Strib Varsity Athletes of the Week: Meet seven high achievers

Strib Varsity Athletes of the Week: Meet seven high achievers Theodore Brown, Payton Cepeda, Taylor Davis, Margaret Duffy, Charlie Loth, Zak Loehlein and Kate Warner earned the honors. Comment Gift Share By Marcus Fuller The Minnesota Star Tribune November 10, 2026 at 1:32 PM Theodore Brown Minnetonka • football Brown is the first eighth-grader to play varsity for Minnetonka. At 5-11 and 160 pounds, Brown could have been satisfied with just making the high school team, but he became one of the Skippers’ top wide receivers this year. Brown, the son of former Kansas basketball guard Terry Brown, ranked second on the team in receiving with 30 receptions for 508 yards and five touchdowns through 10 games. The Skippers faced elimination last week with a 21-point deficit against Blaine in the Class 6A second-round playoffs, but leaned on their eighth-grader to pull off a memorable comeback to win 26-21. Brown finished with 240 combined yards receiving and kick-return yards against Blaine, including eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns. “Theo is a talented, smart, energetic athlete that works hard to be his best,” Minnetonka coach Mark Esch said. “His greatest attribute is his competitiveness and willingness to be physical on the field.” Payton Cepeda Hill-Murray • girls volleyball ADVERTISEMENT advertisement When injuries forced her to make a change to generate more offense, Hill-Murray girls volleyball coach Emily Kukacka moved 6-foot junior Payton Cepeda from middle hitter to outside hitter. It became a major factor in the Pioneers reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2015. In the Class 3A, Section 4 playoffs last week, Cepeda had 25 kills in a five-set win over top-seeded Mahtomedi in the semifinals and 26 kills and three aces in the five-set win over Chisago Lakes in the section championship. The Pioneers face No. 1 seed Benilde-St. Margaret’s in Wednesday’s Class 3A state quarterfinal at Grand Casino Arena. Related Coverage Meet the Class 3A, 2A and 1A boys cross-country state champions Boys Cross Country Girls volleyball state tournament brackets are set: See every matchup Girls Volleyball Meet the Class 3A, 2A and 1A boys soccer state champions Boys Soccer Meet the Class 3A, 2A and 1A girls cross-country state champions Girls Cross Country “Payton Cepeda has been a dominant force for our Hill-Murray volleyball program for the past three years,” Kukacka said. “Payton has had the chance to show off her versatility as an athlete, moving from a middle hitter to a six-rotation outside hitter during our postseason run due to injuries. We are very proud of Payton and are excited to see how her high school volleyball career continues to develop.” Taylor Davis Princeton • girls volleyball Princeton girls volleyball is making its first state tournament appearance. advertisement Tigers coach Mary Patnode, who has led the program for 12 years, can’t imagine that happening without senior outside hitter Taylor Davis, who leads the team with 322 kills. In three Class 3A, Section 7 tournament matches, Davis combined for 33 kills, 19 digs and five aces, including 13 kills in the section final win over North Branch. The Tigers earned the No. 3 seed in the state tournament and play No. 6 seed Sauk Rapids-Rice on Wednesday at Grand Casino Arena. “Her composure, leadership, and presence on the court are exceptional,” Patnode said. “She is the type of player who makes everyone around her better, and her consistency and competitive drive have been instrumental in our team’s success. Taylor works harder than anyone I know at this sport. She is always the one who never wants practice to end, even when tired. She is not only a huge offensive threat but also an exceptional serve-receive passer and defensive player.” Margaret Duffy St. John’s Prep • girls cross-country St. John’s Prep senior Margaret Duffy added to her high school legacy over the weekend. advertisement advertisement Duffy won her second straight Class 1A cross-country title Saturday with a personal-best time of 17 minutes, 25.2 seconds, the second-fastest time in 1A history. A Northwestern commit, Duffy has won six state titles — two in cross-country and four in track and field. Duffy’s coaches praised her for her leadership and being a role model. She has trained as many as seven days a week over the last three years. “Margaret is the perfect mix of talent, coachability, discipline, grit and mental toughness,” St. John’s Prep co-head coach Lance Nydeen said. “She is a quiet leader who supports her teammates as much as she prepares for her own races. She is always positive and that is infectious. She is the heart and soul of our team.” Charlie Loth St. Paul Como Park • boys cross-country Como Park’s Charlie Loth defended his Class 2A cross-country state title Saturday, but he could’ve been considered the underdog entering the meet. Loth was ranked sixth in the 2A coaches poll entering the meet, but that’s because his coach structures the season so Loth peaks at the state meet. Loth’s time of 15:10.1 at Majestic Oaks Golf Club was seven seconds faster than the runner-up. advertisement advertisement Loth recently committed to Northeastern, where he’ll compete in cross-country, indoor and outdoor track. He also holds a state title in track and field. His finishing kick helped him pull away for the title. “One of the things that gave me the most trust in just being able to keep that pace and keep pushing was that every year our coach has us peak,” Loth said. “Just keeping that in my mind that we’re gonna peak at state, we’re gonna be able to run our fastest. This is where our fastest race is gonna happen.” Zak Loehlein Prior Lake • football Moorhead, led by star quarterback Jett Feeney, seemed invincible this season as the heavy Class 6A championship favorite entering the playoffs. The kryptonite for the Spuds and Feeney turned out to be the Lakers and junior Zak Loehlein, who gave Feeney, a Gophers commit, his only two interceptions of the season. One of the biggest surprises in Prior Lake’s 19-14 win against Moorhead was that Loehlein hadn’t played defense all year until the Moorhead game. advertisement advertisement Loehlein’s first interception came with Prior Lake leading 13-6 early in the fourth quarter, jumping in front of a deep pass to Gophers commit Zak Walker. The second pick happened in front of the end zone and was just as clutch with five minutes to play. The 6-1, 175-pound wide receiver had 135 all-purpose yards in the victory: 84 on punt returns, 46 rushing and 5 receiving. One of his late runs put Prior Lake in position to take a knee and run out the clock. “Zak has progressively got more involved in our offense as the season has gone on,” Prior Lake coach Matt Gegenheimer said. “Zak is a very versatile athlete for us and has played QB, WR and some DB over the past couple years. When we matched up with Moorhead, we knew we needed an extra DB on the field and Zak jumped right in and performed at a very high level.” Kate Warner Breck • girls soccer Breck freshman Kate Warner’s goal caught the back right corner of the net with 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in Saturday’s 1-0 win against St. Croix Prep, securing the program’s first state championship. Warner’s breakout first year with the Mustangs, though, seemed to be building toward that big moment. advertisement advertisement The speedy and talented forward ranked second on the team in goals (16) and first in assists (17). Warner was scorching during the Mustangs’ late-season run with 12 goals and seven assists in the final seven matches. That included Warner’s two goals in Breck’s 2-1 upset against top-seeded Providence Academy in the section finals on Oct. 22. “She plays with the maturity and composure of someone who has been on the team for years,” Breck coach Kelsey Hans said. “She is a fast and dangerous attacker who never stops running