Sun, Apr 30, 2017 - 6:32pm
WORTHINGTON -- Winning has become a habit for the Minnesota West Community and Technical College baseball Bluejays. And deficits don’t bother them. The Jays won their 14th straight game at home on Saturday, but they had to come from behind in Game 2 to do it. Anoka-Ramsey held a 7-3 advantage in the fifth inning before the home team scored two runs in the bottom of the inning and added four in the sixth for a 9-7 victory. MW won the first game, 9-4.
Thu, Apr 27, 2017 - 7:58pm
WORTHINGTON -- A wrestling coach has to have a tough side. He needs to be a disciplinarian in a sport populated with rough characters who can only become successful in their craft by beating up the other guy. Bob Purcell, as nice a guy as you’d ever want to meet, has dealt with more than his share of tough characters during his 20 years of coaching at Minnesota West Technical and Community College. And more than a few of the stories he has accumulated deal with the abrasive side of wrestling.
Wed, Apr 26, 2017 - 8:41pm
WORTHINGTON -- TD Hostikka laughs now when he recalls the time, a couple of years ago, when a potential recruit laughed in his face and hung up the phone upon getting a call from the Minnesota West baseball coach. Today, that same kid might be looking for Hostikka’s number.
Mon, Apr 24, 2017 - 8:17pm
WORTHINGTON -- The threat of impending rain didn’t stop Worthington Trojans Kyle Janssen and Cade Lindner from coming from behind to defeat Fairmont doubles rivals Tony Joseph and Blake Haugen Monday. But the rain did.
Mon, Apr 24, 2017 - 7:55pm
WORTHINGTON -- Fans of the Minnesota West Community and Technical College men’s basketball team see him as a one-dimensional figure. Trevoris Waugh, a 6-6 black man from Miami, Fla., moves his big, physical frame up and down the court swatting down shots and sorting out uniformed obstacles on the way to rebounds. But there is more to Trevoris Waugh than basketball. He is a writer, a thinker of deep thoughts. He sees, he feels, he shares his feelings … with the world.
Sun, Apr 23, 2017 - 8:42pm
WORTHINGTON -- It goes in the books as a split -- one well-played game won by Minnesota West and another one that got out of the barn early and roamed free all over the countryside. One day after dropping two at home to MState-Fergus Falls 13-5 and 5-2, the Lady Jays fast-pitch softball team defeated visiting Ridgewater 7-3 in Game 1 Saturday at the local college field, then lost Game 2 by a 20-1 score in five innings.
Fri, Apr 21, 2017 - 7:39pm
There are a lot of grownups who don’t understand Twitter. But Rafe York, track and field coach at Jackson County Central High School, has it down. And because he’s willing to push the envelope a bit, he’s making the sport more fun for his athletes. Here’s a sample:
Tue, Apr 18, 2017 - 9:43pm
WORTHINGTON -- For their first softball doubleheader of the season, the Worthington Trojans learned that they need to work on their staying-power. Marshall came to town on Tuesday and swept the Trojans, 5-3 in seven innings and 15-0 in four. The first game was well-played. The second game, not so much. Head coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka chalked it up, partially at least, the length of the Trojans’ afternoon. They started at 4:30 and finished at 7:30, and it appeared after falling behind in the second game that the players lost their focus at times.
Mon, Apr 17, 2017 - 10:02pm
WINDOM -- Softball’s loss is track and field’s gain. Windom Area eighth-grader Delaney Smith was lured away from softball and into the track and field sphere prior to her seventh-grade year. It turned out alright for her -- she placed fifth in the section in the shot put. A year later, Smith is enjoying track and winning shot put and discus events, all the while hoping to reach the next rung of the ladder before she enters high school.
Fri, Apr 14, 2017 - 9:28pm
WORTHINGTON -- From 35 years working as a coach at Worthington High School, Rich Liapis has stored away a treasure-trove of memories. One of his favorites happened when he was assisting the girls basketball team under Don Kuiper. The Trojans were struggling through a particularly troublesome first half in Pipestone, and the coaches were frustrated at the girls’ effort. Kuiper, whose demeanor was usually calm in these situations, turned to his assistants and asked a question.
