Substate Preview: 1A-3
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District 5 The favorite: North Linn is one of the only two teams in 1A to rank within the top 10 in the class in both scoring offense (5th, 75.0) and defense (3rd, 35.5). While they may be considered a…
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Continue ReadingDistrict 5
The favorite: North Linn is one of the only two teams in 1A to rank within the top 10 in the class in both scoring offense (5th, 75.0) and defense (3rd, 35.5). While they may be considered a bit “down” from a few of the previous iterations of the Lynx, this is still the #1 team in the class, and the team to beat. As such, they’ve gotten a pretty easy draw here, getting a lot of teams from the Iowa Star Conference, a league that is power ranked significantly lower than the Tri-Rivers that North Linn resides in (the Lynx play Dunkerton, the top team in the Iowa Star, this week and BC Moore lists North Linn as a 29-point favorite). Ty Pflughaupt Ty Pflughaupt 6'4" | SF North Linn | 2024 State IA (19.6, 7.1 rebounds, 38.8 3P%), Mason Bechen Mason Bechen 6'1" | PG North Linn | 2025 State IA (19.1, 5.6 assists), and Breckyn Betenbender Breckyn Betenbender 5'10" | PG North Linn | 2024 State IA (9.9), three returning starters from last year’s runner-up team, are the headliners for this group. Pflughaupt, an Upper Iowa signee, is a matchup problem at 6-6 and with his ability to stretch the floor, defend multiple positions, and control the glass. Bechen is one of the best players in the class, a do-it-all guard who has really put on a lot of strength in his upper body, allowing him to become a dynamic finisher at the rim. They don’t go quite as deep as they have in previous years, but Jake Van Etten (7.9), Cole Griffith (6.6), Drew Ries (5.8), and Hayden Schmidt (3.6) all understand their roles and play them well. The constant pressure and speed that North Linn plays at is going to be really difficult for the other teams in this district to contend with.
The biggest threat: By virtue of a season sweep over Waterloo Christian, Don Bosco grabbed the #2 seed in the district, which means they’ll get the district semifinal, likely against the Regents, at home. The Dons are led by the Belew twins, juniors Zach Belew (14.9, 6.9 rebounds) and Ben Belew (13.4, 7.7 rebounds), both of whom are capable three-level scoring threats who can play with or without the ball. Younger brother Alex Belew (6.8), a sophomore, leads the team in assists. If there is one area where this group could potentially give North Linn some trouble, it’s on the glass with athletic, physical forward Landon Frost (5.8, 12.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks), who isn’t a big scorer, but is a dominant rebounder and rim protector.
The dark horse: Waterloo Christian was swept by Don Bosco, but those two losses came by a combined eight points, and they are a team that can fill it up in a hurry. Senior forward Drew Wagner Drew Wagner 6'3" | PF Waterloo Christian | 2024 State IA (28.1, 12.0 rebounds) is a big-time scorer with great hands, touch, and footwork around the bucket, and he’s a force on the glass who could give the Lynx trouble, similar to Frost for Don Bosco. Eli Evans (14.7) is a sophomore wing who can stretch the floor, and Jared Aronson (11.1, 6.9 assists) is a good senior guard who gets his teammates involved. Wagner may be the best non-North Linn player in the district, and they aren’t going to be overwhelmed by getting a third shot at Don Bosco.
Players to watch
2024
Ty Pflughaupt
Ty
Pflughaupt
6'4" | SF
North Linn | 2024
State
IA
, North Linn
2025
Mason Bechen
Mason
Bechen
6'1" | PG
North Linn | 2025
State
IA
, North Linn
2024
Breckyn Betenbender
Breckyn
Betenbender
5'10" | PG
North Linn | 2024
State
IA
, North Linn
2026 Talan Pletz, Janesville
2025 Gabe Meaney, Janesville
2024 Tucker Franzen, Nashua-Plainfield
2024 Trae Geise, Nashua-Plainfield
2026
Matthew Malven
Matthew
Malven
6'2" | CG
Nashua-Plainfield | 2026
State
IA
, Nashua-Plainfield
2025 Zach Belew, Don Bosco
2025 Ben Belew, Don Bosco
2024 Landon Frost, Don Bosco
2024
Eli Schmidt
Eli
Schmidt
5'8" | PG
Clarksville | 2024
State
IA
, Clarksville
2025 Sam Hoodjer, Clarksville
2024
Drew Wagner
Drew
Wagner
6'3" | PF
Waterloo Christian | 2024
State
IA
, Waterloo Christian
2026 Eli Evans, Waterloo Christian
2024 Jared Aronson, Waterloo Christian
2024 Hunter Rademaker, North Butler
District 6
The favorite: West Fork is the #2 seed in the district, but we’re siding with the Warhawks as the team to beat here given the extreme edge in competition that they’ve played throughout the year as compared to top seed Ankeny Christian. West Fork is headlined by a pair of talented senior guards who have won a ton of games over the last four years in Cayde Eberling Cayde Eberling 6'3" | SG West Fork | 2024 State IA (20.3, 51.7 FG%) and Sage Suntken Sage Suntken 6'0" | CG West Fork | 2024 State IA (18.4, 44.4 3P%). Eberling is a tough, physical guard who loves to play downhill and get to the rim, while Suntken is a knockdown shooter who takes advantage of Eberling getting the defense to collapse. Both are good playmakers who get their teammates involved as well. Edison Maske (8.9, 45.5 3P%) and Gavin Cronk (9.2, 6.8 rebounds) have been solid role players alongside that tandem. West Fork isn’t an overwhelming favorite in the district by any means, but we think they’re the best team of the bunch.
The biggest threat: We mentioned that North Linn was one of two teams to rank within the top-10 in the class in both scoring offense and defense. The other? Top seed Ankeny Christian. The Eagles are 9th in the class in offense (69.6) and 7th in defense (41.8). So why don’t we consider them the favorite in the district, especially given the fact that they’re the top seed in the district? Simply put, the Bluegrass Conference didn’t test them whatsoever. The Eagles are led by a pair of seniors – Cade Wierck Cade Wierck 6'6" | PF Ankeny Christian | 2024 State IA (16.3) and Tyler Mahoney (14.4). Wierck is a talented 6-6 combo forward who can score inside and out, and he’ll be a tough matchup for the rest of the teams in the district. Eli Christensen (8.4, 3.9 assists) and Brody Hoefle (6.1, 4.3 assists), two more seniors, are reliable playmakers in the backcourt. They’ve done a great job limiting turnovers this season, giving it away less than nine times a game, but how much of that is tied to the competition they’ve played? Only time will tell.
The dark horse(s): There are two potential sleepers in this district, one on each side of the bracket. Both teams have one thing in common – a big-time scorer who could be a matchup problem for other teams in the district. We’ll start with Colo-Nesco, who are led by senior forward Lucas Frohwein Lucas Frohwein 6'3" | SF Colo-Nesco | 2024 State IA (21.6, 10.1 rebounds), a lanky, mobile forward who finishes well around the rim, controls the glass, and can get his teammates involved. Point guard Mark Bower (7.1, 5.2 assists) has done a nice job limiting turnovers, and Gannon Short (11.3) and Drew Banks (8.5) provide some additional scoring. The other team to keep an eye on here will be Baxter, led by Treyton Travis Treyton Travis 6'0" | SG Baxter | 2024 State IA (22.6), an athletic, slashing wing who loves to play downhill and get to the rim for finishes. He’s not alone, however, with junior Perrin Sulzle (13.3, 9.4 rebounds) providing some toughness in the paint, and sophomore Eli Dee Eli Dee 6'2" | PG Baxter Bolts | 2026 IA (12.2, 36.1 3P%) providing some shooting.
Players to watch
2024
Cade Wierck
Cade
Wierck
6'6" | PF
Ankeny Christian | 2024
State
IA
, Ankeny Christian
2024 Tyler Mahoney, Ankeny Christian
2024
Cayde Eberling
Cayde
Eberling
6'3" | SG
West Fork | 2024
State
IA
, West Fork
2024
Sage Suntken
Sage
Suntken
6'0" | CG
West Fork | 2024
State
IA
, West Fork
2024
Lucas Frohwein
Lucas
Frohwein
6'3" | SF
Colo-Nesco | 2024
State
IA
, Colo-Nesco
2025 Breckin Clatt, Colo-Nesco
2025 Mark Bower, Colo-Nesco
2024 Cael Keller, BCLUW
2024
Treyton Travis
Treyton
Travis
6'0" | SG
Baxter | 2024
State
IA
, Baxter
2025 Perrin Sulzle, Baxter
2026
Eli Dee
Eli
Dee
6'2" | PG
Baxter Bolts | 2026
IA
, Baxter
2024 Nic Groven, Rockford
2024 Marshawn Taylor, Rockford
2024
Jabari Woodbury
Jabari
Woodbury
6'1" | SF
GMG Secondary School | 2024
State
IA
, GMG
2025 Josef Dvorak, Collins-Maxwell
2025 Ian Beattie, Collins-Maxwell
2026 Bo Starr, AGWSR
2024 Gabe Nederhoff, AGWSR
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
North Linn vs. West Fork
North Linn has qualified for seven straight state tournaments, and have played for a state title in each of the last six years. West Fork will stick around for a while, but eventually the pedigree takes over, the speed overwhelms them, and North Linn heads back to Des Moines again, where they enter the state tournament as the favorite to win their third state title.