Substate Preview: 4A-7
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The favorite: Like their crosstown rivals Northwest, nobody quite knew what to expect from Waukee this season after losing four starters from a state semifinalist. But the Warriors have shown just how deep and strong this program is this season,…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: Like their crosstown rivals Northwest, nobody quite knew what to expect from Waukee this season after losing four starters from a state semifinalist. But the Warriors have shown just how deep and strong this program is this season, grabbing a #1 seed and posting a ton of high quality wins this season. Their resume includes wins over Ankeny (twice), Northwest (twice), Dowling Catholic, Centennial (twice), Johnston, and Valley. Mason Costello Mason Costello 6'3" | SG Waukee | 2024 State IA (17.9), the lone returning starter, has been fantastic for the Warriors, leading the team in scoring, serving as a high-level playmaker, and he’s been pretty solid defensively as well. Sophomore forward Evan Jacobson Evan Jacobson 6'7" | C Waukee | 2026 State IA (13.2, 9.7 rebounds) is one of the best 2026s in the state, a 6-8/6-9 mobile big man who can switch, protect the rim, and finish at the bucket effectively. Owen Schipper Owen Schipper 6'6" | PF Waukee | 2024 State IA (9.5, 7.0 rebounds) has been really good on the glass and can stretch the floor, and the Warriors are able to put four really athletic playmakers and defenders on the wing in Jaden Rogers Jaden Rogers 6'4" | SF Waukee | 2024 State IA (8.4), Deion Kinnetz-Jenkins Deion Kinnetz-Jenkins 6'0" | PG Waukee | 2024 State IA (7.9), JaiShon White (6.2), and Keysean Moore Keysean Moore 6'0" | PG Waukee | 2024 State IA (3.5). A deep, athletic team with some size and length to throw at opposing teams, and a player who can take over a game offensively in Costello, Waukee is going to be tough to beat in this substate.
The biggest threat: Dallas Center-Grimes is 13-1 since the holiday break, with their lone loss coming to a really good Waukee Northwest team. There may be some who question the Mustangs, given that they play in the Little Hawkeye Conference, a largely 3A league, but they’ve beaten Ankeny and Ames this season, and had very competitive losses against Johnston and Northwest. A veteran team led by five seniors and a junior, this is a really well built, balanced team with a number of players who complement each other well. Senior guard Jackson Green Jackson Green 6'3" | SG Dallas Center-Grimes | 2024 State IA (16.2, 41.4 3P%) has been fantastic as a three-level scorer, efficiently filling it up with his ability to shoot off the dribble and the catch. Calix Cahill Calix Cahill 6'5" | PF Dallas Center-Grimes | 2024 State IA (15.9, 8.1 rebounds, 64.5 FG%) is a bouncy 6-6/6-7 forward who can protect the rim and finish above it with authority, while Jonathan Howard Jonathan Howard 6'1" | SG Dallas Center-Grimes | 2024 State IA (12.6, 3.0 assists) is a versatile scorer who can do a little bit of everything on the offensive end. Those are the three stars, but three others – Brogan Fuller Brogan Fuller 6'4" | SF Dallas Center-Grimes | 2024 State IA (6.5, 58.0 FG%), Tate Perrin Tate Perrin 5'10" | PG Dallas Center-Grimes | 2025 State IA (6.1, 4.3 assists), and Jaden Jones Jaden Jones 6'3" | SG Dallas Center Grimes | 2024 State IA (5.5, 4.9 assists) – fill their roles very well and are able to get good looks for their teammates and score themselves when the opportunity presents itself. Few teams in the state are playing as well as DCG is at this point, and they’re going to be really tough to beat.
The dark horse: Council Bluffs Lincoln was dealt a blow with the injury to Creighton Bracker Creighton Bracker 6'6" | PF Council Bluffs Lincoln | 2025 State IA (14.7, 10.6 rebounds), their top big man and rebounder, who has missed the last five games of the season for the Lynx. Without him, they don’t have a ton of traditional size, and they’ll need to make a concerted effort to rebound on both ends of the floor. That said, they do still have two big scorers in senior wing Cole Arnold Cole Arnold 6'3" | SF Council Bluffs Lincoln | 2024 State IA (21.1, 41.7 3P%) and junior wing Etienne Higgins Etienne Higgins 6'3" | SG Council Bluffs Lincoln | 2025 State IA (12.0, 40.0 3P%), and if that tandem, which has made 104 3-pointers this season combined, is knocking down shots, they can still be very dangerous here.
Players to watch
2024
Mason Costello
Mason
Costello
6'3" | SG
Waukee | 2024
State
IA
, Waukee
2026
Evan Jacobson
Evan
Jacobson
6'7" | C
Waukee | 2026
State
IA
, Waukee
2024
Owen Schipper
Owen
Schipper
6'6" | PF
Waukee | 2024
State
IA
, Waukee
2024
Jaden Rogers
Jaden
Rogers
6'4" | SF
Waukee | 2024
State
IA
, Waukee
2024
Jackson Green
Jackson
Green
6'3" | SG
Dallas Center-Grimes | 2024
State
IA
, Dallas Center-Grimes
2024
Calix Cahill
Calix
Cahill
6'5" | PF
Dallas Center-Grimes | 2024
State
IA
, Dallas Center-Grimes
2024
Jonathan Howard
Jonathan
Howard
6'1" | SG
Dallas Center-Grimes | 2024
State
IA
, Dallas Center-Grimes
2024
Cole Arnold
Cole
Arnold
6'3" | SF
Council Bluffs Lincoln | 2024
State
IA
, Council Bluffs Lincoln
2025
Creighton Bracker
Creighton
Bracker
6'6" | PF
Council Bluffs Lincoln | 2025
State
IA
, Council Bluffs Lincoln
2025
Etienne Higgins
Etienne
Higgins
6'3" | SG
Council Bluffs Lincoln | 2025
State
IA
, Council Bluffs Lincoln
2025
Bode Goodman
Bode
Goodman
6'2" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2025
State
IA
, Southeast Polk
2024
Jaxen Barton
Jaxen
Barton
6'5" | SF
Southeast Polk | 2024
State
IA
, Southeast Polk
2026
Kyle Smith
Kyle
Smith
6'3" | SG
Marshalltown | 2026
State
IA
, Marshalltown
2024
Treshaun Brooks
Treshaun
Brooks
6'0" | PG
Marshalltown | 2024
State
IA
, Marshalltown
2024 Shamar Harrell, Sioux City West
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Waukee vs. Dallas Center-Grimes
Dallas Center-Grimes is certainly not going to be an easy out here, an athletic team filled with great players who complement each other well. That said, Waukee has shown throughout the course of the season that they can beat just about anyone. Cahill is an advantage against most teams for DCG, but with Jacobson and Schipper controlling the paint for the Warriors, his presence is offset a bit. Mason Costello Mason Costello 6'3" | SG Waukee | 2024 State IA is the best player on the floor, and Waukee heads back to the state tournament in a really fun game.