John’s Journal:

John’s Journal Favorite 15: A Special Day At The Brave Like Gabe Invitational

July 21, 2025 |

John's Journal

Arvig Park in Perham was the site of the fourth Brave Like Gabe Invitational, an event like no other. Competition was certainly part of it, but there was camaraderie, there was support, there was fundraising, there was remembrance, there was love, so much love.

John’s Journal Favorite 15: A Circle Of Gold Is Complete

July 20, 2025 |

John's Journal

A mystery gold medal that was given to one of the members of the 1945 Eveleth Golden Bears -- and was found by a Minnesota native in 2018 in a Goodwill store in Texas -- is in the hands of the Drobnick family, completing the circle of gold.

John's Journal Favorite 15: Three Schools, Three States, One Team

July 18, 2025 |

John's Journal

The Campbell-Tintah school district is in Minnesota, Fairmount is in North Dakota and Rosholt is in South Dakota. Where the state lines intersect, Tigers rule the countryside.

John's Journal Favorite 15: Game Night At Roseau’s Hockey Cathedral

July 17, 2025 |

John's Journal

Even though some fans live in one town and are employed in the other, hockey draws a clear line in the ice. That was evident as Warroad fans grimaced upon paying for admission and having a big green Roseau Ram stamped on the back of their hand.

John's Journal Favorite 15: Nothing Stops Westbrook-Walnut Grove’s Kate Jorgenson

July 16, 2025 |

John's Journal

Kate may blush if you call her a miracle. All she wants to do is go to school, participate in her favorite sports (basketball, volleyball, golf, swimming), spend time with her family and friends and be a normal kid.

John's Journal Favorite 15: Spartans For Life

July 15, 2025 |

John's Journal

I witnessed something Saturday that was extremely inspirational and says a lot about what high school activities can mean to our kids and communities.

John's Journal Favorite 15: Perham’s Zach Gabbard Returns To The Gym

July 14, 2025 |

John's Journal

Just win. That’s what Zach has been doing since Jan. 20, when he collapsed on the court during a game at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.

John's Journal: Favorite 15 Stories Are Coming Soon

July 13, 2025 |

John's Journal

I will take the “Best Of” concept one step further this summer by posting some of my all-time favorite stories from my 15 years with the MSHSL. I am working on selecting 15 stories that I really enjoyed writing, and this process is quite in-depth.

John's Journal Best Of 2024-25 No. 1/ Coach To Coach, A Life-Saving Gift

July 9, 2025 |

John's Journal

Randy Taylor has been on the Titans coaching staff for 28 years, Jon Wessel for seven and they are very close friends … even before Wessel gave Taylor one of his kidneys earlier this year.

John's Journal Best Of 2024-25 No. 2/ The Owls Are Finally Home In Hancock

July 8, 2025 |

John's Journal

“Winning games is awesome but our goal is to turn them into men,” he said. “We have 26 kids on the roster and you could ask any of the coaches, they’re all like sons to us.”

John's Journal Best Of 2024-25 No. 3/ It’s A Special Night When The Jug Is On The Line

July 7, 2025 |

John's Journal

The good news: I never saw one flake of snow while driving home from Lake Crystal. The great news: I had one of the best experiences I’ve ever had at a high school sporting event.

John's Journal: Best Of 2024-25 No. 4/ Girls Wrestling With A Hometown Twist

July 2, 2025 |

John's Journal

More than 1,500 Minnesota girls in grades 7 through 12 are on wrestling teams this season. That number has almost doubled from a year ago, and there were about 250 the first year girls wrestling was sanctioned by the MSHSL in 2021-22.

John's Journal: Best Of 2024-25 No. 5/ Community Comes Together To Fight Cancer

June 30, 2025 |

John's Journal

Kailee is a 2009 graduate of Cambridge-Isanti, and her hometown turned out for her. There was a raffle, a silent auction, a halftime shooting contest and more, with a whole bunch of folks wearing “Full Court Fight For Kailee” T-shirts.

John's Journal: Best Of 2024-25 No. 6/ A Night For Football And Giving Back In Byron

June 28, 2025 |

John's Journal

One of the lessons here is that sports can mean a lot more than what the scoreboard says.

John's Journal: Best Of 2024-25 No. 7/ An Educator Like No Other

June 27, 2025 |

John's Journal

Erik Hermanson has dual educational roles that are all but unknown. Football coaches are usually teachers or administrators, but the combination of football and instrumental music is extremely rare.

John's Journal Best Of 2024-25 No. 8/ Next Generation Of Officials Has Arrived

June 26, 2025 |

John's Journal

Andrew Klinnert is an 18-year-old senior at Fergus Falls High School. He is in his first year as an MSHSL basketball official and has worked several games with his grandfather. If Andrew officiates for as many years as his grandpa, he will put in more than 60 winters on the court.

John's Journal Best Of 2024-25 No. 9/ A Thousand Wins, A Million Baseball Memories

June 25, 2025 |

John's Journal

Twenge, 71, is a true baseball lifer. Ask him about winning 1,000 games and he’ll likely respond with a statement about losing 600-some games, too. And he will smile.

John's Journal Best Of 2024-25 No. 10/ 154 Years Of Officiating Experience

June 24, 2025 |

John's Journal

A few days before Christmas, three wise men made history on the basketball court at Duluth Denfeld High School. They brought gifts of wisdom, experience and gratitude, based on their combined 154 years as basketball officials.

John's Journal Best Of 2024-25 No. 11/ A Broken Skate, A Quick Repair, A Big Win

June 23, 2025 |

John's Journal

The previous game had just ended when the Green Wave players exited their locker room for the short walk down a hallway, followed by a right turn into the tunnel that leads to the bench, the ice and pregame warmups. Cole never got to the ice.

John's Journal: As Retirement Looms, Here’s The Summer Plan

June 22, 2025 |

John's Journal

Every summer I have a tradition of posting my favorite John’s Journal stories from the just-completed school year, and I have just finished choosing those stories.