Mankato high school sports: All children above average?

By Joe Spear
Free Press Editor

I didn't grow up in Mankato, and I'm always struck by how many of the high school sports teams not only make it to state championships but win a good share of them.

When I ask our sports staff if Mankato doesn't have an unusual share of state tourney appearances and wins, they doubt that is the case. They would have more knowledge than I would on it, but it always seems like Mankato high school athletes, like the children of Lake Wobegone, are "all above average."

Just the championships I can remember, give West at least two football state titles and two basketball state titles or near in the past 10 years or so. Both East and West have made the high school hockey tournament as well. East has been in the state basketball tourney several times and lost a very close game in the state football championship, if I remember right.

Excelling in hockey and basketball also seems to run counter intuitive as you see schools usually good in one major winter sport, not two.

East track team is well known for its success at state tournaments and now we again have the East girls golf in the state tournament.

Again, maybe it's just me. Where I went to high school, we made it to the final game in the State High School Hockey Tournament last in 1961. Washington High School in St. Paul never got past the second game of sections as far as I can remember in the last 30 years.

When I was a junior we did make it to the finals in our section baseball tournament, losing our bid to state to St. Thomas Academy, I believe.

Anyway, it's good to see so many Mankato kids doing well in athletics at the state level. If someone has a little time, I'd be interested in a history of state titles for Mankato schools. There must be a record book somewhere that could indeed prove if the kids in Mankato were "all above average," compared to students in the rest of the state.