sections vs. conferences

[MGP103]

Why so much movement?
5AA. As an example. Why does elk river, andover, and armstrong get shipped out come sections and they bring in Irondale? Just wondering on the logic of this. I would love too see divisions and sections be the same.

[MGP103]

I would love to see 8 divisions that are the sections. Keep the rivaleries in sections and not ship teams here and there.

[karl(east)]

Every 2 years, the MSHSL realigns sections. They do this because just about every year something shifts (schools open or close, teams move in or out of co-ops, choose to opt up to AA or stop opting up, enrollments change, etc.). Since they want to keep the same number of teams in each section, and maintain the geographic integrity of the sections, they make the necessary changes.

7AA is a prime example...if we look at the section 10 years ago, it included Greenway (then a AA power, now an A doormat), and Hibbing (has also since dropped to A), along with Brainerd (makes more sense for them to be in 8AA). If they hadn't changed, there would be 5 teams left. That's why they've had to add a bunch of north metro area teams.

It can also make sense for competitive balance...10 years ago Wayzata, Eden Prairie, Edina, and Minnetonka were all in 6AA. If you add Benilde to that (who opted up a few years later), that would be even more insane than it currently is.

[elliott70]

By divisions I assume you mean conferences.

[MGP103]

yes I ment confrences my bad.
Thanks for the clarification Karl.
Always wondered why Irondale comes in to section 5AA when they rarely play anyone from NWSC throughout the year.
just seems like there would be a better way but I guess there really isnt.

[MNHockeyFan]

Don't forget that conferences can change big-time also, as we just saw with the old Classic Lake and the "new" Lake and South Suburban teams. If sections strictly followed conferences it would be a real mess, PLUS it would encourage all teams to join a conference that was as weak as possible, i.e. BSM would love the North Suburban to be it's Section 6AA to get to State!

[outside_observer]

Current Rankings are BOLD

• Section: 1
  Farmington High School
  Lakeville North High School
  20 Lakeville South High School
  Owatonna High School
  Rochester Century High School
  Rochester John Marshall
  Rochester Mayo High School
  Coop: 234 "Dodge County Wildcats"
  Byron High School
  Dover-Eyota High School
  Hayfield High School
  Kasson-Mantorville High School (HOST)
  Pine Island High School
  Triton High School
  Coop: 490 "Winona Winhawks"
  Cotter High School
  Hope Lutheran High School
  Saint Charles High School
  Winona High School (HOST)
  
  Section: 2
  16 Academy of Holy Angels
  Bloomington Jefferson High School
  Bloomington Kennedy High School
  10 Burnsville High School
  Chanhassen High School
  2 Edina High School
  Prior Lake High School
  Shakopee High School
  
  Section: 3
  12 Apple Valley High School
  Cretin-Derham Hall High School
  7 Eagan High School
  East Ridge High School
  Eastview High School
  Hastings High School
  Henry Sibley High School
  Park High School
  Rosemount High School
  Woodbury High School
  
  Section: 4
  4 Hill-Murray School
  Mounds View High School
  North High School
  19 Roseville Area High School
  Stillwater Area High School
  Tartan High School
  14 White Bear Lake Area High School
  Coop: 405 "Saint Paul Como Cougars"
  Saint Paul Central High School
  Saint Paul Como Park H.S. (HOST)
  
  Section: 5
  Anoka High School
  17 Blaine High School
  Centennial High School
  Champlin Park High School
  Coon Rapids High School
  9 Maple Grove High School
  Coop: 227 "Irondale Knights"
  Irondale High School (HOST)
  Saint Anthony Village High School
  Coop: 342 "Osseo H.S."
  Maranatha Christian Academy
  Osseo High School (HOST)
  Coop: 345 "North Metro Stars"
  Brooklyn Center High School
  Columbia Heights High School
  Fridley High School
  Park Center High School (HOST)
  
  Section: 6
  5 Benilde-St. Margaret's School
  1 Eden Prairie High School
  Hopkins High School
  8 Minnetonka High School
  Robbinsdale Armstrong High School
  Robbinsdale Cooper High School
  6 Wayzata High School
  Coop: 296 "Minneapolis Novas"
  Great River School
  Minneapolis Edison High School
  Minneapolis North Community H.S.
  Minneapolis Patrick Henry H. S.
  Minneapolis Roosevelt High School
  Minneapolis South High School
  Minneapolis Southwest High School (HOST)
  Minneapolis Washburn High School
  Minnesota Transitions Charter School
  
  Section: 7
  Andover High School
  Cambridge-Isanti High School
  3 Duluth East High School
  Forest Lake High School
  11 Grand Rapids High School
  Saint Francis High School
  18 Coop: 103 "C-E-C Lumberjacks"
  Carlton High School
  Cloquet High School (HOST)
  Esko High School
  Coop: 146 "Elk River/Zimmerman"
  Elk River High School (HOST)
  Zimmerman High School
  
  Section: 8
  15 Bemidji High School
  Buffalo High School
  13 Moorhead High School
  Roseau High School
  Saint Cloud Tech High School
  Coop: 37 "Becker/Big Lake"
  Becker High School (HOST)
  Big Lake High School
  Coop: 60 "Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz"
  Brainerd High School (HOST)
  Pierz High School
  Pillager High School
  Coop: 306 "Monticello-Annandale-Maple Lak"
  Annandale High School
  Maple Lake High School
  Monticello High School (HOST)
  Coop: 380 "River Lakes Stars"
  Albany High School
  Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
  Eden Valley-Watkins High School
  New London-Spicer High School
  Paynesville Area High School
  Rocori High School (HOST)
  Saint John's Prep