The 8AAA Profile

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our final profile in Class AAA, Section 8AAA. The group that came down to Alexandria and St. Cloud Tech last year and will likely come down to them once again. But can Rocori or Sauk Rapids-Rice rise up? It's possible!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8AAA Power Rankings</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><li>St. Cloud Tech</li><li>Alexandria</li><li>Sauk Rapids-Rice</li><li>Rocori</li><li>Detroit Lakes</li><li>St. Cloud Apollo</li><li>Willmar</li><li>Little Falls</li></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Section 15</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>First Team</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284214' first='Tameron' last='Ferguson'] of St. Cloud Tech (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284138' first='Grayson' last='Grove'] of Alexandria (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1225626' first='Dontae' last='Horshaw'] of St. Cloud Tech (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1579918' first='Hudson' last='Omoke'] of Sauk Rapids-Rice (soph)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1223081' first='Jack' last='Spanier'] of Rocori (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Second Team</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='962281' first='Blake' last='Schoolmeester'] of Willmar (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1574216' first='Azayah' last='Washington'] of St. Cloud Apollo (soph)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1572690' first='Chase' last='Thompson'] of Alexandria (soph)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaxon Schoenrock of Alexandria (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mason Carrier of Detroit Lakes (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Third Team</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaylen Simmons of St. Cloud Tech (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ethan Carrier of Detroit Lakes (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jack Boos of Rocori (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1225625' first='Andrew' last='Harren'] of Sauk Rapids-Rice (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beck Loesch of Rocori (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The 8AAA Rundown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tech and Alex were the teams that stood out from the group last year and we think that will be the case this winter as well. Alex lost most of their rotation but they do have their high major level big in [player_tooltip player_id='1284138' first='Grayson' last='Grove'], they have a top 5 sophomores in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='1572690' first='Chase' last='Thompson'], and Jaxon Schoenrock was a reserve last year who will step into a bigger role. The blossoming Tech/Alex rivalry started with the Cards winning 90-63 in mid-December but Tech flipping that back around later in the regular season with a 90-62 win. The rubber match was the section final and Tech won that by a basket earning a trip to state. Tech also has a lot of spots to fill, but not quite as many as Alex. Alex will be a little bigger, Tech will have the edge at guards, Tech will have a bit more experience, Alex has more coming up through the youth group. So yeah, it's close and should be fun this year. Who could crash the party? Sauk Rapids-Rice. It might take a year as the Storm has a new coach and a lot of solid sophomores, but [player_tooltip player_id='1225625' first='Andrew' last='Harren'] is a senior and doesn't have the time to wait. They were the only other team above .500 last year. However, Rocori was 11-17 a season go, but they return most of their rotation so don't overlook the Spartans. They could also make a run. Detroit Lakes lost three of their four all league talents but has the former Gopher football players (the Carriers!), Apollo has a load of young talent and a new coach, and Willmar has a veteran group that will be tough to beat. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->