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Top five teams will be now be seeded at some state tournaments

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune, 06/11/12, 11:56AM CDT

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The change is intended to ensure better competitive balance.

Beginning in 2012-13, all state tournaments will be seeded 1 through 5, an addition of one team that is intended to ensure better competitive balance.

Sports impacted are Class 3A and 4A girls' basketball, boys' basketball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, wrestling and adapted sports.

Baseball will continue to play predetermined opponents. Football moves to seven classes next fall with Class 6A, made up of the state's 32 largest schools by enrollment, will use a unique seeding process.

The Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors approved the new seeding plan unanimously and without discussion Monday, even though representatives from Class A region committees favored keeping the current model by a 5-3 count..

The eight Class AA region committees, comprised of the metro area and larger outstate cities, were in favor of the new plan by a 5 to 3 count.

After state tournament berths are decided, coaches vote on seeding the top teams, a change made in some sports several years ago in an effort to keep top teams from meeting in the first round of a tournament. Previously, all tournament brackets had been rotated randomly, which is still the case in non-seeded tournaments.

The MSHSL will also petition the National Federation of State High School Associations to allow Minnesota to drop track and field's no jewelry rule.