The Arrowhead Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's 14 teams from the Iron Range and North Shore in the same league. We break down the Arrowhead Conference today!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Conference Commentary</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Ten in State</strong>: Cherry, Deer River, Mt Iron-Buhl</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cherry has the deepest starting five in the state and as defending champs that gives you a chance to repeat as league champs, section champs, and State champs. Sure Isaac Asuma is gone but what they have returning is four all state caliber players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deer River won 21 games a season ago, they haven't lost a game in this league in the Iron Range Conference in years (their other league), and they have four starters returning. They have an argument to be legit top ten, and not just top ten potential. [player_tooltip player_id='2103407' first='Caiden' last='Schjenken'] was the league MVP last season and he is back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mt Iron-Buhl has just about everything back from a team that made the section final and ran into the state champs. They were 24-6 last season and return just about everything. Top ten in state? Right now we have them just outside of it but they belong in this group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Ten Potential</strong>: North Woods, Littlefork-Big Falls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Littlefork-Big Falls won 17 games last season and they return their best three players. Section 7A is going to be a good Section playoff set and they should be right there keeping it interesting. So how does Littlefork-Big Falls take a step towards section and an outside chance of being ranked? They have to be more like 101-89 loss to North Woods last year, and less like the 84-39 loss. North Woods lost their top scorer and three of the top six guys from their rotation, but enough returning players to also have an outside shot at the top ten. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Compete with Most</strong>: Northland, Nashwauk-Keewatin, Hill City, Chisholm, Greenway, Mesabi East, Ely</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Northland can defend better they push past the ten wins they had a season ago. They return two of their best players and should hit at least .500 this year, but they have to stop giving teams so many points. Nashwauk-Keewatin won seven games a season ago and lost their best player. That said, they do have a decent part of the rotation back so ten wins at least seems right. Hill City split with Nashwauk-Keewatin last year but Hill City won the second game, they are bigger, and they have a bit more back. Northland and Hill City split last year as well with Northland winning the second game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Greenway has a couple all league players back but they lost to Rock Ridge last year by 37 and they lost to Chisholm by 21. But they do have the best big and prospect in the league, and Greenway looks like they should be better. Chisholm has three key pieces back from a team that was three games over .500. Mesabi East is getting their own category because its hard to project them competing with most when their games with the teams in that category were so lopsided, but at the same time this is a senior team that should be better, so they aren't rebuilding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ely was 11-15 last year and had a few good wins that surprised, and they should be better considering they have their best two players returning. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rebuilding: </strong>Bigfork, International Falls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bigfork was a four win team a season ago but they only lost a couple guys so they should be more competitive. International Falls won just three games a season ago and they have only one senior this year. They have some good juniors but it feels like it might be one more year before they start getting wins in this league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Conference Prediction</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Power Rankings</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Cherry</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Mountain Iron-Buhl</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(3) Deer River</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(4) North Woods</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(5) Littlefork-Big Falls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(6) Chisholm</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(7) Greenway</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(8) Ely</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(9) Northland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(10) Hill City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(11) Mesabi East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(12) Nashwauk-Keewatin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(13) Bigfork</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(14) International Falls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Big</em> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Mountain Iron-Buhl</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Deer River</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(3) Chisholm</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(4) Greenway</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(5) Ely</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(6) Mesabi East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(7) International Falls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Small</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Cherry</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) North Woods</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(3) Littlefork-Big Falls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(4) Northland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(5) Hill City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(6) Nashwauk-Keewatin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(7) Bigfork</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason All Arrowhead</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>First Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1579910' first='Noah' last='Sundquist'] of Cherry (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1601068' first='Noah' last='Asuma'] of Cherry (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2126128' first='Isaiah' last='Asuma'] of Cherry (Soph)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2103407' first='Caiden' last='Schjenken'] of Deer River (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2100912' first='Stephen' last='McGee'] of Greenway (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Second Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2451450' first='TJ' last='DuChamp'] of Mountain Iron-Buhl (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1579911' first='Carson' last='Brown'] of Cherry (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1582113' first='Cale' last='Jackson'] of Deer River (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chris King of Mountain Iron-Buhl (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2109915' first='Louie' last='Panichi'] of North Woods (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Third Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas Larson of Littlefork-Big Falls (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2121361' first='Jack' last='Davies'] of Ely (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ethan Lauzen of Chisholm (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MiCaden Clines of Mountain Iron-Buhl (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2442535' first='Gage' last='Olson'] of Greenway (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Fourth Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jacob Roper of Hill City (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talen Jarshaw of North Woods (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2446759' first='Hayden' last='Sampson'] of Mesabi East (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caid Chittum of Ely (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eli Devich of Rock Ridge (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Fifth Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A.J. Knaeble of Littlefork-Big Falls (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jamison Wood of Northland (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Warren McLouden of Nashwauk-Keewatin (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cooper Sickel of Mesabi East (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nick Bakkedahl of Deer River (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->