3A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Clear Lake

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taking a look at teams that could compete for the state championship in their respective classes in the 2026-27 season, now moving to 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/04/3a-way-too-early-title-contenders-ballard/">3A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Ballard</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/04/3a-way-too-early-title-contenders-solon/">3A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Solon</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An upset away from being a contender this season, Clear Lake fell in the second round of substate at the hands of North Polk, 54-52 A year removed from finishing as the state runner-up in 3A, the Lions had a real shot to contend in Des Moines, and, chances are, they'll have revenge on their mind in 2026-27. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Luckily, their leading scorer and mult-sport athlete, [player_tooltip player_id='2419796' first='Jaxson' last='McIntire'] returns. A quarterback and defensive back on the gridiron, McIntire doubles as a playmaker on the court, too. Leading his squad with 14.7 points per game, McIntire is willingly physical and, more often than not, stronger than opposing defenders, allowing him to score with ease. He's also able to score off-balance within a few feet of the rim, using a floater to get up and over post defenders while moving either left or right. That same balance and athleticism allows him to seemingly hover under and around the basket to finish with either hand on up-and-under layups, or simply getting downhill to get an easy two points. Though he possesses a unique jumper that can sometimes start below his waste, move across his body and find its release point a little late in the motion, McIntire shot 55.2% from the field, 38.6% from three and 74.7% from the free throw line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Using his Division I-worthy DB skills, McIntire is also equipped with a strong lower body and long arms, leading his team in rebounds with 5.6 a game and adding 1.8 steals per contest. One of the better passers on the squad, McIntire also uses his vision and precision from his skillset as a quarterback to find open teammates on the fastbreak or for an open three-pointer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off a year where Riser surely would have liked to see more of an uptick in his scoring, [player_tooltip player_id='2377642' first='Carson' last='Riser'] will look to bounce back alongside his team during his senior campaign. As a junior, Riser finished third in scoring, averaging 9.5 points per game while shooting 33.3% from three. As a sophomore, Riser scored 10.1 points per game while shooting over 41% from the field -- his ability to shoot consistently from behind the arc and score at a higher level is there. If he's able to get back to his old form, and maybe even take another step forward as a complementary scorer to McIntire, he'll be a key piece to what Clear Lake does next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions lose a good chunk of the rest of the roster to graduation, so they'll need players to step up alongside proven prospects like McIntire and Riser. If they do, Clear Lake will be a team to be reckoned with again in 2026-27. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->