The Remainder of Greater MN Class AAA Schools

Section 1AAA

Kasson-Mantorville 568 enrollment boys 91-115 girls 103-108 total 194 wins (Hiawatha Valley Blue). Not exactly feasting vs. Class AA opponents in the HVL. One of the smaller AAA teams along with Dassel-Cokato and a couple of the following. The nearest comparably sized school is maybe New Ulm. So the KoMets can stay where they are.

Section 7AAA

Duluth Denfeld 1,071 boys 88-96 girls 39-140 total 127 wins (1 source says Denfeld currently is independent, another has it in the Lake Superior conference with the following plus Duluth Marshall and Ashland and Superior, WI)

Hermantown 626 boys 78-148 girls 148-78 total 226 wins (ditto Denfeld's conference affiliation)

Cloquet 614 boys 92-127 girls 83-112 total 175 wins (ditto)

Proctor 500 boys 45-157 girls 63-153 total 108 wins (ditto)

Most of these folks are struggling, with the Hermantown girls the only exception. The same geography is served by the Polar League, consisting of Class A and AA schools. The question is whether a AAA league and an AA-A league makes more sense, or whether an AAA-AA league and an A league makes more sense. Esko (enrollment 368, Class AA) would probably beat most of these teams most years. Ditto Barnum, and they're Class A. Ditto Moose Lake, Class AA. Other than Barnum, the Class A schools (such as Cromwell, Floodwood, McGregor, Silver Bay, Wrenshall, etc.) are never going to win a Polar League title.

Still, I'd be reluctant to tell a 368-student school to join a conference with 500-plus enrollment schools and up, all the way to 1,071. And I would also suggest that Duluth Marshall, enrollment 268, should get out of the Superior and into the Polar. That would give each of them even numbers as in 6 (Superior) and 12 (Polar).

Superior (AAA)

Ashland, WI

Cloquet

Duluth Denfeld

Hermantown

Proctor

Superior, WI

Polar (AA and A)

West

Barnum

Cromwell
Floodwood

McGregor
Moose Lake
Wrenshall

East

Carlton
Cook County
Esko
Duluth Marshall

Silver Bay

Two Harbors

Section 8AAA

Thief River Falls 550 boys 123-78 girls 87-113 total 210 wins

East Grand Forks 514 boys 126-88 girls 162-69 total 288 wins

Once again, the MSHSL Web site shoes these 2 in a conferences with Bagley (enrollment 254), Crookston (365) and Warroad (318). Minnesota-Scores.net shows these 5 plus Roseau (374) in the Northwest Conference. Here, it is just  too far to go to find any different opponents. So even though the Northwest ranges from AAA to A, let it be, including Roseau.