On the Bench with Byron Higgin

One day an interesting email hit my desk. It said, “My name is Mark Minnick and I am from Cosmos, Minnesota-born, raised and still here.” OK, he had me hooked because Cosmos is also my home town and the Minnick name was a standard in those parts when I was a kid.

“I am a high school football fan, following the hometown Atwater/Cosmos/Grove City (ACGC) squad in past years, along with BOLD. Both schools have historically produced good football programs, though ACGC not so much lately. I enjoy watching the kids successfully compete and do their best,” wrote Minnick.

“After attending BOLD’s last play-off win, I proceeded to check out their next opponent. I’m well aware of Minneota’s football prowess, having followed them over the years in newspapers or listening to radio broadcasts while attending local games.”

“I decided to go online to find a local newspaper in the Minneota area that would maybe give me some insight into the team. Lo and behold, Minneota has it’s own newspaper! I didn’t expect that. As I found and read some football game articles, which were very good by the way, I noticed the reporter’s name — Byron Higgin.”

“At first I thought, this can’t be the same Higgin family.”

“So, I checked the Facebook link and saw the part listing Cosmos as your hometown and place of high school education!”

“This must be the same family lineage that was here in Cosmos!”

Turns out Mark Minnick remembers my parents — but barely, and didn’t remember me.

He added, “I do remember your sports columns and your reports from Vietnam that you penned for your pop’s paper. I was totally shocked, in a good way, to see that now you’re kinda ‘Right down the road’ so to speak.”

Turns out Mark showed up the BOLD vs. Minneota football team and right when I was interviewing a player, he tapped me on the shoulder and I knew it was him.

He is one of the editors of the local monthly newsletter in Cosmos, “The Galactic Gazette”.

This is where it gets interesting.

“About 10 years ago, the Lions acquired all of the Cosmos News/Cosmos Sun newsprint archives. We basically saved them from being land filled and decided to have the whole works copied and saved for posterity. Cost us a bunch, but we thought it was well worth it.”

I have been hunting for my dad’s newspaper books for years. Now, I have a contact in Cosmos. Mark knew where they were, but someone else had possession of them. He’s working on it for me and I hope to one day have them in my possession.

What an incredible piece of luck!

ODDS & ENDS:

•You don’t see “goal tending” much in high school basketball. But Monday night Lakeview’s Jarod Goepferich took his 6-7 frame and swatted the ball shot toward the hoop by Minneota’s Jacob Hennen.

The call was made quickly by the referee and Goepferich slapped his hands together, obviously indicating he knew what he’d done. If you watch basketball long enough, you’re apt to see just about everything.

•Ryan Koopmen has resigned as the Minneota junior high baseball coach. He has also been a Minneota football coach. He has taken a teaching job in Redwood Falls.

•The Minneota School Board has approved Bryce Bruner, former minneota wrestler and state champ, as a volunteer wrestling coach.