Conference Preview: Upper Iowa
THE TEAMS Central Elkader (4-18): Last season was a tough one on the offensive end for the Warriors, averaging just 36.1 points and shooting 26.4% from the floor. Leading scorer Derek Ehrhardt (8.5) is back, as are Nick Sylvester (6.4)…
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Continue ReadingTHE TEAMS
Central Elkader (4-18): Last season was a tough one on the offensive end for the Warriors, averaging just 36.1 points and shooting 26.4% from the floor. Leading scorer Derek Ehrhardt (8.5) is back, as are Nick Sylvester (6.4) and Ben Kelly (4.2), so they’ve got some continuity among the regulars. They’ll need to greatly improve on both ends of the floor if they want to win more games in this league, however.
Clayton Ridge (14-8): If there is a team in the conference that could unseat MFL-Mar-Mac, it may be this group. The Eagles are led by our pick for conference Player of the Year in Robby Sweers (19.0), a do-everything wing who can take over games. Jace Moore (9.2) is also back, and if he can improve his shooting from the arc (24.5% last year), he’ll be a dangerous sidekick. They’ve got three key players to replace, but with Sweers on the court, they’ll still be a solid team that should finish in the top 3 of the league.
Edgewood-Colesburg (10-13): Leading scorer Elliott Meyer (9.9) is back for the Vikings, but the next three scorers have graduated. Meyer was an efficient option on a team that struggled to shoot the ball last year, shooting 51.5% from the floor (the team shot 37.3%). Dakota Funke (5.5) posted nearly a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last year, and Jacob Wessel (3.7) and Ethan Streicher (3.4) are also back after playing a significant role last year. Despite losing a number of contributors from last year’s group, they should finish similar to where they were last season.
Lansing Kee (7-16): The division’s top scorer returns in Daniel Brennan (19.2), as do the team’s second, third and fifth leading scorers in Eric Rud (6.0), Tyler Reinhart (4.4) and Clay Olson (4.1). Having a dominant scorer in Brennan didn’t help out too much last year, as the Kee Hawks won only seven games, so we’ll see if they attempt to become a bit more balanced this year.
MFL-Mar-Mac (16-7): The Bulldogs are the clear cut favorite in the conference, returning all but 27 points from their 16-win team. They’re led by a quartet of talented scorers in Mason Hertrampf (13.3), Cade Kuenster (13.8), Ty Hefner (13.0) and Tristen Kautman (18.4). Bryar Ruff (5.3) is the final piece of the starting lineup, and he led the team in rebounding and tied for the conference lead in assists (with teammates Hertrampf and Hefner). This is a team that could potentially be very explosive on the offensive end with the amount of shooting they can put on the floor, and they should be pretty solid defensively as well. This group is loaded with talent and should be considered not only the favorite in this league, but one of the better teams in Class 2A as well.
North Fayette Valley (12-11): The TigerHawks lose a huge piece in Austin Callahan, who averaged 18.6 points last year. However, Spencer Heyer (12.1) returns after finishing second to Callahan in scoring and rebounding, while leading the team in assists. If he can get some help from returnees like Tate Hovden (5.1), Trevor Hurd (3.0), Josh Guenther (2.6), Mason Ward (2.4) and Nic Butikofer (2.2), they should be a solid group that competes for a top 3-5 finish. NFV has had a solid run of athletes go through the school of late, and this group is no exception.
Postville (6-16): Leading scorer Owen Jacobson (11.7) is back for the Pirates, as are three other players who averaged at least 4.8 points a game in Jacob Steffans (6.1), Nash Reicks (5.5) and Blake Wettleson (4.8). With that type of continuity coming back, they should be able to improve on their six wins from last year, but this still probably isn’t a group that will compete in the upper half of the league.
South Winneshiek (14-8): The top five scorers are gone from the Warriors, with Joel Hanson (4.0) the leading returnee. It’s an incredible amount of production that needs to be replaced, and while they probably won’t fall all the way to the bottom of the league, they’ll struggle to contend with the top teams in the conference as well. They’ll be a lower-half group.
Starmont (5-16): The good news is that the Stars bring back two of their top four scorers from last year in Jacob Brown (9.8) and Caleb Koch (7.6). The bad news is that this is a group that shot just 32.8% from the floor last season and turned the ball over 302 times (compared to just 115 assists). They need to become more efficient and take care of the ball better if they want to improve on last year’s win total.
Turkey Valley (4-17): The good news for the Trojans is that they return every player from last year’s team. The bad news it that that team only won four games. If they’re able to become more efficient on the offensive end (40.7 points per game, 36.3 FG%), they can scrape together some more wins, led by Levi Izer (9.3) and Evan Drilling (9.1). If not, they’ll be sitting at the bottom of the conference again.
West Central (11-11): The Blue Devils lose a lot of scoring punch with the losses of Dustin Gordon and Ethan Fink, who combined to average 32 points a game. Brady Forsyth (9.6) is the leading returnee, a solid player, particularly on the defensive end, where he swiped 37 steals to lead the team. Colin Kane (4.4) and Collin Kime (3.2) are also back, but will need to play much bigger roles. West Central’s success will depend on how this trio adjusts to having to play significantly larger roles. They should be somewhere in the middle of the league.
PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. MFL-Mar-Mac
2. Clayton Ridge
3. North Fayette Valley
4. Edgewood-Colesburg
5. Lansing Kee
6. West Central
7. Postville
8. Turkey Valley
9. South Winneshiek
10. Starmont
11. Central Elkader
Analysis: This looks like one of the most clear-cut leagues in the state, with MFL an overwhelming favorite. The Bulldogs figure to be not only the best team in the conference, but also one of the best teams in Class 2A. Teams two through five here have the potential to make some noise come playoff time.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Robby Sweers, Clayton Ridge, 2017: 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.5 steals, 47.5 FG%
A tough choice between Sweers and any number of MFL-Mar-Mac players. Sweers is the conference’s second leading returning scorer, and we’ll give him a nod as he’ll have more on his shoulders than the balanced group of Bulldogs.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
Dakota Funke, Edgewood-Colesburg, 2017: The Vikings’ second leading returning scorer at 5.5 points a game, Funke also posted a nearly 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. With three of the top four scorers gone from last year’s group, look for his scoring output to increase, especially if he can improve on his efficiency.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Robby Sweers, Clayton Ridge, 2017
Daniel Brennan, Lansing Kee, 2017
Mason Hertrampf, MFL-Mar-Mac, 2018
Tristen Kautman, MFL-Mar-Mac, 2017
Cade Kuenster, MFL-Mar-Mac, 2017
Bryar Ruff, MFL-Mar-Mac, 2017
Ty Hefner, MFL-Mar-Mac, 2017
Spencer Heyer, North Fayette Valley, 2017
Owen Jacobson, Postville, 2018
Elliott Meyer, Edgewood-Colesburg, 2017