October 7
The weekend produced a Chamber of Commerce bonanza – there were eight teams in town for the Cardinal volleyball invite; and I believe 21 many for the Lions’ cross country meet at Arrowwood. Classmate Brad and I decided to forgo the football game Friday night because the weather was “iffy” – at our age, we don’t do “iffy.” The weather actually wasn’t bad as the Cards put on another offensive display against Bemidji to the tune of 59 – 42 (see following video). We keep hoping for good “fans in the stands” weather – and with that concept in mind, we opted for the volleyball invite which began at 9:00 am on Saturday . . .
http://www.hudl.com/team/v2/17144/boys-varsity-football
[And here’s your program and schedules. It went on all day, and Brad and I were basically there from 9:00 until about 1:30, when I went home to find the Super in dire need of grounds maintenance assistance. With that length of time at the school, I paid my first ever visit to the concession stand – it was manned by a couple of Cardinal footballers whom I congratulated on their fine peformance the previous night.]
[After perusing the program, we figured out the Cards would be playing Morris Area, Chokio/Alberta, a/k/a, MACA (yes, I did a double-take on that one) in the first game. I didn’t bring the big lens, figuring we’d be moving a lot and wanted to be light on my feet.]
[Kendra Hardy (13) serving for us . . . ]
[Based on the respective size of the schools, I figured Alex would be the winner . . . ]
[I figured wrong. The Cards had just ended section and conference rival Willmar’s 10-game winning streak, and we were a little flat . . . a let down after a big win. Morris dispatched us easily in 2 quick games. I thought they looked pretty good and discovered they are ranked 7th in the state in class AA.]
[Brad and I then immediately dispatched ourselves to Trav’s for breakfast. Upon returning to the scene of the crime, I decided to have a little camera fun with series shots while we played Grand Rapids. First up is McKenzie Duwenhoegger (11) serving . . . ]
[Then in position for the return . . . ]
[Then Devany Johnson (9) . . . ]
[And here’s Kendra again . . . ]
[Then Mia McGrane (5) . . . ]
[Absent any post-invite preparation, I also knew nothing about Grand Rapids, our current opponent. I subsequently discovered they are ranked in the top 10 in the state.]
[We started slowly, a la the Morris games, but came roaring back. They were already unraveling the scoreboard before I could get a shot – the actual score in our favor was 25 to 20-something.]
[We were rolling now and easily dispatched the Thunderhawks in the 2nd game.]
[Our next game was against Big Lake – 25 – 10 and 25 – 10 (as you’ll see in the last shot). Those last 3 1/2 games were as well as I’ve seen any Cardinal team play in a long time.]
[OK team, I think you’re getting the idea here – go to our strength which is . . . ]
[STRENGTH!]
[And here’s McKenzie again . . . ]
[Then Tori Jeretitz (2) . . . ]
[And Kendra . . . ]
[And we’re all on the same page now . . . ]
[The sets were good . . . ]
[Mia . . . ]
[And Devany . . . ]
[And when passing and setting are good, you get in a rhythm. Our rhythm was such that it was spread around to our four big hitters – McKenzie, Kendra, Mya, and Mia. I thought Grand Rapids was a bit intimidated, not knowing from whom the next big hit was coming. Big Lake was definitely looking for places to hide. So, team, no more finesse – establish the big hits and keep them going! 🙂 (We could not stay for the final game – we beat Belgrade-Brooten-El Rosa for 3rd place, winning two close games.)]
Volleyball rules are simple. If it is on the floor, pick it up and get it into the air. If it is in the air, keep it off the floor. ~ John Kessel
Up Next: Raking? Shoveling?
- The query “Whom amongst doesn’t like NASCAR?” was oft attributed, in various iterations, to John Kerry because of his Boston Brahmin upbringing. It was actually coined by Maureen Dowd in the New York Times, essentially pricking his Brahmin-ness. It has become a favorite useful phrase.
