Division 5, Sectional 2: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The upper half of Sectional 2 among Division 5 schools appears to be wide open and could include some sectional newcomers with Tigerton, Wabeno/Laona and, perhaps, Newman Catholic all looking to make a playoff run. The bottom portion of the sectional is much stronger and includes talented teams from Elkhart Lake, Lourdes Academy and Reedsville, among others. There will be some surprise teams among the 32 teams in the sectional field as Rosholt, Tri-County, Hilbert, Oneida Nation and Suring all figure to be much improved over a year ago. It's a grouping of teams that likely has coaches across the board optimistic about their chances for some post-season success.<br><br>Following is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 2:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 2</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561897' first='Ben' last='Prochnow'], 5-10, Sr., PG, Reedsville<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2382317' first='James' last='Brady'], 6-9, Jr., C, Tigerton"<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2634236' first='Canton' last='Chrisman'], 5-11, Jr., G, Wabeno/Laona<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561884' first='Ashton' last='Thuecks'], 6-5, Sr., F, Elkhart Lake<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2501111' first='Quincy' last='Pfender'], 6-2, Sr., G, Newman Catholic<br><br><strong>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 2</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2617712' first='Arden' last='Strenn'], 6-1, Sr., F, Reedsville<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2224525' first='Lucas' last='Pfiffner'], 6-0, Sr., G, Newman Catholic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2847596' first='Marcus' last='Kohl'], 6-2, Sr., G, Rosholt<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2559413' first='Easton' last='Lurvey'], 6-0, Soph., G, Three Lakes<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2613973' first='Brayden' last='Smith'], 6-1, Soph., G, Elkhart Lake<br><br><strong>Top Five Teams in Sectional 2<br><br>1. Reedsville</strong> -- After tying Division 4 Manitowoc Lutheran for second place in the Big East North Conference last season, the Panthers look to take over the top spot in the seven-team league in 2025-26. It's a very competitive league with several very good Division 4 squads in Manitowoc Lutheran, Howards Grove and Saint Mary Catholic all figuring to give Reedsville plenty of strong competition. Coach Ron Prochnow has the luxury of playing two-time first-team all-league pick [player_tooltip player_id='1561897' first='Ben' last='Prochnow'] at point guard. One of the smartest and quickest players in the Big East, [player_tooltip player_id='1561897' first='Ben' last='Prochnow'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2613974' first='Zach' last='Prochnow'] (6-0) are both sons of the head coach. Strenn and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2920534' first='Jack' last='Schwahn'] (5-10) also return with extensive experience for the Panthers.<br><br><strong>2. Elkhart Lake </strong>-- The Resorters will face off against Reedsville twice during Big East North league play so they will be very familiar with the Panthers once the post-season rolls around. Coach Mike Koehler guided Elkhart Lake to a 17-11 record and has four starters back. Thuecks is a four-year varsity performer while Smith ranks among the premier long-distance shooters in Wisconsin. Also returning are seniors Ethan Fromm (6-4) and Dakota Koehler (5-10). <br><br><strong>3. Tigerton</strong> -- The Tigers won 24 of 26 games last winter and bring back three starters, including Brady, the best post player in the sectional and a guy who averaged 20.3 points and 10.9 rebounds as a sophomore. Brady has improved at a rapid pace since the end of the high school season and figures to be even more dominant as a junior. Coach Dan Hoffa also welcomes back senior starters Sam Anheuster (5-10) and [player_tooltip player_id='2947705' first='Caleb' last='Dahlstrom'] (5-11). Developing some outside shooting and depth will be keys for Tigerton.<br><br><strong>4. Wabeno/Laona </strong>-- This squad might take a few lumps during the season due to a rigorous non-league schedule that includes games against Oconto, Antigo, Prentice, Assumption, Rhinelander and two games in the Edgar Tournament among the games slated for the Rebels outside of the Northern Lakes Conference. But, in the end, playing top-flight competition will help this squad come playoff time. Chrisman was one of two unanimous first-team all-league picks and headlines a returning core that also includes junior [player_tooltip player_id='2634239' first='Cooper' last='Albrecht'] (6-1) and seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2634237' first='Walker' last='Winkelman'] (6-1) and Boone VanOoyen (6-0). <br><br><strong>5. Lourdes Academy </strong>-- The Knights are the only team from the Trailways Conference in the Sectional 2 field as most are placed in Sectional 4. Five players who started at different times a year ago are back for Lourdes, which went 7-20 under coach Brett Baehman last year. Injuries played a role in the Knights' results as did youth. Four juniors figure to play significant minutes, including [player_tooltip player_id='2514254' first='Harlan' last='Kuehn'] (6-3), [player_tooltip player_id='2637713' first='Jackson' last='Buttke'] (6-0), Brady Bauer (6-2) and [player_tooltip player_id='2140955' first='Lucas' last='Neuens'] (5-10). Seniors Ryder Mullen (5-10), [player_tooltip player_id='2917033' first='Parker' last='Slusarski'] (5-11), Quin Ruark (6-0) and [player_tooltip player_id='2637715' first='Brady' last='Ridenour'] (6-2) also will be top contributors. <br><br><strong>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong>Newman Catholic </strong>-- Jeff Gress is back on the sidelines for Newman Catholic for the first time since the 2015-16 season. He won 175 games at the school during his previous 14 years as head coach and takes over a program that has struggled the past two seasons after winning the WIAA Division 5 state title in 2023. Four starters are back for the Cardinals with Pfender and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2224525' first='Lucas' last='Pfiffner'] (6-0) leading the way. Both are experienced and talented players who should provide good leadership. Also back are seniors Lucas Erdman (6-1) and Cooper Guld (5-11) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2847051' first='Michael' last='Fox'] (6-0). Newman Catholic competes in the ultra-tough Marawood South Conference so there will be some setbacks. Surviving a brutal schedule and improving toward the playoffs could lead to a run after the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->