Preps: The week ahead

Bloomington Jefferson softball coach Penny Witzenburg is a realist.

For the first half of the season, Witzenburg's goal was to keep the profile of the deep, talented and experienced Jaguars as low as possible.

But she admits that, after winning its first 13 games of the season and earning the No. 1 ranking in Class 3A, Jefferson has become a huge blip on everyone's radar.

"I haven't done anything like put stats out because that's how some teams scout," Witzenburg said. "But by now, it's impossible to keep anything secret."

Jefferson's top spot in the polls might be in jeopardy after the Jaguars lost to Maple Grove in the semifinals of Eastview's Great 8 tournament Saturday, but the Jaguars can reassert their position Tuesday when they face Park Center and the Pirates' star pitcher, Nicola Tade, in the rain-rescheduled final of the Richfield tournament.

Park Center is ranked No. 3 in its first year in Class 3A after winning the past two Class 2A state titles.

• Monday: Burnsville at Lakeville North, 4:15 p.m.; Mounds View at Cretin-Derham Hall, 4:15 p.m.

• Wednesday: Edina at Eden Prairie, 6:30 p.m.; St. Paul Academy vs. St. Agnes (at Dunning), 7 p.m.

• Thursday: Andover at Coon Rapids, 4:15 p.m.; DeLaSalle at St. Anthony, 7 p.m.

• Friday: Mounds View at Forest Lake, 7 p.m.; Benilde-St. Margaret's at St. Louis Park, 4:15 p.m

• Saturday: Hill-Murray at Wayzata, 4 p.m.

• Tuesday: Red Wing Invitational. A who's who of the top girls golfers, including Cretin-Derham Hall's Celia Kuenster, Stillwater's Cassie Deeg, Eastview's Sara Detlefson and New Prague's McKenzie Neisen, battle it out at Mississippi National. 12:30 p.m. start.

• Tuesday: St. Thomas Academy at Mahtomedi, 7 p.m.; Totino-Grace at Benilde-St. Margaret's, 7:45 p.m.

• Thursday: Minnetonka at Eden Prairie, 5:30 p.m.

• Monday: Mounds View vs. Cretin-Derham Hall (at Seafoam Stadium), 8 p.m.

• Tuesday: Eden Prairie at Edina, 6 p.m.

• Friday: Edina at Blake, 7:30 p.m.

• Thursday: Bloomington Jefferson at Lakeville North, 4:15 p.m.; Park Center at Centennial, 4:15 p.m.

• Friday/Saturday: North St. Paul Polar Invite. Conclusion of the tournament that began April 28 but had the second day postponed because of rain. Games begin Friday at 6:15 p.m; Saturday's game times are TBD.

• Saturday: Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knight Invitational that includes a nice cross-section of teams from all three classes, including Mounds view, Irondale, St. Paul Johnson and New Life Academy. At Aquila Park (St. Louis Park ), 10 a.m.

• Monday: Blake at Rochester Mayo, 4:30 p.m.

• Thursday: Minnetonka at Wayzata, 4 p.m.; Breck at St. Paul Academy, 4:30 p.m.