July 2, 2007
Sports week in review
By Jason Feldman
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
Local
Star of the North Games
The 2007 Star of the North Games wrapped up in Rochester on Sunday. The Plainview-Elgin-Millville Euro U17 girls soccer team took third in its bracket in its first year of competiton in the Euro Football Club. The Games attracted more than 60 youth soccer teams and thousands of athletes to Rochester.
Former Rochester JohnMarshall basketball star Tyler Cain also returned home to participate in the Games. Cain, who plays NCAADivision IIcollege basketball at the University of South Dakota, played on a team organized by former Rockets teammate Mike Polt.
The Star of the North Games are scheduled to return to Rochester in 2010. They will be held next year in St. Paul and St. Cloud will play host to the Games in 2009.
Football
The Rochester Giants got back on the winning track last weekend.
The Giants suffered their first loss of the season two weeks ago, 33-27 to the Minnesota Fightin' Scots. But theGiants bounced back with a 21-7 Great Plains Football League victory over the Duluth Shoremen last Saturday.
Duane Allen threw two touchdown passes for the Giants, including a 35-yarder to Andre Hernandez and a 15-yarder to Nate Bailey. Jimmy Barker capped the Giants' scoring with a 20-yard touchdown run.
The Giants are 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the Southwestern Division of the Western Conference.
The Giants are idle this week and will play host to the Iowa Sharks on July 7 at Soldiers Field.
Auto racing
Deer Creek Speedway managed to recover from some rain showers and complete its weekly show.
Feature winners were:Brad Waits (USRAmodifieds), Nick Herrick (Wissota late models), Kenny Wytaske (Wissota midwest modifieds), A.J. Zvorak (Wissota street stocks) and Jason Gabrielson (Wissota super stocks).
Racing action is scheduled to resume at Deer Creek tonight.
Golf/charity
The 10th annual Shjon Podein Children's Foundation charity party and golf tournament were held Sunday and Monday.
Sunday's party and auction were held at McMurphy's Sports Bar, while Monday's golf tournament took place at the Rochester Golf and Country Club.
Podein's foundation has raised nearly $1 million in the past 10 years to go toward research of ataxia telangiectasia, a rare childhood disease that affects the brain and other body systems.
Tennis
Rochester native and JMgraduate Eric Butorac opened doubles play at Wimbledon with his partner, Jamie Murray.
The duo tuned up for Wimbledon by winning a grass-court tournament in Nottingham, England, two weeks ago.
Butorac is ranked No. 38 in the world in doubles, while Murray is ranked No. 30.
Baseball
Former Rochester Honkers slugger Efren Navarro, Jr., signed a professional contract with the Anaheim Angels on Monday. He was the Northwoods League MVPlast season and was a 50th round pick of the Angels earlier this month in the Major League Baseball draft. Navarro played college baseball at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
The Honkers spirits were boosted later in the week when slugger Chris Jones returned to the team after competing in the College World Series with his Cal State Fullerton squad.
• TheRochester A's traveled to Wisconsin for a good mid-season American Legion test against the top team in Wisconsin, La Crosse. The A's proved worthy to the task, splitting a doublheader. Mitch Arens and Bryan Denisen combined to pitch the A's to a victory in the second game of the twinbill, 7-2.
Hockey
The Minnesota Wild/Wells Fargo Summer Road Tour cruised through Rochester on Tuesday.
The Tour made a stop at the Rochester Recreation Center. Wild players Mark Parrish and Derek Boogaard signed autographs and chatted with fans, as did Wild television play-by-play man Dan Terhaar and color analyst Mike Greenlay.