Conference Preview: Upper Iowa – Small School

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central Elkader (9-14 last season, 84.1% of scoring returning): </strong>The Warriors bring back all but one player from last year's roster, a group that was pretty competitive, posting a -3.6 point differential. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2906437' first='Owen' last='Hammersland'] (14.7) is the team's top returning scorer, a versatile guard who can score from all three levels. Griffen Hammersland (7.4) gives them another scorer on the perimeter, and the trio of Isaac Loan (7.4, 4.8 assists), Mason Loan (7.1, 3.1 assists), and Jake Hertrampf (7.1, 6.1 rebounds) round out what will be one of the top starting fives in the division. The Warriors didn't shoot it well from the 3-point line last year, knocking down just 28.4% of their attempts, but if they can get that number up to even just 31-32%, they could turn that record around and be a real contender for the division crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clayton Ridge (5-18, 87.3%): </strong>The top four scorers return for the Eagles, a team that improved as the season progressed last season. Seniors Seth Kregel (12.4), Colton Hoeger (9.8, 4.3 assists), Kasey Thiese (7.7), and Ethan Backes (5.3) all gained a lot of valuable experience last season and will each be relied upon to take their games up another level. Hoeger, who led the team in assists last season, could emerge as one of the division's best players this winter. They probably don't have quite enough firepower to beat Turkey Valley at the top of the division, but they will battle it out for a top-2 finish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kee (13-10, 18.3%): </strong>After arguably the best season in school history in 2023-24, Kee had high expectations heading into last season and didn't live up to them. Now they lose the top two scorers, and four of the top five, from that group, leaving junior Trey Cota (8.8) as the lone returnee who averaged more than 1.8 points per game. Cota was a reliable playmaker and three-level scorer last season, and he'll be asked to carry a heavy load as a junior. The faces around him will largely be new, and Kee isn't a traditional basketball power, so it'll be interesting to see how the program looks moving forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Postville (5-16, 38.3%): </strong>The Pirates lost their leading scorer and three of the top five from last year's team, leaving senior wing Xander Martinez (10.3) as the top returnee. He'll pair with junior forward Cedric Navarro (5.9, 7.7 rebounds) as their top two options heading into the year. Navarro was great on the glass on both ends of the floor last season and should become a bigger part of the offense this winter, while Martinez will carry the load on the perimeter. Look for sophomores Zade Brock (2.9) and Dalen Knudtson (1.5) to step into much larger roles this season after seeing some time as freshmen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Turkey Valley (10-13, 99.8%): </strong>The Trojans should enter the year as the favorite in the division, with all but five points returning to a 10-win team. They'll be led by the senior tandem of Logan Busta (16.1, 3.9 assists) and JD Kruse (11.1, 8.4 rebounds). Busta is the team's top scorer and playmaker in the backcourt, while Kruse does a great job holding down the painted area on both ends of the floor. Juniors Jordan Kriener (9.5, 6.1 rebounds), Cale Langreck (5.7), Treyton Franzen (4.0), and Jayden Rausch (2.6) all saw significant time last season and return to provide additional scoring and depth. If the Trojans can cut down on the turnovers (18.3), and improve a bit from the 3-point line (25.8%), they could be a team that not only wins this division, but one that could make some postseason noise in their district.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Central (1-22, 87.9%):</strong> The Blue Devils won just one game last season, and only three of their 22 losses came by single digits, so anything better than that is progress. The good news is that there is a lot of continuity within the program, with the top five scorers, and six of the top seven, returning. They'll be led by the junior tandem of Brody Wolff (9.4) and Milton Cushion (7.6, 6.5 rebounds). Wolff led the team in scoring last season while Cushion was second in scoring and led the team in rebounding, assists, and steals. Sophomore guard Ashton Squires (5.2) had a solid freshman year last season and could step into a bigger role as well. This is still a pretty young roster and this year should be focused on becoming more competitive, with sights set on 2026-27 as being the year where they could make a real jump.</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. Turkey Valley<br>2. Central Elkader<br>3. Clayton Ridge<br>4. Kee<br>5. Postville<br>6. West Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> With the Upper Iowa splitting into Small and Large School Divisions this year, Turkey Valley could be the main beneficiary, as they should be considered the team to beat here. There is no one dominant team in the group, but they have the most high-end talent.</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 Logan Busta (Turkey Valley): </strong>The Trojans are the top team in the division, and Busta is their best player, making this a pretty easy selection. He can impact the game as a scorer, playmaker, and defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906437' first='Owen' last='Hammersland'] (Central Elkader)<br>2028 Griffen Hammersland (Central Elkader)<br>2026 Isaac Loan (Central Elkader)<br>2027 Trey Cota (Kee)<br>2027 Milton Cushion (West Central)<br>2026 Logan Busta (Turkey Valley)<br>2026 JD Kruse (Turkey Valley)<br>2027 Jordan Kriener (Turkey Valley)<br>2026 Xander Martinez (Postville)<br>2027 Cedric Navarro (Postville)<br>2026 Seth Kregel (Clayton Ridge)<br>2026 Colton Hoeger (Clayton Ridge)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->