Iowa Class 1A Title Favorites: Burlington Notre Dame

Notre Dame guard Shay Stephens

Eliot Clough February 19, 2026 @ 06:02 PM

Rolling through a series of at least three schools per class that have the best chance at winning the state title. Now done with 2A, 3A and 4A, we move on to 1A.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/02/iowa-class-1a-title-favorites-mmcru/">Iowa Class 1A Title Favorites: MMCRU</a>   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/02/iowa-class-1a-title-favorites-bishop-garrigan/">Iowa Class 1A Title Favorites: Bishop Garrigan</a>   The Case for the Nikes:   Burlington Notre Dame has been one of the top teams in 1A all season long. Winning 19 in a row to start the year and posting a clean slate in the class, the Nikes are as a big of a threat to the other programs in their class as anyone.   Of course, it all starts and ends with lead guard, [player_tooltip player_id='1978106' first='Shay' last='Stephens']. A Western Illinois commit, Stephens has been nothing but dominant in his senior season. A top three scorer and leader in assists in 1A, while also grabbing nearly double-digit rebounds per game, Stephens is one of the best all-around players in the class. So far this season, he's putting up 25.3 points, 6.7 assists, 8.9 rebounds and three steals per game for Burlington as their do-it-all star. All the while shooting 62.7% from the field and 71.7% from the field with a 3.02 assist-to-turnover ratio, Stephens is one of the best guards in the state, and the Leathernecks may have gotten themselves a steal by adding the 6-foot-4 guard.   Stephens has some legitimate support, too. Notre Dame has a trio other scorers on the roster that average double-figures in scoring, and they each bring their own unique skillset to the table to complement his game.   First is fellow senior guard, [player_tooltip player_id='3453714' first='Eli' last='Oleson'], who puts up 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, serving as the other senior who has been there done that in the backcourt and started all 23 games alongside Stephens this winter. Second comes [player_tooltip player_id='3453701' first='Griffin' last='Kies'], the sharp-shooter and three-point specialist of the group. Having taken the most threes this season for the Nikes, Kies has also been the most efficient from beyond the arc, making 47-of-118 attempts from deep (39.8%). He adds 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Last, but certainly not least, is L.J. Harris, who rounds at the group at exactly ten points per contest so far this season. A junior alongside Kies, Harris helps out Stephens on the boards, as the second-best rebounder on the team, grabbing 6.2 per game, as well as dishing out three assists per game and grabbing 1.3 steals per contest.   Though Stephens is the rightful headliner of the group, Burlington Notre Dame has some complementary talent that could be enough to take them to the state title game.

Rolling through a series of at least three schools per class that have the best chance at winning the state title. Now done with 2A, 3A and 4A, we move on to 1A.