Class AA Team Section Preview + Logan’s 3 Most Exciting Section Tournaments
Is there a Class AA Team Section Final that could be more exciting than a rematch between Zumbrota-Mazeppa and Kasson-Mantorville?
The Class AA team race may be better than it has been in years. Simley recently had their 65-match winning streak broken by AAA #1 Mounds View. Is the team race as open as it appears to be? Or is Simley going to win their 6th consecutive state title? Before we can cross that bridge, Section Titles must be won. By my count, six of the eight sections have a great amount of parity. Here’s the three that I’m most excited for:
The Can’t Miss Tournaments: 6AA, 1AA, and 2AA
#1) Section 6AA
The favorite: Becker
The other contenders: Rocori, Annandale/Maple Lake and Foley
Here. We. Go. The section with potentially the most quality teams in AA is sure to have one of the most exciting section tournaments. Becker has not lost a section dual yet and is coming off back-to-back third place finishes at state. However, they only beat Foley by 2 in the regular season, and Annandale/Maple Lake was only 14 points behind Becker in their regular season matchup.
But wait, it gets even better. Rocori is red hot in February with great wins over Perham, New London-Spicer, and section rival, Annandale/Maple Lake. They’ve got a big dual with Foley on February 9th that will decide section seeding and truly feels like a postseason preview. Within the top four, this section is anyone’s game. And beyond the top four, there are MORE talented teams. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted placed 3rd in Class A last year. Big Lake, Princeton and others will help make the quarterfinals entertaining. From top to bottom, this could be the most unpredictable section tournament in AA.
#2) Section 1AA
The favorite(s): Zumbrota-Mazeppa (ZM) and Kasson-Mantorville (KM)
The other contender: Stewartville
My goodness - ZM finally did it. They moved up to AA two and a half years ago, and since then, had not beat KM. Until this year. It was one of the most thrilling regular season duals I’ve seen, and if these two match up once again in the section finals, it should be the most anticipated section final across the entire state outside of Section 4AAA with Mounds View and Stillwater. It will be challenging for any other teams to knock ZM and KM off their collision course, but if somebody can do it, look no further than Stewartville. They started the season as a relative unknown, but continued to grow and emerge, and will now look to play spoiler against the two 1AA giants.
#3) Section 2AA
The favorite: Scott West
The other contenders: Watertown-Mayer and St. Peter
Section 2AA is filled with quality teams and high-end individuals. Thus, they have a compelling case for being the deepest section in the entire state. The strongest team in the section to date, Scott West, has not been at the state tournament since 2018 after about 15 years of dominating Section 2AA. They’re the favorite at this point, but Watertown-Mayer only lost to them by 2 in the regular season, and St. Peter beat ALL of their section opponents (with the exception of Scott West). Even the quarterfinals of 2AA have the potential to be entertaining when you mix in teams like Delano, Maple River/USC, and Mound-Westonka amongst others. There are no scrubs here - this section tournament was built in a lab!
The Rest of the Races (in no particular order):
Section 3AA
The favorite(s): Dawson-Boyd-Lac Qui Parle-Montevideo United (United)
The other contenders: Marshall and New London-Spicer
United narrowly won Section 3AA last year, and they’ll have their hands full again this February. On paper, Marshall and New London-Spicer are the biggest threats. United beat Marshall by 7 all the way in the first week of December, but a lot has changed in two-plus months. New London-Spicer beat some great teams this year (Exhibit A: Willmar) and their lack of head-to-head results with United and Marshall add an intriguing unknown to the potential section matchups. The two 2023 section semifinals were decided by five total points, and that’s likely to be the case again this year with quality teams like New Ulm Area and Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake/Hector-Stewart making 3AA five teams deep.
Section 4AA
The favorite: Simley
The other contender: South Saint Paul
Last year, Simley won the Section Final 81-0. I can promise you they won’t do that again this year (because now there are only 13 weight classes… So technically they can only score 78 total points.) Simley has been to state 15 of the last 16 years, and it would take a lot to change that trend this year. South Saint Paul is equipped to get back to the section finals once again. This year, South Saint Paul won three of 13 individual matches in their regular season dual against Simley, which is a step in the right direction. Simley seems primed for another state title run.
Section 5AA
The favorite: Totino-Grace
The other contenders: Bloomington Kennedy, Minneapolis Roosevelt and Fridley
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Totino-Grace is the Section 5AA favorite. Yes, that’s right - the Eagles are in the driver’s seat once again. They’ve only missed the state tournament once since 2013, and they have a great chance to place top-3 for the first time in a long time. They had limited action with other 5AA teams during the regular season, but it looks like Bloomingon Kennedy is the other favorite to appear in the section finals. The bottom-side semifinal could be a nail biter, as the Bloomington Kennedy/Minneapolis Roosevelt/Fridley trifecta all had very tight regular season duals.
Section 7AA
The favorite: Little Falls
The other contender: Pierz
Going into the season, reigning section finalists Mora and Grand Rapids were viewed as the favorites. That narrative has completely changed, as Little Falls and Pierz will likely secure the top two seeds. It’s looking like 7AA is a two-horse race, but Grand Rapids still has the potential to make some noise. Both of Grand Rapids’ regular season duals with Little Falls and Pierz were within striking distance. If the Little Falls-Pierz matchup happens in the finals, know that it’s going to be close. Little Falls won the first match by just 10 points and won 8 out of 13 matches.
Section 8AA
The favorite: Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (DGF)
The other contenders: Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus and Perham
I legitimately cannot find the last time DGF qualified for the state wrestling tournament. (If anyone has this piece of information, please send it to jvtakes1@gmail.com). Yet, here they find themselves as the favorite in 8AA. DGF is a great team built with balance from top to bottom. The most likely foe in the section finals would be Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus, last year’s 8AA champ. They’re going to be stiff competition, as will be Perham. I could see any of the top three taking the title here, but beyond the top three, Alexandria and Thief River Falls can’t be slept on either. They could have an exciting four versus five seed matchup, and Thief River Falls only lost to Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus by 5 in the regular season, should they advance.