When a pair of players from small-town Caledonia met in the same NFL exhibition game last week, they had a cheering section from their hometown.
Wide receiver Isaac Fruechtewas playing with the Minnesota Vikings in Tennessee last Thursday while veteran defensive tackle Karl Klugwas playing with the Titans.
"It was fun, but it was a little nerve racking," said Carl Fruechte, Isaac's father. "We knew the game meant a lot to Isaac."
Carl and his wife were among a small group of people from Caledonia who made the trip of more than 700 miles to watch the teams' final exhibition game.
Klug is a fifth-year veteran who was going to make the Titans' squad. But the 23-year-old Fruechte was an undrafted free agent on the bubble. Fruechte ended up getting cut by the Vikings over the weekend, but he was then signed to the practice squad.
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Carl Fruechte and his wife stayed at Klug's home during the trip. Karl's twin brother, Kevin, also lives in Nashville and is a personal trainer. Among Kevin's clients are a number of country music stars.
There was some personal time for the Fruechte and Klug families to get together, including the players.
"We all went out to eat on Wednesday night before the game," said Carl Fruechte, who coached both Klug brothers and Isaac in high school. He is now an assistant football coach at Caledonia.
"It was a blast," Carl said. "There was a lot of verbal sparring and they (Karl and Isaac) talked shop."
Klug was able to give Isaac Fruechte some pointers about life in the NFL. And even though Fruechte didn't make the Vikings' 53-man roster, he is still part of the team in 2015.
"At the end of the day, we're excited about him being on the practice squad," Carl Fruechte said. "I think what it shows is he has what it takes to play in this league."
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The annual NFL preview edition came out in Sports Illustrated last week. The magazine picked the Vikings to finish the regular season 10-6 and in second place in the NFC North Division behind the Green Bay Packers. But that mark did not have the team qualifying for the playoffs as the Vikings missed out on a wild-card spot by one game.
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The magazine picked Baltimore to beat Seattle in the Super Bowl.
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David Cobb, a fourth-round draft choice by the Tennessee Titans out of Minnesota, has been placed on the injured reserve-designated for return list at the start of the season.
Cobb, who was having a strong training camp, can return to practice after six weeks and to games after eight weeks.
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Donald Lavine, who retired in 1985 after 27 years at Rochester Community and Technical College as a pre-engineering and engineering technology instructor, was the honorary flag raiser at a recent Twins game.
The Twins have a military veteran raise the flag during the national anthem at each home game.
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Rochester's Ken Gerzsenyitied for sixth at the 94th MGA Senior Amateur Championship in men's golf.
The 54-hole event was at Deacon's Lodge Golf Club in Breezy Point. Gerzsenyi shot a four-over-par 220. He had rounds of 74, 73 and 73 and finish just three strokes out of first place.
Jon Empangerbeat Don Howein a playoff to win the event. There were 156 players in the field.
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The Dundas Dukes are the Class B state champions in amateur baseball. The Dukes defeated the Moorhead Brewers 8-2 in the championship game on Monday in Cold Spring.
Left-hander Matt Neugercollected the win for the Dukes and Tyler Joneshit a two-run triple.
The Rochester Royals played in the Class B state tournament this year and finished with a 1-2 mark.
