Maple Grove's miracle

The facts of Maple Grove's stunning comeback victory over St. Michael-Albertville in the Class 6A quarterfinals read like fiction: Maple Grove erupted for three touchdowns in the final 59 seconds. The Crimson recovered two onside kicks during the wild sequence, capped with a touchdown run with four seconds left in a 29-27 victory. "In my lifetime, I've never experienced anything like that game," Maple Grove coach Matt Lombardi said. Referees missed the Crimson's illegal pre-snap formation (six players on the line of scrimmage) on the winning touchdown and Maple Grove advanced.

Nice big step

The Brooklyn Center boys' basketball team upset No. 1 ranked Minneapolis North in the section finals to secure the Centaurs' first state tournament trip since 1983. Sophomore guards Lu'cye Patterson and Rudwan Tahir, both three-year starters, and junior forward Adreone Sprinkles weren't just happy to make the Class 3A party. The No. 2 seed Centaurs used an early 18-4 run to separate themselves from Breckenridge in a 63-48 quarterfinal victory. Losses in the semifinals and third-place game provide motivation for the team to take another step next season.

Young and talented

When Blaine girls' golf coach Maribeth Suter talks shop with precocious seventh-grader Kathryn Van Arragon, the conversations are more about fun than fundamentals. Suter kept it light as Van Arragon, the leader after the first round at the Class 3A state championship, made the turn on the second day at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids. "I told her, 'You have one rule today. I need you to smile,' " Suter said. Grins came easy after Van Arragon, just 13 years old, carded a 1-under-par 143 to win the title by three strokes.