Which high school teams are off to a suprisingly fast start?

For the better part of a decade, every time Mounds View and Stillwater got together in the Suburban East Conference, it wasn't a matter of whether Stillwater would win the game or not – the only question was by how much. On Tuesday night the Ponies in red and the Mustangs in green met up again and this time it was a very different dynamic. Yes, Stillwater still emerged with the victory, but the game wasn't decided until the final seconds.   After entering the last minute all even at 48, Mounds View gave up an ill-timed turnover under intense defensive pressure that enabled Stillwater to pull ahead. Coming out of a timeout with 6.3 seconds still on the clock, the Mustangs failed to get off a shot before time expired. Stillwater had won again, this time by a score of 52-49. Seeing Mounds View live for the first time this year, however, it was clear why they are one of the squads that is off to a surprisingly fast start in the 2024-25 high school season.   The victory extended the Ponies win streak over Mounds View to 16 games dating back to the winter of 2016, with an average margin of victory of 25 points. After opening this season with six straight wins, the Mustangs look like a very different team. “We got a little frantic at the end. We needed to have a little better composure and take a breath,” said Mounds View coach Dave Bratland. “Our kids have to get used to being in that position, but we've come a long way from where we were a couple of years ago in our program. We had a good chance to win tonight, and I think we are capable of beating anyone in the conference right now. We've taken it to the next level.”   While it might be hard for the Mustangs to get over the mental hurdle presented by a lopsided rivalry like the one with Stillwater – Mounds View's starting point guard was in pre-school the last time they beat the Ponies – it's obvious from their on-court communication and positive body language that they are starting to believe.   After their top returning scorer, all-conference performer Kate Roeber, tore her ACL in July, Mounds View was left with just one player who had any real experience at the varsity level. “People had very low expectations for us because we lost a ton,” said Bratland, “especially with Kate not being able to play. I had expected her to score 15 to 20 a night. But [player_tooltip player_id='782563' first='Maddie' last='Schneider'] has stepped up and been a big contributor. Nora Schmidt can shoot it really well, and she's done that. [player_tooltip player_id='918776' first='Lily' last='Ryan'] just plays hard. She doesn't know any other way.”   Truth be told, however, the most important shift for Mounds View appears to be the impact of their 7th grade point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1105991' first='Jaycie' last='Helmer']. Yep, a 13-year-old floor general with a world of potential has changed the equation for the Mustangs. With incredible court vision, tremendous passing ability and a true feel for the game, Helmer should be one of the top-ranked prospects in Minnesota's Class of 2030. “I've been doing this for a long time,” Bratland said. “She is probably the most gifted athlete I've been around in 40 years of coaching. She is a once-in-a-generation talent.”   Helmer was the primary reason we went to Mounds View this week, and Jaycie was everything we had hoped to see and more. We'll have a separate story later in the week on Helmer and some other young prospects. For now let's just say that her presence has enabled the team to share the basketball and create opportunities that weren't available for them in the past. “The past couple of years we've had just one player who was better than everyone else and she's done it all. The focus has always been on her,” Bratland said of the now-graduated Bria Stenstrom, currently at Winona State. “The offense ran through her. Now our offense runs through everybody. It's more fun as a coach. I think it's more fun for the players, too. And our defense is better than it has been.”   The senior Schmidt and junior Schneider are averaging a combined 26 points per game while Helmer is scoring nearly double digits. In addition to her physicality and unbridled level of energy, senior Ryan is scoring a half dozen points per game. Most importantly, the older girls have welcomed their young point guard with open arms, and she is making all of them look better. “If they don't accept her then we've got issues, but we don't have selfish kids,” said the coach. “They believe in themselves and they believe in each other. I don't want to take the credit for it but the culture here is really good. The kids like each other on and off the court, and they like seeing each other succeed.”   WHO ELSE IS OFF AND RUNNING?   Mounds View isn't the only team off to a surprisingly fast start. Also on Tuesday night, Class 3A Monticello scored an impressive 69-59 win over previously undefeated Delano (7-1) as the Magic stretched their season mark to 4-0. Led by junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='515676' first='Samantha' last='Voll'] – a top 25 prospect in the Class of 2026 – Monticello has skill and experience and they've learned how to win. Last week the Magic knocked off 4A power St. Michael-Albertville in double overtime.   As we chronicled over Thanksgiving, 6-1 Orono has also turned some heads in Class 3A. Ditto for Byron and Red Wing, who are both 5-1. At 6-0, Marshall has been good. In Class 4A, nobody should be shocked at the play we've seen from Eden Prairie, Stillwater or Hopkins, all at 5-1. The same is true for 4-1 squads Maple Grove, Wayzata, Prior Lake and STMA.   Over in Class 2A, Providence Academy is making it look like a one-horse race so far – appropriate given that their star [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] recently committed to Kentucky! With a 24-point win over Lakeville North on Tuesday, PA is now 7-0 with four victories against Class 4A opponents and one against Iowa power Dowling Catholic. A 5-0 record for New London-Spicer or Crosby-Ironton is hardly surprising. A Sauk Centre team at 6-0 is not unusual. Ditto for unblemished records from the likes of Pequot Lakes and Caledonia. More than a dozen teams have yet to lose in Class 2A. One team that has caught our attention is Proctor, currently 6-0 and winning by an average margin of 44 points. That includes a 63-40 win over Mountain Iron-Buhl and a 66-32 margin against their neighbors from Hermantown.   The Rails have an experienced team led by senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='734370' first='Paige' last='Evans'] and [player_tooltip player_id='734368' first='Lily' last='Smith'], and junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='478373' first='Chloe' last='Carlson'] who is a Top 25 prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2026. Carlson, who is averaging over 16 points per game, says the team is playing really cohesively. “I think that we have been very good at executing on the defensive end and applying lots of full-court pressure,” said Carlson. “On the offensive side we have gotten very good at playing in transition and getting the easy buckets.”   Evans is averaging over 11 points per game on 52.4% field goal shooting. Smith is nearly at 10 ppg while guard [player_tooltip player_id='665721' first='Peyton' last='Walker'], a Top 35 sophomore, is averaging 10.2 ppg on 66.7% shooting from the field. Proctor returned the core of its lineup this season after going 22-7 one year ago. Coach Matt Solberg is in his 9th year, and the girls have grown up as a unit. All of that has led to a lot of success.   “We have all been playing together since 3rd grade so I definitely think that is a big piece of it,” said Carlson, who recently passed 1,000 points for her high school career. “We have good team chemistry and know each other's strengths and weaknesses well. The younger kids have been doing a great job at stepping up when their number is called and playing vital minutes for us.”

For the better part of a decade, every time Mounds View and Stillwater got together in the Suburban East Conference, it wasn't a matter of whether Stillwater would win the game or not – the only question was by how much. On Tuesday night the Ponies in red and the Mustangs in green met up again and this time it was a very different dynamic. Yes, Stillwater still emerged with the victory, but the game wasn't decided until the final seconds.