USC throws wrench in merger plans

NEW ULM -- The proposed merger between the South Central and Southwest Conferences in football that would consist of the present schools was approved by the SCC last week.

However, there is one fly in the ointment.

United South Central (USC) does not want to be part of the merger that would form a big school/small school football conference.

That means that the Southwest Conference is holding off on their approving of the merger.

Ironically, it was USC that initially proposed the merger when the idea first came out.

"In talking with the USC Athletic Director, he said that they did not like the idea of the merger because their enrollment is declining and they feel that they could not compete with their enrollment the way it is going," said New Ulm High School Activities Director Mark Woodbury.

Last year, USC took a leave of absence from the South Central in football and competed in the Gopher/Valley Conference. Reports persist that USC has applied for admission to that conference in all sports.

If USC would be accepted to the Gopher/Valley for football on a permanent basis, that would mean that the South Central, in order to keep the football merger going, would have to seek a school to replace USC to make it an even conference merger.

"We need 14 teams to make this thing work," said Woodbury. "With USC out, that would make it 13 teams. We have approached Tracy-Milroy if they would be interested in joining and they declined. We have been in contact with other schools but there is no one out there."

Woodbury said that he could not speak for the Southwest Conference but "our conference approved the merger (again, originally suggested by USC) but with USC dropping the ball, it makes things a whole lot more complicated. If we only have 13 schools, we are right back the way that we were."

And finding non-conference football games has been a problem for some schools. While New Ulm is fortunate in having contracts with Redwood Valley and Luverne for football, Waseca is in a deep bind.

The Bluejays are still looking for three non-conference games for next fall in football.

One suggestion that has been just started to kick around is the MVL situation.

With MVL's enrollment on the top end of the Southern Minnesota Conference scale and growing, would the Chargers be interested in joining the proposed merger in football only and play in the small school division with St. James, Windom, Pipestone, etc?

The South Central may also be in a bind in finding not only basketball games but baseball, wrestling, etc. if USC drops out of the SCC and joins the Gopher/Valley for all sports.

That either means a lot of travel for games (Blue Earth traveled to Vermillion, S.D. last year for football while Jackson County Central had a football game at Ely) or perhaps it means renewing basketball rivalries between New Ulm and Sleepy Eye and Springfield for non-conference games.

Stay tuned -- it will be interesting yet.

BOY'S PREVIEW: The Minnesota Basketball News Boy's Preview arrived in the mail and it has some area teams ranked in their pre-season polls.

In Class 3A Mankato East is second and Marshall 13th, while in 2A Redwood Valley is fourth and Blue Earth Area sixth. In Class 1A, MVL is sixth.

Several area players are also listed in the "Top 100 Players in Minnesota" by the MBN.

Centers are 6-foot-7 junior Aaron Busack of Redwood Valley (18.9 ppg; 7.9 rpg) and Cedar Mountain's Ryan Steffensmeier. The 6-foot 5 senior averaged 14 points a game and just over eight rebounds per contest.

At forwards, MVL's Jesse Pfeifer (14.8 ppg) is listed, while guards include Jon Arnold of Waseca (11.7 ppg), Ben Kaus of Mankato East (21.6 ppg) Jon McCabe of Mankato Loyola (11 ppg), Will Moeller of New Ulm Cathedral (15 ppg; 4 apg), Dan Unke of MVL (17.1 ppg; 8.9 rpg) and Madelia's Robin Young (15 ppg).

STARKE AT ANNANDALE: Former New Ulm High School basketball player Ron Starke is still teaching and coaching at Annandale. His career record at Annandale as head coach of the Cardinal basketball team is 180-86.

JIMENEZ AT FARMINGTON: Former Redwood Valley head basketball coach John Jimenez has taken over in that same capacity at Farmington High School.

HASSING HAS NEW POSITION: Ray Hassing, who was a teacher and coach at New Ulm High School, is now teaching special education at Fairmont. He is also the B-squad girl's basketball coach. Hassing, who still lives in Jackson, is also the head golf coach at Granada-Huntley-East Chain during the spring.

Column by Jim Bastian, Journal sports writer