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Prep Blog: Looking Back At The Winter State Champions

Spring is officially here, but don't tell that to Mother Nature. Just as we were getting ready to take out the golf clubs, baseball bats and softball gear, parts of southern Minnesota got up to a foot of snow this week.

This year's high school sports seasons brought plenty of drama and exciting finishes. The state tournament season wrapped up last week with the Girls State Basketball Tournament at Mariucci Arena and Williams Arena.

Here is a look back at some of the top teams and champions from the winter season in high school sports.

Boys Basketball: Coffey Finally Gets His State Title

Amir Coffey has gotten plenty of accolades over the years, but until this season he was missing a state championship. The Royals beat Blaine, a stacked Apple Valley team and a formidable Lakeville North squad to win the Class 4A state title. The following Monday, Coffey was named Mr. Basketball. He'll be sporting a Gophers jersey next season.

DeLaSalle won the Class 3A crown for their fifth straight state title, Braham won in AA and Minneapolis North took the Class A crown.

Boys Hockey: Hermantown Gets Elusive Class A Title

The Hermantown boys hockey team has had plenty of chances at the Class A state championship. But until this year, they were settling for silver medals. The Hawks beat Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, St. Paul Academy and shut out Breck 5-0 to win the Class A title.

The AA field was wide open this year after both Benilde-St. Margaret's and Edina lost in the section playoffs. No. 3-seeded Wayzata ended up with the gold this year after a 3-1 win over Burnsville, a 2-1 win over Stillwater and a 5-3 win over Eden Prairie in the title game. It was quite the finish for Pat O'Leary's program.

Wrestling: Apple Valley Wins Another Crown

Apple Valley is so dominant in wrestling that the Class AAA team tournament often gets overlooked. But two of the last three years, St. Michael-Albertville has been right there with them. If not for a coin flip this year, the Knights might have had a chance to knock off the Eagles. Instead, Apple Valley won a close match 31-26. The team match was decided in the 220-pound match,  a victory by technical fall for the Eagles.

Kasson-Mantorvile beat Foley to win the Class AA title and Kenyon-Wanamingo knocked off Frazee 26-24 to take the Class A title.

Girls Basketball: Minnetonka Tops Hopkins For 4A Title

Minnetonka and Hopkins split games in the regular season, so it was likely that when the two teams met for the state championship, it would be a classic. The Skippers came away with a 61-52 victory in the title game. It was Minnetonka's second appearance in the state tournament and first since 1999.

Holy Angels won the Class AAA crown, Plainview-Elgin-Millville took the title in AA and Goodhue won the Class A championship.

Gymnastics: St. Cloud Tech Knocks Roseville Off Throne

Roseville came into the State Gymnastics Championships looking for its fifth consecutive state titel, but St. Cloud Tech had other ideas. The Tigers scored a 149.125 to win the team title by more than a full point over the Raiders, which scored a 147.925. By gymnastics standards, that's a victory by a landslide. St. Cloud Tech finished second to Roseville last year.

Detroit Lakes had 10 gymnasts back from last year's state championship squad and cruised to its second straight crown with a 150.2256. They topped Melrose for the title by nearly three full points.

Girls Hockey: Eden Prairie Wins 3rd Title

Hill-Murray came in as the favorite in the Girls State Hockey Tournament, but it was Eden Prairie that was celebrating when it was all over. The Eagles beat Forest Lake, Edina and Maple Grove 3-2 in overtime to win the state title. It was their third championship in school history and first since 2008.

One of the top teams in Minnesota all year, Blake cruised through the bracket on its way to a championship. The Bears beat Luverne 10-0, Proctor/Hermantown 5-1 and St. Pul United 8-0. That's a combined 23-1 over three games. It was Blakes sixth state title and second in three years.

What a season it was for winter sports. Don't relax too long because once all the snow melts, spring sports teams will be busy with golf tournaments, tennis matches, baseball and softball games and track meets. It's now a race to the state tournaments in June, so enjoy the ride.

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