MN Daily: A powerhouse in state sports, Eden Prairie High School feeds the U of M

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The irony is that the football team hasn't always been a reliable source for the U. Blake Sorensen and Brendan Kelly went to Madison, Mobley passed on the U. Grant signed but his grandpa is a U legend. I believe the present team has more guys from that powerhouse Edina than from EP or Cretin.
 

Pretty interesting article! Thanks for the post Bleed!
 

Thanks for the link. It is definitely a culture thing as much or more than a numbers thing in Eden Prairie. That culture has lead to the facilities being as nice as they are. Tonight I will be taking my son to soccer practice in the the dome followed by an in house league basketball game in the Activity Center.

p.s. For any runners on the forum, the activity center is also open to the public seven days a week and has a 1/6 mile running track which sure beats the treadmill when you want to get in some winter runs.
 

I thought it was foolish for Mike Grant to say that pointing to the size of Eden Prairie's school demeans the student athletes. It absolutely doesn't. Eden Prairie has a lot going for it, and the enormous size of the student body is clearly one of its advantages.
 


I live in Eden Prairie and one thing that's interesting is the tight connection between the HS programs and the youth leagues. For instance, my kindergartener and 1st grader are both in basketball and the first events of the season are clinics put on by Coach Flom and his HS team. When they've played baseball, the EP HS team has also come out to help out with that.

I always joke that these leagues are designed with one goal in mind: producing future state champions.

I'm not sure if this is common at other big schools, but I never saw this in KS, where I grew up.
 

everybody knows my name said:
I thought it was foolish for Mike Grant to say that pointing to the size of Eden Prairie's school demeans the student athletes. It absolutely doesn't. Eden Prairie has a lot going for it, and the enormous size of the student body is clearly one of its advantages.
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I think Mike Grant could have phrased it better but it does get old hearing that the Eden Prairie only has success because they are so large. I was told this exact thing from a Lakeville parent at a soccer game on Sunday when the subject came around to state football from this fall. It seems to discount the time and work the individual athletes have to put in to even make and play on their respective varsity squads.

My son is a sophomore at Eden Prairie and was one of three underclassmen to play on the varsity soccer team this fall. It was a big accomplishment for him and took a lot of individual practice and effort. I have wondered, if he would have been at a smaller school could he have made their varsity team with less individual work? I believe that the internal competition that comes from having larger numbers pushes individual athletes and makes them even better than what they might have been at a smaller school. It's definitely an interesting dynamic that happens with the larger pool of athletes to pull from. And I think that is what Mr. Grant was trying to get at, although he did it in a rather clumsy way.
 

Because every other high school in the state doesn't do this.
Seriously.
Get off your high horse, 80% of varsity programs do this and the number is probably closer 90% in the metro.
justthefacts said:
I live in Eden Prairie and one thing that's interesting is the tight connection between the HS programs and the youth leagues. For instance, my kindergartener and 1st grader are both in basketball and the first events of the season are clinics put on by Coach Flom and his HS team. When they've played baseball, the EP HS team has also come out to help out with that.

I always joke that these leagues are designed with one goal in mind: producing future state champions.

I'm not sure if this is common at other big schools, but I never saw this in KS, where I grew up.
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Mike grant is hated by the majority of high school football coaches in the state because he is a pompous arrogant man.
HopHead said:
I think Mike Grant could have phrased it better but it does get old hearing that the Eden Prairie only has success because they are so large. I was told this exact thing from a Lakeville parent at a soccer game on Sunday when the subject came around to state football from this fall. It seems to discount the time and work the individual athletes have to put in to even make and play on their respective varsity squads.

My son is a sophomore at Eden Prairie and was one of three underclassmen to play on the varsity soccer team this fall. It was a big accomplishment for him and took a lot of individual practice and effort. I have wondered, if he would have been at a smaller school could he have made their varsity team with less individual work? I believe that the internal competition that comes from having larger numbers pushes individual athletes and makes them even better than what they might have been at a smaller school. It's definitely an interesting dynamic that happens with the larger pool of athletes to pull from. And I think that is what Mr. Grant was trying to get at, although he did it in a rather clumsy way.
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Rosemountian said:
Mike grant is hated by the majority of high school football coaches in the state because he is a pompous arrogant man.
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Mike Grant to the baseball coach: Why are you in uniform?
Halloran (baseball coach): We're in the state tournament.
Mike Grant: Really? That's terrific!

Mike Grant is paid to be the athletic director for EPHS. It's a total joke that they funnel extra money to him that way, when all he does is care about football.
 

Rosemountian said:
Mike grant is hated by the majority of high school football coaches in the state because he is a pompous arrogant man.
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The majority of football coaches in the state have never met Mike Grant. Clearly you are one of the majority of South Suburban coaches who tired of looking up at EPHS.
 





The article speaks volumes about what is important at EP. Contrast this with the outcry that parents had when the EP Superintendent tried to bus less privileged students to higher performing schools in the district. You put your money where your concerns are. The EP Super was run out of town.

Eden Prairie has some of the finest high school athletics facilities in the state.

In 1997, voters approved a $16.85 million bond referendum, part of which the school used to build an activities center.
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“We’re really privileged"...Skjefte said.
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I'm glad the U of M is tapping the D1 athletes that play at EP. I don't find the cultural priorities to be in the best interest of society, however.
 

Why is it so bad to say that EP's large enrollment helps them in sports. Isn't that pretty obvious? They are the best at the larger schools but they are a gigantic school and that certainly helps.

Different schools have different advantages and one of EP's is their sheer size.

As far as people not liking Mike Grant because they are jealous, that is nonsense. I've heard tons of people say that they don't like Mike Grant, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything negative about Mike Scanlan (besides that he needs a shower and a haircut). Granted, Scanlan hasn't been nearly as effective as Grant...he is a successful coach of a school that most people don't like (CDH), and he's thought of as a good guy.
 

Unregistered User said:
Mike Grant is paid to be the athletic director for EPHS. It's a total joke that they funnel extra money to him that way, when all he does is care about football.
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I'm good friends with a female coach at Eden Prairie and she loves Coach Grant. Considering how dominant they are in many sports outside of football, I'd say you have no clue what you're talking about.
 

epgopher said:
The majority of football coaches in the state have never met Mike Grant. Clearly you are one of the majority of South Suburban coaches who tired of looking up at EPHS.
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I actually used to think your claim was true. I just worked for the south metro schools that are 65% the size with half the money and I was bitter.


But then I coached in the west metro for a few years and met coaches at wayzata, Hopkins, and Edina who all said the same thing.

You would be hard pressed to find a single coach in the state of Minnesota that doesn't have an Eden prairie connection to tell you they think grant is a good guy.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Why is it so bad to say that EP's large enrollment helps them in sports. Isn't that pretty obvious?
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I'm tired of people saying the SEC is so good at football because its geographic footprint produces hundreds of D1 players. It ignores all the hard work they do....
 

Eden Prairie's strength is not only bolstered by numbers (although this clearly does not tell the whole story as they are not substantially larger than many 6A schools that have not had the same level of success) but it's ability to keep kids engaged and participating in sports that they seemingly have little chance of competing in.

The school, the community, and families are committed to funding multiple teams that allows kids to participate in a sport if they so desire. In many schools, budgets (and travel-team philosophies) force some kids to be relegated to intramural or in-house rec programs at fairly early stages.

Being able to keep kids involved has reaped huge dividends as many of Eden Prairie's successful teams have had key contributors as well as ridiculous depth provided by kids most objective observers would have written off as freshman and sophomores. EP does not produce any more elite-level athletes than would be expected for a school of their size but their depth almost always is better than their competition.

I can say this with confidence as my son was one of the beneficiaries of this phenomena: a freshman (C-teamer) and sophomore (B-teamer) became a junior/senior starter on two of EP's state champion football teams. I suspect he may have washed out of competitive athletics in some schools before realizing that potential.

As Activities Director Mike Grant has been very instrumental in promoting that philosophy in ALL activities at EPHS.
 

epgopher said:
I can say this with confidence as my son was one of the beneficiaries of this phenomena: a freshman (C-teamer) and sophomore (B-teamer) became a junior/senior starter on two of EP's state champion football teams. I suspect he may have washed out of competitive athletics in some schools before realizing that potential.
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To act as if Eden Prairie getting a kid on the 9B or 10B team to become varsity contributors down the road is at all unique proves how truly clueless you are. This happens at every school.
The only schools this doesn't happen at are schools where there aren't enough kids for a 9B or 10B team.
 

Rosemountian said:
To act as if Eden Prairie getting a kid on the 9B or 10B team to become varsity contributors down the road is at all unique proves how truly clueless you are. This happens at every school.
The only schools this doesn't happen at are schools where there aren't enough kids for a 9B or 10B team.
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I didn't mean to imply that this was truly unique as I'm sure it happens elsewhere. For you to suggest it happens "everywhere", well we will just have to agree to disagree on that point.

BTW, I'm a 50-year-old U of MN alum who is an unabashed supporter of all things Minnesota sports. I hope every Minnesota high-school athlete that is deserving and can contribute to the U's success stays home and does so. I'm a Minnesota Gopher fan first and foremost and appreciate any athlete that chooses to be a Golden Gopher. It's pretty obvious not everybody on GH fits the profile of a Gopher fan.

Sorry to hear you've concluded I'm "truly clueless". My academic record, business and professional achievements would tend to discount that assessment. I may not agree with your viewpoint on this subject but I do appreciate your contributions as it's clear you know a little bit about football. Save the name-calling - it does not enhance your credibility.
 

EP has some nice athletics going for it but the district as a whole is a mess.
 

Hahahhahaa....Always hate the man on top. Its ok though, id have jealousy and sour grapes if i had to cheer for Rosemount too!!

Rosemountian said:
Mike grant is hated by the majority of high school football coaches in the state because he is a pompous arrogant man.
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epgopher said:
Eden Prairie's strength is not only bolstered by numbers (although this clearly does not tell the whole story as they are not substantially larger than many 6A schools that have not had the same level of success) but it's ability to keep kids engaged and participating in sports that they seemingly have little chance of competing in.

The school, the community, and families are committed to funding multiple teams that allows kids to participate in a sport if they so desire. In many schools, budgets (and travel-team philosophies) force some kids to be relegated to intramural or in-house rec programs at fairly early stages.

Being able to keep kids involved has reaped huge dividends as many of Eden Prairie's successful teams have had key contributors as well as ridiculous depth provided by kids most objective observers would have written off as freshman and sophomores. EP does not produce any more elite-level athletes than would be expected for a school of their size but their depth almost always is better than their competition.

I can say this with confidence as my son was one of the beneficiaries of this phenomena: a freshman (C-teamer) and sophomore (B-teamer) became a junior/senior starter on two of EP's state champion football teams. I suspect he may have washed out of competitive athletics in some schools before realizing that potential.

As Activities Director Mike Grant has been very instrumental in promoting that philosophy in ALL activities at EPHS.
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What you mean to say is the number of incredibly rich people living in EP that work downtown, Edina, Hopkins, or right in EP have tons of disposable income and time, as well as the large concentration of businesses that took advantage of EP's cheap land to build overly massive facilities that bring in good tax revenue (for now) make it possible for their kids to spend time on sports. This time and extra funds is what allows them to be good at a community level. Well, that and the insane number of people in that high school competing in sports and raising the total talent pool relative to other schools. And again, all those kids can afford to play as many sports as they want because of the average incomes of their families (sports aren't cheap to play, even in school - fees, equipment, etc). Not rocket science, and it has very little to do with a "great community" of people and more to do with money.
 

epgopher said:
I didn't mean to imply that this was truly unique as I'm sure it happens elsewhere. For you to suggest it happens "everywhere", well we will just have to agree to disagree on that point.
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Happens Everywhere.

You are either clueless or in denial. I don't know which.
 

GoldenUMNGopher said:
Hahahhahaa....Always hate the man on top. Its ok though, id have jealousy and sour grapes if i had to cheer for Rosemount too!!
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I actually don't care much for the Rosemount style of play. Boring football to watch. Haven't been to a game since Bjorklund's senior year. Plus I moved west in the cities.

I will say this though, in terms of percentage differences between student bodies
Eden Prairie is to Rosemount as Rosemount is to Hibbing
Eden Prairie is to Lakeville North as Lakeville North is to Princeton
 

Rosemountian said:
Happens Everywhere.

You are either clueless or in denial. I don't know which.
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I'd argue that it doesn't happen everywhere, kids that either don't play or are on the B/C team quit at a high rate where I come from.
 

Tim Riggins said:
I'd argue that it doesn't happen everywhere, kids that either don't play or are on the B/C team quit at a high rate where I come from.
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If you have tradition, it happens. I coached a team that went to section final a few years back with an unbelievable defense. We were in 5A and played in the Lake. We had an all senior defense. Of the 11 starters 7 were 9B players, 3 were 9A players and 1 didn't play football until he was a Jr.

It's not uncommon for B players to contribute at a high level in football. Kids develop at different times. Think back to how big you were in 9th grade; it's possible but not the norm to be fully grown in 9th grade.
 

Gopherprof said:
I'm good friends with a female coach at Eden Prairie and she loves Coach Grant. Considering how dominant they are in many sports outside of football, I'd say you have no clue what you're talking about.
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I never said he was unlikable. I too know coaches at EP, and the (not verbatim) story I related is 100% true.
 

OddStack said:
If you have tradition, it happens. I coached a team that went to section final a few years back with an unbelievable defense. We were in 5A and played in the Lake. We had an all senior defense. Of the 11 starters 7 were 9B players, 3 were 9A players and 1 didn't play football until he was a Jr.

It's not uncommon for B players to contribute at a high level in football. Kids develop at different times. Think back to how big you were in 9th grade; it's possible but not the norm to be fully grown in 9th grade.
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I'm gonna chime in here because I'd like to ask a question: epgopher - are you actually saying that your son was on a 3rd 9th grade team (C-team) and a 2nd 10th grade team(B-team) and then moved up to play/start as a Jr/Sr?

If so, I'll agree that's pretty uncommon, but only because how many schools in the state actually have 3 9th grade teams? Criminy, that's massive. I went to a fairly large metro school 350-400 kids per class, but EP has 1100 kids per class. But as for your general point, I completely agree with Rosemountain that kids not playing or playing on B/C teams as Fr/Sophs can play and start as Jr/Srs. In my (apparently lowly) HS, I didn't start or play much as Fr/So on the 9th/10th teams, but I gained 6 in in height and 60 pounds in 3 years to start the whole season as a Sr.

EPs success has been a combination of things - good coaching, a financial and time commitment to sports from the community, good youth programs - but their #1 thing they have going for them is numbers. Football is - much, much more than any other sport - a numbers game. You need 22 starters plus a dozen or so key fill-ins and backups. When you have 550 boys in every grade to pick from, the chances of you getting 22 good ones goes way up. Moreover, it's not like they're winning with brilliant innovative playcalling. I caught part of the title game this year, and it confirmed what I've seen every other time I've watched Mike Grant's teams - dull as dirt. They mix up the direction they'll run at you, but basically it's just smashmouth football. They have the size & discipline to do it, and they win, so I don't fault them at all for doing it. But it's just boring to watch. The Strib or someone had an article on their QB - he had thrown 29 passes... this season! I understand it - why would you pass when you can just run over people, but don't expect me to like it, or to chalk it up to brilliant innovative coaching. It's mostly raw numbers, pure and simple.
 

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