Wahpeton Huskies

It is still football season in Huskie country! The Wahp football team picked up a nice playoff win last night against Valley City by a score of 48-30. This Huskie football team has really come together this fall and they are now running like a Swiss watch! Wahp will take on Grand Forks Red River in the next round of the playoffs.   With that said, let's take a look ahead at the basketball season. Jeff Ralph runs the show for the Huskie basketball program and they have an exciting year of hoops ahead of them. Ralph has a talented and athletic stable of guards who will give opposing teams fits. The Huskies do not have much size, but they will make up for it with quickness/speed, shooting, skill, toughness, rebounding, and team defense.   See below for stats, players to watch, and a Q&A session with Coach Ralph.   School: Wahpeton   Mascot: Huskie   Head Coach: Jeff Ralph   Class: A   Region: 1   2023-24 Record: 16-9   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/Preview-crop-823x540-1688699564.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/Preview-crop-823x540-1688699564.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2058335" style="width:238px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   2023-24 Team Stats   GP: 25 PPG: 59.6 OPPG: 58 2FG%: 48 3FG%: 31 3FGM: 116 FT%: 67   FTM: 263 PPP: .97 RPG: 28.9 ORPG: 10.5 APG: 12.2 SPG: 9.4 BPG: 1.4   Huskies To Watch   Comments from Coach Ralph   [player_tooltip player_id='1184569' first='Treyton' last='Mauch'] 5'11” senior guard   "Treyton is a returning All-Region player. He's arguably one of the most explosive players in the state. He can shoot the 3 and is fearless going to the basket. Defensively he's a terrific on-ball defender and he's also capable of providing help and trapping all over the floor. He averaged 5.6 rebounds and 9 points per game."   [player_tooltip player_id='1531966' first='Bjorn' last='Kubela'] 6'2” senior guard   "Bjorn is a knockdown 3-point shooter and is a very good defender. His length and ability to get in the passing lane causes trouble for opponents. Bjorn was 2nd in 3-pointers made for us last season. He is a capable ball handler and has played the point for us when needed."   [player_tooltip player_id='2630828' first='Jackson' last='DeVries'] 6'2” senior forward   "Jackson played a reserve role for us last year and after a good summer, we're expecting him to play a much bigger role this season. Jackson is one of the fastest players we've had and we're hoping to get him out in space where he can get to the rim and score. He's a good defender with his speed and quickness."   [player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens'] 6'0” junior point guard   "It's nice to have a returning All-Region point guard returning and we'll have Brayden for another year after this. Brayden's ability to get to the rim, shoot the pull-up jumper, and knock down the 3 make him a difficult player to guard. He averaged nearly 15 ppg last season along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists as a sophomore."   [player_tooltip player_id='1798698' first='Landon' last='Ralph'] 6'2” junior forward   "Landon played a reserve role for us coming off the bench to defend in the post and knock down the open shot. He's a good 3-point shooter and will need to be more of a threat this year for us along with defending in the post and rebounding."   [player_tooltip player_id='2335331' first='Carter' last='Hockert'] 6'0” junior guard   "Carter is a good 3-point shooter that provided a spark for us in a couple games off the bench. We'll need Carter to defend and rebound for us and also get to the rim off the dribble. Carter has the ability to stretch defenses with his perimeter shooting and that should open up opportunities for him to drive to the basket."   [player_tooltip player_id='2339217' first='Jack' last='Gilbertson'] 6'0” freshman guard   "As an 8th grader, Jack started last season on the C squad and quickly moved up to a big role off the bench for us in January. Jack is a good 3-point shooter and can get to the rim and finish. He improved his ballhandling and played a lot of point guard for us this summer. We see Jack playing a big role for us this season."   [player_tooltip player_id='2573831' first='Treyton' last='King'] 6'2” freshman forward   "Treyton is another freshman that was on our team as an 8th grader last season. His ability to knock down the open 3 along with getting to the rim with his size will mean he's pushing for a varsity spot this season. He's a hard-nosed defender and good rebounder."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/image_0b4930.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/image_0b4930.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2630766" style="width:333px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   With Coach Jeff Ralph   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "Our 2024 season went as well as we could have expected in the new league. Region 1 was very good and we finished the year at 16-9 with 7 of our losses coming to teams that made the State Tournament. Our senior post players played big roles for us that we will need to fill this season."   PHD: Who will be your primary ballhandler this year?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens'] returns as our point guard. He was All-Region last year and is physically bigger and has improved his perimeter shooting out to the 3-point line."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "We saw an improvement in our perimeter shooting in our morning shooting sessions this summer. We played about 30 games against very good competition and saw guys play different roles throughout the summer which should make us even better."   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1184569' first='Treyton' last='Mauch'] is an explosive player that can do it all on both ends. [player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens'] as our returning point guard provides stability on a team that's going to need to play fast this year."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for?   "I think [player_tooltip player_id='2339217' first='Jack' last='Gilbertson'] will be a player to watch for the next four years. As an 8th grader stepping into a varsity practice, he fit in right away. His understanding of the game and his ability to score the basketball are at a pretty high level. [player_tooltip player_id='2573831' first='Treyton' last='King'] is another young player that we're really excited about developing in our program. He plays hard and also has the ability to score the basketball."   PHD: Who do you think will be your top interior players?   "We're not going to be very big so that's a good question. [player_tooltip player_id='1798698' first='Landon' last='Ralph'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2630828' first='Jackson' last='DeVries'] were our top reserves for Cooper Klosterman and Jayden King last season. Both can defend and rebound and Jackson's ability to run the floor and Landon's ability to knock down the 3 will be crucial to our team."   PHD: What are 2 or 3 goals for the team this year?   "1. #1 seed in Region 1" "2. Win Region tournament" "3. Qualify for State Tournament"   PHD: Who will be your hardest worker?   "When one of your best players is your hardest worker, it usually spells success for your team. [player_tooltip player_id='1184569' first='Treyton' last='Mauch'] is one of those kids that plays hard all the time and also works his tail off in the weight room."   PHD: Who are some of the top teams & players in Region1 ?   "Obviously, Kindred is the team to beat after their undefeated regular season and State Runner-Up finish. They're long, fast, strong, and incredibly skilled at all positions and Coach Woehl does a great job with those kids. [player_tooltip player_id='1484338' first='Brooks' last='Bakko'] at 6'5” as a point guard and UND commit [player_tooltip player_id='1169144' first='Karson' last='Ouse'] at 6'8” are two guys that we have trouble with on both ends of the floor. Valley City has a very good point guard in [player_tooltip player_id='2333734' first='Bryson' last='Heck'] returning and their big guy [player_tooltip player_id='1418031' first='Jack' last='Dieterle'] at 6'7” will cause teams problems. Oak Grove will be much improved after playing a lot of young kids last year and their point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2092234' first='Kai' last='Zabel'] is very good."   PHD: Any last comments about the upcoming season?   "We're excited to get after it this year. We won't be the “road warriors” we were last year as we host Beulah, Killdeer, and Standing Rock. We have a very tough schedule with road games at Four Winds and Devils Lake and hopefully, that will prepare us for a run in March."   BEST OF LUCK TO THE HUSKIES!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1634111" /></a></figure>

It is still football season in Huskie country! The Wahp football team picked up a nice playoff win last night against Valley City by a score of 48-30. This Huskie football team has really come together this fall and they are now running like a Swiss watch! Wahp will take on Grand Forks Red River in the next round of the playoffs.