Coming To John's Journal: The Top 10 Stories of 2021-22

For a dozen years now, I have gone through a summer exercise that is really fun. Once the school year ends I sift through all the John's Journal stories that were posted between the start of fall practices and the end of spring tournaments, and select my personal favorite Top 10.

The No.1 stories through the years are very memorable. A year ago, the No. 1 selection told the tale of how a high school softball coach gave birth in the family vehicle shortly after her team's season ended with a playoff defeat. You can read that story here: https://www.mshsl.org/about/news/johns-journal/johns-journal-coach-baby…;

At the close of the 2019-20 school year, the No. 1 story stemmed from a postgame news conference in the state football semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Jackson County Central had lost a heartbreaking 20-14 decision to Pierz in a game between unbeaten teams, and coach Tom Schuller was joined in the media room by seniors Bradley Buhl Jr. and Rudy Voss.

As I wrote at the time, "Rudy, through tears, talked about football being a blessing in his life, the bond among the 21 seniors, how wins and losses don’t define them. At one point, Rudy is unable to speak and Bradley takes over, putting a hand on his teammate’s back and talking about how at the start of the season each player was asked to do their job and trust each other. At that point, no one knew the impact their words would have." You can read the story here: https://www.mshsl.org/about/news/johns-journal/best-2019-20-number-1-ja…;

It will be interesting to see the result of this year's story-sifting exercise. It's always difficult to settle on a Top 10, and even harder to decide the order. If you have any personal favorite stories of your own, feel free to drop a mention by tagging me on Twitter (@MSHSLjohn) or send an email to [email protected]

And now, stay tuned ...