At 2:16 p.m.
Friday, members of the Rock Ridge High School girls basketball team walked into
their new gym for the first time. They gazed at the shiny floor, the sunlight
streaming in from high windows, a giant video board and three smaller
scoreboards. The place was gleaming.
“Holy
buckets,” said one, “this is insane.” As the last few players walked into the space,
they heard from a teammate already standing at midcourt, “You better take your
shoes off. We’re keeping this court clean.”
Rock Ridge
is a new school district bringing together students from Virginia and
Eveleth-Gilbert. Voters in those communities approved consolidating the two
school districts into one as well as building a new high school and two new
elementary schools. It’s the first newly consolidated school district in
Minnesota in 15 years. (Rock Ridge website: https://rrps.org)
The current high
school enrollments are 443 at Virginia and 246 at Eveleth-Gilbert for a total
of 689. Shuttle buses run between the two high school buildings each day as students
learn in both places and make new friends, all in preparation for moving into
their new high school in a few months.
Athletic
teams have led the way into the future, with the Rock Ridge Wolverines boys
swimming and diving team the first to join together four years ago. After
decades of competing against each other, the girls and boys basketball players became
Wolverines this season, and boys coach Spencer Aune said, “I’m blown away by
the kids. They’re already best friends.”
Friday was a
“soft” opening for the new gym, and the first time the public – and the players
-- would be inside the school. The Wolverines girls hosted Two Harbors,
followed by a boys game between Rock Ridge and Hibbing. This was a chance for
the seniors to play one game in the gym that will become the Wolverines’ home starting
next season. The rest of this year’s home games are being played in Eveleth.
The new high
school will open to students in the fall; it’s a beautiful structure that is
tucked into a wooded area off of U.S. Highway 53, a mile from the U.S. Hockey
Hall of Fame in Eveleth. The school is on Progress Parkway, which is entirely suitable
for a district that’s looking into the future.
The 300,000-square-foot
high school is a marvel of light and space and technology. From large wooden
beams to exposed steel to the textures and colors of the walls and floors, the
facility carries a distinct Iron Range theme. In the classrooms, study spaces,
an 800-seat auditorium, an eight-lane swimming
pool, a large fitness center, and technology areas that focus on auto mechanics,
welding and woodworking, the school is a marvel. The football, baseball and
softball fields, now blanketed by snow, are permanently covered with artificial
turf.
To the sound
of bouncing basketballs in the gym at mid-afternoon, a school official expressed
concern about that evening’s crowd, saying “I wonder if anyone will come?”
But of
course, if you build it they will come. The parking lot was nearly full 30
minutes before the girls game tipped off inside U.S. Steel Gymnasium (many areas
of the school have sponsors), and nearly every single one of the 1,400 or so
seats were filled when the action began. The concession stand wasn’t yet stocked;
the only items for sale were bottles of water and pom poms in Rock Ridge green and
white. Both items did a brisk business.
The Wolverines
pep band performed magnificently, a large Rock Ridge student section provided spirit
and entertainment, cheerleaders cheered, the dance team performed at halftime
of both games, and everybody smiled. Officials Dave Clement, Babe Glumack and
Jordan Parentaeu called both contests and did a splendid job. When the officials
were introduced before each game, they were applauded by the fans. (Between
games, Glumack told a visitor: “What a great atmosphere. This is a really fun
gym to work in.”)
The girls
game tipped off at 5:47 as the Rock Ridge students stood and chanted, “I
Believe That We Will Win!” Things quickly went the way of the Wolverines, and
that didn’t change throughout the day. The first points in the new gym were scored
on a driving layup by Rock Ridge ninth-grader Maija Lamppa, whose teammates include
her twin sister Lexi and junior sister Emma.
Maija Lamppa and Two Harbors senior Karly Holm put
on a show, with each scoring 31 points in the Wolverines’ 90-58 win.
The boys game featured head coaches who are
brothers, Spencer Aune and Hibbing’s Tom Aune. That contest also went to the
Wolverines by a score of 92-71. Carter Mavec led Rock Ridge with 16 points,
with Casey Aune and Jalen Miskowitz scoring 14 each. Finley Cary led Hibbing with
17 and Raymod Brau had 16.
“Oh, it was awesome,” said
Wolverines senior Grant Hansen, who scored the first basket in the boys game. “The
fans were crazy, the court’s so nice, the whole school is nice. I feel so
lucky. For us seniors to get in here, it meant everything.”
Rock Ridge girls
coach Byron Negen added, “I
think the atmosphere today, with the community coming together, just made it
perfect for the kids. It was something they will remember, especially the
seniors.”
The day was filled with pride in community,
in a new adventure, a bright future and in the Iron Range itself. But mostly,
the day was filled with happiness.
“I honestly can’t take the smile off
my face,” said Wolverines senior Paige
Maki. “I was smiling the whole time, all day, just thinking about it. It
was kind of surreal. It shows how much these communities have come together to
support us. It brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.”
Early in the afternoon, athletic
director Josh Lamppa – who was among the people who studied other schools and
had a hand in the design of the new building – was taking a visitor on a tour
of the building. Other than some minor detail work that’s being done, the school
looks ready for staff and students. Very few people have been able to walk
though the halls at this point, but for basketball fans who saw the gymnasium and adjacent pool – both can be viewed through large windows from
the concession area – it was a taste of what’s to come.
After the two basketball games had gone
off without a hitch and folks were chatting in the gym, Josh Lamppa was approached
by his daughter Emma. She had a simple question: “Dad, can I get a tour?”
The waiting, for everyone, will soon
be over.
--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
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