Conference Preview: War Eagle

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Akron-Westfield (5-16, 89.2% of scoring returning): </strong>The Westerners bring back their top four, and seven of their top eight, from last year's team, so a team that was young should be improved this season. Laytin Koch (13.4) was the top scorer, but it's probably senior forward Jackson Marnach (11.6, 11.2 rebounds) who is the most important piece coming back. Marnach is a walking double-double as well as a solid rim protector. Tatum Wilken (9.2) and Carter Wilken (6.1), junior and senior, respectively, provide some additional scoring punch on the perimeter, while Arik Allard (3.8), Kasey Nielsen (3.3), Jack Terpstra (2.3), and Ashton McCully (1.4) each saw time in at least 16 games last year, giving them a lot of experience coming back. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gehlen Catholic (20-6, 9.6%): </strong>The Jays lost their top five scorers from last year's team, leaving seniors Gabe Wiltgen (4.4) and Landon Reuter (2.4) as the only returnees with much experience. Wiltgen was a solid producer off the bench last season, pulling down 5.3 rebounds and appearing in all 26 games, while Reuter showed some ability to shoot it from deep (9-17, 52.9 3P%). With a ton of new faces taking the floor this season, it could be a long season for Gehlen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>George-Little Rock (11-11, 78.2%):</strong> The Mustangs join the War Eagle this season, coming over from the Siouxland Conference, and their new digs should be a much better fit for them. They bring back their top four scorers, headlined by 6-4 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1376715' first='Drew' last='Denekas'] (13.2, 10.2 rebounds), a physically intimidating presence in the paint who finishes well around the rim and pounds the glass on both ends of the floor. Charlie Hamilton (6.1, 5.3 rebounds) gives them some more size in the paint, while Isaiah Johnson (7.1, 3.6 assists) and Matt Helkenn (6.7) give them some perimeter scoring and playmaking. The schools in the War Eagle should be a better fit for G-LR, and they have enough coming back to compete in the league immediately. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Harris-Lake Park (7-13, 52.6%): </strong>The Wolves lost two of their top three scorers, but do bring back four players who started at least six games, giving them an experienced quartet to build around. Caleb Hemphill (10.9) is the top returning scorer, a guard who can get to the rim for finishes or set up his teammates. Lucas Ahrenstorff (8.2) will pair with Hemphill in the backcourt, giving them a pair of reliable playmakers. Justus Voss (6.9) blocked more than a shot a game last season and will be the interior presence on both ends, while Devin Meyer (2.2) is a solid role player who does a bit of everything and understands his role. They don't have enough to compete for a league title, but they could push for a record of above .500 this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (12-10, 1.0%): </strong>The Hawks bring back just 13 total points from last year's team - 9 from Isaac Schierholtz and 4 from Ethan Hueberg. The only other player on last year's roster that returns is Lawton Schiphoff, who appeared in one game as a freshman. With an entirely new roster taking the floor this year, it's hard to see HMS competing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hinton (11-11, 42.2%): </strong>The Blackhawks lost their top two scorers from last year's team, but bring back five players who averaged between 2.4 and 5.8 points a game, giving them some experienced pieces back. Colt Frank (5.8) is the top returning scorer, but it will likely be the sophomore trio of Logan Kempema (5.5), [player_tooltip player_id='2731835' first='Karver' last='DeGroot'] (2.9), and Will Hagestrom (2.4) who will end up being the headliners this season as they start to build for the next two years as well. Kyle Leary (5.5) is the team's top interior presence, an efficient finisher who should produce at a high level as a junior. Hinton doesn't have enough talent to compete at the top of the league, but they should remain competitive and will be close to .500 again, with sights set on the 2024-25 and 25-26 seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MMCRU (6-16, 87.7%):</strong> The top six scorers return for the Royals, led by sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765534' first='Brayson' last='Mulder'] (11.2), a three-level scoring threat who also contributes on the glass in a major way, pulling down nearly six rebounds a game as a freshman. [player_tooltip player_id='1647544' first='Kyler' last='Bork'] (9.9, 2.7 assists) led the team in helpers last season and pairs with Mulder well in the backcourt, while Michael Peterson (7.5, 7.5 rebounds) gives them an interior presence who controls the glass on both ends of the floor. This is a team that didn't shoot it well from deep last season (23.3%), but they pound the offensive glass (10.9 offensive rebounds a game), which helps offset that a bit. If they can find a shooter, they could be a potentially dangerous team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Remsen, St. Mary's (23-3, 32.4%): </strong>The Hawks bring back just one starter from last year's team in junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1759937' first='Collin' last='Homan'] (14.6, 8.2 rebounds), but that's a really, really good place to start. Homan is a physically imposing presence in the paint who anchors a dominant defense, and he's great on the glass on both ends of the floor. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2511517' first='Landon' last='Waldschmitt'] (1.5) started 11 games last season and appeared in all 26, while [player_tooltip player_id='1568264' first='Sam' last='Schmillen'] (4.0) saw limited action, appearing in just four games, but he figures to step into a much larger role as a perimeter scoring threat. The Ruden brothers, serving as co-head coaches, have built St. Mary's, one of the smallest schools in the state, into a dominant defensive team, and that should remain the case again this year. We don't really care who is coming back at this point, the program is going to win a ton of games and be a threat to make another trip to Des Moines, which would be the eighth consecutive trip if it were to happen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South O'Brien (16-8, 55.3%): </strong>The Wolverines lost their leading scorer, but bring back two others who averaged in double digits in seniors David Bottjen (10.9) and Willie Conley (10.0), giving them a pair of dynamic scorers to build around. Ben Woodall (7.0) is the team's top returning shooting threat, knocking down nearly 38% of his 3-point attempts last season, and his ability to stretch the floor will be big for this group, helping to provide some spacing. Woodall also figures to step into a primary ball-handling role following a few key losses to graduation. This is a program that hasn't won fewer than 12 games since the 2006-07 season, and they're on a stretch of 15 straight seasons finishing above .500. No reason to believe that run won't continue, and if a few things break their way, they could push St. Mary's for the conference crown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Trinity Christian (3-18, 53.2%):</strong> Dustin Hoksbergen (14.5) returns to lead the Tigers after pacing the team in scoring and rebounding last season. He's a fairly efficient forward who can finish at the rim and convert at the free-throw line, and he'll be the focal point of all opposing game plans. He has shown some ability to play with the ball in his hands as well, dishing out 2.6 assists last season. Carter Westra (6.0) is the only other returnee who scored more than 2.9 points a game last season and will be leaned upon to provide some additional scoring alongside Hoksbergen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Sioux (18-5, 2.7%):</strong> Another team that was decimated by graduation, the Falcons lost their top seven scorers from last year's 18-win team, leaving just 51 total points returning, and no players back scored more than 14 points last season. Like HMS, this will be an entirely new team taking the floor. That said, they've won double digit games each of the last nine seasons, and despite the heavy personnel losses, they have a system in place and should remain competitive within the middle of the league. </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. Remsen, St. Mary's<br>2. George-Little Rock<br>3. South O'Brien<br>4. MMCRU<br>5. Harris-Lake Park<br>6. Hinton<br>7. West Sioux<br>8. Gehlen Catholic<br>9. Akron-Westfield<br>10. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn<br>11. Trinity Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>St. Mary's has had a stranglehold on the conference in recent years, and despite losing a lot of production to graduation, they're still our team to beat here. George-Little Rock should find more success here than in the Siouxland, and South O'Brien is always a factor. </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='1759937' first='Collin' last='Homan'] (Remsen, St. Mary's): </strong>An extremely efficient forward who can score inside and out as well as protect the paint defensively, Homan will be the anchor for a Hawks team that will be looking to maintain their stranglehold on the conference.</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='1759937' first='Collin' last='Homan'] (Remsen, St. Mary's)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1568264' first='Sam' last='Schmillen'] (Remsen, St. Mary's)<br>2024 Hunter Pick (Remsen, St. Mary's)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1376715' first='Drew' last='Denekas'] (George-Little Rock)<br>2024 Isaiah Johnson (George-Little Rock)<br>2024 Matt Helkenn (George-Little Rock)<br>2024 Charlie Hamilton (George-Little Rock)<br>2024 Dustin Hoksbergen (Trinity Christian)<br>2024 Jackson Marnach (Akron-Westfield)<br>2024 Laytin Koch (Akron-Westfield)<br>2025 Tatum Wilken (Akron-Westfield)<br>2024 Carter Wilken (Akron-Westfield)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765534' first='Brayson' last='Mulder'] (MMCRU)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1647544' first='Kyler' last='Bork'] (MMCRU)<br>2025 Michael Peterson (MMCRU)<br>2024 Mitchell Schnepf (MMCRU)<br>2024 David Bottjen (South O'Brien)<br>2024 Willie Conley (South O'Brien)<br>2024 Ben Woodall (South O'Brien)<br>2024 Caleb Hemphill (Harris-Lake Park)<br>2024 Lucas Ahrenstorff (Harris-Lake Park)<br>2025 Justus Voss (Harris-Lake Park)<br>2025 Carter Westra (Trinity Christian)<br>2026 Logan Kempema (Hinton)<br>2024 Gabe Wiltgen (Gehlen Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->