By Rich Larson
It was a weekend of history and heartbreak for Northfield High School athletics. The girls cross-country team won its first state championship and the football team earned a trip to state, but the volleyball team fell one win short of state for the fifth straight year.
The Raider girls won the state cross-country title with 55 points at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake, finishing ahead of runner-up Orono. It is the first girls cross-country state team championship in school history.
Northfield’s top three runners finished one after another. Eighth-grader Sunny Rodriguez placed 11th in 18:45.0, ninth-grader Karmen Jagiela was 12th in 18:46.3 and junior Makayah Petricka was 13th in 18:47.8. Sophomore Caitlin Cina was close behind in 20th place in 18:57.6. Senior Peyton Quaas added the key fifth score, placing 35th in 19:26.9. Junior Thisbe Jothen finished 56th, and eighth-grader Talia Momberg ran a personal-best 20:07.7 to place 75th.
The title capped five straight state meet appearances for the Raiders, who placed third in 2025 and fourth in 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, the Raider football team had a convincing win on Friday night, shutting out Rochester Century 38-0 in the Section 1, Class 5A championship game. The win sends the Raiders to the state tournament for the first time since 2010 and the 11th time in program history. Northfield also beat Century in the regular season, rallying in the fourth quarter for a 13-12 win Oct. 14.
The Raiders will play Cretin-Derham Hall, the No. 1 seed in the South bracket, in the state quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Woodbury High School. The winner advances to the semifinals Friday, Nov. 20, at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Class 5A Prep Bowl is set for 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28.
Finally, the volleyball team’s season ended on Saturday, when Stewartville swept Northfield 26-24, 25-23, 25-21 in the Section 1AAA championship match at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. All three sets were close. It is the second straight year the Tigers have stopped the Raiders one win short of state.
Northfield has now reached five straight section championship matches but has not been able to break through to the state tournament.
Rich Larson is the owner and General manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
