AA rankings continue to confound

<p>Our Class AA rankings continue to be a problem as 9 of last week’s Top 25 went down to defeat along with 9 of the next 16 teams on our Class AA watch list. As a result, 5 teams drop out of the Top 25—<strong>Pine City, Albany, Annandale, Caledonia and Royalton</strong>—and 5 new sacrificial lambs climb into the Top 25—<strong>Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, Martin County West, Jordan, Glencoe-Silver Lake and Proctor</strong>. If the past is any guide, these 5 are totally ripe for an upset now that they’re wearing the golden slipper.</p> <p>Meanwhile, in Class A, just 4 of our Top 25 tasted defeat, and none of them suffered an upset. 3 of the 4 were to Class AA teams—and ranked Class AA teams, at that—and the 4th was <strong>Red Lake</strong>’s not unexpected loss to #2A <strong>Mountain Iron-Buhl</strong>. And, so, there are no teams that dropped out or dropped in on our Class A Top 25 this week.</p> <p>The biggest surprises in AA were Glencoe-Silver Lake’s win over <strong>New London-Spicer</strong>. No sooner had NLS coach Mike Dreier posted his 900th career win 65-41 over Montevideo on Tuesday, than they fell at home on Thursday 47-45. This was doubly a surprise because Glencoe-Silver Lake themselves had been surprised 62-44 by Jordan on Tuesday.</p> <p>Glencoe and Jordan have distinguished themselves as the most unpredictable teams in Class AA—capable of beating anybody one night, and losing to anybody the next. Glencoe has now defeated <strong>Hutch</strong> and NLS, and lost to <strong>Mayer Lutheran, Maple Lake</strong> and <strong>BOLD,</strong> in addition to Jordan. NLS has beaten <strong>Eden Valley-Watkins</strong> and <strong>Albany</strong>, and lost to <strong>Watertown-Mayer, Sauk Centre, Minnehaha </strong>and Glencoe.</p> <p><strong>This Week</strong></p> <p>So coming up this week are a few games matching ranked Class A and AA teams, in which it may be assumed that the Class A powers will continue to win and the AA ranked teams will continue to suffer more upset losses. We’ll see.</p> <p><strong>Monday</strong></p> <p><strong>Duluth Marshal</strong>l (8-1, #17AA) @ <strong>Bigfork</strong> (10-1, #6A), 7: 15 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Cromwell</strong> (7-4, #23A) @ Floodwood (9-2, #11A), 7:15 p.m. Cromwell tries to bounce back from the injury bug.</p> <p>Eden Valley-Watkins (9-1, #7AA) @ <strong>Norwood Young America</strong> (10-2, #9AA), 7:30 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Wheaton-Herman-Norcross</strong> (7-0, #8A) @ <strong>Lac Qui Parle Valley</strong> (12-1, #9A), 7:30 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Badger-Greenbush-Middle River </strong>(7-1, #21A) @<strong> Stephen-Argyle</strong> (11-1, #14A), 7:30 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Tuesday</strong></p> <p><strong>Pelican Rapids</strong> (6-2, #18A) @ <strong>Barnesville</strong> (8-2, #21A), 6:30 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Goodhue</strong> (11-1, #1A) @ <strong>Hayfield</strong> (10-2, #7A), 7:15 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Grand Meadow </strong>(10-2, #16A)  @ <strong>Lyle-Pacelli</strong> (11-1, #3A), 7:15 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s</strong> (11-1, #12A) @ <strong>Sleepy Eye</strong> (9-3, #13A), 7:30 p.m. Crosstown rivalry, should be a doozy, then Sleepy Eye public has another rated opponent the very next night.</p> <p><strong>Thursday</strong></p> <p>Sleepy Eye (9-3, #13A) @ Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (9-2, #19AA), 7:30 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Friday</strong></p> <p><strong>Heritage Christian</strong> (6-4, #15A) @ <strong>Maranatha</strong> (6-3, #6AA), 6:30 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Zumbrota-Mazeppa </strong> (8-4, #22AA) @ <strong>Rochester Lourdes</strong> (9-5, #15AA), 7:15 p.m.</p> <p>Lac Qui Parle Valley (12-1, #9A) @ <strong>Tracy-Milroy-Balaton</strong> (10-1, #18AA), 7:30 p.m.</p> <p><strong>Saturday</strong></p> <p>Goodhue (11-1, #1A) vs. Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (10-1, #18AA) @ Hayfield, 4 p.m. Each getting their 2nd rated opponent of the week.</p> <p>Bigfork (10-1, #6A) @ <strong>Roseau </strong>(7-4, #12AA), 5:30 p.m. Bigfork&#39;s 2nd big game of the week.</p> <p><strong>Mountain Iron-Buhl</strong> (12-1, #2A) @ <strong>Hayfield </strong>(10-2, #7A), 6 p.m. Hayfield draws #1, then #2.</p>