Mid-East League Spring Wrap

<p>There were some really good teams in the league, and the tended to beat each other up a bit. Rock Creek kept a very good St. Marys team from reaching the state playoffs, returning the favor from the previous year. Wabaunsee reached the state finals in 2A. Several really good players depart, but the cupboard is hardly bare for next year.</p> <p>Here’s a look back, and a look forward, for the Mid-East League:</p> <p>Top Team: Wabaunsee</p> <p>This was one for the history books. Perhaps a movie script. The Chargers were so crippled by injuries and COVID issues early on that they started the season 1-10. But they picked themselves up off the mat and reached the playoffs with an 8-12 record. At that point, they went on a remarkable run to reach the state finals, where the dream fell just short. They lost to Hillsboro 59-50, but had a one-of-a-kind season to remember.</p> <p>League Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="889475" first="Dawson" last="Zenger"], Rock Creek</p> <p>Speaking of one-of-a-kind, Zenger was a rare player. He was one of the leading scorers in the state with 29 points per game, and finished his career with 1,722 points. He piloted the senior-laden Mustangs to state and will be remembered for a long time.</p> <p>Senior Star: <strong>Tyler Lohmeyer</strong>, Wabaunsee</p> <p>Lohmeyer provided senior leadership to the Chargers when they could have fallen apart. He was a warrior in the lane, and was big down the stretch. He scored 20 against Hoxie and [player_tooltip player_id="946226" first="Harlan" last="Obioha"] in the semifinal. On the season he averaged 12.7 points and 9.1 rebounds as the top forward in the league.</p> <p>Other Top Grads:</p> <p><strong>Avery Holle</strong>, Riley County</p> <p><strong>Conner Holle</strong>, Riley County</p> <p><strong>Caden Vinduska</strong>, Rock Creek</p> <p><strong>Brooks Whaley</strong>, Rock Creek</p> <p>Top Returner: [player_tooltip player_id="1146270" first="Keller" last="Hurla"], sophomore, St. Marys</p> <p>St. Marys is loaded with ballplayers, and loaded with Hurlas. But Keller Hula quickly established himself as a team leader as a sophomore. He averaged 13.8 points and in a guard-rich league, he is one of the best who return.</p> <p>Top Returner: [player_tooltip player_id="1147992" first="Brayden" last="Meseke"], junior, Wabaunsee</p> <p>Meseke was a good sophomore, and had a strong summer season. But he exploded as a junior. His 11.9 points per contest don’t tell the whole story. He was the defensive and energy leader. When the Chargers had their backs against the wall in the state finals, Meseke refused to go down. He poured in 22 points, 15 of them after halftime.</p> <p>Other Top Returners (in alphabetical order):</p> <p><strong>Trey Harmison</strong>, junior, Riley County</p> <p><strong>Jaxson Hurla</strong>, junior, St. Marys</p> <p><strong>Cade Oliver</strong>, junior, Wabaunsee</p> <p><strong>Kade Perine</strong>, sophomore, Rossville</p> <p>Players to Watch this Summer (in alphabetical order):</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076411" first="Fred" last="Criqui"], junior, St. Marys (pictured):</p> <p>Criqui showed a lot of ability last summer, and is off to a nice start this spring in some tough tournaments. He doesn’t always stuff the stat sheet for the deep, guard-oriented Bears, but there’s a lot of excitement about the 6-foot-7 post’s ability.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080917" first="Kamryn" last="Kaniper"], sophomore, Silver Lake:</p> <p>Like Criqui, Kaniper got a lot of attention last summer as a 6-foot-4 leaper who has versatility and athleticism. It was a tough season for Silver Lake, but Kaniper can take another step forward with a good summer.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1146300" first="Eli" last="Oliver"], sophomore, Wabaunsee:</p> <p>Oliver emerged as the season progressed as one of the top offensive options for the Chargers. After missing a lot of the middle of the season, he was a double-digit scorer in most of the games late in the season. Summer can help him get established as one of the league’s top returners.</p>