Of the eight teams that participated in the golf meet, only two teams had a complete team (Hen­dricks and RTR). A team must have four golfers and can have up to six golfers. The coaches combined the school to form three complete teams of six golfers each; this allowed each girl golfer to receive a team ribbon for first, second or third place. The combined team of Hen­dricks/TMB girls posted the lowest team score to finish first, Canby/Lakev­iew/Lincoln finished sec­ond and Dawson/Boyd and RTR finished third. To determine a team score the lowest four scores are totaled. Three golfers tied for lowest score for the meet with an individual score of 59. Kaylee John­son (Hendricks) was med­alist, Courtni Frank (Hen­dricks) was second and Katheyn Madson (Canby) was third.

Only two boys teams were incomplete; there­fore, those two schools were combined. Dawson- Boyd finished sixth, TMB/Lincoln HI finished fifth, Minneota finished fourth, Hendricks finished third, Canby finished second and Lakeview finished first. Two golfers posted scores of 46 to tie for the lowest score. Using the above tie breaking method, Brad Gingles (Canby) was the medalist for the meet, Landon Anderson (Canby) was second and Jeremy Al­saker (RTR) was third.

lbnews@itctel.com

The Buffalo Ridge Wildcats improved their record to 2-0 by defeating the North Iowa Bucks of Mason City, Iowa by a score of 40-0 on Saturday night in Lake Benton.

The Wildcats led at halftime by a score of 14-0 after many untimely penalties in the first half but capitalized on four interceptions forced by their defense in the second half.

“We should have 30 points on the board by now,” said Player/Coach Wiley Tiedeman on the sideline early in the third quarter. “They called back two TDs in the first half and didn’t give us another close call in the corner of the end zone right before halftime.”

The Wildcats defense has once again held their opponent scoreless. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Dan “Meat” Rorvik with nine tackles, one quarterback sack and a combined safety with teammate Justin Olson.

Olson has been home from deployment overseas for less than one week. Travis Lustfield added seven tackles and one and one half sacks.

Jeff Moser had two interceptions while Drew Bunkers and T.J. Newgaard each had a pick a piece with a few nice runbacks, one with a flea-flicker putting the Cats in great field position.

Offensively for the Wildcats, quarterback Jared Beck finished the game with 11 completed passes for 229 yards and one touchdown pass.

The lone receiving touchdown of 41 yards was caught by Keller Anderson. Once again, Brett Delaney led all receivers with five catches good for 110 yards.

Running back Noah Sanderson set a new Wildcats record with 206 yards rushing on 22 carries and touchdown runs of 64 and 23 yards while grinding for extra yards on most running plays with the help of Jason Good and the offensive line.

Cody Ness also had seven rushes for 55 yards and three touchdowns.

The Wildcats will travel toClevelandnext Saturday, May 19 to take on the River Valley Shock in a 4 p.m. game. The game will be broadcast live over the internet for people unable to attend in person.

The website is www. hometeamsonline.com. Type in Buffalo Ridge Wildcats in the Find a Team or League prompt in the header. Then click on the Buffalo Ridge Wildcats link under Team Name or brwildcats under Username.

An audio/video link should be live 30 to 60 minutes prior to game time labeled —

Saturday, May 19 Buffalo Ridge Wildcats/Minnesota River Valley Shock 4 p.m.ClevelandHS.

Lincoln HI golfers Malorie Midtaune and Kyra Gores, pictured above, were the medalists at Cottonwood last week.

Despite the rain and cold, the Lincoln HI Girls Golf Team put together a solid team effort to win the Minneota Invitational Golf Tournament. Ten teams were on hand for the girls event held in Min­neota while the boys were up against 12 teams at the Cottonwood Country Club. We might have graduates argue their experiences with miserable weather were worse, however, I cannot remember ever de­laying a golf tournament by 40 minutes waiting for the hail on the greens to melt! Although hail was absent from the girls tournament, the rain was intermittent during the entire event, making playing conditions extremely difficult.

Malorie Midtaune was the team medalist, shoot­ing an impressive 93 and placing third individually. Teammate Kyra Gores was right behind, shooting a 94 and earning the fourth place award. Danielle Buseth (15th) fired a 101 and Chelsey Benz (16th) rounded off the team scor­ing with a score of 102. Other scores included Tay­lor Ness with a 106, Ma­randa Jerzak with a 117 and Haley Skorczewski with a score of 130.

Jeramie Blegen was the team medalist for our boys varsity with an 18-hole to­tal of 94. Jeff Gladis fired a 102 while Jonathan Piehl recorded a 103 and Jordan Twedt a 107 for a team score of 406. Other scores included Ryan Twedt with a 123. It was extremely difficult to remain fo­cused with the freezing rain. Nevertheless, it was a good learning experience, especially for our younger playersJonathan,Jordanand Ryan. We had a few players at the tournament with warm weather gear (duck hunting). Although we issued hand warmers and a few extra umbrellas, hooded sweatshirts and stocking caps, each par­ticipant needs to abandon style for common sense, heavy duty ear muffs, wa­terproof gloves and etc. Once again, a reminder of the state boys tournament last year, which was played in a downpour!

On Monday, May 14 we’ll be inTracyfor a confer­ence match which includes RTR. The Tracy Golf Course can be extremely difficult and we’ll need to remind our varsity teams of the course layout prior to the event. On Wednesday we will be at the Marshall Golf Course preparing for the conference tournament on Friday (May 18). Again, preparing for the event has nothing to do with the other teams as we need to focus all of our thoughts on how to play this challeng­ing golf course. The score of 310 for the girls was a confidence boost coming into the conference tour­nament. Our boys know we need to continue to demonstrate improve­ment and place in the up­per echelon of teams.

Burial of his cremated remains will be at the Oakview Cemetery in Arm­ington, Ill.at a later date.

David Lawrence Leaser was born July 25, 1941 in Oak Park, Ill.to Lawrence and Louise (Kimes) Leaser. He graduated from Hittle Township High School in 1959.

He was united in mar­riage to Cinda Randolph on April 4, 2006 in Lincoln, Ill. David worked for Terminix Pest Control for numerous years and he also drove truck for many years. Da­vid enjoyed woodworking and bowling. He also en­joyed his time spent with his pets.

Grateful for having shared David’s life is his wife Cinda Leaser of Hen­dricks; his four children: David (Kelly) Leaser of Ka­lispell, Mont., John (Lisa) Leaser of Springfield, Ill., Jason (Dana) Leaser of Lincoln, Ill. and Michelle Leaser of Springfield, Ill; 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; three sisters: Donna Marie Duran of Prescott, Ariz., Loretta Louise Darnell of Atlanta, Ill. and Judy Flem­ming of Moberly, Mo.; two beloved dogs, Amos Mo­ses and Sammy, two feline friends, Lucky and Pooka, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents and one brother, Charles Leaser.

Blessed be his memory.

When Darwin went to St. Olaf College in North­field, he intended to pur­sue a writing career, but soon it became evident to him that he should consid­er a course in medicine in­stead. His hometown doc­tor, Peter Hermanson, had encouraged him toward that end while he was in high school and Darwin said, “a more dedicated man I have never seen surpassed.” That decision guided the next 65 years of his life.

Darwin wrote in his memoirs that his sopho­more year at St. Olaf he looked through the Viking yearbook to find a girl he “wanted to chase.” There he found Eleanor Eastvold, whom he married in 1944 “after a bit of a stormy courtship.” They shared 61 years of loving marriage until Eleanor’s passing in 2006.

While attending St.Olaf College, WWII broke out, so Darwin joined the U.S. Navy and spent time as a hospital corpsman at Great Lakes Naval Hospital until he was sent by the Navy to the University of Minne­sota Medical School.

Following medical school, Doc joined the Army Medical Corps in order to repay the govern­ment for the schooling he had been given by the Navy and the GI Bill. While serv­ing at the Navajo Ordnance Depot in Flagstaff, Ariz., the Korean Conflict broke out and three days later he left his wife and only child, joining the 3rd Infantry Division as a front-line surgeon. After breaking his arm digging a foxhole in the frozen ground south of Seoul, he was evacuated to Tokyo, Japan, where he remained as an ortho­pedic surgeon at Tokyo Army Hospital until July 1951, when he was honor­ably discharged. Thence he continued his surgical training at the University of Minnesota.

Darwin practiced as a general surgeon inAlbert Leafor 14 years where his family grew to four chil­dren— Charlotte, Barbara, Steven and Ann. While in Albert Lea, Doc was active in a local Lutheran church. He was also a Kiwanian, a member of the Elks, one of the originators of the new­ly begun Lea College, Chief of the Hospital Medical Staff at Naeve Hospital and a YMCA Board Member.

In 1968, after having en­dured 45 years of ice and snow, the family moved to the Santa Barbara,Ca­lif. area where Darwin opened an office in Goleta. As a Diplomat of the Amer­ican Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Doc spent the last years of his practice as one of the pio­neers in modern obesity surgery, presenting papers both here and abroad and contributing to a Cana­dian medical book on the subject. He was honored by being given a term as Chief of Staff of Goleta Val­ley Community Hospital, where his loyalties always lay.

Since retirement in 1987, Darwin supervised the rebuilding of their house, burned down by the Painted Cave Fire, be­came an avid golfer, read the books he never had time to read, continued his computer work and was involved in the activities of VISTAS Lifelong Learning in Santa Barbara. Eleanor and Darwin attended Trin­ity Lutheran, Trinity Bap­tist and El Montecito Pres­byterian Churches. They were proud of their chil­dren and grandchildren, and Darwin lived long enough to hold with joy his first great-grandchild, Julia Brianne Ophaug, who was born just seven weeks before his home-going. Darwin K. Holian went home to heaven to be with his Lord on April 27.

Darwin concluded, “How could one not be grateful for such a fulfilling life? I have had a most satisfying and rewarding one. To God be the glory!”

The Holian family would like to express heartfelt thanks to the Samarkand Retirement Community, Dr. Gregg Newman, As­sisted Home Hospice and Independent Nurse Con­sulting for helping them to keep their Dad at home until the end, per his wish.

A celebration of Darwin’s life in Christ will be held in the Mountain Room at The Samarkand on Friday, May 25 at 2 p.m.

He requested that me­morials be sent to Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation, Bible Study Fellowship International or Compassion Interna­tional.

Interment will be at Santa Barbara Cemetery. Arrangements by Welch- Ryce-Haider. Please visit www.wrhsb.com to leave online condolences and remembrances.

hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

The Exercise Place in Hen­dricks is taking their slogan, Where Your Health and Fitness Is Our Goal, to a new level by be­coming a location for the Health­ways Silver Sneakers® Fitness Program.

The program is for adults 65 and older and is offered by most insurance companies as a pre­ventative health benefit.

According to information pro­vided by Tim Nelson of The Ex­ercise Place, “Older adults who have been enrolled in the Silver­Sneakers Fitness Program for two years are admitted to the hospital less often, have lower inpatient care costs and have signifigant reduction in their overall healthcare costs, accord­ing to a recent study published in Preventing Chronic Disease. The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Preven­tion (CDC) and conducted by Group Health and theUniversity of Washington, looked at nearly 5,000 Silver Sneakers partici­patns over a two-year period. Researchers examined the im­pact of Silver Sneakers partici­pation on health care costs and utilization. As a SilverSneakers member, you will receive a basic fitness membership and acess to nearly 10,000 participating lo­cations. A Silver Sneakers ID card will be issued along with a key card for entry to The Exercise Place.

Orientation to the machines at The Exercise Place will be pro­vided and a personal trainer is also available for consultation to assist you with personalizing your fitness routine.

To find out if you qualify for Silver Sneakers, contact your in­surance company or The Exer­cise Place at 275-2345.

Graduates Mikah Mathison and Emily Johnson proudly prepare to throw their caps in the air after receiving their diplomas from Hendricks Public School on Saturday, May 12.

By Tammy Mathison

hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

Two Hendricks High School seniors received their diplomas at commencement exercises held in Hendricks on Saturday, May 12.

The two seniors, Emily Ann Johnson, daughter of Keith and Lisa Johnson and Kathy Johnson, and Mikah Ann Mathison, daugh­ter of Kelly and Tammy Mathi­son, were the first to graduate from Hendricks in 22 years.

As the first senior class in de­cades, the girls chose a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson as their class motto — “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

The class colors were green, black and silver and the class flower was a green-tipped silver Gerbera daisy.

Mr. Doug Dyk played the pre­lude and traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” as the seniors entered the gym and took the stage.

Reverend Allen Molascon pre­sented the invocation, with Prin­cipal Shelly Jensen giving the welcome speech.

Following a musical selection by the kindergarten through 10th grade choir, the seniors took to the podium to give their speech together, thanking every­one who has supported them and had a part in their education over the years, including parents and community members. This was followed by a musical selec­tion by Wendy Lawburgh, who sang “The Greatest Love of All” accompanied by her husband Dan.

The seniors then presented their slide show during which the audience, through pictures, watched the girls grow up as the slide show included many pic­tures of the girls as babies, tod­dlers and young girls.

Superintendent Bruce Houck gave a short speech, during which he addressed the seniors directly, speaking to them about their choice of a motto. Houck told the seniors that he had “no doubt” that the girls would con­tinue to live up to the motto they had chosen and that they had many people supporting them, including everyone present in the audience and those who were not able to attend. Houck then presented the graduating Class of 2012 as having met the requirements of graduation.

Hendricks School Board Member Angie Schumach­er had the honor of pre­senting the diplomas to the graduates. As honor student, Mikah Mathison was the first to receive her diploma.

The other members of the school board pres­ent— Lisa Schimdt, Tom Olson and Chester Frank— and Principal Shelly Jensen stood ready to congratu­late the graduates, with each in turn shaking the girls’ hands and receiving hugs from the girls. Back onstage, Superintendent Houck shook their hands and switched their tassles, signaling their change in status.

Following the bene­diction provided by Rev. Molascon, the graduates tossed their caps in the air. After retrieving their caps, the graduates made their way back off the stage and through the gym to the re­cessional played by Doug Dyk.

A new Ole and Lena were crowned Friday evening at the Syttende Mai festivities held at the school auditorium. Clarence (Chris) Hoversten will reign as King Ole in 2012 and Violet Nelson is our new Queen Lena.

By Violet Nelson

vanelson@yahoo.com

Well, the big weekend is over for another year, but the Norwe­gian spirit lingers on.

The community’s annual cel­ebration of Syttende Mai (Con­stitution Day inNorway) took place this past weekend, May 11 and 12.

On Friday evening Scandina­vian humor took center stage at the school auditorium, with a comedy performance by Aun­tie Kreamsaugen (Darlene Rolle fromDetroitLakes). She was, as everybody said, “just plain funny.”

Other local performers in­cluded the Syttende Mai Singers and The Church Ladies. Orlan Sandro was Master of Ceremo­nies for the 22nd year in a row. Clarence (Chris) Hoversten and Violet Nelson were crowned the new Ole andLenaby the 2011 King Ole and Queen Lena, Don and Sharon Vettrus.

Food, fun, pets and other ac­tivities were a big part of the community’s annual ethnic cel­ebration.

“Jeg elsker å feire” (Norwe­gians love to celebrate). Twen­ty-two years ago, probably the same thing was said when the first annual Syttende-Mai cel­ebration was held.

A program was held at the school, Norwegian church ser­vices were held atSingsaasChurchand Kenneth Buseth and Anna Olson were crowned 1991 King Ole and Queen Lena. Royal­ty of all ages followed these two.

In 1992 Harold Dushack and Gelina Olson took the throne, fol lowed by Vance Twedt and Bessie Hanson in 1993, Merlin Vick and Florence Grimlie in 1994, Kenneth Olson and Bernice Mathi­son in 1995, Elwood Bakke and Clara Morseth in 1996, Ed Digre and Annice Ha­gen in 1997, Don Gillund and Inez Olsen in 1998, Richard Vizecky and Doro­thy Forseth in 1999, John Huber and Hilda Peterson in 2000, Vernon Nelson and Delores Buchholz in 2001, Marlin Schuette and Muriel Dorn in 2002, Ken Midtaune and Betty Buseth in 2003, Orlan Sandro and Hazel Evenson in 2004, John Thomsen and Gail Kvernmo in 2005, Bob Neff and Julie Hogie in 2006, James Petersen and Caroline Petersen in 2007, LeRoy Mueller and Gloria Mueller in 2008, Don Er­ickson and Deloris Olson in 2009, Gary Johnson and Sherri Johnson in 2010 and Don Vettrus and Sha­ron Vettrus in 2011.

Gabby Blees and Bailie Jensen placed fifth and sixth in the shot put.

Josie Olsen placed third in both the 800m and 1600m runs.

Cora Hofer placed fourth in the 400m dash with a time of 80.8 seconds.

Greta Johnson placed first in the long jump and high jump while taking third in the 100m hurdles.

Rachel Colgrove, Ezzy Buller, Cora Hofer, Gab­by Blees and Josie Olsen placed third in both the 4x200m and sprint med­ley relays.

Janessa Scotting placed second in the high jump, sixth in the 100m dash and first in the 800m run in the eighth grade division.

Submitted by

Sherri Johnson

Justin Lien, center, of Hendricks competed in the Lakeview Track meet on Thursday, May 3 in Cottonwood. Hendricks was one of a number of regional schools competing in the event.