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)

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Golf - Girls - Willmar at Benson 12:00pm

Track & Field - Boys & Girls - Benson at Lakeview 4:00pm

Track & Field - Boys & Girls - Browerville-Eagle Valley, Holdingford, Melrose, Osakis, Upsala/Swanville & West Central Area at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 4:00pm

Track & Field - Boys & Girls - Granite City Baptist, Maple Lake, Ogilvie & Watertown-Mayer at St. John's Prep 4:00pm

Baseball - St. John's Prep at Benson 4:30pm

Baseball - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Browerville-Eagle Valley 4:30pm

Baseball - Upsala/Swanville at Osakis 4:30pm

Softball - Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 4:30pm

Softball - Browerville-Eagle Valley at Parkers Prairie 4:30pm

Softball - Hill City/Northland at Swanville 4:30pm

Softball - Benson at Morris 5:00pm

Tennis - Boys - New London-Spicer at Osakis 4:30pm

Friday, May 1, 2026

Tennis - Boys - Benson, Lac Qui Parle Valley, MACCRAY, Minnewaska Area, Montevideo & Yellow Medicine East at New London-Spicer 9:00am

Golf - Boys - Benson at Willmar 12:00pm

Golf - Girls - Osakis at Royalton at Little Falls Golf Course 12:00pm

Baseball - Osakis at Sauk Centre 3:45pm

Baseball - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Brandon-Evansville 4:30pm

Baseball - Walker-Hackensack-Akeley at Browerville-Eagle Valley 4:30pm

Baseball - Pierz vs Upsala/Swanville in Upsala 4:30pm

Baseball - Minnewaska Area at Benson 5:00pm

Softball - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Browerville-Eagle Valley 4:15pm

Softball - Swanville at Benson 4:30pm

Softball - Upsala at Osakis 4:30pm

Softball - Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale at Browerville-Eagle Valley 6:15pm

Monday, May 4, 2026

Golf - Girls - Osakis at Milaca 11:00am

Golf - Boys & Girls - Benson at MACCRAY 1:00pm

Softball - Royalton at Swanville 2:30pm

Softball - Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley at Benson 3:00pm

Softball - Staples-Motley at Osakis 4:00pm

Softball - Browerville-Eagle Valley at West Central Area in Barrett 4:00pm

Baseball - Mayer Lutheran at St. John's Prep 3:30pm

Baseball - Parkers Prairie at Osakis 4:30pm

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Track & Field - Boys & Girls - Section True Team - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Browerville-Eagle Valley & Osakis at Frazee 9:15am

Track & Field - Boys & Girls - Upsala/Swanville at East Central 4:00pm

Golf - Boys & Girls - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Tipsinah Mounds Golf Course 11:00am

Golf - Boys - Osakis at Paynesville at Koronis Hills Golf Club 4:15pm

Baseball - Osakis at St. John's Prep 4:30pm

Baseball - Benson at Browerville-Eagle Valley 4:30pm

Baseball - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Upsala/Swanville in Upsala 4:30pm

Tennis - Boys - Lac Qui Parle Valley at Osakis 4:00pm

Softball - Upsala at Benson 4:30pm

Softball - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Osakis 4:30pm

Softball - Browerville-Eagle Valley at Swanville 4:30pm

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Baseball - Parkers Prairie at Upsala/Swanville in Upsala 2:00pm

Softball - Osakis at Albany 3:30pm

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.