Standing by in sports, Sun. May 3

Beachy football memories

Dr. Arden Beachy was recently featured by the Forum of Fargo Moorhead’s Jeff Kolpack after testing positive for COVID-19 and subsequently recovering.

Beachy, a physician and emergency room doctor at Lakewood Health System in Staples, was a standout quarterback for the Staples-Motley Cardinals and later North Dakota State University.

Beachy closed out the Bison’s run at Dacotah Field in 1992 and was the starting quarterback the inaugural year of the Fargodome the following year.

NDSU was 9-1 in the regular season in 1992, with the only loss coming at St. Cloud State’s Homecoming when former Laker kicker Ludvig Millfors’ game-winning field goal attempt missed wide by inches.

I was in attendance as a third-year student at SCSU and watched that game with Mark Nelson, a tailback at Staples who I played against all through high school, along with Beachy.

My 1988-89 Lakers were the first team to be under head coach Rick Manke since we were freshmen and changed the course of DL football winning the first 10 games before a section final loss ended the campaign.

No. 10 Detroit Lakes and No. 4 Staples-Motley had two memorable matchups.

Both teams were undefeated going into week seven, Homecoming in Staples. The Cardinals’ field was crammed with fans in one of the biggest matchups of the year in outstate football.

Tribune Sports Editor Ralph Anderson labeled it “The Game” in his preview that week.

Beachy, fullback Darren Gorder and the speedy Nelson duked it out with the Lakers, led by Craig Thielen at quarterback and the punishing backfield duo of Chris Fossen and Jay Grasto running behind an experienced and effective senior-heavy offensive line.

DL prevailed 41-22 taking a lead into halftime on a trick passing play before securing the victory when Manke’s adept play calling engineered a drive of all running plays that ate up the entire third quarter clock.

Beachy and the Cardinals exacted revenge in the section final at Mollberg Field 33-7, a disappointing end for the Lakers in the year that the field was dedicated to Del Mollberg. Staples-Motley went on to finish second in the state falling 35-28 to Lakeville at the Metrodome.

The 10-1 DL season was a showcase of what Manke had brought to the program and the state championships that were soon to come. The 10 wins were more than the prior two seasons, a 5-5 run in 1987 and a 4-5 season in 1986.

Throughout the 1980’s, the 1981 team was the only other club to win more than five games (6-5) in a season.

Beachy’s football and track career came to an abrupt end after a MCL and ACL tear against Pittsburgh State in 1993. He remained on the team to mentor quarterbacks Rob Hyland and Mike Gidley before completing his medical studies.

Nelson and I met at the mailboxes of Sherburne Hall at SCSU the first day of college. I looked at him and said, “Hey, you’re the nerd!”

Mark rocked the black-rimmed glasses under his football helmet in high school and we had given him the nerd moniker on the field.

I ended up being the best man at Nelson’s wedding in Phoenix a few years later completing a total flip from sworn enemies on the gridiron to best friends. It’s a small world.

Ortloff, Yliniemi, Doppler up for MSUM awards

Three former Lakers are up for awards at Minnesota State University Moorhead after impressive seasons with the Dragons.

Ortloff (wrestling) is one of five athletes nominated by their coaches for male athlete of the year. Ortloff was featured in the Tribune in early April after qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Doppler (volleyball) and Yliniemi (diving) received nominations based on student-athletes in their first year of competition (freshman or transfer students) that have made the most impact on their sport. They are nominated by their head coach.

Yliniemi earned a trip to the NCAA Division II national pre-qualifying meet on day two of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships at the BSC Aquatic and Wellness Center in Bismarck, N.D.

She was also the athlete of the week Jan. 20-26 after winning the 3-meter diving competition at the Dragons' home quadrangular, her second victory of the season, and adding a third-place finish on the 1-meter board.

Doppler appeared in 27 matches recording with 125 kills and 53 blocks. She had a career-high 12 kills in a loss to Sioux Falls in November.

She and former Laker and MSUM wide receiver Jake Richter garnered athlete of the week honors Nov. 4-10.

MISCELLANY

Fifty years ago this week in 1970, the Detroit Lakes varsity baseball team got off to a 4-0 start to the season.

Pitcher and captain Bruce Paskey hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to snap a 3-3 tie to give the Lakers a 5-3 victory over Park Rapids at the wind-blown senior high school baseball field. Mike Metelak scored three of the DL runs. Paskey fanned nine batters and allowed only four hits, retiring the side in three of the last six innings.

The day prior, DL took advantage of five Fergus Falls errors scoring nine runs in six innings to down the Otters 9-2. Rocky Chrastil earned the victory going four innings, striking out five. Doubles by Brian McLeod and Jim Rolfe brought home the eventual winning runs in a three-run Laker second.