Football stars skating for glory on the ice

It is state tournament time again as March Madness continues to roll along in Minnesota. Up next is the famed state high school boys' hockey tournament. Before they drop the puck, check out these multi-sport athletes who excel on the football field and the rink.    Bjorgaard is a great compliment of power and balance. He has good speed and can run through tackles or make a full-speed cut to force defenders to miss or at least take a bad angle. He is best when he can get going downhill, but his subtle footwork in the open field allows him to keep defenders off balance. Mostly a between-the-tackles runner, Bjorgaard does have the speed to beat defenders to the corner. As a goalie, the junior has a .938 save percentage and has a 9-0-1 record for the Section 6 2A champions.     Consistent from thirty-five yards and in, Madill is an offensive weapon for the 4A Section Seven champion in football. On the ice, the junior is a forward for the Hawks, who contributed six goals and ten assists for the Section 7 1A runners-up.     Iallonardo consistently puts his kickoffs inside the fifteen-yard line and gets nice height on those kicks, giving his coverage team an extra second to get downfield. His accuracy kicking short field goals also gives his team a close to automatic extra point. As a goalie for the Cloquet/Esko/Carlton hockey team, Iallonardo helped his team to a 20-8 record, falling one win short of this weekend's state tournament. The junior compiled a 13-5 record with a .921 save percentage.     Sundquist is a physical defensive end on the football field. He has the strength to hold the edge but the athletic ability to stretch out an outside run. On the ice, Sundquist helped the Hibbing/Chisholm hockey team to the state tournament with a 19-9 record.     Steward is a long, athletic corner for the Raiders' defense. He has the speed to make up ground on receivers, but his best asset is his hands. He has the ball skills of a receiver – as proven by his seven interceptions as a junior. On the ice, Steward has 14 goals and 29 assists – good for fourth on the team. A team that is 22-4-2 and will be skating in the state tournament this weekend.     Kvern is a long-striding running back with great vision and solid feet in the open field. He makes decisive cuts and has good speed once he gets space. He is just as likely to run through a tackler as he is to avoid a tackler. Kvern has good balance, which allows him to keep moving forward when bouncing off tacklers. He will even line up out wide and catch a pass. As a forward on the hockey team, the junior has scored 13 goals and has racked up 25 assists – the third most points on the team. It is a team that is 15-10-3 and is still playing after winning a section championship last weekend.     Smith has excellent speed as a deep safety. His speed gives him great range in pass coverage and allows him to get downhill in the running game. He makes up ground quickly, attacking the line of scrimmage. And Smith does attack the line of scrimmage. He is not shy about laying out a running back near the line of scrimmage. Smith has great feet and hips. He transitions well when coming off a receiver or when he diagnoses a route coming into his area. At the rink, Smith tied for second on the team with goals scored and was second in total points.

It is state tournament time again as March Madness continues to roll along in Minnesota. Up next is the famed state high school boys' hockey tournament. Before they drop the puck, check out these multi-sport athletes who excel on the football field and the rink.