Teams to Watch: 3A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hesston had a nice run thanks to a great group of 2022s. Will they be able to get back to the top? That remains to be seen. Graduation losses hit several of the top 3A teams hard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at “returners,” “challengers” and “unknowns” for the upcoming season on the 3A level:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Returners:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southeast of Saline – The Trojans are the only state tournament team that legitimately returns in tact. In fact, the Trojans did not have a single senior a year ago. They are stacked and experienced. They are led by big, talented forwards in [player_tooltip player_id='1080163' first='Eli' last='Sawyers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1378391' first='Nakari' last='Morrical-Palmer'] and by gritty guards <strong>Luke Gebhardt</strong> and <strong>Drake Augustine</strong>. They should be the frontrunner to start the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Challengers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sabetha – The Bluejays have been building something for a couple of years now. They have given a lot of experience over the past couple of seasons to seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1378396' first='Matthew' last='Garber'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1624976' first='Davis' last='Rokey'] (pictured). They have length on the front line in Rokey, senior <strong>Noel Niehues</strong> and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2147823' first='Christian' last='McAfee']</strong>. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1378447' first='Marcus' last='Bauman'] is another threat at the guard spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Osage City – The Indians could legitimately be placed in the “unknown” category because they have to replace three starters. But when you have [player_tooltip player_id='1146292' first='Landon' last='Boss'] and <strong>Kaden Kirkpatrick</strong> back, you have a solid foundation to build on. Those two seniors are powerful athletes who produce a ton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Unknown:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hesston – Big time rebuilding at Hesston. They start with a really good one in senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1454193' first='Jake' last='Proctor']. After that…it's all new guys. No question, the Swathers know how to coach ‘em up, and they don't run a system dependent upon superstars. But this could be a work in progress.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perry-Lecompton – The Kaws scuffled to a 10-11 mark a year ago, but their schedule might be a little more navigable this season due to graduations at rival schools. They certainly have some intriguing pieces. First, they return [player_tooltip player_id='1454195' first='Gunnar' last='Ball'], a senior guard who bullies opponents with his physicality. He's the leader of the club. They also return 6-foot-3 jumping jack <strong>Kael Gorski</strong> who runs the floor and explodes to the basket about as well as any forward around. They have a couple of athletic and talented guards in <strong>Ryeki Tuley</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1673661' first='Eli' last='Dean']</strong>. Add to that group standout senior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1080917' first='Kamryn' last='Kaniper'] and his younger brother <strong>Koltyn Kaniper</strong> and that's a really strong and diverse collection of talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->