Howie: Strib Varsity aims to own Minnesota’s Friday nights
“This is more than just coverage. It’s a place for fans to connect, celebrate, and experience the thrill of high school sports like never before.” -- Chris Carr, who’s running point on Strib Varsity
MINNEAPOLIS — High school sports in Minnesota just got a new press box boss. The Star Tribune has fired up Strib Varsity, a statewide prep sports machine promising to blanket more than 500 schools, 32 sports and 200,000 athletes with scores, features, livestreams, and the kind of hometown storytelling that keeps fans talking at the coffee shop.
For decades, prep coverage here has been a patchwork — a little TV highlight reel, a few radio calls, and maybe your school’s scoreboard posted on Facebook after the custodian locked up. Strib Varsity says it’s about to change that, rolling the entire scene into one big, all-access press row.
“We’re bringing the pride, passion, and stories of Minnesota’s prep sports communities together in one place,” said editor Kathleen Hennessey, sounding like a coach about to draw up a last-second play. And with the Strib’s newsroom bench — the biggest in the Midwest — they’ve got the roster to pull it off.
The plan is bold:
. Every high school gets its own homepage, whether you’re in Minneapolis or a one-stoplight town up north.
. Livestreams and interactive stats that make your phone the new scoreboard.
. In-depth features that treat the state’s best cross-country runner like she’s an Olympian and the backup goalie like he’s the next great story.
. A beefed-up MN Hub platform that makes box scores look as good as a championship trophy.
And in a move straight out of the ’90s glory days, they’re bringing back a familiar Friday night voice: Randy Shaver. His new show, Strib Varsity Live with Randy Shaver, hits Aug. 28 — opening night of high school football — with highlights from across Minnesota. Expect that old-school Shaver energy, only now he’s got the Strib’s digital army feeding him every big play from Warroad to Worthington.
“This is more than just coverage,” said Chris Carr, who’s running point on Strib Varsity. “It’s a place for fans to connect, celebrate, and experience the thrill of high school sports like never before.”
That all sounds great — but in the 218, we’ve heard promises before. So the question is: Will Strib Varsity bring the same consistency to our gyms, rinks and fields as they will in the metro, or will we just get the occasional nod when a northern team punches a ticket to state?
Minnesota lives for Friday nights — the band tuning up, the smell of popcorn in the air, the little kids running around in oversized jerseys while their heroes take the field. Strib Varsity wants to be right there for all of it, from the first whistle to the last frozen playoff handshake in November.