The Hiawatha Valley Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After three straight Stewartville shared championships the kids from Lake City took the Hiawatha Valley title with a 15-1 record (they have had at least a share of nine of them straight!). Can the Tigers repeat? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Conference Commentary</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Ten:&nbsp;</strong>Lake City, Stewartville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake City was 15-1 in league play last year, they were 26-2 overall last season, and they return four starters from last year! They will be a bit different without Ryan Heise but there are players on the way up there. The Tigers would be number one in Class AA entering the season if the private schools weren't adding so many transfers. Stewartville went to state for the first time ever last year and they bring back their top seven guys! Let me say that again, the top seven guys from a 27-win team return. Big things are expected there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Ten Potential:&nbsp;</strong>Byron, Cannon Falls, Zumbrota-Mazeppa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Byron has an all league honored talent back, a few starters back, a few reserves back, and a few players coming up from the younger levels. Plus their best player [player_tooltip player_id='1575327' first='Max' last='Dearborn'] will be back from injury. They are in a good spot as is Cannon Falls with Johnson &amp; Banks to lead the way. Then you have Zumbrota-Mazeppa who was .500 last year but they do bring back all their key pieces. If you bring back all your key pieces and you play a tough schedule coming off a decent year, you have a shot to have a great season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Compete with Most</strong>: Kasson-Mantorville, Goodhue, Pine Island</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The KoMets are a Class AAA team remember so they likely won't get near the top ten but they have some good players returning from a team that won eight games. [player_tooltip player_id='1575330' first='Blake' last='Schiltz'] of Pine Island should help Pine Island improve and Goodhue does have some pieces returning so they won't be a cake walk despite a strong senior class moving on to college. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rebuilding</strong>: Lourdes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Having won just four league games last season and losing their best two players I worry that this could be a rough year for Lourdes. But hey LeBron was there so that should carry them! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23-24 Conference Prediction</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lake City </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Byron</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Cannon Falls</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Zumbrota-Mazeppa</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Kasson-Mantorville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Goodhue</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pine Island</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Rochester Lourdes</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason All Heart O Lakes Conference</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>First Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284140' first='Hunter' last='Lorenson'] of Lake City (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1139594' first='Henry' last='Tschetter'] of Stewartville (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284166' first='Keegan' last='Ryan'] of Lake City (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1575327' first='Max' last='Dearborn'] of Byron (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1288648' first='Aiden' last='Johnson'] of Cannon Falls (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Second Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1198613' first='Parker' last='Wangen'] of Stewartville (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284149' first='Jaden' last='Shones'] of Lake City (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1437172' first='Ethan' last='Lee'] of Kasson-Mantorville (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1434064' first='Tegan' last='Malone'] of Stewartville (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1297889' first='Tyler' last='Connelly'] of Byron (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Third Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1575330' first='Blake' last='Schiltz'] of Pine Island (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1541291' first='Dylan' last='Banks'] of Cannons Falls (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1476739' first='Caleb' last='Bancroft'] of Stewartville (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hunter Streit of Zumbrota-Mazeppa (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1448551' first='Zach' last='Vanderpool'] of Byron (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Fourth Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caisen Thome of Kasson-Mantorville (jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caleb Jannsen of Stewartville (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284131' first='Easton' last='Suess'] of Kasson-Mantorville (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2369523' first='Carter' last='Christopherson'] of Zumbrota-Mazeppa (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1951088' first='Luke' last='Roschen'] of Goodhue (soph)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gavin Schafer of Goodhue (sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->