Division 5, Sectional 2: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A couple of schools that petitioned the WIAA to play down a division last spring were granted their requests and wound up being placed in Sectional 2 of Division 5. Mishicot, a school with 281 students, and Sevastopol, with a listed enrollment of 203 students, normally would be placed in Division 4 based on their student population. But the WIAA does allow schools to put in a request to play in a lower division. Schools with programs that have struggled to remain competitive in their normal division are given strong consideration to move down. This year, in addition to Mishicot and Sevastopol, both Riverdale and Valley Christian also will play at the Division 5 level in March despite having enrollments that fit in Division 4. <br><br>Here is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 2:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 2</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386444' first='Jake' last='Williams'], 6-2, Sr., G, Pacelli<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3016466' first='RJ' last='Meddaugh'], 6-1, Sr., G/F, Tri-County<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2382317' first='James' last='Brady'], 6-10, Sr., C, Tigerton<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2815674' first='Jake' last='Farley'], 5-10, Sr., G, St. Thomas Aquinas<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2852032' first='Hayden' last='Schultz'], 6-1, Sr., G, Green Bay NEW Lutheran<br><strong><br>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 2</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2387144' first='Bradley' last='Wendricks'], 6-2, Jr., G, Mishicot<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2634236' first='Canton' last='Chrisman'], 5-11, Sr., G, Wabeno/Laona<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386450' first='Dylan' last='DeLaet'], 6-4, Sr., F, Rosholt<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2614886' first='Isaiah' last='Faulkner'], 5-10, Jr., G, Providence Academy (Green Bay)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3008826' first='Chase' last='Stevens'], 6-1, Sr., F, Bowler<br><br><strong>Top Five Teams in Sectional 2</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/pacelli/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/pacelli/">1. Pacelli </a></strong>-- The Cardinals went unbeaten in Central Wisconsin South Conference play last winter, but had a difficult time out of league, dropping 13 of 14 contests against quality competition. Coach John Schurk's program appears ready to defend its league crown and improve its overall mark this time around behind the return of five starters from a 13-13 squad. Leading the way for Pacelli is senior [player_tooltip player_id='2386444' first='Jake' last='Williams'] (6-2), an athletic and extremely active lead guard who can put intense defensive pressure on opposing backcourt players. Williams led Pacelli in scoring last year at 12.2 ppg. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3009960' first='Bryce' last='Flaker'] (5-11), [player_tooltip player_id='3009961' first='Jaden' last='Garski'] (5-8) and [player_tooltip player_id='3021661' first='Harry' last='Vogel'] (6-0) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2618945' first='Crew' last='Rebholz'] (6-5) joined Williams in the starting lineup last season. Depth figures to be an asset as seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2913007' first='Nolan' last='Reimer'] (6-1), [player_tooltip player_id='3076335' first='Max' last='Nelson'] (6-0) and Sully Schober (5-10) also return. A strong incoming freshmen class, anchored by 6-foot-5 forward [player_tooltip player_id='2824916' first='Grayson' last='Crow'], will push the returnees for playing time. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/wabeno-laona/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/wabeno-laona/">2. Wabeno/Laona</a></strong> -- The Rebels look to make it three consecutive titles in the Northern Lakes Conference and begin the season favored to do just that. Coach Kendric Allen returns three of the premier players in the league in [player_tooltip player_id='2634236' first='Canton' last='Chrisman'] (5-11), [player_tooltip player_id='2634239' first='Cooper' last='Albrecht'] (6-1) and Carson Lemorande (6-1). All three started last winter when Wabeno/Lanoa finished 22-6. Chrisman led the Rebels in scoring at 17.9 ppg while Albrecht was selected as the league's top defensive player while also contributing 15.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Lemorande added 8.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg. Replacing graduated starters Walker Winkelman and Boone VanOoyen will be a big hurdle to overcome, but the Rebels certainly boast a very strong nucleus and have again challenged the players in the program with a difficult non-league slate that should pay off come playoff time.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/tri-county/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/tri-county/">3. Tri-County</a></strong> -- The Penguins look to challenge Pacelli and Rosholt for the title in the Central Wisconsin South Conference behind a veteran squad that posted 12 wins a year ago. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3016466' first='RJ' last='Meddaugh'] (6-2), [player_tooltip player_id='2386230' first='Gage' last='Beggs'] (6-2), [player_tooltip player_id='3022587' first='Seth' last='Hildebrandt'] (5-10) and [player_tooltip player_id='3016475' first='Isaac' last='Miller'] (5-10) form a rock-solid nucleus for third-year coach Brian Siegenthaler. Meddaugh earned Player of the Year laurels in the league after averaged 15.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg while Beggs put up similar numbers at 14.1 ppg and 9.0 rpg. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='3022596' first='Julian' last='Vega'] (5-11) transferred to Berlin over the summer and his lost is significant. But Tri-County can look to senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022585' first='Sam' last='Boyd'] (6-3) and possibly sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='3490420' first='Wendell' last='Wilkins'] (5-10) and Chevy Houk (5-10) to provide some depth. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/green-bay-new-lutheran/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/green-bay-new-lutheran/">4. Green Bay NEW Lutheran</a></strong> -- Mark Meerstein has guided the Blazers to 450 victories over the past 35 seasons and his march toward 500 continues with a talented group of returning players from a 13-13 squad. Leading the way is physical senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2852032' first='Hayden' last='Schultz'] (6-1), a first-team all-Packerland Conference performer who led NEW Lutheran in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg). As usual, the Blazers may take some lumps while playing mostly Division 4 teams in the Packerland, but the rugged competition could very well prepare the club for a post-season run. Look for seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3020129' first='Nathan' last='Baeb'] (5-11) and Andrew Kim (5-10) to take big steps forward in 2026-27. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/rosholt/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/rosholt/">5. Rosholt </a></strong>-- Coach Kendrick Mcgahee has done a very good job of building up the Rosholt program over the past two seasons. The Hornets are coming off a 13-11 season and second-place finish in the Central Wisconsin South Conference, their best league finish since 2020-21. Graduation last spring did take away a few big contributors in Marcus Kohl, Matthew Ostrowski, Cash Calhoun and Jacob Trzebiatowski, but Rosholt does bring back one of the top players in the league in 6-foot-4 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2386450' first='Dylan' last='DeLaet'], a three-year starter who averaged 14.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2847621' first='Alex' last='Haines'] (6-6) also returns for the Hornets along with sophomores Bryce Kohl (5-11) and Kaleb DeLaet (6-2).<br><br><strong>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/suring/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/suring/">Suring</a></strong> -- Four starters are back for coach Gary Regal at Suring. That's certainly good news for Eagles' fans, but it is somewhat tempered by the fact first-team all-league performer Parker Haak graduated from a 13-10 squad. Still, Regal has a solid core back in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3022493' first='Taylor' last='Booth Stoffregen'] (6-2), [player_tooltip player_id='3022496' first='Karl' last='Hischke'] (6-4), [player_tooltip player_id='3022497' first='Dayne' last='Ermis'] (6-3) and [player_tooltip player_id='3022501' first='Grant' last='Thomson'] (5-9). Those four players compete well on the defensive end of the court and share the ball at a high level on offense. Suring could get a major boost if senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022498' first='Kroix' last='Kempka'] (5-8) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3704963' first='Logan' last='Missall'] (5-11) can return after missing all of last year with injuries. Senior CJ Richard also returns as the Eagles look to contend for the title in the Marinette &amp; Oconto Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->