Substate Preview: 3A-3
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The favorite: Clear Lake is one of just two 3A teams to rank within the top 10 in both scoring offense (4th, 72.6 points per game) and defense (2nd, 48.3). The Lions have been dominant this season, with their lone…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: Clear Lake is one of just two 3A teams to rank within the top 10 in both scoring offense (4th, 72.6 points per game) and defense (2nd, 48.3). The Lions have been dominant this season, with their lone loss coming to Humboldt, a loss they avenged last week by 17 points. Senior point guard Travaughn Luyobya Travaughn Luyobya 5'10" | PG Clear Lake | 2023 State IA (18.8, 10.1 assists) leads an efficient offensive attack that is shooting nearly 54% from the floor as a team. Luyobya is a four-year starter and one of the best passers in the state, a veteran lead guard who wants to have the ball in his hands in the big moments. Sophomore forward Thomas Meyer Thomas Meyer 6'4" | SF Clear Lake | 2025 State IA (14.3, 7.1 rebounds) is an athletic forward who holds multiple Division I football offers, and he offers some explosive athleticism and finishing around the bucket. Cael Stephany Cael Stephany 6'1" | PG Clear Lake | 2024 State IA (12.3, 41.3 3P%), Titan Schmitt Titan Schmitt 6'0" | SG Clear Lake | 2025 State IA (11.0, 40.7 3P%), and Gavin Anderson (4.6, 38.5 3P%) are all good shooting options to put alongside the slashing Luyobya and the powerful Meyer, making this a balanced offensive team filled with different ways to beat you. As the top seed in the substate, they’ll avoid either Winterset or North Polk until the final, and they’ve already beaten Nevada by 17 in early January.
The biggest threats: Raccoon River Conference rivals North Polk and Winterset split their season series, with North Polk winning by 2 on December 20th, and Winterset getting revenge by 5 on January 31st. They’ll likely meet up in the semifinals here, and either of them will be very formidable foes for Clear lake in the substate final. We’ll start here with the #2 seed, North Polk. The Comets have been a surprising team this year, putting together a fantastic season after losing one of the best players in school history to graduation. Junior Reggie Postel Reggie Postel 6'1" | SG North Polk | 2024 State IA (11.9) leads a balanced scoring attack, but it’s the defensive effort that makes this group dangerous. An athletic group that flies around the floor, they’ve allowed just 50.3 points a game so far this season, holding 14 teams below 50 points. No one player is going to kill you on the offensive end, but this group is going to suffocate you defensively and find ways to take away your best players. It will not be fun to play against this group, who is accustomed to playing at a slower pace, when postseason play begins. They’re deep, athletic, and physical.
On the other end of the spectrum is Winterset, a team that likes to use it’s quickness to speed the game up and force a bevy of turnovers. Senior guard Brayden Dinkla Brayden Dinkla 6'0" | PG Winterset | 2023 State IA (16.6, 8.5 assists, 3.6 steals) is a menace on both ends of the floor. A lanky guard who uses his length and quickness to put pressure on opposing teams, Dinkla loves to attack the rim and is one of the most fearless guards in the state. As he showed last year at the state tournament, there are few guards in the state who want the big moment as much as he does. Charlie McDonald Charlie McDonald 6'2" | SF Winterset | 2023 State IA (11.5) is the only other double-figure scorer for the Huskies, but four others average between 7.0 and 9.7 points a game, making this a deep and balanced team behind Dinkla. After getting off to a bit of a slow start, Winterset has gone 10-3 since the holiday break, including 8-1 in their last nine games.
The dark horses: The winner of the 4/5 game between Ballard and Nevada could give Clear Lake some trouble in the semifinals if things bounce right. Nevada is led by junior guard Jacob Khounsourath Jacob Khounsourath 6'1" | SG Nevada | 2024 State IA (18.8, 3.5 assists), a dynamic three-level scorer who can create shots for himself or his teammates as well as defend multiple positions. The Cubs have five players averaging at least 8.2 points a game, and in the tandem of freshman John Nelson John Nelson 6'4" | PF Nevada | 2026 State IA (8.4, 1.2 blocks) and senior Carson Rhodes (8.2, 2.8 blocks), they have some quality rim protection.
Ballard has a fantastic tandem in the backcourt that will also make them a dangerous team if they start knocking down some shots. Senior Mason Gorsh Mason Gorsh 6'2" | SG Ballard | 2023 State IA (16.3, 39.7 3P%), a skilled off-ball guard who can really stroke it, is capable of getting scorching hot in the blink of an eye and lighting teams up from deep. Freshman guard Jude Gibson Jude Gibson 6'0" | PG Ballard | 2026 State IA (15.2, 4.5 assists) is one of the most talented freshmen in the state, an explosive, quick-twitch athlete with a tremendous feel for the game. The Bombers are a pretty young group, and that could be either a detriment or a benefit in postseason play.
Players to watch
2023
Travaughn Luyobya
Travaughn
Luyobya
5'10" | PG
Clear Lake | 2023
State
IA
, Clear Lake
2025
Thomas Meyer
Thomas
Meyer
6'4" | SF
Clear Lake | 2025
State
IA
, Clear Lake
2025
Titan Schmitt
Titan
Schmitt
6'0" | SG
Clear Lake | 2025
State
IA
, Clear Lake
2024
Cael Stephany
Cael
Stephany
6'1" | PG
Clear Lake | 2024
State
IA
, Clear Lake
2024
Reggie Postel
Reggie
Postel
6'1" | SG
North Polk | 2024
State
IA
, North Polk
2023
Jackson Nemmers
Jackson
Nemmers
6'2" | SG
North Polk | 2023
State
IA
, North Polk
2023
Brayden Dinkla
Brayden
Dinkla
6'0" | PG
Winterset | 2023
State
IA
, Winterset
2023
Charlie McDonald
Charlie
McDonald
6'2" | SF
Winterset | 2023
State
IA
, Winterset
2024
Jacob Khounsourath
Jacob
Khounsourath
6'1" | SG
Nevada | 2024
State
IA
, Nevada
2026
John Nelson
John
Nelson
6'4" | PF
Nevada | 2026
State
IA
, Nevada
2023
Mason Gorsh
Mason
Gorsh
6'2" | SG
Ballard | 2023
State
IA
, Ballard
2026
Jude Gibson
Jude
Gibson
6'0" | PG
Ballard | 2026
State
IA
, Ballard
2024
Scott Harr
Scott
Harr
6'4" | C
Hampton-Dumont | 2024
State
IA
, Hampton-Dumont-CAL
2024 Cade Boten, Saydel
2023
Mason Hicks
Mason
Hicks
6'4" | PG
Saydel | 2023
State
IA
, Saydel
2023
Nathaniel Winter
Nathaniel
Winter
6'4" | PG
Boone | 2023
State
IA
, Boone
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Clear Lake vs. Winterset
This is a fascinating matchup between two of the best point guards not just in 3A, but in the state as a whole. The Luyobya vs. Dinkla matchup will be worth well more than the price of admission on its own. This one likely comes down to which role players perform better in the big moment, and we’ll give the slight edge to Clear Lake in that regard. The Lions head to the state tournament, outlasting Winterset in a fantastic substate final.