With the Super Bowl over, it's time to get back to reality. With so much to distract the average sports fan in recent weeks, it might come as a surprise that we've already reached the beginning of the high school winter sports postseason.
Both Alpine and Nordic skiing will hold their section meets to determine state meet qualifiers. Come Saturday, we'll know who will be competing for medals at next week's state meet in Biwabik. For a knowledgeable breakdown of the Nordic ski racing section meets, there is no better place to look than Bruce Adelsman's Skinnyski.com, which does a terrific job covering Minnesota's cross-country skiing scene.
Girls' hockey section playoffs also get underway. In Class 2A, keep an eye on Section 6, where No. 1-ranked Edina and No. 2-ranked Blake have earned the top seeds. Both are defending state champs (Blake competed in Class 1A until this year) and met only two weeks ago, with Edina winning 5-2.
Section 5 is nearly as intriguing, with three teams ranked among the top eight: No. 3 Centennial, No. 4 Maple Grove and No. 8 Blaine. All three compete in the tough Northwest Suburban Conference. Centennial gets the slight nod, having posted a 3-0-1 record against the other two during the season.
Upcoming state tournaments:
Feb. 14-15: Alpine and Nordic skiing, Giants Ridge in Biwabik
Feb. 16-17: Dance team, Target Center
Feb. 21-24: Girls' hockey, Xcel Energy Center
Feb. 23-24: Gymnastics, U of M Maturi Pavilion
March 1-3: Boys' swimming and diving, U of M Freeman Aquatic Center
March 1-3: Wrestling, Xcel Energy Center
March 7-10: Boys' hockey at Xcel Energy Center
March 13-17: Girls' basketball, Target Center and Williams Arena
March 16-17: Adapted floor hockey, Bloomington Jefferson High School
March 21-24: Boys' basketball, Target Center and Williams Arena.
Top games this week:
Boys' basketball
Saturday: DeLaSalle at Cretin-Derham Hall, 7 p.m.
Girls' basketball
Friday: DeLaSalle at Holy Angels, 7 p.m.
Boys' hockey
Saturday: Edina at Minnetonka, 3 p.m.
