Recent content from Kevin Bertels
Maple Grove will move to Lake Conference in fall 2025
The school will leave the Northwest Suburban and join the conference that is home to four of the seven biggest schools in Minnesota.
Suburban school with success in its past will drop boys hockey
Bloomington Kennedy, citing low participation at the youth level, announced it will merge with Bloomington Jefferson in 2025-26.
Meet the Minnesotans competing for Team USA at the Paris Paralympics
Thirteen athletes with ties to Minnesota are scheduled to compete, and a dozen of them have been to the Games before.
St. Anthony and Breck zero in on an early start to football season
The two teams will play the state's lone Zero Week game Friday in a high-profile venue, TCO Performance Center.
St. Paul Academy, soccer champion times two, begins push for more
The start of fall practice pulls together the Spartans squads that swept the Class 1A titles in 2023.
Metro Team of the Year in synchronized swimming builds on history
Stillwater won the state championship for the fourth year in a row and improved on a record that shows the Ponies in the top two for all 49 years a champ has been crowned.
A day of perfection produces the Clay Target Shooter of the Year
Lance Klersy of Monticello went 100-for-100 at the state championships, his second perfect score, two years after his first. "My last box, I could barely put my shells in my gun, I was shaking so much," he said.
Meet the 2024 Difference Maker, who aspires to inspire inner-city athletes
Mark "Dolo" Harris is a familiar face and voice at Henry, his alma mater, working to improve opportunities in north Minneapolis.
The Dance Team of the Year came back for more. Lots more.
Wayzata hadn't won either division, jazz or high kick, since a sweep in 2019, until it won jazz in 2024 and finished second in high kick.
Adapted Sports Team of the Year shook off a bad memory
Dakota United overcame eerily familiar late-game circumstances in the state final to win its first state championship.
Rain delay, indeed: Baseball state title games will wait until Friday.
The finals won't have to leave Target Field after all. The MSHSL decided to hold off until the Twins leave town.
Ms. and Mr. Minnesota Golf finalists, eight of each, are revealed
The awards go to the top high school senior girl and boy in the state.
The champ lands big class' top seed in softball state tournament
Rosemount, undefeated ruler of Class 4A last season, wound up atop the field again. Cretin-Derham Hall is first in 3A, Randolph in 2A and New Ulm Cathedral in 1A.
Team USA finds girls basketball firepower in Twin Cities
Liv McGill of Hopkins was picked to play for the U.S. under-18 team at a tournament in Colombia. Three Twin Cities players are trying out this week for the U17 team.
Neck guards mandated for high school hockey after Johnson's death
The National Federation of High Schools announced that it will mandate neck guards nationwide after Minnesotan Adam Johnson died in October from a skate blade lacerating his throat.
Three area girls basketball stars trying out for national U-17 team
Minnetonka's Aaliyah Crump and Lanelle Wright and Providence Academy's Maddyn Greenway were invited to try out for USA Basketball's under-17 national team.
Randolph is back in the game, at Class 1A boys hockey co-op
Mike Randolph, one victory short of Minnesota's record for coaching victories, is taking over at Northern Lakes.
High school junior golfer moves a step closer to U.S. Open
Cretin-Derham Hall's Sam Udovich was among five players who advanced from a tournament at Troy Burne. Next stop: a 36-hole qualifier June 3.
List of 32 in running for Ms. and Mr. Minnesota Golf is revealed
The awards go to the top high school senior golfers in the state, and the winners will be named June 9.
Tied for state wins record, prep hockey coach Randolph loses job
According to coach Mike Randolph, a St. Thomas Academy official told him that 'little things' led to the decision to let him go as the school's hockey coach.
Holy Family hires boys hockey coach from program on the rise
Zack Friedli, who was associate head coach as Chanhassen reached the Class 2A final, will take over the Fire.
Transfers make major impact at boys basketball tourney — and people noticed
All four state champions — two public schools and two privates —benefited from players who transferred. That and more from the weekend.
Who made state in boys basketball? The list of 32 is complete.
The brackets and seeds will be revealed Saturday, and the quarterfinals will begin Wednesday.
Finalists revealed for state's top senior defenseman honor
The list is a who's who of the best senior blueliners from across the state.
Minnesota boys hockey state tournament 2023-24: The schedule and more
The legendary event begins Wednesday and continues through Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Find TV and ticket details and links to the brackets here.
Cretin-Derham Hall puts Randolph's pursuit of coaching record on hold
The Raiders advanced to the boys hockey state tournament and stopped the St. Thomas Academy coach from setting the Minnesota record for victories.
Randolph can set record for coaching wins in section final tonight
St. Thomas Academy coach Mike Randolph will break Lorne Grosso's state record with his 708th win if the Cadets top Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday in a section final.
High school football coach retires after leading program for 36 years
Dean Aurich, with a record of 256-114 and a state title from 2021, is stepping down at Mayer Lutheran.
Police: Shakopee hockey player suffered fatal injuries after driver of her car didn't stop at sign
High school senior Mikayla McCarvel, who was riding with three other 17-year-olds, suffered a brain injury and died Tuesday, her father said.
Small class' biggest rivals will spice up the boys hockey weekend
No. 1 Hermantown will take on No. 2 Warroad on Saturday. St. Thomas Academy surged in the Class 2A rankings, then lost.
Change comes again to the top of the Class 2A girls hockey rankings
Hill-Murray swapped spots with Minnetonka, and the schedule says there's reason to watch for more.
After 60 years, Nanne prepares last call at boys hockey state tourney
Lou Nanne, Minnesota hockey patriarch and analyst for the broadcasts since 1964, said he'll make the next one his last.
The first girls hockey rankings of the new year feature a new No. 1
Minnetonka moved past Hill-Murray, the only team to have defeated the Skippers.
Two unbeaten teams start 2024 atop boys hockey rankings
A draw over the holidays settled nothing, leaving Minnetonka No. 1 and Wayzata No. 2.
The tush push, the NFL play that sunk Vikings, is illegal in prep games
The play, in which a teammate pushes a runner ahead, cost one team a Prep Bowl TD when a player lifted a teammate who broke away for a score that was called back.
Six Minnesota boys land on Olympic youth hockey roster
Minnesotans make up more than a third of the team, which will play in South Korea starting Jan. 19.
Who's Minnesota's Player of the Year? Find him here, with 55 All-Staters
The All-State football first team starts with an offensive backfield that has no players from Class 6A, the largest schools.
Prep Bowl: Title games start Friday. Schedule, TV, ticket info and more
Tap on the headline above for a link to watch the games, score updates, ticket information, the tournament program and more.
Meet the 10 Mr. Football finalists (and don't miss the 19 previous winners)
The 2023 list runs from metro to far outstate, from small class to the largest.
Hockey Day Minnesota 2025 will set up at Valleyfair
The annual event celebrating hockey from youth to pros will happen amid rollercoasters and rides at the Shakopee amusement park.
Meet the matchup: Minneapolis North at Fridley in the Prep Spotlight free stream
The game, a pairing of metro teams from Class 4A and 3A, will be available at 6 p.m. on startribune.com.
Meet the matchup: Totino-Grace at Orono in the Prep Spotlight free stream
The game, a pairing of teams ranked in the top five of Class 4A, will be available on startribune.com.
Meet the matchup: Rocori at Becker in the Prep Spotlight
Watch Becker, ranked first in Class 4A, and Rocori, ranked seventh, in the free streamed game of the week.
Rochester rules the girls tennis world entering the postseason
Mayo is ranked first in Class 2A and Lourdes is first in Class 1A as section tournaments get going.
It comes down to this in girls soccer: Perfection vs. perfection
Undefeated Class 3A teams, No. 1 and No. 2, will clash in the final game of the regular season.
Meet the matchup: Alexandria at Brainerd in the Prep Spotlight
The teams in the free streamed game are both undefeated and ranked in the top 10 of Class 5A.
Meet the matchup: Maple Grove vs. Anoka in the Prep Spotlight
This week's free stream features undefeated Anoka and defending 6A champ Maple Grove.
Just ahead for cross-country runners: the Roy Griak Invitational
The University of Minnesota's meet, featuring high school and college races at the U, is back for the 37th time.
![At the No Honor in Racism on the U of M campus in Minneapolis, Olympian hockey silver medalist Henry Boucha was a standard bearer.] Richard Tsong-Taat](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/R62K7GAKBGMU4SAT2LS4MGHVZM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Funeral for Boucha will be in Warroad arena Sept. 29
Gardens Arena is where Warroad high school hockey teams play, where Henry Boucha's No. 16 hangs and where banners commemorate the school's state hockey titles.
Highland Park, Central soccer teams invited to Allianz Field for Saint Paul Cup
Via the Saint Paul Cup, those schools' boys and girls teams will be the latest prep programs to compete in the facility.
Meet the Prep Spotlight matchup: Rochester Mayo vs. Farmington
The football game will be streamed free and live Friday at startribune.com.
Hopkins' Drevlow, Minneapolis Southwest's Scott reign in cross-country rankings
Wayzata teams lead both Class 3A polls, and St. Paul Highland Park is ranked first among 2A girls.
Who's No. 1? Everywhere you look in soccer, it's Wayzata
The Wayzata boys reached Class 3A's peak after defeating then-No. 1 Minneapolis Washburn. The girls team was already there.
After three top-10 wins, Wayzata volleyball tightens grip on No. 1 spot
The Trojans showed their mettle, winning five matches last weekend including victories over No. 2 Champlin Park, No. 4 Lakeville North and No. 9 Maple Grove.
Meet Mankato West and Andover, the football teams meeting in the Prep Spotlight game of the week
The game, pitting two Class 5A powers, will be streamed free and live Friday at startribune.com.
New London-Spicer's Hail Mary with a twist wins state title — and Metro Play of the Year
The moment that made the football team a state champion also made it a viral sensation. "It comes up for sure every week, if not a few times a week," says coach Chad Gustafson
Meet St. Paul Highland Park's Sunshine Vang, the Metro Badminton Player of the Year
Vang mastered two of the games she plays: the one in her head and the one on the badminton court in setting a school record for victories. "I changed a lot," she said,
CHS Field takes its first turn as site of prep baseball state title games
The stadium is a regular stop, and energizing atmosphere, for schools within St. Paul. This year the showcase of the high school baseball seasons comes to Lowertown.
Cambridge-Isanti shot putter takes full advantage of her second chance
Evelyn Wiltrout qualified for the state championships a day after the MSHSL changed a ruling that had made her ineligible.
Decision reversed: Banned shot-putters will compete in section meet
Three girls from Cambridge-Isanti who began Thursday banned from their section track and field meet — and from their chance to win a spot at state — regained that opportunity Thursday night.
Conference at edge of metro area, with 6 decades of history, breaks up
Member schools voted to disband after 2023-24, driven by widening differences in enrollment. The Minnesota River Conference president said "in the individual interests of the schools, this was the right decision."
Maple Grove wins jazz competition at dance team state meet
The Crimson was the only team to beat Eastview in the regular season and did it again.
Eastview's dominant dancers head to state on their annual mission
The Lightning have swept the titles three seasons in a row and will try for four with a new coach.
No. 1 all around: Minnehaha Academy honors Jalen Suggs, retires his jerseys
In his second season in the NBA, Suggs is in town for a game against the Timberwolves. The school retired his No. 1 in both basketball and football.
When college refs don't show, high school officials save the game
When no crew showed up to officiate Monday's game at the University of Minnesota Morris, athletic director Matt Johnson called on his prep connections for replacements to get the game going only a few minutes late.
As Eden Prairie coach awaits ruling, his case raises question: Is using a racial slur ever OK?
Eden Prairie boys basketball coach David Flom watched the Eagles from the stands Friday night while he remains suspended. The school district is investigating his reading of a slur as part of a lesson.
Captain tells his high school's fans: 'We need to stop yelling at the refs'
The captain of a boys basketball team in southeastern Minnesota delivered a plea to fans after his school's first home game: "I hope we can all come together as a community and change for the better."
Rivals bring back basketball trophy missing since World War II
Stillwater boys basketball coach Brady Hannigan has revived a prize that dates to the 1920s and was last awarded about 80 years ago. It will go to the winner of Friday's game between his team and White Bear Lake.
Meet the Roback family and its three generations of Prep Bowlers
Dad Jim helped coach Coon Rapids to a 1983 title, son Pete won with Anoka in '90 and grandson Dane will get there with Rosemount.
Retired? Former North High coach McKenzie returning as an assistant
A Hall of Famer as a head coach at several Twin Cities high schools, including Minneapolis North, Larry McKenzie is joining Park Center as an assistant. Here are five things learned at a banquet in his honor.
Five questions, five answers on the state high school football playoffs
The Class 6A bracket will be revealed Friday morning, and much is yet to be determined. because of games that still need to be played. But some of the top seeds are pretty certain.
The last week of regular-season football is here: three issues from each class
High school teams have played down to matchups that will set section pairings and settle even more.
Company streaming high school sports warns about scammers
Neighborhood Sports Network says the safe route to broadcasts is to go directly to its website.
1 favorite, 4 contenders: Who's next at No. 1 in Twin Cities football?
The top teams in Jim Paulsen's Metro Top 10 lost in Weeks 3 and 4. This raised questions. We asked Jim for answers.
St. Paul, you're invited: Plan will put high school soccer teams on Allianz Field annually
The Saint Paul Cup will feature boys' and girls' teams from Como Park and Harding this year and others in the future.
