Blake vs. St. Thomas Academy
3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16

Blake seeks to avenge its 1-0 loss to St. Thomas Academy in last year’s Class 1A state semifinals. The Cadets went on to win the state title while the Bears lost to Mankato West in the third-place game.

This season the Bears (3-0-1) seem to be the superior team, according to the Class 1A coaches’ poll. Blake shot up the state rankings last week, jumping from No. 12 to No. 2. The Cadets have been moving in the opposite direction, falling from No. 3 to No. 5 after losing the season opener to St. Paul Highland Park 1-0.

St. Thomas Academy (3-1) has won all three of its games since, including a 5-2 win over No. 4-1A Holy Angels on Sept. 9 in which Logan Davis scored two goals and picked up an assist. Expect the Cadets to bounce up the rankings after that big win.

The Bears have been consistent this season, racking up three wins and a draw. The draw came against Breck last week, the No. 6-ranked team in Class 1A. If the Bears want to win on the road against the Cadets, they will need contributions from the forward pairing of Ethan Roe and Haluk Ercan-Fang, who have combined to score three goals this season.