Diamond State Conference Team Preview: Contenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most slept on conference in the state, Diamond State is packed with talented players and competitive team who could win a game or two in the tournament. But first they'll have to get through one another in the regular season. Here are the contenders: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Archmere</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2622512' first='Johnny' last='Orsini'], the senior signal-caller, will lead another scrappy flock in Claymont. The Auks like to spread teams out with Orsoni and classmates [player_tooltip player_id='3046451' first='Noah' last='Blessington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3103199' first='Ryan' last='Hagenberg'] who can shoot the cover off the ball. They may not be the biggest team; but they are pound-for-pound the strongest. When you include the fact that most of the squad, including [player_tooltip player_id='3103195' first='Blaise' last='Bastian-Pastore'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3103210' first='Kevin' last='Fox'], plays football, their ability to out-physical their opponents makes sense. They'll have to strike a balance between letting it fly on offense and slowing teams down on defense if they want to finish with double-digit wins again. Other Contributors: Colin McDaniel, Mark Mervin and [player_tooltip player_id='2767455' first='Khaleef' last='Wilson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Conrad</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The "Star Factory" might lead the state in threes thanks to how well their seniors move the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='2473347' first='Vinny' last='Starr'], [player_tooltip player_id='2633962' first='Jordan' last='Kennedy'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2450817' first='Marcel' last='Ramirez'] hold things down in the backcourt, while [player_tooltip player_id='2569489' first='Clint' last='Cauley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2639214' first='AJ' last='James'] hold their own in the frontcourt. The ball flows fast and freely between them, each with the ability to find the open man (spotting up or cutting) and the green light to pull from behind the arc. The Red Wolves will have to stay locked in defensively and commit to rebounding to maximize their offensive possessions. Other Contributors: [player_tooltip player_id='3046827' first='Carter' last='Bartkowski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2566662' first='Justin' last='Webb']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOT Charter </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs are dark horses in the state title race, not just contenders in-conference. Guards [player_tooltip player_id='2569493' first='Kaden' last='Briscoe'] and Sean Thompson pace them with shot-making. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='2566681' first='Graling' last='High III'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2815764' first='Kohen' last='Gaines'] give them some juice with their athleticism. [player_tooltip player_id='2969957' first='Korbin' last='Gaines'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2969959' first='Oluwaromola' last='Olowo'] are connectors who bring a variety of skills. A well-rounded team with no outlier skills, they have just enough to compete with any style of team. MOT can fly around defensively and win in a shootout or outlast their opponents in a rock fight. But everyone confidently playing their roles no matter the situation will be vital. Other Contributor: [player_tooltip player_id='2839829' first='Daniel' last='Oduwaiye'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Elizabeth</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After back-to-back conference titles and trips to the Bob, the new-look Vikings will be intriguing to watch over the course of the season. They don't return any rotation players from last year's team but the youth they have are promising. [player_tooltip player_id='2618078' first='Jaiden' last='Rajis'], [player_tooltip player_id='2565807' first='Michael' last='Jones'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2969230' first='Carmile' last='Frederique'] bring an array of firepower. And two-way guard [player_tooltip player_id='2546410' first='Nafir' last='Salters'] will probably be their backbone defensively. Like most of the other contenders, they don't have size in the frontcourt, but the Vikings can force turnovers and play well when they're going uptempo. Because they're so green, how they handle any kind of adversity will be telling. Other Contributors: [player_tooltip player_id='2919963' first='Ashie' last='Lewis Jr'], [player_tooltip player_id='2907021' first='Vincent' last='Walker'], and Terrance Williams</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->