Conference Preview: Rolling Valley

The Teams Ar-We-Va (22-2, 17-1): The Rockets have been highly successful for the last several years, headlined by the likes of varsity mainstays Keegan Simons and Drew Schurke. They're gone, as are the top five scorers from last year's 22-win team. Will Ragaller (5.5) is the leading returnee, while the other five returnees combined to score 57 points last year. This will be almost an entirely new team, and while Ar-We-Va has sustained success for quite a while now, it's hard to see them at the top of the league again this year.   Boyer Valley (10-12, 9-8): An awful lot of production returns for the Bulldogs, and this has the look of a team that could make a run to the top of the league. Three double figure scorers are back in Lucas Berens (13.5), Gavin Reineke (11.5) and Dylan Berens (11.0), the only team in the league with three players returning with that much production. Role players Jaidan TenEyck (2.8), Hunter Soma (2.5), Adam Puck (1.8) and Kyle Hast (1.4) also return, so they have plenty of experience returning. The Berens-Berens-Reineke trio accounted for nearly 75% of the team's scoring last year, and ideally they'd find a reliable fourth scorer to take some pressure off that trio. But that trio should be good enough to win a lot of games and push Woodbine for the league crown.   CAM (7-14, 6-10): If you're looking for a team to surprise and make a real jump up the league standings this year, it may be the Cougars, who bring back their top three scorers, and seven of their top nine overall. They'll be led by the guard duo of Jacob Holste (10.1) and Nathan Hensley (7.6), who combined to make 69 3-pointers last season. Holste also led the team in rebounding, steals and blocks. Ben Tibken (7.2) also returns in the paint, while Lane Spieker (5.5) and Colby Rich (3.3) are back after solid freshmen campaigns. This team was fairly solid on the defensive end last year, allowing just 54 points a game, and if they can produce more on the offensive end (averaged 49 a game last season), they could make a real jump.   Coon Rapids-Bayard (9-13, 7-9): The Crusaders have a massive hole to fill with the graduation of Ben Obert, who averaged 22 points a game last year, which was nearly half of the team's scoring. Younger brother Gabe Obert (8.6) is the leading returnee and should step into the primary scoring role. Jalen Rosenbeck (3.8) and Kade Schlepp (3.7) are the other key returnees. Given the major loss that the elder Obert is, it's hard to see the Crusaders replicating last year's nine wins.   Exira-EHK (22-3, 16-2): The Spartans were great last year, rolling up 22 wins, with their only two league losses coming to Ar-We-Va. Like Ar-We-Va, however, they have a lot of production to replace as the top five scorers from last year's team have graduated. Creighton Nelson (3.5) is the leading returnee, while the other three returnees combined to score 25 points last season. After a fantastic season, expect to see Exira-EHK fall back significantly this year.   Glidden-Ralston (0-21, 0-16): The Wildcats really struggled last year, losing games by an average of 33 points a game. The good news is that they have a lot of experience and continuity, as 86% of their scoring returns. They're led by Luke Handlos (7.7), who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season. They struggled to take care of the ball last year, with 402 turnovers and just 104 assists. Those numbers really need to improve if they want to scrape together a few wins.   Paton-Churdan (5-17, 4-12): The Rockets will be led by Kaleb Fisher (6.9), who finished second in scoring and tied for the team lead in assists. He also led the team with 33 made 3s. Jesse Knowles (6.2) is a solid rebounder, while Connor Brus (5.6) and Joe Carey (3.7) each have some experience. This group probably finishes around the same area as last season.   West Harrison (9-14, 6-11): The Hawkeyes will be led by 5-10 senior guard Nick Rife (14.3), who led the team in scoring, assists and steals last season. If he can improve his efficiency (39.9 FG% last year), he could be primed for a massive senior season. Tyler Melby (8.3), Karter Nelson (4.3) and Grant Gilgen (3.4) are the other key returnees. Nelson provides some size and toughness in the paint, while Melby gives them a secondary ball handler. If this group can become a little more efficient on the offensive end (35-29-66 shooting splits), they could push for a .500 finish.   Woodbine (12-9, 10-6): Four of the Tigers' six league losses last year came to Ar-We-Va and Exira-EHK, who beat everyone in the league. And this group far and away has the most returning production of the real contenders, bringing back a pair of double figure scorers in the Pryor brothers, Layne (18.2) and Wyatt (13.6). Layne, a 6-3 junior forward, led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, while senior point guard Wyatt dished out a team-high 92 assists. Brock Leaders (4.8) also returns after dishing out 73 assists of his own, giving the Tigers a great backcourt. Adam Sherer (2.4) can shoot it a bit, and Dylan Hoefer (2.3) provides some more size and rebounding in the paint. Layne Pryor is the best player in the league, and should help lead this group to the top of the conference following the major personnel losses that some of the other key teams in this league suffered.   Projected Order of Finish 1. Woodbine 2. Boyer Valley 3. Ar-We-Va 4. West Harrison 5. CAM 6. Exira-EHK 7. Coon Rapids-Bayard 8. Paton-Churdan 9. Glidden-Ralston Analysis: Following the major losses that Ar-We-Va and Exira-EHK suffered, we expect to see Woodbine and Boyer Valley make a leap up the standings. Of course, both of those are fairly strong programs, and we wouldn't be shocked to see them stay atop the league. There are a number of teams you could make an argument for here.   Preseason Player of the Year 2021 Layne Pryor, Woodbine: 18.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 53.5 FG% The 6-3 junior combo forward led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding last season, and showed the ability to score from all three levels. Woodbine looks like a real contender this year, and Pryor is the biggest reason why. He's the league's leading scorer and rebounder.   Biggest Sleeper 2020 Brock Leaders, Woodbine: The senior lead guard is a solid secondary ball handler for the Tigers, dishing out 73 assists against 43 turnovers last season.   Players to Watch 2021 Layne Pryor, Woodbine 2020 Wyatt Pryor, Woodbine 2020 Nick Rife, West Harrison 2021 Gavin Reineke, Boyer Valley 2020 Lucas Berens, Boyer Valley 2020 Dylan Berens, Boyer Valley 2020 Jacob Holste, CAM 2020 Nathan Hensley, CAM 2020 Ben Tibken, CAM 2022 Lane Spieker, CAM 2022 Gabe Obert, Coon Rapids-Bayard 2020 Tyler Melby, West Harrison 2020 Luke Handlos, Glidden-Ralston 2020 Nathan Brant, Glidden-Ralston 2020 Kaleb Fisher, Paton-Churdan 2020 Jesse Knowles, Paton-Churdan 2021 Connor Brus, Paton-Churdan 2022 Will Ragaller, Ar-We-Va