Point Guards to Watch at Small School Substates

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big schools await their substate assignments. But the small school brackets bear some watching. Here are point guards you don't want to miss come playoff time:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1749041' first='Jeremyah' last='Greer'], 6-foot-1 guard, 2023, Bishop Ward:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop Ward was tested by some bigger school competition earlier in the season, and they have rolled over some small schools. That makes the Cyclones one of the teams to watch, and they are led by a couple of really talented seniors in Greer and big man [player_tooltip player_id='1561987' first='Immanuel' last='Campbell']. Veteran guards are crucial in the postseason, and Greer looks like one of the best with 17.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per outing. Ward is in a tough substate with talented Perry-Lecompton and some of the other battle-tested 3A teams in the area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1080187' first='Brekyn' last='Ratzlaff'], 6-foot guard, 2023, Hillsboro:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>20 points. 30 points. 40 points. Whatever it takes to keep the Trojans competitive despite a roster depleted by graduation, that's what Ratzlaff brings night in, night out. He is a proven winner after guiding Hillsboro to back-to-back state titles. Now he's in a different position, having to try to score enough to keep the team in games. The 9-11 record doesn't point to a deep run in the playoffs this season, but be sure to catch Ratzlaff's last handful of games. He's a player that will be remembered for a long time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1350726' first='Titus' last='Sherer']</strong>, 5-foot-6 guard, 2023, Greeley County (pictured):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wheatland-Grinnell substate in 1A Div. II is unfortunate. Some good teams will not escape. The safe money is on Greeley County, which returns almost everyone from their state title team of a year ago. Sherer is the gritty, ball-handling leader who does all it takes to win. He's tough and smart with the ball and a nightmare of an on-ball defender. He gets the ball to shooters and inspires toughness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1588418' first='Daniel' last='Cramer'], 5-foot-9 guard, 2025, Dighton:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An up-and-comer in the small school ranks, Cramer gets it done at both ends in the mold similar to Sherer. He's a versatile guard who can run an offense and distribute. He's averaging 5 assists per game. But he is also dangers as a scorer in transition, racing to the goal with abandon, or scoring behind the arc and in the midrange. Averaging 20 points per game, this sophomore will be one of the top small-school guards next season. Unfortunately for Dighton, they are in the same substate bracket as Greeley County and Cheylin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1212167' first='Jordy' last='Dolloff'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2023, Wichita Classical:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dolloff has earned a ton of respect as a small-school point guard throughout his career, getting all-state mention over the years. He has continued to play the role of defensive sparkplug and distributor for the Saints. As a senior, he's averaging 6 assists and 3 steals. While there are no guarantees come playoff time, the Saints sit in a great spot with an opening round bye and no other ranked teams in their bracket at Oxford.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->