Three Rivers Conference Preview
The Three Rivers Conference is one of the best small-school conferences in the state thanks to a combination of top-notch coaching and a steady line of elite level talent.
It looked like the league might get a pair of teams to the state tournament last season but both Rushford-Peterson and Caledonia (traditional Class A and AA powers) lost to Hiawatha Valley League foes Goodhue and Lake City in section title bouts. Caledonia ran away with the conference regular season title last year, going 15-0 in conference play.
The league should be superb once again this winter though as Caledonia is back and as good as any team in the state. St. Charles and R-P still have elite coaches on the sidelines and return plenty of quality players and even schools like Southland, Wabasha-Kellogg and Lewiston-Altura could take steps forward thanks to strong individual talent.
Conference Commentary
Favorite: Caledonia
The Warriors have enjoyed incredible success for a long time but the success they’ve sustained over the last few seasons has been in large part due to the now senior class. South Dakota State basketball recruit Owen King is one of the best players in the state. Not only can he score from anywhere on the court, his ability to rebound, create for teammates and dictate the entire game means the Warriors are almost always playing the game on their terms.
Noah King emerged as one of the top scorers in Class AA a season ago as just a freshman. He’s an incredibly skilled player inside and out but also can pile up points seemingly on sheer effort and will. He’s a physical kid who looks like a grizzled upperclassman already.
The King brothers are special (Eli King, an eighth-grader, will be a star soon enough too) but the Warriors also have terrific complementary players up and down the roster.
Sam Barthel missed a big chunk of last season with an injury but provides complementary scoring. Andrew Goergen is a tough-minded guard who can handle the ball and make plays to spell the King brothers. Austin Heim is a defensive-minded combo-forward. And Marten Morem gives the team a reliable third scorer on the interior. Morem’s inside-out game allows Caledonia to space the floor like few other teams can.
The Warriors are a bona fide top-five team in Class AA and save a select few teams at the AAAA level, can match up with any team in the state. The only area of concern with them compared to some of the other elite teams in Class AA is their lack of size. It might not hurt them in section play as there isn’t a dominant big in Section 1AA. But Minneapolis North, Minnehaha and Esko all have top-flight big men that can punish them inside.
Beyond that, there’s a lot to like about this Warriors team. They were upset by Lake City in the Section 1AA final a year ago. It would be a massive upset if they weren’t at least playing for a shot to go to state again this year. They are one of the teams legitimately capable of winning the title.
Up Next: St. Charles
St. Charles has been one of the consistently excellent programs in Southern Minnesota for a while now and a big reason why is head coach Terry Knothe. Knothe hit 500 wins in the Saints’ final win last season – a section quarterfinal win over Plainview-Elgin-Millville – and should be in good position to rack up another 20-plus this winter.
St. Charles returns its top three scorers from a season ago in Kaden Vaughn, Keagan Maloney and Drew Leistikow and has no shortage of young talent in the pipeline.
Vaughn is a knockdown 3-point shooter, canning more than 100 a season ago on his way to averaging 17 points per game. Maloney (pictured 12 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg) might be the team’s best overall player thanks to his ability to create shots for himself and his teammates off the bounce, as well as his ability to defend on the perimeter. Leistikow put up 11 points and 6 rebounds as a sophomore and had a lot of good moments this past summer on the AAU circuit. It wouldn’t be surprising if he took another step forward as an overall scorer.
Sam Holtz and Nolan Boice are back as well and with young players like Hunter Oviatt and Sam Lewis waiting in the wings, the Saints should be a borderline top-10 team in Class AA.
Contenders: Rushford-Peterson, Plainview-Elgin-Millville
Rushford-Peterson was some late-game heroics from Ben Opsahl away from getting to the state tournament last season and the Trojans return a handful of key players this winter. They may not have the ‘basketball first’ athletes they’ve had in the past, but Jacob Paulson, Dawson Dahl and Landon Skalet are all back after playing big minutes a season ago.
The Trojans won’t pile up big point totals or be aesthetically pleasing in the traditional sense, but they’ll play great defense, execute their offense and grind out a lot of wins. Tom Vix is one of the best coaches in the state. The Trojans will have a great shot at not only competing for a top spot in the conference, but should also be in good position to make another deep run in the Section 1A tournament.
PEM had a nice turnaround season, winning 17 games and advancing to the Section 1AA quarterfinals. The Bulldogs could be in line for an even better season this winter as they return a number of key players. North Dakota State baseball recruit Barron Holtz returns after leading the team in scoring each of the past two seasons. He’s a dynamic scorer with excellent shooting range. Griffin Doughty emerged as arguably the team’s best player as the season went on and could take another step this year as a junior. The 6-foot-5 forward had a good summer playing with Minnesota Select. David Penrose is back to man the point and Parker Shanks is a defensive-minded center who can control the paint.
In the Mix: Southland, Kingsland, Lewiston-Altura, Wabasha-Kellogg
Wabasha-Kellogg, Kingsland, Southland and Lewiston-Altura all won 14 or 15 games a season ago and all four could be in good position to have similar success this winter.
All four teams return at least one double-figure scorer on the perimeter and multiple key rotation players.
W-K returns a pair of all-conference guards in Zack Kjeseth (pictured, 17 ppg) and Jaxon Mickow (12 ppg). Southland will have to overcome the loss of Chris Webber and Thomas Bettema but Jared Landherr is one of the best players in the conference and can stuff the stat sheet.
Kingsland brings back Zach Bubany (14 ppg) and Wyatt Pruter (10 ppg) along with Jordan Beck and Matthew Woods. And Lewiston Altura will rely on Spencer Speltz for a lot of scoring.
All four teams look capable of winning 13-plus games this winter.
Rebuilding: Dover-Eyota, Chatfield, Fillmore Central, Winona Cotter, La Crescent
Dover-Eyota could make a sizable jump from five wins a year ago in large part because of Brady Williams. A 6-foot-6 sophomore, Williams put up 18 points per game as a freshman and had a big summer playing with Fury. Williams could take another jump this year – which is a scary thought considering he’s still an underclassman.
Fillmore Central returns a couple of key guys including Logan Corson, Josh Peters and Luke Ristau. But the Falcons struggled in conference last season and will need to replace several key scorers from a team that averaged just 47.5 points per game.
Chatfield went 7-19 a season ago and will have to replace its three top scorers in Alex Hompe, Dillon Bance and Parker Fossum. There will be a lot of new faces this year for the Gophers.
Winona Cotter returns several key players from last season in Connor Zukowski, Austin Griffin and Austin Kerrigan, but the Ramblers struggled in conference and won just seven games overall. They could take steps forward this year but there are a number of teams ahead of them on paper.
La Crescent won one game a season ago and it’s tough to see things getting dramatically better in one season. Romy Whitford averaged 10 points per game as a sophomore and he’ll need to take a big jump forward if the team is going to be competitive.
Conference Predictions
- Caledonia
- St. Charles
- Rushford-Peterson
- PEM
- Wabasha-Kellogg
- Kingsland
- Southland
- Lewiston-Altura
- Dover-Eyota
- Fillmore Central
- Winona Cotter
- Chatfield
- La Crescent
All-Three Rivers Conference
First Team
Owen King (POY) Caledonia, Sr.
Noah King, Caledonia, So.
Brady Williams, Dover-Eyota, So.
Keagan Maloney, St. Charles, Sr.
Barron Holtz, PEM, Sr.
Second Team
Kaden Vaughn, St. Charles, Sr.
Jared Landherr, Southland, Sr.
Zach Kjeseth, W-K, Sr.
Griffin Doughty, PEM, Jr.
Jacob Paulson, R-P, Sr.
Third Team
Dawson Dahl, R-P, Sr.
Spencer Speltz, Lewiston-Altura, Sr.
Drew Leistikow, St. Charles, Jr.
Zach Bubany, Kingsland, Sr.
Marten Morem, Caledonia, Sr.
Sam Barthel, Caledonia, Sr.
Jaxon Mickow, Kingsland, Sr.
David Penrose, PEM, Sr.