Conference Preview: Western Iowa

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AHSTW (5-17 last season, 83.2% of scoring returning): </strong>After a stellar four-year run featuring a ridiculously good crop of 2023 talent, the Vikings expectedly took a significant step backwards last season with a young, inexperienced team. They lost six games by single digits, and with the experience they have returning, they should be able to turn some of those narrow losses into wins this season. The top three scorers return in [player_tooltip player_id='1759951' first='Luke' last='Sternberg'] (15.6), Collin Harder (10.9), and Camden Soukup (8.5), giving them a strong trio to build around this season. Sternberg is a long wing who does a great job using his length to impact the game defensively, while Harder and Soukup are solid perimeter scoring threats. Juniors Kaden Jorgensen (3.3), Drew Lee (2.5), and Ty Nelson (1.9) all saw a good amount of playing time last season and should step into bigger roles this season as well. They probably won't contend for a league title, but with all the personnel losses in the league, they could make a pretty big leap this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Audubon (8-14, 69.0%): </strong>The bad news for the Wheelers is that they lost their leading scorer and rebounder with the graduation of Edward Miller, who averaged 15 and 10 last season. The good news is that every other player who saw significant playing time last year returns, led by the tandem of Aaron Olsen (10.0) and Austin Christensen (9.3, 7.9 rebounds). Olsen led the team in assists last season and will pair with Carson Wessel (6.3, 2.4 assists) to give them a pair of reliable ball-handlers. Christensen will hold down the painted area, taking over for Miller as the team's top rebounder and rim protector. This year's team figures to be pretty balanced and should be able to at least replicate last year's success, and if they can improve a little bit from behind the arc, they could finish above .500.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>IKM-Manning (13-10, 46.1%):</strong> The Wolves lost three of their top four scorers from last year's team, but bring back junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765538' first='Ben' last='Ramsey'] (15.4), a versatile three-level scoring guard who will be among the best players in the conference. He'll have the ball in his hands a ton this year and will be asked to be not only the top scorer, but also the top playmaker and shot creator. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='2617531' first='Miles' last='Nuzback'] (4.6) was productive as a freshman and should step into the secondary scoring role alongside Ramsey, giving them a strong one-two punch. Nuzback is the leader of a talented 2027 group that should be much improved, joined by Brock Kusel and Wyatt Danner. Despite losing a lot of production, the Wolves should still be a factor in the league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Logan-Magnolia (9-13, 71.5%): </strong>If you're looking for a team to potentially take advantage of all the losses to graduation that other schools suffered and make a leap, it could be the Panthers. They bring back four of their top five scorers, including leader [player_tooltip player_id='2721441' first='Wes' last='Vana'] (13.9, 7.5 rebounds) and forward Adam Roden (8.6, 9.6 rebounds), giving them one of the top rebounding tandems in the conference. Their size and toughness in the paint will be difficult for opposing teams to handle and will make them a bear to play against. Jason Kastner (5.9), Ashton Peszulik (4.8), and Brodie Davis (2.1) each return after seeing a good amount of time last year as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Missouri Valley (9-13, 29.0%): </strong>Both double-figure scorers from last year's team graduated, taking 37.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game with them. That's a lot of production to replace at a school that hasn't had a winning season since 2015-16. Junior guard Layton Maasen (9.8, 3.9 assists) looks like he's ready to step into a starring role for the Big Reds, which is a positive sign for them. He's a talented scorer and playmaker who posted a 2.02 assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore. He'll be asked to shoulder a heavy load with a lot of inexperienced pieces around him, but he should be one of the better players in the league this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Riverside (13-10, 29.9%):</strong> One of the most prolific scorers of the last four years, Grady Jeppesen, graduated, leaving a huge hole in the backcourt for the Bulldogs. Jeppesen averaged 25.5 points per game as a senior and also led the team in assists. He and Mason McCready, who averaged nearly 12 a game himself, are gone, which is the bad news. The good news is that the 'Dogs actually have a pretty solid group of 2027s ready to step into bigger roles in Cole Jeppesen (5.4), Peyton Amdor (5.2), and Owen Fenner (3.7). All three are capable scorers from the perimeter who can play with or without the ball in their hands, and they gained a ton of experience last season. There may be some tough patches this winter with a team so young, but they'll build upon it and should be one of the top teams in the league in 2025-26.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Treynor (22-4, 31.7%): </strong>One of the most consistent programs in the state over the last few decades, regardless of class, Treynor figures to be a factor not only in the league, but in 2A as a whole, yet again this season despite losing nearly 70% of their scoring output. They'll be led by the best player in the conference, junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978103' first='Alec' last='Lovely'] (10.8, 5.0 assists, 40.8 3P%), a talented guard who can dominate games without scoring with his ability to create quality looks off the bounce for his teammates. He's a guard who plays with a lot of swagger, and he doesn't back down from anyone. Classmates [player_tooltip player_id='2413619' first='Corbin' last='Thien'] (5.4), [player_tooltip player_id='2886836' first='Ethan' last='Hill'], Jude Mieska, and Dane Guttau all saw time last season and give them a solid quintet of talent to build around. No matter what they lose, Scott Rucker has his team winning 20+ games and in the hunt for the league title. That continues this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tri-Center (14-9, 51.9%): </strong>Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2420786' first='AJ' last='Harder'] (16.1, 5.1 assists) was incredibly impressive as a freshman for the Trojans, posting 45-42-61 shooting splits and leading the team in scoring and assists. He's really good with the ball in his hands, a shifty guard who can shoot it really well off the bounce and he does a nice job creating space to get his shot off. The next three scorers graduated, but juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2628806' first='Tyler' last='Baatz'] (7.1), Cael Witt (6.0), and Chase Newland (7.0) all return with experience and have proven that they can compete at this level. The Trojans are going to be young, but they'll have an elite player leading them in Harder, and several talented pieces around him. They'll push Treynor at the top, and likely be the favorite in the league in 2025-26.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Underwood (24-1, 13.4%): </strong>The Eagles qualified for the state tournament for the first time last season behind a senior class that experienced a ton of success in nearly every sport. The top five, and seven of the top eight, scorers from last year's team graduated, leaving junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2731691' first='Garrett' last='Luett'] (6.7, 5.0 rebounds) as the only returnee who saw significant playing time last season. He'll be asked to shoulder a heavy load, especially early on, with so many new faces stepping into bigger roles. The good news is that they were able to practice all year last season against really talented and experienced players, so they should be capable of stepping and contributing early, but replicating last year's success and league title seems unlikely.</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. Treynor<br>2. Tri-Center<br>3. IKM-Manning<br>4. Underwood<br>5. Logan-Magnolia<br>6. Audubon<br>7. AHSTW<br>8. Missouri Valley<br>9. Riverside</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Treynor is always really good, and that will be the case again this season. With the heavy losses that Underwood suffered to graduation, it's the Cardinals league to lose this season. But a young, talented Tri-Center team will have a say in this race.</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='1978103' first='Alec' last='Lovely'] (Treynor): </strong>A super skilled guard who can dominate the game as a scorer, facilitator, or defender, Lovely enjoyed his breakout at the state tournament last season and will be the focal point of the Cardinals attack this season.</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='1978103' first='Alec' last='Lovely'] (Treynor)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413619' first='Corbin' last='Thien'] (Treynor)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420786' first='AJ' last='Harder'] (Tri-Center)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2628806' first='Tyler' last='Baatz'] (Tri-Center)<br>2026 Chase Newland (Tri-Center)<br>2026 Cael Witt (Tri-Center)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759951' first='Luke' last='Sternberg'] (AHSTW)<br>2026 Collin Harder (AHSTW)<br>2025 Camden Soukup (AHSTW)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765538' first='Ben' last='Ramsey'] (IKM-Manning)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721441' first='Wes' last='Vana'] (Logan-Magnolia)<br>2026 Adam Roden (Logan-Magnolia)<br>2025 Aaron Olsen (Audubon)<br>2026 Austin Christensen (Audubon)<br>2026 Layton Maasen (Missouri Valley)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731691' first='Garrett' last='Luett'] (Underwood)<br>2027 Cole Jeppesen (Riverside)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->