Recent content from Jim Paulsen
Gymnastics state meet: Owatonna wins Class 2A, Detroit Lakes returns to peak in 1A
Owatonna clinched on the tricky balance beam. Detroit Lakes won its sixth team championship, its first since 2019.
High school gymnastics state meet: A half-century later, four athletes to remember
As the event enters its second 50 years, here's a look at four gymnasts who left their mark on the first 50.
East Ridge athlete is named Miss Gymnastics 2025
Laney Schwellenbach received the award from the Minnesota Girls Gymnastics Coaches Association at a banquet preceding the state championships.
Explainer: How the U.S. Department of Education's investigation into MSHSL could unfold
The high school league doesn't receive federal or state money, so how much weight does a threat to pull government funding carry?
Leader board: The highest-scoring girl gymnasts in Minnesota
Here's a look at the highest-scoring gymnasts and team rankings in Minnesota as postseason competition begins.
Trump administration to MSHSL: Change transgender sports policy or face investigation, loss of funding
During a 60-day review period, the nonprofit's bylaw allowing transgender student participation would remain in place.
One of Minnesota's best high school football players chooses Big 12 school
Minnetonka quarterback Caleb Francois, who also had an offer from North Dakota, indicated he will play at running back at Iowa State, but the Cyclones will likely use his speed and versatility at different positions on offense.
Hockey coach's head injury leads to new calls for stronger helmet requirement
No official policy from the MSHSL regarding helmets exists, but that doesn't preclude individual schools from taking action to minimize risk, officials said.
MSHSL has 60-day ticking clock to re-examine policy for transgender athletes in girls sports
Leaders of the nonprofit organization that oversees high school athletics in Minnesota said the federal order is in direct violation of the equal protection clause of the Minnesota Constitution.
Where do good high school players go when colleges stop calling?
Four high school seniors share how recruiting changes have affected their college football dreams
Meet three trailblazing girl wrestlers in Minnesota
Northfield's Caley Graber, Simley's Charli Raymond and Anoka's Gigi Bragg have made themselves known through varying approaches.
Minnesota's best high school wrestler strives to be a different sort of winner
Landon Robideau, a senior from St. Michael-Albertville who hasn't lost a high school match since ninth grade, has embraced his spiritual side and "started caring more about others than about myself."
These ex-Minnesota high school football stars have entered the college transfer portal
Transfers include Bryce Hawthorne of Osseo leaving South Dakota State for Iowa and former Minnehaha Academy star Chase Carter heading to Memphis.
Rochester Mayo' Claire Loftus named Star Tribune's All-Minnesota Girls Tennis Player of the Year
The senior tennis player this fall concluded her high school career as a five-time state champion.
Here are the best high school wrestling teams in Minnesota for the 2024-2025 season
St. Michael-Albertville begins 2024-25 campaign as the No. 1-ranked team in Minnesota.
High school wrestling 2024-25: Meet the athletes to watch and learn their college plans
A half-dozen of the best wrestlers in Minnesota have committed to the Gophers.
Softball title games moving to the U; St. Thomas to hold boys volleyball tournament
The softball coaches association had cited gender equity in pushing for the move from North Mankato to Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
Talented homebody and sought-after defensive lineman makes it official with Gophers
Though he had a number of NCAA Division I offers, Abu Tarawallie of Providence Academy had no desire to play far from home.
Maple Grove football finishes season No. 1 in Star Tribune's Minnesota Top 20
Minnesota Star Tribune sports writer Jim Paulsen wraps up the 2024 high school football season with a statewide, class-crossing football ranking.
Meet the Star Tribune's All-Prep Bowl Team
A list of the standout players across all classifications competing in the high school football championship games at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Elk River tops Alexandria for Prep Bowl's 5A state title
The Elks relied on their power run game to drain the clock and keep the ball out of the Cardinals' hands.
Maple Grove's perfect season culminates with Class 6A Prep Bowl victory
Minnetonka hoped to tie the score in the closing seconds, but a deep pass was intercepted by Maple Grove's Dylan Vokal, sealing the Crimson's victory.
Becker completes perfect season with defeat over Totino-Grace in 4A Prep Bowl
The Bulldogs finish the season 13-0 with their fourth state championship in program history.
Prep Bowl predictions: Our picks for the winner of each football championship at U.S. Bank Stadium
Star Tribune prep writers David La Vaque and Jim Paulsen offer their predictions for the high school football championship games this weekend.
All-Minnesota: Meet our picks for the state's best prep football players
From the Twin Cities to greater Minnesota, the Minnesota Star Tribune picks our top 25 football players in the state this year.
Talented running back is the Star Tribune's All-Minnesota Player of the Year
Kevon Johnson carried the ball 245 times for 2,143 yards this season, and his 35 rushing touchdowns tied for the most in the state.
Alexandria pours it on against Owatonna, advances to Class 5A Prep Bowl
Chase Thompson passed for five touchdowns and ran for another for the Cardinals, who will play a rematch against Elk River.
Dassel-Cokato makes last-minute push into Prep Bowl, where Stewartville awaits
A touchdown with 51 seconds left settled the first Class 3A semifinal. Stewartville receiver Parker Wangen, whose team won its 27th game in a row, settled the second.
Dassel-Cokato 300-pounder lives a lineman's dream: He's a fullback now
Coaches rescued Lars Salmen from a lifetime on the offensive line. "He even caught a touchdown pass this season," his dad said. "He loves it."
Maple Grove withstands Shakopee's challenge in Class 6A football semifinal
Chuck Langama scored a touchdown in every quarter, driving the undefeated Crimson into a Prep Bowl final vs. Minnetonka.
Kimball Area savors a trip to state three decades in the making
"Wouldn't it be cool to get to this spot?" coach Clay Anderson had asked from the U.S. Bank Stadium stands in 2023. The 2024 answer from senior Owen Mortenson: "It was just huge for us."
Football prognosticators ponder five final semifinals
Saturday's games will set all the pairings for next week's Prep Bowl.
Football: Totino-Grace defeats Orono, advances to meet Becker in 4A Prep Bowl
Kicker Jimmy McNeil makes a pair of 36-yard field goals, the last coming with 2:24 left in the game, to secure the win for Totino-Grace.
Mountain Iron-Buhl coach takes on accusations that he showed too little mercy
Dan Zubich about his team's regular-season blowouts: "How do you get 91 points? Well, when you never get tackled, you can get 91 points."
Five more semifinals present a handful of challenge for football prognosticators
The indoor portion of the prep postseason continues at U.S. Bank Stadium with games spread over four classes, closing with the Class 6A clash of Shakopee and Maple Grove.
![U.S. Bank Stadium - Exterior and construction images. ] US Bank Stadium - Vikings brian.peterson@startribune.com Minneapolis, MN - 06/30/2016](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/VD64MQFZSLRSXX7V62MLGPDJWM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Hills-Beaver Creek, Fertile-Beltrami set up a perfect Nine-Player Prep Bowl
Hills-Beaver Creek, the less-noticed undefeated team in the first semifinal, knocked off powerful Mountain Iron-Buhl. Isaiah Wright scored seven touchdowns for Fertile-Beltrami against LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli.
Football: Becker beats Marshall 28-7 in Class 4A semifinals
Sawyer Brown both threw a touchdown pass and ran for a TD for Becker, which remains undefeated at 12-0.
Prognosticators make their guesses as playoffs settle into U.S. Bank Stadium
Four games from three classes open the indoor portion of the high school football postseason, closing with the Class 6A clash of Minnetonka and Anoka.
Here are the 10 finalists for Minnesota's Mr. Football award
On the eve of the state high school football semifinals, the Minnesota Football Coaches Association released the names of its 10 finalists for its postseason Mr. Football award, meant to recognize the coaches choice for the top senior football player in Minnesota.
Field goal moves Alexandria past Armstrong in Class 5A quarterfinals
Daniel Jackson, committed to the Gophers, nailed a 32-yard field goal with 3:01 left in the game, giving the Cardinals their first lead.
Alexandria, Marshall advance to play for Class 3A volleyball championship ... plus other semifinals results
Alexandria sank undefeated Delano in the semifinals. Mayer Lutheran won its 1A semifinal to head to its fourth consecutive state title game. In Class 2A, Hawley and Southwest Christian pulled off upsets.
Shakopee turns back Mounds View in Class 6A football quarterfinal
The Sabers let a chunky lead get away, then regained their footing with the support of a big defensive play and the running of T.J. Clark.
Maple Grove remains undefeated with an exclamation point, routing Edina 35-0 in Class 6A football quarterfinals
The Crimson, ranked first in Class 6A, got two passing touchdowns and one running from quarterback Kaden Harney.
Here are this weekend's best matchups in the Minnesota high school football quarterfinals
Head-to-head quarterback battles and sturdy defensive fronts against savvy rushing attacks highlight the playoff action happening Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Volleyball: Lakeville South, Champlin Park to meet in Class 4A final at Xcel Energy Center
Lakeville South and Champlin Park advanced in the state semifinals Thursday. The Cougars will make their first championship match appearance. The Rebels last reached the state tournament in 2018, which resulted in a state title.
Football predictions: Three quarterfinal matchups in Class 6A and two in Class 5A challenge our pickers
See who reporters David La Vaque and Jim Paulsen pick as winners in these clashes: Edina-Maple Grove, Alexandria-Armstrong, Minnetonka-Blaine, Mounds View-Shakopee and Chanhassen-St. Thomas Academy.
Maple Grove rolls against Eden Prairie in Class 6A playoffs
The Crimson regained the services of running back Charles Langama, who celebrated his return after four games away with two touchdowns.
Football predictions: Who will win highly-anticipated Alexandria-Moorhead rematch for 5A section championship?
High school sports writers David La Vaque and Jim Paulsen also pick winners for Eden Prairie at Maple Grove, Edina at Eagan and Andover at Elk River playoff football games.
Football: 6A battle of Eden Prairie-Maple Grove isn't your run of the mill second round matchup
The Crimson, which earned the top seed in the 6A brackets, have a challenge in front of them when they host Eden Prairie, the No. 4 seed, Friday night.
Football: Lakeville South advances in 6A playoffs with win over Wayzata
Lakeville South got its Power-T offense cranked up and used a series of big plays to take control of the game. The Cougars scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, all on runs of 50 yards or longer.
Girls Tennis: Rochester Mayo's Loftus completes high school career with second state 2A title
Senior finishes season with a perfect 28-0 record. Also,Mounds View sisters Rory and Reese Wahlstrand win 2A doubles championship.
Football predictions: Lakeville South ready to avenge previous loss to Wayzata in playoff rematch
Champlin Park-East Ridge, Rocori-Princeton and Rosemount-Blaine high school football matchups rise to the top of weekend playoff predictions.
The Minnesota Top 20, postseason edition: Now comes the real test for state's best football teams
As playoffs get underway, a look at the teams that can go far, and which have the toughest road ahead.
Girls tennis: Rochester Mayo wins second consecutive Class 2A team title
The Spartans finished the season a perfect 24-0 and are now 50-0 over the past two seasons.
Football playoffs: Chaska-Waconia rematch, St. Paul schools showdown intrigue football predictors
Star Tribune reporters Jim Paulsen and David La Vaque pick the biggest matchups of the opening round of high school football playoffs beginning Tuesday.
Rochester Mayo the clear favorite to win Class 2A girls tennis state tournament
Rochester Mayo's success is tied directly to its deep and talented roster, which includes senior Claire Loftus, the state's No. 1-ranked singles player and 2023 singles state champion, and her younger sister, sophomore Aoife, the state's No. 2-ranked singles player.
Minnesota high school football polls: Final regular-season rankings have Maple Grove, Moorhead atop 6A and 5A
Maple Grove, Moorhead, Becker, Stewartville finish season ranked No. 1 in respective classes in final high school football poll.
Maple Grove, Moorhead among No. 1 seeds in high school football playoffs
Tour the brackets revealed Friday and prepare for Classes 5A through Nine-Player to begin the postseason Tuesday and for Class 6A to start Friday.
No. 1 Maple Grove pushes past No. 3 Minnetonka, completes a perfect regular season
Three touchdown passes from Kaden Harney to Dylan Vokal helped the Crimson dig out of a 14-point first-half hole.
Elk River perseveres through second-half push, defeats Alexandria in high school football
Elk River scored 38 points in the first half, but Alexandria turned stern after that and made it a game.
Could Maple Grove, Armstrong and Alexandria lose this week? Here are predictions for Week 8's top games
Coming off a loss to Moorhead in a matchup of the top ranked teams in Class 5A, Alexandria must face Elk River, another titan in 5A.
Minnesota high school football polls: Moorhead No. 1 in Class 5A following big win over Alexandria
Moorhead's 36-34 victory over Alexandria on Friday was a matchup between the top two teams in Class 5A. Moorhead's win catapulted the team into the top spot according to media voters.
Lossow returns to football sidelines at Minneapolis Roosevelt despite ongoing battle with Crohn's disease
Two years ago, Rodney Lossow lost 50 pounds because of the disease and had to step away from coaching at Minneapolis South. After an operation and continuing treatment, he's back where he belongs.
The Minnesota Top 20: Maple Grove remains No. 1 in high school football. Here's why.
Others have come and challenged for the top spot, but the Crimson — among Class 6A teams — have answered the bell each week and come out unscathed.
Forest Lake makes early TD hold up in high school football victory over Eagan
Forest Lake scored on its first possession and added three quarters of stern defense to defeat Eagan 7-0.
Predictions feature clash of top QBs and a perfect greater Minnesota matchup
Edina's Mason West and Stillwater's Nick Kinsey, the top two quarterback prospects in Minnesota, will meet Thursday, a day before the top two teams in Class 5A match up.
State high school football polls: Eden Prairie moves back into the Class 6A top 10
With several teams still undefeated, though, there's little movement in the class-by-class rankings.
Minnesota Top 20: Clash of 5A titans in final Friday of regular season
No. 2 state-ranked Moorhead and its juggernaut offense averaging more than 50 points per game makes the 100 or so mile trip down Interstate 94 to play at No. 1 Alexandria and its wealth of athletic talent.
Totino-Grace stays unbeaten with 34-14 win over Minneapolis North
Minneapolis North turned the ball over five times, leading to 20 consecutive points by Totino-Grace.
Why there's extra sparkle on the Minnetonka football sidelines
Inclusion and "great opportunity" are at the heart of the Minnetonka Sparklers, a high school cheerleading program for girls with special needs.
Despite losing record, Eden Prairie still a danger to Minnetonka, predictors say
Becker at Rocori and Rogers at Elk River are two of the weekend's top high school football matchups.
Who's No. 1? Lakeville North, Maple Grove, Minnetonka crowd top of 6A poll
Football polls: Alexandria and Moorhead lead 5A. North Branch enters 4A top 10 after defeating previously undefeated Duluth Denfeld.
Minnesota Top 20: 6A football is now a quagmire, while 5A teams inch closer to the crown
Jim Paulsen has been saying all season: Class 5A is the deepest in the state. That shows in new rankings, with six very good 5A teams holding down six spots starting at No. 6.
Minnetonka survives late scare to top Shakopee in battle of unbeatens
Minnetonka improved to 5-0 with a 21-13 victory Friday in a battle of unbeaten Class 6A powers before a homecoming crowd of 8,145.
High school football predictions for Week 5 zero in on undefeated teams
St. Thomas Academy at Armstrong matchup splits predictions for Star Tribune reporters Jim Paulsen and David La Vaque.
![Emily Ford greets one of her sled dogs "Beamer", Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 at Shameless Huskies Kennel in Willow, Ala. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souf](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/JD2AC3QV35EXDA5WJ4JACZ3BEU.jpg?w=600&h=600&auto=format%2Ccompress&cs=tinysrgb)