by Janet Hansen
The Ransom County Commissioners, meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 3, reviewed a letter from Monty Haugen, Ransom County Weed Board Officer/Weed Board Member. Haugen had delivered the letter, handwritten on Thursday, Oct. 29, to Commissioner Wayne Jones and asked him to present it to the board at their upcoming meeting.
After stating that he felt a few of the board members did not understand the workings of the weed board and, he felt, had no grounds for their complaints, Haugen announced that he was resigning from the weed board as of October 31, 2009. He went on to state that he would be resigning from his position as weed officer at the same time and would be giving his resignation to the weed board secretary, since it was the weed board and not the board of commissioners which had hired him.
Jones reported that Haugen had also told him that the two weed board sprayers, Aaron Stenson and Laurie Stenson, were looking for jobs elsewhere.
After voicing his complaints about several of the commissioners and going so far as to recommend that they resign, Haugen stated, in his letter, that he had “worked hard for the weed board,  helping get grants,” and explained that the latest grant application, for help for farmers in spraying pastures, would now not be finished. He went on to state that he had enjoyed working with Keenan (Lund) and Laurie and Aaron Stenson.
The letter was read aloud by Commissioner Neil Olerud, vice-president of the council, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Steve Dick, chairman. Following the reading of the letter George Bunn moved to accept Haugen’s resignation. The motion was seconded by Kevin Bishop and carried with Bunn, Bishop, Jones, and Olerud voting “Aye.”
Jones stated that he wished to publicly thank Haugen for his many years of service on the county weed board. “He (Haugen) did a lot of work for minimal pay,” Jones stated, “and I, for one, appreciate it.”
County shop lease agreement
The board discussed the proposed lease agreement for a building to be used as a county shop and came to the conclusion that a clarification was needed in the proposed agreement. Jones recommended that the board discuss the terms of the agreement with Ron Rotenberger, who had brought the proposal to the board. Jones further suggested that the board request that a clause providing the county with exclusive purchase rights for a specified period of time be added to the lease agreement.
Ransom County State’s Attorney Fallon Kelly stated that for legal reasons he had advised that the agreement include no lease to own agreement. However, he indicated that an “option to own” clause could be added with no legal issues if the board so desired.
Jones stated that such a clause had already been discussed with Rotenberger, who, according to his recollection, had suggested a five-year time period be allowed for the purchase option. Bunn stated that he thought the time discussed had been three to five years. Kelly stated that the longer the time period allowed the better for the county, since it gave them a longer window of time to come up with the funds needed to purchase the building. He indicated that just because the clause read five years did not mean that the purchase could not be made earlier than that.
Jones made a motion, in respect to entering into the lease agreement with the RTR Group, to request that a clause be added to the proposed agreement which would give the county the exclusive option to purchase the building within a certain period of time to be determined between the investment group and the board of commissioners. Also, he added, that a purchase price stating a specific dollar amount, as negotiated, also be included. Bunn seconded the motion which carried with Jones, Bunn, Bishop, and Olerud voting “Aye.” Chairman Steve Dick was absent and not voting.
An invitation from the RTR Group to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ransom County Highway Department Shop, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, was acknowledged by the board. However, the board decided to decline the invitation, since, as the potential lessee, they stated that they felt they did not need to be a part of the groundbreaking ceremony.
RC Housing Authority report
Ming Elhard, Ransom County Housing Authority, reported to the board on the voucher program which provides housing assistance to those in need. Elhard, who has worked with the Housing Authority in LaMoure, McIntosh, and Ransom counties since 2001, explained that Ransom County has many more applicants for housing assistance than the other two counties and, therefore, benefits the most from the program. She explained that she works closely with the Ransom County Human Services department and finds them to be very helpful. “They are the best!” stated Elhard. “They go beyond their duties to help.” She went on to state that the county’s housing assistance program seems to be running very well. She currently has 58 people who are receiving assistance through her office.

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by Terri Kelly Barta
The Lisbon City Council considered changes in five city ordinances, introduced  a resolution for the ball to get rolling on permanent diking, and discussed manhole repair  at their Monday, November 2 meeting.
City Ordinances in review
Put on first readings were two ordinances involving increases for Lisbon residents. Both were discussed at the October city council meeting.
One was the proposal to add one half percent to the city’s sales tax, bringing it up to 7%. The additional funds are to be used for infrastructure which was damaged in last spring’s flood fight which was not  included under the money that FEMA had alloted. John Otterson offered the first reading of Ordinance No. 2009-6 which will impose an additional 1/2 percent  tax upon gross receipts of retailers from all sales at retail, including the leasing or renting of tangible personal property, within the corporate limits of Lisbon.
An ordinance to increase the water rate for the city of Lisbon was also proposed in October. At that time, the council tabled the issue until they could find out how much of a rate increase was needed to cover cost increases and help defray the cost of infrastructure repair/improvements. Since the October meeting, it has been determined that 4 cents per cubic foot would be enough, which translates to approximately $3.00/household/month. LyDell Mairs offered the first reading on Ordinance No. 2009-2 which will increase the water rate for Lisbon residents.
The second and final reading will be held at the December 7 meeting of the city council.
Ordinances 2009-3, 2009-4, and 2009 -5, relating to dogs had their second reading tabled until further discussion and new proposals by the committee. Ordinance 2009-3 was proposed to change  to read “dogs must be leashed when on public property. This includes: public sidewalks, streets, or alleys adjacent to the owner’s residence.” Ordinance 2009-4 would prohibit dog owners from walking around town with an unleashed dog. The third ordinance proposed for pets would increase fines for dogs running at-large and dogs barking.
Van Satlak and Terry Brown were on the agenda for the dog issues. Satlak owns a well-trained dog. His concern was that if ordinance 2009-3 is passed, he won’t be able to walk across the street to his neighbor’s with his dog without it being leashed nor run the dog around the neighborhood with the dog running beside him. He asked the council what prompted the change in the ordinance.
“We get a lot of complaints,” said Jerry Gemar, councilman.
Satlak asked Lisbon Police Chief Persons how many complaints and she replied, “We have had many complaints in the past year, several each week.”
Mayor Ross Cole said the concern is for all the dogs that are not trained. “My  dog has been bitten while leashed, by an unleashed dog,” said Cole, as one example.
Another resident, Paul Stroh, who was at the meeting asked if the ordinance included the fairgrounds where he runs his unleashed dog attended by him. “Yes, it would” came the answer.
“I am strongly opposed to the first two ordinances,” said Satlak.
Walt Johnson suggested possibly specifying some areas in town such as the fairgrounds for dogs controlled by their owners to run unleashed. Police Chief Persons said that would be fine.
Johnson made a motion to table the three dog ordinances until the committee could meet again and discuss options. LyDell Mairs seconded the motion. Johnson, Mairs, John Otterson, Tim Meyer, and Jerry Gemar voted in favor. Pat Adair was absent and not voting.
Resolution for permanent diking
The Council discussed getting the ball rolling for permanent diking for Lisbon. Walt Johnson made a motion to have City Attorney Don Eppler draw up a resolution for permanent diking. Tim Meyer seconded the motion. All of the above voted in favor with Adair absent and not voting.

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by Holly Jessen
Mary Edman wondered why nobody asked her to help out with the refreshments at the Gwinner Citizen of the Year award presentation held Tuesday, Oct. 27.
“All my friends were bringing bars,” she explained.
As it turns out, the event was in her honor. Edman, a special education teacher at North Sargent Public School, was selected as the 2009 Gwinner Citizen of the Year.
Edman accepted the award at the North Sargent Activity Center following a patriotic program put on by North Sargent second graders. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she told the crowd she was touched.
“I’m at a loss for words,” she said.
She also said she didn’t really feel she deserved the award. Anyone would do the same if they were asked, she told the crowd.
Those that nominated Edman felt she was very deserving indeed, however. Jeannette Beckstrom, chairman of Gwinner Civic Club citizen of the year selection committee, read from quotes taken from those that nominated Edman for the award.
“This Citizen of the Year would be a wonderful example of what a citizen of Gwinner should be,” said one.
Edman, who is married to John Edman, is a graduate of Gwinner High School. She took a job elsewhere but moved back to Gwinner after getting married and having a family. She has a masters degree in special education.
Edman represents Gwinner in many ways, Beckstrom told the crowd, including through the Gwinner Civic Club, her church and at the school. She has served as director of Gwinner Junior Players for 20 years, has held many jobs at her church and has taken part in many activities at the school.
“The work from this teacher has had an impact on the lives of many of our young people,” said another nominator.
As is tradition, Beckstrom didn’t reveal the name of the award winner until after reading all the information and quotes about the winner. Edman said later that she had no idea it was her name that was going to be read. It wasn’t until Beckstrom mentioned Gwinner Junior Players that Edman realized the award was for her.
“That was the dead giveaway,” she said.
There are five civic club members on the selection committee, Beckstrom said. Those committee members go through letters of nomination sent in by community members, to select the winner.
Edman’s name has been nominated for the award in previous years. Nomination letters are kept for up to 3 years so the person nominated has a chance to win for more than one year, Beckstrom said.

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Photo by Deb Evenson Pictured back row: (l to r) Coach Amy Lyons, Michele Hoistad, Kali Olson, Trisha Illies, Sarah Carlson, Nicole McRitchie, Samantha Reinke, Morgan Bubach, Asst. Coach Angie Williams, Asst. Coach Coach Chelsey Heitkamp. Front row: (l to r) Julie Hieggelke, Karissa Kitchen-McMahon, Natalie McRitchie, Charlene Carlson, Susie Lyons, Briana Hoaby, Kayla Rotenberger, McCall Manske, Anna Well, Hillary Birchem. Kneeling: Stacie Urbach, Karlene Lorenz.

by Joe Howell
“We took care of the odd year”, commented Bronco Coach Amy Lyons immediately after her Lisbon squad held off number one seed, Wyndmere-Lidgerwood, for the District 1 title.  The Broncos have won three of the last four titles and four of the last six under the direction of Lyons and her longtime assistant Angie Williams.  New to the program was first year teacher and coach, Chelsey Heitkamp.  Heitkamp has done a very nice job in her role this year and brought lots of success with her resume as Chelsey played in the state tournament for Wyndmere when she was in high school.
Lisbon had won titles in 2008, 2006, and 2004 but not in 07 or 05 and so the 09 district championship stopped the odd year streak but this championship may have been the hardest.
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood is a stud team filled with different scoring hitting options.  Lisbon’s option came in the form of Senior District 1 player of the year, Kali Olson and Olson was enough when things got tough as the jumping jack registered 13 kills.
In the regular season, WL had defeated Lisbon 3-1 at Wyndmere in September and the Warbirds had also eliminated Lisbon 2-1 in the Lisbon-Enderlin tournament in early October.  What Lisbon learned in the two losses to WL was that we have to defend at a faster pace against the quick striking Warbird offenses.  Sure enough the third time as a charm as the Broncos split the first four games of the championship match and won the deciding game 5 by a score of 15-11.
In a scoring oddity, the first team to score a point in all four games would go onto win that game.  Oddly enough, tournament manager, Pat Adair did not turn off the lights after the Broncos had gained a 1-0 lead in game 5.
Lisbon Coach Amy Lyons commented on her team, the three Broncos that made the All District Squad, and the Region 1 tournament.
“Eight straight years is cool.”  We expect to get to the region every year and the district tournament is a seeding tournament for the region and the one tournament that we strive to win every year.
“All three all-district picks were all deserving.  Michele (Hoistad) is our rock.  She is a huge supporter on the bench and a very steady blocker and hitter in the front row.  She is a three year starter and a four year letter winner.  She had to move to the middle for us mid-season and is willing to try anything.”
“As much as Susie (Lyons) improved in her setting abilities last year, she has improved in her defensive abilities this season.  Susie is one of our strongest and most consistent servers and does such amazing things to get the ball up for our hitters.  Susie is a three year letter winner and a two year starter.
“As for Kali, she is our spark.  We ride on her hits, and she thrives on it.  She has been able to “do her thing” kind of in the background for the last two years and now she is shining!  She has become an outstanding leader and motivator for our team.  Kali is so much fun to watch because she loves competing.  She has fun and makes it fun for everyone around her.  She is a four year letter winner and a three year starter.”
“I was so proud of the those girls last night.  They did not get frazzled.  We have talked a lot about holding our composure and maybe that helped.  We have a lot of individual players that have sacrificed for the team.
I think that finally last night’s win proved to the players how good they really are.  They fought through the lows and I could not be more proud of them.”
“The region tournament will be very exciting!  We have not played Oak Grove this season but saw them play at Valley City in the Optimist Tourney.  They have some big hitters and big players.  Am I glad that potentially we don’t have to play both Central Cass And Wyndmere-Lidgerwood?  Uhhh…yeah, but we better bring our A game every night or we will be bounced from the tournament in a hurry.  We need to take care of Oak Grove First!”
Game by Game recap
Game 1
WL 25 Lisbon 18
The Broncos started slowly and Wyndmere-Lidgerwood took advantage of that fact.  Lisbon had won the coin toss and the right to serve first but a net serve gave the Warbirds the now famous 1-0 lead.
Lisbon found themselves down 8-3 before Lyons called a time out.  In reality, the Warbirds were on a roll in game and five of six timeouts, each team is allowed two per game, would not have made a difference in game 1.
WL middle hitter, Danielle Buskohl’s two early kills helped stake an early lead for the number one seed in the tournament.
A Kayla Rotenberger service ace brought the Broncos to within 22-18 after trailing by ten at 15-5.  A Nicole Hulm kill and an ace by Haley Oster earned WL their early 1-0 lead in games.
Game 2 -
Lisbon 25
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 15
The Broncos could not afford to fall behind by two games and needed to build some momentum on their side of the net. LHS jumped out to a 5-0 lead as Kali Olson recorded a kill for point 1, Susie Lyons scored point 2 on a service ace, sophomore, Sarah Carlson scored point three on a tip kill, a WL receiving error produced the fourth point, and a Hillary Birchem kill gained point five and a WL time out.
Lisbon would lead 7-2 only to see WL run off five straight points which prompted a Lyons time out.
Bronco points 8 and 9 came on Olson service aces and WL would never lead in game 2 and the tie at 7 all was as close as the Warbirds would get.
A double block by Michele Hoistad and Sarah Carlson gave Lisbon a 10-7 lead and some needed breathing room.
Kills by Olson and Birchem plus a receiving error by WL extended the Broncos lead to 14-9.
A Nicole McRitchie serve and a side out on WL lifted LHS lead to 16-10.
Behind a boisterous Lisbon crowd spikes by Lyons and Birchem finished game 2 with Lisbon winning 25-15 and ending the match at a game apiece.
Game 3
Lisbon 25
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 21
With McRitchie serving, Olson produced a kill and the Broncos had produced the all evening important 1-0 lead.
Leading 3-2, an Olson kill, a Birchem ace, and a Carlson kill lifted LHS to a 6-2 lead.
WL would close to 6-5 but and Olson ace and a Hoistad kill made the score 11-6.
A series of poor passes and being in the net brought WL back to within one at 11-10.
This time it was Kayla Rotenberger to the rescue with a kill and Hoistad added another spike as the Broncos were hanging on at 13-11.
McRitchie served up an ace for a 14-11 but WL would score next but the broncos would tally the next four points for an 18-12 lead as an Olson kill, a Carlson block, a WL timeout, a Birchem kill, and a Lyons ace accounted for this four point run.
Olson scored 19 on a kill, Rotenberger had a push kill for 20, a WL service error produced 21, four hits by WL and the Broncos had 22, 23 came on a receiving error off of an Olson serve, 24 on a WL lift, and game point 25 on a big kill hit by Rotenberger.
Lisbon seemingly had control of the match with a 2-1 lead.
Enter WL’s outside hitter, Moriah Skroch.
Game 4
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 25 Lisbon 10
The ignition switch was never turned on by the Bronco in game 4 as impressive as WL was the Broncos were equally awful.  The good news out of the Lisbon camp was that the team members did not point fingers but hung together.  This has always been a strong point of Lyons coached teams – team building.  If you were to visit Lisbon’s practices, one would always see team meetings and lots of team building throughout the season.
Leading by just one at 5-4, up stepped WL’s Nicole Mauch who served her team to a 13-4 lead.
An Olson kill and ace along with WL being in the net closed the gap to within 13-7.
Leading 17-9, Mauch again went on a service terror and WL gained a 20-9 advantage.
Nicole Hulm’s serves accounted for the last three game points of which two were kills by Skroch.
Match even with the pivotal game 5 to 15 instead of 25 to decide the District 1 championship.
Game 5
Lisbon 15
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 11
Two point totals had proved to be prophetic thus far in the match, the first team to 1 and 10 would go onto win the match.  In game five, the Broncos scored first as a Lyons serve ended in a side out.  Point ten however belonged to WL as a Bronco hitting error went into the net.
Service errors by both teams knotted the score at 2.  A Skroch kill gave WL a 3-2 lead, and a Bronco bad pass led to a 4-2 deficit for the Broncos.
Enter sub, Karlene Lorenz, who immediately made a solid pass that led to Olson elevating to make a kill off of a two handed tip.  Olson followed with a service ace and the score was again tied at 4 all.
Lisbon was in the net on point 5 but Hoistad scored on a spike, and a dig by Lorenz that flew over the net was not returned and the Bronco led 6-5.  Hoistad added one point on a tip kill.
Lisbon was in the net for WL’s sixth point.
Rotenberger scored Lisbon’s eighth point on a kill and Lisbon scored again on a side out.
Wyndmere called a time out to right the serve and the Lisbon crowd celebrated a little bit too early at 9-6.
Skroch scored on a kill for point 7, a lift on the Broncos equaled point 8, a side out on LHS was good for point 9, and an errant attack gave the Warbirds their fourth straight point and a 10-9 lead.
WL scored their last point on a Lisbon block that deflected out of bounds and the Broncos had their back to the wall trailing 11-9.
A side out on WL and Lisbon had crept to within one at 11-10.  A bad back row pass on WL knotted the score at 11 all.  An errant WL attack and Lisbon led at 12-11.  An Olson tip kill and the Broncos were just two point away from defending their District 1 Championship.
A WL back row attack was out of bounds and with McRitchie serving for all of the six point run, an Olson kill cemented the Lisbon victory at 15-1.  McRitchie’s serving with the match on the line and Lisbon trailing proved that Nicole is one “cool cat” under pressure.  Remember it was less than two weeks ago that McRitchie had two of her teeth knocked out in a Lisbon practice drill.  Add tough to one cool cat and that would describe not only McRitchie but her team as well.
Lisbon will play the three o’clock match at Northern Cass against Fargo Oak Grove.  The Broncos are the number one seed from District 1 and the Grovers are the fourth seed from District 2.
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood will square off with the number three seed from District 2, Northern Cass in the third match.
1    2    3    4    5
Lisbon    18    25    25    10    15
WL    25    15    21    25    11
Stats
Kills – Lisbon – Kali Olson 13, Kayla Rotenberger 6, Hillary Birchem 4, Michele Hoistad 4; WL – Moriah Skroch 14, Nicole Hulm 12, Nicole Mauch 9
Assists – Lisbon – Susie Lyons 27 and WL Ashtin Wittenburg 33
Digs – Lisbon – Kayla Rotenberger 12, Susie Lyons 9, Hillary Birchem 7; WL – Ashtin Wittenburg 18, Nicole Mauch 12, and Jenna Klostermann 10
Aces – Kali Olson 5 and Nicole McRitchie 2; WL Nicole Mauch 5 and Haley Oster 2
Blocks – Lisbon – Kali Olson 4 and Sarah Carlson 4 and WL Nicole Hulm 2
Opening Round
Thursday, October 29
The Warbirds of Wyndmere-Lidgerwood demonstrated why they earned the number one seed in the district as WL easily deposed of a talented Hankinson team in three games.
The match was much more lopsided than the 3-0 game indicated as the Warbirds outscored the Pirates 75-38 on the evening.
The win put Wyndmere-Lidgerwood into the regional tournament and the semifinals of this year’s district tournament against Oakes.
This is the first year of the cooperative agreement between Wyndmere and Lidgerwood in volleyball, boy’s basketball, and girl’s basketball.
1    2    3
W-L            25    25    25
Hankinson            16    7    15
Kills
W-L – Nicole Hulm 9, Dani Buskohl 4, Moriah Skroch 4
H – Lindy Stein 4, Tana Westphal 3, Chloe Wahl 3, Mara Pankow 3
Assists
W-L – Ashtin Wittenburg 16
H – Brenna Stein 6 and Carmen Titus 4
Digs – W-L – Moriah Skroch 9, Jenna Klosterman 8, Ashtin Wittenburg 7
H – Carmen Titus 7, Chloe Wahl 6, Tana Westphal 4
Aces
W-L -Nicole Mauch 6, Moriah Skroch 6, Haley Oster 5
H – Chloe Wahl 2, Brenna Stein 2, Lindsey Stein 1
Blocks
W-L – Nicole Hulm 1
H – Lindsey Stein 3, Mara Pankow 3, Carmen Titus 2
Oakes wore down FCT behind the play of Josie Bopp, Ellie Schmit, and Nicole Warren in their first round match-up.  The Tornados used their superior depth to advance to the district semifinals and a berth in the regional tournament.
FCT lost Jamie Burlison to a torn ACL during the match.
1    2    3    4    5
Oakes    25    21    22    25    15
FCT    18    25    25    11    10
Kills
O – Josie Bopp 12, Ellie Schmit 10, Nicole Warren 7
FCT – Jamie Burlison 6, Anna Reinig 3, Jordyn Campbell 3, Katie Campbell 3
Assists
O – Jenna Erlandson 27, Brianna Schmit 4, Emily Ptacek 4
FCT – Katie Campbell 11, Jordyn Campbell 7
Digs – O – Makenzie Sell 40, Josie Bopp 32, Jenna Erlandson 26
FCT – Jordyn Campbell 23, Katie Campbell 16, Anna Reinig 16
Aces
O – Miranda Quandt 4, Ellie Schmit 3, Emily Ptacek 3
FCT – Hannah Ross 3, Katie Campbell 3, Jordyn Campbell 2
Blocks – O – Josie Bopp 2, Ellie Schmit 1, Brianna Schmit 1
FCT – Jamie Bulison 1, Katie Campbell 1, Nicole Sikorski 1
Opening round
Friday, October 30
The Bison have a solid but young squad.  Milnor should become a regular entrant in the Region 1 tournament for the next few years.  The Bison graduate only one senior and had no seniors last year.  As a result, Milnor Coach Amber Frye was honored as the District 1 Coach of the Year.
Paige Tompkins led MHS at the net with 8 kills as Kelsey Knudsvig recorded 20 assists for the Bison.
North Sargent’s Jamie Drevlow led her team with 2 service aces and added seven digs.
MHS had a solid performance in their 3-0 win over the Bobcats of North Sargent outscoring NS 75-47.
1    2    3
Milnor            25    25    25
North Sargent            10    21    16
Stats
Kills – Milnor – Paige Tompkins 8, Michaela Halvorson 6, Maggie Schutt 5
NS – Jennica Bohnenkamp 5 and Ariel Waloch 3
Assists – Milnor – Kelsey Knudsvig 20
Digs – Milnor – Kasie Weber 18, Kristi McCloud 8, Kristina Sakry 7
NS – Kasandra Ptacnik 9, Jamie Drevlow 7, Ariel Waloch 5
Aces – Kristi McCloud 4 for Milnor and Jamie Drevlow 2 for NS
Blocks – Milnor – Paige Tompkins 4
NS – Jennica Bohnenkamp 8, Ariel Waloch 2, Kasandra Ptacnik 2
The District 1 defending champions, Lisbon steamrolled the Cadets of Sargent Central and with the win the Broncos raised their overall record to 27-10.
The win earned Lisbon their 8th straight regional appearance under Bronco Coach Amy Lyons who is now in her ninth year as head coach of the Broncos
Susie Lyons dished out 26 assists as Kali Olson led Lisbon with 17 kills.
Bre’Anna Hanson led SC with nine kills.
Shelby Heimbuch of SC led all players with 13 digs while Nicole McRitchie led the Broncos with 8.
Kali Olson and Susie Lyons had five and four service aces.
1    2    3
Lisbon            25    25    25
Sargent Central            11    16    15
Stats
Aces – Lisbon – Kali Olson 5, Susie Lyons 4, Nicole McRitchie 2, Sarah Carlson 2
SC – Bre’Anna Hanson 1 and Stephanie Smith 1
Blocks – Lisbon – Kali Olson and Sarah Carlson 2 each
SC – Bryn Nelson 2 and Nadine Smith 1
Digs – Lisbon – Nicole McRitchie 8, Karlene Lorenz 4, Susie Lyons 3, Stacie Urbach 3, Hillary Birchem 3
SC – Shelby Heimbuch 13, Hillary Birchem 6, Alyssa Buckhouse 5, Tyanna Erickson 4, Bre’Anna Hanson 4
Assists – Lisbon – Susie Lyons 26
SC – Nadine Smith 7, Alyssa Buckhouse 6, Stephanie Smith 1
Kills – Lisbon – Kali Olson 17, Hillary Birchem 7, Susie Lyons 5
SC – Bre’Anna Hanson 9, Bryn Nelson 3, Stephanie Smith
Semifinals
Monday, November 2
No upsets in the semifinals with top seed Wyndmere-Lidgerwood and number 2 Lisbon rolling over their opponents, Oakes and Milnor in identical 3-1 matches.
The Warbirds defensively were very impressive in their three wins as Oakes was held to 14, 13, and 17 points.
The Broncos had a tougher go than WL as Milnor scored a total of 81 points against Lisbon compared to the Tornados count of 69 against the Warbirds.
WL jumped out to impressive 25-14 and 25-13 wins in games 1 and 2 before Oakes found their stride a won game 3 25-14.  The Warbirds dispatched the Tornados in game 4 by a score of 25-17.
Leading WL in kills were Nicole Hulm and Moriah Skroch with 16 and 13 while Oakes had only freshman, Nicole Warren in double digits with 10.
Bronco setter, Susie Lyons and middle hitter, Kali Olson carried Lisbon in their win over Milnor.  Olson registered 17 kills and Lyons distributed 25 assists.
Hillary Birchem and Lyons had 7 and 2 kills for LHS.
Paige Tompkins with 10 and Jackie Ellefson with 6 led the Milnor offensive attack in kills.
Lyons, Birchem, Kayla Rotenberger, and Trisha Illies each had three service aces.
Olson and Lyons led the Broncos in blocks with 4 and 2.
As usual, Nicole McRitchie and Kayla Rotenberger led in defensive digs with 10 and 9 and Lyons chipped in with 8 retrieves.
1    2    3    4
Wyndmere-Lidg.    25    25    14    25
Oakes        14    13    25    17
Stats
Kills – WL – Nicole Hulm 16, Moriah Skroch 13, Nicole Mauch 9; Oakes – Nicole Warren 10, Josie Bopp 8, and Ellie Schmit 2
Assists – WL – Ashtin Wittenberg 37 and Oakes – Jenna Erlandson 16, Emily Ptacek 4, and Brianna Schmit 3
Digs – WL – Ashtin Wittenburg 18, Moriah Skroch 18, Jenna Klosterman 13; Oakes – Makenzie Sell 8, Bobbi Chelsey 8, and Josie Bopp 6
Aces – WL Nicole Mauch 7, Nicole Hulm 4, and Haley Oster 2; Oakes – Michaela Quandt 2, Bobbi Chelsey 2, and Ellie Schmit 1
Blocks – WL – Nicole Hulm 1 and Oakes – Josie Bopp 4, Ellie Schmit 1, and Brianna Schmit 1
1    2    3    4
Lisbon        25    21    25    25
Milnor        16    25    21    19
Stats
Kills – Lisbon – Kali Olson 17, Hillary Birchem 7, and Susie Lyons 2; Milnor – Paige Tompkins 10, Jackie Ellefson 6, and Michaela Halvorson 5,
Assists – Lisbon – Susie Lyons 25 and Milnor – Kelsey Knudsvig 19, Michaela Halvorson 3, and Kristi McCloud 2
Digs – Lisbon – Nicole McRitchie 10, Kayla Rotenberger 9, Susie Lyons 8 and Milnor – Kasie Weber 16, Kristi McCloud 10, Brianna Tayer 9, and Kelsey Knudsvig 9
Aces – Lisbon – Susie Lyons 3, Hillary Birchem 3, Kayla Rotenberger 3, Trisha Illies 3 and Milnor – Kristi McCloud 5, Jackie Ellefson 3, Kelsy Knudsvig 1, and Paige Tompkins 1
Blocks – Lisbon – Kali Olson 4, Susie Lyons 2 and Milnor – Paige Tompkins 2 and Kristi McCloud 1
Championship Night
Tuesday, November 3
Third Place
Murphy’s Law was definitely in place for the Bison in their third place match with Oakes.  Milnor came in as the third seed and the Tornados the fourth seed.  Most would like to think that there is not much to play for in a third place contest but that was far from the truth on November 3.
Oakes had been beaten by Milnor during the regular season and both schools wanted to avoid a first round regional match-up with powerful Central Cass.  The Squirrels have earned the tag of favorites for the region.
The Tornadoes were on their A game and broke out to a 17-10 first game lead only to see the Bison surge back to tie it at 20 all.  It would be the last strong showing by Milnor in the match.  Oakes went on to post a 25-22 win in game one and would outscore the Bison 50-25 in the next two matches.
Milnor will play Central Cass, the number one seed from District 2 in the third match of the day at Northern Cass.
1    2    3
Milnor            22    9    16
Oakes            25    25    25
Stats
Kills – Milnor – Paige Tompkins 8, Kristi McCloud 3, and Michaela Halvorson 3; Oakes – Josie Bopp 11, Nicole Warren 11, and Ellie Schmit 2
Assists – Milnor – Kelsy Knudsvig 11, Kristi McCloud 2; Oakes – Jenna Erlandson 18, Emily Ptacek 5
Digs – Milnor – Kasie Weber 13, Kristina Sakry 10, Kristi McCloud 9; Oakes – Makenzie Sell 9, Nicole Warren 9, Josie Bopp 8
Aces – Milnor – Brianna Tayer 3, Jackie Ellefson 1, Kristi McCloud 1, Kasie Weber 1;
Oakes – Morgan Peterson 2, Bree Vculek 1, and Jenna Erlandson 1
Blocks – Milnor – Paige Tompkins 2, Michaela Halvorson 2, Kristi McCloud 1; Oakes – Emily Ptacek 1

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Photo by Eric Olheiser A trio of Bronco defenders brought down Trinity quarterback, Aaron Grinsteinner.

by Joe Howell
For the fourth time in this decade, the Dickinson Trinity Titans ended the Lisbon Broncos in the AA football play-offs.  The Titans prevailed with a dominating final 16 minutes of play to post a come from behind 28-8 win.  In 2000, the Titans defeated the Broncos in a semifinal game played at the Bismarck Community Bowl and in 2001, 2002, and now in 2009 LHS was on the wrong end of the scoreboard in the opening round.
Brandon Schell’s five-yard touchdown run with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter brought the Broncos to within one at 7-6.  Schell bulled his away across the goal line on the PAT run for Lisbon’s only lead of the game at 8-6.  Schell’s runs came as a courtesy of a blocked Titan punt by Adam Coykendall that was recovered by Trinity player but the Broncos would take over as a result of the fourth down play at the six yard line.
Earlier in the week, Trinity football coach Randy Gordon commented on facing the Broncos, “as far as facing Lisbon and their base 4-3 defense, it is going to take awhile to get the feeling of what Lisbon’s defense is doing.  When you play teams from out of the region, it is a little bit more of an unknown and we have to find their weaknesses.”  Unfortunately for the Broncos, Trinity figured it out on their next drive.  The Titans, Jamie Morey scored the second of his four touchdowns on a six-yard run and Trinity would never trail again.  Aaron Grinsteinner’s PAT pass to Tom Peters put DT in the driver’s seat with a 15-8 lead.
Trinity forced Lisbon to punt from their own 46-yard line and junior, Kyle Lien responded with a kick to the Trinity 16-yard line.  The Bronco faithful hoped for a defensive stop and good field position.  Trinity responded with an 8-play 84-yard drive capped by Morey’s eleven-yard touchdown run.  The PAT pass failed but the Broncos trailed 21-8 with 8:00 remaining.
A 15-yard Lisbon personal foul on the touchdown run allowed Trinity to kick-off from the Bronco 45 yard line and the Titans attempted an on-side kick that was recovered by Lien on Lisbon’s 25 yard line.
Three plays later a Bronco fumble was recovered and it would take Trinity just ten plays to cover 60 yards with Morey scoring his fourth and final touchdown run of three yards all but ended any Bronco hopes.  Scott Gordon added the successful PAT kick for a 28-8 Trinity lead.
Lisbon was not done however as Schell caught a pass from Coykendall and scampered 75 yards to pay dirt with 2:33 remaining in the game.  Coykendall’s halfback pass to Schell was good on the PAT and the final score read 28-16 Trinity.
The Titans were to host Fargo Shanley in one semifinal and it was also billed as the North Dakota Catholic or Parochial Championships.  The winner of the Titan and Deacon clash will face the winner of the Devils Lake and Wahpeton game.
Morey’s first touchdown run covered just three yards as a Lisbon fumble deep in Bronco territory set this score up.  Gordon’s kick gave Trinity a 7-0 first quarter lead.
Lisbon was able to march inside of the 20 twice in the second quarter and inside the Titan 25 on their first possession of the third quarter but came away with no points.  In the mean time, the Trinity coaching staff had a new game that consisted of heavy doses of Morey plunging into the Bronco interior line.  The second half game plan worked and Trinity would enter the state semifinals with a record of 9-0.
The Broncos ended their season with a record of 6-4 and will graduate    seniors.  In football, the ultimate team game, all players are needed to work in cohesion for the squad to experience success.  However with that said, Brandon Schell and Adam Coykendall are as good as any Bronco to wear the red and gold at the high school level.  Schell ends his high school career as the Lisbon all time rushing leader and Coykendall is just a force from his free safety position.  It is going to be fun to follow these two when and if they decide to pursue playing football in college.
The general agreement amongst the Lisbon fans, coaches, and players was the new 15 million dollar, Badlands Activity Center, that the game was played on was a “WOW”!
1    2    H    3    4    F
Lisbon    0     0    0    8    8    16
Dickinson Trinity    7    0    7    8    13    28
Scoring
TD Dickinson Trinity  Robbie Morey 3 yard run, PAT Scott Gordon kick
TD    Lisbon Brandon Schell 6 yard run PAT Schell run
TD Dickinson Trinity Morey 6 yard run, PAT Tommy Peters pass from Aaron Grinsteinner
TD    Dickinson Trinity Morey 12 yard run, PAT pass failed
TD Lisbon Schell 74 yard pass from Adam Coykendall ,PAT Schell pass from  Coykendall
TD    Morey 3 yard run, PAT Gordon kick
Stats
Lisbon
Rushing – Schell 18 carries for 62 yards; Coykendall 6 carries for 41 yards; Zach Peterson 4 carries for 14 yards; Reed Huether 2 carries for 25 yards; Ty Michels 1 carry for -4 yards; Hunter Mairs 1 carry for -4 yards
Passing – Coykendall 2 for 15 for 91 yards
Receiving – Schell 1 – 74 yards; Brandon Lee 1 for 17 yards
Nine Lisbon seniors played their last football game.  During their four years of high school football, the Broncos have qualified for the play-offs twice in AA and twice in A including a second place finish in the fall of 2007.  Over the four years, the Broncos posted a record of 32-13.
Robert Bubach was the head coach and Mark Moss and Jason Kunze were his assistants for all four years that the football Class of 09 played for the Broncos.
This fall, Lisbon fell to Dickinson Trinity in the quarterfinals, in 2008 the Broncos lost to Linton HMB in the semifinals of the A play-offs, in 2007 LHS lost 21-18 to Harvey in the state A championship game.
Hunter Carter was a three year member of the team that did not play football as a freshman.  Carter was a two way starter for the Broncos this year as a defensive cornerback and wide receiver.
Adam Coykendall was a three year starter at free safety and started at quarterback this season.  As a junior Coykendall shared quarterbacking duties with Josh Nims and was a member of the high football team for four years.
Jeff Elijah was an offensive guard and linebacker that saw extensive action on the special teams.
Matt Foyt missed part of his sophomore season and all of his junior year due to a shoulder injury.  Foyt was a part of the goal-line defense which had a number of key stops in wins over Grafton and Valley City.
Brent Noonan is another special teamer that made some key plays on that unit that led to Bronco wins.  Noonan, a member of the National Guard, played tight end and defensive back.
Patrick Olson was a three year member of the football team and ran on the cross country squad as a junior.  Olson played in the nickel defensive package and on special teams.
Zach Peterson was a one year starter at linebacker and four year member of the team and we named him 99 as opposed to the other Zach Peterson, a junior who wore 29.
Ryan Reinke was another four year member of the squad that started this year at offensive tackle.
A four-year letter winner, Brandon Schell graduates from the Lisbon football program as the all time leading rusher.  A three year starter at running back, Schell started at linebacker in both his junior and senior years.
Brennan Urbach is a four-year player that started at defensive tackle this year after being a running back and linebacker as a freshman and sophomore.
Austin Wimer missed his sophomore season and started his junior and senior years at offensive center.  Austin broke his arm halfway through his junior year.

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Name:  Gerald “Jerry” Fontaine
Age:  61
Residence:  ND Veterans Home, Lisbon, ND
Date of Death:  October 29, 2009
Birthplace: Grand Forks, ND

Name:  Maurice Thoreson
Age:  86
Residence:  Valley City, ND
Funeral -
Date: November 3, 2009
Location:
Date of Death:  St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Kathryn, ND
Birthplace: Kathryn, ND

Name:  Gary L.  Adolfs
Age:  61
Residence:  Duluth, MN
Memorial Service -
Date:  November 5, 2009
Location:  Cremation Society, Duluth, MN
Date of Death:  November 1, 2009
Birthplace:  Fargo, ND

Lisbon Area Health Services will host a Fall Gala on Friday, November 13 at the Expo Center. This evening is being billed as an “event of its own” as a spin-off of past celebrations.
The evening will begin with a social hour at 6:00 p.m. with a dinner of seasoned pork and new potatoes to follow at 7:00 p.m. The dinner is being catered by Carnivore Catering, NDSU.
This community event and fundraiser includes both a silent auction and a live auction. The evening will conclude with a dance featuring “Betty Does.”
This social event is open to everyone and attire will range from jeans to dress clothes.  The proceeds will be used to purchase sleeper chairs for patient rooms and to establish a foundation help the facility to move forward into the future. “It will be supported through our division of Catholic Health Initiatives,” said Peggy Larson, administrator, LAHS. “Its time!” said Larson. “This hospital has never had one.”
Yolanda Hock has been named Foundation Director. Once the foundation is established, an action plan for the future direction of the facility will be devised.
“We are very excited to establish a foundation for the future of our facility,” said Larson.
Tickets may be purchased from LAHS Hospital at 905 Main Street, or at Oakes and Lisbon LAHS Home Care at 417 Main Street, Lisbon.
If anyone would like to donate items for the auctions, the items can be dropped off at the hospital.
The Gala promises to be fun entertainment for the evening as well as an event to raise funds for the local hospital. Come and enjoy this community party.

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Farm Rescue harvested over 400 acres of soybeans for Dale and Lisa Baasch, rural Lisbon, over the past two weeks despite the rain delays.
Dale Baasch was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer and has been unable to harvest his crops. Dale and Lisa are at their other home in South Dakota.
“Under the circumstances, I really appreciate Farm Rescue,” said Baasch in a telephone interview. “They have good people working for them. They are doing a good job.”
Baasch is currently experiencing a setback, so he also appreciates all of the thoughts and prayers of the community that he hears about.
In the meantime, people like Clarence Kuss, Jamestown, and Charlie Hardy, Fargo, and even  Jack Limke, a former North Dakotan from Kentucky, along with Dale’s sons and grandsons are harvesting crops for Dale and Lisa.
Farm Rescue plants and harvests crops for farm families who are dealing with an unexpected injury, illness or natural disaster. The organization was founded by Bill Gross, a native North Dakota farm boy and pilot for UPS Airlines in 2005 and started operations in 2006.
As a nonprofit organization, Farm Rescue merely provides the equipment and manpower (volunteer labor) to plant and harvest crops for farm families that are in crisis. Up to 1,000 acres are planted or harvested for each family. The assisted family is responsible for providing crop inputs, such as seed, fertilizer and fuel.
RDO Equipment Company provides all the John Deere planting and harvesting equipment to Farm Rescue, free of charge. Other local sponsors include: Bremer, Farm Credit Services, CornerStone Bank and Walock-Johnson Insurance Inc.
Farm Rescue is funded solely through donations from individuals, businesses and foundations. Currently, the organization is able to help about half the number of families that request assistance.
Volunteers come from all over the country to help where they are needed. Many of them are retired farmers or grew up on a farm. So far this year, Farm Rescue has had volunteers travel from as far away as Kansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Alaska.
Since starting operations, Farm Rescue has assisted 98 farm families in four states – North Dakota, South Dakota, eastern Montana and western Minnesota. These families were dealing with everything from cancer treatment and spinal cord injuries to severed limbs and tornado destruction.
(Information on Farm Rescue for this story was provided by Pam Musland, director of operations, Farm Rescue, Jamestown)

This story is complimentary to you by the writing staff of your Ransom County Gazette.  To receive additional stories and photos, subscribe today by calling 1-866-702-9032.