Class AA Boys
1. Golden Joe & Tracktown Minnesota
Joe Fahnbulleh's career representing Hopkins High School has come to an end, and what a ride it was! After a dropped handoff in the 4x100, the team found redemption in breaking their own state record in the 4x200m relay, and they now are nearly a second and a half faster than any other relay from any other school in state history (the next fastest is Eagan's 2015 quartet who went 1:26.91). Fahnbulleh later captured his own individual title in the 200m with a time of 21.21 despite running into a -4.6 m/s wind. Hopkins also added a title when Eli Hoeft won a title in the 1600m, and they sealed their team championship by the narrowest margin when their 4x400 went sub-3:20 to barely put them ahead of the team runners-up from Rosemount.
2. AJ Green Is The Best In The Nation
AJ Green put on a show in the 800m as a sophomore when he demolished the field last year in 1:52.19. This year proved to be no different, except Green is a year older and a year better. Leading wire-to-wire, Green dropped sub-1:50 for the second time this season to defend his title in 1:49.93, and he remains the only athlete in the nation to run a sub-1:50 800m race. But his day wasn't done quite yet as Green also served as Eastview's 4x400m anchor. While Eastview fell a bit short of a title in the event, Green's relay split of 47.8 was the fastest split of any runner in the race, and helped secure the team a fourth-place finish. Green will be back next year to try to take his third 800m title.
3. Max Otterdahl Adds To Family Legacy
Max Otterdahl didn't manage to qualify for State as a sophomore, taking 4th in the shot and 5th in the discus at Sections, while his older brother Trevor won both events and went on the podium for them both at State. But even that didn't match the accomplishments of older brother Payton, the 2014 State Champion in both events, and the eventual NCAA All-Time Shot Put record holder. But Max managed to improve and eventually fly past any of his brother's high school accomplishments. His toss of 64-4 in the shot put was seven feet better than runner up Kyle Atkinson, and he had three other tosses over 61 feet as well. Then in the discus, after a bit of a struggle hitting his desired marks in the early rounds, he popped 191-4 on his final throw to secure a 15-foot victory in that event. That gave Otterdahl three State titles (in addition to the shot put last year), and he finishes his time at Rosemount as the 5th best shot-putter and 7th-best discus thrower in state history.
4. No One Outkicks Isaac Basten
Isaac Basten has been one of Minnesota's top runners for several years, but he had yet to earn a State title. However, this spring Basten discovered that he has a kick. And not just any kick, but likely the best kick in the state. He made that evident to everyone back in April when he ran sub-60 on his final lap of the 3200m at the Hamline Elite Meet. Armed with this new weapon, Basten navigated his way through an undefeated regular season leading up to State. Then in the 3200m race, he held onto a solid position behind Acer Iverson (the State XC champion in the fall whom Basten outkicked at Hamline) for most of the race until pulling up alongside him to start the final lap. From there, Basten unleashed his kick and left no doubt in getting his first State Championship, crossing the line in a lifetime-best of 9:09.96 on a very hot day. Basten came back later in the 1600m, but wasn't quite able to stick with the more-fresh Eli Hoeft and Austin Streit in the early laps and those two athletes built an insurmountable lead. Nevertheless, Basten had enough in the tank to run the fastest lap of the day, closing in 59.1 seconds to secure 4th.
5. Sampson Muscles His Way To Hurdle Double
Whether by luck, grits, determination, or plain hard work, Josh Sampson is earning a reputation of resilience that was on full display in both hurdle races this year. Entering as the defending champion in the 110 hurdles (in a race that he had to come from behind and win with a dive), Sampson didn't even run the 110H until May as a precaution with his hamstring, and even when he ran it again, he hurdled with his opposite leg. But he proved himself to be in top shape as the top seed in the 110's and second seed (to his teammate Josh Thomsen) in the 300's. After Sampson successfully defended his 110 title in 14.23 (again, after falling behind early and making up ground), he provided the meet's most remarkable recovery in his second race. Battling for the lead with Keenon Young and George Jackson, Sampson hit the 5th hurdle and nearly fell, falling five meters behind the accelerating Young. But Sampson regained his balance and fought his way back to pull even with Young before finally putting the race away in 38.11 when Young didn't clear his final hurdle cleanly. It was the third year in a row an athlete from Mounds View won the event after Joel Smith took home titles in 2017 and 2018.