Division 4, Sectional 1: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A large number of Sectional 1 teams -- many from the highly regarded Western Cloverbelt Conference -- figure to be optimistic when the WIAA playoffs roll around next March. Sectional 1 does indeed appear to be a wide open race as the 26 schools set their sights on hoisting a sectional-championship plaque and thus earning a trip to the WIAA Division 4 State Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison. Fall Creek, McDonell Central Catholic and Regis from the Western Cloverbelt will have strong teams and rank among the preseason favorites along with Clear Lake, Durand-Arkansaw and Grantsburg.<br><br>Following is a look at the top players and team top teams in Sectional 3:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2375323' first='Blake' last='Risler'], 6-3, Sr., G, Regis<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2391346' first='Miles' last='Schmidgall'], 6-7, Jr., F, Fall Creek<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2429609' first='Caleb' last='Arcand'], 5-11, Jr., G, Clear Lake<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2524556' first='Caleb' last='Rombach'], 6-3, Jr., G, Grantsburg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2509446' first='Luke' last='Weber'], 5-11, Jr., G, Durand-Arkansaw<br><br><strong>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2389764' first='Karson' last='Galvez'], 6-4, Sr., G/F, McDonell Central Catholic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2405803' first='Jackson' last='Tangley'], 6-0, Jr., G, Fall Creek<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2615520' first='DJ' last='Cooper'], 5-10, Soph., PG, Regis<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2451002' first='Dayne' last='Mumm'], 6-1, Sr., G/F, Prairie Farm/Clayton<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1976781' first='Brody' last='Olson'], 6-7, Sr., F, Glenwood City<br><br><strong>Top Five Teams in Sectional 3</strong><br><br><strong>1. Fall Creek </strong>-- Expectations will be high at Fall Creek as the Crickets have five starters returning from a club that finished 18-9. Rick Strorlie begins his 27th season as head coach needing 13 wins to reach 400, and he figures to get there behind the return of Schmidgall and Tangley, two all-league performers. Cullen Kramer (5-11), Corbin Sell (6-3) and Josh Wright (6-1) also return for Fall Creek. Depth is an asset as newcomers from a 19-3 JV1 squad join the varsity roster.<br><strong><br>2. Durand-Arkansaw </strong>-- Coach Justin Redetzke hopes to guide Durand-Arkansaw to its third consecutive Dunn-St. Croix Conference title with a small, but competitive and aggressive squad led by Weber, who averaged 15.0 ppg as a sophomore. Seniors Max Anderson (6-2), Ethan Mack (5-9), Billy Weisenbeck (6-3), Brett Breidung (6-3) and Isaac Sabelko (5-9) also return.<br><br><strong>3. Regis</strong> -- Regis might have a difficult time defending Cloverbelt frontline standouts such as Schmidgall and [player_tooltip player_id='2411648' first='Charlie' last='Hoel'] (6-9) of Stanley-Boyd, but the Ramblers do possess one of the better backcourt trios in northern Wisconsin. Risler is a 1,000-point scorer who can put up points in a hurry while Cooper is a very skilled and highly competitive point guard. Toss in Risler's younger brother, freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2369880' first='Bennett' last='Risler'] (6-2), and the Ramblers' backcourt rates as the best in the sectional.<br><br><strong>4. Clear Lake </strong>-- Clear Lake makes the move to the Dunn-St. Croix this winter with a veteran squad as four starters are back from a team that went 23-3 under coach Jason Sargent a year ago. Arcand averaged 16.9 ppg and 5.5 rpg and tops the list of returning performers. Other key players returning include seniors Lane Prusak (5-10) and Kasey Becker (6-1) along with juniors Max Everts (6-2) and Miles Johnson (6-1).<br><br><strong>5. Grantsburg</strong> -- Even with the 26.8 ppg and 9.4 rpg provided a year ago by St. Scholastica recruit Jayden Brown no longer available, Grantsburg figures to rank among the favorites in the Lakeland West. The four starters who joined Brown return for coach Michael Myers, who guided the Pirates to a 17-7 record in 2024-25. Rombach is the best of that group that also includes Daxter Schultz (6-1), Dylan Seeger (6-1) and Ryker Stelsel (5-8). Juniors Lyle Lozier Jr. (6-0) and Axel Hale (5-9) also could play big roles.<br><br><strong>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong>McDonell Central Catholic</strong> -- Forecasting how a season plays out several months in advance is always a bit of a risk. That definitely is the case for the Macks as a brutal schedule awaits a team that could emerge as a serious sectional contender if it can survive and improve throughout the season. Galvez is the ringleader for coach Adam Schilling, but the senior [player_tooltip player_id='2394207' first='Cael' last='Holm'] (5-10) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2397759' first='Nathan' last='Hazel'] (6-3) also return to the starting rotation. Football standout [player_tooltip player_id='2541233' first='Mason' last='Busse'] (6-4) could be a demon on the glass while senior Eli Stepp (5-11) and junior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2140890' first='Brennan' last='Loiselle-Christianson'] (6-5) also could play big roles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->