Section 1A Preview

The Playoffs are right around the corner. With small-school section tournaments set to begin in the next few weeks, it’s time to turn our attention to the postseason. Spring Grove finally broke through last year to win Section 1A after years of advancing deep only to lose to Rushford-Peterson or Goodhue. For years, it feels like the region had been dominated for the Trojans. The tide seems to be turning with a number of talented teams seemingly positioned to make lengthy postseason runs. Here’s a look at Section 1A: Favorite: Blooming Prairie While many small schools that advance deep into the postseason in football traditionally stumble a bit out the gates, the Awesome Blossoms seemingly jumped right in and dominated from the jump. Blooming Prairie is sitting at 19-3 on the year with a pair of losses to top-five Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and one to a very good Goodhue team. This is the year the Awesome Blossoms have been building towards for what feels like forever, as <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/gabe-hagen/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/gabe-hagen/">Gabe Hagen</a></a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kaden-thomas/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kaden-thomas/">Kaden Thomas</a></a> are finally seniors. Both guys have started since their freshmen seasons and as they’ve gotten better, BP has gotten better and better. Hagen is one of the best big men in the section, using his combination of strength, quickness and skill to control the paint on both ends of the floor. Thomas is a rock-solid swingman who can score from all over the floor and make plays for others. Karson Vigeland is a solid third piece. Seniors Isaac Ille, Zach Archer, Parker Vaith and Zach Weber round out a solid, balanced and experienced rotation. Contenders: Hayfield, Randolph The Vikings are sitting in the No. 2 seed in the section currently and likely won’t drop below fourth in the standings. They’ve only lost five games - twice to Blooming Prairie, twice to Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and to Springfield - this year and have one of the most potent offenses in the section. Junior swingman Ethan Slaathaug has broken out in a big way, going from a solid complementary scorer to the certified man. He’s averaging 23 points per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 39 percent from the 3-point line. Patrick Towey is one of the best point guards in the section and he’s been excellent all year, averaging 13 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists. And Lucas Dudycha is one of the top big men in the section, averaging 13 points and eight rebounds. The Vikings have the high-end talent to make a big run. Randolph is sitting at 18 wins on the season with two winnable games to go. The Rockets have arguably the most high-powered offense in the section led by senior guard Nick Drinken. Drinken is excellent at getting to the paint and scoring or facilitating while senior forward Isaac Stoesz is a potential double-double guy every night. The Rockets have excellent balance as well with Devon Schultz, AJ Weidner, Dane Ehleringer and Clay Nielson all providing complementary scoring. In the Mix: Grand Meadow, Schaeffer Academy The Superlarks were projected to be a solid team going into the year and solid sums them up perfectly. They have 17 wins with a good shot at eclipsing 20 with a win in the postseason. They’ve been tested in tight games, taking five losses by less than 10 points and winning four games in contested fashion. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colt-landers/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colt-landers/">Colt Landers</a></a> is one of the best individual players in the section. The junior forward is the complete package inside and out at 6-foot-5, averaging better than 20 points per game. Schaeffer Academy will likely head into the postseason with more than 20 wins and a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season title. The Lions have enjoyed an awesome season and have the pieces to beat anybody. Sophomore big man Luke Kottom has been a stud all year, averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds while converting on better than 65 percent of his shots. Senior swingman Nic Sanger has been excellent as well, averaging 15 points and five rebounds and senior point guard Isaiah Lahr orchestrates things, averaging 13 points, five rebounds and three assists while knocking down better than 45 percent of his 3-pointers. Watch Out For: Rushford-Peterson, Spring Grove, Lyle/Pacelli It’s not the same team, but there’s still some name-brand value in Rushford-Peterson that makes it feel like the Trojans are always going to be a threat even if they aren’t considered the favorite by a long-shot. The Trojans have a losing record on the year and don’t defend at the level they are accustomed to. But they are also battle-tested playing in a tough Three Rivers Conference and have experienced pieces in junior guard Luke O’hare and sophomore forward Justin Ruberg. Spring Grove is in a similar boat in that the Lions are always good and it would be silly to ever count them out. They aren’t the same team they’ve been in recent years. There’s a lot less offensive juice than there’s been. But they play terrific defense, control the tempo well and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/caden-grinde/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/caden-grinde/">Caden Grinde</a></a> and senior forward John Koch form a terrific frontcourt. Lyle/Pacelli started the year 0-3 but has since turned things around in a big way, going 17-3 since. The Athletics are sitting in sixth in the section with an outside shot at moving up into the top-four. They’ll likely finish somewhere in that fifth, sixth or seventh spot and that makes them a scary team to play in a quarterfinal round. They have the firepower that few others have in the section and the athletes that can matchup with anybody.