Section 6AAAA Preview: Lakefront Relaxation
Previous section previews: Class A Class AA Section 1AAA Section 2AAA Section 3AAA Section 4AAA Section 5AAA Section 6AAA Section 7AAA Section 8AAA Section 1AAAA Section 2AAAA Section 3AAAA Section 4AAAA Section 5AAAA The lone seven-team section in AAAA is…
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The lone seven-team section in AAAA is topheavy. Upsets are not likely. Will someone break the expectation? Here’s the lineup:
1. Hopkins (22-4)
2. Wayzata (17-9)
3. Robbinsdale Armstrong (17-9)
4. St. Louis Park (18-8)
5. Minneapolis South (8-16)
6. Minneapolis Southwest (4-21)
7. Minneapolis Washburn (3-22)
Favorite: Hopkins
The Royals get a bye into the semifinals on Friday night after falling in their final regular season game last week to Eden Prairie. The frontline is as fearsome as any with Zeke Nnaji posting a dominant season in the post (24 ppg) and Dane Zimmer playing the perfect quiet complement as a top defensive forward in the state. Adding to the mix the backcourt of Jalen Dearring, Kerwin Walton and Andy Stafford (37 ppg combined) makes this starting five hard to touch in Class AAAA. Hopkins hasn’t made State since their banner year in 2015-16; will they break the upset curse and move on? Their size is a huge problem for the rest of the section.
Contenders: Wayzata
Why hasn’t Hopkins reached the State Tournament in three years? The Trojans. Jacob Beeninga has been a Royal-beater in years past but Wayzata fell to Hopkins both times this year by double digits. Though it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season, and Wayzata will be motivated to play well, the Royals size outmatches the Trojans. Beeninga and Luke Paulson are catalysts of the drive-and-kick offense that can get a defense totally turned around. Kody Williams was a bright spot as a sophomore on both ends of the floor and makes for a great complement on the wing, along with freshman phenom Camden Heide who is a 6-foot-5 wing acquiring guard skills rapidly. I doubted the San Antonio Spurs to make the playoffs without Kawhi Leonard last year and this feels the same way–how silly would it look if we gave Wayzata a snowball’s chance down under to win this section? Don’t count them out as a contender based on history.
In The Hunt: Robbinsdale Armstrong
The only team to defeat Park Center this year, Armstrong has put together a feisty and talented team a year ahead of schedule. Jake Breitbach, Cole Priem and Adam Biewen lead the charge averaging double figures, and Devyn Frye has been a sparky turnover-creating guard in the backcourt. Watching the development of junior center Hezekiah Iyawe has been a treat as well, he scores 9.5 a game with good interior defense. They won’t outrun you or outshoot you, but if Jon Bryant has shown us one thing about his first year at the helm, the Falcons will continue to be a scrappy, hard-nosed team with strong guard play.
Predictions:
Round 1: Wayzata over Washburn, Armstrong over Southwest, St. Louis Park over South
Semifinals: Hopkins over St. Louis Park, Wayzata over Armstrong
Finals: Hopkins over Wayzata