2025 Boys High School Preview: Section 8AA

Section 8AA

Teams: Alexandria, Bemidji, Brainerd, Buffalo, Elk River, Monticello, Moorhead, St. Cloud Crush, St. Michael-Albertville

2025 Section Champion: Buffalo – 327 Points
2025 Section Runner-up: Brainerd- 297 Points

Notable Graduates

• Cooper Running (Alexandria) – 200 Yard Freestyle (1st sections, 2nd state), 100 Yard Butterfly (1st sections, 3rd state)
• Cayden Abell (Alexandria) – 100 Yard Backstroke (7th sections)
• Nash Gabrielson (Brainerd) – 1m Diving (5th sections)
• Kyler Carlson (Brainerd) – 50 Yard Freestyle (2nd sections), 100 Yard Freestyle (2nd sections, 14th state)
• David Herath (Brainerd) – 1m Diving (3rd sections, 13th state)
• Nathan Chaussee (Brainerd) – 200 Yard IM (5th sections), 100 Yard Backstroke (4th sections)
• James Lemus (Buffalo) – 200 Yard Freestyle (4th sections), 100 Yard Freestyle (1st sections, 13th state)
• Rylan Close (Buffalo) – 50 Yard Freestyle (1st sections), 100 Yard Butterfly (2nd sections, 14th state)
• Mason Evenson (Buffalo) – 1m Diving (1st sections, 2nd state)
• Ethan Christianson (Elk River) – 50 Yard Freestyle (7th sections)
• Evan Streit (Elk River) – 1m Diving (8th sections)
• Gabe McDermott (Monticello) – 1m Diving (1st sections, 7th state)
• Ethan Bad Heart Bull (Monticello) – 200 Yard IM (5th sections, 14th state), 100 Yard Backstroke (3rd sections, 11th state)
• Tyler Grue (Monticello) – 200 Yard IM (7th sections), 100 Yard Breaststroke (3rd sections)
• Carter Reburn (Moorhead) – 200 Yard IM (6th sections), 100 Yard Backstroke (7th sections)
• Vance Kroetsch (Moorhead) – 1m Diving (2nd sections, 10th state)
• Aaron Volk (Moorhead) – 100 Yard Breaststroke (8th sections)
• William McKeown (St. Michael–Albertville) – 1m Diving (4th sections)
• Riley McKenzie (St. Cloud Crush) – 1m Diving (5th sections)
• Andy Offerdahl (St. Cloud Crush) – 500 Yard Freestyle (4th sections)
• Garett Lane (St. Cloud Crush) – 100 Yard Backstroke (5th sections)

Section 8AA is about as muddy as a section can get.  Between significant graduation, the loss of Sartell and Sauk Rapids-Rice and the addition of Alexandria, Monticello, and the newly minted St. Cloud Crush (Tech and Apollo), it’s all up for grabs.  One thing that is for sure, this section is going to be fast and produce it’s fair share of state points.

Defending champions Buffalo will take a pretty solid hit from graduation but returns a younger but competitive group led by Morgan Sims, who scored in both the IM and 500 Free. Sprint depth comes from Cameron Cich, while Allen Bertelson contributes in the 500 Free and backstroke. The Bison also return multiple developing underclassmen who gained finals experience last season, positioning the program for continued growth.

Alexandria returns one of the most complete and dangerous lineups in the section, with strength across freestyle, IM, stroke events, and diving. The Cardinals are led by Andy Wacek, a section champion in both the 200 IM and 100 Free who also reached the state podium, giving the team elite versatility at the top of the lineup. Freestyle depth is a major asset, highlighted by Eli Wimmer, Camden Kosters, Adison Newman, and Carson Bumgarner, all of whom reached championship finals in either the 200 or 500 Free. Sprint scoring is supported by Micah Kietzmann and Zachary Iverson, while additional freestyle and relay depth comes from Micah Overshiner. Stroke events remain a strength with contributors such as Luke Christenson, Keaton Dummer, and Gavin Peterson, who all factored into butterfly or backstroke finals.

On the boards, Alexandria is a true standout, returning the top two finishers in diving—Kyler Kavanagh and Krew Muscha—both state qualifiers, with Ryan Sanden adding further depth after a top-eight sectional finish. With elite diving, deep freestyle groups, strong relay potential, and a championship-caliber IM presence, Alexandria enters the season as a legitimate contender in the section.

St. Cloud Crush will have an impressive core anchored by two elite multi-event scorers. Micah Davis headlines the group after winning section titles in the 200 Free and 100 Fly and capturing state championships in both events. The IM and breaststroke combination of Charlie Bobick provides another major scoring engine, as he won the 200 IM and the 100 Breast while also finishing on the state podium. Supporting depth comes from Amittai Preisler, who contributed across freestyle and butterfly, along with Orion Preisler in diving. Additional scoring potential comes from Joey Krueger, Sawyer Ruprecht, Garrett Hosch, and Xavier Mickelsen, giving the Crush depth in freestyle and stroke events. With top-end dominance and growing middle depth, St. Cloud Crush remains a major factor in the section race.

Moorhead returns a focused and competitive core led by Sahan Nagodavithana, who brings strong versatility after placing near the top in both the 200 IM and the 100 Backstroke. Francis Casey adds important scoring depth across freestyle and butterfly, with finals appearances in the 200 Free and 100 Fly, giving the Spuds a reliable multi-event contributor. Sprint strength comes from Matthew Brendemuhl, who reached the championship heat in the 50 Free and followed it up with a solid finish in the 100 Free. With experienced scorers in IM, sprint freestyle, and fly, Moorhead enters the season with a compact but effective lineup capable of producing points across multiple events.

Elk River returns a compact but productive core led by Bjorn Pederson, who anchors the distance group after finishing runner-up in the 500 Free and advancing to the state meet. Spencer Damman provides valuable versatility after scoring in the 200 IM and contributing in the 100 Fly, giving the Elks strength in the middle events. Sprint and stroke depth comes from Deidric Walliczek, who placed among the top finishers in the 100 Backstroke and qualified for state, and Brody Vetsch, a finals scorer in the 100 Free. With proven contributors across distance, IM, sprint freestyle, and backstroke, Elk River remains competitive with a focused group capable of producing points in multiple event areas.

Monticello brings back a strong stroke-oriented group led by Sam Martin, who won the section title in the 100 Back and earned a state finish. The IM and breaststroke combination of Tyler Grue provides additional scoring strength, while Santiago Castro, Lincoln Heckendorf, and Marvin Tapiz Dominguez give the Magic depth in sprint freestyle. Diving remains a factor with Noah Miller and Lucas Anderson returning as section finalists. With strength in backstroke, IM, freestyle depth, and diving, Monticello continues to field a competitive and balanced lineup.

Brainerd returns a streamlined but competitive group led by Henry McCulley, who provides sprint strength after reaching championship heats in both the 50 and 100 Freestyle. Drew Haglin adds important stroke depth in the butterfly, where he posted a solid finals finish, while Brooks Brichacek contributes additional sprint scoring after qualifying for the championship heat in the 50 Free. With returning scorers across sprint freestyle and butterfly, Brainerd enters the season with a focused lineup capable of producing points in multiple sprint events.

Bemidji returns a small but promising group led by John Scherling, a runner-up finisher in the 100 Breaststroke, and Tanner Johnson, who reached finals in the 200 Free. Brayden Anderson adds additional breaststroke depth, giving the Lumberjacks a developing core to build around.

STMA returns contributors in sprint freestyle and diving, highlighted by Dane Barthel and Landan Rooker, both of whom reached championship finals. While depth is limited, the returners provide consistent scoring opportunities.