A Way too Early Look at Teams to Watch in Class 1 for 2027

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have just concluded a tremendous season in Class 1 with Bunker taking home its first state championship. With the 2026 year in the rear-view mirror, it is time for a Way to Early look at teams to look at in Class 1 for the 2027 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brunswick: The Wildcats won 28 games and advanced to the state championship game with four underclassmen in the starting lineup. The top player is 6'3" 2028 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2919088' first='Balston' last='Brown'], who is one of the best athletes in small school basketball around the state. Fellow 2028s [player_tooltip player_id='3576867' first='Drew' last='Jackson'] and 6'1" Makien Falls were also key players along with 6'3" 2027 forward Clay Heyward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bunker: The Eagles put together a dream season, which ended up in the school's first state championship. Some key players will graduate from that team, but the one big piece returning will be 6'3" 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2205728' first='Brennen' last='Meloy'], the Class 1 Player of the Year. He averaged nearly 30 points a game as he showed the ability to dominate a game at any time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rock Port: The Blue Jays have won 47 games in the past two years with basically the same young nucleus of players. They are a team that is poised to break through next season. They are led by 6'2" 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2626120' first='Jack' last='Meyerkorth'], who averaged 22 points a game. The Blue Jays also feature 6'5" 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2822899' first='Reid' last='Ellis'], 5'9" 2027 Brock Holmes and 5'9" 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2873530' first='Logan' last=''] Ellis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Princeton: The Tigers won 26 games and a district championship this past season. They are poised to make a run next season as they will return one of the best front-lines in the Class 1 ranks in 6'6" 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2837041' first='Kash' last='Holt'] and 6'5" 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2837044' first='Hunter' last='Lowery']. All five starters for the Tigers were underclassmen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Billings: The Wildcats won 24 games and a district championship this season. Billings defeated two-time state champion Chadwick to win a district title. They featured some excellent guards in 2027s [player_tooltip player_id='2701086' first='Chance' last='Shaffer'], Kaiden Blakemore and 2028 Cayden Venable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chadwick: It was a transition year for the Cardinals after winning two state titles, but they won 19 games with a young team which will return many players. The top player back will be 6'2" 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2968298' first='Prestin' last='Kinyon'], who has stepped into the role of go-to player quite well. Cohyn Goetz is a talented 2029 forward with a bright future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>King City: The Wildcats have a talented group that won 22 games this season. They feature an excellent young player in 6'4" 2028 forward [player_tooltip player_id='2478746' first='Landon' last='Carlson'], who was an All-District player. Colton Potter is an athletic 6'3" 2028 while Jonathan Garlock III is a 5'8" 2028 guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stewartsville-Osborn: The Wildcards won 23 games and lost a tough four-point game to eventual Final Four participant Faith Christian in the district finals. S-O will return a very talented backcourt combo in 2027s [player_tooltip player_id='2808484' first='Ian' last='Saunders'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2952100' first='Cooper' last='Langley'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clarkton: The Reindeer are a team on the upswing as they played a bevy of freshmen and sophomores throughout the season. The 2029s who got to play and grow this season are forward [player_tooltip player_id='3288729' first='Isaac' last='Mendoza'] and point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2907663' first='Justin' last='Castro']. [player_tooltip player_id='3311964' first='Sergio' last='Juarez'] is a 6'0" 2028 guard who was an All-District selection this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->