Is it too early to start thinking about potential state tournament matchups? Defending Class 1A champion St. Cloud Cathedral, and Orono, small-school champion in 2018, could very well be on a Xcel Energy Center-in-early-March collision course.
Orono (6-0-1, 1-0-0) hasn’t had a lot of cupcakes on its early season schedule, playing the likes of No. 3-1A East Grand Forks, No. 7-1A Alexandria and neighboring rival Delano. And still the No. 4-1A Spartans are unbeaten through seven games. Seniors Zach Simon and Nick Mohs-Messerli lead a balanced offense with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
St. Cloud Cathedral (4-1-0, 0-0-0) has been bolstered by star forward Nate Warner's return from injury. The senior Minnesota commit has four goals and three assists in just three games, and gives the already high-powered No. 5-1A Crusaders two deadly scoring lines.