MARCH IS MADNESS

The Madness of March

As a sports fan, the month of March is what we live for. Basketball, basketball, and more basketball! We get to see the game played at every level, and there is nothing quite like the atmosphere of championship season.

Last Saturday, I found myself wishing I could be in two places at once: Sioux Falls for the Summit League Tournament and Marshall for Section high school hoops. My duties took me to Marshall to broadcast a doubleheader: Jackson County Central vs. Montevideo and Central Minnesota Christian vs. Wabasso. Since I also caught the Morris and Minnewaska game, I ended up taking in three high school games at the SMSU campus. It truly is a blast.

One of the best parts of working for KLQP is sitting at press row in the RA Facility. I love visiting with the SMSU staff, the newspaper reporters I see at almost every event I cover, fellow broadcasters, and friends from across the region. I spent some quality time with the legendary Tom Elliot from the West Central Tribune, along with Joe Brown. Joe isn’t “legendary” yet, but he’s certainly getting there! Tom always has a great story to share, and Joe has a fantastic sense of humor. Samantha Davis from the Marshall Independent has become a good friend and I always enjoy visiting with her at high school events. She does a great job at the paper.

JCC Roman Voss, he will play for the Gopher football team next year.

The first game I called featured the Montevideo Thunder Hawks and the Jackson County Central Huskies. My son, Brandon, is on the Montevideo coaching staff, so there was plenty of emotion involved. Last year, Montevideo beat JCC at the buzzer in the Section 3AA Championship to go to State. This year, the Huskies took it by 14 points, thanks to an amazing second-half performance by Roman Voss. Voss was the number-one football recruit in the state and is a Gopher commit. I had the chance to present him with the Player of the Game t-shirt and visit with him for a bit—he’s a great kid.

The second game saw Central Minnesota Christian defeat a very talented Wabasso Rabbit team. Personally, the Bluejays have the best defense I have ever seen. What they do on that end of the floor is amazing to watch. I’ve been using the word “suffocating” on the air to describe it. As Bud Grant always said, defense wins championships.

The other place I had my eye on was Sioux Falls, watching Avery Koenen and the North Dakota State Bison. Avery was recently named the Summit League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, among several other honors. Originally from Montevideo, Avery has turned into one of the best players in the country. It has been so much fun following someone from our area who is achieving such national success. On Saturday, Avery dropped 31 points, and on Sunday, the Bison lost to SDSU for the Summit League Championship. However, they should be going to the big dance after winning the league.

I also broadcasted the Girls Section 3A Championship game on Thursday. Central Minnesota Christian beat Hills-Beaver Creek to punch their ticket to State! The crowd at the RA Facility was massive. Just like the boys’ team, the Bluejays’ defense is stellar. They really get after it, and I think they’ll represent our area very well at the state tournament.

They call it March Madness for a reason—and if you love basketball, there is nowhere else you’d rather be!