Ski teams wrap up regular season; sections on the horizon
While most people have enjoyed the unseasonably warm temperatures this winter, cold weather lovers and in particular alpine skiers, have been on the outs.
North Branch trades wins with Saints and T’Hawks
North Branch avoided the long losing streaks they’ve had this year when they rebounded from a loss against Spectrum to beat St. Francis on Tuesday, January 23.
AREA GIRLS HOOPS HIGHLIGHTS
The Vikings couldn’t shake their losing streak last week, and it stretched six games after they went 0-3, beginning with a Mississippi 8 Conference loss to St. Francis.
GymCats look sharp heading into tough gymnastics section
It’s a rare, but great accomplishment when everything goes according to plan, especially in a high school gymnastics season.
Spring time food? Really?
Well normally, we’d be tackling crockpot meals or comfort food this time of the year, but since we have spring weather without the spring crops, we might as well have some outside-of-the-box recipes.
AREA HOOPS HIGHLIGHTS
Streaking season continued for the North Branch boys basketball program last week. They have won and lost in long streaks, and after the roller coaster of a ride, they now stand at 8-8 on the year. The Vikings began the season 4-0 before losing seven straight games. They proceeded to rattle off four straight wins after that, with two of them coming last week.
Heating things up with jalapeños
It’s been a while since I’ve put the spotlight on spicy food, so if you have a soft palette or can’t handle the heartburn, you may not want to read any further!
NB breaks losing skid
North Branch finally busted out of their long losing streak last week, claiming victories over Zimmerman and Rock Ridge. Their skid had reached seven after an early week loss to Cambridge.
CL crushes Princeton but misses Schmidt in loss to C-I
Chisago Lakes crushed Princeton in the second half to take a big win over a Tigers team that has been a top Mississippi 8 stalwart for years.
‘Cats claim first crown at River Falls Invite
After 15 years of second places and third places, the Chisago Lakes gymnastics team finally claimed the first place crown at the River Falls Invite on Saturday, January 13. The Wildcats scored 134.925, edging out host River Falls, who scored 133.175.
Activity fees to rise at Chisago Lakes next year
Starting next year, the price tag for participating in activities throughout the Chisago Lakes Middle School and High School will be rising.
Wildcats extend Vikings’ misery in county clash
No matter the records the past few years, the North Branch and Chisago Lakes boys basketball teams have had competitive games, and their match up on Friday, January 5 at North Branch was no different.
NB crushes ‘Cats to break out of skid
The North Branch girls basketball team took the anger of their three game losing streak out on Chisago Lakes when the two teams squared off fresh out of the holiday break on Friday, January 5 at North Branch High School.
Let’s BEE real, it’s honey recipes
I was trying to think of an inspiration for this week’s column, and it came in an unusual form. Our publisher, Matt Silver, and I were judges in the Chisago Lakes Spelling Bee earlier this week. Matt has been doing it for quite some time and this was my third year doing it. As I was writing this column on Tuesday and brainstorming for it, I was also counting down the hours to the bee and for some reason it came to me to just do honey recipes!
And into the doldrums we go
The holidays are over now, and that’s always a bit depressing. Even though the weather hasn’t been disgustingly cold yet, it’s just brown, gray, black and a very ‘blah’ feeling outside. And now we have a few months of the cold, snow and chill coming up before we emerge for spring.
HOLIDAY HOOPS HIGHLIGHTS
Crossing the border into Wisconsin did nothing to hamper the hoops game of the Chisago Lakes boys basketball team.
Chisago Lakes Board reviews audit in final meeting of 2023
The Chisago Lakes School Board finished up some important business on their last day before Christmas break on Thursday, December 21.
Ring-in-the-new year fun recipes
Now that Christmas has come and gone, it’s time to ring in 2024!
NB gets quality win over Denfeld, but stung by Hornets for first loss
The Vikings played two solid halves in leading wire-to-wire over the Duluth Denfeld Hunters on Tuesday, December 12 to bump their record to 4-0 on the year.
Wildcats blow past Pine City and Monticello to move to 4-1
Chisago Lakes came out on top in a dance with the Dragons of Pine City, Tuesday, December 12.
CL grabs first win, 43-38 over Hibbing
The Wildcats had a nice comeback last week, earning their first win of the season over Hibbing.
Counting my blessings!
Christmas is finally upon us, and I’m really counting my blessings this year.
Wild Mountain continues to plow ahead of the pack with environmentally sensitive snowmobiles
On any given day at Wild Mountain ski and snowboard area, you typically couldn’t go without hearing the whine and shifting gears of a snowmobile at some point during your day. Whether a sled was going up hill to fix a lift or racing across the runs to aid a downed skier, or just getting cargo from the top of the hill to the bottom, that ‘wahhhhhhhhhhhh’ blasting from a snowmobile could be heard throughout the property.
Savor the holiday season
Christmas season is in full swing and many holiday parties are happening, so remember that it’s the time of giving, have fun with the family you have, and enjoy the little things. Also, remember that calories don’t count on the holiday, so grab that extra serving, pack those extra cookies and take down a little too much egg nog this holiday season!
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas
OK, the headline is a little misleading. I’m starting to get into the festive Christmas mood, and I have my first family Christmas gathering this weekend, but something definitely feels off with no snow on the ground.
District starts to regroup after failed levy; custodians agreement reached
The Chisago Lakes School Board began the process of regrouping after the two failed voter questions in early November. At their regular meeting Thursday, November 16, Superintendent Brian Dietz said the district is thankful for all the help and support received in the process and that they would see what the next steps will be.
Post-Thanksgiving creations on menu
I know we are a week past Thanksgiving already, but many people, myself included, freeze some of the leftovers when you have plenty of them and then you can use them later in different recipes.
Hutch buries North Branch in state semis
While they’ve run up a 27-5 record over the last three years heading into their state semifinals game against Hutchinson, they’ve made a lot of teams look overmatched and confused on defense while they’ve ran their Power T offense full of deception, misdirection, traps, pulls and counters.
Undem breaks school record again, finishes fourth at state
Chisago Lakes senior Ellie Undem closed her career in style, earning two medals at the state meet last week at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.
Vikings pillage Red Knights on their way to U.S. Bank Stadium
North Branch couldn’t have scripted a better start to their first round state tournament game last week against Benilde-St. Margaret’s, with running back Tyler Minke ripping off an 82 yard touchdown score that set the tone for the night and propelled the Vikings to a 38-27 win on a cold and blustery Thursday, November 9 contest at Monticello High School.
Undem breaks her own records; heads to state in 50 and 100 free
Ellie Undem is returning to Minneapolis for another crack at the state tournament, but this time she’s hoping for a trip to the finals in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle.
Venison on the menu in our house
Oh deer, we’ve finally got our freezer stocked with venison! It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had the delicious and delectable lean meat, but we’re finally stocked again, and I can’t wait to get into some of the classics and even try some new things.
Osmundson finishes seventh at state for girls; boys take 15th
Although the Chisago Lakes boys cross country team made it to the state meet on Saturday, November 4, the two Chisago Lakes girls who also qualified stole the show.
It’s official: I’m getting old!
I’m officially feeling old.
Wildcat boys claim section crown, headed to state meet
Youngsters were at the forefront for the Chisago Lakes boys cross country team as they punched their ticket to the state tournament for the first time in a decade with a Section 7A win at Hibbing Golf Course on Thursday, October 26.
Defense pitches a shutout as NB looks for second straight state bid
Drill scores twice in the second quarter as the Vikings run over the Thunderhawks 28-0
North Branch and Grand Rapids played a pretty close game in the regular season, and the Vikings wanted to make sure there was no doubt when it came time to play the Thunderhawks in sections Saturday, October 28.
Top-seeded Wildcats stunned by Como Park, season ends
Chisago Lakes seemed to be a shoo-in for the Section 4AAA finals when they drew the top seed. They had played — and swept — all of their potential opponents on that side of the bracket in the regular season.
Vikings knocked out by Lumberjacks in section semifinals
The North Branch volleyball team knew they were going to have their work cut out for them taking on the top-seeded and highly ranked Cloquet Lumberjacks in the section semifinals on Monday, October 30.
Odds and ends wrapped up at regular meeting as district awaits voting
As the Chisago Lakes School Board was anticipating the levy and bond questions coming up Tuesday, November 7, they had a light regular school board meeting on Thursday, October 26.
Step behind the magical curtain
I get asked fairly often about this food column and the origins of it. Obviously I took it over from Alice Nelson, who did a fantastic job with it for decades, but she had decided a few years ago that it was time to retire, so I stepped in. At first it was going to be temporary, but then it turned it to permanently.
Vikes chop down Lumberjacks, two wins from state
From the opening kick off until they sat the starters to rest them, the North Branch football squad absolutely squashed Cloquet on Wednesday, October 18 at Cloquet’s brand new field and wrapped up the top seed in Section 7AAAA and a first round bye that goes with it.
More ghoulish recipes for Halloween
Last week, we tackled a lot of fun Halloween sweets, which are some of my favorites!
Vikings smash Greyhounds, lock up first round bye in sections
Although football games aren’t played on paper, it was pretty evident heading into North Branch’s home game against Duluth East on Friday, October 13 what the end result was going to be.
Halloween treats for more than kids
It’s about time for Spooky Season! Halloween is just a few weeks away, and the ghostly parties are starting up! So that means it’s time to dust off your favorite costume and bring out your best recipes for the gatherings!
STMA Fall Classic a tough test for North Branch
North Branch and Monticello remained on a collision course for a Mississippi 8 Conference championship clash next week when they both won their last two M8C games.
Vikings ground Thunderhawks down, win fifth in a row
There was a slugfest on Friday, October 6 at North Brand Stadium, but like they have most times this year, the Vikings remained standing when they beat back a tough challenge from Grand Rapids, winning 28-21 over the Thunderhawks.
2023 Chisago Lakes Referendum at a glance
The Chisago Lakes School District is asking two referendum questions this year, and there’s been plenty of queries swirling around what will be done with the money if either one passes.
Soup is a cozy hug
It’s soup season! Slow cookers, fast boils and everything in between, it’s time to start wafting in the aromas of a good, healthy (sometimes not so healthy) soup for the soul!
CL Schools preliminary levies approved; ticket processing fees being eliminated
During the first regular school board meeting of the school year on Thursday, September 28, Director of Curriculum Sarah Schmidt presented the district-wide state testing results (see Chisago County Press, August 31), which were steps in the right direction. The district, along with a majority of others in the state, have not returned to pre-pandemic numbers in testing, but Schmidt did point out that Chisago Lakes is outperforming nearby districts in reading and math.
Vikes run winning streak to four, title still in sight
North Branch swept a pair of conference matches last week, and they kept their unblemished Mississippi 8 mark in tact to continue on a crash course with Monticello for the conference title.