Class AA: Power Rankings (SD)
PHD preps for the 2016-17 season with a look at Class AA giving you a Power Ranking along with some thoughts on what each team will look like. 1) SF Washington. Few can match them up front with Zech Heins…
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Continue ReadingPHD preps for the 2016-17 season with a look at Class AA giving you a Power Ranking along with some thoughts on what each team will look like.
1) SF Washington. Few can match them up front with Zech Heins and Isaac Goeman plus Jack Talley being a guy that they can play at several spots. We think Logan Uttecht has a huge hear ahead of him we believe plus Topher Zahn will help him in the backcourt. Angel Arroyo and Mason Thompson are seniors-to-be with experience and will help.
2) SF O’Gorman. The senior core of Matt Cartwright and JP Costello will get help from center Carter Kosiak and forward Joey Messler. Jaron Zwagerman is a junior forward that should help and excellent sophomore team will help provide depth. Matt and JP will likely be the best inside-outside combination in the state next year at this level.
3) SF Lincoln. Can Coach Jeff Halseth surprise everyone and three-peat? Nobody thought it was possible last year when they lost their entire line-up but a five man senior group led them to the title again. Carson Coulter and Simon Higgason played a role and they are back as guards play Dillon Barrow and Diang Gatlauk are juniors-to-be that will also give them a strong backcourt. Andrew Tverberg will help up front.
4) Aberdeen Central. The trio of hard working Nate Rook as the lead guard, Cannon Hannigan is the experience and scoring wing, and Cole Bergan playing up front this team has a chance to make a run next year. The Golden Eagles had a small junior class last year so depth will have to be added.
5) Rapid City Stevens. Mason Archambault may be the guy that basketball fans statewide consider to be the most entertaining and best in the state. This is his last chance to take the Raiders to the championship game and his partner Jacob Martin looks prime or a big final season as well. The Raiders also have four others that were in the rotation returning so they will be going for everything next winter.
6) SF Roosevelt. The Rough Riders lose the massive numbers of Tristan Teichmeier and that is going to hurt but this is a team that played guards Peyton Riggs, Christophe Bwanya, and Alex Fiegen a lot as younger players. They will need good production up front from Chase Duffy and DeMareio Hester.
7) Huron. Feels wrong putting the Tigers low but they lost so many seniors after a disappointing finish to the year we wonder how they will respond. Hyland Heinz and Tye Evers are back though, the Korkow brothers are solid and watch out for Isaac Carr of 2018 and Kobe Busch from the 2020 class.
8) Watertown. The loss of Nate Davis will bring expectations down but there is a nice 2017 group of hard working players in Spencer Waege, Brent Schulte, Alex Gauer, and Dylan Meek that will make them a better team than people realize.
9) Brandon Valley. The Lynx only had a single senior last year so this is a season where their big line-up should pay dividends as will all the time played by young players a year ago. Drew Jurgens and Spencer Grage are up front, Brandon Larson and Carter Klatt are the guards, they join Zach Scholten as a senior core.
10) Pierre TF Riggs. Bradley Dean is now the leader along with Zach Rabern who is a forward who plays both the three and the four. Peyton Zabel seems ready for a two year run to junior the senior leaders. This will be a big senior class that may surprise us.
11) Brookings. The Bobcats return a senior group that will include a backcourt trio of Josh Mohs at point and Devin Coughlin and Brennan Carlson on the wing or at forwards in what should be a strong group. This isn’t a big team and they will need something up front to take form.
12) Rapid City Central. The team of a year ago put together a couple wins to get to state but there wasn’t much of a junior class really to speak of (in numbers) so this year could be a struggle unless a large 2018 group can step up fast. They do have some good guards back though.
13) Harrisburg. Is this the year that the Tigers break through? They’ve won four games in the last two years but they have a talented guard in Wil Johnson who is one of the state’s best lead guards. Wil needs help though and he should get some from Justis Clayton and Alex Hammond.
14) Sturgis Brown. The Scoopers won seven games last season and did it with an entire backcourt that returns. They lose a few bigs but have more ready to step into their place. The backcourt will be solid though and they are likely to add a couple more wins.
15) Yankton. The Bucks lost a ton of senior backcourt talent so there will be a time of breaking in new talent but a couple young guys have already been broken in and that is 8th grader to be Matthew Moors and freshman Rex Ryken plus there are sophomores and juniors who saw time.
16) Mitchell. The Kernels may have one of their tougher seasons in front of them although Connor Morgan and Reed Overweg are seniors that should be able to lead. They do have a solid group of 2018s that played junior varsity.
17) Douglas. The Patriots had a decent year last winter but they will have at most two kids in next year’s senior class. Dylan Pourier is a sophomore to be to watch and there are some good sophomores.