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Joe Scoblic is in his 33^rd season at the helm of Lester Prairie. He knows exactly what it takes to be successful.

"I truly believe it all starts up front," Scoblic said.

This season that means it starts with a group of young but experienced linemen who have propelled the Bulldogs to the No. 2 ranking in Class 1A. Lester Prairie remained undefeated with a 16-0 Week 7 victory over No. 6 Mayer Lutheran, improving to 7-0.

The victory was No. 199 in Scoblic's career, putting him on the cusp of becoming the 64^th football coach in state history to reach 200. The Bulldogs conclude their regular season Wednesday at United South Central (3-4).

Defense is a hallmark this season. The Bulldogs are allowing only 4.6 points per game and have given up more than six points in a game only once.

"Their success is due to their unselfishness and willingness to work together," Scoblic said. "Understanding any one of them by themself is nothing, but put the 11 together and we have something special."

He credits their attention to detail.

Rachel Zender

"I truly believe the biggest reason for their success is all the film they watch and the poring over of the opponent's offensive plays that they do," Scoblic said. "We put all of it online, and the boys are really taking advantage of it. On the first day of each week's practices, they are hollering out the formation and the plays to watch for."

The same core of linemen that drives the defense also spearheads the offense. Leading the two-way starters up front are junior guard/defensive tackle Chris Manders, junior center/defensive tackle Owen Niesen and junior tackle/inside linebacker Noah Behning.

"Our line is all juniors with one senior," Scoblic said. "They nearly all started last year, so they have a year's experience under their belt already. They are a very aggressive group.

"Put that together with the five seniors in the backfield, and some exciting things happen."

Leading that backfield is senior Tanner Scheevel, who has gained 835 yards on 92 carries. He's also a defensive back with four interceptions.

St. James Area ended its 33-game losing streak by shutting out Wabasso 20-0 on Friday.

The Saints have been moving in on it. Four weeks ago they lost to New Ulm Cathedral 29-28 in overtime after a 21-yard field goal attempt was blocked in the waning seconds of regulation.

The Saints' last win came Oct. 5, 2018, 37-6 over Windom Area.

2 Special teams touchdowns scored by Plainview-Elgin-Millville senior Kaiden Peters in a 42-26 loss to La Crescent-Hokah. He scored on an 85-yard kick return and a 78-yard punt return.

3.7 Points per game Esko's defense is yielding. The unbeaten Eskomos (7-0) have four shutouts.

12 Completed passes from Spring Grove junior quarterback Elijah Solum to senior wide receiver Caleb Griffin in a 41-20 victory over Kingsland. They teamed up for 216 yards and four touchdowns, covering 25, 31, 35 and 45 yards.

40 Points Blue Earth Area senior quarterback Parker Meyers accounted for in a 52-21 victory over Norwood Young America. He ran for five touchdowns and five two-point conversions.

49 Points scored by Lakeview in the first half of a 70-0 shutout of Lac qui Parle Valley.

80 Points by Cannon Falls in an 80-13 victory over winless Pine Island.

93.3 East Ridge junior quarterback Tanner Zolnosky's completion percentage (14-for-15) against Eastview in a 42-14 victory. He threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns.

99 Yards on a touchdown run by Hill-Murray senior running back Sawyer Seidl in the Pioneers' 28-12 victory over South St. Paul. He also had 2- and 51-yard scoring runs, accumulating 255 yards on 25 carries.

225 Rushing yards for Kittson County Central senior running back Chisum Schmiedeberg in a 41-12 triumph over Badger-Greenbush-Middle River. Schmiedeberg had two 55-yard scoring runs among his 10 carries. He has rushed for more than 200 yards in three of his past four games and has 1,492 yards this season.

254 Yards by LeRoy-Ostrander sophomore quarterback Camden Hungerholt on 21 carries in a 61-6 victory over Houston. He was also 5-for-8 passing for 130 yards.

277 Rushing yards by Chisholm junior running back Sean Fleming on 28 carries and two touchdowns in the Bluestreaks' 42-34 loss to Barnum at Joel Maturi Field. Both of his touchdown runs were 69 yards.

416 Rushing yards by Waconia seniors Max McEnelly and Alex Riley in a 55-7 victory over St. Louis Park. McEnelly had 272 yards on 14 carries and scored four touchdowns; Riley had 144 yards on 11 carries and scored twice.

525 Rushing yards by Cherry in a 76-0 victory over Ely. The Tigers accumulated 657 yards, 392 coming on the ground in the first half.

549 Rushing yards by Elk River junior running back Logan Bunker and senior quarterback Cade Osterman in the Elks' 58-29 triumph over Alexandria. Bunker finished with 284 rushing yards on 14 carries and scored twice; Osterman had 265 yards on 12 carries and scored four times. The Elks compiled 660 rushing yards on 48 carries, a 13.8-yard average.

JORDAN — The Fillmore Central football team was not satisfied with just a section championship.

Sure, it was a special moment last week when after 10 previous runner-up finishes, the Falcons finally punched their ticket to the MSHSL state football tournament with a win over Bethlehem Academy.

But, for them, that was all a part of their preseason checklist.

Next on that list?

Make it to U.S. Bank Stadium.

"We had a lot of focus during the week," two-way standout senior Bryce Corson said. "We went to turf one day and there was no talking. Just strictly business.

"First time at state, we weren't going out Round 1."

Corson and company made good on that promise even when put to the ultimate test on Friday against top-ranked Lester Prairie.

The Falcons appeared to have the game won until their late lead was put into jeopardy when a sudden fumble with under 3 minutes left gave the Bulldogs the ball back for a chance at the winning score.

But the tough and gritty Falcons defense once again answered the bell, halting LP's one last gasp just past midfield to secure Fillmore Central's first ever state tournament win with an 18-16 win in a Class A state quarterfinal on Friday night at a cold Jordan High School.

The No. 2 ranked Falcons will now play No. 10 ranked Minneota in a Class A semifinal at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Just another check box in need of being crossed off for the Falcons.

"The Bank, that's another one of those check boxes they wanted to check," Fillmore Central coach Chris Mensink said. "They got that and now it's hopefully more to come."

Entering the fourth quarter it appeared the Falcons were well on their way to Minneapolis after a Dillon O'Connor 1-yard touchdown plunge made it 18-8 heading to the fourth quarter. O'Connor had two rushing touchdowns, making it 6-0 on a 5-yard dash in the first quarter.

But LP refused to go away.

Led by the powerful Tanner Scheevel, the potent run-first LP offense that averaged around 300 yards per game was beginning to find its footing.

His 38-yard touchdown and subsequent 2-point conversion was good to make it 18-16 with 8:43 left.

Both teams swapped possession and it seemed the Falcons had put a stranglehold on the game when they drove down inside the LP 25. With LP having just one timeout left, FC just needed one more first down to secure the win.

But an option play that appeared a bit discombobulated resulted with the ball being on the ground. LP recovered with 2:48 left to give itself life again.

Yet, the Fillmore Central sideline never flinched, never lost faith.

"These kids play in the moment," Mensink said. "They never get too high, never get too low. They just always have the next play mentality and that's what they've doing all year long. We didn't expect anything else."

But stopping Scheevel and the Bulldogs ground game was no easy task.

Scheevel — whose father Ross played at Fillmore Central in the 1990's — was terrific all night long, finishing with 205 yards rushing 29 carries. He was the LP offense, even taking direct snaps and throwing sometimes. That included an 18-yard passing touchdown in the first half on a tipped pass.

He was simply a force.

"He was everything as advertised," Mensink said. "Wow."

The Bulldogs were able to get a couple of first downs on the drive, but the Falcons weren't about to let Scheevel end a magical season.

A big fourth-and-3 suddenly loomed large and there was no doubt who was getting the ball.

Scheevel took the direct snap and was immediately stuffed at the line of scrimmage by a host of Falcons for a turnover on downs with just over a minute left.

The Fillmore defense comes up again! This time on a 4th and 3 in its own territory. Should be 3 kneel downs. 65 seconds left pic.twitter.com/Z8JhEaURxe

— Alex VandenHouten (@AlexVandenhout1) November 12, 2022

Three kneel downs later and the Falcons had secured the program's first state tournament victory.

"No. 40 was definitely the best guy on the field," Corson said. "Our defensive line was just insane tonight, so we knew we could stop him."

Corson was brilliant on both ends.

He finished with 157 yards from scrimmage (107 yards receiving on 7 receptions, 50 yards rushing). His 2-yard touchdown run that gave the Falcons a 12-0 lead in the second quarter, but he was also big on defense.

He halted a LP drive inside the Falcons 40 with an interception which came just two plays after the Bulldogs appeared to switch momentum with an interception of their own that was returned 60 yards in the third quarter.

He was also key in providing run support from his safety spot for a defense that was just simply great throughout

Now, the Falcons are heading to the warm and cozy confines of U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time in program history.

"We talked about how it was going to be a defensive game," Mensink said. "They have a great defense and we have a great defense, the kids just battled and competed. Couldn't be prouder."

Final: No. 2 Fillmore Central 18, No. 1 Lester Prairie 16. What a game. Falcons defense and Byrce Corson were money all night long to give FC its first state tournament win. Heading to the bank on Saturday pic.twitter.com/oIZrznxxEN

— Alex VandenHouten (@AlexVandenhout1) November 12, 2022

Fillmore Central 18, Lester Prairie 16Fillmore Central 6-6-6-0—18Lester Prairie 0-8-0-8—16

First Quarter

FC — Dillon O'Connor 5 run (kick no good) 5:12

Second Quarter

FC — Byrce Corson 2 run (pass failed)

LP — Logan Lambrecht 18 pass from Tanner Scheevel, (Scheevel run) 0:19.

Third Quarter

FC — O'Connor 1 run (run failed) 8:09

Fourth Quarter

LP — Scheevel 38 run (Scheevel run) 8:43

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: FC — Dillon O'Connor 16-20, Bryce Corson 15-50, Kyle Daniels 4-6, Luke Hellickson 1-5; LP — Tanner Scheevel 29-205, Logan Lambrecht 8-34, Nicholas Guggemos 3-6.

PASSING: FC — O'Connor 18-32-1-206; LP — Scheevel 2-2-0-26; Guggemos 1-6-1-12.

RECEIVING: FC — Chase Christianson 5-67, Hellickson 3-36, Corson 7-107, Jake Fishbaugher 1-7, Daniels 2-20; LP — Lambrecht 2-26, Owen Zebell 1-12.

Lenise Best is the owner of the 320-acre Burch Farm near Lester Prairie. Although she doesn’t work on the farm, her father, Francis Burch, still operates it today.

The original farm was purchased back in 1919 by Best’s great-grandfather, Julius Fenske. The story of how the farm has been passed through generations is a different one than most. While farms are often given to sons, the Burch Farm has been passed on to daughters through the years.

“It’s kind of funny, I hadn’t stopped to think about it until I started going through (our history),” Best said. “All the daughters, that is interesting.”

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The women and their husbands seem to be doing a fine job with the farm, however, as this year it was recognized by the Minnesota Farm Bureau and State Fair as a Century Farm. To earn this recognition, the farm must be under continuous family ownership for at least 100 years, and have at least 50 acres or more.

Since the farm was first purchased, it has been passed down through three generations of women. Fenske owned the farm until 1960, when he passed away and left it to his daughter, Eleanor, and her husband Harold Lempher. Their daughter, LaVonne, married Francis in 1963, and in 1985 the farm was passed on to them.

Francis grew up on a farm in Buffalo Lake, and when he married LaVonne he moved from one farm to the other. He knew he wanted to be a farmer since he grew up on one, so the move came naturally.

“It was just an opportunity for me,” Francis said. “When we decided to get married, I guess it was just best that we came here.”

Lavonne and Francis ran the farm together until 2011, when Lavonne passed away. Then about five years ago, the farm was given to their daughter Lenise, although Francis continues to operate it today.

Corn and soybeans are the two crops grown on the Burch Farm today, but at one point it was also a dairy farm for quite a while, and there was a period when the farm also raised beef cattle to sell to butchers.

There isn’t much that remains from the original 1919 property. The house is the closest thing to being original on the farm. While it is the same structure originally built in 1919, it has been remodeled throughout the years, like many structures on the farm.

The next 50 years for the Burch Farm are unclear. The succession of daughters will end as Lenise has three sons. But her boys are all pursuing careers outside of farming, leaving questions about what comes next for this McLeod County Century Farm.

“We just don’t know what the future holds,” Lenise said.

In 1982, Kay Konerza of Lester Prairie set a single game scoring record for girls' basketball in Minnesota in an 81-26 victory over Winsted Holy Trinity. Konerza was in the first wave of high-profile girls' basketball players in Minnesota.

Saturday night, her record of 58 points was broken by McKenna Hofschild, a 5-foot-3 guard from Prior Lake, who scored 63 points in a game her team lost 99-95 to Park Center in the Breakdown Classic at Hopkins High School.

Back in the Day: Konerza was in the first wave of high-profile girls' basketball players in Minnesota. There was one game during her senior season that was attended by coach Andy Landers of Georgia and Rene Portland of Penn State, two of that era's top programs.

I drove up to Lester Prairie with Landers, killing time in the afternoon playing video games at a now boarded-up restaurant in Howard Lake, and back to the Twin Cities with Portland, where I got a quality lesson on the state of women's college basketball at the Green Mill in St. Paul.

Konerza kept a diary of her recruiting, which was published in the Star Tribune, and wrote in the final part that she would attend Louisiana Tech, the highest-profile program of that time along with Southern Cal and Old Dominion.

Back to today: Now known as Kay Bachert and a teacher in Texas, Konerza has been an AAU coach and the oldest of her children is planning to play college basketball at Division II Western Colorado.

After being informed that her record was broken, Bachert sent me an email with a message that she wanted to have forwarded to Hofschild. I sent it along to her coach, and Bachert said it was fine to publish it.

Here it is:

McKenna,

Congratulations on breaking the MSHSL single game scoring record and going over 2,000 points for your career. It's nice to see all the hours upon hours you've put into the game you love get recognized. I never thought that record would stand for as long as it did especially with the addition of the 3pt line and smaller ball. There have been many capable players coming out of MN, but it just has to be "right" for something like you experienced to happen.

Your team NEEDED you to score and you responded — Sounded amazing!!! As a competitor, I know you would've rather gotten the "W" and your team came up short, but these tough games are preparing y'all for the big picture of a tournament run later on. McKenna, aka "Dynamite-Comes-In-Small-Packages", keep playing BIG as you continue to go after your goals & dreams. YES, you CAN! God Bless as you carry the mantle/responsibility of being one of Minnesota's examples of what younger players dream of becoming—and don't stop at Seton Hall!

CONGRATULATIONS and all my best to you as a person and a player.

Kay (Konerza) Bachert

Lester Prairie HS Class of 1982

Louisiana Tech University Lady Techster 1982-1986

In an email, Beckett told me: "We see Minnesota teams down here in the Dallas area in the summer time and yes, they do play a good brand of basketball. Love to see it! "

And she's keeping up with the changes at the University of Minnesota too.

"Lindsay Whalen knows what hard work is all about and as a successful player she knows the importance for team," Bachert wrote. "She has the clout to demand it out of today's superstars. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds. Exciting times for the U."

[email protected]

In 1941, Lester Prairie High School had just 34 students.

But 33 of them happened to be boys, and 26 went out for basketball at the start of the 1940-41 season.

That depth helped propel the team into the 1941 state tournament, thrilling a community that then numbered just 423 people.

There, Lester Prairie drew Minneapolis Washburn — the largest school in that year's eight-team field — in a quarterfinal matchup at the Minneapolis Auditorium.

The game drew the attention of legendary Hamline coach Joe Hutton, who was writing tournament previews for The Associated Press.

"While Lester Prairie is coached by Henry Falk, one of my recent players at Hamline University, I believe the nod in its game with Minneapolis Washburn should go to the latter team," Hutton wrote.

"There are two important factors favoring Washburn. One, that it is thoroughly familiar with the auditorium floor, having played eight or nine games on it. And that it will also have a huge band of supporters in the stands."

Hutton proved prescient. Washburn, which had beaten Paynesville and Hopkins in the region semifinals and finals to advance to state, got four baskets from Dave Ruliffson in the fourth quarter and expanded on a three-point lead with three minutes to go to win 30-19.

But Lester Prairie wasn't the only small town in the 1941 tournament field. Tiny Buhl from the Iron Range was on hand and edged Mankato 37-35 in its quarterfinal matchup.

The other side of the bracket saw Red Wing, which had fallen to Breckenridge in the state title game the year before, beat Austin 45-29. And Bemidji beat Moorhead 42-33.

Moorhead had topped Crosby-Ironton 24-23 before a standing-room-only crowd at Little Falls in the region finals.

Buhl kept rolling in the semifinals, knocking off Washburn 34-29 before a crowd of 9,000 to set up a showdown for the title with Red Wing, which beat Bemidji 37-24.

"I, too, am going to cross my fingers and pick Red Wing," Hutton wrote. "Though I can find no apparent difference between the two teams that would lead me to make that choice."

This time, Hutton's prediction was off-the-mark. Buhl held off Red Wing 31-29 to capture the state title.

Ed Nyland and John Klarich led the way, earning spots on the all-tournament team,

And the team returned to the community of 1,000 to celebrate with a large crowd at a welcome home ceremony at the village hall.

"I hope the team can do it again next year," head coach Melvin Anderson told those assembled.

That prediction proved accurate as Buhl repeated as champions in 1942, marking the town's last state tournament appearance until Mountain Iron-Buhl returned to the Class A state tournament in 2000.

Five years ago (2011)

Big Ten athletic directors announced the conference would begin play in men's hockey in the 2013-14 season, meaning Minnesota and Wisconsin would leave their long-time homes in the WCHA.

10 years ago (2006)

Justin Stommes scored 16 points and Chad Willenbring added 15, but Rocori fell 57-51 to St. Thomas Academy in the Class 3A state boys basketball tournament at Williams Arena. Bryce Weber had 14 points for the Cadets. Future St. Thomas football star Fritz Waldvogel added nine.

25 years ago (1991)

Joel McDonald drew the most attention in a season in which he became the leading scorer in state history. But Ted Krize, a St. John's recruit, led Chisholm with 36 points as the Bluestreaks defeated Becker 86-56 in the Class A state boys basketball semifinals at the St. Paul Civic Center. McDonald, who went on to play at St. Cloud State, added 30. Justin Hegna led the Bulldogs with 23.

Becker went on to fall 75-73 to Dawson-Boyd in the third-place game. Chisholm beat Westbrook-Walnut Grove 77-61 to capture the state title.

50 years ago (1966)

Lock Haven (Penn.) smashed an NAIA scoring record with 107 points to capture the national title at the NAIA national wrestling meet held at St. Cloud State's brand-new Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies finished fifth as a team before a crowd that numbered 3,000. St. Cloud State's Dave Hazewinkel, a future Olympian, led the way with a second-place finish at 115 pounds.

Follow Frank Rajkowski on Twitter at @rajko1973 or like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sctimesfrank.