3A & 4A rankings update: Mahtomedi ascends to the pinnacle

<p>A few days after Thanksgiving we released our first 3A team rankings of the season. The Mahtomedi Zephyrs were in the 10th position, a rating that raised some eyebrows in the northeast metro. In response, I wrote these words: "If Mahtomedi continues to perform as they did over the weekend, the Zephyrs will no doubt earn their way up to the pinnacle." Here we are in late January and it has finally happened: Mahtomedi is now the #1 team in Class 3A. The Zephyrs can thank the Islanders of DeLaSalle for some assistance. That&#39;s because DLS rolled into Richfield on Friday night and left with a 61-55 victory over #1 Holy Angels. That dropped the Stars&#39; record to 15-3, enabling 13-1 Mahtomedi to take over top spot.</p> <p>The Zephyrs reached the pinnacle the old-fashioned way: they earned it. Mahtomedi has one loss, a three-pointer to Chisago Lakes. The Zephyrs have beaten nine teams that were ranked at the time they played, including DeLaSalle. They have six wins over bigger 4A schools (five ranked). Last week, they dispatched their conference rival Hastings 68-40 and defeated Hill-Murray by 29.</p> <p>In fairness to Holy Angels, their loss to DeLaSalle might deserve an asterisk. I wasn&#39;t there, but folks who were tell me that Stars coach Dan Woods was not amused by the officiating and wasn&#39;t shy about stating so. Observers of DeLaSalle did not disagree as both of Holy Angels&#39; starting bigs – Destinee Oberg and Kaylee Van der Werf – fouled out early after combining for just 11 points. The win also moved DeLaSalle up the ladder four rungs into 5th. Their official record is 8-4, but that also comes with an asterisk because DLS has two forfeits for using an allegedly ineligible player. The bottom line is that DeLaSalle has been beaten on the court only twice – by Mahtomedi and Cooper.</p> <p>The other surprise in Class 3A was the shellacking taken by Red Wing in losses to Rochester Mayo and Northfield. The Wingers are a good team; they just didn&#39;t play like it last week, leading to a four-spot drop to #11. Other notable moves included:</p> <ul> <li>Hutchinson knocked off ranked opponents Simley and Waconia to rise from 14th to 10th.</li> <li>Alexandria rose four spots to #14 with wins over Brainerd and Detroit Lakes.</li> <li>Waconia dropped from 11th to 16th with losses to Eden Prairie and Hutchinson.</li> <li>Hibbing lost to Cloquet and Grand Rapids and fell to 19th place.</li> <li>12-4 Benilde-St. Margarets scored a nice win over 4A Kennedy, only to suffer a 39-point loss to Cooper in their next game. The Knights are #18.</li> </ul> <p><strong>I&#39;ll have the Bison please, with a side of Mayo</strong></p> <p>When the updated team rankings come out on Monday, most folks pay more attention to what is happening in the top 10 than the bottom 10. The south end of the list is interesting though because that&#39;s where you&#39;ll normally find the newcomers, teams riding a hot streak into the top 25. Last week, the surprise entrant was Woodbury, which made its debut at #18. Entering the list this week are two more sizzling squads.</p> <p>Making their debut at #24 is 10-5 Buffalo. The Bison stumbled out of the gate, losing four of their first five games. Since then, they have won 9 of 10, including six in a row. Buffalo has beaten both Hutchinson and Owatonna, and their schedule has included such stalwarts as Wayzata, Maple Grove and Moorhead. Entering the rankings at #25 is another white-hot team – the 9-7 Spartans of Rochester Mayo. Not much was expected from the Med City kids, but it&#39;s never wise to count Rich Decker&#39;s team out. Mayo dismantled Red Wing last week, scored a one-point win over Austin, and capped the week off by holding Winona to just 11 points. That extended their winning streak to six. Other notable 4A movement includes:</p> <ul> <li>13-3 Roseville is now #7 after convincing wins over White Bear Lake and Moundsview. The Raiders face #6 Cretin on Tuesday in a showdown for first place in the Suburban East.</li> <li>Lakeville North (12-4) fell to Prior Lake, dropping to #10. Although the Panthers played Wayzata and Eastview into overtime, they have not defeated a high-end opponent.</li> <li>White Bear Lake&#39;s slide continued with convincing losses to Roseville and Park Cottage Grove. The Bears are reeling with a 1-5 record in January. Now 8-9, WBL has departed the top 25.</li> <li>Say goodbye, as well, to 10-5 Irondale, which lost to Park Center and Totino-Grace. The reality is that the Knights have only beaten one quality team: 11-6 Tartan. The combined records of the other nine vanquished opponents is 28-101.</li> </ul>