Hanover
Hanover, MN · LATEST NEWS
Sun Sailor
Three Tonka girls named All-State in soccer
When the Minnesota High School Girls Soccer Coaches’ Association announced its All-State selections for 2026, Minnetonka head coach Jeff Hopkins was thrilled to see three of his players on the list. Coach Hopkins knew there was a possibility of that happening. The Skippers had one of the best records in school history with a final mark of 14-3-2 and they earned a berth in the State Class AAA Tournament. In all respects, it was a successful season, with a great defensive effort at the heart of that success. “We had 14 shutouts this season,” coach Hopkins noted. One of the All-State selections, senior goalie Lillian Jones, had a lot to do with that. “LJ and AJ Thorpe shared the goalkeeping,” coach Hopkins said. “For her varsity career, LJ had 33 shutouts, which is an incredible number. She made huge, defining saves to help us get to state. We have been blessed with a lot of great keepers at Minnetonka. Lizzy Crist is the record holder with 38 career shutouts.” Jones’ goals-against average was 0.53 this season. Thorpe, who had fewer minutes than Jones, posted a goals-against average of 0.21. Jones was named first-team All-State in her senior season. Minnetonka’s other
Sun Current
State boys cross country meet is almost a dead heat
At first glance Saturday morning in the State Class AAA Boys Cross Country Meet at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake, it looked as if Wayzata and Minneapolis Washburn were tied for the championship with 127 points. That’s what the scoreboard said, so everyone connected to the two team were scrambling to see how the tie would be broken. Then came the bad news: A runner from Brainerd had edged Wayzata’s Blake Knutson by three-tenths of a second for 41st place. The discovery left Washburn at 127 points and moved Wayzata’s points to 128. “It would have been nice if we had won,” Wayzata head coach Mark Popp said. “But it is what it is. There are a lot of good runners here, and they all mixed it up. It was harder than ever to make All-State [top 25 in the race].” Wayzata’s pack ran together, which has been the formula for success all season. Rosemount and Maple Grove went out faster than the Trojans did on Saturday. “I thought Rosemount would be tough to catch, but we did catch them,” coach Popp said. Leading the way for Wayzata were juniors Charlie Williams and Thomas Berndt, the 13th and
craigolsonsports.com
craigolsonsports.com
Perham Boys Win Class AA State Cross Country Meet, Girls Take 4th
The Perham boys won the Class AA State Cross Country Championship on Saturday at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake with 70 points. Mankato East was runner-up with 99. Brody Freeland led the Yellowjackets with a sixth place finish, while Ethan Johnson and Bryce Brown were also in the top 20.