The MSHSL rolled out their new section alignments for the next two seasons and there are some tweaks and adjustments to the section lineups. Perhaps the biggest impact will be Goodhue moving from AA back to A. The Wildcats finished third in the AA state tournament this year and were the #1 seed in section 1 the past two years. That spoils the path for Hayfield who has made the state the last two years. Another A move that, if it would have happened this year, would have made for an interesting A tournament—-Mayer Lutheran moves from section 2 to section 4. The other A sections saw some adjustments none involving state teams (or ranked teams).

AA saw some additions. Jordan now drops down to AA, but instead of section 2 in the south central part of the state, they are placed with Providence in the west metro exurbs in section 5. The absence of Goodhue in section 1 makes it a wide open race. Section 4 gains Visitation, who was ranked in the top 20 in AAA this year.

In AAA DeLaSalle moves back to section 4. That means section 3 will have a new champ next year. There are a lot of changes in that neighborhood. Cretin-Derham Hall drops down a class, Minneapolis Roosevelt moves up a class. Section 5 sees the two finalists in 2022—-Becker and Totino-Grace. That would now be a section final, not a state final. St. Cloud is back in AAA—-that is the combined/paired school of Tech & Apollo. How that squares the circle is a mystery. Leaving the scene is Sauk Rapids who is now in section 8AAAA. Fergus Falls is back in 8AAA after a few years in AA.

Speaking of 8AAAA they have nine members. Most of the other AAAA sections have seven. The big news here is Roseville shifts over to section 4 from 5. That leaves the path open for Maple Grove in 5 and makes 4 a log jam of East Ridge, Roseville, Stillwater and White Bear Lake.

Some of the other changes do not involve state tournament teams from the last year or two.

The action should be interesting. The seeding the state for 2023-24 that I released after the state tournament  is already waaaaaay off with the new sections. Stay tuned.