The best get-together of the season in at least four sports will take place this coming weekend.
Things kick off Friday with the Hamline Elite Track and Field Meet, a one-day invitational that features many of the state's top individuals. Also Friday are the opening rounds of North St. Paul's Polar Invitational, which brings together top softball teams, and the Tri-State Invitational, the highly anticipated boys' golf tournament at Edinburgh U.S.A.
On Saturday the docket includes the Edina Invitational, always the must-see boys' tennis event of the season.
BASEBALL
Monday
• Eastview at Burnsville, 4:15 p.m.; Hopkins at Eden Prairie, 4:30 p.m.; Minneapolis South at Minneapolis Washburn, 4 p.m.
Wednesday
• St. Agnes at Minnehaha Academy, 4:30 p.m.; North St. Paul at Hill-Murray, 4:15 p.m.
Thursday
• Waconia at Holy Family, 4:30 p.m.; Elk River at Maple Grove, 4:15 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Wednesday
• Maple Grove at Park Center, 4:15 p.m.; Prior Lake at Bloomington Jefferson, 4:15 p.m.
Friday / Saturday
• Polar Invitational. Twelve teams square off across two days at McKnight Fields in North St. Paul. Games begin at 4 p.m. Friday, championship at 2 p.m. Saturday.
BOYS' LACROSSE
Thursday
• Eden Prairie at Blake, 6:30 p.m.; Lakeville North at Eagan, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS' LACROSSE
Saturday
• Blake at Stillwater, 12:30 p.m.
BOYS' GOLF
Friday / Saturday
• Tri-State Invitational. Wisconsin, North Dakota and Minnesota are represented in what has become one of the premier meets of the season. Sixteen top individuals are also invited, giving the tournament a state-meet feel. At Edinburgh U.S.A.
TRACK AND FIELD
Friday
• Hamline Elite Meet: Only the best boys and girls are invited to a meet that rivals the state meet in top-end talent. At Hamline's Klas Field, 5:30 p.m.
BOYS' TENNIS
Saturday
• Edina Invitational. Class 2A champ Rochester Mayo heads an eight-team field that also features Eden Prairie, Mounds View, Wayzata and three-time state singles champion Dusty Boyer of Forest Lake. Championship match at the Edina Community Center is at about 2 p.m.
JIM PAULSEN