'Waska and UMN-Morris put on show in volleyball

The Minnewaska Area volleyball team has done nothing but win in the 2025 season. The Lakers built their win total considerably in the most recent action. Last week saw them get past Sauk Centre and Melrose, both by sweep. The Sauk match was on Tuesday, the success vs. Melrose Thursday. 

On the heels of these successes, those Lakers swept their opponents in the weekend tournament at Alexandria. They won 2-0 vs. Brainerd, BBE and Alexandria. Today (Tuesday) will have the Lakers playing our MACA Tigers in Morris. Should be an interesting match to watch. 

All of this success comes in a fall that will include a referendum in the 'Waska school district. I wonder how that discussion is going. Under control? Getting emotional maybe? But there's nothing but happiness and excitement in the volleyball world, that's for sure. The Lakers are 19-0.

 

Watch collegians too 

This past weekend saw yours truly take in not one but two volleyball matches at the UMN-Morris P.E. Center. UMM volleyball might be the best-kept entertainment secret in Morris. There was a lively atmosphere at the Cougars' court for Homecoming. Our team won on Friday, got defeated on Saturday. There was no admission charge. 

After the recent "expose" article on UMM in the Star-Trib, one has to wonder if campus events are losing some luster. That's one reason I go out there. The good news is that UMM volleyball reveals a very upbeat and exciting picture. But there is bad news: UMN-Morris music has gotten a serious setback due to the stage floor "buckling" at the recital hall. It would appear this is the reason there was no Homecoming showcase for UMM music. Sorry I cannot repeat the enthusiasm that I expressed about volleyball. 

There was nothing to evaluate with music for the Homecoming weekend. The UMM Homecoming concert has been a staple on the Homecoming weekend slate for many years. It was a nice safe place to go on the weekend of the goalpost incident, certainly. The incident was in 2005. Leave it to sports to produce a nightmarish episode for the school. This would never happen in music. 

Unfortunately I had to pay attention to football for the Morris newspaper. And no matter how I reacted to the goalpost tragedy - a student got killed - I would have been criticized for some reason. Just try to review the football and disregard the tragedy? I might be viewed as insensitive. "How can you write about this as if it was just another game?" But the far worse option was to try to cover the tragedy in any way, shape or form. 

The press cannot come out a winner when a kid gets killed. How wonderful if I could have just been at home on that Saturday afternoon. But fate dealt me a different hand. And then media people from all over the country expected me to know all the details of what just happened. These memories come back as UMM marks each new homecoming. They are unavoidable. 

But as a non-media person now, I could choose to attend the UMM volleyball matches and have nothing but fun. 

The bleachers are pulled out on only one side these days. Looks like that's permanent. Hard not to view that as a step down. It also gives the illusion that the fan turnout is bigger than it really is. In past times obviously the fans would have been divided up between the two sides. Nevertheless the atmosphere for volleyball could not have been more enthused for UMM Homecoming weekend 2025. 

 

The macro picture

Meanwhile we're all dealing with the government shutdown. How is that treating you? Just got a new email release from our congressperson Michelle Fischbach. I take no pleasure in regularly criticizing her. But she has such a simplistic view of life: Republicans good, Democrats bad. That's all you have to know about life from Fischbach's perspective. Must be nice to not have to tax your brain too hard. 

Has Fischbach ever communicated one word of criticism about Donald Trump? Well, I think not. Again, easy on the brain: whatever Trump does or says, just go along with it and keep demonizing the Democrats. 

How is all of this going to wash out? Trump's mind is steadily deteriorating.

 

Emma Hellerman

Minnewaska 3, Melrose 0 

Melrose hosted this volleyball action. The Lakers won yet again, scores of 25-19, 25-23 and 25-10. 

Haillie Schulz performed two serving aces. Eliana Marthaler and Piper Barsness each had one. Schulz stood out in setting too with her 26 assists. Emma Poegel performed three assists and these Lakers each had one: Avery Lewison, Emma Hellerman and Barsness. 

On to the crowd-pleasing hitting department. Here it was Berlynn Green showing her prowess with nine kills. The list continues: Lewison 6, Hellermman 5, Mya VanLuik 5, Schulz 4 and Taylor Schulz 4. Lewison topped the list in ace blocks with three. Then we see the Schulz girls each with 1 1/2. Green performed an ace block and Hellerman added 1/2. 

Green was busy with digs where her stat was 16. Poegel, Hallie Schulz and Barsness each had nine, and Marthaler had five.

 

UMM 3, North Central 0

I personally watched our UMM Cougars win by sweep over North Central on Friday of Homecoming weekend. Had great fun watching. The Cougars prevailed 25-13, 25-18 and 25-21. The fan attendance was reported as 153.

Bella Nelson

Bella Nelson came at North Central with ten kills. She was followed in that department by Mary Cate Ziembiec with nine and Ella Johnson with eight. On to serve aces: here we see Johnson with three, Clara Holden two and Allison Dornseif one. 
Ziembiec performed five blocks to lead there. Tori Scheler had three blocks and Johnson two. In assists we saw Holden with 21, Dornseif with six and Lexi Green with three. The digs department had Lexi Coon with 15, Holden with 12 and Johnson with 12. 
Yours truly "splurged" and bought a Snickers bar for $2 on Saturday night! 
I would love to be writing about MACA volleyball but I do not have access to timely information.
   
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Minnewaska wading into referendum waters

I remember when it was new.

Sounds like there is an upcoming referendum in the Minnewaska school district. It's interesting how the school has established itself without direct ties to a specific community. Its ties are to a lake, not a community! 

I became aware of the referendum through the Facebook page connected to Morris. 

School referendums can of course become contentious. Wouldn't surprise me if this is the path that Minnewaska follows. 

Experience has taught me there are a lot of righteous-sounding "vote yes" advocates who imply that it's really kind of a moral thing, i.e. there aren't even two sides. But even when this argument is presented loudly out and around, you'd just be surprised - or maybe not - how often the "no's" can win. Maybe a case of a "silent majority." People ruled by their pocketbooks? Or, people jaded by noticing that waste and largesse always turn up in our public institutions. 

Am I giving a hint as to my own feelings? I was with the Morris and Hancock newspapers back when the 'Waska school first started up. I wrote about the shiny-new place like it was kind of a novelty. I remember when both the Minnewaska and Lac qui Parle schools were shiny-new and came across as novelties. Well, this is the kind of novelty that the State of Minnesota eventually said "no" too. That was the word anyway: "No more cornfield high schools." 

Well, 'Waska and LQPV sure got in on the novelty when it was doable. Shall the residents of those places feel thankful? Well, they have no choice but to believe in their schools now. But can these school districts handle the heavy lift of passing a referendum? I mean, when there is no direct community pride as you'd get if the schools were named for a specific town? And heavens, don't tell me for a second that Glenwood is not viable enough to support its own school. 

I covered football games at the old "Glenwood High School" field. Our Morris Tigers would play there. 

I'm old enough to remember an awful lot of small town parochialism coming from Glenwood and Starbuck, oh especially Starbuck. I suppose Starbuck was always in fear of being the underdog. When the new Minnewaska was mapped out, legend has it the building could not be one foot closer to Glenwood than to Starbuck! Such was the nature of such provincialism at one time. And I think a lot of that has faded away, really for the better. 

And I remember when Cyrus was having to give up its high school, that matter got way too political and contentious. It wasn't worth it! It would have been better for state planners to just step in and say "this is how it's gonna be." Easier said than done, I guess. And people prefer more localized government at least in theory. 

Man, I personally got close to the emotions involved in some of these matters. And let me tell you it could get very disturbing. Again, not worth it. Maybe Glenwood and Starbuck have a relaxed and amicable relationship now. I sure hope so. A major school referendum can get people worked up, though. 

I saw a comment posted by a Morris person on Facebook regarding the 'Waska issue. It was sympathetic to 'Waska's stated needs. And then below that I saw a two-word response that did not surprise me at all: "cut sports." Sports advocates should know that this sentiment is probably felt by more people than you'd think. 

My own bias is to be quite enthused by all school extracurricular. I have gone so far as to suggest that extracurricular builds up kids even more than "academics." And I really mean that. In the Internet age, kids are not nearly so dependent on classroom learning as they once were. I view teachers today as more like "caretakers." Impart some knowledge, yes, but just create a loving and uplifting environment for the kids. I hope that has been the direction. 

Does the parade for the Minnewaska homecoming have a gay pride float? Should I be surprised or alarmed if it does? Remember I am 70 years old, Morris graduate of '73. The Morris homecoming parade held on Friday had a parade unit adorned with the gay pride rainbow symbol. The float did not come on strong toward the parade spectators, so I took it in stride. The kids appeared humble. So I smiled and waved as it went by. Remember this is Morris, home of the U of M-Morris, a place that the Trump-supporting types would certainly describe as "woke." I mean, "take it up to eleven!" 

 

Overlooking Lake Minnewaska

Volleyball sets tone? 

If the Minnewaska referendum performs as well as the school's volleyball team, man it will be a slam-dunk. 

Last year's Laker girls basketball took fourth in state. Yet there are people around who will say "cut sports."

  

The history 

Has Minnewaska had two failed referendums? That's what my memory tells me. I think both of these resulted in some hard feelings. I have to laugh regarding one of these, when a well-known community leader wrote a letter to the editor suggesting it would be a disaster if the referendum failed. Then the referendum failed. And then after that, the very same community luminary wrote a letter to the editor saying "we'll still have a great school." Wait a minute, I thought it was going to be a disaster. Ah, the peculiarities of politics. 

Do the Glenwood people of today even care that they don't have an in-town public school? Really, I think it's possible they don't. 

The only way to go to and from the Minnewaska school is motorized transportation. That used to bother me on principle. However, the time came when kids weren't allowed to walk to school anyway. I guess that was because of the many years of the sad Jacob Wetterling investigation. And in the end, we learned that whole tragedy was marked by incredible law enforcement incompetence. Oh, the money that got wasted. 

 

"Showstoppers" boffo 

I had great fun visiting the Minnewaska school this past summer for the "Showstoppers" musical, "Newsies." It was fantastic. It tapped Morris area talent too. In my opinion the chief star was Jennie Odello. It was my first time in the 'Waska auditorium. A great atmosphere. 

I remember visiting the Minnewaska school for a girls post-season basketball game just days before the covid crisis hit. On that night we had little idea of what was coming. Our lives sure changed in a hurry. The 'Waska gym is super. I remember covering the Hancock volleyball team there right after the school opened. I wrote about the school being so shiny-new. 

Today the school has been around a while, so now it's time for another referendum. What are the odds? Just let me say: never underestimate the potential for the "no" vote. 

My father was a 1934 graduate of Glenwood High School. You'll see a big rock with "Williams" on it at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. That's my family.

 

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

Gruber to O'Neil for 71 and the Minnewaska win

What a thrilling end to the Minnewaska Area football game on Friday. It was an away game for the hot-and-cold Lakers. The Lakers had a most rousing start to the season with their high-scoring win over Morris. But after that they fell down a notch or two to suffer two setbacks. Then, another reversal. Those Lakers needed a really super fourth quarter. And boy the Lakers delivered. They scored 19 points in the fourth to defeat Melrose by a margin of one point. The score was 26-25 at Omer Sieben Field in Melrose.  

The final touchdown was quite dramatic. It featured the arm of Marc Gruber and the pass-catching skill of Tristan O'Neil. The two worked their magic on a 71-yard touchdown pass with 1:47 remaining. 

The Lakers and Dutchmen both came out of the night at 2-2. 

The big touchdown pass sure built up Gruber's yards-per-completion number. Take a look at these numbers: 4-for-10, 154 yards, no interceptions. And O'Neil was on the catching end three times for 125 yards. Miles Wildman had the other 'Waska reception good for 29 yards. 

Wildman carried the football seven times for 35 yards. The major ballcarriers were Asante Adams (15 carries, 145 yards) and Kearri Dickens (17-91). Wildman added an INT on defense. 

The Dutchmen made a real bid to take over this game. They put up the first three scores and led at halftime 19-0. 'Waska began fighting back as Adams reached the end zone from the four. Jayda Kolstoe kicked for the PAT. But it was Melrose that scored next: Brecken Elfering passed 31 yards to Samuel Stangler.  

Adams went to work again for 'Waska, this time big play-style with a 59-yard run for six. Kolstoe kicked for the PAT. the momentum began sliding into 'Waska's corner. So on came the Lakers: a three-yard TD run by Dickens. The conversion failed this time. The stage was set for the dramatic and game-winning 71-yard TD strike from Gruber to O'Neil. 

'Waska fans won't soon forget this game. Their team had 17 first downs on the night, one more than Melrose. 

Melrose's Elfering had eight pass completions in 19 attempts for 146 yards, one interception. The top ballcarrier was Samuel Stangler with 83 yards on 17 carries. Elfering's favorite target was James Rieland who had four catches for 85 yards.

 

Haillie Schulz, setter

Volleyball success too

The Lakers of the volleyball world surged to 8-0 with a sweep win over West Central Area Thursday at home. They improved to 6-0 in conference. Scores against WCA were 25-17, 25-14 and 25-22. 

Taylor Schulz paced the Lakers in kills with 11. She was followed by Mya VanLuik 8, Berlynn Green 7, Emma Hellermann 5, Avery Lewison 3 and Haillie Schulz 2. Let's take a look at the ace blocks department: Haillie Schulz 2, Hellermann 1, Lewison 1/2, VanLuik 1/2. 

Berlynn Green stood out in ace serves with four. Brooklyn Noyes had two ace serves and these Lakers had one each: Emma Hellermann, Emma Poegel and Piper Barsness. Haillie Schulz was the go-to setter with her 27 assists. Also contributing were Green 3, Poegel 3 Noyes 1 and Barsness 1. 

Three Lakers each had nine digs: Green, Poegel and Haillie Schulz. Eliana Marthaler had eight followed by Lewison and Barsness each with six.

 

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

High school sports diverts from U.S. macro picture

Pam Bondi, AG

High school football is a refreshing outlet that we can turn to, when other aspects of American life become turbulent like right now. It's Sunday morning as I write this. Sunday itself is a nice little outlet for experiencing peace and "normality." But distressing headlines continue to come at us. 

So this morning we see: "Trump publicly urges Pam Bondi to charge his political enemies in stunning post." 

Go ahead and enjoy your high school football, you all, and I mean that because what, really, can the common citizen do about the disturbing stuff? I mean, re. the rule of law and the principle of its consistent application? We have lived our lives under the assurance that we can count on the principle. This, plus the principle that we have two political parties that can co-exist while disagreeing on the best ways to achieve the best American life. 

Instead we now see something quite akin to Mussolini's ascent in Italy. Contact your congressperson? In normal times this would be a valid outlet for concerned citizens. But all the evidence shows that our congressperson Michelle Fischbach is joined at the hip with Trump and MAGA. And if anything, her job security is threatened from the political right, not the left. These are the stripes we have out in rural western Minnesota now. 

Fischbach seems proud of what the DJT administration has done for farmers. I think there's two sides to that coin. But what are we going to do? Elect a Democrat? Well that certainly is not going to happen here. 

 

Off the rails 

Trump is full-on trying to destroy his political adversaries. He seizes power across the board by any means that he can. It is so unrelenting as with the Federal Reserve. Do you realize how absolutely delicate this is? I mean, to try to seize control of the central bank? And it's nakedly for the purpose of pushing down interest rates as far as possible. 

Don't you realize that political people always have a bias toward wanting lower interest rates because it gives temporary "juice" to the economy? And our system was established long ago for the "Fed" to be independent. DJT seeks to crush that. 

All these changes are happening just like the "boiling frog." It is incremental and steady. Yes but DJT does not conceal his intentions. He's right out there. And people refuse to vote Democrat? And that's because of stuff like "gay" and "trans" and abortion? And so now we have to accede to the Republicans and their whole agenda, much of which isn't connected to the cultural issues at all? Well it's all coming at us. 

Even on this peaceful Sunday morning, more terribly ominous signs of what has mounted from the White House. I'm sick of hearing about the "White House." The power emanating from there now happens to be an existential threat toward our very existence as America.

And if a typical Morris area resident were to read this, that person would say "there you go again. Brian, you have Trump derangement syndrome." Like simply being opposed to what DJT stands for is now sort of a real illness. Many of these people actually believe that. 

There's DJT with his red tie, suit and white shirt again. Why is a "tie" even necessary? Who invented this stuff? It is widely believed that DJT has a problem with incontinence. Well he's nearing age 80 and he's obese. Can't we elect a sharp middle-aged person?

 

High school sports

We can still find a pleasant "relief" with our interest in high school sports. You might say it is still the closest thing to being an outlet to take our minds off the nasty stuff. So yesterday (Saturday) I had the most pleasant (and shocking) surprise of seeing MACA football game information readily available on the Internet. As a result I was able to type up a thorough blog post for my primary blog which is "I Love Morris." 

I wish I could do this every week. I wish also that I could do some writing about MACA volleyball. There is a dearth of timely information. 

The football info on the game against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted is on one of those "Minnesota Hub" websites. This system is presented by the Star Tribune. But it's just a template system, and by that I mean it relies on contributions. And it seems 99 percent of the time the sites are devoid of any worthwhile information. So they just sit there. 

I don't know who was responsible for submitting the Friday game info to the "Hub." Were the MACA coaches involved? I have no idea. But whoever did it, I greatly appreciate it. 

I first began writing about Morris Tiger football in 1972. God has blessed me with sufficient health to continue doing it. Does anyone else in the local media have anywhere close to the kind of longevity I've had? I think not.

 

Re. UMN-Morris Homecoming

Here's from an email I sent to my fellow UMN-Morris advocate Warrenn Anderson a few days ago:

 

Warrenn - I just got a look at the UMM Homecoming schedule this morning. There is no brunch listed this year. It would be Saturday morning. I have made it a personal tradition to attend that. Sometimes I bump into certain UMM people who are interesting to talk to. Why would UMM remove this from schedule? I suppose the people who were on strike would be working the meal. 

I never did see many community people attending the brunch, but this seems typical of apathetic Morris. Maybe UMM decided not to pay someone to sit at entrance taking the payment for the brunch. It was actually reasonably priced and it was all you can eat. The students dine there anyway so people like me would just wander in to join them. Seemed like a good idea while it lasted.

It's too bad the king and queen tradition ended. We all know why it did. I was thinking maybe the Native Americans could take the lead with that. Maybe they'd have the proper attitude with it. I think that would be wonderful.

I guess the situation with the public library won't be over until Oct. 14, if even then. What a strange conflict. It's between Anne's lawyer and the city's lawyer, but doesn't Anne work for the city? Is it possible she has more power than the council and city manager? I'd like to see major cutbacks with the library.

I have done so much skeptical blogging about Trump, I may now be a marked man. Just look at the news right now.

- BW

 

And here's from an email I sent to Del Sarlette just a few minutes ago:

 

I wonder if people behind the scenes at UMM are getting set for a suspension of operations. Why are they cutting back on homecoming? They should say "we'll have a nice little parade again no matter what it takes." But of course they'd have to demand a boy and a girl for royalty. To repeat, I think the Native Americans could take over on this and that would be terrific.

Problems at Caribou Coffee again this morning. I am absolutely done trying to get anything there. I sure hope Dollar General can give Willie's some competition.

I'll be at DeToy's seven mornings a week now.

- BW

 

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

Minnewaska volleyball powers to 6-0

Berlynn Green (NCSA image)

The Minnewaska Area Lakers are putting on a show with their bumping, setting and spiking this fall. Looks like there's carryover from the last basketball season which saw the Lakers soar to fourth in state. They have picked up where they left off in the gymnasium sports. 

My first choice this morning would be to write about the Morris Area Chokio Alberta Tigers of volleyball. Alas, there is a paucity of available information. I have bemoaned that for a long time. Various factors have caused this. Info is more readily available on the Minnewaska Area Lakers. We're always happy to see those Lakers excelling. 

I had the pleasure of visiting the Minnewaska Area school this past summer for the "Showstoppers" performance of "Newsies." And what a great show it was. My first time in the 'Waska auditorium. 

Those Lakers of the volleyball world are 6-0 now. They are 3-0 in section and 5-0 in conference. 

Let's take a further look: the 'Waska wins have nearly all been by sweep! This includes the Sept. 9 win over our MACA Tigers. 'Waska downed the Tigers 3-0 at the 'Waska gym. It's always neat to see the picturesque Lake Minnewaska as you leave that school. 

Most recently the Lakers turned back BOLD, again showing the sweep magic. The win over BOLD was on Thursday at BOLD. I wonder how the BOLD school is proceeding with the "criminal investigation" of its finances. 

The Lakers defeated Melrose 3-1 on Sept. 4. That's the only match that did not have a sweep outcome. Previous to the Melrose match, 'Waska disposed of Holdingford, Montevideo and Sauk Centre. Can anyone stop the Lakers? Fans at Olivia saw the Lakers down the BOLD Warriors 25-17, 25-11 and 25-19. This was West Central Conference volleyball.

  

The individuals

Emma Hellermann and Haillie Schulz each had three serving aces. Elian Marthaler had two. Schulz facilitated the Lakers' offense with her 29 assists. 

Berlynn Green, a sophomore, was at the fore in hitting with her 11 kills. Mya VanLuik followed with seven, then we see Avery Lewison 6, Schulz 5, Taylor Schulz 5, Hellemann 3 and Marthaler 1. 

Lewison supplied punch at the net with her 3 1/2 blocks. The Schulz girls - Haillie and Taylor - each had one. Here's the rundown on digs: Green 12, Piper Barsness 8, Marthaler 6, Emma Poegel 6 and Haillie Schulz 6. 

For BOLD, Kaitlyn Flann and Kyleigh Snow each had two serving aces. Snow supplied eight set assists. Elfering led in kills with five. Lucy Remer had three ace blocks. And in digs, Kya Elfering set the pace with 12.

 

Orange and black

Morris Area Chokio Alberta has lost some steam after a 3-0 start. The Tigers went 1-2 in the Lakeview tournament. Then they lost to Minnewaska Area 0-3 on Tuesday. They did not play on Thursday. The West Central Tribune had "stats not available" for MACA in the 'Waska match. In a previous time I would have been able to write some paragraphs on the Tigers. It is sad that I cannot today. 

I know the Tigers have height as an attribute. The two players who I know are 6-0 and 6-1. Not sure we have to accept being swept by Minnewaska.

 

Charlie Kirk

The Charlie Kirk shooting

I knew little about who Charlie Kirk was, prior to the assassination this week. The name would have rung familiar with me. I would have been pretty sure he was on the right end of political spectrum. This has been the fashionable place to be in America for a very long time. 

Naturally it is wrong and tragic for anyone to be shot. Why do colleges find they should allow such polarizing figures on campus? Remember the days when so many bills got through Congress that had a Republican co-sponsor and Democratic co-sponsor? The parties could reach agreement sometimes, strange as that comes across now. 

John Boehner - remember him? - handed over the gavel to Nancy Pelosi in a congenial way. Well why the heck not? 

You all may be paying attention to the wrong issues now. Oh you're familiar with the tariffs, yes. And you must want this. The president has been waving the flag with tariffs for a long time. And if you don't know that tariffs are a consumption tax on all of us, you're a fool. I won't lecture you on the background here. 

The issue that should maybe grab your attention now is the Federal Reserve. There is a widespread belief that the Fed is about to push interest rates way down again. The Fed was already receptive to that idea but then the president had to wield his hammer, so to speak. Of course there has long been an unwritten rule that the president does not comment on the Fed. Trump goes the extra mile to break the rule, and is there enough pushback? Well no there isn't. 

Charlie Kirk went around the country extolling Trump across the board, I gather, even giving out red hats. The people who buy all his rhetoric will have to answer for the consequences of Trump-ism when all is said and done. Low interest rates fuel inflation. They devalue our currency, in case that matters to you. 

The widespread deportation of cheap labor can only fuel inflation. So many of the deportations on their very face seem inhumane. If that matters to you. That's a refrain of mine now: "if that matters to you." I'm not sure how the issues of the day are registering with people. 

People here in the wide open spaces seek refuge in their churches. With all the negative things going on with the rural economy - I mean for the rank-and-file - people seem to think church is the answer. As if their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would wish to support what our Republican Party is doing. That's the party that rules out here: no contest. Believe me it didn't used to be like this. 

I suspect that Jesus Christ would want nothing to do with DJT, he of the insurrection attempt in D.C. He gets away with pardoning everyone. And you're good with it. Our congressperson reflects DJT 100 percent like they're joined at the hip. Maybe I should just say "heaven help us all." 

Hell may be coming to breakfast in the rural Upper Midwest. Maybe it's because you bought into rhetoric that originated in the states of the old Confederacy. We fought a war against that.

 

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

Tigers stuff the Montevideo offense, here

MACA football completely erased any sting from their season-opening loss by winning in an absolute rout on Friday! This was the home opener. And yes, the word "absolutely" is most called for. Frankly we had to feel sorry for the opposing team by game's end. Negative yardage on offense. Truly this spells "futility." 

The Tigers triumphed 48-0 over the Thunder Hawks of Montevideo. How one-sided can you get? It was so one-sided it could get boring I'm sure. Sorry, I didn't have enough drive to walk on over. Fans dealt with some unseasonable cold. But word is, warmer temps will be setting in. I hope to get over to Big Cat and get a burger basket sometime, if that promo is continuing. 

Monte's "zero" on the scoreboard says a lot. A lot more is said if you dive deeper into the numbers. The MACA defense limited Monte to negative 28 yards rushing on 20 attempts. The passing story was equally bleak for those Thunder Hawks: minus nine yards! So the T-Hawks had 37 total plays from scrimmage and went backwards 37 yards. Hard to believe the disparity between teams is this wide. 

And to think our Tigers were humbled just a week earlier at the hands ot the 'Waska Lakers, score of 48-14. Uh-oh, 'Waska plays Monte on Oct. 10 at Monte! 

 

Vagaries of sports 

We can praise the MACA defense. But it's never fun to see a team struggle as much as Monte did. That's my editorial comment. In the '80s when I wrote sports for the Morris paper, Monte could manhandle the Tigers. The '80s in general were a ragged time for Tiger athletics. Eventually I heard comments like "oh, we can't compete with Montevideo!" 

The vagaries of high school sports! 

I remember when Granite Falls was such a football power. Eventually they got absorbed into the new entity called Yellow Medicine East. YME had a hard time being competitive in football for a long time. 

 

Righting ship

Our Tiger fans may have been worried some coming out of the Labor Day weekend game vs. 'Waska. Those worries would seem gone now. Even without Riley Asmus it looks like we'll be fine. Maybe some of the other towns will start to say "oh, we can't compete with Morris." Maybe the addition of Chokio-Alberta helped us turn the corner. 

I was present for a historic Morris football win over Granite Falls. Were they the "Kilowatts?" It was an unforgettable game that had us using a trick play at the end, was masterfully drawn up. Our coach was Jerry Witt. The trick play unfolded with a pass to a wideout who was behind the line of scrimmage. The wideout then launched the ball downfield. I remember Kent Moser was involved. I photographed the Rambows - Lyle and Londa - in an embrace in the post-game celebration. 

My involvement with the Morris newspaper was severed in 2006. The last MACA football game I covered was at Henning. I never dreamt that night it would be the end. 

What grade should the West Central Tribune get for its coverage this morning? The standards are awfully low. So often we see "stats not available" for the MACA teams. Well, this morning I see they did slightly better. But you can see that Monte is a higher priority for them. Their three-sentence article concludes with an announcement of Monte's next game. It will be against Glencoe-Silver Lake at Glencoe. There's no mention of the Tigers' next game. 

Go sit under a cow, you West Central Trib staff members. 

 

Safety starts us off 

The Tigers gained a 9-0 lead in the first quarter. Initially we got two points on a safety. Uh-oh, here we go with "n/a" for "not available!" This is for the Tigers' first touchdown where we do not see the name of the  player who scored. They have "n/a 2 run." So it was a two-yard run by whoever, but strangely the West Central Trib has the name of the kicker for the conversion. It's Landen Gibson. So congrats Landen. 

Perhaps we should extend a bigger congratulations to Gibson on his next kick. He kicked the ball through the uprights from 31 yards out. Three points. 

The Tigers kept pouring it on with an eight-yard TD run. The WC Trib has the name of the Tiger carrying the football: Kye Suess. We got the two-point conversion, names don't appear for that. What a scattershot system the Willmar paper has. But they got their act together for reporting our next score: Ozzy Jerome passed 15 yards to Jack Kehoe, and Gibson kicked successfully. 

Oh no we start seeing "n/a" again. So the Tigers score on a "n/a 35-yard fumble return." Gibson kicked. Continuing, the Tigers struck with a "n/a 86-yard interception return." Gibson kicked. And then we wrapped up the scoring with a "n/a 23-yard run." Gibson's toe was true again. Gibson for his part worked into the paper's coverage well. The paper must have been relying on the Montevideo coach. 

The Tigers achieved 13 first downs en route to victory. We had 147 rushing yards on 28 carries. Drake Asmus had 46 yards on just two carries. Suess had ten yards on two. Jerome's passing produced 8 for 16 numbers for 277 yards. Kehoe had two receptions for 22 yards. Hunter Westerman intercepted a pass and Jace Kleindl recovered a fumble. We sacked the quarterback twice.

What are the odds that the Stevens County Times will have game coverage on its website before the end of the weekend? What are the odds we'll see more than the "score" on the kmrs-kkok site? Certain other people need to go sit under a cow. 

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

"Smoke gets in your eyes" for football opener

Passing on football to stay healthy

Will the new high school sports season help us forget about the smoke we continue to see hovering in the air in the morning? Today (Thursday) was another such morning. We have been through a "false fall" of late. But today promises to be most summer-like. Can't really get enough of that. We all know that when the cold sets in, it seems interminable. 

I shall cover the maximum distance with my walk this afternoon east of town. Some people think it strange that I walk along the bypass. I hear an occasional horn honk and this has to puzzle me: is that motorist saying a friendly hello with the honk or shaking his first at me? "You don't belong here." Really? 

You should know that between 1982 and 1992, I would run out along these places. And to make it even more strange or anomalous, I sometimes ran at night. Sometimes around midnight even. I thought it was a good way to find peace. Maybe that was the case then. Our world is different today. More dangerous. People do not accept oddball behavior as much either. 

Today I would be accosted by the cops even if the cops knew who I was. Arrested for something. Acting ridiculous? 

Well I do cherish the memories of when my body was resilient enough to go out running. I did the Twin Cities Marathon three times in the 1980s. First time around was the best: time of three hours, one minute, 11 seconds. Once I started running that day I didn't stop. A guy at the finish line said I "looked a little dry." I remedied that in short order. The year was 1984. 

My next two experiences there were in 1987 and 1988. By then my body had worn down some. I stopped the pastime in '92 because of chronic pain in my right foot. I don't feel it now, but I would after a couple weeks of jogging again. I sometimes try to break into a jogging gait when I'm out walking. I can develop no enthusiasm for it. 

Walking is good for me for health reasons. Not sure if all the smoke in the air from Canadian wildfires is such a harmless thing. 

On the subject of staying healthy, a top athlete with the MACA Tigrs has sure made a decision in this direction. This is Mr. Riley Asmus. Yes and some people feel disturbed by this. I guess I can see both sides. This community made a push once to get our old Coombe Field replaced with a most top-notch artificial turf field. Upon making this significant move, we might have assumed it was a privilege for our young athletes to be able to play football at such a place. Certainly the fans had to like it. 

 

Then and now

Don't you have to smile as you recall the adjustment from the old field to the new? I mean, just from the basic standpoint of atmosphere and fan deportment? I think it was rather like night and day. The old Coombe Field, named for a teacher that I personally had, was like a "town square." That's how Lory Lemke described it to me - the term stuck in my head. You might recall that most people there seemed more interested in socializing and hanging around, and their attention was not firmly focused on football like it is now. 

For this transition to happen, the powers-that-be with Minnesota prep football had to adjust the game so that there was more scoring and more passing. We see many more high-scoring games now. Whereas in the Coombe Field days, there were games that were just play after play with a handoff and then a run into the line of maybe two yards. Maybe none. 

I remember when 'Waska was here for a game and I swore 'Waska wasn't going to score unless a ball came loose in the end zone and they just had to fall on it! And even then, would have expected the ball to just "squib" out of the end zone! 

In those earlier times, relief was supplied by nine-man football where scores were higher and certain superstar players could really break loose and entertain us. We appreciated this at Chokio-Alberta where coach Neal Hofland ran his vaunted "toss sweep" play so much. I remind him of that to this day when I see him at DeToy's Restaurant. Jon Hallman was one of his superstar backs. 

C-A had an ordinary field but then in post-season they'd play at the Metrodome in Minneapolis! And today the C-A kids blend in with Morris. The C-A people finally had to realize the practicality of that. Like all small communities they resisted for a long time. Once reality sets in, you had better have a positive attitude about it. 

So high school sports is underway for 2025-26. And it's nice to see that the volleyball Tigers won their opener on the road vs. Melrose. A thrilling match with a 3-2 outcome. Now the question is, when can we read some details about the match like stat leaders? Looks like we'll have to wait all the way to next Tuesday when we'll have to PURCHASE the Morris paper. 

I find this unacceptable. I know two players on the team: Cihak and Harstad. It would be nice to see more timely reporting. I checked the radio station website this morning and it looks like the tennis coach is emailing match details which are then copied onto the radio station site. That's super. The tennis coach is a neighbor of mine, as is Addie Cihak of the volleyball team. I know Morgan Harstad from DeToy's Restaurant. 

As for Riley Asmus, he has played enough football to know quite well what the injury risks are. We cannot blame him for protecting his baseball scholarship. But I'm sure some fans feel unsettled about this. I hope they leave the kid alone. Our football home opener is Sept. 5 against Montevideo. Will the smoke in the air subside?

You might know that "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is an old popular song. "The Platters!"

 

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

DJT critics may find it's too late to protect selves

(the new yorker image)

DJT is out in the open practicing retribution. Maybe we the public are experiencing the "boiling frog" thing. The worst fears that many of us harbored about Trump long ago, are being borne out in reality. The media tells us this. Well it's just another day, yawn. 

You mean there's consequences with Federalist Society types filling the Supreme Court? Women losing their right to choose? That's just one example. 

"Judge Cannon" isn't even on the Supreme Court but she has been as impactful as anyone. I mean, where would we be today if she had not tossed the "docs" case on specious grounds? And then the dug-in Trump people started looking for blood after that. Can't you see this is the real danger? Retribution? 

And why must that drive be satiated? Well, rhetorical question: autocratic aims. And our society now is the boiling frog. We no longer have Dan Rather to turn the fire hose on the most extreme right-wingers. 

Rather could be "rather" a pain sometimes. But I'd prefer living in an America with someone like him having a check on power. 

I should refrain from making comments like this if I know what's good for me. But I began making such comments a long time ago, really since DJT "came down the escalator." I have been wise to his system of gathering power for himself. He has a true gift with rhetoric. But then that's a common trait for autocrats like the most notorious one of the 20th Century. 

Michelle Fischbach

I established a track record long ago. So if retribution is in the works for someone like me, I would have no cover. I'm vulnerable. You would think that our own congressperson out here, Michelle Fischbach, would want her own constituents protected from such a thing. She should put our welfare first. That was the ideal in the "old" America of pre-Donald Trump. 

The old ideal would have been to let the citizens of Texas vote in a conventional way without the hasty gerrymandering that we now see. People who believe in basic ethics should be crying out about this. Texas officeholders were initially hesitant about the re-districting move. DJT changed the equation when he muscled in.

The motive was naked. 

Our basic sense of fair play and decency should be tugging at us. It would have been, in the America I grew up in. 

Today we see the increasingly crass and abrasive president of the U.S. - at age 79 on shaky ground with his health and cognitive state - do extreme things with retribution and partisan arm-twisting. In the case of the Federal Reserve, it may not even be partisan politics. 

 

Don't bludgeon the Fed 

Of course I learned as a young person that the president is supposed to be hands-off with the Fed. I probably did not learn this in the classroom, rather it was from esteemed commentators on the news. One of my traits has been to digest the news since I was a little kid. Maybe I assume too much about other people's knowledge. Don't most people understand that incumbent office-holders need to leave the Fed alone? 

The fundamental principle is this: The Fed is called upon to make decisions sometimes that are bad in the short term but good in the long term. And what happens if we allow our long-term best interests to be ignored, to be vetoed actually? Do we really want to find out? Do you care, really? Well I know of a lot of people who I think wouldn't care at all. 

Look how DJT is trying to bludgeon Lisa Cook of the Fed. 

 

The news is out there 

We learn now that DJT has personal self-interest involved with what the Fed does. Good grief he's almost 80 years old. Why be obsessed with such objectives? A normal person would want to do well by the American people. Doesn't his legacy for the American people matter at all? Well no, it doesn't. 

So what is the essence of his motivation? Is it the devil? At the same time this charlatan has worked for years to get insecure Christians eating right out of his hand? 

Today is Sunday and I'm not even going to church. I know people who'd say "we don't care." Or they might say "we don't give a f--k" because this is how they have become. 

No, Michelle Fischbach would not care if she were to learn that I personally have come to suffer from DJT's retribution. She puts aside her normal impulses to show absolute fealty to Trump. If you are on her email communications list you certainly know that. Does anyone try to talk back to her?

  

Higher prices? 

A whole string of interest rate cuts will exacerbate inflation. So will the deportation of cheap labor thanks to the "goon squads" of ICE and the handiwork of the exhibitionist Kristi Noem, the former South Dakota governor. Boy, "Minnesota nice" never rubbed off on her. She totes a machine gun and looks like she has had plastic surgery. She was a naturally attractive woman when she first entered politics. 

John Bolton: target of retribution

Many people are simply attracted to power. This includes otherwise good people, shall we say people who were not born to do these terrible things. Look at a picture of Martin Bormann of Germany - looks like he could be your local State Farm agent. Had this man grown up in America, he might have been quite straight-laced. But what's the old saying? "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." 

So many of us have been parties to this. Maybe I won't be around to see how it all turns out. 

John Bolton is a fresh target for retribution. We read the news articles about such things, then it looks like we just shrug and move on. This must be how it happened in Germany.

I sigh. "Mongo just pawn in game of life." 

 

Addendum: Here's a comment that I posted to Yahoo! News over the weekend:

 

Pretty soon all critics of Trump will learn to be quiet if they just want to live a normal life.

 

"Another Way" responded:

There goes the First Amendment, the most precious in a democracy. Yes, autocracy rules through fear, certainly not good policy. 

 

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

No doubt now that UMN-Morris faces headwinds

Here's an email I sent to our State Senator Torrey Westrom on March 4. I did not receive a response.

 

Hello Torrey, it finally dawned on me I should contact you. I'm concerned about the welfare and future of the U of M campus in Morris. The campus has become almost defined by this thing called "DEI." Obviously this prompts concern because our Federal government from the top wants to absolutely wipe out DEI in schools. A Federal judge had to knock down one effort. So what does this bode for the Morris campus? And will the central U of M administration become fearful of what the Morris campus could do to the system as a whole, if we stick so strongly to DEI? 

My own opinion of DEI is that it's not terrible but maybe it has gotten overdone here. But my own opinion is secondary. You might want to respect my opinion because I speak for the family fund within the University of Minnesota Foundation. The Williams name is important in UMM history. I guess we're called "UMN-Morris" now. It gets confusing. 

The Morris campus appears to be under considerable stress. I recently contacted the Twin Cities campus to inquire about the possibility of having my family fund transferred so that it supports music at the Twin Cities campus instead of music at Morris. Morris people got wind of that and so I backed off. Maybe you should know that UMM music has been restructured so that the ensembles are a combo of students and COMMUNITY. And I question the appropriateness of that. UMM assets should not be used to support what amounts to a community band. We no longer have "symphonic winds" which was the student group. It has been canceled. You can verify all this. 

Anyway, if you have consumed this whole email I do thank you. I have met you on several occasions in the past and you have always been friendly. I worked for the Morris newspaper for many years. Last time I saw you it was at Good Shepherd Church in Morris. 

I think your Republican Party as a whole needs to "soften" a little. Just my opinion. Take care.

 

- Brian R. Williams, Morris MN

 

Maybe one thing is for certain after the Sunday Star Tribune came out: We won't ever see a strike by UMN-Morris employees again. How many years since the last one? At age 70 I'm having a harder time estimating such things. I might not even be close. But I remember the irritating sight of those clusters of people with their typical placards for such things. I'm not sure if any of them said "unfair." 

The Sunday Star Tribune sure sets the table in a certain way for tonight's (Monday) "welcome picnic" to usher in the new UMM school year. 

School days! My generation was told in such strong terms that it was important to go to college. I'm sure it was more important in pre-digital times when information was scarce. Scarce? Today it's a flood. And as with all sweeping changes affecting society, we take for granted the new norm. So easy to forget the "retro" ways. 

Easy to forget when we'd leave "coins" on a table as the tip for a restaurant server. We called them "waitresses" then. Might just leave a quarter! 

Information and knowledge? Boy we sure leaned on our libraries. Their importance was self-evident. Today we've come to take for granted that we're one or two "clicks" away from learning about anything, anything at all. 

The Star Tribune tells us that enrollment is stressed at our "jewel in the crown" the University of Minnesota-Morris. It's "UMN-Morris" now. Well, we still have sports teams. I miss the days when our teams played the state universities. Seemed neat when our little Morris could defeat the more well-known places like St. Cloud. 

Our chancellor likes how we're in a different conference now. She has her reasons. So this is not a rebuttal. But I'll just say I miss the days when I'd see buses with the names of state universities on the side. "Bemidji State" et al. And if we were playing the "Beavers" of Bemidji State in basketball, I'd go inside and see Dave Holman along the concourse. The late Holman was a Bemidji State alum. He was on our public school faculty. He was kind of an acquired taste to have as a friend. All would agree he was an interesting person. 

There was a problem in those days: for a certain element of the UMM student population, it wasn't enough for our Cougars to win. The students could be disrespectful toward the visiting players and fans. It brimmed with arrogance. As I have written before, I think our one-time chancellor Jack Imholte actually liked that attitude. Part of his way of "selling" UMM was to frankly suggest that our students were "smarter." Believe me I know this. 

It's fine to be proud of your institution of higher learning. UMM could justifiably be proud, I think. Oh here I go being contrarian. Today in 2025 I strongly doubt that UMM exudes that kind of sense of superiority. I think we're happy to blend in with all institutions, all of which should feel proud of what they're doing for kids. Obviously the missions differ. Shall we refrain from making value judgments about those missions? 

The private schools can present a problem. If religion enters in, that can be a big problem for me. The Cougars today have a non-conference opponent in basketball in "Oak Hills Christian" from way the heck up north in Minnesota. Sometimes I'm bothered by the sheer amount of travel undertaken by school sports teams. 

Do some cursory research on "Oak Hills Christian." It is the most anti-gay college in the U.S. And while I am discouraged by UMM's history of embracing gay rights with effusive zealousness, I'm not sure we really ought to be scheduling Oak Hills Christian. What irony in this matchup of teams: UMM and Oak Hills Christian!

Some of the teams in our UMAC Conference have always struck me as rather cult-like. At the very least mysterious. There was nothing mysterious about the state universities. 

When we played Winona State, we knew a certain local wrestling coach would take interest. That's Spencer Yohe, who I guess has been gone from here for a rather long time now. The WSU alum was a miracle-worker at tiny Hancock in the sport of wrestling. Eventually he joined the UMM staff. 

I described Holman as having an offbeat nature. That mantle was carried perfectly by Mr. Yohe also. Don't knock him, he beat cancer. As a newspaper writer I rather enjoyed the colorful or eccentric folks. 

Perry Ford

 

The UMM coach with whom I worked most closely was Perry Ford. Sad to say, Perry has left this life. He worked hard to keep the Cougar men's program viable when the bricks started falling off. The bricks fell off at a faster pace when poor Jim Severson came here. 

 

Two pizza slices! 

I haven't been to a UMM basketball game since I left the Morris paper. I used to have my "evening meal" of two pizza slices there. I'm sure there has been price inflation since, probably considerable. 

Donnie Eich

Let's remember the late Donnie Eich as a loyal supporter of the UMM women's basketball program. He'd sit up at the top of the bleachers and take notes on his program. He could be very frank in his views. So he said to me one day that "all a degree from UMM proves is that you can read some books and then answer some questions about them." 

 

The Fourth Estate 

So, the UMM welcome picnic is tonight (Monday) at East Side Park. UMM sets sail on this new year with turbulence. That's guaranteed by the Sunday Star Tribune article. In the state/metro section I'm told. (Willie's was sold out this morning.) 

Our chancellor sent out a rebuttal to the article. But I'd be shocked if the Strib's writers were anything but exhaustive and thorough. Maybe the chancellor is not considering the "retention" issue enough. Are enough students staying to get their full four-year degrees? I know it's been an issue in the past. 

Free education for the Native Americans! Everyone knows about this. The UMM administration (or its lawyers) must have cooked up some way to keep this going even with the U.S. Supreme Court having banned affirmative action. Oh, those lawyers. And what about DEI? Well I certainly brought up the subject in my email to State Senator Westrom. 

Is Stephen Miller aware of UMM? 

Well let's just hope for the best in this coming school year. As for the Star Tribune, they followed the press instinct of looking for a problem somewhere. As Chuck Todd has said, "the media does not go out to the airport to cover all the successful takeoffs and landings." The media sure converged on Morris at the time of the 2005 goalpost incident at UMM.

 

Pining for band 

Is the hope all gone for ever seeing a real UMM band at the graduation again? A band with essentially all students? It was the norm for so long. How wonderful if we could hear the "UMM Hymn" again, from UMM's earliest heady days. I was there, circa 1960-61. And I was present at UMM's first graduation in 1964.

UMM's first year coincided with "Camelot," the JFK administration. Unfortunately the Cold War was rearing its ugly head.

 

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