The favorite: Valley has been one of the bigger surprises of the season in 4A, and the Tigers earned this substate’s top seed, marching to a 15-4 record in the regular season. They’re led by a dynamic trio in senior guard
Ty Walker
Ty
Walker
5'11" | PG
Valley | 2021
State
IA
(19.8, 45.5 3P%) and junior forwards
Eli Raridon
Eli
Raridon
6'7" | PF
Valley | 2022
State
IA
(18.4, 6.6 rebounds) and Ruot Bijiek (13.2, 6.8 rebounds). Walker has been excellent this year as the team’s go-to scoring threat, posting great efficiency numbers and playing very consistently on both ends of the floor. Bijiek already holds a handful of Division I offers and is a major matchup problem at 6-8 with great athleticism and the ability to score inside and out. And Raridon is a great athlete at 6-6 who is one of the more coveted tight end prospects in the country. Valley is always deep, and this year is no exception, and their size can be a major issue for teams.
The biggest threat: There may not be a more confusing team in 4A than Dowling Catholic. The Maroons hold some outstanding wins over Valley, Ames, Centennial, Johnston and Council Bluffs Lincoln. But they’ve also dropped games to Ankeny, Southeast Polk and Urbandale, among others. That type of inconsistency makes them a difficult team to project, but they’re capable of beating just about anyone in the state. They’re a big, physical team that likes to use their size, athleticism and physicality to exert their will on the opposition.
Ryan Riggs
Ryan
Riggs
6'9" | PF
Dowling Catholic | 2021
State
IA
(15.0, 6.2 rebounds) leads the team in scoring and rebounding, a 6-9 forward who has been strong on both ends of the floor. Junior wing
Matt Riedl
Matt
Riedl
6'2" | SF
Dowling Catholic | 2021
State
IA
(13.0, 4.8 assists) is tough on the wing, a long player who can get to the bucket and facilitate, and senior forward
Jack Groeteke
Jack
Groeteke
6'9" | C
Dowling Catholic | 2021
State
IA
(9.7, 42.9 3P%) is a 6-10 sniper who can really stretch the floor. When Dowling has it clicking, they’re really tough to beat.
The dark horse:
Diondre Taylor
Diondre
Taylor
6'0" | PG
Des Moines North | 2021
State
IA
(26.5) leads a high-scoring group from Des Moines North that likes to play up-tempo, and if the Polar Bears are able to dictate the tempo, they can upset some teams. Senior guard Tharon Locure (19.9) pairs with Taylor to give North a dynamic one-two punch that can put up points in a hurry. The question for the Polars has always been on the defensive end, and they’ll need to play better on that end of the floor if they want to make a run, but the offensive pieces are certainly in place to make some noise.
Players to watch
2021
Ty Walker
Ty
Walker
5'11" | PG
Valley | 2021
State
IA
, Valley
2022
Eli Raridon
Eli
Raridon
6'7" | PF
Valley | 2022
State
IA
, Valley
2022 Ruot Bijiek, Valley
2021
Ryan Riggs
Ryan
Riggs
6'9" | PF
Dowling Catholic | 2021
State
IA
, Dowling Catholic
2022
Matt Riedl
Matt
Riedl
6'2" | SF
Dowling Catholic | 2021
State
IA
, Dowling Catholic
2021
Jack Groeteke
Jack
Groeteke
6'9" | C
Dowling Catholic | 2021
State
IA
, Dowling Catholic
2021
Diondre Taylor
Diondre
Taylor
6'0" | PG
Des Moines North | 2021
State
IA
, North
2021 Tharon Locure, North
2022 Wyatt Hatcher, Lewis Central
2024 Tyron Wright, East
2021
Dylan Sams
Dylan
Sams
5'10" | CG
Urbandale | 2021
State
IA
, Urbandale
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Valley vs. Dowling Catholic
Dowling beat Valley back on January 12, 56-51, holding the Tigers to 38.6% shooting. The Tigers were just 13-24 from the free-throw line in that loss, while Dowling was 12-16. The more consistent team all year has been Valley, but Dowling holds that head-to-head win. This is a tough one to pick, but we’re going to take the more consistent team and take Valley to get back to Wells Fargo in the battle of West Des Moines.
