The New Section Assignments Are Out! The Boys

If you've read about the girls section re-assignments, you've seen that it's a big deal, potentially impacting more than a half a dozen possible section championships. Among the boys, well, let's just keep it simple. It's no big deal. I mean, the one obvious game-changer is voluntary and we knew it was coming. That of course would be Minnehaha with Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren moving up to AAA. They've been assigned to Section 4AAA where they'll face a good Mahtomedi team with J'Vonne Hadley. To some degree, that's unfortunate. Mahtomedi may be a top 5 team again next year. Still, it's better than being in Section 6AAA with DeLaSalle.

Other than that, there's really just a couple of section moves that seem at all likely to impact the section championships. 

• Northfield moves from Class AAA to Class AAAA but still may be a contender, especially with the departure of Lakeville North from Section 1AAAA. Lakeville South and Rochester Mayo's chances are also enhanced.

• Lakeville North will now challenge Eastview in 3AAAA.

• Waseca drops down from Class AAA to Class AA, where they'll be a heavy favorite to win in Section 2AA.

• Mankato East becomes the favorite in 2AAA.

• Osakis moves from 8AA to 6AA where it could conceivably contend but it is by no means a favorite.

• Fergus meanwhile becomes a contender in 8AA after moving down from 8AAA but it, too, is in no way the favorite. 

That's about it. For whatever reason, many of the girls teams that moved are among the powers. The boys teams that moved are generally not. And those who are didn't move. The Holy Angels boys and girls both went to state this year. The girls move from Section 3AAA to 6AAA. The boys are staying put in 3AAA. The Waconia boys and girls are both contenders. The girls moved from 6AAA to 2AAA, while the boys stayed in 6AAA.

Bottom line: The impact and import of these section changes on the boys tournaments is negligible while among the girls it is very significant.

The New Section Assignments Are Out! The Girls

The MSHSL redesigns its sections in every sport every 2 years. In basketball there have been some very significant changes over the years involving Lakeville North and Lakeville South, Cooper and Kennedy, Roseville, Wayzata, Cromwell and more. This year is no exception. Here are the big moves.

4AAAA

2 schools move up from Class AAA to AAAA, while 4 schools move down and out of AAAA. Overall AAAA hasn't changed a lot. The only section that is likely to have had a different champion is 1AAAA and, well, it's more than likely. It would have had a different champion because the champion, Lakeville North, is moving out.

• Northfield moves from 1AAA to 1AAAA
• That pushes Lakeville North to the north, to 3AAA where they will now face Eastview
• After 2 years and 2 state tournament appearances in Class AAA, Cooper moves back to AAAA--6AAAA where it will face Hopkins and Wayzata

3AAA

Class AAA, on the other hand, will see wholesale changes as Henry Sibley, St. Francis, Kennedy and St. Cloud Tech move in from above, and 5 teams move in from below. Meanwhile only 5 teams move out of AAA for a net gain of 4 teams. Two of those are powers Fergus Falls and Waseca, who could terrorize Class AA next year. In order of significance, here are some of the moves into or within AAA.

• St. Paul Como escapes 4AAA and DeLaSalle, moving to 3AAA, where they will face Simley.
• They will not face Holy Angels in 3AAA, however. The Stars move to 6AAA.
• The Stars will not face Waconia in 6AAA, however, as they go to 2AAA.
• After 2 years in AAAA, Kennedy comes back to 6AAA.
• St. Peter and Waseca swap places. St. Peter moves from 2AA to 2AAA, while Waseca moves from 2AAA to 2AA.

In AAA, newcomers St. Peter or Waconia probably would have won 2AAA in the absence of Waseca.   Como or St. Croix Lutheran might have won 3AAA in the absence of Holy Angels, though it would seem that a Como-Simley showdown might be pending for 2020. Holy Angels might have won 6AAA in the absence of Cooper and Waconia. Alexandria would have won 8AAA in the absence of Fergus.

2AA

It appears that about 11 teams are moving into Class AA and about 14 moving out. The biggies are:

• Goodhue moves up to 1AA, where they would have challenged Caledonia for the section title this year.
• Waseca moves down to 2AA, where they might have won the section, especially in the absence of tourney entry St. Peter, who moves up to AAA.
• Fergus moves down to 8AA. State tourney entry Menahga also joins 8AA, moving up from 5A. his sets up a Fergus-Roseau showdown next year.

It also appears that the MSHSL might have done something a little different this year. In Class AA and in Class A the number of teams per section vary from 15 to 18 (AA) and 18 to 21 (A) in an effort to avoid moving teams from one section to another within the same class. In other words, they left the existing sectional rivalries in place except 1) when teams changed classes and 2) in the metro area where there were just too many teams on the move. Other than that, Long Prairie appears to be the only team in Class A or AA that moved sections within the same class, from 8AA to 6AA, and that was caused by 3 teams changing classes and moving into 8AA.

1A

In Class A, I only see 2 newcomers outside of the metro area (Section 4A). Waterville-Elysian-Morristown moves from 2AA to 2A, where it will be a contender vs. Sleepy Eye St. Mary's and Lake Crystal-Wellcome. And Barnum moves from 7AA to 5A. Otherwise 8 schools move up or down in section 4A and 4AA.

Summary

I've already picked my favorites for the 2020 state tournament and all of this changes a few of them, especially in AAA.

1AAA--I had Northfield but with they're departure to Class AAAA, defending champion Austin is again the fave

2AAA--I'll have to think about this. Defending champion Marshall remains in the mix, but Waconia is a definite factor.

In 3AAA I had settled on Simley over Holy Angels, but I'm less certain about Simley vs. Como.

In 6AAA both of the favorites have moved on, so Holy Angels becomes the favorite.

In 8AAA, 2016-17-18 tournament entry Alexandria regains the favorite's role with the departure of Fergus.

1AA remains pretty wide open but Goodhue joins the mix. I'll stick with Lake City, however.

In 2AA Waseca joins Medford and Norwood YA as co-favorites.

In 8AA I have to go with Fergus over Roseau.

in 2A Sleepy Eye St. Mary's remains the favorite over Waterville-EM.