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Every year, someone does something special in high school sports.

Whether it's an individual or a team that accomplishes said feat, it always sends that same chill up from the base of your spine all the way to the top.

Through my two years of covering local high school sports, I've seen some pretty special things happen. That's something sports are good at; making ordinary people amazing, if only for just a minute sometimes.

Sports pick us up when nothing else can. Sports stand the test of time. And that's why 'best of' lists are so popular in sports.

Even though I was only here for the last month of spring season, I've been covering North Branch all year. And for Chisago Lakes, I dug through the archives and asked the opinion of colleagues to compile the top 10 best moments in local high school sports for the 2007-08 school year.

#10. The Chisago Lakes/North Branch wrestling match on January 24, 2008

With the season inching closer to the end, and North Branch sitting atop the mighty North Suburban Conference, the Wildcats were the last real threat to knock the undefeated Vikings off of their pedestal in the conference.

North Branch was off to a blazing start in the match, holding a 22-3 lead after five weight classes. But Chisago Lakes stormed back in the middleweights, trimming the lead to 34-31 heading into the last two weight classes.

At 215 pounds, eventual state entrant Troy Montague was upset by underclassman Justin Bergerson with a 6-5 decision. "Bergerson was outstanding as he out-wrestled one of Chisago's better wrestlers," Head Coach Tony Aho said at the time.

Like so many matches do, the pressure was put on the big boys. Jon Gall of Chisago Lakes needed a pin to push the match to the tiebreaker sheet, and North Branch's John Morrison just had to hang on and not get pinned.

The defensive strategy prevailed for Morrison, as he lost 5-2, but kept the match in North Branch's favor, 37-34.

The match signaled the refueling of a rivalry that had been dormant for some time.

#9. North Branch girls cross country wins the NSC title

In a conference loaded with premier schools, North Branch demonstrated a load of grit and determination in winning the conference in cross country.

After finishing second to the St. Francis XC squad in 2006, the Vikings made their push in 2007, opening a wide margin en route to their victory.

All seven of the girls finished 14th or better in the meet of over 60 elite athletes, led by five girls in the top ten.

"Our girls varsity had a truly spectacular day," Head Coach Brian Hasleiet said of his girls that day "This group works so hard every single day. They are very focused and they push each other so much in both meets and practice. I'm so happy for them because they deserve to have as much success as they're having this year,"

The team was paced by Ali Zimmerman in fifth place, Haley Hasleiet in sixth, Miranda Charley in seventh, Dani Privratsky in ninth, Shayna Gray in 10th, Briana Berthiaume in 12th, and Kendra Norman in 14th.

#8. Construction begins on Chisago Lakes' new stadium

In what will go down as a great achievement in the area, politicians and citizens alike came to a near-unanimous decision; Chisago Lakes needed a new stadium.

And a gem of a stadium is what they'll get. A $3 million field turf, multi-purpose stadium with bleachers that don't sway and rattle when fans erupt in joy.

The new stadium will have the ability to seat 3,800 spectators, and will significantly boost the eye appeal for onlookers. Everything that is included in the stadium project will come in at just under 100,000 square feet of property.

The stadium will also feature state-of-the-art FieldTurf, which is used in many professional sports venues for everything from baseball to soccer to football.

The facility is set to open in time to fit the last home game in for the 2008 Chisago Lakes football season.

#7. Meghan Corradi's basketball achievements

Meghan Corradi never let up on the gas in her senior year.

After having a productive career in her underclassman years, the basketball devotee averaged just over 16 points a game for the Chisago Lakes girls basketball team in her last year to break records and impress scouts.

Her prolific scoring lines shot her to the top of the leader board in terms of total points for a season in Wildcat girls basketball history. She also became only the third girl in Chisago Lakes' history to net over 1,000 points for her career.

Her skills got her a spot in the South Central All-Star Game, where only 19 other girls from around the state competed.

#6. Individuals at the state tournaments

Wrestling, swimming and track and field were the settings for some amazing individual accomplishments that launched some athletes to individual state tournament berths.

In wrestling, four local grapplers trekked down to the Xcel Energy Center after qualifying for the state tourney.

Troy Montague was the lone representative from Chisago Lakes. The senior capped off a 32-8 regular season with a breath-taking win in the section finals. Trailing 11-2 with under 30 seconds to go in the match, Montague earned the title by slamming his opponent and securing the pin before time ran out.

For North Branch, a trio of wrestlers worked their way to state, two took the easy road, and one took back roads and u-turns all the way to St. Paul.

Boyd Suparat at 130 pounds and Greg Arnt at 171 pounds ran through their section brackets fairly easily, going 3-0 to win titles.

Jake Kostik, however, didn't have such a nice route. After dropping the first match of the day, things looked dreary for the Viking.

With the early loss, Kostik had to trudge through all the wrestlebacks, winning five straight matches to earn the true second place bid to state.

In swimming, the Chisago Lakes boys team thrilled crowds all year with record-shattering performances, and they didn't disappoint at the state tournament at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. Tom McGurk finished in fifth place in state in the breast stroke, and Andy Willhite match that feat in diving.

Alex Lundberg, McGurk, Kevin Roggemann and Willhite finished in seventh place in the 200-meter medley relay.

The 200-meter freestyle relay team also qualified, and although they didn't place, they still broke a school record at the state meet. The quartet of swimmers included Brody Heggerston, Willhite, Jake Spehar and Roggemann.

Once the birds started chirping for spring season to start, the track and field teams geared up for some individual runs at the state tournament. After a season of jockeying and practicing, it all paid off in the end as six area athletes qualified. Chisago Lakes' Brenna Coyle and Lindsay Fowler-Wacholz both earned a trip, Coyle in discus and Fowler-Wacholz in the triple jump.

For North Branch, Jared Grams, Catie Bettendorf, Amanda Johnson and Brian Grand all earned a trip. Grams set a school record in the 100-meter dash en route to the tourney.

Johnson became the first girl vaulter to ever qualify for the meet for North Branch, and Bettendorf, a senior, made her way to the tourney in her last year.

Grand, a sophomore, had the best showing of all the Vikings, earning a trip to the meet in two events, and finished seventh in the 300-meter hurdles.

#5. Chisago Lakes softball team claws their way to section final from losers bracket

After a crushing 4-1 loss to Duluth Denfeld to open up the section play, the Chisago Lakes softball team was on the verge of ending its season early in the double elimination tournament.

With almost no wiggle room for errors, Chisago Lakes went on to beat Cambridge-Isanti 8-3 that day, and just squeezed by Grand Rapids, winning 2-1.

The two wins kept the Wildcats alive at least one more day. However, they had to win three games in a row in one day to even sniff the section championship.

They opened up the second day of section play, drubbing Anoka, 11-0.

In the second stage, Chisago Lakes again scored early and often, halting the game after five innings with a 10-0 win over Duluth Central.

In the third game of the day, the Wildcats had to face the number-one seed Forest Lake Rangers. They had to beat the heavily-favored Rangers twice to go to the state tournament.

Ariel Novak came through with heroics in the first game for Chisago Lakes. In the sixth inning, the game remained scoreless until Novak dug into the batter's box with one on. She belted the ball over the left-centerfield fence in what proved to be the winning hit in a 2-1 win for the Wildcats.

In the final the next day to determine which team would go to state, the Wildcats got down 5-0 early, but charged back in the last inning, only to fall 5-3 to the game Rangers.

#4. Chisago Lakes football rallies to beat higher-seeded St. Paul Johnson in section semi-finals

After two quarters of listless play, the Wildcats found themselves down 20-0 against the second-seeded St. Paul Johnson Governors.

In the win-or-go-home game, the Wildcats looked like they were content on heading home after the first half.

Brandon Mueller and Company wouldn't go away however. Mueller scored the first touchdown of the game for the 'Cats, cutting the deficit to 20-7 early in the third quarter.

The big swing came after the CL defense stood tall against the Governor attack on the next possession. As SPJ went to punt, Jon Lien blew through their formation and blocked the punt.

The block gave the 'Cats a safety, and the ball back trailing by only 11.

Mueller scored again, this time on the receiving end, catching a 13-yard touchdown pass to trim the lead to 20-15.

Lien again made his presence felt, scrambling for a 62-yard touchdown to give the Wildcats their first lead at 23-20.

But, the 'Cats were furious, and they turned it into a rout, scoring two more touchdowns, one on an electrifying 78-yard option that was started by Andy Willhite and ended by Mueller.

Lien scampered for one more touchdown, a 43-yarder, and Ryan Waddell added a two-yard touchdown to cap off the Wildcats 44 unanswered points. The win sent Chisago Lakes to the section final, which they had a tough time in, losing to eventual state runner-up Mahtomedi.

"The whole game was crazy," said Wildcat Head Coach Bill Weiss. "We had a tough first half, to say the least. There were no great adjustments or fiery speeches. We knew we were in a hole and talked about a few things."

#3. First conference title for North Branch wrestling since 1977

It took a little over 30 years for the Vikings to get back on top, but the North Branch mat rats won the North Suburban Conference title, their first conference crown since 1977.

The championship didn't come without some close calls. John Morrison and Justin Bergerson teamed up to gain, and keep, a lead over Chisago Lakes in a 37-34 win.

Against Totino-Grace, the Vikings faced an eight-point deficit at 33-25 heading into the final three weight classes but Greg Arnt, Bergerson and Morrison ran the tables for a 40-33 win.

The closest call came against perennial NSC power St. Francis. The Saints had been the team to beat for the last few years, and it looked to remain that way after they sped to a 28-9 lead over the Vikings.

Chad Anderson became a catalyst for a huge comeback though, as the last five Vikings all won their matches, including the dramatic denouement of Morrison pinning the Saints' heavyweight for a 34-28 win.

The five-match win streak included a pin by Anderson at 160 pounds, a pin by Zach Frink at 171, a major decision from Arnt at 189, a decision by Bergerson and 215, and the pin by Morrison.

#2. Josh Figini's amazing junior season of basketball

Amazing. Unstoppable. Artful.

Pick an adjective, and it most likely describes Josh Figini's game in his junior year.

The six-foot, eight-inch junior averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks per game last year for the Wildcats boys basketball team.

One could see Figini's height and guess that's the reason for his success over the course of the year.

But, just looking at his height wouldn't tell you that at times, Figini brought the ball up the court as the point guard. It wouldn't tell you that Figini could be just as lethal from the outside as he was on the inside.

In a highly publicized match-up against Rodney Williams of Robbinsdale Cooper, one of the top recruits in the nation, Figini out-shone his fellow junior, scoring 41 points and pulling down 16 rebounds with Minnesota Gophers Head Coach Tubby Smith looking on.

Figini's coach, Herb Jangor, said that his basketball skills aren't even the best thing about Josh, and that he's an even better student and person.

The best thing about Figini's season is that it wasn't his last. Figini has a whole senior season ahead of him to wow the crowds again, so take it in Chisago fans, it could be a while before you see a talent like this guy again.

#1. Boyd Suparat's state title run in wrestling

Suparat had been a tough wrestler for opposition to deal with all year, but few saw a run to the 130AA state title coming from the junior at North Branch.

He had been floating in the bottom half of the top ten all season at his weight class in The Guillotine's rankings.

Entering the tournament with a 34-3 record, Suparat was matched up first with Meadow Creek Christian's Tommy Teigen, who was 32-14 on the season. In a tough match that Suparat was never fully threatened in, he moved on to the second round with a 10-5 victory.

In the second stage, Simley's Connor Anderson awaited. His 31-15 record on the season belied his technical ability and defensive prowess. In what was Suparat's closest call of the tournament, he edged his fellow junior 1-0 on the merit of an escape point.

The biggest challenge for Suparat awaited in the third round. Number-one ranked A.J. Jenniges of Wabasso flaunted a 44-1 record.

Suparat wasn't fazed by the seniors resume and he took the fight to Jenniges, unseating the 130-pound king and propelling himself to the finals with a 6-4 victory.

In the finals, Suparat didn't wait around for the drama of a close decision.

Early in the first period, Suparat scored a takedown and went to work on Steve Keogh of Thief River Falls. After a few maneuvers and dominant positioning, Suparat scored a fall at 1:35 into the finals, giving North Branch their first state champion ever in wrestling.

"I've had a lot of good wrestlers in my 20 years, and this is just a relief to have a state champion," head coach Tony Aho said at the time. "I am so happy for Boyd and his family. He handles himself well and is first class."

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