Preps Insider

Big News on the new site …

John Millea — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:36:38 +0000

If you haven’t made the move, get over there and learn about what will happen to the Lake Conference, Eden Prairie, Prior Lake, etc..

Go to http://www.startribune.com/blogs/Preps_Insider.html

FYI: this version of the Preps Insider is dying a quick death as we move to the new site…bookmark the new address.

Here’s the Metro Top 10 (and their opponents this week)

John Millea — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:25:45 +0000

1. Eden Prairie at Bloomington Kennedy
2. Cretin-Derham Hall at Forest Lake
3. Wayzata vs. Eastview
4. Rosemount vs. Apple Valley
5. Blaine at Osseo
6. Totino-Grace vs. Irondale
7. Lakeville South vs. Eagan
8. Minnetonka at Fargo North
9. Champlin Park at Coon Rapids
10. Mounds View vs. Roseville

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn

Diloreto signs with Utah State

John Millea — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Anthony Diloreto, the 7-foot former Hopkins basketball player who was involved in a bank robbery, has signed with Utah State and will be on the Aggies roster for the coming season.

“Anthony comes from an unbelievable high school program,” said Utah State coach Stew Morrill. “I have known Ken Novak for many years and it is widely known that he has one of the best high school basketball programs in the country. Ken’s recommendation of Anthony as a player and a person was very important in our decision to pursue him.”

HERE’S A LINK to the Utah State website.

Coming Soon: Metro Top 10 and John Millea’s Week 1 picks

John Millea — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:21:35 +0000

We’re in the process today of making the move to our new prep sports home page: GameFaceMN.com. This coincides with tomorrow’s publication of our preseason prep football special section.

That section will include the first Metro Top 10 rankings of the season. At some point Wednesday, I will throw my Week 1 game predictions up here on the blog and see what sticks. (If the timing works, I’ll also post the Top 10 here on the blog late tonight.)

I’m following the same theme as in past years. I will predict the scores of all games involving Metro Top 10 teams, and then pick enough “other” games to make a slick list of 20 games. Since none of the preseason Top 10 teams face off in Week 1 (that may or may not provide a hint about who’s ranked and who’s not), this week’s predictions will include 10 “others.”

Oh, the drama.

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn

We’re making a move

John Millea — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:03:37 +0000

You’re going to notice a new look to the Preps Insider as we upgrade our coverage here at Star Tribune World Headquarters.

We’re on the doorstep of debuting our new home page, GameFaceMN.com. We look forward to seeing you there.

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn

Big games in Week 1

John Millea — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:47:29 +0000

I have a good idea where I will be this week as we kick off the football season. We’ll have games on Thursday and Friday, which makes it a super-special double-bonus week.

But before I tip my hand on the games I’m planning to attend, let’s hear your thoughts on the big, bigger and biggest contests on tap. Where would you like to see the Vaunted Strib Prep Staff fan out on Thursday and Friday?

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn

In Alaska, they’ve played four games

John Millea — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Can’t wait to get the football season started? Well, in Alaska this is Week 4 of the prep gridiron season.

HERE’S A SLIDEHOW of photos from last night’s games via the Anchorage Daily News.

Let’s debate the Metro Top 10

John Millea — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:32:34 +0000

Football is on the cusp of kickoff and one of my missions is to put together a Metro Top 10. This is where all you denizens of the prep blogosphere come in.

I’ve got a pretty good handle on the top three teams, but that still leaves seven spots on the list.

The Top 10 will be part of our prep football special section, which hits the newsstands on Wednesday.

Who is deserving? Let’s discuss …

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn

A new football showplace

John Millea — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:06:44 +0000

You’re going to read more about this (hint, hint … our preseason prep football section comes out next week), but the new football stadium at Farmington High School is something special. It’s a top-loading facility with 3,000 seats, large plazas behind behind both sides, a grass berm behind one end zone and a three-story glass wall towering behind the other end zone.

I was chatting with Sean McMenomy, the new coach at DeLaSalle — which has a new stadium for the first time in history — and he said of the Farmington stadium, “I’ve been telling people, ‘You guys have to drive down and see this place, it is amazing.’ It’s the kind of thing you see on college campuses, not high schools.”

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn

The latest update

John Millea — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:10:56 +0000

I just finished writing a story for tomorrow’s paper, and here are some of the things I learned from making lots of phone and email contacts today …

–Prior Lake could be a big player in all this. I confirmed that Prior Lake is actively looking to leave the Missota for a new conference, and the idea of joining up with EP and the four Classic Lake schools is a real possibility as soon as 2010-11.

–Bloomington Kennedy and Jefferson could end up in the Missota by next fall. The move of Chaska and Chanhassen from the Lake to the Missota could pave the way for that to happen.

–Lake decisions could come quickly. Lake bylaws state that schools leaving the league must make that decision by Oct. 1 for the move to take effect the following fall. So if anybody wants to leave the Lake for 2010-11, they must decide in the next few weeks.

–This blog is read by some of the major figures in this situation. One of the people heavily involved in this told me today, “I read through some of the comments (after the MSHSL meeting), and I think some people who are regular bloggers are really right on with their comments.”

Nice going, folks.

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn