AA Ranking Update for 2/22/15

[karl(east)]

Here’s a quick ranking update with eliminated teams removed—these are the 18 teams left in AA. The top ten held up very well, though there was carnage beyond that. At this point, this is mostly for state seeding purposes.

1. Lakeville North
-Rolling along, as expected. We’ll see if Farmington can give them any sort of a fight.
2. Edina
-See above, and edit in “Burnsville.”
3. St. Thomas Academy
-And again, with “Eastview.”
4. Eden Prairie
-Won the game against Benilde, but put themselves in a bad situation with the suspensions. They still have the talent to win, but I’m going to take back my earlier claim that they deserve a 3-seed if they win the section.
5. Hill-Murray
-Haven’t faced any challenges yet.
6. Elk River
-Made a statement against Cloquet; now, can they finally vanquish the Hounds? Still might be the odd team out for a seed if the top five all make State.
7. Blaine
-Didn’t have an easy go of it against Maple Grove, but got it done and get a chance to avenge last season’s upset at the hands of Centennial.
8. White Bear Lake
-Like Hill, have yet to play a semifinal.
9. Bemidji
-Rolling along, but Moorhead is coming up in the rear view mirror. Can the Jacks finally end a 29-year drought?
10. Minnetonka
-Handled Wayzata, and got a gift from Eden Prairie too as they head to Mariucci. Might possibly jump Bemidji in the seeding order if they win it, but it would still be a long shot to crack the top five. They may not be the most talented team in 6AA, but they’ve certainly been the most even-keeled, and have avoided the drama surrounding many of the other programs in this section.
11. Moorhead
-Cruised by Roseau, and have a shot to head back to State and keep the typical 8AA rotation going.
12. Burnsville
-Got past Prior Lake, but will need to be way better defensively to have a prayer against Edina.
13. Farmington
-A convincing win over South is nice, but can they give North a second decent game?
14. Duluth East
-Found a way back to the section final yet again, somehow.
15. Centennial
-Beat Anoka with surprising ease, and have a chance to defend their title against Blaine.
16. Eastview
-Pulled one out over Cretin, but St. Thomas poses a much nastier challenge.
17. Stillwater
-Barely got by Tartan, but are certainly capable of knocking off White Bear.
18. Mounds View
-Nice upset of Roseville gets them a date with Hill.

See ya at a section final somewhere this week…