Conference Preview: Western Valley
The Teams
Kingsley-Pierson (13-10): Three of the top four scorers from last year’s team return for the Panthers, who will be headlined by junior guard Nathan Keck (14.8). One of the top returnees in the league, Keck will be looking to help the Panthers challenge MVAO at the top of the conference this season. Jessen Reinking (8.7) and Camden Bainbridge (7.9), fellow starters last season, also return and play good complimentary roles to Keck. Reinking led the team in rebounding and is an efficient post player who does nearly all of his damage inside the arc, and Bainbridge is a dangerous shooter, knocking down 24 3s last season while also leading the team in blocks. That trio is going to win Kingsley-Pierson plenty of games, but they’ll need to get some production out of guys like Tyler Sitzmann (3.1), Mitchell Bohle (1.5) and Max Lindgren (1.3) if they want to have a legitimate shot at unseating the Rams at the top of the conference.
Lawton-Bronson (8-15): Last year as a bit of a tough luck season for the Eagles, who lost five games by single digits. Unfortunately for them, the two biggest scorers from that group are gone, taking well over 50% of the scoring production with them. This year’s group will be led by the backcourt tandem of Max Fluent (6.5) and Devin Johnson (6.9), who led and tied for second on the team in assists last year, respectively. That backcourt will help this team move forward, but they’ll need to score more as well. Noah Oliver (3.1), Ben Thelander (2.3) and Ethan Heiss (2.0) all saw some playing time last year and will likely round out the starting five for the Eagles. The Fluent-Johnson backcourt should be fairly effective protecting the ball, but finding a go-to scorer for this group will be the key.
Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto (18-8): Most teams who lose a player like Juan Delagarza at the 1A level will experience a significant drop-off. Not the Rams. MVAO looks like an overwhelming favorite in this league, and a good bet to make another run at a state tournament appearance, which would be their third in four years. They’ll be led by the best player in the conference in Colby Seuntjens (18.2), a highly efficient wing who is capable of torching teams from anywhere on the floor. He produced great shooting splits of 57-41-74 last season, and with plenty of help back around him, we’ll look for those numbers to stay pretty similar. Connor Beeck (10.8) also returns, another deadly shooter who knocked down 46 3s last season (43.0%). That duo is not only the best in the league, but will be one of the best one-two punches in the state in Class 1A. They’ll need role players like Ben Sadler (3.5), Calvin Ferris (2.3) and Ely Fundermann (4.2) to step into significantly larger roles than they had last year, but MVAO is a really solid program that routinely has found new players to plug into the cracks. This year should be no exception. They should cruise through their conference schedule and be considered one of the favorites to make (another) trip to Des Moines.
OA-BCIG (5-16): The Falcons struggled to put the ball in the hoop last year, averaging just 44.9 points a game on 34-30-60 shooting splits, which ranked them 88th in scoring among 96 2A teams. While we’re not expecting them to turn into an offensive juggernaut, they should be improved this season with plenty of returnees in tow. They lose their leading scorer, but scorers Nos. 2-5 are back, giving them plenty of experience. They’ll be led by the trio of Ty Warnke (6.2), Landon Ray (6.1) and Kaden Ladwig (5.9). All three are capable shooters from the arc and should be nice fits alongside Quintin Cranston (4.9) and Ryan Bumann (4.4), who do their damage inside the arc. With some of the losses other teams in the league have sustained, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this team approach a .500 mark.
Ridge View (9-13): If you’re looking for a team that may make a move up the conference standings, the Raptors could be that group. They lose some scoring punch from last year, but they bring back leading scorer Jaxon Franken (11.3), a skilled senior guard who can shoot the ball, and Jacob Tokheim (6.8), a versatile 6-3 wing who can score inside and out, led the team in assists and steals and has the size to potentially be a rim protector as well. The big X-factor here will be Ezra Miller (4.2), a 6-6 junior who has the size to be a major problem in this conference if he’s improved from last year. We’re banking on improvement from him, and he should pair nicely with Franken and Tokheim to give Ridge View a formidable three-headed attack. This is our surprise team in the Western Valley this season.
River Valley, Correctionville (1-19): It was a long season last year for the Wolverines, and it figures to be long again this season, as they lose the only two double figure scorers from last season’s roster. This year’s group will be led by Trey Goettsch (7.6) and Ashton Lichtenberg (6.3), a pair of starters last year who tied for the team lead in assists. There isn’t much else returning to this roster, however, and they’ll be hard pressed to improve upon last year’s single win.
Siouxland Christian (20-4): A team that was already taking a huge blow due to losses via graduation, the Eagles took another shot when leading returnee Jeremiah Bor Khat transferred to play at 3A Sergeant Bluff-Luton. With that loss, the top four scorers from last year are gone, taking over 83% of the scoring output with them. So, the reins to the team will be handed over to Parker Moss (5.2), a 6-0 junior guard who is the only returnee with significant experience. He posted a nearly 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last year, but will be asked to play a much larger scoring role now. Christian Heilbuth (1.9), Jonah Deroos (1.6), Elijah Stocking (0.8) and Preston Moss (1.1) will all step into big roles this year alongside Moss, and after not dropping a league game until postseason play last year, it could be a long season for Siouxland Christian this time around.
West Monona (9-12): The Spartans return their top two scorers from last season, which should allow them to remain competitive in the league. They’ll be led by the duo of Gage Rotnicke (12.3) and Calvin Coffman (7.6). Rotnicke is a gunner from deep who could see his scoring numbers soar if he’s able to become a bit more efficient (31-24-79 shooting splits last year), while Coffman does a majority of his damage inside the arc, and led the team in steals and blocks. That duo should lead this group to quite a few wins, and if they’re able to find some production out of guys like Ethan Hansen (4.9), Marco Duarte (2.1) and Keegan Holverson (2.0), they could push for a finish in the upper-third of the conference.
Westwood, Sloan (5-17): Behind the strength of five of their top six scorers returning, the Rebels should be quite improved this season. Senior Drew Brekke (11.6) led the team in nearly every major category last season and should be one of the most difficult matchups in the conference. Jacob Miller (6.4) is a solid force in the paint, and Tyler Siegfried (5.3) gives them a capable shooter from behind the arc. This group only averaged 44.0 points a game last season and they’ll need to improve there if they want to improve substantially in the win column, but with plenty of experience returning, there is some reason for a bit of optimism. This team could approach the .500 mark.
Woodbury Central (11-11): A .500 team a year ago, the Wildcats will be headlined by one of the league’s best shooters in Tyler Walker (11.4), who knocked down 55 3-pointers last season at a pretty respectable 37.7% clip. He’ll be joined by another solid shooter in Dustin Widman (7.6), who made 26 3s (36.1%). Also back is Carter Schultzen (3.0), who posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio last year (26-20), and figures to have the ball in his hands quite a bit this season. Unfortunately for Woodbury Central, that’s where the experience from last year ends. Four of the top six scorers from last year are gone, and they’ll need to find some players to fill those gaps. Seven of their 11 losses last year came by 10 or fewer, which should prove to be invaluable for the returnees, and we believe this group has the talent to stay right around where they were last season, despite the significant losses they’ve sustained from last year’s roster.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto
2. Kingsley-Pierson
3. Ridge View
4. West Monona
5. Woodbury Central
6. Lawton-Bronson
7. OA-BCIG
8. Westwood, Sloan
9. Siouxland Christian
10. River Valley, Correctionville
Analysis: MVAO is an overwhelming favorite here, as the perennially strong program brings back the league’s best player. And Kingsley-Pierson and Ridge View are both interesting teams who could potentially make some noise come postseason time.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2018 Colby Seuntjens, Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto: 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 56.5 FG%, 41.0 3P%
The Rams leading scorer is the best player in this league, and frankly, it’s not that close. An athletic wing capable of scoring efficiently at all three levels, he’s not only the leading returning scorer in the conference, he’s also near the top of every other major category. An all-around stud who will lead MVAO back to the top of the league, he’ll be looking to make the Rams make another state tournament trip, which would be their third in four years.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
2019 Ezra Miller, Ridge View: A 6-6 junior post player for the Raptors, Miller averaged just four points a game last season. With some scoring punch gone, and some expected improvement from the junior big, we think he could have a huge year with his size in this league.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
2018 Colby Seuntjens, Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto
2018 Connor Beeck, Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto
2019 Nathan Keck, Kingsley-Pierson
2019 Jessen Reinking, Kingsley-Pierson
2018 Camden Bainbridge, Kingsley-Pierson
2018 Drew Brekke, Westwood, Sloan
2018 Jacob Miller, Westwood, Sloan
2018 Tyler Walker, Woodbury Central
2018 Dustin Widman, Woodbury Central
2018 Jaxon Franken, Ridge View
2019 Jacob Tokheim, Ridge View
2018 Gage Rotnicke, West Monona
2019 Calvin Coffman, West Monona
2019 Trey Goettsch, River Valley
2019 Max Fluent, Lawton-Bronson
2018 Devin Johnson, Lawton-Bronson
2018 Ty Warnke, OA-BCIG
2019 Parker Moss, Siouxland Christian