| State Girls’ Swimming and Diving Meet |
Visitation seeks fourth consecutive team title
The Visitation Blazers are in hot pursuit of their fourth consecutive Class A team title at this week’s 2008 State Girls’ Swimming and Diving Meet. The Maple Grove Crimson are hoping to win their second consecutive Class AA title.
Visitation, which is located in Mendota Heights, returns at least one relay team or individual to every event except the 500-yard freestyle. Maple Grove returns competitors in every event.
This year’s meet features 495 athletes representing 104 teams. Eighteen teams or individuals are returning in both classes to defend 2007 titles.
The Schedule
This year’s state meet will start on Thursday, November 20, and run through Saturday, November 22. All events will take place at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center on the Minneapolis campus. The Class A one-meter diving preliminaries, the first five of eight, will begin at noon on Thursday, followed by the Class AA diving preliminaries at 6:00 p.m. The Class A swimming preliminaries begin at noon on Friday, followed by the Class AA swimming preliminaries at 6 p.m. The Class A championship finals in all events begin at noon on Saturday, followed by the Class AA finals at 6 p.m.
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| 2008 State Football Tournament |
Two teams advance to defend titles
Two teams return to defend their 2007 titles: Caledonia in Class AA, and Glencoe-Silver Lake in Class AAA. Twelve teams that competed in the semifinals of the 2007 tournament have qualified again, while three teams are making their first appearances. Eight teams enter with unblemished records.
The 2008 semifinals will be played at the Metrodome on Nov. 14 and 15, and Prep Bowl XXVII will be played on Nov. 28 and 29. (Check the League Web site — www.MSHSL .org — for exact times and locations.)
Class 9-Man Semifinal Highlights
Houston is the only team to return from the 2007 semifinal field, and Kittson County Central is the only school making its first appearance. Houston and Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley boast perfect records, and none of the 9-Man qualifiers faced each other during the regular season.
Class A Semifinal Highlights
Royalton and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg are the only teams returning from the 2007 field, and all of the semifinal teams have past tournament experience. Royalton and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg met during the regular season, with Royalton winning that game 22-7. None of the semifinal teams have perfect records.
Class AA Semifinal Highlights
The defending champion Caledonia Warriors return in search of a third title. Moose Lake/Willow River, Luverne, and Hawley, also return from the 2007 field. All of the teams have previous experience, and Moose Lake/Willow River and Hawley boast perfect records. None of the Class AA semifinalists met during the regular season.
Class AAA Semifinal Highlights
Two of the four teams played in last year’s semifinals, including the two-time defending champions from Glencoe-Silver Lake. DeLaSalle of Minneapolis also returns from the 2007 field. The two remaining teams, New London-Spicer and Holy Family Catholic of Victoria, are both making their first tournament appearances. DeLaSalle has the only perfect record. None of the semifinalists met during the regular season.
Class AAAA Semifinal Highlights
St. Michael-Albertville is the only semifinalist returning from the 2007 field, and Orono has the only unblemished record. All of the qualified teams have past tournament experience. The Northfield Raiders and Mankato West Scarlets were the only Class AAAA teams to meet during the regular season. Mankato West won that game 35-13.
Class AAAAA Semifinal Highlights
Cretin-Derham Hall of St. Paul is the highest-returning qualifier; the Raiders placed second in 2007. Wayzata also returns from last year’s semifinal field. Both Cretin-Derham Hall and Wayzata have perfect records, and all of the teams have previous tournament experience. None of the Class AAAAA semifinalists met during the regular season.
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