Top 75 High School programs of all time--revisited

[east hockey]

#19: Thief River Falls

112.90 pts
--2 state titles (Class AA)
--12 state tournaments (9 in Class AA, 3 in Class A)
--2011 ranking: #20


The Prowlers crack the top 20 primarily on the strength of what they did prior to the split into two classes. They made six trips to state in the 1950's (finishing third in the state in points in that decade), winning titles in 1954 and 1956. The program fell on tough times in the 1970's through the 1990's, bouncing back somewhat with three trips to State in Class A between 2006-2012. In Class A, they are 3-6 in section finals, 9-8 in section semifinals.

[east hockey]

#18: Rochester John Marshall

119.13 pts
--1 state title
--6 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #17


In addition to their 1977 state championship win over Edina East, the Rockets have been runners-up three times (1946, 1979 & 1989). John Marshall was in the first four state tournaments from 1945-48 but their best decade was the 70’s when they were #4 in total points due to (in addition to their 1977 state title), finishing sixth and second in 1978 and 1979, respectively. They have dropped off recently, not appearing in a section final since 2005 and not having been to the state tournament since 1996.

[east hockey]

#17: Greenway

125.45 pts
--2 state title
--8 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #16


Another northern Minnesota school with a storied history, Greenway, led by Mike Antonovich, won state in 1967 and 1968. They rank #4 in points during the 60's. They made it back to the Big Show in 1987, losing to eventual state champion Bloomington Kennedy in the semifinals before capturing the third-place hardware. Note that their 1992 Tier II title is not included in this study due to….well, it being Tier II. Greenway had another third-place finish in 2001 but has slumped badly in recent years. A drop down to Class A in 2005 has not helped as the Raiders have not advanced past the Section 7A quarterfinals since then.

[east hockey]

#16: Minneapolis Southwest

138.40 pts
--1 state title
--15 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #15


Southwest had two notable runs. The first was from 1951-55 when they went to state four times. After not going to state the following nine years, their second run began in 1965 which found Southwest at the state tournament ten times in the next thirteen years, including a championship in 1970 over Edina. This run also included a second place, third place and consolation title. They are third in points in the 1970's. Southwest finished fourth in their final state tournament appearance in 1980, and was “absorbed” by the co-op Minneapolis West team following the 2005-06 season.

[east hockey]

#15: Edina East

139.00 pts
--3 state titles
--5 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: Not ranked


That Edina East is even on this list will inspire debate by those who believe their points should be "rolled up" with Edina. While I am sympathetic to those pleas, it remains a fact that the State League counts their state appearances (and titles) separately. That being said, East had a very impressive nine-year run, winning State three times, and finishing second in 1977, along with a sixth-place finish in 1973. They finished #2 in points to Grand Rapids during the 1970's. They only failed to make their section finals once.

[east hockey]

#14: Burnsville

165.33 pts
--2 state title
--8 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #13


Burnsville’s decade was the 80’s, having the fourth highest point total of all teams in that decade. 1983-87 was their high point, going to state all five seasons, capturing two titles and adding two second-place finishes. After two more trips to State in 1990-91, Burnsville didn’t make it back until 2007 when they finished fourth. They have had good teams lately with ten straight winning seasons and look to be strong in the future. Since 1994, they are 1-5 in section finals, 6-6 in section semifinals.

[east hockey]

#13: Warroad

167.05 pts
--4 state titles (Class A)
--21 state tournaments (9 in Class AA, 12 in Class A)
--2011 ranking: #14


When it comes to Class A, Warroad has been one of three dominant programs. They, Breck and St. Thomas Academy accounted for 13 state championships in the past 21 seasons. Warroad has twelve trips to state in Class A, nine more in Class AA. Only five schools have gone to state more often.

They also had some good seasons in the single-class tournament, but couldn’t quite capture a state title. The Warriors had three runners-up (1948, 1953 & 1969) to their credit. They also had three straight trips to state in 1987-89. Five years later they opted to play in Class A and started a string of twelve trips to state in the next 17 years. Only once during this time did they have a sub .500 record when they were 12-14 in 2000-01. In Class A, the Warriors have gone 12-6 in section finals, 18-2 in section semifinals.

[east hockey]

#12: Hibbing

170.28 pts
--2 state titles (Class AA)
--13 state tournaments (9 in Class AA, 4 in Class A)
--2011 ranking: #11


Hibbing has had no period of dominance; they’ve just been consistently good since the early 50’s. A state championship in 1952 was followed by another in 1973. They also finished third place four times and won the consolation title once in the one-class years. The Bluejackets were 11-7 in championship bracket games from 1952-86, 18-8 overall. In Class A, Hibbing has continued to fare well; while they haven’t won any championships in that class, they have finished second, third, fourth and fifth in their four trips. They opted up from 1994-2001 and got as far as the section finals twice, losing to Duluth East in 1997 and Elk River in 1999. Since opting back to Class A, Hibbing has gone 3-7 in section finals, 10-1 in section semifinals.

[east hockey]

#11: Eveleth-Gilbert

182.28 pts
--6 state titles (5 in Class AA, 1 in Class A)
--14 state tournaments (13 in Class AA, 1 in Class A)
--2011 ranking: #12


From 1945-56, Eveleth was a dynasty the likes of which we have not seen since. They were in the first twelve state tournaments, winning five titles (including a record four straight from 1948-51), two second place and four third place finishes. Had they accomplished this in the 70’s or 80’s when there were far more schools participating, they would be in the top three or four. Nonetheless, that run was astounding; the Golden Bears were 23-7 in championship bracket games, 28-8 overall. They are #1 in points in both the 1940's and 1950's.

After another state trip in 1960, Eveleth didn’t appear back at State until 1998 when they beat Hermantown in the Class A championship game. After a huge upset by Duluth Central in the 7A quarterfinals the following season, the well ran dry. Only once since then has Eveleth made it as far as their section semifinals, and the Golden Bears have not advanced past their section quarterfinals in the past twelve seasons.

[MNHockeyFan]

Only once since then has Eveleth made it as far as their section semifinals, and the Golden Bears have not advanced past their section quarterfinals in the past twelve seasons.

Just curious how a team can move up a spot since 2011's ranking when they haven't even made their section's semi's the past 12 years.

[east hockey]

Only once since then has Eveleth made it as far as their section semifinals, and the Golden Bears have not advanced past their section quarterfinals in the past twelve seasons.

Just curious how a team can move up a spot since 2011's ranking when they haven't even made their section's semi's the past 12 years.

The first post in this topic explains that:

Point values have been changed for the purpose of this study (don't worry, folks, the new values actually hurt Duluth East) Winning semifinal and championship games at State now carries a heavier weight relative to other accomplishments. In the previous study, there wasn't much difference between winning a quarterfinal game at state versus winning a semifinal game at state versus winning a championship game at state. That has been corrected--I'm not sure why I didn't notice that before. Studying how Hermantown was rated higher than St. Thomas Academy (using the old system) revealed the flaw in the formula. I think the new one is more realistic. Of course, fans of teams hurt by the new formula will disagree.

[east hockey]

#10: Moorhead

190.80 pts
--0 state titles
--14 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #10


So close, so many times; the Spuds have finished second at State seven times, second most to Hill-Murray. Their success has also been fairly recent, considering they didn’t appear in their first section final until 1986 and their first state tournament until 1992. In their first four trips to state (in consecutive years from 1992-95), they finished no lower than third. Only four times has Moorhead not won their quarterfinal game and only once did they go two-and-out. Moorhead is #3 in points in the 1990's, #4 since 2000. Since 1992, the Spuds are 14-5 in section finals, 19-2 in section semifinals.

[east hockey]

#9: South St. Paul

218.60 pts
--0 state titles
--27 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #9


Only two schools have been to state more times than the Packers; the only thing holding them down from a higher ranking is that they’ve never won it all. It’s not that they’ve been bottom-feeders at the state tournament as they have an 18-9 record in quarterfinal games. They had difficulty in state semifinals, going 2-16. I say “had” rather than “have had” because they went to Class A play starting in 2003-04. Since then they have been to the Class A state tournament once.

[east hockey]

#8: St. Paul Johnson

248.03 pts
--4 state titles
--22 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #8


Johnson was the strongest team in the Twin Cities in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s with 17 trips to State and four titles along with three runner-up and three third place finishes. Their success fell off starting in the 70’s, getting to State five times over the next 40 seasons but never finishing higher than fourth. St. Paul Johnson starting playing in Class A in 2009-10.

[east hockey]

#7: Grand Rapids

289.55 pts
--3 state titles
--14 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #5


People talk about East dominating Section 7AA with their six straight trips to state from 2009-2014. Well, Grand Rapids ruled section 7 with eight straight trips to state from 1974-81, winning State three times along with two runner-ups and a third-place finish. They were #1 in points in the 1970's. They had three additional trips to State between 1988-91 and returned for back-to-back runner-up titles in 2006-07. Since 1974, the Indians (Thunderhawks for the P.C. crowd) have played in 23 section finals (13-10) and 33 section semifinals (23-10)

[east hockey]

#6: International Falls

289.75 pts
--6 state titles
--16 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #7


The run the Broncos had from 1961-66 was one of the most dominating runs in state history. Five straight state tournaments, four championships (three in a row where they went 55-3-1 with back-to-back perfect seasons in 1964-65 & 1965-66), one second place finish, and an amazing 104-6-4 record. Only Eveleth’s four straight titles are more noteworthy, and International Falls had their run when many more teams were playing. This overshadowed another nice run from 1956-59 when they had four straight appearances in Minneapolis including a championship, second place and third place finish. They won State again in 1972, with third-place hardware won the year before and after that. The Falls started playing Class A in 1993 and won the state title in 1995. Two more trips to state followed, but they haven’t returned to the Little Show (Class A tourney) since 2002 and haven’t made it to the Section 7A finals since 2003. The Broncos are #5 in points in the 1950's, #1 in the 1960's, and #5 in the 1970's.

[east hockey]

#5: Duluth East

298.75 pts
--3 state titles
--21 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #6


While East had some good teams prior to the 1990-91 season when they finished second to Hill-Murray in the final one-class state tournament, they also had a problem; they were in Section 7 until 1974-75 and were usually beaten by a far-superior Range team. Even so, they had four appearances at State from 1958-64, winning a title in 1960. The Hounds, however, only went to state once from 1966-90 while falling six times in their section final during that period.

1994-98 was “prime time” for East with two Class AA state titles, a second place and two third place finishes, leading them to #2 in points in Minnesota in that decade. In addition, they place third in points since 2000, going to state ten times from 2000-14, finishing second place twice and third place twice more. Since 1975 they have played in 24 section finals (17-7) and 32 section semifinals (24-8 ), and have made it to at least their section semifinals the past 18 seasons.

[east hockey]

#4: Bloomington Jefferson

304.32 pts
--5 state titles
--16 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #4


Quick trivia: Jefferson has never lost a state championship game (5-0). Their three straight state titles from 1992-94 has been matched by only two other teams. They were also very strong in the 1980’s with seven trips to state and two titles. They are #2 in points in the 1980's, #1 in the 1990's. Jefferson has been down (by Jefferson standards) since 2000, going to state just three times and finishing no higher than fourth. Since 1992, Jefferson is 9-6 in section finals, 15-6 in section semifinals.

[east hockey]

#3: Hill-Murray

386.60 pts
--3 state titles
--26 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #3


That Hill-Murray has accumulated all those accomplishments since their entry into the MSHSL tournament in 1974-75 is even more impressive. They have been to State in 26 of those 40 seasons, winning it all in 1983 (a perfect 28-0 season), 1991 and 2008. Their eight runner-up finishes is matched by no other school. Only five times have they gone two-and-out at State. They are #3 in points in the 1980's, #5 in the 1990's, #2 since 2000. They are the definition of consistency. The Pioneers have also failed to make their section finals only eight times and have been eliminated in their section quarterfinals only once.

[east hockey]

#2: Roseau

433.87 pts
--7 state titles
--34 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #2


Only one team has more titles than Roseau, and nobody has more appearances. Interestingly, Roseau did not finish #1 in points in any decade, but finished #2 in the 40’s and 60’s and only finished out of the Top Ten once (the 80’s). At State, they are 37-27 in championship bracket games (the most wins of any team) and are 55-40 overall (also the most). They went to State nine consecutive years from 1961-69 and three straight times on four other occasions. The Rams have finished third or higher fifteen times (the most of any team). They played in Class A from 1994-97 and didn’t go to state until opting up prior to the 1997-98 season. In Class AA since 1998, they are 8-3 in section finals, 11-5 in section semifinals.

[east hockey]

#1: Edina

487.48 pts
--9 state titles
--30 state tournaments
--2011 ranking: #1



Edina's nine state championships is the most of any school. They also have twelve appearances in the state championship game (tied with Roseau for the most), they are 36-21 in championship bracket games (only one less win than Roseau), and 56-29 overall (also with one less win than Roseau). They have finished in the top ten in points in every decade since the 1960's; #6 in the 1960's, #8 in the 1970's, #1 in the 1980's, #6 in the 1990's, #1 since 2000. This type of long-term sustained success makes it hard to argue against them being at the top of this list.

Since 1967, Edina has only had two dry stretches, failing to go to state from 1990-94 and again from 2001-06. They have (again) rebounded by making it to state in the past eight seasons, winning three more titles. Since 1994, the Hornets are 13-1 in section finals and 14-5 in section semifinals.

[MNHockeyFan]

Lots of fun following this, Lee; thanks for all the hard work in putting it together.

[east hockey]

Lots of fun following this, Lee; thanks for all the hard work in putting it together.

This time it was much easier. With a lot of the defunct programs, it was just a copy and paste thing. With the others, I didn't have to change much.

I think I might make this an annual update, but just list the teams from 1-100 with their point totals.

Lee

[alcloseshaver]

Nice work, enjoyed reading this.

[Cadets16]

Could you possibly post the rankings 1-100 in just one post so we could see a list? It doesn't need to have descriptions or anything.