As I begin my second weekly column for Johnson Publishing, I would like to let readers know that I welcome feedback.
That’s right. I encourage information tips and responses to any facts or opinions that may appear in Bleacher Views. You can contact me at lknutson5169@gmail.com or call me at 507-822-2053.
I heard a couple of positive comments about having a weekly column, but did not get any feedback on the opinions I expressed on my reasons for liking Dirk Nowitzki, Case Keenum or Eduardo Escobar.
I did read an opinion column in another newspaper which believes that Kirk Cousins is a much better quarterback than Keenum and that the Vikings would win the NFC championship game this year (beating the Saints) and tangle with the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
So what’s going to happen to the Eagles? We will see how things unfold in the coming months. In the meantime, I am still a fan of Case Keenum and admire how well he played for the Vikings last season.
For now, that’s enough about the NFL, the NBA or MLB, the focus of this column will concentrate more on the local scene.
Four area girls — two from Adrian and two from Heron Lake-Okabena — are on the volleyball squad at Minnesota West Community and Technical College this fall, striving to help the Bluejays win matches. Sophomores Rebecca Sjogren and Morgan Kern played for the Dragons, while sophomore Andrea Hinkeldey (who starred for MW in basketball last winter) and freshman Kiana Leighty (who lives in Brewster) were hard-hitting high school volleyball players for the HL-O Wildcats.
Two other former Wildcats are gearing for their senior seasons of collegiate volleyball, as 2015 HL-O graduates Rachel Mathias (University of Minnesota, Morris) and Courtney Place (Augustana University in Sioux Falls) return after each excelled last fall as juniors. Place, who played several weeks of summer volleyball in Brazil, will likely be one of the premier hitters in the entire Northern Sun Conference this season.
The first-year pairing of Heron Lake-Okabena and Fulda is creating some genuine excitement and the Coyotes open at Heron Lake next Thursday, August 30, against rival Westbrook-Walnut Grove. The first week of practices for the Coyotes has gone very well, according to most reports. That first game should be an interesting season-opener for the new program.
Adrian has been a perennial power in high school football over the past two decades, earning six state-tournament appearances (1997, 1999, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011) under the long-time coaching partnership of Randy Strand and Kevin Nowotny, who are now both retired. Adrian played in four Prep Bowls (’97, ’99, ’07 and ’09), finishing as the state runner-up each time. Four recent trips in a five-year span (’07-11), including three in a row (’09-11) was also an impressive accomplishment.
Next week, I will mention some of the years in which other area towns — now covered by the newspapers of Johnson Publishing — enjoyed remarkable success on the high school football field. Several area players made All-State teams and I will aim to get those names included. I could use some help to make the list complete?
Congratulations to the Hadley Buttermakers on their recent Region 13C championship in amateur baseball and a return trip to the state tournament. The Buttermakers received a first-round bye and will square off against the Buckman Billygoats Saturday at 5 p.m. in Shakopee. Buckman, loaded with young players who starred in high school athletics at Pierz, advanced with a 5-1 victory over Waconia last weekend.
