A season ago was a down year for FCJ covered girls basketball teams.  Only one of seven finished above five hundred.  With the new one-bracket Section tournament systems, only one made Rochester for a play-off game.  This year, four of seven Journal covered teams return at least three starters and two others return a 1,000-point scorer (each looking for the school’s all-time … [Read more...]

A foursome from Section Runner-Up Mabel-Canton highlights the volleyball All-Conference list for the Journal covered schools.  The Cougars boast two seniors, a junior, and a sophomore.  Three are at least repeat All-league selections.  The sophomore gets the biggest honor.  Kenidi McCabe (5’5” setter) repeats as All-SEC.  She also makes Class A first team All-State.  Maybe … [Read more...]

It was still a great season.  Mabel-Canton volleyball accomplished a lot in 2018.  They won the SEC-East again, keeping their 100-plus-match league winning streak intact, doing so by twice fending off their biggest threat in a number of years, rival Spring Grove.  The Cougars won the 1A East sub-section, going through perennial power Caledonia and the Lions (again).  Lonnie … [Read more...]

Houston football (2-seed, 9-1) implemented the correct game plan.  They carried it out almost as they needed.  In the Section 1 9-Man finals, versus defending state champion Spring Grove (1-seed, 10-0), the ‘Canes played the ball control game.  They took their three, four, and five-yard gains, keeping the ball away from electric Lion quarterback Alex Folz.  But Houston … [Read more...]

The last time they met for a Section title football game, a good chunk of Chatfield swamped Maxwell Field in Winona after a huge Gopher overtime win over Caledonia.  Many guessed that game was essentially for the state title, and Chatfield went on to the 2013 Class AA championship.  The last time Chatfield and Caledonia met period, it took two defensive scores for the Warriors … [Read more...]

He ran an in competition personal-best time.  LARP sophomore cross country runner Luke O’Hare will have two years to move up the list should he want to work to do so.  At the 2018 state cross country meet, O’Hare finished in a time of 16.55.0, his best time of the season (career), bettering his section title pace of 17:01.8.  He finished a very respectable 41st of 176.  He was … [Read more...]

Could this be the year Mabel-Canton volleyball goes to state?   Lonnie Morken has long run a top-notch program, but the answer is a realistic maybe.  Section 1A is as open as it has been.  There is no awe-inspiring squad.  M-C is the Section’s only ranked team (#6).  West juggernaut Faribault B.A. is not quite the same without ex-coach Franz Boelter.   M-C is going to have to … [Read more...]

They’ll play to go to state for the first time since 2009.  Houston football’s run has reached another level.  The #7 ‘Canes (2-seed, 7-1) ran past two foes to make the Section 1 9-Man finals.  A quarterfinal with L-O (7-seed, 2-6) was a little dicey.  Houston jumped out 22-0 only for the Cards to tie the game at 22.  Houston scored before the half (28-22) and after (36-22).  … [Read more...]

There for a span, it was a white-hot rivalry.  Chatfield’s culmination was a memorable 1AA title game win in the 2013 state title season.  The Gophers and Caledonia are set to meet again for the 1AA title.  Chatfield (2-seed, 6-2) had no trouble with Cotter (7-seed, 0-8) in the quarters.  A 28-point first quarter gave way to a 44-6 win.  Sophomore Ben Roline (12-173, 3 TDs) had … [Read more...]

Redemption is too sweet.  A year ago was Luke O’Hare’s first year running cross country.  He was in position at the Section 1A Meet to make state.  But going hard for 5000 meters is taxing, particularly for a young newcomer to the sport.  O’Hare didn’t finish.  But make no bones about it.  He has running in his blood.  Older brother Austin was a state participant, a collegiate … [Read more...]