St. Cloud Schools Celebrate Big Wins In Sports And Academics

St. Cloud Schools has numerous success stories in the past month.  St. Cloud School Superintendent Laurie Putnam joined me on WJON.  St. Cloud Crush boys hockey coach Pete Matanich was named the Section 8AA Coach of the Year by the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association earlier this month.  Matanich has led the team for 10 seasons after he was the Apollo Head Coach for 7 seasons and was a Tech Assistant Coach for 9 years.

Girls Hockey Success

Dorothy Benson was named the section 6A girls hockey Assistant Coach of the Year this month.  Benson was a part of the St. Cloud Crush girls hockey team who made their first appearance in the State Tournament in late February.

Tennis Coach Recognized

Longtime St. Cloud Crush and former Tech girls tennis coach, Paul Bates is set to be inducted into the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in 2026.  He was also named the Minnesota State High School Coach of the year.  He also won that award in 2017. Over his 33-year career, he won 498 matches with the girls' program and earned Section Coach of the Year honors five times.

Music, Academic and Sports Success

St. Cloud Schools had 2 students named to the All State Orchestra, and 5 Tech High School students earned a place at the Health Occupation Students of America.  They will attend an International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis in June.  St. Cloud Crush  wrestler Sutton Kenning earned a Class 3A State Championship at 215 pounds.  He is a future University of Minnesota wrestler.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Laurie Putnam, click below.