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