In the list of recent high school streaks coming to an end, it's not quite to the level of the Edina girls' tennis team having its run of 19 consecutive state titles stopped last fall, but for the first time since 2005, Roseville will not be competing in the upcoming gymnastics state meet.
The Raiders had made 11 consecutive trips to the tournament from 2006 through 2016, winning six state titles. But the Raiders were outperformed in Saturday's Class 2A, Section 4 meet by Stillwater, which took first place with a team score of 148.0.
In addition to winning the meet, the Ponies had five gymnasts qualify for the individual meet, led by all-around champion Gretchen Sharp and runner-up Isabel Bartosh.
Based on state rankings, Stillwater's victory was not an upset. The Ponies went into the section tournament ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, one spot ahead of Roseville. As we saw Friday, however, when the Apple Valley wrestling team repelled a serious challenge from No. 1, 3A Shakopee in the Section 2 finals, beating a repeat champion takes more than a high ranking. Kudos to Stillwater for putting together its best meet of the season when it counted the most.
Girls' hockey state tournament
Girls' hockey takes center stage this week with the 23rd MSHSL-sponsored state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Tuesday, the Star Tribune will unveil its 2017 Girls' Hockey Metro Player of the Year and All-Metro teams. Wednesday, staff writer David La Vaque will give us the lowdown on what to expect in the tournament.
Here's a look at the quarterfinals brackets:
Class 1A • Wednesday
• Mankato East/Loyola vs. St. Paul United (No. 2 seed), 11 a.m.
• Hibbing/Chisholm vs. Warroad (3), 1 p.m.
• Alexandria vs. Blake (1), 6 p.m.
• Northfield (5) vs. Mound Westonka (4), 8 p.m.
Class 2A • Thursday
• Roseau vs. Blaine (2), 11 a.m.
• Eastview vs. Hill-Murray (3), 1 p.m.
• Farmington vs. Edina (1), 6 p.m.
• Forest Lake (5) vs. Eden Prairie (4), 8 p.m.
Boys' hockey
Section playoffs officially began with a pair of play-in games Saturday, one in each class, but get underway in earnest this week. Here's a look at the top seeds in each section:
Class 1A: Northfield (Section 1), Delano (2), Luverne (3), St. Paul Academy (4), Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake (5), St. Cloud Cathedral (6), Hermantown (7), East Grand Forks (8).
Class 2A: Lakeville North (1), Eden Prairie (2), St. Thomas Academy (3), Stillwater (4), Centennial (5), Edina (6), Elk River (7), Moorhead (8).
Boys' basketball
Thursday: DeLaSalle at Champlin Park, 7 p.m.
Friday: Hopkins at Eden Prairie, 7 p.m.
Girls' basketball
Tuesday: Eastview at Lakeville North, 7 p.m.
Friday: Hastings at Mahtomedi, 7 p.m.
