Playoff Preview: 1A-1
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The favorite: St. Mary’s has made four straight state tournaments, and will be the favorite to come out of this district and have a chance to make it a fifth straight trip to Des Moines. The Hawks have lost…
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The favorite: St. Mary’s has made four straight state tournaments, and will be the favorite to come out of this district and have a chance to make it a fifth straight trip to Des Moines. The Hawks have lost three times this year, both two losses coming to Gehlen Catholic and the other to Unity Christian. In non-Gehlen/Unity games, they’re winning by an average of 22.5 points a game. A young Hawks team is led by sophomore Jaxon Bunkers (13.2 points a game), while four others are averaging between 9.1 and 9.4 points a game, giving this group a lot of balance. They’ve made their name in previous years with their work on the defensive end, and that has been the case again this year, suffocating teams and holding their opponents to fewer than 39 points a game in their wins.
The biggest threat: On the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of style of play is Newell-Fonda. The Mustangs like to get up-and-down, using their quickness and skilled guards to try and speed up the game. They rank 5th in 1A in scoring offense, putting up 72.6 points a game, and each of their four losses have come to quality 2A teams. They’re led by sophomore guard Carter Sievers (16.8, 41.0 3P%), while junior Trey Jungers Trey Jungers 5'11" | SF Newell-Fonda | 2022 State IA (12.5) and senior Tanner Gerke Tanner Gerke 6'1" | SF Newell-Fonda | 2021 State IA (9.8, 41.5 3P%) provide some additional scoring punch on the perimeter. This group likes to force turnovers, which is easier said than done against a disciplined St. Mary’s team, but they are capable of beating the Hawks.
The dark horse: South O’Brien played St. Mary’s tough once already this year, falling 53-48 back on December 11. They lost by 16 in the second meeting, but the Wolverines are a good defensive team, and with the way St. Mary’s likes to play (slow, lower-scoring), anything can happen. Sophomore Jake Wallin Jake Wallin 6'7" | PF Spirit Lake | 2023 State IA (12.4, 8.9 rebounds), a 6-7 big man, could be an issue for the smaller teams in this district, and senior Josh Johannsen (13.7) is a solid scoring threat as well.
Players to watch
2023 Jaxon Bunkers, St. Mary’s
2022 Carter Schorg, St. Mary’s
2021
Blaine Harpenau
Blaine
Harpenau
6'0" | SG
St. Mary's, Remsen | 2021
State
IA
, St. Mary’s
2023 Carter Sievers, Newell-Fonda
2022
Trey Jungers
Trey
Jungers
5'11" | SF
Newell-Fonda | 2022
State
IA
, Newell-Fonda
2023
Jake Wallin
Jake
Wallin
6'7" | PF
Spirit Lake | 2023
State
IA
, South O’Brien
2021 Josh Johannsen, South O’Brien
2021
Bubba Sohn
Bubba
Sohn
5'10" | PG
Haris-Lake Park | 2021
State
IA
, Harris-Lake Park
2023 Lance Berends, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn
2023 Kamden Steffen, MMCRU
The favorite: Behind a pair of dynamic scorers, Gehlen Catholic is an overwhelming favorite in this district. The Jays have lost just once, to a good 2A Unity Christian team, and they’ve been rolling everyone else they’ve played. Sophomore guard Keaten Bonderson Keaten Bonderson 6'0" | PG Gehlen Catholic | 2023 State IA (20.9) is the leading scorer, with junior wing Carter DeRocher Carter DeRocher 6'2" | SF Gehlen Catholic | 2022 State IA (20.3) not far behind. They’ve already beaten Woodbury Central, the district’s #2 seed, by 27 in the middle of January. That electric tandem of scorers is among the best duos in 1A, and they should carry the Jays to the district crown here.
The biggest threat: Woodbury Central gets their first two games at home, which gives them an edge. They’ve also already beaten likely semifinal opponent River Valley, 57-47, before the holiday break. The Wildcats are led by junior Dallas Kluender (19.9, 10.6 rebounds), a double-double machine who can score inside and out. Senior forward Cane Schmitt (14.3, 7.8 rebounds) is another versatile scoring threat who helps Kluender control the glass. They need to take better care of the ball, as they turn over the ball nearly 16 times a game, but this is the biggest threat to the Jays.
The dark horse: Outside of the Jays dynamic tandem, River Valley’s Garrett Trapp Garrett Trapp 6'1" | CG River Valley | 2021 State IA (22.9) is the best scorer in the district, and he’ll make them a difficult out. He gets to the free-throw line a ton and he can shoot it from 3.
Players to watch
2023
Keaten Bonderson
Keaten
Bonderson
6'0" | PG
Gehlen Catholic | 2023
State
IA
, Gehlen Catholic
2022
Carter DeRocher
Carter
DeRocher
6'2" | SF
Gehlen Catholic | 2022
State
IA
, Gehlen Catholic
2022 Dallas Kluender, Woodbury Central
2021 Cane Schmitt, Woodbury Central
2021
Garrett Trapp
Garrett
Trapp
6'1" | CG
River Valley | 2021
State
IA
, River Valley
2022 Jackson Howe, Kingsley-Pierson
2021 Dalton Dubois, Siouxland Christian
2021
Cameron Pierson
Cameron
Pierson
6'6" | 225 lbs | C
Siouxland Christian | 2021
State
IA
, Siouxland Christian
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
St. Mary’s, Remsen vs. Gehlen Catholic
Gehlen Catholic hasn’t been to State since 1983, but the Jays have a real chance to make it to Des Moines for just the second time in school history. They’ve swept St. Mary’s this year, winning by 16 before the holiday break and 8 a week ago in overtime. It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season, but Gehlen Catholic makes school history and punches their ticket to State behind huge games from Bonderson and DeRocher.