Minnetonka's Luke Tollefson playing safety in 2018. Of his winless 2019, he said: "Losing every week is tough. You could see it on the faces of the guys. They were kind of destroyed. But they kept showing up, giving it their all. It was still a mostly positive experience.” Photo by Matt Blewett

International Falls goaltender Macey Marcotte never experienced a hockey victory last season. Minnetonka quarterback Luke Tollefson suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of an 0-9 season last fall. And Mankato East eighth-grader Isaiah Anderson finished last at the Class 2A cross-country meet in Northfield.

Yet the three personify a kind of dignity found beyond scores and times.

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