Class AAA….A Taste
Class AAA will have a different feel to it. But will it have a different champion in March? The Islanders have the talent to keep stockpiling trophies.
1AAA. Both Gach is in Arizona. What can you say. Hopefully it works out great for him. Back home the Packers are still the favorite to win their section, will still be a top ten team, and still win a lot of games. The fans will still support and they will still be a tough out. But a state championship contender? With Both Gach they had a very real chance to bring home gold. Without him they will still be very good with Tate Hebrink, Duoth Gach, Moses Issa and others but the depth is what has to be watched. They did have a dominating junior varsity team of young talent last year that will help greatly.
2AAA. What I really want to do with this column every week is help give out some new names. Today we introduce you to Tyler Linder. Tyler scored 14 a game last season for a much improved Worthington team that finished five games over .500. Tyler is 6-foot-4 at forward and joins OD Othow in leading the squad to the upper half of the section.
3AAA. When you look a little closer at St. Croix Lutheran you see a team that is going to be better than any of us expected. Beating Minnehaha Academy wasn’t likely the next couple seasons but this squad has a fighting chance to work through this section. St. Thomas is the favorite but Garett Maag, Stephen Kletscher, Adam Arroyo, Dorrell Bratton, and Aaron Jenniges are all back and ready to take steps forward.
4AAA. Who has the best chance to dethrone the 6AAA winner? The list of teams is short and Austin has likely slipped off that list. But Columbia Heights is right there. Deundra Roberson, Wendell Matthews, Quentin Hardict, and Chris Kelly are all back plus there is young talent fighting for spots too. The Hylanders are ready for a big year.
5AAA. Did you know that Sam Olson of Rocori scored 19 points a game last year? That’s 19 a game against CLC competition. Olson is a shooter that we saw have some big games this spring and we expect him to have a pretty big winter as well. Watch out for the guard as a big year could be ahead.
6AAA. Orono and DeLaSalle. DeLaSalle and Orono. Islanders and Spartans all day and night. That’s the conversation in this section and when think about Delano moving to a different league as well as Cooper and BSM losing their top prospect to transfer the conversation is about those teams. But don’t forget about Waconia with Tommy Gove and Nick Fulford leading as seniors.
7AAA. Luke Lendell is a shooter. And he’s from Hibbing. When it comes to Hibbing you are walking through the Kevin McHale halls but Luke is a shooter that set a school record for three point percentage as a sophomore and then as a junior scored 16 points per contest. Get a hand up on this 6-foot-2 shooter.
8AAA. Detroit Lakes is team that usually puts up a big fight. They are a tough out, they win games, and their players compete. Now they have a coach that’s won a state title in Markus Okeson and a player in Tanner Doppler that should have a big year.