After appearing in the Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2012 last March, St. Peter coach Sean Keating was feeling pretty good.
With only two seniors among his top eight players, the prospects of an even better season to come were solid — then he learned the Saints had been elevated to Class 3A for the 2019-20 season.
The road back to state suddenly got a lot tougher. Now, teams like Mankato East, ranked No. 3 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News from Dec. 11, and No. 5-3A Marshall stand in the Saints' path.
"It's a weird situation," Keating said. "This probably is the best team we've ever had since I've been here."
The No. 8-3A Saints remain state tournament contenders in their new class, but the challenge has certainly become greater.
At least the Saints (5-1, 0-0) won't have to climb through Waseca, a fellow member of the Big South Conference East Division, a perennial thorn in St. Peter's side and the defending Class 3A, Section 2 champion. The Bluejays (4-2, 0-0) have since dropped to Class 2A, turning this rivalry into what's now a regular-season affair only.
"They're just so explosive," Keating said. "They've always played at a speed that most teams can't keep up with for an entire game."
Ryan Dufault, a senior point guard who leads the No. 1-2A Bluejays' charge, averages 15.7 points per game, and gets plenty of help from Andrew Morgan, a 6-9 junior who averages 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyreese Willingham, a 6-5 junior averaging 15.7 points.
Despite the recent history, St. Peter offers a decent challenge for Waseca. Wyatt Olson, a 6-6 senior, became the Saints' all-time leading rebounder last season and likely will become the school's all-time leading scorer on Tuesday at Blue Earth Area. Joey Bartlett (2012) scored 1,263 points in his time at St. Peter.
Junior point guard Ethan Grant is developing into a top-notch player and leads the Saints with 19 points per game. Josh Johnson averages 18 points.