MACA sweeps to end regular season

Always encouraging to win by sweep. So even though the Tigers' last two opponents of the regular season were rather like doormats, we certainly executed well to not only win, but win by sweep. 

The 3-0 numbers for the last two matches can't help but build some confidence for the post-season. Still, the Tigers' task appears daunting. That's when you consider our season W/L of 7-15-1. The numbers don't suggest a particularly high seed, to be sure. Nevertheless, all teams start out the playoffs at 0-0. Fans will project optimism. 

The Tigers had a losing skid from Sept. 19 through Oct. 3. A Saturday tournament in Alexandria saw the orange and black go 1-3 with the win over Ada-Borup-West 2-0. We lost to Alex, Maple Lake and Fergus Falls. 

Then came the home stretch of the schedule. We fell to an impressive Minnewaska team 1-3 and then swept Benson and Monte. 

The final match was versus Montevideo and was played at Tiger Center. Scores in this sweep success for Motown were 25-9, 25-8 and 25-13. The West Central Tribune website has "stats not available" for MACA. How unfortunate. Does the WC Trib expect to receive info for MACA? And if an MACA coach attempted to call in, would the call be taken and info processed? I must ask "why not?" 

Individual stat details for Monte are on the website this morning. Individual stat details from the 'Waska vs. Benson match are there too, for both teams in fact. So the WC Trib shares info for Monte, 'Waska and Benson? 

This image is from "Hudl."

It is my understanding that MACA is not in the WC Trib's territory any more. But a secondary question would be: would the newspaper welcome phone calls offering MACA details? 

Looks strange in this morning's coverage as I observe my laptop: all those individual student athlete names from the Monte, 'Waska and Benson teams, helping fans stay familiar with who is playing and who the standouts are. 

Would the WC Trib really want to slam the door on MACA? You'd have to speculate in that direction. Wouldn't Schweiter's Chevrolet want to get more eyeballs from the Morris area? Is Forum Communications bitter that they felt they had to leave Morris after owning our paper? Obviously I'm in a position to know a little about what that was like. The paper went through waves of retrenchment. Actually that process of shedding began not long after I left (June 2006). 

 

Cupboard is bare

How dismal has Monte's season been? Just checked with "Minnesota Scores" and the Monte W/L is 2-17. Rock bottom, yes. Oh my they beat Benson but it took a five-game match. (The radio people always use the term "set" rather than "game" but I have my old habits. Some people will find an excuse to smear me because of this.) 

Monte often loses by sweep. Benson might even be worse, so maybe the administration there needs to prioritize things other than dealing with their inexcusable nickname "Braves." That is ongoing. Why is it ongoing? Now it's a waiting game with the state. Ah, the wheels of government. Basically the Benson school district is "waiting for the money." They sure don't want to pay for it themselves. 

How mediocre is Benson volleyball? "Minnesota Scores" tells us the Braves are 2-18. The Braves have been swept in every match since Sept. 24. I do know that Benson continues to have a fine instrumental music program led by Brock Duncan. 

In theory the Stevens County Times newspaper website could do so much to provide timely info on MACA matches. The website just sits there. It is loaded with UMM Cougar news all the time. This is bizarre because UMM's own website does a 100 percent thorough job in covering all Cougar teams. 

Where can a person go to find timely coverage of the Tigers? Well, we'll wait. 

 

Stenson tops kills

I enjoy writing about high school sports so I'll share here the Monte stat highlights from Tuesday. Jillian Magnuson sent a serving ace over the net for the T-Hawks. She also had the team's only set assist. 

Taryn Stenson led in kills with six. A number of T-Hawks follow her on the list: Cali Janke 4, Magnuson 3, Janie Miller 3, Anika Brown 3, Jessa Norby 2, Payton Howell 1, Jocelyn Bauman 1. 

Ace block contributors were Norby 3, Brown 2 and Madi Schultz 1. Zero in digs. 

The Morris radio station website has really suffered since Marshall Hoffman and Brett Miller left. Hoffman did interviews with state legislators that gave me tips for my blogging. Exemplary yes, but you know what? I don't think Jeff Backer appreciated interviews like that. He's probably relieved it's over. "Have you gotten your covid vaccination shot yet?" Remember, Backer is the most flat-Earth type of Republican. 

Well, we are electing such people these days. And now it looks like DJT is on a path to re-take the presidency. I personally am scared. 

Let's see, what's the top sports item on the SCT website this morning? "Meyer scores UMAC Football Defensive Athlete of the Week." 

 

Eyes on football Tigers

Everyone knows of course that the MACA football team will play tonight (Wednesday). There's a good chance I'll be able to find some individual stat details from a non-local media source tomorrow morning. No guarantees though. 

The weather seems to be cooperating perfect for playoff football. Knock on wood. Knock on wood re. the election too? I think it's futile because all signs point to Trump winning now. You all had better get used to the new reality. Germany went through stages of accepting its Fascist rule in the mid-20th Century. We can prevent this from happening. But I increasingly fear we will not. Our own congressperson voted against certifying the election results in 2020. Flat-Earth, yes. Tom Emmer voted to certify. 

What kind of hell awaited us if Fischbach's side had prevailed?

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - wbilly73@yahoo.com