1A Frontrunners: Blackhawk Christian
The season is getting closer and closer and we are starting to dive into the rosters and Sectionals that will help to determine who are the top competition for each class. Today, we take a look into 1A and the frontrunners. Today, we breakdown Blackhawk Christian.
Last Year’s Record: 17-10
Head Coach: Marc Davidson
Top Returning Players: Jalan Mull (Sr.), Luke Sassmannhausen (Sr.), Drake Thompson (Sr.)
Top Departures: Lucas Kroft (Transfer), Kole Barkhaus (Graduate)
New Additions: Jared Hofer (Transfer), Caleb Furst (Fr.)
Why A Frontrunner: This past season for Blackhawk ended with some disappointment as they lost way too early to a strong Lakewood Park team in the Sectional Finals. Part of the reason for that is they lost their standout post player in Drake Thompson and they didn’t have that added dimension on both sides of the ball. Now, they bring back pretty much everyone and should sport a frontline that goes 6’10, 6’9, 6’8. No team in the state, regardless of class, has that much size. Hofer won’t be eligible to play until after the start of the year but Thompson is back and playing again and Caleb Furst might be among the best players in the nation as a freshman. Not only that, but they bring back Jalan Mull who is among one of the best distributors this state has had in a while and he has shooters around him that should help to give this team the spacing it needs to take advantage of those post players. They have enough to compete against every team on their schedule.
Outlook: For this group, look for them to get back above the 20-win mark and easily take the Sectional Championship back. The first real problem should come if they matchup against Gary 21st Century in the Regional Championship. However, on paper, it is going to be difficult for anyone to matchup against Blackhawk and as long as they don’t run into injuries again, this should be the favorite to win 1A State Championship.