Division 5, Sectional 1: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clear Lake experienced a small enrollment drop and thus moves from Division 4 to Division 5 for the 2026-27 season and the Warriors immediately emerge as one of the favorites to come out of the WIAA Division 5, Sectional 1 grouping of 32 teams. A member of the competitive Dunn-St. Croix Conference, Clear Lake plays a schedule loaded with teams that compete in higher divisions and the rigor of that lineup of games should help coach Jason Sargent's squad come playoff time. Of course, others in the Sectional 1 field will be ready to take on the potential challenge of playing Clear Lake in the post season. Among the premier teams in the sectional are Drummond, Columbus Catholic, Loyal, defending sectional champion Prentice and Marawood North power Rib Lake. <br><br>Following is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 1:<br><br><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 1</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2509449' first='Carter' last='Sommer'], 6-8, Sr., F, Columbus Catholic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2429609' first='Caleb' last='Arcand'], 6-2, Sr., G/F, Clear Lake<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3022619' first='Brody' last='Tarman'], Sr., Turtle Lake<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2630832' first='Aaron' last='Christenson'], 6-2, Sr., F, Drummond<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2821818' first='Jake' last='Zimmerman'], 5-10, Sr., G, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran<br><br><strong>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 1</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2509448' first='Ben' last='Weiland'], 5-11, Sr., G, Columbus Catholic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3019456' first='Max' last='Everts'], 6-4, Sr., F, Clear Lake<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2840377' first='Blake' last='Henderson'], 6-4, Jr., F, Rib Lake<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3666646' first='Hawk' last='Gardner'], 6-2, Frosh., G, Columbus Catholic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2933139' first='Rhett' last='Lamovec'], 6-5, Sr., F, Loyal<br><br><strong>Top Five Teams in Sectional 1</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/clear-lake/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/clear-lake/">1. Clear Lake</a></strong> -- Three double-figure scorers return. Two key backups are also expected back. Newcomers from a 14-8 JV1 team should provide quality depth. And this program will get tested by some strong Division 4 teams within the Dunn-St. Croix Conference in Colfax, Durand-Arkansaw and Mondovi, among others. Those are the key touchpoints for Clear Lake heading into the 2026-27 season. Coming off a 20-8 season, Clear Lake again will look to its strong senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='2429609' first='Caleb' last='Arcand'] (6-2), [player_tooltip player_id='3019456' first='Max' last='Everts'] (6-4) and [player_tooltip player_id='3019464' first='Miles' last='Johnson'] (6-3). Arcand received first-team all-Dunn-St. Croix Conference honors as a junior after averaging 20.2 points and 5.5 rebounds. Everts pitched in 16.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg while Anderson added 10.9 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Both players were second-team all-league picks in 2025-26. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3648255' first='Connor' last='Monson'] (6-3) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3648256' first='Bennett' last='Buhr'] (6-0) will battle for starting positions for the Clear Lake, who will rely on strong rebounding and solid three-point shooting in its quest for a league title and March success.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/columbus-catholic/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/columbus-catholic/">2. Columbus Catholic</a></strong> -- The traditionally strong Dons will be a tough out once again behind the return of starters [player_tooltip player_id='2509449' first='Carter' last='Sommer'] (6-8) and [player_tooltip player_id='2509448' first='Ben' last='Weiland'] (5-11), a pair of all-league caliber performers with multiple years of varsity experience. Sommer is a versatile big with good footwork and passing ability while Weiland is a strong three-point shooter. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3019529' first='Ray' last='Becker'] (6-2) and Elijay Wolf (6-2) are poised for big seasons along with a pair of promising freshmen in [player_tooltip player_id='3666646' first='Hawk' last='Gardner'] (6-2) and [player_tooltip player_id='3525755' first='Kofi' last='Yeboah'] (6-0). Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2926555' first='Cole' last='Wallace'] (5-8) missed last season with an injury, but he did play big varsity minutes as a sophomore and provides coach Joe Konieczny with strong ball handling and quick on-ball defense.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/drummond/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/drummond/">3. Drummond</a></strong> -- Based on the return of four starters from a team that finished 22-6 and one game behind league-champion Hurley in the Northern Lights Conference standings, Drummond has been tabbed as the pre-season favorite in the 10-team circuit for the 2026-27 season. Veteran coach Josh Hanson, now in his 23rd year at the school, will work with a strong senior class that is anchored by [player_tooltip player_id='2630832' first='Aaron' last='Christenson'] (6-2), [player_tooltip player_id='3019751' first='Ben' last='Giesregen'] (5-11), [player_tooltip player_id='3019756' first='Brett' last='Hanson'] (6-1) and [player_tooltip player_id='3019754' first='Jadon' last='Bletsch'] (5-10). Christenson is a returning first-team all-league performer while Giesregen picked up second-team laurels. The Lumberjacks' frontline boasts some good size and length with the return of senior [player_tooltip player_id='3019753' first='Simon' last='Arthur'] (6-4) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='3168023' first='Jacob' last='Quaderer'] (6-4). Drummond has made five trips to the WIAA State Tournament in its long history with the last coming in the 2012-13 campaign. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/prentice/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/prentice/">4. Prentice</a></strong> -- The Buccaneers qualified for the WIAA Division 5 State Tournament last March and lost in the semifinals to Southwestern to end a 25-4 season. Gone from that squad are two stellar players who led Prentice in scoring and rebounding in the graduated Aidan Hause and Evan Lord. Despite the significant holes to fill, coach Adam Blomberg has a lineup loaded with experience and talent. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3021815' first='Matti' last='Heikkinen'] (6-3) and [player_tooltip player_id='2629234' first='Hagan' last='Isaacson'] (6-2) started in the state-tournament contest while senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='3021816' first='Hardy' last='Hueckman'] (5-10) came off the bench and averaged 12.1 points and 4.0 rebounds. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='3021820' first='Ledger' last='Jones'] (6-1) and sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='3565006' first='Brett' last='Blomberg'] (5-11) and [player_tooltip player_id='3565007' first='Dean' last='Blomberg'] (5-11) also figure to play key roles for the Buccaneers. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/loyal/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/loyal/">5. Loyal </a></strong>-- There is no question the Greyhounds were hit hard by graduation as three starters must be replaced from a 21-4 squad. At the same time, coach Brandon DeSmet and the players in the Loyal program have worked hard to build the Greyhounds into a perennial title contender in the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2847555' first='Carson' last='Prien'] (5-11) and [player_tooltip player_id='2933139' first='Rhett' last='Lamovec'] (6-5) started a year ago and form a solid outside-inside combination while senior [player_tooltip player_id='3020756' first='Brody' last='Miller'] (6-6) looks to take a big step forward in his development after playing off the bench as a junior. Senior Jake Lindner (6-0) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='3629432' first='Ryson' last='Ashbeck'] (6-1) also figure to be key performers for the Greyhounds, who will look to utilize their size to emerge as a formidable rebounding team. <strong><br><br>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/rib-lake/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/rib-lake/">6. Rib Lake </a></strong>-- Rib Lake and Prentice loom as the favorites in the Marawood North Conference and each will get tested throughout the season by playing each of the six teams in the Marawood South. Rib Lake must replace four key players from a 21-6 squad, but coach Todd Henderson does welcome back a pair of proven performers in juniors Blake Henderon (6-4) and [player_tooltip player_id='3021943' first='Lucas' last='Cook'] (6-0). Both started for the Redmen a year ago with Henderson finishing among team leaders in both scoring (10.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg). Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2984459' first='Slade' last='Scheithauer'] (5-9) returns from an injury and could factor into the backcourt along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='3544272' first='Ty' last='Niemi'] (5-10). Junior [player_tooltip player_id='3021949' first='Josiah' last='Mann'] (6-3) and Grand Beard (6-4) also return for a team with an abundance of size, length and depth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->