1A Bracket Preview: Picking Game-by-Game Ahead of State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Picking who wins each matchup, and the eventual state champion before the games start next week in Des Moines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3533053,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-01-at-6.51.52-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-01-at-6.51.52-PM.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3533053" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Quarterfinals:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It would've been easy to pick a clean sweep, selecting the top four seeds from 1A to reach the semifinals. Instead, we roll with one upset pick, choosing seven-seed Boyden-Hull to reach the second round, upsetting two-seed MMCRU. The Comets have faced one of the more daunting schedules in all of 1A, taking on a scrappy 3A Sioux Center squad twice and beating them once, the reigning 3A state champion MOC-Floyd Valley twice, reigning 2A champion and state qualifiers Western Christian <em>and</em> 2A state qualifiers and expected contenders, Unity Christian twice. That, and they beat one of the programs that looked destined for state, Coon Rapids-Bayard, by 14 en route to earning a spot in the state tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boyden-Hull is battle-tested. That pays off for them in the Casey's Center, as they pull off the quarterfinals upset over the Royals, who have just one loss, while also posting just three single-digit victories all year. [player_tooltip player_id='1765526' first='Carter' last='Kleinwolterink'], [player_tooltip player_id='2412735' first='Jakob' last='Pottebaum'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2731754' first='Garret' last='Van Es'] are just too much for MMCRU to contain. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In other games, Garrigan and St. Edmond roll into the second round, while Burlington Notre Dame and [player_tooltip player_id='1978106' first='Shay' last='Stephens'] escape Bellevue for a spot in the semis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Semifinals:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of Stephens and Notre Dame -- this is where the Western Illinois-bound Stephens has a chance to prove himself as one of the best players in the state. Facing off with a senior-laden Gaels squad that has won 13 games in a row (12 by double digits), Burlington Notre Dame will be the underdog. Led by 6-foot-5 scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1907683' first='Hunter' last='Horn'], the senior forward averages just over 26 points per game, and if he can't get going, the Gaels could be in trouble. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Based on the numbers their teammates have put up, Stephens has some of the pressure alleviated by one of/all [player_tooltip player_id='3453714' first='Eli' last='Oleson'], [player_tooltip player_id='3453701' first='Griffin' last='Kies'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3343991' first='LJ' last='Harris'], and he uses the spacing provided by his teammates who can score to get to the rim and finish with regularity, also utilizing his ball skills to create open shots in the land and create some momentum before the Nikes head to the final. Whichever team makes it out of this gauntlet of a semi will be my favorite to take the title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who will they face?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop Garrigan takes advantage of Boyden-Hull, who, riding high after a first round upset win fall to the Golden Bears in the semis. BG, who took home the 8-Man state title in football uses some of that championship mojo to come together and reach the final behind their crew of leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='2243086' first='Michael' last='Joyce'], double-double machine [player_tooltip player_id='2731752' first='Amaury' last='Thomas'], assist-leader and three-point shooter [player_tooltip player_id='1781875' first='Carter' last='Schwab'] and state champ quarterback turned do-it-all guard, Tate Foertsch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Championship:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As stated regarding the semis -- and the tournament as a whole -- this is the coming out part for Stephens. Clearly one of the best, if not the best guards in the state, Stephens has his chance to etch his legacy into the state tournament history next week as a player that willed his way to a state championship. A polished scorer that does a a bunch of everything for Notre Dame, Stephens is putting up 24.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 3.1 steals and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.97 this winter. As long as that output doesn't catch up with him this late in the season, Stephens looks like he'll have his shot to win 1A tournament MVP and lead the Nikes to the 2025-26 state championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garrigan, though they get output from just about everyone on their roster, and the 6-foot-4 Thomas has been dominant on the interior this season, they can't keep up with the production of Stephens. His ability to score himself off-the-dribble <em>and</em> the fact that he makes everyone else around him better is too much, and Notre Dame takes the 1A title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->