MARSHALL, MINN. – What’s now titled Southwest Minnesota State University opened for students on Sept. 19, 1967, as the sixth of this state’s four-year state schools that once were referred to as “teacher’s colleges.”

That school was opened as a tribute to what those of us raised down there referred to as Minnesota’s “Southwest Corner.” In the mid-1960s, a “rich” farmer had 440 acres; there were many more farms with 220 acres and eight kids following Mom and Dad into Mass or Lutheran services on a Sunday.

As the son of an undertaker, a Catholic but needing Lutheran customers to make a go of it, we went to every fall church dinner within a 60-mile radius of Fulda — often doubleheaders in church basements of both denominations.

Way back then, you had to watch yourself on the “Our Fathers,” because we Catholics let it go with “deliver us from evil,” and the Lutherans added, “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.”

I would usually go with the crowd and add the addendum at the Lutheran locations, just to get a disapproving glance from my Irish mother.

The time leading up to the opening of Southwest State in Marshall was glorious for that corner of Minnesota. Why was that? Well, there were starting to be more TV options than just sturdy KELO-Ch. 11 from Sioux Falls, and even better:

The Southwest Corner won three state one-class basketball tournaments in a period of five seasons: incredible Edgerton in 1960; Marshall itself in an all-time great final vs. Cloquet in 1963; and Luverne, swift, sturdy and frightful in those splendid white-with-red lettering uniforms in 1964.

We onetime residents of the area could also stretch the boundaries for the corner and claim Sherburn, over there 45 miles east of Worthington, as the last champion in strictly a one-class system in 1970, with Minnesota’s M&M Boys (Tom Mulso and Jeff McCarron).

Four one-class titles in 11 years.

Holy moly, Rocky.

• • •

In the six decades since Southwest Minnesota State opened, the farms have become much larger; the number of farmers and the average size of their families have gotten much smaller; the small-town schools have been merged and co-opped; and main street business areas have been mostly decimated. Yet, when a team from down here is making a run for the “state tourney,” the old-timers will join the young in trying to cheer their heroic young men (and now women) back to the “Cities.”

And they will do this even though kind thoughts toward Minnesota’s metropolis seem more limited than when the old folks had senior “skip days” in high school that were a Thursday to Sunday morning at the Leamington Hotel in Minneapolis.

Last Thursday, March 12, the Section 3 finals for boys basketball — 2A and 1A — were held at the R/A Facility gym at Southwest Minnesota State.

And to take a slight detour here: The main gym in the recreation/athletic facility has been there since 1996, meaning after 30 years, the administration still hasn’t found a corporate sponsor or a prominent alum to put a real name on the arena. We digress (again).

The Section 3 doubleheader was Hills-Beaver Creek vs. Central Minnesota Christian in the 1A final and Jackson County Central and Morris/Chokio-Alberta in 2A. The Patriots from Hills-Beaver Creek have been a 9-Player football power and won that title this past November. In Class 2A, Jackson County Central had a sloppy championship game with six turnovers, yet won the title 20-15 over Goodhue.

The football champs figured to be severely tested in these hoops finals:

Central Christian is such a basketball school that its girls team was tipping off at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Class 1A state quarterfinals in Minneapolis — precisely the same time as the boys were here.

And then, Jackson would be facing a Morris team that was unbeaten and rated No. 1 in the state in 2A.

Hills is farther into the Southwest Corner than any town in the state — two miles from Iowa and four miles from South Dakota.

What really helps these very small towns in sports is a generational family that keeps turning out athletes. For the Patriots, the Metzger families had four sons on this basketball team. They were in the lead most of the game and eased away at the finish for a 77-70 victory.

“We thought this was the group of seniors that would get us to the tournament,” coach Chad Rauk said. “They are talented and they are leaders. Tonight, the MVP was our 6-2 junior, Riggins Rheault … the way he battled Central’s big guy in the middle."

That would be Asher Wieberdink, a 6-7 junior. He scored 30 points, but it wasn’t a layup drill as he fought through Rheault.

• • •

The Class 2A game was scheduled for 8 p.m. The first game crowd left, then a slightly smaller collection of fans arrived for the second game. Morris had a nucleus of 6-2 to 6-5 players that one look told you, “These are basketball players.”

As for JCC, the Huskies had a couple of obvious football players — even if you’re weren’t familiar with the names beforehand:

Roman Voss, 6-4, a surprising 223 pounds on his solid frame, and Weston Rowe, 6-7 and maybe slimmed down to 270 or so for basketball (before he heads to South Dakota State as a tackle).

Voss was the quarterback for Jackson’s legendary football program starting in the eighth grade. Alabama wanted him — defense, or offense, take your pick — and he made two visits to Tuscaloosa.

In the end, Voss chose the loyalty of being a Gophers fan and signed in December with Minnesota.

Last week, the neutral basketball people either working or watching the game opined that Morris had to be considered the favorite in this game, even with Voss’ fabulous athletic abilities on the other side.

“Roman had 43 here in the semifinals on Tuesday, 27 in the second half, but Morris put on a shooting clinic in their game,” a gentleman at the scorer’s table said.

And then what happened was JCC put on a defensive clinic to start the game. Morris made one three-pointer in the first half and wound up a frightful 4-for-30 from out there for the night.

My theory was expressed to Voss in a conversation: the Huskies defense sped the Tigers up early, they were shooting those threes quicker than normal and missing — and then came the pressure of the mind saying, “I gotta make this one.”

Voss said: “I heard the Morris people saying, ‘We had a bad night shooting.’ Obviously, they did, but I thought we played very good defense from the start to make it that way.”

The final was 59-54 Jackson County Central, although there was only one little run by Morris that seemed to have the potential for a full comeback.

Voss had picked up a batted ball and unloaded an instant three that still was in the air when the red light went on to end the first half. It swished, he raised an arm in competitive euphoria, and JCC raced toward the locker room with a 33-18 lead.

When Morris came out and finally hit a few shots to make it 36-29 five minutes after halftime, Voss drove twice for non-routine layups. The lead was back to 11 — and Jackson was headed back to the state tournament two years after losing to Albany in the first round.

Voss finished with 29 points. He’s not a real three-point shooter; he’s strong, forcefully quick and instantaneous with his decisions in getting to the basket.

Was there talk of early enrollment for spring football practice with the Gophers?

“Not at all; never,” Voss said. “I always thought football was going to be my sport, but I’ve also always loved basketball. And another more trip to the state tournament … this is tremendous."