For the first time this year it was one game per day. The mega Saturday events were in the rear view mirror or waiting dead ahead in the next calendar year 2023. It was a week heavy with Minneapolis taking center stage both with city conference teams and private schools. Also, near ring suburbs of Minneapolis with some migration out, did play a part in some of the suburban schools.

I wrapped up section 8AAAA, the first to be completed this season. I eliminated three teams from section 6AAAA, leaving three to go, the smallest amount in the sections remaining.

The weather was an issue most of the week with some games postponed/cancelled on Thursday due to the snow. I know it was miserable returning home on Thursday from Rogers with multiple vehicles on their sides or facing the wrong way in the ditch from 94 and 610.

I spent time in a new facility—-Rogers has a new gym. I traveled there on Thursday. First off the roads there were not ideal (it was much worse returning home), but when I got to Rogers the parking lot was cram-jammed. There was a hockey event next door. I had to park on the east side of the building, I probably needed an uber to get to the main door. Then I entered the building and was surprised to see wrestling on what I thought was the main floor. I was told the game was in the new gym.

For the week the pp100 dropped to 79.52. Winners checked in at 94.25. The battle of the classes went to AAA 84.48 to AAAA’s 73.44. Minneapolis South dragged down the average for AAAA.

8AAAA

The first section is now in the bank. 8AAAA takes a big swath of the state from the northwest suburbs to the northwest portion of the state. The distances from furthest reaches from Elk River to Moorhead is three hours and seven minutes. Four schools are metro based, five are “outstate.” 8AAAA is also has the largest field in the state with nine teams. Why? St. Cloud combined Tech & Apollo, both former AAA teas which bumped them up a class as the renamed “Crush.” No word if this pairing will continue after this cycle. As a group 8AAAA is 73.9 pp100 which is not very high at all, but separating the metro we find the pp100 for the suburbs moves to 77.6. Buffalo drags down the average with their anemic 45.5 when they played Brainerd. The outstate barely gets to the 70s with 70.98. They had three of the teams under 70. The best pp100 belongs to St. Michael-Albertville with 98. As for the 31 Clubbers eight make the list with Avery Templin of Sartell going one better (or ten better) with 41. St. Michael-Albertville and Rogers both have two players on the list.

INFLATION

Yes, prices are up…I saw $10 for adults at one venue. Is it any wonder crowds are thin? I am not talking economics here, but rating inflation: specifically, the qrf. This was the first week the qrf made their appearance, and as always at the start of the year there were headscratchers. The q in qrf may be for questionable-rating-factor. One reason I opted for the game Thursday at Rogers was because Champlin Park was #2 overall. They were unbeaten at the time and clearly were not #2. They since have fallen to #17, still above #19 Rogers, a team they lost to 57-38. They weren’t the only team with elevated listings. Minneapolis Roosevelt, a team I charted on Wednesday at Rockford, was the #1 overall in AA. They have dropped one peg in class AA. As it stands, they are at #30 overall. Providence, the #1 in the AP poll put out by the Basketball news is climbing up. They are #40 overall or about #4 in AA. Even today (Sunday) some teams are still high. Fridley is #47 but lost to #65 Mahtomedi on Tuesday 84-59. Holy Angels was #9, they lost to #41 Benilde-St. Margaret’s on Saturday 88-73. Does head to head matter? Some of the mystery can be attributed to games against teams from other states. Hopkins, who always gets short shift at the start of every year in the qrf, faces quality teams from Iowa, yet is only #4. So the AP has Hopkins, Becker, Providence and Hancock as #1s. The qrf has Wayzata, Holy Angels, Duluth Marshall, and Mayer Lutheran as their #1s. Eventually the qrf does shift. But the AP seems to be closer to the mark. My only question right now at the top of the polls is Hancock. They seem to be the most vulnerable.

WEEK AHEAD

No Saturday games because of the holidays make it a thin week. Friday only has two scheduled contests making it even thinner.

31 CLUB

With six games, there numbers were going to a drop of 31 Clubbers. It did get out to eleven—about two per game. But Wednesday’s game at Rockford did not provide any players. AAA had the most for the week with seven. Leading the way was Olivia Olson of Benilde-St. Margaret’s with a 48 in the win that knocked Holy Angels off the unbeaten path. BSM also had a trio join the 31 Club with Kendall McGee and Sierra Lumpkin joining Olson. Pace helped explain the explosion of 31ers in that group. Scoring a lot also was beneficial. The best pp100 in the 31 club belonged to Virginia Johnson of Minneapolis Southwest with an astronomical 218.2. Next highest was 90 points off. The reason Johnson reached the sizzling stratosphere was her 3 point shooting of 7/9. Eight of the eleven players made it to the century mark. Besides BSM, Rogers and Fridley had a pair joining the club. Fridley is an oddity since the Tigers were on the losing end of the contest. Both players were sub-100 in pp100.

UNBEATEN

Four weeks over and 37 remain without a blemish. Four teams remain in the big classes including both current #1s in the AP poll. The AA & A will be listed once they drop to singles.

AAAA 4: Hopkins, Lakeville South, Rosemount, St. Michael-Albertville
AAA 4: Becker, Jordan, Marshall, North St. Paul
AA 12
A 17

SEARCH FOR 100

With the qrf now out we can measure the progress. The top end is always strong at this point. With the week ahead limited with no action on Saturday, the progress will be slowed considerably. Look for a bigger pop in week 6 during the holiday tournament season.

1-10-90%
1-25-76%
1-50-62%
1-75-53%
1-100-43%

SEEDING THE STATE

Change change A relatively quiet week at the top. There was some shifting and sorting in spots #3 and under. I have charted all eight AAAA. I have seen five of the AAA, two of the AA, two of the A.

AAAA

1. Hopkins (6)
2. Michael-Albertville (8)
3. Chaska (2)
4. Rosemount (3)
5. East Ridge (4)
6. Maple Grove (5)
7. Lakeville South (1)
8. Anoka (7)

AAA

1. Becker (5)
2. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (6)
3. Jordan (2)
4. Red Wing (1)
5. Grand Rapids (7)
6. Alexandria (8)
7. Hill-Murray (4)
8. Visitation (3)

AA

1. Providence (5)
2. Minnehaha (4)
3. Albany (6)
4. Perham (8)
5. Goodhue (1)
6. Proctor (7)
7. Montevideo (3)
8. Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (2)

A

1. Hancock (6)
2. Mountain Iron-Buhl (7)
3. Mayer Lutheran (2)
4. Hayfield (1)
5. Minneota (3)
6. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (5)
7. Fosston (8)
8. United Christian (4)