[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E581-E582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SALUTE TO THE MOUNDS VIEW MUSTANGS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BRUCE F. VENTO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 1999

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District is 
distinctly

[[Page E582]]

blessed this year with the triumph of two high school men's basketball 
teams in the Minnesota State Basketball Tournament.
  I would especially like to congratulate and commend, the Mounds View 
Mustangs for their thrilling 69-64 victory over the reigning Minnetonka 
Mustangs in the Class AAAA Championship. Behind at the start of the 
final period, the Mustangs climbed into the lead with less than 8 
minutes left and held on to win.
  My congratulations to the Mounds View High School, Coach Kaulis and 
all the Mustangs. Their team spirit, never say die attitude is an 
example for us all. At this time I would like to share with my 
Colleagues an article describing the Mustang victory.

                 [From the Star Tribune, Mar. 21, 1999]

Mounds View Holds on: Horvath Scores 31 as Mustangs Top Last Year's 4A 
                          Champion, Minnetonka

                           (By Brian Wicker)

       Mounds View senior center Nick Horvath started out fabulous 
     and got better as the game progressed, scoring a game-high 31 
     points to lead the Mustangs over defending champion 
     Minnetonka 69-64 Saturday night for the Class 4A boys' 
     basketball championship before 13,682 fans at Williams Arena.
       The third-ranked Mustangs (24-3) trailed 50-49 entering the 
     fourth quarter. After senior guard Cal Ecker hit a three-
     pointer with 7:43 remaining to give Mounds View a 52-50 lead, 
     Horvath scored eight of the Mustangs' next 10 points. Mounds 
     View led 65-62 with 45.3 second to play and held it when two 
     three-point attempts by Minnetonka senior guard Brendan Finn 
     missed. The Mustangs then made just enough free throws in the 
     final minute to hold on.
       ``We always expect a lot of Nick [Horvath], and he produced 
     again,'' Mounds View coach Ziggy Kauls said. ``But you don't 
     win one of these things without more of a team.''
       Mounds View's title was the school's second, to go with the 
     1972 Class AA championship. Kauls coached them both.
       Said Horvath, who will attend Duke: ``This is just great. 
     This will go with my four national championships I'm going to 
     win there.''
       Minnetonka point guard Adam Boone nearly lifted the 
     Skippers in the final period (26 points), making three clutch 
     baskets in a two-minute span to keep the No. 2 Skippers (23-
     4) close. The defending champions deflated somewhat, however, 
     when star forward Shane Schilling fouled out with 1:07 to 
     play.
       Minnetonka's search for a second consecutive title began 
     with looking for replacements for graduated four-year 
     starters Ryan Keating and Jake Kuppe. Boone, a junior, filled 
     Keating's void at point guard after his family moved from the 
     Minneapolis Washburn area to Minnetonka.
       The Skippers' answer for Kuppe was already present in 
     senior Grant Anderson, a 6-7 center with superb defensive 
     skills and a quick first step.
       And, best of all, the Skippers still had the high-scoring, 
     high-flying Schilling.
       Mounds View's state tournament only lasted one game a year 
     ago, after the Mustangs lost 55-54 to Minneapolis North in 
     the quarterfinals. Since that time, Horvath had been part of 
     the gold-medal-winning 18-under team at the World Youth Games 
     in Moscow last summer and become even more dominant a player. 
     His experienced supporting cast, including Ecker and senior 
     forward Drew Brodin, didn't hesitate to take important shots 
     when Horvath found himself surrounded with defenders.
       With Division I talents such as Schilling and Horvath able 
     to take over games, the teams did their best to get rid of 
     the opposing star. The Skippers pounded the ball inside to 
     Anderson on their first few possessions, trying to put 
     Horvath in early foul trouble, and were eventually 
     successful. Schilling, on the other hand, aggressively ran 
     into foul problems on his own.
       Minnetonka led 14-12 after the first quarter, the 
     difference being a T.J. Thedinga layup that Mounds View 
     contended came after the buzzer.

     

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