Glass carried a stapled document. It was an eight-page game plan on how to beat Zumbrota-Mazeppa. And there it was, the secret to all that success. "Myron prepares for every game like it's a state championship game."
The head coach’s baby was coming, the plan was in place and everything looked to be good for the girls soccer team from St. Charles/Lewiston-Altura. And then, of course, everything went sideways. That’s how the story began. How it’s ending is a perfect capper to a strange, challenging, unforgettable season as the Saints will play in the state tournament for the first time in history this week.
High school officials, the men and women who wear the stripes, blow the whistles and keep fair, safe play foremost in their minds and actions, come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some become officials at a young age, some a little later. They are committed to the sports and activities they love and they want to ensure that current student-athletes have the best possible experience.
Despite cancer treatments, Mountain Lake's Luke Klassen has never stopped running. He has competed in every cross-country meet on the schedule this season. He hasn’t always competed with his varsity teammates, sometimes running junior varsity or junior high races. But he never stopped running.
The Simley Invitational is a long-standing cross-country event, having been held for many years at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights. The 2022 event, however, could have carried a different name: The Gerber Family Invitational.
For about as long as anyone can remember, the Moose Lake-Willow River Rebels have been playing football on a spectacular throwback field tucked into a neighborhood on the edge of Willow River, surrounded by pine trees and bathed in tradition and success.
These were pioneers, the first female athletes to represent their schools when Title IX opened the door to athletic equality for females in 1972. Back then, these athletes competed for McIntosh-Winger and Erskine schools. Now, as the 50th anniversary of Title IX is marked, they were stars once more at their modern, merged school.
In the midst of their wild stompin’ hootin’ and hollerin’ and grabbin’ at the Paddle, the Detroit Lakes Lakers broke the thing into two pieces. No problem, because now they had TWO trophies to raise into the night sky.
Saturday morning will be special when the girls and boys soccer teams from St. Peter and Jordan meet for a doubleheader in Jordan. The focus is on raising funds and awareness in the fight against cystic fibrosis.
During this 50th anniversary of Title IX leveling the playing field for female athletes, the halftime ceremony was a splendid celebration as four females were inducted into the Bloomington Kennedy Athletic Hall of Fame.
“When you play in the South Suburban every night's a battle, it doesn't matter who's on the other side of the net. We all know the high level of competition and this is a great atmosphere.”
“He’s normally very stoic, very subdued, but this time he was very upbeat, very positive about my situation. He said, ‘You can’t just sit around and wait for bad things to happen. If you’re a coach, go coach. If you’re a teacher, go teach.’ ”
"Everybody keeps saying we'll never get back to normal, just like our nation will never get back to normal. But hopefully we're going to get as close to normal as we can."
This was Week 1 of a season in which the LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals are the defending Minnesota state champions of Nine-Man football. Their season opener was not finished on Friday, but their quarterback's season was.
Forgive Minnesota high school volleyball coaches who take a quick glance at the Marshall Tigers this season and mutter to themselves, “Uh-oh.” What they will see is one of the top volleyball programs in the state, led this season by a pair of Hall of Fame coaches who combine for 12 state titles and more than 1,000 victories.
The simple act of playing the first game was a big positive. Zero Week means starting practice a week earlier than normal and having a bye week during the regular season. Without Zero Week, some teams would only be able to play seven regular-season games rather than the usual eight.
“There’s nothing to compare it to. For an NFL team to reach out and do something like this for us, it’s really special. It’s something our kids will remember forever.”
This is no normal football season in Royalton. Normalcy went out the window when assistant coach and Royals alum Nick Lanners was critically injured in a traffic accident. He suffered a spinal fracture and is facing a long road of recovery and rehabilitation.
