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It was a relatively unremarkable week outside of three interesting games for top five teams, so a lot of teams just tread water as we head into the final week. If things aren’t feeling right within this, though, I may pull a readjustment or two next week as we head into sections. For now, though:

1. Minnetonka (19-2-2)
-The revolving door among the top four continues, but the Skippers made a statement on Saturday, as they took their second of three meetings with Edina. They’ve hit some bumps, but now that they’re fully healthy, their depth and balance makes them tough to beat. They’ve got one last conference game with Wayzata this week to put an exclamation point on their season and line themselves up for the top seed at State if they get through 2AA.
This week: Thurs vs. #10 Wayzata, Sat vs. Blake

2. Edina (21-2)
-A second loss to Minnetonka brings back some of those old questions about the Hornets in close games, and for all their talent . Both their conference opponents this week were competitive for the first meeting, so we’ll see if they can go into sections on a roll or if there’s more reason for doubt.
This week: Thurs at Eden Prairie, Sat vs. #10 Wayzata

3. St. Thomas Academy (20-2-1)
-A blowout win over Mahtomedi restores order after the Marshall loss, and with East dropping a game this past week, they edge ahead of the Hounds in the State seeding pecking order should the big four all make it. They have two potentially competitive games this week, including one that could be a state tournament quarterfinal preview.
This week: Tues vs. Stillwater, Thurs at Lakeville North

4. Duluth East (19-2-3)
-The Hounds took a tumble against Cloquet, which adds some new intrigue to 7AA. They’ll be facing a lot of teams that trap and collapse against them, just as the Jacks did, so they’ll need to find ways through that and not panic when teams do stick around. They did a decent job of that against Lakeville South later in the week, and will likely face more of the same in Maple Grove.
This week: Tues at Maple Grove

5. Cretin-Derham Hall (19-3-2)
-A tie with Stillwater is the latest in a series of red flags, including a narrow win over East Ridge and a game with lowly Roseville that stayed competitive for a while. A 10-1 win is a 10-1 win, so for now I’m not dropping the Raiders, but they’re certainly on notice heading into sections, and have given Wayzata a better case for the 2-seed, whatever that’s worth.
This week: Thurs at Park (Cottage Grove)

6. Holy Family (19-3-1)
-The Fire took care of business last week, with decisive wins over an Orono team that tied them in December and a Prior Lake team they may face in a section semifinal. On paper they should win their last two, but upsets aren’t out of the question.
This week: Tues at St. Cloud Cathedral, Sat at Stillwater

7. White Bear Lake (17-3-2)
-The Bears had a successful trip north, and have settled into a rhythm since their Cretin loss. They have a busy final week, but Blaine is the only one who really even has a shot of making things interesting.
This week: Tues at Park (Cottage Grove), Thurs vs. Woodbury, Fri vs. Blaine

8. Moorhead (17-6)
-The Spuds were idle this past week. Given the transitive property relationships of the teams above them and some of the recent struggles or questions in there, it’s tempting to pull the trigger on a team that we know has potential and slide them up, perhaps as high as #5. But the body of work just doesn’t quite justify that right now. They face Bemidji for a second time before finishing things off by hosting Hill-Murray, which will be a helpful point of comparison given the Pioneers’ other recent games against competent teams. Though they sit behind White Bear right now, I’d nudge them ahead of the Bears for State seeding purposes if they both go through, as they’ll be coming out of a stronger section.
This week: Tues vs. Bemidji, Sat vs. Hill-Murray

9. Brainerd (18-5)
-The Warriors have rattled off seven in a row now, with their most recent week highlighted by a win over Alexandria. They’ve got some saintly section opponents this week, which could yet have some effect on the seeding.
This week: Tues vs. St. Michael-Albertville, Thurs vs. St. Cloud

10. Wayzata (14-8-1)
-The Trojans fought their way past Eden Prairie, and continue to beat teams they should beat. They close with a bang, with visits to Minnetonka and Edina, so we’ll see if they can disrupt something before heading into the 6AA fight.
This week: Thurs at #1 Minnetonka, Sat at #2 Edina

11. Andover (18-5)
-The Huskies bounced back from their Maple Grove loss with easy wins in conference play. They should get themselves to a 20-win season this week.
This week: Tues at Coon Rapids, Thurs vs. Irondale

12. Centennial (14-6-3)
-As with Andover, the Cougars did what they needed to do against two opponents from the weaker division of the Northwest Suburban, and should do more of the same this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. Totino-Grace, Sat at Spring Lake Park

13. Eastview (19-4)
-The Lightning pulled out a tight one against Lakeville South to keep up its winning ways. The finale against Prior Lake will be their final regular season challenge before gearing up for the playoffs. We’ll see if they have any chance against St. Thomas.
This week: Tues vs. Apple Valley, Sat at Prior Lake

14. Cloquet (17-6-1)
-The Lumberjacks return to the land of the ranked after a win over Duluth East, and accentuates a strong run toward the end of this regular season that has them looking at a 3-seed in 7AA. If they can take care of a semi-improving Grand Rapids, that shouldn’t be an issue.
This week: Tues at Grand Rapids

15. Duluth Marshall (15-7-2)
-The Hilltoppers fought their way past Hill-Murray in the third period, which neither helps nor hurts them here. They face a quality Class A opponent in their lone game this week.
This week: Tues at Greenway

The Next Ten

Elk River (16-7)
-Won both of their games last week comfortably, but drop from the top 15 to accommodate Cloquet. They have a potential challenge against Hill-Murray (a team potential quarterfinal opponent Duluth Marshall narrowly defeated just this past week) on Wednesday, and wrap up against Armstrong/Cooper.

Rosemount (18-4)
-The Irish pounded Eagan to secure the 3-seed in 3AA, and are one a good run as they head into sections. This week’s Lakeville North game has some implications for this part of the rankings, and they’ve got Holy Angels and Farmington as well.

Lakeville North (12-9-1)
-Did what they needed to do against Farmington and Shakopee. The Panthers have one of the tougher final weeks out there, as they play another quality conference opponent in Rosemount, a top five team in St. Thomas, and a rematch against a section rival South that could well settle a top seed in the section.

Chaska (16-7)
-The Hawks had a productive week offensively as they cruised to three straight wins. They can beat up on teams that can’t match their talent, but do they have any shot against the 2AA elite? Orono will offer them their final regular season test this coming week.

Lakeville South (11-10-2)
-The Cougars lost a couple of fairly low-scoring games to Duluth East and Eastview. They’re the sort of team that could steal a game by playing tight defensively, but anything more than that may be a reach. The good news is that they’re in a section where that may be enough to make it to State. They’ll take their second crack at North this week, and have Prior Lake as well.

Eden Prairie (9-13-1)
-The Eagles gave Wayzata a one goal game and beat a respectable Benilde team, so they hold steady among the teams mentioned. They get a third shot at Edina this week before rounding out their season against Hopkins.

St. Michael-Albertville (18-5)
-A shutout win over Maple Grove is one of the Knights’ better results on the season, and they’re cruising against everyone else. They have one last shot to improve their standing in 8AA when they host Brainerd on Tuesday.

Hill-Murray (9-10-4)
-The Pioneers had a productive in-section win over Tartan and gave Duluth Marshall a good fight, so they stick around

Stillwater (12-9-1)
-The Ponies surged back into the conversation this past week with a convincing win over a decent Forest Lake team and a tie with Cretin. It’s not impossible to imagine them coming out of 4AA, even in a season that has had some down stretches. They have a very tough final week, with games against St. Thomas and Holy Family.

Eagan (13-9-1)
-The Wildcats had an ugly week, with lopsided losses to Burnsville and Rosemount, and barely hold on to ranked status. They should restore some order against Shakopee and Apple Valley this week, but may have cost themselves a top-4 seed.

One last section projection:

1AA
18 Lakeville North
20 Lakeville South
Rochester Century
Owatonna
-The Lakevilles meet again this week, which should determine the top seed here. I’d put Rochester Century as the 3-seed—tying Northfield this past week isn’t confidence-inspiring—but as I’ve said a few times, they have a case for #1 with their record. Owatonna, with a 1-0-1 record against Mayo, should land the 4-seed.

2AA
1 Minnetonka
6 Holy Family
Prior Lake
21 Eden Prairie
19 Chaska
-Minnetonka’s second win over Edina should erase any minor lingering doubt over the order of the top two. The seeding for 3-5 remains potentially foggy: Prior Lake has the head-to-head wins, Chaska has the superior record, and Eden Prairie is the highest team in PS2, and probably the team Minnetonka would prefer to avoid in a semifinal, despite two 3-goal wins. I’m giving Prior Lake #3 on account of concrete results, and Eden Prairie #4 since they have a few more quality results than Chaska does, but it could go a number of different ways.

3AA
3 St. Thomas Academy
13 Eastview
17 Rosemount
Burnsville
-The top three should be locked in here after the latest results. The 4-seed, on the other hand, gets interesting: while Eagan has had the best year of anyone else here, they’ve lost twice to Burnsville, and the Blaze perform well in PS2 despite a tough record. Because of that, I’m giving them the 4-seed, though there are certainly alternative cases here.

4AA
7 White Bear Lake
23 Hill-Murray
24 Stillwater
Tartan
-Hill’s win over Tartan clarifies this one some, with the Pioneers and Ponies likely in line for the 2- and 3-seeds. They could go either way; I’m leaning toward the Pioneers based on QRF and some quality results, but could see an alternative case. Tartan will land the 4-seed.

5AA
12 Centennial
Maple Grove
Blaine
Champlin Park
-The Cougars pulled away for the top seed, and in an ugly section, Maple Grove has done enough to be assured of #2. After that, this week’s Blaine-Champlin Park game will likely settle the 3-seed, with the loser taking #4 and drawing Anoka in the quarterfinals.

6AA
2 Edina
10 Wayzata
5 Cretin-Derham Hall
St. Louis Park
-If Wayzata can beat Edina on Saturday, they should take the 2-seed given their head-to-head win over Cretin; even if they don’t, I’m going to argue they have a pretty good case for it given their win over Cretin and much tougher schedule. Either way, those two are on a collision course for semifinal Saturday, and this week’s St. Louis Park-Benilde game will settle who gets to wear white in the 4/5 game.

7AA
4 Duluth East
11 Andover
14 Cloquet
16 Elk River
15 Duluth Marshall
-Unless Cloquet drops the ball in Grand Rapids, the major real chance of change ahead of the final QRF ranking on Friday is who gets the home game in the Elk River-Marshall quarterfinal, which could come down to the wire. That one will have plenty of intrigue, and Cloquet isn’t necessarily safe against #6 Forest Lake given their regular season meeting either. Given the tiebreakers, there is still probably a scenario in which Elk River could overtake Cloquet for the 3-seed, too.

8AA
8 Moorhead
9 Brainerd
22 St. Michael-Albertville
St. Cloud
-I could go either way on the top seed here; I’m giving it to Moorhead on body of work, but the Warriors did win the more recent meeting, so that could swing things here. Beyond that, a few teams will try to disrupt that collision course. Roseau has some case for a home game since their schedule had more strong teams on it than St. Michael or St. Cloud, but they don’t really have any results to point to on that schedule that I think would make that happen. Still, they’ll be a tough quarterfinal opponent.

Of your top 4 teams, it appears STA has the easiest path to State. But I would argue that none of those teams is head and shoulders above the others. Throw their names in a hat, have four people draw them out and all could claim they'll be holding the name of the next State champion.

Also, what message was Randolph sending to his team when he dropped Worth to the second line against Lakeville South? Team statement that no one is above the team goal of getting through 7AA? Message to Worth that he needs to play both ends of the ice hard, though I don't know that he hasn't? Randolph being Randolph??

If the top 4 teams win out during the last week (Edina has the toughest closing week IMO with Wayzata & EP) and with #3 back & playing both games at home, I just don’t see Tonka losing to either Wayzata or Blake...then those 2 teams will be ranked 1 & 2 at State (if they get through sections) Who will be 3 & 4 is more difficult to determine. Based on the NW Suburban being down this year & DE playing all of them, one can argue St. Thomas has played an equal or slightly tougher schedule than DE this year . STA best win this year is actually a tie & SO win over Tonka. 2nd best win is CDH & 3rd is MH. DE best win is Tonka, 2nd best Andover & 3rd Wayzata. STA has lost to Tonka & DM. DE has lost to EP & Cloquet & DE tied Blaine. Accordingly, if they both win out & also make it through sections, STA is 3rd & DE 4th IMO. The Good news for Randolph & DE fans...that keeps alive the possibility of a DE vs Edina Championship Game at Xcel

mnmouth wrote:Of your top 4 teams, it appears STA has the easiest path to State. But I would argue that none of those teams is head and shoulders above the others. Throw their names in a hat, have four people draw them out and all could claim they'll be holding the name of the next State champion.

Also, what message was Randolph sending to his team when he dropped Worth to the second line against Lakeville South? Team statement that no one is above the team goal of getting through 7AA? Message to Worth that he needs to play both ends of the ice hard, though I don't know that he hasn't? Randolph being Randolph??

1. Yes.
2. Absolutely yes
3. Of course!

Lee

One last minor quibble, Andover should be ranked ahead of Brainerd. Andover has 2 wins over Centennial & wins over Cloquet, DM & ER.
Brainerds only big wins are over Wayzata, whose lost 8 games & will likely lose 2 more this week & a impressive 5-0 over MH playing at home. Both teams have 5 losses. It’s close but the Huskies should be 9th, Warriors 10th. And this comes from an Anoka guy Who doesn’t exactly love the Huskies...since Anoka birthed them out 15-16 or so years ago.

As much as Karls take is completely valid lets not forget a few things;
Edina has been tested versus the 'Wayzata Way' e.g., trap & collapse and hope your goalie plays well as seen in LV South, WBL, Centennial & Wyz tilts and pulled through to win so no worries there - simply too much talent, speed and defensive ability to cover for their G who seems to easily rattle. They've definitely passed those tests.

This season its all about the talent on Tonka. 1W / 2L versus the Skips. If they played 10 times each with FULL, HEALTHY rosters? it would be 5-5. Tonka is every bit as talented as Edina, maybe just pinch below the speed factor but Tonka better in net w/ Glockner - the true difference is they have a potential clone of Paul Coffey healthy and rarin' to go...Luedtke is simply a joy to watch. They just match up so well with Edina, have battled them for years through the ranks - its Edina's true test outside of the recent 'Wayzata curse'.

However, none of the 3 matches (so far) have had either side fully healthy and avail for a game. Although DK and LC played in Schwan Cup game #1, DK was at about 50% coming off a concussion and didnt have it that night whereas LC was about the same level with a mild shoulder separation and flu. Not to make excuses but viable factors. Same w/ Tonka for Game #2, although dismantled 8-2 at Edina they did not have Luedtke - can one player make that much of a difference? At this level? Yes. It just changes team chemistry so quickly and those rhythms are off...takes 2-3 games to adjust. So in one-game microscope - yes - its makes a difference. But its great hockey to watch. Saturdays' game was tied 1-1 deep into the 3rd - then Edina actually made it 4-3 with less than :20 sec remaining and thats WITHOUT DK and MV (for pathetic reasons Ill post elsewhere shortly).

Edina has kinks, but this loss was just what they needed. Humility and re-invigorated to enter sections/state in hungry and ticked off mindset.
Now just no more more 'Dumb & Dumber' activities off-ice and they'll hopefully meet Tonka for Game #4 at state at some point...maybe DE. But I dare to dream...

its mentioned that both Edina opponents, Eden Prairie and Wayzata 'were competitive in their first games' with Edina. Not so...their first games were blowouts. Embarrassing blowouts, for EP anyway. This week Thursday at EP and Saturday home vs. Wayzata will be EP's 3rd matchup of the season and Wayzata's 2nd, respectively.

Just being particular so those outstate have full info;

EP game 1: 7-1 Edina with running time
EP game 2: 5-2 Edina and never in doubt...12-3 total.

Wayzata game 1: Edina 3-1 and never in doubt although not nearly as dominant as majority of their games have been. Things might be different at 'The Mar versus PIC????

59

Could you please list out your predicted pairings by start time at the X under your scenario? Thanks!

WestMetro wrote:59

Could you please list out your predicted pairings by start time at the X under your scenario? Thanks!

With the preface that this is highly speculative...1pm EDINA vs Centennial; 3pm STA vs WBL; 6pm MINNETONKA vs LVN, 8pm DE vs Moorhead (much to the chagrin of the 218 crowd) then Edina vs STA & Tonka vs DE...after that, who knows??? But if it fell that way, it would make for a scintillating FRIDAY NIGHT!

59

So you think Moorhead would get the 5 seed instead of white bear lake?

WestMetro wrote:59

So you think Moorhead would get the 5 seed instead of white bear lake?

This is a tough one, but who has WBL beat this year? Cloquet? a down HM? Tied CDH & DE. Most impressive game is arguably a 4-3 loss to Edina. Also lost by 1 goal to CDH. Moorhead, while they’ve lost 6 games, played a tougher schedule than WBL & have wins over Andover, Centennial & Brainerd & LVN. So it’s pretty much a toss up between the 2, but with WBL State Tourney history ...

CakeScout17 wrote:Edina has kinks, but this loss was just what they needed. Humility and re-invigorated to enter sections/state in hungry and ticked off mindset.
Now just no more more 'Dumb & Dumber' activities off-ice and they'll hopefully meet Tonka for Game #4 at state at some point...maybe DE. But I dare to dream...

Agree with everything in this post, but especially this part. Those who thought this would be akin to '15 Lakeville North were crazy. Lake Conference teams play some of the toughest schedules in state, but this team is also not perfect (Mackay being an example). I sure hope they make it to state as an alum but a loss like this, just as the first Tonka loss, should tick them off and Giles will use that to his advantage as he has done before.

I hear you loud & clear. Giles SHOULD use this to teams advantage.
We SHOULD see top-flite effort and pure speed versus EP and Wyz. Let it fester and let it burn as you prep for Sectionals. Hornets SHOULD get that Wyz curse off their back and head to state! Try as I might not to be a metro homer or Cake Homer I truly believe its Mtka, Edina and DE in that order to win state.

Seen DE twice this year and as much as they have stellar top-end talent, terrific size and are obviously well-coached I was not in awe...I never heard the crowd 'Oooh and Aaah" by either performance I witnessed (EP and CEC) - they don't seem to slam it into 6th gear and leave you impressed like Tonka and Edina have, multiple times, this year. Randolphs recent 'messaging' seems more of a strategy to simply deepen his lines among top 2 lines versus a 'cryptic message' to the team by placing GW on 2nd line, doesn't it? Randolph may very well alter lines every game and/or every other period from here on out. Not to find the proverbial right mix, but to prevent predictability and deep-dive scouting - not a bad move to keep people guessing this time of year - He sure knows what he's doing.

So, back to the point - Giles SHOULD use this Mtka loss (and its innate lesson) as fuel to get the boys on track. The boys SHOULD be energized by this lesson and really get after it. As much as we hope for success at State level and dispatching of Wyz - the boys must be careful not to overlook ANYBODY in sections. One game? anything can and WILL happen. Always does. You have to bring the JAM every night - or? not only can Wayzata take you out, but Cretin is capable as well...!

Erase all the SHOULDs boys - and replace with WILLs...it is the only way!

Best time of year on the horizon, folks! Get out there and soak it in. It goes by fast - and these will be our last glimpses of Sammy, DK and this specific Edina squad - win or lose - they've been so fun to watch - its truly the best entertainment value out there!

GO MN HS PUCK! Good luck and HEALTH TO ALL!

karl(east) wrote:7AA
4 Duluth East
11 Andover
14 Cloquet
16 Elk River
15 Duluth Marshall
-Unless Cloquet drops the ball in Grand Rapids, the major real chance of change ahead of the final QRF ranking on Friday is who gets the home game in the Elk River-Marshall quarterfinal, which could come down to the wire. That one will have plenty of intrigue, and Cloquet isn’t necessarily safe against #6 Forest Lake given their regular season meeting either. Given the tiebreakers, there is still probably a scenario in which Elk River could overtake Cloquet for the 3-seed, too.

So GR beats Cloq last night. Is Karl going to????

1) Move Cloquet down in the rankings
2) Move GR up to #17 in the rankings
3) Move everybody in 7AA up 5 spots because they are best section in MN high school hockey, and every game is a battle between top notched teams.
4) Realize this section ends up over-rated every year as the season progresses. "Homerville USA"

BodyShots wrote:

karl(east) wrote:7AA
4 Duluth East
11 Andover
14 Cloquet
16 Elk River
15 Duluth Marshall
-Unless Cloquet drops the ball in Grand Rapids, the major real chance of change ahead of the final QRF ranking on Friday is who gets the home game in the Elk River-Marshall quarterfinal, which could come down to the wire. That one will have plenty of intrigue, and Cloquet isn’t necessarily safe against #6 Forest Lake given their regular season meeting either. Given the tiebreakers, there is still probably a scenario in which Elk River could overtake Cloquet for the 3-seed, too.

So GR beats Cloq last night. Is Karl going to????

1) Move Cloquet down in the rankings
2) Move GR up to #17 in the rankings
3) Move everybody in 7AA up 5 spots because they are best section in MN high school hockey, and every game is a battle between top notched teams.
4) Realize this section ends up over-rated every year as the season progresses. "Homerville USA"

Do all of the computer rankings favor 7AA as well in your eyes? They aren’t far off from Karl’s rankings. It is pretty clear that 7AA is the deepest section in AA.

BodyShots wrote: 4) Realize this section ends up over-rated every year as the season progresses. "Homerville USA"

2017 State Champions...yep...over-rated every year.

Traxler wrote:

BodyShots wrote:

karl(east) wrote:7AA
4 Duluth East
11 Andover
14 Cloquet
16 Elk River
15 Duluth Marshall
-Unless Cloquet drops the ball in Grand Rapids, the major real chance of change ahead of the final QRF ranking on Friday is who gets the home game in the Elk River-Marshall quarterfinal, which could come down to the wire. That one will have plenty of intrigue, and Cloquet isn’t necessarily safe against #6 Forest Lake given their regular season meeting either. Given the tiebreakers, there is still probably a scenario in which Elk River could overtake Cloquet for the 3-seed, too.

So GR beats Cloq last night. Is Karl going to????

1) Move Cloquet down in the rankings
2) Move GR up to #17 in the rankings
3) Move everybody in 7AA up 5 spots because they are best section in MN high school hockey, and every game is a battle between top notched teams.
4) Realize this section ends up over-rated every year as the season progresses. "Homerville USA"

Do all of the computer rankings favor 7AA as well in your eyes? They aren’t far off from Karl’s rankings. It is pretty clear that 7AA is the deepest section in AA.

5 teams in the top 16. Right......
I'll take 2AA's top 5 against 7AA's top 5 any day of the week.

TheHockeyDJ wrote:

BodyShots wrote: 4) Realize this section ends up over-rated every year as the season progresses. "Homerville USA"

2017 State Champions...yep...over-rated every year.

1 championship team and 5 runner ups in the last 18 years.

Is that good?

Better than some sections perhaps.

Recap

Section 1
1 winner, 1 runner-up

Section 2
4 and 3

Section 3
1 and 1

Section 4
3 and 2

Section 5
2 and 0

Section 6
4 and 1

Section 7
1 and 5

Section 8
1 and 5

BodyShots wrote:

Traxler wrote:

BodyShots wrote: So GR beats Cloq last night. Is Karl going to????

1) Move Cloquet down in the rankings
2) Move GR up to #17 in the rankings
3) Move everybody in 7AA up 5 spots because they are best section in MN high school hockey, and every game is a battle between top notched teams.
4) Realize this section ends up over-rated every year as the season progresses. "Homerville USA"

Do all of the computer rankings favor 7AA as well in your eyes? They aren’t far off from Karl’s rankings. It is pretty clear that 7AA is the deepest section in AA.

5 teams in the top 16. Right......
I'll take 2AA's top 5 against 7AA's top 5 any day of the week.

Quick count of this year's games has
2AA winning 5 and losing 6 against 7AA.
Top five teams
5 - 4 for 2AA

BodyShots wrote:

Traxler wrote:

BodyShots wrote: So GR beats Cloq last night. Is Karl going to????

1) Move Cloquet down in the rankings
2) Move GR up to #17 in the rankings
3) Move everybody in 7AA up 5 spots because they are best section in MN high school hockey, and every game is a battle between top notched teams.
4) Realize this section ends up over-rated every year as the season progresses. "Homerville USA"

Do all of the computer rankings favor 7AA as well in your eyes? They aren’t far off from Karl’s rankings. It is pretty clear that 7AA is the deepest section in AA.

5 teams in the top 16. Right......
I'll take 2AA's top 5 against 7AA's top 5 any day of the week.

It would be fun to watch Chask and Prior Lake play Elk River, Cloquet, and Duluth Marshall. 7AA is clearly better.

Traxler wrote:

BodyShots wrote:

Traxler wrote: Do all of the computer rankings favor 7AA as well in your eyes? They aren’t far off from Karl’s rankings. It is pretty clear that 7AA is the deepest section in AA.

5 teams in the top 16. Right......
I'll take 2AA's top 5 against 7AA's top 5 any day of the week.

It would be fun to watch Chask and Prior Lake play Elk River, Cloquet, and Duluth Marshall. 7AA is clearly better.

Yeah, those three teams really put the fear on God in me.

I don't know what you are smoking, but can I have two helpings?