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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

15 years

• Albert Lea’s A.J. Kortz was the leading scorer for the Riverland Community College men’s basketball team, averaging 19 points a game through the team’s first four games.
  

  Tom Jones

• Albert Lea’s 200-freestyle relay team of Amanda Walters, Galen Schulz, Bria Schreiber and Amy Horejsi placed 16th at the Minnesota State Swimming and Diving Meet held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.
• Albert Lea Tiger football players Jake Vietze and Luke Grossman were named to the first team on the Albert Lea Tribune’s All-Area Football Team. Both players were also named to the Big Nine All-Conference team.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 102-96 victory over Philadelphia at Target Center. Al Jefferson led the Timberwolves with 25 points in the win.

20 years

• The Albert Lea boys’ basketball team under coach Matt Addington was ranked No. 7 in the Class AAA preview put out by Minnesota Sports Preview, Inc.
• Danielle Rankin won the Offensive Award for the Albert Lea girls’ volleyball team after leading the Tigers with 169 Kills.
• The Albert Lea High School girls’ hockey team opened their season with a 5-1 win over Mankato East. Laura Hillman scored two goals and added an assist in the win.
• The Albert Lea Tigers wrestling team under coach Larry Goodnature were entering the season ranked fourth in Class AAA according to the Guillotine wrestling magazine.
• Brian Williams and Corey Chavous each returned interceptions for touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 24-14.

50 years

• The Name of the Game in downtown Albert Lea was offering free halftime food for the upcoming Minnesota Vikings game with the Atlanta Falcolns that was going to be on Monday Night Football.
• Albert Lea’s Roy Nystrom was about to embark on his first year of coaching hockey at Albert Lea High School. Nystrom had come from Grand Forks Central High School where he led them to three state championships.
• The annual fall sports banquet for Albert Lea High School was being held at St. Theodore’s Hall. Former Albert Lea Tiger and Minnesota Gopher football player Bob Veldman was slated to be the guest speaker.
• Coach Helen Seline’s Glenville girls’ basketball team finished their second season in a row with a 7-0 record. Maureen Adams and Julie Kermes were leading scorers for the team.
• Albert Lea Cross Country coach Jerry Kaphers announced that seniors Jim Johnson, Paul Godtland, Dale Tatarek, Dave Schreiber and Lyle Mattson had earned letters for the recently completed season.
• The Albert Lea Water Ski Association was having its first annual banquet at First Presbyterian Church. Following the pot luck supper and meeting, two movies from the American Water Ski Association were shown.
• Albert Lea’s Larry Goodnature, now wrestling for Mankato State, sustained a badly bruised ankle at a tournament in Fargo, ND and was expected to miss two weeks.
• The Minnesota Gophers football team under coach Cal Stoll ended their season at 7-4 with a 19-17 win over Wisconsin at Memorial Stadium in front of 34,412 fans.

Alumni update

Peter Dress, a 6-foot, 6-inch point guard who is entering his senior season of basketball at Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, Washington, has committed to play basketball at Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University in Prescott, Arizona. He is the son of 1979 Albert Lea High School graduate Jeff Dress and his wife, Tami, who reside in Kennewick.