From her first time at a state tournament when she was a ninth-grader at Marshall in the late 1970s, Alexandria volleyball coach Mary Byrne has seen it all as a player and coach.
What is it about playing at state? When the action takes place at Xcel Energy Center, it’s almost indescribable for the volleyball players who are competing this week.
A traveler saw a lot, smiled a lot, marveled at times and experienced two days that will be remembered for a long time. It may sound odd, but what he witnessed happens all the time at high school sporting events, in Minnesota and beyond.
In Cottage Grove, it isn’t just the Park High School team that is using Guardian Caps in 2024. Every youth football player in town, starting with third-graders, is also wearing one. That’s approximately 1,000 kids.
When football teams from Stephen-Argyle and Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal played at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, the combined travel numbers for both teams were pretty crazy: 1,304 miles over 19 hours.
