Teams, Players to Watch in Central Kansas League

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This league has produced the 3A state champ for three years running. Can Hesston continue its domination, or will some other school rise up?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central Kansas League Preview</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Preseason Player of the Year:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1772986' first='Braxton' last='Creed'], 6-foot guard, 2025, Halstead (pictured):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A guy who has already developed quite a resume for Halstead, Creed does a little bit of everything. He will provide a ton of experience and playmaking ability to the Dragons who look to improve significantly this season. An accomplished quarterback in football season, Creed can really shoot it from deep, and sets his teammates up for a nice number of assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Preseason Team of the Year: Hesston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a tough choice. Hesston surely is too depleted after winning three 3A titles in a row to keep on winning. Right? Well, until we see that this level of excellence can't be sustained, we'll go with the Swathers here even though we like the collection of young players at Halstead and are intrigued by the developments at Smoky Valley.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Player to Watch:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Fry</strong>, 6-foot-2 forward, 2024, Hesston:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No one knew just how great Jake Proctor would be when he took over the leadership of the Swathers. He stepped out of the shadows of previous seniors and was one of the best players in the state last year. Can Fry do something similar this year? He was a key component of last year's team although he didn't score a lot. He netted 9 points in the championship game and could really grow his role this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other Top Players (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2147835' first='Kian' last='Blanchat'], 6-foot-4 forward, 2024, Smoky Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2147831' first='Taylor' last='Campbell'], 6-foot-4 guard, 2024, Smoky Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taylor Engelland</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2024, Nickerson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2314796' first='Adrian' last='Hernandez']</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2024, Hesston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brady Hope</strong>, 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, Larned</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387815' first='Tony' last='Moore']</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2024, Hoisington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Max Younie</strong>, 6-foot-2 forward, 2024, Pratt</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising Star:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321590' first='Reed' last='Friesen']</strong>, 6-foot-6 center, 2025, Hesston:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friesen will have the opportunity to really expand his role this year for the Swathers. He was a key supporting piece in last year's title run, and he's got the size to dominate the league as a junior. He is a strong rebounder and a presence in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Rising Stars (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alex King</strong>, 6-foot forward, 2025, Nickerson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nash Wray</strong>, 5-foot-7 guard, 2025, Haven</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1955301' first='Mason' last='Martin'], 6-foot-1 guard, 2026, Hoisington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->