Minke and Melvin conquer The Quarry, headed to state
North Branch will be represented on Minnesota’s biggest high school golf stage next week after Nick Melvin and Jenna Minke earned trips to the Class AA State Golf Tournament at The Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.
Girls lax keeps unbeaten season rolling, heading to state!
A dominant first half helped top-seeded Chisago Lakes roll into the next round of the Section 7A playoffs with a convincing 19-5 victory over No. 8 seed Anoka in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 28.
Congrats to the class of 2026!
Congratulations to all the graduates out there this year! Both the Chisago Lakes and North Branch seniors are getting to the end of their high school career and are off to bigger and better things.
‘Cats draw top seed
The Chisago Lakes girls lacrosse team finished out their regular season undefeated with a 16-6 win over Breck on Thursday, May 21. The win set the ‘Cats up nicely with the first seed in the Section 7 tourney in which they are heavily favored to win and return to state. The second-seeded Blaine Bengals are the biggest threat, and the ‘Cats beat them 13-3 in early May.
Helberg heading to state
Wyatt Helberg breezed through the Section 6A individual tournament over Memorial weekend without dropping more than two points in any game.
Season over for Wildcat pair
The Chisago Lakes tandem of Caleb Brink and Nolan Levasseur (at right) ran out of steam in the Section 7AA semifinals last week.
Enjoy these summer treats!
Here’s some favorites from our house recently!
Unbeaten ‘Cats cruise
A dominant spring kept rolling along last week, as the Chisago Lakes girls lacrosse team blasted Monticello 18-3 on Tuesday, May 12 before taking down a tough Hill-Murray squad 13-7 on Thursday, May 14 at Chisago Lakes High School.
Vikes get wins late in season
North Branch finally got off the schneid and picked up three wins over the last two weeks of the season, using timely hitting and steady pitching to finish the year 3-15.
Late Chisago Lakes magic trumps the Monticello Magic
A furious fourth-quarter rally helped the Chisago Lakes boys lacrosse team erase a two-goal deficit and escape Monticello with a 10-9 road victory on Tuesday, May 12.
Vikings knocked out by Mustangs, individual sections up next for NB
North Branch’s great tennis season came ot an end last week in the Section 6A semifinals.
Off the beaten path with classics
Burgers, pizza, deviled eggs. All easy staples of anybody’s menu, right? Well, try these versions on for size and I promise you they’ll be different!
Chisago Lakes remains undefeated, gathers big name wins
The Chisago Lakes High School girls lacrosse team continued its remarkable season with another dominant stretch of games, improving to a perfect 9-0 on the year after piling up four more victories, including a signature win over one of the top teams they could potentially see again in sections.
Tennis team still playing well
The North Branch Vikings continued a strong stretch of play last week, edging the Monticello Magic 4-3 before rolling to a dominant 7-0 sweep over Fridley Tigers.
‘Cats lose to Big Lake/Princeton for the first time, but beat constant thorn Duluth
Chisago Lakes split a pair of games last week, overpowering Duluth 12-8 before falling in a tight 6-5 battle against Big Lake/Princeton.
For those allergic to gluten!
When you have a food allergy or struggle to eat certain things, it can be a nightmare. I was asked ot potentially share some gluten free recipes recently, and I thought that’d be a great way to reach those who may have to avoid those groups of protein.
My longest recipe ever, but worth it!
I really try to keep my recipes fairly simple and easy to follow. I’ve been on the other side of these write ups when I’m looking at a recipe thinking “That’s too long and too complicated, I’m not doing that.”
Boys drop two lax contests
Chisago Lakes’ boys lacrosse team ran into a pair of tough tests last week, falling to Anoka 13-7 on Monday, April 20 before dropping an 17-8 decision to Hill-Murray the following day.
North Branch finding their way in early track meets
North Branch turned in a strong showing at the Zimmerman Quad on Tuesday, April 21, competing against Zimmerman, Foley and Chisago Lakes with several top-five finishes highlighting the day.
Tax abatement approved and bond sale authorized; principal to retire
The school board met for a short meeting on Thursday, April 16 and tackled a few major tasks.
CL LAX REPORT: Both squads crush Becker, girls stay unbeaten
The Chisago Lakes girls lacrosse team turned in a pair of impressive performances last week, dominating Becker before following it up with a strong win over the Robbinsdale Wings co-op.
Always open to ideas!
A few months ago, a reader said she was going to send me some ideas for this column space here and she just got around to sending them!
Something fresh, something hearty
We’re kind of stuck in the ‘in-between’ as they would say on Stranger Things.
Offense continues to roll for Vikes
The North Branch softball team continued its strong early-season play with a pair of convincing victories last week, rolling past Duluth Denfeld 14-0 on Tuesday before topping Gentry Academy 12-2 on Wednesday.
A decadent dessert among salads
I swear, I’m going to get to some light spring fare in this column, but I came across a recipe for Easter that I absolutely had to try, so my wife, my mother-in-law and I made it this weekend for our Easter get together and it was an absolute hit.
Two homers catapult NB over Red Knights in opener
The North Branch softball team opened its 2026 season in impressive fashion Monday, March 30, rallying past Class 3A sixth-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret’s for an 8-2 victory in a game that showcased early-season power from the young Vikes.
Easter time is near!
It’s Easter weekend, and it’s time to rejoice and celebrate everything that is great about this world!
Wildcat Academy expansion going well, and district settles with teachers
The Chisago Lakes School Board held their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 19 and although the agenda was light on time, there were a few important topics discussed at the meeting.
Giese named North Branch’s Athena Award winner
Brooke Giese has built an outstanding high school career marked by excellence in athletics, academics, and community involvement.
Easter time is near!
Easter is nearly upon us with just a week and a half to go until the glorious holiday. I’ll begin sharing some of my favorite recipes for the holiday this week!
Let’s get mad for all day hoops
I’ve had some people ask this week why I didn’t share St. Patrick’s Day recipes last week, and I think it’s just that as much as I love Ireland and love Irish traditions and the fun that goes along with it, and I’ve shared about enough of my Americanized St. Patty’s Day recipes over the years, I feel like I’d just be repeating myself at this point.
Both NB and CL see their season end at the hands of Grand Rapids
The fourth-seeded Chisago Lakes boys basketball team opened the Section 7AAA tournament with an impressive performance, rolling past fifth-seeded Hermantown 83-69 before seeing its postseason run end against top-seeded Grand Rapids in the semifinals on Friday, March 6.
Spicing up our lives
It’s not a secret that I love spicy food, and Aly made some amazing jerk pork loin earlier this week that just really put spice on my mind when I started to think about this week’s recipe column. So these recipes may not be for the faint of stomach! Just remember if you’re sensitive to spicy food, make sure to have some milk handy!
Divers both make finals, swimmers earn valuable experience at state
Chisago Lakes sent a large contingent of competitors to the 2026 Minnesota Class A Boys Swim and Dive State Meet last week at the University of Minnesota Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, with multiple individuals and relays qualifying.
Using up your winter stockpile
Of course, there could still be some big snowstorms and deep freezes, but I see some near 60 degree temps coming up this weekend and early next week. Of course it goes back down a bit, but I’m itching to empty the pantry of all the soups and canned goods stocked over the winter.
Featured fish entrees for Lent
We are officially in the season of Lent and fish! The fish fry meals are always great at the local churches, but here are a few recipes you can make at home this year while observing Lent.
CL School Board gives green light to expanding online learning next year
The Chisago Lakes Wildcat Academy, the district’s online school, is expanding to offer middle school classes for next year.
‘Cats split two with section teams
Chisago Lakes closed out a busy week on the hardwood with a split, overwhelming Hermantown at home before running into a hot-shooting Grand Rapids squad on the road.
CL comes in eighth at state
Chisago Lakes closed out its season with a strong eighth-place finish at the 2026 Minnesota State Alpine Ski Meet on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, scoring 72 points in a deep and competitive field of some of the biggest and most prestigious schools in the state. Hill-Murray claimed the team championship with 169 points.
Thorsen and Dick heading to state for NB; CL seventh grader joins
Chisago Lakes seventh grader Lila Leadholm had herself a meet on Saturday, turning in a pair of steady, confident routines to earn her first trip to the MSHSL State gymnastics meet at the Section 7A meet in Princeton.
Roatan was a blast, except for the bad chicken!
Aly and I took our current exchange student, Maceo, our first exchange student Guglielmo and joined up with her parents and took a trip to Roatan, Honduras last week for our spring break trip.
Wildcats stretch state run to half a decade
The Chisago Lakes Jazz and High Kick teams both qualified for the state meet for the fifth year in a row
The Chisago Lakes dance team is going to state again in both Jazz and High Kick competitions after earning matching third place finishes in the Section 2AA meet on Saturday, January 31 at Totino-Grace High School.
Vikings down Wildcats in spirited gymnastics affair
North Branch posted a 136.925–130.75 win over Chisago Lakes in a dual gymnastics meet Thursday, January 29, using steady scoring across all four events to secure the victory over the Wildcats.
CL squashes Rock Ridge before dropping two tough M8C games
The Chisago Lakes boys basketball team put up a fight in some Mississippi 8 Conference contests after rolling past Rock Ridge at home. Unfortunately, the ‘Cats came up short against a streaking Monticello team on the road and then suffering a heart-breaking two-point loss to Big Lake at home.
Super Bowl snacks for a group
It’s Super Bowl week, and one of the top times of the year to have people over and really go wild on appetizers! They are among some of the best, and sometimes easiest, things to make, and man they are all soooo good. Here’s a couple of my favorite appetizers for this year’s Super Bowl matchup between the Seahawks and Patriots.
Going crazy for cauliflower
I get that cauliflower is a polarizing vegetable. Some people love it, a lot of people hate it, and there isn’t much in between. I’m here to be your liaison and connect the cauliflower haters with some recipes that I think even they’ll like. Give them a try!
Cardiac ‘Cats pull out two late Mississippi 8 victories
Chisago Lakes put together a pair of gritty conference wins last week, edging Zimmerman by two points before outlasting St. Francis in a double-overtime thriller on the road.
County grads play key role in national championship
CL’s Nick Wasko had a pick-six in the playoffs, and NB’s Adam Johnstone had a career high in catches and yards in the title game
When the University of Wisconsin–River Falls football team broke through and claimed the NCAA Division III national championship, the moment reached far beyond the Falcons’ sideline at the Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio on Sunday, January 4. It carried back across Lake Erie and Lake Michigan and the St. Croix River and into Chisago County, where familiar names — Nick Wasko of Lindstrom and Adam Johnstone and Tyler Schneidewind of North Branch — stood as hometown representatives on college football’s biggest Division III stage.
AREA HOOPS ROUND UP
Chisago Lakes built a big first-half cushion and then held on late to edge Princeton 74-71 in a Mississippi 8 Conference boys basketball game at Chisago Lakes High School last week.
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