HJ Sports Blog

Delano slides past Rogers in Section 5AAA semifinal

Matt Kane — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:03:47 +0000

By Matt Kane
Sports Editor
ST. CLOUD — The rematch with Orono came about just barely for Delano.

The Tigers needed two free throws from senior Darius Clare with six seconds on the clock to win its Section 5AAA semifinal game against Rogers March 13 at St. Cloud State’s Holenbeck Hall.

Clare drained both free throws — one on both sides of a Rogers’ timeout. The first tied the game at 49, and the second gave Delano a 50-49 lead.

Rogers quickly got the ball down the court, and got a shot off before the final horn sounded. R.J. Dean’s jumper with two seconds remianing was no good. Trevor Merlock pulled down the offenseive rebound, but his shot attempt came after the buzzer sounded on the game, and Delano escaped with the 50-49 win.

Delano and Orono will play for the section championship and a berth in the state tournament Thursday at 7 p.m. at Holenbeck Hall.

DC wrestling banquet location moved

swiblemo — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:49:04 +0000

The Dassel-Cokato wrestling team’s season banquet Sunday, March 21 at 6 p.m. has been moved to a new location. It will now be held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church by the post office in Cokato.

DC boys basketball team goes down fighting

swiblemo — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:46:02 +0000

By Stephen Wiblemo
Sports Editor
The Dassel-Cokato boys basketball team’s season came to an end Tuesday with a brutal 86-48 loss to Hutchinson in the Section 2AAA quarterfinals.
Right from the start, the game was out of hand for the Chargers as the Tigers rocketed out to a 17-0 lead. It wasn’t until nearly half way through the first period that DC’s Doug Potter hit a short jumper to finally put the Chargers on the board.
DC started scoring with a little more consistency, but not enough to slow down Hutchinson or put a dent in its increasingly larger lead. At half time the Tigers led 37-14.
With 18 minutes to go until their season ended, the Chargers could have shut down and thrown in the towel, allowing Hutchinson to completely run away with the game. That did not happen, however.
While DC continued to struggle defensively with stopping Hutchinson from scoring, they kept their feet on the accelerator at all times, diving after loose balls, hustling back on defense, and driving hard to the basket even though their was little chance of a comeback.
“That says a lot about their character,” DC head coach Luke Karlgaard said. “They are great kids.
“Give credit to Hutchinson, they were all over the place tonight. They are a very talented team. But, we never gave up, and those are the kinds of kids I love working with every day. They just don’t die, and they work until the final buzzer.”
Offensively, the Chargers put together a better half with 34 points, more than twice what they scored in the first half, but it was much too little.
Doug Potter scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds to lead the team in both categories in his final high school basketball game.
Brett Smith also chipped in 10 points, and young freshman up-and-comer Jake Smith added nine points and led the team with three assists.
The Chargers finish their season with a 4-21 overall record, and were 2-14 in the Wright County Conference.

Tue., March 9
Hutchinson 86, DC 48
Dassel-Cokato (16 13-21 48)
Brett Smith 3 2-2 10, Jake Smith 3 2-5 9, Grant Johnson 1 1-1 3, Alex Webster 1 2-2 4, Ethan Germscheid 2 0-0 4, Jasper Asplin 0 0-1 0, Jake Jorgensen 1 2-5 4, Doug Potter 4 3-3 11, Josiah Jorgensen 1 1-2 3
Hutchinson (34 12-19 86)
Hjelter 4 0-0 8, Conner 1 0-0 2, Pack 1 0-0 2, Haffley 3 2-2 9, Kucera 3 2-4 10, Wheatley 2 1-1 5, Muchenhirn 4 2-3 10, Brooks 5 0-0 12, Trettin 3 2-2 9, Brusehaver 1 1-2 3, McGraw 2 0-0 4, Thompson 5 2-5 12
Three-pointers: DC-3 (Brett Smith 2, Jake Smith 1); Hutchinson-6 (Haffley 1, Kucera 2, Brooks 2, Trettin 1)
Rebounds: DC-15 (Potter 4); H-34
Assists: DC-5 (Jake Smith 3)
Steals: DC-12, H-11
Turnovers: DC-19, H-18
Halftime: Hutchinson-37, DC-14

Charger girls basketball fall to Rogers in semifinals

swiblemo — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:45:20 +0000

By Stephen Wiblemo
Sports Editor
The Dassel-Cokato girls basketball team ended their season with a well-played, but frustrating, loss against No. 1-seeded Rogers in the semifinals of the Section 5AAA playoffs March 6 in Rogers.
The Chargers rallied back from an eight-point deficit late in the second half to make it a 38-37 game, but it was all for nothing as the Royals hit their free throws down the stretch to win 43-38.
“It was frustrating to feel like we really were the better team (March 6), and not have it end up that way,” DC head coach Matt Whittaker said in a statement.
Although the Chargers did not win and move on to the section finals, Whittaker said he was proud of the way the girls played with the talented Royals, who were 19-8 going into the semifinals.
“I was so proud of the effort our girls put in (March 6),” he said. “They played their hearts out and left it all on the floor.”
According to Whittaker, the game started sloppy for both sides, and nerves were playing a big part in the action. Despite the sloppiness, the Chargers were able to jump out to a 7-0 lead at the start thanks to scores from some of the team’s seniors – Molly Range, Julie Munson and Abby Thomson.
From there the Royals started scoring, and the game moved forward, but without much flow, according to Whittaker. That was until Munson scored seven straight to lift DC to a 22-13 lead.
Range added a free throw, and with less than a second left DC knocked the ball out of bounds under Rogers’ basket. Off the inbound pass, the Royals’ Morgan Edstrom scoped in the basket and launched a perfect three-point shot at the buzzer to narrow the Chargers’ lead to 23-16 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, Munson drained another three-pointer to open DC’s lead up to 10 points, but the Royals took over.
Rogers held the Chargers scoreless for what Whittaker said “seemed like an eternity,” but was actually about 10 minutes. During that time the Royals went on an 18-point scoring run, completely turning the tables on DC and taking an eight-point lead.
DC mounted its comeback and narrowed the lead down to one point, but letting Rogers back in the game proved to be fatal, as the Chargers were never able to fully recover.
Julie Munson led the Charger offense with 18 points, almost half of the team’s total. Thomson also added nine points, and Range pulled down five rebounds to lead the team.
The Chargers finished their season with a 13-13 overall record, and 8-8 in the Wright County Conference.

Sat., March 6
Rogers 43, DC 38
Dassel-Cokato (14 7-12 38)
Courtney Smith 4, Julie Munson 18, Nicole Nelson 2, Kate Nelson 2, Molly Range 3, Abby Thomson 9
Rogers (13 14-28 43)
Three-pointers: DC-3 (Munson 2, Thomson 1); Rogers-3
Rebounds: DC-21 (Hailey Schminke 1, Caitie Schulte 3, Smith 4, Munson 2, Nicole Nelson 1, Kate Nelson 3, Range 5, Thomson 2); Rogers-25
Turnovers: DC-16, Rogers-16
Halftime: DC-23, Rogers-16

Van Beusekom slays Beast of the Burden 100-mile run

Matt Kane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:31:10 +0000

By Matt Kane
Sports Editor
Snow, ice and anything else that makes up winter didn’t stop Loretto’s B.J. Van Beusekom from heading outside for a run. More specifically, a 100-mile run.
Van Beusekom jumped off the treadmill, and headed to Lockport, NY, Feb. 27-28 for the Beast of Burden winter 100 Miler, an outdoor race that consists of eight 12.5-mile lengths along the historic Erie Canal towpath.
Twenty five people ran a 24-hour race, and 17 individuals, including Van Beausekom, attempted the 100-mile distance.
Van Beusekom the 100-mile race with the time of 28 hours, 9 minutes, which placed him sixth overall.
The winning time was 18 hours by Richard Cook.
The race had to be completed in 30 hours. The final two runners came in with 30 minutes and 15 minutes to spare.
In order to be considered a finisher for the 24-hour race, the runners had to do at least a distance of 50 miles. For the 100 milers, the cutoff was 30 hours.
The group of runners included Cook, Ryan O’Dell and Charlie Engle, who was made famous from the Matt Damon documentary “Running the Sahara.”
“It was a little intimidating at first, looking at some of these guy’s resumes who had been multiple finishers in races as extreme as the Badwater 135-mile race in extreme heat, but I was determined to finish.” Van Beusekom said.
Temperatures were in the mid-30’s with snow coming down for almost the entire race. Snowmobiles were sent out to create paths in the four inches of snow, but the runners’ footsteps packed the snow into a nine-inch wide path that was convex on the sides.
“I felt like I was on the outsides of my feet for most of the race,” Van Beusekom explained. “If you ventured off the path, you had to contend with the snow.”
Van Beusekom attempted to run 93 miles in 24 hours last winter on his treadmill for a fundraiser, but finished with 8.06.
“I fell short at 80 miles. This is a good redemption for me,” Van Beusekom told the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.
Not meeting that goal on the treadmill for the fundraiser played into why Van Beusekom entered the 100-mile race. The other was to test his body’s limit.
“I just wanted to see how far I can go, and, secondly, I was not quite satisfied finishing at 80.6 miles for the 24 treadmill run.”
The temperature hovered around 30 degrees for much of the race, which didn’t bother Van Beausekom too much. The wet snow: that was a different story.
“It’s a little to wet for me, though,” he told the Western New York newspaper. “I can deal with it. I brought three pairs of shoes. You just put one foot in front of another. You go to a different comfort zone. Once you get to a new comfort zone, it’s nice to see how much farther you can go.”
Van Beusekom summed up his will to fight through the wet snow by quoting two subjects to the Union-Sun & Journal.
“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go,” he said, quoting T.S. Eliot. And then, Van Beusekom quoted Lance Armstrong, who said, “Pain is temporary, and quitting lasts forever.”
Apparently, Van Beusekom gained from the pain in New York, because he plans to test himself against 100 miles again.
“Will I do it again? Yes, for sure,” he said. “Now that the bar has been set, I want to see if I can reach 100 miles in a faster time, or see if I can do it on some different terrain.

Strong second half lifts Delano to playoff win over Princeton

Matt Kane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:30:37 +0000

By Matt Kane
Sports Editor
DELANO — Delano recovered from a slow start to survive its first-round playoff game Thursday against Princeton.
The Princeton Tigers looked at home early in the Tiger Activity Center, the home of the Delano Tigers, running out to a 7-0 lead early in the Section 5AAA game. Delano, the third seed, finally got on the scoreboard in front of the home crowd, and slowed down Princeton, the sixth seed. The hometown Tigers claimed the 73-62 victory.

Basketball bracket contest underway

Matt Kane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:29:45 +0000

This year, the Herald Journal will conduct a college basketball brackets contest on its web site.
Similar to many other online contests, you simply pick the winners of all the games before the tournament starts.
There are a number of prizes available, on both local and national levels, for round winners as well as an overall champion.
Brackets are now available at the Herald Journal’s web site, and must be completed at least 20 minutes before the first game begins Thursday, March 18 – approximately 10:30 a.m.
In the local portion, anyone of any age may participate, but winners must be from the Herald Journal market area (see the included ZIP codes on web site).
Nationally, there is a $1 million prize for a perfect bracket; $10,000 for one or two wrong picks; and $1,000 for three wrong picks; plus other prizes each round. To be eligible for national prizes, you must be 18 or older. See complete rules online for details.
As an added incentive, you can also compare your picks to those of the three Herald Journal sports editors and sponsors’ VIP pickers.
To participate or get familiar with the contest before it begins, just follow the link from www.herald-journal.com.

Spring sports season beginning this week in Delano

Matt Kane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:29:12 +0000

The spring sports season officially begins this week.
The girls softball and girls and boys track and field teams begin practices today (Monday).
The Delano track and field team concludes the first week of training at the St. John’s Indoor meet Saturday, March 20.
Next week, the baseball, and girls and boys golf teams begin practice.

Tom Traen pitching clinic

Matt Kane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:28:45 +0000

Former minor league pitcher Tom Traen is conducting a pitching clinic for kids age 8 to varsity level.
The clinic will focus on all essential mechanics, as well as pickoff moves, pregame warm-up procedures, proper breaking ball grips, and delivery (for older kids).
The cost is $49 per kids.
The camp will run four Sundays. The dates are April 11, 18 and 25, and May 2.
To register online, visit www.rockford.k12.mn.us, click on the “Rockford Community Education” link, and then the “Racer” link.

Delano boys club tennis program

Matt Kane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:27:59 +0000

Delano Community Education is excited to announce our new Boys Club Tennis program.
Come be a part of Delano’s first boys’ tennis team under head coach Jacob Olson (current Delano Assistant Girls Tennis coach).
Whether you have been playing tennis for a few years or have barely picked up a racket, give tennis a try. All levels of players are welcome. You’ll learn the life-long game of tennis, develop better skills, have a good time, and get a chance to compete with some of the area’s players.
This program is for boys in grades 6-9.
The program will run from Monday, April 5, through Thursday, May 20. Practices are Monday through Friday from 3:30-5 p.m., at the Delano High School tennis courts.
The schedule includes 12 dual meets. Transportation to road matches will be shared by parents.
The fee is $115. Please register by Tuesday, March 23, with Delano Community Education (763-972-6210) or on-line at www.delanocommunityed.com.