high schools

Busy time for Budish

Edina's Zach Budish is one of those athletes who says his favorite sport is whichever one is in season. But with him, seasons tend to be intertwined.

Along with helping the Edina football team to a 6-0 record at middle linebacker, Budish (6-2½, 210 pounds) is playing hockey in the Midwest Elite League. His weekends include a football game on Friday, two hockey games on Saturday and another hockey game on Sunday.

That doesn't leave a lot of time for homework -- not that his grades have suffered. He carries a 3.7 grade-point average, which helps explain why Yale is on the list of colleges he is considering. While he is a talented football player, his future is on the ice.

Budish, a playmaking center, expects to make his decision prior to Christmas. He plans to visit North Dakota and Minnesota in early November. He also expects to visit St. Cloud State.

Budish said he has a "top two" in his mind, but is quick to add no one has made an official offer yet.

"I grew up wanting to be a Gopher," Budish said, "but it's different now that you have a chance to maybe play at that level. Now there are a lot of factors to consider."

Budish also is a catcher and outfielder in baseball and plans to play all three sports at Edina next season. "A lot of people have told me that if I want to make the next level in hockey I have to focus on it," he said. "My philosophy is, playing football makes me a better hockey player. And vice versa.

"And baseball has helped me a lot with hand-eye coordination and just in becoming a better all-around athlete."

Spreading the Loves

There is a longstanding tradition associated with Eden Prairie football that is worth emulating, and no, we're not talking about winning. But it does have to do with recognizing success.

For years, Eden Prairie public address announcer John Loves has included the names of the offensive linemen who made the key blocks on a successful run. To Loves' credit, he does it for the visiting team as well.

Loves, the Eagles' PA announcer for 35 years, said the idea came from the fact offensive linemen rarely get recognized publicly for their efforts.

"I know the parents love hearing their son's name," Loves said. "And a number of kids have told me they appreciate the recognition."

As Loves pointed out, he couldn't do it without the help of spotters, since his focus primarily is on the ball. But if the help is available, more schools should adopt the practice.

A damper on things

Friday's football game between Spring Lake Park and Benilde-St. Margaret's has been moved to Holy Angels' artificial turf field because of poor field conditions at Benilde-St. Margaret's. The Red Knights played host to Irondale last Friday (a 13-7 victory for Irondale) and the field took a beating. Holy Angels will play at Farmington on Friday.

It has rained all over Minnesota, including in Argyle. That's where Stephen-Argyle tied the state record by winning its 60th consecutive game. The Storm, top-ranked in Nine-man football, held off No. 3 Kittson County Central 15-0 Friday. After rain fell Sunday and Monday, Stephen-Argyle coach Mark Kroulik said the precipitation was "good for the grass, bad for the beet harvest."