I hear Anne will continue as library director

Fred Willard

Fred Willard as "Jerry Hubbard" on the old "Fernwood 2Nite" TV comedy show talked about how many people mispronounce "library." They say "libery." Reminds me of how George W. Bush struggled with "nuclear." He'd say "nucular." Or how about month of "February?" Some cannot include the "r" sound after the "b." I remember our Morris "libery" when Margaret Grove held forth there. And this she did for a long time at the old Carnegie library, west Morris. Don't talk above a whisper in there! I have fond memories. The library was such a basic service then.

 

It's Saturday morning as we ponder how much longer we'll have to wait to get a blast of warm air. Man, I'd prefer a repeat of January over experiencing this month of March again. How to characterize? "Non-descript." My high school band director liked that term. It's cold but not cold enough to enjoy winder recreation. 

Our last two whole winters have been like that. I have previously characterized these as "Missouri winters." Temperatures higher than here but not high enough to be pleasant. So people just stay indoors. Outside it's just wet. So you can have Missouri. But when can we get a taste of the real Minnesota winter again? 

We don't want to be burdened by the hassle and expense of snow removal. But there's something to be said for the drifts of crisp, dry snow and to hear the "scream" of snowmobiles, don't you think? The weather of the next few days will actually be somewhat colder than yesterday. 

Have you or your friends experienced sort of a nagging cough under these conditions? I tried doing a chore or two in the back yard and found the mud very annoying, tough to get off my boots later. 

Well, under all these "blah" March conditions we had a local controversy come at us. And I'm wondering if there could have been a better way to handle it. Well, I'm an old journalist with the appropriate instincts (Woodward/Bernstein) so I found a well-placed person to update me this a.m. Not a primary or official source, mind you. And that's why I like this source: no inhibitions. Yes, a biased source. She's pro-the library director. And that's really a nice position to be in, especially now that I have a better background on things. 

 

Winter scene of library (B.W. photo)

Closed meetings!

Yesterday (Friday) saw our city council have its second closed meeting on the subject of the library ("libery") and its director. This was perceived as such an important matter, the Stevens County Times put a timely article on its website. The website is typically dormant and has lots of fluff. It's a lot like the radio station website. 

I checked the SCT site just in case they would break with their norm, because you never know. A journalist assumes nothing. 

The SCT had a pretty thorough article and it even had a photo, a photo of the placard-bearing supporters of the library director. So we're talking "conflict." But as of this morning, it appears the volume is being turned down. My source tells me that Anne will in fact keep her job. 

Many of us in Morris have found Anne profoundly likable. I wish her Stone's Throw Restaurant was still going. Why does that location on main street seem hopeless now? It's all set up. In a new incarnation maybe it would not have to be a "tree-hugger" place or a place for the NPR crowd. Anything to revive it just for the sake of Morris' image or main street's image. 

Remember the "Main Street Singers" from the movie "A Mighty Wind?" 

 

Shifting patterns

There has to be some concern in our "downtown" or "business district" about how the new "highway strip" on north end is becoming so trendy. I understand our City of Morris is vacating its downtown liquor store to move out there. Why couldn't we just let Coborn's sell liquor? They would have built a nice new store. Well, water under the bridge or over the Crissy Dam I guess. 

The fundamental problem with the library matter is that it was hung out to dry with no explanation of just what was alleged, and this I'm sure made us wonder if any problems were far worse than they really were. We had to think of those scenarios. 

Even if the intent was to discuss the librarian, couldn't the matter have just been kept a little, well, quieter? Handled internally? What I hear is that the librarian was suspended and escorted out of the library in ignominious fashion. Then the city arranged for an attorney while the librarian herself got an attorney. A huge dust-up, the way it appeared. And the media put the matter in front of us in a way that suggested something real dark had happened. Scandal! 

Well no, it's not turning out that way according to my source. I talked to this individual just this morning. And so I'm told: the problem goes back to covid. How disruptive that time was. So it goes back to when Blaine Hill was the city manager. So if he didn't handle it, why was it deemed necessary to plunge into it now? 

Now, did anyone think anything really nefarious happened? I mean with intent? We certainly doubted it but at the same time we couldn't be Pollyannish. So the disturbing scenario really couldn't be ruled out. I did not rule it out. I mean, you can't. My goodness, "alleged improper conduct." Escorted out of the building? 

So my source continued with the background: Evidently the librarian arranged to have some books delivered to her home during covid. Then later, they could not be accounted for, or so the explanation goes. But with nefarious intent? Oh heck no. I would simply chalk it up to one of those disruptions caused by covid which turned our lives upside down. 

 

Think of city's image

City council members are really going on at length discussing this matter, my source said. And they're not even done yet. I really hope our local news media tries to give us a thorough accounting. And after all this, the librarian is simply going to "get back in the saddle" again? The image of the City of Morris is being hurt. So was this really the necessary procedure? 

 

Library Director Anne Hennen-Barber

What a confluence

And of course you're probably aware that Anne got a prestigious award at the same time. The award has to do with UMM and community collaboration. 

When I heard of the award, my mind jumped to the theory that maybe Anne had used her library position or library assets to benefit UMM in a way that crossed the line. Well, that's wrong. 

And what is going to happen with UMM now? A headline just this morning: "Trump FCC announces investigation into Disney for going 'all-in on DEI.' " 

So the whole anti-DEI thing is being sort of codified now, like it's the law of the land. And here we are in Morris, home of UMM, a place that absolutely brands itself with "DEI." And we're in the state of Tim Walz who actually ran against the Trump ticket. 

I'm especially worried about how the central U administration might panic and think maybe UMM should be shut down as soon as possible.

The old Carnegie library in west Morris, now part of the Stevens County Museum. Mom would walk me to the old library. The books were like treasures. Who could forget Librarian Margaret Grove?
 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Too bad MACA could not get Becca Holland

The best in Minnesota Class A girls basketball: West Central Area, the Knights! (High School League image)

 

So much basketball joy to be felt. Now if the U of M women had only qualified for the NCAAs. We have instead Iowa to root for. The Iowa women play against Murray State in the opening round of NCAAs. That's today (Saturday). Basketball remains very current. 

Here in western Minnesota, so much excitement and success. I was late in becoming aware of the strides of the West Central Area girls. I was even later in becoming aware that the Knights' coach was Becca Holland. I had been quite swept up in the success of the Minnewaska Area and Alexandria girls. I rolled up my sleeves and blogged rather extensively. 

And on the boys' side, Alex has been thrilling us. Alex plays for the state AAA championship today (Saturday). It's the epitome of rarefied air, or as we typically call it, "March Madness." 

Becca Holland grew up in my church of First Lutheran in Morris. She has a sister named Beth and both were active with the MACA girls basketball team. Along the way Becca picked up her coaching credentials and now she has her own personal trophy case. Just getting started? 

When I became fully aware of West Central Area's success with coach Holland, I confess that my first reaction was: Could we have gotten her here to coach the MACA Tigers? Her old team? I'm not sure the coach of this past season is coming back. One source told me just this morning that he is not, according to "word going around" or whatever. If you're going to coach high school sports, you must be aware of the reality of "word going around." 

None of us enjoys pointing fingers at a high school coach. But it does happen. I know almost nothing about our first-year coach of this past winter. But I do know this: a couple of our losses were by scores so one-sided they had to be considered embarrassing, and could lead to players getting discouraged and maybe quitting. In fact a good source did tell me some players were quitting. More "word going around." 

You're a local public figure when you're a coach. 

The MACA program saved some face at the very end by beating Montevideo in the tournament. There's always something to be said for a post-season win. But did this eradicate all concerns? Well I really don't think it did. 

As a blogger I've had the great privilege over the last couple weeks to write about winners: the Alexandria boys and girls, the 'Waska girls and today with some attention I can give to the West Central Area girls. 

People can be so disingenuous. By that I mean, they'll say we should never pass judgment according to a team losing or struggling. We need to appreciate all the student-athletes. Well yes. But then people turn around and shower all sorts of jubilant attention to teams that are winning. So is winning important? Well most certainly yes. 

I will frame this in a slightly different way, as I articulated to my restaurant server this morning: "Winning is never guaranteed, but winning is always the objective." 

If you aren't winning, you should be doing things that increase the possibility of winning in the future. And oftentimes this does involve coaching changes. We needn't talk about "firing" coaches except maybe at the pro or NCAA Div. 1 levels. Otherwise let's just talk about "non-renewals." No big deal. Nothing to see here. 

If you don't want to risk that happening to you, don't go into coaching. 

The Morris school faculty of the 1980s was the most disingenuous I have ever seen. They had the old effete attitude of academia: "Sports is so base and crass with its 'winning' credo." But on the other hand these people went to the mat to protect certain favored individuals with coaching appointments. Hey, if sports is so unimportant, why care so much about who the coaches are? 

Oh but I saw the whole nine yards.

 

The West Central Area Knights

So can we still maybe get Becca Holland to coach here for MACA? I have no idea if that is attainable. Sure would look like a permanent fix for the program, to the extent you can ever count on a permanent fix. 

I can remember when our school thought it had a permanent fix in the middle 1980s. Appeared at the time like a slam-dunk hire. Well, the best laid plans. . . I think our administration made that hire based only on some superficial qualities. Well, like having been a UMM graduate and having been a fine player. Fine, yes, but not good enough to get a scholarship offer at a higher level. 

I would endorse the idea of going after Ms. Holland 100 percent. Nothing superficial to be distracted by there. I think she would be the complete package. Our MACA program may be proceeding rudderless for a while. I'm sure Minnewaska is re-loading big-time for next year. There's never a guarantee of winning but you should always pull out all stops to try to win. Would you really argue with me on that? 

The West Central Area Knights with coach Holland had a final won-lost of 27-6. In conference they were 8-4. In section they surged past four opponents: Brandon-Evansville, Hancock, Breckenridge and Underwood. The Breck game went into overtime and ended with a 74-71 score. 

The four wins catapulted them to state! First they defeated Cromwell-Wright 61-54. Then they dispatched Goodhue 58-50. Finally the game for the championship. This was on March 15 at Williams Arena, Minneapolis. And so the score was 58-41 as the Knights not only won, they won convincingly over MACCRAY! 

Let's see, how did the Class A Knights do against our AA MACA Tigers in the regular season? Well, on December 20 the Knights won 51-33 at WCA. On Feb. 4 the Knights won 60-42 at Morris. 

I think the MACA athletic program must weigh some adjustments with GBB. It was not doing great under Dale Henrich. And this past season was no breakaway, that's for sure. And the worst aspect would be the quitting by some players. This would set us back years. 

Let's go Hawkeyes today in the NCAAs! Go Lucy Olsen! And let's go Cardinal boys of Alexandria!

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Now it's Alexandria boys in state AAA tourney

Forrest Witt, Alex boys coach

Still exhausted from the state girls basketball tournament? What a show that was. The Alexandria girls excelled to a third place finish. Finishing third means you win your last game. And so indeed, Alex with coach Wendy Kohler took care of business in the AAA game for third. The Cardinals defeated Credtin-Derham Hall which is a name that normally promotes awe in Minnesota prep sports. 

The well-known private schools are not always dominating. Sometimes yes but not always. 

And so the Alex basketball crowd is now recovering from all that excitement and adrenalin rush. Well get rested because there is more on the way! They don't call it "March madness" for nothing! The boys take their turn now. And with the Alex boys there is quite the Morris connection. The well-known Witt family, formerly of Morris, is in a leading role. This includes head coach Forrest. 

My, I read the name  Forrest Witt and I still picture a little kid! I visited the Witt household next to East Side Park many times to interview Forrest's dad Jerry who of course was our football coach. So I watched the children grow up. My image of Forrest as a little kid needs to be erased. Cut some slack for me as a 70-year-old. 

And would you believe father Jerry is anything but retired? The High School League site has Jerry listed as an assistant coach with the Cardinals. And take a look at the Alex boys roster: there are two players with the name Witt. Basketball comes so naturally for these guys. So we see Mason Witt and Talan Witt among the Cardinal players. They are not brothers, they are cousins. 

 

Winning habit

The Alex boys hoops team has built a 26-3 record as we head into the 2025 state tournament. 

The girls basketball athletes can now join the fans. They've earned a chance to slow down. A top Alex GBB player was Chloe Scholl whose mom Heather played her high school basketball for Morris Area. And Chloe's grandmother Bev was well-known in the Morris community partly from service with the school board. The board had some challenges at the time, details of which need not be examined here. But I remember. 

I was with the Morris newspaper during the playing days of Heather and Chris Lucken. "Lucken" was Bev's last name while today it's Kieffer. Dad Rick Lucken lost his life tragically in a one-vehicle car accident. I'll never forget getting word of that. 

I remember Rick suggesting a little stunt that would involve ripping the alleged hairpiece off Mike Dreier the great New London-Spicer girls basketball coach. If you knew Rick you'd smile about that. It was all suggested in a vein of levity. It was not done of course. 

I was able to do so much writing then, partly because the Morris paper came out twice a week whereas now it's once. Also, our page size was bigger then. Also, people were much more reliant on the print media. As a journalist I was a product of the Watergate era. We never wanted anything to be dull. And so I got caught up in a lot of sports excitement. 

The Witts were always close by. Jerry was a product of UMM. My late father had a teaching career there. 

This year's Alex Cardinals ran the table in section: 15-0. In conference they were 17-1. Man, I wonder who could have beaten them. They were 10-1 on the road, 2-2 on a neutral court and a sterling 14-0 at home. 

 

Time marches on

Alex has new facilities since the days when I wrote sports for the newspaper. The previous facility was a little shall we say worn. I made trips there. I specifically remember photographing the Chokio-Alberta boys there when Paul Daly was their coach. Ah, the days of C-A being autonomous in sports! 

The Alex season started with a 74-53 win over Brainerd (my mom's hometown). That set the tone for so much more success. First there was a loss to Cretin-Derham Hall 77-71. And oh my, the Cardinals lost their next game to Sauk Rapids Rice. But the wins started accumulating. They have accumulated into the post-season for sure. 

 

Owning the section

In Section 8AAA play, the Cards downed Little Falls 115-41, Detroit Lakes 96-53 and Fergus Falls 94-72. So the Cards own the crown for section. You know what that means: state is next! 

I'm writing this at the last minute, really, before state begins. It's Tuesday. And so "Minnesota Scores" tells me that Alex will play Byron at 4 p.m. today at Williams Arena. The time is here! 

This year's Section 8-3A title is the third straight for Alex. It's their fourth title in five seasons. 

Alex played Fergus Falls at Lakeshirts Fieldhouse on March 13. Alex prevailed by 22. Alex is ranked No. 2 in Minnesota AAA. They have a win skein of 22 going. 

Gavin Roderick and Mason Witt formed quite a tandem. The guard pair scored 14 of the Cards' first 16 points. And, 32 of the team's 51 first half points. It was Witt sporting the team-best total of 35 at game's end. He made seven 3-pointers. Roderick finished the night with 27 points. 

Mason is Forrest's son. Mason Witt and Roderick were joined in the Alex scoring by Chase Thompson 22, Talan Witt 6, Samson Hagstrom 2 and Thomas Hinrichs 2.

Allie Haabala was one of the senior girls with Alexandria's high-achieving girls basketball team, third in state! I think the odds are good that the boys will at least match that.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Can they take third? Watch those Cardinals!

Chloe Scholl, Alexandria Cardinal

Cardinals 60, DeLaSalle 40 

Alexandria showed a premier defense in getting through the state quarter-final level of play. The Cardinals bore down in an aggressive way in this win by a margin of 20. The Alex fans had to feel giddy coming out of this one: a triumph over DeLaSalle by a score of 60-40. 

The Alexandria girls were obviously totally primed in this highest level of Minnesota prep competition. The action was at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. 

The games can proceed at a frantic pace in state. So the Alex cause did not have much time to really savor their win over DeLaSalle. Another challenge awaited. And this time the fortunes would not be smiling on the Alex crew. Up against No. 1 Benilde-St. Margaret's, the weapons from the other side were just too formidable. So the Cardinals were dealt defeat in the close final score of 60-52. Alex was seeded No. 5. Against DeLaSalle the Cards were against the No. 4 seed. 

There was a lot for Alex fans to savor from the DeLaSalle game. The fans broke out in unison chanting of "defense!" toward the end. It indeed appeared to be the No. 1 strong suit. Perhaps the Cardinals did not need the reminder from the fans. This is a seasoned group that will keep its poise against anyone. 

The Islanders of DeLaSalle managed only 26.9 percent shooting from the field. Last year the Cards fell to the Islanders in the state semis. At that time the Cardinals allowed 47 points in the first half. That score was 82-69. How big a contrast was this year's game? Well, the Islanders didn't even reach 47 points for the game! 

The Cardinals came out of the game at 25-4. Chloe Scholl, whose mother Heather played for the Morris Area Tigers, scored 17 points. Teammate Hadley Thul supplied punch with 18 points and 17 rebounds for the double-double. Thul made a significant statement just before the halftime buzzer - this was done by receiving a full-court inbounds pass. Thul converted that to a layup at the buzzer. This created a ten-point lead for Alex at the halfway mark, 32-22. 

Let's acknowledge Allie Haabala on the 15 points she scored. Scholl, Thul and Haabala are seniors and part of the five returning starters from last year's high-achieving unit. DeLaSalle had three returning starters. One of them was Aneshia Scott who scored team-best with only eleven points. She was considerably more productive in last year's showdown. Alex really knew how to execute this time. 

Alex plays at the AAA level, schools larger in size than our MACA. The Alex coach is Wendy Kohler.  Kohler was quoted post-game praising the seniors as "calm, cool and playing unselfishly." 

"We had great attention to detail," she added. 

The 40 points that DeLaSalle scored was their season-low. Alex was up to the task in freethrow shooting where their numbers were 16 of 21. DeLaSalle tried coming at Alex with a full-court press but had to make changes due to foul trouble. 

Proud Alexandria Cardinals!

Thul with her double-double lived up to her standing as a Miss Minnesota Basketball finalist. She's a SDSU commit. That's the "Jackrabbits!" Scholl will continue her career at Gustavus Adolphus. And Haabala's future will take her to Southwest State. 

Alex had a 36-30 rebounding advantage over the Islanders. Scholl flirted with a double-double vs. DeLaSalle but came up just shy with eight boards. 

Hey, I'm just finding out that Alex won the state volleyball title last fall. This group really goes for the moon. The volleyball Cardinals took No. 1 as the fifth seed in state. Scholl was a tri-captain. She and Thul really set an example for the younger players. They were instrumental in the Cardinal basketball team getting to the state semis for three seasons in a row! 

And look at what the Alex boys are accomplishing too! The boys climb with the Witts in an integral role. That's the former Morris family of Witts. What would Alex do without all the Morris connections? Just kidding - that's the stuff of speculation. 

Here's the Alex scoring list for the DeLaSalle game: Thul 18, Scholl 17, MaCee Linow 4, Haabala 15 and Kate Hennessy 6. McKinley Hoelscher had a rebound and a steal. Camree Miller supplied an assist and a steal. Hope Stark got a rebound.

 

Benidle-St. Margaret's 60, Cardinals 52

It's asking a lot of a team to win continuously all the way through state! All the teams have special credentials and special players. So Alex was not destined to win this year's championship. Alex fought back from an 18-point deficit against their top-seeded opponent, Benilde-St. Margaret's. But it wasn't enough, as in the end Alex was on the short end by eight. 

This state semis game was played on Thursday. Benilde-St. Margaret's was able to put out the fire, as it were, and ended up on top in the 60-52 final at Williams Arena on the U of M campus. Williams Arena is the storied "shrine" to basketball in Minnesota. 

Lots of standouts with the Cardinals

Benilde has won the previous two AAA titles. Kohler thought her Cardinals played well. She was quoted saying "we were resilient." 

"I think that's what you learn in sports." 

Benilde sports the "Red Knights" nickname. And those Red Knights went on a 15-3 run to close out the first half. They were up 34-20 at halftime. They had held the Cardinals to 28 percent shooting up to that point. They had also forced eleven turnovers. 

The Cardinals' resolve was shown in how they outscored the Red Knights 20-10 in the game's last 7:53. 

 

Vying for third now

The long road of the 2024-25 season will end for Alex on Saturday with the state third place game. On this occasion the Cardinals will face Cretin-Derham Hall. Game-time is noon at the Gangelhoff Center. 

Here's the Alex scoring list for the Benilde game: Thul 18, Scholl 15, Linow 9, Haabala 8 and Miller 2. Hennessy snared three rebounds. Hoelscher had an assist and a steal. Lauren Beyer had three rebounds and one assist.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwillty73@yahoo.com

MACA boys come up shy vs. Montevideo

Montevideo 65, Tigers 59

I wonder how many people attend these games at Southwest State. Games of this type were once regularly held at our UMM P.E. Center. I believe that's an outdated name of the place. Well maybe I'm an outdated person. 

I have been around - believe me - but I have never been to a basketball game at this place called the "R/A Facility" at Southwest State, Marshall. That's a fur piece from here in Morris. And if the game has a late-evening start time, well it's an awful long trip back home in the darkness of night. Could actually be dangerous for someone tired at the wheel of a car. Do you dispute me on this?

Does Morris have the political clout to try to get more important games back here at UMM? That's probably the least of UMM's concerns now. I asked "the guys" at Sunday morning coffee at Caribou: "Will UMM be forced to get rid of its DEI emphasis because of what is going on with the Federal government now? 

Holy cow, the Feds mean business in spades. Maybe there will be things like Federal research grant $ at risk for the U? I mean, our UMM out here on the prairie (where the coyotes howl) sticks out like a sore thumb with its DEI message. You can't say it's a "bad" thing, right? Oh but I guess many people do - they certainly voted for the guy who wants to take a sledgehammer to it. 

The guy gives speeches just like Fidel Castro used to. He is a demagogue. But let's separate my personal opinion here from what is going on. 

Might UMM with its "multi-ethnic building" complete with a sign outside start to seem like a hindrance for the U of M system as a whole? 

The guy who wrote the "Peach" essay on UMM suggested that central U administration considers it a hassle to even deal with the "coordinate campuses" like Morris. And it appears we are lower on the pecking order than Crookston. A very well-placed source informed me that the UMM chancellor "answers to" the Crookston head person. 

Does anyone wish to dispute that? Be my guest. 

Fewer people will remember when people really "piled in" to the UMM P.E. Center for a high-level tournament game. The whole town of Wheaton turned out with the red-themed attire, especially for girls basketball. I guess many of us took these events for granted. Loud pep bands! Such emotional fans. I guess they felt their favored team defined the success and vitality of their towns. Seemed foolish. I think the attitude is a relic of a bygone time. 

Today it does not seem so emotional. I'm deducing that even though I do not personally attend games. I'd feel out of place if I did. I'd be alone: a 70-year-old man with white hair. I'm a boomer which means I really do try to stay young at heart. You might say it gets harder. 

I'm told that the P.E. Center these days has banners hanging down from one side which means that the bleachers can only be pulled out on the other side. I don't have to attend the UMM Cougar games to know that the fan behavior has to be 100 percent better and more civilized than in past times. It's just the way things are at the campus now. And that aspect of things at UMM is great. 

Here's a toast to that, no more putting down the visiting athletes and fans as somehow being inferior intellectually. Times have changed, lots for the better. But can UMM even survive now? Will it be forced pretty swiftly to discard the whole "DEI" thing? What a drastic change that would be. Is it practicable? And what could be set up to replace it, especially in short order? 

The Federal government as it is now disposed would not be willing to grant us a grace period. Of course the Federal government is run now by people who don't even support publicly-supported education. Well we voted for this. Certainly in rural west central Minnesota we voted for it, "MAGA red." 

But will we all now have to make sacrifices? 

Remember the days when workers at UMM went "on strike" and paraded with the signs on edge of campus? People drove by and some honked, giving the impression of support, but I smile upon remembering that. I think the passers-by were really thinking "get back to work you SOBs." 

And now the campus seems imperiled for its very future. How can the legislature and the central U administration allow the risk of what our little DEI campus could do to the whole U system? I just think it's not possible. So what on earth is going to happen? 

A huge irony: We have state legislators from here who are both all-in as Republicans, but they have actually talked up UMM as if they are fine with what UMM is doing. Wow! But powers much higher than Westrom and Anderson will be wielding clout on this. I wouldn't rule out Trump himself becoming aware of UMM and venting rage.

 

A long trip south for Morris area fans

Game at SSU

Well the MACA fans who made the considerable trip south saw a bummer of a game: a loss to the Montevideo Thunder Hawks 65-59. There go our hopes for a state tournament appearance. Monte takes the 3AA-North title. The Tigers and T-Hawks have faced each other often over the last two seasons. 

Monte goes on to face Jackson County Central. 

The Tigers and T-Hawks have appeared evenly matched. The two squads split in regular season play. It was Monte winning the first time 75-62, while MACA took the second game 56-45. On Saturday night at SSU the T-Hawks used freethrows as a strong suit toward the end. They needed every little advantage. MACA fans had their hopes up with 7:31 left to play. Our team held a four-point edge, 53-49. 

Monte wrested the lead with a basket by Gannon Reidinger. Monte was the team of destiny. At least for this year. 

Here's our scoring list: Drew Huebner 15, Jack Kehoe 13, Alex Asmus 10, Tyler Friesen 7, Riley Asmus 5, Tyson Grove 5 and Charlie Hanson 4. Alex Asmus was our top long-range shooter with three 3-pointers. One each came from Grove, Riley Asmus and Friesen. 

Reidinger edged out Griffin Epema and Adam Van Binsbergen for top Monte scoring honors. Reidinger put in 16 points, one more than the other two. Four T-Hawks made one '3' each: Brody Dack, Van Binsbergen, Epema and Tosten Christianson. Reidinger led in rebounds with ten. Epema dished out five assists. 

The Epema name has been big in both boys and girls hoops for Monte this season. The girl is Teagan. 

Griffin Epema had three steals and Dack had two blocked shots. 

Congrats to the T-Hawks. Basketball is now done for MACA. 

Let's cheer for the 'Waska girls on Wednesday in state!

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

The score is 53-38 as Minnewaska soars!

The cheese stands alone in Section 3AA. Should surprise no one. I have not been fortunate enough to watch the Minnewaska Area Lakers in person this season. They seem like quite the smoothly-executing group, lots of intensity. And those traits will now be on full display for state. Indeed the Lakers are in for the "big show" of state. 

I will declare that the odds are good for the Lake Minnewaska group to take home the very top hardware. 

I have had the pleasure of blogging pretty regularly about the Lakers. My home base team is the MACA Tigers of course. But we play the Lakers at least twice a season. MACA fans probably don't wish to remember our matchups with the Lakers. Ahem, especially the first. Not only were our Tigers routed, we trailed at halftime by the eye-popping score of 58-4!

I guess that should be a wakeup call for our Morris program. We had a first-year coach. I've never met him although I knew his father well over many years. 

The Tigers were dealt two quite humbling losses at the hands of Mayer Lutheran and Minnewaska Area. Were those devastating final scores avoidable? Were our opponents that much more talent-blessed? I take nothing away from the talent of Minnewaska Area. Nothing. But I think MACA ought to be able to put a group of players on the floor who can fare better. 

Our second time around vs. Minnewaska Area actually went somewhat better. However, I have to believe the odds were good that Minnewaska's coach was feeling some pressure to have his team play not the most intense game that night. The individual would probably deny it. I know how these things go, don't worry. 

Really I'd love to see our Motown team rise to a level where we could be competitive vs. this year's Lakers. And is it unreasonable to hope for such a thing? 

This year's Lakers got past long-time powerhouse New London-Spicer before winning in the section title game. Mike Dreier will have to go back to the drawing board. Let's name-drop with the 'Waska coach: it's Nick Danielson. Great job Nick. 

 

Dollars and cents

I know Minnewaska can open its pocketbook for paying administration. Our Morris activities director left for Minnewaska, reportedly for a pay difference of $40,000. That's according to word on the street. Does the salary incentive give a push for greater success? 

Does the AD's salary mean that much? I would resolutely say "no!" Let's have a coach like Gene Hackman in "Hoosiers" take over practice here in Morris! We are reminded of the movie "Hoosiers" by Mr. Hackman's recent passing. My, the guy had a long history of heart disease? And he made it to age 95? That's incredible. What a resilient soul. 

And what an acting history he had. He was a natural. In "Hoosiers" he made us believe he could be an outstanding coach. Just like Robert Mitchum made us believe he could be an outstanding military commander like in "The Longest Day." "Next stop Omaha Beach!" 

But how would Mitchum really have performed in combat? And how would Hackman have handled being the real coach of a basketball team? Makes us wonder. 

I wonder most of all if Hackman as "coach Dale" really "got the girl" (Barbara Hershey) at the end of "Hoosiers." I am perplexed. Actually I had the same feeling at the end of "Mississippi burning" so maybe this was a "thing" with Hackman's characters. There was chemistry with the females but who knows? 

And why didn't we get to know the cheerleaders in "Hoosiers?" The basketball movie was set in 1952. Not a hint of girls basketball even starting at that time. And isn't that unbelievable? How could America exist without girls basketball? Today it's "showtime" with girls and women's basketball. And it's important that we keep "trans" kids out of it, in my opinion.

 

The setting was Southwest State

Last night (Thursday) saw the vaunted Lakers live up to their sterling aspirations with the 53-38 win over the Fairmont Cardinals from way down in southern Minnesota. We're talking close to the Iowa border. The Lakers and Cardinals played at Southwest State University. The Lakers previously qualified for state in 1995, '96, '97 and '99. So there's been a bit of a drought. State action gets going on Wednesday. 

The section title game had a nerve-wracking start for the 'Waska fans. Their team fell into a 15-3 hole. Fairmont's Brylee Miller gave her team the initial spark. 'Waska standout Sydney Dahl was whistled for two early fouls. 

Addy Kath is a Gustavus commit

Megan Thorfinnson gave primary spark for pulling the Lakers out of their early funk. She found the range from three-point land. It was her shot that gave 'Waska the lead at 23-22. All along the 'Waska defense was functioning according to plan. Steals were frequent. The Lakers came on strong in the second half to outscore Fairmont 30-16. I'll never bet against those Lakers. 

BTW I wish the state universities would go back to being "colleges." That's really what they are. No loss of prestige.

 

Three 3's by Ankeny

On to the stats: Here we see three Lakers scoring in double figures led by Dahl with her 13 points. Lauryn Ankeny put in 11 points and Megan Thorfinnson 10. Others who scored: Addy Kath 7, Olivia Danielson 6, Jayda Kolstoe 4 and Alia Randt 2. Ankeny made three 3-pointers followed by Thorfinnson with two and Kath with one. 

Kath topped rebounds with seven and she was followed by three teammates each with five: Randt, Thorfinnson and Kolstoe. Thorfinnson was top assist contributor with three. Dahl had five steals and Ankeny four. Kath blocked two shots. Fairmont's top scorer was Miller with 16 points. Kennedy Becker made a 3-pointer.

 

Addendum: I had thought our former Morris AD Karas would be AD at 'Waska too, but a quick check just now shows he is not. A fellow last name of Johnsrud is activities director. As for Karas he's "middle school principal" and doesn't that sound like a daunting job! I suppose a guy in that spot really earns his $.

 

Chuck Spohr RIP

Sad day today, Friday, as we mark the passing of Chuck Spohr. I just got home from Faith Lutheran where I was pleased to sign the guestbook and get a program. I'll keep the program along with others as "souvenirs" and reminders of special people. 

The church was really filling up with people as I was there. We're talking Faith Lutheran of course. While the day is sad, we should emphasize that it's happy too as we're reminded of what Chuck's life meant to us. 

Chuck served on the Morris school board as part of how he enriched us. We can tell stories that put smiles on our faces. I was reminded of one when I got word he had died. When on the board he said once "if you give us the money, we'll just spend it." Not that he wanted to stand in the way of the school getting resources, but as a person with measured judgment he knew how "largesse" can develop. So we need to weigh such things. And Chuck knew full well that to keep the faith of the public, the school needed to take the best advantage of resources to maximize the beneficial effect of education. 

My main means of getting to know Chuck, though, was from the informal Wednesday night church gatherings that involved his Faith Lutheran and my First Lutheran. And my, do we really need two ELCA churches just a few blocks apart? I suggest that as a rhetorical question. 

Anyway we have two and Faith sure got full this afternoon for Chuck's last rites. Maybe at this stage of my life, big crowds in limited spaces make me nervous. Maybe Chuck's funeral could have been at the armory like Willie Martin's. 

When I reflect on the Wednesday night church events, I should emphasize that I attended these with my mother who was in fading health at the time. Chuck greatly enjoyed getting to know my mother Martha better. Martha left us in 2018. Now Chuck joins her in heaven. 

The Wednesday night events were held mainly at the Met Lounge side room, now called The Fireside. 

In the years that followed I got to know Chuck better through seeing him at mid-afternoon at McDonald's where a group of familiar faces were often seen, like Gary Uphoff, Dale Peterson and David Thedin. 

I hardly ever go to McDonald's now because I sense they do not like taking orders at the counter. You sort of have to be in your car. I'd know Chuck was there because his golf cart would be parked outside! Small town life: you know people's means of transportation. Howard Mohr wrote about this in "How to Speak Minnesotan." And when you get a new car, people won't even wave to you for a while! 

I'm sure Chuck's funeral was terrific. But I think funerals are fundamentally sad. I'd prefer thinking of Chuck with his warm smile and greeting when Mom and I would show up. He was a unique and unforgettable person.

Mom would say "he's in a better place now."

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tigers and Lakers win in boys 3AA-North

The MACA boys are off and running for the 2025 post-season. And the story sure is good for the first round. The Tigers won by nearly 30 points over the Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins. We had the home gym. So fans of the orange and black could enjoy this 83-55 win that advances us to round 2. 

Round 2 will have us matched against Paynesville at Willmar. 

There is a sentence buried in today's coverage on the West Central Tribune site that gives the score of the EV-W game. No details available for either team. So that is disappointing. I never give up checking the Maxpreps site where our coaches were once good for posting individual stats. This morning, Saturday, I find that the coaches did post after the regular season finale which was against Benson. That game had a favorable outcome, 85-61. 

So I thank the coaches for their effort on that game. I hope it continues. As of 7 a.m. Saturday morning I do not see the stats for the EV-W game. Obviously I do not wish to push the coaches too hard. There was a time when the chances would be very good for finding coverage of the EV-W game. Very often these days, the WC Trib will have individual details for the MACA opponent but not for us. They very often have "stats not available" for MACA. They don't even call us "MACA," they call us "Morris/CA" which is not accurate. 

In an ideal world, I could blog with some degree of detail about the EV-W game. But we can't always get our way. I was opposed to the candidacy of Donald Trump in all three elections: 2016, 2020 and 2024. DJT won two of these and he raised absolute holy hell in the one he lost, to the extent that he should have been impeached and rendered unable to run again. I ask: Why does this seem so obvious to me? 

He is now intimidating the news media in a way that will impede our access to the necessary facts for knowing what is going on. Minus impeachment or death being experienced by DJT, we are in our current disastrous course for the full four years. Now it looks certain we'll have another blast of inflation. This while DJT just lies and misdirects. And most of the local public acts like they just don't care. They will look at someone like me and fling insults back at me. They'll resent me for even bringing up any concerns related to DJT. 

So they will not engage at all - they'll diss me for wanting to discuss it, laugh at me - and then they'll vote for him again. He wants a third term. He wants to take over the Federal Reserve. And aren't we all conditioned to seeing DJT get what he wants? He was found responsible for sexual assault. It does not matter. Nothing matters. 

Our Stevens County churches are full of people who just bleed Trump devotion. I happen to attend an exception to that rule, an ELCA church. The ELCA is struggling out here in "red" country. All I can do now is observe. Elon Musk will continue wielding incredible power. The people who line the pews at Good Shepherd Church are fine with it. They are fine with anything connected to DJT and they despise the other party. What is all of this going to lead to?

 

Griffin Epema of Monte

Prep basketball

My, look how New London-Spicer got absolutely dismantled by Montevideo in the boys tourney. The score was 70-29. The Thunder Hawks led 42-10 at halftime. The "Epema" name is huge in Monte hoops. Griffin Epema scored 26 points against the stunned Wildcats. He made five 3-pointers. 

And take a look at Minnewaska! The Lakers took charge in their game last night against Litchfield. Just as "Epema" is huge for Monte - boys and girls - "Dahl" is having quite the impact in Laker country. So we saw Tenzin Dahl score the team-best 14 points in the 61-27 win. 

Tristan O'Neil was right behind with 13, and Levi Johnson and Kaiden Harvey each put in 11. Other Lakers who scored: Connor Frey 4, Marc Gruber 4, Zachary Palmer 2 and Owen Meulebroeck 2. Johnson was the pinpoint outside shooter with three 3's. Dahl and O'Neil each made one '3'. Dahl and Meulebroeck co-led in rebounds with eight each. Palmer dished out four assists. O'Neil had four steals and two blocked shots.

 

'Waska girls eye state

Was it really an upset when the Minnewaska girls beat New London-Spicer? NL-S has such a longstanding reputation for GBB supremacy. But the 'Waska girls have been coming on mighty strong. 'Waska carried that momentum through the sub-section championship game. So they handled the New London-Spicer Wildcats and are now preparing for the Section 3AA title game to be played at Southwest State. 

Wouldn't it be neat if we could get these games at Morris again? At UMM? Memories are fading of when UMM was the site for big-time prep tourney games with fans streaming in. It was an adventure to watch the parking lots empty out after a big game! 

I have done quite a bit of writing about the 'Waska girls this season. I have to confess I have not watched a game. But I am surmising that the Lakers play a lot like the old Hancock Owls when a fellow named Dennis Courneya coached there. He really pushed girls basketball up to a level locally that made everyone pay attention. And yes, he did get into trouble at the end of his career. But he taught us all something. 

It looks like the Lakers today, like the Owls of old, play in a very fast-paced, intense and pressure-oriented style. I can't help but have mixed feelings about this. I sense that many coaches might not feel comfortable guiding their teams this way. It is definitely not a "pretty" style of basketball. Aesthetically speaking it might be better to watch the teams play in a more controlled and deliberate style, setting up their offense in a half-court manner if that is the proper terminology. Pass the ball around until someone thinks they have an open shot. Look for a driving opportunity maybe. 

But the super-intense style is within the rules. One bad aspect of this is that the less-motivated teams - and I guess this would include MACA - can get absolutely destroyed. That's what happened to MACA vs. 'Waska in their first matchup. I think it's possible Minnewaska deliberately let up for the second matchup. 

MACA got absolutely destroyed by Mayer Lutheran and Minnewaska, to the extent that I think it led to some players quitting. I got word from a source close to the program that some players did depart. And that is the worst thing that can happen. 

Well, it's a long time between now and next season, so we'll have to see what happens, as we always do I with sports. In the meantime, go Lakers!

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com