alexandriacardinals

February 9

The Community Read this month is William Kent Krueger’s Ordinary Grace.  The New York Times best-selling author came to Alex to talk about the book.  He has been here several times before – I’ve visited with him on previous visits.  On this night I told him I was going to leave early to “cover” a girls’ basketball game.  “Oh, you like girls’ sports?”  “I do.”  “Good for you.”

[Alex librarian Jake Odland addresses the SRO crowd.]

[Then Kent (as he prefers to be called) had us chuckling to some funny anecdotes before he began reading from his book.]

[Then it was off to “girls’ sports.”  Our Cards were taking on the dreaded Moorhead Spuds.  Here Emma Ziegler (1) is introduced.]

[Kendall Kohler (3)]

[Macy Hatlestad (11)]

[Emma Schmidt (25)]

[Kayla Feldhake (43)]

[Let the festivities begin . . . ]

[Kayla gets it . . .]

[Then displays proper block out positioning when a shot goes up.]

[Kendall tracks star Spud guard, Sam Haiby – only a sophomore, but a 5’8″ point guard – she will be a handful the next couple years.]

[Schmidty and Macy put the squeeze on a Spud.]

[Oooops, full flaps for Macy.]

[Kohler never stops coaching – reminding the bench whose turn it is to pick up the post-game Blizzards.]

[Macy . . . swish, swish . . . in the Cards next game she was 17 for 18 from the line.]

[Schmidty’s 5’10”-ishness is a nice feature at the point of the defense.]

[Dee-fence!  Dee-fence!]

[Kendall, who then had a 30-point game against Bemidji (or was that before this game?)]

[Kiyana Miller (21) and Macy guard the perimeter.]

[“Special K?”  With Kiyana, Kayla, Kelby Olson-Rodel (13), and likely Kendall off screen.]

[Kiyana with free throws.]

[Is this still her?  How many did she get?]

[At the half – another defensive struggle.]

[We couldn’t handle Haiby in the 2nd half . . . nor her back court running mate, 5’10” eighth grader, Jalen Ennen, who I believe made every shot she took.  We were obviously tired after 3 games in 5 days . . . ]

[I have never seen us get beat down the court as often as we did in this half.  Spuds won 59 – 53.]

February 11

[The boys were hosting Brainerd.  The JV had another strong win.]

[The team stops when 6’8″ sophomore, Justin Balcome (43), goes for dunks during warm-ups.]

[A lob to himself, then a two-handed put down.]

[In other warm-ups, two on ones.]

[Jaran Roste (1)]

[Matt Bloom (3)]

[Spencer Hockert (15)]

[Brayden Amundson (23)]

[Alec Wensman (25)]

[All the introductory hand gesturings are adopted from hieroglyphic discoveries amid ancient Mayan ruins.]

[And away we go!]

[Matt shows off the levitating ball trick.]

[While Matt catches a quick cat nap, Brayden makes a move to his left.]

[Brayden launches a 3 over a hard charging Warrior.]

[Will it go?]

[Apparently not.]

[Alec seems to get to the foul line often early in games as we try to establish an inside presence.]

[Jake Drew (33) and Jeremiah Burnham (5) on D.]

[Matt seeking a receiver.]

[Jaran penetrates and dishes to Alec – our best offensive option.]

[Jake, Secretary of Defense]

[Alec back at the foul line.]

[Then Matt – I believe this was after a Warrior apparently abused the King’s English.]

[All D all the time?]

[The Warriors came out hot in the 2nd half . . . ]

[Starting a run that lead to a 6-point lead.]

[A Cardinal time out allowed an opportunity for kudos to the cheerleading squad, if only visually for the one on top of the pyramid:  Ellie Wallace, Brooke Bitzan, Shanay Anderson, Tawni Laughnan, Aliah Roers, Jillian Sparks, and Emmersyn Harris.]

[Then Spencer joined the fray.  I believe he is the Cardinals leading scorer but had been shut out in the first half – then he had about a 17-point 2nd half?]

[In the middle of things is Robert Anderson (35), having the best game I have seen him play.  Among the fans in the stands, we “voted” him player of the game.  He picked us up with hard drives up the middle when we were having trouble penetrating the Warrior defense.]

[Jaran goes airborne on defense.]

[Meanwhile, the cheerleaders went to the other side to entertain Laura and Larry McCoy.]

[Back to the game, obviously waiting for the TV timeout to end.]

[Get back!  Get back!]

[Jaran and Matt discuss Monday’s book report on Ordinary Grace.]

[Way to go, team!]

[Brayden on D, sent this to his grandparents in Florida – what they are doing in Florida I have no idea?]

[Matt with a free throw.]

[After falling behind by 6, we were now up 9.]

[The man of the moment, Mr. Anderson.]

[And a good solid comeback win!]

[Good game, good game, good game, good game . . . ]

[And the girls’ team was there for fan support.  I walked in behind a couple of them before the game started and thought . . . in “my day” if a girl was wearing a letter jacket, it was her boyfriend’s; now they earn their own!]

There are three rules for a writing a novel.  Unfortunately, no one knows what there are.  ~  W. Somerset Maugham

Up next:   A bunch of stuff!

. . . So, we had Components, The Cheese Bots, Girls’ Hockey, Al & Terry, Lisa Lynn, Girls’ Basketball, The Second City Touring Group, Rachel Banham’s 60-point game (OK, we watched than on TV) . . . let the good times roll!!

Components @ SAWA, January 29

[Bill Engebretson – drums, Dave Strom – keyboard, Marty Sarlette -sax, and Craig Peterson – bass]

The Cheese Bots @ SAWA, January 30

[Marty “Longhorn Colby” Sarlette – saxes/bongos; Lindy “Limburger” Pederson – guitar/vocals, Jim “Fromage du Jour” LaRocque, guitar/bass/vocals – so we had the saxy guy two nights in a row!]

[Known near and far as fans of hockey and music.  We created new Cheese Bots fans on this night!]

[And the Super with her favorite 6’6″ guitar player!]

Bidding adieu to my 68th consecutive January . . .

February 4

[Big hockey game with St. Cloud – the Cards and Icebreakers have similar conference and overall records.  I tried to photo “stitch” this into the single banner that it is, but my software couldn’t handle it?]

[The Boys in the Booth.]

[And now, your Alexandria Cardinals . . . ]

[Alexis Heckert (20)]

[McKenna Ellingson (24)]

[Mari Wosepka (18) . . . apparently was hosting at Doolittle’s after our last foreign film but I missed her.]

[Lauren Niska (21)]

[McKenzie Revering (29)]

[Amy Jost (33)]

[Super Fan Roger Riley had just wrapped up the Anthem.]

[And we’re off!  One of my favorite sights on the ice – Rev waving her stick for a pass at the point from where she uncorks slap shots that could hurt someone!]

[Can just see the “1,” so it could be Lauren, Hanah Hansen (11), or Karina Carlsen (31).]

[Good even game so far.]

[Cards of the future (again)!]

[Starting period 2 on a penalty kill, explaining why “D” Karina (31) is up on the forward line for the face-0ff.]

[Looks like McKenna . . . ]

[Here comes Rev – several times she tried to scoot along the boards into the offensive zone only to be thwarted by a linesman or a ref, who were positioned where they were suppose to be (or not to be, that is the question.)]

[Sam Klimek (37) chases the puck after a face-off.]

[Looks like another near miss . . . ]

[Sam followed up deep in the Icebreaker zone while Allison O’Kane (36) manned the point.]

[OK, spoiler alert!  This was the final score.  Done in by a bugaboo that has haunted them all season (and even more so for the boys’ team, it seems) – too many penalties. Although the St. Cloud goal was technically not a power play, it occurred just as our penalty ended but the 5th skater hadn’t gotten into the play yet.  I believe for the game we had four penalties to their one.  Almost all their shots on goal were during power plays – we had the play advantage when the teams were skating 5-on-5.]

[Just one of those games . . . Lauren had a terrific offensive game from her defensive position, taking the puck end to end, with good dekes and stick handling, particularly in the 3rd period.  We just couldn’t cash in any of them?]

[Here comes Alexis (20) . . . ]

[A not uncommon sight – Cardinals buzzing the net, nothing going in.  Have to credit the Icebreaker goalie and her defense.]

[Mari often scores when she beats the defense, just not on this night.]

[And it was over. A good game that would have been better had the score been reversed (we beat them at their place earlier this year).  Sections start next – we are the No. 1 seed!]

[Terry & Al @ SAWA, after the game.  I was meeting the Super, so I missed the boy’s hockey game that followed the girls’ – similar result, we lost to St. Cloud Cathedral 4 – 0, so no goals for the Cardinals all night?]

[Bonus coverage from yesteryear . . .  ]

[And Mel, just because . . . ]

February 5

[I began the evening with Lisa @ SAWA.  I left the Super behind after the first set for the girls’ basketball game.  I returned in time for her entire 3rd set – no videos because it was too noisy.]

[I arrived at halftime of the Detroit Lakes game – oy!  Big match up because they beat us at their place in the opening game of the season – we were 0 – 14 for 3’s in that game.  We were playing for section seeding points, which appears to be between us, the Lakers, and Thief River Falls.]

[The Lakers frontline is 6’10”, 6’10”, and 6’8″ (why do they always have more height than us?) – this is the shortest one of that group (43), she’s a lefty and a good shot.]

[I was surprised to hear Emma Ziegler (1) was our leading scorer at the half – and with three 3’s.  Not that she isn’t a capable athlete (soccer goalie, softball shortstop), but I don’t recall her even attempting three 3’s before?  She usually specializes in ballhandling and defense . . . another scorer is always nice though!]

[Also in the photo, Jon Mulder, referee, son of my walking buddy, the Boy Tenor; and the Amazing Mr. Ripley shooting photos of . . . the far wall?]

[General milling around . . . No. 45 is one of their 6’10” players.]

[Referee Mulder signals we’re No. 1; Emma Schmidt is one of our tallest players at 5’10”, yet is dwarfed by the surrounding Lakers; the Amazing Mr. Ripley called for a back-up.]

[This is a shot of a hand railing with game action in the background.]

[Let’s discuss tonight’s apres game activities?]

[Appears to have been a game long strategy – Kendall Kohler (3) would shadow whoever was playing point for the Lakers.  Kendall is a good on-ball defender . . . if she can avoid foul trouble (she did in this game).]

[With Kendall in the far corner, Emma cutting up the middle, our 5’11” center, Kayla Feldhake, considered her options.  Once they left her alone out there – she fired up a rare 3 attempt, and made it.]

[Kayla also played all-court defense against the Laker center . . . ]

[Forcing her into a double-team with Zig.]

[Zig looks for a release to Kelby Olson Rodel (13), while McKenzie Duwenhoegger (35) protects her flank.]

[Cardinals swarm on defense while the ref counts to “5” to make sure we don’t have more than the allotted five players on the court.]

[Kendall now D’ing up on No, 15.]

[Kayla playing D way out to center court as the Cards played an “in your face” man-to-man.]

[Macy Hatlestad (11) works the old end around with Zig.]

[Macy in direct alignment with a teammate . . . ]

[Had to have been Kendall.]

[Here’s our trick play – while Ref Jon signals ball in, Macy holds the ball overhead while our cheerleader actually calls out the play.  Then the cheerleader runs behind Macy, receives the inbounds pass, and lays it in.  Works every time!]

[Ye Olde Picket Fence.]

[OK, you’ve had a good 2nd half, at one point to a 9-point lead.  Now go out and put it away.]

[Macy on the line . . . ]

[The first made it a 5-point lead.]

[The 2nd also tickled the twine.  Macy made 4 key free throws down the stretch – as I recall only one even so much as grazed the rim.]

[Zig continued her career night – 19 points.]

[Junior Courtney Gould (53) has been giving us a lot of good minutes lately as a 5’10” frontcourter – nothing but net on this one.]

[Just missed the 2nd but kept our momentum going.]

[OK, maybe here was point 19?]

[I’ve moved to end of the court for a quick getaway back to SAWA.  The Lakers desperately trying to press us.]

[Zig looking to Kendall while Schmidty sets a screen.]

[A big plus for us is that our starting guards, Kendall and Macy, must be 80 percent free throw shooters.]

[Kendall surprisingly missed her 2nd – to run out the clock?]

[Big win over a good, tall, and good-shooting team.  Great defense holding them to 40 points.]

February 6

[Expected it to be fun . . . and yet better than we expected.  A rainy night, I think a surprisingly good crowd at the Performing Arts Center.]

January 7

[The Gopher’s Rachel Banham poured in 60 points against Northwestern in a double overtime win.  Obviously, it was a Gopher and Big Ten scoring record.  We toasted her with a Coppola Claret!  (Strib photo)]

[And welcome back to the Gophers, Amanda Kessel!]

When men and women agree, it is only in their conclusions; their reasons are always different.  ~ George Santayana

Up next:  OMG, sections are starting!

January 28

On the day I received my diploma for completing the winter quarter of senior college with a perfect attendance record, our Cardinal boys’ basketball team were hosting the conference leading Fergus Falls Otters.

[Somewhere in this Cardinal fan section is the photographer who garnered a degree of international notoriety for taking the famous picture of the Fat Boys Walking Club.]

[Incoming Cardinal fans who ultimately decided the grass was greener on the other side of the court.]

[This was first time I really got a chance to see more than a few minutes of the JV team. All sophomores, they impressed with their size and athletic abilities (back in my day (yeah, I know), sophomores weighed about 130, at most).  A lot of them looked like football players as they obviously have spent time in the weight room.  It appears we have numbers coming up in a lot of sports.]

[Games such as the one we are about to embark on with the varsity are oft described by coaches as “learning experiences.”  So, I thought I’d disperse some learning experiences throughout . . . ]

[The varsity pre-game huddle where players are advised to tuck in their jerseys.]

[The beginning of a “bad night” for me.  My photo of the opening tip was delayed by a fan walking through the line of fire.  It happens.]

[Then, I have no idea what this is?  I don’t remember taking it . . . or of the gym being cast into darkness?  But those are seniors Brayden Admundson (23) and Alec Wensman (25) heading up court.]

[OK, the gist of the game.  The Otters remind me a lot of the Little Falls team from two years ago.  They look like they’re from the 1950’s?  They are not physically imposing (the Cards much more so), not tall or athletic looking – all they do is play well together and make all their shots.  And, unfortunately, for us and the conference, they are a very young team.  By the time the night was over, the Otters still only had two losses in conference and are 17 – 2 overall.]

[As Alec shoots a free throw, note No. 11 for the Otters.  Not very big, looks the president of the chess club, but he scored 15 points in the first half, in traffic and out of traffic, over his head and behind his back, it seemed like no matter where he shot from, it’d go in.]

[Alec had a big first half (they couldn’t match up with him) and really controlled the boards – we had a big rebound advantage – but the Otters double-teamed him the whole 2nd half and we couldn’t get the ball into him.]

[Oh, more fans – and they’re newly in front of “our” photographer (who appears to have spotted me?).]

[The game was tied at 10.  Then the Otters made a run to up the lead to 10.  And that’s pretty much where it stayed the whole game.  The Cards had a very bad night shooting the ball – missing bunnies, getting the offensive rebound, and missing again, and never made a ‘3’ the entire game, though there must have been double digit attempts.]

[Another learning experience . . . ]

[Alec again, I think was his only point in the 2nd half.  The Otters made 18 of 23 free throws (3 misses came late when the outcome was not longer in doubt); the Cards made 7 free throws. They could double-team Alec in the post because we weren’t making any shots from the outside.]

[It’s a live ball!  We played well and could have won this game with decent shooting.  But that’s why they call it “basketball” – you have to put the ball in the basket!]

[The Otters also run well, so you’d better hustle back on defense.]

[Spencer Hockert (15) was shut down in the first half, but as the game was wearing down, he and Jaran Roste continually took the ball to the hoop, and through a variety of spin moves, got the shots up and finally starting to drop.  But then we had to foul at the other end, and the Otters made their free throws.]

[Roste finished with 20, Hockert 14, and Wensman 11.  Jake Drew (33) provided a real team spark with his defense and rebounding.]

[It could be interesting if we meet them in sections.]

[And another learning experience . . . ]

The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.  ~
Jerry Tarkanian

[And a final learning experience . . . ]

Up next:  Music?

January 26

Let’s get right to it . . .

It was the last home game of the regular season against dreaded conference and section rivals, the Fergus Falls Otters.

[When we walked in, the JV was leading 7 – 0 halfway through the 2nd period.  They are having a terrific year as I believe their record is now 18 – 2.  And it was good to see that Fergus, another single town team, has enough players to “field” a JV team for three periods . . . it seems our JV has played a number of two period games recently due to a dearth of players for the other teams.]

[Hmmm, I wonder whether the now retired “Voice” is up in his old perch “WITHOUT PERMISSION”?]

[Psssst, hey, Mark!  I think that lens is way too big for close-ups?]

[Seniors and parents introductions about to begin . . . ]

[The JV looking for good seats for the pre-game festivities.]

Another year has gone by and again we say good-bye to players we have “known” for three, four, or five years.  We have watched them grow from mac & cheese to worldly people who have traveled the state, played in state tournaments in the big city, and now prefer fois gras.  We have marveled at their strength, endurance, and athletic abilities.  And now they leave to make their marks on the world.  They cry as they bid adieu to a special time in their lives; their parents cry because they know they will soon be losing a tax deduction.  (Not all the photos came out, it’s a long shot across the ice for an older person . . . I can only hope the amazing Mr. Ripley got the good ones.)  Bon voyage, mademoiselles!

[Hanah Hansen]

[Trihanna Olson]

[Mackenzie Abrahamson]

[Lauren Niska]

[Mari Wosepka]

[McKenna Schroeder]

[Sam Klimek]

[Gerrit Mulder]

[Taylor Coker]

[Karina Carlsen]

[Amy Jost]

[Ms. Wosepka knocked the Anthem out of the park.  A portent of things to come?]

[So, the game starts.  Do you think I could get a shot of the six seniors starting on the opening face-off?  Noooo?  The Super Fans must have been discussing the effects of low gas prices on the Euro at the time?  Here’s Ms. Abrahamson in action.]

[Back on regular shifts, Mari (18) with Alexis Heckert (20) and McKenna Ellingson (24).]

[Then McKenzie Revering joins the fray.  (Next year it appears we will be down to one McKenzie and one McKenna.)]

[GOOOOAAAALLLLL!   By Rev, a shot so hard it trickled through the goalie and into the net.  It tied the score at one (the Otters scored on their first shot of the game, as I recall).]

[Ms. Ellingson with a shot . . . ]

[With Ms. Wospeka after the rebound.]

[We were slow out of the box but were picking up steam.]

[In the 2nd period, we picked up three straight minor penalties and of course thought this isn’t good!  While it allowed the Otters to dictate the action through the first half of the period, the Cards really took over the momentum from there.  Extended periods of forechecking kept the puck in the Otters’ zone most of the time.  Here Megan Pesta scored on what produced the photo op of the night . . . and I missed it.  After she shot, she soared through the air, either from contact with the players in front of her or just leaping over fallen bodies.  I wonder if anybody got a shot of that?]

[I’m at the games as a fan first, so I don’t always have the camera ready.  And you can’t anticipate a goal.  But on this one (and others to come!), I’m really kicking myself for not getting it.  Later in the period Ms. Revering scored her 2nd goal of the game.  It was right down our sight line, and I was so engrossed in what was to come I never thought of the camera.  She swooped in alone down the left side, and we could see her pick her spot – a beautiful wrister over the goalie’s right shoulder on the short side.]

[Always hard to capture a slap shot – here’s Ms. Niska with one.]

[Ms. Ellingson takes on three Otters simultaneously.]

[The seniors McKenna and Mackenzie in on goal.]

[The dreaded two-goal lead after two.]

[The Cards are back to help Ms. Coker in goal.]

[Kristin Leary (26) on point.]

[Mackenzie and Megan make an Otter sandwich.]

[And the dreaded two-goal lead hex bit again.  The team continues a season that at times is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, to paraphrase Winston Churchill.]

[But then there is JOY, JOY, JOY!  The Cards, I think embarrassed they let their lead disappear, totally dominated in OT until Mari corralled the puck about 15 feet out, skated to her right to escape traffic, and fired in the game winner.  We couldn’t see it go in because we were blocked by the traffic she eluded.]

[A big win in the conference and for seeding in the section.  I suspect we’ll be the No. 1 seed.]

The boys’ team lost at Fergus, 3 – 2, in OT also.  The Otters tied it with 30 seconds left in the game.  Oy!  And this was another night of girls’ hockey and basketball being home on the same night.  The roundballers won another conference game by more than 20 points against Sartell to remain undefeated in conference!

Street hockey is great for kids. It’s energetic, competitive, and skilful. And best of all it keeps them off the street.  ~ Author Unknown

Up next:  Methinks sports