The Decade of the 00s in Review
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 2:25 pm
Well, we’ve played our last state tournament in the 00s, so I suppose now would be a good time to look back on the decade. This can include teams of the decade and discussion of the best individual teams/games/coaches/players that have made their mark over the past 10 years.
Candidates for team of the decade in AA:
Holy Angels (236-36-12), 4 State Tourneys, 2 1sts, 1 3rd, avg. PS2 finish 7.5 (highest: 1, lowest: 22)
-The only team to win multiple championships in the decade, had the best overall record, and also won over 20 games in 9 of the ten years. Minor knocks on them include a weak conference, which inflates the record a bit, and the fact that all of their success at the state level came in a 4-year span. AHA 2002-05 was the closest thing we had to a dynasty in a decade of relative parity.
Moorhead (204-60-19), 6 State Tourneys, 4 2nds, avg. PS2 finish of 8.8 (highest: #1 3 times, lowest: 20)
-A dominant force from start to finish, but the lack of a championship stands out like a sore thumb. Tied for most tourney appearances and were the #1 seed in their section 8 times, 2 more than the next-best team, Duluth East.
Hill-Murray (205-74-10), 6 State Tourneys, 1 1st, 1 2nd, avg. PS2 finish of 11.7 (highest: 1, lowest: 22)
-Plenty of appearances and a title, but a lack of top 3s compared to the competition, and the 6th-highest average PS2 keep them from standing out.
Blaine (160-111-9), 5 State Tourneys, 1 1st, 2 3rds, avg. PS2 finish of 35.9 (highest: 3, lowest: 90)
-Their achievements at the state level match up with almost anyone. The problem with Blaine were the 4 years from 01-04, when they were absolutely awful. Take those out and they have an average PS2 finish of 11, better than Hill-Murray’s.
Duluth East (192-79-14), 5 State Tourneys, 1 2nd, 2 3rds, avg. PS2 finish of 8.3 (highest: 3, lowest: 15)
-Lack a title, but were probably the most consistent team throughout the decade, as the only one to never finish out of the top 15 or earn anything lower than a 1 or a 2 seed in sections. Also probably played the hardest schedule over this period.
Others who probably deserve some mention, though are probably not candidates:
-White Bear Lake (4th-best average PS2). Had some issues with the state tournament, though.
-Elk River (4 tourney trips, a title, avg. PS2 of 15.5)
-Edina (4 tourneys trips, 199 wins, avg. PS2 of 15.7, only 1 top-3 finish, a 2nd)
-Roseau (4 tourney trips, a title)
-Grand Rapids (only 2 tourney trips, but finished 2nd both times)
-Eden Prairie (3 tourney trips, 1 title, 201 wins, avg. PS2 of 10.2, good for 5th-best)
-Centennial (200 wins, 1 title, though only 1 tourney)
-Bloomington Jefferson (197 wins, avg. PS2 of 11.9, but no top 3s in 3 tourney trips)
-Roseville (191 wins, 2 PS2 #1s)
As for some general trends:
Cities-area publics: 5 1sts, 2 2nds, 4 3rds
Privates: 4 1sts, 1 2nd, 2 3rds
The North: 1 1st, 7 2nds, 3 3rds
The Sotuth: 1 3rd
We essentially had parity between the top 3, though the north struggled in title games.
Let's get some nice discussion going, and if someone could do things for single-A, that'd be nice.
Candidates for team of the decade in AA:
Holy Angels (236-36-12), 4 State Tourneys, 2 1sts, 1 3rd, avg. PS2 finish 7.5 (highest: 1, lowest: 22)
-The only team to win multiple championships in the decade, had the best overall record, and also won over 20 games in 9 of the ten years. Minor knocks on them include a weak conference, which inflates the record a bit, and the fact that all of their success at the state level came in a 4-year span. AHA 2002-05 was the closest thing we had to a dynasty in a decade of relative parity.
Moorhead (204-60-19), 6 State Tourneys, 4 2nds, avg. PS2 finish of 8.8 (highest: #1 3 times, lowest: 20)
-A dominant force from start to finish, but the lack of a championship stands out like a sore thumb. Tied for most tourney appearances and were the #1 seed in their section 8 times, 2 more than the next-best team, Duluth East.
Hill-Murray (205-74-10), 6 State Tourneys, 1 1st, 1 2nd, avg. PS2 finish of 11.7 (highest: 1, lowest: 22)
-Plenty of appearances and a title, but a lack of top 3s compared to the competition, and the 6th-highest average PS2 keep them from standing out.
Blaine (160-111-9), 5 State Tourneys, 1 1st, 2 3rds, avg. PS2 finish of 35.9 (highest: 3, lowest: 90)
-Their achievements at the state level match up with almost anyone. The problem with Blaine were the 4 years from 01-04, when they were absolutely awful. Take those out and they have an average PS2 finish of 11, better than Hill-Murray’s.
Duluth East (192-79-14), 5 State Tourneys, 1 2nd, 2 3rds, avg. PS2 finish of 8.3 (highest: 3, lowest: 15)
-Lack a title, but were probably the most consistent team throughout the decade, as the only one to never finish out of the top 15 or earn anything lower than a 1 or a 2 seed in sections. Also probably played the hardest schedule over this period.
Others who probably deserve some mention, though are probably not candidates:
-White Bear Lake (4th-best average PS2). Had some issues with the state tournament, though.
-Elk River (4 tourney trips, a title, avg. PS2 of 15.5)
-Edina (4 tourneys trips, 199 wins, avg. PS2 of 15.7, only 1 top-3 finish, a 2nd)
-Roseau (4 tourney trips, a title)
-Grand Rapids (only 2 tourney trips, but finished 2nd both times)
-Eden Prairie (3 tourney trips, 1 title, 201 wins, avg. PS2 of 10.2, good for 5th-best)
-Centennial (200 wins, 1 title, though only 1 tourney)
-Bloomington Jefferson (197 wins, avg. PS2 of 11.9, but no top 3s in 3 tourney trips)
-Roseville (191 wins, 2 PS2 #1s)
As for some general trends:
Cities-area publics: 5 1sts, 2 2nds, 4 3rds
Privates: 4 1sts, 1 2nd, 2 3rds
The North: 1 1st, 7 2nds, 3 3rds
The Sotuth: 1 3rd
We essentially had parity between the top 3, though the north struggled in title games.
Let's get some nice discussion going, and if someone could do things for single-A, that'd be nice.
