Twelve months after seeing its six-year run atop Class 2A come to a close, Simley is again on top of the mountain.

The Spartans completed their re-ascension with a 38-13 win over second-seeded New Ulm in the championship on Thursday in St. Paul.

The tournament’s top seed was dominant throughout its run at Grand Casino Arena. In the end, the Spartans stiffest test indeed came in the Section 1 final against Kasson-Mantorville, a nine-point victory.

After dropping the first match of the affair, Simley won the next four to claim a 15-3 advantage. Jake Kos recorded a pin at 145 pounds, one of two on the night for the Spartans. The other came at heavyweight, with senior Gregorio Duron Contreras closing the match out in style.

It was a fitting conclusion for the Spartans, whose ascension back to the top this season was keyed by noteworthy leaps from less-heralded upperclassmen at the heavier weights — a product of the season-long work put in team wide.

St. Michael-Albertville reigns

It’s a dynasty for the Knights. They claimed their third-straight Class 3A championship, downing third-seeded Shakopee 46-18. St. Michael-Albertville went a perfect 29-0 this season, with only two matches decided by single digits.

In the title bout, the Knights recorded three pins, three tech falls and a Shakopee forfeit at 189 pounds against the dominant John Murphy.

Staples-Motley wins rubber match

Meeting in the Class A state title for the third straight season, Staples-Motley took the rubber match over Chatfield on Thursday to win its second straight state title.

Chatfield raced out to an 11-3 lead, but Staples-Motley closed the dual on a 38-3 run to claim the crown.

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To say Mahtomedi is the dominant program in its boys hockey section is an understatement.

For the fifth straight season and 10th time since 2015, the Zephyrs will be representing Section 4A in downtown St. Paul in early March.

This year’s trip was booked Thursday with Mahtomedi netting three goals before the midway point of the first period and cruising to a 7-1 win over Chisago Lakes at Aldrich Arena.

Will Seevers had two goals and an assist, Tommy Boe and Kaden Gagnelius had one of each, 11 players had points, and the Zephyrs beat the Wildcats in the section final for the fourth time in five seasons. Jackson Chesak made 27 saves.

“We’ve got a great group of guys and every year it’s just a blast,” said Cody Loida, who finished with two assists, as did Blake Loida and Brayden Fuerst.

Their enjoyment will continue Wednesday at Grand Casino Arena when Class A action begins. Tournament brackets are to be unveiled on Saturday.

Mahtomedi (17-9-2), which won 4-1 at Chisago Lakes a month ago, has won 34 of its last 35 regular or postseason games against section opponents. The Zephyrs lost 3-2 at home to the Wildcats on Jan. 28, 2025.

“We take lots of pride in it. Every year it’s our goal to come out of it alive. We come to practice early every day, put all the hours in. It’s fun,” Seevers said.

Mahtomedi finished with 42 shots on goal, including 24 in a four-goal opening 17 minutes.

Ten of those came in the first four minutes with Devin O’Donnell’s tap in at the right post at 2:02 the lone goal.

Boe converted a feed from Seevers and a Gagnelius laser from the from the edge of the left circle found the corner 35 seconds at 7:32  to make it 3-0.

Seevers made it 4-0 at 14:38, diving to poke home a loose puck in the blue paint after Cody Loida’s backhand hit the post.

“That is the best start our team has had in the past two years. I don’t think we’ve put up four in the first period like that, but when we bear down and work together it’s great,” Seevers said. “We know they’re a great team, so we had to kick it hard in the first period.”

Brock Gutterman tipped home a pass from Blake Loida early in the second and Easton DeZelar scored shorthanded a couple minutes later and it was 6-0.

Nick Hansen scored and Jacob Schaeppi finished with 35 saves for Chisago Lakes (16-9-3) but it was another case of the proverbial close but no cigar. The Wildcats are 0-7 in section finals since their 2014 squad made it to the state tournament.

Since losing three of four games late in January to St. Thomas Academy and Hill-Murray, traditional state AA powers, and Hermantown, a traditional top Class A team, Mahtomedi has won six straight, scoring at least five goals in four of them.

“We have one of the toughest schedules in Class A,” Cody Loida said. “You learn from those tough losses and that’s what gets us to the point right here.”

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The St. Thomas men’s basketball team stormed out of the gate to lead by 23 points en route to an 84-62 defeat of Summit League leader North Dakota State on Thursday night at the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena.

With the win, the Tommies (22-8 overall, 11-4 Summit) solidified their hold on second place in the conference, though the Bison — which entered the game with a three-game lead in the circuit with one game left after tonight — have already clinched the regular season crown.

North Dakota State (23-7, 13-2) won the initial matchup between the two teams, 68-65, on Jan. 17 in Fargo, but Thursday night belonged to St. Thomas. Carter Bjerke scored 18 of his 21 points before halftime as the Tommies went to the break leading 50-27. The Bison played their hosts to a near draw in the second half but couldn’t make any more than a one-point dent in the Tommies’ insurmountable advantage.

Bjerke and Nick Janowski each scored 21 points to share the game-high in scoring, while Nolan Minessale logged 17 points to surpass NDSU’s top scorer by four points.

The final game remaining until next week’s Summit League Championship tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., a home matchup against Omaha (15-15, 8-7) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

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Nearly four months after losing his bid for a third term, former St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter will begin an advisory job with GroundBreak Coalition, an organization with nearly $1 billion in funding for wealth-building initiatives focused on closing racial gaps.

GroundBreak Coalition, a Minneapolis-based community funding organization, announced on their social media Thursday that Carter will serve as interim senior advisor. The organization focuses on addressing racial wealth inequality for Black individuals through homeownership, entrepreneurship and commercial development initiatives.

As a leader, Carter has focused on supporting economic mobility, including through initiatives like city of St. Paul-run college savings accounts and the Rondo Inheritance Fund, the organization said in its announcement.

“Families should have tools that help them build stability, not barriers that hold them back. GroundBreak applies that same logic to capital markets — aligning institutions so families and entrepreneurs can build wealth that lasts,” Carter said in a post by the organization.

Carter, who lost his bid for a third term in November, told the Pioneer Press in December that he planned to take a break and denied any plans to run for positions as lieutenant governor or county board member.

GroundBreak Coalition is led by a coalition of more than 40 partners. Board members include leaders with the Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Greater MSP and Ramsey County, among others.

Adair Mosley, who was named as the organization’s first chief executive officer in September, shared the announcement on his LinkedIn.

“I’m excited to welcome Melvin Carter to the GroundBreak team as Interim Senior Advisor,” Mosley said in a post. “His track record of advancing equity and building systems that expand economic mobility will strengthen our work to unlock capital for families, entrepreneurs, and neighborhoods across the Twin Cities. We’re moving with urgency to build a financial system that works for everyone.”

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