Anoka at Minneapolis Washburn
7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27

In another rematch from the state tournament, Anoka visits Minneapolis Washburn on Saturday. The Tornadoes defeated the Millers 2-1 in the Class 2A state semifinals before going on to win their second consecutive state championship and the third in program history.

With 13 returning players, Anoka has experience up and down the roster. The group is led by Donnie Guimont (10-14-34), who finished last season with a team-high 14 assists and 10 goals, and goalkeeper and all-tournament team selection Jake Peterson. Fellow seniors Blake Doyea (12-7-31) and Miguel Martinez (4-8-16) return after proving to be integral pieces in the state title run. 

The Tornadoes also are known as resolute competitors. They came back to defeat East Ridge in the state championship game despite playing a man down due to an ejection and pulled out their semifinal victory over the Millers while being outshot 17-6.

Washburn's move to Class 2A before the start of last season proved to be positive as the Millers made their first trip to state since 1989, where they upset top-seeded Minnetonka in overtime in the quarterfinals before falling to the Tornadoes. 

The graduation of 12 seniors hasn't seemed to hurt Washburn, which garnered the No. 7 ranking in the preseason poll. The Millers will fill the holes in their roster with talented players that helped the junior varsity and B-squads each win all but one game last season. Senior Juan Louis led the team in scoring and earned all-state first team honors. He is expected to help Washburn build on last year's its third-place finish at state — a program best.