EP 111: Girls State Hockey Preview & Tiger Talk with Farmington Boys Hoops’ Tharen Johnson!

Before welcoming in the head coach of the No. 7 ranked Farmington Boys Basketball program, Matt, Logan, & Bill first hit on some prep sports headlines, including boys hockey player of the year candidates, Miss Hockey semifinalists, and a big Lake Conference rivalry matchup on the hardwood from Friday night.

Starting at (12:24), they react to the results of Sunday’s Section seeding meetings in Boys Class AA hockey, and preview some of the notable Section playoff matchups that get underway this week.

At (25:26), they review each of last week’s girls hockey Section Final results, and preview the State Tournaments in both Class A and Class AA that start Wednesday morning in St. Paul!

Interview with Tharen Johnson, the 8th year head coach of the Tigers, starts at (49:28). Topics discussed include the Tiger program consistency as they approach their fourth straight winning season, Farmington’s proclivity for crashing the glass, and how the Tigers will fare as they look to snap an over 80-year State Tourney drought.

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EP 110: “Winning Anyways” with Shakopee Boys Hockey Coach Calvin Simon, plus Bill Hupp Shines in the Super Bowl!

Before welcoming in the head coach of the 7th-ranked Shakopee Boys Hockey Team, Matt & Bill first grapple with the implications of Bill’s newfound stardom after a Super Bowl commercial appearance, before getting into some of the prep sports headlines of the week at (4:39). Headlines this week include a monumental clash between Tonka and Edina on the ice, a recent losing skid for another State Tourney contender, and one of the top boys hoops teams in the State seeing their unbeaten season squashed over the weekend.

Starting at (15:30), they recap the action on the ice from the girls hockey Section playoffs last week, including a stunning upset by Rosemount behind some hot goaltending, and tee up the Section Finals of note this week around the State!

Interview with Coach Simon starts at (26:30). Topics include the Sabers’ forward depth that includes electrifying goal-scorers Cooper Simpson and Cooper Siegert, Shako clinching their first-ever conference title, the Sabers’ Frank Brimzak contender between the pipes, “Hockey Day” Minnesota preparations for next year, and more!

Finally, Matt and Bill close with “notes from the field” at (53:18), talking Eastview Divison 1 standout Jon Mekonnen and a golf mishap from over the weekend.

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Gleaning from the Grove, a Girls Hockey Section Preview with Crimson Head Coach Jim Koltes

Matt and Bill keep the podcast rolling into playoff season as they preview the girls hockey Section Tournaments that get started this week!

Before diving into hockey, the hit on some of the key prep sports headlines of the week at (2:57), including changes coming to the State Tournament next year, a school-record, and prominent Minnesotans climbing the ACC ladder.

Starting at (14:20), they go Section-by-Section to discuss favorites to punch their tickets to “the X” while chiming in on standout players, and the three Section Tournaments that are going to be the most exciting to watch in Class AA.

Interview with Jim Koltes, the 12th year head coach of the Crimson, starts at (41:31).

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Section 2AAA Dance Tournament

EP 108: Boys Hoops Upsets & the Basketball Trojan Horse with Wayzata Head Coach Bryan Schnettler

Before welcoming in the head coach of the reigning State champion Wayzata Boys basketball team, Matt, Logan, and Bill discuss some prep sports headlines from the week (3:45) before diving into an episode focusing on boys hoops in the Twin Cities.

Starting at (13:02), they discuss a myriad of key upsets as four top-7 ranked teams in the State in Class 4A all went down last week while taking a peek at Section races of note with five weeks left until the Section playoffs. They discuss Wayzata’s first misstep this season in a road loss to Hopkins (12:35), Edina’s habit for slaying giants (15:03), and Lakeville South’s first top-10 win of the year as they took down Shakopee in a thriller Friday night (19:28), among other topics.

Interview with Bryan Schnetter, Wayzata Boys Basketball coach, starts at (39:47). Topics discussed include the Trojans’ 15-1 start, Wayzata’s offense clicking as the top-scoring unit in the State, Jackson McAndrew’s development as a senior, the winning tradition at Wayzata, and Schnettler’s coaching tree, among others!

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EP 107: Striking Irish Gold with Rosemount Girls Hoops’ Chris Orr!

Before a girls basketball mid-season check-in, including an interview with the Rosemount Irish Head coach, Matt, Logan, and Bill talk about some of the headlines of the week in prep sports, including a tragic passing of a high school athlete this week, a big result in a top-5 battle in boys hockey, and more.

Starting at (13:50), they discuss Minnetonka Girls Hoops’ 15-0 start to the year, and talk about the Lake Conference’s dominance in the girls basketball scene this year. They speculate on potential trip-ups for the Skippers in a loaded back-end of the schedule, and who is best poised to up-end Tonka’s unbeaten run. Logan also gives his assessment of last week’s Lakeville rivalry game in girls basketball and Matt & Bill discuss a pair of Division 1 standouts for Centennial, and despite it how the Cougars’ struggles are affecting the Section 7AAAA landscape this postseason.

Interview with Chris Orr, the head coach of Rosemount Girls Basketball, starts at (36:12)

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EP 106: Back to the Pond, Talkin’ Boys Hockey Conference Races & Section Shake-Ups!

Matt, Logan, and Bill get together to check the pulse of boys hockey in the Twin Cities at roughly the mid-point of the season!

Starting at (4:53), they discuss the Northwest Suburban Conference with an interesting race between Rogers, Maple Grove, Andover, and Centennial at the top, along with improving squads in the middle of the pack that have made it arguably the State’s deepest league. At (17:18), they discuss Shakopee asserting themselves as favorites atop the South Suburban Conference after a gritty road win in Rosemount, and look back on Lakeville South’s recent dominance of the league in years past.

They also discuss the talent on display at Gentry Academy, who are making a strong case as a No. 1 seed in Section 4AA despite being iced out by the competition (22:09) and discuss heavyweights Wayzata, Edina, and Benilde all blocking each other for one State Tourney berth in 6AA.

Finally, they round out the show with some basketball observations concering Spring Lake Park, Shakopee, and Jack Robison of Lakeville North as part of their “notes from the field” for the week (35:27)!

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EP 105: Boys Hoops Midseason Check-In & Ranking Cereals with Breck’s Daniel Freitag

Matt returns to the fold and the guys reconvene to take the pulse of boys basketball in the Metro, including an interview with University of Wisconsin commit Daniel Freitag, a senior at Breck and one of the top-150 high school seniors in the country!

Starting at (2:43), Logan breaks down two major games in Class 4A from the past week, including No. 1 Wayzata’s dominant win over No. 5 Lakeville North last week (3:49). He discusses the State’s top-rated player in Jackson McAndrew and how he matched up with future Badger Jack Robison (7:40) in the top-5 battle. Logan also breaks down the Farmington Tigers’ suprising start as they rose to No. 6 in last week’s top-10 (11:03). Bill Hupp chimes in on how Eagan have emerged as contenders in Section 3 (14:50), and the guys talk about other suprising starts from Minneapolis Washburn and suprising struggles from Eastview and White Bear Lake, among others.

Matt’s interview with Daniel Freitag starts at (24:05), and includes a preview of Wednesday’s top-ranked Class 2A clash between Breck and Holy Family, as well as Freitag’s accolades as a two-sport athlete and development as a point guard this year.

Finally, the guys talk hockey hospitality, a St. Paul women’s hoops star returning home, and more on “notes from the field” at (46:35).

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EP 103: Talkin’ Girls Hoops Stars, Dark Horses, & Title Contenders with Prep Girls Hoops’ Grant McGinnis!

It’s a girls high school hoops frenzy for the first time this season on the pod as the crew welcome in Grant McGinnis, a prep basketball scout and writer for PrepGirlsHoops.com in Minnesota!

The gang starts the conversation at (4:38) by keying on Friday’s matchup between Class 4A No. 3 Lakeville North and Class 2A No. 1 Providence Academy, and discussing standout sophomore Maddyn Greenway, her State-wide appeal, and where she fits among recent superstars in the State.

Starting at (17:30), they talk about the headliners of a talented senior class, led by Benilde’s Olvia Olson (Michigan), Hopkins’ Liv McGill (Florida), and Mountain Iron-Buhl sharpshooter Jordan Zubich (UNC), among others.

At (23:58), McGinnis splits hairs to determine Minnetonka and Hopkins’ candidacy as the best team in the State right now, while also not counting out Wayzata, STMA, and others as top title-contenders in Class 4A. At (30:37), Logan and Grant talk about the best girls players they’ve ever seen at the high school level, including a standout 8th grader from Duluth you’ve got to keep an eye on (32:17).

Finally, they discuss other Class 4A teams to follow at (35:36) before Matt, Logan, and Bill talk some hockey and wrestling in their final “notes from the field” of 2023 (49:00).

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