Opening Night Underclassmen Standouts
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2027 Caden Oswald (Coon Rapids-Bayard) — 10 points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3P, 2-2 FT), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals It was a pretty good debut for the 5-8 point guard, dishing out a team-high six assists, contributing in a…
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Continue Reading2027 Caden Oswald (Coon Rapids-Bayard) — 10 points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3P, 2-2 FT), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
It was a pretty good debut for the 5-8 point guard, dishing out a team-high six assists, contributing in a major way on the glass, and showing the ability to break down the defense and get to the rim for finishes. The Crusaders have a pair of big scoring threats in Cal Heydon Cal Heydon 6'4" | SF Coon Rapids-Bayard | 2026 State IA and Cade Behrens, so if Oswald can provide some tertiary scoring and put them in positions to succeed all year, CR-B could be a surprise team in 1A.
2026 Cameron Mullen Cameron Mullen 6'1" | SG Union | 2026 State IA (Union) — 25 points (9-18 FG, 6-11 3P, 1-1 FT), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals
Mullen (pictured) was 7-27 from behind the arc during his entire freshman season, and nearly matched the amount of made 3s in his sophomore debut. The 6-0 wing led the Knights in scoring in a destruction of Central City, showing the ability to score from all three levels. His five helpers matched his freshman total, and he also made a major impact on the defensive end, coming away with four steals.
2026 Cal Heydon Cal Heydon 6'4" | SF Coon Rapids-Bayard | 2026 State IA (Coon Rapids-Bayard) — 20 points (8-17 FG, 1-3 3P, 3-6 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Coming off one of the most productive freshman seasons of anyone in the state, Heydon picked up right where he left off, putting up 20 points and stuffing the stat sheet in a variety of ways. He provides a ton of versatility on both ends of the floor for the Crusaders.
2026 Caden Sorensen Caden Sorensen 5'9" | PG Union | 2026 State IA (Union) — 18 points (7-12 FG, 3-5 3P, 1-1 FT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Sorensen was productive as a freshman, averaging 15.1 points and 4.4 assists, and the 5-10 guard picked up right where he left off. If the increased efficiency becomes a regular thing, Union could be explosive offensively.
2026 Spencer Abbott Spencer Abbott 6'2" | SF Bellevue | 2026 IA (Bellevue) — 14 points (7-13 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Abbott played sparingly as a freshman, appearing in 18 games and scoring 62 points. The 6-1 forward steps into the starting lineup this season and was strong in his debut, scoring efficiently around the rim and controlling the glass on both ends of the floor.
2026 Christian Stacy Christian Stacy 5'11" | SG Mount Pleasant | 2026 State IA (Mount Pleasant) — 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-3 3P), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 steals
Stacy struggled with turnovers, giving it away seven times, but the encouraging aspect of his performance was the efficiency with which he scored against an athletic Cedar Rapids Washington team. The Panthers need a third scorer to step up alongside Payton Hagans Payton Hagans 6'0" | SG Mount Pleasant | 2024 State IA and Nathan Stroud Nathan Stroud 6'5" | PF Mount Pleasant | 2024 State IA , and Stacy, an athletic 6-0 guard, could be the answer.
2026 Maddux DeWinter (Union) — 12 points (5-11 FG, 2-6 3P), 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal
DeWinter appeared in every game as a freshman, but is stepping into a much bigger role this season and he didn’t disappoint, dishing out nine assists against just one turnover. A 6-0 playmaker who sees the floor well and loves to get his teammates involved, he has a number of skilled scorers around him to dish it to.
2026 Cameron Casel Cameron Casel 5'10" | PG Bellevue | 2026 State IA (Bellevue) – 13 points (6-11 FG, 1-5 3P), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals
After losing a ton of production to graduation, Casel, who started every game as a freshman for the Comets, will be asked to step into a leadership role. He performed admirably in their opening blowout of Easton Valley, posting an 8-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and scoring efficiently.