TC Game Time Podcast

The podcast crew are back for a two-parter episode, recapping the weekend's Boys High School Hockey Tournament before welcoming in Grant McGinnis of Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota to preview this week's big dance in girls basketball!

Starting at (5:00), Matt, Logan, and Bill go through the prep sports headlines of the week, including reacting to Sunday's announcement of Mr. Hockey Minnesota.

At (9:33), they dive into their State Boys Hockey recap, touching on each game of the Class AA Tournament first at (10:57), culminating with the Edina Hornets capturing their 14th State title. Starting at (29:10), they discuss each game of a compelling Class A tourney (29:10), and spotlight some great goaltending and an MVP performance for senior Andrew Dwinnell for St. Cloud-Cathedral.

Starting at (38:29), Grant McGinnis joins the show to preview the Girls Basketball State Tournament! They talk favorites in each class, potential upset picks to look out for, and discuss the wealth of talented players in the State fom Class 4A and the likes of Aaliyah Crump (Tonka) & Liv McGill (Hopkins) all the way down to Class A standouts like Jordan Zubich of Mountain Iron-Buhl.

It's State Tournament week at "the X" as the podcast previews the Boys High School Hockey Tourney with David La Vaque, a prep sportswriter at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and author of "Tourney Time: Stories from the Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament!"

The guys get into the show by welcoming in La Vaque, before toouching on some prep sports headlines this week, including some ticket snafus at last week's Section Finals and a record-setting performance in girls basketball.

Starting at (12:43), they get into their State Tourney talk by recapping last week's slate of Section Finals, including detailed breakdowns of Chanhassen, Edina, and White Bear Lake's wins that La Vaque covered for the Strib, as well as Logan's thoughts on the upset of the week down in Rochester!

At (38:15), they react to the seedings and matchups of both the Class A and Class AA Tournaments and muse on how the tournaments might play out this week in St. Paul.

Before welcoming in the head coach of Centennial Boys Hockey, Matt, Logan, and Bill reconvene, first talking about the announcement of Mr. Hockey & Frank Brimzak award finalists, as well as their predictions for who the top-10 finalists for Mr. Basketball will be later this week.

Starting at (13:08), they recap last week's Girls Hockey State Tournament, talking about Hockey Town Minnesota storming to their third straight title in Class A and Edina's sterling display at the X last week.

At (23:30), they transition to boys hockey and talk all the notable results from the past week in Class AA, starting with St. Cloud's stunning upset of Roseau last Tuesday, and how Elk River and Buffalo will make history in this Wednesday in the Section 8AA Final! They break down each Section Final going down this week, including Matt's thoughts after calling one of the 5AA Semis and Logan preparing for this Thursday's Section 1AA Final call.

Interview with Rich Menne, the 13th year head coach of Centennial, starts at (44:03). Menne talks about his team's battle with Rogers Saturday, Harper Searles' Mr. Hockey finalist snub, how impressed he's been with Rogers, Champlin Park, and Maple Grove's seasons this year, and the "bunch of nobodies" mantra that has the Cougars buzzing into their first Section Final in three years!

Before welcoming in the head coach of the No. 7 ranked Farmington Boys Basketball program, Matt, Logan, & Bill first hit on some prep sports headlines, including boys hockey player of the year candidates, Miss Hockey semifinalists, and a big Lake Conference rivalry matchup on the hardwood from Friday night.

Starting at (12:24), they react to the results of Sunday's Section seeding meetings in Boys Class AA hockey, and preview some of the notable Section playoff matchups that get underway this week.

At (25:56), they review each of last week's girls hockey Section Final results, and preview the State Tournaments in both Class A and Class AA that start Wednesday morning in St. Paul!

Interview with Tharen Johnson, the 8th year head coach of the Tigers, starts at (49:28). Topics discussed include the Tiger program consistency as they approach their fourth straight winning season, Farmington's proclivity for crashing the glass, and how the Tigers will fare as they look to snap an over 80-year State Tourney drought.

Before welcoming in the head coach of the 7th-ranked Shakopee Boys Hockey Team, Matt & Bill first grapple with the implications of Bill's newfound stardom after a Super Bowl commercial appearance, before getting into some of the prep sports headlines of the week at (4:39). Headlines this week include a monumental clash between Tonka and Edina on the ice, a recent losing skid for another State Tourney contender, and one of the top boys hoops teams in the State seeing their unbeaten season squashed over the weekend.

Starting at (15:30), they recap the action on the ice from the girls hockey Section playoffs last week, including a stunning upset by Rosemount behind some hot goaltending, and tee up the Section Finals of note this week around the State!

Interview with Coach Simon starts at (26:30). Topics include the Sabers' forward depth that includes electrifying goal-scorers Cooper Simpson and Cooper Siegert, Shako clinching their first-ever conference title, the Sabers' Frank Brimzak contender between the pipes, "Hockey Day" Minnesota preparations for next year, and more!

Finally, Matt and Bill close with "notes from the field" at (53:18), talking Eastview Divison 1 standout Jon Mekonnen and a golf mishap from over the weekend.

Matt and Bill keep the podcast rolling into playoff season as they preview the girls hockey Section Tournaments that get started this week!

Before diving into hockey, the hit on some of the key prep sports headlines of the week at (2:57), including changes coming to the State Tournament next year, a school-record, and prominent Minnesotans climbing the ACC ladder.

Starting at (14:20), they go Section-by-Section to discuss favorites to punch their tickets to "the X" while chiming in on standout players, and the three Section Tournaments that are going to be the most exciting to watch in Class AA.

Interview with Jim Koltes, the 12th year head coach of the Crimson, starts at (41:31).

Before welcoming in the head coach of the reigning State champion Wayzata Boys basketball team, Matt, Logan, and Bill discuss some prep sports headlines from teh week (3:45) before diving into an episode focusing on boys hoops in the Twin Cities.

Starting at (13:02), they discuss a myriad of key upsets as four top-7 ranked teams in the State in Class 4A all went down last week while taking a peek at Section races of note with five weeks left until the Section playoffs. They discuss Wayzata's first misstep this season in a road loss to Hopkins (12:35), Edina's habit for slaying giants (15:03), and Lakeville South's first top-10 win of the year as they took down Shakopee in a thriller Friday night (19:28). 

Interview with Bryan Schnetter, Wayzata Boys Basketball coach, starts at (39:47). Topics discussed include the Trojans' 15-1 start, Wayzata's offense clicking as the top-scoring unit in the State, Jackson McAndrew's development as a senior, and the winning tradition at Wayzata, among others!

Before a girls basketball mid-season check-in, including an interview with the Rosemount Irish Head coach, Matt, Logan, and Bill talk about some of the headlines of the week in prep sports, including a tragic passing of a high school athlete this week, a big result in a top-5 battle in boys hockey, and more.

Starting at (13:50), they discuss Minnetonka Girls Hoops' 15-0 start to the year, and talk about the Lake Conference's dominance in the girls basketball scene this year. They speculate on potential trip-ups for the Skippers in a loaded back-end of the schedule, and who is best poised to up-end Tonka's unbeaten run. Logan also gives his assessment of last week's Lakeville rivalry game in girls basketball and Matt & Bill discuss a pair of Division 1 standouts for Centennial, and despite it how the Cougars' struggles are affecting the Section 7AAAA landscape this postseason.

Interview with Chris Orr, the head coach of Rosemount Girls Basketball, starts at (36:12)

Matt, Logan, and Bill get together to check the pulse of boys hockey in the Twin Cities at roughly the mid-point of the season!

Starting at (4:53), they discuss the Northwest Suburban Conference with an interesting race between Rogers, Maple Grove, Andover, and Centennial at the top, along with improving squads in the middle of the pack that have made it arguably the State's deepest league. At (17:18), they discuss Shakopee asserting themselves as favorites atop the South Suburban Conference after a gritty road win in Rosemount, and look back on Lakeville South's recent dominance of the league in years past.

They also discuss the talent on display at Gentry Academy, who are making a strong case as a No. 1 seed in Section 4AA despite being iced out by the competition (22:09) and discuss heavyweights Wayzata, Edina, and Benilde all blocking each other for one State Tourney berth in 6AA.

Finally, they round out the show with some basketball observations concering Spring Lake Park, Shakopee, and Jack Robison of Lakeville North as part of their "notes from the field" for the week (35:27)!

Matt returns to the fold and the guys reconvene to take the pulse of boys basketball in the Metro, including an interview with University of Wisconsin commit Daniel Freitag, a senior at Breck and one of the top-150 high school seniors in the country!

Starting at (2:43), Logan breaks down two major games in Class 4A from the past week, including No. 1 Wayzata's dominant win over No. 5 Lakeville North last week (3:49). He discusses the State's top-rated player in Jackson McAndrew and how he matched up with future Badger Jack Robison (7:40) in the top-5 battle. Logan also breaks down the Farmington Tigers' suprising start as they rose to No. 6 in last week's top-10 (11:03). Bill Hupp chimes in on how Eagan have emerged as contenders in Section 3 (14:50), and the guys talk about other suprising starts from Minneapolis Washburn and suprising struggles from Eastview and White Bear Lake, among others.

Matt's interview with Daniel Freitag starts at (24:05), and includes a preview of Wednesday's top-ranked Class 2A clash between Breck and Holy Family, as well as Freitag's accolades as a two-sport athlete and development as a point guard this year.

Finally, the guys talk hockey hospitality, a St. Paul women's hoops star returning home, and more on "notes from the field" at (46:35).

Matt is on vacation so Logan and Bill relive the most memorable moments of 2023 and make bold predictions of what they think will happen in 2024.

It's a girls high school hoops frenzy for the first time this season on the pod as the crew welcome in Grant McGinnis, a prep basketball scout and writer for PrepGirlsHoops.com in Minnesota!

The gang starts the conversation at (4:38) by keying on Friday's matchup between Class 4A No. 3 Lakeville North and Class 2A No. 1 Providence Academy, and discussing standout sophomore Maddyn Greenway, her State-wide appeal, and where she fits among recent superstars in the State.

Starting at (17:30), they talk about the headliners of a talented senior class, led by Benilde's Olvia Olson (Michigan), Hopkins' Liv McGill (Florida), and Mountain Iron-Buhl sharpshooter Jordan Zubich (UNC), among others.

At (23:58), McGinnis splits hairs to determine Minnetonka and Hopkins' candidacy as the best team in the State right now, while also not counting out Wayzata, STMA, and others as top title-contenders in Class 4A. At (30:37), Logan and Grant talk about the best girls players they've ever seen at the high school level, including a standout 8th grader from Duluth you've got to keep an eye on (32:17).

Finally, they discuss other Class 4A teams to follow at (35:36) before Matt, Logan, and Bill talk some hockey and wrestling in their final "notes from the field" of 2023 (49:00).

Tony Zosel, aka "Tony Scott," from the Youth Hockey Hub joins the podcast to talk about the suprises of the boys and girls high school hockey seasons so far!

Starting at (2:24), they head to the boys side of the ice and discuss the the gap closing between title favorites Minnetonka and the rest of the field as well as the possibility of an undefeated season for the Skippers. They also discuss other contenders to challenge the Skippers in Class AA, including Wayzata (7:00), Chanhassen (9:26), and Benilde-St. Margaret's (10:18), among others. Other teams and topics include the talent coming up in Moorhead (13:40), Saturday's top-15 clash between Rogers and Shakopee (16:15), and the depth of the Northwest Suburban Conference this year (23:50).

Starting at (27:39), they transition to girls hockey where they discuss the three remaining unbeatens entering the week in Class AA, including how Hill-Murray are ahead of schedule as title contenders after a summer of upheaval (28:57). They also discuss Lakeville North, Northfield, and some of the best Section Finals to watch out for this winter.

Finally at (35:49), they close the show with Tony's seven locks and short-list of dark horse candidates for the "Mr. Hockey" award.

Matt and Logan are joined by the "TC Hoops Czar" to talk everything high school hoops as the boys basketball season tips off en masse this week in Minnesota!

They start their in-depth season preview by talking the implications of the shot clock this season (2:51) and the most notable coaching changes around the Metro heading into the year (7:01).

Discussed next are the top players in the Metro to watch going into the year, including recent Creighton commit Jackson McAndrew of Wayzata, Daniel Freitag (Wisconsin, Breck School), future Colorado State teammates Jon Mokonnen (Eastview) and Kyle Jorgensen (Washburn), among others.

Starting at (21:26), they discuss pre-season favorites to make the State Tournament in each of the eight Class 4A Sections, before talking title favorites in Class 3A (29:54) and 2A (42:21). They close the show by previewing some of the huge matchups to follow at this weekend's Hopkins Tip-Off event.

David La Vaque, a prep sportswriter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, makes a record sixth appearance on the 100th episode after appearing as the first-ever guest back in the Fall of 2021!

The guys come off their Thanksgiving food coma to first recap an exciting slate of Prep Bowl Championships from the weekend, starting with Centennial grabbing their first-ever title in school history as they captured the Class 6A crown! Starting at (11:57), they recap Chanhassen's storybook season, going to overtime for a second consecutive week in a matchup of premier running backs in the State. Finally at (21:19), they discuss Class 4A and down, including Hutchinson's annual Minneapolis invasion of black & gold, a record-breaking performance from Minneota in the Class A title, and a controversial refereeing decision in the 9-man title game.

To close the show, La Vaque, one of the definitive auhorities on high school hockey and the co-author of "Tourney Time: Stories from the Minnesota Boys Hockey State Tournament" discusses preaseason favorites in the prep landscape on the ice (27:41). Discussed is Minnetonka's embarassment of riches committed to the Division 1 level, challengers to the Skippers in Class AA, and standout results from Thanksgiving tournament action. They also discuss some girls hockey preseason favorites at (44:54) to close the show.

Chris Ohm, one of the voices of Channel 45's coverage of the Prep Bowl and the Assistant Director of the Upper School at Breck, makes his second appearance on the podcast to help preview this weekend's slate of seven State Football Championship games at the Bank!

After some brief introductions, the guys dive into last week's Class 6A Semifinal games, starting with a physical battle that saw senior quarterback Daylen Cummings lead Centennial to their first championship game appearance in 39 years over Lakeville South (5:33). Starting at (15:18), they break down Edina's upset win over previously unbeaten Eden Prairie, and speculate how the Hornets' deep ball threats of Sonny Villegas and Meyer Swinney might match up against a formidable Cougar secondary.

Moving to Class 5A at (27:28), Chris talks about St. Thomas Academy's come-from-behind win over previously undefeated Alexandria, and places Savion Hart in his upper echolon of running backs in the State. Next, the guys talk about Chanhassen's thrilling overtime victory at (30:48), and preview their upcoming match with STA in a battle of two of the top running backs in Minnesota.

They also preview the Class 4A title game between perennial U.S. Bank residents Hutchinson and Rocori at (37:30), and discuss favorites and standout teams and players from Class 3A all the way down to 9-man football beginning at (40:15).

The co-host of KARE 11's Prep Preview show, Craig Norkus makes his second appearance on the podcast this year to help the guys set up the State Football Semifinals in Class 6A, 5A, and beyond this week!

They start by breaking down all four quarterfinal matchups in the large school division from last week, starting with Craig's impressions of an impressive Edina win over Stillwater on Thursday night. He talks sophomore QB Mason West and all the weapons the Hornets have available in their impending matchup with Eden Prairie this week (3:32). They also talk Eden Prairie's dominance in the trenches over North (10:43), including some bullet point board material that the podcast fired up the Eagles with last week. Also discussed is Centennial's dominant display of revenge from last year's quarterfinal loss to Rosemount (18:25), and Lakeville South's dramtic finish to knock off East Ridge and punch their ticket back to U.S. Bank Stadium (25:00).

They discuss Class 5A starting at (28:25), including a matchup worthy of a State Championship game, and talk Gopher commit Koi Perich and some of the teams involved in the Class 4A and Class 3A tourneys this week in Minneapolis at (38:16).

Matt, Logan, and Bill preview the upcoming Class 6A and 5A State Football Tournaments, starting with an interview with the head football coach of the Chanhassen Storm, who moved to 10-0 with a win over No. 2 ranked Mankato West to punch their first-ever ticket to State on Friday (2:55)! Coach Nelson discusses the Storm's come-from-behind victory, Mr. Football frontrunner Maxwell Woods, and his team's matchup Saturday against Mahtomedia in the State Quarterfinals.

Starting at (29:24), the guys move on to Class 6A and recap all the action from Friday night, including upset wins by East Ridge and Edina. They preview every State Quarterfinal matchup before making their predicitons at (48:03).

Finally, Logan recaps a compelling volleyball Section Final from Saturday and Bill talks Prior Lake's D-line tradition in the "notes from the field" to close the show (54:29)

Matt, Logan, and Bill are back to talk everything high school football in Minnesota after the opening round of the playoffs Friday!

They start in Class 6A, discussing all 16 teams that moved on to the next round, including standout performances and the biggest suprises in Week 1 of the postseason. Matt bemoans two of his hipster State Tourney picks going out in the first-round while Logan and Bill give their impressions of Lakeville North's dominant performance, particularly in the second-half, aganst a talented Coon Rapids squad at (9:29).

Starting at (20:01), they preview all the second-round matchups in Class 6A, and speculate on possible upset wins for Rochester-Mayo (#ExtraMayo), Edina, and Forest Lake while also keying in on the "matchup of the week" between Lakeville South and Shakopee.

At (37:32), they discuss Class 5A results of note and preview Section Finals between Elk River and Andover, an all Robbinsdale derby, and the rematch of No. 1 Chanhassen vs No. 2 Mankato West.

It's the best time of the year as the high school football playoffs kick off this week in Minnesota! To start the show, Brian Vossen, the 14th year head coach of Lakeville North, hops on for an appearance to talk about his No. 2 ranked Panthers, as well as the keys to success in the postseason, the talent of a Coon Rapids Cardinals squad his team faces on Friday, and the positivies of the adjusted 6A playoff format.

Starting at (24:44), Matt, Logan, and Bill go in-depth breaking down the Class 6A bracket, including talking favorable draws, potential upsets, and first-round games to watch this coming Friday. They also discuss and unhinged "Minneapolis Miracle-esque" finish between Blaine and Shakopee last Thursday (41:30). They then make their predictions at who will reach the 6A State Tournament this year at (46:20).

Finally, they close the show by previewing the Class 5A playoffs (53:19).