Mantorville has not ducked from its reputation as the “most haunted” village in Minnesota. A share of this is based on the fact that its fine dining place, the Hubbell House, has operated as a bar and then a restaurant in the same three-story building on Main Street since 1856.

Troy Dunken, a radio veteran at KROC-FM in nearby Rochester, recently offered a piece for the station’s website with Hubbell workers telling tales of ghostly events at the restaurant.

Normally, I would dismiss this as promotional material for Dunken and the Hubbell House, except for this:

More than six decades ago, in my first summer out of high school, I was employed for several weeks as a go-fer for a surveyor. The tasks were simple enough even for the unhandiest young man in the human world:

Hold either the measuring stake or the plumb bob steady for him to make readings.

And our biggest job that summer? Enter every house in Mantorville, go down some wobbly stairs and take ceiling-to-floor measurements throughout the basement.

The village leaders had to be doing something with citywide plumbing, although I’m not sure of having asked.

I was too busy wondering “what’s that?” as unexpected sounds were heard, or peripheral vision caught movement from critters that disappeared magically in these ancient basements.

So, go for it, Dunken … I’m a longtime believer that there is some para- in the normal for Mantorville, now with its population over 1,100, not counting ghosts.

Guess what? We had more evidence of the attachment to strange coming from down there by Rochester on Friday.

Thus occurred very late as Kasson-Mantorville was meeting Grand Rapids in the Class 4A football semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The expanded footprint of the Rochester workforce looking for home lots has turned Byron, Stewartville, Kasson and Mantorville into growing burgs.

Stewartville was a spectacular Class 3A team in 2024, won the state title and was moved up to Class 4A. Byron was a 2024 quarterfinalist and, with running back Carson Heimer lighting up the stat sheet, was a solid favorite to repeat in the section.

Five miles down the road, Kasson-Mantorville was getting better — a loss only to Byron (34-20) in the regular season, then a section final victory in the rematch. Heimer was on crutches for Byron that night, and the KoMets roared back from being down 21-3 in the first half for a 31-28 victory.

And what went around that night with the KoMets’ remarkable rally almost came around in the other direction Friday against Grand Rapids.

Led by tremendous two-way play by Jeremiah Peterson-Gordon — a run when needed, a quarterback rush when required — and Kasson-Mantorville seemed to be putting away Rapids in solid fashion, leading 16-0 in the closing minutes.

Three times earlier, the Thunderhawks had been fairly deep in opposing territory and turned it over on fourth down. The large gathering of KoMets fans did much celebrating; the Rapids faithful who made the longer journey kept having cheers turn to disappointed groans.

Then, out of nowhere, sophomore quarterback Logan McNear dropped a pass into the hands of Jaxon Rabbers for a 72-yard touchdown with 1:58 remaining. A two-point conversion and then a recovered onside kick by Grand Rapids — and KoMets fans were looking roofward to see if Hubbell House spirits had made the trip and were up to no good.

Grand Rapids scored again, this time when Jameson Duell snatched a ricocheted pass an inch above the turf for the touchdown. The KoMets’ Camryn Tottingham picked off the two-point conversion.

Kason-Mantorville leading 16-14, 19 seconds left and one more prank for the spirits: Another recovery of an onside kick for Grand Rapids.

No miracle, though. The Iron Range reps were turned back. The last championship in 11-man football for the Range was Eveleth in 1973, the second year of playoffs for Minnesota high schools — outdoors then.

Grand Rapids coach Greg Spahn started to prepare for this season by telling his son, Oliver, that he probably wasn’t going to be the quarterback this season — that McNear would be ready to take over as a sophomore.

Oliver’s reaction to playing elsewhere? “I just want to win,” he told his father.

The Thunderhawks wanted that — for their team, and for their area.

“Any time we get a football team from Section 7 down here, you’re not just playing for your town … you’re playing for the North," Greg Spahn said. “People on the Range snipe about other towns, but you get a football team down here making a run, a hockey team making a run, they are pulling for each other.”

Two onside kick recoveries in the final two minutes. Not enough for the Thunderhawks, but very spirited.