A 2012 Edina High School graduate, Cavonte (“CJ”) Johnson established himself as a three-sport star and scholar athlete during his time at EHS. He was a varsity football, basketball, and track and field athlete who was a member of the Edina Boys’ Track and Field record setting 4 X 100-meter relay team. Cavonte was the recipient of four awards coming out of high school that included the Howard Merriman Student Athlete Award, the Kirby and Tanya Puckett Award, the National Football Foundation Scholarship Award and was awarded the highly prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Millenium Award. Among his other accolades, Cavonte was a captain of the football, basketball and track and field teams, a member of the EHS Student Council and was the commencement speaker at his HS graduation. This episode is a bit longer (55 minutes) than our usual episodes, but we think you will appreciate hearing what Cavonte has to say about moving to Minnesota and being afforded an opportunity to get an Edina Public Schools education through the generosity of his “Moms” and “Pops” Sarah and Doug Jones. Hang in there with us all the way through the episode. You’ll be glad you did!

Sisters Kathryn and Christine Graf were teammates on the first volleyball team from Edina High School to make the state tournament (2018). Kathryn went on to play volleyball at Bradley University and Christine played 4 years at California Baptist before playing a post-grad year at High Point University while getting her MBA. The Graf sisters talked to us about how they came to focus on volleyball, what it was like to be part of the group that was instrumental in elevating the fortunes of the EHS Volleyball program, and what the "sibling-teammate" experience was like for them.

Art Downey began coaching swimming and diving at Edina High School in 1956 when he founded the swim program. He coached for 62 years retiring in 2018. Under his leadership the Edina Boys’ Swimming and Diving team won 10 state championships. Art is in the Minnesota Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame and the National Swimming Coaches’ Hall of Fame

Scott Johnson was a teacher & assistant coach with the Edina Boys' Swimming and Diving team from 1992-2018 and became head coach in 2018, following the retirement of veteran head coach Art Downey. He also coached with the Edina Girls' Swimming and Diving team from 1992-1996. Coach Johnson has led the Edina Boys’ Swimming and Diving team to 6 Minnesota State Championships. Scott was inducted into the Edina High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024

We were lucky to have these two legends together in the studio for a conversation about how they got into coaching swimming, changes in high school swim programs over the past several decades, some career highlights and their legacies.

Lifelong friends Jay Bennett and Jeff Wright, both 1967 graduates of Edina High School, were two of the most successful athletes to come through EHS. Jay and Jeff led the Hornets to four state titles in three years - two in football and two in basketball. After high school, Jay attended Dartmouth College where he played football and still holds the record for the longest punt in program history (83 yards). Jeff is still considered to be one of Edina's greatest all-around athletes leading, along with Jay, the Hornets to those two football and basketball titles and was a captain and All-Lake Conference selection in baseball. After an All-Big Ten career at the University of Minnesota, Jeff played seven seasons of professional football for the Minnesota Vikings competing in 3 Super Bowls. Jay and Jeff joined us to talk about their appreciation for the athletic and academic experiences they had growing up in Edina as well as the positive and lasting impact their coaches had on their careers and their lives.

A 1997 EHS grad, Greg Buth played 4 years of varsity basketball for Edina High School. During his senior year, he was named 1st team All-State and a finalist for the statewide Mr. Basketball award. Greg went on to play 4 years of NCAA Division I basketball for Dartmouth. As a sophomore, he was presented the Edward S. Steitz Award for being the top three-point shooter in the nation in Division I Men’s Basketball. Greg joined us to talk about growing up in Edina, the evolution of his basketball career, how he approaches coaching his own sons, and what he has been up to since college. Greg lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Shannon (EHS ‘97) and his four boys.

A 2013 Edina High School graduate, MC McGrory was recently named head girls basketball coach at Edina High School. MC was a Minnesota Miss Basketball Finalist in 2013 and the MVP of the Minnesota Coaches All-Star Game. At Creighton University, MC was a three-year starter, earning two All-Big East selections and helping her team to a Big East regular season championship and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance. MC joined us for a conversation about her basketball career and how she is looking forward to leading the Hornet girls' basketball program.

A 2018 graduate of Edina High School, Emily Kompelien competed in cross country, track & field and Nordic skiing at Edina High School. She was a two-time team state champion in cross country , 2018 state champion in track for 1600m and 800m events and was named the 2018 Gatorade Track & Field Player of the Year as well as the ExCEL Award Winner-Scholar with Distinction. After attending Brown University and competing on their cross country and track and field teams, Emily moved to New York City and is currently employed by lululemon where she works in Loyalty Strategy. Emily talks to us about the evolution of her cross country and track career and her psychological approach to competing.

We begin Season 3 of Always A Hornet with a home run! A 1996 Edina High School grad, Dan Fitzgerald has established himself as one of the top college baseball coaches in the country. He is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Kansas and was recently named the Big 12 coach of the year. His teams have been successful everywhere he’s been and he is known for his outstanding recruiting and his ability to develop his players. During his years at Edina High School, Dan played football, hockey and baseball. Dan shares with us his experience as a young athlete in Edina, the mentors he had through high school, and the long and winding coaching road that led him to KU.