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, December 11, 2025

Basketball - Boys & Girls (Double header) - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Osakis 4:45pm - Girls varsity game at 5:45pm with Boys varsity game to follow both on 99.7 FM Hot Rod Radio

Basketball - Boys - Browerville-Eagle Valley at St. John's Prep 4:45pm

Basketball - Boys - Benson at Swanville 5:45pm

Wrestling Triangular - Albany & Pine River-Backus/Pequot Lakes at  Little Falls 5:00pm

Wrestling Triangular - United North Central & Wadena-Deer Creek at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Browerville in Long Prairie 5:00pm

Basketball - Girls - Pierz at Swanville 5:45pm

Basketball - Girls - Milaca at Upsala 5:45pm

Basketball - Girls - Dawson-Boyd at Benson 5:45pm

Hockey - Boys - Prairie Centre North Stars vs Breckenridge/Wahpeton on Wahpeton 7:00pm

Friday, December 12, 2025

Wrestling - Girls Invitational - Osakis at West Central Area 2:30pm

Basketball - Girls - Mora at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 4:45pm

Basketball - Girls - Osakis at Morris 4:45pm

Basketball - Girls - Benson at Upsala 5:45pm

Basketball - Boys Tournament - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Maple Lake, & Renville County West at Benson 5:00pm

Basketball - Boys - Browerville-Eagle Valley at Battle Lake 5:00pm - Varsity game at 7:15pm om 99.7 FM Hot Rod Radio

Basketball - Boys - Upsala at Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 5:30pm

Basketball - Boys - Osakis at Mora 5:45pm

Hockey - Girls - Morris-Benson vs Prairie Centre Blue Devils at the Todd Expo Arena in Long Prairie 5:00pm

Gymnastics Triangular - Benson & Litchfield at New London -Spicer 6:00pm

Hockey - Boys - Prairie Centre North Stars vs Becker/Big Lake in Princeton 7:15pm

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Wrestling Invitational - Osakis at West Central Area 9:30am

Wrestling Varsity Dual Meet - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Browerville, Canby, Apple Valley, Park Center & Minnewaska Area at Alexandria 11:00am

Hockey - Girls - Windom vs Prairie Centre Blue Devils in Sauk Centre 1:00pm

Basketball - Boys Tournament - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Maple Lake & Renville County West at Benson 3:00pm

Monday, December 15, 2025

Basketball - Girls - Parkers Prairie at Swanville 5:45pm

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Basketball - Boys & Girls Doubleheader - Maple Lake at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 4:30pm

Basketball - Boys - Benson at St. John's Prep 4:45pm

Basketball - Boys - Osakis at Browerville-Eagle Valley 5:00pm - Varsity game at 7:15pm on 99.7 FM Hot Rod Radio

Gymnastics - Albany & Benson at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Browerville in Long Prairie 5:00pm

Hockey - Girls - Litchfield-Dassel-Cokato vs Prairie Centre Blue Devils at the Todd Expo Arena in Long Prairie 5:00pm

Wrestling Triangular - Wadena-Deer Creek & Ottertail Central at Benson 5:00pm

Wrestling Quad - Osakis, Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie & Blackduck at Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus in Pequot Lakes 5:00pm

Basketball - Girls - Upsala at Royalton 5:30pm

Basketball - Girls - Kimball at Osakis 5:45pm

Basketball - Girls - Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg at Benson 5:45pm

Hockey - Boys - Mora-Hinckley vs Prairie Centre North Stars in Sauk Centre 7:00pm

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Basketball - Boys - Holdingford at Osakis 4:15pm

Basketball - Boys - Pierz at Upsala 4:55pm

Basketball - Boys - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at New York Mills 5:00pm

Basketball - Boys - Parkers Prairie at Swanville 5:45pm

Basketball - Girls - Upsala at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 4:45pm

Basketball - Girls - Swanville at Osakis 5:45pm - Varsity game at 7:15pm on 99.7 FM Hot Rod Radio

Basketball - Girls - Browerville-Eagle Valley at Benson 6:00pm

Gymnastics - Melrose at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Browerville in Long Prairie 6:00pm

Hockey - Boys - Wadena-Deer Creek vs Prairie Centre North Stars at the Todd Expo Arena in Long Prairie 7:00pm

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.