OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
BREAST, LIVER CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
October is Breast & Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Nearly everyone knows someone who has battled cancer, whether it's a family member, a friend, neighbor or co-worker. I lost my mother, sister and aunt to cancer at early ages. My granddaughter had liver cancer when she was two years old and had to undergo a liver transplant in Chicago.
That's why I am proud to see school staff and students raising awareness and funds to help support locals battling cancer. There are several events planned over Homecoming Week and beyond (see story on Page 1).
Breast Cancer Awareness is designated by supporters wearing pink while liver cancer is designated by supporters wearing green.
WATCH YOUR KIDS DURING EVENTS
Some Minneota students are not following the school's behavior policy and were seen running in the end zone and fighting in past weeks during football games.
The following is the school's policy on student behavior at events: "As a reminder, we ask that students stay out of the grove and the river (in and around K.P. Kompelien Field). It is dark, slippery and an accident waiting to happen. End zones: Fans must stay behind the dashed line. This is for the safety of everyone. Inside of this line, you are in the field of play and it can result in a penalty for the team. General behavior: The roughhousing and fighting that occurred last Friday will not be tolerated. Younger students were injured when caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Students will be given a warning. If given a second warning, the student will have to stay with their parents for the remainder of the game. A third warning will result in the student being asked to leave the field. We want to provide a fun and safe environment for all our fans. Thank you for supporting our efforts.
ONE BEATS TWO AGAIN
In last week's Mascot, we highlighted the fact that the Class A top-ranked Minneota football team upended No. 2 BOLD 42-28.
This past week, the Vikings' volleyball team, also ranked No. 1 in Class A, defeated No. 2 Mabel-Canton, as well as No. 4 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, in the Class A Showcase at Burnsville High School.
The Vikings swept all five matches en route to winning the tournament.
The football and volleyball teams both won state titles last fall, but aren't looking ahead that far yet.
"We're taking things one game at a time," said one Minneota varsity football player.
"Winning a state championship is our goal, but we have to earn it. They aren't just going to give it to us," said a Minneota volleyball player.
BASKETBALL IN THEIR BLOOD
Minneota fans will certainly remember the Nordgaard family from Dawson-Boyd.
Two of the best high school basketball players that I covered during my time as sports editor with the West Central Tribune in Willmar was Jeff and Chari Nordgaard of Dawson-Boyd.
After graduation, both went on to become stars at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Jeff, who was also a stellar quarterback for Dawson-Boyd, led UW-GB to a berth in the NCAA tournament three of his four years. He is the fourth leading scorer in UWGB men's basketball history with 1,911 points, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame and had his number retired in 1998.
Jeff was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 1996 NBA draft. Although he only lasted one year in the NBA, Nordgaard played professionally in France, Spain and Poland.
Chari followed Jeff to Green Bay and became the women's basketball program's all-time scoring leader with 1,964 career points. She played professionally in Greece and was eventually inducted into the UW-GB Hall of Fame in 2005.
Chari's son, Kon Knueppel, a five-star 6-foot- 5 shooting guard, recently committed to Duke University. Knueppel was recruited by many top Division I schools, including Wisconsin, Virginia, Marquette and Alabama.
Knueppel is ranked No. 22 overall among high school seniors in the country by ESPN. He will play his senior year of high school at Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee.
Knueppel was the leading scorer on the Nike summer circuit, averaging 22.5 points. He also averaged 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in addition to shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range.
MASCOT HOURS
Many people are still uncertain as to when the Mascot is open. We are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday.
Subscriptions, invoices, story ideas or questions can be placed in the secure box outside our front door when the Mascot is closed.
Also, call me at 320-894-6007 anytime when the Mascot is not open if you have any questions.