Now they're 5-0: MACA volleyball Tigers

OK, so there's no more "conference" for football, but I guess there is in volleyball. All these alignments can get confusing.
Our Tigers are looking very good in West Central Conference volleyball play. We have first place secured at present. The Tigers built their stock further with (another) win by sweep on Tuesday. Success vs. Monte came by scores of 25-13, 25-13 and 25-15.
Click on the permalink below to read about the sweep wins over Benson and ACGC last week. This post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course." It also includes coverage of the MACA football team's loss to Minnewaska Area. Thanks for reading. - B.W.
http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2015/09/maca-volleyball-stays-on-roll-sweeps.html
 

Tigers 3, Montevideo 0

The Morris Area Chokio Alberta girls are undefeated overall (5-0). Brooke Gillespie came at the Thunder Hawks with three serving aces. Karly Fehr batted two serving aces, while Lindsey Dierks and Koral Tolifson each had one.
Fehr chalked up 20 set assists. Four Tigers each had one ace block: Fehr, Jenna Howden, Carly Maanum and Moira McNally. Riley Decker set the pace in digs with 14. Gillespie had ten digs and Lindsey Dierks had eight.
On to hitting: here it was Gillespie setting the pace with her eight kills. Ashley Solvie and Howden each had six kills, while Dierks and Maanum each had three. Fehr added two kills to the mix, and Haley Erdahl one.
Abby Olson had ten kills for the visiting T-Hawks. Kaylee Glomstad performed three ace blocks. Olivia Hagen had nine digs. Grace Sulflow was the busiest setter, getting ten assists, and Hagen produced two serving aces.
 

Whither sport of football?

We're reading about efforts on the part of the football powers-that-be, to reduce health dangers of the sport. George Will questions whether football can continue as it has, with proper health precautions taken. Football is by definition violent. Violence seems the whole point.
Maybe back in an age when we groomed young men to be warriors, it seemed reasonable. Today that thought gives pause. I remember as a child hearing speeches expressing the hope "there will be no more war." It was balderdash, as we got dragged into the biggest hell pit of all time: Viet Nam. About half of the deaths in Viet Nam happened after our leaders in Washington D.C. realized it was a failure. Yes, our nation really did experience that.
Today, football as a model for militarism seems obsolete. In this age of new media that penetrates everywhere, a debacle like Viet Nam would not repeat itself, I feel. Iraq was bad enough. We backed away from intervention in Syria.
Football? Here's a question I have been offering over the recent past: If all the players in the NFL outside of the quarterbacks and wide receivers were low-round draft picks, would anyone notice or care? Actually, it might be nice to see offensive linemen who actually look like athletes, with well-defined bodies, rather than these huge masses of flesh that are just designed to obstruct.
Coaches are adjusting now, prepared to test their whole depth chart in games, due to players being pulled because of injuries or concussions. The NFL is afraid of lawsuits. Who isn't afraid of lawsuits? It's a relative thing, with all coaches knowing the other coaches will be doing the same thing. The quality of backup players will become more important. In the meantime, the Vikings look lousy. I really don't care.
You know, that "true purple" color may have fed nostalgia for a while, but I'd actually like to see the team go back to its standard old uniforms, like of the '90s. A uniform only seems "cool" if the team is winning anyway, right?
"Are you ready for some football?" I'm really not.

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

At age 60, a time for reflection

An old high school friend was in town recently. These conversations can be predictable. We talk about the infirmities of our parents. Many of my age have said goodbye to their parents. In the case of this friend, a new development is that his mother is in a nursing home. This had to be done even though family members were available to be with her all the time.

Strange how God created us to become so delicate. Medical science is a miracle for extending life. On the flip side, age does catch up with all of us. It's even catching up to us boomers even though we always swore it wouldn't. Granted, 70 may be the new 60 or whatever. Still, we deal with mounting health issues at some point, and it's not pleasant no matter when it happens.
I turned age 60 this past January. We get philosophical as we reach the various age milestones. I'll quote Dean Chance, the Minnesota Twins pitcher of the 1960s: "Everybody, by the time they're 50, they're selfish as hell. Everybody thinks only of himself or herself. Then, when they hit 60, they want to return to religion and want to forgive everybody. They want to go to heaven, and that's the stage I'm in."
My generation was slow getting into the mainstream of church-going. A few of us decided to become overly zealous about religion, as if it was an all-or-nothing proposition. We were great for getting obsessed about certain things or causes - a trait that made us the complete opposite of our parents.
My Morris High class had its 40-year reunion in 2013. A shrinking number can even talk about their parents in the present tense. We are simply following the path of all generations. We find we are less and less relevant for the cultural trends in bloom.
In another ten years, our children will be watching over us out of concern we're getting brittle. The great Doug Rasmusson wrote about this. Doug would be having a field day with the Internet. He did the best he could in his time, getting self-published. Doug wrote that at a certain advanced age, he found his children would pay occasional visits, not just for the inherent joy of being with parents, but to "check on" the parents in a spying sort of way - sorry if that word is blunt.
Doug imagined the two children touching base with each other after each visit, wondering if the parents were indeed fit to stay at home longer. He pointed out an example of what might prompt concern by the kids: a peanut butter jar in the cupboard with the lid off. A sign of declining mental faculty or just a typical cutting of corners that anyone might commit? Well, Doug sensed what was going on.
My family has had two visits from Human Services, one for each of my parents. It's rather unnerving. You are always put on the defensive. Secondly, with many very old people, you cannot create a perfect day-to-day lifestyle for them. There are going to be some struggles and some physical hurdles that cannot be completely overcome. If you're my age, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I remember an impassioned letter to the editor in the Star Tribune. It implored us to realize that in many cases of alleged elder neglect or abuse, there really are two sides to the story. Elderly people can become angry that they are being forced, often by the children, to give up some of their freedoms. Simply put, growing old is difficult.
At age 60, I'm prompted at this time of year to think back to school. School was enjoyable for me through the sixth grade. It became steadily miserable after that. To this day, I wonder why it isn't good enough to simply master basic arithmetic - adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing - and to memorize multiplication tables. Those tables were burned into my mind. Eight times eight is 64.
I don't know why I had to be dragged into so-called advanced math, where you're confronted with all the theoretical stuff. My self-esteem was slammed as I realized I couldn't cut it. At a certain point I probably got excused from some of these requirements on a wink-wink basis by administration. I think this is called "mainstreaming," to leave a kid progressing with his peers even if he's clearly stumbling.
Reading and writing? That was my bread and butter. This is why I might have gotten excused from the other stuff. "How can Williams be so hopeless" when he clearly can write well? If only the teacher knew that my literacy came more from "unapproved" reading sources, like comic books, Mad Magazine and sports magazines, rather than school reading assignments.
School reading assignments? Why in the world did we have John Steinbeck thrust at us? Or Jack London? Or Herman Melville? Maybe Steinbeck was relevant in the 1930s. Maybe George Orwell projected a certain fascination at a certain time. I found his "Animal Farm" to be depressing and political.
Today with the Internet enabling so many people to share their writing skills with so many, it seems stupid to even pay attention to the "classic" authors. What made them "classic?" They wrote at a time when getting published was a very restricted proposition - the opposite of today. The barriers to distribution have come down.
I remember a Morris High instructor telling us not to quote from American Heritage Magazine, because it was "superficial." Spoken like a typical pretentious academic boor. Our schools were full of them then.
I question why kids even need to be pushed so hard in school today. The jobs of the future will be designed to impose minimal mental strain or demands. That's so the pay level can be kept low. If it helps to have pictures on the buttons you push, so be it. Only if you're destined to be a corporate leader do you really have to push your education to a high level.
Most of the best learning is done on the job anyway. May John Steinbeck rest in peace.

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

"The Ballad of Sandy Valdespino"

Obscure baseball players of past eras promote a certain kind of fascination. This is why "Moonlight Graham" got penciled into the script of "Field of Dreams." That movie itself has drifted into the past.

Maybe I misunderstood the movie, but it strikes me as overbearingly pretentious. It pays homage to the boomer generation as if we needed any more stroking or recognition. Boomers were still in their liberal phase in their political thinking, thus we see a character demonized who was at a public meeting to protest an allegedly inappropriate book at school. She was a tea party type. She was made to look shallow and stupid.
Boomers have largely done a 180 in their political thinking. Today that book protester would be portrayed in a sympathetic way, and her critics would be dismissed as "liberal." And so the world keeps turning.
I recently posted on the subject of an obscure Minnesota Twin of the 1960s. This post is on my "Morris of Course" site. It's about Sandy Valdespino. Sandy Valdespino! He made only some brief ripples in major league baseball. But it wasn't as if he was just "up (in the big leagues) for a cup of coffee." He was on our American League pennant roster in 1965. In the World Series he got three hits, one of them off Sandy Koufax, the other-worldly lefthander for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A hit off Koufax in the World Series assures you of having made a permanent mark in the game.
Valdespino had only one year of decent offensive productivity with Minnesota. That was '65 when he batted .261. He stuck around a while longer with hits coming infrequently.
Valdespino did carve out one more chapter in his Twins tenure: It was with an outfield catch that was perhaps the best-ever in Twins history. It happened in the 1967 regular season in a game vs. Cleveland. Valdespino, playing in left field, sprinted to the fence to chase a drive hit by Larry Brown. He leaped, still not facing the field, dug his spikes into the wall and snagged the ball over his shoulder in midair. If ESPN had been around, the catch would have gained much more notice. Manager Cal Ermer described the catch as just as good as Bob Allison's famous World Series catch.
We liked the ring to Valdespino's name in an age when non-Anglo names got our special attention and sometimes amusement. To be amused was non-P.C. of course. Bombo Rivera? Boomers have to feel guilty, because there was a time when "Bombo" brought a snicker or two. Not today. Names with a so-called ethnic quality are simply accepted. Even on a subconscious level we pay no special attention. A name is simply a name.
Valdespino had his stint with the Twins when the Calvin Griffith chapter was at its apex. He was part of the heartbreak when our club got edged out for the pennant in 1967. After '67 Valdespino became a journeyman, even playing for the Seattle Pilots who had just one year of existence.
Just as "Moonlight Graham" helped inspire a movie, so too does Sandy seem like fodder for an artistic work. An obscure player who had a couple significant moments in the sun, then he fades from the game. I have written "The Ballad of Sandy Valdespino." The lyrics of the song appear below. I might have it recorded. We'll see.
  

"The Ballad of Sandy Valdespino"

by Brian Williams

 

We remember Sandy Valdespino

Even though he was no superstar

With his Twins cap on, he could entertain those throngs

And with his name we could go far
  

As a boy he fell in love with baseball

It was king in Cuba, that's for sure

He could not stay there with the commies on a tear

So here he came like on a tour
  

He was in the bushes for a long time

Still he knew his dreams were good as gold

It was '65 and his legend came alive

The Twins brought him into their fold
  

He was penciled in the starting lineup

For that chance he'd waited for so long

It was May 19th and he's on a winning team

We won that game and then moved on
  

He had three hits in the World Series

One was off the greatest lefty known

It became a fact he could hit off that Koufax

So what else would he have to show?
  

We remember Sandy Valdespino

He was born with horsehide in his veins

He was five feet/eight, still he knew he could be great

In baseball - how we love that game
  

It was June 18th of '67

And the Twins were primed to play all nine

Could we land a punch, get the Indians on the run

With Sandy in his outfield prime?
  

There were two outs and the bases loaded

Larry Brown, the Indian at the plate

Well he just teed off and he sent that ball aloft

To left where Sandy held its fate
  

He could see that ball as it descended

A home run, the crowd could all assume

To that Cuban eye it was really not that high

And to that warning track he zoomed
  

All the fans watched with anticipation
Wondering if it was the winning hit

Could it reach the stands and be sought by all the fans?

Just one man 'tween the field and it
  

Those who saw it never have forgotten

How it seemed so other-worldly

Sandy used his spikes to climb up and reach the heights

Defying law of gravity
  

We remember Sandy Valdespino

From that island nation to our hearts

He was quite the Twin helping build up all those wins

His bat and glove gave off that spark
  

He would never be a Hall of Famer

Just a blip on baseball's radar screen

Such is life for most, toiling for our heav'nly host

We're famous only in a dream
  

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

Great start in football, volleyball for Tigers

Football: win vs. Benson

The Tigers prevailed in a back and forth football battle Friday (9/4) at Big Cat Stadium. No more West Central Conference. This was a Mid State District game, pitting our Tigers against the Braves of Benson.

The Tigers prevailed 47-39 in overtime. This was game #3 of the newly moved-up schedule: three games before school even starts! Now we're into September, temperatures ought to drift down to become more typical of football.

The final score was the kind I remember from covering nine-man football. In that bygone time, I remember West Central Conference scores being much lower. I'm sure fans enjoy scores coming regularly. The Tigers outscored Benson 8-0 in the overtime extension to carve out victory. It was Conner Koebernick running the ball in from the ten. Koebernick was also handed the ball on the conversion play, and again he succeeded.

As this game unfolded, neither team took charge: the first quarter ended with the score 7-7. The MACA touchdown came first: Trent Marty, the quarterback, ran the ball in from the one. Ricky Hernandez kicked the PAT. Benson's score came on a nine-yard pass from Layton Connelly to Adam Lindahl.

The Tigers owned the second quarter. Jacob Zosel clutched the football on a six-yard scoring scamper. Hernandez booted the PAT. Zosel followed that up with a big play run: 30 yards for six. Hernandez kicked the PAT. The halftime score is 21-7.

Can the Tigers cruise? It turned out the Braves had the tools to rebound from their deficit. Connelly scored a TD from the one. MACA answered with a one-yard scoring run by Marty, and the PAT was good. Benson's Brett Sulier found the end zone on a run from the three. Connelly passed to Max Peterson for two on the conversion.

Connelly passed to Lindahl on a thrilling 68-yarder, assuring that Benson was staying in this game until the end. That message was extended when Josh Manzke caught a three-yard TD pass from Connelly. It was extended further when Manzke thrilled Benson fans again, catching a 50-yard touchdown pass from Connelly.

Benson was having trouble with its conversion plays at this stage of the game. Truly that would haunt them.

Conner Koebernick scored for Morris Area Chokio Alberta on a two-yard run. Marty tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Eric Staebler. The Tigers too were sputtering on conversion plays now. Finally Koebernick plunged into the end zone in overtime, twice in fact (for the TD and conversion), and MACA could close this one out with a 'W'. Whew!

Zosel covered a whopping 191 yards on the ground in 22 carries. Relax this week, Jacob. Koebernick finished with 78 rushing yards on eight carries. Quarterback Marty had 27 rushing yards. Chase Metzger had 17, Toby Sayles ten and Ryan Dietz six.

Marty completed seven passes in 16 attempts for 153 yards and wasn't picked off. His stats through the three games have been stellar. Sayles completed a pass. Sean Amundson gathered in the pigskin three times on receptions good for 70 yards. Staebler had three catches for 68 yards, and Metzger made two catches for 32.

Staeber did the Tigers' punting. Philip Messner and Metzger each intercepted a pass. Sayles had eight solo tackles and four assists. The tackle list continues with Dietz (5-3), Messner (4-4), Metzger (5-0), Marty (4-1), Amundson (4-0) and Brady Jergenson (0-6).

Connelly was a prolific passer for the visitor: he completed 19 passes in 34 attempts for 313 yards. He also topped Benson's rushing list with 64 yards in 21 carries - quite the athlete. Brett Sulier rushed for 60 yards.

Lindahl was a favorite target of Connelly's - he caught nine passes for 176 yards. Manzke had four catches for 85 yards. Other pass catchers were Peterson, Zach Sonnabend, Sulier and Connor Staton. It's a nice sign that life is going on as it should, when a journalist like me can keep typing "Staton" in connection with Benson!

Next for MACA: a road game vs. rival Minnewaska Area, Friday.

 

Volleyball: Tigers 3, Melrose 1

Excuse me but I'm a little confused. The MAHS school calendar informs us that the Tigers played at ACGC on Thursday night (Sept. 3). I don't think I'm dreaming, but I'm looking at the Friday edition of the Willmar newspaper and I see we played Melrose.
I remember back when working for the Morris newspaper, I didn't put complete stock in the school calendar. Mark Ekren advised me one fall that the dates for JV football games were off. I heard kids were involved in putting together the school calendar. That was several years ago.
Today, I'm assuming some sort of schedule change was made - I don't know why. So, the Tigers went on the Interstate to Melrose Thursday, rather than going to ACGC. Our team won in four games. Scores: 25-17, 25-17, 22-25 and 25-17. Yes, the 25-17 score appears three times. The match was Melrose's season opener.
Karly Fehr was all over the court to produce 37 set assists. Carly Maanum had three assists. Lindsey Dierks was aggressive and precise at the serving line, coming through with three serve aces. Brooke Gillespie, Fehr and Riley Decker each batted one ace.
Ashley Solvie went up to deliver three ace blocks. Gillespie, Fehr and Jenna Howden each had one ace block. Decker produced 22 digs. She was followed in that department by Gillespie (19), Dierks (16), Fehr (7) and Koral Tolifson (6).
Let's wrap up this stat report with hitting. Here it was Howden pounding down 12 kills and Gillespie getting eleven. These names follow: Solvie (8), Dierks (7), Maanum (6) and Fehr (5).
 

Tigers 3, New London-Spicer 0

New London-Spicer has projected a mystique in girls athletics for a long time. These things are known to end. Teams don't win because of their uniform. NL-Spicer has been blessed by some pretty hard-charging programs. NL-Spicer in overall athletics has cast rather a spell on MACA athletics, or curse.
Maybe those roles can be reversed sometime soon. Like maybe now?
No that's not a typo: the Tigers beat the Wildcats 3-0. This was the season opener for our Tigers, played on Tuesday (9/1) at home. It was a memorable opener. The Tigers won 25-22, 25-23 and 26-24. It's a real plum to get this kind of win over the dynastic Wildcats. A prelude of things to come? We'll see.
Karly Fehr was proficient with her 33 set assists, and Carly Maanum was handy to produce her two. (I wrote about Carly's mom Jeanne when she played softball with Hancock, not Benson-Hancock but Hancock.)
Riley Decker produced two aces from the serving line, and had perfect 21-for-21 in good/attempts. Brooke Gillespie had one serving ace on 9/10 in G/A. Koral Tolifson had 11/11 serving stats in good/attempts.
Jenna Howden went up to execute two ace blocks. (I'm assuming Jenna is Thom's daughter and I'd like to advise Thom to lose some weight.) Fehr, Ashley Solvie and Maanum each had one ace block.
Gillespie and Riley Decker each had 19 digs. The digs list continues with Lindsey Dierks (14), Fehr (12) and Tolifson (7).
On to the crowd-pleasing hitting department. Here it was Gillespie putting on a show with her 16 kills. Howden pounded down nine kills, then it was Solvie with five, Maanum with three, Dierks with two and Fehr with one.
Kabrie Weber led NL-Spicer in kills with 13. Erin Tebben had four ace blocks. Carly Cronen had 15 digs while Alyssa Fredrick had 14.
MACA volleyball fans are anticipating a truly excitement-filled season of 2015. Viva Morris Area Chokio Alberta athletics!

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

"Wadsworth Trail Dreamin' " (of the future)

The great Del Holdgrafer drew a cartoon with a hiking party getting out to a quite remote place. The guide said "pretty soon we'll be getting into wilderness." The humor was that it was quite obvious the group was well into such territory already. A man's teeth chattered in response to the resonating sound of a coyote.

Holdgrafer had an appreciation for all things wild and natural. I sense he gravitated to the natural state. He had an ingrained suspicion of progress. He was naive about medical expenses. He expected the "family doctor" to come to your door and for the charge to be minimal, not eye-popping. Alas, the Norman Rockwell world was going to erode. "Progress" forges ahead, just like how the Morris area (including Delmar's beloved Donnelly) would get developed in the first place.
That earthy hiking guide would feel at home along the Wadsworth Trail. It's chapter 1 of Morris area history. It passed by Wintermute Lake. The train wiped out the need for it. The train also made Morris possible by 1871.
Last night at around 10 p.m., I felt a sudden inspiration to write poetry. I should stress that I don't really write poetry, rather I'm a song lyricist who on occasion writes verses that are meant to be presented narration-style with no melodic line.
Bill Anderson recorded material like this. I was discussing this with Jim Morrison at the newspaper once, and he mentioned how "Whispering Bill" could get maudlin. Yes he could. He came to perform in Morris in the early 1980s. I covered that for the Morris newspaper. I also got to interview "Whispering Bill" afterwards. I asked him to refresh my memory on what chainsaw company he did a commercial for, in the 1960s. He smiled and said "Homelite." He darn well should have smiled, because in the 1960s if you got on TV to do a simple commercial, you'd likely gain more fame with the masses than if you scored a couple song "hits." He was a nice man.
I also got to hear Anderson sing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in the mid-1980s. His song "Po' Folks" had impact. He joked that everyone who had been to Nashville's Fan Fair celebration for a week were now "po' folks." I have had no interest in visiting Fan Fair since it left the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. It has become too big and impersonal.
My poetry has to do with a couple intrepid souls traveling along the old Wadsworth Trail. One of them has a dream, envisioning the future Morris, Minnesota. He's like a psychic, envisioning the future Eul's Hardware, Willie's Super Valu and the University of Minnesota-Morris.
I hesitate to use the word poetry. My material is meant to be recited with vamp-style music in the background. A perfect example of this would be Walter Brennan's "Old Rivers." Anyway, I'm pleased to share with y'all "Wadsworth Trail Dreamin'." Hey, I'm dreaming of dining at one of the Longhorn restaurants in the Nashville area!
 

"Wadsworth Trail Dreamin' "

by Brian Williams
 

We were out along the Wadsworth Trail

Night beginning to spread its veil

Civilization far away

We had to feel like castaways
 

Still my soul was filled anew

As I longed for that morning dew

Sleeping outside without a tent

Darkness of night just came and went
 

Making some coffee to wake the dead

Got us feeling we should forge ahead

Facing the west where danger might lie

We're still undaunted, my partner and I
 

Prairie is wide, unbounded as heck

All the fresh air a human can get

Flowers and rivers make us feel awe

Eagles and owls issue their calls

 

Hoping the trail will stay dry for the day

So we can plug ahead, making our way

We can imagine that fort in the West

Named for a Civil War general, the best

 

Union was saved, and now we move on

One nation solid, clear under God

Man was endowed by Him to be free

U.S. was burgeoning under that creed
 

Here's a good place for a town, I thought

River's nearby, and lakes are about

I had a dream that it's good as done

Morris its name, it's second to none
 

Now look over there, a place for a store

Eul is the name with hardware galore

A place to get food, a welcome mat out

Willie's the man who gives out that shout
 

A college, my goodness, where wisdom is gained

UMM gives this town its share of fame

Two thousand students with energy high

Transforms the prairie, give a high five
 

I slowly awoke from that fantasy

Wondering if somehow it could be real

Eyes focused west with oxen and horse

We made our progress, dead on our course
 

Surely we got to the fort with its wall

Such a grand edifice giving its call

There at Fort Wadsworth we sat a spell

Having gone through both heaven and hell
 

Frontier was opening, no need to wait

That vast expanse looked vibrant and great

Owls and rabbits scurried at peace

Nature's whole kingdom there at our feet
 

I wondered if somehow the dream would come back

Of that small town not bold on the map

Morris its name, generous its fame

Not so far from our campfire flame
 

I made some more coffee, looked all around

Long in the future, those folks would abound

Still I can see the gem it will be

No doubt the prairie makes it so real
 

Those who might say the prairie is flat

As if there's nothing more to it than that

Are missing the vistas, the presence of God

In Morris we celebrate all He has brought
 

My partner and I just gave a sigh

Knowing the limitless landscape outside

We'd be supplied and take off once more

Ready to watch the pelicans soar
 

Still I embraced the thought of that town

It danced in my head, such sights and sounds

Like of trains spitting smoke, moving so grand

And of kids playing music, in marching band
 

We can remember those pioneer days

The 19th Century hardscrabble ways

It all had to start in a humble domain

We ought to remember from where it all came
 

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

Tigers stay on a roll, beat ACGC 42-21

A thrilling defensive play got the Tigers started en route to victory Friday. Taylor Staples scored on a 79-yard fumble recovery. Trent Marty passed to Sean Amundson for two on the conversion.

This action was at the ACGC gridiron. It was the Tigers' game #2 and brought victory #2. Some fans might have thought the opener win was just a case of a big school thumping a smaller school. Game #2 brought more of a sense of legitimacy to the Tigers' success. The Tigers won 42-21 over the Falcons of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.

ACGC is the long-time home of Morris native and coach Jeff Tanner (1973 MHS grad).

The first quarter ended with the score 8-8. The ACGC score came on a Cullen Hoffmann two-yard run. Tanner Olson ran for two on the conversion.

The game turned into a blow-out in the second quarter. Three Tiger touchdowns made it clear who'd prevail. The very proficient passer of the Tigers, Marty, tossed a 65-yard aerial that had Amundson on the receiving end. Ricky Hernandez kicked the conversion. Next it was Staples gathering in the football on a pass from Marty - 18 yards. Hernandez again added the PAT. The very opportunistic MACA defense struck again for the third touchdown of the second quarter. Toby Sayles was showcased this time. Toby scored on an interception return. Hernandez continued with his efficient toe.

So, halftime arrived with the Tigers up 29-8. The Tigers added insurance points in the third quarter. Marty tossed a TD pass to Chase Metzger covering eleven yards. Hernandez's toe was true.

ACGC summoned a couple of TDs in the fourth. ACGC's Tye Olson scored on a two-yard run. Colton Minnick kicked the point-after. Beau Anderson scored on a 16-yard run.

MACA scored the final TD of the night: a big 46-yard run by Dakota Luepke. The kick try failed.

Thus far in the season, the Tigers' quarterback Marty has been mighty efficient with his tosses. If the NFL passer rating formula were to be applied, Marty would have a superlative rank. On Friday he connected with receivers five times in eight attempts. His completions covered 126 yards and he wasn't picked off.

Amundson and Metzger each had two catches with Amundson's picking up 76 yards, Metzger's 32. Staples had an 18-yard catch.

Jacob Zosel rushed for 62 yards in 13 carries. Luepke had one big carry for 46 yards. Ryan Dietz had seven carries of the football for 23 yards, and Metzger had six carries for ten. Ryan Bowman did the Tigers' punting.

Brady Jergenson had eight solo tackles and three assists. Dietz came through with 3/8 numbers as a defensive performer. The list continues: Staples (6-2), Philip Messner (3-6), Scott Iverson (4-1), Sayles (3-2), Metzger (3-1), Denner Dougherty (0-7), Amundson (2-3), Cole Watzke (1/3) and Steven Koehl (1-3). Staples had two quarterback sacks and Josh Wagner came through with one.

Yes, the score looks like a blow-out. And yes, the score represents the most important numbers. But the Tigers were outgained by the Falcons, 324-266. We showed lapses in the form of eleven penalties. In terms of possession, we owned the ball a mere twelve minutes. So, maybe MACA fans should restrain some of their giddiness. It was our big plays, certainly on defense, that clipped the wings of those Falcons.

Tye Olson did ACGC's passing and had seven completions in eleven attempts for 69 yards. He had one pass picked off. Beau Anderson dominated ACGC's running game with 146 yards on 30 carries. Colton Minnick caught three passes for 31 yards.

The Tigers' game #3 will be at home against Benson, Friday.

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

Tigers to play ACGC on the road Friday

We have to train ourselves to be attuned to football when summer is still on. Summer can be a pleasant time to enjoy sports. If your fanny is in the bleachers, yes it's enjoyable, even though the Big Cat bleachers are a little hard, aren't they? Too bad we didn't have a benefactor like Ralph Englestad to make the place a little snazzier. You remember Ralph, the Hitler's birthday guy, who got people to worship at his shrine at University of North Dakota. Money's honey, my dear sonny, and a rich man's joke is always funny.
Our Morris Area Chokio Alberta Tigers have one game under their belt already for 2015. It was played on August 22. Fortunately we didn't have overbearing heat (for the sake of the players). One of these years that could happen.
This week the Tigers will play on Friday. The team will battle the ACGC Falcons on Friday, Aug. 28, at ACGC. The Tigers' game #3 is presented on Friday, Sept. 4, against Benson at home. The three games will be played before school even starts. What a shock!
Another big shock is the disappearance of conferences. No more West Central Conference. Everything is now set up with the post-season in mind. The post-season is also the reason why the schedule starts so early. The playoffs need to be completed before weather might deliver an ugly clout (not that it couldn't anyway). You see, we don't have the Metrodome anymore. That's rather sad. Man, if the fans of the 1950s could have looked into the future and seen the Dome, they'd have to pinch themselves. But now it's not good enough.
I have rich memories of covering the Chokio-Alberta Spartans in their championship seasons. One down note is the memory of George Dieter having his health affliction at the time of one of those games. In a way it was kind of a blessing because he was so close to the best medical assistance. I remember George with his unique sense of humor at C-A spring athletic banquets. Those banquets should be joyous affairs. I remember a winter banquet at Morris Area that was absolute hell, devolving into a stew of local petty politics. Only at Morris Area could that have happened. I'll never forget it.
The MACA football team debuted pretty spectacularly for 2015. We beat West Central Area 41-6. I'm not sure how to interpret the outcome. Are we really overpowering? Kevin Fick of the Craig Olson Sports website shared some interesting background:
 

This was truly a battle of David vs. Goliath as the 2A Knights entered Big Cat Stadium and went to battle with the 3A Tigers. For a reader who thinks that there is not much difference in 3A to 2A football, think again. With conference football now a memory of the past, crazy district matchups will happen across Minnesota. From this writer's perspective they can be viewed in two ways. A 41-6 loss such as this could be blamed on large vs. small. Excuses such as bigger, faster and stronger are always available, or this can be used as a measuring stick, a tool to gauge oneself and say: What do we need to do to get better and not let this happen again? Listening to head coach John Moore address his team after the game, it is pretty safe to say the Knights are choosing the high road. Coach Moore stated: "This gave us a glimpse of where we are and what we need to do to reach the goals we set at the beginning of the season." A question keeps popping to mind: What would they say if we (WCA) would have won? We will never know without opportunities.

 

Thanks to writer Fick for his commitment. The Morris corporate media were anything but inspiring. The Morris newspaper website was an insult with its lack of caring or enthusiasm. Football is fun. Someone should have just put together some colorful coverage and been proud to click on "publish." As a non-corporate media person, I'm happy to do that myself. Please, please, spread the word that I'm doing this. It costs you nothing to visit my blog sites (two of them). 

Had I known the Morris paper would have no photographer at the game, I would have been delighted to grab my old (film) camera and go out along the east sideline. I have to admit I have old camera equipment now. Thrifty White can no longer give me same-day developing. I'd have to wait at least a week to get the CD back. That's unfortunate. I don't know why it takes a week, when the actual job of developing the film takes only about 1 1/2 hours. I should talk to Marty Ohren.
I suppose that if I bought a digital camera capable of night football, with the appropriate "fast" zoom lens, it would be quite costly, maybe a thousand bucks? I could get a lot of camera film developed for that much money.
I know the school welcomes me for taking game photos. I arrived for the season opener one year and Mark Ekren shook hands with me. For four years, after my departure from that dreary place known as the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper, I took photos and displayed them on Flickr. Come and view them if you haven't already. I have links along the right-hand side of this blog site.
There is evidence that the Morris paper does not approve of me being there with camera. After all, I'm supplying a service for free that they try to make money from. I have discussed this evidence in previous posts. The parents enjoy seeing me there. Marie Hansen said "the more the merrier."
The more the years roll by, the more local residents forget my connection to the Morris paper. What I'll never forget about my last days there, is that the atmosphere didn't improve even after I submitted my written resignation. You know, life is too short for this, at least for most people, but not for Forum Communications, that Machiavellian owner of the Morris paper. Yes, the paper isn't locally owned, in case you didn't know. The Forum has no problem absolutely showering us with ad circulars (pollution) for Alexandria businesses, as if we didn't already know that Alex offers the whole nine yards with big box stores etc.
The Morris Sun-Tribune whiffed on the season opener for football, but maybe they'll get a little more fired-up now. It's not suitable to see links with material from the West Central Tribune - it's deflating. Meanwhile, I'll continue writing about the teams. Thanks for visiting.

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