CDH Football Moves to Class 5A

February 24, 2021

The Cretin-Derham Hall Raider football program will opt to play in Class 5A starting in 2021-22. 

“This change reflects our school’s tradition of playing at a higher competitive level than our enrollment would place us, while striving for the strongest experience for our student-athletes,” explained Phil Archer ‘99, Athletic Director.

By enrollment numbers, CDH, as a co-educational school of 940 students, would be classified by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) as a 4A program. Most recently, CDH opted to play in Class 6A, defined by the MSHSL as schools with enrollments of at least 1711 students. We will now play in Class 5A, which features schools with enrollments of at least 1086 students. The transition to Class 5A is in response to multi-faceted changes in school, sport, and league dynamics. 

“I am excited for the opportunity to tackle new challenges against new competition on the field as well as build the program through a variety of off-field initiatives. Most importantly, our current student-athletes have expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for this change and the future of Raider Football,” noted Chuck Miesbauer '03, Head Football Coach since 2019.

CDH will remain in the Suburban East Conference, but won’t know which district and subdistrict until they are assigned later this spring, when it is announced by the MSHSL. While this move to Class 5A will affect the football program, no other CDH sports/teams are affected. It is common throughout the MSHSL for different sports in the same school to play in different class levels.

“We have a long tradition of excellence that goes far beyond wins and losses,” said Archer. “Our student-athletes in the football program will continue to be challenged to grow as men. They will strive to be their very best, no matter which uniform the other team is wearing.” 

Miesbauer, a product of Raider football, is committed to this unique tradition of excellence that impacts player lives far beyond the field, the hallmark of Raider football. 

“We are in a new time, and our football program now has an opportunity to build on our proud history and enhance the program for our student-athletes, as well as our fans. Our players are pumped to play against the best schools 5A has to offer,” said Miesbauer with a smile. “We hope to find our friends from St. Thomas Academy on our schedule for the next two years.”