Home Stretch: The 4A Race

As the 2022-23 season enters the home stretch, we can begin to predict who the top contenders for the 4A crown will be. Here are a few 4A teams to watch for the next month:

The Favorites:

Bishop Miege – You really can’t have another favorite ahead of Miege. They have been too dominant over the years not to expect them to be there in the end. And they play such a challenging schedule all season, they are battle tested when the playoffs roll around. They have a trio of guards in Patrick Mccallop Jr Patrick Mccallop Jr 5'10" Bishop Miege | 2023 KS , Jason Rodriguez Jason Rodriguez 5'10" | PG Bishop Miege | 2023 State KS (pictured) and Mac Armstrong who can handle the ball and get it to scorers on time and on target. Aidan Wing Aidan Wing 6'4" | SF Bishop Miege | 2023 State KS and Daegan Jensen Daegan Jensen 6'1" | SG Bishop Miege | 2023 State KS are talented front court players who can shoot, rebound and run the floor. Until they are knocked out, they have to be considered the frontrunner.

Atchison -You may not know much about them, but they’re ranked number one for a reason. The Phoenix have been challenged by a few tough opponents, particularly Eudora and Marysville, and proved themselves. And they learned some lessons from their lone loss against 5A beast Highland Park. They have a top-notch point man leading the action in Trey Carter Trey Carter 5'9" | PG Atchison | 2024 State KS . They have a long rim protector in Jeter Purdy. And they have talented, versatile scorers in Jesse Greenly and Xiomar Hernandez. It will be interesting to see how far a team that went just 12-9 last year can go.

The Challenger:

Hugoton – The Eagles finished last season looking like the most talented group returning in 3A. But their enrollment bumped them up to 4A. Can Hugoton succeed at the next level? They certainly have the talent, depth and experience to be in the mix. They have two senior guards in Ryle Riddlesperger Ryle Riddlesperger 6'2" | PG Hugoton | 2023 State KS and Carson Bennett Carson Bennett 6'2" | SF Hugoton | 2023 State KS who can take this team a long ways. The Eagles’ only losses are to 6A Olathe West and 5A Hays, both of which were close games.

Hopeful:

Hayden – Forget about their record, which is right around .500. The Wildcats are always prepped for the post-season by their schedule. The Wildcats have one thing in senior Joe Otting Joe Otting 6'3" | C Hayden | 2023 State KS few teams can match – a bruising post who can overwhelm smaller opponents. They have several ball handlers, led by senior Jake Mueller Jake Mueller 6'0" | SG Hayden | 2023 State KS and juniors Jacob Padilla Jacob Padilla 5'7" Hayden | 2024 KS and Mister Cameron Mister Cameron 6'1" | PG Hayden | 2024 KS , who can handle pressure and provide scoring. Forwards Ayden McGibboney Ayden McGibboney 6'3" | SF Blue Valley Northwest | 2026 State KS and Daxton Ham provide blue-collar toughness.