The Road to the Barn gets underway with section play in four classes. The two small school classes, Class A & AA have already begun so first up is a preview of the eight Class AAAA sections.
In Section 1, the top seeded Farmington Tigers have been one of the dominant teams this season losing only to Hopkins and Rosemount. They're on a quest for their first trip to the state tournament. But the Tigers, led by 6'4" center Sophie Hart have serious competition ahead in the second seeded Rochester Mayo Spartans how have not lost a game since the calendar changed to 2020. Mayo has won 16 straight games. Also in the mix are the third seeded New Prague Trojans and the fourth seeded Rochester John Marshall Rockets.
The top seed in Section 2, the Chaska Hawks has gone 20-2 since they began the season 1-2. Don't count out the second seeded Eden Prairie Eagles or the third seeded Minnetonka Skippers.
Now to Section 3, where Irish eyes could be smiling again in Rosemount after the boys hockey team was eliminated by St. Thomas Academy. The top seeded Irish are in the hunt for their first state berth since 2002. They will have to get by the second seeded Lakeville North Panthers. And what happened to Eastview? The Lightning, guided by Molly Kasper are the fifth seed and could end their run of eight straight section titles since they have a record of 6-20.
The Stillwater Ponies lost Sara Scalia from last year's Class AAAA runner up team to graduation and the Minnesota Golden Gophers but they occupy the top seed in Section 4. But looking to dethrone the Ponies and head to The Barn for the first time is the second seeded East Ridge Raptors.
The green and gold of the Park Center Pirates is the top seed in Section 5. The Pirates have one of the top juniors in the state in Adalia McKenzie as she tries to help the Brooklyn Park school return to state since 2017. The section gets tougher with the second seeded Centennial Cougars, the third seeded Roseville Raiders and the fourth seeded Maple Grove Crimson. It has the makings of a tough section.
Over in Section 6, the defending Class AAAA champion Hopkins Royals are the top seed and you'll need only two words to describe their offense, Paige Bueckers. She is the top player in the state as well as the nation and she leads the Royals toward The Barn a final time before she plays for Geno Auriemma next season at UConn. Another player worth watching has an outstanding future, sophomore Maya Nnaji. Memo to Gopher head coach Lindsey Whalen, head over to Williams Arena to see Nnjai. She could help put the Gophers in the NCAA in 2023. Looking to dethrone Brian Cosgriff's bunch is the second seeded Wayzata Trojans and the third seeded St. Louis Park Orioles.
What a winter sports season it has been at Andover. The girls hockey team won the Class AA state title, the boys hockey team is one win away from heading to the X in St. Paul and the girls basketball team is the top seed in Section 7. They head into section play with four straight wins. Hoping to keep the Andover fan buses in the garage are two teams trying to end four game losing streaks, the second seeded Blaine Bengals and the third seeded Forest Lake Rangers.
Heading north to Section 8, where the top seeded Maple Grove Crimson are in the hunt for their third straight trip to state. But before Crimson fans head down I-94 to the U of M campus they will have to get past the second seeded St. Michael-Albertville Knights, who kept the Hopkins Royals winning margin under 10 in both games since they joined the Lake Conference this season. The third seeded Elk River Elks enter section play with a four game winning streak.
Next. The eight Class AAA sections.
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