Conference Preview: Bluegrass

The Teams Ankeny Christian (21-4): Knowing that the Bluegrass doesn’t test them very much, ACA was aggressive in their non-conference scheduling last year, getting games against Alburnett, Denver, Martensdale-St. Marys, St. Albert, Albia and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on the schedule. They made it to the substate championship game as a result, before narrowly losing to a very good West Fork team. Always one of the highest-scoring teams in the state, this year shouldn’t be any different for the Eagles, who bring back seven of their top nine scorers. [player_tooltip player_id="964906" first="Cale" last="Leever"] (13.0) is the leading returnee, but five players who averaged at least five points a game are back. [player_tooltip player_id="962662" first="Malachi" last="Johnson"] is back as the lead ball-handler, the straw that stirs the drink. He dished out 5.5 assists a game last year and will pace another potent offensive attack. [player_tooltip player_id="964926" first="Colby" last="Elrod"], Ben McDermott and [player_tooltip player_id="796200" first="Matthew" last="Voll"] should round out the starting lineup, giving them a versatile group that can score in bunches and in a variety of ways. Covid-permitting, they should get return games with all of those aforementioned teams from last year’s schedule, which will benefit them this season again. Diagonal (10-12): Tiny Diagonal must replace their top three scorers from a year ago, with junior Skyler Stamps (5.9) the leading returnee. Caleb Hubbard (5.1) had a solid freshman season and will be asked to step into a much larger role, but following the graduation of double-double machine [player_tooltip player_id="801967" first="Kade" last="Klommhaus"], expect to see the Maroons fall back down the league standings this year. Lamoni (20-3): The Demons split a pair of meetings with Ankeny Christian last season, the only Bluegrass team to hand the Eagles a loss. They lose leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="801915" first="Stephen" last="Ansong"], but bring back three key contributors from last year’s group in Hayden Stewart (13.7), Brayden Olson (9.7) and Landon Gilliland (7.4). All three of them are capable of doing a little bit of everything on the floor and will keep this group competitive at the top of the conference. Melcher-Dallas (10-12): If you’re looking for a surprise team to jump up and challenge ACA or Lamoni this year, look at the Saints. They bring back a trio of double-figure scorers in Steven Krpan (13.8), Ryan Krpan (13.4) and Lane VanderLinden (13.0), all of whom also contribute in a big way on the glass, combining to average 21.2 rebounds a game. They don’t have much shooting (shot 24.9% as a team from 3 last year), and they’ll need to take better care of the ball (331 turnovers, 267 assists), but their top three players will be among the best trios in the conference. Moravia (12-9): The Mohawks bring back their top nine scorers from last year’s group, so if you’re looking for a team to make a jump this season, look here. [player_tooltip player_id="964904" first="Carson" last="Brown"], who averaged 17.5 points and 6.1 rebounds last year, will be one of the best players in the conference, and there is a lot of experience back alongside him. The top five scorers were all juniors last year and have a ton of experience playing with each other. Look for them to be much more competitive against the top-tier teams in the league. Mormon Trail (8-16): Another group that could be much improved are the Saints. They were heavily reliant on freshmen and sophomores last year, with underclassmen as five of the top six scorers. Junior forward Remington Newton (11.1, 7.5 rebounds) is the top returnee, while fellow junior Gabe Stripe (10.7) gives them another solid piece to build around. Look for continued improvement from sophomore guard Ty Hysell (5.1), who should have the ball in his hands quite a bit this year. The Saints beat up on the lesser teams on the schedule, but look for them to be more competitive against the good teams this year. Moulton-Udell (2-18): The Eagles lose three of their top four scorers, but have a solid forward to build around in Hunter Hansen, who averaged 7.2 points and 7.0 rebounds last year. No returnee shot better than 16% from behind the arc last season, so shooting could be a major issue this year. Murray (16-7): The Mustangs have a major hole to fill following the graduation of [player_tooltip player_id="801953" first="Reece" last="Held"], who averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4.5 assists last year. But they bring back a pair of double-figure scorers in Jace Rodecker (12.3) and Colton Siefkas (10.7), so they should remain competitive. Orient-Macksburg (0-21): Things didn’t go well for the Bulldogs last year, going winless with no loss by fewer than 12 points. There is some hope for improvement, with plenty of experienced players coming back, led by Blake Thompson (11.0). The top three scorers return, and five of the top six are back, so maybe they can sneak out a win against another lower-level team in the league. Seymour (13-8): The Indians lose five of their top six scorers, but have a great piece to start building around in sophomore forward Brody Tuttle, who averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman. He’ll be the focal point of this program moving forward, and will have a chance to put up some monster numbers this season. Twin Cedars (4-18): The top two scorers return for the Sabers, led by junior forward Devin Arkema, who averaged 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a game last season. Kade Dunkin (9.0) is the leading returning scorer, while Jace Nichols (5.6) gives them another veteran player and solid perimeter shooting threat. Twin Cedars was the most competitive of the lower-level teams, and should take another step forward this season.   Projected Order of Finish 1. Ankeny Christian 2. Lamoni 3. Moravia 4. Melcher-Dallas 5. Mormon Trail 6. Murray 7. Seymour 8. Diagonal 9. Twin Cedars 10. Orient-Macksburg 11. Moulton-Udell Analysis: The Eagles have been the best team in this league for a while now, and should be considered the team to beat again here. They're testing themselves in the non-conference again this season to prepare them for postseason play. Lamoni, Moravia and Melcher-Dallas should all be good enough to make some noise in the postseason as well, given the right draws.   Preseason Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id="964906" first="Cale" last="Leever"], Ankeny Christian (2021): 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists Leever probably isn’t going to put up the biggest numbers in the conference (Moravia’s [player_tooltip player_id="964904" first="Carson" last="Brown"] or the Krpan boys from Melcher-Dallas), but he’s the best player on the league’s best team, and he should put up some really solid numbers for the Eagles this season. Players to Watch [player_tooltip player_id="964906" first="Cale" last="Leever"], Ankeny Christian (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="964926" first="Colby" last="Elrod"], Ankeny Christian (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="962662" first="Malachi" last="Johnson"], Ankeny Christian (2022) Remington Newton, Mormon Trail (2022) Gabe Stripe, Mormon Trail (2022) Steven Krpan, Melcher-Dallas (2021) Ryan Krpan, Melcher-Dallas (2021) Lane VanderLinden, Melcher-Dallas (2021) Brody Tuttle, Seymour (2023) [player_tooltip player_id="964904" first="Carson" last="Brown"], Moravia (2021) Hayden Stewart, Lamoni (2021)