Trinity finally gets a home court

Trinity at River Ridge has had its share of athletic success in recent years; one thing it has never had, however, is a home court.

That is changing this week. The small school formerly located in Bloomington opened a new $19 million facility in Eagan on Monday. Tonight, the wrestling team will have a home meet; on Friday, the boys' and girls' basketball teams have home games in their own gym.

"This is my 17th year, and we have not hosted a game in our own building," said headmaster William Wacker. "We didn't have a gymnasium at all."

Trinity, with a grade 7-12 enrollment of 365 students, used to play the vast majority of its games at Visitation's gym.

Outdoor hockey, a huge hit in the NHL earlier this season, will make its way onto the girls' high school hockey calendar this weekend.

Visitation/SPA will play the Minneapolis Novas in the Outdoor Hockey Classic at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Groveland Rink in Highland Park.

• The Illinois High School Association this week approved random testing for performance-enhancing drugs at postseason events such as section and state championships starting next fall. Only a handful of states have gone down that road with high school athletes. New Jersey and Florida have random steroid testing in place, while Texas is in the process of starting a program.

• Jackson County Central senior wrestler Travis Rutt is closing in on the state record for victories. He has 237; the record is 246, set by Kirk Anderson of Barnesville last year.

Rutt, last year's Class 2A state champion at 160 pounds, has qualified for every state tournament since he was in seventh grade. His record this season is 23-1. He has signed with Wisconsin.

• Sites for the 2008 state golf tournaments were set by the MSHSL. The Class 3A event will be at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids on June 3-4, 1A at Pebble Creek in Becker on June 4-5, and 2A at the Ridges of Sand Creek in Jordan on June 5-6.

FROM STAFF REPORTS