Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: New York Mills Dispatch Entry Title: Klinnert wraps up 45th year as official Entry Credit: Chad Koenen Judge Comment: I like the look at your subject's whole career. I also appreciated the quotes you included from him. I wished a bit for some quotes from long-time area coaches or the association that handles refs, too, but overall, I appreciated hearing Klinnert's voice throughout and that the reporter let him tell his own story.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Henderson Independent Entry Title: Giant effort pays off Entry Credit: Rachel Miller Judge Comment: This was a neat highlight of what I can only imagine is an undercovered sport for high school athletics. The only thing that dropped this down a bit was lack of quotes. There were none at all until the jump, and I would have loved to hear more from Emily, since the story is about her.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Kerkhoven - The Kerkhoven Banner Entry Title: FAMILY THAT DERBIES TOGETHER Entry Credit: CORMAC DODD Judge Comment: I'm guessing this family was a hoot to interview. I wished for even more quotes from them. The story was well put together, but it could have used some self-editing, too, to eliminate some repetitiveness.
Competition Comment: I appreciated the variety of subjects for sports features in this category.
