Aug. 4DEERWOOD, Minn. The Minnesota State High School League announced a new venue for the boys and girls state cross country meets at their first board meeting of the school year on Tuesday.Starting in 2026, the Board of Directors affirmed an Executive Committee approval to hold the 2026 state meets at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake on Saturday, Nov. 7. Majestic Oaks has been a longtime host venue for numerous high school cross country events.Ham Lake is 25 miles north of Minneapolis.The past three cross country state meets were held at the Les Bolstad University of Minnesota Golf Course, but the facility was closed shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 event when the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents opted to explore selling the property, which came to fruition in late June 2026.The Board also approved a schedule adjustment for the 2027 girls and boys state basketball tournaments. The girls state tournament will be played March 24-27, and the boys tournament will be played a week later, March 31-April 3.Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus will be the primary venue for the two events. The schedule adjustment was necessary, in part, because Williams Arena was booked for the NCAA women's tournament on March 17-20, 2027.Another item finalized for the upcoming season included an approval to increase ticket prices for 2026-27 state tournament events to a base price of $15 for adults and $10 for students.League Staff also discussed a softball proposal that would implement an NFHS-approved tie-breaking rule during regular season contests only. If a game remains tied after eight innings, each half-inning would begin with the batter scheduled last in that inning to be placed on second base.The League also shared a proposal that would change the method of determining classification in boys tennis to an even class split with approximately 82 teams in both Class A and Class AAThe Board of Directors also received informational updates on three Emerging Activities:* Girls Wrestling: League Staff shared Draft Policy Language on the maximum number of contests exception. Currently, a wrestling team may schedule up to eight team events for girls only without counting against the 16 dates/45 matches permitted. The proposal would create flexibility and eliminate the reference to eight team events and read, thusly: "A girls team is limited to 16 dates/45 matches in a season. All individual wrestlers must not exceed those limitations."* Girls Flag Football: League Staff shared an update on the work of the Girls Flag Football Advisory Committee that continues to further identify an initial model and step-by-step process that could be used to move to full sanction. The next action step is to survey its membership regarding Girls Flag Football prior to its next meeting on Oct. 8.* Esports: League Staff shared an update after attending a preseason workshop last week in Rochester. The 2026-2027 School Year will be called a "shadow" year when the League will work closely with Fenworks, a technology company that provides after-school curriculum and competitive leagues in a Presenting Partner model. The League's first Esports State Tournament will be held during the 2027-2028 School Year.