MSHSL changing section alignments for 2025-26 school year for high school sports

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Some high school state tournaments will have a different look next year as the Minnesota State High School League has done section realignment for certain schools. (Supplied)

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota State High School League this week announced changes in section alignments starting next year, and it could change how state tournaments look in certain sports.

Teams in each class get divided into eight sections, largely based on school size and location. Each year’s section champions in every sport qualify for the state tournament. Here are the moves that will be the big talkers:

Class 6A football

The changes:

Moorhead is moving up from Class 5A to 6A, along with Andover, Apple Valley and Rogers. There isn’t a section format for Class 6A with football, as all 32 teams in the class are seeded in a bracket. The round of 32 serves as what would be the section semifinal, and the round of 16 is considered the section final.
Those for moving up mean four have to move down. Buffalo, Burnsville, Coon Rapids and Rochester Mayo are moving going down to Class 5A.
Maple Grove and Minnetonka met for the Class 6A crown this year in football. They’re now in the same section that already includes Edina and Eden Prairie.
In southeastern Minnesota, Stewartville is moving up to Class 4A after consecutive 3A state titles.

Hockey

What's happening:

The biggest change for boys hockey is in Rogers, which is moving to Section 6 in Class 2A. They earned the school’s first trip to the state tournament last year in Section 5. Now, they enter arguably the toughest section in the state with Edina, Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Wayzata.
Andover, a state champion in 2022 and a perennial power in Section 7, is also moving into Section 5 along with Anoka.
St. Louis Park and Blake are dropping to Class A.