John’s Journal: The Sky’s The Limit For Tackle Cancer

 

After one of the biggest games in Simley High School football history, a victory on Nov. 17 that moved the Spartans into the Prep Bowl state championship game this week, head coach Chris Mensen was standing in a quiet hallway inside U.S. Bank Stadium and talking about Kim Madigan.

Kim was 59 years old when she died on January 20, 2020. Her husband Mark is an assistant football coach at Simley and Kim was the administrative assistant in the athletic department at the school in Inver Grove Heights. Her memorial service was held in the school gymnasium. Mark and their children, Melissa and Sarah, have established the Kim Madigan Memorial Scholarship to assist Simley graduates. 

As Mensen talked about Kim, he touched a rubber wristband he wears in her memory. The Spartans had just defeated Rocori 17-16 in the Class 4A state semifinals; they will face Hutchinson in the Prep Bowl on Friday afternoon. The coach’s thoughts were focused on the team and the day, but when asked if his school raises money in support of Tackle Cancer, his focus shifted.

Kim Madigan died after a battle with cancer.

“I still wear her bracelet because she means the world to this program and this community,” Mensen said. Simley’s Tackle Cancer activities include T-shirt sales and free-will donations during one designated week and home game each fall.

“And we try to honor someone, a part of the Simley family, who’s suffering from cancer,” he said.

Tackle Cancer began 10 years ago, and by the time all the participating high schools and colleges in Minnesota send in the funds they have collected, the 2022 total will exceed $400,000. In the decade that Tackle Cancer has existed, nearly $3 million has been raised to fight cancer.

There may be no other charitable effort like Tackle Cancer in the country. The Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA) leads the efforts, which provide funding for research, prevention, treatment and other programs relating to the needs of the cancer community.

THE BEGINNING WAS SIMPLE, and no one could have imagined 10 years ago what was to come. It started with two friends: a television veteran and a football coaching veteran.

Randy Shaver, news anchor at KARE TV, is a cancer survivor. He and his wife Roseanne started the Randy Shaver Cancer Research & Community Fund after his experience with the disease. Dave Nelson, now retired as a football coach, was the head coach at Minnetonka High School when he was treated for prostate cancer in 2011. Shaver invited Nelson to one of his fund’s charity events.

“I asked Dave to just come see it, as a friend,” Shaver said. “I told him, ‘Come see what we do, meet some people, have some fun.’ He took that moment and turned it into something that was totally unexpected on my part. It was his initiative to try and do something with the MFCA to benefit something we all deal with in one way or another.”

Nelson and his wife Maureen found the evening to be life-changing, hearing inspirational stories of what people were doing to support Shaver’s foundation. As the Nelsons drove home, Dave began pondering ways to help. “I was thinking, there’s got to be something we can do,” he said.

At a construction project near Minnetonka High School, rocks needed to be removed from the site. The Skippers football team pitched in, spending three days shoveling rocks into wheelbarrows, with Shaver stopping by to show support and take photos with the kids. They dubbed their effort “Rock Cancer” and were paid several thousand dollars, which they donated to Shaver’s cancer fund.

Nelson met with fellow officers from the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, asking if such efforts might be something that other teams would be interested in. That’s when the partnership between Shaver’s foundation and the MFCA began rolling.

“I asked our executive committee, ‘How about if a bunch of teams did this?,’ ” Nelson said. “We got Randy’s blessing and everybody thought it was great.”

The coaches committee met with Randy and Roseanne (she dubbed the project Tackle Cancer) and they decided it would be fantastic if they could raise $5,000 during the 2012 football season. The total? $120,000.

Shaver said, “My first concern was I didn’t want to inconvenience coaches. I didn’t want them to feel obligated. Dave said, ‘They’re all going to be on board.’ They took it and ran with it.”

THEY’VE BEEN RUNNING FASTER AND FARTHER each year as Tackle Cancer efforts have spread around the state. This year, 182 high schools and 18 colleges, including the University of Minnesota, have taken part. The small community of Randolph, which has a well-deserved reputation for charitable giving, led the way by raising $49,000 this fall in their Tackle Cancer efforts.

Stillwater High School raised $26,000 and St. Thomas Academy provided $25,000 to Shaver’s fund.

The St. Thomas Academy head football coach is Dan O’Brien, whose son Casey is a well-known cancer survivor. Casey, who played football at Cretin-Derham Hall and was a holder for kicks at the University of Minnesota, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, at age 13 and has had multiple cancer fights since. Casey has undergone 25 surgical procedures and has spent 300 nights in hospitals.

“Cancer has touched everybody in our community,” Dan O’Brien said. “Everybody knows somebody and you think about it every single day. The coaching community is a tight-knit deal. People go through stuff they shouldn’t have to go through. It rips your guts out and you want to support them.”

During this year’s Tackle Cancer events at St. Thomas Academy, the Cadets had donation buckets at the gates, also selling wristbands, headbands and other items. Students at the school wear uniforms, but if they bought a Tackle Cancer shirt they could wear that instead of the uniform.

“For us it’s a week-long deal, not just the day of the game,” Dan O’Brien said. “We start preparing for it in the summer. Our community really rallies around it.”

After 10 years, students and families at high schools all over Minnesota are familiar with Tackle Cancer efforts. The focus is on football games in the fall, but money also is raised for Tackle Cancer during basketball games, wrestling meets and other sports.

The funds are distributed mainly to support cancer research in Minnesota; the Shaver fund puts nearly 95 cents of every dollar into that support. The organization is lean, with Roseanne Shaver serving as executive director and Heather Austin as assistant executive director. Much of the work is done by volunteers.

“We don’t pay (medical) salaries, we don’t pay for researchers or their assistants. We pay for the things they need to do their research,” Randy Shaver said of where the money goes. “It allows us to really dig down and support incredible research projects with the Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Duluth, all those great places.”

THIS WAS A GRAND FOOTBALL SEASON at Wheaton/Herman-Norcross, with the Warriors winning 12 consecutive games before losing to Mountain Iron-Buhl in the Nine-Man state semifinals.

“Everyone's impacted by cancer nowadays somewhere. We've had parents have it, we've had grandmas and grandpas, it's just everywhere,” said Warriors coach James Paul.

“Tackle Cancer is a way for us to rally for a cause, and I think the kids enjoy it. We have great support with it, too. We order T-shirts and this year I ordered pink team socks, so now we can keep those and use those every year.”

The Warriors also hold an auction with the winners taking possession of the seniors’ jerseys, among other fundraisers.

At Becker, everyone knows Dwight Lundeen has completed 53 seasons as the only head football coach in school history. Some also know that his wife Pam is a breast cancer survivor, his sister Marlene has been declared cancer-free and his brother Dave is currently receiving cancer treatment. Cancer indeed touches everyone.

During Becker’s 2021 efforts, the players wore pink jerseys during warmups before their designated Tackle Cancer game, with the jerseys being given to players’ family members and friends who have been impacted by cancer. This fall, the Bulldogs were given pink footballs, to be gifted to the person of their choosing. Dwight gave his pink football to his brother Dave.

Barnesville and Hawley usually come together on a Tackle Cancer game when they meet in a passionate rivalry with large crowds. If it’s during Homecoming week at Barnesville, girls are not allowed to wear the boys’ jerseys; instead, a silent auction allows girls to get in bidding wars for the jersey they want to wear. The jersey auction alone raised $1,000 last year.

“In our community, we lost a teacher this past summer to cancer and I think everybody knows somebody that's affected by it,” said Barnesville coach Bryan Strand, whose team will meet Chatfield in the Class 1A Prep Bowl game on Friday.

Simley’s Tackle Cancer efforts extend beyond the dollars raised. The football team talks about how cancer impacts their community.

“We speak that week about the importance of thinking about family members and everyone who has come into combat with this awful disease,” Mensen said. “I don't think there's a person out there who hasn't been touched by it. I know I have personally, good friends of mine are currently battling cancer. Everything we can do to fight this horrible disease, I'm in and the kids are in and we want to help serve. That's a great thing.”

Ron Stolski, who retired at Brainerd following the 2019 season after 58 years as a football coach, is executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association. He and other coaches among MFCA leadership have been the driving force behind Tackle Cancer, but Stolski doesn’t hesitate in calling Nelson “The wheelhorse behind this. He has driven it, formed a committee of over a dozen reps responsible for certain sections of the state and did all this work.”

Stolski, who attends the American Football Coaches Association convention each year, said he talks about Tackle Cancer with people from other states and basically sees blank stares from coaches who are so wrapped up in the game that they have a difficult time devoting so much time and effort to fundraising.

That’s clearly not the story in Minnesota. Tackle Cancer is an incredible tale of selflessness and commitment, with football coaches and football players, joined by their communities, going above and beyond to help conquer cancer.

“It’s been so cool to watch it grow,” Nelson said. “The coaches of Minnesota have been so awesome and so many good football programs are behind it. This year our goal was $400,000, which would be a record, and we’re going to breeze past that.”

What does the future hold for Tackle Cancer?

“I think the sky’s the limit, I really do,” said Nelson. “Next year our goal might be $500,000, what the heck? To see what these schools do, it’s unbelievable.”

Shaver thinks back to how Tackle Cancer started, how far it’s come and what could happen in the years ahead.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “It started with one guy who took it to the MFCA, who all said, ‘Yes, let’s do this thing.’ I just kind of stand back in amazement and watch what they’ve done.”

--For more information on the Randy Shaver Cancer Research & Community Fund, click here: https://randyshavercancerfund.org/

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

 

John’s Journal: Fillmore Central Gives It Everything They Have

At halftime Saturday inside U.S. Bank Stadium, it looked for all the world like the Minneota Vikings were going to cruise into the Class 1A football state championship game. The Vikings held a 21-7 lead over Fillmore Central in the state semifinals and had controlled things handily.

After scoring touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, Minneota saw the script get flipped by the Falcons, who scored three touchdowns in the final 13 minutes before Minneota escaped with a 28-27 win. The Vikings will face Springfield in the Prep Bowl at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 2.

Fillmore Central’s Dillon O’Connor scored on runs of 19 and 1 yard, sandwiched around a 30-yard touchdown pass from O’Connor to Chase Christianson. The Falcons’ final score came with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter. That made it  Minneota 28, Fillmore Central 27 and the Falcons did not hesitate in going for the win with a two-point conversion. The try failed, but not for lack of effort or guts.

“We talked about it as we were driving down there and the decision was made long before that,” Fillmore Central coach Chris Mensink said. “We were confident in the two-point plays we had in for the week.

“These kids were going for the win. We didn't come here to tie, we didn't come here to lose, we came here to win the ballgame. And I have all the faith and confidence in these kids.”

After the foiled two-point try, the Falcons kept attacking behind a strong passing game. O’Connor completed 14 of 28 throws for 249 yards and two scores, with 10 catches by Bryce Corson for 183 yards and a TD.

“I think everybody in the state got an opportunity to see what this football team has been about all season long,” Mensink said. “There's so much fight in this group. They play every play. … They play the game as hard as they can on every play so I couldn't be prouder of these guys. It's been a great season. And what a fun opportunity to coach this group.”

The Falcons, who had come into the game unbeaten, opened eyes in their first trip to the state playoffs. Minneota, meanwhile, is flush with late-season experience. The Vikings have won four state titles since 2009 and were the Class 1A runner-up last season

“That was an exciting one all the way to the end,” Minneota coach Chad Johnston said. “The credit goes to Fillmore, they had the athletes and we knew they were going to throw the ball. We were concerned about that.

“The key thing for me was I felt like they made the right adjustments at halftime. We were totally controlling the first half as far as running the ball and that completely went away. They switched up their defense a little bit, made the right adjustments and we just couldn't move the ball consistently.”

Mensink, who is in his 16^th season as head coach, was philosophical – as well as immensely proud – after the game.

“There's a lesson to be learned in everything, right? There's only one football team that ends their season with a win, right? And I told these kids quickly after the game, we have nothing to hang our heads about. They can be proud. They represented their community with class. They fought until the end, and they're going to continue to hold their heads high. These kids are going to be successful in whatever they choose to do with that mindset. I couldn't be prouder.”

Fillmore Central’s Corson, as senior, said of the experience, “It was definitely the best season in my life, it was definitely the most fun. I know just coming up here, to stay in the hotel with all my best friends. These are some of the best times of your life. And that's a game that we're going to remember for the rest of our life. We were close and it was still a lot of fun.” 

From Grand Meadow To Fillmore Central

A new volunteer assistant coach at Fillmore Central this season brought a wealth of high-level experience to the Falcons. Gary Sloan was the Grand Meadow head coach for 29 years before retiring after the 2021 season. His career record is 230-84, he led eight teams to state and won Nine-Man state championships in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. His son Ty Sloan is also an assistant coach.

“At Fillmore Central we’re very lucky, we've got one of the best coaching staffs in the state, I believe,” Mensink said. “Of course, when you add a Gary Sloan to your staff, he's a Hall of Famer, he's been here and won four state championships. So any advice that he gives is good advice. And the best thing about it is he's in it for the kids. My motto has always been I want to put good guys in front of my kids and Gary is definitely one of those role models that that our kids need in front of them.”

Trickeration vs. Straight Ahead

Football offenses can be simple or complicated but everything boils down to two basic concepts: 1) Be stronger than the defense or 2) Fool the defense.

In this weekend’s state semifinals, both types of attacks were on display. In Class 5A, Elk River runs a complicated Power T offense, with seven blockers packed tight, the quarterback under center and three running backs a step or two behind him. At the snap, the Elks dipsy-doo with fake handoffs and/or the ball hidden on a hip, and the defense is usually left trying to figure out who to tackle.

In their 38-21 win over Mahtomedi, seven different Elks carried the ball 59 times for 453 yards. They threw only five passes.

Quarterback Cade Osterman, the Elks’ leading rusher this season, carried 16 times for 218 yards and two touchdowns against Mahtomedi, including a 63-yard dash. Their ground game helped them maintain possession of the ball for more than 31 minutes to Mahtomedi’s 16 ½ minutes.

“I've never had a quarterback lead the team in rushing, so I think it puts a different stress on the defense,” Elks coach Steve Hamilton said. “Cade has done it all year. He makes plays when they’re not there to be made and that's why we're here.”

Osterman’s father, Aaron, is a member of the Elks coaching staff.

“My dad's been a coach here for my whole life,” Cade said. “He's been teaching it to me since second grade. I ran the Power T offense in second grade all the way up to now, so I've gotten used to it.”

Mahtomedi defensive lineman J.P. Johnson, who had a team-high nine tackles along with Javan Harvey, said trying to stop the Elks’ attack is a challenge.

“Yeah, it's tough. The reads are hard to make when you're up in the middle of the line because you don't know who has the ball. It could be four different guys that could be carrying it.”

Zephyrs linebacker Will Harris said, “I think one of the biggest things is that you can rep it in practice with your scout team and do it day after day. But once you get into the game, it's about 10 times faster.”

On the offensive flip side is Hutchinson in Class 4A. The Tigers don’t do anything overly fancy, they just use strong, physical blockers to control the line of scrimmage for fleet ballcarriers.

In a 42-28 semifinal win over Zimmerman, Hutchinson completed eight of 13 passes for 122 yards, while gaining 254 yards on the ground with four rushers combining for 56 carries.

Hutchinson senior Andrew Ladwig, who rushed 32 times for 109 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes from Logan Butler for another 42 yards, said, “It’s nice when you don't have to worry about tricking the other team. You just do the same thing and you get really good at it. And by the end of the season, it's just doing what you've always been doing the whole year.”

 Elk River will meet Rogers or Mankato West in the 5A championship game in two weeks, while Hutchinson will face Simley in 4A.

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org  

John’s Journal: Chatfield’s Backer Doesn’t Look Back, Ignores Statistics

Last year was last year and Sam Backer is only looking forward --- to the Class 2A Prep Bowl game in two weeks.

The Chatfield High School senior quarterback led his team to a 27-12 win over Eden Valley-Watkins in Friday’s semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium and the Gophers will aim for their second consecutive state title when they meet Barnesville on Dec. 2.

Backer was sidelined during last year’s Prep Bowl, a 14-13 victory over West Central Area/Ashby. He was flagged for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the state semifinals and was ineligible for the Prep Bowl.

“Obviously, I thought about that going into the game,” Backer said Friday. “I wanted to win this one because I didn't get to last year.”

Lots will be on the line in the Prep Bowl. Chatfield is playing at state for the 10^th time and won championships in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2013 as well as 2021.

In addition, Backer – who has signed with Minnesota State Mankato -- has an outside shot at setting a state career record for rushing yardage, The record is 7,503 by McLeod West’s Tyler Evans, who ended his career in 2001.

Backer carried the ball 30 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns Friday, also completing seven of nine passes for 55 yards and two scores. He would need 308 rushing yards in the Prep Bowl to match Evans’ record

But don’t think that any of those numbers are on his mind. His only focus is winning another title.

“It makes me more hyped going into it,” he said. “I'm going to be on the field and not on the sideline, so I’m pretty excited. When we get to this point, I don't even think about the stats or anything. I just want to get to that championship and I want to win it this year with my friends on the field. So this means something special to me because I didn't get that last year.”

Barnesville Is Back

Barnesville is loaded with football tradition, as well as numbers. The Trojans have played in three Prep Bowl and will make their fourth appearance in two weeks after defeating Jackson County Central 41-12 in Friday’s Class 2A state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. They will try to win their first state title, after coming up short in championship games in 1978, 2010 and 2018.

With nearly 50 players on the roster, including 17 seniors who all see the field, Barnesville has veteran presence. Only two players see action on both sides of the ball, which is rare for a small school.

“We have so many old older kids, and then our juniors mix in there, it's a good combination. And we got stronger from last year to now. I think that helped and they're hungry.”

Last year the Trojans lost to Chatfield 22-18 in the state semifinals.

“It really helps that we’re fresh all the time,” said senior lineman Tate Inniger. “If  we end up scoring we go to the bench and sit down, hydrate and then we're back to it, chipping away, chipping away, making sure that (the opponents) are physically and mentally exhausted.”

Simley’s Peanut Butter And Jelly

In Simley’s 17-16 win over Rocori in Thursday’s Class 4A semifinals, the Spartans ran for 248 yards. Senior Gavin Nelson carried 32 times for 167 yards and senior La’tayvion McCoy-Nunn ran 10 times for 65 yards. Nelson is a 220-pound future University of Minnesota wrestler while McCoy-Nunn is listed at 175 pounds.

“He’s peanut butter and I'm jelly,” McCoy-Nunn said with a smile, “because I'm really shifty and he's just tough.”

Nelson, who won the Class 2A state wrestling title at 220 pounds last winter, said playing football in his senior season made sense, rather than focus solely on wrestling.

“Knowing the success that we had last year, and the team that was coming back and everything that we're going to have going, it was a no-brainer,” he said. “I had to come back and I had to play with my boys. I knew that this was a state championship team. And I'm really excited that two weeks from now we're going to be able to prove that point.”

Fourth-year Simley head coach Chris Mensen was an assistant coach when the Spartans lost to Mankato West in the 2014 Prep Bowl.

“It means a ton,” he said of returning to the championship game. “In 2014 we felt that we had a team that could come in and do a lot of special things. And I think this team might be more talented. I took a look at our program four years ago and we were going in the right direction back then. And I just felt like we had one more step to make, and this (semifinal win) I think has really kind of kind of put the nail in the coffin that we're heading in the right direction. We’ve got one more to go. And I know these guys can play their hearts out and they're going to give it everything they’ve got in that last game. I'm excited to see what they do.”

Officiating History
History was made Friday morning when M.J. Wagenson of Pine Island became the first female official to work a game in the football state semifinals. She was part of the crew for the Class 2A game between Barnesville and Jackson County Central. M.J. also officiates basketball, volleyball and softball. In 2016 she became the first female official to work at the boys state basketball tournament. Another female football official, Leah Berard of St. Paul, worked a Class 6A state quarterfinal game.

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

 

John’s Journal: Two Weeks Between Games Is A Bonus

The final rounds of the high school football playoffs have a different look this year, with two weeks between the state semifinals and the Prep Bowl games. The championships have traditionally been played the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving but the 2022 contests have been moved to Dec. 2-3.

That’s because the Vikings have a home game against New England on Thanksgiving night, and that’s where the dominoes begin falling. The network television crew, with several semi loads of gear, will not be able to clear U.S. Bank Stadium until probably mid-afternoon Friday, and the crew from KSTC Channel 45 that televises the Prep Bowl games needs most of a day to set up.

One option was to play the championship games on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the following Monday (no MSHSL events can be held on Sundays), but the decision was made to push the games back a full week in order to play back-to-back weekend games. (One plus is that there will be fewer college football games on Dec. 3 than a week earlier.)

You can be sure that every player, coach and fan whose teams win this weekend will be happy no matter when the Prep Bowl games are played. That time will be precious.

“Speaking for myself, it means a lot,” said Spring Grove coach Kody Moore, whose team defeated Fertile-Beltrami 27-6 in Friday’s Nine-Man semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. “That's actually one of the first things you think of when you win a game like this, is the joy that you get out of it and being able to spend more time with these guys. They're just such a great bunch. It's always emotional to think about that.

“You know, regardless of what happens, these are the last few weeks that we get to spend together as a group so we're going to savor every day, I’ll tell you that much. I know these guys are going to work hard and play their best game here in a couple weeks.”

Spring Grove junior Elijah Solum, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 116 yards, rushed 19 times for 70 yards and three touchdowns and had nine tackles, said, “I think it's just a big thing for the next two weeks to bond as much as we can. After the next game the seniors are all gone. So it's going to be a big thing to get the win in the next game.”

Senior Tysen Grinde, who caught five passes for 64 yards, punted three times for a 39.7-yard average and returned a punt 76 yards for a score, said, “That was one of my biggest motivators to get this win; I want to keep playing football with my brothers. It's just more time to rest and recover so we're going to be fresh. And when we’re fresh, we're scary.”

Spring Grove won Prep Bowl titles in 2018 and 2019 under then-coach Zach Hauser, who is now an assistant coach in Caledonia. Moore is in his third year as head coach and was the offensive coordinator when the Lions won those state championships. Where does that success begin?

“It sounds cliche, but it comes down to the offseason program,” Moore said. “Zack did a really nice job of getting that in place with our strength and speed. I think any time you have guys that put in so much time and they're so bought in, that's the thing that makes successful programs. And it's one of those things where success breeds success.”

The Warmth Of Indoor Practice

Both teams in Thursday’s first Nine-Man semifinal worked out indoors a day before … at the same place. Mountain Iron-Buhl and Wheaton/Herman-Norcross had reserved time on a bubble-covered turf field operated by the Plymouth Parks and Recreation Department.

“It's nice to be able to put pads on and run on a whole turf field,” said Wheaton/Herman-Norcross coach James Paul. “But again, we're in Minnesota and we got some snow. That's how it goes.”

Prior to that, the teams had worked out in their gymnasiums, although Mountain Iron-Buhl also spent some time on the turf in its six-year-old stadium, which is one of the finest in the state regardless of class.

The Rangers have not lost a varsity home game since the field opened in 2018, and until their seventh-grade team lost there this season, no MIB football player in grades seven through 12 had been beaten at home.

Mountain Iron-Buhl’s 36-15 victory over Wheaton/Herman-Norcross moved the Rangers into the Prep Bowl on Dec. 3 against Spring Grove.

The only football state title in Mountain Iron (or Buhl) history came in 1972 when Mountain Iron defeated Dassel-Cokato 54-6 in the Class B championship game. That was the first year of football playoffs in Minnesota, taking place exactly 50 years ago.

No Record Book But This Is Rare

There is no category in the football record books such as “Most teams from one school district to reach the state semifinals.” That’s the case with School District 728 this week; all three high schools in the district – Elk River, Rogers and Zimmerman -- are playing at U.S. Bank Stadium.

In Class 5A, Elk River faces Mahtomedi in Friday’s semifinals and Rogers meets Mankato West on the other side of the 5A bracket on Saturday. In Class 4A, Zimmerman will face Hutchinson in the semifinals on Friday.

In 2016 two schools from the Anoka-Hennepin district (Blaine and Champlin Park) reached the Class 6A semifinals and another (Andover) was in the 5A quarterfinals.

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org  

John’s Journal: Marshall Makes History With Eighth State Title

The clock read 10:26 p.m. and it had been a long day of waiting for the Marshall High School volleyball team. Because of earlier matches that had gone to four and five sets, the Tigers’ Class 3A state championship match against Benilde-St. Margaret’s – scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. – started nearly three hours later.

No problem. All the waiting was well worth it as Marshall made history. A 3-0 sweep of the Red Knights gave the Tigers their eighth state volleyball title, more than any school in state history. Teams that have won seven crowns are Bethlehem Academy, Chaska, Eagan, Robbinsdale Armstrong and Tracy-Milroy (Balaton).

Marshall head coach Dan Westby, a Hall of Famer who has been in charge of all eight title teams, gave all the credit to his players.

“Certainly we're proud of the tradition that Marshall volleyball has with 31 state tournament trips, which is more than any other school,” he said. “I'm just a small part of that. Tonight I felt like I could just sit there and be a fan. I thought our kids were that dialed in. And that record will be tied and eventually broken someday but it feels good right now to be able to say that Marshall has the most. That feels great.”

Marshall won all three matches at state by 3-0 scores, which is something they are familiar with. In regular-season non-tournament play, they won 63 sets and lost none (regular-season tournament matches require victories in two sets to win). The Tigers finished with a record of 33-2, with both losses coming in tournaments against 4A state runner-up Lakeville North.

Against Benilde-St. Margaret’s (25-8), Marshall won the first set 25-18 and the second 25-11. The Red Knights put up a strong fight in the third set before the Tigers clinched it with a 25-18 win.

“I think we fought, I think we fought really hard,” said Red Knights coach Michael Becker. “And I think when you look at our defensive efforts and what a team like Marshall is capable of doing, we fought hard. But one of the things that a team like Marshall tries to do is overwhelm you. And I think that we, for the majority of the match, were able to stay composed and to continue to fight hard.”

Minneota Wins Fourth Class 1A Crown

A year after being swept by Mayer Lutheran in three sets in the 1A title match, Minneota turned the tables to capture the 2022 title. The Vikings didn’t sweep, although they won the first two sets, and the fifth set was hairy with Mayer Lutheran being at match point three times before the Vikings rallied to win their fourth title.

The Vikings played four five-set matches before coming to state and won all of them. “That's all credit to these kids, all 14 of them,” Minneota coach Hayley Fruin said. “They're mentally tough and they don't play scared.”

The powerful start was key for Minneota, which won the opening two sets by identical 25-23 scores.

“I was so glad to see these girls who hadn't played here before rise up to the occasion,” Fruin said. “I think we just played loose and we came out ready to go. We've talked about this for the last few matches; we have just not started strong and we did in those first two sets today. We started and we just kept rolling. So I was really proud of this team's effort today.”

Mayer Lutheran won the third and fourth sets 25-20 and 25-19. The fifth-set score was 18-16.

Cannon Falls Sweeps To 2A Championship

Second-seeded Cannon Falls rolled to a 25-17, 25-18, 25-21 victory over top-seeded Pequot Lakes in the 2A final between teams looking for their first state title.

The Bombers lost their first two matches of the season and came into the state tournament with a record of 26-7. They didn’t lose a set at state, defeating Pipestone, Annandale and Pequot Lakes 3-0.

“I just think this is a team that came together and grew all season, and we peaked at the right time,” said Bombers coach Melissa Huseth. “When we started out we had some new players on the court and we just needed time to develop our team chemistry, to develop our trust. And we did that, we worked hard in practice. They responded to one another, they spent time together. And I just think that we're playing our best ball right now because we care about each other, we truly care about each other, and we want what's best for each other.”

Pequot Lakes coach Christine Ganley said her players were nervous.

“I think the nerves got the best of us and (Cannon Falls’) nerves didn't bother them,” she said. “The Cannon Falls defense was excellent. We found a couple of zones to hit, but not as many as we normally do. But I saw hitters make errors that they don't normally make on our team, and I'm sure it was nerves.

“It's a great experience for the girls. That's what I'm most proud of, that these 15 girls got to experience this. It's fantastic. It's a memory and that's what we're about. High school sports is about creating memories with friends and family and they've had a great time.”

Wayzata Wins Once More in 4A

Wayzata swept Lakeville North 26-24, 25-12, 25-23 to win its third Class 4A state title. The Trojans also won championships in 2019 and 2021 (there was no tournament in 2020 due to Covid). They finished this season with a record of 30-4.

Officiating History

For the first time in tournament history, the lead referees in all four state championship matches were female: Louise Beaman of St. Paul Park in 1A, Sunny Bowman of Crookston in 2A, Gail Simones of Sartell in 3A and Robbie Goodmund of Marshall in 4A. Congratulations to all the officials who worked at the state tournament.

State Volleyball Results

Class 1A

Fifth place: Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 3, Ely 1

Third place: Mabel-Canton 3, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 2

Championship: Minneota 3, Mayer Lutheran 2

Class 2A

Fifth place: Belle Plaine 3, Pipestone 2

Third place: Annandale 3, Concordia Academy 2

Championship: Cannon Falls 3, Pequot Lakes 0

Class 3A

Fifth place: Detroit Lakes 3, Mahtomedi 0

Third place: Kasson-Mantorville 3, Grand Rapids 2

Championship: Marshall 3, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 0

Class 4A

Fifth place: Centennial 3, Chaska 1

Third place: East Ridge 3, Rogers 0

Championship: Wayzata 3, Lakeville North 0

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org  

John’s Journal: The Mabel-Canton Family Is Back At State

Lonnie Morken was in his first decade as a volleyball coach back in 2000 and 2001 when he brought his Mabel-Canton team to the state tournament at the then-new Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. Now, 21 years later, the Cougars are back.

Morken is in his 29^th season as the coach, bringing a stellar career record of 791-140 to state. One might think that with such successful history, the Cougars would have been tournament regulars. But Class A Section 1 is filled with quality teams who always send a tough squad to state.

Xcel Energy Center opened in September 2000 and the volleyball state tourney made its debut in the NHL arena that November.

“I was really young at that time and then we went again in 2001 and it was kind of like, ‘You know, geez, this is cool, we're gonna do this every year,’ ” Morken said Friday after the Cougars were defeated by Mayer Lutheran 3-1 in the Class A semifinals. Mabel-Canton will meet Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in Saturday’s third-place match, with Minneota and Mayer Lutheran playing for the championship

Standing in a quiet corridor after the match, Morken smiled when asked about the family aspect of this week’s experience. The team includes his daughters Sophie, a senior, and Sahara, a sophomore; Lonnie and his wife Stephanie have one older daughter, Sadie. Lonnie, who grew up in nearby Spring Grove and graduated from Luther College in Iowa, is the athletic director and a physical education teacher in Mabel-Canton.

“It's pretty amazing,” he said. “I really wanted to experience this with them. And my wife Stephanie; when you think about how the spouses kind of get lost, my wife is amazing. And to be able to go through this together? I mean, I think about going to state all the time, right? I don't obsess over it, but it’ll be whatever, 10:30 in the morning and I'll see something or do something and I'll be like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and it just brings me back to 2000 or 2001. And it's amazing to be able to do this with my family.”

State tournament experience is always a factor, and Mayer Lutheran held that advantage after playing at state regularly in recent years. That edge can be big under the bright lights and way-up-in-the-sky ceiling.

“We probably have a couple of grain bins around Mabel that are this big but we don't have anything like this,” Morken said of Xcel Energy Center. “Our section prepares us well because we're traditionally so strong in volleyball. Many of our kids came up here and experienced the state tournament last year, and I really felt that we had the potential to get here this year. I'm so glad that so many of our kids got to experience it as a fan but it's not the same down on the court.”

First Trip To State Is A Real Rush (City)

Rush City, the Class 2A Section 7 champion, is at state volleyball for the first time in school history, and the future should be strong for the Tigers. The 14-player roster includes just four seniors: Mackenzie Ribich, Veronica Hemming, Kayden LaMont and Emmalee Angstman.

The Tigers lost to Annandale in Thursday’s quarterfinals and met Pipestone in Friday night’s consolation round.

“There have been a lot of subsection championship matches and there's been section championship matches. It's been a long building process,” said coach Eric Telander. “I'm happy where we’re at, so we can all hang our hat on that. But it's taken a lot of work from the community and the girls over the years to get to this point.

“We're just thrilled to be here and I'm happy about this experience. It's been so tremendous this week. The support from the community has been unexpectedly amazing. I knew we'd be supported, but it's been overwhelming. It’s something that will be cherished and remembered forever.”

Rush City sophomore McKenna Garr said it was a little overwhelming to take the court at Xcel Energy Center for the first time.

“It's kind of like at first you have a moment of shock when you see the big arena where you're going to play,” she said. “You think, ‘OK, I'm going to get myself used to this.’ So you sit and you watch a couple teams first when you get here. Then you go in the locker rooms and get ready. You hang out with your team and then you get on the court and it's a whole other feeling. You get down there and you see all these people. They're staring down at you and you’ve just got to focus on the game and block out the noise.”

Tiger junior Cora Sayotovich agreed, saying, “We won our section and it was a really good feeling. And then over the course of a week, when we had some down time, just practicing, it was like the feeling kind of went away a little bit. Then we were on our way here, we checked into our hotel, we get our own locker room. And then I mean you walk out and you’re just kind of like, ‘Holy crap.’ This is crazy. It's a feeling I've never felt before.”

Hard Work Pays Off For Minneota

The Class A championship match will be a rematch from one year ago, when Mayer Lutheran defeated Minneota. Both are high-caliber programs; Mayer Lutheran won state titles in 1982, 2016, 2017 and 2021, while Minneota did so in 2006, 2018 and 2019.

Minneota’s success is based on lots of sweat equity, said coach Hayley Fruin.

“There’s a lot of offseason work, definitely. And I'm sure a lot of coaches will say that, but these guys are playing club ball year round and they're playing with the best athletes in the area and they don't miss a summer practice. We had practice at 5 a.m. this summer, and a lot of them have jobs, and they were all coming day in and day out. They came every day and they might have been tired but it starts there, just really trying to focus in on getting better every single day and never being satisfied.”

Friday was a busy day for Minneota fans, with the volleyball team playing in the early afternoon and the Vikings’ football team meeting Breckenridge in the Class A football state quarterfinals in Alexandria at 7 p.m.

Fruin said the volleyball team would watch the football game at their hotel via livestream by NSPN.TV, followed by volleyball film study to prepare for Saturday’s match. And no matter what happens in the final test of the season, it’s been a great ride.

“Tomorrow, obviously, no matter what, win or lose, we're going home and we're done,” she said. “So let's just make it a good one. Let's be competitive. Let's play well, right? We'll strategize tonight and tomorrow but it's all about having fun now. I mean, there's nothing more you can do. You can't play scared because it's over tomorrow. So let's have fun and play together like we've been doing all along.”

--To watch the state volleyball tournament and state football quarterfinals online, click here: nspn.tv/MSHSL

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org  

John’s Journal: Trip To State Is A Surprise, Even To The Coach

Most coaches have a fairly standard answer when asked if they were confident in their team’s ability to get to the state tournament. It goes along the lines of, “Yes, absolutely, I knew the kids could do it.”

Barnesville volleyball coach Megan Askegaard is not one of them, at least this season. The Trojans are playing at state for the first time in 39 years and Megan admitted Thursday that she didn’t expect it.

“I think this was one year that my kids really proved me wrong,” she said. “We graduated a full starting squad last year. You kind of pick those teams out that you think are going to take you to the state tournament and this was not one of them. We kind of hit that point in the middle of our season and they said, ‘You know what, we're sick of losing. Let's turn this around,’ and they did from then on. So that's been fun to bring 11 seniors with us to the state tournament.”

The Trojans came to state with a record of 20-9 and fell to top-seeded Pequot Lakes 3-0 in Thursday’s Class 2A quarterfinals. They will meet Belle Plaine in Friday’s consolation round.

When asked if there was a point during the season when she was confident that a state berth was possible, Askegaard said, “I don't know if I did, to be honest. We got the number one seed in the section and you kind of go, ‘We're kind of in a good spot right now.’ We had Hawley (in the Section 8 semifinals), and they beat us last year to come to the state tournament. So we wanted some redemption and we came out a little hungry for that game. And once we got that one I think we kind of knew the end was near and we could get this thing in our hands if we wanted it.

“It's still surreal. You really don't take it all in until maybe that first game is over and you move on to the next. It's been fun.”

Barnesville seniors Emily Riddle and Emily Smith said the state tourney experience, including playing at Xcel Energy Center, was very special.

“It's kind of unreal. We worked hard for it and it really paid off,” Riddle said.

Smith added, “It's crazy. This big gym, it’s awesome. We played so hard and we wanted this really, really bad. It was really fun.”

Pequot Lakes played at state most recently in 2019, so the coaches and a few players knew what to expect. With Barnesville holding no such experience, that was an advantage for the Patriots.

“When you come down here, there is just the unknown,” said Pequot Lakes coach Christine Ganley. “Even the elevator ride down (from the concourse to the court level). Some of us had done it and the other kids knew about us doing it. We talked a lot about it to the kids, about the process, and even the pregame things; you go in a locker room and you're there for this amount of time and they don't let you on the floor until a certain time. And it does matter. So I'm sure when Barnesville gets down here again, they'll be even more ready.”

Five Sets Is Worth It

In one of the most compelling matches of the tournament, Concordia Academy defeated Belle Plaine 3-2 in the 2A quarterfinals. The match was filled with the ebb and flow of great competition, and the Beacons said they were ready to be tested.

“Our team is very good at lifting each other up,” senior Kyla McTeague said. “When the other team makes a really good play we know to move on to the next play, we know to encourage each other if someone makes a mistake. We go to the next play and I feel like the team is very good at supporting each other and knowing that we can get the next one.

“In between sets we usually have a quick team huddle without the coaches and a couple players usually step up and we get our team going and fired up. And then when the coaches come in, we all get calmed down and ready for the next set. I think those breaks and timeouts in between really help our team.”

Concordia Academy will meet Pequot Lakes in Friday’s 2A semifinals, with Cannon Falls and Annandale in the other semifinal.

Class 4A Title Match Is Set

Wayzata and Lakeville North posted victories in Wednesday’s Class 4A quarterfinals and Thursday’s semifinals, setting up the state title match between them on Saturday night.

The semifinals in the other three classes will be played Friday.

That’s One Great Grandma

The busiest grandmother at the tournament might be Shirley Mustar of Grand Rapids. She has two granddaughters playing this week, and their teams went head to head in Wednesday’s Class 3A quarterfinals. Olivia Mustar plays for Grand Rapids and Ellie Mustar plays for Mahtomedi; both are seniors. Shirley played everything right down the middle for that match, wearing a sweatshirt that bore the names and nicknames of both schools. Grand Rapids defeated Mahtomedi 3-0.

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org  

John’s Journal: History Is In The Air, But Marshall Stays Focused

The Marshall High School volleyball team is on the doorstep of history, but you won’t catch any of the Tigers players or coaching bringing it up. They’re just out to play winning volleyball, which they certainly did in a 3-0 sweep of DeLaSalle on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament at Xcel Energy Center.

Marshall made it first trip to state 45 years ago and the 2022 tournament marks its 31^st appearance. The Tigers won seven championships between 2004 and 2021, and no school has won eight volleyball state titles. The others with seven are Bethlehem Academy, Chaska, Eagan, Armstrong and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (Chaska lost to Rogers in Wednesday’s Class 4A quarterfinals).

Marshall (31-2) will meet Grand Rapids (26-5) in Friday morning’s semifinals, but no one is looking any farther afield than that.

“I think we keep it in the back of our minds,” said senior Caitlyn Christenson. “And I think that if we just focus on our roles in order to win the state championship, we can.”

Classmate Randi Wendorff agreed, saying, “I think we just focus on the game that we're playing. I don't think we're playing with a lot of pressure that we have to handle. We're going into every game, focusing on what we need to do.”

Dan Westby, who is in his 19^th season as the Marshall head coach, directed the team to state titles in 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2021. He said winning another title is never mentioned.

“We haven't talked about it all year, not one time, but it's out there. And I'm not a social media person, but they are (nodding toward his players) and they read that stuff. And it is what it is. We just go into the gym every day and try to figure out ways to get better. It's there. What are you going to do?”

First Trip To State

Five teams are playing at state for the first time in history, including DeLaSalle. The Islanders had a tough quarterfinal draw in Marshall, but they said the experience was something they’ll never forget.

“It was so nerve-racking for me,” said senior Lia de Sibour. “During the first serve I think I was shaking. But I said, ‘Take a couple of deep breaths.’

“It was awesome. We're just grateful to have an experience like this, to come in here and play. It is about winning, but it's more about having fun.”

--The other teams at state volleyball for the first time are Ely in 1A, Rush City in 2A, and Detroit Lakes and Grand Rapids in 3A. The Ely Timberwolves are the only undefeated team in the field; they will take a 29-0 record into their quarterfinal against Mayer Lutheran (26-5) at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Great History For Chaska

Chaska is making its 16th appearance at state and the Hawks won championship in 1991, 1993 1994, 1996, 2005, 2006 and 2014. Head coach Sue Murphy is in her 27^th season with a record of 585-211 going into Thursday’s consolation-round match with Burnsville. 

Many of the current players watched as youngsters when Chaska won its 2014 state title.

“Almost every single one of us was at the 2014 game,” said senior Avery Rosenberg. “I didn't even play volleyball at the time and I was just as excited as anyone else. I feel like our community knows what Chaska volleyball is and even when we were young, we were a part of it.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org