Preseason All-Conference Teams: South Iowa Cedar East

<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year:</strong></span> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962683" first="Ben" last="DeMeulenaere"], Belle Plaine</p> <p>Strong arguments can be made for DeMeulenaere, [player_tooltip player_id="1158460" first="Brody" last="Ward"], or [player_tooltip player_id="962678" first="Kaden" last="Hall"] for this honor. All three of those players put up massive numbers last season and will continue to do so this season. We'll give the slight nod to DeMeulenaere, but this should be one of the better POY races this season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>First Team</h4> <p><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962683" first="Ben" last="DeMeulenaere"], Belle Plaine: 18.7 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.5 blocks, 62.5 FG%</strong></p> <p>DeMeulenaere’s 299 rebounds last season ranks third among all returnees in the state. An efficient double-double machine, he’ll post some ridiculous numbers for the Plainsmen as a senior.</p> <p><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962678" first="Kaden" last="Hall"], English Valleys: 19.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.3 blocks, 52.0 FG%</strong></p> <p>A walking double-double, Hall led the Bears to more wins (12) than they’ve had in any season during the QuikStats/VarsityBound era (dating back to 2006-07). An active and physical 6-3 forward, he scores efficiently around the rim and protects the paint defensively.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Brody-Ward-1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1027063" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Brody-Ward-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158460" first="Brody" last="Ward"], Iowa Valley: 23.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 3.5 steals, 80.0 FT%</strong></p> <p>The top returning scorer in 1A, Ward helped lead the Tigers to 12 wins last season, their best season since 2007-08 when they won 13. His 120 free-throw attempts were third in the division, and his 96 made free throws were best in the division.</p> <p><strong>2022 Peyton Loffer, Iowa Valley: 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3.0 steals, 51.4 FG%</strong></p> <p>An efficient scoring threat for the Tigers, Loffer also makes an impact on the defensive end of the floor, swiping three steals a night.</p> <p><strong>2022 Ethan Shifflett, Sigourney: 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.1 steals</strong></p> <p>A do-it-all 6-0 guard, Shifflett led the team in rebounding and was second in scoring and steals last season. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Second Team</h4> <p>2022 Levi Crawford, Sigourney</p> <p>2023 Evan Kearney, Iowa Valley</p> <p>2022 Eli Ehlen, Belle Plaine</p> <p>2022 Beau Flander, English Valleys</p> <p>2023 Brooks DeMeulenaere, Belle Plaine</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Honorable Mentions</h4> <p>2022 Bo Schmidt, Sigourney<br /> 2022 Cade Molyneux, Sigourney<br /> 2023 Eli Molyneux, Tri-County<br /> 2022 Kobe Riffel, Tri-County</p>