Conference Preview: Hawkeye Ten

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Atlantic (7-16 last season, 26.2% of scoring returning):</strong> The Trojans were hit hard by graduation, losing four of their top five scorers, including big-time scorer Colton Rasmussen, who averaged nearly 27 points per game last season. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2413616' first='Gavin' last='McLaren'] (12.8, 6.8 rebounds) is a long, lanky wing who can score inside and out, and he looks like he's primed to step into a primary scoring role for this group. Hudson McLaren (1.3, 2.2 assists) wasn't much of a scorer last year, but he was second on the team in assists and should be the team's top playmaker. Outside of those two, however, there isn't much experience returning, so it may be a long year for the Trojans in the league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clarinda (9-12, 39.2%): </strong>The top three scorers from last year's team need to be replaced, leaving junior Sam Kline (7.1) and senior guard Kyle Wagoner (6.5) as the top returnees for the Cardinals. Wagoner could emerge as the team's top scorer as a senior averaging knocking down nearly 38% of his 3-point attempts and leading the team in assists last season, while Kline has shown the ability to get to the rim as well as contribute on the glass. Juniors Aidan Johnson (2.7), Noah Harris (2.3), and Kaiden Roop (2.2) each saw some time last season and will step into bigger roles this season as well. They'll need to clean up the turnovers (nearly 18 a game last season) if they want to make some improvement in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Creston (10-13, 43.2%): </strong>In senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1874784' first='Jake' last='Hoyt'] (14.7, 7.0 rebounds), the Panthers have one of the best-kept secrets in the state on their side. He's a long, athletic wing who can control the game in a number of different ways with his two-way versatility. He'll be asked to do even more for the team this season following the graduations of the other two double-figure scorers from last year's team. Parker Varner (5.5) was a solid contributor on the glass and as a secondary playmaker, while Brayden Schoon (2.7) and [player_tooltip player_id='2124073' first='Rhett' last='Driskell'] (2.2) each saw some time last season. Hoyt will be one of the top players in the conference, but how successful Creston can be will depend on how the rest of the roster develops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Denison-Schleswig (11-10, 6.4%): </strong>A total of 80 points returns for the Monarchs, so expect to see this team take a pretty significant step backwards this year. Junior Blaine Grady (3.0, 3.3 rebounds) is the only returnee who was a part of the rotation last season and will be leaned upon heavily, especially early on as they break in all the new faces. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Glenwood (13-9, 44.5%): </strong>The Rams have to replace two of their top three scorers from last year's roster, but bring back a potential breakout candidate in senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2617473' first='Ayden' last='Gibson'] (11.0, 5.2 rebounds). A long, athletic wing who does a great job using his length to his advantage on both ends of the floor, he could emerge as one of the top scorers in the conference this season. Drew Schroeder (7.5), [player_tooltip player_id='2731811' first='Jack' last='Johnson'] (5.6), and Cole Staudt (3.0) each saw a good amount of playing time last season and will step into bigger roles alongside Gibson. Glenwood has developed into a pretty consistently winning program over the last few decades, so despite losing 55% of their production, they should still be pretty darn good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Harlan (12-10, 25.9%): </strong>Legendary coach Mitch Osborn has a lot of production to replace after losing the top five scorers to graduation. Jozef Reisz (6.8, 7.6 rebounds) is a physical, athletic forward who can control the glass and score efficiently around the rim, and Ben Leinen (5.4) is a good athlete on the wing. They'll need to get increased production out of sophomore Kobe Klaasen (2.5) and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2731820' first='Dallas' last='McDowell'] (2.0) and Jake Wageman this season. Osborn is one of the best coaches in the state and will always have his team prepared, but will they have enough talent to compete with the top teams in the league this season?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kuemper Catholic (19-4, 56.0%): </strong>The highest scoring team in Class 2A last season at 74 points per game, the Knights love to push the tempo and use their bevy of 3-point shooting threats to their advantage, spacing the floor and firing shots from deep or opening up driving lanes. This year, with the addition of East Sac County transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2617537' first='Ryan' last='Clair'], they'll also have a dominant interior option to go with their perimeter weapons. Clair averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds as a sophomore with the Raiders, and the athletic 6-5/6-6 big body finishes at the rim at a really high level, dominates the glass, and can protect the rim defensively. They'll surround him with guards [player_tooltip player_id='1765503' first='Brock' last='Badding'] (13.0, 45.8 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='1759944' first='Carson' last='Kanne'] (9.9, 5.5 assists), [player_tooltip player_id='2617507' first='Jack' last='Badding'] (6.2, 38.9 3P%), and wings [player_tooltip player_id='1951817' first='Tregan' last='Beiter'] (11.1), [player_tooltip player_id='2420798' first='Griffin' last='Glynn'] (3.7), and [player_tooltip player_id='2617496' first='Dylan' last='Schon'] (2.4). [player_tooltip player_id='1765503' first='Brock' last='Badding'] is one of the state's elite shooters off the catch, moving without the ball in his hands and firing quickly. Kanne is a tremendous facilitator who protects the ball and gets his teammates involved, and [player_tooltip player_id='2617507' first='Jack' last='Badding'] is another great shooter. Then Beiter, Glynn, and Schon provide length, athleticism, and the ability to attack off the dribble. This team will score in bunches, will be one of the best teams in 2A, and is clearly the team to beat in the Hawkeye Ten.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lewis Central (14-7, 16.7%):</strong> No team in the conference was hit as hard by graduation as the Titans, but if there is any school in the league who can overcome that, it's this one, the largest school in the conference. They lost the top three scorers, and seven of the top eight, from last year's team, leaving junior guard Ty Paulson (8.0) and senior Parker Stessman (4.0) as the only returnees who saw much time last season. With the benefit of having way more students to pull from then the rest of the conference, they'll be just fine and should continue to be a top 3-4 team in the league, despite the heavy personnel losses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Red Oak (11-12, 16.9%): </strong>Considering the fact that Lewis Central has so many more students, maybe Red Oak was actually the school that was hit the hardest by graduation, losing six of their top seven scorers. That includes the tandem of Max DeVries and Hunter Gilleland, who combined to average 35.1 points per game, and led the team to the state tournament as sophomores. Brayden Sifford (7.7, 3.3 assists) was second on the team in assists last season and third in scoring, and will be the focal point of the attack. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2617535' first='Reese' last='Montgomery'] (1.8) and Carson Roeder (1.4) will be leaned upon heavily after seeing some time as freshmen as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shenandoah (5-18, 52.0%): </strong>The Mustangs lost the only double-figure scorer from last year's team, but bring back three of the next four which gives them a solid foundation to build upon heading into this season. Dalton Athen (6.6, 5.0 rebounds), Cole Graham (6.3), and Joey O'Rourke (5.7) are the top returnees, while [player_tooltip player_id='2952496' first='Brody' last='Burdorf'] (2.3, 2.2 blocks) could emerge as a big presence in the paint and be a game-changer defensively. The 'Stangs will need to continue to pound the offensive glass to help gain extra possessions, as they struggled to shoot it from 3-point range last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Albert (4-17, 76.9%): </strong>St. Albert got off to a promising 3-0 start last season, but went just 1-17 the rest of the way, a disappointing finish to what looked like a potentially strong year. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765504' first='Nicolas' last='Ballenger'] (13.5) returns after leading the team in scoring as a sophomore. He's a talented shooter who can play with or without the ball in his hands, and he'll be asked to shoulder the load as both a scorer and playmaker this season. Owen Marshall (8.3) gives them some size and rebounding, and Noah Nami (6.2) was solid as a perimeter scorer last season as well. As the smallest school in the conference, they're always going to be at a bit of a disadvantage, but it prepares them well for 1A postseason play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Kuemper Catholic<br>2. Lewis Central<br>3. Glenwood<br>4. Harlan<br>5. Creston<br>6. Clarinda<br>7. Atlantic<br>8. St. Albert<br>9. Denison-Schleswig<br>10. Red Oak<br>11. Shenandoah</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> Kuemper Catholic is without a doubt the team to beat in the league this season, and will be one of the top contenders for the 2A state title. Behind them, you could throw teams two through five in a hat and pick them out randomly and probably have as much success as I will here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765503' first='Brock' last='Badding'] (Kuemper Catholic): </strong>One of the state's elite shooters, Badding can get scorching hot and carry the team for long stretches offensively. You could make strong arguments for a number of Kuemper players to win this honor, as they should dominate the league this season, but we'll side with Badding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765503' first='Brock' last='Badding'] (Kuemper Catholic)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617537' first='Ryan' last='Clair'] (Kuemper Catholic)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759944' first='Carson' last='Kanne'] (Kuemper Catholic)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951817' first='Tregan' last='Beiter'] (Kuemper Catholic)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617507' first='Jack' last='Badding'] (Kuemper Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420798' first='Griffin' last='Glynn'] (Kuemper Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2617496' first='Dylan' last='Schon'] (Kuemper Catholic)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1874784' first='Jake' last='Hoyt'] (Creston)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765504' first='Nicolas' last='Ballenger'] (St. Albert)<br>2025 Owen Marshall (St. Albert)<br>2025 Joseph Hughes (St. Albert)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413616' first='Gavin' last='McLaren'] (Atlantic)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617473' first='Ayden' last='Gibson'] (Glenwood)<br>2025 Drew Schroeder (Glenwood)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731811' first='Jack' last='Johnson'] (Glenwood)<br>2025 Josef Reisz (Harlan)<br>2026 Ty Paulson (Lewis Central)<br>2026 Sam Kline (Clarinda)<br>2027 Joey O'Rourke (Shenandoah)<br>2025 Dalton Athen (Shenandoah)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->