Division 4, Sectional 1: First Look

Dairyland, Dunn-St. Croix, Heart O'North and Western Cloverbelt conference teams dominate the landscape in Sectional 1. Newcomers Barron (from Division 3) and Webster (from Division 5) could play a role in the 26-team grouping, but so, too, will defending sectional champion Regis. Durand-Arkansaw, Fall Creek, Grantsburg, Luther and McDonell Central Catholic also figure to have strong teams. The lower half of the bracket appears much strong and deeper while the upper half looks to be wide open. Following is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 1: Top Five Players in Sectional 1 [player_tooltip player_id='2615520' first='DJ' last='Cooper'], 6-1, Jr., G, Regis [player_tooltip player_id='2391346' first='Miles' last='Schmidgall'], 6-8, Sr., F, Fall Creek [player_tooltip player_id='2405803' first='Jackson' last='Tangley'], 6-2, Sr., G, Fall Creek [player_tooltip player_id='2509446' first='Luke' last='Weber'], 5-11, Sr., G, Durand-Arkansaw [player_tooltip player_id='2524556' first='Caleb' last='Rombach'], 6-4, Sr., G/F, Grantsburg Five Breakout Players in Sectional 1 [player_tooltip player_id='2140890' first='Brennan' last='Loiselle-Christianson'], 6-6, Sr., F, McDonell Central Catholic [player_tooltip player_id='2830663' first='Javon' last='Zenke'], 6-3, Soph., G/F, Luther [player_tooltip player_id='2551493' first='Russell' last='Polkoski'], 6-6, Jr., F, Colfax [player_tooltip player_id='2844359' first='Brooks' last='Cowley'], 6-3, Jr., G/F, Melrose-Mindoro [player_tooltip player_id='2623256' first='Joey' last='Brahmer'], 6-3, Sr., F, Regis Top Five Teams in Sectional 1 <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/fall-creek/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/fall-creek/">1. Fall Creek</a> -- The Crickets are the pick to click in the Western Cloverbelt Conference as veteran coach Rick Storlie, who surpassed 400 career wins last winter, has three starters and four backups returning from a team that finished 22-4. Leading the way for Fall Creek are steady senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2405803' first='Jackson' last='Tangley'] and ever-improving senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2391346' first='Miles' last='Schmidgall']. Both are back after earning first-team all-league recognition as juniors. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3019927' first='Josh' last='Wright'] also returns to the starting rotation while juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3019933' first='Bryson' last='Elkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3696637' first='Sawyer' last='Rokus'] look to make big moves forward after being key reserves last season. Schmidgall, at 6-foot-8, and Rokus, at 6-foot-6, give the Crickets an imposing frontline duo. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/luther/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/luther/">2. Luther</a> -- A very strong sophomore class, coupled with some talented seniors, could combine to make Luther a team to beat this winter in the Coulee Conference. Coach Dan Unke's program welcomes back three starters from a 15-12 team in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2926287' first='Logan' last='Pierce'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2429726' first='Trent' last='Berg'] along with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2830663' first='Javon' last='Zenke']. All three averaged in double scoring figures in 2025-26 and form a rock-solid nucleus for the Knights. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3294941' first='JJ' last='Abdul-Haqq'] along with seniors Jonny Holub, [player_tooltip player_id='3020785' first='Michael' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3020777' first='Jack' last='Petersen'] also return. Look for sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='3535289' first='Landon' last='Passehl'], [player_tooltip player_id='2873485' first='Carter' last='Christiansen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3720978' first='Hudson' last='Jordahl'] could also factor into the regular rotation for this balanced and deep team. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/regis/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/regis/">3. Regis</a> -- The Ramblers have the difficult task of replacing the graduated Blake Risler, a prolific wing guard who averaged 28.6 points per outing while helping his squad to a 23-6 record and a spot in the WIAA Division 4 State Tournament. With Risler now playing at St. John's University in Minnesota, coach Connor Miller looks to talented junior point guard DJ Miller to become the Ramblers' leader. Miller had a strong sophomore campaign and is a returning first-team all-Western Cloverbelt selection. Senior frontliners [player_tooltip player_id='2623256' first='Joey' last='Brahmer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3102267' first='Ben' last='Balts'] also return to the starting lineup. Altoona transfer Grayson Rathbun and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3102263' first='Andrew' last='Ricciardi'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3102265' first='Anthony' last='Ricciardi'] also figure to be key roles for Regis. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/grantsburg/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/grantsburg/">4. Grantsburg</a> -- Grantsburg might be the top team in the upper-half of the Sectional 1 field, thanks in large part to the return of all-Lakeland West Conference performers [player_tooltip player_id='2524556' first='Caleb' last='Rombach'], [player_tooltip player_id='3020114' first='Daxter' last='Schultz'] and Axel Hall. New coach Carsen Stenberg will rely heavily on those three seniors, particularly Rombach, who averaged 22.4 points and 6.9 rebounds while earning first-team all-league laurels. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3020105' first='Lyle' last='Lozier Jr.'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3020110' first='Ryker' last='Stelsel'] also look to play big roles for the Pirates, who finished 12-13 a year ago. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/colfax/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/colfax/">5. Colfax</a> -- One of the favorites to win the Dunn-St. Croix Conference crown in 2026-27, the Vikings must replace a first-team all-league selection in the graduated Orion Nichols, but coach Nick Heit welcomes back four others who all earned all-league honors. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2551493' first='Russell' last='Polkoski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2836351' first='Tegan' last='Lydon'] were second-team selections a year ago. Polkoski is a versatile 6-foot-6 forward and two-year regular for Colfax while Lydon had a strong sophomore season after playing at Boyceville as a freshman. Honorable mention all-league selections Isiah Entzminger and [player_tooltip player_id='3021313' first='Trey' last='Larson'] also return for Colfax. Sleeper Team <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/mcdonell-central-catholic/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/mcdonell-central-catholic/">McDonell Central Catholic</a> -- Playing home-and-away games against Fall Creek, Stanley-Boyd and Regis in the Western Cloverbelt will test the Macks, who also play non-league outings with powers Altoona and Columbus Catholic, among others. Coach Adam Schilling's squad figures to take some bumps along the way, but if the talented young players in the program stay the course and improve, McDonell Central Catholic could prove to be a tough out in the playoffs. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2140890' first='Brennan' last='Loiselle-Christianson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2970932' first='Nathan' last='Hazel'] are the lone returning starters from a 13-13 squad and are proven performers with the 6-foot-6 Loiselle-Christianson averaging 12.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg and the 6-foot-3 Hazel adding 9.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2919111' first='Andrew' last='Hazel'] and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3076098' first='Oliver' last='Niese'], [player_tooltip player_id='3720386' first='Griffin' last='Bourget-Lyons'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3076093' first='Jayden' last='Mitchell'] also return for the Macks.

Dairyland, Dunn-St. Croix, Heart O'North and Western Cloverbelt conference teams dominate the landscape in Sectional 1. Newcomers Barron (from Division 3) and Webster (from Division 5) could play a role in the 26-team grouping, but so, too, will defending sectional champion Regis. Durand-Arkansaw, Fall Creek, Grantsburg, Luther and McDonell Central Catholic also figure to have strong teams. The lower half of the bracket appears much strong and deeper while the upper half looks to be wide open.

Following is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 1:

Top Five Players in Sectional 1
DJ Cooper DJ Cooper 6'0" | PG Regis | 2028 State WI , 6-1, Jr., G, Regis
Miles Schmidgall Miles Schmidgall 6'8" | SF/PF Fall Creek | 2027 State WI , 6-8, Sr., F, Fall Creek
Jackson Tangley Jackson Tangley 6'2" | PG/SG Fall Creek | 2027 State WI , 6-2, Sr., G, Fall Creek
Luke Weber Luke Weber 5'11" | CG/PG Durand-Arkansaw | 2027 State WI , 5-11, Sr., G, Durand-Arkansaw
Caleb Rombach Caleb Rombach 6'3" | CG/PG Grantsburg | 2027 State WI , 6-4, Sr., G/F, Grantsburg

Five Breakout Players in Sectional 1
Brennan Loiselle-Christianson Brennan Loiselle-Christianson 6'6" | PF/SF McDonell Central Catholic | 2027 State WI , 6-6, Sr., F, McDonell Central Catholic
Javon Zenke Javon Zenke 6'3" | SG Luther | 2029 State WI , 6-3, Soph., G/F, Luther
Russell Polkoski Russell Polkoski 6'6" | SF/SG Colfax | 2028 State WI , 6-6, Jr., F, Colfax
Brooks Cowley Brooks Cowley 6'3" | SF Melrose-Mindoro | 2028 State WI , 6-3, Jr., G/F, Melrose-Mindoro
Joey Brahmer Joey Brahmer 6'3" | SG/PF Regis | 2027 State WI , 6-3, Sr., F, Regis

Top Five Teams in Sectional 1

1. Fall Creek -- The Crickets are the pick to click in the Western Cloverbelt Conference as veteran coach Rick Storlie, who surpassed 400 career wins last winter, has three starters and four backups returning from a team that finished 22-4. Leading the way for Fall Creek are steady senior point guard Jackson Tangley Jackson Tangley 6'2" | PG/SG Fall Creek | 2027 State WI and ever-improving senior forward Miles Schmidgall Miles Schmidgall 6'8" | SF/PF Fall Creek | 2027 State WI . Both are back after earning first-team all-league recognition as juniors. Senior Josh Wright Josh Wright Fall Creek | 2027 WI also returns to the starting rotation while juniors Bryson Elkins Bryson Elkins 5'11" | CG Fall Creek | 2028 WI and Sawyer Rokus Sawyer Rokus 6'6" | PF Fall Creek | 2028 WI look to make big moves forward after being key reserves last season. Schmidgall, at 6-foot-8, and Rokus, at 6-foot-6, give the Crickets an imposing frontline duo.

2. Luther -- A very strong sophomore class, coupled with some talented seniors, could combine to make Luther a team to beat this winter in the Coulee Conference. Coach Dan Unke's program welcomes back three starters from a 15-12 team in seniors Logan Pierce Logan Pierce 5'10" | PG Luther | 2027 WI and Trent Berg Trent Berg 6'3" | SG Luther | 2027 WI along with sophomore Javon Zenke Javon Zenke 6'3" | SG Luther | 2029 State WI . All three averaged in double scoring figures in 2025-26 and form a rock-solid nucleus for the Knights. Sophomore JJ Abdul-Haqq JJ Abdul-Haqq 6'0" | SG Luther | 2029 WI along with seniors Jonny Holub, Michael Johnson Michael Johnson 6'2" | SG Luther | 2027 WI and Jack Petersen Jack Petersen 6'0" | CG Luther | 2027 WI also return. Look for sophomores Landon Passehl Landon Passehl 5'11" | SG Luther | 2029 WI , Carter Christiansen Carter Christiansen 6'1" | SF Luther | 2029 WI and Hudson Jordahl Hudson Jordahl 6'4" | PF Luther | 2029 WI could also factor into the regular rotation for this balanced and deep team.

3. Regis -- The Ramblers have the difficult task of replacing the graduated Blake Risler, a prolific wing guard who averaged 28.6 points per outing while helping his squad to a 23-6 record and a spot in the WIAA Division 4 State Tournament. With Risler now playing at St. John's University in Minnesota, coach Connor Miller looks to talented junior point guard DJ Miller to become the Ramblers' leader. Miller had a strong sophomore campaign and is a returning first-team all-Western Cloverbelt selection. Senior frontliners Joey Brahmer Joey Brahmer 6'3" | SG/PF Regis | 2027 State WI and Ben Balts Ben Balts 6'3" | C WI also return to the starting lineup. Altoona transfer Grayson Rathbun and juniors Andrew Ricciardi Andrew Ricciardi 6'4" | PF Regis | 2028 WI and Anthony Ricciardi Anthony Ricciardi 6'3" | PF Regis | 2028 WI also figure to be key roles for Regis.

4. Grantsburg -- Grantsburg might be the top team in the upper-half of the Sectional 1 field, thanks in large part to the return of all-Lakeland West Conference performers Caleb Rombach Caleb Rombach 6'3" | CG/PG Grantsburg | 2027 State WI , Daxter Schultz Daxter Schultz 6'2" | CG Grantsburg | 2027 WI and Axel Hall. New coach Carsen Stenberg will rely heavily on those three seniors, particularly Rombach, who averaged 22.4 points and 6.9 rebounds while earning first-team all-league laurels. Senior Lyle Lozier Jr. Lyle Lozier Jr. 6'0" | SF Grantsburg | 2027 WI and sophomore Ryker Stelsel Ryker Stelsel 5'11" | PG Grantsburg | 2028 WI also look to play big roles for the Pirates, who finished 12-13 a year ago.

5. Colfax -- One of the favorites to win the Dunn-St. Croix Conference crown in 2026-27, the Vikings must replace a first-team all-league selection in the graduated Orion Nichols, but coach Nick Heit welcomes back four others who all earned all-league honors. Juniors Russell Polkoski Russell Polkoski 6'6" | SF/SG Colfax | 2028 State WI and Tegan Lydon Tegan Lydon 6'2" | CG Colfax | 2028 WI were second-team selections a year ago. Polkoski is a versatile 6-foot-6 forward and two-year regular for Colfax while Lydon had a strong sophomore season after playing at Boyceville as a freshman. Honorable mention all-league selections Isiah Entzminger and Trey Larson Trey Larson 6'1" | CG Muskego | 2027 State WI also return for Colfax.

Sleeper Team

McDonell Central Catholic -- Playing home-and-away games against Fall Creek, Stanley-Boyd and Regis in the Western Cloverbelt will test the Macks, who also play non-league outings with powers Altoona and Columbus Catholic, among others. Coach Adam Schilling's squad figures to take some bumps along the way, but if the talented young players in the program stay the course and improve, McDonell Central Catholic could prove to be a tough out in the playoffs. Seniors Brennan Loiselle-Christianson Brennan Loiselle-Christianson 6'6" | PF/SF McDonell Central Catholic | 2027 State WI and Nathan Hazel Nathan Hazel 6'3" | CG WI are the lone returning starters from a 13-13 squad and are proven performers with the 6-foot-6 Loiselle-Christianson averaging 12.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg and the 6-foot-3 Hazel adding 9.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg. Sophomore Andrew Hazel Andrew Hazel 6'3" | SF McDonell Central Catholic | 2029 WI and juniors Oliver Niese Oliver Niese 6'1" | CG McDonell Central Catholic | 2028 WI , Griffin Bourget-Lyons Griffin Bourget-Lyons 6'0" | CG McDonell Central Catholic | 2028 WI and Jayden Mitchell Jayden Mitchell 5'10" | CG McDonell Central Catholic | 2028 WI also return for the Macks.