Minnewaska girls fourth in state AA

Is it fair to say the end of the season was a little deflating for the exciting Minnwaska Area girls basketball team? I never played basketball in school so I don't have the background to know. As a writer I can "pretend" I know. Donald Trump would say "fake news media." I offer these thoughts in a context of levity! 

You know, there does seem to be something discouraging about finishing fourth in state. I hope the emphasis now is in building up the jubilant emotions about having such a successful season! Fourth in state! Think of the pride this will provide as the people observe the trophy. Wouldn't our MACA program like to be in this position? 

Well, Minnewaska showed real command in playing our Tigers in 2024-25. I won't cite the most significant details of that. But hey, we all have to be happy about an area team that does so well. Lake Minnewaska is basically down the road from us in Morris. 

What a wild ride the Laker fans had through the 2025 state tournament! I understand what it's like to be emotionally invested in this. I wrote about many Morris teams that had the good fortune to climb far. Toward the end, the standards set by certain parents and school administrators for judging my coverage had gotten so high, I withdrew from some of that. I took on the work of the company custodian and van driver! 

As much as I absolutely loved the experience of high-level tournament success, the party was over for me. That's OK, I accepted reality, and I never dreamt the door would open in the future, thanks to tech, for diving into high school sports journalism again. But here I am! And I am no longer encumbered by the expectation to cover a whole raft of teams all the time with no inconsistencies or mistakes. 

Today as you see right here, I can write about whatever I want. In the style that I want. It is my No. 1 calling in life. So congratulations to the 2024-25 Minnewaska Area girls basketball team on the "wild ride" they took us through! 

The problem with finishing fourth in state is that you've lost your last two games. Maybe a team can take this in stride. But again I'm speculating. I think there has to be kind of a downbeat unspoken air about it. Well I hope I'm wrong. 

 

The image shows Minnehaha standout Addi Mack.
 

Redhawks 61, Lakers 42

The Lakers completed their historic campaign on Saturday in the Twin Cities of course. The Lakers were on the short end of the 61-42 score at the Gangelhoff Center at Concordia-St. Paul. I can remember when UMM played the "Comets" of Concordia quite often. 'Waska fell to Minnehaha Academy in the state third place game. 

The other girls team that I've been writing about - Alexandria - had the good fortune of winning their third place game. I realize this morning that I probably should have been writing about West Central Area too. In my newspaper days, I could be judged harshly on such criteria. Today? Not at all. I do strive to be fair and forthright in my writing. 

It has always meant a lot for me to stay close to area high school sports. How could we deal with the Minnesota winter without this? 

Wow! Take a look at the final Minnewaska Area record of 28-5! Awesome talent. I will miss typing many of these names. The Lakers' coach is Nick Danielson who obviously deserves a tip of the hat. 

'Waska had the No. 5 seed in state. Minnehaha owned No. 3. The final Minnehaha Academy record is 22-10. 

Minnehaha "Redhawks"

Minnehaha is known as the "Redhawks." This is one of those nicknames where you wonder if it's one word or two. In this case it's one!

The Lakers had trouble trying to control Addison Mack. Mack poured in 32 points. She was also a thorn in the Lakers' side with four steals and three assists. She has committed to University of Maryland. Isn't that where Brenda Frese coaches? 

Mack and the Lakers' Sydney Dahl are on the Class AA All-Tournament Team. 

There were signs Minnewaska was headed in the wrong direction at halftime: trailing 36-25. The Redhawks cruised in the second half to outscore the Lakers 25-17. 

 

Dahl scores 17

Let's acknowledge all the 'Waska point scorers starting with Dahl who scored 17 points. Olivia Danielson was No. 2 on the list with 11. Then we see Megan Thorfinnson 6, Jayda Kolstoe 5 and Addy Kath 3. Dahl, Thorfinnson and Kolstoe each made a 3-pointer. 

Danielson led in rebounds with eight followed by Kath with six. We see five Lakers each with one assist: Kath, Danielson, Dahl, Thorfinnson and Kolstoe. Thorfinnson topped steals with four followed by Lauren Ankeny and Danielson each with three. Kath and Dahl each blocked two shots. 

I will remind you that my blogging has been on two sites: "I Love Morris" and "Morris of Course." My review of the section championship game is on "Morris of Course" which I generally consider to be my secondary site. Here is the link to that March 7 post. The score was 53-38! What an awesome group.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-score-is-53-38-as-minnewaska-soars.html 

  

I hope that a few Minnewaska people have become aware of my writing.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Providence w/ Greenways topples 'Waska

Climb in state far enough and you might come up against a real juggernaut. Minnewaska Area had the looks of this kind of team itself. After all they pushed aside our MACA Tigers in a game with a 58-4 halftime score. But in state, you have to gulp when contemplating certain upcoming foes. And whenever I read a reference to an obviously private school, I could gulp. 

Sometimes these schools are not totally awesome. But sometimes for sure they are. The latter description fit the team that the 'Waska Lakers faced in their Friday game. The game was in the state AA semis. The Lakers' stellar foe would be Providence Academy. 

"Academy" certainly suggests private school. There was a time when the state's private schools had their own state tournament. And that tournament seemed like an afterthought compared to the big one-class tourney that was such a highlight on the calendar. One class! We sure could not imagine that now. We are enlightened and we set the proper standards. 

There was a one-year experiment with trying to have the best of both worlds. A multi-class arrangement would veer into one class at the end. I remember Mark Torgerson giving me some quotes that suggested it might be a good thing. I think Torgy was just trying to be positive about something the High School League was trying to do. Nice to be positive, but it wasn't long before we heard the whole "hybrid" idea had been disposed in the trash. 

So not only did we let the "class system" prevail again, we had it prevail with four classes instead of two! Seems to have become a good thing. We may have lost some of the "mass interest" that the old tourney created. You know, with kids being excused from school classes so they could go to the cafeteria and watch the games on TV. A real priority then. 

There remains a healthy level of interest but it's just different. Diversified? Fragmented? Put aside this question and just consider that up until about 1971, there was no girls basketball at all! Hard to believe. 

The Gene Hackman movie "Hoosiers" showed us a world of the one-class tourney and boys monopolizing. 

Here's a cultural memory that pertains to Minnesota: Remember how people would say "we'll get a big winter storm at the time of the state tournament?"  And back then nobody had to specify "boys" or "girls" of course. Girls  could get involved as cheerleaders. The cute girls were selected. Bygone times, yes, and our culture has evolved in myriad ways. 

The situation is always a little fluid, so today there's a debate over "trans" kids in sports. IMHO this is not a case of cultural enlightenment slowly taking over. It's not like the "arrival" of girls basketball. Well I certainly hope not. I am totally against "trans" kids in girls and women's sports. Will I be on the side that prevails? It really is hard to say. 

The Democratic Party will have a hard time making inroads until it comes over to my side on this. Gavin Newsom has come around to my side. In the end, all I can really do is observe. 

I was skeptical going into the Minnewaska vs. Providence game in the state semis on Friday. I was skeptical about the really super 'Waska team having much of a chance. I read about the Providence Academy creds and felt "this is one of those private schools that will bury you." 

Well, finishing in the state's top four is still a pretty lofty position for the Lakers and their coach Nick Danielson. 

 

Providence "Lions"

Providence 88, Lakers 43

The Lions of Providence Academy have no memories of losing. So on Friday they rolled past Minnewaska Area in an 88-43 final at Williams Arena. 

It was the Lions' 43rd consecutive win. As I write this, Providence Academy is one win away from winning a fourth straight state title! Break up the Lions! 

I remember as a kid hearing about the "Minnesota Independent State Tournament" and thinking it was so obscure, anticlimactic. I didn't even understand what it was at first. I think the Catholics began lobbying big-time to get their private schools into the big tent of the "real" tournament, the "Hoosiers" style of tournament. It's hard to keep the Catholics down. 

Providence Academy applied their standard playbook against 'Waska. They applied relentless speed and quickness. Providence has a junior, Maddyn Greenway, who is a real player of note, committed to U of Kentucky in fact. She's the daughter of former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway. 

But my goodness, Maddyn has a "little sister" who is making an impression too! That's Beckett who is just an eighth-grader. Beckett scored 14 points in the first half and had 19 for the game. Maddyn's contribution? It was 26 points. 

Senior guard McKenna Schaefer had 17 points and eight rebounds. And senior Hope Counts worked the post position to score 15, plus grab 15 rebounds. Hey that's kind of cute: "Hope Counts." I agree it does.

The Lakers had a hard time avoiding turnovers against such a stellar opponent. The Lions converted 24 turnovers into 35 points. 

Ouch: the West Central Tribune's headline about the game reads: "Girls basketball: Providence Academy pounds Minnewaska Lakers in Class AA semis." 

Providence plays for the AA title this evening (Saturday) against Crosby-Ironton. Minnewaska will face Minnehaha Academy pretty darn soon from when I'm writing this. It's all I can do to keep up with everything. Action for third in state is set for 2 p.m. today (Saturday). It's a mighty blustery Saturday here on the prairie. Game site will be the Gangelhoff Center, Concordia-St. Paul. 

Providence had an "iron man" look on the court vs. 'Waska. The five starters didn't leave the court until 3:53 left. Counts and Beckett Greenway stayed in the game even after having some foul trouble. Beckett was quoted in media following the game. I can remember when eighth graders here in Morris weren't even eligible to be on varsity! 

Sydney Dahl has been a standout for 'Waska all season. She provided 21 points against Providence. The rest of the Laker scoring list: Jayda Kolstoe 7, Lauryn Ankeny 6, Megan Thorfinnson 4, Olivia Danielson 3 and Addy Kath 2. Ankeny made two 3-pointers while Dahl, Thorfinnson and Kolstoe each made one. 

Kath was team-best in rebounds with nine. Ankeny dished out five assists plus she had three steals. Dahl blocked a shot. 

The Lakers are guaranteed to come away from the season with super memories! I am pleased to have blogged about this crew regularly. I hope some of the 'Waska people have discovered it on my two blog sites. My two sites are "I Love Morris" and "Morris of Course." I'll repeat that I have family connections to Glenwood.

Maddyn Greenway with coach Conner Goetz after scoring her 3000th point last year. And she's now over 4000!

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Minnewaska overcomes Sauk C. in state

The high-flying Minnewaska Area girls fly ever higher. It is Thursday morning as I write this. Yesterday saw the Laker crew get past rival Sauk Centre, a team with whom they had split previously. Nothing was to be taken for granted in this game played at Williams Arena. Yes, Williams Arena the big-time floor in Minnesota. 

So that means we are in the rarefied air of state. 

The Wednesday game was the "rubber match" game between the two powers. It was Lakers versus Streeters. 'Waska appears to be seeded in a pretty modest position: No. 5. I would have expected their stock to be a little higher. It won't matter in the end if 'Waska takes it all. It really doesn't matter even now. 

My, what heights the Lakers have reached. Our fans here in MACA know full well the kind of overwhelming play the Lakers can show. 

Sauk Centre was actually seeded fourth. 'Waska rose to the occasion and prevailed over the Streeters by seven, 60-53. This was a state quarter-final game. Now the 'Waska record is 28-3. But their task is major for the next round. There isn't much of a break between games. So 'Waska's next assignment is to play on Friday against the No. 1 seed. 

Uh-oh, here we go seeing the name of a private school come up. Sometimes the private schools can be world-beaters, sometimes not. So we'll have to wait and see. 'Waska now faces Providence Academy. And oh my they're undefeated at 30-0! 

Game-time Friday is 6 p.m. and the site is again Williams Arena at the U of M. Providence Academy is known as the "Lions." Maybe they are world-beaters: they are coming off an 84-50 win over Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, the 8th seed. 

Is 'Waska up to this daunting challenge? I'd say "yes." 

MACA fans know full well how the aggressive Lakers can take command. 'Waska had a halftime lead of 58-4 against our Tigers. Maybe I shouldn't bring that up. Oh well, MACA is done so let's all root for the Lakers now. We're talking Class AA. 

Maddyn Greenway

Looks like there's quite the superstar with Providence Academy. She's Maddyn Greenway, a guard who is only a junior. And she's already committed to a Division I school. That's U of Kentucky. She stands five feet-nine. Greenway poured in 29 points in Wednesday's action. Complementing that stat were 12 assists and ten rebounds. 

And oh, Maddyn is the daughter of former Minnesota Viking linebacker Chad Greenway! 

'Waska resolve

'Waska player Addy Kath, looking ahead, was quoted in the West Central Tribune saying "we just got to take it to 'em." 

I remember typing " 'em" in a quote attributed to a Morris coach once, and that person thought she really didn't talk that way! Maybe it's best to just type "them." Voice of experience. Hey, I'm 70 years old and I'm certainly a fan of the Lakers right now, partly because I have family connections to Glenwood. You'll see a big stone slab with  "Williams" on it in the old portion of Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. That's my family! 

Hey, the 'Waska win over Sauk Centre was anything but routine. The Lakers in fact were playing from behind for much of the game. In fact they did not get their first lead until a little over eight minutes left at 48-46. Then the score became deadlocked at 50-50. 

The Lakers started asserting themselves. Sydney Dahl worked through traffic close to the hoop. A basket by Lauryn Ankeny seemed decisive as it put the Lakers up by seven, 57-50. The clock showed just 1:07 left to play. 

Kath pointed out that her team tends to come on strong in the second half. Well in their first half against MACA - the first matchup of these teams - 'Waska certainly showed it's a first half team as well. 

It would be fun to see an MACA team perform by these standards. We can close our eyes and dream I guess. For the Lakers the "future is now." That's the place to be. MACA may be spinning its wheels longer. 

 

The image shows 'Waska coach Nick Danielson

 

Sauk Centre failed on some long-range shot tries. The Lakers were poised just well enough at the freethrow line. So the pieces were in place for 'Waska to close out this hard-earned win. It's anybody's guess how things will go in the next game. But as Chris Berman of ESPN has always said, "that's why they play the game." 

Well, Providence Academy is far from being the only team with glittering credentials in state. Fans on Wednesday saw Crosby-Ironton, the No. 2 seed, defeat No. 7 Barnesville 75-50. Also, the No. 3 seed Minnehaha Academy stopped No. 6 Caledonia 68-63. So C-I will play Minnehaha at 8 pm. Friday at Williams Arena. The game for all the AA marbles is set for 6 p.m. Saturday. 

Where else but at Williams Arena? It's a storied place having hosted so many games from the one-class days of boys basketball, from a time when people didn't talk about "boys basketball," it was just "basketball." The girls today are just as high-profile. Caitlin Clark helped push for the last step toward that. 

But now there's a new issue and it concerns "trans." Gavin Newsom is trying to lead his Democratic Party to a new attitude about that. He turns thumbs down on "trans" kids playing girls sports. That's my position too. 

The recent death of Gene Hackman brought back memories of 1950s basketball, as his "Hoosiers" movie was set then. Girls were just cheerleaders. I do not believe any major movies have been inspired by girls or women's basketball. It's about time. A biopic about Caitlin Clark? 

I occasionally see mistakes in the West Central Tribune's coverage. Nothing to get excited about. Let me just say as a former newspaper sports person that when you get into post-season basketball, it's hard to keep all the details straight all the time. That's especially true if you're following more than one team. 

We all had to adjust to the four-class system. But this system is so superior to what we had previously. Let me assert here that the two-class system did not address all concerns, not even close. But the one-class system was really unforgivable. 

One-class was set up so small schools could play for the "sub-district title." That really meant a lot in olden times. School trophy cases were set up to display sub-district trophies.

 

Thorfinnson leads charge

OK let's look at the Wednesday stats. It was Megan Thorfinnson leading the way for 'Waska scoring: 17 points. Sydney Dahl's point total was 13 and Lauryn Ankeny put in 12. Here are the rest: Jayda Kolstoe 8, Addyson Kath 5 , Alia Randt 3 and Olivia Danielson 2. 

'Waska was pretty productive with 3-pointers. Kolstoe led this charge with three 3-pointers. Dahl and Thorfinnson each made two while Kath and Randt each made one. 

Kolstoe with her seven rebounds led there. Ankeny's three assists made her tops. Danielson topped steals with three. Dahl and Thorfinnson each blocked a shot. 

The top Sauk Centre scorer was Dierra Kortan with 21 points. Kortan made three 3-pointers. A worthy opponent, Sauk Centre. But many are called, few are chosen.

Girls basketball did not even exist until I was a junior in high school.

Go Lakers!

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Chloe Scholl a top player with Alexandria

Chloe Scholl, Alexandria Cardinal. I do believe there is a resemblance to mom Heather.

The Morris connection to high-flying Alexandria basketball is pretty noteworthy. This blog has already covered the ground with the Cardinal boys team. Oh it's still "alive" in post-season play. That's with four of the Witts on board, two players and two coaches. Surely you remember the family. 

Well, time does pass and memories do fade. They have faded regarding me and the role I once had with the Morris newspaper, that's for sure. Most of that chapter of my life was pre-digital or in the nascent days of the Internet. You know, back in 2000 we probably thought the digital world had advanced as far as it was going to. Human nature to think that way. And today cars do not even come with spare tires! Oh, I digress. 

Bev Kieffer would not be surprised that I might digress now and then. I'm a writer who honed his skills when we were not supposed to be "brass tacks" all the time. Today it's all business (wink). So let's get to the meat and potatoes here, as it were. The Alexandria girls basketball team with Bev's granddaughter Chloe Scholl is sure impressing. They play at the AAA level. Big schools with lots of talent of course. 

Chloe's talent helped propel those Cardinals to two wins in Section 8AAA play. First it was a 59-25 blowout win over Little Falls. BTW I'm seeing a fair amount of one-sided scores in girls hoops. It's fine if you're rooting for the winner! 

And I can just see Bev exuding enthusiasm from her spot in the bleachers. I even remember when she "teared up" at the end of daughter Heather's last game as a MAHS Tiger. That was at the UMM P.E. Center in the days when tournament games were played often there. The Tigers lost at UMM that night to an opponent I certainly do not remember. 

Heather is Chloe's mother. Bev's last name was "Lucken" in the days when I really knew her. She was a Morris High School graduate herself. Not only that, she was Homecoming queen! She eventually served on the Morris school board. I remember the board dealing with some uncomfortable issues with extracurricular. Today I think our Morris school is fundamentally sound and controversy-fee, although I'm much more separated from it. Our MACA girls team was rather sub-par to be frank, but we salvaged an important ray of hope at the end by beating Montevideo in the sub-section. Midway through the season I would not have bet on any post-season wins. A building block, maybe? 

Well in Alexandria the "future is now" most definitely. Following their walloping of Little Falls, Chloe and her mates dispatched Fergus Falls in another masterpiece. The score: 73-52. That success was at Detroit Lakes. 

So what now? Well, it's state! The Cardinals will take to the court at Maturi Pavilion on the U of M campus to play Delano. It's a noon start time on Wednesday. This is what it's all about: playing in state. Minnewaska Area is at that level too. Good luck to the Cardinals and Lakers. 

Heather has a sister Chris. Bev's husband is Dennis Kieffer. And let's never forget the late Rick Lucken! So tragic how he left us.

 

Upping the profile

I think more fans are paying attention to girls basketball because of Caitlin Clark. 

Take a look at the score of the Cards' last regular season game. Holy cow it was 78-23 over Detroit Lakes at DL. What's going on at DL? 

The Cardinals now own their third straight Section 8-3A title. I sure hope Alexandria appreciates the "Morris connection." With Chloe, the Alex girls are in the state tournament for the seventh time in the last nine seasons. 

"Completely dominated" is how the Echo-Press writer described how Alex did in their most recent win. So we're talking the 73-52 rout of Fergus Falls. Fergus Falls had the No. 2 seed behind the Cards. And there was not going to be a surprising outcome. Alex owned a 19-point lead at halftime. 

"They never looked back," writer Sam Stuve noted. 

The Alex coach is Wendy Kohler. The Cardinals overcame some early foul trouble to defeat the Otters of Fergus Falls. Scholl and teammate Hadley Thul got into some foul trouble. The game was close for a time. But presto, the Cards went on a 13-0 run. So Alex was up 24-10 with eight minutes left in the first half. 

The halftime score? It was 40-21. The fans including Bev could relax. 

Alex has defeated Fergus Falls three times this season. 

Committed to Gustavus Adolphus

Chloe Scholl has committed to Gustavus Adolphus for her college career. How will she wrap up her prep resume? Hopefully with wins in state. But regardless, what a super season. I'm surprised that Alex is only ranked fifth in Minnesota AAA. Alex takes a 24-4 record into state. 

Scholl scored 15 points in the section championship game. Hadley Thul edged her out for team-best as she scored 16. Also building the attack were MaCee Linow 14, Kate Hennessy 11, Allie Haabala 10 and McKinley Hoelscher 7. 

The top Fergus scorer was Hattie Fullhart with 19 points. Fergus Falls closes out the season at 21-8. Stay stunned for the state tournament! And don't forget to follow the fortunes of the Minnewaska Area Lakers! 

Scholl is a 1000-point scorer for her career. She reached the coveted milestone in early January against those Otters of Fergus Falls. Naturally it was an Alexandria win. 

 

Allure fades

I don't feel as much incentive to visit Alexandria anymore since Viking Plaza Mall has essentially "died." I guess the digital age has forced all sorts of adjustments. For the better? I'm not so sure. I used to get my Civil War magazines at the bookstore in the mall, and I'd dine at the Brass Lantern and enjoy just watching all the people. The late Willard Micklish called this the "ambience" of a shopping mall. 

I still consider going to the Lake Latoka public swimming beach in summer. Wow, I needed a map to find it! Nice place. 

I guess Alex is the place for Morris people to retire if you've "made it."

 

Addendum: You might remember Chloe's late grandfather Rick Lucken. I remember being with Rick at Don's Cafe in Morris once and I asked him if he'd mind if I set my toast off to the side away from my plate for a few moments. He smiled and said that since he had served in Vietnam, there's no way such a thing would bother him! Rick stood out with his personality.

Reliable shooting eye. Just like a certain former U of Iowa player?

An accomplished coach of the Cardinals: Wendy Kohler!

 

Chloe is at right in this photo which was taken for Alexandria volleyball last fall. At left is Addie Rossum and at center is Hadley Thul. They were the tri-captains. This photo is from "Voice of Alexandria."

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Witts are cogs in Alexandria's wheel

Alexandria 96, 

Detroit Lakes 53

It's that time of year when visions of basketball players dance in our heads. There was a time when we cheered for the Witts here in Morris. It covered a pretty long time span in fact. 

The Witt name has found a new home in the prep sports firmament. That home is Alexandria. What an athletic gift the Witt name suggests! Awesome talent. You might say quite the genes. We all have a talent in something. Mine is definitely not sports. 

I saw Jerry Witt at the funeral for Chuck Spohr on Friday. What a tribute to the late Chuck to see so many people stream in to Faith Lutheran Church. I signed the guestbook and grabbed a program to keep as a memento for Chuck's rich life. The place was getting so crowded so I decided to not stick around for the service. I left my place in the pews open for someone else. 

When I got home I put finishing touches on a blog post and then I added something to the post. That addition was a remembrance of Chuck. The post is on my companion blog of "Morris of Course." You'll see that the post mainly emphasizes the Minnewaska Area girls winning the section title. I ask that you scroll down to find my thoughts about Chuck. I included his picture too. 

Oh and by all means please read about the fantastic 'Waska girls team! Maybe MACA can get into that position within a few years. In the meantime, go Lakers! 

Here's the link to my "Morris of Course" post about the Lakers and about Mr. Spohr. Thanks for reading. - BW

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-score-is-53-38-as-minnewaska-soars.html 

 

Last year at this time I wrote the "cute" blog heading of how the Alexandria Cardinals "kept their Witts about them" as they climbed into state. There are two Witt players on the team, both having impact. Shouldn't that be assumed with a Witt? And Alexandria is blessed by two. A sportswriter might assume that two players with the same last name are siblings. Never assume anything. 

The two Witts are in fact both grandchildren of Jerry and Holly Witt. But they are sons of two different Witt boys. Oh, I still call them "boys." I saw them growing up in their home in Morris where I'll never forget they seemed to have the thermostat set too low! Maybe that explains the family's toughness. 

Forrest Witt, Alex coach

How convincingly did the Alex Cards win their most recent game? The game was last night. Alex with the Witt boys just pummeled Detroit Lakes. Man, the margin of victory was 43 points! 

The Cardinals are seeded No. 1. They faced the No. 4 Detroit Lakes and it was no contest. The game's final score was 96-53. Don Meredith would have sung "Turn out the lights, the party's over." Maybe I'm dating myself with that reference. 

The Friday game at Alex was in the Section 8-3A state tournament semi-finals. This would be the seniors' last home game. Important as the Witts are, we see the seniors Samson Hagstrom and Chase Thompson recognized as team leaders. 

The Cards are now in for the Section 8-3A championship. The Alex record is now 25-3. They're a bulldozer, yes. Back on Jan. 17 the Cardinals dismantled the Lakers of DL 100-47. And then they came on even stronger in the Feb. 25 re-match: a win by 115-52. It's a machine! 

On Friday the DL squad was at least able to start out better. But the last seven minutes of the first half were owned by Alex: a 24-9 advantage. So the halftime score was pretty decisive: 55-33. Mason Witt was top Alex scorer at halftime with 20 points. Alexandria is ranked No. 2 in Minnesota Class 3A. They tote a 21-game win skein! 

The only obstacle left for them in Section 8-3A is Fergus Falls, the Otters. Action resumes on Thursday. The Cardinals defeated Fergus Falls 90-46 in early January, and again 92-64 on Feb. 18. Can anyone stop these Cardinals? 

Mason Witt co-led the Cards in scoring Friday with 32 points. Also scoring 32 was was Chase Thompson. Talan Witt put in 16 points. Here are the other totals: Gavin Roderick 7, Connor Anderson 3, Evan Zabel 2, Myles Gray 2 and Samson Hagstrom 2. DL was led by Damarion Moss with 20 points. 

Go Cards! They are definitely keeping their "Witts" about them. I can't resist that. I hope Jerry smiles when he reads that. 

Jerry will tell you about how he was in a class at UMM taught by my late father Ralph in which students had to prepare an elementary music lesson! 

The head coach for Alexandria is Forrest Witt. He was the "middle brother" of the three. Zach was the oldest, Taylor the youngest. I believe "middle siblings" have certain psychological traits! 

Oh, I see where Jerry Witt and Zach Witt are listed as assistant coaches! The other assistants are Ty Granning, Thomas Miller and Nick Jansen. Old friend and current Alex resident Bev Kieffer reported to me last year that Mason Witt is Forrest's son and Talan is Zach's son. First cousins. 

Someday another generation is going to come along. Will I still be writing? Hmmm. Well hopefully. 

Bev further informed me that Myles Gray of the Cardinals is the son of Dan Gray and Tracy Kleespie Gray, both from Morris. I hope I have everything pieced together right. I don't face the pressure of writing for a newspaper. 

Sometimes I feel pressure and then I tell myself "knock it off!"

And let's see the Minnewaska Area girls win on Wednesday in state!

I covered the Morris football team in Prep Bowl when Jerry was head coach of the Tigers.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA boys do rings around Paynesville

Tigers 89, Paynesville 54

The West Central Tribune has it all figured out: our boys basketball team defeated Paynesville Tuesday night because we were taller. That's it. We can put aside strategy and skill with the game I guess. So the headline this morning reads "Boys basketball: Taller Tigers take down Paynesville in 3AA North." 

And then the lead sentence of the article has puzzling wording: "The length that Morris/Chokio-Alberta has on the court is hard to emulate in practice." 

Can you imagine how people in Morris would have reacted if I had started out an article in the paper that way? Are we to assume that "length" means "height?" Odd word choice. And when will our own newspaper get around to reporting to us about this significant 89-54 win over Paynesville? 

I'm writing this on Wednesday morning. I'm always well-aware when it's Wednesday because DeToy's Restaurant has its biscuits and gravy breakfast special. The next Morris newspaper will not come out until next Tuesday. The newspaper has a website all set up for reporting stuff including sports. Someone just needs to sit down at their typing keyboard and pound out something. It ought to be fun to do. 

High school sports exists for the fun of the whole community. I know of a former Morris school administrator who would be livid beyond words if the paper made people wait so long to see coverage of a game. If I were dealing with him, he would become openly hostile. That's not cool when you're a school administrator IMHO. 

Today? Has the Morris area public just become apathetic about this? Just shrugging shoulders? It's early Wednesday morning and I just checked "Maxpreps." It is a tremendous service when the MACA coaching staff posts stats there, but it has been very hit-and-miss. Mark Torgerson was pretty good about it. The current coach "teases" sometimes by showing he can do it. But then it seems most of the time he does not. I could have provided high-quality coverage of the Tigers on my blogs all season if the coach used this asset. 

So, did the coaches get together and decide they need to give the newspaper a "monopoly" for coverage? This in spite of the fact that the Morris paper only comes out once a week? And what does the Morris radio station do on its website now? We're lucky to just get the scores, maybe 2-3 scoring leaders, maybe. We have DeeDee at the station now. We used to have Brett Miller and Marshall Hoffman. The radio station has fallen so far with this service. 

And the newspaper's website sure has lots of sports news but it's almost 100 percent UMM. I am totally insulted by this, so why does the community accept it? Good grief, our boys basketball Tigers won in a significant blow-out Tuesday night in post-season tournament play. We have to settle for an article in the Willmar paper that says we only won because of our height? 

Most often the West Central Trib does not even give us MACA stats, instead they'll have "stats not available" for MACA. And they incorrectly refer to us as "Morris/Chokio-Alberta." That is not the name. They have done this for years. 

This morning the WC Trib has individual scoring totals and 3-point shooting numbers for both MACA and Paynesville, but no other stats. The former Morris administrator who I cited would hit the ceiling about all this. 

And we only won because of our height? When I was with the Morris paper I sought game stats all the way down to "made/attempts" in total field goals and 3-pointers, plus I'd separate offensive and defensive rebounds. 

In the end, what worked against me at the paper was the fallout from an ugly controversy that engulfed the community in about 1988. It was a touchstone event for this community. Some businesses got boycotted. 

Today in 2025 I'm happy to still be very interested in prep athletics. I have outlasted so many people. My involvement with the media began back in 1972. 

I took the stands that I did in the late 1980s because I thought we should put the kids' interests first. Those were strange times. Education was coming out of the 1970s which was an odd, atypical decade as far as prevailing educational philosophies were concerned. Many people would have shouted "school isn't about sports!" 

Well, that kind of misses the point, to say the least. 

This morning I find there is no paywall on the West Central Tribune site for accessing the article which is all about MACA's height. That's unusual. The West Central Trib is owned by Forum Communications which owned the Morris paper until they just decided to abandon this community. Legend has it they were planning to close the Morris paper. So at present are they bitter toward Morris? And does this explain the WC Trib's decision to take MACA out of its official coverage territory? So our student athletes like Jackson Loge are not eligible for things like "All Area?" 

The Stevens County Times could solve all this by engaging its website better. My God, I don't think this would be asking too much. Do you agree? Oh, maybe you're friends with someone who runs or works at the paper. This would likely dictate your opinion totally. This has been the No. 1 criterion for making judgments in Morris: who you are friends with, who you go to church with etc. So you sit around at church coffee hour and gang up on certain people.

 

Really on a roll

The boys basketball Tigers have now won eleven straight. How exciting this would all be if it were represented in some way on the SCT or kmrs website. 

Next we'll play Montevideo. Now it's time to head south to Marshall, Southwest State. Seems a shame we have to travel so far, must cut down on the number of MACA fans. Oh, remember the days when such games were played here in Morris at UMM? Right in town! Could those days ever come back? 

The WC Trib tells about our "size advantage" all through today's article. OK so it was genetics. One paragraph gives the height of four of our players. 

Alex Asmus scored 23 points for the orange and black. Tyson Grove put in 17. Two more double figures scorers: Ben Tiernan 13 and Jack Kehoe 11. Adding to the attack were Tyler Friesen 9, Drew Huebner 9, Bryce Hardy 3, Charlie Hanson 2 and Riley Asmus 2. 

"Asmus" made five 3-point shots, according to the WC Trib, and this would have to be Alex because Riley scored just two points. You have to be aware of siblings on teams! But wait a minute, the Alexandria boys basketball team has two "Witts" but they are not brothers! You can forgive sportswriters for being confused sometimes. 

Tiernan made three 3-pointers, and Grove and Hardy one each.

  

Update: It is 10 a.m. and I just checked the kmrs site: score of game only, no other details. Would I be surprised if I checked the SCT site? No of course not. Just Cougar news.

The only role that has ever meant anything to me, as journalist for the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper. Fading in time, yes. What could beat having an office right at the "hub" of the town? Better than Pacific Avenue.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Dreary March coincides with "trade war"

I do not subscribe to the connection between Jesus Christ and Donald Trump. Let that be clear. The "trade war" can only push inflation higher. You must be prepared. You helped bring this about by electing Trump and the Republicans. Deporting cheap labor will push inflation. So will the pressure to lower interest rates. And Trump is committed to these things. Good luck. 

 

Perfect example today of lousy March weather. Sort of a misting rain while the temperature still feels cold. It feels cold because of our anticipation that spring would have to bring an uptick in temperatures. March is spring isn't it? 

Update: The rain has begun turning to snow.

I am guessing that we all are looking forward to the mildness of spring more than we usually do. And I have a theory about that. Our last two winters have been unseasonably mild, especially the winter before last. Yes, the "snowless winter." Something to jump up and click our heels about, right? In theory, maybe. 

But maybe here in Minnesota we actually relish the "true" winter with lots of crisp dry snow. I read an op-ed once about how this kind of winter is much preferable to what's experienced in the middle of the country, e.g. Missouri. 

Who has anything good to say about Missouri? Well, I'm just sort of kidding. I remember the UMM choir director who spent one of her professional stints in Missouri and felt a little uncomfortable there because of its history that included lynchings. 

Winter in the mid-section of the U.S. is basically "wet." The op-ed writer said you could drive through that part of the country in winter and "not see anyone doing anything outside." Hardly a positive thing to think about. I suppose our electronic devices give us more entertainment for staying inside than in past winters. So are we really good with that? Maybe we are. 

Remember that Missouri is the state of Sen. Josh Hawley. And now the Republican Party is coming forward with the big "trade war." You really think this is prudent? Our western Minnesota has become married to the Republican Party. This is the direction they want to go. 

"Beware false prophets"

Led by our president who is becoming ever more this Christ-like figure, we are turning our backs on Ukraine which also separates us from Europe. 

Are we really prepared to become this outlier on the world stage, to actually cut slack for Putin? 

If you and your friends like Trump, as the vast majority of outstate Minnesotans do, you will endorse his attitudes and show fierce disdain toward anyone who disputes them. 

It's hard to have a convivial conversation about this, with the kind of people who think the discussion should have religious overtones. Trump reflects the wishes of God and Christ, they'll say. We are at the start of the Advent season. When I was young, religion stood by itself and was not so intertwined with politics. I would suggest that Trump just attached himself to Christianity as a way of "playing" you all. And it has worked. 

For how many years has this very elderly and troubled soul been dominating our daily news? Why does he have to command our attention every day? Gretchen Carlson the former Fox News morning co-host says the whole oval office Zelensky thing was "staged." Trump postures because he wants to set up conflict as a way of setting up "conservative media" for a whole new 24 hours of rooting for him. And this is done while absolutely lambasting "the other side." 

We have a congressperson who buys into Trump's talk totally. Trump continues his dangerous abominations while Michelle Fischbach sends out online messages that point fingers at Biden. You all must still be receptive. 

And now we have the trade war as reality with the initial shot being tariffs. DJT swears this isn't just a bluff but we can never trust him totally. All he does is maneuver to keep his power. I have recognized it all along. Mostly the people out here where the coyotes howl at night do not. 

I have lost friends because of this. At least one has stopped sharing Christmas communications with me. It's that bad. They go to church in order to continue their reverence toward the flim-flam man whose name is Donald Trump. He wants to completely wipe out DEI. And that is what our University campus here in Morris stands for. You probably don't care. 

"Don't care" means apathy, and apathy has always been a hallmark of our community of Morris.

These people might be your neighbors.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com