AA Rankings for 12/18/22

[karl(east)]

Welcome to a late-ish edition of the rankings. Thanks for your patience this week. Rough winter weather took out some good games this past week, and the week ahead is also a thinner one with Christmas looming, but there’s enough here to say a few things. Your rankings:

1. Wayzata (5-0-1)
-A tie with Andover is the Trojans’ first blemish of the year, but their body of work is enough to keep them on top of the heap; four of their five wins are over top 15 teams. While their opponent this week is not in the top 15, they are a conference rival with some talent, so it could certainly be an adventure.
This week: Wed vs. Eden Prairie

2. Minnetonka (7-1)
-The Skippers sent a statement by blasting Rogers 5-0. More than anyone in the state they’ve shown they can not only beat but bury their opposition, so the question is if this youngish team can do that consistently enough to rise in the rankings. Their lone game this week has some section implications.
This week: Thurs at Chaska

3. St. Thomas Academy (7-0)
-Needing overtime to beat Holy Family isn’t the best result, and the Cadets’ spot here is tenuous, as they lack the quality wins of Wayzata and Minnetonka. Still, Cretin and Eastview aren’t pushovers, and they are the last significant AA team standing in the ranks of the unblemished. If they can back up that Cretin win with a second victory, they’ll effectively lock up the top seed in 3AA.
This week: Thurs at #8 Cretin-Derham Hall

4. Rogers (6-1)
-The Royals learned it’s not all easy this past week, getting humbled by Minnetonka for their first loss on the season. It’s not catastrophic; they still have two top ten wins to their name. But it does raise some alarm bells for a team that is newer to these high-stakes games. Buffalo should give them a chance to get back in the win column.
This week: Thurs vs. Buffalo

5. Andover (4-3-1)
-The Huskies have had their ups and downs in a tough early schedule, but the tie to Wayzata is a reminder of their potential, even as a narrow escape against a sneaky good Champlin Park team shows they are far from invulnerable. Still, they have shown firepower in a couple of their bigger wins, and it’s hard to overstate how hard the early schedule has been. Their lone game this week will give us a sense of where they are in relation to the rest of 7AA.
This week: Tues at Duluth East

6. Lakeville South (4-1)
-The Cougars’ lighter early schedule creates some rankings challenges. They lost their only game with a top ten opponent (Rogers), which doesn’t look quite as good after the Royals’ loss this past week, and the margins this past week against rival North and Eastview didn’t imply any real dominance over the South Suburban. But they have yet to do anything too terribly wrong, and we’ll start learning a lot more in the near future.
This week: Thurs vs. Shakopee

7. Chanhassen (7-1)
-The Storm played three games in a row this past week and came out with wins in all of them, including a convincing one over Gentry and a less convincing one against Shakopee. They’ve given up just five goals in seven wins since their season-opening loss to Andover. On paper this week’s game should be a win, but they can’t take the defending section champions for granted, either.
This week: Thurs at Prior Lake

8. Cretin-Derham Hall (5-2)
-The Raiders seem to have found their offensive stride, rattling off five wins in a row and scoring at least five in their past four, the most impressive being the win over Benilde this past week. They’ll look for revenge in their rematch with St. Thomas in this week’s marquee matchup. A second loss likely costs them any chance at the top seed in 3AA, which has clear value in a season where there are three clear contenders.
This week: Tues vs. Lakeville North, Thurs vs. #3 St. Thomas Academy

9. Maple Grove (5-2)
-Methodically took care of Coon Rapids; while other quality teams have beaten the Cardinals by more, they did notch a third consecutive shutout in the process. Just one game this week, but it’s a big one in 5AA.
This week: Tues at Centennial

10. Moorhead (4-3)
-The Spuds had the past week off, even before the snow hit, and were subject to some whims around them this past week. After a couple of squeakers against 8AA teams that no one would have really called a contender before the season, they have another chance to assert some authority in the section on this week’s road trip.
This week: Tues at St. Michael-Albertville

11. Edina (4-3)
-A strong Holiday Classic has the Hornets rising again; while they were deprived a potential quality win against Grand Rapids, they did roll past an alright Elk River team and then put up an impressive showing against an Eden Prairie team that had been surging. We’ll see if this is a sign of things to come, but any such evidence will have to wait another week.
This week: Idle

12. Hill-Murray (3-2)
-With the Mahtomedi game postponed by weather, the Pioneers settled for a win over Hastings this past week, which does little to clarify their rankings. Benilde on Thursday, on the other hand, will be much more telling.
This week: Thurs at #14 Benilde-St. Margaret’s

13. Stillwater (5-1)
-Took care of East Ridge in their only action. A couple of local rivals are up next, with the Zephyrs offering something of a test before they head into a true holiday break.
This week: Tues vs. Mahtomedi, Thurs vs. Woodbury

14. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-3)
-Like Andover (who they beat!), it’s been a slow start against a difficult schedule for the Red Knights. The Cretin loss drops them here, perhaps harshly, but they really just need a second quality win, and can achieve that when they host Hill this week. The Blake game matters for section reasons, too.
This week: Tues at Blake, Thurs vs. #12 Hill-Murray

15. Eastview (6-2)
-A win over White Bear and a narrow loss to Lakeville South has the Lightning climbing the table some. I’m not sure how high their ceiling is, but they’ve at least shown they’re competitive with just about anyone. The Gentry game this week is the sort of one they need to take care of to stay up here.
This week: Thurs vs. Gentry Academy

The Next Ten

Eden Prairie (3-4)
-Just when the Eagles started to look like they were rolling, they ran into the Edina buzzsaw. Talent-wise I think they’re better than this, but the results don’t fully show that quite yet. We’ll see if they can do anything with Wayzata.

White Bear Lake (5-2)
-A loss to Eastview dumps the Bears out of the top 15; while talented, they aren’t quite humming on all cylinders. Their games this week, against Totino-Grace and Rosemount, are the sorts they need to win to convince anyone they’re a legitimate contender on the state stage.

Centennial (4-2-1)
-The Cougars slipped past Roseau in overtime, which doesn’t change much here. Their week ahead is a huge one featuring two big section rivals, Champlin Park and Maple Grove; we’ll know a lot more about this team by week’s end.

Shakopee (3-2)
-Fought well against Chanhassen, so we’ll keep the Sabers in this general neighborhood. The Lakeville South clash this week is a chance to prove something.

Holy Family (5-2)
-The Fire gave St. Thomas a good run and are in contention to move up with another quality win or two. That won’t really happen this week, though their two opponents, Delano and Providence Academy, are real contender Class A teams.

Blake (3-2)
-Didn’t play this past week, so they hold here. We’ll see if they can hang with Benilde.

Champlin Park (4-2)
-Gave Andover all they could handle, which does nothing to hurt the Raiders’ standing in the rankings. A big battle for section seeding positioning with Centennial is their only game this coming week.

Grand Rapids (6-3)
-The Eden Prairie loss doesn’t hurt that much, but the Elk River game was the first real step out of character this season for the Thunderhawks, as they surrendered five goals in the loss. They’ve done enough to not have it hurt them too much, but that bears watching. They’re back north this week facing Cloquet and Duluth Denfeld.

Totino-Grace (2-2)
-Handled Thief River Falls in their only action this past week. White Bear is up next for this team of mystery that has only played four games.

Holy Angels (4-1)
-The Benilde loss doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, but I don’t have anyone else I’m quite ready to move up from the 8AA clump right behind here yet, so the Stars stay. St. Louis Park and Breck are up next.

Given the holiday, expect next week’s rankings sometime later on Monday, December 26.

[Slap Shot]

Given the latest PageStat update is Chan too low?

Not a major complaint just an observation. Regardless another solid write-up that many of us look forward to each week.

[stateofhawkey]

Holy Angels is such a fascinating team. The reason I say that is because they bring the definition of a "good team" into question. The last 4 seasons they've gone 19-6-0, 17-8-0, 12-7-0 (Covid year), and 21-4-1. Typically you'd think 69-25-1 over the course of 4 seasons is really good marks. But the problem is, they rarely schedule any of the teams from their Section, or other top AA teams. Their record wouldn't have been nearly as good if they regularly had Edina, Wayzata, Benilde, or even Blake in their schedule, as evidenced by the fact they went 21-4-1 last year and still lost 5-1 in Sections to a "so-so" Blake team. So, it begs the question, would you rather be a team that racks up wins season after season against inferior opponents, or a team that finishes .500 or lower against quality opponents?

[ClassAGuy]

Holy Angels is such a fascinating team. The reason I say that is because they bring the definition of a "good team" into question. The last 4 seasons they've gone 19-6-0, 17-8-0, 12-7-0 (Covid year), and 21-4-1. Typically you'd think 69-25-1 over the course of 4 seasons is really good marks. But the problem is, they rarely schedule any of the teams from their Section, or other top AA teams. Their record wouldn't have been nearly as good if they regularly had Edina, Wayzata, Benilde, or even Blake in their schedule, as evidenced by the fact they went 21-4-1 last year and still lost 5-1 in Sections to a "so-so" Blake team. So, it begs the question, would you rather be a team that racks up wins season after season against inferior opponents, or a team that finishes .500 or lower against quality opponents?

Holy Angels & Blake should go back to Class A again they would be a tough team and add to the Grind that is Section 2A. They have some nice teams but they are not gonna be able to compete with the Depth of Wayzata and Edina or the High end kids that Benilde gets.

Random thought both would make Class A better and are just lacking the depth of a true AA contender.

[stateofhawkey]

I would definitely agree with that. I think both would compete right away for the 2A title, or at least compete with Orono for the Top Seed. If they were slotted in to the Section right now, I think it would probably be

1. Orono
2. Blake
3. Holy Angels
4. LDC or Delano

[ClassAGuy]

I would definitely agree with that. I think both would compete right away for the 2A title, or at least compete with Orono for the Top Seed. If they were slotted in to the Section right now, I think it would probably be

1. Orono
2. Blake
3. Holy Angels
4. LDC or Delano

Would be such a fun Sectional! But the downfall is would Blake and AHA be able to get top end kids if they were only A...

[gopherpuck516]

I would definitely agree with that. I think both would compete right away for the 2A title, or at least compete with Orono for the Top Seed. If they were slotted in to the Section right now, I think it would probably be

1. Orono
2. Blake
3. Holy Angels
4. LDC or Delano

Would be such a fun Sectional! But the downfall is would Blake and AHA be able to get top end kids if they were only A...

Why not? Hermantown does

[ClassAGuy]

I would definitely agree with that. I think both would compete right away for the 2A title, or at least compete with Orono for the Top Seed. If they were slotted in to the Section right now, I think it would probably be

1. Orono
2. Blake
3. Holy Angels
4. LDC or Delano

Would be such a fun Sectional! But the downfall is would Blake and AHA be able to get top end kids if they were only A...

Why not? Hermantown does

Ohh boy.... Should have know that Zinger was coming. I don't want to have that take over this thread. Great Work Karl on the Rankings!

[stateofhawkey]

I would definitely agree with that. I think both would compete right away for the 2A title, or at least compete with Orono for the Top Seed. If they were slotted in to the Section right now, I think it would probably be

1. Orono
2. Blake
3. Holy Angels
4. LDC or Delano

Would be such a fun Sectional! But the downfall is would Blake and AHA be able to get top end kids if they were only A...

That, and 2AA suddenly only has 6 teams

[bardown27]

I would definitely agree with that. I think both would compete right away for the 2A title, or at least compete with Orono for the Top Seed. If they were slotted in to the Section right now, I think it would probably be

1. Orono
2. Blake
3. Holy Angels
4. LDC or Delano

Would be such a fun Sectional! But the downfall is would Blake and AHA be able to get top end kids if they were only A...

That, and 2AA suddenly only has 6 teams

Holy Angels and Blake are both currently in 6AA

[stateofhawkey]

Would be such a fun Sectional! But the downfall is would Blake and AHA be able to get top end kids if they were only A...

That, and 2AA suddenly only has 6 teams

Holy Angels and Blake are both currently in 6AA

Yes, I know. If you read the rest of the thread, we were talking about the idea of AHA and Blake moving back to A. So I was saying, if they did so, suddenly there's only 6 teams in 6AA.

[east hockey]

That, and 2AA suddenly only has 6 teams

Holy Angels and Blake are both currently in 6AA

Yes, I know. If you read the rest of the thread, we were talking about the idea of AHA and Blake moving back to A. So I was saying, if they did so, suddenly there's only 6 teams in 6AA.

They can have Andover. This will cut down on the Huskies travel time when they have to come up here to the tundra

Lee

[WestMetro]

Off topic already . So will add a recent rumor . Rockridge thinking about moving to 7AA , which might bump Andover or Blaine over to 5AA? Can Rainier or others please comment ?

[bardown27]

That, and 2AA suddenly only has 6 teams

Holy Angels and Blake are both currently in 6AA

Yes, I know. If you read the rest of the thread, we were talking about the idea of AHA and Blake moving back to A. So I was saying, if they did so, suddenly there's only 6 teams in 6AA.

correct, but in the bolded text above, you said 2AA not 6AA

[ClassAGuy]

Off topic already . So will add a recent rumor . Rockridge thinking about moving to 7AA , which might bump Andover or Blaine over to 5AA? Can Rainier or others please comment ?

Wow so them moving up but both Cloquet and Duluth Marshall going Down to A in the next cycle this spring.

Would argue both Coon Rapids and Blaine go back to 5AA BEFORE Andover. Huskies look pretty solid to stay in 7AA for foreseeable future.

[stateofhawkey]

Holy Angels and Blake are both currently in 6AA

Yes, I know. If you read the rest of the thread, we were talking about the idea of AHA and Blake moving back to A. So I was saying, if they did so, suddenly there's only 6 teams in 6AA.

correct, but in the bolded text above, you said 2AA not 6AA

Ohhh right, I see. My mistake. I got thrown off by ClassAGuy saying they should move to 2A, hence why I said 2AA. I knew they are currently in 6AA, that's what I meant the whole time.

[ClassAGuy]

Yes, I know. If you read the rest of the thread, we were talking about the idea of AHA and Blake moving back to A. So I was saying, if they did so, suddenly there's only 6 teams in 6AA.

correct, but in the bolded text above, you said 2AA not 6AA

Ohhh right, I see. My mistake. I got thrown off by ClassAGuy saying they should move to 2A, hence why I said 2AA. I knew they are currently in 6AA, that's what I meant the whole time.

My fault on that! I am sure Elliott will chime in and say I should not be in the AA thread soon.

[skiumah]

Holy Angels is such a fascinating team. The reason I say that is because they bring the definition of a "good team" into question. The last 4 seasons they've gone 19-6-0, 17-8-0, 12-7-0 (Covid year), and 21-4-1. Typically you'd think 69-25-1 over the course of 4 seasons is really good marks. But the problem is, they rarely schedule any of the teams from their Section, or other top AA teams. Their record wouldn't have been nearly as good if they regularly had Edina, Wayzata, Benilde, or even Blake in their schedule, as evidenced by the fact they went 21-4-1 last year and still lost 5-1 in Sections to a "so-so" Blake team. So, it begs the question, would you rather be a team that racks up wins season after season against inferior opponents, or a team that finishes .500 or lower against quality opponents?

Holy Angels & Blake should go back to Class A again they would be a tough team and add to the Grind that is Section 2A. They have some nice teams but they are not gonna be able to compete with the Depth of Wayzata and Edina or the High end kids that Benilde gets.

Random thought both would make Class A better and are just lacking the depth of a true AA contender.

Why drop just AHA and Blake to Class A? Neither St Louis Park nor Hopkins will ever have the depth of Edina or Wayzata. At least AHA and Blake can recruit better players to be competitive. They've done it before, they can do it again. At least those schools have a fighting chance.

[ClassAGuy]

Holy Angels is such a fascinating team. The reason I say that is because they bring the definition of a "good team" into question. The last 4 seasons they've gone 19-6-0, 17-8-0, 12-7-0 (Covid year), and 21-4-1. Typically you'd think 69-25-1 over the course of 4 seasons is really good marks. But the problem is, they rarely schedule any of the teams from their Section, or other top AA teams. Their record wouldn't have been nearly as good if they regularly had Edina, Wayzata, Benilde, or even Blake in their schedule, as evidenced by the fact they went 21-4-1 last year and still lost 5-1 in Sections to a "so-so" Blake team. So, it begs the question, would you rather be a team that racks up wins season after season against inferior opponents, or a team that finishes .500 or lower against quality opponents?

Holy Angels & Blake should go back to Class A again they would be a tough team and add to the Grind that is Section 2A. They have some nice teams but they are not gonna be able to compete with the Depth of Wayzata and Edina or the High end kids that Benilde gets.

Random thought both would make Class A better and are just lacking the depth of a true AA contender.

Why drop just AHA and Blake to Class A? Neither St Louis Park nor Hopkins will ever have the depth of Edina or Wayzata. At least AHA and Blake can recruit better players to be competitive. They've done it before, they can do it again. At least those schools have a fighting chance.

Good Points. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next 10 years. AA right now is as YHH the country club where only a few exclusive teams have a true chance to compete for AA title. The St Louis Park's, Hopkins's, Irondale's, Roseville's, Mounds Views are not there.

I only brought up AHA and Blake because under the enrollment structure of MSHSL they are both opting up and dont need too... I brought them u because they actually could go Class A just by not opting up next year in the new 2 year cycle

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

[/quote]

Good Points. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next 10 years. AA right now is as YHH the country club where only a few exclusive teams have a true chance to compete for AA title. The St Louis Park's, Hopkins's, Irondale's, Roseville's, Mounds Views are not there.

I only brought up AHA and Blake because under the enrollment structure of MSHSL they are both opting up and dont need too... I brought them u because they actually could go Class A just by not opting up next year in the new 2 year cycle
[/quote]

Seriously? There are more contenders for AA than for A. I'd say there are two or three contenders in A, and further, the A quarterfinals are a joke. Those games could be played at scattered sites around the state, like the basketball quarterfinals. In recent years, it's become common for five or more teams to be considered real threats to win the AA championship.

[ClassAGuy]

Seriously? There are more contenders for AA than for A. I'd say there are two or three contenders in A, and further, the A quarterfinals are a joke. Those games could be played at scattered sites around the state, like the basketball quarterfinals. In recent years, it's become common for five or more teams to be considered real threats to win the AA championship.

Agree on the more contenders in AA then A. Did I say above Class A was at all better then AA or had more contenders?

Terrible take on the A quarterfinals being scattered around the state. Your basketball comparison was totally wrong. They play at either Williams arena or Target Center for the Quarterfinals where they will play the the rest of game depending on the year and whats available they are not scattered around. If they lose then they go to to some different sites like Concordia St Paul for Consolation.

Again you missed my part completely in AA yes there are more threats but its the same group of 10-12 teams year after year. The AA Champion will be either from a Lakeville school, a Lake Conference school (Edina, Wayzata, EP or Minnetonka), A Big North Suburban School (Maple Grove, Rogers or Andover) or Moorhead, Rapids maybe East from the North. Also dont discount a Private (Hill, ,.... maybe STA, BSM, CDH but not the same threat as Hill year after year). And there is nothing wrong with this at all

Chanhassen and Chaksa and Shakopee are growing areas to add a new blood soon which would be awesome!

My point was that besides the above teams there are a lot of AA schools like St Louis Park, Hopkins, Armstong/Cooper, Mounds View, Roseville, or mid tier Privates (AHA or Blake) that have no shot at competing for a AA title they are not in the "Country Club". I thought if added to A it would bring depth to the A field so we could have a better chance of a better Quarterfinal. Again these schools have no chance right now at AA not saying they would a Class A title but they would have better chance to contend and add depth.

Again, I was not taking a shot at Class AA and I was in no way saying Class A was better. Not sure how on earth you took it as that. But we are both at the same conclusion that it would be good for the the teams that are good but in the country club AA group to drop down to Class A it would make A better and in AA no one would notice because they are not in the same contender group year after year. I am glad we are both on the same page and have the same opinion.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Seriously? There are more contenders for AA than for A. I'd say there are two or three contenders in A, and further, the A quarterfinals are a joke. Those games could be played at scattered sites around the state, like the basketball quarterfinals. In recent years, it's become common for five or more teams to be considered real threats to win the AA championship.

Agree on the more contenders in AA then A. Did I say above Class A was at all better then AA or had more contenders?

Terrible take on the A quarterfinals being scattered around the state. Your basketball comparison was totally wrong. They play at either Williams arena or Target Center for the Quarterfinals where they will play the the rest of game depending on the year and whats available they are not scattered around. If they lose then they go to to some different sites like Concordia St Paul for Consolation.

Again you missed my part completely in AA yes there are more threats but its the same group of 10-12 teams year after year. The AA Champion will be either from a Lakeville school, a Lake Conference school (Edina, Wayzata, EP or Minnetonka), A Big North Suburban School (Maple Grove, Rogers or Andover) or Moorhead, Rapids maybe East from the North. Also dont discount a Private (Hill, ,.... maybe STA, BSM, CDH but not the same threat as Hill year after year). And there is nothing wrong with this at all

Chanhassen and Chaksa and Shakopee are growing areas to add a new blood soon which would be awesome!

My point was that besides the above teams there are a lot of AA schools like St Louis Park, Hopkins, Armstong/Cooper, Mounds View, Roseville, or mid tier Privates (AHA or Blake) that have no shot at competing for a AA title they are not in the "Country Club". I thought if added to A it would bring depth to the A field so we could have a better chance of a better Quarterfinal. Again these schools have no chance right now at AA not saying they would a Class A title but they would have better chance to contend and add depth.

Again, I was not taking a shot at Class AA and I was in no way saying Class A was better. Not sure how on earth you took it as that. But we are both at the same conclusion that it would be good for the the teams that are good but in the country club AA group to drop down to Class A it would make A better and in AA no one would notice because they are not in the same contender group year after year. I am glad we are both on the same page and have the same opinion.

I should have clarified that at one time the B-ball quarters were scattered around the state.

I don't see how any teams moving from AA down to A would make a bit of difference. None of them would contend for a title.

[ClassAGuy]

I should have clarified that at one time the B-ball quarters were scattered around the state.

I don't see how any teams moving from AA down to A would make a bit of difference. None of them would contend for a title.

As someone once said "Seriously?" I firmly believe if schools Class A size that are outsiders in AA but still good programs but just not able to truly contend for AA titles to name a few: Blake & AHA (as mentioned before), Bemidji in 8A could turn into a contender, Cloquet in 7A in certain years could be a contender they have played the Hawks very tight over the years.

Heck you know what just to blow up your argument entirely Gentry just won the Class A Title 2 years again if they returned they at least be considered in the hunt for Class A where as in AA they are an outsider.

I am not understanding your rebuttal at all I guess....

[east hockey]

I should have clarified that at one time the B-ball quarters were scattered around the state.

I don't see how any teams moving from AA down to A would make a bit of difference. None of them would contend for a title.

As someone once said "Seriously?" I firmly believe if schools Class A size that are outsiders in AA but still good programs but just not able to truly contend for AA titles to name a few: Blake & AHA (as mentioned before), Bemidji in 8A could turn into a contender, Cloquet in 7A in certain years could be a contender they have played the Hawks very tight over the years.

Heck you know what just to blow up your argument entirely Gentry just won the Class A Title 2 years again if they returned they at least be considered in the hunt for Class A where as in AA they are an outsider.

I am not understanding your rebuttal at all I guess....

I wouldn't characterize Cloquet playing Hermantown very tight over the years or even remotely tight, and certainly not over the last ten years. They're 1-10-2 and have been defeated by five or more goals in five of those, included the last three. Them moving down to Class A only means there will be less teams pounding on them on a regular basis.

If you really want Class A to be nearly as meaningful as Class AA, there is one possible solution and one which used to make me throw up in my mouth--disallow opt ups. I realize by doing this, private schools will now dominate Class A and we remember the screams from the days when schools such as STA and Breck ran roughshod over their lesser Class A opponents.

Lee

[ClassAGuy]

I should have clarified that at one time the B-ball quarters were scattered around the state.

I don't see how any teams moving from AA down to A would make a bit of difference. None of them would contend for a title.

As someone once said "Seriously?" I firmly believe if schools Class A size that are outsiders in AA but still good programs but just not able to truly contend for AA titles to name a few: Blake & AHA (as mentioned before), Bemidji in 8A could turn into a contender, Cloquet in 7A in certain years could be a contender they have played the Hawks very tight over the years.

Heck you know what just to blow up your argument entirely Gentry just won the Class A Title 2 years again if they returned they at least be considered in the hunt for Class A where as in AA they are an outsider.

I am not understanding your rebuttal at all I guess....

I wouldn't characterize Cloquet playing Hermantown very tight over the years or even remotely tight, and certainly not over the last ten years. They're 1-10-2 and have been defeated by five or more goals in five of those, included the last three. Them moving down to Class A only means there will be less teams pounding on them on a regular basis.

If you really want Class A to be nearly as meaningful as Class AA, there is one possible solution and one which used to make me throw up in my mouth--disallow opt ups. I realize by doing this, private schools will now dominate Class A and we remember the screams from the days when schools such as STA and Breck ran roughshod over their lesser Class A opponents.

Lee

Finally Thank you Lee a reasonable reply.

The Cloquet was more reference to teams I think it was like 2017-18, 2018-19 around those years when they still had Langenbrunner, Stoyanff, Rassmussen etc... I don't know if they have a group like that coming up again anytime soon and even that group kind of well self destructed at the high school level.

I dont ever intend or think Class A will be as meaningful to most as AA. That was never my argument or point. I was saying that if certain Class A size enrollment teams like Blake, AHA, Bemidji and even Cloquet in good cycle of kids they could add depth to the Class A field and contend for a Title where as in AA not gonna happen the way things are set up. I know AHA was power keg in the early 2000's but things are way different and the area they draw from is different.

Example is Holy Family this year was Class A they would make Class A deeper they wouldn't blow everyone out and they probably would not win the Class A title but they could at least contend where as in 2AA its gonna be a mighty mountain for them to just get to the Tourney.

I agree I hate the idea of enrollment cut off forced and we have seen when teams get good at Class A and win there is a call to move AA (Like STA, Gentry, Breck, and Hermantown) recently.

My point was it would be better overall for Class A if those teams that are not in the "Country Club" of AA go back to A and it would deepen the sections.

I just got annoyed when someone took what I said and turned it into Class A vs AA there is no comparison and I wasnt even arguing about A vs AA, and when they came back with the argument that no one coming down from AA to A would contend it was just such a oblivious and wrong statement I could not resist and blow that terrible take out of the water.

Again I am not campaigning for any changes or trying to compare A vs AA its not close I know this. But I do think there are schools right now in AA who have no chance to contend that could come to A make it better field not run roughshod over Class A teams and every once in awhile have group or team good enough to win the thing. Thats all....

Thank you again for your take Lee it was reasonable and made sense.