Minnesota
Vote: Who should be High School on SI’s Minnesota Athlete of the Week? (2/10/2025)
Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. PT and the winner will be announced Monday. The poll is at the bottom of the page.
If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, please email butler@scorebooklive.com “MNHSAW Nomination” in the subject line.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Taylor Thompson, Forest Lake
Thompson nearly willed her way to a huge upset victory over Andover. The junior stopped 55 of the 57 shots she saw in the Rangers 2-1 overtime loss.
Lizzy Callahan, Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian
Callahan was the hero in the White Hawks slight upset win over Breck on Saturday, scoring both goals in their 2-1 victory.
Jasmine Hovda, Roseau
Hovda scored two huge for Roseau to help send it to the section finals. The St. Cloud State commit scored the game’s first goal and the games last in overtime to help the Rams to a 3-2 overtime victory over Bemidji.
Molly Bierwerth, East Ridge
Bierwerth stopped all 26 shots she saw in the Raptors 3-0 quarterfinal victory over Gentry Academy on Saturday.
Audrey Boll, Rosemount
Boll scored the overtime winner in the Irish’s 3-2 win in the section semifinals over Park of Cottage Grove.
Hudson Kruse, Minneapolis
Kruse poured in two goals and an assist to take down Bloomington Kennedy in their final ever home game.
Ben Geiger, Northfield
Geiger had a huge week for a Northfield team that’s surging into the section playoffs. The senior had a hat trick against Rochester Mayo – also adding three more points earlier in the week against Owatonna.
Brody Butler, Waconia
Butler helped Waconia pull off a mild upset over St. Louis Park on Saturday, stopping all 31 shots he saw in their 6-0 win.
Izaak Kalis, Little Falls
Kalis stopped 56 of 58 shots in the Flyers 2-2 tie with Detroit Lakes
Brady Aubut, Maple Grove
Aubut helped the Crimson upset number No. 4 St. Thomas Academy on Saturday with a big third period. The senior had two goals and an assist in their 7-4 victory over the Cadets.
Landon Palmgren, Blaine
Palmgren won the battle of the goaltenders in the Bengals win over Centennial. The senior stopped all 30 shots he saw in their 2-0 win over the Cougars.
James Martin, East Ridge
Martin was Tomes partner in crime in Raptors upset win over Cretin-Derham Hall last week. The senior had 22 points to help hand the Raiders their first loss of the season.
Connor Peterson, St. Francis
Peterson dropped an incredible 47 points in St. Francis 78-74 win over Cambridge-Isanti on Tuesday.
Tyler Wagner, Champlin Park
Wagner dropped an astounding 60 points in Champlin Park’s 104-97 win over Blaine on Wednesday.
Chase Thompson, Alexandria
Thompson had a night to remember on Tuesday against Delano. The Clemson commit had 47 points in the Cardinals 93-57 win over the Tigers.
Clara Keaveny, Mayer Lutheran
Keaveny had 21 points in Mayer Lutheran’s 72-27 win over Legacy Christian Academy.
Marnaries Ferguson, Duluth Denfeld
Ferguson had a great week where he averaged 23 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 5.5 steals per game, and he shot 54 percent from the field. Denfeld went 3-0 during the week with wins against Rock Ridge, Cloquet and Bemidji.
More 2024 Minnesota high school sports coverage
To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
Minnesota
Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade
Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.
Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.
Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.
Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.
Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.
Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.
The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.
By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.
James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.
Follow
Minnesota
Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota
ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
-
Hawaii54 seconds agoKanakaʻole, Zane ʻohana transform Hawaiian cultural practices into captivating visual arts | Maui Now
-
Idaho7 minutes ago‘Unrelenting’: Statehouse reporters recap 2026 legislative session in Idaho Falls – East Idaho News
-
Illinois13 minutes ago
Weather service assessing damage across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri
-
Indiana19 minutes agoProjecting the Indiana Fever’s 2026 Starting Lineup
-
Iowa25 minutes ago5 people wounded in shooting near University of Iowa campus, including 3 students
-
Kansas31 minutes agoKansas Governor signs Caleb’s Law, targeting online sextortion of minors
-
Kentucky37 minutes agoMissing on this PF in the transfer portal could be a good thing for Kentucky
-
Louisiana43 minutes agoAt least 8 children killed in shooting in Louisiana, US