AA Rankings for 2/2/25
Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2025 8:06 am
1. Moorhead (22-1)
-I wouldn’t call it the Spuds’ best week of the season this past season, as they let East Grand Forks hang around for a while and went to the wire with Hermantown, but they got the wins and kept the winning streak running, which is significant in a week when the teams immediately below them hit some bumps for the first time in a while. They’re not going anywhere in these rankings over the next week, either, but they do have two big top five games to wrap up the regular season that could say a lot about where we’re headed.
This week: Idle
2. St. Thomas Academy (18-3)
-The Cadets’ loss to Stillwater is the first breach to the top six all season incurred by someone other than Wayzata, and it opens up some questions about a team that had otherwise been pretty dominant. They were far enough ahead not to drop because of it, though, especially with Edina and Hill splitting. Maple Grove offers a somewhat interesting game this week, but like the Spuds, their final week is going to be the big one.
This week: Thurs at Hastings, Sat vs. Maple Grove
3. Hill-Murray (18-2-1)
-The Pioneers split the annual home-and-home with Edina, an entertaining couple of games between very good teams that really did not tell us anything from a ranking perspective. Their depth and pace is on par with anyone’s, but they need to find ways to put teams away. They’ll get a shot to do that against another elite opponent when they host Rogers on Saturday.
Thurs vs. Mahtomedi, Sat vs. #5 Rogers
4. Edina (15-6)
-Cut and paste the Hill write-up; they did a good job of growing into both games despite Hill taking it to them at times, which brought back some flashbacks of last season’s title game. The pieces are there to do it again, and they can make that road just a little easier by securing the top seed in 6AA against Wayzata this week.
This week: Thurs at St. Michael-Albertville, Sat vs. #13 Wayzata
5. Rogers (19-1-1)
-It’s hard to argue with that record, as the Royals polished off Maple Grove to set the standard in 5AA. I’ve resisted pushing them higher since it has not come with any truly great wins, and none of the teams around them are losing bad games, either. After a quiet January, their schedule now has a great push to the finish, including now-dangerous Andover and a dominant Hill. This is their chance to make a move.
This week: Thurs vs. Andover, Sat at #3 Hill-Murray
6. Cretin-Derham Hall (18-2-1)
-It’s been a steady drumbeat of convincing conference wins for the Raiders over the past two weeks, and they remain above the separation point in the rankings that has existed for most of this season. That makes this week’s game with Stillwater juicy matchup.
This week: Thurs vs. Roseville, Sat vs. #7 Stillwater
7. Stillwater (17-4)
-The Ponies surged upward to threaten the top six this past week, getting a big win over St. Thomas and avenging an earlier loss to White Bear to put some real pressure on the top six. If they can beat Cretin this week, they’ll crack it.
This week: Thurs vs. Forest Lake, Sat at #6 Cretin-Derham Hall
8. Rosemount (19-2)
-The Irish were idle this past week. South Suburban supremacy is on the line when they try to avenge one of their two losses in a visit to Shakopee.
This week: Tues at Prior Lake, Sat at #9 Shakopee
9. Shakopee (15-5-1)
-The Cooper Simpson show took care of Lakeville South and showed what this team can be when its stars flash what they can do. They are still the team with the highest ceiling in 2AA, and beating Rosemount again this week would really shore up their top ten credentials.
This week: Tues vs. Chanhassen, Sat vs. #8 Rosemount
10. White Bear Lake (13-4-3)
-The Bears’ upward momentum faded a bit in a week where they tied Minnetonka and couldn’t complete a sweep of Stillwater, likely consigning them to the 3-seed in 4AA. They tied Park the first time, so that game takes on some weight as they try to stop any slippage.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Sat vs. Park of Cottage Grove
11. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (15-5)
-The Red Knights survived a track meet with Holy Angels to improve their standing in 6AA, and they also withstood strong pushes from Orono and St. Louis Park as Ken Pauly logged his 600th career win. Their tallies of quality wins look pretty good, but a broader view at all their scores is a bit less forgiving. They make a road trip north this week to face two quality opponents.
This week: Tues at Chaska, Fri at Hermantown, Sat at Grand Rapids
12. Holy Angels (17-3-1)
-The Stars saw the top seed in 6AA slip away in a loss to Benilde, and with it they may be consigned to a 4-seed in the section, given their schedule. It’s easy pickings the rest of the way for them.
This week: Wed vs. Bloomington Kennedy, Thurs at Irondale, Sat at Providence Academy
13. Wayzata (12-7-2)
-Not much drama for the Trojans against St. Michael-Albertville. Saturday’s game with Edina should settle the top seed in 6AA. Can they back up that earlier win, or do they stay hovering down in here in the rankings?
This week: Thurs vs. Buffalo, Sat at #4 Edina
14. Eden Prairie (12-7-2)
-Took care of some lower-level Lake opposition; shifting a bit here as I re-evaluate. They can lock up the top seed in 2AA by taking care of Minnetonka this week.
This week: Thurs at Minnetonka, Sat at Buffalo
15. Rock Ridge (17-3-2)
-The Wolverines took care of rival Hibbing, and a road comeback for a tie against section frontrunner Grand Rapids while missing arguably their top player boosts this club into the top 15 for the first time ever. As the only 7AA team that is undefeated against section competition they may also now be in line for the top seed; with Andover jumping into the conversation a serious contender this past week, that may be a big deal in the section semis. Like Holy Angels, they’re looking to coast into the postseason.
This week: Tues at Duluth East, Sat at Pine City
The Next Ten
Minnetonka (11-8-1)
-A tie with White Bear is a solid result, but the way it came about will leave a bad taste, as the Skippers conceded twice in the last 30 seconds of regulation. Try as they might, that quality win still cannot come. They’ll try again against Eden Prairie this week.
Grand Rapids (14-7-1)
-The Thunderhawks’ big 7AA week finished 1-1-1 and leaves the section considerably more open than it has felt all season. While they were able to jump on Duluth Marshall and bury them, they could not finish the deal against Rock Ridge, and were not the aggressors late in that game; the subsequent Andover loss leaves a lot of questions.
Maple Grove (11-8-1)
-The Crimson struggled to hang with Rogers, showing the gap in 5AA and keeping them basically where they’ve been all season long. St. Thomas highlights a three-game week ahead.
Andover (10-11)
-Here come the Huskies: as some of us suspected all along, this team is a real threat to win 7AA and just proved it by beating Grand Rapids. They’ve rattled off six straight now and that awful record no longer looks nearly so awful. Whether they can be the top seed is still an open question, given the hole they dug early in the season and that now-unsightly-seeming Duluth East loss, but they are certainly in the top three, and their schedule over the last two weeks gives them a chance to go in with some real momentum, with a shot at Rogers coming up this week.
Bemidji (14-5-1)
-The loss to Warroad does not help the Lumberjacks’ cause, but it isn’t terrible, either, and they handled things in their other two games. A three-game week includes East Grand Forks and a visit from section opponent Elk River.
Lakeville South (11-9)
-It’s largely a holding pattern for the Cougars: clearly better than a health chunk of AA (as shown by the five-goal win over Eagan), but not really in the conversation with the front-line contenders (as shown by a four-goal loss to Shakopee). Eastview and Prior Lake are up this week.
Totino-Grace (11-7-1)
-The Eagles kept up their good section play by beating Champlin Park and are now in good position for a 3-seed in 5AA. St. Cloud Cathedral headlines a three-game week ahead.
Holy Family (14-6)
-Fought their way past a decent Delano team in their only action. Improving Sartell presents a decent challenge this week.
Park of Cottage Grove (13-7-1)
-A loss to Roseville drops the Wolfpack a little here; I’m sticking with the same top 25, but they’re not guaranteed to stay here as other teams move about. They tied White Bear the first time around; can they come up with another positive result?
Champlin Park (12-8)
-Fell to Totino, which drops them here; they’ll need to beat Blaine this coming week to stay alive in the top 25 and get a top four seed in 5AA.
-I wouldn’t call it the Spuds’ best week of the season this past season, as they let East Grand Forks hang around for a while and went to the wire with Hermantown, but they got the wins and kept the winning streak running, which is significant in a week when the teams immediately below them hit some bumps for the first time in a while. They’re not going anywhere in these rankings over the next week, either, but they do have two big top five games to wrap up the regular season that could say a lot about where we’re headed.
This week: Idle
2. St. Thomas Academy (18-3)
-The Cadets’ loss to Stillwater is the first breach to the top six all season incurred by someone other than Wayzata, and it opens up some questions about a team that had otherwise been pretty dominant. They were far enough ahead not to drop because of it, though, especially with Edina and Hill splitting. Maple Grove offers a somewhat interesting game this week, but like the Spuds, their final week is going to be the big one.
This week: Thurs at Hastings, Sat vs. Maple Grove
3. Hill-Murray (18-2-1)
-The Pioneers split the annual home-and-home with Edina, an entertaining couple of games between very good teams that really did not tell us anything from a ranking perspective. Their depth and pace is on par with anyone’s, but they need to find ways to put teams away. They’ll get a shot to do that against another elite opponent when they host Rogers on Saturday.
Thurs vs. Mahtomedi, Sat vs. #5 Rogers
4. Edina (15-6)
-Cut and paste the Hill write-up; they did a good job of growing into both games despite Hill taking it to them at times, which brought back some flashbacks of last season’s title game. The pieces are there to do it again, and they can make that road just a little easier by securing the top seed in 6AA against Wayzata this week.
This week: Thurs at St. Michael-Albertville, Sat vs. #13 Wayzata
5. Rogers (19-1-1)
-It’s hard to argue with that record, as the Royals polished off Maple Grove to set the standard in 5AA. I’ve resisted pushing them higher since it has not come with any truly great wins, and none of the teams around them are losing bad games, either. After a quiet January, their schedule now has a great push to the finish, including now-dangerous Andover and a dominant Hill. This is their chance to make a move.
This week: Thurs vs. Andover, Sat at #3 Hill-Murray
6. Cretin-Derham Hall (18-2-1)
-It’s been a steady drumbeat of convincing conference wins for the Raiders over the past two weeks, and they remain above the separation point in the rankings that has existed for most of this season. That makes this week’s game with Stillwater juicy matchup.
This week: Thurs vs. Roseville, Sat vs. #7 Stillwater
7. Stillwater (17-4)
-The Ponies surged upward to threaten the top six this past week, getting a big win over St. Thomas and avenging an earlier loss to White Bear to put some real pressure on the top six. If they can beat Cretin this week, they’ll crack it.
This week: Thurs vs. Forest Lake, Sat at #6 Cretin-Derham Hall
8. Rosemount (19-2)
-The Irish were idle this past week. South Suburban supremacy is on the line when they try to avenge one of their two losses in a visit to Shakopee.
This week: Tues at Prior Lake, Sat at #9 Shakopee
9. Shakopee (15-5-1)
-The Cooper Simpson show took care of Lakeville South and showed what this team can be when its stars flash what they can do. They are still the team with the highest ceiling in 2AA, and beating Rosemount again this week would really shore up their top ten credentials.
This week: Tues vs. Chanhassen, Sat vs. #8 Rosemount
10. White Bear Lake (13-4-3)
-The Bears’ upward momentum faded a bit in a week where they tied Minnetonka and couldn’t complete a sweep of Stillwater, likely consigning them to the 3-seed in 4AA. They tied Park the first time, so that game takes on some weight as they try to stop any slippage.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Sat vs. Park of Cottage Grove
11. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (15-5)
-The Red Knights survived a track meet with Holy Angels to improve their standing in 6AA, and they also withstood strong pushes from Orono and St. Louis Park as Ken Pauly logged his 600th career win. Their tallies of quality wins look pretty good, but a broader view at all their scores is a bit less forgiving. They make a road trip north this week to face two quality opponents.
This week: Tues at Chaska, Fri at Hermantown, Sat at Grand Rapids
12. Holy Angels (17-3-1)
-The Stars saw the top seed in 6AA slip away in a loss to Benilde, and with it they may be consigned to a 4-seed in the section, given their schedule. It’s easy pickings the rest of the way for them.
This week: Wed vs. Bloomington Kennedy, Thurs at Irondale, Sat at Providence Academy
13. Wayzata (12-7-2)
-Not much drama for the Trojans against St. Michael-Albertville. Saturday’s game with Edina should settle the top seed in 6AA. Can they back up that earlier win, or do they stay hovering down in here in the rankings?
This week: Thurs vs. Buffalo, Sat at #4 Edina
14. Eden Prairie (12-7-2)
-Took care of some lower-level Lake opposition; shifting a bit here as I re-evaluate. They can lock up the top seed in 2AA by taking care of Minnetonka this week.
This week: Thurs at Minnetonka, Sat at Buffalo
15. Rock Ridge (17-3-2)
-The Wolverines took care of rival Hibbing, and a road comeback for a tie against section frontrunner Grand Rapids while missing arguably their top player boosts this club into the top 15 for the first time ever. As the only 7AA team that is undefeated against section competition they may also now be in line for the top seed; with Andover jumping into the conversation a serious contender this past week, that may be a big deal in the section semis. Like Holy Angels, they’re looking to coast into the postseason.
This week: Tues at Duluth East, Sat at Pine City
The Next Ten
Minnetonka (11-8-1)
-A tie with White Bear is a solid result, but the way it came about will leave a bad taste, as the Skippers conceded twice in the last 30 seconds of regulation. Try as they might, that quality win still cannot come. They’ll try again against Eden Prairie this week.
Grand Rapids (14-7-1)
-The Thunderhawks’ big 7AA week finished 1-1-1 and leaves the section considerably more open than it has felt all season. While they were able to jump on Duluth Marshall and bury them, they could not finish the deal against Rock Ridge, and were not the aggressors late in that game; the subsequent Andover loss leaves a lot of questions.
Maple Grove (11-8-1)
-The Crimson struggled to hang with Rogers, showing the gap in 5AA and keeping them basically where they’ve been all season long. St. Thomas highlights a three-game week ahead.
Andover (10-11)
-Here come the Huskies: as some of us suspected all along, this team is a real threat to win 7AA and just proved it by beating Grand Rapids. They’ve rattled off six straight now and that awful record no longer looks nearly so awful. Whether they can be the top seed is still an open question, given the hole they dug early in the season and that now-unsightly-seeming Duluth East loss, but they are certainly in the top three, and their schedule over the last two weeks gives them a chance to go in with some real momentum, with a shot at Rogers coming up this week.
Bemidji (14-5-1)
-The loss to Warroad does not help the Lumberjacks’ cause, but it isn’t terrible, either, and they handled things in their other two games. A three-game week includes East Grand Forks and a visit from section opponent Elk River.
Lakeville South (11-9)
-It’s largely a holding pattern for the Cougars: clearly better than a health chunk of AA (as shown by the five-goal win over Eagan), but not really in the conversation with the front-line contenders (as shown by a four-goal loss to Shakopee). Eastview and Prior Lake are up this week.
Totino-Grace (11-7-1)
-The Eagles kept up their good section play by beating Champlin Park and are now in good position for a 3-seed in 5AA. St. Cloud Cathedral headlines a three-game week ahead.
Holy Family (14-6)
-Fought their way past a decent Delano team in their only action. Improving Sartell presents a decent challenge this week.
Park of Cottage Grove (13-7-1)
-A loss to Roseville drops the Wolfpack a little here; I’m sticking with the same top 25, but they’re not guaranteed to stay here as other teams move about. They tied White Bear the first time around; can they come up with another positive result?
Champlin Park (12-8)
-Fell to Totino, which drops them here; they’ll need to beat Blaine this coming week to stay alive in the top 25 and get a top four seed in 5AA.
