It’s a crazy time of year with lots of sports to cover, including an exhibition game that pitted the Nebraska and UNK womens basketball teams against each other here in GI. This is a photo I like that didn’t make the paper.

Nebraska’s Harleen Sidhu (left) and Megan Becker of UNK dive for a loose ball during their exhibition game at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island. Nebraska won the game, 80-69.

Not really. It just looks like him on the spooky circular stairs. It didn’t take very long to get this photo once we were on location, as Ozzy Osbourne lookalike Mikaul Ault popped into his role without hesitation or encouragement. Ault told me that he’s known what he’s wanted to do from early on in life. Yet, while traveling across the country, he said that people can’t believe that he was really a pig farmer from Grand Island, Neb. I replied that everyone has to be from somewhere, thinking of how I moved to GI from Orange County, Calif.

Grand Island native Mikaul Ault was in town with his Ozzy Osbourne tribute band Aultimate Ozzy. A timely Halloween weekend treat, Ault and his band played at the Liederkranz in Grand Island.

A quiet little moment and the basic human need for warmth as the weather begins to turn colder.

As others pick out cold-weather clothing around her, Nevaeh Ducharme, 3, of Trumbull tries on a pair of gloves and a cap morning during the distribution portion of St. Leo’s Catholic Church’s annual coat drive in Grand Island.

A Husker football photo I like that didn’t make our paper.

Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz (right) is short of the goal line during the fourth quarter as he dives over the pile at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. Ganz scored on the next play, as the Huskers went on to defeat Iowa State, 35-7.

A couple of photos from district softball. The one below a tight action shot, and this one is just a nice moment of celebration.

After winning the Class A, District 7 championship, Grand Island Senior High’s Sara Petska is hugged by her teammates Emily Mierau (left) and Alissa Christensen (right). Petska drove in the winning run in the top of the seventh inning to give the Islanders the win over Columbus, 4-3.

Nice late afternoon light. Perhaps the sun really did get in her eyes….

York third baseman Kourtney Burianek just misses an infield fly during a B-5 district game against Aurora in Hastings. Aurora won the game, 6-1.

A nice portrait of a rodeo clown that didn’t make the paper.

Oregon Trail Rodeo clown Barry “Boom Boom” Johnson talks to Doniphan-Trumbull fourth-graders about the dangers he faces in his work during a grade school field trip at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Hastings.

I wasn’t expecting much from this assignment, but came away with a nice photo.

The look on scratch ticket lottery winner Darrell Penas’ face tells the story as he waits to receive the 2008 Toyota Tundra 4-by-4 double-cab truck behind him outside Coffin’s Corner in Grand Island where his daughter, Andrea Zuelow, bought $100 worth of scratch tickets as a gift for Penas. The truck was the second top prize winner in the Nebraska Lottery’s $2 Truck$ & Buck$ Scratch Game.

Went to the circus and found this photo. The tent looks like it’s had better days, but the color is nice.

Culpepper & Merriweather Circus performer Simone Dykes sits on the trapeze high above the big top during her act at the Grand Island Veterans Home.