The mission of the Harding H Club is to fund raise to assist Harding Student Athletics so they have the resources that enable them to compete at a high level.  Through year round donations and annual events we hope to continue the tradition that was established in 1974.

 Registration is now open!  

Please check out the pictures from last years golf tournament in the photos section at the top of this page.

If you've ever wondered why this person, coach or that team isn't in the Hall of Stars it's because they need to be nominated.  Please take the time to nominate someone by simply sending a letter or email describing the accomplishments of the person, coach or team while at Harding and their post Harding activities by August 9th of each eligible year. Letters can be emailed to maureen.rueber@gmail.com or by mail Harding High School Attn: Otto Kraus 1540 6th Street East  St Paul, MN 55106.  

Boy's Basketball

The 2025 Harding’s Boys’ Basketball Team made history! For the first time in program history, they were in the state tournament. In the 2021-2022 season, Harding only won six games. Their hard work and grit since then paid off. Harding beat St Thomas Academy on the road to win the section championship. The Knights were the number 8 seed in Class 3A. Unfortunately, they lost their first two games. The Harding community rallied around this team by being in the stands and donating to help pay for 250+ student tickets and 8 buses to help make sure the team was supported at the Barn. Way to GO Knights! BTW Head Coach Steven Solaja is a member of the HHS Class of 2005.

Badminton

In 2000, the Harding Badminton Team won the school’s first ever State Tournament title by any sport.That victory began a Harding Badminton Dynasty which spanned for nearly two decades under the tenure of coach Tracy Hrouda. The badminton team went on to earn 7 subsequent State Tournament Championships.  In addition, they won multiple City Conference Championships and an impressive 6 seasons going undefeated! During that time the team produced dozens of City Conference and State Tournament individual champions. In State Tournament history, Harding has earned 4 singles championships in addition to a state championship record of 7 doubles championships. Harding is among only 2 teams in the State that have yielded multiple players with back to back title winning seasons. The 2000 Harding Badminton team was inducted into the Harding Hall of Stars. Badminton participation at Harding continues to be  strong.  

Wrestling

From 2009 through 2012, Harding enjoyed a great deal of success in wrestling.  The cornerstone of their success was Dustin Ellsworth.  He competed all four years and made all-conference every year and qualified for the state each of those years.  He began his career at 130 lbs. and moved up one weight class each year.  He finished fourth in 2010, fifth in 2011 and, as a senior, finished fourth in the state at 145 lbs.

Hay Blu Day- Badminton

My name is Hay Blu and I am a graduate of Harding High School. As a student I played badminton all four years and have helped coach for the badminton program for two years. This will be my third year with the program and my first year as head coach.I've played a few different sports throughout my life including badminton, flag football, soccer, and volleyball. I am honored and grateful to be part of a program with such dedicated, passionate, and ambitious young ladies. I look forward to each one of their growth in badminton and in life as well.

Tou Ger Xiong- Boys Tennis

I have been coaching for 8 years as of now. I started my coaching career back in 2017 as a youth tennis coach through Saint Paul Urban Tennis. I came back to Harding and helped coached the boys and girls tennis team as an assistant back in 2021. I took over as head coach for the boys tennis program in 2023. I am a 2018 Harding Alumni and have been playing tennis for over a decade now. I am looking forward to having a great season and building life-long connections with players. I want to help mentor them as they prepare for their future, both as a player and student.

David Iverson- Girls Basketball

I started coaching elementary basketball at 15 years old while in high school. Since then, I have coached youth basketball in multiple formats such as tournament leagues, and AAU. I coached the boys JV at the high school I graduated from in Bigfork, Minnesota for 5 years. Just before coaching the Harding Lady Knight's, I was the head boys' basketball coach in Deer River for 4 years. In my second year in Deer River, we went to state for the first time in school history. I am a Regional Prevention Coordinator for alcohol, tobacco (commercial), and Other Drugs, who serves state Positive Community Norms BIPOC Grantees in the metro and southeast regions of Minnesota. I enjoy assisting communities in their Prevention efforts. My office is with the Association for Nonsmokers-MN in St. Paul.To me, basketball has always been about bringing people together. I look forward to using basketball to bring joy to the East Side and Harding community.

Emily Yang- Girls Golf

My name is Emily Yang and I am the Harding girls' golf coach. This is my 20th year teaching social studies at Harding and this will be my second year coaching golf. I have golfed recreationally my entire life-all four of my grandparents played regularly and now I love to be able to play with my kids AND my parents! My husband and I have two boys who are involved in lots of activities so that definitely keeps us busy; their current favorites are flag football, wrestling, nordic skiing and tennis. I am primarily a nordic skier, but have loved playing more golf recently. I am a huge proponent of lifetime sports! I have really enjoyed the time I have been able to spend with the Harding golfers. I look forward to helping our returning players continue to improve their game while introducing golf to new players!

Insai Vangsoua- Volleyball

My passion for volleyball originated from participating in club volleyball in France during my youth. My coaching career began in the Fall of 2016, marking this season as my ninth year of coaching volleyball. I bring a diverse range of coaching experiences, including coaching both girls' and boys' club teams, coaching during summer and fall leagues, and competing at prestigious events such as the USAV Girls Junior National Championship, ASICS Girls National Volleyball Championship, AAU Boys National Championship, and most recently, the MN High School Boys Volleyball State Tournament.

As the head coach of the Harding Boys Volleyball program, I am dedicated to fostering the personal, academic, and athletic growth of all student-athletes. This is achieved through rigorous and advanced volleyball training, refining their developmental and fundamental skills, and enhancing their overall performance levels.

Annabelle Vangsoua- Volleyball

My name is Annabelle and I have coached Volleyball for 5 years. Before coaching for Harding High School, I coached girls club volleyball Summer and Fall league for Hype Volleyball, I have been at Harding the last three years. During the three years of high school boys volleyball season, I also coached 18u boys club volleyball for Kokoro and 17u girls club volleyball for Kokoro. I have played volleyball for 8 years and played collegiate volleyball for an year, I played as a defensive specialist and libero. I enjoy hanging out with my family and I am currently pursuing a degree in exercise science to hopefully become an occupational therapist. I look forward to working with a wide range of athletes who are very determined and motivated to further their skills, I am also looking forward to seeing athletes growth throughout the season.

Matt Grill- Softball

I have been coaching at Harding since 2008, spending 16 years as a Varsity assistant Baseball coach. During that time I have also been a science teacher at Harding, teaching physical science, 10th grade biology, EL biology, Sped biology and now IB Biology. I am married, with 2 puppies, a bearded dragon, 4 axolotls, and dozens of fish. I graduated from Harding in 2003 and have not taught or coached anywhere else. I am very excited to coach softball this year, we are a senior heavy team and have a team GPA of about 3.8. I have loved my one year with the softball team, I have been able to bring a new approach to mechanics and been able to focus on mental approach on and off the field.

Tanner Wright- Baseball

This will be my 7th year coaching baseball at Harding, and my first year as the varsity head coach. I spent five years as the JV coach, and last year, I was the assistant varsity coach. I graduated from Harding in 2011. Additionally, I have taught in SPPS for the past 4 years (6 total years) including a single year at Harding. I'm currently teaching English at E-STEM. In my free time, I like to stay active with baseball, golf, or chasing around my 2 dogs and 2-year-old. My wife and I are expecting our second child in July! I'm looking forward to continuing to serve and to connect with my hometown community of the East Side. Additionally, I'm excited to continue growing the game at Harding and to see the growth and development of the great student-athletes that we have at Harding.

Tim Daniels Jr- Football

Hello, I am Tim Daniels Jr and I have held a variety of coaching positions. I have coached basketball and football as the 9th grade head coach and assistant varsity coach. I have also helped facilitate strength and conditioning camps for 10 years. I am a father to three children and have been married for 16 years. I enjoy spending time with my family and playing any sports and fishing. I graduated in 2004 from North St. Paul High school where I played football basketball and track. In my role as the Varsity Head Football Coach I am looking forward to rebuilding the football community as our student-athletes succeed in life, on and off the football field. I will help foster an environment that will focus on building a foundation of gold standard character and reaching attainable goals, while striving for greatness!

How about on the field in the back of the end zone during the homecoming football game like the Class of 2003 did.  Start your night at the game and then go to a local bar for cocktails etc.   If you need more information please reach out to the H Club at maureen.rueber@gmail.com or otto.kraus@spps.org.

More photos are available on the photo page.

Namesake: Oliver James "Ollie" Bakken, a 1971 graduate of Harding, was a three-sport standout in football (fullback and linebacker), hockey (goaltender) and baseball (catcher). He remains the school's only All-America selection in football.

"We were undefeated [in the conference] in 1969 because of Ollie," former Knights football coach Tim Kiemel said. "When he put on a helmet he was a different type of person. He always wanted to run over people."

Bakken played linebacker for the Gophers and served as a team captain in 1974. The Vikings drafted him in the 15th round in 1975. But his future in pro football took him to Canada, where he played with Calgary and British Columbia from 1975-80.

He died in January 1985 from a brain tumor. He was 31. Bakken Field, now converted to artificial turf is home for the Knights football and soccer teams.

"He's a great example to our kids that you should do the right things all the time," Kiemel said.

President - Maureen Rueber,  VP - Andre Creighton, Treasurer - Brock Schwanke. 

At Large Members - Otto Kraus, Jerry Utecht, Tracy Hrouda, Shawn Shanley, Tom Mauer, Steve Bowlin, John McDonough and Daniel Voss

If you'd like to join the committee or have any questions, please send an email to maureen.rueber@gmail.com

This event was held Tuesday May 2, 2017 at Mancini's Char House and featured a Harding Legendary Coaches Roundtable featuring Jim Davis, Tim Kiemel and Ken Mauer.  A great night of food, story telling, reconnecting with old friends and amazing coaching insights.    Check out the pictures on the photo page.   We hope to have another iteration of this event soon.  Keep checking here for upcoming information.