Prep Blog: Spring State Champions At A Glance
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- School is out, the sun is out and summer is here. It officially starts on Father's Day, but for high school athletes, the spring came to an end both late last week and on Monday as the state's spring champions were crowned across various sports.
We had new state champions across the board in boys and girls lacrosse, Class AAA baseball, girls softball and boys and girls golf. In a time where we tend to see several teams and individuals win multiple state championships at the prep level, it's refreshing to see some new teams thrive and celebrate at the highest level.
Here's a look at this year's spring state tournaments at a glance.
Baseball: It didn't take long to find out we would have a new state champion in the Class AAA Baseball Tournament. Mounds View, the No. 1 seed and two-time defending state champion, lost 3-2 to unseeded Northfield in the quarterfinals. Lakeville North beat Anoka 3-0 and then beat Northfield 5-3 to reach Monday's state title game at Target Field. On the other side of the bracket, Chanhassen beat St. Michael-Albertville 1-0 in nine innings and Armstrong 7-2 to reach the title game. The Storm knocked off the Panthers 2-0 to be crowned state champions. They entered the bracket as the No. 2 seed.
In Class AA, St. Cloud Cathedral repeated as state champions with wins over Cloquet, Marshall and then Minnehaha Academy 10-1 on Monday at Target Field. In Class A, New Life Academy of Woodbury repeated as state champions with wins over Red Lake County, Brandon-Evansville 5-2 and Springfield 6-5 in eight innings in Monday's title game.
Boys Golf: Edina came three shots short of defending its 2014 state championship at Bunker Hills Golf Course. Wayzata won the team title with a two-day score of 607, with the Hornets right behind at 610. Moorhead's Dane Sethre-Hofstad surprised the field with a two-day 143, including a second round 69, to win medalist honors. Sam Foust of Edina, one of the favorites coming in, finished in third overall five shots back.
In Class AA, Mankato East and Blake each shot a two-day 602 to share the team crown. Blake's Reece Sanders was on fire, shooting a first round 67 and followed it with a 71 for a two-day 138. It was good enough to win medalist honors by four shots. In Class A, Mounds Park Academy ran away with the team title. It shot a two-day 622, good enough to top second place Mahnomen by 12 shots. Mounds Park Academy's Brock Bliese and United South Central's Ryan Pederson shared medalist honors with a two-day score of 146.
Girls Golf: Edina shined above the rest at Bunker Hills Golf Course, having two players finish in the top four and cruising to the Class AAA state title. The Hornets shot a two-day 630, good enough to win by 27 shots. Hannah Hankins and Grace Kellar led Edina, finishing third and fourth respectively. Taylor Ledwein of New Prague won the individual crown with a two-day 149, good enough for a four-shot victory.
In Class AA, Red Wing shot a two-day 634 to win the team title by three shots over Detroit Lakes after finishing third in the tournament last year. Kate Smith of Detroit Lakes won medalist honors, her fourth straight individual title, with a two-day 137. It was good enough for a two-shot victory. In Class A, Legacy Christian Academy shot a two-day 679 to run away with the team title by 22 shots. The team was led by Kayla Ruf, who took second overall with a two-day 158. Kiera Smith of Heritage Christian Academy won medalist honors by five shots with a two-day 153.
Softball: A new state champion was already guaranteed after Lakeville South, which won it all in 2014, failed to make the AAA State Tournament field. Eastview was one of the state's top teams all year, and the Lightning beat Buffalo 7-1, Maple Grove 1-0 and Anoka 2-1 to win the state crown.
In Class AA, Kasson-Mantorville allowed one run over three games to win this year's state championship and repeat as the state's best team in AA. They beat Milaca 3-0, Hermantown 4-0 and Maple Lake 2-1 in 10 innings. In Class A, New Life Academy of Woodbury avenged last year's state championship loss with a run to the state title. They beat Hayfield 7-2, Mankato Loyola 4-2 and Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 9-3 to hoist his year's state championship trophy.
Boys Lacrosse: Eden Prairie was looking for its second straight state lacrosse title, but a talented squad from White Bear Lake got in the way. The Bears beat Maple Grove 19-2, then beat Eden Prairie 13-13 in overtime to knock off the defending state champions. White Bear Lake capped off a run to the state title with a 12-8 win over Bloomington Jefferson in the title game. The Bears had six players make the All-Tornament Team. They included midfielders Ethan Peterson, Shane Olson and Connor Dehnert, goalie Will Ramert, defender Jonathan Arko and forward Matt Swanson.
Girls Lacrosse: Blake was looking to defend its state lacrosse title, but that chance came to an end after an 11-9 loss to Lakeville South in the state semifinals. There, the Cougars faced Eden Prairie. The Eagles had beaten Wayzata 22-5 and Stillwater 15-14 to reach the state title game. In double overtime, Kelly Wolfe got the game-winning goal for the Eagles to beat Lakeville South. Eden Prairie got its coveted state title after finishing second to Blake last year. The Eagles landed four players on the All-Tournament Team, including midfielders Naomi Rogge and Sammie Morton and forwards Sara Woodring and Jessica Lagerquist.
Just when we thought we could take a breath, high school football practices will start across the state in about two months.
