Section 8A – Can Red Lake County Make it Three Straight?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Section Power Rankings</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Red Lake County.  Five of the top seven are gone but they have some young pieces that will fill in.  They have been to state two years in a row. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Northern Freeze.  All of the top pieces return from last year's 17-win team. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Win-E-Mac.  Returning all their key pieces, Win-E-Mac was third seeded last year but should have the most back for their sub-section.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Fertile-Beltrami.  Top six guys graduated but they did add a really good transfer. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Mahnomen/Waubun.  Three of five starters return from a team that was seeded at the top of the sub-section.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Sacred Heart.  A good program with an all league talent back. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Red Lake.  Red Lake was 15-12 but with key guys back. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Kittson County Central. KCC has their best talent back from a 13-win team. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Goodridge/Grygla-Gatzke. Top scorer back from a .500 team</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Bagley.  A 12-win team that has their top player back. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Badger/Greenbush-Middle River.  BGMR is a ten win team with most of the rotation back. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Stephen-Argyle.  Lost four of their starters from a team that was really good.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Fosston. A six win team from last season that lost only one senior from the rotation. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Clearbrook-Gonvick.  The full rotation is back from a two win team. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lake of the Woods.  Top players are juniors, a good junior class that should help them take a jump.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Northome-Kelliher.  Lost their top couple scorers from a season ago.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>WAO.  Four guys from a 12 win team were heavily relied on and only one is returning. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Climax-Fisher.  No information unfortunately other than being a nine win team last season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Blackduck.  Five win team last season, best player is back. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>All Section</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2983036' first='Anders' last='Tinjum'] of Fertile-Beltrami (Sr).&nbsp; A Valley City State commit that transferred from Ada Borup and is now one of a few Falcon players with experience.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2139200' first='Joe' last='Courneya'] of Win-E-Mac (Sr).&nbsp; Joe scored 24 points a game last year and is one of the top returning scorers in Class A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2841075' first='Ben' last='Gullingsrud'] of Red Lake County (Jr). A very good junior that moves into the role of the main scorer.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2829793' first='Avynn' last='Ryba'] of Northern Freeze (Sr).  A senior big man that is the top returning scorer and rebounder for his team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='3068486' first='Shay' last='Jacobson'] of Goodridge/Grygla-Gatzke (Jr).&nbsp; Shay is a three time all league honored guy that scored nearly 20 a game last season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anthony Thompson of Mahnomen/Waubun (Sr).&nbsp; A top scorer returning for the team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='3036330' first='Adrian' last='Nelson'] of Badger/Greenbush-Middle River (Soph). Nelson is off to a great start, scored 21 a game as a frosh.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caleb Ihry of Sacred Heart (Sr).&nbsp; Caleb is a 6'1/170 guard that is a returning all league player.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hayden Johnson of Win-E-Mac (Sr). Hayden has scored 13ppg two years in a row and has been all league honored two years in a row.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alex Bray of Northern Freeze (Sr).&nbsp; Bray scored 13 a game at forward last season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Third Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drayden Thompson of Bagley (Sr).&nbsp; Drayden is a forward that has been two time all league.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2429664' first='Austin' last='Perkins'] of Red Lake (Sr).&nbsp; A top time all league player.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>John Forrest of Lake of the Woods (Sr).&nbsp; Two time all league player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kolten Schow of Win-E-Mac (Sr).&nbsp; Scored about nine a game last season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant Engen of Clearbrook-Gonvick (Sr).  Top returning scorer, a 6'1 wing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fourth Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Will Foss of Badger/Greenbush-Middle River (Sr).&nbsp; Scored 13ppg a season ago.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ryan Gerlofs of Clearbrook-Gonvick (Sr).  the other top scorer back, a 6'0 guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owen Widner of Stephen-Argyle (Jr).&nbsp; Top returning player for the Storm.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thor Thompson of Red Lake County (Sr).&nbsp; A 6'3 post that played off the bench last year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fifth Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carter Woods of Lake of the Woods (Jr).  Carter was an all league player as a sophomore. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coltun Puffe of Blackduck (Jr).&nbsp; two time honored all league player.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brekken Bring of Northern Freeze (Jr).&nbsp; Scored ten a game last season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sidney Carlson of WAO (Jr).&nbsp; Carlson is a double figure returning scorer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>8A Section Summary</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This section is about…. The teams that have always been good have a good player back (but also likely some well coached up and comers) but lost a lot compared to the teams that are up and coming after a .500 season or just less.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Red Lake County, Sacred Heart and Fertile-Beltrami have to replace bodies and that will be interesting while Northern Freeze, Win-E-Mac, Mahnomen/Waubun and others have a lot back from good to average teams. &nbsp; BGMR and GGG are teams that lost a fair amount of games but key players return.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who wins? Totally up in the air.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->