MACA stays unstoppable at Perham

Perham has a nickname I have always liked: "Yellowjackets." Certainly a "safe" name in this age of sensitive issues. Our "big cats" of Morris would appear to be the default or safe way to go. Earlier this year our Tigers played D-G-F which has had to deal with its "Rebels." Logo was once of a Southern Confederate soldier. Ouch. Now the sumbol is a Revolutionary War soldier although I have never associated the term "rebels" with the Contenental Army. Have you? 

Anyway, "Yellowjackets" might be a cute name but their football team was outclassed by our surging Tigers last night (Friday). Game site was Perham. There, the 8th-ranked orange and black defeated the Yellowjackets 32-13. 

Wow, we are 7-0 as season's end gets closer. Following regular season play we'll plunge into the playoffs and where might that progress to? Can we envision the state championship game? Before we get deluded on this matter, let's consider that one very tough regular season game remains. Word is, the Fergus Falls Otters will give us all we can handle. 

Win that game - Wednesday - then maybe the images of the state title game would dance in our heads. 

Up to now the weather has been very nice for football. Some rain is falling on this Saturday morning as I compose this. The newspaper will make us wait until Tuesday. I say "why wait? We're in the age of the Internet." 

When Brett Miller was at the radio station, he wrote some real nice and timely sports summaries for the station website. Update: I checked after doing the first draft of this post, and kmrs-kkok has some individual stat details for the Tigers from last night. This is more than they have done as a rule. So let's give credit where credit is due. Not sure if things will develop to where we see standards like what Miller established. BTW I have never met him. Looks like they at least have their thinking caps on there. So thanks and congratulations! We're getting more than "the score" now! I'm happy for Deb the manager, Morris High Class of '72. Yours truly is '73. I'm not sure she noticed me much in high school.

As for the SCT newspaper, it still wears the dunce cap. Obviously it is always my pleasure to try to supply updates with at least a little bit of substance. It's a priority for yours truly in this stage of life where I have white hair. I wore a younger man's clothes when I first started covering the Tigers. That was in the fall in 1972. 

I advise you to check the radio station website at present. I had to click past an ad. I'd advise never to click where you see "continue." You can usually get past these things. Remember that the radio station and newspaper are profit-making businesses. Me? I rely a lot on Social Security.

Tigers 32, Perham 13

The game versus Perham required the Tigers to battle some. That's because shortly before halftime, Perham succeeded dramatically on a fourth-and-20 play. Alex Blume passed to Gavin Griffin, 30 yards for a score, putting the Yellowjackets within three at 10-7. But the exhilaration among the home Perham crowd was short-lived. 

The Tigers were not going to stand for their opponent getting so close. We showed our No. 8-ranked chops to be sure. We marched down the field in the limited time remaining. Drew Huebner polished things off by passing to Jack Kehoe: 19 yards. 

Let's note that the Perham venue is called "Meinhover Field." Fans there tried to retain optimism for their team going into the second half. But the "mo" would clearly belong to the orange and black. Our fans cheered as Mitchell Moser turned on the jets for scores. Huebner took charge with his throwing arm again to find Jackson Hallman for six. 

Now we own the game with the score 32-7. And the final was 32-13. The Yellowjackets were left with a 1-6 record. 

Our 32 points was impressive but it's shy of our average of 37.5. Certainly a crowd-pleasing brand of football. Fergus Falls should really test us in the next game. 

Let's not overlook that we have a bona fide kicking game. It's not often we see this in high school ball. But our Riley Saito is pretty powerful and accurate with his toe. It's a pleasant surprise to see this in a high school game. I think it can shock the opposing team and its fans. I wonder if Riley started in soccer. Whatever, he showed his prowess last night with a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter. 

 

Some numbers

Drew Huebner finished the night with 12 completions in 22 attempts for 150 yards and two scores. Hallman had three catches for 43 yards and the score. Kehoe also had three catches which covered 37 yards and netted a TD. 

Huebner in the ground game churned out 85 yards on seven carries. He crossed the end zone stripe. Moser charged forward for 67 ground yards on 15 carries. And Kye Suess rushed for 67 yards on 11 carries. Hallman and Tyler Friesen each intercepted a pass. 

Jace Kleindl had a solo tackle and six assists for seven total points. Zach Dietz asserted himself to get one solo and six assists for seven points also.

 

Volleyball: Tigers 3, Benson 0

Volleyball success Thursday night for the orange and black, albeit against a team that has struggled badly. Benson not only loses often, they get swept often. So MACA poured it on to get just that kind of outcome. Yes, 3-0 over the Braves who I guess are still going by that name. Benson keeps saying to the State of Minnesota in effect "show us the money" (to make the name change). 

I don't think a new name has been identified yet but I could be wrong. The key is to get the $ from the "deeps pockets" State of Minnesota. I guess principle is secondary. Let's see the money. Until then we're the "Braves" complete with the feathers on the logo! "Bobcats" would be a nice new name. Another "cat" name would be available and that's "caracals," a feline very much like the other common big cats. 

I'm filibustering here with this write-up because I do not have match details on the Tigers. It's very sad: I have not been able to type the names of any MACA volleyball players all fall. I used to be in much better shape for getting details from other media sources. Those sources have now dried up. 

I have the Thursday scores from the West Central Tribune: 25-17, 25-15 and 25-11. So, an impressive night by our "cats." 

Contentious Benson logo

I do have match details on the Benson Braves. Mya McGeary and Sophie Krusemark each had one serving ace. Julia Clausssen did Benson's setting with 13 assists. Three Braves came at the Tigers with four kills in hitting: Alexis Hoberg, Carly Tolifson and Jada O'Leary. Madison Osterbauer had three kills and Claussen had two. 

Kaida Helgenset led in ace blocks with three. She was followed by Hoberg 2, Osterbauer 2, Claussen 1 and Tolifson 1. Krusemark out-distanced the pack in digs with 20. She was followed by Tolifson 9, Claussen 6 and Helgenset 5. 

When Brett Miller was at the radio station, I was even able to write a little about MACA cross country sometimes. It's nice to stay on top of all these names. What's the top story on the Stevens County Times website this morning? "Cougars take a loss on the road to Bethany Lutheran." The SCT is obsessed with covering UMM on its website. A soccer loss to Bdthany is priority over everything else? I don't understand it.

Follow the Lynx!

Hey, we have a pro Minnesota team in the championship finals! It's asking too much for this to be as big a deal as the Twins and Vikings, I guess. But I hope that if our Lynx go up 2-0 on the New York Liberty on Sunday, we'll see a swelling of enthusiasm. We can do this without Caitlin Clark! Well, get close anyway. 

My zeal about the Lynx began my email last week to my fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson, and you just know I touch on some tertiary subjects as well. Seriously I think you might find this interesting: thoughts related to Big Cat Staduim, the suggested parking issue there.

I always keep an eye on local interscholastic sports. There are always highlights and sidelights. Now I have to look up "tertiary." 

I sent my email to Warrenn on the day after the  Lynx completed their success vs. the Connecticut Sun. Truth be told, I wouldn't know Connecticut was called the "Sun" if it weren't for Caitlin, because she has made me interested in the whole league! I wouldn't even know there was a team named for "Connecticut."

 

Minnesota Lynx!

Hello Warrenn, Lynx win! Lynx win! So that's neat. A week ago I withheld judgment on whether I'd stay interested in WNBA after Caitlin's exit. So I wasn't sure if I'd stay interested, BUT I HAVE! I even watched a portion of a game on livestream with the "square" in the middle of the screen (for copyright). So, that passes the test. 

In spite of all the headlines about how ratings have fallen off since Caitlin's exit, the telling thing is that the WNBA plans expansion. We'll see the "Golden State Valkyries." So, things can't be too bad in "blue state" California.

Now the Lynx play the Liberty and we'll see "Sabrina" vs. us. Foreign-sounding last name but "Sabrina" is a totally cool first name. I knew nothing about her prior to this season. Her background is very, very much like Caitlin's but she never got any "mo" toward being a celebrity. I'm kind of rooting for her. Played for Oregon in college.

I wonder about Caitlin, if she can really blend in with the "team concept." She was arguably surrounded with very good talent with the Fever. She might have to be persuaded to try to be a little more low-profile and to be more of a facilitator. The main thing is if she wins a championship. If she does that, her personal stats won't matter. Maybe Caitlin will decide to join the golf tour instead. No risk of being poked in the eye.

Big Cat Stadium

So our school board is discussing parking problems at the end of Tiger football games!!! You and I go back a long way with Morris athletics and we remember the days of the high-level high school tournament games at UMM. We remember full well how it would be a total "zoo" outside at the conclusion with cops and their flashlights trying to be in charge!!! People accepted it then. But now? What's the deal? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to think of ways of avoiding the parking crunch. Sheesh, people are so spoiled. Everyone wants to park right by the venue and then leave immediately afterward. Instant gratification. The school parking lots are so close. Or, just wait a half an hour before going out to your car.

Me? Well hell I walk. Interesting: I notice that the gate for the "freeloaders" is being opened in front basically at the same time as the opening kickoff! I have noticed this the last two games. The only reason I'm interested is that I want to get in to get a burger basket. I have done this the last two games.

Mary Holmberg

Also interesting: Fans are welcome to stand along the sidewalk to the north that leads to the P.E. Center entrance. There are even accommodations for those fans: a couple rows of elevated bleacher seats next to the fence where you can set your concessions etc. This is IRONIC because when Big Cat first opened, they had volunteers trying to chase away fans who were standing along there (like me - it happened). I went and talked to Charlie Grussing about that. He said that in his estimation, "the college" had no problem with people standing there. So that means the high school. I wrote in my blog at the time that "I could just see Mary Holmberg doing this." Here's an example of where UMM and the high school could have a conflict. 

I would still like to know as a matter of policy if MACA softball is entitled to use Big Cat Field for games like UMM has done. Last winter was nice but before that we had extended and miserable winters. That's why I have talked up the idea of an "inflatable cover" for Big Cat Field. UMM would be a magnet for high school softball teams from far and wide if that were available.

Erin Christensen told me that MACA softball would in fact be eligible to use Big Cat but frankly I'm not sure I believe it. They have all the amenities for softball at Big Cat, and it's FANTASTIC for fans who can sit in the bleachers.

Just keep watching the school board: next they'll plan a new "referendum" for putting in a new parking lot, probably to the east of the stadium. The community just keeps voting "yes" all the time. Schools will always come up with a list of "needs," so sometime the public simply has to vote "no" just to instill discipline.

Remember how Wheaton fans with their red clothing would fill half the P.E. Center for girls basketball? Sondra Weick went on to play for UMM. Hancock was all the rage too with their coach who ended up in prison. The excuse was that he was a mental casualty of Vietnam, the "Rambo" defense. Maybe the U.S. should skip some of these wars. But it was good for the career of John Wayne. I'd like to see John Wayne in real combat, he'd probably try to protect his own ass.

 

Below is what a real "Minnesota lynx" looks like!

- BW