Division 5, Sectional 3: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue a late summer trek through the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sectionals, today looking at Division 5, Sectional 3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Teams:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alma Center Lincoln<br>Assumption<br>Cochrane-Fountain City<br>Loyal<br>Highland<br>Ithaca<br>North Crawford<br>Potosi<br>River Ridge<br>Royall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overview:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perhaps the deepest of the four sectionals in Division 5, Sectional 3 features strong teams from the Cloverbelt, Dairyland, Marawood, Ridge &amp; Valley, Scenic Bluffs and Six Rivers conferences. It's loaded with experienced teams and multi-sport athletes. The Six Rivers West Conference boasts three stellar teams in defending champion Potosi along with Highland and River Ridge. Potosi welcomes back three players who earned all-league honors a year ago in [player_tooltip player_id='2425867' first='Aidan' last='Uppena'] (6-5), [player_tooltip player_id='2636238' first='Dawson' last='Weber'] (6-2) and [player_tooltip player_id='2636243' first='Isaiah' last='Groom'] (6-2). In addition to experience, size and team chemistry are assets for Potosi. Over at Highland, [player_tooltip player_id='2550547' first='Michael' last='Esser'] (6-4) is back for his senior campaign after earning second-team all-league honors in each of the past two seasons. He is one of five returning starters, a great situation to inherit for first-year coach Ryan Hill. And River Ridge won four straight league crowns before finishing one game behind Potosi last season. The Timberwolves have maybe the best guard in the conference in junior [player_tooltip player_id='2501092' first='Brandon' last='Davis'] (6-0). The Ridge &amp; Valley is home to some of the smallest high schools in Wisconsin, but it is big on basketball talent. Four players who earned first-team all-league recognition return, led by Ithaca's [player_tooltip player_id='2493671' first='Channing' last='Brown'] (6-1), the returning Player of the Year in the conference. A 1,000-point career scorer and an exceptionally skilled backcourt ace, Brown averaged 23.7 points and 3.9 rebounds a year ago and is one of four returning regulars for rookie head coach, Aaron Huebsch. North Crawford has a standout guard of its own in senior [player_tooltip player_id='2492765' first='Andrew' last='Munson'] (6-1), a two-time first-team all-league performer who has good size and strong basketball instincts. Ithaca's [player_tooltip player_id='2634856' first='Sammy' last='Clary'] and Wauzeka-Steuben's [player_tooltip player_id='2501090' first='Cooper' last='Lomas'] round out the list of returning first-team all-conference returnees in the Ridge &amp; Valley. Assumption plays a rigorous regular-season schedule as a member of the Marawood South Conference and could make some noise in the sectional behind the play of the junior guard tandem of [player_tooltip player_id='1561916' first='J.T.' last='Schlaefer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2500891' first='Logan' last='Nystrom']. Royall came within an eyelash of advancing to the sectional finals last March, but a late rally by eventual Division 5 state champion Columbus Catholic sent the Panthers home with a 25-3 record. Royall appears to have enough returning pieces in place to make another strong run for the state tournament. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2426884' first='Carter' last='Uppena'] (6-2) is one of the more unselfish and talented players in the sectional while coach Scott Uppena has some true size with the return of senior [player_tooltip player_id='2425816' first='Landon' last='Lipke'] (6-7). Seniors Karter Olson (6-2) and [player_tooltip player_id='2613945' first='Ben' last='Crneckiy'] (6-3) also return to the starting lineup. Alma Center Lincoln and Cochrane-Fountain City are among the top teams in the Dairyland Conference. Alma Center Lincoln is led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='2417878' first='Jace' last='Paul'] (6-3), a two-time first-team all-league performer, and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2624247' first='Ben' last='Ross'] (6-1), who averaged in double figures last season. Cochrane-Fountain City welcomes back three starters from a 19-win squad in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2624236' first='Cameron' last='Lipinski'] (6-3), [player_tooltip player_id='2390104' first='Porter' last='Ehrat'] (6-2) and [player_tooltip player_id='2813594' first='Reed' last='Schmidtknecht'] (5-10). Loyal hasn't won a Cloverbelt Conference title since the 1967-68 season, but the Greyhounds are among the favorites in the Eastern Division of the league and boast one of the league's top players in junior [player_tooltip player_id='2500036' first='Bryce' last='Deegan'] (6-1).<br><br><strong>Pre-Season All-Sectional Team:</strong><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2492765"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d9d83945397"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">a cerebral point guard with an excellent feel for the game and the ability to make plays for himself and his teammates, Munson is a two-time first-team all-Ridge &amp; Valley Conference performer for coach Chris Wettstein at North Crawford. He averaged 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a junior to help the Trojans to a 21-5 record. Munson is a four-year varsity player who should easily surpass 1,000 career points as a senior. He also is one of four returning starters along with [player_tooltip player_id='2424246' first='Cullen' last='Jacobus'] (5-10), [player_tooltip player_id='2634874' first='Carter' last='Emler'] (6-0) and [player_tooltip player_id='2634881' first='Landen' last='Blaha'] (6-0). Munson's court presence and ability to run the show make the Trojans one of the teams to beat in a loaded Sectional 3 field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2426884"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d9d83945422"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The son of Royall coach Scott Uppena, [player_tooltip player_id='2426884' first='Carter' last='Uppena'] is a proto-typical "son of a coach." He plays the game the right way, making the extra pass, getting the loose ball and making clutch shots with the game on the line. One of the more unselfish players in the sectional, Uppena is a more than capable scorer as he averaged 15.7 ppg as a junior to lead the team. He also contributed 5.8 rpg and 3.2 apg. Uppena is a returning first-team all-league performer and definitely a key piece for a Royall program that figures to enter the season ranked among the top five teams at the Division 5 level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2493671"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d9d83945471"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The amount of optimism for a big season surrounding the Ithaca program is off the charts. And a big reason for that bright outlook is the return of Brown, whose silky smooth jump shot is an asset along with his ability to make mid range jumpers off moves to the basket. Teaming with talented senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2634856' first='Sammy' last='Clary'] in the Ithaca backcourt, Brown earned first-team all-league honors in each of the past two seasons and went over 1,000 career points as a junior. He has good size, can handle the ball and has that sweet jumper. In addition to the considerable talents of Brown and Clary in the backcourt, Ithaca returns two additional starters in senior Wesley Nelson (6-2) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2634852' first='Devin' last='Ihm'] (6-4).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1561916"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d9d839454ba"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Schlaefer is an ever improving point guard with good quickness, solid athleticism and a deep love for the game. He has played varsity basketball the past two seasons for Assumption coach Josh Paltz. and is coming off a sophomore season where he averaged 14.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. His long-distance jumper is a work in progress, but Schlaefer is outstanding at using his quick first step and aggressiveness to get to the basket. After a strong summer with the [program_tooltip program_id='2076029' first='Wisconsin' last='Crusaders'] club program, Schlaefer is looking to lead a young Assumption squad to an improvement on last year's 11-14 finish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2550547"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d9d83945502"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Esser has the size and strength to be an effective inside player as he's been just that for Highland the past three seasons. The two-time all-league performer led to a 14-11 record as a junior by averaging 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds. He is less than 100 shy of 1,000 for his varsity career and figures to be the go-to player for Highland's first-year coach, Ryan Hill. Esser, though, will have plenty of help as four additional starters are back for a club that finished 14-11. Also a good football receiver, Esser is part of a talented frontline at Highland that also includes Bennett Smith (6-3) and [player_tooltip player_id='2636231' first='Wesley' last='Kraisinger'] (6-3). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2417878"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d9e3ba7eef4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Paul impacts a game in a positive manner in almost every way possible for Alma Center Lincoln. A high-energy player with good size and length, Paul can score, rebound, pass and defend. He is coming off consecutive first-team all-Dairyland Conference honors and headlines a very talented team for coach Jeremy Hanson. Paul put up some impressive numbers as a junior, helping Alma Center Lincoln to a 22-5 record by averaging 19.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.5 steals. Paul is a four-year varsity player for the Hornets and starts his senior year with 1,267 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Pre-Season Pick to Click:</strong><br><br>Royall has made two trips to the WIAA State Tournament in its long and storied basketball history. And the Panthers went home with 0-1 records in both 2010 and 2023. They are hoping to stick around Madison a little longer this time around. Then again, there is plenty of work to be done before such thinking is allowed by the Royall coaching staff. The Panthers are the pre-season favorite to win Sectional 3, but there are landmines all over the sectional. It's simply loaded with good teams up and down the bracket. Royall has the edge because of its strong returning core, led by senior combination guard [player_tooltip player_id='2426884' first='Carter' last='Uppena']. One of the more cerebral players in the sectional, Uppena makes big plays for his father and coach, Scott Uppena. One of the more versatile defenders in the Scenic Bluffs Conference, [player_tooltip player_id='2426884' first='Carter' last='Uppena'] can guard multiple positions and do so with success. Another key returning player for Royall is 6-foot-7 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2425816' first='Landon' last='Lipke'], who came on strong near the end of last season and averaged 8.8 ppg and 5.3 rpg. Seniors Karter Olson and [player_tooltip player_id='2613945' first='Ben' last='Crneckiy'], along with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2635635' first='Trey' last='Wildes'], Dylon Velazquez and John Muehlenkamp also figure to play important roles for Royall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->