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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

15 years

• Sophomore guard Alyssa Kerkhoff scored her 1,000th point as she netted 21 points in New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva’s 68-20 win over Janesvillle-Waldorf-Pemberton.
• Albert Lea boys’ hockey coach Roy Nystrom picked up his 600th career win as the Tigers defeated Rochester John Marshall 6-2. It was his 506th win as the coach of the Tigers.
• Sophia Jepson and Lauren Draayer scored two goals to lead the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team to an 8-3 win over Rochester John Marshall.
• Sophomore Peter Hansen scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Glenville-Emmons boys’ basketball team to a 68-50 win over Grand Meadow.

20 years

• The Albert Lea girls’ hockey team was stunned 2-1 by seventh seeded Mankato West in a Section 1A tournament game held at the City Arena. Brittany Arendt scored the only goal for the Tigers, who finished their season 17-8-1.
• Behind a standing room only crowd at the high school gym, the Albert Lea boys’ basketball team defeated Faribault 66-64 in overtime. Ben Woodside led the Tigers with 29 points with Michael Behrends adding 13. With the win, coach Matt Addington’s team stood at 16-4 on the season.
• Chelsey Ziebell scored 10 points and added 11 rebounds to lead the Glenville-Emmons girls basketball team to a 38-17 win over LeRoy-Ostrander. Megan Bjorklund added 10 points for the Wolverines.
• The Albert Lea Elks U-12 girls’ hockey team ended their regular season with a 3-0 win over Mankato. Madi Passingham scored two goals with Lauren Draayer adding one. With the win, the team stood at 28-3-1 on the season.

50 years

• Before a packed house at the Southwest gym, the sixth-ranked Austin Packers basketball team defeated the Tigers 50-47. Brad Haase scored 16 points to lead the Tigers with Steve Ladwig adding 11.
• The Albert Lea Tigers hockey team traveled to St. Paul and defeated highly ranked Simley 5-4 in overtime on a goal by Scott Adams. Ross Dahl scored twice to lead the Tigers with Dale Hendrickson and Steve Webber also adding goals.
• Tony Politz scored 22 points and Maurie Monson added 16 as the Alden Blackhawks basketball team defeated Delevan 71-33.
• Pierce Trucking remained undefeated in the YMCA men’s basketball league with a 135-53 win over Ruud Motors. Rick Fisher scored 34 to lead the winners with Neil Pierce adding 32. Al Hagen scored 24 to lead Ruud.
• Coach Dick Waslien’s Alden Blackhawks wrestling team captured the Border League championship in a meet held in Bricelyn. Taking first place finishes for the Blackhawks were Dave Reindall, Randy Whelan, Ron Kruger, Bryan Wittmer, Gary Richter and Clair Drescher.
• Mason City’s Dennis Shaffer scored 23 points and added 12 rebounds as the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team defeated Illinois 80–61.
• Minnesota Twins three-time batting champion Tony Oliva was indicating he would retire if he had to take a pay cut from the $93,000 contract he had received the previous season.
• Mark Nielsen scored 38 points to lead the Nets over the Rockets 46-10 in the ABA division of the Albert Lea YMCA elementary league basketball program. Mike Hogfoss and Ross Vermedahl each had four points for the Rockets.

Alumni update

Derrick Overland, a 2020 graduate of Albert Lea High School where he played basketball and baseball, is a weather forecaster for KTTC in Rochester. Along with the rest of the morning crew, he won an EMMY as a photographer last year covering a blizzard in the Rochester area. He is the son of David and Jennifer Overland of Albert Lea.