The April 2022 edition of MSHSL Connect, the League's monthly online news magazine, features newsmakers and celebrates winter state tournament champions. Read this and more in the latest edition.
Dreaming was a daily activity for Lurline Baker-Kent and her siblings while growing up in Richmond, Calif. She had a brother that would routinely throw a blanket over their mother’s dining table and climb underneath to slip away into thoughts, visions and hopes for the future.
It’s been an exciting year seeing the celebrations and memories that have been brought forward as part of commemorating the 50th year of Title IX. In reflecting on what Title IX has meant to, and provided for me and those closest to me, I spent time learning from my own mom who graduated from high school in 1962, reflecting on my own experiences as a 1985 graduate, and considering my daughter’s class of 2020 experience. Blended into those three time-markers are my sister whose graduation followed mine by three years and my two sisters-in-law who graduated in 1977.
“To be honest with you, it’s crazy, it’s stressful, it's painful. I mean, I live and work in North Minneapolis and every time I hear about gunshots in the community, every time I hear about something going on, I worry. These are my kids."
One last championship was earned on Saturday, March 26, 2022, a title that ended a marathon of Minnesota State High School League winter state tournament events. And that title, the third of the day, went to a member school that had never won a crown in boys basketball.
A week ago, the Totino-Grace Girls Basketball team won the Class AAA girls championship for the second time since 2008. The ink has barely dried from updating that achievement in the record book and it will need to be summoned again. The boys’ side has one of their own now, too, to bring back to the Fridley-based school.
Skip Dolan has been coaching Annandale for 26 years and the Cardinals’ 60-49 win over Minneapolis North was the first boys basketball title for the school.
No. 3 Annandale captured the first Boys Basketball state championship in school history with a 60-49 victory over No. 1 Minneapolis North in the Class AA championship game on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at Williams Arena. Annandale won 29 consecutive games to end the season.
Hayfield fought off the final challenge of the 2021-22 boys basketball season and put any doubt to rest on Saturday, March 26, 2022. The Vikings were indeed the best Class A team and more than capable of successfully defending its championship.
Annandale was the final team to earn a berth in Championship Saturday following its 62-55 victory over Caledonia in the Class AA semifinal on Friday, March 25, 2022 at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.
