A group of reporters approached new edge rusher Jonathan Greenard after practice wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.

He politely declined at the time while walking alongside the rest of his position group. They still had some work to do.

A couple of minutes later, Greenard was leading an ab workout on the side of the field, something he has been doing after pretty much every practice since he came into the league.

“When we first started doing it, we probably had a few people out here,” Greenard said. “Now everybody is doing it, and I think that’s brought us so much closer together.”

The routine is something Greenard picked up while playing for the Houston Texans early in his career. Naturally, he decided to bring it with him to the Vikings after signing a four-year, $76 million contract this offseason.

“Why not get a little 10 minutes of abs to knock it out?” Greenard said. “The core is everything. I’ve had core injuries in the past and dealt with that. As we know, if the core is strong, everything else is going to be better, and the injuries are going to go down.”

This is a perfect example of how Greenard’s leadership is already showing up with the Vikings despite the fact that he hasn’t been in Minnesota for very long. The skills as a leader come naturally for him, and while he takes a lot of pride in his production on the field, he takes an equal mount of pride in his ability to get everybody to pull on the same rope.

“Just be myself,” Greenard said. “I really haven’t had to do anything else.”

Maybe the biggest place Greenard’s leadership has shown up is in how he has made it a point to take young edge rusher Dallas Turner under his wing. Suddenly a veteran in the NFL, Greenard sees the seemingly limitless potential that Turner possesses, and he’s invested in squeezing all of the juice out of that orange.

“It’s a responsibility of mine to continue to help develop and become the best version of himself,” Greenard said. “He has too much potential not to. I’ll be spilling all my knowledge to him. He’s a great kid and he’s willing to listen, and that’s the best thing about it.”

There’s a genuine excitement from Greenard when he talks about his future with the Vikings. He’s excited to teach his teammates everything he knows. He’s also excited to learn from defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

“He’s going to dial it up,” Greenard said. “Just having that style makes other teams play on our terms. I love it. I’m all about it.”

The aggressiveness of Flores should help Greenard build on last season, when he posted a career high 12 1/2 sacks. He has developed into an edge rusher that can win with speed on the outside and power on the inside. He also has shown he can be effective wherever he lines up in a formation.

That versatility is a major key to his success.

“It’s an innovative league,” Greenard said. “We’ve got to be able to beat new strategies that offenses are going to continue to throw at us. ”

As for the ab workouts that have become part of his persona, Greenard ensured the Vikings would continue to do them throughout the summer, even as the temperatures continue to rise in training camp.

“I’m a firm believer in doing core,” Greenard said while pausing for dramatic effect. “And having a six pack.”

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Due to rising water levels, the state Department of Natural Resources has closed parts of Fort Snelling State Park, located along the Minnesota River.

Pike Island and Picnic Island and their trails as well as docks at Casperson Landing and Picnic Island will be closed. The Dakota Memorial, Wokiksuye K’a Woyuonihan is closed due to structural hazards.

DNR officials expect water levels to continue to rise, so more areas of the park may close. The DNR recommends visitors check park visitor alerts before their arrival to understand where closures are.

On Wednesday evening, St. Paul planned to temporarily closed Water Street and Lilydale Road, along with several other parks, trails and facilities due to rising water on the Mississippi River. Among the areas impacted:

• City House remains open to the public, but water is turned off. Hand washing stations and portable toilets are available.

• Hidden Falls Regional Falls boat launch is closed.

• Harriet Island public docks lower ramps were raised, including the Showboat and Paddleford docks.

• Kelly’s Landing is closed.

• Lambert’s Landing Dock is closed.

• Regional Park will close by Wednesday evening.

• Meeker Island is closed.

Rising water levels at all parks are closely being monitored by St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department. Flooded trails have been barricaded in Crosby Farm Park, Hidden Falls South, Robert Piram Trail and Upper Landing/Chestnut Plaza.

Both the city and DNR is asking that the public obey posted signage and not pass barricades.

The Mississippi River at St. Paul measured at 10.8 feet on Wednesday, just below the stage where the city’s flood response plan calls for initial action steps. The river is expected to crest at 13.8 feet this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Minor flood stage is reached at 14 feet.

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NORTH MANKATO – There are times where Forest Lake coach Sean Hall said his team gets in the habit of trying to do a bit too much offensively.

“Everyone is trying to hit a five-run homer,” Hall said. “Then, all of a sudden, our offense stalls.”

That’s likely what took place in the Class 4A quarterfinals against unseeded Eden Prairie at Caswell Park. The second-seeded Rangers scored three runs in the first inning, then nothing over the next four frames.

Until Brie Bakke stepped up to the dish with a pair of runners on in the sixth.

The wind was blowing strongly and was rather unpredictable Wednesday in North Mankato. So Bakke’s mentality stepping into the box was rather simple:

“I was thinking, ‘Think right side, think right side, think right side and use the ground,’” Bakke said. “Honestly, I think more team swing than me swing. I do what’s best for the team.”

Bakke stuck to her plan, laced a single through the right side of the infield, and the Rangers gained an insurance run to go up 4-1.

Ava Stenglein followed that up with an RBI single of her own. The junior right fielder went 2 for 3 with three runs batted in as the Rangers went on to win, 5-1.

“It’s nice. Now we know that we have to work a little bit harder, that we struggled to generate runs,” Bakke said. “But now we know that we can work well as a team in those stressful situations.”

Forest Lake will meet third-seeded Rogers at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Class 4A semifinals in North Mankato. Rogers topped Edina 7-0 on Wednesday.

Rangers ace Hannah Tong earned the win in the circle, throwing 6 ⅔ innings of three-hit ball.

Eden Prairie mounted only two serious threats in the game. The first came in the fifth inning, with the Rangers leading 3-0. A pair of errors, a walk and two hits – one being a bunt single – moved Eden Prairie to within 3-1, and the Eagles had the bases juiced with one out.

It was at that point when Tong decided to trust her defense and truly attack the strike zone.

She struck the next batter. And then her defense shined for the final out of the frame – her defense, specifically. Tong nabbed a line drive that came right back to her.

“That was a little scary,” Tong noted, “but sometimes I can trust myself.”

“She’s a bulldog. She’s going to come through when you need her to. She comes up with big hits, and she’s just a gamer,” Hall said of his pitcher. “Today maybe wasn’t her best game ever, but I know, when the chips are down, she’s going to come through for us.”

Tong loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate for Eden Prairie. At that point, Hall turned to Avery Muellner. The sophomore has long been a critical component of the Rangers’ rotation, but an arm injury has kept her out of the circle for most of the campaign.

Entering Wednesday, she’d tossed one inning all spring.

And in a pressure-packed spot in the state quarters, she induced a harmless fly ball to close out the contest.

“If she can do that for us, that’s what we need from her,” Hall said. “She has worked her butt off to get back, worked on her PT and everything else. She’s just an incredible pitcher, and an incredible player.”

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The St. Paul Police Department posted on Facebook Wednesday afternoon asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a person involved in a hit-and-run incident that struck two pedestrians, seriously injuring one just after midnight on May 5.

The St. Paul Police Department is asking the public’s assistance in identifying a person of interest in a hit-and-run incident that took place on May 5, 2024. The woman pictured is the person of interest in this case. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Police Department)

According to police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster, a person driving a dark-colored vehicle on Idaho Avenue West when struck the pedestrians and fled the scene northbound on White Bear Avenue.

Beforehand, the driver was believed to be at White Dragon Bar in St. Paul.

St. Paul fire medics took the two pedestrians, women ages 47 and 51, to Regions Hospital. Updates on the conditions of the two pedestrians were not available as of Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone who believes they have information regarding this case is asked to contact Sgt. Jermaine Davis at 651-266-5693.

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