Arlene Elaine (Christianson) Rudolph, 90, passed away of natural causes on Sunday, September 27, 2015 in Mankato, MN.

Arlene was born on the family farm in Rural Osage, IA on July 7, 1925. She obtained her teaching certification at Luther College in May 1948 and taught school for 6 years in Osage, St Ansgar and Clear Lake, IA. In 1955, she moved to Janesville, MN where she lived for 55 years raising her family and volunteering in the community.

Mavis Joan (Armstrong) Wheelock, lifelong resident of Waseca, MN joined other family members in heaven on Sunday, September 27, 2015 and ended her challenge with chronic illnesses at age 81. 

A colorful and vivacious woman known by or related to almost the entire county, she is remembered for her sense of humor, smile, amazing memory, colorful hats, and zest for life. Sassy and classy—she was one of a kind. Those attending services are encouraged to wear bright colors in her honor!

While attending Sacred Heart High School, she met Robert (Bob) Wheelock, the love of her life and husband of 47 years.  She graduated in 1952, and her high school friends remained close throughout her life.  Bob and Mavis married in 1954, then lived in Germany while Bob was in the Army before returning to Waseca County to farm and raise seven children.

When all the children started school, Mavis began her 30-year career at Waseca Area Memorial Hospital, retiring as Director of Materials Management/Purchasing. After she retired and Bob sold the dairy cows, they were able to travel with their trip to Alaska being a highlight.

Gerladine Marie Peterson, age 85 of Waseca died on Sunday, September 27, 2015 at Colony Court Memory Care in Waseca.

Born on May 2, 1930 in Freeborn County, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Howard and Ethel (Schauer) Bull.  She graduated from Waldorf High School in 1949 and married Albin Peterson on September 28, 1949 at the Methodist Church in Waseca. Together they lived and farmed in Otisco Township, Waseca County.  Gerri also worked at Bird’s Eye for 35 years. She enjoyed quilting, baking, fishing, playing cards, traveling and spending time with her family. She was a member of Faith United Methodist Church in Waseca, where she enjoyed helping and planning many activities.

Dorothy E. McIntyre, co-author of the book, Daughters of the Game - The First Era of Girls High School Basketball, 1891-1942, is seeking information on the 1924-25 Ellendale High School girls’ basketball team, coached by Mr. Bergesen, who also was the school’s principal.

In particular, McIntyre is looking for details on a gold basketball charm presented to Bergesen by the 1924-25 Ellendale boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.

The charm has the initial "E" with red inside, with 24 on the left side and 25 on the right. Below it reads, “Coach Bergesen from Boys and Girls Squads.”

The charm is unique as it was made for the players to give to their coach. The stitching and etching are clear.

Kids have imaginations if we let them express it.

I don’t know where or when it started, just that it was my niece Ava who got this story going. Like the made up game, “Touch You Last,” it was a nothing sort of game, but she had named it “Squirrel.”

When she said, “Squirrel,” for whatever reason, it brought on giggles and sometimes roughhousing, and just fun over nothing. So when I see squirrels romping across our yard, climbing trees, running the electrical lines and climbing up the metal pole that holds our bird feeder, I think of Ava and her game of Squirrel.

It also sent me to my encyclopedia. Yes, I often find it more fulfilling than the computer to learn a little bit more about things like squirrels.

Like ‘em or hate ‘em, squirrels are interesting little creatures that can make you smile at their antics. They are smart little buggers and interesting to watch as they do some things that deserve to be on “America’s Got Talent.”

Some people hate them. They steal food from the bird feeders, no matter how you try to make it difficult for them to get at it. They plant trees at will when they hide nuts that they will later recover. You have to admire their dexterity and ability to figure things out to their advantage. 

We can learn a lot from squirrels.  You can watch them by the hours as you see their little brain figuring out solutions that will benefit them.

We all know that squirrels like almost every habitat, from the tropical rainforest to the semiarid desert. They are predominantly herbivorous, subsisting on seeds and nuts, but many will eat insects and even small vertebrates.

Early spring is the hardest time for squirrels, because buried nuts begin to sprout and are no longer available for them to eat, and new food sources have not yet become available. During this period, their diet consists primarily of a wide variety of plants, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits, fungi and green vegetables. (We should eat like that!)

In general, the hind limbs of squirrels are longer than their fore limbs, and they have four to five toes on each paw. Their paws include an often poorly developed thumb, and they have soft pads on the undersides. Unlike most mammals, tree squirrels can descend a tree head-first, which they can do by rotating their ankles 180 degrees so the hind paws are backward-pointing, which allows them to grip tree bark.

Squirrels typically have slender bodies with bushy tails and large eyes. As their large eyes indicate, squirrels have excellent vision, which is very important to the tree dwelling species. They have versatile and sturdy claws for grasping and climbing. They also have a good sense of touch, with vibrissae on their heads and limbs.

Squirrels breed once or twice a year and give birth to a varying number of young after three to six weeks, depending on the species.  The young squirrels are born naked, toothless, and blind. In most cases, only the female looks after the young, which are weaned when they are about six to 10 weeks old. They become sexually mature at the end of their first year.

The ground-dwelling squirrels, which we most often see, are social animals, often living in well-developed colonies, but the tree-dwelling species are more solitary.

Most squirrels die in the first year of life, which is not surprising as they dart this way and that in front of traffic and travel to and fro on power lines. Adult squirrels can have a lifespan of five to 10 years in the wild. Some can survive 10 to 20 years in captivity.

I’ve had them nest in bird houses. When I was growing up we had two large Martin houses in our backyard that my dad made. It was fun to see squirrels use them for their winter home, each one (or more) sticking their heads out of the holes. It was hard to believe their bodies were small enough to fit in the openings of the bird house, but they did, and sometimes more than one.

They excel at tree house building, usually going as high as they are able and then making a puffy nest of leaves. You would think they would stay closer to the ground, out of the wind, but not so. Maybe they know something we don't. (Wild turkeys will do the same.)

I think of the squirrels when “Tree Houses” episodes come on the television. It is amazing how much money and work it takes to build a human tree house, but the squirrels seem to be rewarded for all their hard work with an attractive view. 

I think all kids like tree houses.  Why? Who knows, maybe it is the adventure. Maybe they learned it from squirrels.

My Grandpa Schember use to eat them. I could never do that, but then I grew up in another generation. But who knows, there may come a day when food is scarce and it is that or starvation? For now I will enjoy them live and on the run. They say the meat tastes like chicken but I don’t plan on finding out!

I can only say I enjoy squirrels whether they are naughty or nice. I can forgive them for stealing my tulip bulbs or bird feed because watching them is like going to a circus with all the events flying through the air, climbing to great heights and building tree houses.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, September 24th, Gilmore Nelson, Nancy Pence, Jayna Domeier, Jazmyme Tayton Martinez, Brandon Wayne, Cherysh Christina Hill Marcks, Brody Carlson, Michael Bedney, Trevor David Barber, Jill Vanden Heuvel, Kathie Lien, Susan Mickelson, Sophie Miller, and Iris & Stanley Jensen

• Friday, September 25th: Amelia Christine Powers, her fourth birthday; Makayla Jayme Haberman, Trevor David Barber, Geraldine Vangen, Tom Lageson, Pat Conklin, Suzanne Enzenauer Skaar,  Cameron & Dayna Schember, Kellen & Alison Utpadel, Dwight & Loretta Schewe, Harmony & Ryan Anderson, Amy & Rick Storlie, Wendy & Marty Schultz, Larry & Elaine Paulsen

• Saturday, September 26th: Becky Tindal, Tammy Beenken, Lori Klemmensen Suchanek, Marc Horan, Verdel Humberg, Virginia Miller, James Henry Neidermeier, Connie Menefee Calderon, Mary & Lee Nelson 

• Sunday, September 27th: Layla Grace Schultz, Judy Christensen, Naomi Wangsness, Mary Wayne, Gail Farr Christenson, Sara Holmes Wencl, Steve Lageson, Kristin Paulsen Zinke, Jacob Tasker, Chris Ritz, Katie Cameron, Eleanor Rodriguez, Daniel Van Kampen, Donna Mae McCamish, Kristin Severson, Lud Borchert, Jocelyn & Jason Heyer

• Monday, September 28th: Madeline Schei, Kylie Lembke, Denise Hagen Olson, Mary Kasper Therneau, Mitch Vangen, Taff Worrell, Haley Mattson DeBois, Bunny Jepson, MIranda & Isiah Payton, Jerry & Ginger Thompson, Bill & Sharon Vavra, Jill & Todd Kubicek

• Tuesday, September 29th: Norrine Jensen, Gail Kaplan, Annette Flugum, Millie Flugum, Ellen Pence, Jenna Quimby, Kevin Klemmensen, Linda Schmidt, Fran Ladlie, Ron & Donna Sletten, Jason & Tara DeWigh, Dave & Donna Meixner

• Wednesday, September 30th: Raigan, Hatlie, Lia, and Shay Broskoff, their 5th; Jordy Philip Klocek, 2013; Chloe Walterman, Dean Hunt, Elmer &Joan Vanden Heuvel,  Gilbert & Harriet Larson,  Todd & Cheryl Utpadel, Amy & Shannon Vander Syde, Aarono & Jean Klemmenssen, Tiffany & Luke Mueller, Kelly & Joshua Warke

Wishing you a day of fond memories and new beginnings.

This past week I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a few days at our cabin near Grand Rapids in Northern Minnesota. The weather could not have been any better with mild sunny days and cool clear nights which made for excellent sleeping. I was once again greeted by some fallen trees which gave me chance to practice my “Old” Lumberjack prowess.

This time I actually came prepared as I had borrowed my son Brian’s trusty chainsaw which would make removing any tree standing in my way an easy task. Unfortunately for me I had not paid very close attention when Brian explained to me in great detail how to start said saw. I’m sure in my mind I was thinking “piece of cake” when in all reality I should have been asking questions. After exerting much of my energy in a futile attempt at starting the by then flooded chainsaw I had to resort to what I now call the “poor man’s chainsaw” or the saw for those that don’t pay attention.

I had one tree leaning across the drive in a dangerous position and another wedged up tight behind it while a third lay about forty feet away just partially blocking the drive. After hand sawing and axing my way to clearing away the tree blocking me from getting a clear chopping angle to the base of the large leaning pine I was ready. I could have reached the trunk from the front but that, more than likely, would have resulted in the tree falling towards me, thus making me feel dumber than I was already feeling.  After chopping the base loose I still had this huge pine tree connected to a couple of other trees at the top.

I needed a plan, and in what I have lately been calling “the Herfindahl way” I improvised; which seems to be what I am probably best at these days, some may even call this McGuyvering but after too many occurrences I must put my own stamp on it. After rounding up a couple of tow ropes I secured the two  together and tied one end to the base of the tree while attaching the other to the hitch on my pickup. As I slowly inched forward the base of the tree rose off of the ground pointing at me but not budging. I backed off a little and began doing subtle tugs until the tree started to lose its grip at the top and dropped to the ground where I was able to drag it off to the side. Another job finished, but with the amount of trees that we have at our place I am sure that it won’t be too long before another challenge awaits the old lumberjack.

Taking that tree down was one of the reasons I decided to head north for a few days because it was in a dangerous place and could have had serious consequences if it had fallen if someone was near it. The other reason(s) were purely selfish, take a little time to enjoy some beautiful weather, do a little work around the cabin and maybe even get in a little fishing.

In just four days the leaves had really started to turn and the fall colors were starting to emerge from their summer hiding places. The yellows and reds of the softwoods had started to paint the roadsides and forests. I have to admit that my plan to fish hit a little snag when awoke the next morning to find that I was so stiff and sore from playing lumberjack that I could barely get out of bed.  I definitely was not agile enough to be climbing in and out of the boat.

I actually enjoy doing the “putsy” things around the cabin because it keeps me busy and moving. By the next morning I was feeling pretty good and once again the fishing thought entered my head but I had already devised a plan “B” which is driving around exploring public accesses on different lakes that I have not visited before and maybe doing a little casting.

This may sound kind of boring to some folks but to me it gives me the thrill of exploring some of the countless lakes that seem to be behind every bend in the road in Itasca County. With the beauty of the day and the hint of change in the air I was able to find some new lakes that I had not visited before and I was also able to wet a line at a few of those public accesses. Not all accesses have an area that is open enough for casting but most will offer that opportunity and may even offer up a bluegill or a perch to temporarily satisfy the kid in me who says “fishing is fishing and catching, no matter what species, is the bonus.”

Until next time, the trees will soon be turning painting a whole different picture for us to enjoy. Fall is by far my favorite time to spend time in the outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

I’ve been eating an all-vegetarian diet.

How is that working for you?

I don't know. Vegetarians are really hard to catch. 

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: During this time of year when many roads are passage-restrictive, I realize that the true fall color is that of an orange barrel. Average things are made in a satisfactory. Experience matters and batters.

The cafe chronicles

He ordered a leg of walleye and talked about his old washing machine. An intrusive R turned it into a warshing machine. He was Hartland Harold, purveyor of local news. He told of a church asking for an organ donor and the music store recovering stolen lute. He claimed it was all just as true as there was rice in the salt shaker.

Finding a fridge 

I didn't want to go. She wanted me to go.

We compromised and I went.

I'm a good shopper because I'm content to wait by the cart.

I sang the theme song from "Super Chicken" in the car in the hopes it would cause a trip cancellation. "Super Chicken" was a cartoon produced by the creators of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" that ran with "George of the Jungle" in the '60s and '70s. Henry Cabot Henhaus III, the world’s richest chicken, drank a Super Sauce that transformed him into Super Chicken, with no discernable superpowers. The song went like this, "When you find yourself in danger. When you're threatened by a stranger. When it looks like you will take a lickin'. There is someone waiting, who will hurry up and rescue you. Just call for Super Chicken!"

We’ve had our refrigerator for years. We're due for a new one. The old one is ailing. I love it when an appliance store worker puts a refrigerator on a cart to move to a delivery vehicle. It gives me the opportunity to say, "Don't spoil your dinner."

A man, a photo and a slip

This story is told with the permission of the protagonist. A friend, Paul Lynne of Hartland, was off on a pilgrimage. He was far from home visiting relatives. A nice thing to do. His wife, Linda, needed to stay home, but she aided his travel by booking a bed-and-breakfast for him. Paul checked in. Linda called to make sure all was OK and asked Paul to send her a photo of the room. Paul, a dutiful husband as are all the husbands I know, took a picture of it with his cellphone and texted it to his wife. It looked good, except for the woman’s slip hanging on the wall. There had been a slip up and someone hadn’t removed the previous renter’s slip from the wall. It’s a good thing that Linda is understanding.

Other Loafers' Clubs

Connie Weakley of Plain City, Ohio wrote, "Der Dutchman is an Amish restaurant in Plain City. Years ago, farmers met for coffee after they had done their early morning chores, so their table was rightly named “The Farmers' Table.” After they retired, they continued with the morning ritual, but the name of their gathering is now 'The Stretching the Truth Table.' At the Der Dutchman in Sarasota, they call it the 'Meet Loaf Table.' My paternal grandmother and my dad were very superstitious. If you came in one door, you had to go out the same door or you would have bad luck. You couldn't have 13 around a table for fear of bad luck. If you saw a black cat cross in front of you when you were walking or driving, you had to spit in your hat and put it back on your head or you would have bad luck. You had to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day or you would have bad luck all year. If you took down your Christmas decorations before New Year's Day, you would have bad luck. I still adhere to these. Who wants bad luck?"

Nature notes

Marge Mutschler of Bricelyn asked why there were no birds at her feeders. There are a number of possible reasons. Natural foods are plentiful. There could be predators in the yard--cats and hawks. Changes occur--migration and nomadic tendencies. I know your feeders are clean and the food fresh, so expect the birds to return.

Meeting adjourned

The flowers of kindness never fade.

The new fall season of television is upon us, and there isn’t much that has grabbed my interest as needing to be added to an already-full docket on my DVR. The one exception might be the new Muppets show; it’s hard to go wrong with those fuzzy friends! (Okay, we’ll try to forget Muppets in Space.)

There are days of the week where I need a couple more days just to catch up on how much good television there is. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are so full that I might not catch up until the following week at that time. I just don’t often feel like watching three hours of TV in a night.

However, there are people who have taken that idea and run with it. The big fad now is binge watching a television show. The idea is to watch as much of a series as possible in as few sittings as is humanly possible. Some folks will watch an entire season of Game of Thrones (about 10 hours) in one day! Other series that have longer seasons will be watched over a weekend by some. Many people won’t watch week to week, but will wait until the end of the season to binge watch and catch up in a short time, thus avoiding the week-long wait that many of us endure throughout a 22-episode season.

That’s too much TV for me at a time, but I got to thinking about old series that might be worth trying to watch large batches at a time. As much as I enjoyed Friends when it aired, I don’t think I could stomach more than three episodes today before needing fresh air. But what truly classic shows could entice me (and maybe you) to become a true couch potato?

Cheers might be one. The place where everybody knows your name stands up well over time. Sure, there are some time period references such as Kevin McHale playing for the Boston Celtics, but Sam, Norm, Cliff, and company would keep me interested and laughing for a long time before I needed to move away from the screen. If one wanted to watch all the episodes, that would take some time. Cheers ran for 275 episodes! At about 22 minutes an episode, that would be 6050 minutes, which would take just over 100 hours to watch! Maybe one season per weekend, which would still take 11 weekends!

Another great show was MASH. I didn’t watch it much growing up, but I’ve caught a number of great episodes over the years, and it might be fun to watch a whole batch of them consecutively in order to get a better feel for the show that many people consider one of the greatest of all time. MASH also ran for eleven seasons, but had just 256 episodes. That would save about seven hours of watching from Cheers!

Believe it or not, The Simpsons is entering its 27th season! So far the show has 574 episodes that have aired, and it’s already been renewed through the 2016-2017 TV schedule. Michelle and I used to watch the show a lot and probably saw all of the first 10 seasons or so, and just the other day she mentioned it might be fun to watch some of the old ones and the ones we’ve missed. That would take over 210 hours so far; I guess if I’ve got nothing planned for a month we could try it!

And it’s easier than ever now. You can get DVD sets of more shows than you even remember being on TV. Michelle and I have made our way through the entire runs of Seinfeld (greatest sitcom ever) and The Office (only the seasons with Steve Carell). I’ve been making my way through the aforementioned Game of Thrones (almost on par with the excellent novels).

Plus there are services like Netflix. That company, along with other online services, are even creating their own series that you can only see there. They’ll release an entire season on one day, which causes many people to binge immediately. There’s something to be said for not being strung out over nine months for one season.

And it’s possible that by the time you read this, Jayna will have convinced us that getting Netflix as a birthday gift for her will be a reality (Happy 14th!). What could be better than a gift that gives for the entire family? I’m glad I got a lot of reading in during the summer; I have a feeling I have some binging to do!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is doryphore, which means a persistent critic, as in, “The doryphore was forced to change course on her opinion of Seinfeld after binge watching the excellent season four.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs tinkered with the Weather Eye and got it back on track. Amazing what one can do with a piece of baling wire. Will their fix hold or will they need to get a bigger hammer? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid 50’s. Saturday, sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Monday, continued sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Sunny for Tuesday with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. The normal high for September 27th is 68 and the normal low is 44. The sun begins to set before 7 p.m. CDT on the 29th. The scurs are awaiting the chance to fly their Acme drone disguised as a rooster pheasant. Delivery is scheduled for October 10th. 

Harvest actually got underway in places this past week. Some soybean yields were reputedly in the mid-60’s on some early maturing early planted soybeans. The Thursday rains slowed any progress that was anticipated, although with a dry forecast, it should get on track quickly. If early returns are a harbinger of things to come we may experience some of the best soybean yields we have seen in quite some time. Some corn should have been harvested by the time this is written to fill some early contracts. Most indications are that corn in general will also yield very well. The fly in the ointment may be the excessive rains that fell in late June and the encore performance in late July. There are stalk rot organisms lurking in some corn fields so the situation will need to be monitored closely. 

My return from Canada Monday afternoon revealed very little in the way of harvest activity all the way from the Canadian border aside from silage being chopped. Mike Hergert from Red River Farm Network called me Monday morning expecting to do an interview on harvest progress.  Reports I’d been given from one of my ace scouts indicated scattered soybean combining with lots of green beans and pods in the samples yet. Most were opting to wait a few days. Indeed, only one combine was spotted in Sibley Co. as I trekked the backroads assessing the progress. Lots of leaves still on the plants in places so an interview next week will likely be more fruitful.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on September 27th. It as usual goes by several names the most popular of which is the Harvest Moon. It was at this time before the advent of artificial lighting that farmers could work far into the night due to the bright moon that lit the skies. Sometimes it is also known as the Full Corn Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Rice Moon, aptly named for the staple that would be harvested during the month. The Sioux called it the Moon When Plums Turn Scarlet. At the ranch we know it as the Moon When Days Become too Short. Seems there is never enough time to get everything done before battening down the hatches for winter. 

A total lunar eclipse will also take place on September 27th. Luckily Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer plies me with information from time to time so I can stay on top of these things. According to Dale Niedfeldt from the Steele Co. Astronomical Society, the partial eclipse will start shortly after 8 p.m. with the total eclipse beginning at 9:48 p.m. The mid-total eclipse will be at 9:48 p.m. and the eclipse will end at 10:23 p.m. The moon will appear even larger than the total eclipse back in April as it is the closest it will be all year. This of course if it isn’t cloudy.  

This last Thursday was the third installment of what has become an annual event: My yearly excursion to my little fat buddy of the north Bill’s cabin in Canada near Atikokan. Some get all fired up thinking that I’m heading north to slaughter the fish. Maybe in my younger days that would’ve been the case. Nowadays it’s to escape the crowds I’ve been exposed to, exhale, and get back to the land, set my soul free. As I get older I find myself valuing my privacy more and more. Some can’t seem to grasp the concept partially due to all the social media I’m convinced. I wasn’t at all disappointed that my cell phone didn’t work. There was a landline if we needed to use it but why? Just me and Bill, cutting, splitting and stacking firewood in addition to feasting and seeing who could best each other in the evening cribbage tournament. Only soon to be forgotten true stories are told sans embellishment during these sessions.

The birds are always something worth noting when we’re there. The hummingbirds were a “no show” making me wonder if they were still at the ranch or had moved on there as well. They were as of the 21st. There were still robins making their way through and juncos of course. They have a tendency to show up at the ranch within a week or so of my travels north. Juncos were heard already Tuesday morning. Also of note were the red-breasted nuthatches and the chickadees. It usually takes an ugly winter for the red-breasted nuthatches to be winter guests at the ranch while the chickadees are frequent visitors, welcoming me upon my return to the ranch. 

Learning trivia about old cars has certainly become a wonderful pastime. For instance, I read during my Canadian stay that Studebaker stopped making horse drawn carriages in 1919 so they could focus on the automobile business. My dad, being an old Buick guy, could appreciate the fact the Buick V8’s were known as “nailheads” because the perpendicular arrangement of the heads on the block and the small diameter valve heads gave them that appearance. Another tidbit I remember was the air cleaner body on the 1963 Buick Invicta station wagon we had. It was emblazoned with “Wildcat 44.5” This didn’t refer to the engine displacement but rather to the ft. lbs. of torque it produced. It did really wind up for a station wagon. My brother Roger proved that when he used to lay patches with it in the driveway when our parents left of course. Pretty sure he was still in grade school yet as he had trouble reaching the pedals without pulling himself forward with the steering wheel. Also pretty sure in the absence of 4-wheelers back in the day, Dad didn’t have to use a lot of imagination to figure out where the divots were coming from. Dad was funny that way. 

See you next week…real good then.

WE’VE GOT SPIRIT! — Members of the NRHEG High School football team raise their helmets in anticipation of a kickoff during their 34-19 victory over Sibley East at Arlington Friday, Sept. 18. The Panthers host LeSueur-Henderson this Friday for homecoming. (Star Eagle photo by Nikki Erickson)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

NRHEG football coach Dan Stork likes to give credit where credit is due, and after another one-sided victory his focus was up front, on the offensive line.

Stork praised the men in the trenches as the Panthers pounded Sibley East 34-19 at Arlington Friday, Sept. 18.

“Both Jason Jongbloedt and Perry  Peterson continue to shine behind the blocks of Zeke Erickson, Jack Schultz, Lucas Herrmann, Jon Weller, Alex Buckmeier, Wyatt Fitterer, Chad Agrimson, Karter Sletten and Trey Hoppe,” said Stork, whose team is 4-1 heading into homecoming week.