Conference Preview: North Iowa Cedar East
The Teams
Aplington-Parkersburg (17-5): The Falcons have enjoyed a pretty healthy run of success over the last five years or so, and this team looks primed to make a trip to the state tournament after a two year absence. They return six of their top eight from last year’s roster, including a pair of double figure scorers in Carter Cuvelier (15.5) and Alec Oberhauser (11.2). Cuvelier, a 6-4 junior wing, may be the most physically talented player in the league. He’s a gifted scorer who can fill it up at all three levels, passes it well and rebounds effectively from his perimeter spot. But the real star of this team will be our preseason POY, Oberhauser. A 6-5 point guard, he impacts the game in a huge way even when he’s not scoring. He was the team’s second leading rebounder, dished out 125 assists (to just 40 turnovers), had 42 steals and 47 blocks last season. With his size, passing ability and defensive strength, he’s a true game changer. Grant Truax (9.2) also returns, and he’ll take over Cade Alberts’ role as the team’s primary perimeter shooter. Coby Hoff (5.1), Dylan Ellis (5.0) and Andrew Haan (4.0) give them solid depth and experience. This is the Falcons’ division to lose, and they could very easily find themselves in Des Moines, with a chance at taking home a 2A title.
Denver (8-13): The Cyclones showed what they could potentially be last season, notching wins over high-level teams like Jesup and Wapsie Valley. But far too consistently, they struggled to put the ball in the bucket, finishing the year with 37-31-57 shooting splits, which isn’t going to get the job done on a nightly basis. The good news is that the top three scorers from last year’s team return, and five of the top seven are back. They’ll be led by the inside-out duo of Zach Miller (11.0) and Bo McMahon (11.1). Miller didn’t attempt a shot from beyond the arc last year, doing all of his damage close to the rim, while McMahon attempted over 50% of his shots from deep last season. He also led the team in assists. Sam Joeger (9.5) gives them a consistent third scoring option, and Devin Baas (5.3) and Kevin Walsh (5.1) saw significant playing time and produced last year as well. They’ve shown flashes of what this group could be capable of, now the next step is putting things together on a more consistent basis.
Dike-New Hartford (21-4): Perennially one of the best teams in the division, the Wolverines are going to have a lot of work to do to remain among the elite this year. They lose all five starters from last year’s 21-win team. They’ll be led by junior big man Colton Harberts (7.3), who was dominant off the bench last year, shooting 55.2% from the floor and finishing as the team’s second leading rebounder. He’ll be the focal point of their game plan every night, and at 6-6, he has the skill set, size and footwork to be a major force nightly. Cade Fuller (5.7) is the leading returnee in the backcourt. He had 30 assists off the bench and knocked down 15 of 38 attempts from the arc (39.5%). Isaac Jorgensen (2.0) is the other returnee with any sort of meaningful experience, and he’ll join up with Fuller in the backcourt. D-NH always has a program that is deep in talent and has lots of bodies they’re comfortable playing on a nightly basis. This year will likely be no exception, but with so many unknowns to begin the year, it’s hard to peg where we expect them to finish. But if history tells us anything, expect them to be heard from again, and Harberts could put together a POY type year in the league.
Hudson (9-14): If you’re looking for a team to break into the upper third of the division this year, look at the Pirates, who return their top eight from last season, headlined by a pair of big-time scorers in Parker Ingamells (17.0) and Dylan Beaumont (14.7). Ingamells is one of the league’s most deadly shooters and explosive scorers, knocking down 51 3s last season, while Beaumont is a little better contributing his scoring across all three levels. The 6-3 forward hit a respectable 34% from deep while also leading the team in rebounding and blocking 34 shots a year ago. Wyatt Kelly (6.5), Jacob Murray (6.0), Tanner Wulf (5.2), Zach Buzynski (3.8) and CJ Christopher (7.5) all also return after playing significant minutes last season. This is a group that needs to improve defensively, after allowing 59.3 points a game last season, which ranked them 97th in Class 1A. If they’re able to get that number down into the lower 50s, they should win a lot more games this season, as we expect the offense to become a more efficient unit as well with so many returnees.
Jesup (19-5): The J-Hawks lose a six person senior class that was the winningest group in school history, and arguably the best player the school has ever had in Ethan Wyant. Five of the top six scorers from last year’s group are gone, with only Joey Youngblut (6.3) returning among the regulars. The team’s second leading rebounder last season, he’ll need to carry this group on both ends of the floor if they want to avoid falling into the basement of the league. Alex Moore (1.7) and Dylan McCombs (2.3) also saw some action last year, but will now need to move into significantly larger roles. With all of the talent and experience this group has lost, it’s hard to see them remaining competitive with the upper echelon teams in the division.
Sumner-Fredericksburg (5-17): Last year’s leading scorer Trevor Wurzer is gone, taking nearly 36% of the Cougars’ scoring from last season with him. Also gone is third leading scorer Trey Hartson, and when you add in his and the other lost seniors, 57% of last year’s production needs to be replaced. The good news is that they bring back a double figure scorer in James Stimson (11.1), a gunner who took 213 of his 260 shots from behind the arc. If he’s able to become a more rounded offensive player, it will help this team out. Blayze Quigley (4.1), Luke Nederhoff (2.6) and Spencer Schmitz (2.0) return after playing lots of minutes last season, but this team will go as Stimson goes most nights. There isn’t a whole lot of reason to be too optimistic about the Cougars winning more than the five games they won last season.
Union, LaPorte City (9-13): A lot of production needs to be replaced for the Knights, who lose all three double figure scorers from last year’s group, and five of their top eight rotation players from last season’s roster. The leading returnees are Koby Alpers (6.4) and Silver Schmitz (5.5). Alpers, a 6-0 guard, tied for the team lead in assists last season, but really struggled shooting the ball (36-13-42), and he’s going to be asked to play a much larger scoring role, so the efficiency must improve. Schmitz shot 53.2% from the floor and is capable of stepping out and knocking down an occasional 3 as well. A 6-4 junior wing, he can play inside and out, and likely becomes the team’s leading scorer this year. Jace Glenn (3.4) and Troy Hanus (1.9) are the only other returnees who saw significant playing time last season, so there are a lot of question marks on the roster heading into the winter. They’ll finish in the bottom half of the division, but if players adjust to their larger roles well, they could avoid the bottom third of the league.
Wapsie Valley (18-8): Armed with the most explosive scorer in the division, the Warriors caught fire late last season, winning ten straight games before falling to Gladbrook-Reinbeck in the substate final. And that explosive scorer is back in junior guard Paul Rundquist (20.1), who scored 50 points in an early season game against Sumner-Fredericksburg. He’ll lead a team that expects to compete for the division title, bringing back four of their top six from last year’s team. Also returning are Kirk Drew (9.0), Carson Kerns (7.2) and Cameron O’Donnell (4.4), giving them plenty of experience coming back, and all are capable shooters. Drew made 23 3s (41.8%), Kerns 30 3s (31.6%) and O’Donnell made 24 (36.9%), which paired with Rundquist’s 65 made 3s (34.2%) gives them one of the most dangerous offenses in 1A. They’ll need to find someone to hit the glass this season, as the top two rebounders from last year’s team are gone, taking just about all the size this team had with them. So they’ll be guard heavy and really fun to watch, capable of beating anyone on any given night.
Waterloo Columbus Catholic (6-16): The Sailors lose five of their top six from last season, with junior guard Alex Zike (10.1) the lone returnee. Zike was the team’s second leading scorer and their best perimeter shooter, knocking down 52 3s last year at a 41.6% clip. He’ll need to take over the primary scoring role for this group. Ben Leibold (2.5) and Blake Freeseman (1.5) are the only other returnees with significant experience. They should get a boost from guard Jaqwan Jackson, who played well during the Iowa Dynasty Fall League, and his quickness and ball handling should allow him to get into the paint consistently. This group doesn’t have the talent to hang with the top teams in the league, but they could sneak up into the fifth or sixth place area in the division if the guards play well.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Aplington-Parkersburg
2. Wapsie Valley
3. Dike-New Hartford
4. Hudson
5. Denver
6. Union, La Porte City
7. Jesup
8. Waterloo Columbus Catholic
9. Sumner-Fredericksburg
Analysis: A-P looks like a clear favorite in the division, returning a big chunk of a roster that swept Wapsie Valley by an average of 18.5 points last season. Wapsie and D-NH likely fight it out for the second spot in the league, with Wapsie returning more proven talent, and D-NH being one of the traditional powers in the league. Hudson should be much improved and could make some noise in the 1A postseason, and Denver is a potentially dangerous team as well.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2018 Alec Oberhauser, Aplington-Parkersburg: 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.9 steals, 2.1 blocks. 54.9 FG%
No player in this division impacts the game in the same way that Oberhauser does on both ends of the floor. A long ball handler with great size, he has the ability to completely dominate a game, even when he’s not scoring. We’ll go ahead and call it now: He’ll post at least one triple-double this season.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
2019 Colton Harberts, Dike-New Hartford: He’s not going to be a sleeper for much longer, as the 6-6 junior big man will be one of the league’s best players this winter. He’s big, skilled and runs the floor really well. He could average 15 and 10 this season and we wouldn’t be surprised at all.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
2018 Alec Oberhauser, Aplington-Parkersburg
2019 Carter Cuvelier, Aplington-Parkersburg
2018 Grant Truax, Aplington-Parkersburg
2019 Paul Rundquist, Wapsie Valley
2018 Kirk Drew, Wapsie Valley
2018 Carson Kerns, Wapsie Valley
2018 Parker Ingamells, Hudson
2018 Dylan Beaumont, Hudson
2019 Colton Harberts, Dike-New Hartford
2018 Bo McMahon, Denver
2018 James Miller, Denver
2018 Sam Joerger, Denver
2020 James Stimson, Sumner-Fredericksburg
2019 Alex Zike, Waterloo Columbus
2018 Joey Youngblut, Jesup
2018 Koby Alpers, Union, LaPorte City