Conference Preview: Raccoon River
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The Teams ADM (10-13): New coach Trevor Mickelson inherits a team that was very close to having an inverse record last season, losing seven games by single digits. He’ll bring back a pair of experienced pieces in junior forward Vince…
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Continue ReadingThe Teams
ADM (10-13): New coach Trevor Mickelson inherits a team that was very close to having an inverse record last season, losing seven games by single digits. He’ll bring back a pair of experienced pieces in junior forward Vince Benetti Vince Benetti 6'4" | PF ADM | 2023 State IA (9.8, 7.7 rebounds) and senior sharpshooter Sam Hlas Sam Hlas 5'11" | SG ADM | 2022 State IA (9.5, 46.0 3P%). Benetti led the team in rebounding last season, while Hlas has established himself as one of the best shooters in the conference and in Class 3A. Outside of those two, however, there isn’t much coming back. Mickelson is an offensive coach who comes over from Waukee, so expect to see the Tigers looking to push the tempo a bit more than they have in previous years, and if that is the case, Hlas could have a big-time scoring season. Without much else returning, it’s hard to see ADM competing with the big boys in the conference, but Mickelson is a bright young coach who will get this program energized and headed in the right direction.
Ballard (25-2): The Bombers nearly went wire-to-wire as the #1 team in 3A last year, beating teams by an average of 27 points a game before falling to Pella in the 3A championship game. They should be contenders again in 3A this year despite losing major contributors Connor Drew, Mason Murphy, Isaiah Peasley, and Sam Petersen. They’ll be headlined by one of the best players in 3A in senior guard Ashton Hermann Ashton Hermann 6'4" | SG Ballard | 2022 State IA (16.2, 3.3 steals), a dynamic wing scorer who is a menace on the defensive end with his quickness and instincts. He turns defense into offense in a hurry, and should be one of the state’s top scorers as a senior. Also returning is senior forward Kale Krogh Kale Krogh 6'6" | C Ballard | 2022 State IA (7.3), a big body who controls the paint on both ends of the floor. He has signed to play football at Iowa. Jacob Ihle (3.4), Colby Calvert (2.6), and Jaren Njos (2.0) saw significant playing time last season with all of the blowout wins the Bombers had, and that experience will be beneficial for them as they step into bigger roles this season. Expect to see sophomore wing Nolan Cogdill Nolan Cogdill 6'7" | SF Ballard | 2024 State IA and junior guard Mason Gorsh Mason Gorsh 6'2" | SG Ballard | 2023 State IA become big contributors this season as well. Cogdill is a 6-5 wing with all sorts of defensive potential, and Gorsh is a 6-1 sharpshooter who should fit in well alongside Hermann. This team won’t be as dominant as last year’s group was, but they’ll still be very good and have to be considered the team to beat in the RRC until they’re dethroned.
Bondurant-Farrar (13-11): The Bluejays have one of the best scorers in the state in junior wing Colby Collison Colby Collison 6'4" | SF Bondurant-Farrar | 2023 State IA (18.7). Collison is a big, physical, and efficient wing who posted 59-51-76 shooting splits as a sophomore, and he has an outstanding feel for the game. He knows when he needs to take over as a scorer, and when he needs to get others involved. He scores from all three levels, and is willing to post up smaller defenses to take advantage of his size and talent. Trey McDowell (6.4), Titus Cram (4.4), Carter Sanny Carter Sanny 6'5" Bondurant - Farrar | 2022 IA (3.4), and Nolan Meyer (2.2) are the other key returnees with experience. Expect a big season from Sanny, a 6-3/6-4 forward who had a strong summer, as well as the emergence of 6-6 big man Toby Berggren Toby Berggren 6'7" | C Bondurant-Farrar | 2022 IA (1.8). Collison will be one of the best players in 3A, and he’ll lead them to plenty of wins. The development of the role players will determine just how good this group can be.
Boone (6-15): The top two scorers return for the Toreadors in senior guard Evan Behn (9.4) and junior point guard Nathaniel Winter Nathaniel Winter 6'4" | PG Boone | 2023 State IA (9.3). They are the only two returnees among the top six, however. Winter is a long, lean point guard at 6-4 who sees the floor well and does a nice job utilizing his size and length on both ends of the court, and he could have a breakout junior season. They’ll need to find production out of last year’s JV roster, but with Behn and Winter returning, they should be a bit more competitive this season than they were last year. Expect to see Winter make a major leap and become one of the better players in the conference.
Carlisle (2-20): The Wildcats only two wins last season came against Perry, and only two other games were decided by single digits. No player averaged more than 6.2 points a game, and three regulars return in junior Ryan Petersen (6.0) and seniors Tyson Guard (4.6) and Carter Prenosil (4.5). Guard led the team in assists last season, while Petersen was their most efficient scorer. It will be another long season for Carlisle.
Carroll (22-3): The Tigers were one of only two teams to hand Ballard a loss last season, and they briefly reached the #1 spot in the 3A rankings after getting out to a fantastic 12-0 start. Two of their top three scorers return in guards Kaleb Booth Kaleb Booth 6'1" | SG Carroll | 2022 State IA (15.2, 44.6 3P%) and Nick Macke Nick Macke 5'10" | SG Carroll | 2022 State IA (10.0, 41.2 3P%), giving them a dominant scoring backcourt with a pair of players who can take over games at any given time. Fellow seniors Ethan Lengeling (3.3), Logan Fricke (2.4), and Caden Kock (2.1) saw a good amount of playing time last season and will be asked to step into bigger roles this season. With Booth and Macke leading the charge, Carroll has a real chance at their first state tournament appearance since 2010, and they should battle it out at the top of the league with Ballard, Bondurant-Farrar, and Winterset all winter long.
Gilbert (10-12): Two starters return in Birk Hanson (11.8) and Justin Terry Justin Terry 6'4" | PF Gilbert | 2022 State IA (7.3) to lead the Tigers. Hanson was second on the team in scoring last season and will be asked to handle the ball more this season following the graduations of the top three in assists. Terry is a force in the paint who blocked over a shot a game and pulled down 7.0 rebounds, including some great work on the offensive glass. Six rotation pieces graduated, leaving this team without much returning experience, so they will be heavily reliant on Hanson and Terry, especially early in the year.
North Polk (9-13): UMKC signee Jevin Sullivan Jevin Sullivan 6'5" | SG North Polk | 2022 State IA (19.3, 7.2 rebounds) leads the Comets, who had an up-and-down season last year. They had eight losses by single digits, but were also blown out in quite a few games, so they’ll need to become more consistent, especially defensively. The top four scorers are back, headlined by Sullivan, a big, physical wing who can score from all three levels. Junior guard Austin Parkins (8.0, 37.1 3P%) is a good shooter who could step up and take some of the scoring pressure off of Sullivan, while Marcus Haupert (5.6), Jackson Nemmers (4.4), Kole Krings (3.6), and Jackson Rutledge (3.2) each return with some starting experience. The Comets haven’t finished above .500 since 2012-13, but this group should be the one to do it, led by the dynamic Sullivan.
Perry (0-19): The Bluejays really struggled last year, averaging just 22.5 points a game and going winless. They bring back a good amount of experience from last year’s roster, with three of the top four scorers back, and 10 players who saw playing time last year returning. Junior forward Sincere Johnson (5.4) and senior Jeremy Mateso (3.4) are the top returnees. It will be another long year for Perry, but they should be at least improved a bit with the experience they have coming back.
Winterset (13-10): The Huskies got off to a slow start last season, going just 2-4 before the holiday break. They used that hiatus to re-group and won 10 of their next 11 out of the break, with that lone loss coming to Ballard. They stumbled a bit down the stretch again, losing five of their final six games, but bring back a lot of talent, especially in the backcourt. Three double-figure scorers are back in seniors Levi Gurwell Levi Gurwell 5'8" | SG Winterset | 2022 State IA (16.5), Dawson Forgy Dawson Forgy 5'11" | PG Winterset | 2022 State IA (11.3), and forward Nathan Avery Nathan Avery 6'3" | SF Winterset | 2022 State IA (10.6), along with talented junior guard Brayden Dinkla Brayden Dinkla 6'0" | PG Winterset | 2023 State IA (6.7). Gurwell is a talented three-level scorer who can create his own look. Forgy is a fast and physical lead guard who is also a standout running back, and he uses that physicality to his advantage, bullying his way to the rim. Avery is a stretch-four who can shoot it and rebound, and Dinkla is a strong ball-handler and decision-maker. Look for increased production out of junior forward Charlie McDonald Charlie McDonald 6'2" | SF Winterset | 2023 State IA (1.9), who is a high-energy forward who rebounds and defends the paint. With Gurwell, Forgy, and Dinkla, the Huskies have one of the best guard groups in 3A.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Ballard
2. Carroll
3. Bondurant-Farrar
4. Winterset
5. North Polk
6. ADM
7. Gilbert
8. Boone
9. Carlisle
10. Perry
Analysis: The top five in this league is arguably as good as any in the state not at the 4A level. Ballard is a legitimate 3A contender again, as is Carroll, and Bondurant-Farrar, Winterset, and North Polk can all be very dangerous postseason teams with their offensive firepower.
Preseason Player of the Year
2022 Ashton Hermann Ashton Hermann 6'4" | SG Ballard | 2022 State IA , Ballard: We expect to see the Bombers back at the top of the RRC, and Hermann is the biggest reason why. His ability to dominate games on both ends of the floor with his quickness, length, and talent makes him the easy choice in a league that is filled with talented scorers.
Players to Watch
2022
Ashton Hermann
Ashton
Hermann
6'4" | SG
Ballard | 2022
State
IA
, Ballard
2022
Kale Krogh
Kale
Krogh
6'6" | C
Ballard | 2022
State
IA
, Ballard
2024
Nolan Cogdill
Nolan
Cogdill
6'7" | SF
Ballard | 2024
State
IA
, Ballard
2023
Mason Gorsh
Mason
Gorsh
6'2" | SG
Ballard | 2023
State
IA
, Ballard
2022
Jevin Sullivan
Jevin
Sullivan
6'5" | SG
North Polk | 2022
State
IA
, North Polk
2023 Austin Parkins, North Polk
2023
Colby Collison
Colby
Collison
6'4" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2023
State
IA
, Bondurant-Farrar
2022
Levi Gurwell
Levi
Gurwell
5'8" | SG
Winterset | 2022
State
IA
, Winterset
2022
Dawson Forgy
Dawson
Forgy
5'11" | PG
Winterset | 2022
State
IA
, Winterset
2022
Nathan Avery
Nathan
Avery
6'3" | SF
Winterset | 2022
State
IA
, Winterset
2023
Brayden Dinkla
Brayden
Dinkla
6'0" | PG
Winterset | 2023
State
IA
, Winterset
2022
Kaleb Booth
Kaleb
Booth
6'1" | SG
Carroll | 2022
State
IA
, Carroll
2022
Nick Macke
Nick
Macke
5'10" | SG
Carroll | 2022
State
IA
, Carroll
2022 Birk Hanson, Gilbert
2022
Justin Terry
Justin
Terry
6'4" | PF
Gilbert | 2022
State
IA
, Gilbert
2023
Vince Benetti
Vince
Benetti
6'4" | PF
ADM | 2023
State
IA
, ADM
2022
Sam Hlas
Sam
Hlas
5'11" | SG
ADM | 2022
State
IA
, ADM
2022 Evan Behn, Boone
2023
Nathaniel Winter
Nathaniel
Winter
6'4" | PG
Boone | 2023
State
IA
, Boone