You name the sport and Hastings' Nick Tuckner has been there. He has called approximately 500 hockey games, missing very few. One came on the day he married his wife Erica; the announcement that the Raiders had defeated Bloomington Jefferson drew a big cheer at the wedding reception.
Elissa Reinsma Wieneke would never refer to herself as a pioneer, as others do and will. The 29-year-old, however, feels pride in knowing that the 2022 state wrestling tournament includes a division for girls.
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.
Jakob McCleary and Finn McCormick ran stride for stride in the 1,600 meters, with McCleary leaning in to finish first and McCormick giving it everything he had before crashing to the track.
The first girls state tennis tournament was held in 1974, and to this day and forevermore, two kids from Virginia – Linda Glavich and Sheila Robinson – remain at the very top of the list as the first doubles state champions.
“I thanked him for making my track seasons memorable. He said, ‘Let’s get connected and you can get officiating.’ I realized there aren’t many females and not many younger female officials."
The 2022 adapted softball state tournament was absolutely normal. And that was everything, since there was no adapted softball season at all in 2020 and a year ago teams played regular-season games but no postseason was conducted.
No matter what happens at the state softball tournament, mementoes and memories will be carried for years by everyone associated with the 2022 Wabasha-Kellogg softball team.
Ever since last year’s section meet, Pine Island,s Jarod White has been thinking about 16 feet, 2 inches. The all-time state record in the pole event was 16-1 ¾ … until Tuesday.
Kasson-Mantorville junior Reese Tripp stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 325 pounds. Tripp’s big-time football future was not a sure thing until he worked hard and did something drastic: he lost nearly 60 pounds. That’s right, Reese weighed around 380 pounds.
Tony Nelson thought about graduating from high school early and moving to the University of Minnesota for the 2022 spring semester, getting a head start on his college education and Gophers football career. But home is important and Nelson had more to accomplish as a three-sport, small-town high school athlete in southwest Minnesota.
News was made when the 48-member Representative Assembly, the legislative body of the MSHSL, voted against making boys volleyball a sanctioned sport. The vote was 31-17 … one short of the 32 votes needed for approval.
In 2018 Maple Lake became the first high school in Minnesota to hold a signing ceremony for future teachers. Burnsville did the same in 2018 and Willmar joined in 2019. The pandemic put a stop to such gatherings but they are back in 2022.
Elk River’s stadium, which includes new bleachers, digital scoreboard, press box, a concession/ticket/restroom building, storage areas, team rooms and a room for officials, is among the finest at any Minnesota high school.
Concordia Academy senior Shaina Zinter might not know a lot about Heather Van Norman, but she has thought about making a similar mark by winning a state team title all by herself.
Pine Island senior Jarod White's focus is on pole vaulting higher than anyone in the history of Minnesota high school track and field. His 16-0 accomplishment in 2021 put him third on the all-time list.
Lakia Manska is a busy senior at Morris Area High School. She’s a three-sport athlete, a member of the National Honor Society, a two-time qualifier for the MSHSL state speech tournament, a dancer and more. She’s also fearless.
