Sports

Be listening for our sports updates at 6:10am, 7:20am, 8:20am, 12:20pm & 5:20pm on Hometown Radio KEYL AM1400 & FM 103.1 and 99.7FM Hot Rod Radio 

Area high school sports schedule

(Events are subject to change due to weather conditions or other factors)

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Basketball - Girls - Section 5A West Championship Game - #1 Pine River-Backus vs #2 Cass Lake-Bena at Wadena-Deer Creek High School 7:00pm

Basketball - Girls - Section 5A East Championship Game - #1 Braham vs #2 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa at Foley High School 7:00pm

Basketball - Girls - Section 6A Semifinals at Minnewaska Area High School - 6:00pm #1 Hillcrest Lutheran Academy vs #4 Rothsay, 7:45pm - #2 Breckenridge vs #3 Underwood

Basketball - Girls - Section 6AA Semifinals at the College of St. Benedict's - 6:00pm #1 Milaca vs #5 Pine City,  7:45pm #2 Foley vs #3 Sauk Centre

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Hockey - Boys - State Class A Quarterfinals at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul - 1:00pm #5 St. Cloud Cathedral vs #4 Mahtomedi, 6:00pm - #7 Mankato West vs #2 Delano, 8:00pm #6 Northern Lakes vs #3 Warroad

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Hockey - Boys - State Class AA Quarterfinals at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul - 11:00am #8 Gentry Academy vs #1 Minnetonka, 1:00pm #5 Grand Rapids vs #4 Rosemount, 6:00pm #7 Lakeville South vs #2 Moorhead, 8:00pm #6 Andover vs #3 Edina

Basketball - Boys - Section 5A West Quarterfinals - 6:00pm:  #5 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at #4 Browerville-Eagle Valley - On 1400AM & 103.1 FM Hometown Radio,  7:00pm:  #9 Bertha-Hewitt at #1 Nevis, #6 Cass Lake-Bena at #3 Pine River-Backus, #7Verndale at #2 Sebeka

Basketball - Boys - Section 5A East Quarterfinals - 7:00pm:  #5 Mille Lacs at #4 Swanville - On 99.7 FM Hot Rod Radio,  #8 North Lakes Academy at #1 Braham,  #6 Hinkley-Finlayson at #3 East Central,  #7 St. John's Prep at #2 Upsala

Basketball - Boys - Section 6AA First Round - 7:00pm:  #16 Pine City at #1 Albany, #15 Milaca at #2 Annandale, #14 Kimball at #3 Holdingford, #13 Maple Lake at #4 St. Cloud Cathedral, #12 Royalton at #5 Spectrum, #11 Foley at #6 Melrose, #10 Rush City at #7 Sauk Centre, #9 Legacy Christian Academy at #8 PACT Charter

Basketball - Boys - Section 8AA First Round - 7:00pm:  #14 Menahga at #3 Osakis, #13 Crookston at #4 Perham, #12 Wadena-Deer Creek at #5 Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, #11 Hawley at #6 Barnesville, #10 Roseau at #7 Thief River Falls, #9 Park Rapids at #8 Warroad

Basketball - Boys - Section 6A First Round - 7:00pm:  #16 Border West at #1 Henning, #15 Brandon-Evansville at #2 Pelican Rapids, #14 Rothsay at #3 Park Christian, #13 Norman County East-Ulen-Hitterdahl at #4 Breckenridge, #12 Ada Borup West at #5 Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, #11 New York Mills at #6 Benson, #10 West Central Area at #7 Hancock, #9 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa at #8 Underwood

KEYL and Hot Rod Radio are proud of our Sports Director - Kevin Houdek 

KEYL/KXDL Sports Director Kevin Houdek honored with WCCO Viewers’ Choice For Best H.S. Football Announcer In Minnesota 

Kevin Houdek has been calling games for the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Thunder for 30 years. His knowledge of the teams and the game sheds a bright light for those who can’t attend.

“People all over the country [listen in],” Houdek said. “A guy from Browerville that’s down in Arizona, I’ll get a text from him every once and a while, you know, saying, ‘Great game.'”

On this night, the Thunder are playing the Staples-Motley Cardinals. Both teams were 0-2 — and hungry for a win.

“It’s not life or death,” he said. “It’s to have a good time and stay professional, and remember you’re broadcasting for two teams, not just your home team.”

Kevin Houdek (credit: CBS)

Sports teams and the media often clash, but Houdek has earned the respect of Activities Director Dan Zetah.

“Our coaches … really like him and respect him,” Zetah said. “He’s very savvy with the numbers, with stats. You ask him a stat about something, he’s got it right there.”

Listening to Houdek — as he delivers names and stats with computer-like precision — might be overwhelming to some, but it’s like poetry to someone who’s into the game.

“I think you can get some broadcasters … that can maybe get a little more opinionated or maybe get negative more, if you want to use that term. He doesn’t get that way at all,” Zetah said.

And it’s clear that Houdek loves his work.

“It’s so much fun,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve appreciated it even more. Even at this level, I go to a game and every night I know somebody’s going to do something amazing.”

So if you’re ever driving through central Minnesota on game night, tune your radio to 1400 AM to hear the small-town guy who, in his own way, has hit the big time.

“A teenager’s going to pull off a big play, or they’re going to play their best game ever, and everybody’s having fun, and I’m having fun, too,” Houdek said.

-- Courtesy WCCO

 

KEVIN HOUDEK NAMED SID HARTMAN MEDIA AWARD WINNER

 

He was recognized at the 11th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on April 29 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

 

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - April 16, 2018 - Longtime radio sports director and broadcaster Kevin Houdek will receive the Sid Hartman Media Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He was recognized at the 11th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on April 29 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Houdek has spent 30 years as the sports director at KEYL/KXDL Radio in Long Prairie, Minnesota. Last fall he won WCCO TV’s Viewers’ Choice Award for Best High School Football Announcer. Houdek has been providing play-by-play for the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Thunder for three decades.

In addition to football, Houdek has broadcast other high school sports including volleyball, boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ hockey, wrestling, baseball and softball. He has covered Minnesota State High School League state tournament games for many of those sports for his station and the Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network.

Houdek is a Minnesota native who attended Danube High School before getting his associate’s degree in radio and television broadcasting at Brown Institute in Minneapolis. He is also a volunteer coach for youth baseball and wrestling and women’s slo-pitch softball, and is a 15 year veteran of the Long Prairie volunteer fire department.

The Sid Hartman Media Award is named after the Star Tribune’s most famous sports writer who is still covering local teams at age 98.