Northfield boys basketball team making 1st state tournament appearance in 94 years
After nearly 100 years, an overdue celebration.
"We were all jumping around in a big huddle," said Northfield senior forward JT Graupmann. "I remember looking over to the bench, everyone running onto the court."
The Northfield boys basketball team is going to state. The last time they did that was in 1932, the same year Amelia Earhart made her transatlantic flight.
"I remember I was at the arena. I look around. It was after halftime. I was like, 'No one in here has ever seen a Northfield Raider boys basketball team make the state tournament. Nobody here,' because it's impossible," said Graupmann. "The last people that were on the team, I don't know if any of them are living today."
The Raiders coaching staff is made up mostly of Northfield alumni, like head coach Matt Christensen, who watched his older brother lose in the section final game back in the day.
"I was one of those kids who cut a basketball in half, put it on my head, all the paint and all that stuff," Christensen said. "And just the heartbreak of losing down there. That experience just stays with you and you just really wanted to make everyone proud."
Northfield took a huge step this season, going 25-3 despite an inauspicious start.
"Mankato East, our first game. Up big in the first half, blew the lead, lost. And then the way we responded after that, we rattled off 15 wins in a row," recalled senior guard Tyler Hupton. "That response signaled that this was different than other years. That was kind of the moment I knew."
Northfield beat Austin 60-51 in the section final to earn their state berth.
"It's been our goal and being able to reflect on all the years of youth, being able to be like, 'OK, so we want to get to state, wanna do what no Northfield team has ever done,'" said senior forward Kayden Oakland. "To get that and reflect on that now has been so fun."
The Raiders will aim for their first-ever state title as they wade into uncharted waters.
What will the state tournament feel like?
"Like a dream maybe, I don't even know," said Hupton.
