IN THE ZONE

New pack to run in local high school football

By MATTHEW DAVIS

A decision came out last spring for Minnehaha Academy (MA) to co-op with two struggling private school programs in the Twin Cities for football this fall.

Now, the three Independent Metro Athletic Conference teams have an identity – the St. Paul Academy-Blake-Minnehaha Wolfpack. SBM adopted the Wolfpack as the mascot, which is unique from the three schools.

Only Park of Cottage Grove has that mascot out of all the 300-plus MSHSL (Minnesota State High School League) sanctioned schools in the state.

Moreover, they play in different class sizes with Park being 6A. SBM has the combined enrollment numbers for Class 5A at 1,663 and will play at that level in the postseason.

Class 5A Section 4 will challenge Wolfpack with the depth in talent. Spring Lake Park and Andover play tough schedules in the north suburbs and have taken the past two section titles. Mahtomedi and Robbinsdale Cooper have strong teams as well and have produced Division I football recruits.

Combining the programs at Minnehaha, Blake and St. Paul Academy does bring some solid talent to the table. Minnehaha has some talent among their senior class.

Running back Xavier Ray tore up the field as a junior with 1,351 yards and 19 touchdowns as the Redhawks went 5-3 in 2014. Defensive back Ted Hite had 26 tackles, four interceptions, and two fumble recoveries last season.

Jake Richardson, a defensive lineman, totaled 36 tackles, eight sacks, and one forced fumble last fall. Richardson also contributed in the passing attack with 14.2 yards per reception and three TD catches.

Blake offensive lineman Nick Ciesluowski will help the Wolfpack up front. The Bears went 2-6 in 2014.

While SBM naturally could have moved to a new conference away from the smaller IMAC, it happened by default thanks to the MSHSL’s redistricting. SBM plays in the Twin City District with Minneapolis and St. Paul city schools along with private schools and other smaller public schools. With its combined enrollment, SBM has the largest pool of students to draw from in the district.

Nonetheless, a combined regular season record of 7-16 in 2014 between the three squads indicates that winning as a co-op won’t come automatically.

Sarah Kaminski has committed to George Mason

Congratulations to Guard Sarah Kaminski, as she has accepted a Basketball Scholarship offer to NCAA Division I George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Kaminski will be a 4-year starter and 3-year Captain of the Minnehaha Academy Basketball team. Sarah is known for being a great teammate who will make everyone around her better. In her time at MA, she has scored over 1,000 points and played in two State Tournaments. This last season, she led the team to a 3rd Place Finish and made the All-Tournament team.

(Courtesy Minnehaha Academy)