Conference Preview: Upper Iowa

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central Elkader (5-16 last season, 100% of scoring returning): </strong>The good news for the Warriors is that everyone returns this season. The bad news, as you'll see throughout this preview, is that just about every team in the league returns at least two-thirds of their production, making it difficult to see Central Elkader making a significant leap this year. They were led in scoring last season by [player_tooltip player_id='2906437' first='Owen' last='Hammersland'] (9.2), who put together a solid freshman season. Isaac Loan (9.0), Jake Hertrampf (8.6), and Carson Ruegnitz (3.0) were all solid contributors as sophomores, so with that quartet leading the way, this could be seen as another building year towards potentially being a strong team in 2025-26 that has a chance to make some noise in the league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clayton Ridge (4-18, 89.8%):</strong> The Eagles return a ton of experience, with their top four scorers coming back. Kasey Thiese (9.7), Seth Kregel (8.8), Colton Hoeger (8.7), and Gabe Cook (4.4) were all sophomores last season, so like Central Elkader, they can use this as another building year towards the 2025-26 season. Thiese is a versatile scorer who could emerge as one of the better scoring threats in the conference this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kee (22-3, 84.5%): </strong>A school with a proud baseball tradition, Kee put together their best basketball season in school history last year, reaching the substate final for the first time before dropping a heartbreaker by 3 against Gladbrook-Reinbeck. They bring back five of the top six scorers, including two of the best players in Class 1A, and will be looking to build upon that positive momentum this year. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1951831' first='Jordan' last='Cota'] (19.6, 8.1 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id='2397266' first='Dalton' last='Mudderman'] (17.0, 5.6 assists) are one of the best one-two punches in the state. Cota is an athletic wing who can score from all three levels, posting 51-39-66 shooting splits, while Mudderman is a tough and physical guard who can create plays off the dribble and create chaos on the defensive end. They'll pace an experienced team that should be able to comfortably be able to go eight deep this year. [player_tooltip player_id='2511615' first='Brayden' last='Darling'] (5.0, 2.4 blocks) provides some rim protection and interior scoring, while Karsen Strong (6.5) gives them another skilled playmaker in the backcourt. Kee is the team to beat in the UIC, and should be considered a contender in Class 1A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MFL MarMac (19-4, 56.3%): </strong>A program that is used to success, MFL has been really good the last three years again after a brief down period, and they should be pretty solid once again this season. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2511550' first='Parker' last='Kuehl'] (15.7, 3.1 steals) is a quick guard who likes to play downhill and attack the rim, and he can cause some real chaos on the defensive end as the catalyst of their defensive attack. MFL plays a bit of a frenetic defensive system that creates a lot of turnovers, averaging 13 steals a game, and he was a huge part of that. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2617484' first='Carter' last='Lightfoot'] (8.8, 4.0 assists, 2.6 steals) is another quick guard who can create offensively and impact the game defensively. Brock Hackett (6.5, 40.4 3P%) provides perimeter shooting, and Landyn Miene (5.1) gives them some size. Kuehl will pace the team on both ends, and how the new faces come along will determine just how far this group can go this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Fayette Valley (21-4, 67.5%): </strong>One of the most successful seasons in school history ended at the hands of a Hudson buzzsaw in the substate final last year, and they'll be looking to build upon that success this season. In senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1951832' first='Cael' last='Reichter'] (22.1, 13.6 rebounds, 3.0 blocks), they have one of the most dominant two-way players in the state at the small-school level. A 6-7 versatile defender who can score inside and out as well as create plays for his teammates, he draws a ton of defensive attention and still puts up huge, efficient numbers. Decklyn Heins (7.8, 1.3 blocks) provides some additional rim protection, size, and interior scoring, and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2511611' first='Kyler' last='White'] (3.8, 4.8 assists) provides a veteran presence in the backcourt who can create plays for his teammates. They bring back a lot of other rotation pieces from last year's team who will provide some additional depth and experience. Reichter will be dominant again, and NFV will battle it out with Kee at the top of the league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Postville (13-9, 53.4%): </strong>Two of the top three scorers graduated from last year's team, which had their most successful season since 201-7-18 when they won 14 games. Josiah Minikwu (14.2, 3.0 assists) is the team's top returnee in scoring and assists, and he'll be asked to shoulder a heavy load on both ends of the floor this season. Xander Martinez (5.7), Yovani Loera (5.0), and Alan Ciraco-Munoz (2.7) will need to step into bigger roles, and how well they play in those new roles will determine how successful the Pirates can be this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Winneshiek (15-9, 77.5%): </strong>The Warriors have a nice 2026 group that headlines their roster in [player_tooltip player_id='1874773' first='Carson' last='Streeter'] (15.6, 3.9 assists), [player_tooltip player_id='2520041' first='Matson' last='Winings'] (14.5, 7.5 rebounds), and [player_tooltip player_id='2520046' first='Braiden' last='Todd'] (12.5, 4.0 assists). That trio complements each other well, with Streeter providing some perimeter scoring and playmaking. Winings is a versatile scorer who dominates the glass and protects the paint defensively, and Todd is a talented passer who can play downhill and attack the rim. Kaden Barton Franzen (4.8) gives them some additional size and toughness in the paint, and they bring back several other rotation pieces from last year's roster. South Winn played fairly competitive games against the top-tier teams in the league, and with all the experience they have coming back, they may be able to turn some of those into wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Turkey Valley (12-11, 36.5%): </strong>The Trojans lost their top two, and three of their top four, scorers to graduation, leaving juniors Logan Busta (9.4, 4.2 assists) and J.D. Kruse (7.3, 54.1 FG%) as the top returnees. That tandem has good chemistry and they complement each other well. They should be among the top one-two punches in the conference, and they'll be even better next year, when a promising 2027 class could be ready to join them. This is a program that hasn't finished below .500 since 2016, so the bottom isn't going to fall out on this group, but they may have some rough nights given how much talent is returning among the top teams in the league. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Central (1-21, 34.3%): </strong>The Blue Devils won just one game last season and had just one loss by single digits, so there is pretty much nowhere to go but up for the program. Sophomore Brody Wolff (5.3) and junior Rogelio Gonzalez (4.6) are the top two returnees and will be asked to step into much larger roles this season.</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. Kee<br>2. North Fayette Valley<br>3. MFL MarMac<br>4. South Winneshiek<br>5. Postville<br>6. Turkey Valley<br>7. Central Elkader<br>8. Clayton Ridge<br>9. West Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>This race at the top should be one of the best in small school conferences. Kee and NFV are coming off historic seasons and bring a good amount of production back, MFL is always good, and South Winn was competitive despite being very young last season. It would be a surprise if Kee or NFV didn't win it, but any of those top four could make some noise int he postseason.</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>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951832' first='Cael' last='Reichter'] (North Fayette Valley): </strong>This honor could go in a number of different directions with the stars from Kee, MFL's [player_tooltip player_id='2511550' first='Parker' last='Kuehl'], and South Winn's Carter Streeter all being viable options here. That said, Reichter, the 6-7 two-way force, puts up monster numbers on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis and will be the best player in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951832' first='Cael' last='Reichter'] (North Fayette Valley)<br>2025 Decklyn Heins (North Fayette Valley)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951831' first='Jordan' last='Cota'] (Kee)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2397266' first='Dalton' last='Mudderman'] (Kee)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511615' first='Brayden' last='Darling'] (Kee)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511550' first='Parker' last='Kuehl'] (MFL MarMac)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617484' first='Carter' last='Lightfoot'] (MFL MarMac)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1874773' first='Carson' last='Streeter'] (South Winneshiek)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520041' first='Matson' last='Winings'] (South Winneshiek)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520046' first='Braiden' last='Todd'] (South Winneshiek)<br>2025 Josiah Minikwu (Postville)<br>2026 Kasey Thiese (Clayton Ridge)<br>2026 Seth Kregel (Clayton Ridge)<br>2026 Colton Hoeger (Clayton Ridge)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906437' first='Owen' last='Hammersland'] (Central Elkader)<br>2026 Isaac Loan (Central Elkader)<br>2026 Jake Hertrampf (Central Elkader)<br>2026 Logan Busta (Turkey Valley)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->