The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) announced seedings today for the State Tournament, set to begin this week.
There are two classes, A and AA, which are set before the season begins. The top 65 schools by enrollment make up the AA class, with the rest of the state making up A. Each class is divided into eight sections. At the end of the regular season, each section runs a three-game tournament to determine the winner, and the sixteen section winners (eight in each class) are seeded into the state bracket. MSHSL seeds 1-5 in order to have the 4th and 5th seeds play each other in the first round, but draws the other opponents at random.
Each bracket is set and the games kick off this week. Let’s run down the brackets.
Single A Class
On the boys’ side, No. 1 seed Mankato West will play Bemidji at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26.
No. 4 seed Willmar takes on No. 5 Northfield at SCSU at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26..
No. 2 seed The Blake School plays Duluth Denfeld at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26 at Chisago Lakes High School.
No. 3 seed St. Thomas Academy plays St. Paul Como Park at 7:30 p.m., also at Chisago Lakes on Wednesday, October 26.
On the girls’ side, the top seed Benilde-St. Margaret’s School plays St. Cloud Apollo at SCSU on Thursday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m.
No. 4 seed Hill-Murray plays No. 5 Waconia at 7:30 p.m. at SCSU, also on Thursday, October 27.
No. 2 seed St. Paul Academy and Summit School plays Dover-Eyota at Farmington High School on Tuesday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 Mankato West takes on North Branch in Farmington at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 25.
Double A Class
The boy’s top seeded team, Stillwater Area High School, plays Mounds View at Benilde-St. Margaret’s (BSM) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26.
No. 4 seed Andover plays 5 seed Moorehead at 5:30 p.m., also on Wednesday, October 26 at BSM.
No. 2 seed Wayzata takes on Owatonna at BSM on Tuesday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 Edina takes on Burnsville at BSM at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 25.
On the girls’ side, top seed East Ridge, Woodbury takes on Andover at Chisago Lakes High School on Thursday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m.
No. 4 Lakeville North plays Centennial at 7:30 p.m., also at Chisago Lakes High School on Thursday, October 27.
No. 2 Rosemount plays Minnetonka at Farmington High School at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26.
No. 3 Minneapolis Washburn takes on St. Michael-Albertville in Farmington at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26.
Winners in the first round move on to the semifinals, almost all of which are on Monday, October 31 at US Bank Stadium; the boys’ games are at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m.. There are two girls’ games at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The AA girls’ semifinals are on Tuesday, November 1 at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
All four finals will be held at US Bank Stadium on Thursday, November 3, with the A finals being at 10 a.m. (boys) and 12:30 p.m. (girls) and the AA finals at 3 p.m. (boys) and 5:30 p.m. (girls).
The boys’ third place games will be at US Bank Stadium on November 1 at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The girls’ A third place game is also on November 1 at 10 a.m., with the AA third place game on November 3 at 8 a.m.
Highlights
In preparation for the tournament, the MSHSL has put together a fact sheet for all boys and girls teams. Here are a few highlights and players to watch in the tournament.
On the boys’ side, there are some prolific scorers entering the tournament. Alexander Gutenberg from Andover enters the tournament with 23 goals in 18 games started. He is matched by senior Miguel Caravais of Stillwater, who also has 23 goals in 18 games played this season.
In the Single-A tournament, Jacob Makela of Mankato West has broken the school record for goals, scoring 43 goals this season. He also broke his own record for points in a season, adding six assists for 49 points. Goalkeeper Tyler Defor set the school record for shutouts. Willmar is bringing big scorer in senior Jesus Nevarez, who scored 42 goals in 19 games this season, and added 15 assists. Senior Leo Spry of Bemidji netted 37 goals and 11 assists in 20 games this season to lead the team. Bemidji keeper Adam Laakso, a junior, allowed only 11 goals in 20 games, making 46 saves over the course of the season.
The girls have some possible stars-in-the-making as well. In AA, junior Erin Becker of Andover leads her team with 25 goals and eight assists in 16 games started and one substitute appearance. Mackenzie Langdok, a junior from St. Michael-Albertville, leads the team with 25 goals and 12 assists in 18 games.
On the A side, Ashlee Olson of Dover-Eyota leads the Eagles with 32 goals and 14 assists in 19 games. Kathryn Bond, a senior from St. Paul Academy and Summit School, has scored 25 goals and seven assists in 20 games. Her goalkeeper, Emma Sampson, started eight games and subbed into nine more, playing 660 minutes and allowing only three goals on 45 shots. Her partner between the sticks, junior Belle Smith, allowed only 11 goals in 1000 minutes played (across 20 games).
Mankato West’s McKenna Buisman is an all-state junior with 23 goals and 14 assists in 19 games. St. Cloud Apollo’s Ashley Koepp leads her team with 16 goals. She matched that in assists for 32 total points as a sophomore.
Tickets
For the first round and third place games, tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. For the semifinals and finals, tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students. For $30 for adults and $18 for students, you may purchase a tournament pass that grants entry to all games at US Bank Stadium (the semi- and final rounds).
Congratulations to all 16 teams in the tournament, and FiftyFive.One wishes them the best of luck in the coming weeks.
UPDATE: There were mistakes in the seedings and pricing of tickets, which are correct as of 9:19 PM Central.
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