KWLC-AM 1240 / Decorah, IA - Luther College Radio

summer is fun

noreply@blogger.com (KWLC Decorah) — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Ian, Andy and I obviously have more fun than was thought to be humanly possible. Here are our 11 KWLC summer commandments, for your health.

1. There shall be only one KWLC. Honor thy KWLC.

2. Thou shalt have no other radio before KWLC.

3. Thou shalt shamelessly plug KWLC at every opportunity.

4. Thou shalt not ever, never, never ever play poor quality radio on thy KWLC.

5. Thou shalt never speak badly of thy KWLC, never use thine KWLC's name in vain, and always say "double-you."

6. Thou shalt always share thine Monday nights.

7. Thou shalt treat thy KWLC as thou wants to be treated. Nuture thy KWLC as if it were thine very own KWLC.

8. DON'T TRY TO STEAL YOUR KWLC'S SHIT.

9. Thou shalt not be an adulturer against thine KWLC with other lesser non-commercial college radio stations. (or against thine KWLC summer staff with other lesser humans)

10. Thou shalt heartily befriend thy KWLC summer staff and love them with all thine heart.

10.5. Thou shalt LOVE THINE MUSIC.

11. Thou shalt make every effort to keep in touch with thy KWLC radio through thine holy Facebook and/or KWLC blog.

REALLY GOOD RADIO

noreply@blogger.com (KWLC Decorah) — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:49:00 +0000

Good morrow, buddies. Rose here. Ian, illustrious station manager, and Andy, my co-awesome co-rock music director are in the station with me today, and we're all working away like happy music elves.

We want to make sure to keep you posted on all things KWLC, or maybe just bother you with enough status updates and facebook notes that you remember to keep in touch, tune in whenever you have the chance, and spread the word about our awesome radio station. The three of us are successfully holding down the fort so far and will do our best to keep KWLC kickin' it for the next three months.

Here is some information you can keep in mind to bring yourself a little closer to KWLC:

Office Hours:
Andy and myself will be in the station reviewing new albums, organizing our rock shelves, playing in the library, and talking to promoters Monday through Friday from 10am-2pm, roughly. Ian is diligent about his planned hours of 10am-6pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to type his little documents and planplanplan. We'll see how long that lasts. We're usually reachable by facebook or you can call us persistently at 563-387-1240. We'd love to know what's up with you and tell you all about what's up with us.

On-Air Hours:
It's a little complicated, but you'll figure it out. If Ian can, so can you.
I'm telling you who's on when so you can freely discriminate against any one of us. Remember that Ian holds grudges and that I have magical powers. I personally love listening to weeknights the most because that's where you can hear the best new rock that's on our shelves--and boy, is it good.

On Sundays, Ian or Myself will broadcast from 7am-7pm, and you can hear Andy from 7pm-12:30am.
Monday nights you have the chance to hear any two of us, we'll be on a rotating schedule, so tune in.
Tuesday is all Rose (me! nothing wrong with that),
Wednesday is Andy with a full night of Loud Rock, his specialty,
Thursday you can hear Ian get acquainted with the Rock shelves,
and Fridays I'm back from 10-12:30.
Saturday, Andy is up early-- 7am-12:30pm, myself from 12:30pm-7pm, and Ian from 7pm-12:30am

Now, you can add all that info to this info: Our Scheduled Programming.
Like I said, Monday through Friday we're on the air from 10pm to 12:30am playing all new rock, all the time. Andy will throw some Loud Rock into the mix on Wednesday nights.
Saturdays look like this:

• 7:00a-8:00a—World
• 8:00a-9:00a—Folk
• 9:00a-10:00a—Bluegrass Review
• 10:00a-11:00a—Woodsongs
• 11:00a-12:30p—Americana
• 12:30p-1:00p—Bioneers
• 1:00p-2:00p—Americana
• 2:00p-4:00p—Special Presentation/Folk
• 4:00p-6:00p—Blues
• 6:00p-7:00p—The Song is You
• 7:00p-8:00p—Full album presentation
• 8:00p-9:00p—90’s Rock
• 9:00p-12:30p—Rock
and Sundays as follows:
• 7:00a-11:00a—Religious Programming (CHURCH!)
• 11:00a-11:30a—Voices of our World
• 11:30a-12:00p—Dialogue
• 12:00p-2:00p—Classical
• 2:00p-3:00p—WFMT Production (Classical)
• 3:00p-5:00p—Classical Presentation
• 5:00p-6:00p—Soundtracks (Broadway/Film/Opera)
• 6:00p-7:00p—Jazz
• 7:00p-8:00p—WFMT Production/CultureWorks/Jazz Inspired (Jazz)
• 8:00p-9:00p—Jazz with Pete Russella
• 9:00-10:00p—Jazz with Andy Hoffmann
• 10:00p-12:30a—Rock

Great things are happening at KWLC.
The three of us are planning on having a very enjoyable summer, which may or may not include making some 5-minute home movies, buying a fish to go in the fishtank we found in the cupboard (seriously), watching too much Arrested Development, and giving too many on-air shout outs to our honorary KWLC peeps/legendary bffs (Green, Bitchards, Schuj, CJ the DJ, and others).

It's almost over, I promise. I wanted to name-drop some of the kick-ass albums that have happened on our shelves since Andy and I have been in power (like evil dictators).
All added in May:
ARTIST/album

THE FEATURES some kind of salvation (check this)
CRASH KINGS crash kings (raconteurs-esque)
FUTURE FUTURE future future
OPERATION ALOHA operation aloha (check this)
THE WOODEN BIRDS magnolia
SO MANY DYNAMOS the loud wars
TEREU TEREU all that keeps us together
PASSION PIT manners (you know it)
HONOR BY AUGUST found
ABSTRACT RUDE rejuvenation
BEATI PAOLI a sense of urgency
ON ENSEMBLE ume in the middle
THE BEAUTIFUL CONFUSION the beautiful confusion
ZEE AVI zee avi (check)
THE AGGROLITES iv
POLLY SCATTERGOOD polly scattergood (recommended-bjork-y)
STRANGE JEROME guns, ammo, jewelry, coins
AMANDA BLANK might like you better
THE PERFECTS future automatic
DAVID BERKELEY strange light
LOONER i love my tamagotchee (true)
HEADLESS HEROES the silence of love
MIKA MIKO we be xuxa
THE DAREDEVIL CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT in deference to a broken back (mixed by justin vernon)
DEPECHE MODE sounds of the universe
EELS hombre lobo
U-N-I land of the kings
OWL CITY of june (feeling blue? play this)
ELVIS COSTELLO secret, profane & sugarcane
PHOENIX wolfgang amadeus phoenix (real good)
GLISS devotion implosion
THE TING TINGS we started nothing (check a song that you haven't heard. they good)
MAXIMO PARK quicken the heart
BEN HARPER AND RELENTLESS 7 white lies for dark times (lay there & hate me-great song)
GRIZZLY BEAR veckatimest (check this out)
MOCKY saskamodie
THE CLIKS dirty king
THE FIELD yesterday and today (very neat)
JOSH REICHMANN oracle bands (we got this on a 45. awesome)
POPUP a time & a place
INWARD EYE inward eye ep
SEUME it is what it is
HUGH CORNWELL hooverdam
T.O.J people like us
WICKED HEMLOCKS wicked hemlocks

on our shelves in the next 2 weeks, anticipate excitedly:
MARS VOLTA
TREVOR HALL
CARBON LEAF
VENOMOUS
LANDY
MEWITHOUTYOU
DIRTY PROJECTORS
WARLOCKS
BUSDRIVER

also check out:
AKRON/FAMILY
CASPER AND THE COOKIES
JOHN VANDERSLICE
THE CUBISTS
MORAKESTRA

I could write this note all day long, but it's time for my appointment with the couch.
Stay tuned, stay happy, rock out.

Love,
Rose

DANCE BAND @ Spark 02/21/2009

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:27:00 +0000

There's a moment at any great show when you know that magic is happening, stars are aligning, and that after this moment the universe will never again be the same. It's when Eminem smashes into "Lose Yourself" or when the beat blasts into overdrive during "Final Countdown" at a Europe concert. If you've had either or both of these experiences, I envy you more than you would think.

I knew that everything was going to be alright at DANCE BAND when the lead singer in mid-thrust ripped off his shirt, and a tidal wave of body odor crashed into my dance sphere. It was then that my body announced to no one in particular, "goodbye earth, I'm sorry that my moves are too much for terrestrial minds, butts, and hips."

Minneapolis-based DANCE BAND performed at the Spark Festival of Electronic
Music and Arts at the University of Minnesota on February 21st. With rhymes to kill and funk-oozing beats that didn't quit, DANCE BAND asked/instructed/commanded the dance crew to clap our hands, stop, drop and roll, and to shake our babymakers. I was more than happy to oblige.

DANCE BAND describe themselves as "Geekadelic,"but it's not a wholly accurate description. Try "Prancecentric," "Bumptronic," "Thurst-o-matic" or "Grindsplosive."

Interpol doesn't prosecute trans-european criminals, Flo Rida doesn't rhyme about the lightning capital of America and Jurassic 5 is anything but reptilian. DANCE BAND, however, is exactly what the name suggests. If your rear is stationary, then you're in the wrong place or you need a new notebook.

Coe Review

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:49:00 +0000

I've still been chewing rolaids since Saturday and wondering how a team whose defense gives up just 191 yards and six points LOSES a game. That's what happended Saturday as Coe defeated Luther 22-19 in overtime for its fifth straight win over the Norse.

First things first, Luther felt Saturday like Buena Vista felt the previous week. BV outgained 265-161, had 77 offensive plays compared to Luther's 56, including many more inside the opponents terrority and had the ball for four more minutes. Good fortune and karma giveth. Good fortune and karma taketh away.

On the positive side, this Norse defense continues to impress. The defense it's self has given up nine points in the last three games. 161 yards given up. 3.7 yards per play. 2.9 yards per rush. 8 of Coe's 16 possessions were three and out. Seven tackles for a loss. Two sacks. Three takeaways. It's unfortunate that such an effort was not rewarded Saturday afternoon.

Special teams was a vast disappointment. On the opening kickoff of the second half, Coe fumbles the ball and to his credit, Chad Reifschneider for Coe picks up the ball, plays to the whistle and takes it in for six. Weird play. One guy plays to the whistle on the field. Later in the game, Jesse Kent tries to field a punt inside the ten yard line, fumbles into the end zone and Coe recovers for six points. To be fair to Jesse, he was trying to make a play and by letting the ball go with Kohawks all around him, the ball could have been downed inside the five yard line. But if you're going to do that, a-you have to be smart and b-you have to secure possession and take care of the ball. Otherwise the high risk, high reward proposition turns to disaster.

Another week, another missed extra point. Granted, you don't know how the game would have played out but the safety that tied the game would have led to a one point deficit for Coe. Five extra points in seven games. Unacceptable. The Norse kicking game has been an adventure this year. But scoring touchdowns and getting six on the board instead of seven cannot continue to happen.

Offensively, the consistency just hasn't been there. Saturday, the running game failed to get going. 2.5 yards per carry this week. 1.7 yards per carry last week. Unacceptable. No matter how many plays you can make in the passing game, teams need to run the ball consistenly to win. And I don't believe it's a one or two person problem. It's a team issue. All persons involved in the running game must step up and improve that facet.

The timing of the passing game was off all day Saturday. Chris Reynolds was not on his game, due in part to the Coe defense putting more pressure on him than any other defense this season. And when Reynolds was on target, Luther receivers often dropped catchable balls. The difference between the offense against Buena Vista and Coe was key plays at key times. Against BV, the offense made one extra play, got one first down instead of a three and out and held the ball for nine minutes when the Beavers had the wind. Luther often on Saturday put themselves behind the eight ball by negativity on first and second down. Long story longer, consistency just wasn't there. Coach Durnin always talks about whoever is on the field the expectation is to perform. That's what it's gotta to be in the final three weeks.

A win against Coe could have made this week huge. A little bit of luster is off but the Norse can also knock Wartburg out of the top spot in the league with a win this week. 1-0 this Saturday. That will be the goal. Conference title hopes are still alive, but now you need some help. The entire focus needs to be Wartburg. Dreaming big is nice. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. A win Saturday could bring a little more excitement to the last two weeks. A loss Saturday and you're playing out the season.

BV Review

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:07:00 +0000

I apologize for missing the blog last week. My bad. No excuses. No alibi. But a lot to talk about this week.

Saturday was one of the most entertaining 6-3 games you'll ever see. The momentum swung back and forth like a musical metronome. Both teams with many opportunities. Both teams rose to the occassion many times. Fortunately, the Norse won and now they're tied for first place in the league.

Defense wins championships. The Luther defense held Buena Vista to 1-3 in the red zone, with the only score being a field goal. The Beavers came into the game scoring 78 percent of the time in the red zone. That doesn't include a stop on the last play of the game with Buena Vista when Josh Patterson knocked down a pass to Eric Bertelsen in the end zone. A lot of heroes on defense. Alex Mierau was the Iowa conference male athlete of the week with 19 tackles, 15 solo and two passes defensed. Sean Hood had ten tackles. Will Bothe with nine tackles and one for a loss. Cody Webb with three tackles for a loss. Paul Pierson with a sack. Interceptions by Trevor Theobald and Jeremy Klein. Needless to say it was a fine effort by the entire defense. Many felt going into the season Luther had a good enough defense to be competitive in every game they play. With the exception of the Simpson game that has been the case.

Another game ball to Nate Neblung, who was the Norse punter Saturday as regular punter Andrew Burkle was taking a test to get into graduate school. Neblung averaged 37.6 per punt with a long of 51 yards. Yes, he did have a strong wind at his back for a lot of the game, but did a good job of keeping the ball away from the Beavers returners. He even had a 40 yarder against the wind with a roll. Every time a Norse player has gone down this year, the backup has stepped up. As coach Durnin always says, the expectation is if you get on the field, you're to perform. That was the case on special teams with Neblung.

Things were difficult for the offense Saturday, but they did take advantage of a short field in the first quarter and scored. Try Scheetz caught his first collegiate touchdown pass from Chris Reynolds and Reynolds showed some nice improvisation on the play. Also after an interception in the third quarter the Norse had a 62 yard, 14 play drive that unfortunately led to a missed field goal. Despite the inconsitency on offense, there were many situations the offense helped in the victory, other than the ones listed above. In the second half, in four of six drives by Luther they earned a first down. A first down here and there made the clock run that much more and allowed the field position battle to sway in the Norse's favor. Without some key plays at key times, the Norse would not have been victorious Saturday. That said, the consistency on offense needs to get a lot better for continued success.

So, Luther has played themselves into a spot that they control their own destiny with four games to go. But all of the focus needs to be on Coe. Need to be 1-0 today, tomorrow, the next day, Saturday. Luther is good enough to beat any team remaining on the schedule. But, the margin of error is small enough for any team to beat them. Consistency needs to get better on all sides of the ball. If that happens, Happy feelings could continue.

Central Review

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:59:00 +0000

Norse coach Mike Durnin told me last week Central is a football program that sets the standard for NCAA Division three football. Numerous Iowa conference championships, playoff apperances and is the only school in the state to win a national title. That said, it's really sweet to beat them and that's exactly what Luther was able to do on Saturday.

Of course, the game changing play was the Alex Mierau record setting 97 yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first half. It was game changing in two ways. One, it kept Central out of the end zone. Central scores there, it's a 14-6 ballgame and the game has a different tone from that point. There's even a different tone if it's 10-6. But to keep them off the board, and score yourself, Central was not the same team after that point.

Another key point in the game that won't get as much attention is after the Central first score. After the Dutch scored with 4:42 left in the first quarter, the Norse rallied back with a 62 yard, eight play drive in 3:52 ending with a Chris Reynolds to Eric Olson 15 yard touchdown reception. An answer there was important meaning the Norse could take the first punch and counter it. It sent the message to Central that they were going to be in for a ballgame.

The defensive performance left a lot to be desired against Simpson a week ago. This week, different story, especially in the second half. Central had five first downs in the second half, but three came on the final drive when the Norse were playing preventive. The two before that were on a fake punt and a penalty on the same drive. That's controlling things. Six of Central's 14 drives were three and out and another was a four and out. Central, who was perfect in the red zone coming into the ballgame, was only one for three on Saturday afternoon. It was the type of effort that many of us expected from the defense on a game in game out basis this season. You could tell the defense was upset at themselves for their performance against Simpson.

Balanced offense was another key to Saturday's victory. The Norse rushed for 186 yards and passed for 199 yards. Freshman quarterback Chris Reynolds accounted for 300 yards of offense, passing for 199 and rushing for 101 yards, including a 58 yard touchdown run. Running back Derek Leigh had a decent day, rushing for 84 yards on 24 carries and is looking more comfortable as time goes by. Jerry and I have talked about the need for consistency on offense all season. Slowly, but surely, Luther is reaching that level.

Luther has defended it's home field in conference play, knocking off Dubuque and Central, two teams that were picked towards the top of the league. The Iowa Conference was rattled a bit on Saturday, with Luther beating Central and Buena Vista taking the conference lead with a victory over Wartburg in Storm Lake. BV will travel to Loras this weekend in a battle of unbeatens. Defending the home field will be crucial to see who wins this league and you'll need to steal some on the road.

Breaking it down, road teams are 4-8 in the league so far, with Coe winning twice (but also losing at home to Loras, albeit in controversial way) and Wartburg. The Norse have only two home games left this season, three in-conference and four total games are left away from Carlson Stadium. To take this program to the next level, wins on the road are necessary. And based on what has happended to this point, they will be anything but easy.

Simpson Review

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:01:00 +0000

The best part about last Saturday afternoon is that it's now over. Momma once said you'd have days like the Norse had last Saturday in a 28-9 loss to Simpson.

The most disappointing aspect of the day was defense. Every indication through the first two weeks of the season was this Norse squad was going to play good enough defense to keep them in every game. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case on Saturday. The Storm racked up 427 yards in total offense, including 263 yards on the ground. Returning all-conference running back Adam Reutzel was everything as advertised running for 209 yards and earning conference player of the week honors. Give Reutzel a ton of credit, Luther's tackling did leave a lot to be desired. Rarely if ever did a Storm offensive player take the big hit to send a message from the Norse defense. That's something we saw a lot of against Dubuque. Explosive plays were a problem as well as the Storm had five plays of ten yards or more, and three of more than 50 yards. Way too many to have consistent success.

The offense did do some nice things at times, but the consistent good play by play just isn't there yet. The Norse did have some good drives into Simpson territory, but failed to get any points out of them. Right now, the margin for error is just not there to not captailize on opportunities like that. The Norse ended up getting down 21-0 at the halftime break. That's a tough margin to come back from for anybody, especially with the growing pains the Norse offense presently. What makes a 21-0 margin even more difficult is Simpson's ability to run the ball. The effectiveness of the Storm to run the ball and control the clock makes a 21-0 lead almost insormontable.

There were a couple of positives on the day. The punt game, which caused a lot of headaches the first couple of weeks, was a lot better on Saturday. Rarely if ever was Andrew Burkle under pressure and he averaged 37.8 yards per punt. Backup quarterback Trent Stonerook did a very good job long snapping, as almost every snap was right on the money. If the snap is good, the punter only has to worry about kicking the ball. It's one aspect that was a negative in weeks past that at least for the moment has turned into a positive.

Also, credit wide receiver Darren Oxton with a nice game. Oxton caught eight balls for 61 yards, most of them on the underneath tough yards route. Over the past couple of weeks, Oxton has become a little bit of a favorite target for Chris Reynolds. It's nice to see a weapon develop that the Norse can go to.

This week it's Central. Some of the more entertaining games in recent Norse history have come against Central, including a victory over the Dutch at Homecoming 2004. That win for Luther was the last time Central lost a regular season home game. It's been since 2003 that Central has started the conference 0-2. The Dutch rebounded from a tough loss to Wartburg at home two weeks ago, going to Michigan and defeating Albion 13-12.

Sunny & foggy day in Bø

jolinlovesme@yahoo.com.tw (Big Willy Star) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:57:00 +0000

Hey,friends
How is all the KWLC DJ doing these days?

I woke up early this morning,and found out the house I live was surrounded by fog, thick one!!! I can not even see the school building from our hill! Crazy morning but with this beautiful sunny day in the afternoon. Did I say beautiful a lot in my blog? I guess I really miss the good old sunny day in Iowa...too much.

Want to know more about BigWillyStar, check out bigwillystar.blogspot.com

WEEK TWO REVIEW/WEEK THREE PREVIEW

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Discussion was during the week if Luther's defense could hold Dubuque to 14 points, they could have a decent chance of defeating Dubuque. That, coinsiding with six takeaways led to a Norse victory in the Iowa Conference opener last Saturday, 23-14 over Dubuque.

We talked before and after the St. Olaf game that Luther's defense is good enough to keep this team competitive. They definately were on Saturday. The Spartans brought more speed than most on offense. One of the keeps to slowing down Dubuque over the last few years is making sure tackles in the open field and keeping the yards after catch stat down. With very few exceptions that happended on Saturday. With the offense being kept from doing what it likes to do, they began to press, which led to turnovers and Norse success. Luther was also able to score three times following getting a turnover, providing the necessary margin for victory.

Offensively, freshman quarterback Chris Reynolds took some more steps forward. After trailing 14-3, Reynolds again showed poise and leadership in bringing his team back to victory. Reynolds' numbers were solid and not spectacular, 17-33, 147 yards and he rushed six times for 46 yards. But the key with Reynolds' performance was making the key play at the key time. He scrambled for a couple of first downs and threaded the needle a couple of times for key plays. Props as well to Jesse Kent on his spectacular touchdown catch, likely candidate for one of the plays of the week at sports.luther.edu/football. Also credit to Kris McCallister. After dropping three balls earlier in the game, made the difficult catch on a pass not directly too him and he fought amongst multiple Dubuque defenders and made the end zone for the go-ahead score.

Two simple stats that always mean a lot and get talked a lot about on this blog. Field position and turnovers. Luther started on its own 44. Dubuque started on its own 30. We've already talked about turnovers. The Norse were plus four on the turnover ratio.

The Norse did suffer a loss when running back Tyler Bass went down with a collar bone injury in the second half. Sources say Bass will be down for a while. With Bass the lone running back with experience coming back this season, this does create a dillema for how the offense will scheme against Simpson and future opponents. Last Saturday, the Norse ran the ball 46 times and threw it 33 times. With a change coming at running back, will those numbers reverse or will coach Durnin continue with the same philosophy. The discussion is probably taking place in staff meetings this week.

So this week is off to Indianola. The Storm did put up a lot of offense last week in a 41-28 loss to Buena Vista. Senior running back Adam Reutzel has rushed for over one hundred yards for the first three weeks of the season. But the Storm were anything but one-dimensional. Freshman wide receiver Nick Burden caught seven balls for 111 yards last week. The Storm defense did give up nearly 340 yards and 41 points last week. The Storm will prevent a challenge offensively to the Norse defense, (and vice versa) and the Norse offense will face challenges not have the same personel this week. We'll wait and see.

Just audio streaming and terresterial radio this week. Saturday Jerry and I will bring it to you, pregame 12:40 pregame, 1:00 kickoff, kwlc.luther.edu and AM 1240-KWLC

St. Olaf Review

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:47:00 +0000

In many ways it was a typical first game Saturday for the Luther College Norse. Some good, some bad, a lot to work on after a 23-14 loss to St. Olaf.

We'll start with the good. Defense was good but not great. It was on the field way too much. Your opponents having 38:21 in time of possession will not lead to success at any level. While a lot of that can go on the offense's inconsistency, the defense itself needs to take its share of the blame. Making key plays at key times is something the defense needs to do better. While 5-19 on the third downs is good, 5-5 on fourth downs is unacceptable. On the good side, holding a normally high powered offense in St. Olaf to 262 yards and 3.3 yards per play is very, very acceptable. Coach Durnin talks a lot about explosive plays, getting them on offense and preventing them on defense. The defense did it's job not allowing a play longer than 14 yards.

Turnovers and field position normally lead to success. Luther won both categories on Saturday. Field position wise, Luther averaged their own 41 yard line and St. Olaf averaged their own 37. The Norse were also plus two on the turnover ratio. Offensive inconsistency led to these stats not leading to victory, but if the Norse keep winning these two stats good things will come down the road.

I know some may think it's trite, but Luther showed some grit and character late in the ballgame. While everyone on the sideline was frustrated being down 23-0, but the frustration was channeled into something positive. The offense had drives of 55 and 59 yards to scores late in the ballgame and made things more interesting at the end of the game than they were in the beginning of the fourth quarter. A little bit of moxy and swagger were shown as well, and not in a bad way. It would have been easy to roll over and play dead down 23-0. They didn't. It may be trite but it's true.

What will saw out of the offense on Saturday was growing pains. A freshman quarterback. A new full time running back. New pieces on the offensive line. Chris Reynolds ended the day 10-23 for 90 yards. Those numbers will get better. Reynolds really struggled in the first half. The reasons are likely multiple. Nerves from his first college start. A new system that everyone needs to get used to. Some new parts. While Norse fans hoped for better, what happended Saturday probably wasn't surprising in retrospect. Most importantly, many coaches will tell you getting an offensive line to gel as a single collective unit is one of the most difficult things to get done. All in all, the start was Saturday. The offense is still in crawl before they can walk mode. Hopefully, we'll see the full steps in two weeks.

Now a week off. Most coaches think teams make their most improvements between games one and two. For the second straight year, the Norse have two weeks to have those improvements. Get ready for speed, speed and more speed against Dubuque in two weeks. Dubuque defeated Rockford 49-7 Saturday night in the college's new stadium debut. The Spartans will be at Redlands College next week.

Neil Young and Death Cab bust it up to Minnesota

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:24:00 +0000

Happy Sunday morning everybody. Did you feel that bite of cold earlier today? It wasn't just the guilt of another churchless morning-- Autumn is closing in, hard. One man has a monopoly on the season, and he's brining his haunting prairie rock to the Midwest. Neil Young will be playing the Excel Center in St. Paul with Death Cab for Cutie. The harvest spectacle goes down October 14th. Details here. Please enjoy a Ben Gibbard looking and sounding very NYesque.

The Plug: if you dig this, check out my fall semester show on KWLC.

BTRASH FOLK: 60 minutes of railroad tracks, rusty nails, and righteous hobo-scratching melodies.

Links for Our Pre-Recorded Programs!

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Russella) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:39:00 +0000

In addition to playing the best music in Northeastern Iowa, we broadcast several canned programs, which touch on current events, news, environmental issues, as well as what's new and old in specific areas of music. Here is a list of our canned programs (click on the program and be taken on a magical journey to their website).

Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature airs Saturday mornings at 8 am
Dialogue with George Liston Seay airs Saturday mornings at 8:30 am
Maryknoll: Voices of Our World airs Saturday mornings at 9 am
The Bluegrass Review with Phil Nusbaum airs Saturday mornings at 9:30 am
Michael Johnathon's Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour airs Saturday mornings at 10:30 am
European Jazz Stage airs Saturday afternoons at 3:30 pm

These are mixed in with all of our other music programing (including big blocks of folk around Woodsongs and The Bluegrass Review and Jazz around European Jazz Stage), so tune in and plan to stay a while. I promise that no (bad) radio will be heard on 1240 am weeknights 10-1 or on the weekends from 7am-1240am.

thanks for listening,

Your Friend,
The Jazzman

Updated 2008 KWLC Schedule!!

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Russella) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:58:00 +0000

This is current from now (june 20) through early september 2008.

Feel free to call at any of these times for requests, questions, comments: 563 387 1240

Monday Nights! Chrissy Groh, on air
10p-1130p The Block of Rock (A-Z)
1130p-1a The Block of Loud Rock

Tuesday Nights! Tristan Campbell, on air
10p-1a Radio Free Luther

Wednesday Nights! Tristan Campbell, on air
10p-1130p Radio Free Luther
1130p-1a Electronic Love

Thursday Nights! Chrissy Groh, on air
10p-1130p The Block of Rock (Women of Rock)
1130p-1a The Block of Loud Rock

Friday Nights! Pete Russella, on air
10p-1130p Brand New Deep Cuts
1130p-1a Ambient Beats and Trip Hop Treats: Electronica for the Jazz Lover

Saturday all day!
Pete Russella 7-11a, 4-7p; Chrissy Groh 11a-4p; Tristan Campbell 7p-1240am
7a-8a From Corner to Corner: World Music - - or - - Select Jazz or World Programming
8a-830a Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature - - or - - Current Events Programming
830a-9a Dialogue
9a-930a Voices of Our World
930a-1030a Bluegrass Review
1030a-1130a Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour
1130a-330p Folk and Folk Rock
330p-430p Euro Jazz Series (or other Special Jazz Programming)
430p-7p Jazz in the PM
7p-9p Blues Power
9p-1240am The Midwest Dilemma

Sunday all day!
Chrissy Groh 7a-12p; Pete Russella 12p-6p; Tristan Campbell 8p-1240am
7a-12a Religious Programming
12p-3p KWLC's Classical Afternoon
3p-6p The Jazz Connection
6p-8p The Revolution with Jason Stonerook
8p-10p Blues From the Delta
10p-1240am The Weekend Revue

Jazz legend wins Album of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Russella) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:34:00 +0000

March 13, 2008 - 12:00am — chipsweb

By: Pete Russella, Volunteer Writer

Although it is about a month late for reports from the Grammy Awards, in a contest that often ignores the slighter sides of music — classical, jazz, folk, blues, anything that does not often sell in the millions — it is impressive that jazz legend and innovator Herbie Hancock squeaked through to win the prestigious “Album of the Year” award. In February, Hancock became the first true jazz artist in 43 years, to win this coveted prize, the last being Stan Getz and João Gilberto with the album Getz/Gilberto in 1965.

In the years since then, names like Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones and Tony Bennett have won this award but have been excluded from this unique group of “jazz artists.” That, however, is an argument for another article.

While the masses swoon over the great pianist’s most recent release entitled River: The Joni Letters, I cannot help but feel as though there is still something to be desired from the man who helped usher the electric piano into the foreground of jazz music in the 1970s. This revolutionary of jazz-fusion has created a record which by many peoples’ standards seems watered down.

Without doubt or question, River is a quality album, and does indeed deserve the recognition it has received. In addition, as a lifelong jazz lover, I am ecstatic that a jazz album has won the commercial music industry’s highest honor. But this enthusiasm can only span so far.

Unfortunately, I cannot help but think about what this album could have been. Accompanying Hancock on River are undoubtedly four of the most incredible names in jazz today: Wayne Shorter (sax), Dave Holland (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) and Lionel Loueke (guitar).

Shorter is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in jazz history, in addition to being one of the most sought after sax players of the past half century. Holland currently leads the most complex and groundbreaking big band of our day. These two men played on the legendary Bitches Brew album with Hancock, Miles Davis and anybody who was anybody in the jazz scene of 1969. This album is marked as the album that brought jazz-fusion to the world.

With Hancock, Shorter and Holland setting the groundwork for River, Vinnie Calouita and Loueke, who broke onto the music scene in the late 1970s when he began playing with Frank Zappa, and Loueke, student of Hancock. Shorter and Holland each poured their own influences into the album.

Because Joni Mitchell is featured on this record, it is essential to point out that she does not slouch when it comes to jazz trail-blazing. She, along with Hancock, Shorter and the pioneer of avant-garde jazz Charles Mingus recorded the album Mingus, which was an illustrious blend of folk and electric fusion-jazz.

After recruiting all of these historical jazz innovators, it is unfortunate that future generations will regard this album of folk songs as Hancock’s crowning achievement. It represents a disturbing trend for jazz in commercial music, which is only recognized when tacked to a name like Tina Turner, Norah Jones or Sting, all of whom have been featured on Hancock’s two most recent albums, which have had immense critical acclaim.

The highlight of River is Wayne Shorter’s song “Nefertiti” which is one of four instrumentals on the album that truly shines through with the incredible force that this group can obviously produce.

As I said, I am thoroughly enthused that jazz is being recognized on such an illustrious stage, but I cannot help but wonder if this award is encouraging a departure from the experimental, revolutionary roots that gave Hancock the opportunity and privilege to be the spokesperson of jazz to the commercial audiences.

It's a download fiesta!

noreply@blogger.com (Maddi) — Tue, 13 May 2008 03:35:00 +0000

Here's a compilation of the weekly featured downloads from the past semester. Have a good summer, keep tuning in to KWLC and keep rocking. I'll be back in the fall. Check out the Facebook group for my show, if you'd like to be reminded when the regular schedule is back in effect. Thanks for listening!

Download this Song
MC Lars

I Think I Wanna Die
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Bend to Squares
Death Cab for Cutie

An Imagined Civil State
Fort Wilson Riot

Duyen
Dominique Leon

Metal Heart
Cat Power

Skinny Love
Bon Iver

We Both Go Down Together
Colin Meloy

You, Me and the Bourgeoise
The Submarines
(via CMJ)

Seeds of Night
The Cave Singers

Moonage Daydream (live David Bowie cover)
Of Montreal

Astronaut
Shy Child

Conquest (from their Daytrotter session)
Tapes 'N Tapes

rock adds 2/26/08

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:34:00 +0000

1 FINK Distance And Time Ninja Tune
2 LADYHAWK Shots Jagjaguwar
3 SCIENCE FOR GIRLS Science For Girls Self-Released
4 OAKS Songs For Waiting Self-Released
5 GOLDFRAPP Seventh Tree Mute

rock charts 2/26/08

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:32:00 +0000

1 LIAM FINN I'll Be Lightning Yep Roc
2 BON IVER For Emma, Forever Ago Jagjaguwar
3 BRITISH SEA POWER Do You Like Rock Music? Rough Trade
4 HEAVENLY STATES Delayer Rebel Group
5 HELIO SEQUENCE Keep Your Eyes Ahead SUB POP
6 BELL X1 Flock Yep Roc
7 IDIOT PILOT Wolves Reprise
8 SONS AND DAUGHTERS This Gift Domino
9 NADA SURF Lucky Barsuk
10 AIR TRAFFIC Fractured Life Astralwerks
11 HANNE HUKKELBERG Rykestrasse 68 Nettwerk
12 CAT POWER Jukebox Matador
13 PEASANT On The Ground Paper Garden
14 BREAKUPS Eat Your Heart Out [EP] Self-Released
15 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Vampire Weekend XL
16 KING OF PRUSSIA Save The Scene Kindercore
17 FLOGGING MOLLY Float SideOneDummy
18 PAPER AIRPLANE Middlemarch All Hail
19 HOT CHIP Made In The Dark DFA-Astralwerks
20 WIDESPREAD PANIC Free Somehow Widespread
21 DIEGO SANDRIN A Fine Day Between Addictions
22 ROMANTICA America 2024
23 MARS VOLTA The Bedlam In Goliath Universal
24 HORRORPOPS Kiss Kiss Kill Kill Hellcat
25 CHRIS WALLA Field Manual Barsuk
26 SOUNDTRACK Juno Rhino
27 CADENCE WEAPON Afterparty Babies Anti
28 KATE NASH Made Of Bricks Fiction-Geffen
29 RADIOHEAD In Rainbows ATO
30 BEN'S BROTHER Beta Male Fairytales Capitol

Rock Adds 1/15/08

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Curran) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:54:00 +0000

1 BATTLE ROYALE Wake Up, Thunderbabe Afternoon
2 KING OF PRUSSIA Save The Scene Kindercore
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS Dig For Fire: A Tribute To Pixies Invisible-American Laundromat
4 BOB MOULD District Line Anti
5 LIAM FINN I'll Be Lightning Redeye

Rock Charts 1/15/07

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Curran) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:36:00 +0000

1 DAFT PUNK Alive 2007 Virgin
2 SAY ANYTHING In Defense Of The Genre J
3 SARAH BORGES AND THE BROKEN SINGLES Diamonds In The Dark Vanguard
4 MOST SERENE REPUBLIC Population Arts And Crafts
5 GORILLAZ D-Sides Virgin
6 REDWALLS The Redwalls Mad Dragon
7 NICOLE ATKINS Neptune City Columbia
8 RADIOHEAD In Rainbows ATO-TBD
9 SAY HI The Wishes And The Glitch Euphobia
10 MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES Medium Rare BIG RIG
11 KATE NASH Made Of Bricks Fiction-Geffen
12 I, COLOSSUS I, Colossus Afternoon
13 MIKE FERRARO AND THE YOUNG REPUBLICANS Awful Killers Bunch Of Beatniks
14 PLEASE QUIET OURSELVES Please Quiet Ourselves Mushpot
15 HOUSE AND PARISH One, One-Thousand Arena Rock
16 RUCKUS ROBOTICUS Playing With Scratches Grease
17 DEAD CONFEDERATE Dead Confederate [EP] Artist Organization
18 COCONUT RECORDS Nighttiming Young Baby
19 EGRESS Freshly Squeezed R And R
20 BRE LOUGHLIN Modern American Photo Album Self-Released
21 DENGUE FEVER Venus On Earth M80
22 GLAD VERSION Make Islands Draw Fire
23 RUE MELO Rue Melo Fighter
24 NOFX They've Actually Gotten Worse Live Fat Wreck Chords
25 SIGUR ROS Hvarf-Heim XL
26 FREEZEPOP Futurefuturefutureperfect Cordless
27 PINE HILL HAINTS Ghost Dance K
28 FERGUS MCCORMICK I Don't Need You Now Self-Released
29 DIMES The Silent Generation Pet Marmoset
30 ANIMATE OBJECTS Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma

Maddi's Top 10 Albums of 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Maddi) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:04:00 +0000

Some great albums were released this year, but here are my favorite ten releases of 2007. Check them out!

10. Metric - Grow Up and Blow Away
9. Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
8. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
7. Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim
6. Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
5. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum
4. Two Gallants - Two Gallants
3. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
1. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer

Free (and legal) downloading

noreply@blogger.com (Maddi) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:24:00 +0000

Here's the playlist for Sounds Like Someone's Got a Case of the Mondays on December 10th. Every week, I feature a new free, downloadable song, but since it was the last week of the semester, I thought I'd give you a whole playlist of downloads. I'll be back on air Mondays at 10:00 pm starting January 7th!

artist-song

Iron & Wine-Innocent Bones
http://www.subpop.com/assets/audio/3638.mp3

Andrew Bird-A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
http://ekonomiskmgmt.com/audio/andrew_bird/Nervous_Tic.mp3

The Mountain Goats-Lion's Teeth
http://static.4ad.com/audio/themountaingoats/lions_teeth.mp3

Thao (with the Get Down Stay Down)-Beat (Health, Life and Fire)
http://www.krs5rc.com/krs/bands/thao/audio/Beat.mp3

Atmosphere-Lyndae Avenue User's Manual
http://www.rhymesayers.com/radio/audio/05_Lyndale_Avenue_Users_Manual.mp3

Black Moth Super Rainbow-boatfriend
http://www.blackmothsuperrainbow.com/black_moth_super_rainbow-boatfriend.mp3

Mates of State-Fraud in the 80s
http://barsukmusic.blaireau.net/MatesOfState_FraudInThe80s.mp3

Two Gallants-Untitled II
http://www.daytrotter.com/download/311/id=78

Jens Lekman-I Don't Know If She's Worth 900 Kr.
http://www.jenslekman.com/MP3/01%20i%20don't%20know%20if%20shes%20worth%20900%20kr.mp3

Cursive-Dorothy at Forty
http://www.saddle-creek.com/sounds/Cursive_DorothyAtForty.mp3

of Montreal-Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse
http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/media/prc-124-04.MP3

Sufjan Stevens-That Was the Worst Christmas Ever
http://asthmatickitty.com/mp3/sufjan_stevens_-_DingDong_-_That_Was_The_Worst_Christmas_Ever.mp3

Jonathan Coulton-Chiron Beta Prime
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/mp3/Chiron%20Beta%20Prime.mp3

Sufjan Stevens-Sister Winter
http://asthmatickitty.com/mp3/sufjan_stevens_-_Peace_-_Sister_Winter.mp3

New Age Artist "Von Baron" brings in refreshing music

jolinlovesme@yahoo.com.tw (Big Willy Star) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:53:00 +0000

Hello,everyone

I am glad to introduce this new age artist Von Baron from H.I.
The new album "Pangaea" brings in a refreshing style of New Age format with some Jazz in it!
Von Baron's music has been described as " New Age Music on Steroids" and "New Age Music with a Smooth Jazz sound". He said that the influence from around the world inspires him to create a format of music, and he called it "World Age Music"

Want to listen to his music? Check out our World DJ's show, and you will get to know more about this artist.

William L.

Top 10 on World Music Nov.11-18

jolinlovesme@yahoo.com.tw (Big Willy Star) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:55:00 +0000

Hey,Folks
Here are the Top 10 playlist for this past weekend!
Happy listening& Thanksgiving~
1 FEDERICO AUBELE Panamerica ESL
2 CAFE TACUBA Sino Universal Latino
3 JUAN CARLOS QUINTERO Joy To The World Tenure
4 SHANTEL Disko Partizani Crammed
5 BREATHE Mercan Dede
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS Putumayo Presents: New Orleans Brass Putumayo
7 MUTANTES Divina Comedia Ou OMPLATTEN
8 ZAP MAMA Supermoon Heads Up
9 CUBAN COWBOYS Cuban Candles Muy Nice Music
10 PIMPS OF JOYTIME High Steppin' Wonderwheel

Your World DJ Crews

End of the Hefty Era

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:15:00 +0000

It came as a surprise to some, but not a shock to others when the news came Monday afternoon that Paul Hefty was stepping down from the head coaching position at Luther. The former Norse player, conference MVP, offensive coordinator and now former coach, has been involed in Luther football for 17 years. Luther football has been a big part of his life. Now, as Hefto told me yesterday, he needs to decide what he wants to do when he grows up.

I'll be the first to admit I have a tough time staying objective about coach Hefty, knowing him since I was seven years old. When he went to Luther, he worked for my family's construction company (work likely being a relative term). When he began subsitute teaching in the Decorah district he would not know anyone in the class, but would always call me Svenson, guilt by association. That did a lot for a shy, insecure kid like myself. He'd always have time for me when he was an assistant at Luther and the media-coach relationship in his six years was everything I could ask for.

As for what he did at Luther, 29-31 total record. The 29 wins in a six year period was the best strecth of Luther football since the 1970s. Four of the six years were five hundred or above. Three straight winning season from 2003-2005, the first time that has happend since 1982-1984. 15 school records on offense. It was an entertaining, exciting brand of football and they were hardly ever any boring games. That was a big difference than the years before coach Hefty. Pretty good on-the-field accomplishments.

While the stated on the field accomplishments, I think coach Hefty's lasting impression on the program is in the bigger picture. People around the program refer to it as a family. That has grown under coach Hefty at Luther. It became an all-welcoming program that the campus community and the Decorah community became awfully fond of. And that sense of community that Hefto established led to some of the bigger crowds in Norse history. Luther was seventh in the nation and led the conference in attendence in 2006. When you were a part of Norse football, you were a part of a tight knit group. People working together towards a common goal.

The atmosphere around Norse football is an exciting one. Everyone gameday is an event and not just a game. There's more tailgating, more people, more support. All of these things were not present before the last six years. Entertaining football, a fun atmosphere, an all-welcoming program. It's been fun the last six years. That will be coach Hefty's lasting impact on the program. Whatever you do in life, enjoy it. Don't know exactly what's in coach Hefty's future, but you'll know he'll enjoy it. And I personally wish him the best.

One more point. 27 seniors stuck with football for four years following the conclusion of this season. Another, historically more successful program in the conference, had ten percent of the class they brought in four years ago stick with football. If that doesn't say what has gone on is right, I don't know what does.

Now, to the future. I just spoke of what has happend over the last six years. It's good. Things are rolling well. They can always get better. Whoever the next coach will be, it's my hope that the atmosphere will continue. I'm naieve enough to think you can win in football at Luther. Granted, playing in the Iowa conference is never going to be easy, but it's possibly. It's happend in a lot of sports at Luther. It can happen as well in football. Why hasn't it happend yet? It's my believe that the other programs in the conference have increased their play to stay a knotch ahead of the surging programs in the league. So, long story longer, it's more of what the other conference schools are doing, and not what Luther's not doing.

Athletic director Joe Thompson now has the job of hiring another football coach. Thompson has gone through the process many times in his 12 years as athletic director. And give him credit, he's hired some fine coaches. Paul Hefty in football, Brian Gillogly in baseball, Renee Hartl in softball, Steve and Yarrow Pasche in cross country, Brian Huinker in tennis, Jane Gibbs in volleyball and Mark Franzen in men's basketball. That's a darn good track record if you ask me. So all in all, as sad as I am to see Paul go, I'm confident the powers that be at Luther will make the right call in getting in a guy that will take the program to the next level.

Season Review

darinsvenson@gmail.com (Darin Svenson) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:40:00 +0000

The focus will be a little on the past and a lot on the future with today's blog. It was another entertaining football game that didn't go Luther's way Saturday as Dubuque defeated the Norse 34-31 at Chalmers Field in Dubuque.

5-5 is the final record. If people knew that would be the record at the beginning of the season, it might have been a touch disappointing. After an 0-3 start to the start, a 5-5 record is very pleasing. This team got better week by week and defeated some good teams along the way. They also defended the home field well with 4-1 record. Again, positives through out the campaign, but close losses continue to plague. The total margin of defeat on the season was 42 points. Four of the losses were by eight points or less. Unlike last year, the Norse got some of the close games to go their way. Looking at the Iowa conference, where there is going to be close games every week, the team that can win the close games will finish at the top of the league. Let's break that down even further.

Central went 8-0 in league play. Only twice did the Dutch beat a team by more than ten points. Central won by 8,3,7,7,3 and 3 points. The intangible of knowing how to win the close games has won two consecutive league titles for the Dutch.

Wartburg went 7-1 in league play. The Knights were 7-0 when the margin was 17 points or more. They were 1-2 with the margin of six points or less. Saturday, when Central and Wartburg met for the league title it was a close. Central 6-0 in games where the margin was eight points or less. Wartburg 1-2. Central wins. The stats back it up.

Coe went 5-3 in league play. Coe was 1-2 in games that were decided by seven points or less. They were 4-1 in game decided by ten points or more.

Dubuque went 5-3 in league play. Dubuque was 3-2 in games decided by 14 points or more. They were 2-1 in games decided by seven points or less. It came down to Saturday, when Dubuque defeated Luther for third place. It was a close game. Dubuque won and earned third place in the league.

Luther went 4-4 in league play. Luther played more close games than anyone in the league, with the largest margin of victory being 17 points on either side. The Norse were 3-4 in games decided by ten points or less.

So needless to say, the margin between the top of the league and Luther is not that far away. The key to the program going to the next level is close games. It was in 2006. It was this year. It will be in the future. Right now the difference between Central and the rest of the league is the ability of the Dutch to win close games.

I know I touched on this last week, but credit the program for keeping 27 seniors around. Jerry touched it on during the broadcast, the majority of the players that came here four years ago stayed around. Another school in the conference brought 60 players in four years ago, and ended up with six. The seniors that played their last game in blue and white Saturday aren't quitters and stick with things, maybe when things aren't going as they want. That's a life lesson we all can learn through sports. The young men who played their last game on Saturday will be all right, no matter where their future endeavors take them. These guys are winners. Plain and simple.

The senior class leaves some holes to fill next year. As of now, only three starters will return on offense and only four on defense. There were some players who received a lot of time this season that will play key roles next year as well but there will be spots to fill.

Initially you would have to say the defensive line, which was a strength this season, will be a strength again next year. Cody Webb, Cody Edwards, Bobby Kuennen, Erik Clark and Chris Wuebker all showed some very good things this year. Also, Brandon Rickertsen, who was lost to a torn ACL half way through the season will be back as well. There seems to be size, strength, ability and depth at the defensive line.

Offensive, there are a lot of holes to fill. One of the best backs in school history, Tyler Sherden, a solid fullback in Andy Lauer, multi-year starters on the offensive line, including all-American Jon Stavast, Tex Allen and Phil Sadler, a big play receiver in Tony Brantner and a senior quarterback in Justy Feldt. That said, three decent offensive linemen return in John Stoltenberg, Ben Schott and Kyle Grundmeyer, running backs Adam Lamos and Tyler Bass and a potential big play receiver in Jesse Kent. So a core returns, but other guys will have the opportunity to step up.

I realize it's a long time between now and next August and many things can happen between now and then. Last year, the program determined 2-8 was unacceptable and improved to 5-5. Of course the players coming back and the program will want to make it better next year. But actions speak louder than words. The action was there this season. It needs to continue.