Post from: We are Grantsburg

Grantsburg All-Conference football announced

Some good things to take from the game… I felt like Daniel Larsen made several very nice throws and Nolan Hanson made one amazing catch for a touchdown. Larsen lofted the ball perfectly toward Hanson who leaped high into the air amidst double coverage and made the catch while falling into the end zone for the Pirates. It would be the last time the Pirates would find pay-dirt.

I also felt like the first half the defense played well as a whole. Some very hard collisions could be heard way up where I was sitting in the press box.

Unfortunately, the second half the defense looked worn out and there were A LOT of missed tackles. Give credit to the Saints beast of a runner, Jake Rademacher (one of 17 seniors on the SCF team), but there were plenty of missed opportunities for the Pirates.

I still believe this Pirate team has some magic in them. SCF may well be the best team in the conference and the Saints are a division larger than the Pirates. A conference championship for the boys in purple is still on the table, though they'd probably have to share it. Grantsburg would likely have to win the rest of their conference games to get that crown.

With the Pirates now 1-4 with four games remaining, for them to make the playoffs, I believe they must win three of their next four games to guarantee themselves a berth. A record of 4-5 will make it in with at least a .500 conference record. They would technically be eligible if they just won two of the next four giving them a .500 conference record, but that would give them a 3-6 overall record and that would probably not be enough to get into the dance.

The Pirates have homecoming next week versus Cameron, the following week they head to Clear Lake, then Flambeau and finish the season at home against Unity. Three tough non-conference losses, though to good teams, are proving costly for the Pirates.

Here's the replay of the game if you like. The following takes you to the second to last touchdown of SCF. If you'd like to watch the rest of the game please go to our Ustream channel by clicking here.

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Grantsburg falls to St. Croix

The Pirates beat the Colfax Vikings 49-38 to advance to the championship rounds. The Pirates play Thursday at 6:35 at the Kohl Center. If they win that one they'll play on Saturday. Trevor Thompson was 10/14 from the free throw line down the stretch and Grantsburg made 15 free throws in the fourth quarter to put away the Vikings. It was a very close game almost the whole way. BRACKET

I want to give props to the Colfax fans. They showed up huge for their team today. First, they sold out their allotment of 700 tickets in twenty eight minutes and had a waiting list of 300. They were at the gate three hours before tip-off, waiting outside to get the tickets that Grantsburg released. Then when I talked to some of them they were all very nice and joked around and were there to have fun and support their boys. I loved it. It reminded me of the fans that I see up here on a regular basis.

They will take on the undefeated Blair-Taylor Wildcats first. They are ranked first in D4 (of course Regis is ranked 3rd). Should the Pirates win they'll take on a team with either one or zero losses. The Pirates are 21-5 and look like they're the underdogs heading into the final four. Good.

You can hear the game on Classic Hits 105.7 or I'm sure it'll be available as a video stream on the www.wiaawi.org, but if that doesn't work you can stream the game on the streaming tab above.

Here's the replay of the Sectional Championship game. (there's a little dead air after the first 30 seconds, but it works, I promise)

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Grantsburg heading to state!

The Pirates fell 5-1 to the Elk Mound Mounders in the sectional semi-final game, giving up four runs in the top of the seventh to end Grantsburg’s remarkable season.

The game was close until then. Both teams scored one run in the sixth inning, then that fateful seventh inning for the Pirates. The leadoff hitter was hit, there were two or three walks and a couple hits in there that combined for four runs in the final frame.

The Mounders (what kind of mascot is that, anyway? Is it some sort of politically correct compromise? If I were a mound I’d be pretty offended) pitched extremely well giving up only four hits and striking out five. Their pitcher was in control most of the game.

The Pirates had won eleven in a row and they had a chance to win the game. They dodged early bullets by throwing two runners out at home… in the first inning! The first was Nolan Hanson to Ben Larson with Larson tagging out the advancing runner. The second came with the bases loaded and the batter bounced it to pitcher Thane Larson who threw it home for the force then Larson gunned it to first baseman Jake Ryan for a rare 1-2-3 double play.

Though the season didn’t end the way the Pirates and their fans would’ve liked to have seen, the team represented their home town well and they deserve our congratulations. They played ball like it should be and they were rewarded with a great season and a trip to Sectionals. Only sixteen teams get to do that every year.

Congrats, Pirates!

Really cool photo courtesy of Marianne Shira

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Baseball season ends

The Pirates advance to the Sectionals which will be held in Osseo-Fairchild next Tuesday. Their first game starts at 11am and should they win that one they will play at 5pm that evening. Their first game is against the Elk Mound Mounders (17-4 first place in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference). Bracket

The Grantsburg pitching was outstanding tonight as Jimmy Nelson and Nolan Hanson combined for eight strike outs in seven innings. The third inning was the only inning the Clayton/Turtle Lake squad got anything going and it was on the strength of a bloop hit to left and a high chopper in front of home plate. Both of those players came around to score that inning and that was it for them for the game.

I really appreciate the fans at the ballpark. They are very passionate about their home team and are per capita the loudest fans I think Grantsburg has.

Grantsburg is on a roll right now winning their eleventh game in a row (looks like I had a bad source in the previous post).

Congratulations and good luck!

Photo Courtesy of Deb Allaman-Johnson

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Grantsburg wins Regional Championship