Howie: Class of 2028 the most anticipated college women's basketball guard class in years
Tatianna Griffin, Chloe Johnson, Amel Cook and Ella Peper are rising faster than the sport around them — and college basketball is taking notice.
Sports
Hermantown Sports Notebook
Beau Christy and Ford Skytta each scored twice to lead Hermantown to a 7-2 victory over Mahtomedi on Friday night at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center. Hermantown scored three goals in both the second and third periods. Kole Lendzyk and Bode Madill each contributed a goal and an assist
Monsters hire prized line coach
With Derrizett Croop coaching both offensive and defensive fronts, Minnesota also gains a unified voice — consistent technique standards, shared terminology and a system built around player development rather than roster churn.
Howie: Why arena football struggles with public perception -- and how leagues try to fix it
Stability is the real product. If teams stay in their markets, if players get paid on time, if the community sees the league year after year, the perception changes. But you can’t fix 30 years of history overnight.
Meet the Monsters: Javonte Haynes
Javonte Haynes, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound defensive back, returns to the Minnesota Monsters as one of the most productive defensive players from the former Harbor Monsters roster, bringing championship pedigree and a reputation as a ball hawk in the secondary. The former Indiana University of Pennsylvania standout earned co-MVP honors in
Prep Hockey Notebook
Hermantown shook off a slow start and scored three unanswered goals in the third period to beat Rock Ridge 3-1 in boys high school hockey Tuesday night at Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia. Senior forward Bode Madill pulled the Hawks even early in the final period, and juniors
Howie: Arena football battles history and perception as new and old leagues try to chart a stable future
Note: This is the second column in six-part series on the state of arena football — from the sport’s bruised past to its uncertain future — with a sharp focus on AF1, the upstart league the Duluth-based Minnesota Monsters will join when they relaunch in Spring 2026.
Prep Report, Tuesday Scoreboard
Hermantown spotted Rock Ridge a lead in boys hockey Tuesday night in Virginia and then did what the Hawks usually do — finished the game on their terms. Down 1-0 entering the third, the Hermantown ripped off three straight and walked out with a 3-1 win. Bode Madill got them even,
Howie: AF1 is trying to rewrite the rules of arena football survival — one cautious step at a time
AF1 is trying to prove that there’s still room for stable, professional arena football in mid-sized American markets — if the game is built more deliberately, more honestly and more humbly than the leagues that came before it.
Hawks showed grit in a season-opening loss at Princeton
“The most encouraging thing, in my eyes, was the fact that no matter which five guys we had on the floor, no matter the score, they were playing their hearts out.” -- Hermantown boys basketball coach Andy Fenske
AF1 Today: Oceanside continues to build its inaugural roster
The AF1 remained active through the Thanksgiving weekend, with several teams adding depth on both sides of the ball. Albany and Michigan bolstered their defenses, Kentucky added help in the secondary, and expansion club Oceanside made a significant roster push with five signings, including additions at quarterback, wide receiver, the
Howie: Even Sid would call this Vikings meltdown 'Unbelievable'
The Vikings wrote the book on heartbreak, but today’s stomach-turner didn’t even come with heartbreak. There was no drama. No tension. No what-if. Just a full-scale tap-out from a team that decided the fight wasn’t worth the bruises.
Howie: Hawks pucksters off to impressive start
Howie's column is powered by Lyric Kitchen · Bar | eMail Howie Hermantown boys hockey coach Pat Andrews called it “a good first weekend,” as the Class 1A No. 2-ranked Hawks opened their season with a 6-3 win at Cretin-Derham Hall and a 2-2 overtime tie at 2A No. 2
Prep Notebook, Saturday Night Scoreboard
Hermantown’s hockey team pushed one of the state’s top Class AA programs to the wire Saturday, holding a lead for more than two periods before settling for a 2-2 tie at No. 2 Hill-Murray. The Hawks answered an early Pioneers goal with two quick strikes — first from Kole
Prep Scoreboard, Friday night
Hermantown opened its hockey season with a 6-3 victory over Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday night. Ford Skytta scored 24 seconds after the opening faceoff, and the Hawks — ranked No. 2 in Class A — maintained control throughout against the No. 10 Raiders in St. Paul. Beau Christy led Hermantown with two
Prep Sports Notebook, Saturday Night
GIRLS BASKETBALL DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Denfeld opened its season with a 66–23 home victory over North Branch. Maurissa Hendricks scored 18 points for the Hunters, followed by 16 from Laynie Reinertsen and 15 from Victoria Nylund. Denfeld led 41–8 at halftime. MAYER, Minn. — Mountain Iron-Buhl knocked down 15