5 teams that are trending in the right direction

We are three weeks into the high school season and there are some patterns starting to emerge. One thing we’ve been watching for is to see which teams are the most improved. After a handful of games we now have a reasonable sample size to examine. Here are five squads that are definitely trending in the right direction along with the key reasons why.

NORTH ST. PAUL POLARS (5-2)

Culture change – Let’s cut right to the chase, shall we? Over the past several seasons North has been one of the worst teams in the state. Low numbers, a revolving door of coaches, and a constant flow of talent leaving for other schools has been more than problematic. Enter coach Patrick Leslie, who arrived from Texas last season and has infused the program with a ton of positive energy. When we watched the Polars in Fall League we were impressed by how far they had come, both in talent level and in sheer numbers. Now that we’re into the regular season, those things are bearing fruit. Led by Aniya Bradford (12 ppg) and Maggie Jones (11.7), a dozen players have made it into the scorebook so far and crafty guard Ashlee Horton and 6-foot forward LaKesha Thomas are nice prospects, as well. Granted, North hasn’t played the most difficult schedule in the world, and they aren’t going to win the state championship, but the Polars are now competitive and that’s great news.

KENNEDY EAGLES (4-1)

Hard-earned maturity – Bloomington Kennedy has taken its share of lumps the past couple of years. That’s not surprising given how young they were. Now those kids have more experience and it shows. When we talked at Fall League, Kennedy coach Quintin Johnson expressed optimism about how much better his team would be this year and so far he has been spot on. After going 0-9 in conference play last season (3-10 overall) and winning just two games during the 2019-20 season, the Eagles are off to a 4-1 start. Top 100 sophomores Mya Green Mya Green 5'8" | CG Mpls Southwest | 2024 State MN , who had a 27-point game last week, and Daviyana Singleton-Buchanan Daviyana Singleton-Buchanan 5'11" | SG Shakopee | 2024 State MN are really coming into their own. Seniors Nariah Dismukes and Samara Buchanan Samara Buchanan 5'10" | PF Kennedy | 2022 State MN (photo) are experienced and reliable. And junior point guard Ashlee Burchette Ashlee Burchette 5'7" | CG Champlin Park | 2023 State MN has been off the charts, averaging 22 points per game and making the Eagles offense go. The exciting thing is Kennedy has more youngsters contributing, and you’d do well to remember these three names: Hailey Williams, Macie Miller and Allie Sheehan.

EDINA HORNETS (5-0)

A veteran lineup – The most notable thing about Edina’s roster is their level of experience. Of the 11 players who have made the scoresheet for the Hornets so far, nine are juniors or seniors. Top 50 sophomore Abby Richter Abby Richter 5'11" | SF Edina | 2024 State MN is the only youngster in their short rotation. Among the veterans there are some standout performers who provide exceptional leadership, including Concordia-St. Paul commit Ella Campbell Ella Campbell 5'10" | CG Edina | 2022 State MN (#36 in the senior class) and Dorothy Stotts Dorothy Stotts 5'8" | CG Edina | 2022 State MN , the #46-rated senior who has committed to play for the Coast Guard. Perhaps the most under-appreciated piece for the Hornets is junior point guard Isabelle Nelson Isabelle Nelson 5'9" | CG Edina | 2023 State MN (photo), one of the best all-around contributors we’ve seen. Seniors Abby Grussing Abby Grussing 5'10" | SF Edina | 2022 State MN and Cordelia Flemming have been solid, as has junior Braziel Fairbanks Braziel Fairbanks 5'5" | CG Edina | 2023 MN . Reality will strike soon for Edina when the Lake Conference schedule commences, but for now the Hornets can enjoy the fact that after three weeks they have already equaled last season’s total number of wins.

FRIDLEY TIGERS (4-1)

Talented youngsters – When Drew Reiter, joined by his uber-successful dad Steve, took over the program a couple of years ago we said at the time that Fridley would be a team to watch. The fact that there was some young talent coming up only added to the expectations of improved performance. Both of those factors are bearing fruit now as Fridley has reached a new standard of respectability. The Tigers’ only loss so far came on Saturday when they fell by a single point to Esko. The team is led by dynamic point guard Mya Karsten Mya Karsten 5'6" | PG Fridley | 2025 State MN , the #37th-rated freshman in the state, who is averaging over 13 ppg. Her fellow freshmen – 40th-ranked Brandi Washington Brandi Washington 5'5" | CG Fridley | 2025 State MN (11.8) and Aubrey Cochran (10.5) – have been huge. Senior Meadow Gillespie (11.2) gives the Class 2A team some experience to rely on. Fridley will face 3-1 Spring Lake Park on Tuesday, which could present a real challenge.

BLAINE BENGALS (5-0)

We have no idea! – You could dismiss Blaine’s hot start by dissing their schedule. After all, their first three opponents have a combined record of 1-15. But Blaine has a win over 4-3 Anoka and they knocked off one of the hottest teams in the state in Totino-Grace. On paper Blaine, which went 8-11 last year, isn’t a team you’d predict to dominate. The Bengals have just one ranked player in their lineup – junior Molly Garber Molly Garber 5'11" | SF Blaine | 2023 State MN who is in the 2023 Top 100. She leads the team in scoring at just under 15 points per game. They lost veteran guard Lexi Imdieke Lexi Imdieke 5'8" | SG Blaine | 2022 State MN , who transferred to Andover in the off-season. Senior guards Jade Bryant and Allison Terry are averaging a combined 24 ppg. We’ll have to give coach Chris Brustuen credit, I guess. It won’t be long before his daughter, power forward Bella Brustuen, is also making a major impact.

STILL UNDEFEATED

After three weeks of play there are still more than 50 undefeated teams but most of those are in Class A where there is less parity and most teams play fewer games in the early going. Among the bigger schools there are just nine teams that remain unbeaten – five in Class 4A, one in 3A, and three in Class 2A.

Class 4A

The most notable fact here is that all of the squads are from the Lake Conference, which nobody in the know will dispute is the strongest league in the state. They’ll start playing each other after Christmas so it’s just a matter of who loses first.

Hopkins 6-0
Eden Prairie 5-0
Minnetonka 5-0
Edina 5-0
Wayzata 4-0

Class 3A

The lone undefeated Class 3A squad is St. Peter. Led by Top 10 sophomore Rhyan Holmgren Rhyan Holmgren 5'9" | SG St. Peter | 2024 State MN and Top 50 freshman Annika Southworth Annika Southworth 5'8" | PG St. Peter | 2025 State MN , the Saints could be for real.