Recent state champions in Minnesota football, boys hockey will become section opponents next year

Making it to the state tournament out of what is arguably the most competitive football section in Minnesota’s largest size classification has just turned into a tougher gauntlet.

At a recent board of governors meeting, the Minnesota State High School League announced its biannual changes to postseason section alignment for the state’s high schools.

In each MSHSL-sponsored activity, teams are divided into eight sections within a differing number of size classifications, depending on the sport. The champion of each section’s postseason tournament earns a spot at state.

Competitive alignment is determined by geography and enrollment. The MSHSL determines the latter by taking a school’s Minnesota Department of Education enrollment in grades 9-12 and subtracting 40% of its educational benefit (free and reduced lunch). Schools can request to move up in size classifications or appeal to move down.

The changes don’t apply to Class 6A football, where a bracket including all 32 teams is seeded into 1-8 groups after the regular season, with the quarterfinals considered the state tournament.

Some new teams will be in the group of the 32 largest schools in the state.

Moorhead moves up from Class 5A into Class 6A. The Spuds went toe-to-toe with last year’s Class 5A runner-up, Alexandria, in their previous Section 8 schedule.

Three other schools will move up from 5A: Andover, Apple Valley and Rogers. Moving to 5A are Buffalo, Burnsville, Coon Rapids and Rochester Mayo.

After winning back-to-back state titles in Class 3A, Stewartville will move back up to Class 4A, Section 1.

Andover, which has won five of the last six Class 2A, Section 7 titles and a 2022 state championship, will shift its postseason competition from northeast Minnesota teams to schools in the metro-area Section 5. Anoka will also move to Section 5.

After winning Class 2A’s Section 5 and earning its first trip to state this winter, Rogers shifts into Section 6 with the likes of 12-time state champion Edina, Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Wayzata. St. Louis Park and Blake drop to Class 1A.

Goodhue sent both its girls and boys basketball teams to the Class 1A state tournament. Representing Section 1, the Wildcats won their third girls state title.

Now, both teams will move up a size classification to duke it out in Class 2A, Section 1 — one of the more competitive small-school sections in the state.

Next fall, girls tennis will add a third size classification for the first time. The sport has competed with a Class 1A and 2A since 1978, and boys tennis will continue to do so.

The move cuts the size of some sections with 15-plus girls tennis teams into sections with a more standard eight schools.

View the entire 2025-26 realignment maps here.