As the calendar turns to October and fall continues to settle in upon us, the sports season at all levels is busy with action.
I recently read a column which ranked a person’s favorite months of the year — weather related, I’m sure. The writer listed September as the best month and January, of course, as the worst. October was ranked second. That writer, evidently, likes fall.
October is a good month — especially when the warmer days of “Indian Summer” roll in. I sure hope they do and that they last for a long time. We all know that another Minnesota winter is “lurking around” the corner.
In the meantime, as hunting and harvest will soon be happening, the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs are starting, both the NHL and NBA have begun pre-season action and the NFL is already into Week 5.
The Twins finished on a six-game win streak, including a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox, highlighted by Joe Mauer Day in the season finale on Sunday. Mauer ripped a double in his last at-bat and later left the game to a standing ovation after donning his catching gear and catching one pitch in the top of the ninth.
Long-time Twins fan Dean Garoutte was there for all four games, with several family members, including twin daughters Donna and Diane.
I was disappointed that the Broncos were unable to complete a late-game rally Monday night and beat the Chiefs. It was a close game all the way, but Kansas City scored the game’s last 10 points and turned a 23-17 deficit into a 27-23 win. I was cheering for Denver’s Case Keenum, who had a very good game, but KC’s Patrick Mahomes was even better.
It’s Homecoming Week in Fulda this week as the Coyotes prepare to host Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, led by the Hanson brothers — Cooper and Carter — who form a prolific passing combination in football and were key players on R-T-R’s impressive state championship basketball run last March.
Adrian hosts Murray County Central Friday in what — despite the records — should be another dandy contest between the two long-time rivals.
Adrian head coach Randy Schettler played on some highly-successful Fulda Raider teams back in the middle 1990s when he was a student-athlete at FHS. A teammate of his, Trent Kirchner, works for the Seattle Seahawks.
A story about “Keeping the Dream Alive in ‘95” (Fulda’s state-tournament football run during the fall of 1995) is something which I would like to get done yet this fall.
There are plenty of other stories to tell, too, including recollection of Slayton’s stellar high school football season back in 1961.
Slayton, Heron Lake-Okabena-Lakefield and Adrian all had phenomenal success in high school cross country, as has Murray County Central and MCC / Fulda. Back in the 1970s, Fulda had its own cross country program and had its share of highlights, too.
Until next week, enjoy the ever-changing October weather and take in some high school sports action — there are plenty of big events coming up. If the weather is bad, there’s lots of college football and professional sports being analyzed and critiqued by the television experts.
