The scoreboard said it all. Caledonia topped Moose Lake/Willow River 44-13 in the state Class AA semi finals to the delight of hundreds of screaming Warrior fans. Photo by Charlie Warner

By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor

For the third time in four years, the Caledonia Warriors have battled their way to the Class AA Minnesota State Championship Game. The defending AA champs defeated Moose Lake/Willow River 44-13 Friday evening, Nov. 14, at the HHH Metro Dome in Minneapolis.

Caledonia will face Luverne for the state championship again this year. Luverne topped Hawley 21-14 in the other semi-final game, which was  played Saturday, Nov. 15. The Warriors defeated both Hawley and Luverne last year at the Dome to win the Class AA title. The championship game will be played at 4 p.m., Nov. 28.

The Warriors were relentless Friday night, employing a balanced running and passing attack in route to the 44-13 win. Cousins Andy and Casey Bauer led the Warriors offense. Casey threw for 107 yards and was 9-for-16 and had three touchdowns. Andy also threw for a touchdown and caught six passes, three for touchdowns, from his cousin. Isaac Fruechte and Ryan Goetzinger also had touchdown receptions for Caledonia.

Alex Schleich led the Warriors on the ground, gaining 175 yards on 34 carries plus a touchdown. Caledonia scored at least one touchdown in each quarter of the game. The Rebels had 145 yards on the ground and were led by Nate Zuk with 19 attempts and 106 yards, and two touchdowns. The lopsided score forced the Rebels to go to a passing attack, but Caledonia’s defense capitalized with an interception return for a TD by Fruechte, and two sacks of quarterback Joe Bohaty.

For a complete review of Caledonia’s semi final win, go to the sports section of our web site.

Duane Benson, executive director of the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation was the keynote speaker.
Photo by Charlie Warner

Fact- Fewer than half of Minnesota’s children enter kindergarten fully prepared.
Fact- 20 percent of third graders in Minnesota can’t read.
Fact- Between birth and age five the brain develops at a faster rate than at any other time in a person’s life.
Fact- When planning future jails, several states determine how many beds they will need by the number of third graders who can’t read.
Fact- For every dollar spent on early childhood education, the return is 12-fold. This is figured on the additional financial strain on society for special tutoring, probation, court services, law enforcement, chemical dependency counseling, and incarceration.

Those organizing the community Thanksgiving dinner in New Albin are from left, Cris Olsen, Rev Jim Olsen and Alan Meiners. At right, Elsie Rud of Elsie’s Bar and Grill will be organizing a community Thanksgiving dinner in Caledonia.

Photos by Craig Moorhead

Elsie Rud sat for a minute amid the bustle of noon hour diners. She spoke about the meaning of the holiday. “We treat Thanksgiving as being thankful for what we have and we want everyone to have something to be thankful for. If that”s giving them a meal that would make them happy then that’s what we try to do.”

Houston County Auditor Char Meiners felt the first general election she was in charge of went well. “It was a good election,” she said. “I was thrilled to be home by midnight.”
It had been a long day for Meiners, who has worked in the auditor’s office for the past 30 years. Although she had been part of many elections, this one was “her baby.” She was appointed interim auditor when long-time County Auditor Pete Johnson retired in May.
Meiners’ sleep was interrupted around 2:30 a.m. Her phone was ringing, and when she picked it up, she noticed she had missed five calls.
“It was the sheriff’s office. I was told a representative from Sen. Norm Coleman’s office was in Caledonia, demanding I come back to the courthouse, show him where the votes were stored, and prove that they were secure. I had just put in a 17-hour day. The bags and boxes of ballots were all sealed and in a locked room. They were secure. I told him if he wanted to see where we kept the ballots, he could meet me at the court house in the morning,” Meiners recalled.

  Meiners is pictured in the courthouse basement in front of the locked door to the room that contains the ballots from the Nov. 4 election. Photo by Charlie Warner