Conference Preview: Upper Iowa
The Teams
Central Elkader (10-14): The top two scorers return for the Warriors, a team that struggled to score last year, averaging just 44.3 points a game. They’ll be led by Noah Erickson (10.5), one of the league’s best shooters, who knocked down 65 3s last year. Ben Kelly (7.4) also returns after leading the team in assists a year ago. Josh Cummer (4.1) will be the leader in the paint after leading the team in rebounding, while role players William Christeleit (3.3), Andy Seeland (3.4), Brent Scherf (2.9) and AJ Engelhardt (2.2) are all also returning. If this group can become a little more potent offensively, they could find themselves in the upper third of the league.
Clayton Ridge (16-9): A lot of production needs to be replaced for the Eagles, who lost their top three scorers and don’t have anyone on the roster back who averaged more than 4.0 points a game. Mason Reimer (4.0), Austin Helle (3.3), Chance White (2.9), Kole Brandel (1.9) and Brandon Wahls (1.1) are the players with experience who return. Reimer will need to step into a much larger scoring role if they want to remain a player in the league.
Lansing Kee (4-17): It figures to be another long winter for the Kee Hawks, who graduated 76% of their scoring output from last year’s four-win team. Eric Rud (4.6) is the only returnee among the top six scorers, and he’ll be tasked with taking on a much larger role this season. Brock Flack (3.1), Kyle Hitchins (2.5) and Shawn Wild (3.7) are the other returning players of note. With some of the other teams from the bottom of the league losing a lot of production as well, they may be able to replicate last year’s win total, but weren’t not expecting too much more than that.
MFL-Mar-Mac (17-6): A program that is always near the top of the leauge, the Bulldogs will have some work to do this winter, as only one starter returns from last year’s group. Mason Hertrampf (11.6) is the lone returning starter from last season’s 17-win team, but he’s one of the most dangerous shooters in the league, knocking down 55 3s last season at a 39.6% clip. He’ll be tasked with taking on the primary scoring role after super talented guard Tristen Kautman and his 22 points graduated. Levi Ferguson (3.8) knocked down 20 3s at a 43.5% clip last season off the bench and will likely become the team’s second scorer. Those are the only two players with any sort of valuable experience returning, so it’ll be interesting to see what new pieces come along. This is a program that is routinely strong, and despite the fact they don’t return much, they should still be formidable and you can bet on them factoring into the title picture.
North Fayette Valley (11-11): It could be a long winter for the TigerHawks, who graduated their top six scorers from last season, leaving a pair of somewhat experienced juniors as the leaders. Brooks Hovden (3.8) and Bryce Messler (3.2) saw some time last season, and they’ll be asked to take on the primary scoring roles for a team that lost 86% of it’s production from last year. Look for Hovden to have the ball in his hands a ton after his older brother, Tate, led the team in assists last year. Messler does all of his damage inside the arc. NFV generally has a pretty strong athletics program, so we don’t think they’ll fall all the way to the bottom of the league, as there is bound to be some talent in the system, but they’ll have a very tough team replicating last year’s .500 mark.
Postville (11-11): The Pirates struggled to put the ball in the bucket last year, ranking ninth in the league in scoring at just 47.0 points a game, and shooting at 38-22-51 splits. With their top three scorers returning, those numbers should improve, which should in turn lead to more wins and a rise to the upper third of the league. They’ll be led by Blake Wettleson (13.1), our preseason Player of the Year in the league, who is the second leading returning scorer and fourth leading rebounder. Owen Jacobson (11.8) will be the lead guard in the backcourt after being the only player on the team with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (55-47), and he also provides some scoring punch alongside Wettleson. Jacob Steffans (7.4) is the third key returnee. He’s the team’s best perimeter shooter, but will be looking to improve his efficiency (24.1% last year). The pieces are in place for Postville to be a dangerous team, if they can take care of the ball and make a few more shots nightly.
South Winneshiek (6-17): With the losses that several teams ahead of them have suffered, the Warriors look like a prime candidate to climb the ladder in the conference. Three of their top five scorers from last year return, including their top two. They’ll be led by Levi Lukes (13.6), a dangerous scoring guard who can score at all three levels. Hunter Todd (8.7) also returns after leading the team in assists and steals by a wide margin. If he’s able to clean up the assist-to-turnover ratio (88-126), that would go a long way towards making this a more efficient offense. Cole Klimesh (8.2) is the final piece of the key returnees puzzle, a 6-4 junior forward. He shot 57.3% from the floor last season and provides an interior presence for the Warriors. They’ll also welcome back Brennan Holthaus (5.6), who pairs with Klimesh to give them a solid interior combination. There is plenty of experience and talent returning for South Winneshiek, and their standing in the league should improve.
Starmont (4-17): It was a rough season for the Stars last year, winning just four games and shooting 33.7% from the floor as a team. The good news is that they bring some experience back in the form of a pair of double figure scorers – Caleb Koch (10.5) and Gabe Peterman (10.0). They were also the only two players on the team that shot above 40% from the floor, so that tandem will be a good place to start building. They combined to block 31 shots last season, providing the Stars with an interior presence. They’ll need to get some more consistent point guard play from Quinn O’Brien (7.2), who had a 49-96 assist-to-turnover ratio last season and will have the ball in his hands a lot this winter. If they’re able to clean that up a bit, this is a group who could see an uptick to seven or eight wins.
Turkey Valley (14-9): The Trojans enter the season as the favorite in the league as they return their top four scorers from last season, including a pair of sophomores coming off strong freshmen seasons. Ethan Leibold (10.0) and Keegan Balk (7.1) put together strong freshmen years for Turkey Valley and figure to make big strides as sophomores. The backcourt duo of Evan Drilling (9.3) and Levi Izer (8.6) also returns, giving this group a lot of returning experience. With Drilling, Izer and Balk returning, no team in the league can match the Trojans’ potency from behind the arc, and Leibold adds some strength and physicality in the paint. This is the best shooting team in the league, and they should be considered the team to beat.
West Central (1-20): There isn’t a whole lot of optimism surrounding the Blue Devils, coming off a one-win season in which that win came against a winless Waterloo Christian team. To make matters worse, the only double figure scorer they had last year graduated after accounting for nearly 40% of the team’s points last year. Collin Kime (6.4) was the only regular last season to shoot above 40% from the field (47.9% to be exact) and he returns. Adam Dolf (4.4) and Decker Wirtz (2.4) are the other key returnees. There isn’t much reason to expect much improvement from this team.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Turkey Valley
2. MFL-Mar-Mac
3. Central Elkader
4. Postville
5. Clayton Ridge
6. South Winneshiek
7. North Fayette Valley
8. Starmont
9. Lansing Kee
10. West Central
Analysis: Turkey Valley looks like an overwhelming favorite here when you combine what they have returning and what every other team in the league lost. MFL-Mar-Mac will likely figure into the race as they’re always strong, and teams 3-5 in the league could make a push for that No. 2 spot.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2018 Blake Wettleson, Postville: 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 47.1 FG%
The Pirates’ big man is among the league’s leading returnees in scoring, rebounding and steals. An efficient post player who understands where he excels, all of his damage comes from inside the arc, and he’ll be the focal point of a Postville team that should be among the conference’s top teams.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
2018 Evan Drilling, Turkey Valley: One of the league’s best shooters, knocking down 30 3s at a 42.3% clip, Drilling is the best shooter for a Trojans team that is our pick to win the conference.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
2018 Blake Wettleson, Postville
2018 Owen Jacobson, Postville
2018 Jacob Steffans, Postville
2019 Levi Lukes, South Winneshiek
2018 Hunter Todd, South Winneshiek
2019 Cole Klimesh, South Winneshiek
2018 Mason Hertrampf, MFL-Mar-Mac
2018 Noah Erickson, Central Elkader
2018 Ben Kelley, Central Elkader
2018 Caleb Koch, Starmont
2019 Gabe Peterman, Starmont
2020 Ethan Leibold, Turkey Valley
2018 Levi Izer, Turkey Valley
2020 Keegan Balk, Turkey Valley
2018 Evan Drilling, Turkey Valley
2018 Collin Kime, West Central