Remember when winter wouldn't go away and teams were going stir crazy, waiting to get outside to play actual games? How quickly one week of seasonable weather can make you forget.
It didn't take long for teams to get up to full speed last week, and some exceptional results showed how little effect the late spring had on athletes' performances.
For example:
• Blake downed Edina 4-3 in a thrilling boys' tennis match between the No. 1 and No. 3-ranked teams in Class 2A.
• Mounds View's Julia Fixsen broke her meet record in the pole vault Friday at the Hamline Elite Meet, clearing 13 feet, 2 inches.
• Also at Hamline, Edina's Emily Kompelien was the only athlete to win two individual events, taking first place in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs. And Minneapolis Washburn's Emily Covert broke the meet record in 3,200 meters, winning in 10 minutes, 17.41 seconds.
• Elk River's Beau Babcock was clutch in a 14-3 victory over Osseo, hitting with the bases loaded three times and hitting bases-clearing doubles each time, racking up nine RBI. (There was some talk that it tied a state record, based on outdated information on the MSHSL website, but the actual state record for RBI in a game is 12 by Lakeville North's Angelo Altavilla in 2014.)
The biggest event on tap this week is the Edina Invitational boys tennis tournament, which always boasts a field considered stronger than at the state meet. The eight-team bracket features seven teams ranked in the top 10 in Class 2A: No. 1 Blake, No. 2 Rochester Century, No. 3 Edina, No. 5 Wayzata, No. 8 Mounds View, No. 9 Minnetonka and No. 10 Eastview. Tough Lakeville South rounds out the field.
The meet begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at various sites and concludes with the championship at the Edina Community Center at approximately 2 p.m.
In other notable events this week:
BASEBALL
Monday: Chanhassen at Chaska, 7 p.m.
Friday: Minnetonka at Edina, 6:30 p.m. It is Minnetonka's first road game after opening the season with nine straight at home.
Friday: Buffalo at Monticello (2), 4:30 and 6 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Wednesday: Farmington at Prior Lake, 4:30 p.m. The defending Class 4A champs meet one of the preseason favorites in 4A.
Wednesday: Park of Cottage Grove at Forest Lake, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS' LACROSSE
Tuesday: Benilde-St. Margaret's at Blake, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Mahtomedi at Prior Lake, 3 p.m.
GIRLS' LACROSSE
Tuesday: Prior Lake at Apple Valley, 5:30 p.m. The No. 2-ranked Lakers vs. face the No. 4 Eagles.
BOYS' TENNIS
Wednesday: Orono at Edina, 4 p.m.
Thursday: Breck at Blake, 4 p.m.
