John’s Journal:

John’s Journal: National Honor For Alexandria Theater Director

February 21, 2024 |

John's Journal

League News

Jessica Chipman has been named a recipient of the Outstanding Theater Educator Award by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

John's Journal: From Omaha To St. Paul, Traveling And Performing

February 9, 2024 |

John's Journal

Students from St. Michael-Albertville had a busy Friday, singing with a school choir in the morning in Omaha, Nebraska, and performing in the MSHSL One-Act Play state festival in St. Paul in the afternoon.

John's Journal: From Coaching To Officiating, Goring Stays In The Game

February 8, 2024 |

John's Journal

Zach Goring, who coached three Apple Valley boys basketball teams to state championships before stepping down in 2018, is back in the game an an official.

John's Journal: Duluth East Student Named Hearts Of The Arts Winner

February 5, 2024 |

John's Journal

Juniper Kelly-Swing from Duluth East High School is a veteran debate team member who has accomplished much, to the betterment of others. To honor commitment to school, fellow students and the community, Juniper has been named this year’s recipient of the MSHSL Heart of the Arts award.

John's Journal: A Thousand Games For Alexandria’s Kohler

February 4, 2024 |

John's Journal

Alexandria's Wendy Kohler has coached – and won – more basketball games than any female coach in Minnesota high school history, but her impact on the game and her players since the early 1980s has been profound in a manner that goes way beyond numbers.

John's Journal: Back On The Court Following Serious Football Injury

January 29, 2024 |

John's Journal

To see Roman Voss running up and down a basketball court is quite a sight right now. For those who remember where the Jackson County Central sophomore was on Nov. 17, it might seem quite incredible.

John's Journal: Numbers? Records? Hopkins’ Novak Isn’t Very Interested

January 25, 2024 |

John's Journal

Ken Novak Jr. of Hopkins has won 955 career games. The state record for victories by boys basketball coaches is 1,1012 by Chisholm’s Bob McDonald.

John's Journal: Learning The Right Lessons At Wadena-Deer Creek

January 24, 2024 |

John's Journal

Win or lose, this year’s Wadena-Deer Creek boys hockey team has a lot to be proud of. They represent their school and community well on and off the ice and when they face challenges in their future, you can bet that the lessons from the ice will serve them well.

John's Journal: Girls Wrestling Is Booming At St. Michael-Albertville

January 22, 2024 |

John's Journal

This season, there are 50 boys wrestling at St. Michael-Albertville. And guess what? There are also 50 girls participating in the sport. It’s quite remarkable, as is the person who is serving as the girls head coach.

John's Journal: It’s Always Great When Hubmen, Jaguars And Saints Compete

January 18, 2024 |

John's Journal

The boys game tipped off at 6:17 p.m. and the girls contest ended at 9:23. It was 3 hours, 6 minutes of great entertainment between Jordan and St. Peter, schools that are 35 miles apart on U.S. Highway 169.

John's Journal: Basketball Is A Family Affair In Annandale

January 13, 2024 |

John's Journal

Annandale's Skip Dolan has announced that he will retire from coaching when this season ends, and that announcement has cast a sweet sense of history and memory over the 2023-24 season. Skip has been leading the boys basketball team for more than four decades, and his impact over all those years and all those kids simply cannot be measured.

John's Journal: Crosby-Ironton's Galovich Achieves 800th Career Win

January 7, 2024 |

John's Journal

Crosby-Ironton's Dave Galovich became the fourth high school boys basketball coach in Minnesota history to reach 800 career wins.

John’s Journal: The Pride Of Moorhead Is Standing Tall

January 3, 2024 |

John's Journal

As students at Moorhead High School return from the holiday break this week, they are walking into a special place. Their old school – at least much of the old school – has been replaced with new facilities, which are opening as kids come back to class.

John's Journal: Gymnastics Team Makes History At Albany

December 29, 2023 |

John's Journal

Decades from now, a small group of dedicated female athletes will look back with pride at what they accomplished in their time at Albany High School. Their numbers are small but they are pioneers as members of the school’s very first varsity gymnastics team.

John’s Journal: Student Sections Named Spirit Of Sport Award Winners

December 18, 2023 |

John's Journal

St. Croix Lutheran and Concordia Academy have been named recipients of the MSHSL Spirt of Sport Award for 2023.

John’s Journal: Sitting On The Bench, Waiting To Return

December 16, 2023 |

John's Journal

Injuries to two all-state girls basketball players have put the defending 3A state champion Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights in a waiting game.

John’s Journal: Shot Clocks Are Here, With Mostly Minimal Impact So Far

December 4, 2023 |

John's Journal

After watching a mix of early-season girls and boys basketball games, seven or eight contests in all, I can file this report about the biggest change to the sport this season: Shot clocks are not making a huge difference.

John’s Journal: Let’s Pick The Best Minnesota High School Pep Band Song

December 1, 2023 |

John's Journal

For those of us who attend lots of games, tournaments and related events, the pep bands add so much to the experience. So let's pick the single best Minnesota high school pep band song.

John’s Journal: ‘The Places You’ve Been, The People You’ve Met’

November 26, 2023 |

John's Journal

Paul McDonald closed a 35-year career as a football official during the 2023 Prep Bowl, and the 2023-24 basketball season will be his last in that sport.

John’s Journal: From Fall Sports To Winter Sports, In A Hurry

November 24, 2023 |

John's Journal

Chad Johnston has been the Minneota head football coach for 22 years, and this year, as has long been the custom, he will quickly transition to another sport.