Minnesota Scene: Backup Vikings safety Anthony Harris to re-sign, source says

The Vikings are bringing back safety Anthony Harris for a fourth season, according to a league source.

Harris, 26, is back on a one-year, $705,000 tender as an exclusive rights free agent. The former Virginia star and special teams standout has appeared in 34 games in the past two seasons for the Vikings.

He started three games last year when Andrew Sendejo was injured or suspended.

The Vikings also placed an exclusive rights free-agent tender on running back Mack Brown, per a league source. It's a one-year, $630,000 deal for Brown. The Florida product originally joined the Vikings in October after appearing in 12 games for the Redskins in 2016-17.

Three other free agents — guard Nick Easton (RFA), guard/tackle Jeremiah Sirles (RFA) and long snapper Jeff Overbaugh (ERFA) — entered the offseason as restricted or exclusive rights free agents. The Vikings won't be placing a low-level ($1.9 million) tender on Sirles, making him an unrestricted free agent, but are open to re-signing him to a different deal.

Andrew Krammer

Conference champion Minnesota State Mankato placed six players on the All-WCHA first through third teams announced Thursday

Among the second-team players are defensemen Daniel Brickely of MSU Mankato and goalie Michael Bitzer of Bemidji State.

Three Mavericks are on the third team: forward Zeb Knutson, defenseman Ian Scheid and goalie Connor LaCouvee.

Bob Motzko of St. Cloud State and Scott Sandelin of Minnesota Duluth are among the three finalists — Colorado College's Mike Haviland is the third — for the Herb Brooks coach of the year award in the NCHC.

Among the other finalists for other individual awards are defenseman Jimmy Schuldt of SCSU for player of the year, Dave Hrenak of SCSU and Hunter Shepard of UMD for goalie of the year, and defenseman Scott Perunovich of UMD for rookie of the year.

• LaCouvee, Hrenak and Shepard were among 10 goalies named as semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award, which honors the best player at their position in college.

• Apple Valley senior guard Tre Jones was named the Gatorade Minnesota boys' basketball player of the year. He also received the award in 2017.

• St. Mary's pitcher James Green was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's rookie of the week. He pitched 14 shutout innings, struck out 13 and walked none in his first two college starts. He played for St. Francis High School.

• Augsburg's Emmanuel Egbujor, a junior from Champlin Park High School, was named the U.S. Track & Field Association's Division III Central Region track athlete of the year. He will be competing in the 60- and 200-meter dashes in the national indoor meet this weekend in Birmingham, Ala.