COLUMN: In the front row

Somewhere on the Iron Range, perhaps in the back of a school trophy case or tucked away with old scorebooks and sports equipment in the storage area of an area school, sits a piece of basketball history.It’s the Gold Brick, northeastern Minnesota’s version of the Little Brown Jug, Floyd of Rosedale, or any of the many symbols of regional sports rivalries.During the 1940s, the Gold Brick was the prize possession of high school boys basketball teams in the old District 27.Schools such as Eveleth and Gilbert and Virginia - and Ely as well - fought over the brick with as much intensity as they battled over a district championship.A traveling trophy, the Gold Brick stayed in the possession of one team until it was knocked off on the hardcourt. In some ways, it was similar to a championship belt in boxing.Legend, as well as historical references such as the now defunct Ely Miner newspaper, has it that the Gold Brick was even in Ely’s possession sometime after the conclusion of World War II. There was even some speculation that the ‘Brick,’ which in reality was little more than a painted piece of wood, came from Ely Memorial and the shop room of Steve Smrekar Sr., the late industrial arts instructor.But somewhere along the way, as prep sports evolved and the local rivalries gave way at least somewhat to matchups between schools of similar size, the Gold Brick was no longer a part of the district basketball scene.But some local historians and longtime Range sports fans are looking to change that.Ben Mauser, a former Ely teacher, is leading the charge and has put the call out in search of the ‘Brick.’“It’s out there someplace, we think,” said Mauser.Mauser has talked to several of his contemporaries, ranging from Ely school board member Rudy Semeja, who’s originally from Gilbert, to former Ely athletic director Rudy Marolt and longtime Gilbert football coach Steve Kerzie.From scouring through records to looking for folks who might remember, they’re doing all they can to find the Gold Brick.And once they find it, Mauser hopes that area high school basketball programs bring it back to life in some way, shape or form.Ely and Tower-Soudan may no longer be in the same enrollment division as Virginia, the now combined Eveleth-Gilbert or Mesabi East, but Mauser thinks a traveling trophy such as the Gold Brick could revive interest in local basketball rivalries.It’s an idea that is certainly worth pursuing, especially now that many Range schools are tightening their belts and looking to cut down on travel for athletic competition.Bringing back the Gold Brick could well be one step on the way toward building a conference involving area schools. One can’t help but think that home-and-home contests between Ely and neighboring schools such as Tower-Soudan, Babbitt-Embarrass and Mt. Iron-Buhl would draw more interest than matchups with far away schools such as Littlefork-Big Falls and Carlton.• Anyone with more information about the Gold Brick is invited to call Mauser at 365-4737.• Chris Blackwood, who visits Ely each summer, completed a stellar senior season at Campolindo High School in the San Francisco Bay Area, helping the school to a trip to the State Division 3 boys basketball semifinals.Related to Ely’s Kovall, Ivancich and Strukel families, Blackwood gained All-Bay Area recognition and was a nominee for the all-state team in California.The point guard averaged 14 points and six rebounds per game for the Cougars, who went 26-6 and won the North Coast Section title. Blackwood is being pursued by several NCAA Division II college programs but may wind up at Santa Rosa, a California junior college.Blackwood’s father, frequent Ely visitor Tom Blackwood, coached 37 years at nearby Miramonte High School before resigning two years ago. The elder Blackwood amassed 636 wins during his tenure.• It’s hard to fathom how Steve Jamnick, Tower-Soudan’s 6-10 center and one of the top five boys basketball players in Minnesota according to the state Associated Press, did not get an invitation to a recent all-star game in Duluth. The contest was supposed to feature the top 20 players in the area, but Jamnick was somehow omitted.• Embarrass native Josh Mathson had his first collegiate home run Tuesday.The freshman is hitting .333 for Iowa Central, which is 13-4-1 and ranked first in the nation among Division II junior colleges.• Back for another year as head baseball coach at Sartell is Jerome Nemanich, a 1988 Ely graduate.Nemanich has been involved with the Sartell program since 1994 and last spring he guided the Sabres to the school’s first berth in the State AAA tournament.From 1989-1993, Nemanich coached at both the VFW and American Legion levels in Ely.• Looking ahead: Ely will host Legion baseball tournaments June 24-26 and July 8-10, and the annual VFW summer tourney is set for July 1-3. Those, of course, are just appetizers for the Central Plains Division II Regional, which will be held Aug. 11-14 at Veterans Memorial Field and features teams from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Wisconsin.