Division 2, Sectional 1: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue a late summer trek through the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sectionals, today looking at Division 2, Sectional 1<br><br><strong>Top Teams:</strong><br><br>Mosinee<br>Onalaska<br>Rhinelander<br>River Falls<br>Wausau East<br>West Salem<br><br><strong>Overview:</strong><br><br>Onalaska was looking like the team to beat, especially with senior T.J. Stuttley transferring back to the Mississippi Valley Conference school following one season at Link Prep in Missouri. But Onalaska was informed late last week by WIAA officials that Stuttley would not be eligible for the 2024-25 school year due to the organization's transfer rules. The fact Stuttley had accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Link led to his loss of amateur status, per the WIAA. So Stuttley instead will transfer to Benilde-St. Margaret's High School in the Twin Cities and has been ruled eligible by the MSHL. Onalaska still is one of the teams to beat in this sectional as coach Craig Kowal welcomes back his son, talented junior [player_tooltip player_id='2117026' first='Ian' last='Kowal'], along with steady senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2493670' first='Noah' last='Chenault']. Add in senior sharpshooter Jack Smith along with some promising younger players and the Hilltoppers enter the campaign as the team to beat in the MVC. Mosinee and Rhinelander are the favorites in the Great Northern Conference and are led by junior [player_tooltip player_id='2432828' first='Treve' last='Stoffel'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2386579' first='Devon' last='Feck'], respectively. West Salem has dominated play in the Coulee Conference the past several seasons and qualified for the Division 2 State Tournament last March after qualifying in Division 3 in 2022 and 2023. Coach Mark Wagner welcomes back three starters from a club that finished 25-4 in [player_tooltip player_id='2388785' first='Kyle' last='Hehli'], Carter Pontius and [player_tooltip player_id='2500048' first='Nathan' last='Dillaber']. Meanwhile, River Falls and Wausau East figure to enter the postseason with plenty of tough competition under their belts as they participate in the highly respected Big Rivers and Wisconsin Valley conferences, respectively.<br><br><strong>Pre-Season All-Sectional Team:</strong><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1544729"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c23f1845af3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Orr picked up first-team all-Big Rivers Conference honors as a junior after helping Rice Lake to a 15-11 record. The son of Rice Lake coach Kevin Orr, [player_tooltip player_id='2432854' first='Zach' last='Orr'] is a quick, strong and heady point guard who commands the respect of any defense once he has the ball in his hands. Orr averaged 18.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest as a junior, and starts his senior campaign with 1,060 points. Orr is one of four returning regulars for Rice Lake, which hopes to contend for the Big Rivers title along with talented teams from Eau Claire Memorial, Hudson, New Richmond, River Falls and Menomonie, among others. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2224523"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c23f1845b48"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sipple is a scoring wing guard who can put up big numbers in any given game with his aggressiveness and skill on the offensive end of the court. The unanimous first-team all-Bay Conference performer scored a career-high 37 points in a win over Menasha last season while averaging 19.9 points and 5.5 rebounds. Sipple and talented sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2140991' first='Will' last='Verkuilen'] form one of the top backcourt combinations in the Bay Conference, and the Hawks look to improve upon an 8-17 finish after going 19-7 during Sipple's sophomore season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2388785"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c23f1845b8a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the state's elite tennis players, Hehli also excels on the hardwood. Though small in stature, his game is a big reason why West Salem has been so dominant in the Coulee Conference, winning the past three league titles and going 35-0 within conference play during that time frame. An honorable mention all-league pick as a sophomore and first-team choice as a junior, Hehli is wired to score, both off the bounce and from distance. He averaged 16.7 points and shot 83 percent from the free-throw line as a junior. He also made 73 three-point baskets and shot 36 percent from outside the arc. The 6-foot-0 combination guard begins his senior season with 873 career points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2021394"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c23f1845bc7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ellison joined Orr and Eau Claire Memorial's [player_tooltip player_id='1481178' first='Cooper' last='Jesperson'] as underclassmen on the first-team all-Big Rivers Conference squad last season. The athletic 6-foot-4 senior is a versatile basketball player who can play inside and outside. His vertical jumping ability and physical strength make him one of the top rebounders in the league. As a junior, Ellison averaged 18.4 points and 9.6 rebounds. Ellison and his teammates have a new coach this winter as former Bloomer coach Greg Van Grunsven takes over the coaching duties for the Mustangs. Ellison recently accepted a football scholarship offer from North Dakota State. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2111727"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c23f1845c05"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of three unanimous first-team all-Wisconsin Valley Conference performers back for his senior season along with [player_tooltip player_id='1244808' first='Brooks' last='Hinson'] of Marshfield and [player_tooltip player_id='2316806' first='Grant' last='Chandonais'] of Stevens Point, Napgezek is an extremely difficult matchup for opponents because of his skill with the basketball. He's outstanding at getting downhill and scoring at the basket, but he's also a very capable mid range and long-distance shooter. Napgezek is aggressive with the ball, but he's also a willing passer to talented teammates such as [player_tooltip player_id='2415337' first='Charlie' last='Cayley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2415737' first='Jaydan' last='Garrett'] Napgezek averaged 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds as a junior and is bound to improve on both of those numbers for his senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pre-Season Pick to Click:</strong><br><br>The top half of the sectional is strong with teams like Medford, Menomonie, Merrill, New Richmond and Rice Lake more than capable of pulling off an upset or two over what on paper appears to be the top three teams in Rhinelander, River Falls and Wausau East. The bottom half of the sectional is led by Onalaska. Many of the other teams in the lower half have some intriguing pieces and could become dangerous come March. I have a hunch River Falls might be the team to beat with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1417497' first='Preston' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2415504' first='Eli' last='Johnson'] leading the way. [player_tooltip player_id='1417497' first='Preston' last='Johnson'] is a four-year varsity point guard who isn't a big scorer like his older brother, Zac, now playing at UW-River Falls. But [player_tooltip player_id='1417497' first='Preston' last='Johnson'] is a smart, strong and unselfish player who excels on defense and should be a strong leader for first-year coach Zach Turpin. [player_tooltip player_id='2415504' first='Eli' last='Johnson'] is a big 6-foot-6 forward who can dominate in the post, but also step outside and make shots facing the basket. [player_tooltip player_id='2415504' first='Eli' last='Johnson'] averaged 8.1 points and 7.6 rebounds as a junior and has committed to play football at Iowa. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2410538' first='Brody' last='Graetz'] got plenty of playing time as a sophomore and figures to be the top outside shooter for River Falls, which welcomes newcomers from a JV1 squad that went 11-11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->