“It is with great pleasure that the National High School Athletic Coaches Association announces the advancement of Tom Vix (formerly) of Rushford-Peterson High School as finalist for the 2019 National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) national coach of the year in the sport of boys basketball. Eight finalists from across the nation will be honored during the National Coach of the Year Awards Banquet, which will take place at the NHSACA’s national convention at Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck, N. Dak., on the evening of June 26, 2019. The highlight of the banquet will be the naming of the NHSACA national coach of the year in 19 recognized sports categories. Coach Tom Vix was nominated for this national honor by (Minnesota’s) high school coaches association. This selection was based on longevity, service to high school athletics, honors, championship years, and winning percentage. The nominees and finalists are evaluated by experts in the field of coaching using a sport-specific rubrics to assign points in each category. The NHSACA is the oldest coaches association in the nation formed by coaches, for coaches, and has been recognizing national coaches of the year since 1978.” (from a letter from NHSACA)
Coach Vix won his 684th game in the 2018 state play-offs, moving him into sixth place on the Minnesota boys basketball all-time wins list. He is tied for fifth in Minnesota history with three state championships. His 16 state appearances from 1989-2018 is second in only to Hopkins’ Ken Novak Jr. (17) (MN Basketball Hub). From 1990 to 2018, only Minneapolis De La Salle (19) went to state more often than R-P (16). This past season, as Associate Head Coach with long-time friend Wade Grinde at Spring Grove, Vix aided in helping the Lions to their first ever state tournament, an upset of top-seeded Springfield, and a third place finish. He has led one of the Minnesota’s very best programs over the past three decades, and is deserving of a national coaching honor.
One-Loss, One-Run Winners
Two county baseball programs used good pitching to help in one-run wins, keeping each team with just one loss. The Chatfield Gophers took advantage of their young stand-out to beat Wabasha-Kellogg. Sophomore Max Aug didn’t give up an earned run over six innings pitched (6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K, Win, 1-2, R). Chatfield scored via a wild pitch, balk, and a Henry Gathje ground-out to lead 3-0 after three. W-K got unearned runs in the fourth and fifth to make it 3-2. They had a runner at second in the 6th and 7th. Austin Storm pitched to four W-K batters in the last inning to get the save. Brian Baum’s crew moved to 1-1, 3-1 on the year with a 3-2 win. Seth Allen (1-2, 2B) scored two of Chatfield’s three runs. The Gophers had just three hits, W-K six. Two nights later, Dakotah Rostad’s GMLOK guys took out PEM on the back of strong pitching. Senior Drew Copley reached his pitch count in tossing 6 1/3 innings of one-run baseball (4 H, 1 BB, 13 K). Christian Millette got the win (2-0) in his second good relief appearance (1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K). The score sat tied at 1-1 after seven. Jacob Welch had the game winning RBI in the eighth for the 2-1 GMLOK win. Reid Kruegel and Devin Carr scored for the Bulldogs. It was their second 2-1 win in eight innings (beat D-E). GMLOK improved to 2-0 (SEC), 4-1 (overall) on the year.