SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Register now for the Crookston High School Athletic Department’s 23rd Annual Pirate Pride Golf Scramble that will be held Friday, July 11 at Minakwa Golf Course. Cost is $100 per person ($400 per team of 4 players). Must be 18 years of age or have graduated from high school. The price does not include a cart, so call the clubhouse to reserve one. All proceeds will help support Crookston High School Pirate Athletics. Pre-register by Friday, July 4. Contact Steve Kofoed at 320-290-9904 or stevenkofoed@isd593.org.
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Without officials sporting events wouldn’t be played. Have you thought about becoming an official/umpire/refereee, etc? You can make some decent money while getting some exercise and being a part of the game. The Minnesota State High School League will be holding an Officiating Recruitment Forum on July 22. For more information, click the link below.
Officiating Recruitment Forum | MSHSL
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After Tuesday’s games, the American Legion D2 Northwest Sub-State North (South) standings look like this.
1. Crookston 8-1
2. Fertile 3-1
3. Ada 5-3
4. Fosston 0-2
5. Win-E-Mac 0-4
6. Twin Valley/Ulen-Hitterdal 0-5
After Tuesday, the American Legion D2 Northwest Sub-State North (North) standings look like this.
1. Warroad 6-1
2. Red Lake Falls 4-1
3. Roseau 4-5
4. Thief River Falls 2-3
5. Middle River 3-5
6. Stephen-Argyle 0-4
The Sub-District playoffs will begin on Thursday, July 17 with the play-in games at the higher seed.
The Sub-District North pod will be played on Friday, July 18 – Sunday, July 20 at Fosston.
The Northwest Sub-State tournament will be held Thursday, July 24 – Sunday, July 27 at Jim Karn Field in Crookston.
The state tournament will be held in Ely August 1-3.
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Crookston High School alum Matt Harris has taken the job of Activities Director at Queen Creek High School in Queen Creek, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. Harris was previously the A.D. at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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After striking out 12 batters in a complete-game, two-hit shutout against Lincoln on Saturday, Former University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball player and current Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks pitcher Jake Dykhoff was named American Association pitcher of the week Monday for the first time in his career.
Dykhoff threw 102 pitches in his first start of the season Saturday after coming out of the bullpen to begin the year, facing two batters over the minimum and posting a career-high 12 punch outs while walking none.
The Wadena, Minnesota, native is the first RedHawks player to earn player/pitcher of the week honors since Davis Feldman was named pitcher of the week for the week ending May 26, 2024.
In 18 appearances this season, Dykhoff is 4-3 with a 1.90 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. He has struck out 38 batters and walked six in 33 innings of work in 2025.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s golf team announced the addition of Jack Justesen (Hawley/Minnesota State University) to their signing class. Justesen joins Jaime Martinez Guimon (Getxo, Spain/American School of Bilbao) in the 2025 signing class.
Jack Justesen (Hawley, Minn./Minnesota State University)
Justesen played nine rounds for Minnesota State University during his freshman season in 2024-25. He averaged 75.0 during the season and shot a season-low 70 at The Mule. Justesen helped the Mavericks to a 299.2 average during his lone season in Mankato. He was a four-time All-Heart of Lakes Conference selection and two-time Conference Champion at Hawley H.S. He was a three-time All-State pick and made three State Tournament appearances. Justesen was a Section 8AA and Class AA State Champion in 2024.
He is the son of Shawn and Chastity Justesen. Justesen plans to major in finance at Minnesota Crookston. He comes from a golf family. His dad Shawn Justesen played golf at the University of Wyoming, as did his uncle Jason. His brother Carter Justesen golfed at Minnesota State Community and Technical College. His cousin Lukas golfed for Minnesota Crookston from 2023-25. His sister Faith golfed at the University of Jamestown.
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The University of Jamestown is officially the 16th member of the Northern Sun Conference as of Tuesday, July 1!
Jamestown joins the other 15 schools as official members –
Minnesota Crookston
Bemidji State
Minnesota State Moorhead
Northern State
Minot State
Mary
St. Cloud State
Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota State Mankato
Winona State
Concordia-St. Paul
Wayne State (Neb)
Southwest Minnesota State
Augustana (who announced 8 years they were going D1 and they lied!!!!)
U of Sioux Falls
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The North Dakota State College of Science Wildcats in Wahpeton, North Dakota will become a full member of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) on July 1 of 2027.
NDSCS competes in the MCAC in football and women’s soccer and is currently a member of the Mon-Dak Conference in volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball.
Schools in the MCAC are Alexandria TCC, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Century College, Central Lakes College, Minnesota North College (Itasca), Minnesota North College (Mesabi Range), M State Fergus Falls, Minnesota West, Northland CTC, Rain River CC, Ridgewater, Riverland CC, Rochester CTC, St. Cloud Technical CC, Vermilion CC, and Western Technical.
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There has been a big change at the home of the Minnesota Wild as the Excel Energy Center will now be known as the Grand Casino Arena.
We called the Excel Energy Center the X. So what will the Grand Casino Arena be called? The Grand. The GCA. The G Spot……well, if that is the name most guys won’t be able to find it! Sorry…had to do it.
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Five future skaters for the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team were selected Saturday during day two of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Entry Draft from Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. After adding the five picks in 2025, the Golden Gophers increased their all-time number of draft picks to 248, the most of any college hockey team.
Jacob Rombach was the first Gopher off the board, going No. 35 overall to the Nashville Predators in the second round. One round later, two more Gophers heard their names called – Mace’o Phillips at No. 80 overall to the Calgary Flames and Mason Moe at No. 90 overall to the New Jersey Devils. LJ Mooney followed in the fourth round at No. 113 to the Montreal Canadiens. Jacob Kvasnicka was the final Maroon and Gold selection at No. 202 overall in the seventh round to the New York Islanders.
Rombach played two full seasons with the Lincoln Stars in the USHL from 2023-25, appearing in 116 games. He posted 18 points during the 2024-25 campaign and finished third on the team with a plus-29 rating, while notching a pair of four-game point streaks. Rombach also competed in the 2025 Chipotle All-American Game and previously tallied nine points in 59 games during his rookie USHL season. The Blaine, Minn., native helped Team USA win gold at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge, recording a goal and an assist, and added two points at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He previously played high school hockey for Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids, where he recorded 19 points in 26 games as a sophomore.
Phillips played with the USNTDP for two years between 2023-25, suiting up for 60 games with the U18s in 2024–25 and recorded six points from the blue line. Known for his physical style of play, the Wayzata, Minn., native led the team in penalty minutes both seasons, including 103 in his second year. He also competed in the 2025 Chipotle All-American Game and netted goals against the Fargo Force and Muskegon Lumberjacks during his U18 campaign. On the international stage, Phillips helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship and earned gold at the 2024 U17 Five Nations Tournament. Prior to joining the NTDP, he played prep hockey at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, where he posted 21 points in 27 games as a sophomore, including a hat trick and four-point performance at Champlin Park.
Moe played parts of two seasons with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL, totaling 63 games and finishing fifth in team scoring with 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) during the 2024-25 campaign. He recorded 12 power-play points, highlighting his offensive impact from the forward position. The native of Eden Prairie, Minn., also skated in six games with the U.S. National Team Development Program U18s, scoring three goals, and participated in the 2025 Chipotle All-American Game. Moe helped Team USA capture gold at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge and tallied four points at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Before joining the USHL, Moe starred at Eden Prairie High School, leading the team in scoring as a sophomore with 40 points in 27 games.
Mooney spent two years (2023-25) with the USNTDP, appearing in 112 games and showcasing his offensive prowess with 51 points in 51 games for the U18 team in 2024-25. A product of West Mifflin, Pa., he ranked fifth in scoring and recorded 14 multi-point performances, including five games with three points. Internationally, Mooney helped Team USA earn a bronze medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship, where he tallied 11 points in seven games and was named Player of the Game in the opener against Czechia. He also won gold at the 2024 U17 Five Nations Tournament and silver at the 2024 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. Before joining the NTDP, Mooney developed through the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite AAA program from 2020 to 2023.
Kvasnicka spent two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program from 2023-25,posting 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 66 games with the U18s during his second campaign. He ranked sixth on the team in scoring and tallied eight multi-point performances, including a five-point outing against Czechia. The Wayzata, Minn., product represented Team USA at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship, contributing five points in seven games, and earlier earned Player of the Game honors with a hat trick during a five-point performance at the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge. Prior to his NTDP tenure, he led Wayzata High School in scoring as a freshman with 45 points in 28 games, helping the Trojans reach the Section 6AA title game.
The Gophers begin the 2025-26 campaign on home ice at 3M Arena at Mariucci when they welcome former WCHA foe Michigan Tech for a series Oct. 3-4. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.
Minnesota Draft Notes
*At least one Gopher has been drafted in 51 of the last 52 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974 with 2001 being the only exception. Minnesota’s 27-consecutive drafts with a selection between 1974-2000 are an NCAA record, while it is currently on a 24-year streak.
*After seeing five players selected, Minnesota now has three or more draft picks in 11 of the last 12 drafts.
*Moe is the 12th all-time Gopher selected by the Devils and first since 2009 when New Jersey picked Seth Helgeson (114th overall) in the fourth round. The 12 draftees are sixth-most of any NHL organization.
*Rombach is the 33rd Gopher to be selected in the second round and first since Ryan Chesley in 2022 (37th overall; Washington Capitals)
*Phillips is the first Gopher selected by the Calgary Flames since Kris Chucko was selected 24th overall in 2004.
*Erik Johnson remains the highest draft pick in Minnesota history, going No. 1 overall in 2006, as one of 26 all-time first-round selections.
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UND firing Brad Berry cost them their top player this spring. Below is an excerpt from a social media post –
Blackhawks prospect Sacha Boisvert said he “definitely” didn’t expect to transfer from North Dakota, but then coach Brad Berry — who had recruited him since age 14 — got fired. There were “a lot of emotions.”
At BU, he’ll be a 6-hour drive from home in Quebec, so his family can visit more.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston soccer team will host an ID Camp August 9 from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., at the Minnesota Crookston Soccer Field. The camp is for grades 9-college. The campers will be able to experience life as a student-athlete at the University of Minnesota Crookston. Participants in the ID Camp will be instructed by the Golden Eagle soccer staff and get a glimpse of campus. The campers will be led through drills and observed by soccer coaches at the U of M Crookston and nearby universities. The camp will include technical training, possession drills, small-sided and 11v11 games. Campers and families will get a tour of campus and have a Q&A session with Minnesota Crookston coaching staff.
Registration for the camp will commence at 9 a.m. A t-shirt is included in registration with an overall cost of $100. Campers should bring appropriate soccer attire, shin guards, socks, cleats, tennis shoes, a water bottle, and sunscreen.
For more information on the camp and to register visit https://register.ryzer.com/camp.cfm?sport=7&id=307710
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The Crookston High School Summer Strength and Conditioning program “Powered by Sanford Sports” will be June 2 through August 8. There will be no sessions June 30-July 4 due to the MSHSL blackout week.
For the registration and sign up info, click the following link – Crookston Weights Summer Sign Up — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com
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JOKES
A lady is having a bad day at the roulette tables in ‘Vegas. She’s down to her last $50. Exasperated, she exclaims,
“What rotten luck! What in the world should I do now?”
A man standing next to her, trying to calm her down, suggests,
“I don’t know… why don’t you play your age?”
He walks away. Moments later, his attention is grabbed by a great commotion at the roulette table. Thinking Maybe she’d won, he rushes back to the table and pushes his way through the crowd.
The lady is lying limp on the floor, with the table operator kneeling over her.
The man is stunned. He asks, “What happened? Is she all right?”
The operator replies, “I don’t know. She put all her money on 29, and 36 came up. Then she just fainted!”
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I went to the doctors recently. He said, “Don’t eat anything fatty.”
I said, “What, like bacon and burgers?”
He said, “No, I mean you, Fatty, don’t eat anything!”
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A girl came skipping home FROM school one day. “Mommy, Mommy,” she yelled, “we were counting today, and all the other kids could only count to four, but I counted to 10. See? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8, 9, 10!”
“Very good,” said her mother.
“Is it because I’m blonde, Mommy?”
“Yes, Honey, it’s because you’re blonde.”
The next day the girl came skipping home FROM school. “Mommy, Mommy,” She yelled, “we were saying the alphabet today, and all the other kids could only say it to D, but I said it to G. See? A,b, c, d, e, f, g!”
“Very good,” said her mother.
“Is it because I’m blonde, Mommy?”
“Yes, Honey, it’s because you’re blonde.”
The next day the girl came skipping home FROM school. “Mommy, Mommy,” she yelled, “we were in gym class today, and when we showered, all the other girls had flat chests, but I have these!” And she lifted her tank top to reveal a pair of 36Cs.
“Very good,” said her embarrassed mother.
“Is it because I’m blonde, mommy?”
“No, Honey, it’s because you’re 25.”
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A burglar broke into a home.
He heard a soft voice say, “Jesus is watching you.”
Thinking it was just his imagination, he continued his search.
Again, “Jesus is watching you.”
He turned his flashlight around, and saw a parrot in a cage.
He asked the parrot if he was the one talking.
The parrot said, “Yes.”
He asked the parrot his name.
The parrot said, “Moses.”
The burglar asked, “What kind of people would name their parrot, Moses?”
The parrot replied, “The same kind of people who would name their pitbull Jesus.”
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How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST. Email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Paul Bittner is an assistant coach on the University of Wisconsin-Superior Men’s Hockey team.
Reese Swanson is a freshman playing hockey at St. Olaf.
Carter Coauette is a freshman playing football at Minot State.
Isabelle Smith is a freshman playing Tennis at Concordia College.
Isaac Thomforde is a freshman playing Tennis at Northwestern College in St. Paul.
Emilee Tate is a Sophomore playing Softball at Northland Community and Technical College.
Halle Bruggeman is a Sophomore on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Rugby team.
Ethan Boll is a Red-shirt Freshman on the University of North Dakota Football team.
Breanna Kressin is a Junior on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.
Jacey Larson is a Sophomore playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Aleah Bienek is a Junior playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Joslynn Leach is a Senior playing golf at Concordia College in Moorhead. The Cobbers wrapped up the Fall season.
Brooks Butt is a Junior playing football at the University of Jamestown.
Ty Hamre is redshirt Junior playing football at Bemidji State University.
Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.
Crookston School District Coaches
Blake Bergeron is the head Pirate Wrestling Coach.
Ben Parkin is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Jason Cassavant is a Jr. High Baseball Coach
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Marley Melbye is an assistant girls golf coach
Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Ben Trostad is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Ethan Magsam is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc
Elise Tangquist is the Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND.
Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson is the head Little Falls Volleyball coach.
Tim Desrosier is an Assistant Coach for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Pony Boys Basketball
Pat Wolfe is the head wrestling coach for Fosston/Bagley.
Austin Sommerfeld is an Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.
Collin Reynolds is the head baseball coach for the University of Colorado Buffalo Club Baseball team.
Trent Stahlecker is a School Security Specialist & he works for the Brevard Public Schools, Florida.
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown.
Josh Edlund is the head football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach at Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is the Head Wrestling Coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.
Matt Harris is an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of North Dakota.
Mike Hastings is the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s head Hockey coach.
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Grand Forks Schools.
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football, volleyball, and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for Bison media relations.
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College.
Chris Myrold is the Director and Fitness at Mission Ranch and Fitness in Camel, California.
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Jaren Bailey is serving our country and is currently in the Marines’ Boot Camp.
Ben Andringa is serving our country in the Army and is now a Ranger.
Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy.
Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.
Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and a grad of West Point and currently serving in the U.S. Army.
Philip Kujawa class of 2004, from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.
Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome
That’s it for this week. Thanks for the comments, and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call. Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com.
