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JHS Hall of Famer Morgan Blaskowski 'loves the Blue Jays'

katie ringer, the jamestown sun, n.d.
·4 min read

Sep. 14—JAMESTOWN — When you type in "Morgan Dale" into Google, more than 2 million results populate in about 0.66 seconds.

A good 1% of those hits have something to do with the former Jamestown High School sports superstar, Morgan (Dale) Blaskowski.

"Growing up, sports was just a part of my life," Blaskowski said. "We were playing basketball in the driveway. It's just what we did all of the time. We were always outside whether that was having a ball in your hand or making up a game. I guess that just carried on as we got older."

Blaskowski is one of the three Jamestown High School Hall of Fame Class of 2022 inductees. Blaskowski, along with fellow inductees Bryan Flam and Don Schmeichel, will formally be inducted into the JHS Hall of Fame at the Homecoming Pep Rally at Jerry Meyer Arena on Sept. 16.

The JHS Class of 2009 grad received word that she was getting inducted via a letter sent a couple of months ago.

"It was 5:30 a.m. and I was getting the mail from my business," Blaskowski said. "I opened the letter and read it, then I started crying. I called my family and my coach. It was so cool."

The HoF Class of 2022 will be introduced to the community at halftime of the homecoming football game. Including the Class of 2022, there are now 43 former athletes in the JHS Hall of Fame.

"I absolutely love the Blue Jays," Blaskowski said. "I am a die-hard Blue Jay. I love that school, I love everyone in it and I love all of the memories that I have. It was so much fun.

"It's kind of crazy how (the hall of fame) picks people from all different ages and sports," she said. "It will be fun to hear everyone's stories and relive some of (our) glory days."

In basketball, Blaskowski was a five-season letter winner. She was named team MVP all five seasons and was a four-time all-conference winner. She was named to the WDA tournament team three times.

Blaskowski was the WDA outstanding senior athlete of the year and a two-time all-state team member. She was named to the state tournament team twice.

"We were good," Blaskowski said matter-of-factly. "We usually packed out the whole gymnasium. I was always kind of timid and shy but one time the whole student section was chanting 'she's a freshman!' because I must have been playing well or something. I remember that — that was pretty cool."

Blaskowski said another sweet memory from her basketball days was snapping Mandan's multiple-game winning streak at home. Blaskowski's squad also upset the No. 1 seed, Fargo South, 54-39 in the opening round of the 2007 state basketball tournament. Blaskowski had 20 points in the state quarterfinal matchup.

In her senior season, she was named the Powerade Senior Athlete of the Year, was a Miss Basketball finalist and was named to the Lions All-Star Team. She finished her high school career in the Top 20 for all-time scoring and 7th all-time for rebounding in the state of North Dakota.

"I loved my teammates and my coaches," Blaskowski said. "I know there was a lot of people silently supporting me. I am so grateful and thankful for everybody that was a part of my career as a Blue Jay. It was so much fun.

"I think about coming back to coach often," she said. "I am passionate about the program and youth in general but it's not the time right now."

While basketball was Blaskowski's main focus in high school, she was talented enough to nab spots on two other varsity teams. She was a three-time letter winner in volleyball. In the spring, she suited up for the JHS girls soccer team. She helped lead the team to a state runner-up title and was named to the all-state tournament team in 2009. She was a two-year letter winner in soccer.

After high school, Blaskowski continued to play basketball at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. There she earned all-conference honors for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. During her college career, she scored 739 points and pulled down 682 rebounds.

Blaskowski taught kindergarten at St. John's Academy for four years. She is currently a small business owner of Cornerstone Nutrition in Jamestown and Vibe Nutrition in Casselton. She also teaches fitness classes at I Will. She recently founded Urban Roots Marketplace for local vendors. She currently lives in Jamestown with her husband, Nick, and their two dogs.

"The lessons you learn from sports are lessons that you will take with you for the rest of your life," Blaskowski said. "The bonds that you make, the memories you have and the lessons you learn — even if it's a difficult lesson — nothing compares to those."