The MN High School Preview: Top 10 Section Races (Big School)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What races will be the tightest and most fun to follow in high school basketball this year? Here is our list of top ten races!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2AAAA</strong>. Obviously not a surprise but 2AAAA will be interesting again. Eden Prairie has won five of the past seven section championships but that doesn't leave things short on drama and competition. This is the year that Minnetonka should be at it's best with the strong senior and junior groups. EP always has depth and is well coached plus [player_tooltip player_id='1220360' first='Chiddi' last='Obiazor'] is an unstoppable force. Shakopee has the guard play to be in this plus Chanhassen, Prior Lake, and Waconia all have the talent to make section wins very tough. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>6AAA</strong>. What we have here is the definition of wide open. Orono will start as the favorite because they have the best combination of veteran talent, a star ([player_tooltip player_id='1189958' first='Isaiah' last='Hagen']), and young players coming up. But BSM has an overload of young talent and by the end of the year they could gel. Delano was not a good team last year but the Tigers have a roster loaded with skilled players. Richfield has three really good transfers that will mix with three really good returning players, and Mound-Westonka went to state last year because they are tough and well coached. That won't change. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4AAAA</strong>. The Raptors are the favorite as they have the most talent but the CDH Raiders have been won the section five of the last six years. Things seem wide open though with CDH looking very different without Tre Holloman. Stillwater and White Bear Lake have their best chance at state in a long time plus you cannot sleep on Klinger at Tartan. The Raptors have the most talent and depth though so they are the heavy favorite. They just need to turn their several conference titles into section titles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1AAA</strong>. To me Stewartville is a giant favorite. They have the most talent, depth, and quality of players in the backcourt, on the wing, and in the paint. That said, Austin has went to state five of the past six seasons and they will be good once again. You have to dethrone the Packers to get to state. This might be the year with Austin going through changes but for that to happen, Stewartville has to make their first trip to state EVER. Yes Stewartville has never been to state which makes this even more dramatic. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8AAA</strong>. The battle at the top between Alexandria and St. Cloud Tech will be one of the best individual match-ups of the season as they once again will compete near the top of the section, near the top of their conference, and they will compete in the Class AAA top ten. Sure a Sauk Rapids-Rice for example could jump in both Tech and Alex was a nice rivalry last year and it will be even better this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2AAA</strong>. New Ulm is a favorite but they have to figure out how to win the big game. Mankato East is the favorite but they will have to rely on several young pieces. Mankato West lost a ton but young talent and a big transfer have them as a contender. And Marshall's senior class could make them a section winner. There is no big contender here which makes it totally wide open. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8AAAA</strong>. This is a section that is wide open again because they have good teams, but nobody that is a top ten level standout which leaves things completely wide open. Moorhead won last year and they have so many key pieces back that they come into the season as the favorite. That said, Brainerd, Buffalo, and Elk River will be good teams that can make a run if the chemistry is right at the end of the year. The Spuds should be the favorite and they might have enough to sneak into the top ten if the backcourt takes big steps. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5AAA</strong>. Princeton is the favorite but they lost a lot from last year. Meanwhile Becker and Big Lake return a lot. The gap will have likely closed between the top and the group of contenders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5AAAA</strong>. This is likely a stretch but Park Center has to get through Osseo to get to state and that is a much tougher task than some of the other top contenders in Class AAAA have to get through in their section. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->