Class AA Section Darkhorses

It isn’t often that the team that isn’t the favorite in its respective section doesn’t ultimately win it. But upsets at the high school level certainly can happen. Here are teams from each section that could surprise. Section 1AA: St. Charles Favorite: Lake City/Caledonia Section 1AA seems to be an endless flip-flop of Lake City and Caledonia as those two teams have won the section for a majority of the last decade. The Tigers and Warriors will again be on a collision course this winter but it’s no guarantee that they face off, as each of the last two seasons, one has been picked off before the section final. St. Charles did it last year and the Saints have the horses to make similar noise this winter as Drew Maloney and Kooper Vaughn form one of the best duos in Class AA. Section 2AA: Belle Plaine Favorite: Waseca Waseca moves into Section 2AA and immediately takes it from one of the weakest sections in the state to reputable. The Bluejays will be the heavy favorites to emerge and contend for a state title. Jordan is always lurking but watch out for Belle Plaine too. The Tigers always have good athletes and they’ve got a solid core of returners led by senior forward Josh Gregory (17 ppg in 2018-19) and senior swingman Dylan Kahle (11 ppg in 2018-19). Section 3AA: St. James Favorite: Jackson County Central JCC has arguably the best player in the section in Rudy Voss, along with a solid cast of core players which makes the Huskies the likely favorite. St. James has had a solid outfit in recent years and there’s little reason to expect a big decline this winter. Derrick Halvorson is a matchup problem for a long of people up front and Daevon Anderson is a solid returning starter on the perimeter. Section 4AA: St. Paul Academy Favorite: St. Croix Prep St. Croix Prep and Cristo Rey Jesuit are both contenders in this section with top-notch talent but St. Paul Academy still has the talent to compete deep into the postseason too. The Spartans return Adam Holod who averaged better than 15 points per game as a sophomore and could be one of the top players in the section. They also bring back three key rotation guys in Griffin Thissen, Alex Herrmann and Liam Will. Section 5AA: Rockford Favorite: Minneapolis North The Polars are among the three or four teams you can bet on to be there are the end of the year contending for a state title, but don’t sleep on Rockford. The Rockets are built around big man Calvin Sisk, who is a difference-maker on the defensive end of the floor. They’ve also got solid returning guards like Todd Traen and Ryan Boysen. Section 6AA: Pine City Favorite: Melrose Pine City was supposed to dip a bit last year, yet the Dragons won 24 games. They’ll score a ton of points in conference season and likely won’t get as much benefit of the doubt when section seedings are put in, but they’ll be dangerous. They’ve got a really good crop of returning guards including Koleman Lind and Konnor Jusczak plus forward Seth Alman who is a matchup problem for a long of people. Section 7AA: Moose Lake-Willow River Favorite: Esko Esko has dominated this section forever and the Eskomos will likely be the favorites again this winter despite graduating a terrific group of seniors. Greenway will be in the mix, as will Virginia. Crosby-Ironton is always tough. But watch out for Moose Lake-Willow River. The Rebels return double figure scorers in juniors Mason Olson and Brady Watrin, plus a solid host of role players including Logan Orvedahl, Ben Dewey and Michael Olson. Section 8AA: East Grand Forks Favorite: Perham Perham is a top-five team going into the year and Barnesville will be among the favorites in the section. But don’t sleep on East Grand Forks. The Green Wave won 22 games last year and despite losing in the second round to Barnesville, should head into this year with high expectations. Julian Benson and Sam Votava form one of the best backcourts in Class AA and Nathan Willett was a double-figure scorer up front for them a year ago. This team has experience, size, shooting and explosiveness. If they can improve on the defensive end, this team could make a deep run.