State Tournament Preview: Class 4A Storylines to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Welcome to the MVCIML Invitational</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the first time, there is no representation at the 4A state tournament from the MRAC, MAC, or Iowa Alliance. The CIML got five teams into the dance (Urbandale, Dowling Catholic, Waukee, Waukee Northwest, and Johnston), with the MVC taking the other three spots (Cedar Falls, Senior, Prairie). This may be a sign of things to come, with talent around the state really starting to concentrate more and more in the Des Moines metro, and the state doing a better job of breaking up the substate groupings in an effort to truly get the eight best teams to the state tournament. Gone are the days of the Sioux City and Council Bluffs schools getting their own group, and same goes for the Davenport area schools. They'll have to earn their way to Des Moines (or Ames, starting next year), and this could just be the start of it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waukee-Waukee Northwest Round III in the Semis?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams are pretty significant favorites to win their quarterfinal round games, and if we get Waukee vs. Waukee Northwest in the semifinals, that crowd will be electric on Thursday afternoon. Waukee, outside of Cedar Falls, has been the hottest team in 4A, while Northwest has a pair of Big Ten commits on the roster in [player_tooltip player_id='1978099' first='Colin' last='Rice'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1643192' first='Landon' last='Davis']. These teams split during the regular season, and a rubber match with a trip to the state championship game on the line would be incredible theater. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can Cedar Falls finish the undefeated season?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers have been dominant this season, ranking 4th in the class in scoring offense (70.2) and 2nd in scoring defense (44.0), winning games by an average of 26.2 points per game. The Tigers are ridiculously efficient, shooting better than 57% from the floor this season, led by Northern Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id='1765553' first='William' last='Gerdes'], shooting just under 75% himself. It won't be easy, with a long, tough Urbandale team in the quarterfinals, a pair of elite defensive teams in Dowling Catholic or Senior awaiting in the semifinals, and then potentially either a red-hot Waukee team or a Northwest team featuring a pair of Big Ten players in the championship. Winning a state title isn't easy, doing so undefeated is even harder in this day and age, and if Cedar Falls does it, they will have certainly earned it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Get to the Casey's Center!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talent within Iowa may be at an all-time high, and a majority of the top-ranked players in the state have made their way to the state tournament this year. Five Division I commits in the 2026 class are in this 4A field, plus two more in the 3A field, and another in 1A. Several other high-level Division II players will be playing next week, as well, making it well worth the price of admission. In all, 25 of the top 40 ranked players in the 2026 class, 10 of the top 20 in 2027, and 6 of the top 22 in 2028, will be in Des Moines. Get out and support these talented athletes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->