliff line of the park.

Negotiations, however, have stalled over estimated worth of potential gravel extraction.

DeJongh said tests indicate 3 to 4 million yards of gravel could be excavated from the site. He said the going rate for average grade gravel is 75 cents to $1 per yard.

His gravel, he said, contains a high percentage of 1 to 2-inch rock, which is worth even more than standard sandy gravel.

So, when he considers selling the property, he builds in the estimated value of the gravel on top of the land worth.

"They offered more money than the land is worth," DeJongh said, "but they did not offer whatÕs in the farm land, which is gravel."

When the state officials made offers on the land, they said they did factor in the value of the gravel, but because of the quantities involved, a small disagreement in gravel price resulted in a difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A last-ditch effort by the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota to purchase the land for the park resulted in an offer that was significantly higher than the state's.

But that offer was also turned down, said Dorian Grilley, executive director of the non-profit organization.

DeJongh has applied for conditional use permits through the years to mine the gravel, but the local zoning board has denied those requests due to its proximity to the park.

While it's all beside the point now, DeJongh said if he were allowed a 20-year permit to extract the gravel, there would be a 110-acre lake there today.

"They couldn't see the noses on their faces ... It could have made Rock County a lot of money in recreation uses," he said. "It'd been a hell of a lot prettier."

DeJongh said the irrevocable trust wasn't initiated out of spite, but he admits it will be nice to not have to discuss the issue anymore.

"It makes me feel better that they can't screw it up for at least that long," he said. "They can't touch, can't sell it, can't trade it. Nothing."

DeJongh was born in the Hills-Beaver Creek area and graduated from high school in Jasper. He lived in California from 1955 until 1985, but has been in Rock County since then.

The document stipulates that when Carolyn, his second wife, dies, decisions on the land will made by his four children.

Meanwhile, the family continues to rent it out as farm land. The current renter is Lloyd Vanden Bussche, Beaver Creek.

By Lori Ehde
Local law enforcement is investigating a break-in that occurred at Luverne's Country Kitchen sometime between 11:30 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday.

According to restaurant owner Raney Israelson, the back door had been pried open, as was the door to the business office.

"They're both steel doors, so they had to have a pretty good pry bar to get them open," he said.

He said the company safe was not found, but cash in a drawer was stolen and file cabinets were bent up from attempts to open them.

All things figured, damages and losses come to about $1,000, Israelson said.

"It’s not the first time we’ve been broken into," he said. "The last time was about 10 years ago."

He said he's considering installing a security alarm system and security cameras. "If we had a camera running, we would have been able to see who did this," he said.

Sheriff Ron McClure said officers are interviewing potential witnesses, but no suspects have been arrested so far.

"It is not the intention of this policy to abridge the rights of students to express political, religious, philosophical, or similar opinions by wearing apparel on which messages are stated. Such messages are acceptable as long as they are not lewd, vulgar, obscene, defamatory, profane or do not advocate violence or harassment against others," the H-BC policy states.

When the code in Luverne was in question, Jauert talked to students and pitched the modified dress code to LHS Principal Gary Fisher, who said he thought it was reasonable for students to follow.

Fisher said the school has had few problems with students, but notes that changing fashion trends have made undefined areas in the codes more obvious.

"We have to remember that this isnÕt a fashion show; it's a school," Fisher said.

Room for expression
Girls following fads like wearing thong underwear at a higher level than their pant waists, to Fisher, cause more of a disruption in the classroom.

But having said that, he also wants students to be able to show their personality and individual style through their clothing.

"There are limits to what we want to do," Fisher said. "They can be able to express themselves, but not at a cost to someone else. Everyone has a right to be there too."

Fisher said inappropriate dress hasn't been a huge issue for the school. Usually, a quick word with a student or talk with parents takes care of small problems before detention is needed.

"We have a good relationship with the kids," Fisher said. "We donÕt want to make it something to fight about."

The best testament to Luverne's students cooperating with current rules, Fisher said, is that the student handbook hasn't needed updating for five years.

He commended Jauert and the Student Council for taking the dress code on as something to work toward.

"They know that wants are different from working for a goal," Fisher said.

Above, Lexi Jauert and Abby Klosterbuer model what should not be worn to school.

By Sara Strong
As shoppers amass back-to-school receipts, parents and students should be aware that some clothing ensembles may be considered contraband.

In Luverne, the official school dress code is vague, saying, "students are expected to observe standards of dress and grooming which emphasize neatness and appropriateness. Students must avoid dress and grooming styles that create a disruption of the learning process..."

Katie Jauert, now a freshman at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, last year clarified some of the vague points in that code.

Jauert was a junior when teachers suggested a strictly-defined dress code to eliminate some obvious problems in the classroom.

As a senior and Student Council president, Jauert spearheaded what's now a compromise between puritanical dress and indecent exposure.

She said, "I think it's a happy medium. I can see where there were concerns, but also, some of the first days of school are hot, and I just like wearing tank tops."

Fashion police
Some of the guidelines are in response to current fashion trends that donÕt fit in with the Luverne school's idea of studious attire:

With low-waisted or hip-hugger pants, underwear can't be seen. Shirts should meet the waistline even when seated to keep underwear and extra skin from showing. Mid-drifts must be covered at all times.

With extra baggy pants worn low, the same rule applies. Underwear can't be showing above the waistline of the pants.

For shirts, tank tops can be worn if the straps are at least 2-inches wide, and cover bra straps. No tube tops, halter tops, one-sleeved tank tops or spaghetti straps are allowed.

The usual rule of no hats still applies, and inappropriate t-shirts could result in Saturday detention.

In Hills-Beaver Creek, the dress code is similar and makes special mention of clothing that may contain written messages or symbols.

By Lori Ehde
Nobles Rock Public Health Board has suspended the tobacco license of Luverne's Pump 'N Pak, formerly Cenex-Ampride, for 30 days, starting Sept. 1.

That penalty, in addition to a $250 administrative fine, stems from the businessÕs third failure in two years to pass a compliance check.

According to Public Health Educator Paula Anderson, Nobles Rock Public Health is the licensing authority for all businesses in the two counties that sell tobacco.

The businesses are regulated under the Youth Access to Tobacco Ordinance, which stipulates routine checks of tobacco sales to minors.

"We use 16- and 17-year-olds with real I.D.s," Anderson said. "They're not lying about their age or who they are."

A Pump 'N Pak cashier failed the compliance check July 15 when she ran the minor's license through a scanner and sold the minor cigarettes, even though the scanner did not read the identification properly.

"The scanner wasn't working, but she basically didn't take the time to do the math," Anderson said.

The same cashier failed a similar compliance check on April 23, 2001, but that time she didn't ask for identification.

The first offense by the business, this time by a different cashier, was Oct. 25, 2000.

Anderson said Pump 'N Pak did pass a compliance check on Nov. 6, 2001, but this summer's failure prompted penalties.

Other tobacco retailers have failed compliance checks once or twice in a two-year period, but Anderson said this is the first time since the ordinance was passed in 1999 a business failed three times in 24 months.

According to the ordinance, a minimum suspension of seven days is required for third violations, but in this case the licensing board decided to levy the maximum penalty.

Pump 'N Pak manager Lila Sudenga said the penalty translates into $10,000 to $15,000 in losses for the business.

"They're really sticking it to us," she said. "But it's like she said, they're making an example out of us."

Anderson said she and local law enforcement hope other tobacco merchants learn from Pump 'N Pak's mistakes.

The clerk, who has been fired, was fined $50 for the infraction.