The Dak-12 Conference: Next Up
The Dak-12 Conference always contains some of the best players in the state of South Dakota. Graduation resorts the rosters and new players get their chance to step into bigger roles. Who is Next Up in the Dak-12?
Josh Arlt and Quincy Ihnen of Lennox. The Orioles only had two seniors on their roster last season so expectations of moving to the upper part of the league are there. Lennox won half of their final dozen games which was a solid end after a rough start. Arlt was a third team all league selection and Ihnen will be a senior so with both back there will be more excitement for Lennox.
Nic Comes of Madison. Madison played in back to back state title games and so a lot of attention went the way of future SDSU Jackrabbits Aaron Fiegen, Jadon Janke and Jaxon Janke and rightfully so. Another guy that played a big part in the Bulldogs title run this year was six foot wing Nic Comes who stepped up to put together some bigger production runs in some of Madison’s biggest games of the season. Now a title defense will be led by Comes, Doyle Brown, and others.
Charlie Cox of Dakota Valley. If you’ve seen the Pentagon Schoolers play this year you’ve seen 6-foot-3 Charlie Cox working to get better with each and every game. Charlie was an all league player this past year putting up 11.5 points and six rebounds a game for a balanced team that went 17-8 and played at state. With the Jacks (McCabe and Graves) graduated Cox takes over as player that must contribute big numbers in a nightly way.
Adam Grashoff of Elk Point-Jefferson. Few programs lost as much production from last year’s team as the Huskies did. The team relied on their seniors for nearly everything and with the program only having one junior on the roster last year, the team is going to be moving into a whole new era. Success will have to come from many juniors and sophomores and one we look at is Adam Grashoff. Alex has been on the JV/Varsity the past two years and he stands 6-foot-6 in the post.
Logan Heim of Dell Rapids. At 6-foot-9 and 270 pounds Logan is one of the state’s toughest players to manage around the basket as his soft touch has some range. With Schuch, Schmidt, and Rentz moving on to college athletics more will be expected from the Dell Rapids center. Logan will have the opportunity and has the physical edge to have a big year.
Will Kulzer of Tri-Valley. A 6-foot-5 frontcourt player, Will Kulzer was often the second leading scorer for the Mustangs this winter and with do-it-all Noah Jewett moving on to college the offense will likely go through Will around the basket more next year when he’s a senior.
Gavin Schipper/Mitchell Goodbary of SF Christian. The Chargers have hit a run of success that doesn’t look close to slowing down any time soon. Last year they only lost one game but didn’t get the state title they were looking for. Gavin and Goodbary are now the main pieces guiding the team in 18-19 and both will have to step into bigger roles. Gavin has always been the feared shooter and Goodbary the dependable active and agile forward in the paint. This year they will have the opportunity to produce even more.
Sam Ward of Vermillion. Talk about big shoes to be filled, replacing AJ Plituweit is something that nobody will really attempt to do. But the ball will be in the hands of others more and one of those players will likely be 5-foot-11 guard Sam Ward who will be a junior. AJ did a lot of his team last year but another guy the Tanagers looked to was Sam Ward.