Prep Winter Warriors: Five schools crushing the competition
It's "Tiny" Joe Nelson from FM 100.3 KFAN back with you for some more high school sports coverage. This time around I want to present a weekly "Winter Warriors" list featuring five schools doing well in every winter sport. For this, I'll search the state for schools with the most impressive weekly combination of boys basketball, girls basketball, boys hockey, girls hockey and wrestling.
5. Hermantown Hawks
Undefeated in three-of-four winter sports. The boys basketball team earned a couple of very close wins. The girls basketball team is off to a 5-0 start, including three wins last week. Hermantown is best known for boys hockey, and a 7-3 win over No. 7 Totino-Grace proved the third-ranked Hawks are for real again this year.
4. Hopkins Royals
It's tough to leave this school out of my inaugural top-five. Both basketball teams are No. 1 in the big school rankings. The boys hockey team is struggling, but the girls team has won back-to-back games against ranked opponents. The wrestlers had a nice showing at an eight-team meet and defeated Minneapolis South, 54-30.
3. Maple Grove Crimson
The boys hockey team is leading the way as one of the state's best teams. The Crimson blew away nemesis Blaine 6-3 last week. The girls hockey team is off to a 3-0 start. The boys basketball team is 2-1 and won its first two games last week. The girls basketball team is off to a nice 3-0 start and the wrestling team finished second in a 13-team meet.
2. Eastview Lightning
The boys basketball team, led by Joey King, defeated No.1 (3A) Benilde-St. Margaret's at the Breakdown Tip-off Classic. They also beat No. 6 (4A) Edina. The girls basketball team went 2-0 last week, including a nice win over a ranked New Prague team. The boys hockey team outscored its opponents 17-4. The girls hockey team also went 2-0 last week, including a shutout win over Apple Valley. The wrestlers struggled, going 1-4, but the other sports picked up the slack for the Lightning.
1. Roseville Raiders
The Raiders are undefeated in four of five winter sports. Boys basketball, girls hockey, boys hockey, and girls hockey are all sporting zeros in the loss column. The boys basketball team had an impressive win over Rocori, and the girls hockey team is No. 1 in the rankings -- and for good reason, they've allowed only one goal.
That's the list this week. Can you think of a school that did better than these five? If so...bring it!
