SPORTS WRAP

You don’t script a conversation with a friend. That’s the premise behind the “Mic’d Up Misfits” radio show on The FAN/Owatonna (1170AM/106.3 FM).

That might explain why the hosts consider a couple of the most memorable shows to be guests talking off topic.

Hall of fame football coach Jeff Williams chatted about baseball for most of his appearance on the hour-long daily sports talk show. NCAA All-American and Pan American Games gold-medal-winning wrestler Peyton Robb chatted about his dogs.

“Our show is just sort of freewheeling. We don’t really plan anything. We just let it happen,” said show co-host Jon Partridge.

It airs at noon on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

The show had its first anniversary in May.

“Some way we stumbled our way through a year. But archiving these episodes, I will say, the first few months were different than they are now in a good way. We’ve gotten into a groove,” said show co-host Jon Weisbrod.

He credits the format to the “Common Man Show” on their flagship.

“I’ve always wanted interviews to be like conversations… If you’re going to have a friend come in and chat around the fire or play poker, you wouldn’t plan what you’d say,” he said.

“We try to cover the Steele County area and put a spotlight on high school sports. It’s an opportunity to showcase some of the sports that don’t often get showcased,” said Partridge.

Coaches, activities directors, and athletes from Owatonna, Blooming Prairie, Waseca, Medford, and elsewhere have graced the studios. Weisbrod said that the sponsor and community support is strong.

The show’s commitment to local sports included the Misfits Par Three Challenge fundraiser last month for the golf booster club. They also gave promotion to an ice fishing tournament created by Steve Zappa that benefits charity.

Regular guests include Dan Weisbrod, Jason Iacovino, and Kevin Raney. I’ve also had the pleasure of making appearances.

One running bit surrounds Kyle Melcher, a three-sport star at OHS and inductee for the upcoming Owatonna Hall of Fame class. He’s a fan of sports talk but hasn’t been on the show yet. Patridge punches a bell sound effect on his button bar each time Melcher’s name comes up.

Special on-air programming arrives with the high school football season including on-location broadcasts each Friday at the Eagles Club and extended pregame shows on game night. Game features and other content can be found at huskybulletin.com.

They came up with the name for the show with the help of ChatGPT. Catch the full conversation on the Business Talk feature at OwatonnaLive.com.

Steele County Free Fair

A blue-eyed ball python named Lucy draped around my neck. A cachapa – the Best New Food at the fair. Sitting behind the wheel of a Model T. All great experiences, but the main aspect of the fair is always the people. This year, I interviewed several current and former Owatonna High School athletes and at least one future Husky.

Anna Mollenhauer was showing pigs and a beef heifer. She gains values from 4H.

“It’s a good learning experience every day. Because it’s something new every day. So, you just have to go along with it,” said Mollenhauer.

She’s made regular trips to the state fair with her animals and won her swine class one year. Mollenhauer – who plays soccer, hockey, and golf – said, “I’ve just learned how to communicate with people. And improved my work ethic. You have to because if you don’t, it’s not going to go well. You have to continue even when it’s hard.”

I found Trey Hiatt in the Cattle Haven tending his dairy Holsteins and putting in some serious time.

“You wake up pretty early, get here, wash and feed your animals, then you sit here and make sure they don’t get dirty. Show day is probably one of the harder days,” said Hiatt.

He doesn’t stray far from the barns.

“Half of my friends come here because they know where to find me: in the barns. We hang out in here. We play some cards. That’s about it,” he said.

Hiatt, a two-time state wrestling meet qualifier for the Huskies, won his class last year at the state fair with a winter calf and won overall honorable mention.

“It was a pretty big accomplishment for me,” he said.

Family Farmer

Jerome Stransky, a former OHS football player, is in his last year of 4H but ready to join the family farm.

“I love it. I was born into it, and I couldn’t see myself without it. I practice my life around this. I go around the country at different cow shows and cow sales. I surrounded myself with it,” he said.

He attended Wisconsin-River Falls.

Stransky shared a personal experience with a young 4H student who had a tough time at a show this year.

“I told him my first year ever doing showmanship, I was dead last. That’s one memory that comes up right away. Honestly, since then I’ve gone uphill,” said Stransky.

Nine-year-old Nash Jirele is a first-year 4H’er after being a Cloverbud. It can be a challenge working with a calf.

“It’s pretty easy and hard at the same time…You have to work a lot with him. He gets scared a lot. I can’t really control when he goes super-fast everywhere,” said Jirele.

He’s learned a lot in a few years.

“I’m working with them more, and I know the techniques to not get your foot stepped on.”

He said getting under a hoof results in “pain.”

Jirele also earned a purple in woodworking with an Iowa Hawkeyes-themed backboard and base for a garbage can. When he’s not in the barn, he wrestles and plays lacrosse, football, soccer, and baseball.

Family business

Chandler Buckhalter, an OHS grad who played football at Minnesota State University, Mankato, was at the fair working the family business, 2U Entertainment.

“We moved to Owatonna eight or nine years ago. There’s not too much for kiddos. We’re trying to bring an entertainment scene to Owatonna, hoping for bigger and better things in the future,” he said.

They had their Building FURever Friends trailer at the fair. They take a gaming theater to various events and recently debuted a foam-and-fun venture.

“The foam is the newest summer craze. Anybody that loves being outside, enjoying the lovely weather. It’s a big cannon that shoots out foam. You get to play in some foam,” he said.

Chatty Run

The second annual Chatty 5K had over 100 runners on Saturday. The event salutes Dave Chatelaine, who coached cross-country at OHS for 35 years. He sounded the horn to start the race.

“It was awesome to see everyone come out and race on the new course from the new Owatonna High School. The girls and boys cross-country teams appreciate you coming out and supporting the team,” said Owatonna head coach Luke Holt.

Owatonna Rotary had hosted a run for many years. Coach Tasheena Cook says it was good to bring one back.

“Everybody expected a race on the Saturday of the fair. So, we kind of took it over and had it be a cross-country fundraiser honoring Dave Chatelaine.

“He’s been the face of running for so long and everybody knows him here. Even around the state, people know Dave Chatelaine. He’s such a great coach and great guy,” said Cook.

Top female finishers were Clara Sennott (20:42), Ava Cox (21:36), Lyla Olson (21:57), Clara Meier (22:02) and Leah Leckner (22:03.)

Top male runners were Jack Sorenson (16:34), Kaiden Struss (18:03), Dawson Levy (18:09), Nathan Seykora (18:18), and Mason Myrom (18:37.)

I might not have made the leaderboard, but I improved my time from last year by two seconds. I’d call that a success.

Special thanks to the volunteers, law enforcement and supporters cheering us on along the way. And a shout out to my running friend Jim Gunderson, who I saw at the fair Friday and convinced to come join the fun. He was pleased with his performance as well.

Footnotes

The reference to a boa constrictor is from a visit to the Happy Tails display in the Great Outdoors Center. The Famous Cachapa is a corn pancake with pork and cheese, topped with green chili sauce from Noris Cuisine, and named the Best New Food at the fair.

An ’09 (that’s 1909) Model T, owned by Mark Cameron, was displayed at the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism booth to promote the Model T Ford Club International 68^th annual tour coming to Owatonna July 20-25, 2025.

OwatonnaLive.com play-by-play schedule

Thursday, Aug. 22:
Medford volleyball vs. Rushford-Peterson, 7:15 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 24:
OHS boys soccer vs. Lakeville North, 2 p.m.