They introduce the contestants and host as well as describe the prizes that can be won. That's the job description of a game show announcer and HSGN has the Top 10 of all time.
1. Johnny Olson. Since he started out with the Goodson-Todman game show Play Your Hunch, he became the voice for the bulk of the company's shows such as What's My Line, Match Game and the Price is Right where he became famous for one of the most popular game show catch phrases of all time "Come on down!" He was a trouper, never missing a show. According to Stan Blits' book on The Price is Right, on one occasion he was so sick to his stomach that he kept a trash can next to his lecturn and barfed into it between "Come on downs." Not only did he announce many game shows, he was also the announcer for the Jackie Gleason Show when it was produced in Miami Beach from 1964 to 1970. His voice was heard over the shots of the Atlantic Ocean as he opened each show with "From the sun and fun capitol of the world." Olson was also heard in an episode of Maude as the announcer on the fictitious game show Beat the Devil, where Maude and Vivian were contestants and they were eventually disqualified because Vivian's nephew worked on the show.
2. Johnny Gilbert. At 92, Gilbert is still going strong as the voice who opens every episode of Jeopardy with his signature three word opening "This is Jeopardy!" The former night club singer made his game show debut as host of Music Bingo in 1958 and three years later he made his announcing debut on the game show Yours for a Song, the first of more than 30 shows he worked on. When the original version of The Price is Right moved from NBC to ABC, Gilbert would replace Don Pardo as the show's announcer because Pardo was still under contract to the Peacock Network. He would also fill in as host for Cullen and would also host two syndicated game shows in the late 60s Fast Draw and Beat the Odds. Both of them would last only one season.
3. Gene Wood. Since beginning his announcing career on the revived Beat the Clock in 1969, a show he would later host, Wood has been more of a second lieutenant to Olson as an announcer for Goodson-Todman, becoming famous for introducing the families on Family Feud and reading the opening poems of the original version of Card Sharks. Before Wood became involved with game shows, he was a writer for Captain Kangaroo, creating the cartoon series The Adventures of Lariat Sam. He also announced shows for other packagers, including Love Connection and Win, Lose or Draw.
4. Kenny Williams. He was the main announcer for game shows produced by Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley that began in 1960 with Video Village. Among the shows he announced were PDQ, Hollywood Squares, Gambit and High Rollers. Williams would also appear on camera as the Town Crier on Video Village, Kenny the Cop on Shenanigans that was hosted by Stubby Kaye and also on the kids version of Hollywood Squares, the Storybook Squares. The only two shows he didn't announce for Heatter-Quigley were Temptation and The Magnificent Marble Machine. BTW, Carl King did Temptation and Gilbert did The Magnificent Marble Machine. But he's best known for introducing Peter Marshall as "The Master of the Hollywood Squares."
5. Jay Stewart. Not only was the announcer on the show he's best known for Let's Make a Deal but he also frequently appeared on camera to assist host Monty Hall with the various deals. He was a key to the show's 13 year run and would later go on to announce for Jack Barry and Dan Enright, working on shows such as The Joker's Wild, Tic Tac Dough and Bullseye. Stewart would move on to announce for Reg Grundy Productions, working on Sale of the Century and Scrabble.
6. Charlie O'Donnell. Before announcing game shows, O'Donnell was the announcer on American Bandstand and sidekick to Dick Clark. He would later work with Clark on numerous specials and awards shows. As far as game shows are concerned, he's best known as the announcer on Wheel of Fortune. He would serve two announcing stints on the long running game show, starting with the debut in 1975 until leaving to become the primary voice for the Barry-Enright game shows and returning in 1989 until he passed away in 2010. In addition, he would announced The Academy Awards, the Miss America Pageant and read the news on Los Angeles TV station KCOP-TV.
7. Rod Roddy. Since his voice was first heard as the announcer/narrator on the controversial sitcom Soap in 1977, he would move into game show announcing two years later with Whew! Since then, he worked on shows such as Battlestars, Hit Man and Press Your Luck before being selected to replace Olson, who died in 1985 as the announcer on The Price is Right. He would work on the long running game show for 17 years until he passed away in 2003. One thing Roddy was known for was his outlandish silk jackets that came from fabric he bought on his frequent trips to Thailand.
8. Don Pardo. The NBC staff announcer worked on a number of New York based game shows for the network, including the original Price is Right where his catch phrase was "Price authority..." in mentioning the name of the company that supplied the prize up for bids. Pardo would stay with the network when the show moved to ABC in 1963 and in 1964 he would become the announcer on the original Jeopardy with Art Fleming. He would also announce other shows such as Eye Guess and Three on a Match before landing his longest running gig in 1975 as the voice for Saturday Night Live. Pardo would also announce for many year's NBC's coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
9. Johnny Jacobs. Since TV viewers first heard him in 1965 on Chuck Barris' maiden voyage into game shows The Dating Game, he would be the announcer for almost every show that Barris produced. His long time friend Jack Barry would use him as the announcer on The Joker's Wild when the show debuted in 1972. Before Jacobs got into game show announcing, he appeared in an episode of Leave it to Beaver as the moderator of a TV show Beaver appeared on Teenage Forum.
10. John Harlan. Second to Gilbert as the oldest surviving game show announcer, Harlan's voice has been heard frequently on shows produced by packagers named Ralph, Andrews and Edwards. He would be the announcer on Tom Kennedy's first hit show You Don't Say in 1963 and reunite with him on Name that Tune in the mid 70s. But Harlan's also did shows for other companies. He was the announcer on the early 70s incarnation of Password and the short lived 1978 revival of Jeopardy. Harlan's voice was also heard on another music game show Face the Music.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Monday, December 26, 2016
2016 Schwan Cup High School Tournament Preview
The Schwan Super Rink in Blaine is the site for plenty of high school hockey holiday tournament play this week with the 2016 Schwan Cup girls and boys high school hockey tournaments.
In addition, the girls and boys championship games and the boys Gold Division quarterfinal and semi final games will be played at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.
The girls portion of the Schwan Cup gets underway Monday with opening round games in five divisions. Three Top 10 teams are in the Gold Division as the Centennial Cougars, ranked seventh in Class AA, take on the Buffalo Bison. Perennial power Lakeville North plays in the second game against the Duluth Icebreakers. A Class A state tournament preview could take place if a pair of teams win their quarterfinal games. The first pits Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids against seventh ranked Proctor/Hermantown. In the second lower bracket game, the East Ridge Raptors battle the fifth ranked Thief River Falls Prowlers.
It's a new look Silver division with six new teams joining incumbents Holy Family/Waconia and Moose Lake. Moose Lake opens the day's festivities against the Irondale Knights, followed by Holy Family/Waconia and Andover. The Anoka Tornadoes face North/Tartan and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton battles the Rogers Royals.
The only Twin Cities area match up in the Bronze Division is the opening round game with the Mahtomedi Zephyrs taking on the Totino-Grace Eagles. Outstate teams comprise the remainder of the bracket. St. Cloud takes on International Falls, followed by the only Canadian team in this year's tournament, the Fort Francis Muskies. Their opponent is the Owatonna Huskies. Wrapping up the bracket will be St. Francis/North Branch and the Green Bay Bay Bears.
In the American Division, the Luverne Cardinals face the Chisago Lakes Wildcats, floowed by the Rochester Mayo Spartans and the Henry Sibley Warriors. Northland Pines from Wisconsin plays the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets and the evening wraps up with the "Battle of the Prairies" as Sun Prairie, WI faces Prairie Center.
There's only six teams in the National Division so it will be a round robin format as Arrowhead, WI faces the Eveleth-Gilbert golden Bears, followed by a southern Minnesota showdown between the Marshall Tigers and the Fairmont Cardinals and concluding the first day's action is Northern Lakes from Breezy Point and the North Metro Stars.
As for the boys tournament that begins on Thursday, December 29, head over to Ridder Arena as the Gold Division quarterfinals open with the defending Class AA champion Wayzata Trojans battle the St. Thomas Academy Cadets. The Trojans Lake Conference rivals, the Minnetonka Skippers play the next game against the Centennial Cougars. Two perennial powers play in the third game, the Hill-Murray Pioneers and the Eden Prairie Eagles and it's followed by the Burnsville Blaze and the Edina Hornets. There's plenty of outstanding talent in this division, including Eden Prairie's Casey Mittlestadt.
Back in Blaine, there's the Silver Division bracket with the fourth ranked team in Class A, the Breck Mustangs facing the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. The sixth ranked Mahtomedi Zephyrs battle the Buffalo Bison in the second game. The third game is a north suburban shootout as the Mounds View Mustangs face the Anoka Tornadoes. Concluding the day's action is the St.Michael-Albertville Knights and the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
The only non Minnesota team in the boys tournament is the Hudson Raiders and they open up Bronze Division quarterfinal play against Minneapolis. Next up is the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles and the Rogers Royals, followed by a couple of private school powers the Holy Angels Stars and the Blake Bears. The Chanhassen Storm and the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets wrap up Bronze Division quarterfinal Thursday.
The final boys division is the Open Division as the Mankato East Cougars begin the quarterfinals against the Spring Lake Park Panthers. The Minnehaha Academy Redhawks fly up Highway 65 to take on the Chisago Lakes Wildcats, followed by the Chaska Hawks and the Princeton Tigers. There could be an "All Tigers Semifinal" as the Marshall Tigers square off with the Simley Spartans.
There it is. Six days of exciting high school hockey. Whether you take in the girls games or the boys games, there's plenty of outstanding talent that will skate on all eight rinks in Blaine and Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. It's a great way to wrap up 2016 in Minnesota high school hockey.
In addition, the girls and boys championship games and the boys Gold Division quarterfinal and semi final games will be played at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.
The girls portion of the Schwan Cup gets underway Monday with opening round games in five divisions. Three Top 10 teams are in the Gold Division as the Centennial Cougars, ranked seventh in Class AA, take on the Buffalo Bison. Perennial power Lakeville North plays in the second game against the Duluth Icebreakers. A Class A state tournament preview could take place if a pair of teams win their quarterfinal games. The first pits Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids against seventh ranked Proctor/Hermantown. In the second lower bracket game, the East Ridge Raptors battle the fifth ranked Thief River Falls Prowlers.
It's a new look Silver division with six new teams joining incumbents Holy Family/Waconia and Moose Lake. Moose Lake opens the day's festivities against the Irondale Knights, followed by Holy Family/Waconia and Andover. The Anoka Tornadoes face North/Tartan and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton battles the Rogers Royals.
The only Twin Cities area match up in the Bronze Division is the opening round game with the Mahtomedi Zephyrs taking on the Totino-Grace Eagles. Outstate teams comprise the remainder of the bracket. St. Cloud takes on International Falls, followed by the only Canadian team in this year's tournament, the Fort Francis Muskies. Their opponent is the Owatonna Huskies. Wrapping up the bracket will be St. Francis/North Branch and the Green Bay Bay Bears.
In the American Division, the Luverne Cardinals face the Chisago Lakes Wildcats, floowed by the Rochester Mayo Spartans and the Henry Sibley Warriors. Northland Pines from Wisconsin plays the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets and the evening wraps up with the "Battle of the Prairies" as Sun Prairie, WI faces Prairie Center.
There's only six teams in the National Division so it will be a round robin format as Arrowhead, WI faces the Eveleth-Gilbert golden Bears, followed by a southern Minnesota showdown between the Marshall Tigers and the Fairmont Cardinals and concluding the first day's action is Northern Lakes from Breezy Point and the North Metro Stars.
As for the boys tournament that begins on Thursday, December 29, head over to Ridder Arena as the Gold Division quarterfinals open with the defending Class AA champion Wayzata Trojans battle the St. Thomas Academy Cadets. The Trojans Lake Conference rivals, the Minnetonka Skippers play the next game against the Centennial Cougars. Two perennial powers play in the third game, the Hill-Murray Pioneers and the Eden Prairie Eagles and it's followed by the Burnsville Blaze and the Edina Hornets. There's plenty of outstanding talent in this division, including Eden Prairie's Casey Mittlestadt.
Back in Blaine, there's the Silver Division bracket with the fourth ranked team in Class A, the Breck Mustangs facing the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. The sixth ranked Mahtomedi Zephyrs battle the Buffalo Bison in the second game. The third game is a north suburban shootout as the Mounds View Mustangs face the Anoka Tornadoes. Concluding the day's action is the St.Michael-Albertville Knights and the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
The only non Minnesota team in the boys tournament is the Hudson Raiders and they open up Bronze Division quarterfinal play against Minneapolis. Next up is the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles and the Rogers Royals, followed by a couple of private school powers the Holy Angels Stars and the Blake Bears. The Chanhassen Storm and the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets wrap up Bronze Division quarterfinal Thursday.
The final boys division is the Open Division as the Mankato East Cougars begin the quarterfinals against the Spring Lake Park Panthers. The Minnehaha Academy Redhawks fly up Highway 65 to take on the Chisago Lakes Wildcats, followed by the Chaska Hawks and the Princeton Tigers. There could be an "All Tigers Semifinal" as the Marshall Tigers square off with the Simley Spartans.
There it is. Six days of exciting high school hockey. Whether you take in the girls games or the boys games, there's plenty of outstanding talent that will skate on all eight rinks in Blaine and Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. It's a great way to wrap up 2016 in Minnesota high school hockey.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Hopkins/Park Royals Rally to Beat Eagan Wildcats
The holidays will be happier for Kylie Hanley who scored two goals, including the game winner with 2:18 left in regulation time to lead the Hopkins/Park Royals to a 3-2 come from behind win Thursday night at The Rec Center in St. Louis Park.
The Wildcats would take the early lead when Hannah Kojetin received a pass from Megan Plaschko and she went along the left boards, cut into the slot and went top shelf for the first Eagan goal. They would go up by two when Abby Barger passed to Kayla Vrieze in the center slot and she lined the puck into the net.
Neither team would score in the second period but Eagan goalie Ashley Larson made several glove saves to keep the margin at two.
In the third period, the Royals would begin their comeback when Hanley rebounded Kate Glover's shot to cut the lead to one. They would tie the game at two as Jenna Kimbrel made a right side pass to Makayla Jones-Klausing in the right slot and she would put it past Larson. Would there be overtime in the first of two Rec Center home games (the next is January 21) for Hopkins/Park? Hanley would answer the question with a shot from the center slot that would cross the goal line with 2:18 to go. Eagan head coach Dan Wilson would pull Larson with under a minute to go for a sixth attacker and the Wildcat defense would prevent any other pucks from entering the net.
Hopkins/Park improved their record to 11-3 and will open up the Mid-Winter Border Battle on Wednesday, December 28 at 10 AM against the Hayward, WI Hurricanes at Fogerty Arena in Blaine. Eagan returns to action on Tuesday, December 27 at 5:45 PM as they wrap up the opening day of the Mid-Winter Meltdown against the Eden Prairie Eagles at the Eden Prairie Community Center.
Emily Cronkhite of Eagan is the daughter of Steve Cronkhite, who played on the 1987 state boys hockey champion Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.
The Wildcats would take the early lead when Hannah Kojetin received a pass from Megan Plaschko and she went along the left boards, cut into the slot and went top shelf for the first Eagan goal. They would go up by two when Abby Barger passed to Kayla Vrieze in the center slot and she lined the puck into the net.
Neither team would score in the second period but Eagan goalie Ashley Larson made several glove saves to keep the margin at two.
In the third period, the Royals would begin their comeback when Hanley rebounded Kate Glover's shot to cut the lead to one. They would tie the game at two as Jenna Kimbrel made a right side pass to Makayla Jones-Klausing in the right slot and she would put it past Larson. Would there be overtime in the first of two Rec Center home games (the next is January 21) for Hopkins/Park? Hanley would answer the question with a shot from the center slot that would cross the goal line with 2:18 to go. Eagan head coach Dan Wilson would pull Larson with under a minute to go for a sixth attacker and the Wildcat defense would prevent any other pucks from entering the net.
Hopkins/Park improved their record to 11-3 and will open up the Mid-Winter Border Battle on Wednesday, December 28 at 10 AM against the Hayward, WI Hurricanes at Fogerty Arena in Blaine. Eagan returns to action on Tuesday, December 27 at 5:45 PM as they wrap up the opening day of the Mid-Winter Meltdown against the Eden Prairie Eagles at the Eden Prairie Community Center.
Emily Cronkhite of Eagan is the daughter of Steve Cronkhite, who played on the 1987 state boys hockey champion Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
SLP Oriole Athletic Teams to Play in Holiday Tournaments
St. Louis Park's athletic teams will be hitting the road after Christmas to participate in holiday tournaments. Here's where the Orioles will be playing.
The boys hockey team will be heading north to Heritage Arena in Duluth December 27-29. They will open up the day's festivities on the 27th against the Owatonna Huskies at 1 PM. On Wednesday, December 28, they will take on the Apple Valley Eagles at 3:30 and they will wrap up their trip to the Twin Ports on the 29th against the host team, the Duluth Denfeld Hunters at 3 PM.
As for the combined Hopkins/SLP girls hockey team, they will head up to Fogerty Arena in Blaine to play in the Mid-Winter Border Battle December 28-30. Their opening round game on the 28th is at 10 AM against the defending Wisconsin state champion Hayward Hurricanes. They will play either Forest Lake or White Bear Lake on the 29th at 10 AM or 2 PM.
Not too far from Blaine is Arden Hills, where the Oriole boys basketball team will play in the Bethel University Tournament December 28-29. Their game on the 28th is against the Eagan Wildcats at 4:15 PM.
The girls basketball team will be heading down I-35 to Northfield to play in the St. Olaf Holiday Hoops Classic December 28-30 at Skoglund Center on the St. Olaf College campus. They will battle the Eagan Wildcats on the 28th at 6:45 PM.
Take your pick. Whether you decide to head north to Duluth for boys hockey, south to Northfield for girls basketball or venture to the north metro for boys basketball in Arden Hills or girls hockey in Blaine, there's plenty of holiday tournament action coming up for Oriole fans. Hopefully, the weather picture will be favorable for a tournament road trip.
The boys hockey team will be heading north to Heritage Arena in Duluth December 27-29. They will open up the day's festivities on the 27th against the Owatonna Huskies at 1 PM. On Wednesday, December 28, they will take on the Apple Valley Eagles at 3:30 and they will wrap up their trip to the Twin Ports on the 29th against the host team, the Duluth Denfeld Hunters at 3 PM.
As for the combined Hopkins/SLP girls hockey team, they will head up to Fogerty Arena in Blaine to play in the Mid-Winter Border Battle December 28-30. Their opening round game on the 28th is at 10 AM against the defending Wisconsin state champion Hayward Hurricanes. They will play either Forest Lake or White Bear Lake on the 29th at 10 AM or 2 PM.
Not too far from Blaine is Arden Hills, where the Oriole boys basketball team will play in the Bethel University Tournament December 28-29. Their game on the 28th is against the Eagan Wildcats at 4:15 PM.
The girls basketball team will be heading down I-35 to Northfield to play in the St. Olaf Holiday Hoops Classic December 28-30 at Skoglund Center on the St. Olaf College campus. They will battle the Eagan Wildcats on the 28th at 6:45 PM.
Take your pick. Whether you decide to head north to Duluth for boys hockey, south to Northfield for girls basketball or venture to the north metro for boys basketball in Arden Hills or girls hockey in Blaine, there's plenty of holiday tournament action coming up for Oriole fans. Hopefully, the weather picture will be favorable for a tournament road trip.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Groves Academy Griffins Win First Game of Season
There will be no lumps of coal in the Groves Academy Griffins Christmas stockings as Malik Bodden scored 25 points to lead them to a 65-49 win over the Chesterton Academy Bulldogs Tuesday night in St. Louis Park.
The win snapped a four game losing streak for Groves Academy.
Max Bilcik began the scoring for the Griffins :24 into the game when he scored on a rebound. Zach Halpin would even the game at two and would put the Bulldogs on a 6-0 run that would end when Bilcik scored four straight points. Bodden would score to event the game at six and larry Mohamed would hit a free throw to put Groves Academy ahead. Mohamed would also put the Griffins on a 4-0 run that would end on a pair of free throws from Chesterton Academy's Dundee Peterson. Groves Academy would move ahead further and Patrick Quinn would hit the game's first three pointer with 6:20 left in the half. Bodden would also hit from Highway 100 as foul trouble would plague the Bulldogs when Greg fink picked up his third foul with 1:31 left in the half. The Griffins would lead 32-15 at halftime.
Chesterton Academy would begin the second half on a 5-0 run that included a three pointer from Pilon. Kolbe Lahmis picked up his fourth foul with 16:07 to play and the Bulldogs would try to get back in the game as they went on a 6-0 run. Zach Halpin would later hit a three point play that would cut the lead to seven but that would be as close as Chesterton Academy could get. Bodden would use his speed and hot shooting to score eight of the Griffins next 10 points to put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs would go on a 5-0 run but they couldn't drop the margin to under 10. Groves Academy would lose Bilcik on fouls with 3:00 left but they would hold their lead to clinch the victory leading into the Christmas break.
Bilcik and Quinn were the only other Groves Academy players in double figures, scoring 10 points apiece. Halpin led Chesterton Academy with 25 points. Pilon piled in 10.
The Griffins improved their record to 1-4 and will participate in the North Lakes Academy Tournament December 28-29 in Forest Lake. Their game on the 28th is against North Lakes Academy at 7 PM. The Bulldogs fell to 0-1 and will play in the Calvin Christian Tournament December 27-29 in Fridley.
The win snapped a four game losing streak for Groves Academy.
Max Bilcik began the scoring for the Griffins :24 into the game when he scored on a rebound. Zach Halpin would even the game at two and would put the Bulldogs on a 6-0 run that would end when Bilcik scored four straight points. Bodden would score to event the game at six and larry Mohamed would hit a free throw to put Groves Academy ahead. Mohamed would also put the Griffins on a 4-0 run that would end on a pair of free throws from Chesterton Academy's Dundee Peterson. Groves Academy would move ahead further and Patrick Quinn would hit the game's first three pointer with 6:20 left in the half. Bodden would also hit from Highway 100 as foul trouble would plague the Bulldogs when Greg fink picked up his third foul with 1:31 left in the half. The Griffins would lead 32-15 at halftime.
Chesterton Academy would begin the second half on a 5-0 run that included a three pointer from Pilon. Kolbe Lahmis picked up his fourth foul with 16:07 to play and the Bulldogs would try to get back in the game as they went on a 6-0 run. Zach Halpin would later hit a three point play that would cut the lead to seven but that would be as close as Chesterton Academy could get. Bodden would use his speed and hot shooting to score eight of the Griffins next 10 points to put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs would go on a 5-0 run but they couldn't drop the margin to under 10. Groves Academy would lose Bilcik on fouls with 3:00 left but they would hold their lead to clinch the victory leading into the Christmas break.
Bilcik and Quinn were the only other Groves Academy players in double figures, scoring 10 points apiece. Halpin led Chesterton Academy with 25 points. Pilon piled in 10.
The Griffins improved their record to 1-4 and will participate in the North Lakes Academy Tournament December 28-29 in Forest Lake. Their game on the 28th is against North Lakes Academy at 7 PM. The Bulldogs fell to 0-1 and will play in the Calvin Christian Tournament December 27-29 in Fridley.
Monday, December 19, 2016
HSGN's Top 10 Game Show Hosts of All-Time
Of all the game shows that have aired since the late 40s, there have been many hosts, including several who have gone on to greater fame with multiple shows. Here is HSGN's Top 10 Game Show Hosts of All-Time.
1. Bill Cullen. Not only has he hosted more game shows than anyone on this list with 23, he was a regular panelist on two long running shows. He had a 15 year run on I've Got a Secret and a nine year run where he also filled in as host on the syndicated revival of To Tell the Truth with another host who made this list. He was a bright and witty man who made the contestants feel at home and brought humor to the proceedings. Though Cullen hosted a number of flops throughout his career, he was best known for hosting the original Price is Right and a couple of games that were produced by his best friend Bob Stewart Eye Guess and Three on a Match. When you watch a Cullen show, you usually saw him seated due to a limp that came from polio.
2. Bob Barker. He was discovered by Ralph Edwards when he heard him on his car radio and was hired in 1956 to host Truth or Consequences in two runs that would run a total of 18 years. But his biggest success came in 1972 when Mark Goodson hired him to host the revamped Price is Right and he would stay with the show until he retired in 2007. His ability to handle audience participation shows and bring out the best in contestants that were chosen from the audience earned him many Emmy Awards.
3. Bob Eubanks. At the age of 28, he made his TV debut as host of The Newlywed Game, a show he would host in three other incarnations. Though he hosted several flops such as The Diamond Head Game, Rhyme and Reason and Trivia Trap, his other game show success was the 1986-89 version of Card Sharks. What puts Eubanks high on the list is his ability to do what every great game show host does well, listen and react. And he did that so well with a dash of humor mixed in. One little known fact about Eubanks, he managed country superstars Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard.
4. Alex Trebek. Since he came from Canada in 1973 to host NBC's The Wizard of Odds, he has hosted shows such as High Rollers, Double Dare (not the kids show on Nickelodeon), The $128,000 Question and Battlestars. In 1984, he would become the host of Jeopardy and he still guiding the show 32 years later. In 1991, he became the first host to host three daily game shows with Classic Concentration and To Tell the Truth along with Jeopardy. He was also the host of The National Geographic Bee from 1989-2013.
5. Allen Ludden. One of the best dressed hosts of all-time, Ludden would be the original host of the GE College Bowl until he became the host of the landmark word game Password. Not only would Password be his greatest success, it was on that show he would meet and later marry Betty White. His friendly and classy and caring personality was a plus as he interacted well with the celebrities and contestants. Ludden would also go on to host two other versions of Password until he had to step down due to cancer, which took his life in 1981. Two little known facts about Ludden, he would host a quiz segment on the program Agriculture USA and a PBS game show on personal finance You Owe it to Yourself, which aired on the Twin Cities on KTCA-TV in the mid 70s.
6. Garry Moore. He was one of the busiest hosts of the 50s and 60s that had two long running hits. The first was I've Got a Secret, which he hosted from 1952-64 and his own variety show that introduced the nation to a young comedienne named Carol Burnett who sang about making a fool of herself over John Foster Dulles. Moore would make a comeback in 1969 when he replaced Bud Collyer as host of To Tell the Truth. He would host the show until he developed throat cancer and had to leave the show in 1977.
7. Wink Martindale. Since making his national debut in 1964 (aka Win) as host of What's This Song, he would host several other short-lived game shows such as How's Your Mother in Law, Words and Music and Can You Top This before he hit it big with Gambit and later Tic Tac Dough. He would also create and host Headline Chasers and host other cable shows, including Debt. Before he made it big in game shows, he had a hit record with Deck of Cards.
8. Tom Kennedy. The brother of Jack Narz, Kennedy would become a household name in 1963 when he became the host of You Don't Say. He would also have two other hit shows, Split Second and the long running Name That Tune. He would also host an attempted effort to bring back the big money quiz show 50 Grand Slam but it was gone after 13 weeks. Kennedy would also go on to replace Ludden as host of Password Plus in 1980 when Ludden left due to illness.
9. Monty Hall. He hosted shows in his native Canada before coming to the United States in the mid 50s. He would be a substitute host on Strike it Rich and Twenty One before he replaced Narz as host of the first Heatter-Quigley game show Video Village in 1960. Three years later, he would create, produce and host the show that would be his biggest hit, Let's Make a Deal. It would run for 13 years, the first five on NBC before moving to ABC for the rest of its run. He was the perfect host for one of the hardest formats to host since there are so many different variables but Hall made it look easy, putting the costumed contestants at ease and injecting humor. Before hosting game shows, he was the radio color commentator for the New York Rangers home games until he was hired for Video Village.
10. The final host in the top 10 is Gene Rayburn. After becoming the first announcer on The Tonight Show in 1954, he would go on to hosting game shows such as Dough Re Mi, Choose Up Sides and Play Your Hunch before becoming the host of the original Match Game in 1962. He would be brought back to host the extremely popular 70s incarnation that brought his wacky sense of humor into the forefront. He also read the comedic questions as he portrayed characters such as Dracula and Old Man Periwinkle. He was also one of the few hosts who never lived in California, commuting every other week for each taping from his Cape Cod home.
1. Bill Cullen. Not only has he hosted more game shows than anyone on this list with 23, he was a regular panelist on two long running shows. He had a 15 year run on I've Got a Secret and a nine year run where he also filled in as host on the syndicated revival of To Tell the Truth with another host who made this list. He was a bright and witty man who made the contestants feel at home and brought humor to the proceedings. Though Cullen hosted a number of flops throughout his career, he was best known for hosting the original Price is Right and a couple of games that were produced by his best friend Bob Stewart Eye Guess and Three on a Match. When you watch a Cullen show, you usually saw him seated due to a limp that came from polio.
2. Bob Barker. He was discovered by Ralph Edwards when he heard him on his car radio and was hired in 1956 to host Truth or Consequences in two runs that would run a total of 18 years. But his biggest success came in 1972 when Mark Goodson hired him to host the revamped Price is Right and he would stay with the show until he retired in 2007. His ability to handle audience participation shows and bring out the best in contestants that were chosen from the audience earned him many Emmy Awards.
3. Bob Eubanks. At the age of 28, he made his TV debut as host of The Newlywed Game, a show he would host in three other incarnations. Though he hosted several flops such as The Diamond Head Game, Rhyme and Reason and Trivia Trap, his other game show success was the 1986-89 version of Card Sharks. What puts Eubanks high on the list is his ability to do what every great game show host does well, listen and react. And he did that so well with a dash of humor mixed in. One little known fact about Eubanks, he managed country superstars Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard.
4. Alex Trebek. Since he came from Canada in 1973 to host NBC's The Wizard of Odds, he has hosted shows such as High Rollers, Double Dare (not the kids show on Nickelodeon), The $128,000 Question and Battlestars. In 1984, he would become the host of Jeopardy and he still guiding the show 32 years later. In 1991, he became the first host to host three daily game shows with Classic Concentration and To Tell the Truth along with Jeopardy. He was also the host of The National Geographic Bee from 1989-2013.
5. Allen Ludden. One of the best dressed hosts of all-time, Ludden would be the original host of the GE College Bowl until he became the host of the landmark word game Password. Not only would Password be his greatest success, it was on that show he would meet and later marry Betty White. His friendly and classy and caring personality was a plus as he interacted well with the celebrities and contestants. Ludden would also go on to host two other versions of Password until he had to step down due to cancer, which took his life in 1981. Two little known facts about Ludden, he would host a quiz segment on the program Agriculture USA and a PBS game show on personal finance You Owe it to Yourself, which aired on the Twin Cities on KTCA-TV in the mid 70s.
6. Garry Moore. He was one of the busiest hosts of the 50s and 60s that had two long running hits. The first was I've Got a Secret, which he hosted from 1952-64 and his own variety show that introduced the nation to a young comedienne named Carol Burnett who sang about making a fool of herself over John Foster Dulles. Moore would make a comeback in 1969 when he replaced Bud Collyer as host of To Tell the Truth. He would host the show until he developed throat cancer and had to leave the show in 1977.
7. Wink Martindale. Since making his national debut in 1964 (aka Win) as host of What's This Song, he would host several other short-lived game shows such as How's Your Mother in Law, Words and Music and Can You Top This before he hit it big with Gambit and later Tic Tac Dough. He would also create and host Headline Chasers and host other cable shows, including Debt. Before he made it big in game shows, he had a hit record with Deck of Cards.
8. Tom Kennedy. The brother of Jack Narz, Kennedy would become a household name in 1963 when he became the host of You Don't Say. He would also have two other hit shows, Split Second and the long running Name That Tune. He would also host an attempted effort to bring back the big money quiz show 50 Grand Slam but it was gone after 13 weeks. Kennedy would also go on to replace Ludden as host of Password Plus in 1980 when Ludden left due to illness.
9. Monty Hall. He hosted shows in his native Canada before coming to the United States in the mid 50s. He would be a substitute host on Strike it Rich and Twenty One before he replaced Narz as host of the first Heatter-Quigley game show Video Village in 1960. Three years later, he would create, produce and host the show that would be his biggest hit, Let's Make a Deal. It would run for 13 years, the first five on NBC before moving to ABC for the rest of its run. He was the perfect host for one of the hardest formats to host since there are so many different variables but Hall made it look easy, putting the costumed contestants at ease and injecting humor. Before hosting game shows, he was the radio color commentator for the New York Rangers home games until he was hired for Video Village.
10. The final host in the top 10 is Gene Rayburn. After becoming the first announcer on The Tonight Show in 1954, he would go on to hosting game shows such as Dough Re Mi, Choose Up Sides and Play Your Hunch before becoming the host of the original Match Game in 1962. He would be brought back to host the extremely popular 70s incarnation that brought his wacky sense of humor into the forefront. He also read the comedic questions as he portrayed characters such as Dracula and Old Man Periwinkle. He was also one of the few hosts who never lived in California, commuting every other week for each taping from his Cape Cod home.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Snowstorm Postpones SLP Orioles Saturday Matinee
The heavy snowstorm that hit much of Minnesota Friday night has caused Saturday's boys hockey game between the North Shore Storm and the St. Louis Park Orioles to be postponed.
No word on any rescheduled for the nonconference game.
On December 15, the Orioles returned to the win column with a 7-5 win over the Mound-Westonka Whitehawks. Bauer Neudecker scored four goals for the Orioles, who improved their record to 3-2.
St. Louis Park has a tough test coming up on Tuesday, December 20 when they host the defending Class AA state champion Wayzata Trojans at 7 PM at The Rec Center. It's their last home game before the holiday break. The Orioles will play in a tournament December 27-29 at the Heritage Arena in Duluth. Their opening round game on the 27th is against the Owatonna Huskies at 1 PM.
No word on any rescheduled for the nonconference game.
On December 15, the Orioles returned to the win column with a 7-5 win over the Mound-Westonka Whitehawks. Bauer Neudecker scored four goals for the Orioles, who improved their record to 3-2.
St. Louis Park has a tough test coming up on Tuesday, December 20 when they host the defending Class AA state champion Wayzata Trojans at 7 PM at The Rec Center. It's their last home game before the holiday break. The Orioles will play in a tournament December 27-29 at the Heritage Arena in Duluth. Their opening round game on the 27th is against the Owatonna Huskies at 1 PM.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
St. Paul Prep Falcons Rout Groves Academy Griffins
Though only six players were in uniform for the St. Paul Prep Falcons, they would use their speed and athleticism that was led by Aaron Gill's 29 points en route to a 102-34 defeat of the Groves Academy Griffins Thursday night in St. Louis Park.
Malcolm Golden would open the scoring for the Falcons :11 into the game. Gill would put St. Paul Prep on a 5-0 run with four straight points until Malik Bodden put the Griffins on the scoreboard. The Falcons would would get three pointers from Romell Adams and Roberto Riganti as well as Gill who missed a couple of gigantic dunks. Groves Academy's outside shooting was like the subzero windchills that plagued the Twin Cities area this week as they fell behind 35-8. St. Paul Prep displayed outstanding passing as well as three point shooting from Adams and golden and they would extend their lead even further, leading 67-14 at halftime.
The Falcons would widen their lead to start the second half going on a 6-0 run. Gill gave the small throng a sampling of his athletic ability when he glided through the land=e, changed hands and made a lay up. St. Paul Prep would go on a 16-0 run as the Griffins would not get their first basket until Max Greseth, who made his first start in place of the injured Martin Schmitz would hit a three pointer with 12:37 to go. He would be the lone bright spot for Groves Academy as he later hit his second three pointer. The Griffins would lose Bilcik and Noah Madson to fouls as the game would head into running time and head coach Peter Shutte would give several reserves an opportunity to get some playing time.
Other players in double figures for the Falcons were Adams with 22 points, Riganti with 21 and Golden 20. Bilcik was the Griffins leading scorer with eight points.
St. Paul Prep improved their record to 3-0 and will travel to Brooklyn Park on Monday, December 19 to face the Prairie Seeds Academy Lycans at 7 PM. Groves Academy fell to 0-4 and will wrap up their home stand on Tuesday, December 20 with a 5:30 game against Chesterton Academy.
Malcolm Golden would open the scoring for the Falcons :11 into the game. Gill would put St. Paul Prep on a 5-0 run with four straight points until Malik Bodden put the Griffins on the scoreboard. The Falcons would would get three pointers from Romell Adams and Roberto Riganti as well as Gill who missed a couple of gigantic dunks. Groves Academy's outside shooting was like the subzero windchills that plagued the Twin Cities area this week as they fell behind 35-8. St. Paul Prep displayed outstanding passing as well as three point shooting from Adams and golden and they would extend their lead even further, leading 67-14 at halftime.
The Falcons would widen their lead to start the second half going on a 6-0 run. Gill gave the small throng a sampling of his athletic ability when he glided through the land=e, changed hands and made a lay up. St. Paul Prep would go on a 16-0 run as the Griffins would not get their first basket until Max Greseth, who made his first start in place of the injured Martin Schmitz would hit a three pointer with 12:37 to go. He would be the lone bright spot for Groves Academy as he later hit his second three pointer. The Griffins would lose Bilcik and Noah Madson to fouls as the game would head into running time and head coach Peter Shutte would give several reserves an opportunity to get some playing time.
Other players in double figures for the Falcons were Adams with 22 points, Riganti with 21 and Golden 20. Bilcik was the Griffins leading scorer with eight points.
St. Paul Prep improved their record to 3-0 and will travel to Brooklyn Park on Monday, December 19 to face the Prairie Seeds Academy Lycans at 7 PM. Groves Academy fell to 0-4 and will wrap up their home stand on Tuesday, December 20 with a 5:30 game against Chesterton Academy.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
A Tribute to Alan Thicke
On December 13, the multi talented Alan Thicke passed away at 69 from a heart attack. He was best known for portraying Jason Seaver on the sitcom Growing Pains but he also was involved with game shows as a host, producer and composer of theme songs.
HSGN looks back at the game show career of Thicke.
The Canadian born Thicke hosted four game shows. His first was in his native Canada, when he presided over the Montreal produced comedy game show First Impressions. The show ran from 1976 to 1977. In 1987, he hosted his first network game show when he became the host of the Saturday morning game show Animal Crackups. The show featured four celebrities who answered questions about animals in a quest to win $2500 for their animal related charity.
The show made extensive use of footage from the Tokyo Broadcasting System since it was based on a Japanese show titled Waku Waku. Thicke also co-wrote and performed the theme song "Animals are Just Like People Too." It was an outstanding mix of education and entertainment and Thicke did an outstanding job as host. He was very personable and interacted well with the celebrities. Animal Crackups had a short run in prime time before moving to Saturday mornings and ran until it was cancelled in 1990.
Another show Thicke would host would be Pictionary, which was based on the board game and similar to Win, Lose or Draw. The show debuted in syndication in the fall of 1997 and like many first run shows that didn't begin their life spans on a network, it would only last one season.
The last game show Thicke would host would be a revival of the late 70s Chuck Barris show Three's a Crowd that aired for one season on GSN.
But Thicke was better known behind the camera as a composer of game show theme songs. His first came in 1973 when he was the producer of the NBC daytime game show The Wizard of Odds. He would also write and perform the show's theme song which was one of the few in game show history that was sung. Even though the show lasted only a year, it would also be known as the first game show that was hosted by Thicke's fellow Canadian Alex Trebek. Ten years after the demise of the Wizard of Odds, he would go on to bigger success as host of Jeopardy, which he still hosts today.
Among Thicke's other game show theme credits include the second theme from the original Joker's Wild that replaced Perrey & Kingsley's The Savers, Celebrity Sweepstakes and the original theme for a show that was hosted by Chuck Woolery and is still very much alive with Pat Sajak at the helm Wheel of Fortune. Other shows that had themes composed by Thicke were Blank Check, Stumpers, The Diamond Head Game and Whew!
The game show world has lost one of its most personable and creative geniuses in Thicke. May he rest in peace.
HSGN looks back at the game show career of Thicke.
The Canadian born Thicke hosted four game shows. His first was in his native Canada, when he presided over the Montreal produced comedy game show First Impressions. The show ran from 1976 to 1977. In 1987, he hosted his first network game show when he became the host of the Saturday morning game show Animal Crackups. The show featured four celebrities who answered questions about animals in a quest to win $2500 for their animal related charity.
The show made extensive use of footage from the Tokyo Broadcasting System since it was based on a Japanese show titled Waku Waku. Thicke also co-wrote and performed the theme song "Animals are Just Like People Too." It was an outstanding mix of education and entertainment and Thicke did an outstanding job as host. He was very personable and interacted well with the celebrities. Animal Crackups had a short run in prime time before moving to Saturday mornings and ran until it was cancelled in 1990.
Another show Thicke would host would be Pictionary, which was based on the board game and similar to Win, Lose or Draw. The show debuted in syndication in the fall of 1997 and like many first run shows that didn't begin their life spans on a network, it would only last one season.
The last game show Thicke would host would be a revival of the late 70s Chuck Barris show Three's a Crowd that aired for one season on GSN.
But Thicke was better known behind the camera as a composer of game show theme songs. His first came in 1973 when he was the producer of the NBC daytime game show The Wizard of Odds. He would also write and perform the show's theme song which was one of the few in game show history that was sung. Even though the show lasted only a year, it would also be known as the first game show that was hosted by Thicke's fellow Canadian Alex Trebek. Ten years after the demise of the Wizard of Odds, he would go on to bigger success as host of Jeopardy, which he still hosts today.
Among Thicke's other game show theme credits include the second theme from the original Joker's Wild that replaced Perrey & Kingsley's The Savers, Celebrity Sweepstakes and the original theme for a show that was hosted by Chuck Woolery and is still very much alive with Pat Sajak at the helm Wheel of Fortune. Other shows that had themes composed by Thicke were Blank Check, Stumpers, The Diamond Head Game and Whew!
The game show world has lost one of its most personable and creative geniuses in Thicke. May he rest in peace.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Heritage Academy Hawks Hover Over Groves Academy Griffins
The Heritage Academy Hawks flew in to the Groves Academy gym on a frigid Tuesday night and got a game high 20 points from Aburahkman Musee to lead them to a 78-42 rout of the Griffins in St. Louis Park.
Zachary Roblay scored the Hawks first basket :37 into the game. Max Bilcik would put the Griffins ahead with five straight points but Musee would score to regain the lead for Heritage Academy. Foul trouble would plague the Hawks in the first half when Ibrahim Mohamed picked up his second foul and Abdulahe Jama picked up his third foul with 7:28 left in the half,. But Musee picked up the slack by scoring four straight points. Max Greseth made his home debut for Groves Academy, coming off the bench and he scored to end the Heritage Academy run. It would be one of the few bright spots for the Griffins in the first half as the Hawks began to pull away, scoring 17 consecutive points. Martin Schmitz would end the run for Groves Academy. Foul trouble also hit the Griffins in the first half when Malik Bodden went to the bench with his third foul with 2:41 to go. Heritage Academy would widen their lead which would end up at halftime 45-14.
The Hawks would begin the second half with a couple of three pointers from Musee and Jama. Bilcik would score to end the early 6-0 run. There would be some life for the Griffins when it was discovered that Heritage Academy did not enter a number 11 in the scorebook so the referee assessed the Hawks a technical foul. Following Schmitz's free throws, Bilcik would shoot the technical free throws and the Griffins remained in possession. However, it did little to cut the Hawks margin since Bilcik would pick up his fourth foul with 12:24 remaining. Heritage Academy would use its speed, athleticism and scoring depth to wear down Groves Academy and head coach Ahmil Jihad would go to his bench with the game decided The game was also on the verge of heading into running time but the Griffins would go on a 9-0 run to delay the start of running time. They would also get a scare when Bilcik was hit in the nose in front of the seating area. Fortunately, it wasn't serious and he would return to the game in a couple of minutes though the game would enter running time with less than a minute to play.
Other players in double figures for Heritage Academy were Ahkmid Mohamed with 16 points. Hussein Kahdee had 11 and Abdi Fatah added 10. Groves Academy was led by Bilcik's 16 points. Bodden was the only other Griffin in double figures, tallying 11 points.
Before coming to Heritage Academy, Jihad was the head girls basketball coach at Minneapolis South. One of the players he coached would go on to greater success at Ohio State University and the WNBA's Washington Mystics, Tayler Hill. Jihad looked back at what it was like coaching a player like Hill.
"She came to practice. I have not seen a kid yet that could match her work ethic."
The Hawks improved their record to 1-2 and host the High School for Recording Arts Wednesday, December 14 at 7 PM. Groves Academy fell to 0-3 and continues their home stand on Thursday, December 15 against the St. Paul Prep Falcons at 7 PM.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Third Period Surge Sparks Orono Spartans Win Over SLP Orioles
While the snow was falling outside Saturday, the pucks were flying inside the nets as David Burns and Dane Korsi scored two goals apiece as the Orono Spartans broke a 2-2 tie with four third period goals to beat the St. Louis Park Orioles 6-2 at The Rec Center.
Burns began the first period for the Spartans as he got a pass from Jack Suchy and his shot from the right slot entered the net. Korsi would put Orono ahead by two with 1:10 left in the period as he rebounded Daniel Eckerline's shot and scored.
The Orioles would bounce back in the second period to tie the game with a pair of goals. Johnny Sorenson would score off a pass from Brenton Ryan and Bauer Neudecker would rebound Ryan's shot to even the score at two.
Orono would vault into the lead in the third period. St. Louis Park goalie William Pinney was playing out of the net and he paid the price as Max Luedtke found an opening on Phinney's right to put the puck in the net. Burns would pick up his second goal on a pass from Nick Anderson while both teams were skating four on four for :55. Landon Wittenberg picked up his first goal of the season as he scored from the left side of the net. As time was winding down in the third period, Oriole head coach Colin Hohman pulled Phinney for a sixth attacker and Korsi wrapped up the scoring on an empty net goal with :23 to play.
The Spartans improved their record to 3-2 and return to action on Thursday, December 15 against the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at PM at the Bloomington Ice Garden. The Orioles fell to 2-2 and will also be in action on the 15th as they travel to Mound-Westonka Whitehawks at 7 PM.
Burns began the first period for the Spartans as he got a pass from Jack Suchy and his shot from the right slot entered the net. Korsi would put Orono ahead by two with 1:10 left in the period as he rebounded Daniel Eckerline's shot and scored.
The Orioles would bounce back in the second period to tie the game with a pair of goals. Johnny Sorenson would score off a pass from Brenton Ryan and Bauer Neudecker would rebound Ryan's shot to even the score at two.
Orono would vault into the lead in the third period. St. Louis Park goalie William Pinney was playing out of the net and he paid the price as Max Luedtke found an opening on Phinney's right to put the puck in the net. Burns would pick up his second goal on a pass from Nick Anderson while both teams were skating four on four for :55. Landon Wittenberg picked up his first goal of the season as he scored from the left side of the net. As time was winding down in the third period, Oriole head coach Colin Hohman pulled Phinney for a sixth attacker and Korsi wrapped up the scoring on an empty net goal with :23 to play.
The Spartans improved their record to 3-2 and return to action on Thursday, December 15 against the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at PM at the Bloomington Ice Garden. The Orioles fell to 2-2 and will also be in action on the 15th as they travel to Mound-Westonka Whitehawks at 7 PM.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
AFSA Eagles Ground Groves Academy Griffins
Can do. can do. There's a lot Kyle Cantwell can do on the basketball court such as scoring a game high 29 points to lead the Academy for Science and Agriculture Eagles to a 74-52 win over the Groves Academy Griffins in the regular season opener for both teams Tuesday night in St. Louis Park.
Danny Leahy began the scoring for the Eagles 1:06 into the game with a pair of free throws. Noah Madson would put the Griffins on the newly installed installed scoreboard with a free throw. Jesse Rodriguez would hit a couple of three pointers for AFSA to even the game at eight as Max Bilcik, the 6'6" freshman would heat up for Groves Academy, scoring 11 straight points. The Eagles went on a 7-0 run that would end on a Malik Bodden three pointer. But Cantwell would answer and he would increase the lead to seven. The Griffins would get their offense going that would also include a basket from Martin Schmitz that would cut the Eagle lead to two. AFSA increased the lead on Rodriguez's third three pointer. Madson would score five straight points for Groves Academy and just when the Griffins would come close, the Eagles would forge ahead on another score from Cantwell. AFSA led 43-32 at halftime.
Madson would score for the Griffins :41 into the second half. However, the Eagles would begin to distance themselves from the Griffins as Cantwell went on another five point spree. Foul trouble would begin to plague Groves Academy in the second half as Madson picked up his fourth foul with 14:42 left in the game and Quinn would also commit his fourth foul :50 later. Griffin head coach Peter Shutte had to go to his bench and he put in a newcomer who was making his varsity debut, freshman Gabe Gordon. Gordon made the most of his inaugural playing time by hitting a shot from Minnetonka Blvd. There was very little Groves Academy could do to catch up as Cantwell would score four straight points, including two off a Griffin turnover.
Rodriguez was the only other Eagle to score in double figures, scoring 17 points. Bilcik led the Griffins with 19 points and Madson added 11.
AFSA opened the season at 1-0 and returns to action on Thursday, December 8 as they host the Heritage Academy Hawks at 4:30 PM. Groves Academy falls to 0-1 and will also be in action on the 8th when they head for St. Paul to face the Hmong Academy Warriors at 6 PM. The Warriors head coach was the former head girls soccer coach at Benilde-St. Margaret's James Cave.
Danny Leahy began the scoring for the Eagles 1:06 into the game with a pair of free throws. Noah Madson would put the Griffins on the newly installed installed scoreboard with a free throw. Jesse Rodriguez would hit a couple of three pointers for AFSA to even the game at eight as Max Bilcik, the 6'6" freshman would heat up for Groves Academy, scoring 11 straight points. The Eagles went on a 7-0 run that would end on a Malik Bodden three pointer. But Cantwell would answer and he would increase the lead to seven. The Griffins would get their offense going that would also include a basket from Martin Schmitz that would cut the Eagle lead to two. AFSA increased the lead on Rodriguez's third three pointer. Madson would score five straight points for Groves Academy and just when the Griffins would come close, the Eagles would forge ahead on another score from Cantwell. AFSA led 43-32 at halftime.
Madson would score for the Griffins :41 into the second half. However, the Eagles would begin to distance themselves from the Griffins as Cantwell went on another five point spree. Foul trouble would begin to plague Groves Academy in the second half as Madson picked up his fourth foul with 14:42 left in the game and Quinn would also commit his fourth foul :50 later. Griffin head coach Peter Shutte had to go to his bench and he put in a newcomer who was making his varsity debut, freshman Gabe Gordon. Gordon made the most of his inaugural playing time by hitting a shot from Minnetonka Blvd. There was very little Groves Academy could do to catch up as Cantwell would score four straight points, including two off a Griffin turnover.
Rodriguez was the only other Eagle to score in double figures, scoring 17 points. Bilcik led the Griffins with 19 points and Madson added 11.
AFSA opened the season at 1-0 and returns to action on Thursday, December 8 as they host the Heritage Academy Hawks at 4:30 PM. Groves Academy falls to 0-1 and will also be in action on the 8th when they head for St. Paul to face the Hmong Academy Warriors at 6 PM. The Warriors head coach was the former head girls soccer coach at Benilde-St. Margaret's James Cave.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Apple Valley Eagles Beat Minneapolis North Polars
Saturday's final game in the 2016 Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic featured a match up between two of last year's state boys basketball champions, the Minneapolis North Polars from Class A and the Class AAAA champion Apple Valley Eagles, who were led by Tre Jones' 29 points that led them to an 84-70 victory over the Polars at Hopkins High School.
Jones got the packed West gym crown going with a jam to open the scoring 1:04 into the game. The Polars would get a three pointer from Jaquan Sanders-Smith to take the lead. Mason Morse would counter with a shot from Highway 169 and Tre Jones would score on a right handed lay up to put Apple Valley on a 5-0 run. North would come back on a block from Odell Wilson IV and a basket from Isaac Johnson to even the game at seven. The lead would go back and forth a few times until Sanders-Smith and Marquis Holloman sparked a 5-0 Polar run. Luke Martens would cut the lead to one and that was followed by dueling three pointers from Morse and Isaac Johnson. A basket from Sanders-Smith would put North ahead by eight. The Eagles would come close on Mohmaed Kone's three pointer that cut the lead to two. Apple Valley would forge ahead with a late 6-0 run that would give them a 42-35 halftime lead.
The start of the second half looked like a three point shooting clinic as the Eagles hit three from the arc. Two were from Ely Hendrickson and the third was from Jones. Nathan Macho would also contribute for Apple Valley with four straight points. Then there was more action from the three point line Michael Thomas would score for the Eagles and Isaac Johnson countered for the Polars. North would stay alive as they went on a 5-0 run that included a Sanders-Smith three pointer. Apple Valley would go up by nine as Martens and Kone scored. Wilson would hit a three point play that drew the Polars close but it was Jones, the brother of Minnesota Timberwolf Tyus Jones that would hit a couple of three point plays down the stretch to wrap up the win.
In addition to his 29 points, Jones had 11 assists and five blocked shots. Other Apple Valley players in double figures were Martens with 15 points followed by Kone and Macho with 10 apiece. Isaac Johnson led North with 21 points. Sanders-Smith finished with 20 and Wilson contributed 19.
The Eagles opened the season without their top player from last year's title team Gary Trent Jr. He signed with Duke and transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, CA. Apple Valley head coach Zach Goring commented before the game on the loss of his top player from last season.
"He wanted to go somewhere where he could play against Division I talent every day. He was ready to move on."
Apple Valley opened the season with a 1-0 record and returns to action on Thursday, December 8 when they head down Highway 7 to take on the Minnetonka Skippers in a 7 PM game. North fell to 0-1 and will travel to Edina on Tuesday, December 6 for a 7 PM battle with the Hornets.
Jones got the packed West gym crown going with a jam to open the scoring 1:04 into the game. The Polars would get a three pointer from Jaquan Sanders-Smith to take the lead. Mason Morse would counter with a shot from Highway 169 and Tre Jones would score on a right handed lay up to put Apple Valley on a 5-0 run. North would come back on a block from Odell Wilson IV and a basket from Isaac Johnson to even the game at seven. The lead would go back and forth a few times until Sanders-Smith and Marquis Holloman sparked a 5-0 Polar run. Luke Martens would cut the lead to one and that was followed by dueling three pointers from Morse and Isaac Johnson. A basket from Sanders-Smith would put North ahead by eight. The Eagles would come close on Mohmaed Kone's three pointer that cut the lead to two. Apple Valley would forge ahead with a late 6-0 run that would give them a 42-35 halftime lead.
The start of the second half looked like a three point shooting clinic as the Eagles hit three from the arc. Two were from Ely Hendrickson and the third was from Jones. Nathan Macho would also contribute for Apple Valley with four straight points. Then there was more action from the three point line Michael Thomas would score for the Eagles and Isaac Johnson countered for the Polars. North would stay alive as they went on a 5-0 run that included a Sanders-Smith three pointer. Apple Valley would go up by nine as Martens and Kone scored. Wilson would hit a three point play that drew the Polars close but it was Jones, the brother of Minnesota Timberwolf Tyus Jones that would hit a couple of three point plays down the stretch to wrap up the win.
In addition to his 29 points, Jones had 11 assists and five blocked shots. Other Apple Valley players in double figures were Martens with 15 points followed by Kone and Macho with 10 apiece. Isaac Johnson led North with 21 points. Sanders-Smith finished with 20 and Wilson contributed 19.
The Eagles opened the season without their top player from last year's title team Gary Trent Jr. He signed with Duke and transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, CA. Apple Valley head coach Zach Goring commented before the game on the loss of his top player from last season.
"He wanted to go somewhere where he could play against Division I talent every day. He was ready to move on."
Apple Valley opened the season with a 1-0 record and returns to action on Thursday, December 8 when they head down Highway 7 to take on the Minnetonka Skippers in a 7 PM game. North fell to 0-1 and will travel to Edina on Tuesday, December 6 for a 7 PM battle with the Hornets.
Champlin Park Rebels Rout Rochester John Marshall Rockets
The Champlin Park Rebels got the right stuff from McKinley Wright IV as he scored a game high 27 points to led them to a 113-74 win over the Rochester John Marshall Rockets Saturday night in the Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic at Hopkins High School.
The Rebels, who open the season as the top ranked team in Class AAAA got the early lead on Wright's basket :13 into the game. The Rockets played the Rebels close as Matthew Hurt, brother of Golden Gopher Michael Hurt scored four of the team's first ten points. They had a 10-9 lead before Marcus Hill hit a pair of free throws to put Champlin Park ahead. Dedoch Chan scored to put JM ahead. Wright would hit a couple of three pointers to put the Rebels ahead and Isaiah Walden would hit for the Rockets to cut the lead to one. Hurt would put the Rockets ahead on a 4-0 run that would end with a basket by Theo John. John would pick up an assist on Wright's right handed lay up. Hurt would score to even the game at 21 but it would be the last time JM would lead since Champlin Park used their speed, athleticism and outstanding passing to put hem ahead and distance themselves from the Rockets. Brian Smith, who wears number zero would come up big in the scoring department with 12 straight points. The lead was up to 17. The Rockets had a care when Hurt got hit in the nose going in the paint for a shot and it caused a short delay to wipe up the blood on the court. Hurt would return with :13.7 left in the half and the Rebels led at halftime 57-42.
Champlin Park opened the second half scoring on John's basket :23 into the half. Marcus Hill would pick up a couple of assists on baskets from DJ Hunter and Josiah Strong. Strong would put the Rebels up by 20 with a shot from Cedar Lake Rd. Champlin Park also played a strong diagonal 2-1-2 defense to low down JM. Walden would pick up his fourth foul with 9:20 to go and the Rebels would pull away, even sending the game into running time. John also dazzled the fans in the blue bleachers when he blocked \Hurt's shot. With 3:00 left in the game, both teams let their reserves enter the game.
Other players in double figures for Champlin Park were Smith with 22, John with 15, Hunter and Strong added 14 points and Hill added 11. Hurt led JM with 29 points. Chan had 16 and Walden added 11.
The Rebels open the season 1-0 and return to action on Saturday, December 10 in the second Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic at Hopkins High School in a rematch of last year's Class AAAA final against the Apple Valley Eagles at 8:30 PM. The Rockets fell to 0-1 and face their city rival the Rochester Mayo Spartans on Friday, December 9 at 5:45 PM.
The Rebels, who open the season as the top ranked team in Class AAAA got the early lead on Wright's basket :13 into the game. The Rockets played the Rebels close as Matthew Hurt, brother of Golden Gopher Michael Hurt scored four of the team's first ten points. They had a 10-9 lead before Marcus Hill hit a pair of free throws to put Champlin Park ahead. Dedoch Chan scored to put JM ahead. Wright would hit a couple of three pointers to put the Rebels ahead and Isaiah Walden would hit for the Rockets to cut the lead to one. Hurt would put the Rockets ahead on a 4-0 run that would end with a basket by Theo John. John would pick up an assist on Wright's right handed lay up. Hurt would score to even the game at 21 but it would be the last time JM would lead since Champlin Park used their speed, athleticism and outstanding passing to put hem ahead and distance themselves from the Rockets. Brian Smith, who wears number zero would come up big in the scoring department with 12 straight points. The lead was up to 17. The Rockets had a care when Hurt got hit in the nose going in the paint for a shot and it caused a short delay to wipe up the blood on the court. Hurt would return with :13.7 left in the half and the Rebels led at halftime 57-42.
Champlin Park opened the second half scoring on John's basket :23 into the half. Marcus Hill would pick up a couple of assists on baskets from DJ Hunter and Josiah Strong. Strong would put the Rebels up by 20 with a shot from Cedar Lake Rd. Champlin Park also played a strong diagonal 2-1-2 defense to low down JM. Walden would pick up his fourth foul with 9:20 to go and the Rebels would pull away, even sending the game into running time. John also dazzled the fans in the blue bleachers when he blocked \Hurt's shot. With 3:00 left in the game, both teams let their reserves enter the game.
Other players in double figures for Champlin Park were Smith with 22, John with 15, Hunter and Strong added 14 points and Hill added 11. Hurt led JM with 29 points. Chan had 16 and Walden added 11.
The Rebels open the season 1-0 and return to action on Saturday, December 10 in the second Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic at Hopkins High School in a rematch of last year's Class AAAA final against the Apple Valley Eagles at 8:30 PM. The Rockets fell to 0-1 and face their city rival the Rochester Mayo Spartans on Friday, December 9 at 5:45 PM.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
SLP Orioles Open New Era With Rout of Rochester Mayo Spartans
The Colin Hohman Era began Thursday night for the St. Louis Park boys hockey team in a big way with Bauer Neudecker scoring six goals to lead the Orioles o a 10-0 win over the Rochester Mayo Spartans at the Rec Center.
Hohman took over as the Orioles head coach when Terry Keseley resigned after last season.
It was the "Bauer Neudecker Show" in the first period when he scored St. Louis Park's first four goal. The first came on a line drive shot just inside the blue line on the left side and the second came on a right side wraparound. His third goal came on the power play as he rebounded Luke Mobley's shot and scored. The St. Louis Park senior scored his fourth goal when he went through the center slot like traffic on Excelsior Blvd., dribbled the puck a few times and sent it toward the net.
Bauer Neudecker picked up his fifth goal in the second period after Johnny Sorenson passed to him on the right side of the net and Bauer Neudecker found an opening and put the puck in. It wasn't all Bauer Neudecker in the Orioles 2016-17 season opener. Mobley would score on a rebound and Conor Schubring brought the Orioles another goal :21 later. Bauer Neudecker would pick up an assist on St. Louis Park's eight goal, dribbling around the net and passing to Austin Stafne and he would score.
Bauer Neudecker would get a double hat trick in the third period as he got a centering pass from Sorenson and he set it to the net. Jackson Hand would have a hand in the scoring column as he would score the Orioles final goal.
Todd Huyber, who replaced long time Rochester Mayo head coach Lorne Grosso after he retires after 50 years heading the Spartans boys hockey program took time for an interview following the game. Huyber has known Grosso since he was five and played for the veteran head coach back in the mid 80s. He commented on what it was like to take over the Mayo program.
"It's an honor to take over the program," Huyber said. He also mentioned about a part of Grosso's philosophy he brought over to the program. "You got to remain calm."
St. Louis Park begins the season with a 1-0 record and faces the Edina Hornets on Saturday, December 3 at 7 PM at Braemar Arena.
Rochester Mayo fell to 1-1 and also in in action on the 3rd when they take on their city rival the Rochester Century Panthers at 7:15 at the Rochester Recreation Center.
Hohman took over as the Orioles head coach when Terry Keseley resigned after last season.
It was the "Bauer Neudecker Show" in the first period when he scored St. Louis Park's first four goal. The first came on a line drive shot just inside the blue line on the left side and the second came on a right side wraparound. His third goal came on the power play as he rebounded Luke Mobley's shot and scored. The St. Louis Park senior scored his fourth goal when he went through the center slot like traffic on Excelsior Blvd., dribbled the puck a few times and sent it toward the net.
Bauer Neudecker picked up his fifth goal in the second period after Johnny Sorenson passed to him on the right side of the net and Bauer Neudecker found an opening and put the puck in. It wasn't all Bauer Neudecker in the Orioles 2016-17 season opener. Mobley would score on a rebound and Conor Schubring brought the Orioles another goal :21 later. Bauer Neudecker would pick up an assist on St. Louis Park's eight goal, dribbling around the net and passing to Austin Stafne and he would score.
Bauer Neudecker would get a double hat trick in the third period as he got a centering pass from Sorenson and he set it to the net. Jackson Hand would have a hand in the scoring column as he would score the Orioles final goal.
Todd Huyber, who replaced long time Rochester Mayo head coach Lorne Grosso after he retires after 50 years heading the Spartans boys hockey program took time for an interview following the game. Huyber has known Grosso since he was five and played for the veteran head coach back in the mid 80s. He commented on what it was like to take over the Mayo program.
"It's an honor to take over the program," Huyber said. He also mentioned about a part of Grosso's philosophy he brought over to the program. "You got to remain calm."
St. Louis Park begins the season with a 1-0 record and faces the Edina Hornets on Saturday, December 3 at 7 PM at Braemar Arena.
Rochester Mayo fell to 1-1 and also in in action on the 3rd when they take on their city rival the Rochester Century Panthers at 7:15 at the Rochester Recreation Center.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Sixty Years Ago The Original Price is Right Debuts
November 26 marks the 60th anniversary of a landmark game show that would be the genesis of a long running classic revival that's still on the air today, The Price is Right.
The Price is Right was the creation of a producer who was hired by packagers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman to develop new shows, Bob Stewart. He would also create the original To Tell the Truth and Password, which would also be landmark shows.
The show was hosted by Bill Cullen, who was also a panelist on another Goodson-Todman hit show I've Got a Secret and the announcer was NBC staff voice Don Pardo, who was best known for the phrases "It could be yours if the price is right" and when mentioning the name of the company of the prize, he would say "Price authority..."
The game was a lot different from what viewers see today on CBS. In the original version, four contestants sat behind tote machines (manufactured by the American Totalizer Company) and made their bid on the featured item. After the first round of bidding, a contestant could bid or freeze. That led to the studio audience shouting "Higher! Lower! Freeze!" After the bids were in the price was revealed and the contestant who came the closest without going over would win the item. If all the contestants overbid, nobody won the prize.
Frequently, a bell would ring after a contestant won a prize that indicated that he/she won a bonus prize. The bonuses came from Stewart's imagination and they included a ferris wheel, a live peacock to go with a color TV, bit parts in TV shows and a mile of hot dogs. One bonus prize was an elephant and it inspired a Simpsons episode when Bart won an elephant in a radio contest.
Several rounds of bidding continued and the contestant who won the most in prizes would return on the next show as champion. Home viewers would also get a chance to send in their bids on showcases with the post card that comes close to the total price of the showcase without going over would be the winner.
The Price is Right was a hit in daytime for NBC and it would also be popular in prime time. It was a premise that home viewers could identify with and that was shopping that enabled them to play along. But in 1963, the ratings began to slip and the network cancelled the show. But lo and behold, the show would return without interruption as ABC picked up the show and aired it in daytime as well as prime time.
When the show moved to ABC, a couple of changes took place. The first was a celebrity guest who played for a home viewer or a member of the studio audience. Second, because Pardo was under contract to NBC, he couldn't continue as announcer so the producers needed to replace him and they did with Johnny Gilbert. Gilbert also served as a substitute host for Cullen on June 19, 1964.
It was also in 1964 that Stewart would leave Goodson-Todman to start his own production company. It would also be a shark jump for the show as it lost its creative force. But by the middle of 1965, the show had run its course and on September 3, 1965, The Price is Right was cancelled by ABC. It would be replaced by a talk show titled The Young Set that would last only 15 weeks before giving way to two new game shows, Supermarket Sweep and the first from Chuck Barris that would be a hit The Dating Game.
In the aftermath of The Price is Right's cancellation, Stewart would hire Cullen to host his first game show Eye Guess that debuted on January 3, 1966. Pardo would go on to announce other shows on NBC, including the original Jeopardy with Art Fleming and a show that would become his longest running stint Saturday Night Live. Gilbert would go on to announce many game shows and his voice is still heard today at the age of 92 on the current version of Jeopardy with Alex Trebek.
As for The Price is Right, it would return to television after seven years on September 4, 1972 in a totally overhauled version after Goodson felt the old format was no longer viable. It would become television's longest running game show that was first hosted by Bob Barker and now under the guidance of Drew Carey that still draws high ratings to this day. But 60 years ago, The original Price is Right would be the birth of a game show classic.
The Price is Right was the creation of a producer who was hired by packagers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman to develop new shows, Bob Stewart. He would also create the original To Tell the Truth and Password, which would also be landmark shows.
The show was hosted by Bill Cullen, who was also a panelist on another Goodson-Todman hit show I've Got a Secret and the announcer was NBC staff voice Don Pardo, who was best known for the phrases "It could be yours if the price is right" and when mentioning the name of the company of the prize, he would say "Price authority..."
The game was a lot different from what viewers see today on CBS. In the original version, four contestants sat behind tote machines (manufactured by the American Totalizer Company) and made their bid on the featured item. After the first round of bidding, a contestant could bid or freeze. That led to the studio audience shouting "Higher! Lower! Freeze!" After the bids were in the price was revealed and the contestant who came the closest without going over would win the item. If all the contestants overbid, nobody won the prize.
Frequently, a bell would ring after a contestant won a prize that indicated that he/she won a bonus prize. The bonuses came from Stewart's imagination and they included a ferris wheel, a live peacock to go with a color TV, bit parts in TV shows and a mile of hot dogs. One bonus prize was an elephant and it inspired a Simpsons episode when Bart won an elephant in a radio contest.
Several rounds of bidding continued and the contestant who won the most in prizes would return on the next show as champion. Home viewers would also get a chance to send in their bids on showcases with the post card that comes close to the total price of the showcase without going over would be the winner.
The Price is Right was a hit in daytime for NBC and it would also be popular in prime time. It was a premise that home viewers could identify with and that was shopping that enabled them to play along. But in 1963, the ratings began to slip and the network cancelled the show. But lo and behold, the show would return without interruption as ABC picked up the show and aired it in daytime as well as prime time.
When the show moved to ABC, a couple of changes took place. The first was a celebrity guest who played for a home viewer or a member of the studio audience. Second, because Pardo was under contract to NBC, he couldn't continue as announcer so the producers needed to replace him and they did with Johnny Gilbert. Gilbert also served as a substitute host for Cullen on June 19, 1964.
It was also in 1964 that Stewart would leave Goodson-Todman to start his own production company. It would also be a shark jump for the show as it lost its creative force. But by the middle of 1965, the show had run its course and on September 3, 1965, The Price is Right was cancelled by ABC. It would be replaced by a talk show titled The Young Set that would last only 15 weeks before giving way to two new game shows, Supermarket Sweep and the first from Chuck Barris that would be a hit The Dating Game.
In the aftermath of The Price is Right's cancellation, Stewart would hire Cullen to host his first game show Eye Guess that debuted on January 3, 1966. Pardo would go on to announce other shows on NBC, including the original Jeopardy with Art Fleming and a show that would become his longest running stint Saturday Night Live. Gilbert would go on to announce many game shows and his voice is still heard today at the age of 92 on the current version of Jeopardy with Alex Trebek.
As for The Price is Right, it would return to television after seven years on September 4, 1972 in a totally overhauled version after Goodson felt the old format was no longer viable. It would become television's longest running game show that was first hosted by Bob Barker and now under the guidance of Drew Carey that still draws high ratings to this day. But 60 years ago, The original Price is Right would be the birth of a game show classic.
Elk River Elks Run Away With Class AAAAA State Title
The best way to describe Saturday's Class AAAAA championship game would be to quote the title of a 1964 song by the Mankato group The Gestures "Run Run Baby" because that's all Nicholas Rice did as he scored three touchdowns and ran for 242 yards to lead the Elk River Elks to a 42-14 win over the Spring Lake Park Panthers at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was the first state title for the Elks in their 125 year football history in their second trip to the Prep Bowl. Their last trip came in 1990 when they lost to the Anoka Tornadoes in the Class AA final.
Sam Gibas would score Elk River's only first quarter touchdown as he dashed into the end zone from 60 yards. The Elks took a 7-0 lead.
Sherrod Kphan would begin the second quarter scoring for the Elks with a 50 yard touchdown run. Then it was Rice's turn to fry the Panther defense as he ran like he was headed up Highway 169 as he scored his first two touchdowns. The first came from 48 yards and the second was a 54 yard sprint. Elk River led at halftime 27-0.
There would be no shutout for the Elks in the third quarter as the Panthers erased the yellow zero from the giant US Bank Stadium scoreboard on Nick Robinson's one yard touchdown run. Rice would reach the end zone a third time, scoring from 49 yards to give Elk River a 34-7 lead.
Even the Elk River reserves got into the box score as Noah Weege, who replace Blake Hills at quarterback, scored on a 30 yard keeper touchdown. Zachary Ojile also kept the ball for a touchdown, scoring from four yards with 1:07 left to play.
The Elks did not attempt a single pass in the Class AAAAA final. In addition to rice's 242 yards, Sam Gibas ran 11 times for 105 yards. The Panthers were led by Mark Buley's 11 carries for 118 yards.
Former Minnesota Golden Gopher and Indianapolis Colt Ben Utecht sang the National Anthem prior to the start of the game.
Elk River concluded their season with a record of 13-0 and Spring Lake Park ended the season at 12-1. The last time Elk River had an undefeated season was 1947.
It was the first state title for the Elks in their 125 year football history in their second trip to the Prep Bowl. Their last trip came in 1990 when they lost to the Anoka Tornadoes in the Class AA final.
Sam Gibas would score Elk River's only first quarter touchdown as he dashed into the end zone from 60 yards. The Elks took a 7-0 lead.
Sherrod Kphan would begin the second quarter scoring for the Elks with a 50 yard touchdown run. Then it was Rice's turn to fry the Panther defense as he ran like he was headed up Highway 169 as he scored his first two touchdowns. The first came from 48 yards and the second was a 54 yard sprint. Elk River led at halftime 27-0.
There would be no shutout for the Elks in the third quarter as the Panthers erased the yellow zero from the giant US Bank Stadium scoreboard on Nick Robinson's one yard touchdown run. Rice would reach the end zone a third time, scoring from 49 yards to give Elk River a 34-7 lead.
Even the Elk River reserves got into the box score as Noah Weege, who replace Blake Hills at quarterback, scored on a 30 yard keeper touchdown. Zachary Ojile also kept the ball for a touchdown, scoring from four yards with 1:07 left to play.
The Elks did not attempt a single pass in the Class AAAAA final. In addition to rice's 242 yards, Sam Gibas ran 11 times for 105 yards. The Panthers were led by Mark Buley's 11 carries for 118 yards.
Former Minnesota Golden Gopher and Indianapolis Colt Ben Utecht sang the National Anthem prior to the start of the game.
Elk River concluded their season with a record of 13-0 and Spring Lake Park ended the season at 12-1. The last time Elk River had an undefeated season was 1947.
Rochester Lourdes Eagles Regain Class AAA State Title
After a year's hiatus from The Prep Bowl, the Rochester Lourdes Eagles returned to the Class AAA championship game and got two touchdowns from Jake Groteboer that included the game winner with :25 left to play which led them to a 42-35 win over the St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders Saturday afternoon at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was the fourth state title for the Eagles and their first since 2014 in their 12th trip to state.
In the first quarter, Carter Greguson set the tables for Rochester Lourdes by intercepting an Isaac Tietz pass and the Eagles cashed in with an 11 yard touchdown pass from Noah Hillman to Matthew Ustby to put them ahead 6-0.
The second quarter went back and forth like traffic going down the West St. Paul section of Robert St. The Crusaders would strike first on a 31 yard touchdown pass from Tietz to Garett Maag. Greguson would play a big role in the Eagles next score as he picked up his second interception and scored on a 24 yard run up the middle. Mike Stern would score for St. Croix Lutheran on a two yard run with 1:29 left in the first half. Both teams would tally in the first half's final minute. Greguson would score his second touchdown on a 30 yard pass from Hillman with :35 to go for the Eagles and the Crusaders would end the half with a one yard touchdown run from Daniel Rust. The halftime score was all even at 21.
The score would stay tied in the third quarter as both teams would score a touchdown. Rochester Lourdes got their score that started when Chol Angok recovered a St. Croix Lutheran fumble and finished with Groteboer's second touchdown, an eight yard run. Rust would score his second touchdown as time expired in the third quarter on a four yard run. It was 28-28 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Hillman also excelled on defense, intercepting Tietz's pass at the Eagle one yard line. He would later put Rochester Lourdes ahead with a 66 yard keeper touchdown. The Crusaders would tie the game at 35 as Rust scored his third touchdown on a 37 yard run with 5:29 left in regulation time. Would there be a championship overtime game since the Class AA final in 2014? Not according to Eagle head coach Mike Kesler's trickery. Hillman threw a completion to Ed Caples, who lateraled to Pat Leary and Leary threw to Greguson and he was brought down at the Crusader five yard line. On the next play, Greguson scored the eventual game winning touchdown. St. Croix Lutheran had a chance tosend the game into overtime or go for the win but Tietz fumbled and it was recovered by Angok to clinch the win.
Hillman was 12 for 16 for 270 yards and had 102 rushing yards for the Eagles. Greguson caught five passes for 127 yards. The Crusaders were led by Rust's 17 carries for 134 yards and Stern had 23 carries for 109 yards.
Rochester Lourdes ended their season with a 13-0 record and St. Croix Lutheran concluded their season at 12-1.
It was the fourth state title for the Eagles and their first since 2014 in their 12th trip to state.
In the first quarter, Carter Greguson set the tables for Rochester Lourdes by intercepting an Isaac Tietz pass and the Eagles cashed in with an 11 yard touchdown pass from Noah Hillman to Matthew Ustby to put them ahead 6-0.
The second quarter went back and forth like traffic going down the West St. Paul section of Robert St. The Crusaders would strike first on a 31 yard touchdown pass from Tietz to Garett Maag. Greguson would play a big role in the Eagles next score as he picked up his second interception and scored on a 24 yard run up the middle. Mike Stern would score for St. Croix Lutheran on a two yard run with 1:29 left in the first half. Both teams would tally in the first half's final minute. Greguson would score his second touchdown on a 30 yard pass from Hillman with :35 to go for the Eagles and the Crusaders would end the half with a one yard touchdown run from Daniel Rust. The halftime score was all even at 21.
The score would stay tied in the third quarter as both teams would score a touchdown. Rochester Lourdes got their score that started when Chol Angok recovered a St. Croix Lutheran fumble and finished with Groteboer's second touchdown, an eight yard run. Rust would score his second touchdown as time expired in the third quarter on a four yard run. It was 28-28 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Hillman also excelled on defense, intercepting Tietz's pass at the Eagle one yard line. He would later put Rochester Lourdes ahead with a 66 yard keeper touchdown. The Crusaders would tie the game at 35 as Rust scored his third touchdown on a 37 yard run with 5:29 left in regulation time. Would there be a championship overtime game since the Class AA final in 2014? Not according to Eagle head coach Mike Kesler's trickery. Hillman threw a completion to Ed Caples, who lateraled to Pat Leary and Leary threw to Greguson and he was brought down at the Crusader five yard line. On the next play, Greguson scored the eventual game winning touchdown. St. Croix Lutheran had a chance tosend the game into overtime or go for the win but Tietz fumbled and it was recovered by Angok to clinch the win.
Hillman was 12 for 16 for 270 yards and had 102 rushing yards for the Eagles. Greguson caught five passes for 127 yards. The Crusaders were led by Rust's 17 carries for 134 yards and Stern had 23 carries for 109 yards.
Rochester Lourdes ended their season with a 13-0 record and St. Croix Lutheran concluded their season at 12-1.
Mpls. North Polars Win Class A Championship
The Minneapolis North Polars bounced back from last year's Class A final loss to the Minneota Vikings thanks to an offensive and defensive touchdown from Taylor Johnson that led them to a xxxx win over the Rushford-Peterson Trojans Saturday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Polars won their first state football title in their sixth trip to the state tournament and became the first school from the Minneapolis City Conference to win a state football championship since Washburn in 1977.
It took only the second play from scrimmage for the Trojans to open the scoring. Noah Carlson broke through the offensive line and surged 74 yards to give Rushford-Peterson a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Taylor Johnson showcased his talents on both sides of the football. He would score a pair of touchdowns. The first came on a 13 yard pass from Azerick Rodgers near the right sideline to put the Polars in front 8-7. The second came off a Carlson fumble that the junior recovered and scored a 56 yard touchdown. Carlson shook off the turnover and hauled in an 11 yard pass from Landon Skalet that barely got inside the pylon. Mpls. North led at halftime 16-14.
The Polars capped a 14 play drive that took 6:28 off the third quarter clock when sophomore Kehyan Porter went up the middle for an eight yard touchdown run. Mpls. North led 22-14 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Polars put the finishing touches on their first state title when Rodgers on fourth and goal fired a 13 yard touchdown pass to Corleon Powell.
Nazir El Amin was the leading rusher for Mpls. North with 11 carries for 70 yards. Carlson led the Rushford-Peterson rushing attack with 27 carries for 161 yards.
The Polars end their season with a 13-0 record and the Trojans conclude their season with a record of 12-2.
The Polars won their first state football title in their sixth trip to the state tournament and became the first school from the Minneapolis City Conference to win a state football championship since Washburn in 1977.
It took only the second play from scrimmage for the Trojans to open the scoring. Noah Carlson broke through the offensive line and surged 74 yards to give Rushford-Peterson a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Taylor Johnson showcased his talents on both sides of the football. He would score a pair of touchdowns. The first came on a 13 yard pass from Azerick Rodgers near the right sideline to put the Polars in front 8-7. The second came off a Carlson fumble that the junior recovered and scored a 56 yard touchdown. Carlson shook off the turnover and hauled in an 11 yard pass from Landon Skalet that barely got inside the pylon. Mpls. North led at halftime 16-14.
The Polars capped a 14 play drive that took 6:28 off the third quarter clock when sophomore Kehyan Porter went up the middle for an eight yard touchdown run. Mpls. North led 22-14 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Polars put the finishing touches on their first state title when Rodgers on fourth and goal fired a 13 yard touchdown pass to Corleon Powell.
Nazir El Amin was the leading rusher for Mpls. North with 11 carries for 70 yards. Carlson led the Rushford-Peterson rushing attack with 27 carries for 161 yards.
The Polars end their season with a 13-0 record and the Trojans conclude their season with a record of 12-2.
Friday, November 25, 2016
It's State Title Number Ten for Totino-Grace Eagles
For the second time this season, it was a "Battle of the Eagles" that was highlighted by Gaylor Flomo's two touchdowns that included the game winner with 5:28 left to play to lead Totino-Grace to a 28-20 win over Eden Prairie in the Class AAAAAA championship game Friday night at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was the 10th state title for the Fridley based school in their 26th trip to the state tournament. It was also a rematch of the season opener on September 1 where Totino-Grace held off Eden Prairie 17-14.
Eden Prairie would score the only touchdown of the first quarter as Kyle Connolly fielded a punt and scampered down the field like he was headed for Highway 212 and scored on an 86 yard return.
It looked like there would be no scoring in the second quarter. Totino-Grace got deep in Eden Prairie territory and Flomo scored on a one yard run with :11 left in the half. Both teams would head to the locker room with the halftime score even at seven.
Defense would prevail for Eden Prairie in the third quarter when Devionne Young sacked Totino-Grace quarterback Kyle Halverson. On the offensive end of the football, sophomore quarterback Cole Kramer threw a 28 yard touchdown pass to Connolly to put Eden Prairie ahead 14-7.
On to the fourth quarter. Could Eden Prairie avenge the early season loss to Totino-Grace? Not on a cold November night in downtown Minneapolis. Totino-Grace got a break when a fourth and one situation resulted in a first down due to an encroachment penalty against Eden Prairie. Halverson made the most of the opportunity and threw a two yard touchdown pass to Rocky Kreuser to even the game at 14. Flomo would score his second touchdown from one yard to put Totino-Grace ahead and they would get the ball back on a fumble recovery by Shawn Pryzbilla. Ivan Burlak would score from two yards to clinch the state title. Eden Prairie would tally on the game's final drive as Carlos Williams scored on a seven yard run just as the clock hit zero.
Burlak led Totino-Grace with 161 rushing yards on 24 carries. Connolly led Eden Prairie with sven completions for 109 yards.
Totino-Grace ended their season with a 13-0 record and Eden Prairie finished with an 11-2 record.
It was the 10th state title for the Fridley based school in their 26th trip to the state tournament. It was also a rematch of the season opener on September 1 where Totino-Grace held off Eden Prairie 17-14.
Eden Prairie would score the only touchdown of the first quarter as Kyle Connolly fielded a punt and scampered down the field like he was headed for Highway 212 and scored on an 86 yard return.
It looked like there would be no scoring in the second quarter. Totino-Grace got deep in Eden Prairie territory and Flomo scored on a one yard run with :11 left in the half. Both teams would head to the locker room with the halftime score even at seven.
Defense would prevail for Eden Prairie in the third quarter when Devionne Young sacked Totino-Grace quarterback Kyle Halverson. On the offensive end of the football, sophomore quarterback Cole Kramer threw a 28 yard touchdown pass to Connolly to put Eden Prairie ahead 14-7.
On to the fourth quarter. Could Eden Prairie avenge the early season loss to Totino-Grace? Not on a cold November night in downtown Minneapolis. Totino-Grace got a break when a fourth and one situation resulted in a first down due to an encroachment penalty against Eden Prairie. Halverson made the most of the opportunity and threw a two yard touchdown pass to Rocky Kreuser to even the game at 14. Flomo would score his second touchdown from one yard to put Totino-Grace ahead and they would get the ball back on a fumble recovery by Shawn Pryzbilla. Ivan Burlak would score from two yards to clinch the state title. Eden Prairie would tally on the game's final drive as Carlos Williams scored on a seven yard run just as the clock hit zero.
Burlak led Totino-Grace with 161 rushing yards on 24 carries. Connolly led Eden Prairie with sven completions for 109 yards.
Totino-Grace ended their season with a 13-0 record and Eden Prairie finished with an 11-2 record.
BSM Red Knights Lose Floyd Gain Class AAAA State Title
When Benilde-St. Margaret's lost their leading running back Ricky Floyd to an injury in the first quarter, it was Liam Ford who picked up the slack as he ran for two touchdowns and made an interception with 1:26 left to play to lead the Red Knights to a 31-28 win over the Winona Winhawks Friday night in the Class AAAA championship game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was the first state football title for the St. Louis Park based school in its fourth trip to state.
The Winhawks almost got the early lead when Alex Franzwa's 67 yard run. But the Red Knights defense kept Winona out of the end zone when they stopped them at the four yard line. BSM would go in front 3-0 on Alex Houlihan's 31 yard field goal with :52 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the lead went back and forth like a pendulum on a grandfather clock. The Winhawks scored first on Riley Hostetter's 37 yard touchdown pass to Dakota Matthees. The Red Knights regained the lead on a 31 yard touchdown pass from Will Whitmore to Matt Brooks. It was now Winona's turn to reach the end zone as Hostetter threw another 37 yard touchdown pass, this time to Dan Jonsgaard. BSM got scoring help from their defense when John Whitmore intercepted Hostetter for a 64 yard pick six. The Winhawks took the lead on Hostetter's third touchdown pass of the game. This time his target was Jonah Boelter as he hauled in a 45 yard pass. Winona led 21-17 at the half.
BSM would vault back into the lead in the third quarter on Ford's two yard touchdown run on fourth and two. The Red Knights would go into the fourth quarter with a 28-24 lead.
The orange and black clad fans from Winona got good news in the fourth quarter when Matthees gave the Winhawks the lead on his second 37 yard touchdown reception that came from Terrell Hall. The Red Knights would forge ahead on Ford's 24 yard touchdown run with 4:50 left in regulation time. Could Winona bring their first title trophy down the Mississippi River? The answer would be no as Ford intercepted Bostetter's pass with 1:26 left to clinch the championship.
Ford led BSM with 18 carries for 81 yards. Matthees led Winona with three receptions for 97 yards.
The Winahwks ended their season with a record of 11-2 and the Red Knights finished 10-3
It was the first state football title for the St. Louis Park based school in its fourth trip to state.
The Winhawks almost got the early lead when Alex Franzwa's 67 yard run. But the Red Knights defense kept Winona out of the end zone when they stopped them at the four yard line. BSM would go in front 3-0 on Alex Houlihan's 31 yard field goal with :52 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the lead went back and forth like a pendulum on a grandfather clock. The Winhawks scored first on Riley Hostetter's 37 yard touchdown pass to Dakota Matthees. The Red Knights regained the lead on a 31 yard touchdown pass from Will Whitmore to Matt Brooks. It was now Winona's turn to reach the end zone as Hostetter threw another 37 yard touchdown pass, this time to Dan Jonsgaard. BSM got scoring help from their defense when John Whitmore intercepted Hostetter for a 64 yard pick six. The Winhawks took the lead on Hostetter's third touchdown pass of the game. This time his target was Jonah Boelter as he hauled in a 45 yard pass. Winona led 21-17 at the half.
BSM would vault back into the lead in the third quarter on Ford's two yard touchdown run on fourth and two. The Red Knights would go into the fourth quarter with a 28-24 lead.
The orange and black clad fans from Winona got good news in the fourth quarter when Matthees gave the Winhawks the lead on his second 37 yard touchdown reception that came from Terrell Hall. The Red Knights would forge ahead on Ford's 24 yard touchdown run with 4:50 left in regulation time. Could Winona bring their first title trophy down the Mississippi River? The answer would be no as Ford intercepted Bostetter's pass with 1:26 left to clinch the championship.
Ford led BSM with 18 carries for 81 yards. Matthees led Winona with three receptions for 97 yards.
The Winahwks ended their season with a record of 11-2 and the Red Knights finished 10-3
Caledonia Warriors Cruise to Class AA Championship
The Goergen family was ready for action Friday as Andrew and Alex scored two touchdowns apiece to lead the Caledonia Warriors walloped the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles 61-12 in the Class AA championship game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was the second consecutive state title and eighth overall for the southeast Minnesota school. It was also the 11th time in 14 games that Caledonia as scored more than 40 points.
In the first quarter the combination of Owen King and Jordan Burg connected for the Warriors first two touchdowns. The first was a 17 yard completion and the second came after King was pressured by the Eagle defense and came through with a 39 yard touchdown pass to Burg. But the junior quarterback was not done yet. King lofted a 23 yard pass to Andrew Goergen and he reached the end zone to give Caledonia a 20-0 lead.
The Warriors would add three more touchdowns in the second quarter. The first would come following Ben McCabe's 78 yard punt return that would result in King's fourth touchdown pass of the game, a three yard strike to Andrew Goergen. McCabe would also factor into to the Caledonia scoring equation with a one yard touchdown run. Then it was Alex Goergen's turn to score as he hauled in a 13 yard pass from King and it was a 40-0 Warrior halftime lead.
McCabe would score Caledonia's first two touchdowns of the third quarter. On his first, he would go around right end and score from four yards. He would score his third touchdown of the game on a 10 yard run. Eden Valley-Watkins wouldn't let their trip down Highway 55 go for naught as Reese Jansen fired a 31 touchdown pass to Matt Schindler and it was 54-7 Warriors at the end of the third quarter.
Both teams would enter the end zone in the fourth quarter. Caledonia would score on Alex Goergen's one yard touchdown run. Back up quarterback Jack Bates got his turn in the US Bank Stadium spotlight for Eden Valley-Watkins with a 55 yard touchdown pass to Ethan Moore.
King completed 17 of 25 passes for 328 yards and Sam Barthel had three completions for 16 yards to lead the Warriors. The Eagles were led by Jansen who ha 12 of 30 completions for 117 yards and ran nine times for 72 yards.
Caledonia concludes their season with a 14-0 record and Eden Valley-Watkins finishes with a record of 11-2.
At halftime, Bob Meslow, the Minnesota State High School League supervisor of football officials was honored for his 41 years of service to the league. Meslow is retiring after this season.
It was the second consecutive state title and eighth overall for the southeast Minnesota school. It was also the 11th time in 14 games that Caledonia as scored more than 40 points.
In the first quarter the combination of Owen King and Jordan Burg connected for the Warriors first two touchdowns. The first was a 17 yard completion and the second came after King was pressured by the Eagle defense and came through with a 39 yard touchdown pass to Burg. But the junior quarterback was not done yet. King lofted a 23 yard pass to Andrew Goergen and he reached the end zone to give Caledonia a 20-0 lead.
The Warriors would add three more touchdowns in the second quarter. The first would come following Ben McCabe's 78 yard punt return that would result in King's fourth touchdown pass of the game, a three yard strike to Andrew Goergen. McCabe would also factor into to the Caledonia scoring equation with a one yard touchdown run. Then it was Alex Goergen's turn to score as he hauled in a 13 yard pass from King and it was a 40-0 Warrior halftime lead.
McCabe would score Caledonia's first two touchdowns of the third quarter. On his first, he would go around right end and score from four yards. He would score his third touchdown of the game on a 10 yard run. Eden Valley-Watkins wouldn't let their trip down Highway 55 go for naught as Reese Jansen fired a 31 touchdown pass to Matt Schindler and it was 54-7 Warriors at the end of the third quarter.
Both teams would enter the end zone in the fourth quarter. Caledonia would score on Alex Goergen's one yard touchdown run. Back up quarterback Jack Bates got his turn in the US Bank Stadium spotlight for Eden Valley-Watkins with a 55 yard touchdown pass to Ethan Moore.
King completed 17 of 25 passes for 328 yards and Sam Barthel had three completions for 16 yards to lead the Warriors. The Eagles were led by Jansen who ha 12 of 30 completions for 117 yards and ran nine times for 72 yards.
Caledonia concludes their season with a 14-0 record and Eden Valley-Watkins finishes with a record of 11-2.
At halftime, Bob Meslow, the Minnesota State High School League supervisor of football officials was honored for his 41 years of service to the league. Meslow is retiring after this season.
Grand Meadow Superlarks Super Again
Christopher Bain was the bane of the Cleveland Clipper defense, rushing for 278 yards and scoring four touchdowns to lead the Grand Meadow Superlarks to a 41-21 win in the Nine Man championship game Friday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was the fourth consecutive state title for Grand Meadow and the Superlarks 50th straight win. Grand Meadow is the first school to win four state titles in a row since Caledonia from 2009-12 and the third school in state history to reach 50 straight wins. The other two schools are Stephen-Argyle Central with 76 from 2003-08 and Minneapolis Washburn with 60 from 1966-73.
Now to the game. The Superlarks struck first as Brenn Olson threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Wes Ojulu. Bain would put Grand Meadow ahead by 14 when he went around left end and scored n a 11 yard run. The Clippers got on the scoreboard following Carter Kopet's 59 yard touchdown pass to Austin Plonsky. It would be 14-7 Superlarks at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams would tally in the second quarter. Grand Meadow scored on Bain's second touchdown, a three yard run up the middle. Cleveland would respond as Kopet, a starter since eighth grade, fired a 61 yard touchdown pass to freshman Jamal Zishka. The Superlarks led 20-14 at halftime.
The third quarter would begin in a grand way for Grand Meadow. Bain got the hand off from Olson and ran like he was headed toward I-90, scoring from 78 yards. The senior running back would also reach the end zone for the fourth time, going up the middle from seven yards. Kopet would record his third touchdown pass, throwing a one yard completion to Evan Koppelman. The Superlarks led 34-21 after three quarters.
Grand Meadow would solidify their lead on Olson's seven yard keeper touchdown and that would be the only scoring in the fourth quarter.
Kopet completed 22 of 34 passes for 238 yards for Cleveland. Plonsky caught nine passes for 117 yards. In the total yardage department,Grand Meadow outgained Cleveland 468-320.
The Superlarks concluded their season 14-0 and the Clippers finished with a 13-1 record.
It was the fourth consecutive state title for Grand Meadow and the Superlarks 50th straight win. Grand Meadow is the first school to win four state titles in a row since Caledonia from 2009-12 and the third school in state history to reach 50 straight wins. The other two schools are Stephen-Argyle Central with 76 from 2003-08 and Minneapolis Washburn with 60 from 1966-73.
Now to the game. The Superlarks struck first as Brenn Olson threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Wes Ojulu. Bain would put Grand Meadow ahead by 14 when he went around left end and scored n a 11 yard run. The Clippers got on the scoreboard following Carter Kopet's 59 yard touchdown pass to Austin Plonsky. It would be 14-7 Superlarks at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams would tally in the second quarter. Grand Meadow scored on Bain's second touchdown, a three yard run up the middle. Cleveland would respond as Kopet, a starter since eighth grade, fired a 61 yard touchdown pass to freshman Jamal Zishka. The Superlarks led 20-14 at halftime.
The third quarter would begin in a grand way for Grand Meadow. Bain got the hand off from Olson and ran like he was headed toward I-90, scoring from 78 yards. The senior running back would also reach the end zone for the fourth time, going up the middle from seven yards. Kopet would record his third touchdown pass, throwing a one yard completion to Evan Koppelman. The Superlarks led 34-21 after three quarters.
Grand Meadow would solidify their lead on Olson's seven yard keeper touchdown and that would be the only scoring in the fourth quarter.
Kopet completed 22 of 34 passes for 238 yards for Cleveland. Plonsky caught nine passes for 117 yards. In the total yardage department,Grand Meadow outgained Cleveland 468-320.
The Superlarks concluded their season 14-0 and the Clippers finished with a 13-1 record.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
2016 Prep Bowl Preview Part Two
After previewing the four Prep Bowl championship games on Friday in Part One, here's a preview of the three finals that will take place on Saturday, November 26.
The day's festivities begin at 10 AM as the Rushford-Peterson Trojans battle the Minneapolis North Polars. The Trojans return to the state tournament for the first time since 2008 and their first state title since 2006. Rushford-Peterson has an outstanding running back in Noah Carlson who has reached the end zone 39 times. They also have a sophomore quarterback in Landon Skalet who has thrown for 19 touchdowns. He is the future of the Trojan football program. As for the Polars, they return to the Prep Bowl after losing in last year's Class A final to the Minneota Vikings. Though they lost their quarterback Tyler Johnson to graduation and a successful season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Mpls. North has a bunch of talented athletes including Isaac Johnson and Azerick Rodgers. Could this be the year Mpls. North become the first Minneapolis City Conference school to win a state football title since Washburn in 1977? It could be their year.
In the 1 PM game, it will be the Rochester Lourdes Eagles facing the perennial Class AAA power the St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders. The Eagles have gone through the bracket like traffic heading up Highway 52 as they shut out Jackson County Central 30-0 in the quarterfinals and dismantling Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton in the semifinals 43-21. They will face a Crusader team that has had only one game where they have scored less than 34 points and it was in the Class AAA quarterfinals when they beat the Belle Plaine Tigers 32-21. St. Croix Lutheran is led by junior running back Michael Stern who ran for 257 yards and three touchdowns, including and 88 yard run to open the semifinal game against the defending champion Pierz Pioneers. Head coach Carl Lemke has had some outstanding teams have taken championship hardware back to West St. Paul. This is a team that has the talent and speed for another possible state title.
Concluding the 2016 Prep Bowl is the Class AAAAA title game that features a couple of run oriented teams, the Elk River Elks and the Spring Lake Park Panthers. The Elks are playing in their first championship game since 1990 when they lost to the Anoka Tornadoes 19-14. Elk River has a solid backfield duo in Nicholas Rice and Sam Gibas who have combined for 43 touchdowns this season. They will go up against a tough Spring Lake Park defense that is anchored by Jackson Dahl who has 109 tackles in 2016. On the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers have an outstanding option quarterback in Zachary Ojile who has ran for 14 touchdowns and passed for five. It should be a very interesting game as well as a quick one because pass plays may be rare.
So there's the 2016 Prep Bowl Preview. No need to bring your winter coat and shiver in the cold weather because the Prep Bowl begins its maiden voyage at US Bank Stadium.
The day's festivities begin at 10 AM as the Rushford-Peterson Trojans battle the Minneapolis North Polars. The Trojans return to the state tournament for the first time since 2008 and their first state title since 2006. Rushford-Peterson has an outstanding running back in Noah Carlson who has reached the end zone 39 times. They also have a sophomore quarterback in Landon Skalet who has thrown for 19 touchdowns. He is the future of the Trojan football program. As for the Polars, they return to the Prep Bowl after losing in last year's Class A final to the Minneota Vikings. Though they lost their quarterback Tyler Johnson to graduation and a successful season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Mpls. North has a bunch of talented athletes including Isaac Johnson and Azerick Rodgers. Could this be the year Mpls. North become the first Minneapolis City Conference school to win a state football title since Washburn in 1977? It could be their year.
In the 1 PM game, it will be the Rochester Lourdes Eagles facing the perennial Class AAA power the St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders. The Eagles have gone through the bracket like traffic heading up Highway 52 as they shut out Jackson County Central 30-0 in the quarterfinals and dismantling Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton in the semifinals 43-21. They will face a Crusader team that has had only one game where they have scored less than 34 points and it was in the Class AAA quarterfinals when they beat the Belle Plaine Tigers 32-21. St. Croix Lutheran is led by junior running back Michael Stern who ran for 257 yards and three touchdowns, including and 88 yard run to open the semifinal game against the defending champion Pierz Pioneers. Head coach Carl Lemke has had some outstanding teams have taken championship hardware back to West St. Paul. This is a team that has the talent and speed for another possible state title.
Concluding the 2016 Prep Bowl is the Class AAAAA title game that features a couple of run oriented teams, the Elk River Elks and the Spring Lake Park Panthers. The Elks are playing in their first championship game since 1990 when they lost to the Anoka Tornadoes 19-14. Elk River has a solid backfield duo in Nicholas Rice and Sam Gibas who have combined for 43 touchdowns this season. They will go up against a tough Spring Lake Park defense that is anchored by Jackson Dahl who has 109 tackles in 2016. On the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers have an outstanding option quarterback in Zachary Ojile who has ran for 14 touchdowns and passed for five. It should be a very interesting game as well as a quick one because pass plays may be rare.
So there's the 2016 Prep Bowl Preview. No need to bring your winter coat and shiver in the cold weather because the Prep Bowl begins its maiden voyage at US Bank Stadium.
Monday, November 21, 2016
2016 Prep Bowl Preview Part One
After two years at TCF Bank Stadium, the 2016 Prep Bowl will be back inside at the new US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. In the first of a two part preview, here are the championship games that will be played on Friday, November 25.
The first championship game at US Bank Stadium will be the Nine Man title game as the three time champion Grand Meadow Superlarks and the Cleveland/Immanuel Lutheran Clippers at 10 AM. The Superlarks have had another super season as they extended their winning streak to 49 games. Grand Meadow has a strong running back tandem in Christopher Bain and Zach Myhre who have scored a combined total of 54 touchdowns this season. They could face one of their toughest tests in the Clippers, led by junior quarterback Carter Kopet. In the semifinal game against Cromwell-Wright, he threw three touchdown passes, two to his fellow junior Austin Plonsky. It should be a dandy of a game as the Superlarks look to become the third team in state history to win 50 consecutive games, joining Stephen-Argyle Central and Minneapolis Washburn.
The 1 PM game is the Class AA championship as the defending champion Caledonia Warriors battle the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles. Both teams won decisively in their semifinal contests. The Warriors blasted the Barnesville Trojans 55-20 and the Eagles took care of the Maple River Eagles 46-13. Caledonia's high powered offense has scored more than 40 points in 10 of their 13 games this season. They are led by junior quarterback Owen King, who is also a member of the Warrior basketball team. The Warriors have won six state titles. Can they make it number seven?
At 4 PM is the Class AAAA final that features the Winona Winhawks and the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights. The Winhawks return to the Prep Bowl for the first time since 1987 while the Red Knights make their first quest for a state title. Winona came from behind in the semifinals to beat the Rocori Spartans. Their path to an unbeaten season was blocked by the Mankato West Scarlets. Benilde-St. Margaret's got into their first title game thank's to the outstanding running game of Ricky Floyd. He rushed for 273 yards and scored three touchdowns in the semifinal game against the unbeaten Marshall Tigers. In the quarterfinals against the Cloquet Lumberjacks, Floyd rushed for 227 yards, giving him a total of 500 rushing yards in the tournament. The offensive line needs to give Floyd running room and shut down the Winhawk defense in order to bring their first state championship trophy back to St. Louis Park.
Wrapping up the first day of championship games will be the Class AAAAAA championship at 7 PM between the Eden Prairie Eagles and the Totino-Grace Eagles. It has all the makings of a classic match up with two programs that have combined for a total of 17 state titles with Totino-Grace winning nine and Eden Prairie eight. The first "Battle of the Eagles" took place on September 1 with Totino-Grace on top 17-14. If you can make it to only one game on Friday, take time out from your Black Friday shopping and come see two great programs in action en route to yet another state title. You won't be disappointed and you'll get your $14 worth seeing many talented athletes in action.
In Part Two, a look at Saturday's title games.
The first championship game at US Bank Stadium will be the Nine Man title game as the three time champion Grand Meadow Superlarks and the Cleveland/Immanuel Lutheran Clippers at 10 AM. The Superlarks have had another super season as they extended their winning streak to 49 games. Grand Meadow has a strong running back tandem in Christopher Bain and Zach Myhre who have scored a combined total of 54 touchdowns this season. They could face one of their toughest tests in the Clippers, led by junior quarterback Carter Kopet. In the semifinal game against Cromwell-Wright, he threw three touchdown passes, two to his fellow junior Austin Plonsky. It should be a dandy of a game as the Superlarks look to become the third team in state history to win 50 consecutive games, joining Stephen-Argyle Central and Minneapolis Washburn.
The 1 PM game is the Class AA championship as the defending champion Caledonia Warriors battle the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles. Both teams won decisively in their semifinal contests. The Warriors blasted the Barnesville Trojans 55-20 and the Eagles took care of the Maple River Eagles 46-13. Caledonia's high powered offense has scored more than 40 points in 10 of their 13 games this season. They are led by junior quarterback Owen King, who is also a member of the Warrior basketball team. The Warriors have won six state titles. Can they make it number seven?
At 4 PM is the Class AAAA final that features the Winona Winhawks and the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights. The Winhawks return to the Prep Bowl for the first time since 1987 while the Red Knights make their first quest for a state title. Winona came from behind in the semifinals to beat the Rocori Spartans. Their path to an unbeaten season was blocked by the Mankato West Scarlets. Benilde-St. Margaret's got into their first title game thank's to the outstanding running game of Ricky Floyd. He rushed for 273 yards and scored three touchdowns in the semifinal game against the unbeaten Marshall Tigers. In the quarterfinals against the Cloquet Lumberjacks, Floyd rushed for 227 yards, giving him a total of 500 rushing yards in the tournament. The offensive line needs to give Floyd running room and shut down the Winhawk defense in order to bring their first state championship trophy back to St. Louis Park.
Wrapping up the first day of championship games will be the Class AAAAAA championship at 7 PM between the Eden Prairie Eagles and the Totino-Grace Eagles. It has all the makings of a classic match up with two programs that have combined for a total of 17 state titles with Totino-Grace winning nine and Eden Prairie eight. The first "Battle of the Eagles" took place on September 1 with Totino-Grace on top 17-14. If you can make it to only one game on Friday, take time out from your Black Friday shopping and come see two great programs in action en route to yet another state title. You won't be disappointed and you'll get your $14 worth seeing many talented athletes in action.
In Part Two, a look at Saturday's title games.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
It's on to Prep Bowl for BSM Red Knights
If you didn't make the trip to Lindstrom to see the Benilde-St.Margaret's Red Knights rout Cloquet in last Friday's Class AAAA football quarterfinals you didn't have far to go to see Ricky Floyd score three touchdowns and rush for 273 yards to lead BSM to a 44-34 win over the unbeaten Marshall Tigers Thursday evening in the Class AAAA semifinals at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Tigers, who scored more than 50 points in five of their 11 games, got the early lead on a 63 yard punt return by Ryan VanMoer. Marshall would go up by 13 as Trey Lance threw a nine yard touchdown pass to Reece Winkelman. The Red Knights would get on the board as Floyd looked like he was headed for the light rail station as he ran for an 81 yard touchdown. The Tigers led 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
BSM would open the second quarter as they lined up in the Wildcat formation and Alex Houlihan got the direct snap from center and scored on a 13 yard keeper touchdown for the lead. Lance would put Marshall back in the lead when Lance threw a 63 yard touchdown pass to Nick Ektaniphong. The Red Knights would strike again :13 later on Peyton James' 93 yard kickoff return. The Tigers concluded the first half scoring on a one yard touchdown run from Zac Almjeld with :19 left to even the score at 28.
It looked like Floyd would open the second half scoring for BSM but the touchdown was called back due to an illegal block in the back. But number 23 in the red and white jersey would redeem himself and go down the right sideline for a 34 yard touchdown run. The Red Knights added two more points as Braeden Fitzgerald tackled Jefferson Lee V in the end zone for a safety. Quarterback Will Whitmore scored on a one yard keeper as time expired and the Red Knights led 44-28 at the end of three quarters.
Could Marshall stage a rally and send its orange and black clad fans back to southwest Minnesota happy? They did add another touchdown, the second of the game for Ektaniphong as he hauled in a 41 yard pass from Lance and it was all the Tigers could do against a tough BSM defense.
Lance was 17 for 35 for 275 yards and Ektaniphong caught six passes for 150 yards.
The Red Knights improved their record to 9-3 and will face the Winona-Rocori winner for the Class AAAA championship on Friday, November 25 at 4 PM at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Winona-Rocori game is set for Friday, November 18 at 4:30 PM, also at US Bank Stadium.
Marshall finished their season with a record of 11-1.
The Tigers, who scored more than 50 points in five of their 11 games, got the early lead on a 63 yard punt return by Ryan VanMoer. Marshall would go up by 13 as Trey Lance threw a nine yard touchdown pass to Reece Winkelman. The Red Knights would get on the board as Floyd looked like he was headed for the light rail station as he ran for an 81 yard touchdown. The Tigers led 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
BSM would open the second quarter as they lined up in the Wildcat formation and Alex Houlihan got the direct snap from center and scored on a 13 yard keeper touchdown for the lead. Lance would put Marshall back in the lead when Lance threw a 63 yard touchdown pass to Nick Ektaniphong. The Red Knights would strike again :13 later on Peyton James' 93 yard kickoff return. The Tigers concluded the first half scoring on a one yard touchdown run from Zac Almjeld with :19 left to even the score at 28.
It looked like Floyd would open the second half scoring for BSM but the touchdown was called back due to an illegal block in the back. But number 23 in the red and white jersey would redeem himself and go down the right sideline for a 34 yard touchdown run. The Red Knights added two more points as Braeden Fitzgerald tackled Jefferson Lee V in the end zone for a safety. Quarterback Will Whitmore scored on a one yard keeper as time expired and the Red Knights led 44-28 at the end of three quarters.
Could Marshall stage a rally and send its orange and black clad fans back to southwest Minnesota happy? They did add another touchdown, the second of the game for Ektaniphong as he hauled in a 41 yard pass from Lance and it was all the Tigers could do against a tough BSM defense.
Lance was 17 for 35 for 275 yards and Ektaniphong caught six passes for 150 yards.
The Red Knights improved their record to 9-3 and will face the Winona-Rocori winner for the Class AAAA championship on Friday, November 25 at 4 PM at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Winona-Rocori game is set for Friday, November 18 at 4:30 PM, also at US Bank Stadium.
Marshall finished their season with a record of 11-1.
Monday, November 14, 2016
2016 Class AAAA Football Semifinal Preview
Football fans can come in from the cold because the state football semifinals and Prep Bowl games will be played at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis starting on Thursday, November 17.
Also on the 17th, is the first Class AAAA semifinal that features the unbeaten Marshall Tigers and the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at 4:30 PM.
When you think of Marshall and high school sports, it's very likely their outstanding girls teams in volleyball and basketball. But in 2016, it's the guys turn to shine in the Tiger spotlight as the football team goes for their first championship berth. This season, Marshall has had a high powered offense that has scored more than 50 points in five of their 11 games. The only game where the Tigers didn't score at least 40 points was in the Section 2 final as they beat the perennial power Hutchinson Tigers 17-14.
Marshall got a solid game from their running back Jefferson Lee V, who scored four touchdowns and rushed for 139 yards in a 40-7 rout of the Fridley Tigers. Lee has 1,802 yards this season and the junior has broken the 100 yard plateau in all but one game. It was September 9 against Waseca, when he was held to 54 yards. He is the key to the game for Marshall as well as their defense which has given more than 20 points in only one game this season, the Section 2 semifinal against the Faribault Falcons. They will need to slow down Ricky Floyd and the Red Knight offense.
Benilde-St. Margaret's avenged last year's exit against the Becker Bulldogs in last years Class AAAA quarterfinals with a 42-7 clubbing of the Cloquet Lumberjacks. It was also a big night for Floyd who scored four touchdowns and ran for 227 yards. Floyd will need to have a big night against a very tough Marshall defense and the Red Knights also could use a big game for quarterback Will Whitmore, who is capable of running the option offense.
The winner advances to the Prep Bowl on Friday, November 25 against the winner of the Winona-Rocori game that will be played on Friday, November 18 at 4:30 PM. The Winona Winhawks continue their quest for their first Prep Bowl trip since 1987 following a 24-0 shut out of the top ranked South St. Paul Packers in the quarterfinals.
Looking at the Rocori Spartans, they were the third seed in Section 8 and earned their trip to the state tournament by beating Little Falls, Detroit Lakes and a team that they beat on September 9 41-21, the Willmar Cardinals. Rocori ousted their Spartan counterpart Orono 30-7 in the quarterfinals. Connor Schoberg threw three touchdown passes to Derek Thompson. Thompson had his best game of the season with 157 receiving yards, his first 100 yard game since the September 30 loss to the Alexandria Cardinals when he had 110 yards and a touchdown.
Can Rocori rock US Bank Stadium and continue their drive for their first Class AAAA state title since 2011? It's all part of three exciting days of semifinal football in Minnesota.
Also on the 17th, is the first Class AAAA semifinal that features the unbeaten Marshall Tigers and the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at 4:30 PM.
When you think of Marshall and high school sports, it's very likely their outstanding girls teams in volleyball and basketball. But in 2016, it's the guys turn to shine in the Tiger spotlight as the football team goes for their first championship berth. This season, Marshall has had a high powered offense that has scored more than 50 points in five of their 11 games. The only game where the Tigers didn't score at least 40 points was in the Section 2 final as they beat the perennial power Hutchinson Tigers 17-14.
Marshall got a solid game from their running back Jefferson Lee V, who scored four touchdowns and rushed for 139 yards in a 40-7 rout of the Fridley Tigers. Lee has 1,802 yards this season and the junior has broken the 100 yard plateau in all but one game. It was September 9 against Waseca, when he was held to 54 yards. He is the key to the game for Marshall as well as their defense which has given more than 20 points in only one game this season, the Section 2 semifinal against the Faribault Falcons. They will need to slow down Ricky Floyd and the Red Knight offense.
Benilde-St. Margaret's avenged last year's exit against the Becker Bulldogs in last years Class AAAA quarterfinals with a 42-7 clubbing of the Cloquet Lumberjacks. It was also a big night for Floyd who scored four touchdowns and ran for 227 yards. Floyd will need to have a big night against a very tough Marshall defense and the Red Knights also could use a big game for quarterback Will Whitmore, who is capable of running the option offense.
The winner advances to the Prep Bowl on Friday, November 25 against the winner of the Winona-Rocori game that will be played on Friday, November 18 at 4:30 PM. The Winona Winhawks continue their quest for their first Prep Bowl trip since 1987 following a 24-0 shut out of the top ranked South St. Paul Packers in the quarterfinals.
Looking at the Rocori Spartans, they were the third seed in Section 8 and earned their trip to the state tournament by beating Little Falls, Detroit Lakes and a team that they beat on September 9 41-21, the Willmar Cardinals. Rocori ousted their Spartan counterpart Orono 30-7 in the quarterfinals. Connor Schoberg threw three touchdown passes to Derek Thompson. Thompson had his best game of the season with 157 receiving yards, his first 100 yard game since the September 30 loss to the Alexandria Cardinals when he had 110 yards and a touchdown.
Can Rocori rock US Bank Stadium and continue their drive for their first Class AAAA state title since 2011? It's all part of three exciting days of semifinal football in Minnesota.
Friday, November 11, 2016
BSM Red Knights Clobber Cloquet Lumberjacks
It was a cold Friday night in Lindstrom as Ricky Floyd heated up the Benilde-St. Margaret's offense by scoring four touchdowns and rushing for 225 yards to lead the Red Knights to a 42-7 rout of the Cloquet Lumberjacks in the Class AAAA state quarterfinals at Chisago Lakes High School.
Floyd scored his first touchdown on the Red Knights opening drive, going around left guard and scoring from seven yards. He would reach the end zone a second time with 2:09 left in the first quarter and BSM led 14-0.
Though the Red Knights began the second quarter with two straight penalties that put them first and all the way to Taylor's Falls, they would eventually go up by 21 on their next drive as Floyd, who had 325 rushing yards in the Section 5AAAA against Holy Angels, scored another two yard touchdown.
In the third quarter, it was Floyd who would score his fourth touchdown on a 31 yard pass from quarterback Will Whitmore. But it wasn't "The Ricky Floyd Show" in the Class AAAA quarterfinals on this frigid Friday night. Give credit to the Red Knight defense as Braeden Fitzgerald intercepted a pass from Cloquet quarterback Tim Pokornowski and scored a 57 yard touchdown to put BSM ahead by 35.
Going to the fourth quarter as the Red Knights would increase their lead to 42 on a three yard left side keeper touchdown by Will Whitmore. The Lumberjacks made sure there would be no shutout when Pokornowski threw a 29 yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Gerlach with :07.6 left in the game.
BSM improved their record to 8-3 and will play the unbeaten Marshall Tigers in the Class AAAA semifinals on Thursday, November 17 at 4:30 PM at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Tigers secured a semifinal berth by flushing the Fridley Tigers 40-7.
Cloquet ended their season with a record of 7-4.
Floyd scored his first touchdown on the Red Knights opening drive, going around left guard and scoring from seven yards. He would reach the end zone a second time with 2:09 left in the first quarter and BSM led 14-0.
Though the Red Knights began the second quarter with two straight penalties that put them first and all the way to Taylor's Falls, they would eventually go up by 21 on their next drive as Floyd, who had 325 rushing yards in the Section 5AAAA against Holy Angels, scored another two yard touchdown.
In the third quarter, it was Floyd who would score his fourth touchdown on a 31 yard pass from quarterback Will Whitmore. But it wasn't "The Ricky Floyd Show" in the Class AAAA quarterfinals on this frigid Friday night. Give credit to the Red Knight defense as Braeden Fitzgerald intercepted a pass from Cloquet quarterback Tim Pokornowski and scored a 57 yard touchdown to put BSM ahead by 35.
Going to the fourth quarter as the Red Knights would increase their lead to 42 on a three yard left side keeper touchdown by Will Whitmore. The Lumberjacks made sure there would be no shutout when Pokornowski threw a 29 yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Gerlach with :07.6 left in the game.
BSM improved their record to 8-3 and will play the unbeaten Marshall Tigers in the Class AAAA semifinals on Thursday, November 17 at 4:30 PM at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Tigers secured a semifinal berth by flushing the Fridley Tigers 40-7.
Cloquet ended their season with a record of 7-4.
Eye Guess was Bob Stewart's First Game Show Success
In 1964, Bob Stewart left Goodson-Todman Productions to become an independent packager. His first game show for his own company would debut in January, 1966 titled Eye Guess.
On January 3, 1966, NBC replaced a short-lived Art James game show Fractured Phrases with Eye Guess. The show would air for 25 minutes, due to a five minute newscast that would run before the network's long running hit Concentration. Back then, there were four news updates that NBC would air throughout the daytime schedule. They would air at 10:25 AM, 12:55 PM, 1:55 PM, and 4:25 PM> All times were Eastern time.
Eye Guess was hosted by Stewart's long-time friend Bill Cullen. Cullen was coming off the cancellation of another Stewart creation that ran for nine years and whose revival is TV's longest running game show The Price is Right.
The game was a comedic twist on the rebus game that was hosted by Hugh Downs. Two rounds were played. In each round, the contestants studied the board that contained the answers to the questions Cullen would ask. There were eight numbers and an "Eye Guess" space in the middle of the board and after several seconds, the answers would be covered.
Cullen would then ask a question to the first contestant. Instead of giving the answer, they would call the number or "Eye Guess" if they thought it wasn't on the board. Correct answers in the first round were worth 10 points, 20 in the second. If a contestant got five correct answers in a row, he/she won a bonus prize. However,an incorrect number forfeited control to their opponent and that's where the humor came in from a wrong answer.
The first player to score 100 points won the game and got to go to the "Risk Board" . Throughout the show's three year run, there were three bonus games. The first was a contestant had to match the name of a celebrity to the spouse on the board. If all the answers were correct, the contestant won a new car.
The second and longest running bonus round featured the board that had seven prizes and a "Stop" card. A contestant picked a number. If it was a prize, they won the prize. But if the "Stop" was behind the number, the game was over. If all seven prizes were picked, the grand prize would also be a car.
The third would come in show's final season that also had a format change. Instead of points, contestants won prizes for each correct answer with seven needed for a win. The bonus round was also altered to where a contestant had to find seven "Go" signs before hitting the "Stop" and if successful, a new car was won.
The show's theme song for the majority of the run was "Sugar Lips" by Al Hirt.
Eye Guess ran in the 10 AM slot from January to December 1966 until it was moved to 12:30 PM in January 1967, following NBC's hit quiz show Jeopardy. The show would get high ratings and was still going strong until a new NBC daytime head decided to revamp its game show lineup. On September 26, 1969, Eye Guess was one of four shows cancelled along with another Stewart game Personality and also You Don't Say and Match Game.
The key to Eye Guess' success was a simple format that home viewers could play along with and Cullen's ease in guiding the show and injecting humor when a contestant chose a wrong answer. It's a shame that a show like Eye Guess hasn't been revived to this day. Sony, which owns the rights to Stewart's shows, needs to find the right host and stick with the format. In 1966, Eye Guess was the show that put Stewart on the map as a game show producer.
On January 3, 1966, NBC replaced a short-lived Art James game show Fractured Phrases with Eye Guess. The show would air for 25 minutes, due to a five minute newscast that would run before the network's long running hit Concentration. Back then, there were four news updates that NBC would air throughout the daytime schedule. They would air at 10:25 AM, 12:55 PM, 1:55 PM, and 4:25 PM> All times were Eastern time.
Eye Guess was hosted by Stewart's long-time friend Bill Cullen. Cullen was coming off the cancellation of another Stewart creation that ran for nine years and whose revival is TV's longest running game show The Price is Right.
The game was a comedic twist on the rebus game that was hosted by Hugh Downs. Two rounds were played. In each round, the contestants studied the board that contained the answers to the questions Cullen would ask. There were eight numbers and an "Eye Guess" space in the middle of the board and after several seconds, the answers would be covered.
Cullen would then ask a question to the first contestant. Instead of giving the answer, they would call the number or "Eye Guess" if they thought it wasn't on the board. Correct answers in the first round were worth 10 points, 20 in the second. If a contestant got five correct answers in a row, he/she won a bonus prize. However,an incorrect number forfeited control to their opponent and that's where the humor came in from a wrong answer.
The first player to score 100 points won the game and got to go to the "Risk Board" . Throughout the show's three year run, there were three bonus games. The first was a contestant had to match the name of a celebrity to the spouse on the board. If all the answers were correct, the contestant won a new car.
The second and longest running bonus round featured the board that had seven prizes and a "Stop" card. A contestant picked a number. If it was a prize, they won the prize. But if the "Stop" was behind the number, the game was over. If all seven prizes were picked, the grand prize would also be a car.
The third would come in show's final season that also had a format change. Instead of points, contestants won prizes for each correct answer with seven needed for a win. The bonus round was also altered to where a contestant had to find seven "Go" signs before hitting the "Stop" and if successful, a new car was won.
The show's theme song for the majority of the run was "Sugar Lips" by Al Hirt.
Eye Guess ran in the 10 AM slot from January to December 1966 until it was moved to 12:30 PM in January 1967, following NBC's hit quiz show Jeopardy. The show would get high ratings and was still going strong until a new NBC daytime head decided to revamp its game show lineup. On September 26, 1969, Eye Guess was one of four shows cancelled along with another Stewart game Personality and also You Don't Say and Match Game.
The key to Eye Guess' success was a simple format that home viewers could play along with and Cullen's ease in guiding the show and injecting humor when a contestant chose a wrong answer. It's a shame that a show like Eye Guess hasn't been revived to this day. Sony, which owns the rights to Stewart's shows, needs to find the right host and stick with the format. In 1966, Eye Guess was the show that put Stewart on the map as a game show producer.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
2016 State Class AAAA Football Tournament Preview
One thing that will be guaranteed in this year's state Class AAAA football tournament is that there will be a new champion since the Becker Bulldogs championship reign was ended by the Big Lake Hornets in the Section 6 semifinals. Here's a preview of the Class AAAA quarterfinals that will be played on Friday, November 11.
In the upper bracket, the top ranked and unbeaten South St. Paul Packers head down I-494 to face the Winona Winhawks at East Ridge. The Packers are in their fifth tournament and lost in last year's championship game to Becker. They will face a Winona team that came up three points short of an unbeaten season, losing 42-39 to the Mankato West Scarlets on October 19. It's also the first trip to state for the Winhawks since they lost to Moorhead in the 1987 Class AA final 13-7. It could be a real test for the Packers.
Two unlikely teams will battle in the second quarterfinal game at Husky Stadium on the St. Cloud State University campus. The Rocori Spartans, seeded third in Section 8 and the Orono Spartans who were seeded third in Section 6. Rocori held off the surprising Willmar Cardinals, who upset the top seeded Fergus Falls Otters in the semifinals and Orono kept the Zimmerman Thunder from making the trip up Highway 10 in the Section 6 semifinals. Who will emerge in "The Battle of the Spartans/"
Over in the lower bracket, the Fridley Tigers return to the state tournament for the second straight year. Last year, the Tigers lost in the quarterfinals to the South St. Paul Packers. Fridley hopes to continue their quest for their first state football title since 1990. However, they will face another team with a Tiger nickname, unbeaten Marshall ant Burnsville High School. Marshall beat perennial power Hutchinson to return to the state tournament. It should be an interesting match up.
The final game of the day takes place at Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom as the Cloquet Lumberjacks square off with the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights. The Lumberjacks advanced with a win over the Princeton Tigers in the Section 7 finals and embark on their quest to US Bank Stadium 40 years after losing in the Class AA final to White Bear Lake in overtime at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis. The Red Knights return to state for the second straight year and need an outstanding game from running back Ricky Floyd. In the Section 5 final, BSM was down 9-0 and scored 30 unanswered points to clinch a berth in the state tournament. Floyd reached the end zone four times and rushed for 325 yards. The Red Knights will Also have to play solid defense to advance to US bank Stadium on Thursday, November 17.
That's the quarterfinal lineup for Class AAAA. It should be an interesting Friday night of high school football.
Friday, November 4, 2016
BSM Red Knights Win Section 5AAAA Football Title
After a lackluster start, the Benilde-St. Margaret's offense shifted into overdrive as Ricky Floyd scored four touchdowns to lead the Red Knights to a 44-29 win over the Holy Angels Stars in the Section 5AAAA football championship game Friday night in St. Louis Park.
The Red Knights would fumble on their first drive and went three and out on their next two series. The Stars would shine early when quarterback Joseph Heinbold scored on a 25 yard keeper. Holy Angels led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Conor McGarry would boot a 20 yard field goal to put the Stars ahead by nine. But the BSM offense would come to life like Frosty the Snowman when quarterback Will Whitmore threw a 60 yard touchdown pass to Floyd who beat a pair of Stars defenders to put the Red Knights on the board. BSM would vault ahead on Alex Houlihan's 18 yard field goal to give them a 10-9 halftime lead.
Defense would also prevail for the Red Knights as they began the second half scoring following a fumble by Heimbold that was recovered in the end zone by Patrick Kalb for a touchdown. Floyd would make two more trips to the end zone in the third quarter, scoring a 12 yard left side touchdown and on a 49 yard run with :08 to go. It would be a 30-9 BSM lead.
Fans looking for a lot of scoring would get their wish in the fourth quarter that started when Heimbold ended the Red Knights 30 unanswered points run with a nine yard keeper touchdown. The Holy Angels defense made a contribution to the scoring on Peter Laird's interception of Whitmore that would cut the lead to eight. BSM would counter :19 later as Floyd ran like he was headed for 26th St. and scored a 67 yard touchdown. Holy Angels would not go away just yet. Heimbold would score his third touchdown of the game on a 23 yard keeper. The Red Knights would clinch their second straight trip to state on Whitmore's two yard keeper touchdown.
BSM improved their record to 7-3 and will take on the Cloquet Lumberjacks in the Class AAAA quarterfinals Friday, November 11 at 7 PM at Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom. Holy Angels, who upset the top seeded Mound-Westonka Whitehawks last Saturday concluded their season with a record of 4-6.
The Red Knights would fumble on their first drive and went three and out on their next two series. The Stars would shine early when quarterback Joseph Heinbold scored on a 25 yard keeper. Holy Angels led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Conor McGarry would boot a 20 yard field goal to put the Stars ahead by nine. But the BSM offense would come to life like Frosty the Snowman when quarterback Will Whitmore threw a 60 yard touchdown pass to Floyd who beat a pair of Stars defenders to put the Red Knights on the board. BSM would vault ahead on Alex Houlihan's 18 yard field goal to give them a 10-9 halftime lead.
Defense would also prevail for the Red Knights as they began the second half scoring following a fumble by Heimbold that was recovered in the end zone by Patrick Kalb for a touchdown. Floyd would make two more trips to the end zone in the third quarter, scoring a 12 yard left side touchdown and on a 49 yard run with :08 to go. It would be a 30-9 BSM lead.
Fans looking for a lot of scoring would get their wish in the fourth quarter that started when Heimbold ended the Red Knights 30 unanswered points run with a nine yard keeper touchdown. The Holy Angels defense made a contribution to the scoring on Peter Laird's interception of Whitmore that would cut the lead to eight. BSM would counter :19 later as Floyd ran like he was headed for 26th St. and scored a 67 yard touchdown. Holy Angels would not go away just yet. Heimbold would score his third touchdown of the game on a 23 yard keeper. The Red Knights would clinch their second straight trip to state on Whitmore's two yard keeper touchdown.
BSM improved their record to 7-3 and will take on the Cloquet Lumberjacks in the Class AAAA quarterfinals Friday, November 11 at 7 PM at Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom. Holy Angels, who upset the top seeded Mound-Westonka Whitehawks last Saturday concluded their season with a record of 4-6.
2016 Section 5AAAA Football Championship Preview
Friday night is a big night for high school football throughout Minnesota as many state tournament berths will be decided including the Section 5AAAA title between the Holy Angels Stars and the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights in St. Louis Park.
The Stars, seeded fourth in the section, pulled off the upset in the semifinals with a 35-24 win over the top seeded Mound-Westonka Whitehawks. Jack Anderson scored four touchdowns for Holy Angels and rushed for 237 yards, including a 74 yard kickoff return in the second quarter. Defense was also a factor as the Stars held the Whitehawks top running back Isaiah Cherrier to 53 yards.
The key to the game for Holy Angels will be their running game. In addition to Anderson, the Stars also use Joseph Heimbold. He had a career game against the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars with 240 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
As for the Red Knights, more euphoria could come to their red and white clad fans after the girls soccer team won their fourth Class A state championship Thursday afternoon against the Mankato West Scarlets. The defending Section 5AAAA champions set the pace early in the semifinals with a 34 point first quarter to rout the Richfield Spartans 55-14. Senior running back Ricky Floyd ran for three touchdowns and 106 yards.
BSM comes into the section final with a record of 6-3, with two of their losses coming against the teams that will play for the Section 5AAAAA title the Cooper Hawks and the Spring Lake Park Panthers. The Red Knights almost upset the Panthers but lost in an overtime thriller on a touchdown from Zachary Ojile.
The Red Knights key to the game will be to get a strong running game from Floyd and also to play strong defense.
It's going to be a clear night with the temperature in the high 50s. Game time is 7 PM.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Former Austin Packer Basketball Coach Haddorff Passes Away
Former Austin High School boys basketball coach Oscar Haddorff died October 25 in Northfield, MN at the age of 86.
Before Haddorff began his long career at the home of the George A. Hormel company, he played college basketball at Hamline University. He was a member of the 1949 NAIA national championship team where one of his teammates would go on to greater success in the NBA with the Minneapolis Lakers and would later be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. His name, Vern Mikkelsen. He was also a part of Hamline's 1951 NAIA title team that was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.
Haddorff began his teaching career in St. Charles, MN in 1952 and taught for two years. He would serve the next two years in the Armed forces. Following his return to civilian life in 1956, he would serve as an assistant coach to Ove Berven at Austin High School, where he would be part of four Packer teams that would play in the state tournament.
In 1958, Austin would win their first state title since 1946, beating the Brainerd Warriors 68-63. The Packers would return to state the following season but the championship trophy went to the Wayzata Trojans who have not been to a state tournament in 57 years.
Haddorff was also part of the 1960 state final where the Packers lost in the finals to tiny Edgerton. In Berven's final season in 1963, the Packers returned to Minneapolis but the state title was won by the Marshall Tigers.
In 1964, Haddorff would take over the Packers from Bervan and lead them to their lone state tournament appearance under his tutelage in 1972. It was the second year of the two class tournament and Austin advanced to the Class AA championship but came up short against the Mounds View Mustangs 62-54.
Haddorff would continue to coach the Packers until he stepped down in 1978, turning over the program to his brother-in law, Howie Strey. Strey would keep the winning tradition in the southern Minnesota city as he took the packers to the Class AA finals in 1981, losing to the Anoka Tornadoes and return to the St. Paul Civic Center the following season.
As for Haddorff, he would continue to teach biology until he retired in 1991. He was part of a successful boys basketball program that was built by Bervan, the namesake of the Austin High School gym and continued the winning tradition after his retirement. He was inducted into the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999.
Before Haddorff began his long career at the home of the George A. Hormel company, he played college basketball at Hamline University. He was a member of the 1949 NAIA national championship team where one of his teammates would go on to greater success in the NBA with the Minneapolis Lakers and would later be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. His name, Vern Mikkelsen. He was also a part of Hamline's 1951 NAIA title team that was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.
Haddorff began his teaching career in St. Charles, MN in 1952 and taught for two years. He would serve the next two years in the Armed forces. Following his return to civilian life in 1956, he would serve as an assistant coach to Ove Berven at Austin High School, where he would be part of four Packer teams that would play in the state tournament.
In 1958, Austin would win their first state title since 1946, beating the Brainerd Warriors 68-63. The Packers would return to state the following season but the championship trophy went to the Wayzata Trojans who have not been to a state tournament in 57 years.
Haddorff was also part of the 1960 state final where the Packers lost in the finals to tiny Edgerton. In Berven's final season in 1963, the Packers returned to Minneapolis but the state title was won by the Marshall Tigers.
In 1964, Haddorff would take over the Packers from Bervan and lead them to their lone state tournament appearance under his tutelage in 1972. It was the second year of the two class tournament and Austin advanced to the Class AA championship but came up short against the Mounds View Mustangs 62-54.
Haddorff would continue to coach the Packers until he stepped down in 1978, turning over the program to his brother-in law, Howie Strey. Strey would keep the winning tradition in the southern Minnesota city as he took the packers to the Class AA finals in 1981, losing to the Anoka Tornadoes and return to the St. Paul Civic Center the following season.
As for Haddorff, he would continue to teach biology until he retired in 1991. He was part of a successful boys basketball program that was built by Bervan, the namesake of the Austin High School gym and continued the winning tradition after his retirement. He was inducted into the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Soccer is First State Tournament at US Bank Stadium
After two years of shivering at St. Cloud State University, high school soccer fans can head inside to US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Monday for the first state high school tournament to be played at the new home of the Minnesota Vikings.
St. Croix Valley soccer fans will have to set their alarm clocks early because the top seeded and unbeaten Stillwater Ponies will have the honor of playing the first game in the new venue as they take on the Andover Huskies in the Class AA semifinals at 8 AM.
The Ponies advanced with the second straight win over their Suburban East Conference rival the Mounds View Mustangs 6-1 and the Huskies shut out the Moorhead Spuds 2-0.
At 10 AM, it's a battle of two Lake Conference teams as the Wayzata Trojans face the Edina Hornets. Both teams advanced by way of a shut out. Wayzata got two goals from Maclane King to beat the Owatonna Huskies 5-0. Edina had a pair of goals from Matt Lindberg to beat the Burnsville Blaze 2-0. The Trojans won both games against the Hornets by the identical score of 2-0. Can they make it three in a row?
Whether or not you leave for lunch, there's more soccer at noon as a couple of Big Nine Conference teams open the Class A boys semifinals, the Northfield Raiders and the Mankato West Scarlets. It took a shootout for the Scarlets to win their quarterfinal game over the Bemidji Lumberjacks 2-1 and the Raiders also won in a shootout over the Willmar Cardinals by the same 2-1 score.
The 2 PM game pits the Blake Bears and the St. Thomas Academy Cadets. The Bears came from behind with three unanswered goals to beat the Duluth Denfeld Hunters 3-1. The Cadets got two goals apiece from Amanuel Bird and Logan Davis for a 5-0 shut out of St. Paul Como Park.
Concluding the inaugural day's festivities is a Class A girls semifinal twinbill. First up, it's the defending Class A champion Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights taking on a rival that's familiar to hockey fans, the Hill-Murray Pioneers. Vivian Shinall scored four goals to lead the Red Knights to a 6-0 win over the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles and Katherine Schindler's goal 1:26 into the second half was the game winner for the Pioneers over the Waconia Wildcats 1-0.
The day's final game features the Dover-Eyota Eagles and the Mankato West Scarlets. Ashlee Olson, who played on the state Class AA girls basketball championship team in 2015, scored two second half goals to lead the Eagles over the St. Paul Academy Spartans. Junior Shelby Lund got the hat trick to help the Scarlets rout the North Branch Vikings 7-1.
So there's the first day of competition at US Bank Stadium. It should be a monumental day as state tournament action comes in from the cold.
St. Croix Valley soccer fans will have to set their alarm clocks early because the top seeded and unbeaten Stillwater Ponies will have the honor of playing the first game in the new venue as they take on the Andover Huskies in the Class AA semifinals at 8 AM.
The Ponies advanced with the second straight win over their Suburban East Conference rival the Mounds View Mustangs 6-1 and the Huskies shut out the Moorhead Spuds 2-0.
At 10 AM, it's a battle of two Lake Conference teams as the Wayzata Trojans face the Edina Hornets. Both teams advanced by way of a shut out. Wayzata got two goals from Maclane King to beat the Owatonna Huskies 5-0. Edina had a pair of goals from Matt Lindberg to beat the Burnsville Blaze 2-0. The Trojans won both games against the Hornets by the identical score of 2-0. Can they make it three in a row?
Whether or not you leave for lunch, there's more soccer at noon as a couple of Big Nine Conference teams open the Class A boys semifinals, the Northfield Raiders and the Mankato West Scarlets. It took a shootout for the Scarlets to win their quarterfinal game over the Bemidji Lumberjacks 2-1 and the Raiders also won in a shootout over the Willmar Cardinals by the same 2-1 score.
The 2 PM game pits the Blake Bears and the St. Thomas Academy Cadets. The Bears came from behind with three unanswered goals to beat the Duluth Denfeld Hunters 3-1. The Cadets got two goals apiece from Amanuel Bird and Logan Davis for a 5-0 shut out of St. Paul Como Park.
Concluding the inaugural day's festivities is a Class A girls semifinal twinbill. First up, it's the defending Class A champion Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights taking on a rival that's familiar to hockey fans, the Hill-Murray Pioneers. Vivian Shinall scored four goals to lead the Red Knights to a 6-0 win over the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles and Katherine Schindler's goal 1:26 into the second half was the game winner for the Pioneers over the Waconia Wildcats 1-0.
The day's final game features the Dover-Eyota Eagles and the Mankato West Scarlets. Ashlee Olson, who played on the state Class AA girls basketball championship team in 2015, scored two second half goals to lead the Eagles over the St. Paul Academy Spartans. Junior Shelby Lund got the hat trick to help the Scarlets rout the North Branch Vikings 7-1.
So there's the first day of competition at US Bank Stadium. It should be a monumental day as state tournament action comes in from the cold.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Martin is Key to Hopkins Volleyball Success
She's one of Minnesota's top volleyball players and part of the Hopkins Royals successful season as they are the fourth ranked team in Class AAA and the top seed in Section 6AAA.
Jazmyn Martin took some time before the Royals quarterfinal match with the St. Louis Park Orioles for an interview.
Before Martin went full tilt with volleyball, she also was a member of the Hopkins girls basketball team that has been coach for years by Brian Cosgriff. "he's a good guy to be around and taught me a lot of sports in general," Martin said. "He's really good to be around.
One of the top players that was a teammate of Martin is now a freshman at Michigan State, Nia Hollie. Martin gave her thoughts on how Hollie will do with the Spartans. "I think she's going to do great. She's a great player and she has a lot coming for her."
Martin decided to forego basketball and concentrate on volleyball. She felt it was hard to do both basketball and volleyball.
Martin's volleyball career will continue on the collegiate level when she will play next season at the University of Minnesota. She will be reunited with her former Royal teammate who is having an outstanding sophomore season as the Gopher setter, Samantha Seliger-Swenson. "The Gophers is a great program and one of the main reasons I picked the program is to play with Sam again."
She also commented on playing next season for Gopher head coach Hugh McCutcheon. "I very excited to get trained by him."
But first, Martin has to hep Hopkins in their quest to a return trip to the state volleyball tournament and she did in a big way Thursday night as she made some key blocks and kills to lead the Royals to a three set sweep of the St. Louis Park Orioles. The first two sets were an identical 25-16 score and in the third set, Martins outstanding serving and powerful attacks were the key to advancing Hopkins into the Section 6AAA semifinals with a 25-8 win.
Jazmyn Martin took some time before the Royals quarterfinal match with the St. Louis Park Orioles for an interview.
Before Martin went full tilt with volleyball, she also was a member of the Hopkins girls basketball team that has been coach for years by Brian Cosgriff. "he's a good guy to be around and taught me a lot of sports in general," Martin said. "He's really good to be around.
One of the top players that was a teammate of Martin is now a freshman at Michigan State, Nia Hollie. Martin gave her thoughts on how Hollie will do with the Spartans. "I think she's going to do great. She's a great player and she has a lot coming for her."
Martin decided to forego basketball and concentrate on volleyball. She felt it was hard to do both basketball and volleyball.
Martin's volleyball career will continue on the collegiate level when she will play next season at the University of Minnesota. She will be reunited with her former Royal teammate who is having an outstanding sophomore season as the Gopher setter, Samantha Seliger-Swenson. "The Gophers is a great program and one of the main reasons I picked the program is to play with Sam again."
She also commented on playing next season for Gopher head coach Hugh McCutcheon. "I very excited to get trained by him."
But first, Martin has to hep Hopkins in their quest to a return trip to the state volleyball tournament and she did in a big way Thursday night as she made some key blocks and kills to lead the Royals to a three set sweep of the St. Louis Park Orioles. The first two sets were an identical 25-16 score and in the third set, Martins outstanding serving and powerful attacks were the key to advancing Hopkins into the Section 6AAA semifinals with a 25-8 win.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)