Substate Preview: 1A-4
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District 7 [player_tooltip player_id="1167671" first="William" last="Kiburis"] The favorite: Junior lead guard William Kiburis William Kiburis 6'4" | PG Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2023 State IA (21.9, 7.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists) is a nightly triple-double threat for Gladbrook-Reinbeck, leading a quartet of…
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District 7
The favorite: Junior lead guard William Kiburis William Kiburis 6'4" | PG Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2023 State IA (21.9, 7.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists) is a nightly triple-double threat for Gladbrook-Reinbeck, leading a quartet of double-figure scorers for a Rebels team that has lost just once this year to 2A Aplington-Parkersburg, a team that has been near the top of the 2A rankings all year. Kiburis, a 6-3 point guard, is a dynamic player on both ends of the floor who can score from all three levels, get others involved, and is excellent defensively. Tristen Sanford-Anders Tristen Sanford-Anders 6'5" | PF Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2022 State IA (14.2, 8.7 rebounds) is a physical force in the paint who finishes well and is an excellent rebounder, and Caleb Egesdal (11.1, 44.2 3P%) and Luke Riffey (10.9, 36.3% 3P%) are both really good perimeter shooting threats. In Kiburis, the Rebels have the best player in the district, and this is a talented team that really fits in well alongside him.
The biggest threat: Alburnett is a really good defensive team with some size and length that could give G-R some problems if they were to match up in the district final. The Pirates are led by senior wing Andrew Ossman (16.7), the lone double-digit scorer, but they have six other players averaging between 4.6 and 8.5 points a game, giving them a lot of balance. They allow just 42.9 points a game, using their length, physicality, and excellent defensive coaching from Jeff Christopherson to dominate games on that end of the floor. They’ve lost five games this year, but those losses have come to teams with a combined 87-12 record.
The dark horse: Conor Sukel Conor Sukel 6'1" | SG Cedar Valley Christian | 2022 State IA (22.4, 10.6 rebounds, 4.1 steals) moved to Cedar Valley Christian this year from Illinois and has provided a dominant force on both ends of the Huskies. An athletic wing who is shooting over 60% from the floor, he’s the type of athlete who can dominate games on either end and lead this group to a few upsets. Levi Telecky Levi Telecky 6'0" | SG Cedar Valley Christian | 2022 State IA (15.3) and Drew Grimm (10.6) give them additional scoring, and that trio of seniors has led the Huskies to their best season in a decade.
Players to watch
2023
William Kiburis
William
Kiburis
6'4" | PG
Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2023
State
IA
, Gladbrook-Reinbeck
2022
Tristen Sanford-Anders
Tristen
Sanford-Anders
6'5" | PF
Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2022
State
IA
, Gladbrook-Reinbeck
2022 Andrew Ossman, Alburnett
2022
Conor Sukel
Conor
Sukel
6'1" | SG
Cedar Valley Christian | 2022
State
IA
, Cedar Valley Christian
2022
Ben DeMeulenaere
Ben
DeMeulenaere
6'3" | PF
Belle Plaine | 2022
State
IA
, Belle Plaine
2024 Camden Davis, Hudson
2024
Mekhi Benton
Mekhi
Benton
6'3" | PF
Central City | 2024
State
IA
, Central City
2023 Ty Purdy, Don Bosco
2022
Larnell Bear
Larnell
Bear
5'7" | PG
Meskwaki Settlement | 2022
State
IA
, Meskwaki Settlement
District 8
The favorite: There are strong arguments to be made for three teams in this district, but we’ll side with Easton Valley, who the coaches have pegged as the top seed in the district, as the favorite here. The River Hawks are winning games by an average of 26.5 points a game, holding teams to just 34.7 points a night. They split with Lisbon and haven’t played Springville this season. Senior forward Cayden Deardorff Cayden Deardorff 6'7" | C Easton Valley | 2022 State IA (15.9, 7.4 rebounds) leads a balanced attack that does a great job pounding the offensive glass (13.6 a game) and forcing turnovers (14.6 steals). Carson Fuegen Carson Fuegen 5'9" | PG Easton Valley | 2023 State IA (7.5, 5.6 assists) is a talented lead guard who limits turnovers and gets others involved, and they have six players who average between 4.6 and 9.5 points a game. The concern for this team is the free-throw line, where they are shooting just 52.7% as a team.
The biggest threat: On the strength of their 15-point road win early this season over Lisbon, Springville has to be considered the favorite to come out of the bottom of the bracket and face off with Easton Valley in the district final. The Orioles are led by talented senior wing Rhenden Wagaman Rhenden Wagaman 6'3" | SG Springville | 2022 State IA (21.7), a long wing who can score from all three levels. He has really improved his perimeter stroke this season and is a threat to go for 30+ on any given night with excellent efficiency. He uses his 6-2 frame and length effectively on the defensive end as well, getting into passing lanes and turning defense into offense in a hurry. Senior point guard Luke Menster Luke Menster 5'10" | PG Springville | 2022 State IA (16.4, 4.5 assists) is a veteran lead guard who also creates issues on the defensive end with his quickness, and he’s excellent at getting to the rim. Dylan DeMean Dylan DeMean 6'3" | SF Springville | 2022 State IA (11.4, 9.7 rebounds) has emerged as a strong tertiary option for the Orioles in the paint, giving them some much needed size and athleticism in the paint.
The dark horse: Lisbon earned the district’s #2 seed, and the Lions own a season split with Easton Valley, so they know that they can play with the River Hawks if they’re able to navigate the bottom of the bracket and get to the district final. They’re led by a pair of seniors – Kole Becker Kole Becker 6'3" | PF Lisbon | 2022 State IA (13.4) and Tyson Scott Tyson Scott 6'1" | PF Lisbon | 2022 State IA (13.1, 9.7 rebounds). Becker is a long and athletic 6-2/6-3 wing who is headed to Iowa State on a track (jumping) scholarship. He can score from all three levels, defend multiple positions, and can be an explosive threat in the open court. Scott is an undersized but physical power forward who loves to pound the offensive glass, averaging 5.4 offensive boards a game. The Lions have five other players averaging between 4.4 and 8.8 points a game, giving them a number of options who could step up alongside Becker and Scott.
Players to watch
2022
Cayden Deardorff
Cayden
Deardorff
6'7" | C
Easton Valley | 2022
State
IA
, Easton Valley
2023
Carson Fuegen
Carson
Fuegen
5'9" | PG
Easton Valley | 2023
State
IA
, Easton Valley
2022
Rhenden Wagaman
Rhenden
Wagaman
6'3" | SG
Springville | 2022
State
IA
, Springville
2022
Luke Menster
Luke
Menster
5'10" | PG
Springville | 2022
State
IA
, Springville
2022
Kole Becker
Kole
Becker
6'3" | PF
Lisbon | 2022
State
IA
, Lisbon
2022
Tyson Scott
Tyson
Scott
6'1" | PF
Lisbon | 2022
State
IA
, Lisbon
2024 Caden Kettman, Marquette Catholic
2022
Colby Sieverding
Colby
Sieverding
5'9" | PG
Bellevue | 2022
State
IA
, Bellevue
2023 Cole VanderHeiden, Calamus-Wheatland
2025 Hakael Powell, Prince of Peace
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs. Easton Valley
In an interesting substate final matchup, we’ll give the edge to Gladbrook-Reinbeck here. The Rebels have the best player in the district in William Kiburis William Kiburis 6'4" | PG Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2023 State IA , and they’ve been outstanding on both ends of the floor this year. Kiburis has a big game, Tristen Sanford-Anders Tristen Sanford-Anders 6'5" | PF Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2022 State IA helps neutralize the edge that Easton Valley could have in size, and the Rebels are headed to Des Moines after a five-year absence.