Tigers falter vs. WCA, Lakers prevail vs. Melrose

I'm pleased to still be writing about high school sports so close to Christmas. I see where MACA came out on the short end in both the boys and girls games last night (Friday). The opponent was West Central Area for both. The boys were defeated 62-59. In girls action the Knights prevailed over the Tigers 51-33. 

The MACA girls have had some tough sledding of late. Let's not repeat what the score was against Mayer Lutheran. I don't think a game like that lifts anyone up. 

Our girls have had three wins. Prospects are good for a few more. Maybe coach Daly can ramp up the intensity. We're 3-7 overall, 3-2 in section, 0-3 conference, 2-4 away, 0-1 neutral and 1-2 home. After the new year we'll be in it for the long haul. 

Our boys played a close one against the WCA Knights Friday. All this hoops action was at WCA Secondary School, Barrett. Thursday's scheduled game against KMS was postponed, I presume due to weather. Here's the skinny on the boys: 4-2 overall record, 3-1 section, 1-2 conference, 2-1 away, 0-0 neutral and 2-1 home. 

The Tigers will charge onto the court at Fergus Falls after Christmas. Their foe will be Henning. 

On this weekend just before Christmas, I'd love to share game details from Friday for the MACA teams. I cannot. The info isn't "out there" in the online world yet, at least not that I can find. However I do have the Friday details for the Minnewaska Area games. So let's get into it. As stated previously, I like staying connected to area prep sports.

Girls hoops: 'Waska 69, Melrose 26

Sydney Dahl of the Lakers supplied lots of fuel in this win. Her 15 points and seven rebounds were surely ingredients. The game was played at Melrose. The Lakers clearly had command at halftime, up 33-17. The second half was even more impressive for them: 36-9. 

Dahl was one of three Lakers to score in double figures. Addyson Kath put in eleven points and Jayda Kolstoe ten. Three Lakers each added eight to the mix: Alia Randt, Lauryn Ankeny and Megan Thorfinnson. Then we see Olivia Danielson with four, Berlynn Green 3 and Phemie Oeltjen 2. Kath and Randt each made two shots from 3-point range while Green, Dahl and Thorfinnson each made one. 

Ankeny and Dahl attacked the boards for nine and seven rebounds respectively. Ankeny and Dahl each dished out three assists. Ankeny and Dahl matched each other in steals, each with four. And in blocks we saw Kath and Danielson each with two. 

Erratum: In my last post on 'Waska hoops, I had a photo that I took off a Twitter page and thought it was of Megan Thorfinnson. Sorry, looks like it was Sydney Dahl. These photos can get posted on different players' sites. No excuse, though. You know what's good about writing online? You can correct things! Gives me a little sense of peace. 

This morning I went in and got Sydney's name under the photo. I wrote for newspapers for 27 years when I could not have made this kind of correction. Today I have two photos that show Sydney where her name is right on the image! Man, you cannot beat that! 

Keep in mind that I am 70 years old even though I try sometimes to deny it. Well, I'm a boomer-generation member.

Boys hoops: 'Waska 61, Melrose 45

Minnewaska led by one point at halftime in this game played at the home floor. After that the Lakers' fortunes took off to the tune of outscoring the Dutchmen 38-23. Marc Gruber and Luke Danielson led the charge with 16 points each. Levi Johnson scored eight followed by Tristan O'Neil and Zachary Palmer each with six. Kaiden Harvey put in three, then we see Connor Frey, Tenzin Dahl and Owen Meulebroeck each with two. 

Gruber and Johnson each nailed two 3-point shots. Palmer grabbed four rebounds to lead. The assist category had Gruber and Palmer each with three. Palmer stole the ball five times and Danielson had a shot block.

 

Lucy Olsen

Hawkeyes still great

Well, nice to see Iowa women's basketball continuing to do well as it proceeds in the post-Caitlin Clark era. The team is still incredibly fun to watch. The closest thing to a replacement for CC is Lucy Olsen. She isn't the deadeye 3-point shooter like "CC" was. You can count on Lucy for "long 2's." And certainly, driving to the basket too. She's a great replacement for the stellar CC not only because of her playing but because she's always smiling and always optimistic. So, let's say there's a charm factor. 

I was lucky to be able to watch last night's (Friday) game against Northern Iowa on YouTube. No obstruction on the screen, but I have my suspicions that this may have been an illicit broadcast. Well thanks, I'll take it. 

So I got to see the Hawkeyes defeat Northern Iowa 92-86. Northern Iowa really put up a pretty good scrap. Iowa remains impressive but I sure don't expect them to reach the Final 4 this time around. If they do, that's super. Let's go, Lucy! Against Northern Iowa Lucy's total was 21 points. She also contributed seven assists and six rebounds. 

Hannah Stuelke, surely a familiar name from last season, scored 15 plus she had seven assists and six rebounds. Addi O'Grady - love the Irish last name - scored 18 points and snared six boards. I wonder why the official game re-cap listed Stuelke before O'Grady. Taylor McCabe came through with 15 points. McCabe nailed five 3-pointers. 

Northern Iowa really made a game of it, fighting to get within one point at 78-77 in the last quarter. Olsen hit key freethrows to wrap up the win. O'Grady is emerging as a real force inside. She has instincts for getting passes inside and scoring off them. 

Maybe we should chalk this win up to freethrows.

Keep an eye on the U of Minnesota Gopher women also!

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

Prep sports stays active, media not so much

Sports fans are hardly starved in this holiday time of year. The plate seems full at nearly all levels. The high school slate is demanding. Can I believe what I see on the "Minnesota Scores" website? Unless it's a typo, the MACA girls were defeated by Mayer Lutheran 86-26. 

Those darn private schools, eh? I'm seeing quite a few one-sided scores out and around. A theory: The most ambitious programs have probably gained new motivation from the "CC" phenomenon. That's Caitlin Clark. So the less motivated programs are lagging? That might be a theory. 

But while MACA got taken to the cleaners by Mayer - did the point disparity have to be that high? - the Tigers haven't been totally down of late. They defeated Eden Valley-Watkins 49-35. So congrats on that success. 

Sports may continue high-profile through much of the holidays. But there appears to be a dropoff in the performance of local media for sports. Why do I have to write this? You know what I'd like to be doing on this Wednesday morning? I'd like to be writing detailed reviews of recent Tiger sports. At this stage of my life, I rely on other media sources for my info. I then wrap it all up in a package that I at least try to make better than my sources! It's all in the spirit of "being the best you can be." Isn't that admirable? 

 

A limited service

I'm lucky if I can just find the scores now. The "Maxpreps" site has a few paragraphs on the MACA girls that appear to be robotically generated. It does give a snippet or two. I am not complaining. "Maxpreps" noted our Saturday loss but quickly moved on to Monday where the story was the win over EV-W. "The win was a breath of fresh air for the Tigers as it put an end to their four-game losing streak." 

We learn further that our record improved to 3-5. The Tigers under new coach Justin Daly had a promising start to the season but then the road got bumpy. I read further on "Maxpreps" and noticed they were doing a "Forum Communications" trick. Remember when the Forum owned the Morris newspaper? It was strange to observe after I left the paper in 2006. 

I left under a cloud of feeling considerable, stifling pressure in the sports department. I had been thrust pages of detailed directives which the management would have acted so innocent about. But the intent is clear in cases like this. Oh yes it is. Good grief, I had been casting a wide net for the coverage of Morris area sports. Upon reading my new directives, I could see I was going to have to do some uncomfortable things. 

"Well then just do them," some people might say. Y'all don't understand. The message from management - and I'm not really thinking of Sue Dieter, I'm thinking of someone else - was "get out of our way, mosey on." If you don't understand, then maybe you have only worked on the management side of things. 

When I say that "Maxpreps" pulled a "Forum Communications," what I mean is that they had a very brief recap of a game, like 2-3 sentences, with the last sentence merely announcing when the next game would be! 

 

Not progress

The Morris radio station started doing the same thing after Brett Miller left. We'd see the score from I presume "DeeDee," and then "next up." I got irritated at one point and wrote "I don't want to read about 'next up,' I'd like to see some details of the most recent game." Brett Miller gave us that so often on the website. I was able to occasionally report about Tiger cross country because of him. I wrote nothing about cross country last fall. 

I won't point fingers at "Maxpreps" because it isn't a local service. We should appreciate whatever their "robot" gives us. And how much current Tiger info do you find on the Stevens County Times website? Surely they have lots of Cougar sports news there. What gives? I feel offended by that. And to think that Morris newspaper management was offended by my work toward the end. 

I walked out the door at the paper for the last time on June 2, 2006. The current MACA seniors were just coming into the world. Those kids know nothing about my media background. I remind them occasionally when I have the opportunity. It is the only role that has ever defined who I am. 

Boys basketball has been going well for MACA. I cannot find details of the Tuesday night game. I was hoping the coach posted stats on Maxpreps as he has been known to do, but no. Maybe Jacob's routine is slowing down for the holidays. Can't blame him for that. I'm just sitting out here alone on Northridge Drive. I have no family or friends. Writing about high school sports gives me some sense of purpose. I write about myriad other things too.

Girls basketball: Minnewaska 55, Paynesville 17

Wow! What a winning outcome for the Lakers of girls basketball on Tuesday. The Lakers came on like gangbusters to defeat the Paynesville Bulldogs. It was a grim story for the Bulldog fans at their home gym. Paynesville managed just eight points in the first half and nine in the second. What did I say about the seeming number of lopsided scores in girls hoops? 

The programs that are lagging had better step it up a little. Girls basketball has come out of whatever obscurity it had, thanks of course to Caitlin Clark and now some others. 

"CC" is Time Magazine's "Athlete of the Year." I have commented to Yahoo! News that she should have been named "Person of the Year." So transformative. 

 

Sydney Dahl is a Moorhead State commit

Thorfinnson leads

So happy to be able to report the individual stats for the Minnewaska Lakers. I'd love to be able to do this for the MACA Tigers too. I just can't. Our fans will have to wait for the NEXT TUESDAY print edition of the Morris newspaper (fishwrap). I'd like to suggest that this community get into the 21st Century. 

So, who led the Lakers in their rout of Paynesville? Well it was Megan Thorfinnson with 20 points. Sydney Dahl and Lauryn Ankeny each scored eight. Also contributing points were Kendall Danielson 3, Carly Jergenson 3, Haillie Schulz 3, Jayda Kolstoe 2, Alia Randt 2, Addyson Kath 2, Olivia Danielson 2 and Berlynn Green 2. 

Thorfinnson built her total with three 3-pointers. These three Lakers each made one '3': Kendall Danielson, Jergenson and Schulz. Rebounds shows us four Lakers each getting four: Kath, Randt, Dahl and Kolstoe. Randt topped assists with three. Thorfinnson set the pace in steals with five. And Dahl blocked three shots.

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

MACA boys own the night vs. Eden Valley-Watkins

Nothing but wins: that's the story so far for our MACA boys hoops squad. First it was the 56-41 win over New London-Spicer. Then the Tigers really upped the scoring pace to down Litchfield 90-36. I have noticed a fair amount of one-sided scores around Minnesota lately. Hope the losing teams can hang in there to keep playing. 

Now let's look at the present or more specifically to Tuesday night. The site was Tiger Center. The holiday spirit got upped a notch or two with the Tigers' 68-45 win over Eden Valley-Watkins! Another game showing real command by coach Jacob Torgerson's crew. So it's a 3-0 situation going into Thursday's home game against Montevideo. 

The holiday spirit only builds. 

MACA led the Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins 34-21 at halftime. We outscored them 34-24 in second half play. Our shooting for the night showed 28-for-69 numbers, 41 percent. 

Nice to see a balanced scoring attack: four players in double figures. The list is topped by Drew Huebner who made six of ten shots and scored 14 points. Tyler Friesen made four of nine and posted 12. Two Tigers each added ten to the total: Alex Asmus and Riley Asmus. Alex shot four of 13 and Riley was five of 12. Jack Kehoe had his role with nine points on four of eight shooting. Then we see Ben Tiernan scoring eight on three of six. Tyson Grove scored three points and Jonah Huebner two. 

Balance also seen in the long-range shooting department: five Tigers with makes. Tiernan, Alex Asmus and Friesen each made two 3's. Grove and Kehoe each made one. As a team we made eight of 33 three-point attempts for 24 percent. 

Let's take a look at rebounding where the team total was 34 of which nine were offensive. Alex Asmus showed an aggressive flair on the boards with his team-best eleven. Kehoe pulled down seven. Friesen dished out six assists to lead there. We had 16 assists as a team. And in steals the total was 14. Two Tigers shared team-best in steals, each with three. These were the Asmus boys, Alex and Riley. 

Alex Asmus and Jonah Huebner each blocked a shot. The Tigers had eight turnovers. 

When will we see coverage of this game from the Stevens County Times? Next Tuesday? Any sooner?

Girls: not so fortunate

The MACA girls hoops squad has five games under its belt now. It has been a mixed bag for results. The Tigers won two of their first three games but have lost twice since. Most recently the Tigers played at Montevideo, home of the Thunder Hawks. There we got stopped in a 49-27 final. We'll visit Osakis to play the Silver Streaks on Friday. 

Sorry but I cannot report individual point totals and other stats for our Tigers. The West Central Tribune has "stats not available" for MACA. Are these stats turning up anywhere else on the web? The WC Tribune apparently does not want to rethink its stance of omitting MACA from its coverage territory. I find that odd and disappointing. 

I learned the other day that Morgan Harstad had to leave the team because of issues with her back. Mainly I hope she can find relief on this. 

I can report the individual stats for Monte. Oh my, the T-Hawks really took command in the first half. They were on top 39-13 at halftime. The second half was a quite different story as we outscored Monte 14-10, but of course the damage was done. I like it when the WC Tribune lists the scoring leaders from #1 on down. 

Update: If you look at the following list you'll see the individual totals are quite off from the team total of 49. Erratum. We see Teagan Epema on top of the list with 14 points. Continuing: Brooke Lindeman 6, Jillian Magnuson 5, Lily Eisenlohr 3, Megan Koosmann 3 and Hallie Helgeson 3. 

Koosmann and Helgeson each made two 3-pointers. Eisenlohr and Magnuson each made one. 

Lindeman topped rebounds with seven. Epema led in steals with six. Epema also topped steals with eight. And Koosmann blocked a shot.

  

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

UMM music dept. pitches in for the holidays

The image shows my late father Ralph in the first-ever UMM yearbook which was called "Venture." Heady times of formation. Thanks to Del Sarlette for scanning photo.

 

We hear people talking about having "the best Christmas ever." It would seem to be human nature, wanting to seek the warmest thoughts about what is current. And it's a wonderful objective to have. Kind of an illusion, though, because every Christmas has the potential to bring maximum joy. And they all truly do. 

At age 69 I have been through such a string of holiday seasons. Of course they can seem jumbled together in your mind. I associate certain time periods with the dogs we have had. We always put a little gift under the tree for our dog, labeled "from Santa." Maybe a chew bone. And my father developed a family tradition of giving yours truly a wrapped 12-pack of Mello Yello soft drink. We'd laugh because this gift could not be disguised by the wrapping. 

So, what is the status of my personal Christmas in the year of 2024? It's a hundred years since my mom was born in Brainerd MN. She and Dad are in heaven. It is essential that the memory of my parents not be locked in UMM's past. My dad gets top billing in that regard as he launched the UMM music program. I was five years old at that seminal time. 

Dad directed the first-ever UMM music concert at the Morris armory. Maybe you do not know that the armory was in a different location then. It's easy to describe: it was where the public library is now. The historic first concert was for a big gathering of 4-H youth and their families. No better way to have connected with the broad Morris area community! The Morris newspaper wrote at the time that the numbers for band were better than what was expected. So important for UMM to take a solid first step not only in music but in everything. 

I'm told that today, the UMM music department really wants to focus on the present rather than to pay homage to any past directors. I don't blame them at all. The present really means everything. But I won't let them completely get away with that! And what do I mean? I helped ensure that the Williams name would stay directly relevant to UMM in the present and the future. And, what surefire way would there be, to accomplish that? 

I saw to it that a "Ralph and Martha Williams Fund" would be established. If any of you out there with memories of my parents would like to contribute, by all means. Contact Erin Christensen at UMM. I have a personal tradition of adding to this fund every Christmas season. I use the UMM mailing address on the Twin Cities campus. There is such a thing. I get nice reliable service. 

Ordinarily, you might want to do a hail Mary when you send a letter to the big (foreboding) Twin Cities campus of the behemoth 'U'. A behemoth, yes, but a most productive place on Minnesota's behalf. 

I have had the pleasure of attending an event for U donors at the McNamara Center. To do this I drove through Minneapolis at 5 p.m. on a weekday. Scary! I think I used the word "foreboding" previously in this post. Let's toss it out again. I earned a medal for navigating successfully, and the whole evening was wonderful. (I insisted on a non-alcohol drink which put them out a little.) 

When names were flashed up on the screen, I made sure mine would appear with my "R" middle initial. That's the name "Ralph" which was my father's name. Super thrill to see that 1939 'U' grad Ralph was being acknowledged in this way so long after. He had memories of Bernie Bierman coaching the Gophers! Dad got both his undergraduate and Master's degrees from the U. 

 

Metro Ralph

This rural Glenwood native became a real "big city guy" from the '30s through the '50s. You should see his scrapbooks. He had a background that would have allowed him to direct a jazz group at UMM. But not even the college culture was ready for jazz in the 1960s. Hell, college culture was not even ready for women's athletics in the 1960s. Imagine what a different world it was from today. It's tough enough to imagine a world without the Internet! 

Smartphones? We weren't smart enough I guess. Now when you show up for the UMM graduation, you're told to call up the program on your Smartphone. I have kept up with a lot of the new technology but I lag in some areas. You can see that I can handle a couple of blog sites. 

My mother managed the campus post office for many years. She had a reputation for having such a swift gait walking across campus. Someone - I don't know who - took a photo of this for us: Mom scurrying along. 

The Ralph and Martha Williams Fund of course is set up to support UMM music. It is a challenged department these days for numbers, but this is happening everywhere. My friend Michael Lackey of the UMM faculty says that we haven't seen the most daunting times yet as this will happen in 2026. And he says "everyone who works in higher education knows this is coming." 

If the worst happens and real draconian cuts are made, I am assured (by Erin) that contingencies exist for everything. Everything. So I'm comfortable knowing that. Even if it comes down to our fund supporting music at the big bad "main campus," I can live with that. 

Our HFA building (my own photo)

But my goodness, whither the HFA here in Morris? It's an ugly duckling on the campus. Its design was considered avant garde at the time it was drawn up. I'll remind you that there was a time when everyone wanted to be avant garde and unconventional. It was quite the societal fashion. Forget about things being "utilitarian," my God. Well, that was then, this is now. 

The UMM HFA recital hall was the site for a wonderful concert Friday night. And on the night before, there was a mixed student recital. I attended both. The Friday performance was particularly delightful, exceeded my expectations. It had the holiday theme. 

I think there was a time in UMM's past when "Silent Night" could not be performed in a UMM concert. Obviously quite sacred. I actually think my father ran up against a wall with this. 

And then the great loosening happened. Why? I think it was because a gospel choir of African-American students formed. And considering UMM's historic progressive and inclusive attitudes through the years, my goodness how could anyone stand in the way of anything that an African-American choir wanted to do? I write all this very approvingly. I remember Carol McCannon leading a standing ovation for that group once at Oyate. 

Simon Tillier, UMM music man

And so today, I think the attitude about "sacred" there, in music, is that "music is art" and it is not presented with the idea of promoting religion. 

An ensemble performed in the hallway before the Friday concert. Yes, there's plenty of room in the HFA hallway, no doubt about that! Refreshments were served there also. Quite the overall festive mood. Congrats to Yulene and Simon! And Simon, be careful as you continue riding your bike around town! 

My personal annual addition to the Ralph and Martha Williams Fund is a thousand dollars. Maybe doesn't seem like much in today's context. And I don't overlook high school music either. I contributed $2000 to help with the MAHS band's New Orleans trip. So maybe that spared Wanda having to oversee one more hectic fundraiser! 

Is this the best Christmas ever? Oh heck, they're all special.

She's the UMM choir master now: Yulene Velásquez.

 

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

I'm not really "alone" on this Thanksgiving 2024!

Aunt Vi at left with my mother Martha

Very peaceful sitting here at home on Thanksgiving morning. I can celebrate the day from my memories. My family for so many years joined my uncle and aunt from Glenwood for the occasion, Howard and Vi. Howard was my blood uncle. His claim to fame in Glenwood was as a banker. I think banking was a whole lot different back in his day. 

The two families got together for the major holidays, going back and forth between the two residences. When my uncle came here, our dog would help "host." We had three small house dogs through the years. Howard and Vi had no children and no dogs. Howard noted, at the time of establishing a fund to benefit 'Waska students, that the Glenwood community was their "family." 

I work to keep alive the spirit of giving here in Morris. Whether this is really prudent for me to do, I don't know. But it feels totally right. You cannot beat giving in the present. The future is so hard to forecast. So in the last few days I sent off another check to the University of Minnesota Foundation. This is to benefit music at our U of M-Morris. 

It is true that generally speaking, yours truly and UMM have rather mixed like oil and water. That does not matter. The U was a defining element in my late father's life. It was an important brick in Mom's life too. And I know that colleges everywhere are dealing with headwinds now. 

It will get worse before it gets better. My friend Michael Lackey of the UMM faculty said that everyone who works in higher education knows full well about the rough seas. And the belief is that these challenges will reach their maximum in 2026. I did not ask him if things are expected to get better after that. 

There are fewer kids out there to begin with. My generation swarmed on campuses when we were young. True salad days. But the numbers thinned. Young people find the cost of higher education daunting. The kids who do seek higher education often get a head start through this thing called "PSEO." I have never really cared for that. College is about more than measured achievement in learning, IMHO. It's supposed to have value as an all-around experience. But "it is what it is." 

Listen to Ron Paul talk about how inexpensive his college education was. My father could recall in the same way. My father paid most or all of his expenses through working at Glacier National Park in the summer. He was a "cowboy" during the day and then put on a tux to direct the dance orchestra at the lodge in the evening! He got a kick out of telling about that. 

Mom attended Hamline but then she had to return home to Brainerd after her father Andrew died from a stroke. Andrew started a family of three children when up in years. He worked for the railroad as did many people in Brainerd. 

My father Ralph at left with his brother Howard

Howard and Vi lived in a modest middle class home in Glenwood. Such a peaceful atmosphere over there when we'd visit on days like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or New Year's. 

The last time I saw Howard and Vi was on Christmas when we had canceled the usual get-together because of someone having an illness. I forget the details but I had reason to scoot over to Lowry to drop something off for the Morris newspaper. You might remember I was quite involved there at one time. Lowry is a stone's throw from Glenwood. I was driving the newspaper van. 

I showed up at Howard and Vi's door unannounced. Their health was getting brittle at the time. They never wanted to concede to age with their lifestyle - it was a mistake on their part. I rapped at their front door. And there they were! I stated loudly "I'm Brian" in case they floundered with recognizing me. This would be due to age - I think you know how it is. A glint of recognition crossed their faces. 

It didn't matter that I was unannounced as we were all joy-filled. Vi was able to prepare coffee and snacks as she'd done throughout the years. And we had a most fun conversation. I was so happy to tell my parents about it when I got home. Howard passed on within a few months after that. Vi ended up in the Glenwood nursing home and later passed herself. 

So it goes with life, and death. "Death is a part of life." 

My grandparents Martin and Carrie

My father and Howard were among five sons of Martin and Carrie Williams of Glenwood. The Williams family had good standing over there. The five boys were so dissimilar with their talents. Money and banking were what made Howard tick. You probably know my father's raison d'etre was music. It's "raison" and not "raisin." It's not a breakfast cereal! 

My father was the youngest of the five. He got his diploma from Glenwood High School in 1934, totally John Dillinger times. And the Great Depression was in full swing. 

Howard left us a box of mementos when he passed on. In that box was the graduation program from when he was class speaker. The program was so well-preserved, it might have been issued yesterday! 

You'll see a slab of stone with "Williams" on it when you enter Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery by the old part. That's us. There's the one master slab with "Williams," around which are the plots for my grandparents Martin and Carrie and then Howard and Vi on the other side. Never to be forgotten through eternity. 

The memories of past Thanksgivings are vivid on this day in 2024. I am alone and it does not matter. You are never alone when you are embraced by family.

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

Lakers hit on all cylinders versus Lac qui Parle

The curtain opened for a new season of 'Waska hoops on Friday. And what a debut it was for the Lakers! How about a winning margin of 50 points? A prelude of things to come? Certainly the Thanksgiving weekend will be extra happy for those Lakers, victors by a score of 70-21! 

The success was enjoyed at home. The opponent was Lac qui Parle. 

Look out for the mid-winter type of cold for the Thanksgiving weekend. I'm writing this on Sunday, which it appears will have the last mild temperature for a while. Good idea to take a walk today. Minnewaska Area will have another home game before Thanksgiving. That will be Tuesday against Eden Valley-Watkins. 

The Lakers buried the Eagles in first half play 37-14. I like it when the West Central Tribune lists the point-scorers from highest on down. So we see three Lakers sharing team-best honors in scoring. Addyson Kath, Alia Randt and Megan Thorfinnson each scored 12 points. Let's acknowledge the other point-scorers: Lauryn Ankeny 9, Olivia Danielson 7, Sydney Dahl 6, Jayda Kolstoe 5, Aubrey Stark 3, Lauren Stryhn 2 and Norah VanZee 2. 

Thorfinnson sank two 3-point shots. These Lakers each made one '3': Kath,, Stark, Dahl and Kolstoe. Kath with her eight rebounds led there. She also topped assists with three. Ankeny stole the ball five times. Isn't she rather a whiz at this? Kath swatted aside two shots. All in all a dominating performance to inaugurate 2024-25. 

The LQPV totals were pretty anemic so we see three players at the top of scoring with just five points each: Caleigh Conn, Maya Sawatzky and Jalyn Lee. Jaydah Kessler scored three points, Brandi Meyer two and Kayla Jahn 1. No 3-pointers by the Eagles. No other stat categories were reported by the WC Tribune. We are waiting to see if the Willmar paper might do a little better giving attention to Morris Area Chokio Alberta. We did see individual scoring totals for the Tigers in the season opener. However, this might be a one-off. I'd love to be wrong on that.

The U of M women

Don't let Iowa monopolize all the attention for women's hoops in the Upper Midwest. It's hard to resist the urge to gravitate to those Hawkeyes. Why? Well, you know of a certain popular individual last year! My, what fame that individual has garnered. And she is even getting attention playing golf now! "CC" was complemented by two other pretty popular players last year at Iowa: Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall. Gabbie promoted her own type of pizza! 

Time moves on. Iowa got a top-notch transfer for the current team. That would be Lucy Olsen who previously played for Villanova. Hannah Stuelke is back. There are definitely some other players generating excitement. 

But hey, the U of M Gophers actually look pretty impressive too! I'm ready to start following the Gophers as they get close to Big 10 play. I'd say they have pretty good potential. We saw that with the Wednesday win over Eastern Illinois. The Gophers crushed the foe 81-52 at Williams Arena. "Crushed" really pertains to the second quarter: a 29-6 advantage. The Gophers never looked back. 

A sophomore posted our team-best point total of 16 - that was Grace Gracholski, a guard. She was 4 of 7 in 3-pointers. Freshman Tori McKinney made her starting debut and poured in 14 points. She went 7 of 8 at the freethrow line. Our ranks were depleted by the loss of a player to injury. That's Mara Braun of Wayzata. It was a practice injury. 

I find it encouraging that I don't even know our coach's name, at least not without reading a press account of a game. You know why that's encouraging? The person is not controversial or notorious for some reason. The U gets too many of those. Remember Cheryl Littlejohn? She was an oddball. We hired Lindsay Whalen for reasons you could easily assume. The fame did not transfer. 

Let's get down to business. Hey the Gophers are now 6-0! Can we hope for success when we play Iowa? That matchup will certainly draw lots of interest. Today (Sunday) will have our beloved rodents playing on the Williams Arena court again, this time versus the Montana Grizzlies. Gophers vs. Grizzlies, how about that?

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

Long before "Molly Brown" we had "Oliver!"

Ah, 1970. Would that we could savor memories of that year in America. I was 15 years old. An impressionable age. I'd come home from school and watch the TV network news. We only had access to "Huntley and Brinkley" in our neighborhood for a long time. "Chet and David" filled us in on U.S. war activity. The war theater was in Vietnam. 

We were supposed to care about the "body count" of the enemy versus our own "body count." We'd literally see numbers on the screen. 

I was 15 and considered naive by most people. But I knew from early-on that this war was needless, tragic and unforgivable. I never sensed anything positive about the war from my father. If anything his attitude tended the other way. Mostly I remember him saying "that war is a bad deal." But as a WWII veteran, I think he felt he had to be restrained. He would not want to second-guess his government and its military. These entities obviously felt the "war effort" was justifiable. 

Why? 

"Don't tell me, I don't give a damn," went the old song lyrics. 

We all ought to "give a damn" but then we should be given some reasons for why we were doing it. Years passed. Today I think the Internet would be the tool for making us realize in pretty short order that it was folly. 

You might not believe how risky it was to come out and openly oppose the war, for a long time anyway. The war supporters were like the Trump supporters of today, totally fixed in their thoughts, no receptiveness at all to naysayers. And my father as an employee of the government - he was a University teacher - might have felt his own self-interest could be affected if he spoke out as a contrary voice. Frankly I don't think it was his nature to do that anyway. 

You might wonder: why wouldn't the people in government be a little smarter? To use the current vernacular, "it is what it is" or "it was what it was." "Let Daddy do his work" as "Dr. Evil" said to his son "Scott." Sometimes I guess we just have to go with the flow. 

 

Joy from our school

The year 1970 had its charms here in Morris away from the distress of macro matters. Our high school at its present location was still shiny-new. We were still bursting our buttons over the gym at the school. Our previous gym may have had its "charms" but it was a little like the type of gym from the movie "Hoosiers." Cyrus stayed that way for a long time. 

The new high school gym opened in 1968. It was the cat's pajamas but it has been retired for varsity basketball purposes. Time marches on. Our school referendums pass one after another these days. I remember the complete opposite situation in the 1960s. The memories slowly fade. Some of us still remember the new school proposal that included a pool. I guess that was rather a flashpoint. 

In 1970 we saw the curtain opened for the concept of the "school musical." What a neat thing to reflect upon now, right after we enjoyed the spectacular MAHS offering "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" with the uniquely gifted Jennie Odello in the lead role. (I'll whisper to you that she does not like to be called "Jennie-O.") 

The kids put on the show four times. Through it all I could reflect back on when Morris High School launched this concept in '70: the "school musical" or actually "all-school musical." 

We had a new theater instructor who was one of those go-getters. His name: Mike Johnson. Eventually he was one in a group of teachers who were placed on "unrequested leave" due to declining enrollment. Mid-'80s I think. The teachers got pretty defensive after that. 

Johnson worked with choir director Judy Hjembo. "Oliver!" was presented at the old school auditorium, the "art deco" auditorium, remember? Talk about a place that had its charms. It really did. It was kind of a shame to see it go. It was one of those auditorium/gym combo arrangements. Our varsity basketball was there before 1968. This was where our 1955 team climbed to the state tournament in the one-class system. It does not matter to me that we got clobbered in state. It was a super accomplishment. I learned about it from Bill Coombe who was our seventh grade history teacher. 

Bill was Morris athletic director in 1955. Our varsity football field got named for him. The field has since been retired in favor of "Big Cat." Location was next to the old school in a part of town that was once such a hub for public activity. I'm sure you remember the expansive playground. You'd see Little League baseball practice there in summer. 

And of course at around fair-time, you'd drive by on East 7th and see the football team in pre-season practice. East 7th Street was once the main entrance to Morris from the east. The Dairy Queen was along there in the days when a small cone would cost a nickel and a large one a dime! Kids would run down the hill from school to the neighborhood grocery store, called "Stark's." It later became Budig's. 

I of course attended "Oliver!" the ground-breaking musical at Morris. And of course I was impressed. 

Johnson went on to direct a number of high-achieving one-act plays here. One possible problem with him was that he was attracted to theatrical works that were rather "rarefied air," and what do I mean by that? Well, "esoteric." Not what you'd generally consider "crowd-pleasers." And I think the public would have eventually called for a shift in priority to the "crowd-pleasers." IMHO it is inappropriate to consider such productions "lowbrow," even though there is a segment of academics who would say, for sure, that they are. IMHO Johnson was a member of that segment. 

I remember when the school hired Sue Hauger and it was immediately clear that she had no bones about the crowd-pleaders. I heard at least one teacher demur on this, to rather scoff at it, and that was the art guy Leonard O'Koren. Today I think we feel it's just fine to go with the well-known stuff even if some might say it's"lowbrow" or some such thing. 

As for "Oliver!" it had what I sense was a left wing political bent. Oh and that was just fine in 1970. The whole decade of the '70s was pretty good for the "liberal" cause. So much the opposite of today! 

What made so many of us fight Nixon and the Republicans? My pastor at First Lutheran in Morris was a total Nixon Republican. I couldn't "make nice" with him today. The Cambodia invasion happened in 1970. It was the year of the Kent State shootings. In May, four students were shot and killed by National Guardsmen at Kent State during an anti-Vietnam war protest. 

 

Think of the scale

In 1970 there were 334,600 U.S. troops in Vietnam. You know what's haunting? To call up an old Bob Hope TV Christmas special from YouTube. Bob, this wasn't WWII any more. Maybe the "greatest generation" wanted it to be, but it wasn't. Maybe that was the whole problem. 

The young generation in 1970 had some serious issues with their parents. But many years later, that of course was completely forgotten and love took over. Because why not? 

Mike Johnson fell in line with a certain clique of teachers here, I write with a smile. What to call them? Maybe the "Dave Holman clique." They could be charming people and with a sense of humor to be sure. But their attitude could be kind of cynical. Naturally I'm cynical myself. I liked the group but I'm not sure they set the best example. I would bet they were not on the favorites list for our superintendent Fred Switzer. 

The teaching staff as we got into the 1980s began losing touch with what was really in the best interest of students. I won't even type "IMHO" with that because I just think it was true. 

 

A disconnect?

1970! A turbulent year in macro terms, yes, but full of love and excitement here in Morris. The school musical was an escape for us from the macro tragedy of the war. There was only so much we could do. Actually there was nothing we could do. 

In 1970, 162,746 U.S. military personnel were conscripted through the "draft." Could you imagine today's school parents putting up with such a thing? I mix with people in the school commons area after a concert, notice all the people brimming with contentment and high ideals, and always I think to myself "you people have no idea what it was like in a bygone time." 

I have white hair. I do understand. I have white hair and I still remember Mark Lammers as "Fagin!" in "Oliver!"

Here are photos from the musical:

 

Addendum: I state in the post that people considered me naive when I was junior high and even into high school, but I have noticed something fascinating since. When I talk with people who I knew then, they give me the impression that they think I really did understand everything going on around me. I was never invested in any one group or activity. So maybe people just sensed I was a good observer.

 

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

MAHS musical incorporated the Titanic

Most famous ship ever?

The late great John Madden made a resolution to "stay on the ground." Remember his "Madden Cruiser" bus? He had no tolerance for air travel. "Stay on the ground." Reasonable? I certainly wouldn't say it was not. Which brings us to the subject of travel over the seas. And a subject that our popular culture has clutched for over a century. 

The "Titanic" encapsulates the fear we must instinctively have. How vulnerable we are over open water. The Titanic was made of steel. Yet someone argued "she can't sink." This was in the discussion immediately following the collision with the pesky iceberg. The comment brought the retort "she can't float." And we all know the horrific outcome. 

But there were survivors. Their story kept alive the whole narrative of the big ill-fated ship from back in 1912. The irony of so many rich people not being to buy their way out out of this one. 

The reality of different social classes was really brought forward in the most famous of the Titanic movies. Oh but there were multiple movies. We cling to the subject with maybe a macabre fascination. Or maybe it's just a fascination with the fragility of human life. 

 

Respect water

John Madden certainly wanted to protect his life. As for water dangers, many people under-appreciate them. We might not realize until it's too late. A fisherman wearing "waders" loses his footing in a stream. This happened with a physician out east a couple years ago. His waders stayed full of air which had the effect of tipping him upside down. He drowned. Would have been nigh impossible to appreciate this danger ahead of time. 

The Titanic was a big part of the story for the big MAHS school musical. Anyone who missed this, missed a real treat. Unforgettable. 

I sat there feeling inferior because I knew there was no way I could have ever memorized so much material to be in this performance. Maybe we're in Lake Wobegone where "all our kids are above average." Well that's a given, isn't it? 

 

The full deal, yes

The kids onstage were complemented by a pit orchestra. I don't remember any such thing from when I was in school. 

The only Morris musical I remember from the "old days" was "Oliver!" from back in 1970. 1970! Doesn't seem that long ago in my mind. The director was Michael Johnson. He worked closely with the choir director Judy Hjembo. The role of the lead kid was by someone last name of "Flesner." I watched this at the old now-gone art deco auditorium. Couldn't help but reflect back on that after taking in the current "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" at the MAHS auditorium on Saturday, the matinee show. 

Wanda Dagen

The pit orchestra was under the direction of Wanda Dagen. I think I could describe her as a personal friend of mine. I went down front after the show and complimented her. Word is, she stays highly motivated to be band director and will remain so for as long as her physical capabilities permit. Have you ever watched her direct? Great physical stamina, more than yours truly could ever summon. 

I just noticed I have six photos of Wanda saved on my laptop.

I imagine the MAHS band's "holiday concert" is coming up in mid-December. I'll have to put that on my calendar for sure. Andrea DeNardo directs the younger kids. She and I are regular customers of Caribou Coffee in the morning.

Some people lose interest in school activities when their own kids graduate. One of my personal traits is that I am always interested from one generation to the next. I started writing about Morris prep sports back in 1972. This was for editor Arnold Thompson at the Morris newspaper. The kids who graduated then are having their 50-year reunions now. Mine was in the 2023 summer. 

After 50, is there any hope for continuing to have some excitement in life? Well I think so. The key is to thank God for every day of reasonably normal life I still have. If I can't count on the future, I'll savor the present, right now. Who knows what will happen in the United States now with MAGA in complete control? And we just cannot stop it. It's futile, in vain. 

I hate to think of what the worst scenario might be. My best guess is that Trump will essentially take over the Federal Reserve, always seeking a short-term fix with the "stock market," and after that happens it will hardly matter that stock prices are going up, because we'll have hyper-inflation. Just like in Germany which is what led up to the Nazis. 

Am I comparing MAGA to the Nazis? Well, we're getting there. The old order with reasonable and realistic presidents is not coming back. Their flaw was to get us into wars too often. And that was a pretty serious flaw. But now the danger is, shall we say, "existential." 

 

Abraham Hyman

A novel twist

Everyone who attended "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" was given the name of a counterpart, someone who was actually on the ill-fated vessel. We got an actual "boarding pass." 

The name I was assigned was that of "Mr. Abraham Hyman." Jewish fellow of course. After the show we were asked to check with a big display in the entry area to see if our counterpart lived or died on that night in the north Atlantic. 

Because my assigned person was male, I was somber. Then my eyes bugged out when I noticed he survived! Is this a good omen for yours truly? I looked the guy up on Google and he had an interesting life. He was well-known for having survived the disaster. He was a third class passenger. He was beckoned into a lifeboat, No. 14, by an officer. He reached America aboard "Carpathia." 

Hyman traveled alone to Springfield MA where he had a brother, Harry. 

 

Tragedy portrayed in cinema

I have seen all of the important Titanic movies and this includes the "Nazi" Titanic movie. That sounds strange, right? There really was a Nazi Titanic movie and it did not have the kind of sinister messages about humanity that you'd expect. Its point was just to show the quality (superiority) of German filmmaking. 

The "moral" was to point fingers at the U.S. for greed. It suggested that the ship was in too much of a hurry to cross the ocean, to show off as it were. The "good guy" was a German crewmember of course who issued warnings that went unheeded. All of this was benign compared to what the Nazis might have weaved into such a story. 

I heard about this movie and thought at first I'd never see it. But then out of curiosity I searched with YouTube and there it was! Could watch it for free! And so I did! It was a much better quality movie than what I expected. Maybe as good as any. I blogged about it on my primary blog "I Love Morris." I invite you to read:

https://ilovemorris73.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-nazi-titanic-movie-fascinating-relic.html 

 

The story has been re-told since. Enough to make us all resolve to stay away from the boundless seas. Just like John Madden avoided air travel. Stay on the ground y'all.

 

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