The Spring Jam Preview (16U)
The 16U division is all about “can the South Dakota Storm win another championship?”. Two weeks ago the Storm surprised many and won the Comets Shootout. Is the Spring Jam next?
Blue Division. The top division has eight teams: three from Minnesota, one from Nebraska, one from Wisconsin, one from North Dakota, and two from South Dakota.
The two from South Dakota lead our conversation. The Storm has quite an edge in this event because they have played more than anybody else (11 games in two events so far) and they are winning those games (10-1 with the only loss coming to a top Iowa team). The Storm is led by shooter and leading scorer Gavin Schipper (SF Christian) and top playmaker Justin Hohn (Tea Area). Jackson Miller (West Central), Carter Olthoff (Brandon Valley), and Kade Stearns (Tea Area) are three more key pieces to a very well coached group.
This is event one for the Dakota Schoolers who kick off their eight event schedule (four events in the next six weeks) with a game against Crossfire Belle. The Schoolers have two bigs in 6-foot-6 Micah Burke (Clark-Willow Lake) and 6-foot-8 Logan Heim (Dell Rapids) that are surrounded by a swarm of guards ranging from six feet to 6-foot-2 (plus 5-foot-9 Brady Morgan). Some of those guards include Trey King of Irene-Wakonda, Jacob Prouty of Clark-Willow Lake, and Quincy Ihnen of Lennox.
The guests from Minnesota are Comets K (1-3, ranked 24th in Minnesota), Crossfire Belle (3-1, ranked 12th in Minnesota), and Southwest Minnesota Stars (0-0, not ranked as they haven’t played yet).
Comets K had a tough first weekend of play but they are a team with talent. Jackson Janugla and Nick Schaefer played a lot for a strong Cathedral team together so they are dangerous and Michael Ziermann of Lester Prairie is a top playmaker for Comets K as well. Cade Goggeye of North Woods was a Class A All State player and DaVonne Harris has done good things for Big Lake. Finally, Michael Landquist of Nevis scored 14 a game for a state tournament team.
Crossfire Belle beat Comets K in St. Cloud plus they beat WOTN’s second team and Select Koch to get them their top 12 ranking. Crossfire is a combo of northern Metro and St. Cloud area kids. Five or six of the Crossfire players were 7th/8th men on varsity and/or top guys on JV teams this year. The leaders are Cole Elrod of Spectrum (scored 16 a contest), Zach Gazda (put up double figures at North Branch), Reegan Nelson of Melrose (third leading scorer for the 29-1 team and top returning player), and Jordan Schiffler of Albany.
The Southwest Minnesota Stars are playing in their first event of the season. There are 13 players on the Stars roster with a dozen of them of course being from Southwest Minnesota and a 13th (Colllin Reitsma) coming over from Sioux Falls Christian. Six-foot-6 big Carter Henry scored six a game for Central MN Christian who went to state. Other standouts include Bentley Boike of Dawson-Boyd (scored 14 a contest this winter), Cole Woodford of Redwood Valley (scored 15 a game), and Cooper Hansen who scored ten a game for RTR. The Stars play the Playmakers in round one.
The North Dakota Phenom 16U top team is playing in their second event. The first weekend they lost three of four games but are ready for a bounce back. They open the Spring Jam with the Nebraska Bison. Trey Weist of Mandan and Trapper Jacobs of Turtle Lake are the headlining players after excellent sophomore varsity seasons. Dalton Albrecht of Grafton is a key frontcourt piece.
Orange Division. From what we know this entire Orange Division is all playing their first event of the season this weekend. South Dakota Heat, BBA Force Hennen, the Crush, and a pair of Pentagon teams all kick off their year. Add in some teams we don’t know much about (Boyden Hull, NCC, and lokota Jazz) and you have the Orange Division.
Red Division. There is more experience in the red group with North Dakota Phenom having won half of their games in St. Cloud, ECI Select playing in their second event but looking for win number one, and Crossfire Peterson who was also winless in St. Cloud.
They are joined by two more Pentagon teams, Dakota Niners Select, and BBA Force Speaks who are all making their season debut. Add in Sioux City Assault from Iowa and you have the Red Division.