Trailblazer Conference Preview

<p><em>Today we take a look at the Trailblazer Conference. </em></p> <p><strong>Conference Commentary</strong></p> <p><strong>Top Ten (In their respective class)</strong>: Platteview, Wahoo</p> <p>The Platteview Trojans have the best player in Class B in [player_tooltip player_id="1018738" first="Connor" last="Millikan"]. He will be the leader of this promising team with state title aspirations. Platteview won 20 games a season ago with a lineup littered with sophomores and juniors. Those guys are a year older now with state experience and will be hungry after last year’s ending. Players like Michael Wiebelhaus and [player_tooltip player_id="1152110" first="Alex" last="Draper"] will be big-time scorers alongside Millikan. Could this be the team to bring the Trojans their first boy’s basketball state title? </p> <p>The top of Class C1 is going to be a fun battle to watch over the season and Wahoo should be in that mix this year. They were upset by Pierce in districts last season but the silver lining was that they return 4 of their top 6 scorers. They were a really young squad last year with only 2 seniors but still won 18 games. They will be even better this year with further improvement from all the young guys. [player_tooltip player_id="1131117" first="Marcus" last="Glock"] could make a jump this year after a strong freshman campaign, he also gained great experience against strong competition this summer playing for OSA’s Adidas team. [player_tooltip player_id="1018717" first="Owen" last="Hancock"] was a stud last season and will be one of their best players. The amount of talent they have is extensive with other guys like Kamron Kasischke, [player_tooltip player_id="1052927" first="Garrett" last="Grandgenett"], [player_tooltip player_id="1235614" first="Myles" last="Simon"], and Benji Nelson. </p> <p><strong>Top Ten Potential: N/A</strong></p> <p><strong style="font-size: 1rem;">Compete with Most</strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">: Beatrice, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth </span></p> <p>Beatrice lost most of their team from a magical state title run a season ago. I’m not yet sure on where this team falls in the Class B pecking order, but they do return two solid players in [player_tooltip player_id="982463" first="Elliot" last="Jurgens"] and Tucker Timmerman. Jurgens in particular should carry the workload and he is one of the more underrated players in Class B. He strikes a great balance between passing and scoring, I expect a phenomenal senior year from him. </p> <p>The Pioneers went 11-12 a season ago but could improve on that record if some players from last season make a jump. [player_tooltip player_id="1235590" first="Chase" last="Brown"] will be a name to keep an eye on in Nebraska City. He’s had a growth spurt and has sprouted up to about 6’4. Brown is a long and bouncy guard that can hit the three consistently. He made great strides this summer and will be a beast playing alongside of [player_tooltip player_id="1049313" first="Braden" last="Thompson"]. If those two get it going the Pioneers could surprise a lot of teams in the conference. </p> <p>Plattsmouth will hope to carry over their success on the gridiron onto the basketball court. Kevin Winscot had some impressive moments over the summer and has the potential to be a leading scorer for this squad. They return the brunt of their scoring back with guys like Sam Campin, [player_tooltip player_id="981718" first="Jude" last="Wehrbein"], and all-conference player Owen Prince. If the Blue Devils can put it all together they could blow last season’s eight wins out of the water. </p> <p><strong>Rebuilding</strong>: Ralston</p> <p>Ralston played a senior-heavy roster last year so this year’s team will be really young. </p> <p><strong>21-22 Conference Predictions</strong></p> <ol> <li>Platteview</li> <li>Wahoo</li> <li>Beatrice</li> <li>Plattsmouth</li> <li>Nebraska City</li> <li>Ralston</li> </ol> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1018738" first="Connor" last="Millikan"] (Platteview) </p> <p><strong>Preseason All-Trailblazer Conference Teams</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>First Team</strong></span></p> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1018738" first="Connor" last="Millikan"] (Platteview)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1131117" first="Marcus" last="Glock"] (Wahoo)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="982463" first="Elliot" last="Jurgens"] (Beatrice) </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1049313" first="Braden" last="Thompson"] (Neb City)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1018717" first="Owen" last="Hancock"] (Wahoo)</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Second Team</strong></span></p> <ul> <li>Kevin Winscot (Plattsmouth)</li> <li>Tucker Timmerman (Beatrice)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1235590" first="Chase" last="Brown"] (Neb City) </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1152110" first="Alex" last="Draper"] (Platteview)</li> <li>Owen Prince (Plattsmouth) </li> </ul>