HSGN's Top 10 Twin Cities Play-By Play Announcers of All Time

They are the people who provide the sounds of Minnesota sports, describing the action to fans unable to attend the game.  Here's HSGN's list of the Top 10 Play-By-Play-Announcers of All Time.  

1.  Ray Christensen:  Name a team prior to the advent of the Wolves, Wild and Lynx and chances are that Ray Christensen has called the action.  In addition to calling the Twins, Minneapolis Lakers, Vikings, Millers and Saints, he's best known for his work over 50 years as the voice of University of Minnesota football and basketball.  He was blessed with one of the best radio voices in this market and when you first tuned into the game, you could tell by the tone of his voice if the Gophers were winning or losing.  

2.  Herb Carneal:  For 42 seasons, he was a familiar voice to baseball fans throughout the Upper Midwest as he described the day to day action of the Twins.  Through three World Series in 1965, 1987 and 1991, Carneal was there calling the games in a simple, straightforward manner.  No home run call and free of cliches, Carneal who joined the Twins in 1962 was a soothing and refreshing voice to many who tuned in along the Twins radio network.  

3.  Al Shaver:  He came to Minnesota from Canada in 1967 to become the voice of the Minnesota North Stars.  For 26 years, he brought knowledge, enthusiasm and a solid rhythm of the sport to hockey fans across the state.  In addition to his North Stars duties, he was the play-by-play voice for KSTP-TV's coverage of the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, earning outstanding reviews from John Carman in The Minneapolis Star.  When the North Stars departed for Dallas in 1993, Shaver was hired by KSTP-AM to call Gopher hockey until he decided to retire to Vancouver Island.  Shaver's legacy lives on with his son Wally as the current voice of Gopher hockey and grandson Jason is in the booth for thee AHL's Chicago Wolves.  

4.  Dick Bremer:  For 38 years, Bremer has been the voice for televised Twins games, many of them with Bert Blyleven.  He was a sports anchor at WTCN-TV (now KARE) and also the play-by-play man for KMSP-TV's coverage of the state basketball tournaments.  He's currently the longest serving play-by-play announcer for a single team in this market.  

5.  Joe McConnell:  A versatile broadcaster, McConnell has served two stints with the Vikings and also joined Carneal on Twins radio broadcasts.  But wait, there's more.  McConnell is also an outstanding basketball announcer.  Though he never was a Wolves broadcaster, he was the lead voice of the team's produced NBA Radio coverage that included the All Star Game that was held at Target Center.  Though he frequently got excited after a big play, he was everything a radio play-by-play man is supposed to be,  the eyes of the listener.  

6.  Kevin Harlan:  The original radio and TV voice of the Wolves before going on to bigger opportunities calling basketball and football for CBS and the NBA on TNT.  But his masterpiece is his work on Westwood One's coverage of Monday Night Football.  He is the best national broadcaster for football because like McConnell, he paints an outstanding word picture for listeners.  If you never heard him call a football game on radio, turn on 100.3 FM on Monday nights.  You will be impressed.  

7.  Ted Robinson:  Another broadcaster with a Twin Cities resume' that has gone national.  He also is a very versatile broadcaster, calling the Twins, Gophers and the state basketball and hockey tournaments.  He also filled in on a Wolves radio broadcast while Harlan did the TV portion.  He later went on to do Olympic diving, speedskating and baseball for NBC as well as a sport he has described for more than 30 years, tennis.  He has been the voice for the French Open and Wimbledon and currently calls matches for The Tennis Channel.  

8.  Halsey Hall:  One of the earliest sportscasters in the Twin Cities, Hall was the long-time voice of the Minneapolis Millers as well as Gopher Football.  When the Twins came from Washington in 1961, he was one of the original broadcasters along with Bob Wolff and Ray Scott before Carneal replaced Wolff in 1962.  He was the first broadcaster to use the phrase "Holy cow!" before Phil Rizzuto and Harry Caray.  Hall's legacy lives on as the name sake of the local chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (where the author of this blog has been actively involved since 1985.)  

9.  Dave Lee:  Best known as host of the morning show on WCCO Radio.  What a lot of people probably don't know about Lee is that he is an outstanding sportscaster.  When Christensen retired after a 50 year career on Gopher football and basketball, Lee replaced him.  He was the anchor of the best radio broadcast team in this market, working with Dave Mona and former Gopher running back Darrell Thompson before Learfield Sports broke up the team and hired Mike Grimm.  In addition to calling St. Thomas football games, Lee has broadcast the state basketball tournaments and Prep Bowl for KSTC-TV.  He's a broadcaster who never dominates the game and has good chemistry with his on-air sidekicks.  

10.  Sloane Martin:  An up and coming broadcaster, Martin is on this list because she is a groundbreaker in Twin Cities sports broadcasting.  She's the first female voice for a major league sports team and the first to broadcast the state hockey tournaments as well as the Prep Bowl.  She has an outstanding future ahead of her in this market but she is to this area as Beth Mowins and Pam Ward are to ESPN.  A bright future of Martin.  

Those are the 10 best play-by-play voices of all-time in the Twin Cities.  It was a tough choice to pick seven of the ten but these are soe of the greatest broadcasters in Twin Cities sports.

1971: The Last Minnesota High School Football Season Without a State Tournament

 For the first time since the start of the state tournament format in 1972, there will be no state tournament and Prep Bowl due to the COVID 19 pandemic.  However, the last season without a state tournament was 1971 and HSGN will go back to the last full season without a state tournament.  

It was the fall of 1971, Bud Grant was coaching the Minnesota Vikings, All in the Family was a groundbreaking sitcom on prime time TV and Minnesota high school football was in the final season minus a state tournament.  What was high school football in Minnesota back then?  Here are some of the top teams around the state.  

Starting off with the Minneapolis City Conference, the Washburn Millers under head coach George Wemeier were one of the area's dominant teams.  Not only did they go unbeaten in eight games, they won six of eight via shutout, thanks to a very solid defense.  In addition to the Millers, there was also the Edison Tommies, located in the northeast part of the city.  Because a lot of the schools home fields did not have lights, some games were played under the bright lights at Parade Stadium, which would later become the site of the Class AA championship games.  

Like the boy band of the 80s, there were new kids on the block in 1971.  Head up Brooklyn Blvd. to Brooklyn Park and there would be the home of the Park Center Pirates.  The Pirates went 6-1 in their maiden voyage and tied with the Fridley Tigers for the Skyline Conference title.  Park Center's head coach would later go on to a long and successful tenure with the Brainerd Warriors, Ron Stolski.  The other newcomer, though in its second season was the Armstrong Falcons, based in Plymouth and part of the Robbinsdale district.  Back then, Armstrong as well as Robbinsdale and Cooper would play their home games at Mielke Field, now the site of a Cub Foods store.  The Falcons were led by Jerry Haugen, who led the Lake Conference with 124 points, second to Jerry Pelletier of Bloomington, who later played for Minnesota.  

And speaking of Robbinsdale, the Robins were one of the top teams in the Lake Conference.  Head coach Irv Nerdahl, in his 30th season leading the Robins would help guide the school to its 10th Lake title and their first unbeaten season since 1960.  Robbinsdale also got statewide TV exposure when they were on WTCN's(now KARE) high school game of the week.  They faced the Bloomington Jefferson jaguars, coached by Bruno Waldner and won 20-14.  

Over in the capitol city of St. Paul, there was a three way deadlock for the city conference title with Harding, Murray and Highland Park finishing with identical 7-1 records.  

What about some schools outside the Twin Cities area?  In the Big Nine Conference, there were the Albert Lea Tigers, who were undefeated in 1970 and under the veteran leadership of Jim Gustafson.  Also in the southern portion of Minnesota, there was the small town of Bricelyn, where the Braves went unbeaten to extend their winning streak to 19 games.  

The 1971 season would be monumental for Montevideo, unbeaten and on a quest for their first undefeated season since 1917 and their first West Central Conference title since 1951.  

But the team that the Minneapolis Tribune would dub the mythical state champion was located in northwestern Minnesota.  The Moorhead Spuds, coached by Jim Gotta since 1959 went unbeaten and lost only one game in three years.  One member of the Spuds, Brad Atchison would be the starting quarterback on the Spuds first state tournament team in 1972, losing to the Minneapolis Washburn Millers at Met Stadium in Bloomington.  Atchison would later be the head coach of the Willmar High School girls basketball team.  He headed the Cardinals for 35 seasons until he retired in 2012.  

So that was what the state of Minnesota high school football was like in 1971.  The following season, the Minnesota State High School League enacted a five class (now seven) state tournament format.  Championship games would be at sites throughout the state until the Prep Bowl debuted in 1982 at the Metrodome.  But in 1971, when state titles were nonexistant, it was just the regular season and that was it.  

An Abrupt End to the Fall Sports Season

 The fall high school sports season in Minnesota has been a whirly twirly topsy one with late starts, postponements and cancellations due to the COVID 19 pandemic.  But it all came to an abrupt end on November 19 since Governor Tim Walz instituted a four week pause on youth and high school sports in the state.  

This also meant the football and volleyball seasons would end without a true state champion.  For football, it would be the first time since the state tournament era began in 1972 that there will be no state tournament.  

Even the Prep Bowl, which has been held since 1982 will not take place in 2019 the two days after Thanksgiving and that will leave US Bank Stadium, the current Prep Bowl site empty.  

Since the football season has no state champion since 1971, HSGN has been in the process of researching a future article about the last pre state tournament season.  It should be online prior to Thanksgiving.  

Now where does that leave the upcoming winter sports season?  Will winter sports begin as scheduled,or will some games need to be rescheduled due to the start of practice before the season begins?  Or will our Governor extend the moratorium on high school sports if the number of COVID 19 cases doesn't improve?  

It's a hard question to answer but we will likely know by December 19 if wrestlers, basketball and hockey players as well as skiers, swimmers and gymnasts can start their respective seasons.  How about state tournaments?  Find out in several months.  

2020 Section 5AAAAA Football Preview

 Since there will be no state football tournament this season due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the 2020 football season will wrap up with section play, including St. Louis Park's section 5AAAAA.  Here's a preview of this season's section pairings.  

Looking at the upper bracket, the top seeded Spring Lake Panthers get an opening round bye.  The Panthers have won five straight games since losing their season opener to the Becker Bulldogs.  Four of their five victories have come by way of a shutout.  Spring Lake Park runs a high powered offense that runs the football a lot.  Aaron Payne has led the Panther rushing attack with five touchdowns.  Nate Litke and Aaron Clausen have four touchdowns apiece.  

Spring Lake Park will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between the fifth seeded St. Louis Park Orioles and the fourth seeded Irondale Knights.  It's been a rough road for head coach Jason Foster in his first season leading the Orioles.  The one bright spot came on November 7 when St. Louis Park upset the unbeaten Orono Spartans 35-27.  But four days later, the Orioles fell to earth with a 37-14 drubbing from the unbeaten Chanhassen Storm.  Up in New Brighton, the Irondale Knights played only four games this season due to their games cancelled against Henry Sibley and Armstrong due to the coronavirus.  The Knights shined brightly with wins over the Park Center Pirates and the Eastview Lightning.  Reuben Kings and Jordan Shaw anchor the Irondale backfield that combined for three touchdowns against the Lightning.  Can the Orioles head into a rematch with the Panthers?  It should be an interesting game this coming Tuesday night.  

Looking at the lower bracket, the second seeded Cooper Hawks also get a quarterfinal bye.  The Hawks finished their regular season with a record of 3-3, coming up short on November 11 against the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights 36-34.  Cooper is led by quarterback Joseph Russell and running back Camden Royal who has five touchdowns this season.  

Who will head to New Hope for the semifinals?  It will be the winner of the quarterfinal game between the sixth seeded Park Center Pirates and the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers.  It's been a dismal year for the Brooklyn Park based Pirates, going 0-6 in the regular season.  They lost their season finale to the Hopkins Royals 38-14.  Quarterback Marcus Freeman and running back Desmond Scott would tally for Park Center.  The Lakers enter section play with a 4-2 record, losing to a pair of perennial powers the St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders and the Minneapolis North Polars.  Southwest is a team that also likes to run the ball, averaging 219 rushing yards per game.  Nick Flaskamp is the Lakers leading rusher with 1103 yards and nine trips to the end zone.  Flaskamp also excels on defense, recording 93 tackles in 2020.  

Get ready for exciting section play beginning Tuesday, November 17.  

Chanhassen Storm Storms Past SLP Orioles

 For the second straight night, a storm hit St. Louis Park.  It wasn't five inches of snow that pelted the Twin Cities Tuesday night, it was the Chanhassen Storm led by Eli Mau's three touchdowns en route to a 37-14 over the host St. Louis Park Orioles Wednesday night.  

Mau would account for both Storm touchdowns in the first quarter.  He scored the first on a five yard pass from Riley Funk and the second on a fur yard run to put Chanhassen ahead 14-0.  

Both teams tallied in the second quarter.  Mau scored his third touchdown of the game on a three yard run to put the Storm ahead 21-0.  There would be no shutout on this chilly Wednesday night as the Orioles would get the zero off their end of the scoreboard.  Setting up the offensive drive was McCabe Dvorak recovering a Chanhassen fumble.  Then came a 45 yard touchdown run from Zeke Oppegaard and Chanhassen led 21-7 at the half.  

McCabe Dvorak would also be a factor in St. Louis Park lone third quarter touchdown.  His brother Will threw a high and long pass down the right side of the field to McCabe and he hauled in a 68 yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 21-14.  Could another upset be in the works for the Orioles?  The answer would be no when Brady Grandstaff did a very grand thing and reached the end zone on a one yard touchdown run to extend the Chanhassen lead to 28-14.  

The Storm would go up by 21 in the fourth quarter when Funk on second and goal at the Oriole 10 yard line threw a touch pass to Brandon Radtke.  They would wrap up the scoring on Gabe Porthan's end zone sack of Will Dvorak for a safety.  

Chanhassen concludes the regular season with a 5-0 record.  St. Louis Park ends the regular season with a record of 1-5.  Both teams enter section play next Tuesday, November 17.  

Chanhassen Storm-SLP Orioles Football Preview

 After a successful Saturday matinee in Long Lake, the St. Louis Park Orioles football team has a short time to prepare for Wednesday night's regular season home finale against the Chanhassen Storm.  

And yes.  The Saturday matinee football game for the Orioles against the unbeaten Orono Spartans turned out to be a huge success as St. Louis Park battled back from a 21 point deficit in the first quarter to score 28 in the second to upset Orono 35-27.  Will Dvorak threw two touchdowns to his brother McCabe and and 79 yard completion to Deontez Ross, Jr.  Zeke Oppegaard scored on a one yard touchdown run.  The only other Spartan touchdown came in the third quarter on a 99 yard fumble return by Graham Beltrand to cut the lead to 28-27.  But good things came to the Orioles in the fourth quarter when Will Dvorak threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, an eight yard strike to Jordan Moore-Gooden to oust Orono.  The St. Louis Park defense was stellar on that warm Saturday afternoon, recording six sacks and Christian Arteaga had 13 tackles.  Congratulations Jason Foster!  You finally made it to the win column in your first season as head coach.  

The Orioles will face another unbeaten team in the Chanhassen Storm.  Though one of their games got canceled due to COVID-19, the Storm stormed their Highway 5 rival last Friday night, the Waconia Wildcats 34-0.  Senior running back Tucker Pinkerton ran for two touchdowns, a 69 yard run in the second quarter and an eight yard run in the fourth.  The Chanhassen defense held sophomore running back Maxwell McEnelly to 72 yards.  

The keys to the game for the Orioles are for Will Dvorak to continue his momentum at quarterback and for the defense to put pressure on Storm quarterback Riley Funk.  

The Storm's keys to the game are for the offensive line to continue to create opportunities for Pinkerton to get long runs and for the defense to slow down the Orioles running game which hasn't been much this season.  

Wednesday's weather picture will be chillier, with a high in the 40s.  Bundle up.  Game time is 7 PM.  

The Passing of Alex Trebek

He was the host of more than 8,000 episodes of the iconic game show Jeopardy for 37 years.  

If you came up with the correct question as "Who is Alex Trebek?', you're right.  Trebek passed away on November 8 at the age of 80, following a lengthy battle with Stage Four pancreatic cancer.  

Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada on July 22, 1942 and graduated from the University of Ottawa with a major in philosophy.  He got into broadcasting as a way to help finance his studies.  

He began his broadcasting career working for the government ownd Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1963 as host of an American Bandstand show titled Music Hop.  Before he came to the United States, he worked at the CBC in both radio and TV, including a high school quiz show titled Reach for the Top.  

In 1973, Trebek got his big break when his friend and fellow Canadian Alan Thicke to become the host of the NBC game show The Wizard of Odds. Though the show only ran for one season opposite CBS' hit game show Gambit, it would not be the end of Trebek's hosting career.  He would go on to host High Rollers, Double Dare (before a kids game with the same name became popular), The $128,000 Question, Pitfall, Battlestars, Classic Concentration and the 1990 incarnation of To Tell the Truth.  

But the show that made Trebek a household name was Jeopardy.  In 1984, Merv Griffin hired him to host the revival of the answer and question game that was last seen in 1979.  After a slow start, the show picked up higher ratings when local stations aired the show in prime time access slots along with another Griffin creation Wheel of Fortune and the show's popularity took off.  

In addition to hosting Jeopardy, Trebek did a lot of work for charitable organizations, including the United Negro College Fund and World Vision.  He was also the long time host of The National Geographic Bee that has aired for years on both PBS and the National Geographic Channel.  

Though diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer in 2019, Trebek continued to host Jeopardy, including the Greatest of All Time Tournament that featured Ken Jennings,  James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.

The big question is who will replace Trebek when Jeopardy resumes taping shows to air in 2021.  It's not HSGN policy to speculate on a possible replacement but one candidate comes to mind, Mo Rocca.  He's a regular contributor to the CBS News show Sunday Morning, the NPR radio quiz Wait Wait! Don't Tell Me and also hosted the National Geography Bee.  Who will take over Trebek?  No need to phrase your response in the form of a question because it's a tough clue for Jeopardy fans.  

May he rest in peace.  

SLP Orioles-Orono Spartans Football Preview

 A Saturday matinee wraps up the St. Louis Park Oriole football team's road schedule as they head down Highway 12 to Pesonen Stadium in Long lake to face the unbeaten Orono Spartans.  

Last Friday night, it was another rough road for the Orioles as they were routed by the Spring Lake Park Panthers 49-6.  It was the fourth consecutive game that St. Louis Park has allowed more than 40 points.  They have given up an average of 48 points per game this season.  The one bright spot for the Orioles against the Panthers was a 25 yard touchdown pass from Will Dvorak to Brady Walsh in the second quarter.  But it was all Spring Lake Park who was led by Nate Litke's three touchdowns and 105 rushing yards.  

Looking at the Orono Spartans, they won their fourth straight game with a 26-6 win over the Waconia Wildcats last Friday.  The Spartan defense put the clamps on the Wildcats superb sophomore running back Maxwell McEnelly, holding him to 53 yards.  It was his first game this season under 100 rushing yards.  Orono has a double threat quarterback in Teddy Deters, who threw two touchdown passes to Noah Arneson and ran for one score.  Defense has also played a key to the Spartans successful season, led by Joey Tilzer's 16 tackles last week and Bradley Walker and Nick Hartmann had 10 tackles apiece.  

The key to the Orioles will be for Will Dvorak to try and solve the very tough Orono defense and give Walsh and the other receivers opportunities to put the ball in the end zone.  They also need to get a better running game than last week as they got only 22 yards from Zeke Oppegaard.  

The Spartans key to the game will be for Deters to have another balanced game on offense and the defense to play tough on Will Dvorak.  

It will be a very bright weather picture this Saturday in Long Lake. Get your shorts out of storage for a noon kickoff.  

Previewing Friday's Football Showdown of SLPs

 It's The Battle of the SLPs this coming Friday night as the St. Louis Park Orioles open a two game road trip that starts with a trip up Highway 65 to take on the Spring Lake Park Panthers.  

Last Friday, it was another rough and rocky road for St. Louis Park as the Orioles fell to 0-3 with a 41-20 loss to the Cooper Hawks.  The Oriole offense was as cold as the weather that night, trailing 14-0 after the first quarter and down 27-7 at the half.  The Brothers Dvorak collaborated on the lone first half touchdown with Will firing a 25 yard pass to his brother McCabe.  The offensive highlight of the night came in the fourth quarter when Will Dvorak threw the ball down the left side of the field and Austin Amelse hauled in an 80 yard touchdown pass.  As for Cooper, Camden Royal ran for two touchdowns and Kahlil Borden ran a punt return into the end zone.  

The Panthers got off to a rough start in two ways.  First, their game against the Armstrong Falcons was cancelled due to COVID-19 but they were still in action against one of the state's top programs, the Becker Bulldogs, under the veteran leadership of Dwight Lundeen.  And second, they were beaten by the Bulldogs 20-13.  Carter Callahan reached the end zone three times for Becker.  Since the Becker beating, Spring Lake Park posted two straight shutouts, Irondale 28-0 and last week 34-0 over the Coon Rapids Cardinals.  Aaron Payne would be a pain for the Cardinal defense, running for 94 yards and scoring two touchdowns.  Nick Wetzel recorded nine tackles for the Panthers and Joey Sorenson had 10.  

The keys to the game for St. Louis Park are to slow down the Spring Lake Park offense.  They run the ball often and it showed last week against Coon Rapids with 119 yards.  Will Dvorak has to find a way to beat the Panther defense and to spread the ball around his receivers.  

The keys to the game for Spring Lake Park are to continue their outstanding running game and to put defensive pressure on the Orioles.  Can they extend their unanswered point streak past 62 over two games?  

There's good news for Friday's weather picture.  It will be warmer than last Friday night.  As usual, game time is 7 PM.  

Cooper Hawks Clobber SLP Orioles

 Camden Royal played like a king Friday night, scoring two touchdowns to lead the Cooper Hawks to a 41-20 win over the host St. Louis Park Orioles.  

The Hawks reached the end zone twice in the first quarter.  Terrence Matthews opened the scoring with a three yard touchdown run.  Royal scored his first touchdown as he ran left for an 11 yard run and Cooper led 14-0.  

There would be no shutout on this chilly Friday night when Will Dvorak threw a 25 yard completion to his brother McCabe and the Orioles trimmed the lead to 14-7.  But Cooper would reach the end zone once again on Kahlil Borden's 35 yard punt return and the lead would climb back to 14.  The Hawks concluded the first half scoring on Joseph Russell's six yard touchdown pass with :29.3 left in the first half and Cooper led 28-8 at halftime.  

Cooper would add two more touchdowns to their ledger in the third quarter as Royal reached the end zone a second time, this time from 14 yards.  Just as the stadium clock hit :00.0, Joseph Russell completed a 46 yard pass to DaNari Connors and the lead would increase to 41-7.

Would there be running time in the fourth quarter?  Not if the Orioles got the seven off their portion of the scoreboard.  They would as Will Dvorak hurled a deep pass to Austin Amelse and he scored on a 79 yard completion.  Even the reserves would get action with the game decided.  One of them, sophomore quarterback Zach Helfmann would wrap up the scoring on a two yard keeper run.  

The Hawks improved their record to 2-1 and host the Holy Angels Starts on Friday, October 30 at 7 PM. The Orioles fell to 0-3 and will also return to action on the 30th as they head up Highway 65 to Spring Lake Park to face the Panthers at 7 PM.   

Cooper Hawks-SLP Orioles Football Preview

 The weather outside Friday night could be frightful but for St. Louis Park Orioles football fans it will be delightful for the second of three home games as the Orioles host the Cooper Hawks.

Last week, St. Louis Park fell to 0-2 as the Orioles were whacked by the Waconia Wildcats 49-14.  Sophomore running back Maxwell McEnelly rushed for 185 yards and recorded three touchdowns.  The one bright spot for St. Louis Park was Derric Standifer, who accounted for both Oriole touchdowns.  The senior receiver caught four passes for 103 yards.  Quarterback Will Dvorak completed 10 of 17 passes for 125 yards before head coach Jason Foster pulled him late in the game for Zach Helfmann.

As for the Cooper Hawks, they evened their record at 1-1 with a 22-13 defeat last week  by the Orono Spartans.  The Hawks were trailing 15-0 after the third quarter but in the fourth, they almost came back to win thanks to two touchdowns from quarterback Joseph Russell.  He scored the first touchdown with a 17 yard run and the second was a 28 yard completion to Broderick Powell that cut the Spartan lead to 15-13.  But there was no hope that Friday night in New Hope when Graham Beltrand threw a 64 yard touchdown pass to Noah Arneson with 3:47 to go and it was the eventual game winner.  

The key to the Orioles picking up their first win of the season is put a lot of defensive pressure on Russell.  He's been a nemesis to the St. Louis Park defense and they need to slow him down to give them any chance of staying in the game.  The Orioles still have to establish a running game that has been missing in the first two games.  

Cooper's keys to the game are for Russell to once again spread the ball around to his receivers.  Like the Orioles, they also have to get a running game going, averaging 59.5 yards on the ground.  On defense, Jaxon Howard has been the key for the Hawks, recording eight tackles in both games.  He and the rest of the Cooper defensive will put pressure on Will Dvorak.  

For the 250 fans who plan to attend the game, don't forget to bundle up.  Game time is 7 PM.  

Supermarket Sweep Returns to ABC

For the first time since the original version left ABC in 1967, Supermarket Sweep returns to its original network Sunday, October 18.  

It's the third incarnation of the grocery shopping game show (sometimes listed in TV Guide as Market Sweep) that made it's debut on December 20, 1965 along with Chuck Barris' first show The Dating Game and ended July 14, 1967.  The show's original host was Bill Malone, who was later killed in a car accident after the show's original run ended.  

In 1990, creator Al Howard brought back Supermarket Sweet to the Lifetime network. Hosted by David Ruprecht, the revival brought in new games and new bonuses for contestants in The Big Sweep.  It was a bigger success than ABC's daytime run, airing for a total of 14 years (including reruns) on both Lifetime and PAX (now ION) networks.  Ruprecht brought color to this version, dressed in multicolored sweaters.  

But Ruprecht and his colorful sweaters will not be part of the new ABC prime time version.  The new host will be former Saturday Night Live regular Leslie Jones, who was also in the all female reboot of the classic 1980s movie Ghostbusters.  She becomes the fourth female host of a game show on broadcast TV, joining Elizabeth Banks of Press Your Luck, Jane Lynch of The Weakest Link and Hollywood Game Night and Meredith Viera of the syndicated word game 25 Words or Less.  

The new ABC version will be identical to the long running Lifetime version but likely with bigger money and prizes since it's a prime time show.  But it does have tough competition in its new maiden voyage.  Supermarket Sweep will go up against NBC's ratings hit Sunday Night Football, Game 7 of the National League Championship Series(which preempts the annual Simpsons Halloween tradition Treehouse of Horror.  

Can ABC have another Sunday night game show success?  Find out tonight at 7 PM.  I'll wrap up this post with Ruprecht's traditional closing catch phrase. "Next time you're in a checkout counter and you hear the beep (beep beep) Think of the fun you can have on Supermarket Sweep!"  

Waconia Wildcats Wallop SLP Orioles

 Though there was very little wind on this cold Friday night in St. Louis Park, the Waconia Wildcats were dust in the wind for the host Orioles, thanks to sophomore Maxwell McEnelly's three touchdowns that led the Wildcats to a 49-14 win.  

Both teams would tally in the first quarter.  The Wildcats struck first on a nine yard touchdown pass from Karson Dobmeier to Trevor Stockman that put them ahead following the two point conversion 8-0.  The Orioles cut the lead to one on a 20 yard touchdown pass to Derric Standifer with 1:28 left in the quarter.  

It would be as close as St. Louis Park would get to Waconia heading into the second quarter.  Maxwell McEnelly would reach the end zone twice.  He scored his first touchdown from four yards and on the opening play of the Wildcats next drive, he got the handoff from Dobmeier and headed downfield like the team bus heading down Highway 5 for a 50 yard touchdown.  The Orioles would conclude their scoring on Sandifer's second touchdown, a two yard pass from Will Dvorak.  Waconia would wrap up the first half scoring on a 22 yard touchdown pass from Dobmeier to Sean Johnson, giving them a 28-14 halftime lead.  

Maxwell McEnelly would account for the only third quarter touchdown, scoring from 45 yards.  Waconia led 34-14. 

Another member of the McEnelly Family would enter the scorebook.  Maxwell's brother Samuel as he scored on a one yard touchdown.  The Wildcats almost got a pick six on Alexander Riley's interception of will Dvorak but the pass was ruled incomplete.  When Waconia went back on offense, Riley redeemed himself with a three yard touchdown run with 1:21 left in the game.  

The Wildcats improved their record to 1-1 and will host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Friday, October 23 at 7 PM.  The Orioles fell to 0-2 and also return to action on the 23rd, hosting the Cooper Hawks at 7 PM.  

Waconia Wildcats-SLP Orioles Football Preview

 If there's any guarantee in Friday's home opener for the St. Louis Park Orioles as they face the Waconia Wildcats, one of the two teams will pick up their first win of the season.  

Last Friday, the Orioles raised the curtain on the Jason Foster era as they headed down Highway 212 to battle the defending Class AAAAA champion Chaska Hawks.  It was all Chaska as the purple and gold clad Hawks routed the Orioles 44-7.  There was a bright sport for the St. Louis Park offense in quarterback Will Dvorak.  He completed 10 of 24 passes for 155 and that included a 45 yard touchdown pass to Brady Walsh.  Where was the Oriole ground game?  Missing in action that Friday night.  Zeke Oppegaard was their leading rusher with 18 yards on 13 carries.  The total net yardage for St. Louis Park was -34.  Will Dvorak finished with -54 rushing yards.  Can the Orioles avoid going 0-2 against Carver County schools?  

As for the Wildcats, they also opened their season with a defeat, losing 20-13 to the Cooper Hawks.  Waconia has an outstanding sophomore running back in Maxwell McEnelly.  He gained 134 yards on 16 carries as he reached the end zone twice.  His brother Samuel ran six times for 41 yards.  Senior quarterback Karson Dobmeier passed for 95 yards and ran for 27.  On defense, he recorded seven tackles.  

The key for St. Louis Park to win their home opener is to establish a rushing game.  They will need to run the ball and turn last week's total yardage into a positive.  On defense, the Orioles will need to contain Maxwell McEnelly and put pressure on Dobmeier.  

Waconia will need to have a strong game from Maxwell McEnelly and a balanced receiver attack like last week against Cooper when Dobmeier utilized seven receivers.  

Who will pick up their first win of 2020?  Find out Friday night.  Game time is 7 PM so if you're one of the 250 people allowed to attend, be sure and bundle up.  It's going to be chilly.  

SLP Boys Advance to Section 6AA Semifinals and SLP Girls Season Ends

 It was a windy Wednesday night in St. Louis Park as the high school stadium was the site for a couple of Section 6AA soccer quarterfinal games with the boys shutting out the Hopkins Royals 4-0 and the girls, playing on their home field as the visiting team lost to the top seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 1-0.  

First up was the boys quarterfinal game where good things came in pairs for the St. Louis Park Orioles as Alex Ruiz-Shimada and Claudy Zua scored two goals apiece to lead them to a 4-0 victory over the Hopkins Royals.  

The Orioles would strike twice in the first half that started with Zua driving through the center slot and putting the ball past Royal goalkeeper Jonas Swan to put St. Louis Park ahead.  They would add their second goal 2:00 later when Bennett Kouame fed Ruiz-Shimada and he would tally to give the Orioles a 2-0 halftime lead.  

St. Louis Park doubled their first half output in the second half when Ruiz-Shimada put the Orioles ahead by three and Zua would clinch the quarterfinal win 5:00 later.  

The Orioles improved their record to 8-2-2 and advanced to the Section 6AA semifinals against the Minneapolis Washburn Millers on Tuesday, October 20.  Hopkins concluded their season with a 3-8-1 record.  

The top seeded team in the Section 6AA girls tournament the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers were the home team at the St. Louis Park stadium in order to let fans attend and they would go home happy when they saw Stella Thiebert score the game's only with 24:44 left in regulation time to lead Southwest to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.

Neither team would erase the zeros from the scoreboard in the first half.  Could the eighth seeded Orioles pull off the upset in the second half?  Not on their home field as Sophia Romero on a goal kick had it block by Thiebert and she would score the game's lone goal as the Southwest defense prevented St. Louis Park from sending the game into overtime.  

The Lakers improved their record to 10-1-1 and will face the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders in the Section 6AA semifinals on Tuesday, October 20.  Nine of Southwest's ten wins came via shutout.  The Lakers in their season opener against Minnehaha Academy beat the Redhawks 5-2. 

The Orioles ended their season with a 1-9-2 record.  

A Tribute to Tom Kennedy

 Jim Narz, better known to game show fans as Tom Kennedy, passed away on Sunday, October 11 at the age of 93.  

Kennedy was the brother of Jack Narz, who also presided over game shows changed his name to Tom Kennedy to avoid confusion with Jack.  

After working at radio stations in Columbia, MO and Los Angeles, Kennedy would host his first game show in the summer of 1958 titled The Big Game, which was based on the popular game Battleship.  Though the show lasted only 13 weeks, it put Kennedy on the map as a game show host.  

Later that year, Kennedy would host a short-lived revival of the quiz show Dr. IQ.  The show was best known for one of game show's famous catch phrases "I have a lady in the balcony" and contestants getting paid in silver dollars.  The show ran from December 1958 to March of 1959.  

But in 1963, Kennedy would get his big break when he was hired by producer Ralph Andrews to host the game show You Don't Say.  The show began locally in Los Angeles on KTLA with Jack Barry as host.  When NBC picked up You Don't Say to debut in April 1963, Barry was still damaged goods due to the quiz show scandal so Kennedy would become the host.  

You Don't Say would turn out to be Kennedy's breakout show.  The game where two celebrity/civilian teams identified famous names and later placed via clues that sounded like the name but not part of it would run until September 1969 when it was canceled in a revamping of NBC's daytime lineup.  When Kennedy ran through the rules at the top of each show he would always conclude with the line "and that's the word you don't say."  

Not only did Kennedy host, he did play the game a few times with Narz taking over the hosting duties.  Narz's stint landed him the job as host of another Andrews game that lasted only 26 weeks titled I'll Bet.  The show would return in the fall of 1969 under the title It's Your Bet and run for four years in syndication. Kennedy would host the 1971-72 season before he was hired by Monty Hall to host the fast paced quiz show Split Second.  Kennedy's catch phrase (sometimes used by the author of this blog at his regular job as a delivery driver) was "Look at the board."  There were three answers that contestants had to match to Kennedy's questions.  The show ran on ABC for three years following the network's revival of Password.  

As Split Second was winding down, Kennedy would host his longest running show, a revival of the popular music game Name That Tune.  The show, best known for the segment Bid a Note, ran for seven seasons from 1974 to 1981 in prime time access.  The show went through numerous changes throughout its run, including the addition of a young singer named Kathie Lee Johnson, who would later marry football great Frank Gifford and go on to even bigger success as the co-host of a talk show with Regis Philbin.  

While Kennedy was presiding over a show where contestants could win $100,000 ($10,000 a year for 10 years), he also hosted a number of short-lived shows such as a revival of You Don't Say, 50 Grand Slam, To Say the Least, the daytime version of Name That Tune and Whew!

Another show Kennedy hosted was a new version of the game show Break the Bank.  The first show from the reunited partnership of Jack Barry and Dan Enright got high ratings in ABC's afternoon lineup.  However, Fred Silverman, the president of ABC disliked game shows and canceled Break the bank after only 15 weeks.  

In October 1980, Kennedy hosted his first game show for Mark Goodson when he replaced his long-time friend Allen Ludden on Password Plus.  He hosted the show until it was axed in March 1982.  

Kennedy would host two other Goodson games in the 80s.  From 1984 to 1986, he would preside over the charades game Body Language and in the fall of 1985, the nighttime syndicated version of The Price is Right.  In Adam Nedeff's book TV Game Shows FAQ, Kennedy he admitted that he was frustrated with his performance because he had to learn the rules and staging for 27 pricing games that were played on the show.  he admitted that he was a slow learner.  The show, seen in late night slots in some markets was canceled after one season.  

The last game show Kennedy hosted was the NBC daytime show Wordplay.  A cross between Liar's Club and a lesser known syndicated game Oh My Word, contestants guessed the definitions of obscure words that were given by a panel of three celebrities.  A replacement for the long running soap opera Search for Tomorrow, the show ran only nine months.

After Wordplay ended it's run, Kennedy moved into production with two game show pilots.  The shows were Star Play, another charades game and Joker in the Pack.  None of the shows were picked up so in 1989, Kennedy retired.  

In addition to hosting game shows, Kennedy guested on other game shows such as Hollywood Squares and Password.  He also had a short stint hosting a talk show in 1970 titled The Real Tom Kennedy Show, that aired in syndication.  

Kennedy also dabbled in acting.  He appeared as a guest on shows including The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, That Girl and in an episode of Cybill as the host of Name That Tune where Cybill Shepherd performed as a featured singer.  

The game show world has lost a prolific host whose many episodes have been erased, especially the original You Don't Say.  But there are some episodes as well as other shows he hosted that are on YouTube.  Reruns of Body Language are frequently seen on the digital network Buzzr.  

May he rest in peace.  

HSGN Responds to Guidelines for Indoor Event Spectators

 Since HSGN went on the blogosphere in 2016, the blog rarely does editorials on issues involving high school sports but with the updated COVID 19 restrictions on indoor events as well as seating limitations for outdoor events, the author who announces and covers other events during the school year is entitled to give his views on the policies set forth by the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League.  

In a previous HSGN post, it was mentioned that with the upcoming volleyball season and the late starting winter sports season that spectators would not be allowed in attendance.  On Thursday, the MDE made a change allowing only two fans per participant.  No walk up ticket sales will be allowed.  Only advance sales will be permitted.  It also means the average fans cannot attend a game at the spur of the moment. Event capacity cannot exceed a maximum of 25% of the venue's total.  

As for outdoor events, seating capacity is limited to 250 spectators.  It also means that schools can distribute 125 tickets.  Social distance of at least six feet is required in both indoor and outdoor settings.  

Now where does HSGN stand on these COVID 19 restrictions?  It has been decided that due to these restrictions and also the possibility of limited media space for accredited print and broadcast media that HSGN will not be covering any games until the pandemic is under control.  However, HSGN will still write about St. Louis Park games the author of this blog is working as a PA announcer or a football spotter.  It's not definite on Groves Academy boys basketball because of other possible St. Louis Park opportunities.  Other newsworthy items will also merit a post.  Historical pieces will still be a part of the blog.  

This was a no brainer decision in an effort to avoid large gatherings and not run the risk of being exposed to the coronavirus.    In addition, road trips to cover games have also been canceled.  Last season, HSGN ventured out to St. Michael-Albertville to cover a football game and to Mayer Lutheran for a volleyball match featuring the top Class A Crusaders.  Not this year.  Health is more important as well as compliance with MDE guidelines.  

So that's where HSGN stands on the COVID 19 guidelines.  It does not mean the blog is ceasing publication but does value what's going on in our state as we battle through this terrible health crisis.  The blogger looks forward to returning to covering events that he won't be at the PA mike and travelling to places for items of interest.  Stay safe.  

SLP Orioles Soccer Teams Wrap Up Regular Season Against Chanhassen Storm

 The 2020 high school soccer regular season came to an end Thursday night as the St. Louis Park Orioles hosting the Chanhassen Storm with the girls losing 1-0 and the boys playing to a 3-3 tie.  

First up was the girls game that was scoreless until Kennedy Beld scored the lone goal 10:46 into the second half to lead the Chanhassen Storm to a 1-0 win over the St, Louis Park Orioles.  

Neither team would score in the first half though the Storm would come close to taking the lead.  But Colleen Westerhaus' shot would go through the crease and wide to the right of Oriole goalkeeper Sophia Romero.  

Chanhassen would change the zero on their side of the scoreboard in the second half when Beld would score from the right side and it would account for the only goal of the game.  

The Storm finished the regular season with a six game unbeaten streak and improved their record to 8-2-1.  In that stretch, they have outscored the opposition 10-1 and seven of their eight wins have been by shutout.  St. Louis Park wrapped up the regular season with a 1-8-2 record.  

Concluding the regular season was the boys game as Chanhassen's Ben Giles scored the tying goal with 2:08 left to force a 3-3 tie against the St. Louis Park Orioles.

Both teams would tally twice in the first half.  The Storm would strike first when Christian Lange scored off a corner kick to put Chanhassen ahead.  They would increase the margin to two as Braedan Sanders capitalized on Oriole goalkeeper Luis Benitez Matias playing far out of the net and Sanders found an opening to put the ball in the goal.  Lo and behold, St. Louis Park would get back in the game with two consecutive goals.  The first would come from Dan Lainsbury on a pass from Alex Ruiz-Shimada and the second from eighth grader Elijah Proost to tie the game at two at halftime.  

The Orioles would forge into the lead in the second half due to Bennett Kouame being awarded a penalty kick and he put it past Chanhassen goalkeeper Caden Carlson.  Could the Orioles head into section play on a winning note?  Not on this Thursday night because Ben Giles would score from the left side with 2:08 left to even the game at three.  

The Storm ended the regular season with a 4-4-3 record and the Orioles finish with a record of 7-2-2.  

Section play begins next week.  

SLP Orioles vs. Chaska Hawks Football Preview

 The wait is over for football fans as the St. Louis Park Orioles begin a new era Friday night under first year head coach Jason Foster with a tough road test against last year's Class AAAAA champion the Chaska Hawks.  

Foster takes over for Ben Wolfe, who stepped down last season following a 4-5 2019 campaign.  

Not only will there be a new coach on the sidelines, there will also be a new quarterback for the Orioles since three sport athlete Aaron Ellingson graduated.  The new signal caller will be junior Will Dvorak, who backed up Ellingson last season.  There's a possibility of frequent scoring drives concluding with Dvorak to Dvorak since Will's brother McCabe, a senior is one of several Oriole receivers.  

In the backfield, senior Austin Amelse and juniors Zeke Oppegaard and Darryl Kemp have opportunities to run the ball.  

Looking at the St. Louis Park defense, seniors Michael Boxley-Harmon and Carlos Acevedo, who is listed at 360 lbs.  bring senior leadership to a young defensive corps.  

The Orioles will have to get a good start against a Chaska team that took home the Class AAAAA championship trophy last season with a win over the St. Thomas Academy Cadets.  It was the first state title for the Carver County school.  Though there's no roster listed online for Chaska, HSGN consulted last season's roster from the state tournament program and found out that quarterback Grif Wurtz graduated and the big question is who will replace him?  Last season, Wurtz had three backups.  They were Brayden Sanders, Matthew Paul and Brendan Suhr.  Which one will start for head coach Bryan Dahl?  

On offense, the Hawks return a key component from last season's state title team, wide receiver Nic Snuggerud.  A lot of players who were sophomores last year are now juniors and on the offensive line could be a junior in Cole Zweifel at 6'4" and 310 lbs.  Defense was a key Chaska's title run in 2019 and they have a returning linebacker in Spencer Goetz.  

It will be a warm weather picture for Friday's season opener.  Due to COVID 19 restrictions, only 125 fans per team will be allowed to enter.  If you do plan to go, please wear a mask and observe social distancing.  Can the Jason Foster Era begin for St. Louis Park on a high note?  

Winter Sports Yes-Fall State Tournaments No

 Good news for high school basketball and hockey fans throughout Minnesota, there will a winter high school sports season.  

The same rings true for participants and fans of wrestling, girls gymnastics, boys swimming, skiing and adapted floor hockey.  

On October 1, the Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors, in a virtual meeting, approved a winter sports calendar.  Winter sports will start later than usual and there will be a 30% reduction in the number of games.  

Unfortunately for fans and parents, they will not allowed to attend due to COVID 19 restrictions on attendance at indoor venues.  To quote the title of a record album of poems by Ogden Nash "Parents Keep Out."  The only people allowed at the games will be players, coaches, game personnel and approved media covering the game.  

Practice will begin for Boys Hockey & Basketball November 23.  The majority of the winter sports, including wrestling, girls and adapted floor hockey, and boys swimming can start practice November 30.  The following Monday, December 7, Girls Hockey and Girls Basketball can start practice.  The later starts are due to potential participants coming off the end of volleyball season.  

Hockey and basketball seasons will consist of 18 regular season games.  No word yet and section or state tournament competition.  

As for the remainder of the fall sports season, there will be section tournament play following the regular season. However, there will be no state tournaments due to the ban of fans due to the pandemic.  It will be the first time since the Prep Bowl began in 1982 that it will not take place in its usual post Thanksgiving time period.  It will also be return to the pre-state tournament era of high school football prior to 1972 that there will be no state championships.  

When will the winter sports season begin in basketball and hockey for St. Louis Park?  Stay tuned for a schedule update when the winter sports schedules have been revised.  

Chaska Hawks Sweep SLP Orioles

 The Chaska Hawks soccer teams flew into the St. Louis Park stadium Tuesday and the girls team shut out the host Orioles 1-0 and the boys got a second half goal from David Garcia with 3:01 left to play that was enough for a 2-1 victory.

In the girls game, one wouldn't be a lonely number for the Chaska Hawks as Paige Bakke scored the only goal of the game with 9:14 left in the first to lead them to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

Bakke would put the Hawks on the board as she took a shot from the center slot and put it past Oriole goalkeeper Sophia Romero to put Chaska ahead 1-0.  

St. Louis Park would have a chance to tie the game in the second half but Alma Beaton's shot was saved by Chaska goalkeeper Jenna Williams.  The Hawks had opportunities to widen their lead but Romero saved a pair of Maddie Davey's shots.  

The Hawks improved their record to 7-2 and the Orioles fell to 0-7-1.  Both teams with be on the road on Thursday, October 1.  Chaska will play at Cooper at 7:15 in New Hope and St. Louis Park will head to Bloomington Stadium to face the Kennedy Eagles, also a 7:15 start.  

Next up was the boys game that saw David Garcia, one of 13 Chaska seniors score the game winning goal with 3:01 left in the game that led the Hawks to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

The Hawks would score the lone first half goal when Oriole goalkeeper Luis Benitez-Matias was playing too far out of the net and would leave an opening for Chris Andino to put the ball past the goal line.  

There would be good news for St. Louis Park in the second half when Bennett Kouame was awarded a penalty kick following a Chaska foul.  Kouame would line the ball past Hawk goalkeeper Carson Youngman to tie the game at one.  Could the Orioles send the home throng home happy?  Not on this fall Tuesday night when Garcia would line a shot to the right side of Benitez-Matias and into the goal with 3:01 remaining in the game.  

Chaska improved their record to 7-1-1 and St. Louis Park fell to 5-3.  Both teams return to action on Thursday October 1 at 5 PM.  Chaska heads to New Hope for a "Battle of the Hawks" as they take on Cooper.  St. Louis Park faces the Kennedy Eagles at Bloomington Stadium.

Between games, the 2020 St. Louis Park High School Homecoming court was presented with Zaid Yusuf and Lilly Strathman crowned king and queen.  

First Jefferson Football PA Voice St. Martin Passes Away

 In the early days of Bloomington Jefferson football, there were familiar sights and sounds to provide a caption for a Fall Friday night at Bloomington Stadium.

One of them was math teacher Steve St. Martin, who was the first public address announcer for Jaguar football when the school opened in 1970.  On September 16, St. Martin passed away at the age of 93.  

St. Martin, a life long Bloomington resident taught in the district for 33 years, starting at the school he graduated from, Lincoln.  Prior to 1965, when Kennedy opened, Lincoln was known as Bloomington High School and was also nicknamed the Bears.  

Other than his teaching career and his football announcing, St. Martin was a descendant of Gideon Pond, who served in the first Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives in 1849, nine years prior to statehood.  Pond was his great-grandfather.  The Pond name was prominent in the early days of Bloomington, including a former elementary school named for F. Wilson Pond.  

Sr. Martin also had an unusual hobby.  In an interview conducted 40 years ago in a journalism class at Jefferson where the author of this blog was learning reporting, it was discovered that he was a correspondence chess player, playing the game by mail.  He was a long time member of the American Postal Chess Organization.  One notable name he played against was author and Sauk Centre native Sinclair Lewis.  

As the PA voice for Jaguar football, he was present for the era of Minnesota high school football when there was no state champion until the advent of the playoff system in 1972 and Jefferson's first team that went to the Class AA finals in 1974 and lost to the Rochester John Marshall Rockets.  

St. Martin, along with band announcer Warren Magnuson, provided the soundtrack for Jefferson football fans on Friday nights.  May he rest in peace.  

Blogger's Note:  Some research for this article came from a story done for the high school yearbook The Revolution in 1980.  

High School Football and Volleyball to Return in October

 Minnesota high school sports fans!  Are you ready for some football and volleyball?  

That's the good news for athletes and fans throughout Minnesota as the Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors, in a special virtual meeting Monday, approved the return of high school football and volleyball to a fall schedule.  

However, it will be a shorter season than usual with teams playing a six game schedule starting Friday, October 9 and ending November 13.  There will be two playoff weeks and the season will come to a close at the latest, November 28.  

Since the playoff format will be two weeks, will there be a Prep Bowl in 2020.  To the knowledge of the author of this blog it is doubtful because of restrictions on the number of fans in attendance and also that no fans have been allowed in US Bank Stadium for Viking games due to the pandemic.  

As for regular season and section games played outside, the maximum number of spectators will be capped at 250.  

The St. Louis Park Orioles will be one of many teams opening up the 2020 campaign on October 9 as Jason Foster begins his maiden voyage as head coach in Chaska at 7 PM.  The Orioles home opener is the following week, October 16 as they will host the Waconia Wildcats at 7 PM.  

Going inside to volleyball, practice begins September 28 with regular season match play starting October 8.  The regular season will consist of 14 matches with no weekend tournaments.  That means that the most prestigious of regular season tournaments, the Apple Valley Invitational will not be held this season.  

Also, fans will not be allowed to attend due to COVID 19 restrictions.  

St. Louis Park opens their season on Thursday October 8 at Benilde-St-Margaret's and travel to Bloomington Kennedy on the 13th.  Their home opener will be against the Chanhassen Storm on Thursday, October 15, also a 7 PM start.  

Get ready for an exciting though later football and volleyball season.  

SLP Orioles Split With Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars

 A warm Tuesday night brought out the fans to the St. Louis Park stadium to see the boys and girls soccer teams in action with the boys shutting out the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars 4-0 and the girls coming up short against the Jaguars 2-1.  

First up was the boys game as four players scored one goal apiece to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 4-0 win over the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.  

Both of the Orioles first half goals came on penalty kicks due to a couple of Jaguar fouls.  Bennett Kouame would strike first followed by the first goal of the season for Alex Ruiz-Shimada that would put St. Louis Park ahead 2-0 at halftime.  

The Orioles would double their first half output in the second half.  Their first goal would come from Mason Boesche when he fired a shot to the left side of Jaguar goalkeeper Cormac Merrill and it entered the net.  Dan Lainsbury would wrap up the scoring for St. Louis Park as he line a shot on the right side of Merrill.  

St. Louis Park won their third straight game and improved their record to 4-1.  They will return to action on Thursday, September 17 at 5 PM in Chanhassen against the Storm.  Jefferson fell to 0-5 and will host the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights on Saturday, September 19 at 11 AM.  In their first five games, the Jaguars have been outscored 17-2.  

On to the girls game where Rachel Hall's second half header turned out to be the game winning goal that led the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

It didn't take long for the Jaguars to find the net.  Ayah Makled's shot barely crossed the goal line :55 into the game.  But the Orioles bounced back, taking advantage of a Jefferson foul that awarded Alma Beaton a penalty kick.  She put it past Jaguar goalkeeper Cayla Jungwirth and the game would be all even at one at halftime.  

Jefferson would vault into the lead 3:37 into the second half.  Jolie Gunn's shot headed toward the crease in front of St. Louis Park goalkeeper Sophia Romero and Hall got into position to head the ball past Romero and into the net..  It was all the Jaguars needed to clinch the win as their strong defense prevented the Orioles from evening the game at two.  

Both teams return to action on Thursday, September 17 at 7:15 PM.  The Jaguars improved to a record of 2-2-1 and will host the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at Bloomington Stadium. The Orioles fell to 1-3-1 and head down Highway 212 to face the Chanhassen Storm.  

A Split Shutout for SLP Orioles over Cooper Hawks

 Thursday night was "A Tale of Two Shutouts" for the St. Louis Park soccer teams with the girls losing to the Cooper Hawks 1-0 and the boys shutting out the Hawks 5-0.  

First up was the girls game where one goal turned out to be enough for Kaidin Camp as she scored the game's only goal in the first half to lead the Cooper Hawks to a 1-0 win over the host St. Louis Park Orioles.  

The Hawks would find the net in the first half when Clare Snapko snapped the ball in bounds toward Oriole goalkeeper Sophia Romero and it deflected off of Kaidin Camp into the goal that put Cooper ahead 1-0 and that would be the halftime score.  

The red one on the St. Louis Park stadium scoreboard would remain stationery in the second half though St. Louis Park had a chance to tie the game.  But Alma Beaton's shot against a three player Hawk wall bounced off the crossbar.  

Cooper ended a three game losing streak and improved their record to 1-3.  They will return to action on Tuesday, September 15 as they head down Highway 212 to Chanhassen to take on the Storm at 7:15 PM.  St. Louis Park fell to 0-3-1 and will also be in action on the 15th as they host the Bloomington Jefferson at 7:15 PM.  

In the boys game, Dan Lainsbury scored two goals to highlight a four goal first half for the St. Louis Park Orioles as they shut out the Cooper Hawks 5-0.  

The Orioles would put the game away in the first half with four goals.  Lainsbury would score the first two.  His first goal came when he was awarded a penalty kick after a Hawk foul.  His shot was saved by Cooper goalkeeper Jayden Hove but Lainsbury got into position on the right side of Hove, found an opening and put the ball in the net.  Lainsbury's second goal came off a centering pass from Bennett Kouame with 23:00 left in the half.  Kouame would also score the third St. Louis Park goal when he received a sliding pass from Luca Guerin and sent the ball to the goal.  Guerin would pick up an assist on the Orioles final first half goal as he made a centering pass to Claudy Zua and he would put St. Louis Park ahead by four at halftime.  

To the second half and the Orioles sent the game into running time with one additional goal.  Wilson Recinos picked up a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct and Guerin was awarded an indirect free kick.  Guerin would line the ball down the right side of the net and the ball crossed the goal line.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 3-1.  It was their first win this season when they scored more than three goals.  They will be in action on Tuesday, September 15 as the host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 5 PM.  Cooper fell to 0-4 and also returns to action on the 15th with a 5 PM game against the Storm in Chanhassen.  

SLP Orioles Home Season Opens With Win and Tie

 On a windy Thursday night, the St. Louis Park Orioles hosted their first soccer doubleheader of the abbreviated fall season with the boys beating the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles 31- and and the Oriole girls playing the Eagles to a 2-2 tie.  

Masks and social distancing were the norm for the boys soccer team and their fans as three players found the net to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 3-1 win over the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.  

The Orioles opened the first half scoring on Bennett Kouame's left side goal.  The Eagles would even the score as Diego Fuentes Rodriguez made a centering pass to freshman Justin Arias and he sent it past the goal line.  Diego Fuentes Rodriguez almost put Kennedy ahead since he was awarded a free kick.  Facing a seven player St. Louis Park wall, his shot bounced out of the goal and the scored would stayed tied at one at the half.  

Dan Lainsbury would open the second half scoring for the Orioles as he went through a couple of Eagle defenders, went to the center slot and sent the ball to the net.  St. Louis Park would conclude the scoring on a line drive goal from sophomore Amanuel Shetaye.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 2-1 and Kennedy fell to 0-2-1.  Both teams return to action on Thursday, September 10.  The Orioles host the Cooper Hawks at 7:15 PM and the Eagles will face the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 7:15 at Bloomington Stadium.  

Next up was the girls game as Isabella Lone scored two goals, including the tying goal with :54.2 left in the game to help the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles tie the St. Louis Park Orioles at two.  

Lone, the daughter of Eagle head coach Mario Lone, scored the first half''s only goal from the left side with 21:00 left in the first half to put Kennedy ahead 1-0.  

But the Orioles would strike back in the second half with two goals.  the first came on a left side corner kick from Alma Beaton and the second came when the ball deflected off of Xiomara Leon Vega and into the net to put St. Louis Park ahead 2-1.  Could the Orioles hold the lead to record their first win of the season?  Not on this Thursday prior to the Labor Day weekend as Lone would line the ball past Oriole goalkeeper Sophia Romero to even the score at two with :54.2 left.  No overtime will be played due to COVID 19 restrictions.  

Both Kennedy and St. Louis Park improved to identical records of 0-2-1.  The Eagles will face the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Thursday, September 10 at 5 PM at Bloomington Stadium.  The Orioles will also be in action on the 10th as they host the Cooper Hawks at 5 PM.  

Practice Begins Monday for 2020 Fall Sports Season

 Good news for high school athletes.  After a lengthy layoff due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the start of fall sports practice begins throughout Minnesota Monday, August 17.  

Practice will begin in football, soccer, volleyball, cross country, girls tennis and girls swimming.  

But things will be different this fall.  Due to the health risk of high contacts sports including football and volleyball, their respective seasons will be delayed until late March.  However, the rest of the fall sports can go on as scheduled but with reduced seasons. 

Looking at St. Louis Park's fall schedule on the Metro West Conference website, there seems to be a common thread with each of the fall sports.  No nonconference games are scheduled.  All games are against Metro West opponents.  

The first Oriole athletic team to open the season is girls tennis as St. Louis Park hosts city rival Benilde-St. Margaret's in a 5 PM match on Wednesday, August 26.  

On the 27th, both the boys and girls soccer teams begin their season in Bloomington against the Jefferson Jaguars with the girls game at 5 PM and the boys at 7:15 PM.  This is a change from previous years when soccer doubleheaders were slotted at 5 & 7 PM.  According to Brittani Schroeder, assistant activities director at St. Louis Park, the reason for the time change is that the stadium will be cleared following the first game in order to allow parents to see their sons or daughters play.  Get outside and cheer on these athletes but please exercise social distancing.  

Big Changes Coming in High School Sports

 Are you ready for spring football?  

That will be one of the changes the Minnesota State High School League approved at its August 4 Board Meeting when it decided to switch the football and volleyball seasons to early spring, starting in mid-March and moving the spring sports season into mid May and running into the summer.  

These changes were implemented due to the COVID 19 pandemic that shut down the spring sports season and made the fall season uncertain with the rising number of positive COVID 19 tests throughout the nation.  

But there will be good news for fall sports participants, coaches and fans.  The season will go one for soccer, cross country, girls tennis and and girls swimming but will be a bit shorter than usual.  The boys and girls soccer seasons will be reduced by 20%.  But will there be section and state tournament play?  

Looking at the St. Louis Park soccer schedules (where the author of this blog will begin his 25th season as the public address announcer), many of the nonconference games have been deleted.  How many will there be?  The MSHSL Board stated that teams should play only one or two games per week.

As the fall sports season has been settled, what about winter sports such as basketball and hockey?  Will fans be allowed to attend?  Will the seasons proceed as scheduled?  

Fall sports practice begins August 17.  

HSGN Celebrates Four Years of Blogging

Today, August 1 marks the fourth anniversary of the day HSGN joined the blogosphere, writing about high school sports and game shows. 

Unfortunately, due to the COVID 19 pandemic that shut down the whole spring sports season throughout Minnesota, there has been little to write about for HSGN. 

But there have been things worth mentioning on the high school sports scene.  First, Hopkins girls basketball coach Brian Cosgriff retired after 21 seasons.  The Royals were one game away from a second consecutive state title until the state tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. 

Next, will there be a fall sports season in Minnesota?  The Minnesota State High School League meets August 4 to render a decision on how fall sports should proceed.  Should it be business as usual or a shortened season.  Or will the season be postponed or cancelled? 

Finally, HSGN would like to extend the best of luck to Brad Brubaker.  Brubaker, according to slpschools.org, retired from his teaching position after 32 years with the district.  He was the head girls track coach, assistant girls soccer coach where his daughter Lydia also played for the Orioles and is now an assistant.  His son, Nathan also played soccer for St. Louis Park.  Brubaker also served as the public address announcer for Oriole girls basketball games. 

On the game show front, it's been a mix of reruns and new episodes due to COVID 19 for ABC's Sunday and Thursday night lineups.  Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are about to resume taping after weeks of reruns but it will be a different vibe because there will be no studio audience. 

So that's what's happening since the last post.  Happy Anniversary HSGN and hopefully there will be something worth posting soon that would be of interest. 

Metro West Conference to Expand to 10 Teams in 2021-22 Season

New conference rivals will be coming for the St. Louis Park Orioles and the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights in the 2021-22 season as the Metro West Conference will expand from seven teams to 10. 

The Waconia Wildcats, Orono Spartans and New Prague Trojans will be moving from the Wright County Conference to the Metro West. 

St. Louis Park activities director Andy Ewald gave his reaction to the new Metro West schools in the June 18 St. Louis Park/Hopkins Sun-Sailor.  

"We are going into it with an open mind and be a good conference member.  We know the new schools are excited about joining the conference and if we have unintended consequences, that's on us to deal with them as they come up. "

He also commented on scheduling.  "It takes away our ability to schedule section opponents or other schools around us." 

As for Benilde-St. Margaret's, the school will reunite with Orono since they were in the late Metro Alliance Conference and New Prague when they were part of another defunct conference, the Missota.   The Red Knights have been rivals in section soccer for years and the rivalry will be revived in the 2021 soccer season.  Orono is currently in Section 6A and BSM in Section 6A. 

The addition of Waconia will also create a natural rivalry with both Carver County schools, Chaska and Chanhassen.  The three communities are located in the vicinity of Highways 5 and 212. 

The new 10 team Metro West Conference begins in 2021-22.  Get ready for some inteersting conference races in the years to come. 

Pandemic Ends High School Sports Season

If you are wondering why HSGN hasn't posted anything in more than a month, it's not because the author of this blog is lazy, there hasn't been anything to write about since the state basketball tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID 19 outbreak. 

Until now. 

Last Wednesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced during the daily health briefing that schools throughout the state will be closed the remainder of the school year.  It also means that the high school spring sports season, including state tournaments in baseball, softball, lacrosse, track and field and boys tennis will not be held. 

This is a crushing blow to many senior athletes, who look toward ending their athletic careers before obtaining their diploma in June. Governor Walz's mandate signifies that venues at St. Louis Park and Benilde-St. Margaret's will be filled, to quote Simon and Garfunkel with The Sound of Silence. 

How will the shutdown impact the upcoming fall sports season?  Fall sports practice begins on August 17 with the boys soccer season opening for St. Louis Park on Thursday, August 27 against the perennial power Blake Bears at 7 PM in Hopkins.  The girls season opens on Saturday, August 29 with a 1 PM game against the Armstrong Falcons at Plymouth. 

The Oriole football team begins its maiden voyage under first year head coach Jason Foster Thursday, September 3 at 7 PM in Chaska. 

We can hope that fall sports will go on.  Stay safe, stay healthy and stay right here for further updates. 

2020 State Class A Girls Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal Preview

2020 STATE CLASS A GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
                      (Games played Thursday, March 12 at Maturi Pavilion) 

11:00:  Red Lake vs. Minneota (Seed 1)
 1:00:   Heritage Christian Academy (Seed 5) vs. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (Seed 4)
 3:00:   Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa vs. Cromwell-Wright (Seed 2)
 5:00;   Fillmore Central vs. Henning (Seed 3)

Examining the field:  If you plan on attending the Class A quarterfinals instead of the Class AAA semifinals at The Barn, you might want to pay $5 for a program because there are four teams making their Class A debut.  Not so in the opening game which pits the Red Lake Warriors against the top seeded and defending Class A champion Minneota Vikings.  The Warriors, seeded third in Section 8, beat the top seeded Fosston Grehounds to advance to the title game where they beat fourth seeded Badger-Greenbush-Middle River 64-54.  Red Lake got off to a slow start before heading to Minneapolis on a 17-1 run that included four games where they broke the 100 point mark.  The Vikings, under the veteran leadership of Chad Johnston lost only one game in the regular season to the Goodhue Wildcats.  It's the ninth trip to state for Minneota, led by The Hennen Sisters, Abby and Morgan.  Can they add another championship trophy to their case? 

In the second game, the fifth seeded Heritage Christian Academy Eagles make their third straight trip down I-94 to the state tournament.  Last season, the Eagles lost to Minneota in the semifinals and didn't leave the Twin Cities empty handed since they took home the third place trophy.  Their opponent is the first of the four newcomers in the Class A field, the fourth seeded Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Buccaneers.  The Buccaneers enter state tournament play on an eight game winning streak after starting the season 15-0.  Could there be a rematch of last year's Class A semifinal between the Eagles and the Vikings or will the Buccaneers ship contend for the state title? 

Next up is another first time team.  The Belgrade-Brooten Jaguars got hot at the right time, winning four straight section games, including an 18 point upset win over top seeded Walker-Hackensack-Akeley.  Rhey face the second seeded Cromwell-Wright Cardinals, who lost to the Minneota Vikings and the Hermantown Hawks by a combined total of four points.  It's the third trip to state for Cromwell-Wright and the fifth for the growing metropolis of 234 inhabitants.  Is a potential state title game in the Cards for Cromwell-Wright. 

Concluding the Class A  quarterfinals is a couple of first time teams as the Fillmore Central Falcons face the third seeded Henning Hornets.  The Falcons, based in the Amish community of Harmony were the second seed in Section 1 and beat the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms in the section final.  Last season, the Henning boys basketball team captured the hearts of state tournament fans by winning the Class A title for the first time since they played in the one class tournament in 1966.  This year, it's the girls turn to make the trip to Minneapolis and the Hornets are red hot, winning nine straight games.  Will it be another season to remember for Henning basketball fans? 

Those are the previews of the four classes.  Plenty of outstanding girls basketball over the tournament's four days. 

2020 Class AA State Girls Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal Preview

2020 CLASS AA STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE

                       (Games played Wednesday, March 11)

AT WILLIAMS ARENA

6:00:  Concordia Academy vs. Rochester Lourdes (Seed 1)

8:00:  Waseca (Seed 5) vs. Pelican Rapids (Seed 4)

AT MATURI PAVILION

6:00:  Providence Academy vs. Sauk Centre (Seed 2)

8:00:  Duluth Marshall vs. New London-Spicer (Seed 3) 

Examining the field:  A new champion will be crowned in Class AA due to the Concordia Academy Beacons ending the Minnehaha Academy Redhawks six year run as Section 4 champions.  That's the good news for the Roseville school.  Now the bad news.  They go up against the top ranked and top seeded Rochester Lourdes Eagles.  One of the top girls basketball programs in the state, the Eagles advanced to their 19th state tournament and will battle for their ninth state title trophy, the first for current head coach Aaron Berg, who took over the coaching reigns after Myron Glass retired.  Can the Beacons lights shine bright against the top seeded Eagles or will the home of the Mayo Clinic add another state title?  

Closing the day's festivities at The Barn is the Waseca Bluejays, playing their first season in Class AA after the sections were reconfigured last spring by the Minnesota State High School League.  The Bluejays head to Minneapolis winning nine of their last ten games.  The opposition is the fourth seeded Pelican Rapids Vikings, heading down I-94 for the first time since 2013.  The Vikings are unbeaten at 29-0 and they are seeded fourth?  They were the second seed in Section 8 and beat the top seeded Fergus Falls Otters.  Can Pelican Rapids prove that they are one of the top teams in Minnesota and set up a possible showdown with Rochester Lourdes?  

Next door at Maturi Pavilion, the Providence Academy Lions are back in the state tournament for the first time since 2013.  The lions are on a five game winning streak and go up against the powerhouse from the home of Sinclair Lewis,  Sauk Centre.  Head coach Scott Bergman has led the Mainstreeters into their ninth and their fifth in sixth years.  They came out of perhaps the toughest section in the state, Section 6 as the number two seed behind a team they lost to in the regular season, the Albany Huskies.  Don't count out the Mainstreeters, they could be back for Saturday afternoon's Class AA final.  

Wrapping up Quarterfinal Wednesday is the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers, returning to Minneapolis for the first time in 20 years.  Marshall is best known for their outstanding boys hockey program but this time is the girls basketball team's turn to take the state tournament spotlight.  The Hilltoppers have a tough hill to climb in the third seeded New London-Spicer Wildcats.  The Wildcats will play in their 18th state tournament, all under the veteran leadership of Mike Dreier.  Their only loss this season was to Sauk Centre on December 19 55-50.  Could there be a rematch in the semifinals?  

Next.  The Class A quarterfinal preview.  

2020 Class AAA State Girls Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal Preview

2020 STATE CLASS AAA GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
  (Games played Wednesday, March 11 at Maturi Pavilion on University of Minnesota campus.)

10:00:  Hermantown vs. DeLaSalle (Seed 1)
12:00:  Holy Angels (Seed 5) vs. Simley (Seed 4)
 2:00:   Alexandria vs. Becker (Seed 2)
 4:00:   Waconia vs. Red Wing (Seed 3)

Examining the field:  What a week for anyone connected with Hermantown athletics.  First the boys hockey team advances to the Class A championship game, losing in overtime to the Mahtomedi Zephyrs.  Now the fans who were in attendance in St. Paul last Saturday can get the bitter loss out of their system as the Hawks head to the state girls basketball tournament for the first time since 2006.  But it will a tough road for the Hawks since they will face the top seeded and defending Class AAA champion DeLaSalle Islanders.  The Islanders shook off an 0-3 start to go 24-1 the remainder of the season.  There could be another celebration for the school located on the banks of the Mississippi River. 

In the second game, head coach Dan Woods brings the blue and gold clad Holy Angels Stars back to Minneapolis for their eight trip to the state tournament.  The Stars have an outstanding junior in Francesca Vascellaro, daughter of WCCO-TV news anchors Frank Vascellaro and Amelia Santinello.  Can she help bring good news for Stars fans?  But they have to face a red hot Simley Spartans who have won 24 straight games.  The Inver Grove Heights school is back at state for the first time since 2014.  Looking for something to do on your lunch break.  Head over to Maturi Pavilion.  It should be an outstanding quarterfinal game. 

For the 10th time in school history, head coach Wendy Kohler brings her Alexandria Cardinals down I-94 to Minneapolis in an attempt to win the school's first Class AAA title since 1997.  But it won't be easy because the Cardinals take on the second seeded Becker Bulldogs who lost to DeLaSalle in last year's title game.  The Bulldogs have been playing great basketball throughout Sherburne County, not losing a game since they were beaten by the Hutchinson Tigers December 27.  Head coach Dan Baird has a young and talented team on the rise with two seniors, six juniors and three freshman.  This is a team hat could bring the championship trophy up Highway 10 Saturday night. 

Wrapping up the Class AAA quarterfinals is the Waconia Wildcats, who defeated the unbeaten Marshall Tigers to earn their first state tournament berth.  The Wildcats have gone 17-8 since they started the season 0-2.  Can they spring another upset?  This time they will go against the third seeded Red Wing Wingers, who are in their first state tournament since 2013.  The Wingers have won 12 straight games and could force a showdown with Becker if they are victorious over Alexandria. 

Next.  The Class AA preview. 

2020 State Class AAAA Girls Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal Preview

   2020 STATE CLASS AAAA GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
                        (Games played Wednesday, March 11 at Williams Arena, Minneapolis)

10:00:  Cambridge-Isanti vs. Hopkins (Seed 1)
12:00:  Stillwater (Seed 5) vs. Park Center (Seed 4)
 2:00:   Eden Prairie vs. Farmington (Seed 2)
 4:00:   Lakeville North vs. St. Michael-Albertville (Seed 3)

Examining the field:  Opening up the 2020 state girls basketball tournament is one of the great dynasties in Minnesota girls basketball history, the top seeded and defending Class AAAA champion Hopkins Royals.  The Royals won their 60th straight game by defeating the Wayzata Trojans in the Section 6 final.  It will also give fans a final opportunity to see Paige Bueckers in action before she plays for Geno Auriemma next season at UConn.  But the Royals are much more than Bueckers.  There's also sophomore Maya Nnaji, Taylor Woodson, KK Adams and Amaya Battle.  Hopkins will battle the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets in the quarterfinals.  The Bluejackets were seeded fourth in in Section 7, beating the top seeded Andover Huskies in the semifinals.  It could be a long, somber bus ride up Highway 65 for Cambridge-Isanti fans.  Take the day off from work or go to prepspotlight.tv to see a team that could close the page for another state title. 

The second quarterfinal game pits the fifth seeded Stillwater Ponies, on a quest to a rematch of last year's Class AAAA final against the fourth seeded Park Center Pirates.  Who knows.  Sara Scalia, who played in last year's tournament and now a Golden Gopher could be in the seats watching her sister Amber in action as well as Alex Pratt and Grace Cote.  It will be a tough ride for the Ponies as they take on a Pirate team that has one of the state's top juniors Adalia McKenzie.  She could be the first Park Center girls basketball player to go Division I since Mikayla Hayes played for Florida.  It should be an intriguing matchup with the winner to face Hopkins. 

In the lower bracket, the Eden Prairie Eagles make their fourth trip to state and their first since 2014 as they face the second seeded Farmington Tigers.  It's the first trip to Minneapolis for the Tigers who have been playing in the South Suburban Conference shadow of the two Lakeville schools and Eastview.  Farmington has another outstanding junior to watch in 6'4" center Sophie Hart who committed to Minnesota.  Will Lindsey Whalen be present to watch the future Gopher in action?  The Tigers could be one contender for a championship berth. 

The final quarterfinal game pits the Lakeville North Panthers against the third seeded St. Michael-Albertville Knights.  It's the 10th trip to state for the Panthers, 10 years after winning the state Class AAAA title.  Lakeville North was the second seed in Section 3, defeating the top seeded Rosemount Irish in the section final.  The Knights are also in their 10th state tournament appearance, their first as a Lake Conference school.  STMA lost to Hopkins twice in the regular season.  Could there be a third meeting between the two Lake rivals? 

Next.  The Class AAA preview. 

The Twelfth Time is the Charm for Mahtomedi Zephyrs

There was plenty of blue and gold clad fans in the Xcel Energy Center's green seats Saturday afternoon who witnessed a classic when Colin Hagstrom scored the game winning goal with 5:16 left in overtime to lead the Mahtomedi Zephyrs to a 3-2 win over the Hermantown Hawks in the Class A boys hockey championship game. 

It was the first state title in 12 trips to St. Paul for the Zephyrs.  Mahtomedi is one of three Metro East Conference teams in this year's state tournament.  The other two are Hill-Murray and St. Thomas Academy, both playing in the Class AA bracket. 

The first period started with both teams four on four for :53 but neither team would strike first.  The Zephyrs would break the scoreless tie while the Hawks Joey Pierce was serving a hooking penalty.  Nikolai Dulak made a centering pass to JD Metz in the center slot and he line the shot through the slot, over the shoulder of Hagstrom and it would land in the net. 

Both teams would tally in the second period.  Mahtomedi, once again would capitalize on a power play opportunity as Metz maneuvered the puck around the boards and centered it to Ethan Peterson on the doorstep and he would put the Zephyrs ahead by two.  There would be no shutout in this year's Class A final when Hermantown, appearing in its 16th state tournament would erase the zero from their portion of the scoreboard.  Drew Sams received a pass from Cole Antcliff at the right point and fired the puck past Mahtomedi goalie Ben Dardis to cut the lead to one. 

It looked like the Zephyrs were going to clinch the championship in regulation time.  Not so fast.  With :53 remaining, head coach Pat Andrews pull goalie Jacob Backstrom for a sixth attacker.  The Hawks, who had 22 shots stopped by the sophomore goalie Dardis were able to connect on the 23rd on Aaron Pionk's liner past Dardis that crossed the goal line with :21.2 left.  On to overtime. 

It didn't take long for the Zephyrs to wrap up their first state title.  Metz would go around the boards, head toward the corner and made a centering pass to Hagstrom in the center slot and he would send the puck past Backstrom to take home the championship trophy. 

Hermantown outshot Mahtomedi 42-14. 

In the Class A third palce game, the St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders beat the Warroad Warriors 6-4. In the Class A consolation final at the 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus, Jesse Peterson scored the game winning goal with 4:50 left in overtime to lead the Delano Tigers to a 2-1 win over the Monticello Moose. 

Not only did Hagstrom score the game winning goal, he also received the Class A Herb Brooks Award which goes to a player who exhibits the traits of the late coach. 

The attendance for the Class A championship session was 8,978. 

2020 Class A Boys Basketball Section Preview

Just like the eight Class AA sections, several Class A sections have already started and some are about to get underway so here's who's left standing and who are the top seeds in the eight Class A sections.

A highly competitive section is Section 1 as the top four seeds are still in competition.  The top seeded Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms, followed by the second seeded Hayfield Vikings, the third seeded Randolph Rockets and the fourth seeded Schaffer Academy Lions, who are in the hunt for their first state tournament berth.  Don't count out the fifth seeded Grand Meadow Superlarks and the sixth seeded Lyle/Austin Pacelli Athletics.  Who will head up I-35 to Minneapolis?  It's tough to answer the question.

In Section 2, the top seed in the North subsection is the BOLD Warriors, whose only loss this season was to the Minnewaska Area Lakers they will have to get past the second seeded New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds.  The South Subsection's top four seeds are still vying for a state tournament berth, starting with the top seeded Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Buccaneers, the second seeded Springfield Trojans, the third seeded Mountain Lake/Comfrey Wolverines and the fourth seeded Nicollet Raiders.  Who will be bold against BOLD if the Warriors head to the section title game?

Over in Section 3, the North subsection's top seed, the Central Minnesota Christian Bluejays face the fourth seeded Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks and the second seeded MACCRAY Wolverines face the Lac Qui Parle Valley Eagles.  Looking at the South Subsection, the top seeded Southwest Minnesota Christian Eagles are unbeaten and they will have to get past the fifth seeded Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots before they battle the winner of the Westbook/Walnut Grove Chargers and the third seeded Adrian/Ellsworth Dragons, seeds two and three.

The top seed in Section 4 is the Christ's Household of Faith Lions, who played in last year's state tournament and lost to the eventual state champion Henning Hornets.  But the Lions have another team with the same nickname that's on a roll, second seeded Legacy Christian, who enters section play on an eight game winning streak.  Could the Section 4 final be the Battle of the Lions?

In Section 5, the East Subsection could be a two team race with the top seeded Cromwell-Wright Cardinals and the second seeded East Central Eagles.  It's also a two team race in the West Subsection with the top seeded Nevis Tigers and the second seeded Pine River-Backus Tigers.

Last year's Class A champions the Henning Hornets are the top seed in the Section 6 North subsection.  Looking to end the Hornets run is the second seeded Norman County East/Ulen Hitterdal Titans.  The top seed in the South Subsection is the West Central Area Knights, who ended regular season play with 14 straight victories.  But look out for the second seeded Parkers Prairie Panthers, the third seeded Hancock Owls, the fourth seeded Ashby Arrows and the fifth seeded Brandon-Evansvile Chargers.  Can the Hornets earn a return trip to Minneapolis or will any of the five teams in the South subsection put an end to their run?

Up north in Section 7 the top seeded Nashwauk-Keewatin Spartans could make their first trip down I-35 to Minneapolis since 2004.  However, the second seeded North Woods Grizzlies is in the hunt for their fourth consecutive trip to state where they lost three consecutive championship games. The third seeded Ely Timberwolves have a shot at their first trip to state since 2001 and the fourth seeded Deer River Warriors could surprise and make their state tournament debut.  It could be an interesting section. 

Closing out the section preview is Section 8.  In the East Subsection, the top seed is the Cass Lake-Bena Panthers and the second seed is the Red Lake Warriors.  Could a Native American school return to Minneapolis?  It would be great for diversity since the state tournament began in 1913, though the Panthers have been to state six times and the Warriors nine.  Looking at the West Subsection, the top seeded Ada-Borup Cougars have won 18 straight games but before the pep band and fan buses head to the Twin Cities, there could be four other teams that could cage the Cougars state tournament chances.  The second seeded Fertile-Beltrami Falcons haven't been to state since 2001, the third seeded Banger-Greenbush-Middle River Raiders have won 10 of their last 11 games the fourth seeded Red Lake County Rebels have a chance at an All Red Lake final if Red Lake wins the East subsection and the fifth seeded Kittson County Central Bearcats are in the hunt for their first state tournament berth.  It's more than just exciting hockey in northwestern Minnesota, there's some exciting boys basketball in that neck of the woods. 

There they are.  A preview of the eight sections in each of the four classes.  The Road to Minneapolis is paved with some great games.  Get out and see one.