Substate Preview: 1A-3
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District 5 The favorite: Outside of Grand View Christian in their 1A district, there may not be a bigger favorite anywhere in the state, regardless of class, than North Linn is in this district. The Lynx have already swept Maquoketa…
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Continue ReadingDistrict 5
The favorite: Outside of Grand View Christian in their 1A district, there may not be a bigger favorite anywhere in the state, regardless of class, than North Linn is in this district. The Lynx have already swept Maquoketa Valley, the #2 seed in the district, by a combined 69 points this season and should have no issues navigating through to the substate final. Senior forward Tate Haughenbury Tate Haughenbury 6'5" | PF North Linn | 2023 State IA (16.6) leads a quartet of double-figure scorers, and the emergence of Ty Pflughaupt Ty Pflughaupt 6'4" | SF North Linn | 2024 State IA (16.2), a junior wing with great length and the ability to stretch the floor, has really taken this group to another level. Sophomore point guard Mason Bechen Mason Bechen 6'1" | PG North Linn | 2025 State IA (15.5) puts constant pressure on opposing defenses with his ability to get to the rim, and Ben Wheatley Ben Wheatley 6'1" | SG North Linn | 2023 State IA (13.2) is the solid, experienced guard who does a little bit of everything. This group plays outstanding defense, shares the ball incredibly well (22.1 assists), and just flat-out knows how to win games.
The biggest threat: Maquoketa Valley has seen North Linn twice this season, and sees them twice every year, so they’ll be familiar with the speed and pressing style that the Lynx throw at you. Avery Holtz Avery Holtz 5'10" | PG Maquoketa Valley | 2023 State IA (17.5, 3.9 assists) leads the team in scoring, a 1,000-point scorer for his career, and is a veteran player who can get hot and carry his team for stretches. The Wildcats get their first two games at home, giving them the edge to reach the district final and a third date with North Linn.
The dark horse: Four players average at least 8.3 points a game for Turkey Valley, led by junior wing Oliver Schmitt (11.4). The Trojans have won four of their last five games and are on the opposite side of the bracket of North Linn, giving them a better chance than their conference counterpart South Winneshiek to reach the district final.
Players to watch
2023
Tate Haughenbury
Tate
Haughenbury
6'5" | PF
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
, North Linn
2024
Ty Pflughaupt
Ty
Pflughaupt
6'4" | SF
North Linn | 2024
State
IA
, North Linn
2025
Mason Bechen
Mason
Bechen
6'1" | PG
North Linn | 2025
State
IA
, North Linn
2023
Ben Wheatley
Ben
Wheatley
6'1" | SG
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
, North Linn
2023
Avery Holtz
Avery
Holtz
5'10" | PG
Maquoketa Valley | 2023
State
IA
, Maquoketa Valley
2024 Oliver Schmitt, Turkey Valley
2023 Carson Wenthold, South Winneshiek
2023 Keagen Streeter, South Winneshiek
2023 Chance Beeh, East Buchanan
2023
Oakley Semelroth
Oakley
Semelroth
6'2" | PF
Tripoli | 2023
State
IA
, Tripoli
District 6
The favorite: The senior tandem of Andrew Westpfahl Andrew Westpfahl 5'8" | SG Wapsie Valley | 2023 State IA (20.7) and Mason Harter Mason Harter 6'6" | PF Wapsie Valley | 2023 State IA (20.4, 17.3 rebounds) makes Wapsie Valley the favorite here, but there are a few teams in the district who could jump up and bite them if they aren’t playing their best. Westpfahl is the team’s top perimeter scoring threat, an experienced player who leads the team in assists and is the best perimeter shooter, but it’s Harter, who is having a monstrous senior year, who is the difference maker here. A mobile 6-5 big man who can protect the paint (3.1 blocks a game), he’s the type of dominant rebounder who can completely control the game on both ends of the floor. The question for the Warriors will be whether they can get enough production out of the rest of the roster to make a serious run here.
The biggest threat: With the exception of a few games against North Linn, Central City has been really competitive this season behind the strength of junior forward Mekhi Benton Mekhi Benton 6'3" | PF Central City | 2024 State IA (15.8) and sophomore guard Matthew Klostermann Matthew Klostermann 5'10" | PG Central City | 2025 State IA (15.4). Benton is an athletic forward who can score in bunches around the rim, while Klostermann and his older brother Aiden Klostermann (10.7) can put pressure on opposing teams with their quickness and relentless attacking style. Benton is one of the few players in the district capable of limiting Harter’s effectiveness in the paint, provided he can stay out of foul trouble.
The dark horse: It’s rare that a team playing in the play-in game could be considered a threat, but Kee lost by just three, 64-61, against Wapsie Valley back in December despite Harter going for 28 and 20. The Hawks knocked down 11-27 from behind the arc in that game, so Wapsie certainly can’t overlook them there. The Hawks are led by a trio of sophomores who can fill it up in Jordan Cota (17.2), Dalton Mudderman Dalton Mudderman 6'2" | SG Kee | 2025 State IA (13.6), and Karsen Strong (8.8). If Kee found a way to knock off Wapsie in the quarterfinals, this whole district would open up.
Players to watch
2023
Andrew Westpfahl
Andrew
Westpfahl
5'8" | SG
Wapsie Valley | 2023
State
IA
, Wapsie Valley
2023
Mason Harter
Mason
Harter
6'6" | PF
Wapsie Valley | 2023
State
IA
, Wapsie Valley
2024
Mekhi Benton
Mekhi
Benton
6'3" | PF
Central City | 2024
State
IA
, Central City
2025
Matthew Klostermann
Matthew
Klostermann
5'10" | PG
Central City | 2025
State
IA
, Central City
2025 Jordan Cota, Kee
2025
Dalton Mudderman
Dalton
Mudderman
6'2" | SG
Kee | 2025
State
IA
, Kee
2023
Bo Harrington
Bo
Harrington
6'0" | PG
Nashua-Plainfield | 2023
State
IA
, Nashua-Plainfield
2024
Drew Wagner
Drew
Wagner
6'3" | PF
Waterloo Christian | 2024
State
IA
, Waterloo Christian
2023 Aaron Zwack, Waterloo Christian
2024
Michael Gadberry
Michael
Gadberry
5'9" | PG
Lisbon | 2024
State
IA
, Lisbon
2023 Dan McGreal, Central Elkader
2023 Gavin Moser, Clayton Ridge
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
North Linn vs. Wapsie Valley
In Mason Harter Mason Harter 6'6" | PF Wapsie Valley | 2023 State IA , Wapsie Valley has a player that North Linn could struggle to contain in the paint. That said, the constant pressure that the Lynx put on opposing guards is too much for the Warriors to overcome, and North Linn advances to yet another state tournament with a great chance at defending their 1A title.