Rankings Update: 4A Hopkins and 3A Cooper are still on top
The more things change, the more they stay the same. At least that's the case at the pinnacle of the 4A rankings this week. Hopkins remains on top after defeating Robbinsdale Cooper and Edina by an average of 29 points.…
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Continue ReadingThe more things change, the more they stay the same. At least that's the case at the pinnacle of the 4A rankings this week. Hopkins remains on top after defeating Robbinsdale Cooper and Edina by an average of 29 points. Number 2 Wayzata ran its record to 7-0 with a win over Eden Prairie, while #3 Eastview (6-0) dodged a bullet with an overtime win against Lakeville North. Spots 4 and 5 remain status quo, as well, as St. Michael-Albertville and Centennial each won a pair. There are now five undefeated teams in 4A, including #14 Farmington and #16 Hastings, who are both 5-0.
Why, you may ask, aren't those two teams ranked higher? The answer is simple: strength of schedule (or lack thereof). Simply put, the Tigers and Raiders haven't faced much opposition so far. Farmington has played just one team with a winning record, that being Owatonna at 5-3. The other four opponents are a combined 5-22. Hastings defeated 4-2 St. Croix Lutheran but its other foes are 5-23. By comparison, Lakeville North (4-3) is still hanging on at #8. Why? Their losses were in overtime to both Wayzata (#2) and Eastview (#3) and their third loss was to Centennial, the #5 team in the state.
If either Farmington or Hastings had played the Panthers' schedule, they would have at least three losses and probably more. We'll have a better idea of just how good Farmington is when they face Edina on Thursday and Grand Rapids on Dec. 28. Hastings could very well be 9-0 when they play Eastview Dec. 30 at the St. Olaf Tournament.
Going Up
- Maple Grove at 5-1 rises from #13 to #10. Their only loss is to #2 Wayzata by just 6 points.
- Moorhead is up one spot to 7th, Park Center moves up one to 9th.
- Minneapolis South won three times and moves ahead to #20.
Going Down
- Champlin Park suffered a pair of defeats this week, to Minnetonka and Maple Grove, enough to drop the Rebels four spots to #13.
- In addition to a good spanking from Hopkins, the Edina Hornets suffered a perplexing loss to Chisago Lakes and dropped to 18th.
Welcome Back
- We said last week that the Minnetonka Skippers might well return to the rankings. They made good on that prediction by knocking off Champlin Park and are back at #25.
Going Away
- Some pundits had Forest Lake as high as #7 in their preseason polls, but we placed them substantially lower. At 3-4, the Stumne-less Rangers have been mediocre at best and a loss to Woodbury hastened their exit.
Marshall now in the top 10 with three other undefeateds
When the #1 team in class AAA gets blown off the floor by 27 points, it would be reasonable to assume they would topple from their lofty perch. That's what happened to #1 Robbinsdale Cooper this week, yet the Hawks are still on top. That's because that loss was against 4A #1 Hopkins. Enough said. The Hawks backed up their ranking later in the week with a solid win over Grand Rapids by 15.
Holy Angels and Mahtomedi are firmly entrenched at numbers 2 and 3, while Waseca ran its record to 7-1 and supplanted Grand Rapids at the #4 position. The big news in AAA is the rise of Marshall and the decline of Hutchinson. The Tigers are now 6-0, one of just four undefeated teams in the state, good enough to jump from #16 to #9. The other Tigers from Hutchinson went in the other direction with a loss to Buffalo, and now reside in the #16 spot.
Others rising
- Alexandria is up from 21 to 18 with a record of 5-1
- Mankato West, with a record of 4-2, jumped five spots to #20
Others falling
- St. Paul Como Park had the week off. While the Cougars were resting, they got leapfrogged.
Off the cliff
- Much was expected of North Branch, but the Vikings are limping along at 1-3 and are now on the outside looking in.
- Becker got a reprieve one week ago, largely because they had the courage to play Hopkins. Now 2-3, we had to show them the door.
- We gave Zimmerman one last chance last week, as well, an opportunity they squandered while dropping to 0-3. See ya.
Welcome Aboard
- Fergus Falls was a bubble team last week, but with a record of 5-2 that includes a win over a tough Alexandria squad, we welcome the Otters at #19.
- Big Lake makes its debut at #25. We can't find a score anywhere from their encounter with Holy Family last Friday but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt since there aren't a lot of others worthy of the caboose.
- Welcome back Chisago Lakes. They slipped out of the poll last week but earned their way back in by beating Edina. The Wildcats are now at #21.