It was with a huge tinge of disappointment that I learned of the decision by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) to cancel this year’s state basketball tournaments due to the impending coronavirus pandemic.
The girls’ tournament was in progress when the announcement was made last Friday (March 13), putting the brakes on the event before the Class A semifinals were played. Section 3A champion Minneota (31-1) was poised to repeat its 2019 title following an impressive 57-37 quarterfinal victory over Red Lake.
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (27-4), Cromwell-Wright (29-2) and Henning (29-2) were the other first-round winners on Thursday.
I was lucky enough to get to watch the Section 3 boys’ championship games at SMSU Thursday evening. In come-from-behind fashion, both South Sub-Section champs prevailed in thrilling action over the North Sub-Section winners.
Southwest Minnesota Christian remained undefeated (29-0) with a 71-64 triumph over Central Minnesota Christian, overcoming several double-digit deficits. In the nightcap, Jackson County Central earned its third state tournament qualification in the past five years with a 69-60 triumph over Minnewaska Area. JCC trailed by 12 points, 29-17, late in the first half, but rallied with an impressive 19-2 run to lead 36-31 early in the second half.
Rudy Voss, whose grandfather Richard (Sioux Valley, Class of 1963) and dad Rod (Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster, Class of 1989) were both fine all-around athletes, was a primary reason the Huskies won the 3AA championship. Eric Post’s (Heron Lake-Okabena, Class of 1986) son Nathan also played very well for JCC, contributing big-time defensively.
Rudy, Nate and the rest of their teammates, along with head coach Alex Hein (Fulda, Class of 2009), will not get to travel to the Twin Cities and participate in the “goal they have been striving for.”
The abrupt decision by the MSHSL put a halt to finishing the girls’ state tournament, eliminated several boys’ sectional title games and canceled the 2020 boys’ state basketball tournament.
The decision was somewhat reminiscent of President Jimmy Carter’s response to the Soviet Union’s invasion into Afghanistan in the final months of 1979. Carter imposed a U.S. boycott on the 1980 Moscow Olympics. That was a sad moment for the athletes who had worked so hard striving to compete in the Olympics.
With all of the sporting events — professional, collegiate and high school — put on “hold” and schools closing down, let’s hope and pray that the health professionals and government officials are doing the right thing. Cutting out large crowds and creating distance between people is intended to lessen, slow down or limit the spread of the virus, which causes COVID – 19, a serious respiratory illness that has caused thousands of deaths in China and throughout Europe, especially in Italy.
Congratulations to the “Iron Five” — Justin Dierks, Kurt Obermoller, Cole Bunting, Tyson Elzenga and Tristan Joel — for winning the season-ending tournament of the Fulda Men’s Basketball League. They held off Heron Lake in last week’s championship game, winning 59-56, with Bunting having an exceptional all-around game.
Condolences go out to the Lance Rogers family of rural Wilmont on the tragic death of their 20-year-old son Landon Rogers, who was killed in a truck accident south of Rushmore last Saturday.
A genuine all-around nice guy, Landon was an avid outdoorsman and a hard worker who had many friends. The 2018 graduate of Adrian High School excelled for the Dragons in both football and baseball, helping AHS win a sectional baseball championship and claim a third-place trophy at the state tournament.
Landon Rogers will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by the entire Adrian community and surrounding area.
