Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and North Dakota and South Dakota to the west. It is the 12th-largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd-most populous, with about 5.7 million residents. Minnesota is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" and has 14,420 bodies of fresh water covering at least ten acres each. Roughly a third of the state is forested. Much of the remainder is prairie and farmland. More than 60% of Minnesotans, about 3.8 million, live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, known as the "Twin Cities", the state's main political, economic, and cultural hub and the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Other minor metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas include Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud.
Hennepin County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named for the 17th-century explorer Louis Hennepin. It extends from Minneapolis to the suburbs and outlying cities in the western part of the county. Its natural areas are covered by extensive woods, hills, and lakes. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565. It is Minnesota's most populous county and the 34th-most populous county in the U.S.; more than one in five Minnesotans live in Hennepin County. It is included in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul–Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Brooklyn Park is a suburban city on the west bank of the Mississippi River, upstream from downtown Minneapolis in northern Hennepin County. It is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 86,478 at the 2020 census. The city still has undeveloped land and farms, including the historic Eidem Homestead, a 1900s working farm that is a popular tourist attraction for families and school field trips. Brooklyn Park is considered both a second- and third-tier suburb of Minneapolis, because much of the land north of 85th Avenue was developed after 2000.
Wayzata is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,434 at the 2020 census. The city is about 12 miles west of Minneapolis and is situated on the northern shore of Lake Minnetonka, the ninth largest lake in the state.
Owatonna is a city and the county seat of Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,420 at the 2020 census. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August.
Maple Grove is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 70,253 at the 2020 census. making it Minnesota's 11th most populous city.
Xcel Energy Center is a multipurpose arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Completed in 2000 and often called "The X" by fans, it is named for its locally based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 17,954, the arena has four spectator levels: one suite level and three for general seating. The building is home to the NHL's Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Frost of the PWHL.
Minnesota boys high school ice hockey is made up of multiple leagues and programs representing different associations. The two organizations associated with high school are the Minnesota State High School League and Minnesota Hockey. The Minnesota State High School League is a voluntary, nonprofit association of public and private schools with a history of service to Minnesota's high school youth since 1916. Minnesota Hockey, an affiliate of USA Hockey, is the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in Minnesota. Minnesota Hockey is governed by a board of directors and consists of approximately 140 community based associations who are formed into 12 districts.
Wayzata High School is a comprehensive public high school in Plymouth, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The high school, operated by Wayzata Public Schools, had about 3711 students in grades 9 to 12 as of 10/1/23, making it Minnesota's largest secondary school by enrollment. It is also Minnesota's largest secondary school by size, with an interior of 658,000 square feet (61,100 m2). The district boundaries include all or part of eight municipalities: Corcoran, Maple Grove, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Wayzata. The school finished an expansion project in 2017 with the new capacity of 3,900. It is part of the Lake Conference. Scott Gengler is the principal.
The Cooper neighborhood resides along the west shore of the Mississippi River in south Minneapolis. It is bound by 34th St. E. on the south, 38th Ave. S. on the west, 27th St. E. on the north, and the river gorge to the east. Bordering neighborhoods are Seward to the north, Longfellow to the west, and Howe to the south. St. Paul's Merriam Park neighborhood is just across the Mississippi River to the east.
Edina High School is a four-year public high school located in Edina, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The current student population is 2,720.
Maple Grove Senior High School (MGSH) is a public grade 9–12 high school located in Maple Grove, Minnesota, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Osseo School District (279). Its feeder schools are Maple Grove Middle School and Osseo Middle School. The school has included grades 9–12 since September 2015. Previously grade 9 attended junior high school. MGSH contains students from the cities of Maple Grove, Corcoran, Dayton, Rogers, and Plymouth.
The Northwest Suburban Conference is an athletic conference for all northwest suburban high schools of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Tahoma High School (THS) is a public high school serving grades nine through twelve, and is the only high school in the Tahoma School District. The school provides for citizens in southeast King County, and has been housed in multiple buildings, the current one being a three-story structure in Maple Valley built in 2017.
Rogers High School is a public high school located in Rogers, Minnesota, United States, and is part of the Elk River School District 728.
Lakeville South High School (LSHS) is a high school located Lakeville, Minnesota, United States. To meet the needs of a growing population, in the early 2000s the district began construction of LSHS. LSHS enrolled students for the first time in fall 2005. Unlike LNHS, whose student come from a predominantly urban/suburban catchment area, LSHS pulls from the suburban/rural areas of Lakeville. This socioeconomic divide has contributed to the ferocity of the rivalry between LNHS and LSHS athletics. In addition, the close proximity and closeness of the community in the City of Lakeville also plays a large role in the strong community competition between the two high schools.
Sandra A. Masin is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 51A, which includes portions of the city of Eagan in Dakota County, which is in the southeastern part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. She is also a business woman, working in financial services, real estate sales and insurance.
Elk River High School is a public high school located in Elk River, Minnesota, United States. It is the one of four high schools in the Elk River Area School District and its feeder schools are VandenBerge Middle School and Salk Middle School. In the 2011–12 school year, Elk River had an enrollment of 1,649 students. Elk River's colors are red and white. The National Center of Education Statistics classifies the high school as a large, suburban campus. The Elk River Elks compete in the Northwest Suburban Conference of the Minnesota State High School League as well as in Section 7AAAAA (5A) for football. Elk River High School opened in 1888.
Jake Wieneke is a professional gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Dakota State and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He was cut by the Vikings prior to the 2018 season, and then signed by the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for five seasons, for the Montreal Alouettes from 2019 to 2022 and Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2023.
