JEFFERSON WENT UP AGAINST KENNEDY IN THE BATTLE OF BLOOMINGTON

On Dec. 12, Bloomington Jefferson went against Bloomington Kennedy in a boys’ basketball game. Jefferson came into the game with a record of 1-2, while Kennedy came in with a record of 0-2. 

Both teams tried to set the tempo early as the game got underway. Kennedy looked to push the ball down the floor and looked to score baskets in transition. 

Both teams started the game in a man-to-man defense. Both teams attacked the basket. 

Jefferson called a timeout with 15:30 left in the first half. The score was Kennedy 7, Jefferson 0. 

Jefferson’s Isaac Feller came up with mid-range jump shots and layups. He was able to call for the ball and also got his teammates involved in the offense. 

Jefferson took a lot of time off the 35-second shot clock. They passed the ball around the 3-point line, getting everyone involved in the offense. 

Kennedy started the game out in a man-to-man defense. They made it difficult for Jefferson to get an open look at the basket. 

Kennedy’s Malik Johnson came up with mid-range jump shots and layups. His teammates knew where he was on the floor as they could get the ball in spots where he could shoot it. 

Kennedy did a good job of communicating with each other on both sides of the floor. 

Kennedy called a timeout with 11:14 left in the first half. The score was Kennedy 12, Jefferson 6. 

After a slow start from Jefferson, they started to get their offense going. Feller took the ball strong to the basket as he wasn’t afraid of a little incidental contact from the defense. 

Jefferson called a timeout with 9:40 left in the first half. The score was Kennedy 17, Jefferson 12. 

Jefferson took their time on the offensive end. They were quick to take shots. Their offense got going after the timeout. 

Jefferson’s Marcus Horton came to life late in the first half. His mid-range jump shots and layups began to fall, and that provided his team with an offensive spark.

Jefferson went to a full-court press, and they were able to disrupt Kennedy as they looked to get steals. 

Kennedy’s D’andre Moffit came up with deep 3-point shots. His teammates were not afraid to get him the ball in spots where he could shoot the ball. Teammate Keymarey Jackson also stepped up and knocked down deep 3-point shots. 

At halftime, the score was Kennedy 32, Jefferson 25. 

As the second half got underway, Kennedy’s Delannie Bush came up with mid-range jump shots and layups. He looked to push the tempo of the game. 

Jefferson’s Feller and Horton kept coming up with baskets that kept Jefferson in the game. They fed off each other's energy. 

Kennedy came out of the half a little flat. They were not making shots that they were putting up. 

Kennedy called a timeout with 14:12 left in regulation. The score was Kennedy 39, Jefferson 36. 

The game remained close in the early part of the second half. Neither team gave up uncontested shots. 

Jefferson took much time off the 35-second shot clock by swinging the ball around the 3-point line. They were able to get everyone involved in the offense. 

Neither team went on a big run in the second half. It was a very competitive game. 

Kennedy called a timeout with 10:15 left on the clock in regulation. The score was tied at 41.

There were multiple ties and lead changes throughout the second half. 

Both teams look for cross-court passes in transition and to come up with layups on the offensive end. 

Jefferson got their offense going midway through the second half. They kept on attacking the basket and coming up with shots. 

Kennedy missed some baskets midway through the second half. They couldn’t get a stop on the defensive end. 

Jefferson called a timeout with 7:19 left in regulation. The score was Jefferson 53, Kennedy 47.

The game remained close late in the second half. 

Kennedy’s Sonte Lajeunesse-Wood came up with mid-range jump shots and layups down the stretch. 

Kennedy called a timeout with 2:24 left in regulation. The score was Jefferson 61, Kennedy 56.

Both teams played hard throughout the game. Jefferson took the lead midway through the second half. 

Kennedy didn’t back down as they fought hard throughout the game. 

Jefferson called a timeout with 50.6 seconds left in regulation. The score was Jefferson 63, Kennedy 59. 

Both teams kept battling down the stretch as neither gave up an uncontested shot. 

Jefferson came away with a 67-61 victory over Kennedy.  The leading scorers for Jefferson were Horton with 33 and Feller with 14.  The leading scorers for Kennedy were Bush with 16 points and Johnson with 13 points.

MINNEAPOLIS SOUTHWEST WENT UP AGAINST BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON IN A SECTION FINAL FOOTBALL GAME

On Oct. 31 Minneapolis Southwest went up against Bloomington Jefferson in a section football game.

Southwest kicked off to start the game. Colton Miles ran 80 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion pass was good.

With 11:43 left in the first quarter the score was Jefferson 8, Southwest 0.

Southwest got the ball after the touchdown. They were not able to get a first down they punted it on fourth down.

Jefferson got the ball into the hands of Miles. Miles was able to get past the Southwest defenders. Miles ran another six yards for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt was good.

With 9:14 left in the first quarter the score was Jefferson 15, Southwest 0.

Southwest took over on the 15 yard line. Southwest fumbled the ball and Jefferson’s Samuel Ott came up with the ball on the Southwest 26 yard line.

Jefferson continued to look to get the ball down the field. They were not able to get a first down so they turned it over on downs.

Southwest’s Al-Jureau Ray came up with a huge catch for a first down. Southwest’s offense stalled and they turned the ball over on downs.

After one quarter of play the score was Jefferson 15, Southwest 0.

As the second quarter got underway Jefferson found the end zone again on a Miles five-yard touchdown run. The extra-point attempt was good.

With 11:17 left in the second quarter was Jefferson 22, Southwest 0.

Southwest was not able to get a first down so they punted on fourth and long.

Jefferson’s Jefferson Murray ran five yards for the touchdown. The extra-point attempt was good.

With 8:53 left in the second quarter the score was Jefferson 29, Southwest 0.

Southwest couldn’t move the ball and turned the ball over on downs.

Colton Miles ran for five yards for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt was good.

The score with 1:15 left in the second quarter the score was Jefferson 35, Southwest 0.

Jefferson’s Nate Buswell intercepted a pass and ran it 65 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt was no good.

With 1:00 to go the score was Jefferson 42, Southwest 0. That was the score at halftime.

Southwest got the got the ball to start the third quarter. Buswell got another interception and ran 80 yards for a first down.

Murray attempted a 29-yard field goal with 6:33 left in the third quarter. The score was 6:33 left in the third quarter the score was Jefferson 45, Southwest 0.

Neal Walsh ran 18 yards with defenders all over him for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt was good.

With 5:40 left in the third quarter the score was Jefferson 52, Southwest 0.

Southwest looked to move the ball down the field. They turned the ball over on downs.

Jefferson found the end zone on a three-yard run by Kaleb Snider touchdown. The extra-point attempt was no good.

Southwest had to punt the ball on fourth down.

After three quarters of play the score was Jefferson 58, Southwest 0.

Southwest got the ball to start the fourth quarter. With 6:03 left in the fourth quarter Al-Jureue Ray ran 20 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt was no good.

With 6:03 left in the fourth quarter the score was Jefferson 58, Southwest 6.

The ball went back and forth late in the fourth quarter.

As time ran out Southwest’s Reshiq French ran 22 yards for a touchdown. That made the score Jefferson 58, Southwest 12. That was the final of the game.

After the game Miles said, “That winning the game and making sate is huge.”

BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON WENT UP AGAINST PRIOR LAKE IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 31 Bloomington Jefferson went up against Prior Lake in a boys basketball game. Prior Lake won the tip. Both teams started out in man-to-man on defense.  

 

Jefferson looked to get the ball into the hands of Peter Knutson. Knutson was able to get open shots.

 

Prior Lake was able to hit their layups throughout the first half. They did a good job of passing the ball around the three-point line. Jon Sobaski got hot as he was able to come up with nice shots in the paint.

 

Prior Lake was a little quicker on the offensive end.  They were able to get past the Jefferson defenders.

 

Prior Lake’s Jason Faul also did a good job of making his mid-range jump shots. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he score it. Faul was not afraid to also shoot the three-point shot. Teammate Austin Heidecker also had a nice mid-range touch. Kevin McKiernan also got into the offensive shooting rhythm in the first half as he came up with some nice layups.

 

Jefferson’s Matt Rosen and Tom Gathje stepped up and were able to come up with some inside jump shots. Gathje was also able to get the ball into the hands of teammate Matt Rosen who also was able to get his mid-range jump shot to fall.  

 

At halftime the score was Prior Lake 36, Jefferson 24.

 

As the second half for underway Jefferson came out on fire as they scored five straight baskets.

 

Prior Lake continued to look to get the ball into the hands of Sobaski. Sobaski was not afraid to shoot deep three-pointers. He was also able to find teammate Lucas Olson who also came up with some nice shots in the paint.

 

The Prior Lake defense made it difficult for Jefferson to shots up.

 

The Prior Lake offense really clicked. They were able to get to the  68-60 victory over Jefferson.

 

The leading scorers for Jefferson were Gathje with 17 points, Mariska 12 and Rosen with 10 points.

 

The leading scorers for Prior Lake were Sobaski and Heidecker with 17 also McKiernan with 13 points. 

HOPKINS TOOK ON BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY IN THE CLASS AAAA STATE FINALS

Hopkins and Bloomington Kennedy went up against each other in the class AAAA state championship game.

The game got off to a quick start as each team raced up and down the floor.

At the first media timeout the score was tied at 5 with 14:12 to go.

The game was very physical. Both teams dove on the floor as they went for loose balls and rebounds.

It was a very physical game. Neither team gave up easy baskets in the first half.

Kennedy got the lead midway through the first half.

Hopkins looked to get the ball up and down the floor quickly.

There was a media timeout with 3:48 left in the first half. The score was Kennedy 23 and Hopkins 20.

At halftime the score was Hopkins 28 and Kennedy 26.

As the second half got underway both teams looked to push the ball down the floor and get lay-ups on their respective end.

Kennedy didn't seem to be able to get into an offensive rhythm in the second half.

There was a media timeout with 9:53 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 47 and Kennedy 28. Kennedy .

Hopkins was too over whelming for Kennedy in the second half.

Hopkins was able to come away with the commanding 68-45 victory over Bloomington Kennedy.

The leading scorers for Bloomington Kennedy were Jade Martin with 19 points and Jasmyn Martin with 7 points.

The leading scorers for Hopkins were Nia Coffey with 25 points and Taylor Anderson with 11 points.

SOCIAL MEDIA IN HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

By  Jason Gonzalez: Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"A sign on the locker room doors at Bloomington Jefferson jumped out at Tom Dasovich. Big, bold, underlined words, in all capital letters, some of them underlined for emphasis:

"Treat every conversation you have on TWITTER or FACEBOOK as if it were a NATIONALLY TELEVISED PRESS CONFERENCE."

The Minnetonka boys' basketball coach spotted the note during his team's recent visit and snapped a picture on his phone. Then he posted it on Twitter with the message "Players take note." Nearly half of his 173 followers retweeted or favorited the message.

Such warnings have become a staple of high school team meetings and huddles at practice, joining longstanding warnings about alcohol and drug use.

With teenagers communicating, venting and celebrating with the lightning speed of social media, coaches and athletic directors are scrambling to cope with and limit negative effects of controversial tweets, posts or photographs. Fears of defamation, suspensions, forfeitures and team chemistry issues have led some coaches and administrators to fight the use of Twitter and Facebook by their athletes.

Others, such as Dasovich, are embracing the reality that teenage athletes will find ways to keep their social status up to date.

He manages two Twitter accounts and encourages his players to use them to follow team news and events. He also monitors or trolls through his players' tweets, on the lookout for anything that could taint the Minnetonka name.

"I thought about getting one of those teachable moments out of it," Dasovich said of posting the locker room door message. "Helping kids navigate that world, I think, is important. [Proper use of social media] is a big issue with schools and teams."

Huddle talk: Be smart online

DeLaSalle football coach Sean McMenomy's phone erupted the afternoon former Gophers wide receiver and DeLaSalle alum A.J. Barker posted his denunciation of Gophers coach Jerry Kill and the football program on the Internet. Though he didn't coach Barker, McMenomy still felt the effects of something he classified as an example of how far such statements can reach.

Daily reminders are now a part of McMenomy's battle against ill-advised social media use. The post-practice and postgame speech message to "avoid parties, drugs, alcohol" now includes "be mindful of what you're putting on the Internet."

"With what happened in recent months and last year, you worry about it," McMenomy said.

This past season a Breck football player began a Facebook quarrel with someone at DeLaSalle that led to his suspension and required an in-person apology to the downtown Minneapolis school.

"We are always trying to keep ahead of the game," McMenomy said. "A kid can put whatever the heck they want out there. We gotta figure out what we can do to protect ourselves, and that's educate kids and stay on kids."

Curtailing chatter in Edina

Edina boys' hockey coach Curt Giles made Barker's rant required reading for his team and asked his players to steer clear of such potential social media distractions.

Junior defenseman Tyler Nanne said he took the message to heart. The avid Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat user said he has sacrificed a lot of his social media freedoms.

Nanne and senior defenseman Matt Nelson agreed it's tough to operate under such limiting guidelines, but the consequences of misuse are much worse if left in the hands of their 1,000-plus Twitter followers.

"It can destroy a team and a program," Nelson said. "The guidelines are to protect ourselves and the program as a whole."

Nelson, who has committed to play hockey at Princeton, already has received social media guidelines from his future college. Many major colleges have taken similar measures. The University of Michigan recently formalized social media practices for all athletes and required each to sign an agreement. Associate athletic director David Ablauf called it a "reactionary" response to a growing problem.

Edina girls' hockey players Casey McGarvey and Shelby Anderson said they've learned you can't take back an ill- advised message once you've hit send. And Lakeville North girls' volleyball player Alyssa Goehner considers her 1,062 followers a serious responsibility.

"Sometimes kids send out things and they don't understand the end result, how far it reaches," said Giles, who requires his players to put all their phones in a box prior to games. "[Kids] are going to use it. You always see them on their phones, on Facebook, in Twitterland. We just have to make sure they understand how to use it."

Coach learning curve, too

Understanding the proper use of social media also can be a challenge for coaches and athletic directors. For some, it's overwhelming to even try.

While Bloomington Jefferson girls' basketball coach Andy Meinhardt is well-schooled on social media and took the initiative to post the warning sign on the school's locker room doors, boys' basketball coach Jeff Evens admits to knowing little about the social media world.

Former Southwest football John Biezuns embraced the new world by connecting with colleagues and players. In November, he suddenly resigned for personal reasons amid speculation of misusing social media. 

He recently said he could not speak on the matter, but acknowledged he has learned a lot from his social media use and called its integration with sports "probably not a good thing."

"Coaches need to be aware of anything social media and as a coach, you have to be careful what you say," Biezuns said. "Anything that gets written down, e-mailed or texted can come back to haunt you."

Bloomington Jefferson athletic director Brian Fell will implement a version of the University of Michigan's new social media guidelines for next year's Jaguars athletes.

Minnetonka boys' basketball captain Riley Dearring is convinced the Skippers' approach is best.

"We all try to look out for each other. If we feel there is something that should not be put out there, we let each other know," Dearring said. "I think it's a good way for players to connect with other players. It's a good way to get information out."

STEVEN'S SPORTS REPORT TO COVER THE MINNESOTA PUMP N RUN BEST BUY SUMMER CLASSIC

Steven's Sports Report will be covering the 2012 Minnesota Pump N Run Best Buy Summer Classic in Bloomington the weekend of July 19-22, 2012.

Games will take place at Bloomington Jefferson and Bloomington Kennedy High Schools.

Here are the links to the 15U, 16U and the17 U schedules.

Bloomington Jefferson is located at

4001 West 102nd Street, Bloomington, MN 55437

Bloomington Kennedy is located at

9701 Nicollet Ave S Bloomington, MN 55420

Tournament headquarters will be located at Bloomington Jefferson High School.

LAKEVILLE NORTH V BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON – AN OVERTIME CHILLER

Lakeville North survived wind chill and #4 ranked Bloomington Jefferson’s offensive onslaught to go into a post-overtime shootout thriller. North win won the PK shootout 4-2 and advanced to the semis with a 2-1 victory.

 Header to Score - Bloomington Jefferson's Tyler Tumberg nails a header to score and tie late in the first half of the Minnesota 2A Soccer Tournament Quarterfinals.

  Arms and Legs - Lakeville North's Torbjorn Morkeberg celebrates the sight of teammate's Jon Hopkins' shot reaching the back of the goal, tying the score at 1-1 and eventually sending the game into double overtime and shootout.

Meeting Place - Lakeville North goalie Connor Revsbeck goes out to meet onrushing Bloomington Jefferson forward Scott Clinton to stave off a shot on goal late in the second period of the 1-1 thriller. North went on to win the shootout i4-2 in OT and win the matchup 2-1.

Save - Lakeville North goalie Connor Revsbeck extends for a save in overtime action.

Photos and storyline by Steve Kotvis

BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON COMES AWAY WITH THE VICTORY LATE IN THE GAME

Henry Sibley took on Bloomington Jefferson in quarterfinal action at the Target Center. Both of these teams got a fast jump on each other as they traded baskets to begin this game off.

For Henry Sibley Mike Rosampour has really gotten off to a fast start. He really went after the ball on both ends of the court. Both of these teams started playing tough man to man defense.

Bloomington Jefferson has done a good job of defending the outside shots. Both teams have played very aggressively on both ends of the court.

For Jefferson, they seem to have a lot of good team chemistry on their side. Everyone on the bench is cheering their teammates when they are out on the court. Henry Sibley dose have good chemistry but Jefferson is playing a lot looser.

Sibley is looking to trap players in the corners. They want to use the base line into their own advantage.
This game has been up and down from the get go. At half time the score was Henry Sibley 30 and Bloomington Jefferson 31.

Mike Bruesewitz looked good in the first half. He has able to make plays for Sibley. He really gets after the ball on both ends of the court.

Bloomington Jefferson is really trying to take up space in the lane. They don’t want Sibley to get shots down the middle of the court.

Both teams have been really going after the ball here as both teams have been diving on the floor for loose balls.
Bloomington Jefferson has really came together in the second half. They have been up cheering for each other.
For Henry Sibley Mike Bruesewitz has done a nice job all around he has really taken charge of this game. He has played well.

Bloomington Jefferson has chipped away the whole game. They didn’t give up. Both Moses and Marcus Alipate have played well. They look for each other on the court. They seem to know where each other is on the court.
Sibley made a run late in the game. They were down 54-57 with 1:55 left in regulation. Sibley made a comeback and the game came down to the end.

In the end Bloomington came away with the 60-56 victory. The leading scorer for Henry Sibley was Mike Bruesewotz he scored a game high of 21 points. The leading scorers for Bloomington Jefferson were Ellis Libby with 15 points, and Chad Gilmer and Moses Alipate with 12 points.

My post game interviews are listed here -

jefferson 55 Moses Alipate game 3

jefferson Head Coach Jeff Evens game 3

jefferson marcus alipate game 3

jefferson shane randahl game 3

BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON BEATS MINNEAPOLIS SOUTHWEST BY 10

Bloomington Jefferson was too much for Minneapolis Southwest and was able to come in and beat the Lakers 44-34. In a fast paced game that was close throughout, the Jaguars were able to come away with the win.

Jefferson was led by Alex Koller and Lauren Somers with 9 points each. Minneapolis Southwest’s leading scorer was Britta Syervrson who finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Bloomington Jefferson is now 3-2 and Minneapolis Southwest is 5-1.