Thrilling ending!!

The Mainstreeters lined up for a team photo following the win today that earned them a share of the WCC-North conference championship. PHOTOS BY RANDY OLSON

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters baseball team earned a share of the West Central Conference North division title with a 7-6 walk-off win over Montevideo on the home diamond tonight. The Thunderhawks could have won a share of the conference with a win have to settle for second place.

The Mainstreeters finish the regular season with a 9-7 overall record. In the WCC-North they went 9-4. Minnewaska Area also finished 9-4 in the conference and will share the WCC-North championship with Sauk Centre after the Lakers beat Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 11-8 in their regular season finale. Montevideo fell to 12-7 overall with the loss.

The Herald is currently researching to find out when the last Sauk Centre boys' team in any sport won a conference championship. The last time we are certain that happened was in 2000, when the boys' hockey team was West Central Conference champions.

Plenty of smiles today following the big come-from-behind win.

In today's conference championship game, Montevideo took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. In their second at bat, the Mainstreeters got a lead off single from Jake Haskamp, who later scored on an RBI-single by Tanner Schmiesing. Two strikeouts left two stranded to end the inning.

Three straight Sauk Centre errors loaded the bases to start the third inning, and Montevideo eventually plated five runs to lengthen the odds for the Mainstreeters.

Sauk Centre chipped away at the lead, getting two runs back in the fourth and one in the fifth to narrow it to a 6-4 deficit.

A strikeout and two pop flies made for a tough, short-lived sixth inning, but the defense continued to hold while getting two pop flies and a grounder in the top of the seventh.

The Mainstreeters made the most of their final at bat, with Will Funk and Matthew Moritz starting off with base hits on no outs. Josh Buschette hit a fielder's choice that ended with Moritz out at second. Funk then scored on a passed ball, and on Haskamp's trip to the plate Montevideo committed another throwing error to get Buschette home and tie it up. Billy Moritz singled in pinch runner Leo Van Beck to end the game.

Now a short waiting game takes place as Sauk Centre awaits their seeding news and learns the playoff schedule. They could end up anywhere from third to fifth in the final Sub-Section 6AA-West rankings.

Click on the link to see some exciting seventh-inning video from today:
http://saukherald.com/content/mainstreeters-baseball-knocks-montevideohttp://saukherald.com/content/mainstreeters-baseball-knocks-montevideo

2014 West Central North Conference baseball standings (final):
1st (tie) Sauk Centre, Minnewaska Area 9-4 each
3rd Montevideo 8-5
4th Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 4-9
5th Melrose Area 1-11

In girls' softball playoff action, a late rally by the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters fell short in a 7-6 loss to top-seeded Minnewaska Area in the Sub-Section 6AA-West semifinals. The Mainstreeters, 11-7 overall, stay alive in the loser's bracket and face Osakis at 3 p.m. on Thursday in an elimination game. That game will be held at Minnewaska Area high school.

At Greystone Golf Club today, Carter Kranz shot a terrific 76 to earn medalist honors at the Sauk Centre invitational.

Besides girls' softball action, Thursday also brings the Sub-Section 6A-1 meet in Morris, where the Mainstreeters track and field teams will compete for trips to the Section 6A meet. Running events at the University of Minnesota-Morris campus begin at 4:30 p.m.

The rain is back

Conference baseball and softball games at home have been postponed today due to wet field conditions at SCHS.

The track and field meet in Melrose is still a "go" as far as we know.

Softball wins 3rd straight

At Granite Falls on Friday, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters softball team defeated Yellow Medicine East 6-0 to improve to 6-1 on the season. They remained undefeated (6-0) in the West Central North Conference standings with the win and have a half-game lead over Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta. Also Friday, MA/CA crushed visiting Melrose Area 13-3 in six innings to improve to 9-2 overall.

In the win over YME, starter Katelyn Durbin held the Sting to two hits while earning 11 strikeouts with no walks. Up next: a trip to Grove City to face A-C-GC on Monday at 5 p.m.

Mainstreeters baseball, softball win

Coach T.J. Schmiesing talks to his varsity team once the second inning was in the books.

Brooke Fetterer-Walter reaches first base on a lead off single in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters baseball and softball teams both picked up key West Central North Conference and sub-section wins today against neighboring rival Melrose Area.

In Sauk Centre, the softball team won 5-3 behind a seven-strikeout pitching performance by Katelyn Durbin. The Mainstreeters (5-1) got an early 4-0 lead in the first inning and withstood strong effort by the Dutchmen (3-3) in the latter innings. Sauk Centre travels to Granite Falls tomorrow to face Yellow Medicine East (0-4) in a WCC-North/WCC-South crossover game.

At New Munich, the baseball team eked out a 3-2 win over the Dutchmen (0-5) after going seven innings that yielded just one hit. They improve to 3-2 overall and host Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (1-4) on Friday (tomorrow) with a 5 p.m. start time.

Basketball scheduling notes

Next Monday the Mainstreeters girls' basketball team hosts Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta in the final regular season game. It's a varsity-only affair with tip off at 7:30 p.m. at SCHS gymnasium.

If they win that game, they'll earn the West Central North Conference title outright and will then host the WCC-North vs. WCC-South playoff game on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Tip-off for that game would be at 7 p.m. 

Go Streeters!!!

**Update: tonight's (Thursday's) boys' basketball game against BOLD has been nixed. It will not be made up. Tonight's girls' basketball game is postponed to March 3.

Mainstreeters edge Melrose in defensive battle

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters boys' basketball team all but sealed the number one seed in Sub-Section 6AA-North with a 52-42 win over visiting Melrose Area tonight. The win keeps them on pace with Montevideo in the West Central North Conference, with the Thunderhawks in first place at 9-2 and the Mainstreeters a half game out at 9-3.

Montevideo (12-7) hosted Dawson-Boyd (19-0) tonight in a non-conference game.

Now 15-6 overall, the Mainstreeters travel to Minnewaska Area on Thursday for a second straight West Central North Conference game. The Lakers are 9-12 overall and 5-8 in the league.

Mainstreeters softball sweeps Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta

Final scores tonight in a West Central North Conference softball double-header at Morris...game one: Sauk Centre 4, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 3...game two: Sauk Centre 8, MA/CA 2.

At Elrosa, the Mainstreeters baseball team lost 5-3 to Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa.

Mainstreeters baseball, softball both win conference outings

In a huge win for Sauk Centre's softball team, the Minnewaska Area Lakers fell to the Mainstreeters 5-1 in a West Central Conference North match up tonight. The Lakers led 1-0 early before Sauk Centre scored five unanswered runs. Up next: a trip to Morris to face the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Tigers.

At Melrose Area, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters baseball team defeated the Dutchmen 6-4. The game was deadlocked at 2-2 heading into the sixth inning before the Mainstreeters scored three unearned runs to stake a 5-2 lead. Up next: a short trip south to Elrosa to face Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa under the lights of Saints Field. The JV contest begins at 4:30 p.m., while the varsity will follow after that.

Still coming: updates on the golf and track and field teams.

Back and forth game!

We've got a great game playing out between neighboring rivals at the Sauk Centre high school gymnasium.

With 7:14 left before halftime, Melrose holds a slim 21-19 lead.

*The Dutchmen scored at the buzzer on a layup by Isaac Sawyer to take a 39-31 lead into halftime. The Alexandria Aces are performing at halftime.

Final: 81-67 Melrose Area wins. The Mainstreeters (15-5) fell behind as many as 22 points in the second half but rallied in the last five minutes. They cut it down to 10 points with 63 seconds left, but the Dutchmen got a 6-for-6 performance at the line by Scottie Stone to win by 14 points.

Melrose Area improves to 23-1 overall with the win while remaining perfect in the West Central North Conference.

Photo gallery from the Paynesville girls' basketball game

More will be posted this weekend from the 49-34 win on Thursday night.

Click to see the photo gallery:
http://saukherald.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1608186&CategoryID=69414&ListSubAlbums=0

Here's a video from late in the first half...

The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team won 84-46 tonight over visiting Paynesville Area on Parents Night. They are now 13-4 overall.

Stay tuned for more coverage this weekend and also in the Feb. 14 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

Streeters blast Bulldogs

The Sauk Centre boys' basketball team picked up a big win at Paynesville Area by a 59-36 score on Thursday night.

The win improves the Mainstreeters to 2-0 in the West Central North Conference standings.

The Mainstreeters girls' basketball team drubbed Lac qui Parle Valley last night.

Streeters baseball team earns series sweep vs. Albany

Final score from the Sauk Centre high school diamond: Sauk Centre 3, Albany 1. The Mainstreeters, who improved to 10-8 overall with the win, went up 2-0 in the second inning on a two-RBI double by Dylan Kohorst on two outs. They finished in a tie for third place in the West Central North Conference standings with Melrose Area at 5-5. Paynesville Area clinched sole possession of the conference crown with a 12-4 win over Minnewaska Area tonight. Albany (11-9 overall) finished in second place alone at 6-4.

Read more about the win in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Sub-Section 6AA-West playoff information will be posted tomorrow. Sauk Centre will most likely open with a home playoff game on Thursday this week.


The end of the game and post-game handshakes tonight...  

2012 WCC-North baseball standings:
1st - Paynesville Area  (8-2)
2nd - Albany (6-4)
3rd (tie) - Sauk Centre, Melrose Area (5-5)
5th (tie) - Minnewaska Area, New London-Spicer (3-7)

Mainstreeters baseball falls at home to Melrose Area

The Mainstreeters responded from a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning to plate four runs and go up 4-2 against visiting Melrose Area tonight in a West Central North Conference game.

The Dutchmen answered with a six-run second inning to go up 8-4 and never looked back as they earned a split in the regular season series with Sauk Centre in an 11-4 win.

Sauk Centre (8-7 overall) plays at Sibley East (Gaylord) in a tournament on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.

More will follow later.

Mainstreeters defeat Jaguars on the baseball diamond

At Elrosa, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters won their second straight game in shut out fashion over the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Jaguars tonight in a non-conference game. Nate Mettenberg picked up the win on the mound while tallying 11 strikeouts against the B-B-E lineup. Final score: Sauk Centre 4, B-B-E 0.

The Mainstreeters are 6-4 overall, while the Jaguars fall to 7-6. It's Sauk Centre's first win against B-B-E since 2005, when they beat the Jaguars 8-2 in Elrosa. The two teams did not meet from 2007 to 2010, while the Jaguars beat the Mainstreeters in 2006 and 2011.

Sauk Centre travels to Green Lake Diamonds in Spicer tomorrow for a West Central North Conference game against the Wildcats. The JV game is at 5 p.m. in Spicer, with the varsity game to follow in the nightcap with a 7 p.m. scheduled start. NL-S is 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the WCC-North but well capable of upsetting the Mainstreeters.

Minnewaska Area, who joins Paynesville Area and Sauk Centre at the top of the WCC-North standings at 3-2 apiece, was tagged with a 9-8 loss by the Wildcats on Apr. 26.

**Breaking news: LQPV opts out of West Central Conference

Beginning in 2013-14, Lac qui Parle Valley will no longer be a member of the West Central Conference. Sauk Centre, Melrose, Paynesville Area and Minnewaska Area join 7 other schools in 2012-13 to form an 11-member West Central Conference. The exception will be Fall 2012, when Melrose operates as an independent.

An 11-member conference can be a headache for athletic directors...10 schools, that's not bad. In an 11-member scenario, it's possible that the WCC will have to be split up into north and south divisions as it has since 1989. With a five-school division, it creates a large need to find non-conference games, which can be difficult for a sport like basketball that has 26 available game nights per season.

A little background on LQPV...
After the schools of Madison, Marietta-Nassau, Appleton and Milan merged in 1991 to form the conglomerate Lac qui Parle Valley schools, they have remained a member of the West Central Conference for the past 21 years. In the 1990s, LQPV continuously put up very strong boys' and girls' varsity teams, especially in football, boys' basketball, volleyball and baseball.

Recently, LQPV's K-12 enrollment has tapered below 900 students, and a number of their athletic programs have failed to put out competitive varsity squads. The exceptions recently are wrestling and girls' tennis (both paired with Dawson-Boyd) as well as volleyball and fastpitch softball.

LQPV has flirted with leaving the WCC for a couple years, and over the winter that result came to fruition.

Two schools who are currently in the 13-member West Central Conference leave the league beginning next fall. They are New London-Spicer, heading to the Wright County Conference, and Albany, who's going to the Granite Ridge Conference. A third team leaves for the Fall 2013 season, LQPV.

Lac qui Parle Valley will become a member of the Camden North Conference in 2013. They will compete for conference titles with Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, Renville County West, Central Minnesota Christian-Prinsburg, MACCRAY and Dawson-Boyd. Only MACCRAY has enrollment that approaches LQPV's size; the rest are considerably smaller.

From this week's Swift County Monitor of Benson:
Most of the WCC schools don't compete in all the sports offered by other league schools, so each sport will have conference or division schedules formed on a case-by-case basis. As an example, A-G-GC, BOLD, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta, Melrose, Sauk Centre and Paynesville don't field boys' tennis teams. In that sport, the WCC will have only five schools. For girls' tennis, Sauk Centre, Melrose and MA/CA join the five schools who have boys' tennis to have an 8-member WCC.

For girls' and boys' basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball, all 10 members of the WCC in 2013-14 field teams, so the WCC will have 10 members in those cases.

For wrestling beginning in 2013-14, the WCC will have Yellow Medicine East, Montevideo, BOLD, A-C-GC, Paynesville Area, Sauk Centre/Melrose, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/Hancock, Minnewaska Area and Benson.

Mainstreeter girls' basketball wins West Central Conference playoff game tonight

The three-time West Central North Conference champion Sauk Centre Mainstreeters girls' basketball team dispatched a tough BOLD Warriors team 59-35 tonight to win the West Central Conference playoff title for the second year in a row.

They now get a week of practice as they head into the Sub-Section 6AA-North playoffs, which begin next Thursday. (See below for more on that)

Streeter girls take over first place

Courtesy of "CatEye" television...

The Mainstreeters girls' basketball team took over first place with a 44-40 win over New London-Spicer Friday.

Jena Klaphake made three free throws down the stretch and also blocked Taylor Thundsted's tying three-point attempt with seconds remaining to seal the win.

The win gives Sauk a 6-2 conference mark and 16-3 record overall. New London-Spicer is also 6-2, but both their losses have come against the Mainstreeters.

That puts Sauk in the driver's seat for a conference title.

"Today was a good day," said head coach Scott Bergman following the game.

he was referring also to news that Kali Peschel was cleared by her doctor to resume play. She is expected to play her first game Feb. 14.

So to recap --- the Streeters took over first place and got their best player back all within a few hours of each other.

Yeah, you could say today was a good day.

Both Mainstreeters basketball teams win tonight in conference play

The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team started out hot tonight in a home contest with neighboring rival Minnewaska Area, taking a 15-7 lead nine minutes into the ball game on a bucket from Dylan Kohorst.

In the early stages of the second half, they rained threes down on the Lakers and built a lead as big as 19 points. Final score: Sauk Centre 64, Minnewaska 39. They travel to Melrose next Tuesday to face the WCC-North leading Dutchmen.

Down at Albany, the Mainstreeters girls' basketball team picked up a little revenge on the Huskies; on Dec. 22, Albany won 72-68 in Sauk Centre. The Huskies led 16-7 early in the first half and had a two-point lead at the break. The Mainstreeters cranked up the defensive pressure in the second half and grabbed a four-point lead themselves with around 14 minutes left. Final score: Sauk Centre 55, Albany 50. They host Melrose Area (9-7) next Tuesday against a Dutchmen team that's lost two straight in the WCC-North.

West Central-North Conference girls' basketball standings as of Jan. 27:
(1) New London-Spicer ...5-1
(2) Sauk Centre ...4-2
(3) Albany ...3-3
(3) Melrose Area ...3-3
(3) Paynesville Area ...3-3
(6) Minnewaska Area ...0-6

Read more on the Streeters basketball teams in next week's Feb. 2 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

A logjam occurs in the girls' basketball West Central North standings

The WCC-North standings as of this morning include a four-way tie for first place:
1 - New London-Spicer (2-1)
1 - Albany (2-1)
1 - Paynesville Area (2-1)
1 - Melrose Area (2-1)
5 - Sauk Centre (1-2)
6 - Minnewaska Area (0-3)

As the world turns...West Central Conference drama continues

It ain't over yet...

All the recent changes to the West Central Conference may have the typical sports fan out there thinking that things may settle down for awhile.

Not a bit.

The Western Guard newspaper (Madison's paper) reported recently that Lac qui Parle Valley is strongly considering fleeing the WCC to join the Camden Conference for most sports and the Little Sioux for football.

LQPV has been a member of the West Central Conference since 1990, when the 4 school districts of Marietta/Nassau, Madison, Appleton and Milan merged. They had a fair amount of success in the 1990s when their enrollment was high and they were one of the larger schools in the league.

Currently they are hovering under 900 students K-12...not good. The economies of their small towns are suffering considerably.

As far as the Camden Conference is concerned...LQPV would by far be the biggest school in that league if that move took place. The Camden currently includes schools such as MACCRAY (K-12 is around 700 students), Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (K-12 is around 550) and Dawson-Boyd (K-12 is around 650). Other schools in that league include Minneota, Canby, Lincoln HI (Ivanhoe), Russel-Tyler-Ruthton and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton. In football those above-mentioned schools with the exception of K-M-S are all in the Little Sioux Conference; all but Tracy-Milroy-Balaton are in Class 1A. (T-M-B is in Class 2A.)

As we learn more on this over the next few weeks and months we'll keep our public up to date!

~RO