SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
After the horrific school shooting in Minneapolis, I want to start the column by saying if you are having any mental issues or having any thoughts of harming yourself or anybody, or are just having a tough time for any reason, go to therapy.
In Crookston, we have Aluma, which is a great place. Grand Forks has a bunch of great therapy places, and I have done therapy for anxiety a few years ago, but since November, I switched to another therapist after taking a year off from therapy. I was going through a divorce, and between the debilitating anxiety and sadness, pain, guilt, depression, and everything else you deal with when going through it, it was a saving grace for me. I am doing really well now, as much as I can, and each day gets easier. But I will tell you this, I never took a day off. I never missed doing a game, and it was all because of my therapy session, which I have every Monday morning. It is a great way to kick off the week, and I am at a point now where I am working on how I can be better every day, and between losing 20 pounds from exercise, eating better (smarter), I am honestly in the best place I have been in many, many years. I have a ways to go before I am where I want to be, but I have taken big strides, and I will continue to strive to be the best person, dad, and boss/broadcaster I can be.
I tell you all this because of the school shooting in Minneapolis. If you or anybody you know is struggling with mental illness, anxiety, depression, etc. Make sure to get, or get them help. It works. I promise! If you are going through a tough time and need somebody to talk to….Give me a call. I would be happy to talk. (218-280-4021) I am here for you. Remember, no matter how bad you think it is, it is never really that bad!
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To celebrate my divorce (if you can’t make fun of your failures, what can you do!????) – I am going to give away SIX Gopher Football tickets for tonight’s (Thursday, August 28) game vs Buffalo. The first person to email or text me that they want them will get them. Email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com or text 218-280-4021.
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The Minnesota Vikings have traded to bring the pride of Detroit Lakes, Adam Thielen, back to Minnesota to bolster the receiving core. I like the move, and Minnesota fans love it when we have Minnesota guys on the teams. It looks like Carson Wentz will be the third-string quarterback behind the one-year Gopher quarterback Max Brosemer.
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The Crookston Pirate Football team will play a Class A schedule while still playing in Section 8AA at tournament time. Crookston has lost 19 games in a row, starting with a loss to Barnesville in the Section 8AA Championship in 2022. They need a win, but it won’t be easy because they start the season with the Nevis Tigers, who were 10-1 last year and lost to Cromwell-Wright 20-14 in the Section 5 9-Man Championship. They were 13-0 and won the 9-Man State Championship in 2023.
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Last week, I broadcast the Stephen-Argyle 50-30 victory over the Fertile-Beltrami Falcon football team in Fertile. I told you Stephen-Argyle was the favorite going in, and the Storm are the real deal and have a team that can have a lot of success this year. But don’t count Fertile-Beltrami out. They got stronger as the game went along, and they are still my favorite to win Section 6 9-man again this year.
Stephen-Argyle has some studs on the line, great athletes, an absolutely solid senior leader at quarterback, and some depth, too. But the Storm aren’t a shoo-in for a trip to state because the always tough Goodridge/Grygla Chargers are going to be a very good team again this year. It will be a fun year in 9-man once again this year in NW Minnesota.
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Who is going to be the top team in Section 8A Football?
Easy. The favorite is always Mahnomen-Waubun until somebody beats them. They have a 6’4″, about 230-pound quarterback who is bigger, faster, stronger, and even tougher, and they are always tough on the line.
Then it is the usual Red Lake County, which will be very good again this year and will have a lot of talent. It will be solid on the line and will likely be a top-10-ranked team, or should be. Polk County West and Ada-Borup-West are always good and will round out the top four teams, like most years.
The question, as always….will anyone beat Mahnomen-Waubun?
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Section 8AA Football has a 10-time defending section champion with Barnesville, and once again, they are the favorite by a pretty good margin.
Pelican Rapids, Hawley and Frazee round out my top four teams. The good news this year…..there is only seven teams in the section so nobody has to play Barnesville in the first round!!!!
Park Rapids is out, which sucks for the Panthers. They should be in Section 8AA and it was nice having them in the section, but the MSHSL numbers forced them to move back up. Hopefully the Panthers will be back in two years.
Crookston is playing a Class A schedule and will be light on the line again (the reason why they haven’t won a game in two years). They will be a favorite in two games they play this season and possibly a third. But, that might be all they get because they will have Nevis, Mahnomen-Waubun, Red Lake County, Ada-Borup-West, and Polk County West on the roster and those are going to be very tough games.
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Section 8AAA Football has seven teams and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton is going to be my favorite to win the section after they lost to Fergus Falls in the section championship last year. They are just like the rest of the top teams we have mentioned…..a well-oiled machine with great athletes, tough kids, and will be outstanding again. You have Morris Area, Minnewaska Area, East Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, Park Rapids, and Perham. DGF is my team to beat.
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In Section 8A Volleyball, there has been one big match already and that was Sacred Heart beating Kittson County Central 3-1 in a tight match. Sacred Heart has pretty much everybody back this year and have height, a great setter, and outstanding athletes (defending section girls basketball champs). They put their stamp on the Section in the first match and it is going to be a fun year in 8A volleyball.
In Section 8AA Volleyball, it is going to be more of the same. Hawley is going to be tough, Wadena-Deer Creek, Thief River Falls, East Grand Forks, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton will likely be the top teams again!
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The Crookston Youth Basketball Association will hold a Mini Hoopers Intro to Basketball Academy for ages 4 to 6 at the Crookston High School gym.
The academy will meet on Saturdays from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. September 6 through October 4.
This introductory program teaches basketball basics using simple drills and fun games.
Cost is $10. For more information, contact Erik Griffin at 218-201-2767.
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JOKES
A man drives his date up to lovers lane and parks. “I have to be honest with you” the woman says as the guy makes his move.”I`m a hooker”.
The man thinks about this for a bit and decides he`s ok with it. He agrees to pay her $100 and they go at it.
After they finish, the guy says, “Now I should be honest too. I`m a cab driver and its going to cost you $100 to get back to town”.
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A lawyer, sitting next to blonde on a long flight, was pestering her to play a game ‘I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me, and vice-versa.’
The blonde politely declined and tried to get some sleep. The lawyer made another offer: ‘Okay, if you don’t know the answer you pay me $5, but if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $1000’ The blonde agreed.
The lawyer asked the first question. ‘What’s the distance from the earth to the moon?’
The blonde silently reached into her purse, pulled out a five-dollar bill, and handed it to the lawyer. Then she asked the lawyer, ‘What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?’ And went back to sleep
The lawyer did research on his iPhone, called his buddies etc, all to no avail. After over an hour, he gave up. He woke the blonde up and handed her $1000 and asked ‘Well, so what is the answer?’
Again, without a word, the blonde reached into her purse, handed the lawyer $5, and went back to sleep.
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The barber’s client looked depressed, so the barber told him, “Cheer up. I knew a guy who owed $5,000 he couldn’t pay. He drove his vehicle to the edge of a cliff, where he sat for over an hour. A group of concerned citizens heard about his problem and passed a hat around. Relieved, the man pulled back from the cliff’s edge.”
“Incredible,” said the client. “Who were these kind people?”
“The passengers on the bus.”
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Every time I go on vacation my wife gets pregnant…
This year I’m taking her with me!
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I was standing at the bar in an International Airport when a small Chinese guy came in, stood next to me, and started drinking a beer. I asked him, “Do you know any of those martial arts things, like Kung-Fu, Karate, or Ju-Jitsu?”
He says “No, why the heck would you ask me that? Is it because I am Chinese?”
“No”, I said, “It’s because you’re drinking my beer, you little f**ker.”
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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
Addie Fee is a freshman playing tennis and hockey at Wisconsin-Superior.
Kambelle Freije is a freshman playing hockey at Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Riley Helgeson is a freshman playing football at Northern State.
Matt Contreras is a freshman playing baseball at Concordia College.
Naomi Johnson is a freshman playing volleyball at Alexandria Community College.
Paul Bittner is an assistant coach on the University of Wisconsin-Superior Men’s Hockey team.
Reese Swanson is a sophomore playing hockey at St. Olaf.
Carter Coauette is a sophomore playing football at Minot State.
Isabelle Smith is a sophomore playing Tennis at Concordia College.
Isaac Thomforde is a sophomore playing Tennis at Northwestern College in St. Paul.
Halle Bruggeman is a Junior on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Rugby team.
Ethan Boll is a Sophomore 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 Junior playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Aleah Bienek is a Senior playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Ty Hamre is Senior 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.
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.