4A and 3A rankings update: What we know so far
When the season began, we put together the first 2017-18 high school team rankings based on knowledge accumulated by examining roster changes, watching fall league and considering intangibles such as a team's previous success. A team like Minnetonka, for example,…
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Continue ReadingWhen the season began, we put together the first 2017-18 high school team rankings based on knowledge accumulated by examining roster changes, watching fall league and considering intangibles such as a team's previous success. A team like Minnetonka, for example, gets the benefit of the doubt early on because they are usually quite good and have a ton of quality players. By the first week of January, however, the list is based on recent results, month-long trends and a some harsh reality. Now we have a good idea of where most teams fit. Here is what we know so far in 4A:
- The four top teams are still the four top teams and nine of the top 10 from the first week of December are still there. Park Center (6-5) has dropped out and a surprising Roseville team has risen into the top 10.
- Eastview (11-0) is good. Really good. Maybe better than expected. Point guard by committee is apparently working, and veterans like Andrea Abrams and Mariah Alipate have stepped up to the plate and delivered. Freshman Cassidy Carson has proven she belongs.
- Hopkins (14-1) and Wayzata (14-0) are performing as expected. Hopkins tends to blow its opponents off the floor. The Royals stumbled against Eastview and had had a nail-biter the next day against Beaver Dam, Wisc., but their next-closest margin has been 15. Wayzata has its brief lapses but has prevailed every time out.
- Positions 4 through 8 are largely interchangeable with STMA, Champlin Park, Cretin-Derham Hall, Lakeville North and Centennial in the mix. STMA is a step ahead because the Knights have only lost to teams above them in the rankings.
- Park Center (6-5) was in this mix, too, but recently stumbled its way out of the top 10. #9 Moorhead (9-3) is a question mark now that Sam Haiby (Nebraska), the #1 player in the senior class, is out with a knee injury.
- Pleasant surprises: #10 Roseville (9-3) has been much better than expected. #13 Park Cottage Grove (10-2) is a very tough out. The two teams meet this week. Irondale (9-3) won just six games last year but has benefited from a weak schedule. Brainerd (7-3) has been good at #17.
- Not-so-pleasant surprises: White Bear Lake losing to Centennial by a million stunned everyone. We did not anticipate seeing the Bears at 7-5 or #21, but it's likely temporary. We thought more of Anoka, especially after a 5-0 start, but the Tornadoes (#24) have dropped five of their past seven.
- Up-and-comers: #12 Farmington (8-3) has some talented youngsters and has impressed. Ditto for Kennedy and St. Louis Park.
- What the heck? Forest Lake is hard to figure out, but a pattern appears to have emerged: When the Rangers shoot well they win; when they don't, they don't. And then there's Minnetonka. With wins over Champlin Park and Park Center, and a history of success, you'd expect to find the Skippers in or near the top 10 but they have been plagued by inconsistency. With Megan Walker now on the sidelines (knee) it's not going to get any easier.
- We (or they) really blew it: We had the Andover Huskies in the top 15 to begin with. Today they are 2-9 and long gone from the rankings. We expected a little more from Apple Valley (6-6), too.
- Look out for: St. Francis (7-3) and Shakopee (7-5) have been in and out of the rankings. The team to look out for is Eden Prairie (7-6) which is headed in the right direction under new coach Ellen Wiese.
The status quo remains the same in AAA
The more things change, the more they don't. In other words, the status quo remains the same – a grammatically incorrect way of saying that #1 to #19 are unchanged from one week ago. St. Croix Lutheran (6-4) is back in at #25. Simley (5-5) lost to Hastings and is now at #22. Worthington slipped to 5-6 and dropped out of the rankings. The most notable result from last week was 7-4 Chisago (#13) defeating now 10-4 Grand Rapids. #2 Mahtomedi was somewhat lethargic against Tartan but Emma Grothaus carried the Zephyrs on her back with a 28-point night.
Upcoming games of interest:
- #1 Holy Angels (11-2) has St. Agnes, St. Anthony Village and Richfield this week and, as such, is unlikely to give up its top spot.
- #2 Mahtomedi (10-1) has South St. Paul, and they are not going to lose that one, either.
- #3 Cooper (9-2) has St. Louis Park and Chaska. SLP is long and athletic and that game is a toss-up.
- #4 Waseca (12-1) has Fairmont (7-3) and #15 Hutchinson (8-5) and faces, perhaps, its most challenging week of the season so far.