Author: Steve Mulholland

After a season plagued with controversy and overshadowed by discord among players, parents and community members, David Flom resigned on Friday after 17 seasons as head coach of the Eden Prairie High School boys basketball team. The news of Flom’s resignation was shared in an email to families of the Eden Prairie basketball program. “I have decided it’s time for someone else to take leadership of the Eden Prairie basketball program,” Flom’s statement in the email read. “Unfortunately, in the past several months, some people have made comments and characterizations about me that are not true and that do not…

The Eden Prairie girls basketball team finished the season on a high note, defeating Stillwater 69-54 to take third place in the girls state basketball tournament. After falling to eventual state champion St. Michael-Albertville on Thursday, the third-seeded Eagles bounced back quickly on Saturday at Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia University campus in St. Paul, showing the resilience that brought them to the state semifinals in Class 4A. Eden Prairie jumped out to a 28-22 halftime lead over the fourth-seeded Ponies, with four players on their way to scoring in double figures. Senior captain and point guard Molly Lenz led…

“They’ve got nothing at all to hang their heads about. It’s hard to lose. And it’s hard to lose when you don’t play your best game as a team.”Eden Prairie head coach Ellen Wiese The raised floor at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus is truly unique in the sport of basketball. The stage-like setting elevates the competition for all to see – unobstructed – creating a vantage point unlike anywhere in the country. Great plays and great players seem to shine even brighter through the Barn’s theatrical sightlines. In the girls state semifinal game between No. 3…

Nietzsche and Kelly Clarkson had it right: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That time-tested axiom could not be more true for the Eden Prairie girls basketball team, whose season-long gauntlet through the Lake Conference schedule has paid dividends in the state tournament. The No. 3 seed Eagles dispatched Centennial, a random draw, with a dominant 78-57 victory in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday at Williams Arena. Eden Prairie is one of three Lake Conference teams advancing to the semifinals on Thursday. “The Lake Conference prepares you for the big stage.” Eden Prairie head coach Ellen Wiese said. “Because…

Eden Prairie senior captain Molly Lenz was trying her best to absorb what had just taken place on the hardwood at Chaska High School Friday night. “It feels surreal,” Lenz said. “We knew we could do it but it just doesn’t really feel real when it actually happens. So I think it’ll take a little bit for it to set in.” Lenz and her Eagles teammates shocked top-seed Chaska in the Section 2AAAA championship game with a 60-42 victory, handing the Hawks their first loss in 22 games and earning a berth in the girls state basketball tournament at Williams…

Bud Grant, the legendary head coach, who led the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowls and was revered by generations of Vikings fans, has died. He was 95. Grant, the father of Eden Prairie football head coach Mike Grant, passed away Saturday morning, according to a statement released by the Vikings on Twitter. “We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” the tweet from the Vikings read. “We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news.” The…

In the era of specialization, two-sport athletes are increasingly uncommon. Three sports? You may have a better chance of seeing a unicorn running across Prairie Center Drive. That’s what makes Eden Prairie senior Annika Anderson, the 2022-23 Athena Award winner from EPHS, so special. The Athena Award recognizes one outstanding senior female athlete from each of the Minneapolis area high schools for athletic achievements in one or multiple sports. Anderson certainly qualifies, having earned five varsity letters in tennis, serving two years as captain with four conference awards. She will have earned three varsity letters in basketball and at least…

I told them how proud I am of them and how much I love them.David Flom, Eden Prairie boys basketball head coach The entrance to the home locker room for the Eden Prairie boys basketball team is located about 30 feet from the visitors’ room in the lower level of the high school, directly below the main gymnasium. The chorus of joyous shouts coming from visiting Prior Lake – unmistakably associated with a hard-fought victory – were in stark contrast to the deafening silence of heartbreak and finality shared inside the home team’s locker room. Moments earlier, the Lakers had…

The air feels warmer, the snow a bit heavier, and anticipation is heightened as March Madness sweeps through Eden Prairie this week. Last Saturday, the Eagles wrestling team brought home five top-three finishes, including a state championship by Zy Williams in the 120-pound class. Meanwhile, the Eden Prairie boys swimming and diving team ended Edina’s run at the state tournament by sweeping three relays and capturing the Class 2A state championship. And this week, the Eden Prairie girls and boys basketball teams are dialed into the sectional playoffs, with a trip to St. Paul in the offing. Eagles girls take…

Eden Prairie wrestler Zytavius Williams stood under the bright lights of the Xcel Energy Center Saturday night with his arms in the air. The sophomore had just defeated Mason Mills of St. Michael-Albertville 4-3 in overtime to win the state championship in the 120-pound class. Moments later, in the corridors under the seats, where scores of wrestlers were entering and exiting the arena floor and preparing for matches, Williams had a moment to reflect on what it all meant. “I guess hard work, dedication and doing things when people aren’t watching you,” he said. “Like running and stuff. That’s what…