The Minnetonka wrestling team made school history when it won the Class 3A, Section 6 championship, qualifying for the state tournament for the first time.

The section title was not unexpected, as the Skippers were the No. 1 seed in the section and had advanced to the section finals in 2015 before losing to Willmar. But their 37-30 championship match victory over Chaska/Chanhassen included some drama. Minne-tonka trailed the StormHawks 30-22 with three matches left, but a pin by Logan Foote at 195 pounds pulled them within two points.

John Obermiller toughed out a 10-8 victory at 220 pounds to give the Skippers a one-point lead. Junior Aaron Moore, the No. 8-ranked heavyweight in Class 3A, capped off the victory with a decisive pin.

Finishing strong

Edina's Megan Haug was peaking at the right time going into the just-completed gymnastics state meet at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion. At the Class 2A, Section 6 meet, Haug won three events — floor exercise, vault and balance beam — and was second on the uneven bars. She posted season-high scores in each en route to a meet-winning all-around score of 38.5, which tied for the best individual all-around score in the state this season.

Kautzer on world stage

Benilde-St. Margaret's senior Nordic skier Amanda Kautzer missed the state meet to compete as a biathlete for Team USA in a pair of international competitions. Kautzer had four races at the Youth and Junior World Biathlon Championships in Cheile-Gradistei, Romania, with a top finish of 16th in the 3x6K relay. She then spent a week training in Italy before heading to Lillehammer, Norway, for the Winter Youth Olympic Games, where Kautzer had her best performance. She was the top U.S. finisher in the women's 6K sprint, taking 10th place. The next day, Kautzer struggled with her shooting accuracy in the Women's 7.5K sprint and finished 27th.

Jim Paulsen