Division 5, Sectional 4: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Oakfield Oaks had a very proud tradition of success under coach Ed Baeten in the 1960s through the the mid 1980s. His teams qualified for the WIAA Class C State tournament in 1984 and 1985 with the 1985 squad finishing second to Fall Creek. The Oaks have been back to state just once since Baeten stepped down after 33 years and 468 victories in the spring of 1985. But there is hope this year's squad can make it back to Madison in the spring of 2026 as current coach Jason Collien has an experienced and talented squad returning. The Oaks headline the 32 teams in Sectional 4 of Division 5. <br><br>Here is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 4:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 5</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2447322' first='Bo' last='Bijl'], 6-8, Sr., C, Oakfield<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2621236' first='Griffin' last='Noll'], 6-3, Jr., G, Pecatonica<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2224503' first='Brennen' last='Hackbarth'], 6-4, Sr., F, Sheboygan Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2487657' first='Sam' last='Fait'], 6-4, Jr., G, Burlington Catholic Central<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2637958' first='Brady' last='Fincutter'], 5-11, Sr., G, Johnson Creek<br><br><strong>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 5</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2957369' first='Brayden' last='Gluga'], 6-3, Sr., G/F, Oakfield<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2957372' first='Hunter' last='Larson'], 6-1, Sr., G, Barneveld<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2509476' first='Oliver' last='Leibham'], 5-10, Jr., G, Sheboygan Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2636025' first='Ty' last='Durtschi'], 6-5, Jr., F, Albany<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2957376' first='Ben' last='Paul'], 5-10, Sr., G, Randolph<br><br><strong>Top Five Teams in Sectional 5<br><br>1. Oakfield</strong> -- The defending Trailways East Conference champions advanced all the way to the sectional final last March before falling to Abundant Life Christian, 63-55. The Oaks welcome back three starters from a team that finished 21-8 in Bijl, Glugla and [player_tooltip player_id='2836864' first='Broede' last='Collien']. All three performed well for Oakfield with Bijl giving his squad stellar size and strength in the post. Finding replacements for the graduated Mitchell Moser and Davis Dercks will be the biggest challenge coach Jason Collien faces during the first half of the season.<br><br><strong>2. Sheboygan Lutheran</strong> -- It's been a difficult off season for the defending sectional champions. First, senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2641634' first='Zach' last='Leonhard'] (6-0) sustained a potentially season ending knee injury in June. Then, standout junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2382133' first='Marion' last='Boyland'] (6-6) opted to transfer to Milwaukee Academy of Science in late August. Even with the setbacks, the Crusaders figure to field a strong unit once again under coach Nick Verhagen. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2224503' first='Brennen' last='Hackbarth'] (6-4) is one of the top players in the Big East South Conference while guards McCoy Michael (5-10) and [player_tooltip player_id='2509476' first='Oliver' last='Leibham'] (5-10) comprise an extremely skilled and smart backcourt duo. <br><br><strong>3. Barneveld</strong> -- The Six Rivers East powerhouse has a couple of all-league players returning for coach Tyler Sullivan in Larson and senior Konnor Jasinski (6-0). Those two players had pivotal roles for the Eagles a year ago when they finished 20-7 and won the league crown. Argyle, Albany and Pecatonica figure to push Barneveld in the Six Rivers East this winter, but it's hard to bet against the most dominant program in the seven-team league.<br><br><strong>4. Fall River</strong> -- The Pirates had some major graduation losses, but also return a talented group of young players led by junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2689862' first='Kaden' last='Seim'] (6-4). A starter as a sophomore, Seim is an active and bouncy wing who averaged 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds while also blocking nearly one shot every game. Long-time coach Arnie Oelke will also count heavily on senior Grant Osterhaus (6-1) and sophomore Jayden Abegglen (6-1).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5. Pecatonica</strong> -- When you have a player on your roster who can get you 30 points or more each time out, you're chances for success increase. Such is the case at Pecatonica where coach Scott Noll will look to his son, junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2621236' first='Griffin' last='Noll'], to again put up big numbers. [player_tooltip player_id='2621236' first='Griffin' last='Noll'] has grown several inches since the end of last season and now stands at 6-foot-3. He can score all over the floor and averaged 25.0 ppg as a sophomore. Other key returning players for Pecatonica include [player_tooltip player_id='2912952' first='Marty' last='Anderson'] (5-11), Luke Leonard (6-1) and Cohlman Schlimgen (6-2). <br><br><strong>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong>Catholic Central </strong>-- It's been a rough go of it of late for the Hilltoppers, but there is hope on the horizon for this program, which has had some big-time success in the past. Like [player_tooltip player_id='2621236' first='Griffin' last='Noll'], [player_tooltip player_id='2487657' first='Sam' last='Fait'] can put up huge numbers on a nightly basis. The junior already has scored more than 1,000 career points and is on track to become the school's all-time leading scorer this winter. Getting production from others will be of vital importance for Catholic Central with senior [player_tooltip player_id='2724890' first='Quin' last='Graf'] (5-11), junior Wyatt Leiting (6-0) and sophomore Nate Rohner (5-9) all expected to play big roles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->