Hopkins, Hill and an Eden Prairie freshman

The classrooms are locked. The swimming pools are still, the sheets of ice replaced by concrete slabs and the lines on the football fields are but a distant memory. Another full preps sports season has wrapped in the west metro area.

If you can believe it, football two-a-days are only nine weeks away. It will kick off the next sports season, where more stories will unfold and new champions will be crowned. But until then, we reflect on some of the top sports moments from the 2008-09 school year.

The best ever?

Has there ever been a better group of boys' basketball players in this state than the one Hopkins fielded this season? The Royals closed out a 31-0 season at Target Center in March, defeating Osseo 69-59 for the Class 4A state championship. All five Hopkins starters are Division I athletes, including 6-7 Gophers recruit Royce White."We're glad to be considered among the best ever," Royals coach Ken Novak Jr. said after his team completed the first undefeated season in Class 4A history. Hopkins gave up more than 83 points only once this season, in a game it scored a season-high 119 points in a 21-point victory over Robbinsdale Armstrong. Best team ever? "I think they have to rank among the best, and they might be the greatest team ever," Osseo coach Tim Theisen said.

Tayler-made

At Minneapolis South, one of the greatest girls' players ever was also on display all season -- again. Tayler Hill finished a five-year career at South by helping the Tigers to the Class 4A championship. She finished her high school days as the state's top scorer and will continue her career next season at Ohio State. The only five-time Star Tribune All-Metro first-team selection (and two-time Metro Player of the Year) tied a state-record with 47 points in South's 68-61 victory over Centennial for the championship.

"I knew she was good," Centennial coach Jill Becken said. "But [in the championship game] she was phenomenal." Hill averaged more than 30 points per game this season.

Young and impression-making

If you don't already, get to know this name: Rachel Bootsma. The Eden Prairie freshman swimmer has a chance to become a part of history. Bootsma this fall successfully defended her 2007 100-yard backstroke title and added the 100 butterfly championship as well. This year's 100 backstroke time of 54.07 seconds is a meet record. Only one swimmer in state history -- Burnsville's Kerry Kraemer in the 100 breaststroke -- has won five consecutive individual championships.

Four, for the record

It's not five in a row, but St. Michael-Albertville wrestler David Thorn made it a four-peat this winter. Thorn, a Gophers recruit, won the 125-pound Class 2A individual championship 11-3 over Kasson/Mantorville's Garret Garness.

"He's very motivated to succeed," Knights coach Dan Lefebvre said. David's brother, Mike, was a three-time champion for St. Michael-Albertville.

Strength in numbers

Have numbers, will succeed. Wayzata's boys' cross-country team sure proved that at St. Olaf this fall. The Trojans won their second consecutive team championship by placing all five scoring runners in the top 15 individuals. Jeremy Drenckhahn's fifth-place finish led the charge. Wayzata's 55 team points were 51 better than second-place Eden Prairie.

The ball stops here

Defense wins championships. Just take a look at what Wayzata's football team accomplished last fall. The Trojans waltzed into the playoffs at 8-0 when they defeated Edina 16-10 in the final game of the regular season. Even with that score, its eight regular-season victories were by an average margin of 36 points. From there, Wayzata won the Class 5A, Section 5 crown by defeating Robbinsdale Cooper and Champlin Park by a combined 82-22. At state, it was more of the same. The Trojans breezed to their title by winning the three games 99-17, including a 27-7 romp over Blaine in the final.

"They're not the biggest group," Wayzata coach Brad Anderson said of his team's defense, "but they play extremely fast, extremely hard and they play extremely well together."

Led by Leddy

Led by Star Tribune Player of the Year and Mr. Hockey Nick Leddy, who scored a goal in each of Eden Prairie's three Class 2A state boys' hockey tournament games, the Eagles won their first championship. Eden Prairie needed overtime to win in the quarterfinals, then came back from down 2-0 in the semis to reach the championship game, which it won 3-0 over Moorhead. Leddy, a defenseman, is a Gophers recruit and could be a first-round pick later this month at the NHL draft.

A winner wherever

On the soccer field, Tips Jackley stands all alone as the Blake School's goaltender. On the tennis court, he has a partner. This season, both resulted in glory. Jackley's play in net helped the Bears boys' soccer team win its first Class 1A championship. In the Class 1A tennis doubles draw, Jackley teamed with Ford Traff to win a third title in a row. All three have been with different partners. Jackley is the second Minnesota prep tennis player to accomplish the latter feat.

'She never misses'

Minnetonka's Aria Lambert showed her tennis skills as well this season. Lambert, a sophomore, didn't lose all season and beat Eden Prairie's Makenna Borg 6-0, 6-1 for the Class 2A individual championship.

"She never misses," Borg said. Lambert, who this fall was ranked as the 49th best player in the country for her age group, also helped the Skippers to a third place finish in the team competition. "This has been the best year I've had in tennis," she said.

Edina gets its revenge

In girls' tennis, Edina got revenge on Rochester Mayo in a big way. The Hornets defeated the team that ended their 215-match winning streak in the season opener for the state title. Edina's 5-2 win over Mayo in the Class 2A championship gives the Hornets 12 consecutive titles and 27 overall.

BRIAN STENSAAS