Mountrail County Promoter - Columnists

A Great Week To Be A Blue Jay!
The postseason is in full swing and last week was a great week to be a Blue Jay fan.
For me, it started on Thursday with the girls’ basketball District 16 tournament at Stanley High School. It was a nail biter of a game for Stanley as they faced off against Ray coming out with the two point win. They followed it up on Friday with another nail biter, this time against Tioga. Unfortunately, they ended up losing the game by three. With the right to advance to the region tournament on the line, they met up with Divide County on Saturday and came out with the convincing twelve point win.
The entire tournament was full of great basketball. We sat there on championship night watching Powers Lake-Burke County claim their spot at regions with a win over Ray. Kenmare claimed the district title with their win over Tioga. District 16 will be well represented at the regional tournament when it kicks off next week in Williston.
Meanwhile, the air in the gym had a special charge and Stanley fans were just waiting for a special moment. Ava Schuster entered the tournament 59 points away from setting a new all-time scoring record for Stanley High School.
She put up 22 points on Thursday and 20 on Friday. That left her needing 17 points on Saturday. I can’t imagine the pressure she was feeling. Knowing that a record was within reach and also knowing that the fans knew that as well may have combined to put additional pressure on her.
With each basket on Saturday, the countdown was on in my head. Al Christianson and I were sharing the countdown and so were the fans. As the fourth quarter got underway, she was so close. Finally, she pulled up for a three-pointer and there it was. The basket put her at 18 and for a moment, the game stopped. She was recognized for her accomplishment and was able to celebrate the moment as she broke the record held by Rachel Mehus. Rachel set the record back in 2010 at 1,316. At the end of the night, Ava was at 1,318. She will be able to add to that total as the Blue Jays enter the Region 8 Tournament next week.
Meanwhile, basketball was only part of my weekend.
On Friday, I headed to Williston for the girls’ regional wrestling tournament. We were supposed to have three girls wrestling, but Hannah Johnson was sick on Friday and was unable to compete.
I was surprised, however, to see Kerrington Lee in the brackets. Kerrington suffered an injury about a month ago that was thought to end her season. She was not ready for her season to be over, though, and took to the mat. She qualified for state and will continue her journey in the postseason. She will be joined by Aubrey Locken, a first year wrestler, in representing Stanley at the State Tournament.
Saturday saw me headed to Kenmare for the boys’ qualifier. Stanley had a great group of wrestlers on the mat with four of them making their way to state as well. Cohen Bell came out of the tournament as the region champion, with Cayne Rudolph and Trey Bohmbach as the region runners up. Ethyn Jessen, who returned to wrestling this year, will also represent Stanley at State.
So, this week, I’m off to Fargo for the State Wrestling Tournament. I’ll spend Thursday and Friday at the Fargodome before heading back home sometime on Saturday. On Monday, Feb. 20, the Region 8 girls tournament kicks off in Williston. It wraps up on Thursday, just in time for the boys’ District 16 tournament to kick off on Friday in Ray.
The insanity of postseason continues for about another month. That will barely be over, and it will be time for spring sports.
Game Or Commercials
Dale and I spent Sunday like millions of people watching the Super Bowl. Again, I had no particular team to cheer for, but I was hoping for a good game. The Chiefs and Eagles did not disappoint.
I also spent the time trying to decide which of the commercials were my favorite. I’m not sure which was my favorite, but there were plenty of them I enjoyed.
The Ben Affleck commercial for Dunkin’ Donuts at the start was pretty good, but then I got to see the eTrade babies again this year. The Pixel phone commercial, giving you the option for how to touch up your photos, was pretty intriguing. I had seen enough previews to know I was watching for the rockstar argument featuring real rockstars. The message in the HeGetsUs commercials promoted love, kindness and acceptance. I was a big fan, however, of the T-Mobile commercial with John Travolta at the end. The twist to Grease’s Summer Nights had me humming along. I may have seen Grease just a few times.
Like the game, though, I’m not sure I had a favorite commercial. Some of them were really good, but nothing really stood out as the best to me. For what they pay for those commercials, I guess I’m waiting for something to really wow me. I also missed the Budweiser Clydesdales this year. Those are always among my favorite commercials and I missed seeing them this year.
Isn’t This The Truth
I found this post on Facebook shared by a friend. The original post came from a group called Middle Aged Humor. The list makes me laugh, but what a list of truths to consider.
Great Truths That Little Children Have Learned
1) No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Reading what people write on their desks can teach you a lot.
8) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
9) You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
10) Don’t wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
11) Puppies have bad breath even after eating a Tic Tac.
12) School lunches stick to the wall.
13) The best place to be when you’re sad is Grandma’s lap.