After 1st State Title Win, Mpls. North Preps For Encore

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Charles Adams is always an enthusiastic guy, and as training camp gets going the head coach of Minneapolis North has extra reason to be enthusiastic this season.

"Well a lot of the kids we had last year were sophomores. So that's what excites me. That explains that," Adams said.

The Polars had been in the hunt for years as a contender in Class 1A. And last year, they finally broke through, winning their first state title. And when you taste that success, you crave more of it.

"They've worked so hard to get to the destination that they did last year, but now they know, what it takes to get there," Adams said.

And this year North gets a new challenge -- moving up a level from Class 1A to Class 2A. A challenge they are embracing.

"Absolutely. Absolutely. Why would I coach then? It's always about the challenge," Adams said.

"We just look at that as, we've closed the chapter on 1A, and we look at opening a new book, in 2A. It took us a while to adjust to the 1A but now it's just another challenge for us that we're more than willing to take on."

As good as they've been, they would've been competitive at that level years ago. But now, Adams is enthusiastic that they get to prove it.