West Metro Football Roundup

Edina, Washburn, St. Michael and Maple Grove Get Wins in Instant Classics

In other West Metro football action, Eden Prairie handed Hopkins its first loss and Bridge Tusler keeps it rolling for Osseo High.

The Edina Hornets stepped up in a big way Friday night, using a little bit of extra time to defeat the Minnetonka Skippers in an instant classic in Lake Conference action.  Mark Handberg hit Marley Allison in overtime for an 11-yard touchdown to give the No. 10 Hornets an upset at home over Minnetonka, the fifth-ranked team in Class 6A. The Skippers outgained the Hornets 331 to 237, but Edina reeled off the game's last 14 points, with a Handberg pass to Eric Veker forcing overtime. Check out a replay of the Edina vs. Minnetonka game here. Next week: Minnetonka takes on co-No. 1 Wayzata, while Edina battles Hopkins.  Eden Prairie 42, Hopkins 21 A close game in the first half turned on a critical fumble by the Royals, and the Eagles never …

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Patch Prep Football West Metro Roundup: Crimson, Wayzata Week One Winners

Each week we'll take a quick trip around the West Metro from a football roundup. Here's a look at the games from Thursday night in Week One.

There were some tight-knit games and a couple of blowouts in Week One of the Minnesota High School League football season, but no huge upsets to rock the prep sports world in Thursday night's heat.  Maple Grove, Wayzata and Osseo were all big winners in the new Class 6A, with St. Michael-Albertville falling to Cambridge-Isanti in a mild upset over the Mississippi 8.  Here's a look around the West Metro.  Wayzata 52, Bloomington Jefferson 7 Team Purple looks like it's ready to make another run to the Mall of America turf, dominating from the start of its opening night matchup at home versus Bloomington Jefferson.  Tanner Bedard carried the ball for two touchdowns, and Reid Pettersen had two more from his QB spot, as Wayzata led 35-0 at the …

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Spartans Refute Edina Football Championship Claim

Former Richfield football players say the Hornets have mistakenly laid their hands on a 1987 conference title.

Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Edina High School has a storied athletic history with 145 state championships. In 2005 Sports Illustrated even named the school’s athletic program the best in Minnesota and eighth best in the nation—the result of a survey conducted of some 30,000 U.S. high schools. The problem, several former Richfield Spartans varsity football players recently claimed, is that at least one of Edina High School’s claims to athletic glory doesn’t actually belong to the Hornets. On a billboard at Edina’s football field a sign lists 1987 as one of numerous years the Hornets won a conference football championship. But former Richfield High School football players, …

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Update: Richfield, Holy Angels Girls Hockey to Form Co-Op

The one-year agreement allows Richfield to continue searching for a permanent co-op for future seasons

The Richfield High School and Academy of Holy Angels girls hockey teams have formed a cooperative agreement, Richfield athletic director Todd Olson confirmed Saturday. The co-op was approved at Thursday’s Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Board of Directors meeting in Brooklyn Center. It is a one-year agreement between Holy Angels and Richfield, and Olson said the co-op should be officially ratified on Monday. Richfield’s declining numbers within its hockey program have led to RHS looking to form a cooperative over the past four years. Olson said Richfield has spoken with five schools about a long-term agreement. For this winter, the Spartans and Stars will join, with Richfield sending one senior to the Stars’ program. The younger…

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Caitlin Burgess

2:08 pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Hi there. I'm working to get more information on this from the RIchfield athletic director. You're not the first to voice your concerns. I'd love for you to contact me with your real name so we could talk more about it. caitlin.burgess@patch.com   more ›

Young Starliners Still Hold Big Goals

The Holy Angels dance team might be youthful, but the end goal is still a shot at a state championship.

The Academy of Holy Angels dance team is young, and it has a brand new coaching staff this winter. But the Starliners’ reputation as a top-tier program in Class AA is still in tact, and they’ve got no intentions of changing their goals of reaching the state meet. So as Holy Angels prepares for Saturday’s Chaska Invitational, its first chance to compete in Jazz this season, the Starliners continue to refine each move and help their youthful squad become more and more polished. “The longer you know a dance, the more familiar you are with it and the more you can do it in your sleep,” senior co-captain Michelle DePauw said. “That just comes with time and doing it over and over again.” Holy Angels finished third out of six teams at Tuesday’s …

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Richfield Runner Hannah Olson Competes in State Tournament

Senior Hannah Olson of Richfield is the lone local runner competing in the Class AA MSHSL Championships.

Richfield's star girls cross country runner, Hannah Olson, will be the only local runner competing at the Class AA Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Championships Saturday morning at St. Olaf College in Northfield. She placed 46th in the Class AA state meet last season. A Great Record this Season The senior finished fifth in the recent Section 3AA Championships with a time of 14:51, with the boys and girls teams placing 12th overall. She also won the Classic Suburban Confernce meet in September. Olson's other top finishes this year included:

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Senior Spotlight: Lisa Nielsen

Lisa is a member of the Richfield girls tennis team.

Editor's Note: Richfield Patch is running a series of occasional features that will highlight senior athletes at both Richfield High School and the Academy of Holy Angels. Look for more "Senior Spotlights" throughout the fall sports season. Who is your favorite athlete? Joe Mauer.  How would you describe yourself in three words or less? Sarcastic, energetic, quirky. What is your favorite subject in school? English. What sports do you play during the year? Tennis, Nordic skiing. What song do you listen to before games to get pumped up? "Push It" by Salt 'n' Pepa. What is your favorite sports memory? Tennis sleepovers. If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be? Australia. It looks awesome. What are your plans next year (…

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UPDATED: Richfield Football Player Plays in All-Star Game at TCF Bank Stadium

Local standout players compete in game that divided the state's all stars into North and South teams.

Last Update: Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 10:58 p.m. The Minnesota State High School League sponsored All-Star football game took place on Saturday evening at TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota. The All-Stars, divided into two teams representing the Northern and Southern parts of the state, battled in a close game. Recent Richfield High School (RHS) graduate and former RHS lineman Nick Olson played for the South All-Stars, the team that unfortunately lost to the North 17-7. Olson will attend the University of South Dakota and play football in Fall 2011.

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A Handful of Richfield, Holy Angels Teams Change Section Assignments

The Minnesota State High School League makes changes to it class and section assignments.

Every two years the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) takes a look at high school sports class and section assignments and many times implement changes, according to Todd Olson, athletic director at Richfield High School (RHS). The changes that happen are largely the result of changes in school enrollment, Olson said. Generally, schools are classified based on size which ideally levels the playing field. In addition, the section assignments are done geographically so that schools are near each other. The following are the changes for RHS and Holy Angels: RICHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL Five Richfield High School athletic teams are shifting not only their sectional classifications, but also their respective classes, with one other Spartans' …

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