When the section tournaments started, Lakeville North called the playoffs a “second season.”

“It was like a rebirth, a new start,” junior attackman Carson Piscitiello said, “and it gave us new life.”

The playoffs were a chance to make amends for what the Panthers felt were regular season mistakes that led to four losses amid a hyper-difficult schedule. Junior midfielder Lane Johnson got healthy and returned to the lineup for sections, and off the Panthers went.

They haven’t looked back since.

The third-seeded Panthers downed second-seeded Stillwater 17-5 in the state semifinals on Thursday at Chaska High School. The defending champs are back in Saturday’s state final, where they’ll duel top-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret’s (17-1) at 6 p.m. at Eden Prairie High School after the Red Knights beat Prior Lake in the other semifinal.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s beat the Panthers 9-8 in early May.

Four of Lakeville North’s five postseason wins have come by double digits. It led 10-1 at the half Thursday and never let up.

Carson Piscitiello had five goals Thursday — including three in the first quarter — while his brother Blake had three as the Panthers did a ton of damage early from behind the net.

“We knew our matchups, and having Lane Johnson back healthy helped just round out our offense,” Carson said. “And we can be that dangerous when we’re playing well, and we just had to play that way.”

Defensively, the Panthers (14-4) held Stillwater stars Grant Giese and Anderson Wagner scoreless. It was total domination from Lakeville North from start to finish.

“A lot of forced turnovers. I think we came in with some nerves. A lot on the line, going to the state championship,” said Ponies junior midfielder Isaac Johnston, who scored two goals. “We could win that game if we play our best game. I think it just comes down to turnovers.”

It was a learning lesson for the Ponies (15-3), and motivation for the future. Many of Stillwater’s top players will be back next season. A year ago, when Stillwater fell to Mahtomedi in the section final, Johnston said players took a photo of the scoreboard.

“Used it as motivation, came back and won the section championship,” Johnston said. “Now, this year, I think we’re going to come in with the same (ticked) off energy next year when it comes to state, and it’s definitely going to be a different outcome next year.”

The Panthers, meanwhile hope for the same outcome Saturday that they got a year ago.

“When you’ve been there, you have a little more maturity about it. We knew that Stillwater, they needed to take that next step. And, for us, it’s just like, ‘We can do it,’” Carson Piscitiello said. “Having a four-loss regular season, things looked dark for a second. But it’s awesome to be back. One more, one more.”

The largest police association in Minnesota selected an Anoka County sheriff’s deputy as its Officer of the Year for — while on vacation — helping a South Dakota state trooper who’d been shot at.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association will formally honor Deputy Tanner Shipman at its annual convention Saturday.

Anoka County Sheriff’s Deputy Tanner Shipman (Courtesy of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association)

The association announced on Thursday that two St. Paul police sergeants are receiving 2024 Officer of the Year Honorable Mention.

Sgt. Jason Giampolo, a St. Paul officer of 18 years, is being awarded for his work during the past eight years as an investigator with the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The association also is recognizing St. Paul Police Sgt. Cody Blanshan for a December 2022 incident. As officers were looking for domestic assault suspect Howard Peter Holliday Johnson, Blanshan witnessed Johnson attempt to carjack a bystander.

Blanshan struck Johnson with his squad car, in an attempt to get him to stop, and Johnson shot at him and his police partner, authorities have said. The sergeant returned fire and Johnson died. Prosecutors determined Blanshan’s actions were legally justified.

“The innocent carjacking victim, the original victim of the domestic assault, and her children, are all safe thanks to Sgt. Blanshan’s quick and heroic actions,” said Brian Peters, Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association executive director.

Shipman, the Officer of the Year, stopped at a convenience store while on vacation in Sturgis, S.D., in August. He saw a man shooting at a South Dakota trooper and trying to leave in the trooper’s squad.

Shipman quickly retrieved his sister-in-law’s handgun and ran to the trooper to assist him. The trooper and Shipman shot the suspect and the man surrendered his weapon. The man recently pleaded guilty to attempted murder.

Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise recognized Shipman’s “bravery, selfless service, concern for others, swift decision-making, and commitment to justice.” He’s been an Anoka County sheriff’s deputy for 18 years.

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Given extra opportunities by its opponent, Mahtomedi took advantage.

Josh Donna homered as part of a seven-run second inning, Jack Erickson finished with three hits, and the Zephyrs cruised past Northfield 8-1 Thursday in a state Class 3A baseball quarterfinal.

In the tournament for the ninth time in 10 seasons, second-seeded Mahtomedi gets unseeded Grand Rapids in a noon semifinal Friday at Chaska Athletic Park. The Thunderhawks upset No. 2 Mankato East 4-3. Mahtomedi edged Grand Rapids 3-2 in a 2023 semifinal.

“It’s gonna be fun,” Erickson said.

Austin Felling added a pair of base knocks for the Zephyrs (21-4) who have won nine in a row, scoring double digits in five of them.

“Everybody’s just putting barrels on balls. That’s what’s special about our team,” Donna said.

A pair of Northfield miscues started an onslaught that allowed the Zephyrs to take a commanding 7-0 lead in the second and play relaxed the rest of the way.

Erickson led off with a gift double misplayed by an outfielder. Thomas Becker hit a ball deep in the hole at short and Erickson narrowly beat the throw to third. A throwing error on a ground ball plated Erickson and advanced Becker to third base. He scored on a Carter Schmidtz sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Donna followed with a two-run tailing homer that appeared to glance off the scoreboard and fall back onto the field. Amidst some momentary on-field confusion, the senior briefly stopped at second base.

“I was rounding first, and I saw the kid pick it up and throw it in. I thought I had a double but then I looked over at my coach and he signaled for a home run,” Donna said of his second round tripper this season. “I knew I got a piece of it, but I didn’t think it was going to get out.”

An RBI single by Max Strecker plated Gunnar Sather, and Erickson added a two-run triple in an inning the Zephyrs sent 11 men to the plate.

“We talk a lot about those big innings, and we’ve done a pretty good job avoiding that. That one hurt us,” said Northfield coach Josh Spitzack.

Mahtomedi starter Ethan Felling, a Texas Christian University commit, scattered three hits and allowed one earned run in four innings. Andrew Sokoll added two scoreless frames before Strecker tossed a 1-2-3 seventh.

Austin Koep had an RBI double to get Northfield (15-10) on the scoreboard in the fourth, but Felling struck out a hitter with the bases loaded to quash the uprising.

“If we would have gotten a hit in some situations it could have been a completely different ballgame,” Spitzack said.