Some sections are already underway in Class AA so who is left standing are who are the top seeds in the eight sections.
Section 1 is down to the final four teams as the top seeded Rochester Lourdes Eagles are still alive and take on the fifth seeded Stewartville Trojans. There was an quarterfinal upset with the seventh seeded Dover-Eyota Eagles ending the second seeded Lake City Tigers season. They will face a team that moved on up from Section 1A to Section 1AA, the third seeded Goodhue Wildcats who are in the hunt for a piece of the state tournament pie.
The Battle of Highway 169 could take place in the Section 2 North Subsection with the top seeded Belle Plaine Tigers and the second seeded Jordan Jaguars. The top four seeds in the South Subsection are still alive as the top seeded Waseca Bluejays dropped down to Class AAA for Class AA. The second seeded Medford Tigers are on a six game winning streak and will battle the Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Knights.
Down in Section 3, the North Subsection top seed New London-Spicer Wildcats are having a fabulous season under veteran head coach Mike Dreier and they are three wins away from their 18th state tournament berth. But they will have to get past the second seeded Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles. The South Subsection go come down to a two team race between the top seeded Luverne Cardinals and the second seeded Windom Area Eagles.
The top seed in Section 4 is the defending Class AA champion Minnehaha Academy Redhawks. Matt Pryor's bunch has some tough competition in defensive of the Redhawks championship reign in the second seeded St. Paul Humboldt Hawks, who have never been to the state tournament and the third seeded Concordia Academy Beacons. Can the Redhawks maintain their dominance in Class AA though their male counterparts moved up to Class AAA?
In Section 5, the top seeded Providence Academy Lions look for their first trip to The Barn since 2013. It could be a four team race as the Watertown-Mayer Royals, led by future Gopher Maggie Czinano are the second seed, followed by the third third seeded Rockford Rockets and the fourth seeded Blake Bears.
The best section in Class AA and possibly Minnesota is Section 6 where six teams have a shot at the section title. First, there's the top seeded Albany Huskies who took home the championship hardware last season. Then you have the second seeded Sauk Centre Mainstreeters. Head coach Scott Bergman has eight seniors on his roster and they have been tournament tested having advanced to three consecutive state tournaments. There's also the third seeded Pine City Tigers who are in the hunt for their first trip down I-35 to Minneapolis, as well as the fourth seeded Royalton Royals and the fifth seeded Holdingford Huskers and the sixth seeded Melrose Dutchmen who have not been to state since 1979. Head up to St. Cloud State on March 6 for the section final. Who will be in it?
Up north to Section 7, where the top seed in Subsection 1 is the Esko Eskomos, who have been to 12 state tournaments and not taken home a championship trophy. But on their heels is the second seeded Pequot Lakes Patriots. It's a three team race in Subsection 2 with the top seeded and defending section champion Proctor Rails, followed by the second seeded Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers and the hot third seeded Mesabi East giants who have won eight straight games.
The last Class AA section could also be highly competitive. The North Subsection has the top seeded Hawley Nuggets, the second seeded Roseau Rams who have won five consecutive section titles and the third seeded Crookston Pirates. Over in the South Subsection, the top seeded Fergus Falls Otters lost to Holy Angels in last year's Class AAA state quarterfinals. This season, the Otters went down to Class AA and will have to contend with the second seeded and unbeaten Pelican Rapids Vikings.
The eight Class A sections are next.
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