July 2, 2009 at 7:55 a.m.
Top five sports stories of the year
Top five sports stories of the year
Numbers 11 through six were last week, and here is the top five accomplishments and moments of the 2008-09 high school sports season.
#5. Brian-of-all-trades: Grand amazes in fall season
It's no longer uncommon for a soccer player to throw a few extra pads on and kick field goals and extra points for his school's football team.
What is uncommon, however, is for that soccer player to have the talent and stats that North Branch junior Brian Grand did this year.
It was the first year that Grand decided to add placekicking duties to his plate in the fall. He spent his Friday nights warming up on the sidelines in preparation for that next big kick.
He was called on for 11 extra points, converting nine of them for the Vikings. He also was a deadly kick-off specialist, regularily launching balls deep into the opponents territory.
On a few occasions, when the opponents returned his kicks, Grand got his licks in. More than once, the wiry junior blew up a kick returner who thought he had an easy match up against the soccer player turned kicker.
What's amazing about Grand is that he was able to add the pressure-filled, hard-hitting job to his plate while still steadily terrorizing North Suburban Conference goalies in soccer.
Grand has a promising future in the sport. The Switzerland native scored a North Branch-record and state-leading 32 goals this year, along with seven assists. His 39 points were good enough for fourth in the state in total scoring.
Grand was a huge reason the Vikings' soccer team went from 1-12-2 in 2007-'08 to 10-5-1 in 2008-'09.
4. North Branch girls basketball defies expectations to get to section final
Last year, the North Branch girls basketball team stumbled to a 6-21 record, including 3-17 in the North Suburban Conference. Not many things went right for them. After the tough season, 1,000-career point scorer Kristen Robatcek graduated and left the Vikings girls program with one senior and a few underclassman parts for their 2008-09 season.
It was expected to be another tough year in the mine field that is the explosive NSC. With only one senior letterwinner on the roster, and no defining player to bank on, the Vikings opened the season with a 56-17 thrashing of Minneapolis Henry, and it was a good pace setter for the rest of the season.
They went through plenty of losses, but they never stayed down. They avoided long drought, never losing more than two games in a row, and finished the season with a 14-12 record, a marked improvement over the year before.
The real highlight, however, came when the girls began section play. In the first round, they drew rival Chisago Lakes, a team they had beaten twice already on the year, including a five-point win just a week before the playoffs. They completed the trifecta to move onto the second round and take on a bigger challenge in Spring Lake Park.
The Panthers and Vikings had split the regular season series, but North Branch got the upper hand in the section game and topped SLP by 11
points.
In the section final, for a chance to go to the state tournament, the Vikings ran into top-ranked Totino Grace and didn't have much of a chance. They played a slow pace at first and kept it within reach, but eventually the Eagles broke free and won 60-26.
The section runner-up trophy was a huge accomplishment for this squad. Many outsiders had low expectations for them after only six victories the year before and no Robatcek patrolling the floor, but they defied those expectations for a surprising run at the section final.
3. Boyd Suparat's bid to repeat his state title.
Last season, Boyd Suparat claimed the top spot on this list with his remarkable run to a state title at 130 pounds in Class AA for North Branch wrestling.
It was the first state title in North Branch history, and he did it as the perennial underdog.
This year, Suparat was the prohibitive favorite. Even though he had won his title at 130 points, he was still the guy to beat this year when he moved up to 135 pounds. Most of the guys from the tournament last year made the jump up also.
Returning to reclaim his tournament crown, he got off to a familiar start, downing Tommy Teigen of Meadow Creek Christian in the first round.
In the second round, Suparat edged out a 3-2 decision over Hutchinson's Ethan Smith. Smith was well-rested as his first round opponent was unable to grapple, and he received a forfeit win.
With the win, Suparat earned a berth into the semi-finals against Pequot Lakes' Nic Harrison. Harrison was another one of the top dogs in the weight class, sporting a 35-1 record going into the match. Suparat wrestled a strategic match, keeping Harrison's attacks at bay while capitalizing on his miniscule mistakes.
Suparat narrowly outlasted his fellow senior, winning 6-5 to move onto the finals and attempt to repeat his state title feat.
An unfamiliar road black stood in his way. Ryan Swenson of Dawson-Boyd/Lac Qui Parle Valley, who was just a sophomore and hadn't qualified for the state tournament before, stood across from Suparat in the finals.
Both wrestlers seemed a bit tentative in the early stages of the match. Suparat out of unfamiliarity with Swenson and Swenson out of respect for Suparat.
Eventually, the two engaged and Swenson got the better end of the deal, scoring a takedown and an escape point. Suparat had only score two escape points and the match came down to the last 15 second with Suparat trailing 3-2.
He made a move and lunged for Swenson's leg and nearly completed the takedown. He just wasn't able to circle around to the back to secure it and Swenson wiggled free to secure his own two-point move and end the match.
The loss stung for Suparat, as it was his last high school wrestling match, but he did more than most do in a wrestling career. He may not have won the title this year, but he still deserved to be near the top of this list.
As Head Coach Tony Aho and I discussed, it was arguably a tougher road this year than it was last. He was an unknown when he blazed to his state title. This year, he had a target on his back all week, and he still nearly pulled out the championship.
The loss didn't dampen what Suparat has done over his career for the North Branch wrestling program, and he could walk away at the end of the day knowing his put his best effort forward.
2. Josh Figini's senior season for the record books
Chisago Lakes senior Josh Figini is my Karl Malone.
Despite two fantastic seasons in which he stuffed the stat box and did everything he could to propel the Wildcats to a top tier team, he just didn't get into the number spot.
He's the best guy to not win my proverbial championship, and I bet he'll really lose some sleep over that.
Coming into his senior season, Figini was touted as one of the best players in the state. A lengthy shooter who could rebound and had a few fluid post moves to boot.
And if someone had their doubts about a basketball player from Chisago Lakes dominating at a high level, Figini quieted them very quick with a 46 point, 24 rebound performance in a season-opening win against Princeton.
Although he didn't keep up that torrid a pace through out the season, he put up some gaudy numbers along the way. He averaged nearly 25 points per game and over 14 rebounds per game. He created one-man rallies for the Wildcats and was the team's leading assist man, too. Late in the season, he became the Wildcats all-time leading point scorer.
Although the team didn't have the success they hoped for, Figini's accolades came pouring in all year. He was nominated for the McDonald's All-American team, he was one of 15 finalists for Minnesota's Mr. Basketball Award, and he made the Pioneer Press's third-team All-Metro team.
Figini's Chisago Lakes career may be over, but he'll continue his basketball life out East at Cornell. Figini signed on to play for the Division 1 Big Red for the next four years.
1. Tyler Henderson smacks a state record-tying four homeruns
The Chisago Lakes baseball team had a lot of highlights this spring. They fought through the losers bracket to knock off the number two and number three seeds en route to the section final. They bowed out to Forest Lake, however, in the end.
They also had some big pitching gems from Joey Reed and Quinn Collins, as well as a power charge by hard-hitting first baseman Jake Warkel toward the end of the season.
But no highlight was quite as high as junior Tyler Henderson's. The catcher jacked four homeruns in one game this year against Columbia Heights. The number tied a state record that is shared by three other hitters in the past.
In his first at bat, on a 2-1 pitch, Henderson drilled a ball over the right-center field fence to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
In his second go-around, with one out and nobody on in the third inning, Henderson hammered the first pitch he saw - a high fastball - over the right field wall to make the score 5-2 Wildcats.
In the fifth inning, after the Wildcats already had one run in and runners on first and second, the Hylanders brought in a new pitcher. Henderson greeted the new hurler by smacking his first pitch, another high fastball, over the left field fence to drive in three runs.
In the sixth inning, Henderson rocketed a ball down the right field line that looked like a sure double. But the umpire ruled it foul. Henderson grounded out later in the at bat.
In his last at bat, with the count at 1-1, the pitcher hung a curveball over the inside corner. Henderson drove it over the fence in left center for his fourth home run of the game. "That one was fun to watch," said Henderson at the time. "I knew it was gone when I hit it."
In addition to tying the state record for home runs, Henderson also tied the state record for total bases with 16. He also drove in nine of the Wildcats' 17 runs in the game.
Henderson had only hit one home run on the season prior to the Heights' game, and he had never hit more than one home run in a game previously in his life. "The whole thing is surreal," he said when he accomplished the feat. "It's awesome having guys calling me for interviews. I really am honored to be a part of something like this."
Because of his efforts, Henderson was named the Metro Area Player of the Week by both KARE 11 and the Star Tribune.
With Henderson back next year calling the shots behind the plate and blasting shots out of the park, the Wildcats
While the summer is the nicest time of the year here in Minnesota, I can't wait for that first fall contest next year when the new sports season starts.
I'll see ya there!
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