"Paul Revere and the Raiders": endearing '60s sounds

It was a big enough adjustment for our parents to accept the Beatles in the 1960s. Many of us kids took a step further and decided to be even more edgy (in the face of our parents) and go for the Rolling Stones.
There was tremendous peer pressure in the '60s to be edgy. It was such a distinctive epoch in American history. The "generation gap" wasn't some fanciful thing to be tucked away with other passing cultural distractions. No, it was very real. I have heard it described as just as intense as the U.S. Civil War, minus the physical violence.
The cauldron of discontent did not snuff out our natural human longing for joy. Thus I present another musical exhibit. This exhibit was arguably No. 3 on the list of popular music groups appealing to the young. I'm referring to Paul Revere and the Raiders.
I recently felt a spasm of nostalgia when calling up the song "Happening '68" on YouTube. The irony is that such joy is felt in connection with a time, the 1960s, in which such incredible conflict was fomented. Mark Lindsay sang at the group's peak. The group gave us a string of such tasteful and yet intense songs that were on the cutting edge of popular music. This at a time when the older generation tuned in to Lawrence Welk.
Years later we would engage in revisionist thinking re. those older folks. Tom Brokaw gave us his book "The Greatest Generation." I guess time heals all wounds. The boomers put their parents on a pedestal. But how could we not? They sustained us in our younger years. They had become frail and were leaving us. We loved them dearly but in an earlier time, the bond wasn't quite like that. That greatest generation could have done more to help us with the bothersome issues of the '60s. Like war. Really it was the Viet Nam war that cemented many of our concerns. It reminded us of how dangerous ignorance can be.
Mobilized by the war, we got involved on other fronts like civil rights. Through it all, so many of us were attracted to the innocent, pulsating music of Paul Revere and the Raiders with Mark Lindsay. They were quite my cup of tea. They sprang from the Pacific Northwest. The organist and founder was Paul Revere himself, actually Paul Revere Dick, born in Nebraska. Revere was a restaurateur when in his early 20s. He actually owned several restaurants which indicated he came from an affluent background. He met Lindsay when picking up hamburger buns from a bakery where Lindsay worked. Sometimes I'm skeptical about stories like this - I feel there had to be more to the story. But maybe I should push my skepticism aside.
Lindsay joined Revere's band in 1958. At first they were called "The Downbeats." In 1960 they took on the name that would endear them to us. They had a regional hit in '61 with a song name that was so 1960s: "Like, Long Hair."
 
Dealing with Viet Nam war
Revere also had an ordeal that was typical of what U.S. males experienced in the decade: he was drafted and asserted himself as a conscientious objector. The war, in addition to being tragic on the face of it, impeded our economy because all young men were profoundly distracted by having to confront the specter of the draft. This has been cited as a reason why the British recording industry was ahead of ours. "The British invasion" didn't happen by accident.

Revere was given deferred service and became a cook at a mental institution. Meanwhile Lindsay got a job "pumping gas," an example of outdated Americana now. "Do you want me to check the oil?"
All this would give way to a renewed commitment to music. In 1965 the group emerged with a string of "garage rock" classics. They moved to Los Angeles. Their sound echoed British invasion bands. At the same time they gave us a generous American R&B feel.
These clean-cut lads got their first national hit in "Just Like Me," No. 11 on the charts in '65. The song's double-tracked guitar solo made an impression. Dick Clark took a real liking to the group. There was nothing like TV to vault an artist to national prominence. Carl Perkins would have been a bigger star had he not had car trouble on the way to an Ed Sullivan appearance.
 
Television gives a boost
The Raiders upped their popularity through the Clark TV show "Where the Action Is." This show was succeeded by "Happening '68" with its wonderful theme song, and then an iteration called "It's Happening." Revere and Lindsay co-hosted the "Happening" shows which I well remember watching. Lindsay was a hero to me!
In 1966 the group performed on an episode of the campy "Batman" TV series! The Raiders were the first major band to tour with all members amplified, even the horn players.
Drake Levin left the group in 1966 to join the National Guard. Gee, I wonder why. Why did George W. Bush join the National Guard? Or Rod Carew of our Minnesota Twins? Us Minnesota kids would groan when Carew had to fulfill his National Guard commitment. The National Guard was a famous haven for young men seeking to avoid combat in Viet Nam. Boys of privilege, CW told us, could get gently guided into Guard service by influential family members. I cannot blame anyone for using whatever means necessary to avoid the war. As the colonel character in "First Blood" said at the dramatic ending of that movie: "It was a hard time for all of us." The Raiders' music sort of floated out there as an elixir supplying comfort. We retained the tools for finding joy. Call it the resilience of the human spirit.
Joy bubbled from the Raiders song "Kicks." The song had an anti-drug message but was still totally cool. Other songs flowed like "Hungry," "The Great Airplane Strike," "Good Thing" and "Him or Me - What's It Gonna Be."
"Kicks" became a signature song for the group and reached No. 4 on those charts. The tech of today with its democratizing effect has enabled everyone to find precisely the music of their choice, to the extent that I think talk of the "charts" (a la Casey Kasem) has become quaint. We're not as beholden to the big music industry anymore. The barriers to distribution have come down just like in book publishing (where self-publishing has become respectable). Incidentally, "Kicks" was originally written with the group "The Animals" in mind.
The Raiders had racked up three Gold albums by mid-1967. They were Columbia Records' top rock group.
I found Nirvana when listening to the "Greatest Hits" album. That album, we are reminded years later, was a test for a higher list price for albums! Actually I considered it priceless. Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits was another such test. Of course, the fan base for all the popular new music was very young. You might think those artists made a fortune, but remember that so many of their fans were young and with negligible economic means. Today all these artists can play at the likes of casinos as "retro" attractions and make a true fortune! Well, I'm happy for them.
Tastes began changing in the late '60s. The Raiders were deemed not quite as fashionable. Still they churned out songs of note like "Too Much Talk," a strong personal favorite of mine. My, what a sense of "beat" it had. Also in this rather twilight period we got "Let Me," their first gold record. The group sought a newer sound, something more "relevant" (a buzzword from the decade).
 

"Collage" album: fine art, commercial floundering

The "Woodstock Nation" came along. Were the Raiders with their costumes falling into some irrelevance? Fearing this, no doubt, the group changed its name to simply "The Raiders" in 1970. The new thrust was to sound "heavy" and contemporary. We got the "Collage" album, artistically brilliant but groping for commercial appeal. The name change appeared to cause confusion. The group persevered and then came out with the unforgettable "Indian Reservation." Wow, this song shot all the way to No. 1, their first chart-topper in fact.
But. . . The song could not be parlayed into an overall pattern of success. The vagaries of the pop music industry could be strange. And depressing.
By 1975, Columbia Records had dropped the group. Lindsay and Revere went separate ways. Fortunately we have YouTube today to remember it all. If only we could wipe aside memories of the Viet Nam war.

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

MACA boys escape halftime hole, beat YME

Tigers 62, YME 54

The Willmar newspaper continues referring to us as "MCA," not "MACA." Boy, I sure am losing this argument. I have written about this before and to no avail. Maybe the Willmar paper is exercising its own judgment and concluding that "Morris/Chokio-Alberta" is more logical. Congratulations. But I learned long ago that media people should not cross certain lines when exercising judgment.
I have seen "MACA" on warmup shirts and on billboards here. It's "Morris Area Chokio Alberta." Insert hyphens or slashes if you wish.
Anyway, our MACA boys basketball team won its first-round post-season game Saturday over Yellow Medicine East. We were fortunate to win as we were down by seven at halftime, 27-20. That was rather shocking, considering our won-lost mark was quite superior. You can toss aside the won-lost records for the post-season. We got our engines humming for the second half, giving Tiger fans relief as we outscored the Sting 42-27. So the final score was 62-54 as we advanced to round 2.
Our foe now: ACGC. We'll vie at Willmar.
Jaret Johnson supplied important fuel Saturday with his 17 points. He made one three-pointer. Lukus Manska made two 3-pointers and Tate Nelson made one. Manska's point total was 12. Nelson and Camden Arndt each put in ten points. Tim Travis scored nine. Jacob Zosel added four points to the mix.
Arndt topped the rebound list with ten followed by Travis with five. Zosel supplied six assists while Arndt and Nelson each had four. Three Tigers each had three steals: Nelson, Zosel and Manska.
For Yellow Medicine East, Nick Peterson topped the scoring list with 16. Nicky Lindstrom supplied ten points. Three Sting players each scored six: Cole Richter, Tom Lindstrom and Trent Skjefle. Two Sting players each scored five: Will Jeseritz and Noah Christianson.
YME made a late push that created some suspense. We led by 18 with about two minutes remaining, and it turned out we needed that cushion.
 
Girls: New London-Spicer 62, Tigers 50
The smart money always seems to be on the New London-Spicer girls, right? My, what a long-lasting dynasty. NL-Spicer was the roadblock for our MACA Tigers in the sub-section title game. Our Tigers were buoyed by a somewhat surprising victory over the Minnewaska Area Lakers. Alas, we could not parlay that success one step further. We met the Wildcats and certainly we were not blown out, but we did get defeated.
The score was 62-50. The site was Southwest State University, home of the Mustangs. So the Wildcats, coached by Mike Dreier - toupee or no toupee? - took the Section 3AA-North title.
NL-Spicer entered the Thursday, March 3, game with a win streak of 12. But our Tigers boasted a similarly impressive skein: nine straight. But something had to give. The team with the longer win streak took charge early. But finally, midway in the second half, the orange and black showed new life. We got the NL-Spicer advantage whittled down to seven. But we couldn't overcome the Wildcats and the special defensive resolve they showed on this night.
Coach Dreier complimented the Tigers on being well-coached. Of course, that's easy to say when you've won the game.
I remember writing about Wildcat Shea Oman last year. Well, she's at least as good this season. She's the junior point guard, orchestrating a pretty slick attack. On Thursday she poured in 23 points and had six assists. We outscored the Wildcats 37-36 in the second half.
The Wildcats worked to minimize the damage done by Ashley Solvie in the post. Ashley scored just nine points. Dreier noted that she certainly got the main focus of his team's defense. NL-Spicer conceded some points to Correy Hickman. But all in all his team's defense jelled as planned. Hickman did come through with 19 points.
NL-Spicer advanced to face Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (from the South) in the 3AA final. So, the Tigers' season ends with a record of 18-10.
We need to acknowledge the Tigers' three-point shooting on Thursday. It was most impressive with Hickman making four 3's. Riley Decker made three and Maddie Carrington two. Hickman was followed on the scoring list by Decker and Solvie each with nine. Carrington put in seven points and Malory Anderson six.
Oman was followed on the NL-Spicer scoring list by three teammates each with nine points: Brooke Beuning, Emma Hanson and Morgan Swenson. Then it was Kabrie Weber with seven points, Erin Tebben with four and Michelle Johnson with one. Beuning sank three shots from three-point range. Oman and Weber each made one long-ranger.
Tebben snared six rebounds followed by Swenson with five and Weber and Hanson each with four. Oman had six assists followed by Beuning and Weber each with five. Beuning had four steals followed by Swenson with three. Congrats to our MACA Tigers on their 18-10 season, full of neat memories.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Down for the count? No, GBB Tigers beat Minnewaska!

Tigers 57, Minnewaska 54

The GBB Tigers produced a dramatic victory Tuesday in a game that could have spelled the end of the road. This was post-season game No. 2 for coach Dale Henrich's Tigers. My, we just barely survived our opening game which was against Yellow Medicine East.
The second game would pit us against a higher-seeded team. We were up against a familiar rival: those Minnewaska Area Lakers. But the site was neither Morris nor 'Waska. It was Montevideo. There the Tigers came from behind, finding new life and posting a 57-54 win.
We thus have the right to face those Wildcats of New London-Spicer, a real nemesis team. Our win over Minnewaska Area was our ninth straight.
The situation was bleak at halftime as we trailed by nine. 'Waska scored the game's first four points. A persistent full-court press was bothering the Tigers. The Lakers seemed especially resolved to neutralize Correy Hickman, our point guard. Our offense stagnated in much of the first half. Bayley Pooler of the Lakers scored eleven first half points. The score was 28-19 at halftime of this Section 3AA-North semi-final game.
We were hindered by Ashley Solvie picking up three early fouls. She was advised to play more conservatively on defense and turn up her intensity on offense. The Tigers simply needed her to score. She indeed ended up coming through.
We picked up steam thanks to a pair of 3's close together. There's nothing like three-pointers to pick up that jump start. Ashley Solvie maneuvered to score off an offensive rebound. Her putback shot got the score tied at 52-all. A Riley Decker freethrow put us up by one with less than a minute left. Then it was Hickman sinking a pair of freethrows to account for the game's final points.
"A fun win," a proud coach Henrich commented to the media.
Decker made five of her seven 3-point shot tries - essential fuel.
Coach Henrich is now exuding confidence, but a truly stellar effort and maybe some luck will be needed to challenge the Wildcats coached by the legendary Mike Dreier. Coch Dreier has his team ranked No. 6 at present. Henrich said "we're mentally more aware. We just can't chase them." We now own 18 wins on the season.
Ashley Solvie had a point harvest of 17 in the win over 'Waska. Decker's thrilling three-point shooting performance lifted her to 16 points. Her five 3's were complemented by one by Maddie Carrington. Malory Anderson came through with ten points. Three other Tigers scored: Hickman 7, Nicole Solvie 4 and Carrington 3.
Hickman led in rebounds with eight followed by Anderson and Nicole Solvie each with six. Decker and Hickman each produced four assists, and Carrington with her three steals led there.
Bayley Pooler and Carley Stewart each scored 16 points for 'Waska. Ellie Danielson scored 12. Then we have Abby VerSteeg contributing six points and Emma Thorfinnson four. Pooler made four 3-pointers and VerSteeg made two.
'Waska closes the books on its season with a win total of 20. We're two wins behind that but who cares now? It will be interesting to see how hard we can come at the Wildcats.
 

Tigers 57, Yellow Medicine East 56

Wow! That was closer than it should have been. The MACA girls may have won their first-round post-season game, but there was more suspense than their fans could have expected. The Tigers met the Sting of Yellow Medicine East on Saturday, Feb. 25, at home. The fans went home happy over the fact we simply won. It was mission accomplished.
But it was mission accomplished by a margin of just one point. We got past the stubborn Sting by a score of 57-56. This was a Section 3AA-North sub-section quarter-final game. We opened play as the No. 3 seed. Our win over the Sting was our 17th overall on the season. YME closed out its season with a 10-14 record.
We led 29-25 at halftime. We were outscored 31-28 in the second half. We dodged a bullet. Maddie Carrington and Correy Hickman supplied some most essential three-point shooting. Each of these Tigers made three 3-pointers. Riley Decker's three-pointer ended up most essential too! Three Tigers scored in double figures: Hickman 15, Ashley Solvie 14 and Carrington 13. The other point contributors were Malory Anderson 6, Decker 5, Jenna Howden 2 and Nicole Solvie 2. Anderson and Hickman each grabbed eight rebounds while Ashley Solvie grabbed seven. Hickman was an assist whiz with eleven, and Decker contributed four in this department. Hickman had five steals followed by Carrington and Ashley Solvie each with four.
 

Boys: Sauk Centre 65, Tigers 61

The first half was a disaster for the MACA boys hoops squad on the same Saturday that the girls played YME. The first half spelled defeat in the end for our orange and black, at home. It was our fifth straight home game.
We may have done well in the second half. In fact we outscored the Sauk Centre Streeters 41-28 in the second half. If only those numbers dictated the complexion of the whole game. They did not. Those Streeters crushed us 37-20 in the first half. This 65-61 loss left us one game shy of .500 at 13-12. Sauk's mark: 18-6.
Tanner Rieland was a thorn in our side. This Streeter burned the nets for 19 points. He was one of a threesome of Streeters doing real damage. Cade Neubert scored 18 points and Simon Weller put in 16. Sauk had an "iron man" type of look with only five total players scoring. Isaiah Westby scored seven points and Casey Schirmers put in five. Congrats to this tightly-functioning unit.
Rieland and Schirmers each made a three-pointer. Westby and Weller each had seven rebounds. Weller dished out four assists.
Let's review the Tiger numbers: here it was Jacob Zosel setting the pace with 15 points. Tate Nelson scored 11 points and Camden Arndt  ten. The rest of the list: Tim Travis 9, Lukus Manska 7, Jaret Johnson 5, Connor Koebernick 2 and Denner Dougherty 2.
A total of six Tigers made three-pointers! Nelson and Zosel each made two. Travis, Arndt, Manska and Johnson each made one. Johnson collected six rebounds while Nelson had five. Zosel executed four assists. Manska stole the ball twice.
 

From the memory closet

I remember the days when girls basketball was still climbing the ladder to total legitimacy along with the boys team. What? You mean we weren't totally equitable? Actually no. For a very long time, the bleachers were pulled out on only one side of our gym: the 1968 gym. This state of affairs remained for more years than many of us would want to remember or consider.
This was such a visible gesture of saying "girls basketball isn't quite there yet!" I heard hardly any mention of it. I often thought it would be nice to pull out all the bleachers even if attendance didn't seem to justify it. One problem was that in the 1980s, our girls basketball program was not competitive. Unfortunately there is a correlation between attendance and team performance. The 1980s were when Hancock and Wheaton tended to rule in this area for girls basketball.
Hancock had the aggressive, flashy and unfortunately doomed Dennis Courneya as their coach. He got into legal trouble. He ended up in the crowbar motel for a time. The Wheaton coach in that heyday was Earl Steffens. Nobody spoke about our Tigers in the same breath with Hancock or Wheaton. Maybe I should write a book someday. I have joked with Del Sarlette about what the title of my autobiography would be: "Add Dreams of Glory." (This is a line we remember from Jim Bouton's book "Ball Four.")
Our 1968 gym was a huge deal in this community when it first opened. Before that we used a facility - what would later be called the "elementary auditorium" - that would be appropriate in the movie "Hoosiers." BTW did Gene Hackman really get the girl?
I saw a few games in our old facility, part of a complex now razed. Weeds now grow there. I remember watching the great Paul Kelly. The 1968 gym seemed absolutely glitzy compared to its predecessor. But alas, time passes and now the '68 gym seems downright obscure. Maybe even forgotten? The sands of time cannot be stopped. We're just here to mop and dry.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwily73@yahoo.com

Prelude to 3AA play? MACA boys edged by Monte

Montevideo 58, Tigers 55

MACA may not be done with the Thunder Hawks of Montevideo this season. Twice the teams have met and it was anyone's ballgame. The Tigers and T-Hawks battled into triple overtime once. We took that contest. Then on February 23 (Thursday), another game with a close complexion developed.
We had our home fans hopeful in the first half. We led 26-23 at halftime but would not seal the deal. Monte found the tools to surpass us in second half play. Those T-Hawks had a 35-29 advantage in the second half, which lifted them past our Tigers and deflated our home gym crowd. Monte won the ballgame 58-55.
But wait, a third matchup could be in the cards. We're both in Section 3AA. It would be nice this season to see MACA boys hoops exceed post-season expectations. That has not been the norm. But hey, a new "March Madness" chapter will be opening up soon.
We had a chance to tie the February 23 game at the end of regulation. However, a three-point try that would have knotted the score was a no-go. The shot deflected off the front rim.
Hats off to T-Hawk Travis Dreyer who was at the fore of his team's offense: 17 points. There were four T-Hawks in the double figures scoring circle - quite the balanced attack. Hats off to Isaac Douglas with 13 points, Andrew Sweeney with 12 and Riley Emery with ten. Isaac Hoogeveen put in four points and Henry Strunc two. Dreyer attacked the boards to collect eleven rebounds while Sweeney had nine. Derek Kilibarda stoked the offense with his four assists, and Dreyer had four steals.
On to the MACA Tiger data: here it was Jaret Johnson making noise with his 15 points. Then came Tate Nelson with his 12 and Tim Travis with ten. The rest of the list: Lukus Manska 7, Jacob Zosel 5, Camden Arndt 4 and Kyle Staebler 2. Three Tigers each made one 3-point shot: Nelson, Johnson and Manska. Travis with his six rebounds led there. Zosel with his six assists topped that category. Johnson stole the ball twice.
The MACA boys will debut in Section 3 play on Saturday, March 4, at home against the YME Sting.
 

Girls: Tigers 56, Benson 34

Benson hasn't mounted much of a challenge vs. MACA girls basketball in recent memory. Sometimes these patterns drag on a while. We saw a continuation of the norm on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the local gym. We took it to the Braves by a score of 56-34, Hey, the win pushed our win skein to seven!
We owned the game in the first half, drawing considerable cheers from the home crowd with a 28-9 scoring advantage. A fairly close second half developed in which our Tigers cruised. We cruised to our 16th win of the season with a final score of 56-34. We came out of the win at 16-9 while Benson was left at 0-23.
Don't worry, Braves fans, better times will come.
Each team had a leading scorer with 14 points. For MACA it was Ashley Solvie, while Danielle Himley set the pace for Benson. But Ashley had much more of a supporting cast. Correy Hickman scored 12 points. She was one of three Tigers each making a three-point shot. She was joined by Maddie Carrington and Riley Decker. Carrington's point output was nine. Then it was Nicole Solvie with eight points followed by Decker with seven. Jenna Howden, Jen Solvie and Malory Anderson each added two points to the mix.
So, there are three Solvies? Keep your program handy. It was Ashley Solvie setting the pace in rebounds with nine. Howden collected six rebounds. Hickman led in assists with five and co-led in steals with four. She co-led with Nicole Solvie.
Himley was followed by these Braves on their scoring list: Amanda Nissen 11, Presley Gonnerman 4, Megan Amundson 2, Grace Lee 2 and Claire Ricard 1. Himley and Nissen each made a three-point shot. Nissen was team-high in rebounds with five followed by Courtney McNeill with four. Amundson produced three assists. Three Braves each had one steal: Himley, Gonnerman and Ricard.
I repeat: Better times will come for those Braves of Benson. We've had a nice partnership in hockey.
 

The Camden Arndt show

The Tigers and Knights took centerstage for hoops action, both boys and girls, on Monday, Feb. 20. Our orange and black Tigers prevailed in both contests in front of appreciative home fans. The boys game had a 71-50 final score.
Oh my, Camden Arndt was most certainly "in the zone." He missed only one shot from the field and scored 26 points. He was three-for-three in his three-point shooting! We owned this game at halftime with a fine 42-28 lead. This was our 13th win of the season against ten losses. It's nice to elevate a little over .500 with the post-season so near. The Knights of WCA came out of this game at .500 with 10-10 numbers.
Lukus Manska joined Arndt to form a 1-2 punch. Manska's point total: 17. Tate Nelson and Jacob Zosel each scored eight points. Also scoring: Connor Koebernick 5, Andrew Anderson 3, Tim Travis 2 and Jaret Johnson 2. Arndt was part of a most potent long-range shooting attack. Zosel like Arndt made three long-rangers. Nelson and Manska each made two 3's. Koebernick sank a long-ranger.
Manska led in rebounds with six and in assists with four. Nelson with his three steals led there.
 

Girls: Tigers 69, West Central Area 49

The Morris Area Chokio Alberta girls took care of business on that day of competition vs. the West Central Area Knights. It was a nice tune-up game for the post-season.
WCA High School is in Barrett which is the temporary home of yours truly. Mom and I are at the very nice Barrett Care Center. while Mom makes a recovery from health issues.
The MACA girls took care of business with a 69-49 final score. We picked up steam as this game went on as we outscored WCA 39-24 in the second half. We got our 15th win of the season. We were assigned the No. 3 seed for the post-season (North sub-section).
Ashley Solvie put on a show with her talents just like Camden Arndt did for the boys. Ashley poured in 24 points. You might say that Correy Hickman put on a show too, as this Tiger's point output was 22. Indeed, a 1-2 punch just like with Arndt and Manska.
Malory Anderson contributed seven points and Nicole Solvie had six. We wrap up the list with Jenna Howden 4, Maddie Carrington 3, Riley Decker 2 and Jen Solvie 1. The amazing Solvies contribute quite a bit.
Ashley Solvie led in rebounds with eight while Hickman had six. Hickman made a three-pointer and led in assists with six. Nicole Solvie was tops in steals with five while Hickman had four and Decker supplied two.
 

I'm still a little active

Yes, I announced on my primary website, "I Love Morris," that I'm in hiatus from this activity while all our stuff is going on. I have been able to shoehorn in a little time for writing, so today I'm sharing a little on one of my favorite subjects: MACA basketball. I'm in Morris right now for a quick visit back, then it'll be back to (Knight country of) Barrett this evening! Good luck to all.

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

Groundhog Day: halftime lead but loss to Melrose

Melrose 56, Tigers 45
So, how did we get to play the Melrose Dutchmen twice in a short timespan? Melrose has been a steamroller type of BBB team this season. Man, how they rack up the wins. They racked up their win No. 22 at the expense of our Morris Area Chokio Alberta Tigers. So they're 22-0! Can anyone stop this I-94 gang?

The MACA Tigers were left with a 10-10 record. The final score: 56-45.
It must have seemed like Groundhog Day - playing the Dutchmen yet again and coming up shy. Oh, but we also led at halftime of both games! In the most recent showdown we were up 27-26 at the halfway mark. The second half was when Melrose revved up their engines. Melrose outscored MACA 30-18 in the second half. 

The game was played on Tuesday, Feb. 14 (yes, Valentine's Day) at Melrose.

Dillon Haider is a primary talent for the Dutchmen this season. He poured in 22 points to lead his team. Brady Birch was the other double figures scorer with 12. Here's the rest of the Melrose scoring cast: Francisco Cervantes (7), Hunter Rieland (6), Traeton Keaveny (6), Damon Van Beck (2) and Justin Middendorf (1). Haider connected four times from three-point range, while Keaveny and Cervantes each made one long-ranger. 

Haider and Birch each had four rebounds. Haider dished out six assists. Cervantes stole the ball three times. 

For the MACA Tigers, Jaret Johnson connected three times from three-point land. Lukus Manska and Jacob Zosel each made one long-ranger. Those Johnson three-pointers elevated him to team-best status in scoring with 16 points. Zosel was second-best with 12 points. Other Tigers who scored: Camden Arndt (8), Tate Nelson (4), Manska (3) and Tim Travis (2). Johnson led in rebounds with five. Zosel was tops in assists with five. Manska and Connor Koebernick each had two steals.

 

Looking at local papers

I'm writing this post at SCMC. A family member is dealing with some health issues and I strive to always be optimistic of course. I took a break earlier today to visit our public library (one of the chief assets of Morris) and there once again I saw how big and thick the Elbow Lake newspaper is, compared to our rather pathetic Morris paper. 

A library staffer told me we shouldn't be surprised, given that the Morris paper became a "chain paper." It is not locally or independently owned. Is it true that Forum Communications didn't even have the balls to tell us who to vote for, for president? They have had no problem advising us in other years. So they decided we could be trusted to make the right decision? I hope we didn't blow it. 

The Morris paper runs large photos with a lot of fluff articles that just take up space. Anyone who says they like the Morris paper, ask them what they've been smoking. At the very least the Morris paper ought to be acquired free of charge. Senior Perspective has far more value and it's free. 

It's totally hypocritical for the Morris paper to advise us in occasional editorials about how we ought to shop in Morris. If it is nothing else, the Morris paper is a vehicle for promoting those big businesses in Alexandria. 

The Elbow Lake area is sparsely populated with towns remindful of Mayberry. Not that that isn't charming. But we don't expect to see a far more vibrant newspaper serving that area. That's what we get, though. Morris needn't shrug off the current state of affairs. A concerted effort to ignore the Morris paper could force that company to depart, whereupon some sort of new venture could get going, on an independent basis to truly serve Stevens County. It's time for us to become proactive.

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

MBA hockey shines on Worthington ice

MBA hockey got an infusion of optimism on February 4 with wins by both the boys and girls over Worthington. The score was the same in both games: 3-0. The MBA skaters made the trip to southern Minnesota.
The boys got their first win of the season by scoring one goal in the second period and two in the third. Our defense with Tony Bruns in goal slammed the door on Worthington. Dylan DeToy achieved our first goal, of the power play kind, at 4:05 of the second period. Shaun Aarhus assisted. DeToy put us up 2-0 with a goal at 2:22 of the third. Then it was Aarhus putting the puck in the net at 8:15, assisted by Kolby Goff.
Bruns racked up 25 saves in goal. His rival was Carter Ponto whose save total was 20.
The Morris Benson Area girls team dominated the second period en route to their win. All three of our goals came in the second, starting with Rachel Berens getting the puck in the net at 2:41. Megan Kirkeide and Nicole Berens assisted. It was Hallie Watzke scoring at 3:09 with an assist from Taryn Picht. We wrapped up our scoring with a Leah Thompson goal at 7:09. Watzke assisted.
Our winning goaltender was Abbey Hoffman with a save total of ten. Bailey Kruse achieved 32 saves as the Worthington goalie.
Coach Abby Daly was quoted in the media: "The girls played a good first and third periods but their second period performance is what took them to the top. They all worked together as a team and got a lot of opportunities in front of the net. They capitalized in the second period but they just couldn't get it in the net during the first and third periods. Overall it was a great day."
 

Girls basketball: Litchfield 59, Tigers 53

Playing on the road was not a piece of cake for the MACA girls at Litchfield, home of the Dragons. Litch entered the night with ten wins and came out with eleven, as they bounded past our Tigers 59-53. The Dragons seized the advantage in the first half when they outscored the orange and black 28-14. We outscored the Dragons 39-31 in the second half.
With the loss we still had a record of just over .500.
Macy Huhner put in 20 points for the green-clad Dragons. Savanna Peter was second-best in scoring with ten points. Kyndra Beavers and Hallie Euerle each put in seven points. The list continues: Brynne Wahl (6), Sydney McCann (4), Laney Huhner (3) and Maddy Shoultz (2). Macy Huhner was dead-on from three-point range three times. These three Dragons each connected once from three-point range: Laney Huhner, Wahl and Euerle.
Wahl and Pater each collected seven rebounds. Wahl and Euerle each performed three assists. Beavers was the top Dragon in steals with three.
Two Tigers stood out on our scoring list: Ashley Solvie with 18 points and Correy Hickman with 14. Hickman made two 3-point shots. Maddie Carrington, Malory Anderson and Riley Decker each made one shot from three-point land. Nicole Solvie scored six points. Carrington and Anderson each scored five. Decker posted three points and Jenna Howden scored two.
 

A suspicious Super Bowl

The 2017 Super Bowl could not have been scripted better. And that's the whole problem. I would never suggest that this showcase would be "scripted." It's not like pro wrestling. But in a sense it may be. My theory is that the embattled NFL absolutely must have a game with some drama. A ton of money is poured into this thing. Money can cause all sorts of lines to be crossed.
So my theory is this: whichever team is leading at any point in the game, adopts a style of defense that might open the door for the trailing team to close the gap. Atlanta's collapse was too sudden and extreme to seem believable. Reality TV shows are scripted, right?
I don't care that much either way. Football is under siege as a sport, deservedly so. The head injury issue should influence all of us to turn away, the sooner the better. We'll never miss this "drug" known as NFL football. Getting along without football will be easier than we now suspect. I have discovered that.
The University of Minnesota has succumbed to the siren song of football's appeal, permitting an obscene amount of financial largesse in its athletic department. How ridiculous. Wake up and smell the roses.

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

Gage Wevley takes 220-pound championship in WCC

MACA had a champion in the West Central Conference wrestling tournament. However, I'm discouraged to note that we had many vacant weight classes. This is a puzzle. The WCC tournament is a big deal, or it was in an earlier time.

I was eager to sift through the results but was mystified at seeing the word "open" next to so many weights. Was this a case of some Tigers needing to stay below a certain number of bouts for the season? Maybe it is, but the average fan might not be aware of this background. It's a reason why the sport of wrestling can alienate some fans. You pay to see a match and then find there are "forfeits."
I went out of my way to give recognition to wrestling in my commercial media career. It's nice to see when the sport puts its best foot forward.. Anyway, our champion in the 2017 WCC tourney was Gage Wevley at 220 pounds. Jared Rohloff took second in the 138-pound class. Brady Cardwell had the runner-up distinction at 152 pounds.
Chase Metzger carved out a third place showing at 145. Bain Laine was the third place achiever at 195. Matt McNeill took fourth at 170 pounds. The fifth place achievers were Ben Travis at 120 pounds and Dakota Luepke at 160.
Here are the weight classes where we saw the word "open": 106, 113, 126, 132, 182 and 285. When a team vacates so many spots, it takes some luster from the event. Anyway, congrats to the Tigers who had good showings.
 

Girls basketball: Wheaton-H-N 66, Tigers 43

It looks a little like the good old days being replayed today for Wheaton girls basketball. Those good old days had the Warriors thrilling massive fan turnouts at the UMM P.E. Center. The Warriors climbed high in front of their fans dressed in generous red color.
Today the Warriors are undefeated. They defeated our quality MACA girls team by a margin of 23 points. MACA was down by six at halftime, 29-23. WHN surged to outscore the orange and black 37-20 in the second half. The final score was 66-43. WHN achieved its 18th win against no losses. The Tigers were left with a 9-7 record.
Correy Hickman made two 3-point shots for MACA. Maddie Carrington made one. Jenna Howden led in rebounds with six. Hickman was the top assist producer with five; Ashley Solvie was our top scorer with 13 points. The list continues as follows: Hickman (8), Carrington (7), Malory Anderson (6), Nicole Solvie (4), Howden (3) and Riley Decker (2).
 

Boys hoops: ACGC 72, Togers 52

It was a grim night for the MACA boys basketball team vs. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. The Falcons took off in the first half with a 35-22 scoring advantage. They cruised in the second half with a seven-point edge, 37-30, so the final score was 72-52.
Three Falcons led in scoring with their double-digit totals: Gabe Eisenbacher (18), Erik Belgum (17) and Adam Johnson (13). Michael Dallmann put in eight points. The rest of the list: Payton Kinzler (5), Elliot Gratz (3), Calvin VanDerPol (3), Brendan Hedtke (2), Kobe Holtz (2) and Jaren Kaddatz (1). Three Falcons each made one three-pointer: Belgum, Kinzler and Dallman. Belgum led in rebounds with ten followed by Johnson with nine. Dallmann and Eisenbacher each had five assists. Belgum stole the ball three times.
 

Girls: BOLD 62, Tigers 59

MACA kept pace with the BOLD Warriors but got edged in the 62-59 final. BOLD scored 31 points in each of the halves. We trailed by one at halftime, 31-30.
Three Tigers each made a three-point shot: Maddie Carrington, Malory Anderson and Correy Hickman. Hickman was a proficient scorer with her 17 points. Two other Tigers scored in double figures: Ashley Solvie (12) and Nicole Solvie (10). The list continues: Carrington (9), Anderson (7), Riley Decker (2) and Jenna Howden (2). Hickman was a dynamic contributor with her eight rebounds, four assists and seven steals, all team-leading figures.

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