Mitchell Kernels: Season Recap

The Kernels from Mitchell put together a very nice season while going 15-9, winning the ESD Conference, and making a trip back to the State Tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="812199" first="Caden" last="Hinker"] was the big name for the black and gold. He put up impressive numbers all season and you will be able to find Hinker’s name all over the Kernel record book. Caden is committed to Augustana and he will be playing college hoops close to home. This will be great for the local fans who will not have to travel very far to see the hometown hero play an hour down the road in Sioux Falls. This year was also Ryker Kreutzfeldt’s first year as head coach for the Kernels. Winning the ESD and making a trip to State will no doubt make this season a memorable one for the first-year head coach. Read below for stat leaders, coach Kreutzfeldt’s comments, and the updated scores/schedule for the 2021-2022 Mitchell Kernels. <h4>Kernel Stat Leaders</h4> [player_tooltip player_id="812199" first="Caden" last="Hinker"] (2022) |6-8 F| - 22.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 42.4 FG%, 32.1 3FG% [player_tooltip player_id="963805" first="Dylan" last="Soulek"] (2023) |6-3 SG| - 11.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 47.4 FG%, 34.4 3FG% [player_tooltip player_id="963755" first="Steele" last="Morgan"] (2023) |6-5 F| - 11.2 ppg, 8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 52.2 FG%, 35.8 3FG% [player_tooltip player_id="963764" first="Charlie" last="McCardle"] (2023) |6-1 F| - 7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 56.4 FG% [player_tooltip player_id="968182" first="Macon" last="Larson"] (2022) |5-11 G| - 5.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.7 apg [player_tooltip player_id="968222" first="Gavyn" last="Degen"] (2022) |6-1 G| - 3.1 ppg, .7 rpg, .9 apg Aiden Myers (2023) |6-1 G| - 2.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.7 apg Gavin Soukup (2024) |6-1 G| - 2.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg, .7 apg <h4>Kernel Talk with coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt</h4> PHD: What were some of the highlights of the season? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "Winning our first ESD championship since 2012 was a major goal of ours and a big-time accomplishment for our guys. Qualifying for a second straight State Tournament was also a highlight. No matter who you are or where you are it’s hard to get into the State Tournament." PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a basket? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "[player_tooltip player_id="812199" first="Caden" last="Hinker"] was our "go-to" player. He has the ability to score in so many different ways based upon who is guarding him. He can work in the post, from the perimeter, as a distributor, and from well beyond the 3pt line. An extremely versatile player who has his name all over the Mitchell Kernel record book." PHD: Which players improved the most for you this season and what did they improve on? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "I thought we saw a ton of improvement from a lot of guys. It’s hard for me to be able to pick just one. [player_tooltip player_id="963805" first="Dylan" last="Soulek"] and [player_tooltip player_id="963755" first="Steele" last="Morgan"] had great years and were our 2nd and 3rd leading scorers. Aiden Myers, [player_tooltip player_id="963764" first="Charlie" last="McCardle"], and Gavin Soukup all shined at various points throughout the year and were a huge part of our success." PHD: Who were a few of your hardest workers and what did they do well? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "We had a ton of guys at the varsity level who were hard workers. The two that stick out most to me are Aiden Myers and [player_tooltip player_id="963764" first="Charlie" last="McCardle"]. However, a key to every good team is having a good scout team to practice against. This includes players like Malachi Branch, Gavin Soukup, Peyton Mandel, Colton Smith, Gavyn Erickson, and AJ Siemsen who pushed our varsity guys every single day in practice." PHD: Can you talk about a time when you and the team overcame adversity? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "Friday of the State Tournament we had to play at noon against Yankton after losing a 3OT heartbreaker to a really good Harrisburg team. I didn’t think our guys would be very excited to play and wasn’t sure how hard we would play even. The guys came out and played with a TON of energy and juice. We ended up being able to get a win which I thought showed the pride our guys have that we were going to compete with every opportunity we were given." PHD: Who was your best practice player and why? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "Gavin Soukup and [player_tooltip player_id="1297809" first="Markus" last="Talley"] were our best offensive practice players. They often played the role of our opponent’s best perimeter player and had to learn the opposing team’s offenses." "Colton Smith was often tasked with being a defensive player for the entire practice while guarding [player_tooltip player_id="812199" first="Caden" last="Hinker"]. The 8th grader learned a lot through the year as he went up against the best competition in the state daily." PHD: Who were some of your key bench players? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "[player_tooltip player_id="968222" first="Gavyn" last="Degen"] and Gavin Soukup played roles as shooters off of the bench for us." PHD: Can you make a few comments about the seniors that you are losing? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "We are losing a great senior class. [player_tooltip player_id="968182" first="Macon" last="Larson"] is going to go play golf at DWU next fall. Macon is a great leader who we are going to miss greatly next year but will do great things at DWU. [player_tooltip player_id="968222" first="Gavyn" last="Degen"] is a 4-year letter winner for us who we are losing to graduation, he was a great teammate all year long. [player_tooltip player_id="812199" first="Caden" last="Hinker"] is one of the greatest players in our program’s history. Caden’s impact goes far beyond his points, rebounds, and assists. He showed the kids of Mitchell what it takes to be great on and off the court. We are going to miss him but his impact has left an impression that will last a VERY long time." PHD: Who are some of your top players that will be back next season? Coach Kreutzfeldt: "[player_tooltip player_id="963805" first="Dylan" last="Soulek"], [player_tooltip player_id="963755" first="Steele" last="Morgan"], [player_tooltip player_id="963764" first="Charlie" last="McCardle"], Aiden Myers, Gavin Soukup, [player_tooltip player_id="1297809" first="Markus" last="Talley"], Colton Smith, Jackson Childs." <h4>Kernel Scores & Schedule (15-9)</h4> Huron W 61-47 Watertown W 76-62 Brookings W 67-44 Thunder Basin (WY) L 53-61 Campbell County (WY) W 84-79 Harrisburg L 59-68 Yankton W 69-55 Huron W 64-51 Pierre T.F. Riggs W 69-54 Sturgis Brown W 59-29 Spearfish W 76-56 Sioux Falls Lincoln W 66-60 Sioux Falls Jefferson L 45-54 Sioux Falls Roosevelt L 54-55 Aberdeen Central W 69-62 Sioux Falls Washington L 66-71 Rapid City Stevens L 59-60 Rapid City Central W 65-42 Brandon Valley W 59-46 O’Gorman L 50-68 Rapid City Stevens W 64-52 (SODAK 16) Harrisburg L 77-78 (State) Yankton W 66-56 (State) Sioux Falls Lincoln L 52-69 (State) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1420171" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/kernals-crop-1125x739-1649094781-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />