Small School 2025s to Shoulder Bigger Load

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 rankings feature a lot of players who played on good teams as sophomores. In a lot of cases, they played a supporting role on those teams. And for a lot of those guys, graduation is really going to change the dynamic this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some ranked 2025s from big schools who are going to shoulder a bigger load as juniors:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#14 - [player_tooltip player_id='1740754' first='Barrett' last='Moddelmog'], 6-foot-3 guard, 2025, Moundridge:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moundridge had great senior leadership last year. Even so, Moddelmog stepped up on became a reliable force that helped win the 2A state championship. But things will certainly be different, with the subtraction of all-state caliber talents at point guard and center. Moddelmog can't make up for the loss of two stars, but he can do a lot. He's a big, physical guy who seems to have limitless range. He will need some of the Wildcats' young players to step up, but there's plenty of talent on the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p># 39 - [player_tooltip player_id='2169817' first='Guy' last='Tubbs'], 6-foot-3 forward, 2025, Colby:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colby was led to the state tournament by four seniors, most notably all-state guard <strong>Hunter Vaughn</strong>. Vaughn's playmaking and ability to create shots will be greatly missed. The one underclassman who was made a big contribution was powerful forward Tubbs. He won't be able to create like Vaughn could, but he can muscle his way to buckets in the paint and fill the lane in transition with dramatic effect. Tubbs is a blue-collar guy with spring, toughness and some versatility.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p># 41 - [player_tooltip player_id='1588413' first='Lincoln' last='Shafer'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2025, Greeley County:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Jackrabbits were led to back-to-back 1A Div. II titles by a big class of 2023. They lose some good players and one great one – <strong>Jaxson Brandl</strong>. Shafer has factored into those two titles, including hitting the buzzer-beater to decide the 2022 title game. He provided a second scoring threat, averaging 11 points per game to go with 3 assists as a sophomore. Now the leadership of the team shifts to him. He will probably have to shoulder a lot of ball handling responsibility and get everyone on the same page while still stretching defenses with his 3-point shooting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#45 - [player_tooltip player_id='1962890' first='Brady' last='Hurla'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2025, St. Marys (pictured):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hurla has spent a lot of his time dealing the ball to St. Marys' older players, including all-state cousin <strong>Kellar Hurla</strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='1962890' first='Brady' last='Hurla'] accounted for 13 points per game to go with 3.5 assists as a sophomore. But the Bears have graduated a lot of talent the past two off-seasons, and now the team will be led by the junior point guard. He's a brilliant shooter, so he may not always play a traditional point guard role. Defenses will be geared to stop him. He will need some teammates to step up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#71 - [player_tooltip player_id='2169878' first='Diego' last='Esparza'], 5-foot-8 guard, 2025, Macksville:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Esparza was a big part of the Mustangs' success the past two seasons, including the 1A Div. I state championship claimed last spring. Esparza contributed 14 points, 9 boards and 6 assists in the first round win over LaCrosse. Macksville loses a host of graduates from that team, so Esparza will be one of the most experienced and accomplished returners. He averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists per outing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->