Conference Preview: Upper Iowa

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central Elkader (7-15, 27.9% of scoring returning): </strong>The Warriors lost their top two scorers, and eight of their top eight, from last year's team. That leaves senior forward Gabe Erickson (7.5) and sophomore guard Isaac Loan (4.8) as the only returnees with relevant playing experience. Erickson was pretty reliable on the glass last season and will likely be a focal point of the offensive attack, while Loan could step into a bigger playmaking role on the perimeter. With heavy losses from a team that struggled with turnovers (17.1) last season, it's hard to see the Warriors competing in the upper half of the division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clayton Ridge (14-9, 3.8%): </strong>Only 45 total points from last year's team return for the Eagles, so there will be a lot of faces stepping into new, major roles. Senior wing Mitchell Randall (4.0) is the top returnee, while a trio of sophomores - Colton Hoeger, Chris Gebhardt, and Seth Kregel - figure to step into much larger roles this season as well. They'll probably take a significant step back this season after such heavy personnel losses. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kee (7-15, 95.5%):</strong> If you're looking for a potential surprise contender in the UIC this year, check out the Kee Hawks, who bring back their top five scorers, and all but 51 points from last year's team. They're led by a trio of juniors who have a ton of experience playing with each other in [player_tooltip player_id='1951831' first='Jordan' last='Cota'] (17.5), [player_tooltip player_id='2397266' first='Dalton' last='Mudderman'] (13.6), and Karsen Strong (8.8). Cota is an athletic combo forward who also led the team in rebounding and blocks, while Mudderman is the best playmaker of the bunch, dishing out more than four assists a game. He'll pair with Kaleb Drape (3.3) and Andrew Kolsrud (4.4) to give them three reliable ball-handlers, and Strong provides some additional scoring on the perimeter. This team struggled mightily against the top teams in the conference last season, and they will need to cut down on turnovers (15.7) and shoot it better from deep (24.4%) if they want to make some serious noise, but there is a fair amount of talent, and plenty of experience, here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MFL MarMac (24-2, 65.5%): </strong>The Bulldogs rolled through the league last season, with their closest win against conference foes coming by 11 points. They lost leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1381408' first='Zach' last='Driscoll'] to transfer, as he's now at Decorah, and also lost contributor Hunter Meyer (5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds) to graduation. Despite those losses, they should still be considered a very heavy favorite in the league. Their constant pressure on both ends of the floor is too much for most teams in the league to handle, and while the Driscoll loss is a major one, they bring back enough to remain not only the best team in the UIC, but also still a contender in 2A. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2221613' first='Carver' last='Blietz-Bentien'] (13.8, 8.0 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id='2325439' first='Wyatt' last='Powell'] (9.8, 4.3 assists, 4.4 steals), and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2511550' first='Parker' last='Kuehl'] (11.0), are the headliners among the returnees. Blietz-Bentien is undersized as a forward, but he's a really good athlete who controls the glass on both ends of the floor and can score inside and out, while Powell should have the ball in his hands a ton this season as a playmaker. Kuehl provides some perimeter shooting, and look for juniors Brock Hackett (4.8) and Landyn Miene (3.1) to step into bigger roles this season. The 'Dogs may not be quite as dominant as they were last year, but they should still win the league fairly comfortably. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Fayette Valley (15-8, 66.9%):</strong> In junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1951832' first='Cael' last='Reichter'] (15.9, 9.3 rebounds), the TigerHawks have arguably the best player in the conference. Reichter is a skilled 6-6 combo forward who can score inside and out, pound the glass on both ends, and he provides plenty of versatility on the defensive end. He's a good shot blocker who positions himself well and rotates, helping his teammates out. Andre Fuentes (7.5) is the top returning perimeter scorer, while Peyton Loftsgard (5.0), Decklyn Heins (3.8), and [player_tooltip player_id='2511611' first='Kyler' last='White'] (3.1) each saw significant playing time last season as well. They probably aren't ready to push MFL at the top of the league, but they'll have a real chance at a top-2 finish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Postville (2-20, 80.3%): </strong>Postville won just two games last season, but they got more competitive down the stretch, losing their last four regular season games by 4, 2, 6, and 2 points. They bring back their top three scorers, and five of the top six, from that group, so there may be some reason for optimism heading into this season. Three double-figure scorers are back in Josiah Minikwu (12.6), Koby Bohr (12.2, 4.1 assists), and Cade Downing (10.9, 8.7 rebounds), giving them a really solid trio to build around. Minikwu and Bohr are both solid playmakers, while Downing is dominant as a rebounder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Winneshiek (14-9, 51.6%): </strong>The Warriors have to replace their top three scorers from last year's team, and for many small schools, that would be a major undertaking. However, South Winn has three sophomores ready to step into bigger roles in [player_tooltip player_id='1874773' first='Carson' last='Streeter'] (8.9), [player_tooltip player_id='2520046' first='Braiden' last='Todd'] (8.6, 43.1 3P%), and Matson Winnings (4.3) who contributed well as freshmen. Kole Hagemen (7.9, 2.4 assists), a senior guard, will provide some veteran leadership and a stabilizing presence in the backcourt, and another sophomore, Carver Wenthold (1.4), could become a key contributor as well. There may be some growing pains early as the youngsters will need to adjust to being the foal points of opposing game plans, but they should be competitive and then be really good in the 2024-25 and 25-26 seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Turkey Valley (14-9, 49.0%):</strong> The Trojans bring back their top two scorers from last year in Oliver Schmitt (11.1) and Caleb Kurtenbach (9.4), giving them a strong duo to build around. They lost the next three from that group, with senior Braylen Byrne (4.0) being the only other returnee who saw a lot of time last season. All three can do a bit of everything on the floor, but this is a group that will need to find a reliable ball-handler after losing Noah Hanson, who accounted for more than a third of the team's assists, to graduation. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Central (2-21, 12.6%): </strong>The Blue Devils won just two games last season and lost their top four scorers, and six of the top seven, from that group, so it figures to be another long winter in Maynard. Nolan Cushion (3.2, 4.7 rebounds) is the only notable returnee. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. MFL MarMac<br>2. North Fayette Valley<br>3. South Winneshiek<br>4. Kee<br>5. Turkey Valley<br>6. Clayton Ridge<br>7. Postville<br>8. Central Elkader<br>9. West Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>The Bulldogs, despite losing their best player to transfer, are still the team to beat in the UIC this season. NFV and South Winneshiek should be competitive, and Kee figures to be much improved. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951832' first='Cael' last='Reichter'] (North Fayette Valley): </strong>Reichter's versatility on both ends of the floor at 6-6 makes him a difficult matchup for opposing teams in the UIC. Coming off a strong summer, he looks primed to have a massive junior year for the TigerHawks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951832' first='Cael' last='Reichter'] (North Fayette Valley)<br>2024 Andre Fuentes (North Fayette Valley)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951831' first='Jordan' last='Cota'] (Kee)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2397266' first='Dalton' last='Mudderman'] (Kee)<br>2025 Karsen Strong (Kee)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2221613' first='Carver' last='Blietz-Bentien'] (MFL MarMac)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2325439' first='Wyatt' last='Powell'] (MFL MarMac)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511550' first='Parker' last='Kuehl'] (MFL MarMac)<br>2025 Brock Hackett (MFL MarMac)<br>2025 Josiah Minikwu (Postville)<br>2024 Koby Bohr (Postville)<br>2024 Cade Downing (Postville)<br>2024 Oliver Schmitt (Turkey Valley)<br>2024 Caleb Kurtenbach (Turkey Valley)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1874773' first='Carson' last='Streeter'] (South Winneshiek)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520046' first='Braiden' last='Todd'] (South Winneshiek)<br>2024 Kole Hageman (South Winneshiek)<br>2024 Gabe Erickson (Central Elkader)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->