Rock County Sports
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorJune 09, 2026The Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ track and field team ran away with the 2026 Minnesota State High School League Team State Championship in St. Michael June 4-5. After the dust settled and the final results were tallied, the H-BC girls’ team topped all other Class A teams with 43 total team points and the championship trophy. It was the H-BC girls’ first-ever team track and field state championship…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorJune 09, 2026The Luverne Baseball Association hosted roughly 300 players on 22 youth teams and eight Junior Legion teams during the 2026 Buffalo Days celebration June 5-7. Games were held at Redbird Field, Joe Roberts Field and Riverside Park. Teams played in 9U (9 years old and under) 10U, 11U, 12U and Junior Legion brackets. Brandon Valley won the 9U tournament, and Watertown teams won the 10U, 11U and…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorJune 09, 2026The Luverne Redbirds played an abbreviated game against Fox Lake Sunday, June 7, falling 6-2 to the Foxes on the road. The Redbirds welcomed four recent LHS baseball graduates to the flock for the game. They were Blake Sauer, Landyn Lais, Josh Hansen and Maddox Domagala. Their inaugural game did not go quite like they would have hoped against a solid Fox team. In the first inning Elliot…
By Lori SorensonJune 09, 2026The Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause returned to Luverne’s Buffalo Days Celebration for its fourth year Saturday, June 4, in the Luverne City Park. “The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we had great support from our runners and participants in the park,” said Lori Sorenson, who co-founded Carson’s Cause after her 21-year-old son, Carson Ehde, died of suicide in 2022. “It’s always so gratifying to…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorJune 03, 2026The Luverne Redbirds baseball team won one league game and fell twice in exhibition play this past week. Luverne lost 3-1 to the Brookings Cubs on the road Wednesday, May 27, and fell 3-2 to the Harrisburg Woodies at home Friday, May 29, in exhibition play. The Redbirds beat Worthington 11-1 at home Sunday, May 31, in league play. Against Worthington the Redbirds flew to a 4-0 lead after three…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorMay 20, 2026University of Northwestern senior Griffen Jarchow has been named to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) All-Conference First team in men’s tennis. Jarchow, a 2022 graduate of Luverne High School, went 5-3 against UMAC competition this season with the Eagles and was 25-23 overall to earn his third-straight First Team honor. He was also named UMAC North Division Athlete of the Week on…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorMay 20, 2026The Redbirds baseball team fell 3-2 to the Milroy Irish on the road Sunday, May 17, giving up one run in the ninth inning for the loss. Tied 2-2 after eight innings, Milroy mustered one run in the bottom of the ninth inning, stealing home to win the game. Derek Lundgren scored twice for the Redbirds, scoring once in the first inning and a second time in the top of the sixth inning. He finished…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorApril 22, 2026Mother and daughter athletes Amy and Regan Feit, formerly from Luverne competed in the 2026 Antarctica Marathon® on King George Island in March and finished in first and second places in the event. But that was just the precursor to an unforgettable international adventure that spanned multiple continents and tested their tenacity to complete a marathon in Antarctica. “I’ve chased finish lines…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorApril 15, 2026The Hills-Beaver Creek School District hosted its inaugural Hall of Fame banquet Saturday, April 11, to honor six outstanding athletes, Coach Hugo Goehle and the 1990 state football team that made their marks in H-BC school sports history. Spearheaded by Tyson Metzger, Scott Harnack and the Hall of Fame committee, the 2026 inductees were introduced to an enthusiastic crowd of over 200 people at…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorApril 01, 2026The Luverne Taekwondo program sent six competitors to the 35th Annual South Dakota State Taekwondo Championships in Tea, South Dakota, Saturday, March 21. They joined over 160 competitors from more than 20 clubs representing five states: South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. Luverne came home with six second-place finishers, one third place, one fifth place and one sixth…
By Lori SorensonApril 01, 2026The Luverne High School track and field team traveled to Brookings, South Dakota, Saturday, March 28, for the SDSU Ruth Marske Invitational. The indoor meet hosted 30 high school teams from Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa. Luverne had five athletes finish in the top eight, which means they scored points for the Cardinals. “The kids had a great day and competed hard against some very talented…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorMarch 18, 2026Luverne alumni Bill Benson earned a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Chapter. Benson is among nine 2026 honorees who will be inducted at a banquet in Austin Saturday, April 25. Bill Benson, son of Clarwence and Marelleen Benson, was born in Worthington and moved to Luverne with his family when he was a youngster. Bill had an outstanding senior…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorJanuary 14, 2026Luverne’s hockey program started 47 years ago with humble roots and grew into a strong school-sanctioned sport, thanks to coach Dan Smeins and others who saw his vision. On Saturday, Jan. 10, former players, coaches, friends and families gathered to commemorate the foundation laid by Smeins and original members of the 1979 Luverne Optimist Club team. Two display cases were unveiled during the…
November 19, 2025Hills-Beaver Creek High School alumnus Kristi Metzger (second from left) presented a check for $250,000 to H-BC school officials Wednesday morning, Nov. 5. The money goes toward a running track to be constructed west of the high school in Hills next year. The $250,000 check given in her honor from an anonymous donor led to the fundraising goal of $450,000 being surpassed. The fund also includes a…
By Julie WyniaNovember 19, 2025The Luverne High School Trap team saw an end to the fall trap season Monday, Oct. 20. As we review the results of the season, there are a few highlights we would like to share. The Luverne High School Trap team placed fourth in the conference. We are pleased to announce that Makayla Oechsle placed second in female shooters in the conference with an average of 21.0. For males, Lucas Madison…
By Greg Hoogeveen, sports editorNovember 05, 2025Three Cardinal alumni, Owen and Camden Janiszeski and Tenley Nelson, were recently honored at college level cross country competitions. The University of Sioux Falls freshman Owen Janiszeski earned recognition from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. He earned a place on the All-NSIC Second Team, finishing in 14th place with a time of 26:34.12 in the men’s 8K at the NSIC Championships…
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