| Of athletic and downtown success |
By: SAM GETT, Publisher and Editor
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Posted: Monday, November 9, 2009 10:09 pm
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Loosely connected thoughts while enjoying what may be the last of 2009’s nice weather:
•The Raider football team certainly appears to be peaking at the right time. Northfield breezed through the section one playoffs with relatively easy victories over fourth-seeded Austin and New Prague, the two seed. The Raider defense dominated in last weekend’s section championship game and the final score could have been worse. Head Coach Bubba Sullivan showed his class by instructing the offense to take a knee and run out the clock with the ball on the Trojans’ 1-yard line and less than a minute left in the game. It was a nice display of sportsmanship. Northfield now moves on to face its recent nemesis — Mankato West. The Scarlets defeated a gutsy, but out-manned, Raider team for the state championship in 2008 and overcame an early 17-point deficit on its home field to beat the Raiders in this year’s season opener.
•Our football squad isn’t alone in achieving success this fall. The girls’ volleyball team advanced to the section semi-finals and the Gators swimming and diving team earned third place at the Missota Conference championships. A special shout out to the high school boys’ soccer team, which finished fourth in the state after a remarkable run, including a 14-game unbeaten streak. The Raiders’ efforts are particularly impressive given this is the team’s first year competing at the AA level. My friends in Mankato, active in their school’s soccer program, took notice of the Raiders accomplishment. Congratulations to Coach Jorge Zuccolotto and everyone involved.
•Speaking of Mankato (again), the Blue Earth County seat’s downtown district once housed a number of retail establishments, including Brett’s Department Store and J.C. Penney. Those stores and others disappeared or moved once River Hills Mall opened a few miles away. Downtown Mankato remains vibrant today due to government offices, medical, service and professional businesses and the civic center, which drives traffic to nearby bars and restaurants. But there’s almost no retail. Northfield’s historic downtown still includes plenty of retail shops. So I was surprised that initial plans for developer Jerry Anderson’s $8-million reconstruction project filled the prominent space near Bridge Square with office space only. The street-level square footage sure seems perfect for retail. And the project’s second story patio, overlooking the Cannon River, looks like a great spot for a café. Regardless, the ambitious plan is exciting and it’s great to see investment dollars focused on downtown.
•She doesn’t run a downtown eatery, but Northfielder Ruth Bolstad sure knows her way around a kitchen. My son is on her son’s youth hockey team for the second consecutive year, which means we enjoy the benefits of Ruth’s culinary prowess. She thinks nothing of inviting a few dozen people over for lunch and last year took her show on the road by feeding players and parents in a hotel room in between games of an out of town hockey tournament. She and husband Dave Chapman don’t take the summer off either; they ran the youth baseball association’s concession stand at Sechler Park. Here’s to you, Ruth!
—Reach Sam Gett at sgett@northfieldnews.com or at 507-645-1112. |
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