Vikes riding Kuhlman’s wave to three straight victories
Three wins in a row have propelled the North Branch girls basketball team to a 5-3 record and dreams of a big season.
Battle of big cats goes in favor of CL
In nature, a tiger would have the upper hand over a wildcat, but on the gymnastics floor last week, the Wildcats of Chisago Lakes clashed with the Tigers of Princeton, and CL’s favorite felines came out on top 130.60-121.375.
AREA HOOPS ROUND UP
Outside of the North Branch girls basketball team the area hoops teams are still looking for their first wins of the year, combining for an 0-16 record.
Merry Christmas to all!
Shockingly, this is our last issue before Christmas. I know I’ve already said it, but Christmas came out of nowhere this year and with our next issue coming out the day after Christmas, it’s an early time for even the paper to be recognizing the holiday.
NB starts 0-2 vs section teams
The Vikings boys’ basketball team suffered two lopsided losses at the hands of Cloquet and Duluth Denfeld to open their season last week.
More Christmas recipes this season
Of course we’re going to continue the Christmas recipes this week! There’s too many good ones not to share. I hope everyone is having a good holiday season so far and is done with their Christmas shopping.
AREA GIRLS HOOPS ROUND UP
The Vikings won their only match up of the week in a close affair over Two Rivers on Tuesday, November 26.
Christmas cookie season has begun
After such a late Thanksgiving, it feels like Christmas is right on top of us already! We are less than three weeks out from the holiday, and I feel like I’ve gotten NOTHING done. No shopping, no prep work, nothing. We put our decorations up the week before Thanksgiving, but other than that, I am so far behind.
Vikes bombarded by Braham, but bounce back vs Denfeld
North Branch girls basketball got their season underway last week with two games in three days, and they split the pair of non-conference games.
Make use of those leftovers!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
The ultimate Thanksgiving sides
There are so many sides you can serve with Thanksgiving meals. I have my favorites, but I also know there are plenty others that many people like!
Eighth grader headed to state swim meet for Chisago Lakes
Kaia Casey qualified in both the 200 and 500 freestyle races
Kaia Casey is one the most accomplished first year varsity swimmers that one could find.
Start planning for Thanksgiving
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but I need all the reminders I can get, so this is my first one. If you’re OK with serving a frozen turkey, get it NOW at the grocery store!
Hall finishes fourth in Class AA XC meet
Chisago Lakes’ Annika Hall saved her best race of the year for the most important one.
KICKED IN THE GUT
Two onside kicks by Hawks spur NB meltdown in second half of section championship game
With eight minutes left in the third quarter of last week’s Section 7AAAA championship game, North Branch was comfortably ahead of Hermantown 28-7 and looked to be punching their third straight ticket to the state tournament.
Hawks pierce Vikes, claim state bid
In a scheduling quirk, North Branch and Hermantown volleyball teams didn’t face each other in the regular season this year, but with their gaudy records and strong play throughout, it was only fitting that the two squads matched up in the Section 7AAA championship game on Thursday, October 31.
Reader recipe perfect for fall
I had a reader stop by last week and give me a recipe to try, and although I haven’t had the chance to make it yet, I’m legitimately excited to try it soon. It’s the perfect time for (a pumpkin chili) and it sounds delightful. And it just so happened to be a fairly nutritious meal too, so it checks all the boxes.
Wildcats girls punch ticket to state meet
The Wildcat girls cross country team had quite the duel with the Hibbing Bluejackets in the Section 7AA meet at the Hibbing Municipal Golf Course on Thursday, October 24.
STAND AND DELIVER
A blocked short field goal and goal line stand help North Branch hold off Rapids despite Robillard injury
It took a last second blocked field goal from inside the five yard line and an overtime goal line stand, but the North Branch football team overcame the loss of starting quarterback Jacob Robillard and hung on to beat Grand Rapids in the section semifinals 20-14 and punch their ticket to the section championship game against Hermantown.
Wildcats bow out against top seeded Mahtomedi
Chisago Lakes saw their season end in the section semifinals last week when they ran into the buzzsaw that is Mahtomedi volleyball.
Last second Halloween ideas
This edition comes out Halloween day/night, so while many Halloween recipes may be untimely, I’ll share a few more with you this spooky season, including some that can be carried over into the Thanksgiving season!
Vikings suffocate Cloquet for a 68-6 win, earn top seed in section
North Branch concluded their regular season with a bang, absolutely throttling the Cloquet Lumberjacks 68-6 on Wednesday, October 16 at home before the MEA holiday weekend.
Wildcats repeat as M8C champions
Monticello’s Isabel Mahoney out dueled Chisago Lakes’ Annika Hall at the top of the Mississippi 8 Conference individual podium, but Hall and the Wildcats got the last laugh on Tuesday, October 15 at Bertram Park in Monticello when they won the team conference title, repeating as M8C champions.
Recipes for spooky October nights
Halloween is such a fun holiday to dress up, to share fun recipes and just have a good time. There’s no gift expectations or stress like Christmas, it’s meant to be a little more jovial and fun than Thanksgiving, and it can always be celebrated on the weekend before the actual holiday with a little spooky gathering.
Looking for a devilishly good time? - Check out ‘Heck’ at Festival Theatre
If you’re looking for a fun, original, different experience, head out to the Historic Auditorium in St. Croix Falls, WI for a hell of a good time at the original musical comedy ‘Heck’, a Festival Theatre production.
North Branch back on track with thrashing of East
After an upset loss last week in Grand Rapids, the Vikings had to go back up north – this time to Duluth – for another hard-hitting northeastern Minnesota football game. They took on the Duluth East Greyhounds on Friday, October 11 and got back to their winning ways, running for over 400 yards en route to a pretty clean 42-16 win.
Vikes anxiously await section seed in stacked bracket
By way of North Branch’s wins over St. Francis on Becker over the last week, Monticello’s triumph over Becker and Princeton’s upset loss to Zimmerman, the Magic and Vikings volleyball teams will remain tied at the top of the Mississippi 8 Conference, but Monticello dealt NB their only loss in M8C play this year.
‘Cats impress at Tiger Invite
The Chisago Lakes’ girls cross country team had a nice showing at the large Princeton Tiger Invite on Tuesday, October 8.
Rapids sinks North Branch on late pick-six
The Thunderhawks upset the Vikings 29-28 and muddled the top of Section 7AAAA standings
In the rough and rugged play of northeast Minnesota football, there’s never an easy Friday night. The North Branch Vikings found that out the hard way last week as they were upset 29-28 by the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks, throwing their once-promising section seed up in the air.
Monticello remains a thorn in North Branch’s side
Early last week, the North Branch volleyball team swept Princeton, which was firmly in the top spot of the Mississippi 8 Conference prior to the loss. That gave the Vikings the inside track to their first conference title after a few years of Monticello dominance.
North Branch bags and tags the Hunters at homecoming
After a quick Denfeld score, the Vikings turned the showdown into a blowout with 34 unanswered points
After a quick, early strike by Duluth Denfeld made it seem like North Branch’s Friday night match up with them was going to be all offense, all the time, the Vikings promptly rattled off 34 straight points to blow out the Hunters 47-12 and make a statement against the previously fourth ranked team in Class AAAA.
CHISAGO LAKES & NORTH BRANCH SOCCER ROUND UP
The Wildcat boys won just their second game of the season, defeating the Zimmerman Thunder 2-1 on Thursday, September 26 at Zimmerman High School. The Wildcats went on to lose two straight games. They were stung 2-0 by the Big Lake Hornets this past Monday, September 30 at home, and thrashed by the St. Paul Como Park Cougars 8-1 on Tuesday, October 1. The Wildcats will finish out the regular season with two home games. Tonight, they will take on the Monticello Magic at home at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, the Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets will come to Lindstrom for an 11 a.m. match.
Vikings inch closer to M8 conference crown
In what could’ve determined the Mississippi 8 Conference championship, the North Branch Vikings swept the previously unbeaten Princeton Tigers on Tuesday, October 2.
‘Cats salvage hectic week with two wins
The Wildcat volleyball team had a wildly busy week, culminating in the Chisago Lakes Invite, and despite starting the hectic schedule in a rut, the girls broke out of it to win three of their last four.
Vikes cruise past Mora, setting up Denfeld showdown
The North Branch football could have been prime for a let down when they took on Mora Friday, September 20. They were fresh off of a thrilling, last second come-from-behind barnburner against Hermantown the week before and homecoming against a powerful, ranked and undefeated Duluth Denfeld team is coming up this week.
Wildcats feast at CL Invite, take on elite Roy Griak competition
Chisago Lakes ran roughshod over the competition at the Wildcat Invite on Tuesday, September 12.
A Nightmare on Grand Avenue
Jacob Robillard’s last second touchdown pass on Friday the 13th invokes horror for Hermantown in 48-44 win for North Branch
Friday the 13th turned into a horror fest for the Hermantown Hawks when the North Branch football team made a dramatic last second comeback to win 48-44 in a battle of two of the best Class AAAA teams.
‘Cats struggle in Burnsville tournament
Chisago Lakes was placed in arguably the toughest pool in the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse Showcase over the weekend, and it resulted in an 0-5 run that threw cold water on what was a nice little winning streak.
North Branch runs their record to 12-2 after Warehouse Classic
The North Branch volleyball team is on a hot streak after playing a ton of games as part of the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse Showcase in Burnsville over two days Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14.
September brings apple season!
It had been a while since I spoke with the matriarch of this column, Alice Nelson, but she called us up at the office earlier this week to chat, and it was so nice to share some time with her. She certainly brightened my day!
Vikings grind out first win over Rock Ridge
North Branch didn’t hang 50 points on Rock Ridge last week like they have done the past two years, but they did exactly what they needed to do to bounce back from their season opening loss at Pequot Lakes.
Let’s get into the fall recipes!
We’re getting into the thick of fall season here in Minnesota. Granted when you’re reading this column, it’s going to be almost 80 degrees outside, but we’ve had a nice, brisk weekend and after this little mini heatwave, we’ll be back into the fall temps in no time.
North Branch falls just short of tough Patriot squad
Controversy swirled around the unique high school ‘hurdling’ rule in PL’s 28-20 win over Vikes
For the second straight year, the North Branch football team dropped their season opener to a very talented and disciplined Pequot Lakes squad Thursday, August 29 in Pequot Lakes.
‘Cats already heating up
After a slow start to the season, dropping a sweep to the South St. Paul Packers Thursday, August 22 and losing their first two games in the Rush City tournament to Litchfield and Pine River-Backus, the Chisago Lakes volleyball team has turned it around a bit as of late.
AREA SOCCER ROUND UP
The start of the high school soccer season tells us that summer is just about over and winter gets closer every day. And it’s not likely we’re going to get a mild winter like we had last year. All four local high school soccer teams began play last week, and here are the results.
It’s big red time
Tomatoes have had a thriving growing season, and it’s time to reap the rewards. They have been coming up aplenty over the past few weeks, and it’s time to start turning them into some delicious recipes!
Chisago Lakes fishing duo nets quite an experience at national tournament
Nick Kavanagh and Jacob Metz proudly represented the Chisago Lakes Area on the national stage on August 1-3 in Dayton, TN.
It’s a potpourri of recipes this week
I couldn’t draw up a ton of inspiration this week for a theme, so I kind of went with a grab bag of different recipes. I’ve included another corn dip one even though I did Mexican Street Corn Dip a few weeks ago, but I’ve been on a corn dip kick this summer, and this one was also outrageously good, so I just had to include it.
Let’s keep the clean-up simple
I’m a huge fan of one-pan meals. Nothing worse than getting done cooking and eating and then having a mountain of dishes to do.
Late summer watermelon treats
It’s my favorite time of summer to bust out the watermelon recipes!
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