2015-16 Section 3AAA Preview

This is the 17th preview in my 2015-2016 season preview series.  In this preview, I start my look at the local AAA sections with section 3AAA.  Thanks to the MSHSL redrawing sections from scratch this year, its an entirely new group of teams from the south and east metro rather than the north metro.  This section is most like last year's 4AAA with 5 teams from that previous group.  In an ironic twist, 5 of last year's teams in this section make up the new section 4AAA.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 3AAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: DeLaSalle

New teams in the subsection

• Bloomington Kennedy (2AAAA)
• Holy Angels (6AAA)
• Richfield (6AAA)
• Simley (4AAA)
• South St. Paul (4AAA)
• St. Paul Harding  (4AAA)
• St. Paul Highland Park (4AAA)
• St. Thomas Academy (4AAA)

Teams that left the subsection

• Columbia Heights (4AAA)
• DeLaSalle (6AAA)
• Fridley (4AAA)
• Minneapolis Henry (6AAA)
• Spring Lake Park (5AAAA)
• St. Anthony (4AAA)
• St. Paul Como Park (4AAA)
• Totino-Grace (4AAA)

Predicted Seeding

1. St. Thomas Academy
2. Simley
3. Kennedy
4. Holy Angels
5. Highland Park
6. South St. Paul
7. Harding
8. Richfield

I've had my share of comments about the quality in section 7AAAA over the years, but they get a break this year with this section.  If my conference predictions end up accurate (insert your own joke here), you'd have the last 2 from the Metro West, last in St. Paul, 5th, 6th and last in Metro East and a last place finisher in their division of the Tri-Metro.  The bottom 3 were in the last 6 of the CzarPI in all of class AAA at the end of last season.  I see that happening again.  Holy Angels and Highland Park will fight to reach 10 wins.  Holy Angels ultimately gets that home game.  I pick Kennedy 3rd here but I have them 7th in the Metro West.  They only won 9 games last season but had a bunch of close losses in the 2nd half.  I see Simley and St. Thomas Academy as the only teams to finish above the break even mark.  That's after they both lost most of their lineups and each only have 1 notable varsity guy returning.  So even that isn't a given.

Sleeper: Bloomington Kennedy.  This is really a default pick with Kennedy having another year of Markel Aune at the point and Josh Bryant.  They can throw some athleticism in and pressure teams into a helter-skelter kind of game.  If they can get to the final, then they would be across town at Jefferson.

Section Winner: Simley.  Jack Stensgard is the top player in the section so I'll pick his experience and scoring ability to put the Spartans over the top.