Way-Too-Early Class A Rankings

Fall sports are right around the corner. Assuming there are no hiccups, that means the winter sports season isn’t as far off as it might feel. Here’s a way-too-early look at the top teams in Class A Jamestown The Bluejays will go into the season ranked atop the polls for the second year in a row after reaching the WDA championship game and state semifinals with essentially the team they’ll take into 2020-21. [player_tooltip player_id="731881" first="Carson" last="Lamp"] is an early favorite to be the Player-of-the-Year. [player_tooltip player_id="750168" first="Brooks" last="Carroll"] averaged better than 21 points per game in the postseason. [player_tooltip player_id="750163" first="Keith" last="Levin"] is one of the best big guys in the state and there are solid complementary pieces including [player_tooltip player_id="750162" first="Jacob" last="Hilgemann"] and [player_tooltip player_id="998914" first="Shea" last="Carroll"]. Bismarck The Demons unleashed waves of depth and athleticism on opponents last year on the way to a WDA Tournament championship and trip to the state semifinals before the state tournament was canceled early. Bismarck graduates five seniors but returns its four top scorers including all-league wing [player_tooltip player_id="731866" first="Gunner" last="Swanson"] and one of the best point guards in the league in [player_tooltip player_id="750174" first="Max" last="Tschosik"]. [player_tooltip player_id="996110" first="Logan" last="Schaubert"] returns as one of the top 3-point shooters and Treysen Eaglestaff has massive potential on the wing. Bismarck Legacy The Sabers round out a loaded top-three in the WDA for the preseason. Despite dealing with injuries up and down their lineup, the Sabers won 15 games and had a shot to get to the state tournament. They graduate their leading scorer, but return a terrific core led by senior point guard Keagen Woodbury and senior swingman [player_tooltip player_id="750167" first="Nick" last="Kupfer"] (who missed most of his junior season). Lyric Hoffman should be back after missing his junior year with an injury. And Ben Patton, Zander Albers, [player_tooltip player_id="812225" first="Logan" last="Wetzel"] and Joe Buzalsky round out what should be a deep and balanced rotation. West Fargo Sheyenne The Mustangs are losing their top three perimeter scorers, so this one requires some projection, but the frontcourt group of [player_tooltip player_id="731876" first="Jacksen" last="Moni"], [player_tooltip player_id="750185" first="Jah’Heem" last="Leake"], Dominic Dosmann and Michael Nhial is the best in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="750178" first="Barika" last="Kpeenu"] was rock-solid off the bench last year and ascends into a starting role. And guys like Ben Manson, Gage Anderson and [player_tooltip player_id="812234" first="Trent" last="Freih"] should provide solid perimeter depth. The Mustangs have the potential to be the best defensive team in the state. Fargo Davies The Eagles are losing an awful lot, but this is largely a bet on internal development of young guys in the program - and a huge amount of uncertainty and turnover around the state. [player_tooltip player_id="731870" first="Owen" last="Hektner"] is one of the top two-way players in the state. Latrel Davis is a talented senior swingman. And the young talent is bountiful as guys like [player_tooltip player_id="812229" first="Ian" last="Motschenbacher"], Ryan Drummond and Raymond Brown will have ample opportunity to shine. Bismarck Century The Patriots had a down year in 2019-20 due to an inexperienced roster exacerbated by injuries. There’s room for variance here, as the team that struggled miserably to score consistently last year loses the one guy who did so. But there are talented players back who should be improved. [player_tooltip player_id="750155" first="Ian" last="Ely"] has the talent to be one of the better lead guards. [player_tooltip player_id="750156" first="Justice" last="Coleman"] is an all-league talent if healthy. Anthony Doppler could be one of the best shooters in the league. And the frontcourt with Jordan LeBeau, Ryan Erikson and Andrew Leingang could be outstanding defensively. Mandan The Braves graduate two elite players but return a solid perimeter core led by [player_tooltip player_id="750176" first="Jayce" last="Lowman"]. Lowman’s got a chance to be a Player-of-the-Year guy in the WDA. Tyler Thilmony and Jacob Pierce had good moments last year and give the Braves solid ballhandlers and creators. They’ll need to figure out some things in the frontcourt, but there’s still plenty of talent to be one of the top teams in the WDA. West Fargo The Packers were perplexing last year, struggling to achieve any sort of consistency. They return two all-league caliber guys in [player_tooltip player_id="812219" first="Carson" last="Hegerle"] and [player_tooltip player_id="731900" first="Carter" last="Birrenkott"], along with several rotation guys like [player_tooltip player_id="812231" first="Brett" last="Limke"], Joel Pease and Noah Daniel. Parker Nelson is another guy who figures to see a significant uptick in opportunity. The Packers will need some individual development especially in the shooting department, but the talent is there for an improved season. Minot The Magicians are graduating a huge chunk of their core from a year ago including an all-stater on the wing. But they return perhaps the best point guard in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="750158" first="Deonte" last="Martinez"] and have sophomore guard Darik Dissette who should give them a terrific one-two punch. Bismarck St. Mary’s The Saints only won five games a year ago, but the young talent is there for them to take a significant step forward. Evan Gross was very good in limited action as a sophomore. Jackson Uhler had some good moments as a sophomore. Nich Schumacher saw a lot of time as a sophomore. Ben Morman and Nate Fedorchak are promising prospects as well. The Saints have the talent to take a big step forward.