The final year of the Missota Conference, which is dissolving after this school year, is proving fruitful this winter for most of the league's eight schools.

Six schools are likely to have a hand in a conference championship this winter. Farmington recently won the boys' hockey title after Red Wing claimed the girls' crown.

"The Missota Conference has seen great parity across all the winter programs," Shakopee activities director John Janke said.

"This has been pretty typical over the years and has led to great competition."

Earlier, the Chaska/Chanhassen cooperative program won the boys' swimming championships while Northfield took home the top spot in gymnastics.

Chaska and Shakopee share the top spot in girls' basketball.

Shakopee won the wrestling title and its boys' basketball team is in first place.

"Certainly there are some bittersweet thoughts as the conference closes this school year, but all schools are moving onto new opportunities, which all look forward to," Janke said.

The conference's other schools are Holy Angels and New Prague.

Farmington and Shakopee will be moving into the South Suburban Conference.

"The South Suburban is one of the best academic, athletic, and activities conferences in the state," Farmington activities director Bill Tschida said.

Filling another role

Eastview girls' hockey coach Herb Harvey has added another position (girls' tennis coach) to his résumé.

But it's not with the Lightning.

Instead, Harvey is headed to crosstown rival Apple Valley to coach the fall sport. He replaces Krista Pawlicki, who retired after three years with the program.

Harvey has been an assistant coach in both the boys and girls' tennis programs at Eastview the past eight years.

He previously was the boys' coach at Lakeville for four years.

Top performances

• Burnsville senior forward Lindsey Coleman picked an opportune time to have her best game of the season. The University of Minnesota-Mankato recruit scored four goals and had one assist, leading the Blaze to a 7-4 victory over Eastview in the Class 2A, Section 3 girls' hockey championship. She enters the state tournament with 34 goals and 31 assists.

• Northfield junior Bailey DuPay won the all-around competition in the Class 2A, Section 1 gymnastics meet with a score of 38.7. She also took first place in the uneven parallel bars with a mark of 9.8.

DuPay is the defending state champion in the all-around, floor exercise and balance beam.