Central Wisconsin South Preview 2025-26

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final 2024-25 Standings:</strong><br><br>1. Almond-Bancroft 11-1 (23-6); 2. Pacelli 10-2 (21-7); 3. Port Edwards 8-4 (15-10); 4. Pittsville 6-6 (12-12); 5. Rosholt 3-9 (8-18); 5. Tri-County 3-9 (8-17); 7. Wild Rose 1-11 (4-20). <br><br><strong>2025-26 Picks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/rosholt/">Rosholt</a></strong> -- Projecting a team to win a league title after it went just 3-9 in the conference and 8-18 overall last winter might seem risky. But with all the graduation losses from last year's top teams, Rosholt assumes the favorite role in 2025-26 as coach Kendrick Mcgahee welcomes back four starters. Depth, size and desire all strong points for the Hornets, who have a pair of double-figure scorers returning in senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022060' first='Marcus' last='Kohl'] (6-2, 15 ppg, 8 rpg) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2386450' first='Dylan' last='DeLaet'] (6-3, 13 ppg, 2 rpg). Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022064' first='Matthew' last='Ostrowski'] (5-10, 4.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and junior Dom Check (5-11, 2 ppg, 3 rpg) also return to the starting rotation for Rosholt. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022057' first='Jacob' last='Trzebiatowski'] (6-3, 4 rpg) and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2847621' first='Alex' last='Haines'] (6-5, 3 ppg, 3 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='3022056' first='Jacob' last='Malek'] (5-8, 3 ppg) and Aidyn Kopchinski (6-1, 2 ppg) also return.<br><br><strong>2.<a href="https://prephoops.com/team/pacelli/"> Pacelli </a></strong>--The Cardinals have won 42 of 48 league games over the past four season and although coach John Schurk's program graduated five starters and two key backups from last year's 21-7 squad, Pacelli still figures to rank among the better teams in the Central Wisconsin South. The JV1 team did not lose a league game and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2386444' first='Jake' last='Williams'] (6-2, 2.8 ppg) figure to elevate his game after coming off the bench last winter. Other promising players in the Pacelli program include juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3021658' first='Bryce' last='Flaker'] (5-11), [player_tooltip player_id='3021660' first='Jaden' last='Garski'] (5-8) and [player_tooltip player_id='2913007' first='Nolan' last='Reimer'] (6-1) along with sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2913000' first='Crew' last='Rebholz'] (6-4). Athleticism, speed and shooting are strong points for a team that will need to gain experience in a hurry while playing an ambitious non-league schedule.<br><br><strong>3. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/tri-county-3/">Tri-County</a></strong> -- The Penguins had six straight seasons without a Central Wisconsin South victory before winning one conference game two seasons ago. Last winter, coach Brian Siegenthaler's program won three league games and this time around, even more success is anticipated as all five starters return from a club that went 8-17 overall. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2386230' first='Gage' last='Beggs'] (6-1, 11 ppg, 10 rpg) might be the best all-around player in the league as he can score, rebound and defend. Three of his classmates also are returning starters -- [player_tooltip player_id='3022583' first='RJ' last='Meddaugh'] (6-1, 13 ppg, 6 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='3022587' first='Seth' last='Hildebrandt'] (5-9, 9 ppg, 2 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3022582' first='Isaac' last='Miller'] (5-9, 8 ppg, 4 rpg). Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022590' first='Luke' last='Rasmussen'] (6-0, 4 ppg, 4 rpg) is the fifth returning regular for the Penguins. Depth remains a concern, but the program is back in great shape after years of struggling. <br><br><strong>4. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wild-rose/">Wild Rose</a> </strong>-- Backcourt play figures to be a strength for coach Jacob Lund's squad as three guards who started a year ago return in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3022946' first='Wyatt' last='Bowen'] (5-10, 5.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3022947' first='Ricky' last='Button'] (5-11, 2.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg) along with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3022950' first='Jaden' last='Konrath'] (5-9, 7.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg). Depth on the perimeter also is a positive as juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3022954' first='Braxton' last='Landwehr'] (6-0, 5.0 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='3022948' first='Ethan' last='Frank'] (5-10) and [player_tooltip player_id='3022956' first='Darrian' last='Lund'] (6-1) also return. Lack of size and defending the post are big concerns for the Wildcats.<br><br><strong>5.<a href="https://prephoops.com/team/pittsville/"> Pittsville </a></strong>-- First-year coach Stephen Hadfield has two starters from a 12-12 squad to work with in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3021727' first='Dalton' last='Darr'] (6-2, 4.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2692732' first='Dawson' last='Luther'] (5-11, 15.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg). Luther is the lone returning first-team all-league player in the Central Wisconsin South and one of the top shooters in the league while Darr can use his size and aggressiveness to be effective near the basket. Five other seniors were on the varsity team a year ago and will need to step up their production in order for Pittsville to remain competitive. <br><br><strong>6. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/almond-bancroft/">Almond-Bancroft </a></strong>-- With their third coach in as many seasons, transition time continues at Almond-Bancroft. Two years removed from an appearance in the WIAA Division 5 State Tournament, the Eagles recently hired former Wisconsin Valley Lutheran coach Werner Gross to take over the coaching duties created when Keith Dernbach resigned in late summer. Gross, also a former assistant coach at Pacelli, will look to seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3018833' first='Davis' last='Dernbach'] (6-0, 3.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2956872' first='Emmitt' last='Stiles'] (6-0, 6.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) to provide leadership, scoring and toughness. <br><br><strong>7. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/port-edwards/">Port Edwards </a></strong>-- Three double-figure scorers who combined to average more than 40 points and 12 rebounds per game must be replaced. The holes in the lineup will be a challenge for coach Justin Beck, although he does welcome back two proven performers in junior VIncent Striegel (6-2, 7.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='3021759' first='Sam' last='Martinson'] (5-10, 3.0 rpg). Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3021762' first='Aaden' last='Domke'] (6-0) and [player_tooltip player_id='3021760' first='Izak' last='Domke'] (6-1) also figure to be in the mix for a Port Edwards program that lacks depth.<br><br><strong>Top Returning Scorers</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2692732' first='Dawson' last='Luther'] (Pittsville) 15.2 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022060' first='Marcus' last='Kohl'] (Rosholt) 15.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386450' first='Dylan' last='DeLaet'] (Rosholt) 13.2 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022583' first='RJ' last='Meddaugh'] (Tri-County) 13.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386230' first='Gage' last='Beggs'] (Tri-County) 11.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022587' first='Seth' last='Hildebrandt'] (Tri-County) 9.1 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022582' first='Isaac' last='Miller'] (Tri-County) 8.6 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3016549' first='Jaden' last='Komrath'] (Wild Rose) 7.9 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2830643' first='Vincent' last='Striegel'] (Port Edwards) 7.7 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2956872' first='Emmitt' last='Stiles'] (Almond-Bancroft) 6.6 ppg<br><br><strong>Projected All-Conference Teams<br>First Team</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2692732' first='Dawson' last='Luther'], 5-11, Sr., Pittsville<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386444' first='Jake' last='Williams'], 6-2, Jr., Pacelli<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022060' first='Marcus' last='Kohl'], 6-2, Sr., Rosholt<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386230' first='Gage' last='Beggs'], 6-1, Jr., Tri-County<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386450' first='Dylan' last='DeLaet'], 6-3, Jr., Rosholt<br><br><strong>Second Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='3021658' first='Bryce' last='Flaker'], 5-11, Jr., Pacelli<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2956872' first='Emmitt' last='Stiles'], 6-0, Sr., Almond-Bancroft<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2830643' first='Vincent' last='Striegel'], 6-2, Jr., Port Edwards<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022950' first='Jaden' last='Konrath'], 5-9, Soph., Wild Rose<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022583' first='RJ' last='Meddaugh'], 6-1, Jr., Tri-County<br><br><strong>The Big Five</strong><br><br><strong>Best Shooter:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='3022587' first='Seth' last='Hildebrandt'], Tri-County<br><strong>Best Rebounder: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2386230' first='Gage' last='Beggs'], Tri-County<br><strong>Best Defender: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2386230' first='Gage' last='Beggs'], Tri-County<br><strong>Best Collegiate Prospect:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2913000' first='Crew' last='Rebholz'], Pacelli<br><strong>Most Improved: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2386444' first='Jake' last='Williams'], Pacelli</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->