South Metro memorable moments from 2008

Eagles soar to No. 1

Apple Valley's wrestling program is No. 1 again. The Eagles won their 16th state title in impressive fashion, defeating Albert Lea 57-6 in the Class 3A finals. It marked their third consecutive championship and ninth in the past 10 years.

Coach Jim Jackson's squad also crowned five individual champions -- Eric Devos at 103, Destin McCauley at 119, Justin LaValle at 130, Matt Mincey at 135 and Tyler Lehmann at 171. Both Devos (46-0) and McCauley (45-0) went unbeaten.

The five state champions tied the state mark set by Forest Lake in 1993 and set the record for all-time state champs by one team. The Eagles now have 52, breaking the record of 50 held by Blue Earth and Robbinsdale.

"It was a great day for Apple Valley wrestling," Jackson said following the meet.

Shakopee's second in a row

Ashley Wittman of Shakopee is in an elite class on the volleyball court. The 6-1 junior outside hitter led the Sabers to their second consecutive Class 3A championship with a 26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22 victory over Eastview in the finals at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Wittman, the Star Tribune metro player of year, had 32 kills against the Lightning. Wittman already has committed to play for the Gophers.

A tough act to follow

Jordan has two terrific seniors in Brittany Chambers and Leah Dietel. Both will play Division I basketball in the future, Chambers at Kansas State and Dietel at South Dakota State. The two have been vital to the recent success of Jordan girls' athletics. After finishing the Class 2A runner-up in basketball, the duo led the Jaguars to their second state volleyball championship. Jordan beat Marshall 26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 25-14 in the finals behind 33 kills from Chambers and 24 from Dietel. The Jaguars also won the volleyball title in 2006.

Tough to tame Wildcats

A storybook season had an unexpected ending for the Eagan softball team. In a tournament dominated by pitching, the Wildcats won their first state crown with a 14-1 victory over Mankato West in 6 innings in the Class 3A finals. Paige Ashton and Kaylyn Korth each had two hits and three RBI in the game. Sara Moulton was dominant pitching all season for the Wildcats, who finished with a 21-2 record.

"It's amazing," Moulton said following the championship celebration. "I can't even explain the feeling."

Finnerty a flash

Rob Finnerty of Burnsville grabbed the spotlight wherever he ran. After winning the Class 2A boys' cross country title, Finnerty swept the distance events in the state track meet.

He won the 1,600 with a time of 4 minutes, 10.43 seconds and the 3,200 with a time of 9:04.88 in the Class 2A meet.

His best was yet to come, however. Finnerty made history when he won the mile at the Midwest Distance Gala in Lisle, Ill. Finnerty posted a winning time of 4:01.09 -- the fastest high school mile in the nation for the year and seventh-fastest high school mile in U.S. history.

It also is the fastest mile in state prep history, topping the time of 4:05.1 by Proctor's Garry Bjorklund set in the 1969 state meet.

Simley pins down crown

The Simley wrestling team won its fifth state crown -- its first since 1992 -- with a thrilling 30-28 victory over Perham in the Class 2A finals. Perham owned a 28-24 lead when Charlie Gelhaye posted a victory by pin in the 285-pound weight class in the final match. The Spartans, who finished 31-2, also won three consecutive state championships from 1987-89. The reshuffling of teams and classes before the season pushed Simley down to Class 2A from Class 3A.

A tale of two seasons

Northfield's football team didn't look like a squad you would expect to see in the Prep Bowl midway through the season. The Raiders' tough schedule at the beginning of the season got the best of them. They started off 1-3 before reeling off nine consecutive victories and a rematch with Mankato West in the Class 4A state championship game at the Metrodome. Mankato West wound up handing the Raiders two of their four setbacks, winning the title game 33-14. It marked the fourth time Northfield has finished second. It won the state crown in 1997.

Keeping titles in town

Lakeville owned the slopes at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. Lakeville North earned its first boys' alpine championship behind the 1-2 finish of Jake Huhn and Jake Kastner. Lakeville South also captured its first girls' team championship after finishing as the runner-up the previous year. The Cougars' Nikki Larson claimed the top spot in both the individual and team events. She successfully defended her individual title from 2007.

Tierney tops in pool

Paul Tierney of Burnsville capped a memorable career by winning the 100- and 200-yard freestyle in the Class 2A boys' swimming meet at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Tierney, who is now a member of the Gophers, owns the school record in four events at Burnsville. Tierney, the boys' swimmer of the year in 2008, led the Blaze to the team championship as a junior.

Lightning strikes

Eastview's girls' basketball team has made three trips to the Class 4A state tournament, and all three times have been very memorable.

The Lightning, which was the state runner-up in 2000 and 2003, won two of its three games again in the state tournament at the Target Center in 2008.

This time Eastview finished third, losing to eventual state champion St. Paul Central in the semifinals. Seniors Brittyne McSparron and DaNae Moore were selected to the all-tournament team.

Ron Haggstrom • 612-673-4498