Elgin native Carson Walchwill be coaching as a professional in Minnesota for the first time when the Chicago Bears play the Vikings in the Metrodome on Sunday.
Walch is in his first year as an offensive assistant after spending time with current Bears head coach Marc Trestman, also a Minnesota native, in the Canadian Football League.
"Yes, I'm looking forward to coming home and playing in Minnesota," said Walch, who played his college football at Winona State. "Most of all, to have my family and friends in attendance. But there is also something special about coming back to your home state where you grew up and to be playing against your favorite team as a kid."
Walch will have a number of family members and friends at the game.
"My parents ( Daveand Peggy), my older brother Travis, younger brother Ryan, his wife Amber, and my sister Lindsey," Walch said. "There will also be another six to eight friends, family coming as well. We have limited ticket options on the road. I wish I cold afford to put the entire town of Elgin in the seats."
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The Bears nipped the Vikings 31-30 early in the season with a touchdown with 10 seconds to play. Chicago (6-5) is facing a key game as the Bears are a half game behind Detroit for the NFC North Division lead, but have lost three of four. The Vikings are 2-8-1 but have lost three games in the final minute and lost another lead which resulted in the tie last week with Green Bay.
"Well, they are all big games," Walch said. "But to be honest this is a division opponent on the road, in the noise. It will not be easy. No matter what the Vikings' record shows, they have played many good football teams down to the wire. This game has a lot of meaning to both teams."
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Rochester Community and Technical College is offering a fan bus to the Yellowjackets' football bowl game on Sunday, Dec. 8. The Yellowjackets (10-1) will face Iowa Central (5-5) in the Graphics Edge Bowl at 11 a.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The cost of the bus ride (game ticket is not included) is $15. The bus will begin loading at 7 a.m. in front of the RCTC UCR Regional Sports Center on Dec. 8 and will depart at 7:30. The bus will return to Rochester shortly after the game.
The deadline to sign up for the bus is Tuesday. To sign up, email Scott Krookat scott.krock@RCTC.edu.
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Craig Anderson, the current baseball coach at Pine Island High School, will be inducted into the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Friday.
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The ceremony will take place in Tucson, Ariz. The school is honoring Anderson with a tribute on Tuesday.
Anderson has been coaching baseball at Pine Island for 35 years.
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Part of the website for the Rochester Royals baseball camp, which was written about here earlier this week, was deleted. The camp is Dec. 30-31 under the bubble at Rochester Regional Sports Stadium.
The camps is for players in grades 3-8 and costs $65. To find out more information, or to register for the camp, go to www.rochestermnroyals.com.
Current major league player Jack Hannahan, a member of the Cincinnati Reds, will be one of the camp directors, as will his brother, Buzz Hannahan, a current member of the Rochester Royals.
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Red Wing's Tesha Buck, who plays women's basketball at Division I Wisconsin-Green Bay, has been named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week for the second straight week.
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Buck averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 3.5 assists as Green Bay posted a pair of wins at a tournament at the University of Vermont.
She has started all five games for Green Bay this season, and currently leads the team in assists (4.4), steals (2.0) and minutes (31.2) while ranking second in scoring average (9.6) and rebounding (4.6).
