Star Tribune staff writers Ron Haggstrom, David La Vaque and Jim Paulsen broke down each metropolitan-area district and came up with their predictions for the upcoming season.
NOTE: Records are from 2016.
Blaine took off when Connor Melton took over at quarterback midway through the 2016 season, making a run to the Class 6A semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Totino-Grace. The Bengals have enough returning, led by Melton and WR Byron Bynum Jr., to earn a slight edge over the Eagles, who have big holes to fill, particularly at the skill positions. Champlin Park won’t have injured QB Bennett Otto until midway through the season, but the Rebels will still be formidable. St. Michael-Albertville, making the jump to Class 6A, is the wildcard in the mix.
1. Blaine (9-3)
2. Totino-Grace (13-0)
3. Champlin Park (8-4)
4. St. Michael-Albertville (8-2)
5. Centennial (5-5)
6. Osseo (2-7)
7. Anoka (4-5)
Year 2 under Cretin-Derham Hall coach Brooks Bollinger should bring improvement to a roster dotted with talent, paced by senior QB Jackson Crawford, who has all the physical tools but needs fine-tuning. Woodbury suffered under high expectations last year and lost plenty of offensive talent, but has a great defensive nucleus back. Keep an eye on Roseville, which has an experienced QB in Luke Borchardt and a terrific two-way player in RB/DB Victor Yang.
1. Cretin-Derham Hall (7-3)
2. Woodbury (4-5)
3. Roseville (3-6)
4. Stillwater (5-4)
5. Mounds View (7-3)
6. East Ridge (7-3)
7. White Bear Lake (0-9)
Like physical football? Look no further. The top three teams all play a brand of hard-nosed football (calling it smash-mouth is a no-no in these safety-conscious days) that can grind down opponents. Both Lakeville North and Rosemount have big, beefy lines, but the Panthers have the edge when is comes to the skill positions. Prior Lake is another tough-minded group and has an electric RB in Jordan Johnson.
1. Lakeville North (9-2)
2. Rosemount (9-2)
3. Prior Lake (5-5)
4. Farmington (4-5)
5. Burnsville (7-3)
6. Eastview (3-6)
7. Lakeville South (1-8)
8. Shakopee (1-8)
9. Eagan (0-9)
All five teams could conceivably earn a No. 1 or 2 seed in the Class 6A postseason bracket. Eden Prairie looks loaded, with game-changers (QB Cole Kramer, RB Solo Falaniko, S Benny Sapp III, LB Anthony Montero, etc.) at nearly every position. Edina is tough up front, led by the state’s top recruit in junior OL Quinn Carroll. Expect Maple Grove and Minnetonka to lean on stout defenses.
1. Eden Prairie (11-2)
2. Edina (5-5)
3. Maple Grove (8-3)
4. Minnetonka (8-3)
5. Wayzata (2-7)
Elk River is coming off its first state championship season (Class 5A), but will have plenty of retooling to do from a senior-laden squad. It only returns two offensive and three defensive starters from the title game of a year ago. Andover made a late-season run to earn a spot in the state tournament, and should be better out of the gate this year.
1. Elk River (13-0)
2. Andover (5-7)
3. St. Francis (6-5)
4. Rogers (6-3)
5. Monticello (7-3)
6. Chisago Lakes (4-5)
7. Buffalo (3-6)
8. Cambridge-Isanti (2-7)
Becker lost three games by a total of seven points last season. With an experienced group returning and favorable schedule (back-to-back home games against Rocori in Week 3 and Hutchinson in Week 4), look for coach Dwight Lundeen to have his Bulldogs atop the heap. Coach Andy Rostberg will have another strong squad at Hutchinson.
1. Becker (6-3)
2. Hutchinson (9-1)
3. Rocori (9-4)
4. Big Lake (6-5)
5. Willmar (4-7)
6. Princeton (4-7)
7. St. Cloud Apollo (1-8)
Benilde-St. Margaret’s won the Class 4A state title and Holy Angels eyes the same prize. The Stars, led by linebacker/running back Jack Anderson, meet Benilde-St. Margaret’s in Week 6 and both reside in Section 5. Not that it’s a two-team race. Orono returns four starters on offense and six on defense. DeLaSalle, featuring running back Sage Booker, returns 12 seniors excited to make the second year of coach CJ Hallman’s tenure a memorable one.
1. Holy Angels (4-6)
2. Orono (7-5)
3. DeLaSalle (4-6)
4. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (10-3)
5. Richfield (3-6)
6. St. Louis Park (2-8)
Chanhassen must rebuild its offense but no such construction is needed on defense. Seven starters return and coach Mike Bailey believes, “If our defense is as good as we think it will be, we should be able to return to the section championship.” Senior linebacker Jake Maus, a three-year starter, could set the program record for career tackles. Bloomington Jefferson has more size and will count on a strong running game. Coach Corey Shea takes over at Waconia.
1. Chanhassen (9-1)
2. Bloomington Jefferson (3-6)
3. Chaska (6-4)
4. Waconia (7-3)
5. Bloomington Kennedy (1-8)
Three of the four programs welcome a legitimate chance at better win-loss records this fall. Hopkins, Forest Lake and Coon Rapids dropped the Class 6A heavyweights from their schedule. Robbinsdale Armstrong, meanwhile, gets a little tougher slate, adding fellow big-school programs Hopkins and Forest Lake. The Falcons return key pieces in linebacker Mekhi Besseck and kicker Matthew Jaeger. Hopkins running back Jadon Washington is capable of 1,000 yards.
1. Hopkins (4-6)
2. Robbinsdale Armstrong (5-4)
3. Forest Lake (1-8)
4. Coon Rapids (0-9)
Four returning offensive linemen pave the road for an Apple Valley team hoping to return to the state tournament. Riley Hansen (6-4, 285 pounds) is the biggest body in a group loaded with talented, physical blockers. Liam McManus starts under center for St. Thomas Academy, his first year at quarterback after playing defense last season. Park of Cottage Grove quarterback Grant Glazier was an all-district selection at receiver last season.
1. Apple Valley (7-4)
2. St. Thomas Academy (6-4)
3. Park of Cottage Grove (7-3)
4. Hastings (5-5)
5. Henry Sibley (3-6)
Veteran standouts abound. Robbinsdale Cooper, hungry to take its turn atop the subdistrict, boasts linebacker Onte Burns and defensive back Phoenix Sproles. Spring Lake Park linebacker/running back Cade McMahon has started two years on teams that went a combined 22-2. The Panthers lost in the Class 5A Prep Bowl last season. Coaches expect Irondale to be a factor. Coach Ben Fuller said this team features his most experienced group of returning players in his four seasons.
1. Robbinsdale Cooper (8-2)
2. Spring Lake Park (12-1)
3. Irondale (3-7)
4. North St. Paul (1-8)
5. Park Center (0-9)
New-look South St. Paul is expected to pace the field. Cade Sexauer moves from defense to quarterback, hoping to increase the Packers’ passing game production. He’ll have a big target in tight end Nathan Brandecker. South St. Paul’s option offense can still pound the ball. Running backs Chase Bentsen and Angel Rodriguez each tallied more than 800 yards. Mahtomedi returns just four starters.
1. South St. Paul (10-1)
2. Mahtomedi (10-1)
3. Tartan (3-6)
4. Simley (2-8)
5. Hill-Murray (2-8)
A district that didn’t have a team finish above .500 last season could be in for more of the same this year. Spectrum is the best of the group with 1,700-yard rusher Fisher Marberg back, and could dominate this field. It won five of its last six games a year ago, with every victory coming against a current district foe.
1. Spectrum (5-5)
2. St. Agnes (4-5)
3. Brooklyn Center (4-6)
4. Concordia Academy (1-8)
5. Minneapolis Roosevelt (2-7)
6. Minneapolis Edison (1-8)
7. St. Paul Humboldt (0-1)
Mound Westonka breezed through its district last year, only to fall in its first section game. The road to success won’t come quite as easy this season, which could benefit the White Hawks come playoff time. Academy Force is a combined program of six schools, highlighted by New Life Academy in Woodbury, and on the rise.
1. Mound Westonka (8-1)
2. Academy Force (6-4)
3. Minneapolis Henry (6-4)
4. Providence Academy (6-3)
5. St. Paul Johnson (4-5)
6. Minneapolis Southwest (1-8)
St. Croix Lutheran has made six consecutive state tournament appearances and welcomes back its leading rusher Michael Stern (1,853 yards) and top receiver Garett Maag. A seventh consecutive state trip is in sight. SPA/Minnehaha/Blake also welcomes back key contributors from last year’s squad, and will be tough to beat.
1. St. Croix Lutheran (12-1)
2. SPA/Minnehaha/Blake (9-1)
3. Fridley (8-3)
4. St. Paul Highland Park (6-4)
5. Minneapolis Washburn (5-5)
6. St. Paul Central (5-5)
Defending Class 1A state champion Minneapolis North moves up a class for the 2017 season. Don’t expect anybody in the district or Section 4 to deter it from another state tournament run. The Polars have won at least 12 games each of the past three seasons. Look for Breck to be the most improved squad over a year ago.
1. Minneapolis North (13-0)
2. Breck (2-7)
3. Columbia Heights (5-5)
4. St. Anthony (2-7)
5. St. Paul Como Park (3-7)
6. Minneapolis South (0-9)
7. St. Paul Harding (2-7)
Glencoe-Silver Lake finished with a flourish in 2016, winning five consecutive games before falling in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs to Belle Plaine. The Panthers have some big bodies back, most notably defensive tackle Paul Lemke, to lean on while they develop arms and legs. Delano was green in 2016, but those youngsters are now experienced vets.
1. Glencoe-Silver Lake (6-4)
2. Delano (4-5)
3. Litchfield (6-4)
4. Annandale (4-5)
5. Holy Family (2-7)
6. Watertown-Mayer (2-7)
7. Dassel-Cokato (2-7)
Tag(s): MSHSL Districts East Central South Annandale Dassel-Cokato Delano Glencoe-Silver Lake Holy Family Litchfield Watertown-Mayer Metro East Cretin-Derham Hall East Ridge Forest Lake Mounds View Roseville Stillwater Woodbury White Bear Lake Maroon Hastings Two Rivers Hill-Murray Mahtomedi North St. Paul Park of Cottage Grove Simley South St. Paul St. Thomas Academy Tartan South Apple Valley Burnsville Eagan Eastview Farmington Lakeville North Lakeville South Rosemount North Central Blue Buffalo Cambridge-Isanti Elk River Rogers St. Francis St. Michael-Albertville Chisago Lakes Monticello Suburban Red Benilde-St. Margaret's DeLaSalle Irondale Park Center Robbinsdale Armstrong Robbinsdale Cooper St. Louis Park Spring Lake Park White Bloomington Jefferson Bloomington Kennedy Chanhassen Chaska Holy Angels Orono Richfield Waconia Twin City City - Blue Brooklyn Center Minneapolis Edison Minneapolis North Minneapolis Roosevelt St. Agnes St. Paul Humboldt Spectrum Suburban - Gold Minneapolis South Providence Academy St. Paul Harding St. Paul Johnson SMB Suburban - Maroon Fridley Minneapolis Southwest Minneapolis Washburn St. Anthony St. Croix Lutheran St. Paul Central St. Paul Highland Park City - Red Breck Columbia Heights Concordia Academy Minneapolis Patrick Henry Mound Westonka St. Paul Como Park North Andover Anoka Blaine Centennial Champlin Park Coon Rapids Osseo Totino-Grace West Eden Prairie Edina Hopkins Maple Grove Minnetonka Prior Lake Shakopee Wayzata Academy Force Blue Gold Gray