AA Rankings for 12/7/25

[karl(east)]

Now that we’re a few weeks in we’re getting a little more clarity at the top of the rankings, but nothing comes easy after number four or so. Your rankings:

1. Moorhead (5-0)
-This part remains nice and easy for us rankers, as the Spuds running timed a St. Michael-Albertville team that has beaten Rogers and has a real shot at the 2-seed in 8AA. That’s the standard in the section. Given overall results so far, it would be a surprise if either game this week troubled them.
This week: Thurs at Alexandria, Sat at Grand Rapids

2. Minnetonka (5-0-1)
-The Skippers are making a strong case for this spot right now, as they blasted a Stillwater team that beat St. Thomas and then logged a fourth straight shutout against Buffalo. No matter the competition, over 200 straight minutes of shutout hockey is quite the achievement, and they’re sneaking into Moorhead’s rear view mirror. Wayzata offers their biggest test this coming week, and the prospect of a 1 vs. 2 matchup a week from Saturday looms if they get through it.
This week: Thurs at Prior Lake, Sat at #13 Wayzata

3. St. Thomas Academy (5-1)
-The Cadets had a good week, putting up 16 goals in wins over Eastview and Holy Family, though that Stillwater loss is looking more baffling by the day after Minnetonka rolled past the Ponies. It’s a parade of privates this week, with the highlight being the Saturday visit to rival Hill at Aldrich in a game that will help us sort out the top five some.
This week: Thurs at Blake, Sat at #4 Hill-Murray

4. Hill-Murray (2-0-2)
-The Pioneers aren’t exactly setting the world on fire offensively, with one goal in each of their games this past week, but hey, they didn’t lose either, and we’ve seen this movie before. The Mahtomedi tie isn’t great and costs them a couple spots here, but they did beat Rogers, and with Hermantown’s body of work so far, there isn’t much shame in that tie, either. We’ll get a better since of where they stand against the Cadets.
This week: Thurs at Tartan, Sat vs. #3 St. Thomas Academy

5. Edina (3-2)
-The Hornets have now collected decent wins over Holy Family and Benilde, which is enough to hold hang in here for now. As usual, they now take a week off before their Holiday Classic.
This week: Idle

6. Shakopee (4-1)
-The Sabers are surging in the right direction, taking out conference rival Rosemount and beating Class A frontrunner Hibbing. Their only loss is to Minnetonka, and they’ve got a few good wins to go with that now, too. All three of their opponents this week are respectable, but the sort of teams a top five striver should beat.
This week: Tues vs. Eden Prairie, Thurs at Lakeville South, Sat vs. Holy Family

7. Stillwater (5-1)
-The Ponies didn’t hold up particularly well against Minnetonka, but they’re taking care of everyone else so far; they are getting some decent wins to go with a loss to a very good team. A battle with Blaine this week will be useful for ranking purposes.
This week: Thurs at Forest Lake, Sat vs. #15 Blaine

8. Holy Angels (3-1)
-Had to claw their way past Duluth East in OT, but the Stars got the job done. They shouldn’t face much trouble this coming week.
This week: Fri vs. Dodge County, Sat vs. Breck

9. Maple Grove (4-1)
-The Crimson’s early momentum hit a roadblock against Eden Prairie, who handed them their first loss and left them in the messy muddle outside the top five. A clash with Rogers this week will tell us how much to make of that loss.
This week: Thurs at #11 Rogers, Sat at Buffalo

10. Cretin-Derham Hall (3-2)
-The Raiders took down respectable Lakeville South, but had to fight past Roseville for an undefeated week. They’ll look to continue building steam in conference play now.
This week: Thurs vs. East Ridge, Sat at Woodbury

11. Rogers (4-4)
-The Royals drifted in the right direction this past week with a quality win over Wayzata and a narrow loss to Hill. They’ve dug themselves an early hole relative to expectations, but they can resolve all of that pretty quickly, especially if they handle Maple Grove this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. #9 Maple Grove

12. White Bear Lake (3-1-1)
-The Bears followed up that great win over Rogers with a clunker against Centennial. While the Cougars aren’t a bad squad, that’s not a great one for a team with top ten aspirations. Just one game this coming week, and it’s a winnable one within the Suburban East Conference.
This week: Tues vs. Roseville

13. Wayzata (3-3)
-The Trojans only mustered one goal against Rogers, though they bounced back against STMA for a useful win. The week ahead is an important one, as they face a section rival and a longtime conference foe. Can they find an identity against one of these higher-ranked opponents they seem to get every week?
This week: Thurs vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat vs. #2 Minnetonka

14. Rosemount (5-2)
-Swept a home-and-home against Lakeville North, but came up just short against Shakopee in an early battle for supremacy in the South Suburban. They’ve been methodical, playing consistent and relatively low-scoring games. Another three-game week awaits, and all three opponents are capable of giving them trouble.
This week: Tues at Lakeville South, Fri at Grand Rapids, Sat at Hermantown

15. Blaine (5-0-1)
-The Bengals are solidifying their top 15 standing after a respectable tie against Andover and a solid win over rival Centennial. Stillwater this week is a good test for two teams trying to prove their top ten credentials.
This week: Sat at #7 Stillwater

The Next Ten

Lakeville South (1-2)
-Fell to Cretin, but bounced back against Eastview and have held serve through their first three games. We’ll learn more about them when they face the two conference teams ahead of them in these rankings, Rosemount and Shakopee.

Chanhassen (1-2-1)
-With one-goal losses to Shakopee and Rosemount, a tie against Andover, and a win over Eden Prairie, the Storm seem very much for real so far. Their only game this coming week is against an interesting Class A team in Delano.

Andover (0-3-2)
-This feels weird for a winless team, but the Huskies did lose to Maple Grove by one and just tied Blaine, so they’re certainly right in the thick of the 5AA race. All three losses are to ranked teams, and that Chanhassen tie isn’t looking quite as questionable now that the Storm are XXXX. Two games against other teams in this Next Ten section, Rock Ridge and Elk River, should tell us more this week.

Prior Lake (3-0-1)
-Got the expected wins over Eagan and Apple Valley/Burnsville, though Eden Prairie’s loss to Chanhassen does cast that tie in a somewhat different light. We’ll see if they can hang in there against Minnetonka next.

Eden Prairie (1-2-1)
-The Eagles have been all over the map so far, but a win against Maple Grove shows they have some real high-end potential. Shakopee offers a tough section test this week, and they’ve got a decent Duluth East team, too.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-1)
-Hung in there in a loss to Edina, which leads to a marginal improvement in perception. We’ll see if they can do anything with Wayzata this week.

Rock Ridge (3-4)
-Lost a couple of tight games to Class A powers Hermantown and Warroad, though they did finally bust out with a running time win over Roseau. By the eye test they are the top team in 7AA, but they do have some things to prove. They’ve got a 7AA final rematch this week, and while it means less now with Andover out of the section, it still could be a good statement against a quality team.

Elk River (1-0)
-The Elks won their opener against Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids, which doesn’t tell us a whole lot. We’ll learn more this coming week, which opens with a Sartell team that has made some waves in the early going and concludes with Andover.

Grand Rapids (2-2-1)
-Split their road trip to the northwest, beating Roseau but losing to Warroad. The week ahead is a huge one, with Hibbing, Rosemount, and Moorhead all on tap.

Duluth Marshall (5-0)
-A narrow win over Gentry is the Toppers’ first result that gives a clue as to where they belong in the rankings, and this neighborhood still feels about right for now. Hermantown offers another measuring stick this coming week.

[SEC Scotty]

Thanks Karl!!

[Joe2015]

Good day for Moorhead to be idle!

The other three #1 ranked teams across boys and girls all lost yesterday.

[raidergrad72]

I just remember Andover starting 0-9 last year.

[raidergrad72]

I just remember Andover starting 0-9 last year.