Size, Athleticism, Physicality Make Dowling Big Favorite in 4A-1

<!-- wp:image {"id":3511256,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screen-Shot-2026-02-20-at-8.14.47-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screen-Shot-2026-02-20-at-8.14.47-PM.png?w=610" alt="" class="wp-image-3511256" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The favorite: Dowling Catholic </strong>looks like a pretty heavy favorite in this substate. The Maroons have an impressive resume that includes wins over Waukee, Johnston (twice), Kuemper Catholic, Roosevelt, Xavier, Urbandale (twice), and Waukee Northwest. The seventh-ranked scoring defense in 4A, they're allowing just 49 points a game, in large part because of their dominant twin towers - senior [player_tooltip player_id='2617486' first='Charles' last='Crane'] (12.9, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2443978' first='Alfred' last='Kolee'] (10.8, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 blocks). Crane will play Division I basketball at the Naval Academy, and having a pair of big, athletic rim protectors playing behind them allows the Maroons guards to play even more aggressively on the perimeter, and it has been extremely tough to teams to score on this group as a result. [player_tooltip player_id='2731790' first='Noah' last='Martens'] (12.8, 4.4 assists) is the straw that stirs the drink offensively, leading the team in assists and pacing the offense, while [player_tooltip player_id='2204869' first='Giovanny' last='Quiles'] (8.5), [player_tooltip player_id='1978098' first='Nathan' last='Jenkins'] (6.5), [player_tooltip player_id='1383390' first='Maddox' last='Coppola'] (4.0), and Evan Mitchell (3.7) are all capable of scoring in double figures on any given night. If there is one potential drawback for Dowling, it's that they don't shoot it well from the 3-point line, just 30.2% as a team. But they're stellar defensively, big and athletic, and they just beat second-seeded Norwalk by 14 in the last week of the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The biggest threat:</strong> Behind the breakout performance of junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2419755' first='Tillman' last='Papcun'] (20.1), <strong>Norwalk</strong> has been one of the most pleasant surprises of any team in the state, in any class, this season. The Warriors enter postseason play on a two-game losing skid, but those two losses came in about as tough a two-game stretch as you can have - at Dowling Catholic and at ADM. Papcun, posting 51-43-86 shooting splits, has been a revelation as a junior, impressing as a playmaker and shot creator while having some truly explosive scoring games. Classmate [player_tooltip player_id='2420802' first='Audric' last='Pelzer'] (10.6, 3.8 assists) has been really good as the team's primary ball-handler, posting a 2.35 assist-to-turnover ratio, and three others average between 5.9 and 7.5 points per game. The Warriors have taken good care of the ball, averaging just 9.0 turnovers a game on the season, and ball security will be crucial in a rematch with Dowling.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The dark horse: </strong>The highest scoring team in Class 4A isn't Waukee Northwest or Cedar Falls. It isn't Waukee or Cedar Rapids Prairie, some of the usual suspects. No, it's <strong>Sioux City West</strong>, with a superstar freshman by the name of [player_tooltip player_id='3353853' first='Roman' last='Henry'] (25.4) leading the way. The Wolverines are averaging 75.6 points per game and have eclipsed the 80-point mark six times this season. Henry leads Class 4A in scoring and has been ridiculously impressive, posting 54-42-78 shooting splits. A big, athletic 6-4 wing, he can score from anywhere and is apt to take over a game at any point in time. He's far from alone, however, with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3255094' first='Eduardo' last='Frazier'] (19.5) and [player_tooltip player_id='2204879' first='Kamren' last='Hegna'] (13.0) also capable of having some big scoring games. The Wolverines like to play fast, and will struggle to stop Norwalk in the semifinals, but they can score with anyone and if they turn it into a track meet and increase the volatility, anything can happen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to Watch<br></span>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617486' first='Charles' last='Crane'] (Dowling Catholic)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731790' first='Noah' last='Martens'] (Dowling Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2443978' first='Alfred' last='Kolee'] (Dowling Catholic)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2204869' first='Giovanny' last='Quiles'] (Dowling Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419755' first='Tillman' last='Papcun'] (Norwalk)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420802' first='Audric' last='Pelzer'] (Norwalk)<br>2029 [player_tooltip player_id='3353853' first='Roman' last='Henry'] (Sioux City West)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='3255094' first='Eduardo' last='Frazier'] (Sioux City West)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2204879' first='Kamren' last='Hegna'] (Sioux City West)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2265812' first='Fami' last='Yusuf'] (Sioux City East)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765550' first='Bilal' last='Yusuf'] (Sioux City East)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2617548' first='T'Angello' last='Bush'] (Des Moines North)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420807' first='JJ' last='Seay'] Jr (Des Moines North)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='3219507' first='David' last='Flores'] (Sioux City North)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norwalk at Dowling Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We just saw this game on Valentine's Day, a comfortable 14-point win for the Maroons. Expect pretty much the same here. <strong>Dowling Catholic</strong> has too much size and athleticism for Norwalk here. They control the glass, control the paint, and punch their state tournament ticket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->