Graduation Losses Hit 3A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've spent all summer talking about big opportunities for exciting new players. Some returners will see their roles grow. Some newcomers will pop on the scene taking over varsity positions. Most of those opportunities will arise due to graduation of 2023s who have since moved on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A huge floss will be felt at Hesston, where the Swathers will have to replace 3A's number one player, <strong>Jake Proctor</strong>, as well as <strong>Micah Dahlsten</strong>. But a lot of 3A schools will have to cope with significant losses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some 3A schools who face huge losses to their rosters, as well as who they might look to to fill the gap:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Southeast of Saline:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans were as stacked with seniors as you could be last year. Nearly every player who played meaningful minutes was a 2023 grad. The big two were <strong>Eli Sawyers</strong>, ranked #10 in the class, and <strong>Nakari Morrical-Palmer</strong>, #39, who led the team to within a bucket of a state championship game. They were supported by a group of winners led by <strong>Luke Gebhardt, Kayson Lilley</strong> and <strong>Drake Augustine</strong>. The leading returner is <strong>Daniel Kejr</strong>, who played significant minutes throughout the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Heritage Christian Academy:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If any team loses anywhere near the quantity that Southeast of Saline graduated, it might be Heritage Christian. They were led by stat monster <strong>Owen Evans</strong>, the #73 player in the class. He paced a loaded senior class that included <strong>Blake Hekman, Reid Krikke, Evan Anderson</strong> and <strong>Ashton Ratzlaff</strong>. Just about the only returner from the 18-5 Chargers team is <strong>Biruk Dietz</strong>, a slick distributor who can lessen the loss of Evans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop Ward:</strong><br>The Cyclones aren't feeling sorry for Southeast of Saline or Heritage Christian. They lost a great group of seniors that included ranked players <strong>Immanuel Campbell</strong>, #74, and <strong>Jeremyah Greer</strong>, #107. Their class included some other fine seniors including <strong>Dustin Rector, Jalen Pickens</strong> and <strong>TJ Maddox</strong>. A rising star named <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2169821' first='Tyler' last='Holmes']</strong> helped lead the way. He showed a lot of versatility and playmaking ability as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sabetha:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matthew Garber</strong>, #54, and <strong>Davis Rokey</strong>, #77, were great senior leaders for the Sabetha team that had its heart broken at sub-state when it was one of the top-ranked teams in 3A. Losing Garber and Rokey will hurt, but the Bluejays return some good talent, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2147823' first='Christian' last='McAfee']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1378447' first='Marcus' last='Bauman']</strong> (pictured).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other 3A teams with significant losses:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Perry-Lecompton:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kamryn Kaniper</strong>, #57, <strong>Gunnar Ball</strong>, #96</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->