2023 Section 4AA Playoffs

[BlueLineSpecial]

I did not have "Hill grinds out semifinal win against Royals" on my bingo card. It was a dog fight to the end, with plenty of physical play. When Hill had that tenuous one goal lead further into the 3rd than I wanted, I said it was a difficult to see keeping The Wood off the board for 51 minutes. #RoyalNation had a very respectable turnout.

And we've got to get back to holding these semifinal games on Tue and Wed. If either game had had multiple overtimes, the late game would have ended near midnight. There's no advantage in having three days off between games over having only two days off. It would be unfair for the teams in the second game to have to wait until 10:00 to get on the ice, and since it's separate admissions for the two games, the building needs to be cleared, and that would be a colossal mess. Any Section 4A games can be played at another site, be it Roseville, or Fogarty, or even that crappy shed White Bear has. I'm good with the #1 seed choosing (before the tournament starts) whether their bracket plays on Tue or Wed, the choice being Rest or Rust? (Hat tip to Common)

I'll take Hill in a 2-1 nail biter on Friday night. Hill has a lot of loses on a very tough schedule, Gentry has little beyond a very nice win against the slumping Bears after an unimpressive schedule. Don't underestimate a coach like Lex, or Randolph, or Giles, in these situations involving an upstart challenger; there is no substitute for experience. In a the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend scenario, Gentry will find itself with a surprising amount of love, for a couple of games. Because while it may be a close call at times, we are the most hated program in the state.

That would make for an interesting poll question.
Is it Hill
Or Edina
Or Hermantown
Or Moorhead
Or ?

Edina will always be the most hated team but also the team we need at state each year. It’s never the same without Edina at state. Hill is another hated team because they’re a private but I think most people can’t help but respect that program and coach. It feels to me that Edina and Hill are pretty much in the same boat.

Moorhead reminds me a lot of White Bear Lake. Spuds have never won a title and been there many times. Bears have yet to win a first round at state. I wouldn’t mind seeing one of these teams finally breakthrough.

Hermantown has to be the most hated right now.

I wonder what the vibe will be if East makes a return.

One team I am over is the Lakevilles. We really need another team to come out of 1AA one of these years. Was pulling for Mayo but knew it was a long shot still.

It’s unreal how even 4AA is this year. For some reason I really don’t want to see Gentry even though I like seeing new blood at state. Go Hill. With their tough schedule they will be able to upset anyone at the tourney if they make it.

Yup, good post and agree. Edina & Hill are in the same boat. Poor Moorhead - easily the best team, in either class, never to win a title. They're more than deserving. WBL is absolutely snakebitten.

Hermantown is for sure the current leader for most hated, but that rotates in class A. For a while it was Breck & STA, now Hermantown.

How many years now since a Lakeville school has come out of that section? 10 years? 15 years?

[BlueLineSpecial]

If Gentry beats Hill, I wonder how long it will take for the Hill influence to remove Gentry from 4AA.

Maybe a year or two

[stpaul]

x

[stpaul]

Gentry will be removed from MSHSL long before they even get to 3 section finals.
Want ice time during school day?, play tier 1 like SSM

Didnt girls title team have a player saying hi to parents in California? Gentry hockey and lacrosse academy' will be tier 1 before long. Hockey parents are some of the weirdest folks alive.

I think Hills had many kids from other states
Let alone Edina Eden prairie etc etc etc
And where does it say you can’t play hockey for gym in Minnesota HS rules

You think wrong. HM does not get kids from other states. In the last 20 years maybe one from Somerset and one from Hudson. The teams and school are almost entirely from the east metro. And yes the MSHSL does not allow practice during the school day. Calling it gym class doesn't change what it is.

[inthetwine]

Because gentry is a charter school, they receive Minnesota taxpayer funding. This should preclude them from taking any out-of-state kids, but it does not.

[The51]

Gentry will be removed from MSHSL long before they even get to 3 section finals.
Want ice time during school day?, play tier 1 like SSM

Didnt girls title team have a player saying hi to parents in California? Gentry hockey and lacrosse academy' will be tier 1 before long. Hockey parents are some of the weirdest folks alive.

Gentry has the MSHSL between a rock and a hard place. They will almost certainly never give them an exemption like they gave Shattuck back in the day out of fear of any other schools eventually following. But they also won't like it if Gentry starts turning into a power in the way SSM did back in the early 90's. Will be interesting to see how the next 5 or so years shake out

[5girls]

Witty taunt by Hill fans in the closing moments:

"WHERE'S your SEA-son?"

I'm hoping they've got severe robust "WHERE'S your CIT-ies?" ready for Gentry on Friday.

I had a Twitter reply this past week where I blatantly stole the "The City of Hill-Murray is beautiful this time of year " line, and got several likes. I think it'd look great on our next state championship tee shirts. Own it, baby.

Steal away, my good man! That was my response, many years ago, to the unrelenting taunts about community and neighborhood hockey and how schools like Hill destroy that. If they paid any attention, they'd know that Hill has generation after generation that not only go to school there but play hockey. Look at the 2020 championship team - it's riddled with recognizable last names from teams gone by. Heck, look at this year's roster. Lots and lots of familiar Hill Murray names carrying on the tradition.

Someone on this board not long ago lamented Hill taking Mahtomedi's best kids, including the Sampairs. Go take a look at the history of Hill hockey and then believe me when I say that the Sampairs are more Hill than they've even been Mahtomedi, regardless of where they live.

But alas, haters gonna hate. So as you said, gotta own it.

That was me doing the lamenting!

Yes, there's a multi-generational Sampair family at Hill. All part of the grand tradition. Generation after generation and all that. Hill can certainly lay claim to being one of the OG contributors to the demise of community hockey. Congratulations on all the success.

There's also a first generation pair of Sampair boys now at HM whose dad played for Mahtomedi at the same time his brother was building the above mentioned multi-generational-nirvana. He's sworn for years that he would never become part of what Hill stands for...until he sent his kids there, joined by another 4-5 of the best players to come through the Zephyr program in awhile.

Honestly though, I need to pipe down, look in the mirror, and admit my story is old, tired, and full of sour grapes. Few care anymore. The reality is community hockey is dying - for many reasons. And the latest me-first generation is only accelerating the pace. Coupled with the all-star teams many public school programs are building, Hill's status as one of the most hated programs may be starting to fade, much to BlueLine's chagrin!

What do I really want to happen? Mahtomedi opts up to AA. They're playing a AA schedule at the youth level, and already play a significant AA schedule in high school. They have the talent to compete, and at times may even crack the top 15 in AA. Heck, if they opted up, perhaps they'd (gasp!) keep some of the high end talent that I whine about leaving for Hill. Imagine a 4AA Mahtomedi/Hill section final where the Mahtomedi kids are actually playing for Mahtomedi!

[stpaul]

Would love to see Mahtomedi in 4AA. Also Hermantown in 7AA and Warroad in 8AA.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Witty taunt by Hill fans in the closing moments:

"WHERE'S your SEA-son?"

I'm hoping they've got severe robust "WHERE'S your CIT-ies?" ready for Gentry on Friday.

I had a Twitter reply this past week where I blatantly stole the "The City of Hill-Murray is beautiful this time of year " line, and got several likes. I think it'd look great on our next state championship tee shirts. Own it, baby.

Steal away, my good man! That was my response, many years ago, to the unrelenting taunts about community and neighborhood hockey and how schools like Hill destroy that. If they paid any attention, they'd know that Hill has generation after generation that not only go to school there but play hockey. Look at the 2020 championship team - it's riddled with recognizable last names from teams gone by. Heck, look at this year's roster. Lots and lots of familiar Hill Murray names carrying on the tradition.

Someone on this board not long ago lamented Hill taking Mahtomedi's best kids, including the Sampairs. Go take a look at the history of Hill hockey and then believe me when I say that the Sampairs are more Hill than they've even been Mahtomedi, regardless of where they live.

But alas, haters gonna hate. So as you said, gotta own it.

That was me doing the lamenting!

Yes, there's a multi-generational Sampair family at Hill. All part of the grand tradition. Generation after generation and all that. Hill can certainly lay claim to being one of the OG contributors to the demise of community hockey. Congratulations on all the success.

There's also a first generation pair of Sampair boys now at HM whose dad played for Mahtomedi at the same time his brother was building the above mentioned multi-generational-nirvana. He's sworn for years that he would never become part of what Hill stands for...until he sent his kids there, joined by another 4-5 of the best players to come through the Zephyr program in awhile.

Honestly though, I need to pipe down, look in the mirror, and admit my story is old, tired, and full of sour grapes. Few care anymore. The reality is community hockey is dying - for many reasons. And the latest me-first generation is only accelerating the pace. Coupled with the all-star teams many public school programs are building, Hill's status as one of the most hated programs may be starting to fade, much to BlueLine's chagrin!

What do I really want to happen? Mahtomedi opts up to AA. They're playing a AA schedule at the youth level, and already play a significant AA schedule in high school. They have the talent to compete, and at times may even crack the top 15 in AA. Heck, if they opted up, perhaps they'd (gasp!) keep some of the high end talent that I whine about leaving for Hill. Imagine a 4AA Mahtomedi/Hill section final where the Mahtomedi kids are actually playing for Mahtomedi!

No need to pipe down. The board is for banter and I welcome your opinion. If it was a sounding board of exact same opinions I wouldn't be on here. I do believe, rather strongly, that Hill has as much of a claim to community hockey as the next, and as I said above, maybe more. But there will always be people that won't believe or accept that. And that's fine.

I guess my question to all the community hockey evangelists is this: if everyone so fervently believes in the community hockey model, then why do many of the privates and many of the high-profile public schools, keep getting all these players? Hill isn't roaming the neighborhoods in an unmarked white van with Lechner and Co leaping out to steal your kids while they walk home from public school. So why did the current Sampair clan choose Hill when they, apparently, swore them off for years? Why did Bonin send his kid to Hill? Clearly going to WB didn't hurt his career at all. So maybe, just maybe, people go for all sorts of reasons. Maybe its education. Maybe it's that sense of community that apparently no one can have except public schools. Maybe it's for religious reasons. Maybe they think the coach and system is better for a kid. Whatever the reason, it's happening. And there's still plenty of student athletes to go 'round. WB hasn't fallen off the hockey map; they were ranked higher than Hill. Mahtomedi is doing just fine; barely a layer of dust on that championship trophy for a couple of years ago and a guaranteed trip to state in 4A every year. So I think it's handwringing for no real reason. There's plenty of schools or reasons to hate the perceived demise of community hockey. Hill is hardly at the top of that list.

[elliott70]

"Hill is hardly at the top of that list."

Did you mean Hill IS at the top of the list.

They have been the problem since that dang Langevin kid played there.

Of course, this is tongue in cheek

[BlueLineSpecial]

"Hill is hardly at the top of that list."

Did you mean Hill IS at the top of the list.

They have been the problem since that dang Langevin kid played there.

Of course, this is tongue in cheek

Why I oughta

[elliott70]

"Hill is hardly at the top of that list."

Did you mean Hill IS at the top of the list.

They have been the problem since that dang Langevin kid played there.

Of course, this is tongue in cheek

Why I oughta

You're kind of an old man, too.
You and Raider.
Hill and Greenway, glad I am younger and can out-run you guys (and rainier).

[BlueLineSpecial]

"Hill is hardly at the top of that list."

Did you mean Hill IS at the top of the list.

They have been the problem since that dang Langevin kid played there.

Of course, this is tongue in cheek

Why I oughta

You're kind of an old man, too.
You and Raider.
Hill and Greenway, glad I am younger and can out-run you guys (and rainier).

Don't remind me. Back hurts, plantar acting up. I couldn't outrun a drunken sloth at this point

[elliott70]

I can push your wheelchair.

[BlueLineSpecial]

I can push your wheelchair.

Whats the 2nd half of that sentence? Off a cliff?

[elliott70]

I can push your wheelchair.

Whats the 2nd half of that sentence? Off a cliff?

Down the stairs.

[Sparlimb]

I did not have "Hill grinds out semifinal win against Royals" on my bingo card. It was a dog fight to the end, with plenty of physical play. When Hill had that tenuous one goal lead further into the 3rd than I wanted, I said it was a difficult to see keeping The Wood off the board for 51 minutes. #RoyalNation had a very respectable turnout.

And we've got to get back to holding these semifinal games on Tue and Wed. If either game had had multiple overtimes, the late game would have ended near midnight. There's no advantage in having three days off between games over having only two days off. It would be unfair for the teams in the second game to have to wait until 10:00 to get on the ice, and since it's separate admissions for the two games, the building needs to be cleared, and that would be a colossal mess. Any Section 4A games can be played at another site, be it Roseville, or Fogarty, or even that crappy shed White Bear has. I'm good with the #1 seed choosing (before the tournament starts) whether their bracket plays on Tue or Wed, the choice being Rest or Rust? (Hat tip to Common)

I'll take Hill in a 2-1 nail biter on Friday night. Hill has a lot of loses on a very tough schedule, Gentry has little beyond a very nice win against the slumping Bears after an unimpressive schedule. Don't underestimate a coach like Lex, or Randolph, or Giles, in these situations involving an upstart challenger; there is no substitute for experience. In a the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend scenario, Gentry will find itself with a surprising amount of love, for a couple of games. Because while it may be a close call at times, we are the most hated program in the state.

That would make for an interesting poll question.
Is it Hill
Or Edina
Or Hermantown
Or Moorhead
Or ?

Only a silly man from the north would consider Moorhead. As Hill fans, Moorhead is always a team to cheer for. Other than their ugly black and orange colors that is.

Gentry gets plenty of hate from plenty of people too. I still have to pick Gentry as the favorite on Friday based on play so far. Hill can slow them down, but can Hill score enough goals to get by?

[Sparlimb]

If Gentry beats Hill, I wonder how long it will take for the Hill influence to remove Gentry from 4AA.

Normally we do that before a team is ready to make state. Ala Tartan, Woodbury, Roseville and the many others over the years. It's actually been pretty comical...

[Sparlimb]

Witty taunt by Hill fans in the closing moments:

"WHERE'S your SEA-son?"

I'm hoping they've got severe robust "WHERE'S your CIT-ies?" ready for Gentry on Friday.

I had a Twitter reply this past week where I blatantly stole the "The City of Hill-Murray is beautiful this time of year " line, and got several likes. I think it'd look great on our next state championship tee shirts. Own it, baby.

Steal away, my good man! That was my response, many years ago, to the unrelenting taunts about community and neighborhood hockey and how schools like Hill destroy that. If they paid any attention, they'd know that Hill has generation after generation that not only go to school there but play hockey. Look at the 2020 championship team - it's riddled with recognizable last names from teams gone by. Heck, look at this year's roster. Lots and lots of familiar Hill Murray names carrying on the tradition.

Someone on this board not long ago lamented Hill taking Mahtomedi's best kids, including the Sampairs. Go take a look at the history of Hill hockey and then believe me when I say that the Sampairs are more Hill than they've even been Mahtomedi, regardless of where they live.

But alas, haters gonna hate. So as you said, gotta own it.

That was me doing the lamenting!

Yes, there's a multi-generational Sampair family at Hill. All part of the grand tradition. Generation after generation and all that. Hill can certainly lay claim to being one of the OG contributors to the demise of community hockey. Congratulations on all the success.

There's also a first generation pair of Sampair boys now at HM whose dad played for Mahtomedi at the same time his brother was building the above mentioned multi-generational-nirvana. He's sworn for years that he would never become part of what Hill stands for...until he sent his kids there, joined by another 4-5 of the best players to come through the Zephyr program in awhile.

Honestly though, I need to pipe down, look in the mirror, and admit my story is old, tired, and full of sour grapes. Few care anymore. The reality is community hockey is dying - for many reasons. And the latest me-first generation is only accelerating the pace. Coupled with the all-star teams many public school programs are building, Hill's status as one of the most hated programs may be starting to fade, much to BlueLine's chagrin!

What do I really want to happen? Mahtomedi opts up to AA. They're playing a AA schedule at the youth level, and already play a significant AA schedule in high school. They have the talent to compete, and at times may even crack the top 15 in AA. Heck, if they opted up, perhaps they'd (gasp!) keep some of the high end talent that I whine about leaving for Hill. Imagine a 4AA Mahtomedi/Hill section final where the Mahtomedi kids are actually playing for Mahtomedi!

I heard Mahtomedi was going to have to go to AA soon because they'd be above the cutoff soon. Not that I know. And I've been respecting the Mahtomedi program for a long time. Cheered mightily the year they won state. I know a few parents that have had kids on the team and they were all good people. They seem to split with Hill most years, so sections would be even more interesting...

[BlueLineSpecial]

Steal away, my good man! That was my response, many years ago, to the unrelenting taunts about community and neighborhood hockey and how schools like Hill destroy that. If they paid any attention, they'd know that Hill has generation after generation that not only go to school there but play hockey. Look at the 2020 championship team - it's riddled with recognizable last names from teams gone by. Heck, look at this year's roster. Lots and lots of familiar Hill Murray names carrying on the tradition.

Someone on this board not long ago lamented Hill taking Mahtomedi's best kids, including the Sampairs. Go take a look at the history of Hill hockey and then believe me when I say that the Sampairs are more Hill than they've even been Mahtomedi, regardless of where they live.

But alas, haters gonna hate. So as you said, gotta own it.

That was me doing the lamenting!

Yes, there's a multi-generational Sampair family at Hill. All part of the grand tradition. Generation after generation and all that. Hill can certainly lay claim to being one of the OG contributors to the demise of community hockey. Congratulations on all the success.

There's also a first generation pair of Sampair boys now at HM whose dad played for Mahtomedi at the same time his brother was building the above mentioned multi-generational-nirvana. He's sworn for years that he would never become part of what Hill stands for...until he sent his kids there, joined by another 4-5 of the best players to come through the Zephyr program in awhile.

Honestly though, I need to pipe down, look in the mirror, and admit my story is old, tired, and full of sour grapes. Few care anymore. The reality is community hockey is dying - for many reasons. And the latest me-first generation is only accelerating the pace. Coupled with the all-star teams many public school programs are building, Hill's status as one of the most hated programs may be starting to fade, much to BlueLine's chagrin!

What do I really want to happen? Mahtomedi opts up to AA. They're playing a AA schedule at the youth level, and already play a significant AA schedule in high school. They have the talent to compete, and at times may even crack the top 15 in AA. Heck, if they opted up, perhaps they'd (gasp!) keep some of the high end talent that I whine about leaving for Hill. Imagine a 4AA Mahtomedi/Hill section final where the Mahtomedi kids are actually playing for Mahtomedi!

I heard Mahtomedi was going to have to go to AA soon because they'd be above the cutoff soon. Not that I know. And I've been respecting the Mahtomedi program for a long time. Cheered mightily the year they won state. I know a few parents that have had kids on the team and they were all good people. They seem to split with Hill most years, so sections would be even more interesting...

Some reference points for you. Or anyone interested in seeing the MSHSL cutoff for each sport and the size of the schools listed. Mahtomedi is about 175 kids away, give or take:

https://www.mshsl.org/sites/default/fil ... 2-2023.pdf

https://www.mshsl.org/sites/default/fil ... enroll.pdf

[WestMetro]

This unscientific poll is pretty close so far

https://twitter.com/fabfivehockeyf1/sta ... vqsuVEoBFA

[raidergrad72]

"Hill is hardly at the top of that list."

Did you mean Hill IS at the top of the list.

They have been the problem since that dang Langevin kid played there.

Of course, this is tongue in cheek

Why I oughta

You're kind of an old man, too.
You and Raider.
Hill and Greenway, glad I am younger and can out-run you guys (and rainier).

You talkin' to me, son? Well, you just wait and wait and wait till my plantar fasciitis and my sore this and that gets better.
Then I'll show you absolutely nothing! So there!

[raidergrad72]

Does anyone know when the doors for tomorrow night's game at Aldrich open?

[Sparlimb]

Does anyone know when the doors for tomorrow night's game at Aldrich open?

I don't know the answer, but I bet there will be plenty of room on the Gentry side, even if the whole school comes...

[5girls]

Steal away, my good man! That was my response, many years ago, to the unrelenting taunts about community and neighborhood hockey and how schools like Hill destroy that. If they paid any attention, they'd know that Hill has generation after generation that not only go to school there but play hockey. Look at the 2020 championship team - it's riddled with recognizable last names from teams gone by. Heck, look at this year's roster. Lots and lots of familiar Hill Murray names carrying on the tradition.

Someone on this board not long ago lamented Hill taking Mahtomedi's best kids, including the Sampairs. Go take a look at the history of Hill hockey and then believe me when I say that the Sampairs are more Hill than they've even been Mahtomedi, regardless of where they live.

But alas, haters gonna hate. So as you said, gotta own it.

That was me doing the lamenting!

Yes, there's a multi-generational Sampair family at Hill. All part of the grand tradition. Generation after generation and all that. Hill can certainly lay claim to being one of the OG contributors to the demise of community hockey. Congratulations on all the success.

There's also a first generation pair of Sampair boys now at HM whose dad played for Mahtomedi at the same time his brother was building the above mentioned multi-generational-nirvana. He's sworn for years that he would never become part of what Hill stands for...until he sent his kids there, joined by another 4-5 of the best players to come through the Zephyr program in awhile.

Honestly though, I need to pipe down, look in the mirror, and admit my story is old, tired, and full of sour grapes. Few care anymore. The reality is community hockey is dying - for many reasons. And the latest me-first generation is only accelerating the pace. Coupled with the all-star teams many public school programs are building, Hill's status as one of the most hated programs may be starting to fade, much to BlueLine's chagrin!

What do I really want to happen? Mahtomedi opts up to AA. They're playing a AA schedule at the youth level, and already play a significant AA schedule in high school. They have the talent to compete, and at times may even crack the top 15 in AA. Heck, if they opted up, perhaps they'd (gasp!) keep some of the high end talent that I whine about leaving for Hill. Imagine a 4AA Mahtomedi/Hill section final where the Mahtomedi kids are actually playing for Mahtomedi!

No need to pipe down. The board is for banter and I welcome your opinion. If it was a sounding board of exact same opinions I wouldn't be on here. I do believe, rather strongly, that Hill has as much of a claim to community hockey as the next, and as I said above, maybe more. But there will always be people that won't believe or accept that. And that's fine.

I guess my question to all the community hockey evangelists is this: if everyone so fervently believes in the community hockey model, then why do many of the privates and many of the high-profile public schools, keep getting all these players? Hill isn't roaming the neighborhoods in an unmarked white van with Lechner and Co leaping out to steal your kids while they walk home from public school. So why did the current Sampair clan choose Hill when they, apparently, swore them off for years? Why did Bonin send his kid to Hill? Clearly going to WB didn't hurt his career at all. So maybe, just maybe, people go for all sorts of reasons. Maybe its education. Maybe it's that sense of community that apparently no one can have except public schools. Maybe it's for religious reasons. Maybe they think the coach and system is better for a kid. Whatever the reason, it's happening. And there's still plenty of student athletes to go 'round. WB hasn't fallen off the hockey map; they were ranked higher than Hill. Mahtomedi is doing just fine; barely a layer of dust on that championship trophy for a couple of years ago and a guaranteed trip to state in 4A every year. So I think it's handwringing for no real reason. There's plenty of schools or reasons to hate the perceived demise of community hockey. Hill is hardly at the top of that list.

Ahhh yes, out comes the altruistic greatest hits record on why so many of the East Metro's best hockey players opt for HM: 'For just tens of thousands of dollars per year, your Very Special Unicorn can escape the trials and tribulations of their subpar public school experience and reach his/her full potential with better education, sense of community, religion, the best coaches, and the best system'. Maybe. Just maybe.

Or, the real reason just may be a bit more insidious. Maybe it doesn't have much to do with HM apologists' greatest hits record. Maybe it's just one reason. Maybe the opportunity to stroke a big check every year in exchange for one's Very Special Unicorn to play on an all star team loaded up with the best talent from around the East Metro schools - with a clear path to state most years directly through the very schools 'these players' formerly attended is just too good to pass up. And the parents can put their minds at ease. After all, there's still plenty of athletes to go 'round.

You'll have to elaborate on HM's claim to community hockey. Tell me about HM's Try Hockey For Free programs, tying 5yr olds' skates, wiping noses, warming up feet, hosting outdoor jamborees with bonfires and donuts, supporting families whose parents are working with carpools, locker room moms, supporting teams of AA-C caliber players, never cutting a player, etc, etc. Communities do that. HM does not. HM waits outside the local community arenas in white Lechner and Co vans.

Last, I have to admit 3 things. 1) This isn't totally HM's fault. They've simply followed the 'if we build it, they will come' approach. I don't subscribe to the belief some hold that HM is running around recruiting kids. Frankly, they don't have to do that. I put this on the parents and the slow circling of the drain into a me first society. 2) HM isn't close to the worst anymore. At least parents are writing big checks for the duration of their Very Special Unicorn's high school (cough) careers. While many want to label HM as the poster child for what's wrong - they're really not that any more. They're the OGs, sure. But there are worse out there. Much worse. 3) If I'm BlueLine I immediately point to Mahtomedi's Class A status as a big reason high end kids leave (he actually kinda did that with the passive aggressive 'guaranteed trip to state' zinger above - well played). Can't argue with him there. Zephyrs should move up. It'd be good for 4A, and good for 4AA.