212 ATHLETIC CONFERENCE HISTORY

1947 - 1974

YEAR BY YEAR:
1960 - 1961

Football

Wrestling

1960 Conference Champions: Stewart Gophers

The Stewart Gophers won the 1960 Conference Championship with an 8-0-1 record. The only blemish on their undefeated season was a 0-0 tie on a rainy night at Danube. The Gophers shut-out five of their nine opponents, including a 28-0 win over Conference favorite, Hector. They scored a total of 256 points (28.5 per game) on offense and gave up only 26 points (2.1 per game) for the season. The Gophers had an offensive line that averaged 215 pounds, outstanding speed in the backfield, and a junior class that would go undefeated the following year. Ten of their athletes won places in the sprint races in the Conference and District 12 track meets. The team was led by quarterback Dick Barnes. Barnes, one of the best athletes in conference history, passed for 803 yards and had total yardage of 1293. He also did all of the punting and place kicking and was an outstanding defensive back.

Scoring Leaders
Haspert, Hector
Bruggers, Danube
Barnes, Stewart
Zaske, Brownton
Jurisch, Hector
Waller, Renville
Hahn, Stewart
Wacker, Stewart
Ahlbrecht, Buff. Lake
Koebncik, Buff. Lake
Kleinhuizen, Danube
Streich, Stewart

Area Top Scorers
5.Haspert, Hector
6.Bruggers, Danube TD’
16
11
7
7
6
5
5
4
4
4
4
4

16
14 PAT
4
3
7
1
5
3
1
6
4
2
1
0

5
4
CP
100
69
49
43
41
33
31
30
28
26
25
24

101
88 TP
101
88
55
49
47
40
37
43
28
26
31
30

101
88 All Conference
Ralph Larson, Stew
Willard Carlson, St.
Jerome Jacobs, Ren
Morris Bakker, Ren
Gary Hotovec,Dan.
Gary Hoffman, Dan
Ken Nicolai, Hec
J.Mantheny, Brow.
Larry Bahr, BL
Gary Engen, SH
Dick Barnes, Stew.
Allan Hahn, Stew.
Bob Bruggers, Dan
Jim Zaske, Brow.
Tom Haspert, Hec.
Chuck Kienholz, BI

Honorable Mention
John Jurisch, Hec.
S.Broderius, Hec
L.Klienhuzen, Dan
L. Lundquist, Dan
M.Breitkruetz, Ren
Earl Waller, Ren
Allen Peris, BI
T.Schwartz, Brow.
C.Trutna, Brow
W.Ahlbrecht, BL
Del Senst, BL
Gary Meier, Stew. Ht.
6’1
6’1
6’3
6’2
6’2
6’1
5’11
6’0
5’11
6’0
5’11
5’9
6’1
5’9
5’8
5’11
Wt.
180
215
200
200
185
180
180
175
195
185
175
150
195
155
150
160 P
E
G
E
T
E
E
G
LB
T
G
QB
HB
FB
QB
HB
HB
Yr.
Jr
Sr
Sr
Sr
Jr
Jr
Jr
Sr
Sr
Jr
Sr
Sr
Jr
Sr
Sr
Sr

Wrestling Back To Top

1961 Wrestling Champions: Buffalo Lake Bisons

The Buffalo Lake Bison won their 2^nd consecutive 212 Conference Wrestling Tournament as they finished with 123 points. Stewart finished 2^nd with 74 points, Hector 3^rd with 73 points and Brownton, 4^th with 51 points. The Bison had eight 1^st place winners with Del Steinhaus, Bill Bulau and Larry Mackey repeating as 212 champions.

1961 212 Conference Results:
95 LB. Henschke (BL) pinned Lembke, Br. 3:54                3^rd-Fredell, Hec.
103 LB.Starret, BL pinned Smith, Hec, 4:33                       3^rd-L. Penk Stew
112 LB.Steinhaus, BL dec. Hennessy, Hec. 8-0                  3^rd-LaPlante, Stew
120 LB.Bulau,BL dec. Stockman, Stew.2-1                       3^rd-L.Bipes, Brown
127 LB.Sell, BL dec. R. Penk, Stew 3-0                            3^rd-Lonrich, Brown
133 LB.Eitel, Stew dec. Markgraf, BL 5-4                         3^rd-M. Bipes, Brown
138 LB.Mackey dec. Hahn, Stew, 4-0                               3^rd-Dean, Hect.
145 LB.Senst, BL pinned B. Roepke, Hec. 3:27                 3^rd-Lamp, Brown
154 LB.Fosland, Hec.dec. Lietz, Brownton 7-0                  3^rd-G. Hahn, BL
165 LB.M.Roepke, Hec. dec. Carrigan, BL 5-2                 3^rd-Horrman, Brownton
175 LB.Bollingmo, Stew. dec. Leff, Hec. 3-2                      3^rd-Wiegert, BL
Hwt.-Bahr, BL dec. Olesen Stew. 4-2                                3^rd-T.Schwarze, Brownton

Glencoe won the 1961 District 12 Tournament with 99 points. Hutchinson finished 2^nd with 97 points. Buffalo Lake finished 3^rd with 88 points and Stewart was in 4^th place with 44 pts.

1961 District Tournament- Region 3 Entries
95-1^st Henschke, BL, 103-1^st Starrett, BL, 112-1^st Steinhaus, BL, 120-1^st Stockman, Stewart, 127-2^nd Sell, BL, 138-2^nd Mackey, BL, 154-2^nd Fosland, Hec, 175-2^nd Bollingmo, Stewart, Hwt.-1^st Bahr, BL 2^nd-Olesen Stewart

Redwood Falls won the 1961 Region 3 Wrestling Tournament with 59 points, Hutchinson was 2^nd with 57 points. Buffalo Lake finished 6^th place. Bill Bulau and Del Steihaus (Buffalo Lake) finished 3^rd at 95 and 103. Ron Stockman (Stewart) finished 2^nd at 112. Larry Eitel (Stewart) 2^nd and Larry Mackey (BL) 3^rd at 127. John Peterson (Buffalo Lake) placed 3^rd at 165

Basketball Back To Top

1961 Conference Champions: Danube Hawks

The Danube Hawks won the 1961 Conference Championship with a 13-1 record. Their only blemish in Conference play was a 67-58 loss to Stewart at Stewart. Led by senior “Red” Zaske and junior Bob Bruggers, the Hawks finished one game ahead of Hector who finished 12-2. The Hawks also won their second consecutive District Title. In Region play, they defeated Redwood Falls 57-52 and Montevideo 68-55 in the finals. In State Tournament play, they were defeated by Duluth Central 74-52 in the first round, and then lost to Mahtomedi in consolation play. Duluth Central went on to win the State Championship.

1961 Final Standings
Danube
Hector
Stewart
Renville
Buffalo Lake
Bird Island
Sacred Heart
Brownton

All Conference Team

Bob Bruggers, Danube
Red Zaske, Danube
Dick Robinson, BI
Dick Barnes, Stewart
Tom Haspert, Hector
Tyrone Wacker, Stewart
Chuck Kienholz, BI
Ken Lovald, BL
Honorable Mention

Dennton Jakobitz, BL
Jerry Mantheny, Br.
Larry Kleinhuzen, Danube
Gary Ehlers, Hector
Mike Specht, Hector
Morris Bakker, Renville
Tom Deason, SH

Rec.

13-1
12-2
10-4
9-5
4-10
4-10
4-10
1-13

Ht. Yr.

6’1 Jr.
5’10 Sr.
6’2 Jr.
5’11 Jr.
5’8 Jr.
5’9 Jr.
5’11 Jr.
6’3 Sr.

6’4 Jr.
6’0 Sr.
5’8 Sr.
6’4 Sr.
6’4 Sr.
6’2 Sr.
6’0 Sr.

Conference Scoring

Bob Bruggers, Danube
Jerome Jacobs, Renville
Dick Robinson, Bird Island
Red Zaske, Danube
Dick Barnes, Stewart
Tyrone Wacker, Stewart
Chuck Kienholz, Bird Island
Tom Deason, SH
Ken Lovald, Buffalo Lake
Tom Haspert, Hector
Mike Specht, Hector
Denton Jakobitz, Buffalo Lake
Gary Ehlers, Hector
Jerry Mantheny, Brownton
Lynn Berry, Brownton
Bob Dolan, Renville
Mike Scott, Bird Island
Morris Bakker, Renville
Brian Skalbeck, Sacred Heart
Don Roepke, Buffalo Lake

Area Scoring

(1)Bob Bruggers, Danube
(2)Jerome Jacobs, Renville
(7)Dick Robinson, BI
(10)Red Zaske, Danube
(16)Dick Barnes, Stewart
(19)Chuck Kienholz, BI
(21)Tyrone Wacker, Stewart
(25)Tom Deason, SH

Bob Bruggers broke the 212 scoring record with 364 points.
Jerome Jacobs held the record with 336 set in 1960.

TP Ave.

364 26.0
295 22.7
259 18.5
253 18.1
232 16.6
220 15.7
206 14.7
200 14.3
199 14.2
193 13.8
183 13.1
169 13.0
167 13.0
166 11.9
157 11.2
146 11.2
123 11.2
155 11.1
150 10.7
132 10.2

625 24.0
474 22.6
358 18.8
463 17.8
324 16.2
302 15.9
303 15.2
279 14.7

Track Back To Top

1961 Track Champions: Stewart Gophers

The Stewart Gophers won their 2^nd consecutive 212 Track Championship by scoring 84 ½ points. Buffalo Lake scored 46 ½, Danube 33 ½, Hector 30 ½, Bird Island 7 ¼, Sacred Heart 5 ½, Renville 2 and Brownton 0. The Gophers won 9 first place events.

1961 Conference Results
High Hurdles
1.     Jacobitz, BL             16.5
2.     Barnes, Stewart
3.     Meier, Stewart
4.     Roepke, BL
5.     Specht, Hector
Mile Run
1.     Buboltz, BL   4.57.7
2.     Kopel, Danube
3.     Youngkrantz, BI
4.     Schafer, BL
5.     Leff, Hector
440 Yard Run
1.    Hahn, Stewart 55.2
2.    S.Twite, Stewart
3.    Skalbeck, SH
4.    Mons, BL
5.    Hotovec, Dan.
880 Yard Run
1.     Meier, Stew. 2.10.9
2.     Mackey, BL
3.     Anderson, Hec.
4.     Beckman, BI
5.     Werner, BL
100 Yard Dash
1.     Larson, Stewart 10.6
2.     Schilling, Stewart
3.     Haspert, Hector
4.     Koebnick, BL
5.     Wacker, Stewart
880 Yard Relay
1.     Stewart   1.37.8NR
2.     Buffalo Lake
3.     Hector
4.     Renville
5.     Danube
180 Low Hurdles
1.     Jacobitz, BL   22.75
2.     Barnes, Stewart
3.     Meier, Stewart
4.     Hackbarth, Hector
5.     Roepke, BL
220 Yard Dash
1.     Schilling, Stew   24.0
2.     Larson, Stewart
3.     Hoffman, Danube
4.     Koebnick, BL
5.     Hackbarth, Hector

Pole Vault
1.     Barnes, Stewart 10’7
2.     Eichelberger, Stewart
3.     Manthei, Danube
4.     Weber, Stewart
5.     Peterson, BL

Mile Relay
1.     Stewart     3.57.5NR
2.     Hector
3.     Buffalo Lake
4.     Bird Island
5.     Sacred Heart
High Jump
1.     Weber, Stewart 5’5
2.     Bruggers, Danube
3.     Manthie, Danube
4.     Deason. Sacred Heart
5.     Kossek, Hector
Shot Put
1.     Bruggers, Dan 47’2
2.     Molenaar, Danube
3.     Scholla, Hector
4.     Blad, Hector
5.     Jurisch, Hector
Discus
1.     Larson, Stew 135’4
2.     Bruggers, Danube
3.     Ahlbrecht, BL
4.     Barnes, Stewart
5.     Molenaar, Danube
Long Jump
1.     Haspert, Hector 19’6
2. Roepke, BL
3. R.Twite, Stewart
4. Hahn Stewart
5. Hubin, BL

Hutchinson won the District 12 meet held at Hutchinson. Bob Bruggers was the only double winner in the meet as he won the shot and discuss. He also tied for 2^nd in the high jump but lost the coin flip to qualify for the region meet.

Hutchinson                         61 1/2
Stewart                              46
Olivia
Glencoe
Danube
Buffalo Lake

Region Three Entries from the
212 Conference
Shot Put
Bob Bruggers, Danube                    47’6
Pole Vault
Dick Barnes, Stewart                       10’9NR
100 Yard Dash
Ralph Larson, Stewart                      2^nd
High Hurdles
Gary Meier, Stewart                       16.6
Dick Barnes, Stewart                      2^nd
440 Yard Dash
Allen Hahn, Stewart                        54.2
220 Yard Dash
Ralph Larson, Stewart                    23.5
John Schilling, Stewart                   2^nd
Discus
Bob Bruggers, Danube                   130’11
Ralph Larson, Stewart                    2^nd
High Jump
Dennis Peterson, Buffalo Lake      5’6
Bob Bruggers, Danube                    2^nd

Region Three place winners from the
212 Conference
High Hurdles
Gary Meier, Stewart                            2^nd
Dick Barnes, Stewart                          4^th
Shot Put
Bob Bruggers, Danube                       48’7
440 Yard Dash
Allen Hahn, Stewart                           5^th
220 Yard Dash
Schilling, Stewrt                                 3^rd
Larson, Stewart                                  5^th
Discuss
Bob Bruggers, Danube                      2^nd
Pole Vault
Dick Barnes, Stewart                         2nd

Baseball Back To Top

1961 Baseball Champions: Stewart Gophers

Front Row: Steve Twite, Dick Twite, Tyrone Wacker, Ron Kirchoff, Larry Eitel, Allen Hahn, Dale Buboltz, Dave LaPlante, Ken Chatfield.
Back Row: Terry Chatfield, Larry Meier, Gary Kirchoff, Dick Barnes, Gary Meier, Norvel Bolingmo, Coach Merv Ellwood, mgr. Byron Wacker

The Stewart Gophers won the 212 Conference championship with a 7-0 record. 9 players on the baseball team also competed on the 1961 Conference Championship Track Team. Senior, Dick Barnes and battery mate, Tyrone Wacker led the team in hitting and pitching. In the first game of the year against Buffalo Lake, Barnes struck out 20 out of 21 hitters in a 3-0 win. Barnes went 9 and 1 for the year with his only defeat in a 2-1 loss to Springfield in the first round of the region. He struck 118 batters in 60 innings. Other outstanding players on the team were centerfielder, Steve Twite, first baseman Larry Meier, third baseman, Gary Kirchoff, and left fielder Larry Eitel. In District 12 play, Stewart beat Cosmos 12-0, Olivia 1-0, Norwood 4-2 and Hutchinson 4-0 in the championship game. They finished the season with an 11 and 2 record. In the championship game at Hector, one of the all-time classic pitching duals took place as Stewart’s Barnes matched up with Hutchinson’s Dick Mielke. Both pitchers would end up as the top pitchers on the University of Minnesota pitching staff and eventually signed professional contracts. Mielke with the Detroit Tigers and Barnes with the Minnesota Twins.