Early Look: 3A Southern Contenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, I take an early look at teams who just might be competing for the 3A State Title next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>The Meadows School </em></strong><em>(2025-2026 Record: 24-6 Overall, 13-1 in 3A)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Meadows School Mustangs took home the 3A Championship back in February after beating Fernley in a hard fought battle up in Reno. It was awesome to see them secure the title, and they had a ton of talented players on the roster. However, things will be a little bit different this year, as they've had seniors graduate and players transfer, including Alex Hutchison, who has made the move to St. Thomas More. He figured to be one of their primary scorers, and the void will be difficult to fill. But rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='2280840' first='Uzo' last='Nwapa'] will indeed be back, and I think it's very likely that he can outdo last season's stats (averaged 22.1 PPG). In addition to Nwapa, they'll have a few other familiar faces back, including [player_tooltip player_id='3576682' first='Terrance' last='Holmes'], [player_tooltip player_id='2812186' first='Patrick' last='Lewis'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2695186' first='Benjamin' last='Chilton']. Holmes is a lightning-fast PG who should help them get out in transition. Lewis is a sharpshooter from the perimeter, and he buries mid-range jumpers too, while Chilton has a nose for the bucket and can pour in shots from just about anywhere. With that as their core, I believe they have enough weapons on offense to put the pressure on teams to keep up with them. If they can piece it all together, they are surely a favorite to win 3A again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Boulder City </em></strong><em>(2025-2026 Record: 18-11 Overall, 10-4 in 3A)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is this the year that Boulder City makes their run? In my opinion, they just might have what it takes. They have a couple of the top forwards in 3A in [player_tooltip player_id='2280933' first='Levi' last='Randall'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2263758' first='Branch' last='Danko'], which gives them a huge upper hand in the paint. [player_tooltip player_id='2280933' first='Levi' last='Randall'] was a recent stock riser in the 2027 rankings update, and I believe he'll make his presence felt game in and game out for the Eagles, especially with his ability to throw down dunks, high-point rebounds, and swat shots. Danko is a certified bucket getter who stays patient and waits for the right moment to strike. He should also pose problems for his opponents with his length and anticipation skills. Beyond those two guys, the Eagles will likely look to [player_tooltip player_id='3199636' first='Noah' last='Lund'], [player_tooltip player_id='3558145' first='Seamus' last='Lemon'], and [player_tooltip player_id='3198523' first='Kason' last='Turner']. Lund impressed me last season with his scoring prowess. Lemon is a solid team player who does whatever his squad needs him to do. And [player_tooltip player_id='3198523' first='Kason' last='Turner'] can both facilitate and shoot. I have to imagine that they'll be 4 of the 5 starters, with the 5th spot being up for grabs. On paper, they look great. Now they'll just need to go out and execute.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Green Valley Christian </em></strong><em>(2025-2026 Record: 15-13 Overall, 7-7 in 3A)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Green Valley Christian has some rising juniors who will help them compete for the 3A State Title this season. Sniper [player_tooltip player_id='2477814' first='Wake' last='Rolwing'] is set to lead the way after averaging 18 PPG last season for them. And I wouldn't be surprised if he averages north of 20 this year. He can distribute the rock as well, and I believe that he'll be able to locate his fellow scorers like [player_tooltip player_id='3566783' first='Dean' last='Cootware'], who averaged 8.7 PPG in 2025-2026. Cootware also rebounds well for a guard, and I'm a fan of the energy that he plays with on the defensive end. In addition to that backcourt duo, the Guardians will have 6'6" forward Adewale Adekile in the frontcourt. He may take a big leap forward for them, and he'll be tasked with slowing down some of the other wings and bigs mentioned in this article. Will they have enough firepower to run with TMS and Boulder City, though? Time will tell.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Virgin Valley </em></strong><em>(2025-2026 Record: 20-6 Overall, 13-1 in 3A)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Virgin Valley returns two key guards from last year's 20-6 team: [player_tooltip player_id='2812171' first='Drew' last='Dixon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2348529' first='Corban' last='Waite']. [player_tooltip player_id='2812171' first='Drew' last='Dixon'] can get downhill on offense, and his pesky ways can help cause turnovers on defense. [player_tooltip player_id='2348529' first='Corban' last='Waite'] is of a similar mold, and the two of them should have opponents on their heels throughout the season. I currently don't know as much about the rest of the roster, since they graduated a number of seniors who took up the bulk of the PT last year besides Dixon and Waite. But I will do my best to gather more intel on the Bulldogs in the coming months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->