With a lot of big games among Class A contenders and numerous upsets, it has been a chaotic first two weeks of the season, with little stability anywhere within the Top 20 at this point. Week #2 Rankings Below:
1. Hermantown (0-1-1)
Past Week Results: T 4-4 OT CDH, L 2-7 Hill Murray
Upcoming Schedule: 12/6 vs #9 East Grand Forks, 12/7 vs #8 Mahtomedi
This ranking is accompanied by a shrug. They should have beat a very good CDH team but gave up the lead with seconds remaining, then got on a bus the next morning and got thumped which is unlike the Hawks on the road by a very good and fresh Hill team; a win over CDH, who rolled over Hibbing the next day, would have been a big start, but the tie and loss leaves I‘m sure some questioning this ranking for a winless team. We’ll learn a lot more this week if I am right or not about this Hawks team when they take on EGF and Mahtomedi to see how they stack up vs Class A competition.
2. Warroad (1-0-1)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 12/6 @ Rock Ridge, 12/7 @ Grand Rapids
The Warriors were one of the few Class A teams without a bad result this week mainly because they didn’t play this week, which was to their benefit with the chaos that ensued around them and allowed them to acquire the benefit of a little more stock for now as far as the early Top 10 of Class A is concerned this week. They now head to the Iron Range this weekend and we’ll see what they can do vs two solid 7AA contenders in Rock Ridge and Grand Rapids to give us more a sample size of this young Warroad group.
3. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (3-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 8-5 #4 Hibbing/Chisholm, W 10-0 Princeton
Upcoming Schedule: 12/5 vs Duluth Denfeld, 12/7 vs #9 East Grand Forks
CEC has given us some of the most consistent results in Class A so far and the comeback road win over Hibbing/Chisholm has the Lumberjacks surging upward. It’s just one win, but this CEC squad with a dangerous top line is a team that can play tough in all phases and could be a serious force in Class A this winter, and they’ve potentially disrupted 7A seeding with that win, though they will meet Hibbing again later this winter. A test vs EGF at the end of this next week will give a better idea of if this ranking is truly deserved.
4. Hibbing/Chisholm (2-2-0)
Past Week Results: L 5-8 #9 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, W 6-3 #5 St Cloud Cathedral, L 1-6 CDH
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 vs Duluth Denfeld, 12/5 @ #15 Proctor, 12/7 @ Totino Grace
Hibbing scored a big early win against Cathedral, but they also blew a big lead vs CEC and were unable to contain a very good CDH team, leaving them with a losing record for the week. On the whole, it’s been a good first two weeks for their stock. As the wins over SCC and Mahtomedi show they can contend in Class A. They stay at four for now and have three games this week they should win to stay here.
5. St Cloud Cathedral (0-1-1)
Past Week Results: L 3-6 #4 Hibbing/Chisholm
Upcoming Schedule: 12/5 vs Gentry Academy, 12/7 vs #10 Northfield
I’m erring on the side of talent here when it comes to the Crusaders and not overreacting to a tie and loss vs at the moment to two Top Five Class A Teams to open the season, though the Defending Champs do need to get their top line to start rolling more and the depth especially on the blueline needs some work. It won’t get any easier this week for Cathedral as they take on a solid AA Gentry team and then end the week hosting a Northfield team looking for revenge for last year’s State Quarterfinal loss.
6. Delano (2-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-4 Buffalo
Upcoming Schedule: 12/5 vs Providence Academy
Delano had a strong performance in their only game of the week, as they took care of their AA rivals Buffalo with ease. The Warroad loss now doesn’t hurt them as it originally was thought it might and they look like a team worthy of a Top 10 ranking all year and should be pushing the top five bubble all winter. A light week ahead again for the Tigers as they take on Section 2A rival Providence Academy, another game they should win though the Lions have started well.
7. Monticello (1-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-4 #11 Orono
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 vs Pine City, 12/5 @ Chisago Lakes
The Moose looked as good as any in the Top 10 and they had a great opening statement this week as they took down a red hot Orono, looking as potent as ever in the process which if you add that to the excellent structure that they have played with during the Eric Nelson tenure this team has a high ceiling as the year goes on. They have two Mississippi 8 games this week against unbeaten Pine City and ranked Chisago Lakes.
8. Mahtomedi (1-3-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-9 Hill Murray, L 2-6 Centennial, W 3-2 Blaine
Upcoming Schedule: 12/5 @ Prior Lake, 12/7 vs #1 Hermantown
The Zephyrs struggled in their first two games against Hill Murray and Centennial, which is understandable for a young squad but not great for their standing here as far as the rankings go as they continue to fall. Also, needing a comeback to beat Blaine doesn’t scream confidence either but the Bengals were unbeaten and this is still an annual top program who I am giving the benefit of the doubt to seeing as they played Hibbing to overtime and they can show more this week, at least from a Class A perspective, by having a good showing when they host Hermantown this week.
9. East Grand Forks (2-3-0)
Past Week Results: L 0-4 #12 Detroit Lakes, W 7-2 Grand Forks Red River, W 3-2 Grand Forks Central
Upcoming Schedule: 12/6 @ #1 Hermantown, 12/7 @ #3 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
Yes, I know the Greenwave have stumbled out of the gate with three losses to start the year, and while none were to a bad team and in the DL loss they controlled the game for the majority of it, which overall isn’t exactly befitting of a preseason team that had aspirations of being the top team in Class A all year. They did however bounce back to pick up a Gambucci Cup sweep over their border rivals which shows the potential of this team, so we’ll see if this was just an early blip. They can make us forget all about the early struggles with a good showing this week vs top ranked Hermantown and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton.
10. Northfield (3-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 8-7 OT Rochester Century/JM, W 5-2 #17 Minneapolis, W 7-3 #15 Proctor
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 @ Albert Lea, 12/5 vs Austin, 12/7 @ #5 St Cloud Cathedral
Northfield is sailing along in the early going, positioning themselves back into the Top 10 this week with convincing wins over ranked MPLS and Proctor and a quality comeback win against Big Nine Rival Rochester Century/JM as well. Can they compete with the top tier teams in Class A though? They play two Section 1A games before a useful barometer game vs Cathedral, the team who ended their state championship dreams a year ago, to give us a better feel for how real this group is early on.
11. Orono (3-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 9-2 Duluth Denfeld, L 4-5 #7 Monticello
Upcoming Schedule: 12/5 @ Breck, 12/7 @ #14 Little Falls
The Spartans had a strong beginning to the weekend with the high offensive output over Denfeld. They did fall short in the weekend finale but a competitive loss to Monitcello is fine and shows this team still has room to grow as while the scoring is there they will need to work things out on the backend. This week they have a section game with Breck before heading to Little Falls which will be another good barometer game for the Spartans as one of the teams just outside the Top 10.
12. Northern Lakes (2-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 11-0 Prairie Centre, W 7-1 Northern Edge, L 3-7 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 12/5 vs #16 Alexandria, 12/7 @ Crookston
The Lightning blasted through their first two inferior opponents, helping Coach Randolph break the record for wins, before taking a loss to solid AA Bemidji crew to end the week. It’s hard to read too much into those results so far, so we’ll settle for dropping them just outside the Top 10 for now with two good Class A matchups this week vs 6A rival Alexandria and sneaky good Crookston this week to give them a chance to prove more.
13. Detroit Lakes (3-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-0 #9 East Grand Forks, W 8-2 St Cloud Public, L 2-4 #20 River Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 12/6 @ #21 Thief River Falls
The Lakers had a strong start to the week, upsetting East Grand Forks and taking care of St Cloud Public. However, the River Laks loss shows they still have to work on consistency to get to that next step of being a Top Tier of Class A program, but so far, they have done more than enough for a top 15 ranking. This week another chance for their program to take a step in the right direction as they take on Thief River Falls in a critical 8A seeding game.
14. Little Falls (1-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-2 Fergus Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 vs Sauk Rapids, 12/7 vs #11 Orono
The Flyers won their only game this past week, but needing a third period comeback and eking one out against Fergus Falls doesn’t make a convincing case to climb here for now. We’ll see what this week brings as far as more data points as they should get a Section 5A win vs Sauk Rapids but then we will see what they can do with a good Orono team that they host to end the week.
15. Proctor (3-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-0 Mankato East, L 3-7 #10 Northfield
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 vs Grand Rapids, 12/5 #4 Hibbing/Chisholm
The Rails opened the weekend with a win against Mankato East but then crumbled against a good Northfield, which leaves them hovering back here in the rankings again this week. The week ahead is a big one as they scrap with Hibbing for 7A positioning and also meet up with 7AA Grand Rapids for a tough week overall.
16. Alexandria (1-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 OT Brainerd
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 vs Sartell, 12/5 @ #12 Northern Lakes
Alexandria picked up an overtime comeback win over Brainerd which was a nice confidence booster for the Cards, but so far overall their results don’t quite inspire confidence in their top 20 status at this point. However, now they have had a chance to get more practices in with their full lineup which will be tested as they have some tough matchups this week with a potent Sartell at home followed by a big Section 6A matchup on the road with Northern Lakes.
17. Minneapolis (2-1-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 Hutchinson, L 2-5 #10 Northfield, W 5-3 Cambridge-Isanti
Upcoming Schedule: 12/2 vs #24 Southwest Christian, 12/6 @ Duluth Denfeld, 12/7 @ Duluth Marshall
The 612 crew’s loss to Northfield shows some limitations, but other than that they quietly put together a pretty nice start, as they are winning the games they should at this spot of the rankings. They have a good showdown with Southwest Christian/Richifeld before they pay a visit to Duluth over the weekend.
18. Chisago Lakes (1-0-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 Marshall
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 vs Cambridge, 12/5 vs #7 Monticello
The Wildcats rolled past Marshall this week, which helped them remain unbeaten on the young season for now. This week Chisago Lakes heads into Mississippi 8 Conference play with two good match ups as the game with Cambridge wont be easy and they then finish the week with ranked Monticello which gives them a chance to prove something early in the year.
19. Waseca (1-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 18-0 Redwood Valley
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 @ #22 Mound Westonka, 12/5 @ Fairmont, 12/7 @ #25 Luverne
All good vibes so far for Waseca early on, with a rout over Redwood Valley to begin the season. They’ve got an interesting three-game week ahead of them, with the matchups vs #22 Mound Westonka and #25 Luverne being some good early tests to see just where this Bluejays group is at early in the year.
20. River Lakes (2-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-5 Sauk Rapids, W 4-2 #13 Detroit Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 12/3 vs Brainerd 12/5 @ Hutchinson
Well hello Stars. River Lakes crashes into the lower portion of the Top 20 this week after having a very nice opening week. They started with a win over Sauk Rapids which looked much better when two days later the Storm upset TRF. Then River Lakes pulled a stunner when they knocked off previously unbeaten Detroit Lakes who had just beaten EGF. Are they really a top 20 team? It’s too early to know for sure but the opening weekend allows them some love for now.
Next Five Notable Teams
Thief River Falls (1-2-0)- This may be a bit of an overreaction I admit but there is a lot of concern for the Prowlers after week one. Getting routed by Roseau is one thing but then to barely beat a winless Princeton team and the next day give up six goals to Sauk Rapids is inexcusable. Feels like it could be some new coach growing pains. They can get things right this week and jump back into the Top 20 if they can take down 8A rival Detroit Lakes.
Mound Westonka (3-0-0)- The White Hawks continue to roll along as they are averaging well over 7 goals a game at this point. We knew the offense would be good, the questions were and remain on the backend. They will get a good chance to jump into the Top 20 this week when they take on a Waseca club who sit just above them in these rankings.
Crookston (2-0-0)- Put up plenty of points in handling Section 8A Kittson County Central in the opener, then followed that up with a good comeback 8A road win over Red Lake Falls to beef up their 8A stock somewhat. They’ll look for more of the same this week when they take on an improving Breckenridge/Wahpeton team before a very good test with Northern Lakes awaits to end their week.
Southwest Christian/Richfield (0-0-0)- As noted last week the Stars are always annually the last team to get going in Class A usually due to religious activities at the school. They will get rolling a big way this week as they take on a tough Minneapolis team to open their season.
Luverne (2-0-0)- Roll Cards Roll outraced Fairmont in their only action of the game exactly what they should do in a game like that. Now a rematch with Marshall, who upset them last year, and also a good match up with #20 Waseca will offer their first tests of any magnitude this week.
Class A Section by Section Rankings Week #2
Section 1A Ranking (12/1/24)
1- Northfield Raiders (3-0-0)
2- Waseca Bluejays (1-0-0)
3- Albert Lea Tigers (1-0-0)
4- Winona Winhawks (3-0-0)
5- Dodge County Wildcats (0-1-0)
6- Rochester Lourdes Eagles (0-2-0)
7- La Crescent-Hokah Lancers (1-1-0)
8- Austin Packers (2-0-0)
9 – Faribault Falcons (0–1-0)
10- Red Wing Wingers (0-3-1)
1A Summary –Northfeild went (3-0-0) outside of the section. Waseca picked up a rout outside of the section. Albert Lea got a 1A win over Rochester Lourdes. Winona got a 1A win over La Crescent and Austin got a 1A win over Faribault. Dodge County & Red Wing went winless outside of the section.
Section 2A Ranking (12/1/24)
1- Delano Tigers (2-1-0)
2- Orono Spartans (3-1-0)
3- Minneapolis (2-1-1)
4- Mound Westonka White Hawks (3-0-0)
6- Providence Academy Lions (2-1-0)
6- Breck Mustangs (0-3-0)
7- Hutchinson Tigers (0-3-0)
8- Litchfield Dassel Cokato Dragons (0-0-0)
2A Summary- Delano got a win outside of the section. Orono went .500 outside of the section. Minneapolis got a 2A win over Hutchinson. Mound Westonka stayed unbeaten picking up wins outside the section. Providence Academy got two wins outside the section and Litchfield Dassel Cokato went winless.
Section 3A Ranking (12/1/24)
1- Luverne Cardinals (2-0-0)
2- New Ulm Eagles (1-0-0)
3- Mankato West Scarlets (0-1-0)
4- Mankato East Cougars (0-3-0)
5- Marshall Tigers (1-2-0)
6- Minnesota River Bulldogs (1-2-0)
7- Worthington Trojans (1-2-0)
8- Windom Eagles (0-2-0)
9- Fairmont Cardinals (0-1-0)
10- Redwood Valley Cardinals (0-2-0)
3A Summary- Luverne picked up a Section 3A win over Fairmont. Mankato West & Mankato East both went winless outside the section. Minnesota River got their 1st win outside of the section. Worthington got a 3A win over Redwood Valley. Windom went winless this week and New Ulm was idle.
Section 4A Ranking (12/1/24)
1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (1-3-0)
2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats (1-0-1)
3- Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars (0-0-0)
4- Simley Spartans (3-0-0)
5- St. Paul Highland Park Scots (2-1-0)
6- South St Paul Packer (1-1-0)
7- St. Paul Academy Spartans (0-2-0)
8- Bloomington Kennedy Eagles (0-2-0)
4A Summary- Mahtomedi & Chisago Lakes both got their first win of the year outside of the section. Simley & St Paul Highland Park both won their Thanksgiving Tournaments. South St Paul went .500 on their trip up north and both St Paul Academy & Bloomington Kennedy went winless. Southwest Christian/Richfield was idle again.
Section 5A Ranking (12/1/24)
1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders (0-1-1)
2- Monticello Moose (1-0-0)
3- Little Falls Flyers (1-0-0)
4- River Lakes Stars (2-0-0)
5- Pine City Dragons (3-0-0)
6- Sauk Rapids Storm (1-1-0)
7. Princeton Tigers (0-4-0)
8- Mora/Milaca Mustangs (0-2-0)
9- Becker/Big Lake Eagles (0-0-1)
5A Summary- St Cloud Cathedral lost to Hibbing while Monticello beat Orono and Little Falls beat Fergu Falls. River Lakes & Sauk Rapids both picked up big 8A upset wins. Pine City got a 5A win over Mora/Milaca and won the Marshall Tournament. Princeton continue to be winless and Becker/Big Lake was idle
Section 6A Ranking (12/1/24)
1- Northern Lakes Lightning (2-1-0)
2- Alexandria Cardinals (1-2-0)
3- Fergus Falls Otters (1-2-0)
4- Morris/Benson Storm (0-2-0)
5- Prairie Centre North Stars (0-1-0)
6- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades (1-0-1)
7- Willmar Cardinals (0-2-0)
8- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines (0-0-0)
6A Summary- Northern Lakes got a 6A win over Prairie Centre. Alexandria and Fergus Falls both picked up their 1st wins outside the section. Breckenridge/Wahpeton got a 6A win over Willmar. Morris/Benson went winless down in Marshall. Wadena Deer Creek was idle this week.
Section 7A Ranking (12/1/24)
1- Hermantown Hawks (0-1-1)
2- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks (3-0-0)
3- Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets (2-2-0)
4- Proctor Rails (3-1-0)
5- North Shore Storm (0-3-0)
6- International Falls Broncos (0-0-0)
7- Greenway Raiders (2-2-0)
8- Moose Lake Rebels (2-1-0)
9- Ely Timberwolves (0-1-0)
7A Summary- Hermantown lost and tied vs AA private powers. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton got a big 7A win over Hibbing. Proctor went .500 at TRIA. North Shore lost to a Wisconsin school. Greenway got a 7A win over Moose Lake but the Rebels got a 7A win over Ely. International Falls was idle during the week.
Section 8A Ranking (12/1/24)\
1- Warroad Warriors (1-0-1)
2- Detroit Lakes Lakers (3-1-0)
3- East Grand Forks Greenwave (2-3-0)
4- Thief River Falls Prowlers (1-2-0)
5- Crookston Pirates (2-0-0)
6- Red Lake Falls Eagles (2-1-0)
7- Bagley/Fosston Eagles (1-1-0)
8- Lake of the Woods Bears (0-1-0)
9- Park Rapids Panthers (0-3-0)
10- Kittson County Central Bearcats (0-1-0)
8A Summary-Detroit Lakes got a big 8A win over East Grand Forks. Thief River Falls struggled out of the gate. Crookston got 8A wins over Red Lake Falls & Kittson County Central. RLF did get an 8A win over Bagley/Fosston. Park Rapids lost both games over Thanksgiving and Warroad & Lake of the Woods were idle this week.