The Hay-Shakers have moved from the alfalfa fields to harvesting euchre teams. Shaking their way through Pine Bluff, Kleeman’s yielded a 49-point win over Jones’ Plumbing to remain undefeated. Knowing the Pipe-Benders as I do, I am reasonably confident the moisture level of this crop was higher than some the Hay-Shakers have picked. Players be warned, based on his performance thus far, Jeff Goebler is having little trouble filling his dad’s shoes.

In an effort to stay in the hunt and a shot at first place this half, Shenanigans traveled to Belleville looking for their second win. Still on a Halloween sugar high, the Pranksters were able to trick a 22-point win out of the River-Rats trapping J&M Bar in the cellar. Tracy Buetel and Pete Rupp could only manage 81 points against the Pranksters, this week’s low score.

In keeping with the theme of road teams winning, Hooterville-Express traveled to Eagle Heights where engineers Shawn Farrell and Steve Hoffmaster stoked up this week’s high score of 115 points to take the wind from beneath the wings of the Eagles. The Express sucked 29 feathers from the Screaming Eagles.

In Verona, if the other Hooterville team were to keep with this week’s trend, the Shufflers were going to have to come from behind to hobble their host, Monte’s-Mounties. After just two frames the Shufflers found themselves down by 33 points, and their chances of a win quickly being trampled by the Mounties. However, by the end of the sixth frame the Shufflers were able to dwindle the deficit to just 6 points. Then the Shufflers put up two perfect frames. They scored 60 points in both the seventh and eighth frames, gaining 45 points on the Mounties to pull out a 39-point victory, keeping this week’s trend alive.

So would this week be a sweep by the visiting teams, or would the Cowboys shoot holes through the New Glarus Cheese-Eaters’ game plan? The sixth round of this match proved to be the pivotal point as Tom and Harold Schlimgen were perfect up to that point before putting up a 9 and a 7 in the seventh and eighth frames. Kendal Wenger and George Eichelkraut narrowly escaped the second skunk of the half when they found themselves down thirteen to nothing before scoring their only point of the frame. With only a 12-point win by the Norsk Cowboys, the streak ended and New Glarus went home feeling like Baby Swiss.

Due to the number of players that scored 111 points this week, I believe the Chinese would call this ‘The Week of the Aardvark’ (in honor of the US Air Force’s F-111 fighter/bomber). The couples that scored 111 points are: Chris Hook and Chad Kitsemble (Shenanigans), Harry Gehin and Ernie Sarbacker (J&M Bar), Derek Skogen and Steve Vogt (Hooterville-Shufflers), Chris Booth and Gordie Miller (Jones’ Plumbing), and Don Williams and Jeff Goebler (Kleeman’s).

Standings: Kleeman’s 5-0; Norsk 4-1; Eagle Heights 3-2; Hooterville Express 3-2; Hooterville Shufflers 3-2; Jones’ Plumbing 2-3; Monte’s 2-3; Shenanigans 2-3; New Glarus 1-4; J&M Bar 0-5.

Schedule for November 10: Hooterville Express @ J&M Bar (8:00); Hooterville Shufflers @ Shenanigans (8:00); Norsk Golf Bowl @ Kleeman’s (7:30); Eagle Heights @ Jones’ Plumbing (7:00); Monte’s @ New Glarus (8:00).