Substate Preview: 2A-4
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District 7 The favorite: West Burlington has put together another dominant regular season, posting an 18-0 record as of time of writing. The Falcons rank within the top 10 in 2A in both scoring offense (10th, 68.6) and defense (9th,…
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Continue ReadingDistrict 7
The favorite: West Burlington has put together another dominant regular season, posting an 18-0 record as of time of writing. The Falcons rank within the top 10 in 2A in both scoring offense (10th, 68.6) and defense (9th, 47.1), but there are some questions about how strong the competition has been for them, with nine 1A schools on the schedule. That said, they have a dynamic trio of guards leading the way in Mason Watkins Mason Watkins 6'2" | PG West Burlington | 2025 State IA (20.6, 40.2 3P%), Brady Martin Brady Martin 6'0" | PG West Burlington | 2024 State IA (16.1, 3.7 assists), and Quincy Collins Quincy Collins 5'11" | SF West Burlington | 2025 State IA (13.4, 8.1 rebounds), a trio that complements each other really well. Watkins and Martin are both quick guards who can play with or without the ball in their hands, getting to the rim, knocking down shots off the catch, and creating plays for their teammates. Collins, despite being listed at just 5-11, has been a menace on the glass and is another really good athlete. Ayden Figuereo (5.8, 47.1 3P%) gives them some additional shooting, and Kobe Davis Kobe Davis 6'1" | SG West Burlington | 2025 State IA (8.2, 2.4 assists) gives them another viable ball-handler. The Falcons are small, but they’re fast and fly all over the floor on both ends of the floor. Their constant pressure on both ends makes them a difficult team to match up with. They swept Central Lee, a possible semifinal opponent, this year.
The biggest threat: In senior guard Holden Arnaman Holden Arnaman 6'3" | PG West Branch | 2024 State IA (24.1, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 49.7 3P%), West Branch has the best individual player in the district, and that makes them a huge threat to the Falcons. Arnaman, who will play his college ball at D2 Minnesota State Mankato, is a dynamic playmaker and shot creator who can score from anywhere and does so with remarkable efficiency, posting 52-50-71 shooting splits. Senior forward Reese Trepanier Reese Trepanier 6'0" | SF West Branch | 2024 State IA (14.9, 9.0 rebounds) is a nice complement to Arnaman, an undersized but physical forward who pounds the glass on both ends, can stretch the floor, and finishes well around the rim. The Bears have gotten good production of late out of a trio of sophomores as well in Brennen Dale (6.3), Jayden Harris (4.7), and Brandon Pedersen (2.5), and they’ll need that trio to play at a high level alongside Arnaman and Trepanier if the Bears want to win this district.
The dark horse: There is a pretty substantial gap between West Burlington and West Branch and the rest of the district. That said, Mediapolis has a guard in sophomore Max Griffin Max Griffin 6'2" | PG Mediapolis | 2026 State IA (17.1) with the firepower to make some noise if he gets it rolling. Griffin is a skilled shooter who can shoot it at a high clip off both the dribble and the catch, and if he knocks down three or four 3s in the first half, he can lead the Bulldogs to an upset or two. Alongside him, Lance Ludens (10.9, 39.1 3P%) provides more shooting, and the tandem of Jackson Hutcheson (8.3, 3.1 assists) and Will Luttenegger (7.0, 4.5 assists) have proven to be solid ball-handlers.
Players to watch
2025
Mason Watkins
Mason
Watkins
6'2" | PG
West Burlington | 2025
State
IA
, West Burlington
2024
Brady Martin
Brady
Martin
6'0" | PG
West Burlington | 2024
State
IA
, West Burlington
2025
Quincy Collins
Quincy
Collins
5'11" | SF
West Burlington | 2025
State
IA
, West Burlington
2024
Holden Arnaman
Holden
Arnaman
6'3" | PG
West Branch | 2024
State
IA
, West Branch
2024
Reese Trepanier
Reese
Trepanier
6'0" | SF
West Branch | 2024
State
IA
, West Branch
2026
Max Griffin
Max
Griffin
6'2" | PG
Mediapolis | 2026
State
IA
, Mediapolis
2025
Brayden Wyrick
Brayden
Wyrick
6'6" | PF
Central Lee | 2025
State
IA
, Central Lee
2024
Ty Northup
Ty
Northup
6'2" | SF
Louisa-Muscatine | 2024
State
IA
, Louisa-Muscatine
2025 Finnegan Cline, Louisa-Muscatine
2025 Izaak Loeffler, Van Buren County
District 8
The favorite: Monticello is looking to qualify for their fifth consecutive state tournament, and the Panthers have a great chance to do so, drawing a district filled with River Valley Conference foes that they have gone 8-1 against with an average margin of victory of 15.2 points, including a sweep of likely district final opponent Cascade. Senior forward Preston Ries Preston Ries 6'1" | SF Monticello | 2024 State IA (25.9, 10.4 rebounds), a four-year varsity starter, leads the Panthers. He’s an explosive athlete who will play football at Iowa, and his combination of size, strength, and athleticism makes him nearly impossible to slow down at this level. Carson Lambert Carson Lambert 6'3" | SF Monticello | 2025 State IA (13.4, 7.5 rebounds, 48.4 3P%), a lefty sharpshooter, has been fantastic on both ends of the floor, and sophomore Conley Schauf Conley Schauf 6'1" | SF Monticello | 2026 State IA (12.4, 36.4 3P%) has given them some more shooting, three-level scoring, and playmaking on the perimeter. The tandem of Jack Lambert Jack Lambert 5'10" | PG Monticello | 2025 State IA (6.8, 3.4 assists) and Brody Gogel (6.6, 5.5 assists) has been extremely reliable in the backcourt, getting their teammates involved and knocking down shots when the opportunities present themselves. This team has been fantastic at protecting the ball (8.4 turnovers) and doesn’t foul (9.7), taking away freebies for their opponents. A program with pedigree and a lot of success against the rest of the district, Monticello is the team to beat here.
The biggest threat: One of the hottest teams in 2A has been Cascade, who have won 10 of their last 11 games, with the lone loss coming to Monticello. Junior guard Jackson Lieurance Jackson Lieurance 6'2" | SG Cascade | 2025 State IA (22.3, 40.2 3P%) is a sniper who can get scorching hot and drop 35 points on you in the blink of an eye, and his confidence seems to be growing every night. The Cougars have also gotten fantastic production out of sophomore guard Mick Hoffman Mick Hoffman 6'2" | SF Cascade | 2026 State IA (14.2, 43.8 3P%) this season, giving them more perimeter shooting and playmaking. Both Lieurance and Hoffman are better as catch-and-shoot threats, but both are capable of putting the ball on the floor and creating for themselves and teammates as well. If Cascade wants to go bigger, they can pair Nathan Schockemoehl Nathan Schockemoehl 6'1" | SF Cascade | 2025 State IA (8.8, 8.6 rebounds) with Will Keeney Will Keeney 6'7" | C Cascade | 2025 State IA (6.4), giving them some more beef in the paint. Schockemoehl is a bit undersized but plays bigger than his listed size with his motor and athleticism, while Keeney is a legit 6-7/6-8 body who sees the floor well and finishes around the bucket. This is a balanced team of role players after the top two, and they play together really well. If Lieurance or Hoffman, let alone both, get hot, they’re capable of beating just about anyone.
The dark horse: Since the holiday break, Northeast has gone 8-2, including a win over Monticello. The Rebels are a tough, physical team that plays solid defense and their style can wear teams down. Junior guard Gavin Kramer Gavin Kramer 6'1" | PG Northeast | 2025 State IA (15.7, 4.8 assists) is a streaky shooter, but he can knock down shots both off the dribble and the catch, while Clayton Meyermann Clayton Meyermann 6'3" | PF Northeast | 2024 State IA (11.9, 6.1 rebounds), Jacob Tegeler (9.7, 6.9 rebounds), and Emerson Kreinbrink Emerson Kreinbrink 6'2" | PF Northeast | 2027 IA (8.9, 5.4 rebounds) are all tough forwards who pound the glass on both ends of the floor. This is a group that averages 10 offensive rebounds a game, and that type of aggressiveness on the glass helps gain valuable extra possessions for a team that doesn’t shoot it very well from 3 (27.1 3P%).
Players to watch
2024
Preston Ries
Preston
Ries
6'1" | SF
Monticello | 2024
State
IA
, Monticello
2025
Carson Lambert
Carson
Lambert
6'3" | SF
Monticello | 2025
State
IA
, Monticello
2026
Conley Schauf
Conley
Schauf
6'1" | SF
Monticello | 2026
State
IA
, Monticello
2025
Jackson Lieurance
Jackson
Lieurance
6'2" | SG
Cascade | 2025
State
IA
, Cascade
2026
Mick Hoffman
Mick
Hoffman
6'2" | SF
Cascade | 2026
State
IA
, Cascade
2025
Gavin Kramer
Gavin
Kramer
6'1" | PG
Northeast | 2025
State
IA
, Northeast
2024
Clayton Meyermann
Clayton
Meyermann
6'3" | PF
Northeast | 2024
State
IA
, Northeast
2025
Vince Diers
Vince
Diers
6'1" | CG
Anamosa | 2025
IA
, Anamosa
2026
Tristan Faille
Tristan
Faille
6'4" | SF
Anamosa | 2026
State
IA
, Anamosa
2024
Eli Kluesner
Eli
Kluesner
6'1" | SF
Beckman Catholic | 2024
State
IA
, Beckman Catholic
2024
Demarion Honaker
Demarion
Honaker
6'6" | PF
Camanche | 2024
State
IA
, Camanche
2025
Tyson Seeser
Tyson
Seeser
6'5" | SG
Camanche | 2025
State
IA
, Camanche
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
West Burlington vs. Monticello
It’s hard to pick against a team that would be undefeated if they reach this spot, but we have a difficult time seeing who from West Burlington is going to slow down Preston Ries Preston Ries 6'1" | SF Monticello | 2024 State IA . Ries has a big game, and Monticello punches their ticket to Des Moines for the fifth straight season.