Prep Blog: This Weekend's Top Match-Ups

It's a hectic time of year if you're a high school athlete, especially if you're a senior who is an athlete.

It's the middle of May, which means the postseason for several sports is right around the corner if it hasn't started already. It also means the end of the school year is fast-approaching and with that come final exams. Seniors are preparing to walk at their graduations, and some are preparing to make playoff runs.

We've had abundant sunshine this week, and it's made for a busy time at softball, baseball and lacrosse fields as well as track and field meets. There are several big match-ups this weekend featuring ranked teams with playoff implications at stake. Here is just a sample of what's ahead.

Friday Boys Baseball: Mahtomedi (13-4) at South St. Paul (15-4)

It's always fun when rivals square off, and it's even better when they are two league teams. There's a big game in the Metro East Conference Friday afternoon as Mahtomedi, ranked No. 1 in Class AAA, travels to No. 8-ranked South St. Paul. Both teams are contending with Hill-Murray for a league title. The Zephyrs have won three straight and five of their past six. The Packers have won eight straight and are looking for the season sweep of Mahtomedi after a 4-2 win earlier this year.

Saturday Boys Baseball: Woodbury (16-3) vs. Forest Lake (14-2)

A league championship is likely on the line Saturday afternoon as the top two teams in the Suburban East Conference meet. Woodbury, ranked No. 7 in Class AAAA, faces No. 4-ranked Forest Lake. When the two teams last met on April 29, the Rangers claimed a 2-0 victory. The Royals have won seven of their last eight since. The Rangers have won 10 straight games since a 1-0 loss to Stillwater on April 22. It's a huge game for both teams with conference and playoff implications at stake.

Friday Girls Softball: Rogers (17-1) at Elk River (13-3)

It should be a great battle among rivals Friday night as Rogers, ranked No. 4 in Class AAAA, travels to Elk River. It's a big non-conference game that will likely have playoff implications. Rogers leads the Mississippi 8 Conference at 17-1 overall and a perfect 12-0 in league play. The Royals haven't lost since dropping a game to North St. Paul at the Lakeville North Tournament. That's a stretch of nine games, and it includes six shutouts. Rogers beat Elk River 4-1 in that Lakeville tournament. The Elks have been solid since that loss, winning six of their last seven games. Don't be surprised if these two teams met again with a trip to the state tournament on the line.

Friday Girls Lacrosse: Eagan (7-3) at Park Cottage Grove (6-4)

There is an interesting girls lacrosse match-up Friday night in the east Twin Cities metro with two teams going different directions. Eagan travels to Park of Cottage Grove, and the Wildcats have won six of their past eight matches. The Wolfpack are 6-4 on the season and have lost three of their past five matches. Molly Busch and Lauren Funk lead Eagan in scoring with a combined 52 points on the season, which includes 36 goals. Dani Perry leads the Wolfpack with 27 goals on the season. And Park of Cottage Grove has had no issues scoring with at least 10 goals in all but two of its games. Eagan has double-digit goal totals in six of its 10 games.

Tune into WCCO-TV's High School Sports Rally at about 10:20 p.m. as Mike Max, Frank Vascellaro and David McCoy will have all the action covered.