The Hiawatha Valley Preview
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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? Conference Commentary Top Ten: Lake…
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Continue ReadingAfter 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?
Conference Commentary
Top Ten: Lake City, Stewartville
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.
Top Ten Potential: Byron, Cannon Falls, Zumbrota-Mazeppa
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 Max Dearborn Max Dearborn 6'4" | SG Byron | 2025 State MN will be back from injury. They are in a good spot as is Cannon Falls with Johnson & 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.
Compete with Most: Kasson-Mantorville, Goodhue, Pine Island
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. Blake Schiltz Blake Schiltz 6'4" | PF Pine Island | 2025 State MN 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.
Rebuilding: Lourdes
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!
23-24 Conference Prediction
- Lake City
- Stewartville
- Byron
- Cannon Falls
- Zumbrota-Mazeppa
- Kasson-Mantorville
- Goodhue
- Pine Island
- Rochester Lourdes
Preseason All Heart O Lakes Conference
First Team
Hunter Lorenson Hunter Lorenson 6'0" | PG Lake City | 2024 State MN of Lake City (sr)
Henry Tschetter Henry Tschetter 6'3" | SG Stewartville | 2024 State MN of Stewartville (sr)
Keegan Ryan Keegan Ryan 6'2" | SF Lake City | 2024 State MN of Lake City (sr)
Max Dearborn Max Dearborn 6'4" | SG Byron | 2025 State MN of Byron (jr)
Aiden Johnson Aiden Johnson 6'6" | SF Cannon Falls | 2024 State MN of Cannon Falls (sr)
Second Team
Parker Wangen Parker Wangen 6'4" | SF Stewartville | 2025 State MN of Stewartville (jr)
Jaden Shones Jaden Shones 6'1" | SG Lake City | 2024 State MN of Lake City (sr)
Ethan Lee Ethan Lee 6'5" | SF Kasson Mantorville Highschool | 2025 State MN of Kasson-Mantorville (jr)
Tegan Malone Tegan Malone 6'3" | SG Stewartville | 2024 State MN of Stewartville (sr)
Tyler Connelly Tyler Connelly 6'1" | PG Byron | 2024 State MN of Byron (sr)
Third Team
Blake Schiltz Blake Schiltz 6'4" | PF Pine Island | 2025 State MN of Pine Island (jr)
Dylan Banks Dylan Banks 5'11" | PG Cannon Falls | 2024 State MN of Cannons Falls (sr)
Caleb Bancroft Caleb Bancroft 6'6" | PF Stewartville | 2025 State MN of Stewartville (jr)
Hunter Streit of Zumbrota-Mazeppa (sr)
Zach Vanderpool Zach Vanderpool 6'6" | PF Byron | 2024 State MN of Byron (sr)
Fourth Team
Caisen Thome of Kasson-Mantorville (jr)
Caleb Jannsen of Stewartville (sr)
Easton Suess Easton Suess 6'4" | SF Kasson-Mantorville | 2024 MN of Kasson-Mantorville (sr)
Carter Christopherson Carter Christopherson 6'3" | SG Zumbrota-Mazeppa | 2024 State MN of Zumbrota-Mazeppa (sr)
Luke Roschen Luke Roschen 6'2" | SG Goodhue | 2026 State MN of Goodhue (soph)
Gavin Schafer of Goodhue (sr)