In the latest edition of Connect, the monthly online news magazine of the Minnesota State High School League, see the latest feature in the "Salute to Title IX" series along with other news and information.
The curtain goes up on the 2022 One Act Play State Festival this week. The Class AA schools take to the O'Shaughnessy stage on Thursday, February 10. The Class A schools will follow on Friday, February 11.
Under new coach Todd Dufault, the North Branch Vikings are turning heads. They have a record of 14-5 and are on track to finish with a winning record, which hasn’t happened for a North Branch boys basketball team since 2003-04.
In a run-up to the national celebration of the passage of Title IX legislation on June 23, the Minnesota State High School League’s Board of Directors is joining other high school administrative leaders across the country recognizing individuals for their pioneering efforts.
Before Stillwater Area High School’s Jessie Diggins became a worldwide Olympic sensation in Nordic Skiing, she and St. Paul Academy’s Annie Hart were two of the most dynamic competitors in Minnesota State High School League competitions. In 2010, leading up to what was expected to be a dandy duel between the friends, the St. Paul Pioneer Press previewed their final high school race and then captured the most dazzling, heart-stopping finish in Nordic Skiing. Both would become teammates on the U.S. Olympic Nordic Skiing Team. Stories and photos courtesy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Congratulations to this year's ExCEL Award recipients.
The ExCEL Award – Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership honors high school juniors who are active in school activities, leaders in their schools, and who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service
Not wanting his kids and their friends to miss out on activities that are important to them, WCCO TV anchor Jason DeRusha took over as coach of the debate and speech teams at Maple Grove High School.
New London-Spicer girls basketball coach Mike Dreier recorded his 1,000th career victory as the Wildcats defeated Watertown-Mayer 60-36. He is the first girls basketball coach in Minnesota to win 1,000 games.
Ayoka Lee, a 2018 graduate of Byron High School, set the NCAA women's basketball single-game scoring record on February 23, 2022. Lee, who is a junior at Kansas State University, scored 61 points in a 94-65 victory over the University of Oklahoma.
When New London-Spicer faces Litchfield on Tuesday night, Mike Dreier will have 999 career victories. Should it end with New London-Spicer winning, Dreier will become only the second coach in Minnesota high school basketball history – and the first girls coach -- with 1,000 wins.
