Kevin Bertels
High school sports team leader
High school sportsBertels is a native Kansan and now a determined Minnesotan, living in Oak Grove, where he raised three sons with his wife. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a journalism degree. Kevin dabbles in fishing, canoe camping, golfing and gambling, and he was way too involved in youth sports until his youngest son went to college.
Latest from Kevin Bertels
The quarterfinals cut deep into the best of the best in the Minnesota Top 25
Over three days, three of the first 10 in the Strib Varsity ranking hit the end of their seasons.
November 9, 2025
Check out the state tournament qualifiers and Minnesota Top 25 results
Section tournaments ended Saturday, and state brackets were seeded Sunday. Here’s who qualified, how the teams in Strib Varsity’s ranking did and where to learn more.
November 2, 2025
The Minnesota Top 25 takes a beating
Three teams in the top 10 — No. 3 Rosemount, No. 8 Forest Lake and No. 9 Byron — lost to teams that didn’t make the list.
November 1, 2025
How did the Minnesota Top 25 fare? Absolutely perfectly.
The teams in Strib Varsity's statewide ranking went 25-for-25 on the playoff weekend.
October 25, 2025
Two Minnesota Top 25 squads make their losses spectacular
The ranked teams lost mostly to each other, but Edina (51-44 loser to Moorhead) and Cretin-Derham Hall (61-27 loser to Elk River) were notable exceptions.
October 16, 2025
A couple of big bruises show in the Minnesota Top 25 after Week 7
Losses by No. 2 Minnetonka and No. 3 Forest Lake left Class 6A with a single undefeated team, Maple Grove.
October 11, 2025
Moorhead lands top seed in Class 2A boys hockey state tournament
The Spuds have reached the final eight 21 times but have never won. Hibbing/Chisholm is seeded No. 1 in Class 1A.
March 1, 2025
Holy Family, upset in hand, lands No. 5 seed in girls hockey state tournament; Edina is No. 1
The Fire, dealing with an injury to an assistant coach who fell during practice, knocked off No. 1 Minnetonka in the section final.
February 15, 2025
United States falls to Finland in world junior hockey tournament
The Gophers' Brodie Ziemer tied it in the third period, but the Finns scored in overtime.
December 30, 2024
Diggins surprises herself with rare sprint win in first stage of Tour de Ski
The Afton skier has won only three World Cup sprint races and 18 distance races.
December 29, 2024
Minnetonka hires prominent club leader to coach boys soccer
Dan Storlien formerly coached Bloomington Jefferson’s boys team and is a key figure for Minnesota Thunder Academy and in Elite Clubs National League.
December 27, 2024
Canterbury Park’s request for shorter horse racing meet in 2025 is approved
The season will start a week later, end a week earlier and include 51 days of competition, down from 54 in 2024.
December 20, 2024
