We had all 16 coaches respond (two didn’t vote) so I would like to thank all the coaches for their cooperation to get perfect attendance. The top five comes as expected. The defending Section 8AA Champ, Breckenridge, is at the top and they edged Perham by two points. Hawley is a distant third, which might be some pretty good bulletin board material for the Nuggets. East Grand Forks and Osakis round out the top five. Nobody else was close with the sixth place team only having 6 points in the voting.
Hawley is the favorite in the North with EGF and DGF right behind them and Breckenridge and Perham taking the top spots in the south. The first polls of the season had Perham ranked #3, Hawley #9 and Breckenridge #10. It will be a very competitive section again this year, although the top teams are at the top and there is a little separation. We will see and we know it will be a fun season and I can’t wait until March to see what happens in the playoffs. The polls and team previews are listed below –
Top 5 teams – Points (two coaches didn’t vote)
1. Breckenridge (9) 59
2. Perham (5) 57
3. Hawley 37
4. East Grand Forks 21
5. Osakis 18
North Sub-Section
Team Points (first place)
1. Hawley 10 (5)
2. East Grand Forks 16 (1)
3. Dilworth-G- 17 (2)
4. Crookston – 30
5. Warroad 32
6. Roseau 35
7. Bagley 40
8. Thief River Falls 44
South Sub-Section (two coaches didn’t vote)
Team Points (first place)
1. Breckenridge 5 (5)
2. Perham 9 (1)
3. Osakis 13
4. Barnesville 22
5. Park Rapids 25
6. Wadena-Deer Creek – 28
7. Long Prairie-GE 29
8. Staples-Motley – 41
TEAM PREVIEWS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER-
BAGLEY FLYERS – Coach Darin Carstens 7th year (13th overall)
Bagley went 13-13 last season with a 79-63 loss to East Grand Forks in the first round of the playoffs. The Flyers will be young and won’t have a lot of experience returning, but they always seem to have a load of tall and athletic players that know how to play. Bagley might struggle against some of the top teams early on this season but look for them to be a tough team to beat late in the season.
Top returners – Jim Hvezda Sr.10ppg, Mike Troxell Sr. 4.5ppg
Top newcomers – Josh Wilson Sr. Zach Anderson Soph, Kenly Gordon Soph, Alec Norum Soph
Season outlook according to Coach Carstens – “This season is unlike last year with very little experience coming back. We will be young with a lot of potential; this group of guys gets along so well on and off the basketball court. We do have one of our top scorers and all-around players back. Hopefully, we can play a little more up-tempo style and put more points on the board, as we should be a better shooting team. If we continue to play defense and don’t turn the ball over, we should be in every game. The conference schedule will again be a test every night.”
BARNESVILLE TROJANS – Todd Henrickson 22nd year (33rd overall)
Barnesville is coming off a 9-16 record last year and a 66-45 first round loss to Osakis. The Trojans will return some pretty good talent with Adam Tonsfeldt and Hunter Zenzen. They might start slow as they shake off the football legs, but they will be ready to go after the first couple of weeks and they know how to win, which they showed this fall when they made it to the state championship football game. Barnesville is always a tough team to play and this year will be more of the same.
Top returners – Adam Tonsfeldt (All-Conference) and Hunter Zenzen (All-Conference), Jason Henrickson, Grant Inniger, Brooks Martinson, Kellen Hinsz, Sam Askegaard.
Season outlook according to Coach Henrickson – “All players mentioned above have varsity experience. They have been through the schedule and know exactly what to expect. Consistency on the offensive end will be a key for us. The kids we have returning play hard and play well together. We expect to compete well each night we step on the floor.”
BRECKENRIDGE COWBOYS – Coach Arly Ohm 25th year at Breckenridge, 28th year overall.
The Cowboys are coming off an outstanding season going 25-6 with a section championship, handing Perham their first loss of the season (49-39) in the Section 8AA championship last year. They lost to Brooklyn Center 63-48 in the first round of the state tournament, beat Minnewaska Area 72-42 and lost to Esko 57-46 in the Consolation championship game.
What can you say about the job Coach Ohm and his staff from the youth level on up have done with the boy’s program? They have set a school record with 26 wins each of the last two seasons, two trips to state, including the first trip since 1979. They have the BEST player in the section with Noah Christensen (NDSU commit). With only two starters returning the main question will be …..who is next up? Breckenridge has things rolling from the youth up to varsity they are winning at an outstanding percentage and if they can get the new guys to fill in and play their roles it will be another good season. They are the favorite until somebody (besides Fergus Falls) shows otherwise!
Top Returners: Sr.’s Noah Christensen (6’8 All-Conference and all reports say a great kid) 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal and 1 assist per game last year. Hunter Feigum (2 starters returning)
Bench: Nine total seniors out with strong feeder programs, so MANY guys are competing daily in practice for time. Unfortunately, we have a few guys out early in the season for various reasons, but once we are at full strength, our depth will be an asset.
Sr. Max Johnson – Backup PG last season, Sr. Caden McGough – 6th man last season, Sr. Sam Bakken – played minutes, Soph. Cooper Yaggie – broken collarbone won’t be back until January plus a host of others.
Season outlook according to Coach Ohm – “With that being said, we need to remember the “process” is has taken by many people as Breckenridge has won the section title 3 out of last 4 years. Defense and Depth is without a doubt, the Cowboys greatest strengths to build upon. Our goal is always to be playing our best basketball in March, but we know this section is loaded with really good coaches and players!”
CROOKSTON PIRATES – Coach Greg Garmen 23rd year (32nd overall)
The Crookston Pirates were 14-14 last year and lost to Breckenridge 83-58 in the second round of the playoffs. They lose four seniors from last year’s team and they also lost a kid that switched to wrestling and that means another five points per game for a total of 40 points per game on a team that averaged 64 points per game last year. The cupboard isn’t bare with the return of now four-year starter, Nick Garmen (or Grandpa as the kids call him). Nick is one of the top all-around players in the section and is a very smart basketball player. Jaden Lubarski is a tremendous athlete and showed signs of being a very good player in the second half of the season last year and I am guessing he will pick up where he left off. Caden Osborn (Ogre as the kids call him) could be one of the better posts in Section 8AA and I would even say he is the BEST small post (6’2) in the section. I get to play against him once a week and his improvement over the past two years is amazing. He is strong, quick, has great post moves and can shoot the three too. They are a great three to build around. The rest of the line-up is up in the air with a lot of talented kids that will have to make the step up to the varsity level. Walker Winjum and Josh Bernia are capable guards. Carter Bruggeman is one kid that I think could be tough. He is strong and likes to drive but having the confidence of taking the next step will be the key. Jack Garmen is a Freshman and can flat out shoot, Brady Butt tried wrestling for a week and realized basketball was the sport for him and he will offer some muscle along with his younger brother Brooks Butt. Jacob Miller and Easton Tangquist will be looked upon to handle the ball at times on the varsity and both work hard, but again being able to make the jump in a VERY good Section 8AA will be tough. The crowd favorites will be Chris Kazmierczak and Jonny Abeld. They are two great kids that have stuck it out since third grade and show up every day, they work hard, and I am hoping to see them have some success and the crowds will too.
It will be tough, especially early on for the team. The team speed isn’t there, so they will have to do a lot of cutting, picking, flex cut type of offense to get decent shots.
Top returners – Nick Garmen 12 ppg, 7 reb, 4 assists, 2 steals per game; Jaden Lubarski 7 ppg, 3 reb; Caden Osborn 7 ppg, 6 reb, 1 block per game.
Top newcomers – Walker Winjum, Josh Bernia
Season outlook according to Coach Garmen – “The Pirates will have a bit of experience back but need to find some guys to fill a couple of holes. Caden Osborn showed he can play and should have a good year in the post for the Pirates, Nick and Jaden will need to be at the top of their game. Walker and Josh will have to play solid, steady ball for us. Off the bench, it will be a number of kids: Easton Tangquist, Carter Bruggeman, Jack Garmen, Brady Butt, Brooks Butt, Chris Kazmierczak, Jonny Abeld, Jacob Miller.”
DILWORTH-GLYNDON-FELTON REBELS – Coach Mike Clark 7th year
DGF went 8-19 last year losing to Crookston in the first round of the playoffs. They only lose three players from last years team and the Rebels are my sleeper pick this year. Will they win the section? Not likely, but they will be one of the top teams this year. They have Nathan Leitner back and the 6’5 kid averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds a game last year and will be a tough matchup again this year. Aiden Leach is a nice guard that averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game and that will be a nice 1-2 combo. They also have everybody else coming back and they could be one of the top five teams this year.
Top returners – Nathan Leitner, F, 6’5”, Sr; Tanner Tahran, F, 6’2”, Sr; Jackson Friend, F, 6’1”, Sr.; Drew Coalwell, G, 5’11”, Jr.; Ben Henriksen, G, 5’9”, Jr.; Aiden Leach, G 5’11”, Jr.; Jacob Strand, G 5’10”, Jr
Top newcomers – Ian Mickelson, Colby Schreiber, Justin Wang, Owen Leach
Season preview according to Coach Clark – “With all the experience returning it should be a very fun year. Great attitudes, work ethic, and many TEAM players should allow us to play an exciting brand of basketball.”
EAST GRAND FORKS GREEN WAVE – Coach Josh Perkerewicz 3rd year as head coach, 16th overall
EGF was 16-12 last year with an 83-63 loss to Perham in the second round of the playoffs. The Green Wave have been young the past couple of years and now they are mostly upperclassman and the lumps they have taken over the years will pay off. They play an exciting style of basketball and are loaded with speed and athleticism. Last year, the Green Wave made some mistakes that could be attributed to the style of play and being young and if they can take the next step this year they will be one of the top five teams with all the talent coming back.
Top returners (with stats if you have them) – Sam Votava 14ppg 7 rpg 6 apg 4 steals, Julian Benson 13 ppg 5 rpg 2 apg, Nathan Willet 10ppg 4 rb, Tyler Amodt 8ppg 4rpg, Colton Dauksavage 8ppg 3 rbpg
Top newcomers – Zach Johnson a senior, Tanner Campos a freshman
Season outlook according to Coach Perkerewicz – “We are young but will have a lot of experience returning six guys that played significant minutes last year. We look to play a fast pace up-tempo game in order to counter the lack of size that we have. Our strength is in our numbers we could play as many as 12 guys per night. We will have to find a way to win on the road as well where we have 17 road games including 9 straight on the road. Our schedule is more challenging then it has been in the past with the hope that it will prepare us to win games at the end of the season. The section is going to be tough this year and bring many challenges. Our goal is to compete for the #1 seed in the subsection and for the section title.”
HAWLEY NUGGETS – Coach Nathan Stoa – 5th year, 16th year overall
The Nuggets went 15-12 last year with a 64-60 loss to Breckenridge in the section semi-finals without one of their top players. What Hawley and Coach Stoa was able to do without Jacob Vetter last year was impressive and coach of the year type stuff. They will have a tremendous starting five and they will have athleticism, size and speed. Could this be Hawley’s first trip to the state tournament since 2000? We will see, but the talent is there to be cutting down the nets at the end of the year.
Top returners – Jayden Carlisle, Sr, 15 points, 4 assists, 4 steals All-HOL – committed to play basketball at U of Jamestown; Noah Glad, Sr, 16 points, 8 rebounds (single handedly beat Crookston last year) All-HOL; Chase Libak, Sr, 6 points, 4 assists All-HOL; Gunnar Lawson, Sr, 8 points 3 rebounds, HOL All Star; Jacob Vetter, Sr, – returning from injury that caused him to miss Jr. season.
Top newcomers – Karter Kopacek, Sr, – Will be looked upon to join the rotation for the first time in his career. Shoots the ball well and uses quickness well on defense; Hayden Grani, Fr, – Will find time in the rotation at point guard and wing positions. True pass first guard with very good vision.
Season outlook according to coach Stoa – “Due to the loss of two-year letter winner Jacob Vetter to a knee injury sustained in the Section Football Championship, we had to shuffle our plans heading into the ’17-18 season. The loss of Vetter moved everything around on both ends of the floor, but also gave guys a chance to step up and into different roles. The season was not a completely smooth ride, but the squad was able to compete with nearly everyone on our very difficult schedule. There will be an acclimation process, but getting Vetter back with returning Heart O’Lakes All-Stars Jayden Carlisle, Noah Glad, Chase Libak, and Gunnar Lawson should give our team and our program’s stockholders plenty of optimism heading into the ’18-19 season. The team will need to focus on defending from tip to buzzer, along with a renewed focus on the defensive boards. Offensively, the team will need to replace the production of the departing seniors. Vetter, along with fellow seniors Mason Klevgaard, Karter Kopacek, and freshman Hayden Grani have a great chance to do that and more.”
LONG PRAIRIE-GREY EAGLE THUNDER – Jon Larson 1st year
The Thunder were 7-18 last season and lost to Perham 49-27 in the first round of the playoffs. They will have one of the better guards in the section with Gabe Abraham and anytime you have a top-notch point guard you are going to be in good shape. The Thunder will have a little bit of height and they will need some kids that didn’t play a lot last year to step up and they could have a solid season this year and try to get above that .500 mark.
Top returners – Gabe Abraham is an all-conference selection coming back and will be the floor and team leader. Other seniors returning are Nick Byers, Sam Byers, Jacob Middendorf, Travis Miller, Matthew Zeipelt.
Season outlook according to Coach Larson – “Our senior point guard is Gabe Abraham and I feel he will be one of the elite guards in our section. He is an excellent leader and a true competitor. We return four starters from last year. We only had two seniors last year, so we were very young but got lots of experience. We are still young this year with three junior starters and two sophomores that will see significant court time. We still have a way to go but will be more competitive with balanced scoring this year. My kids play hard and teams that look past us will be in for a surprise.”
OSAKIS SILVERSTREAKS– Coach Matt Hoelscher 7th year
Osakis is coming off a 22-7 season last year with a 62-39 loss to Perham in the section semi-finals. They will lose a couple all-conference players, but they will return one of the top players in the section with Daniel Savageau (22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game) and they also have Luke Imdieke (8 points, 4 assists per game). Who will fill in for the five players they lost to graduation and how long will it take for the team to gel? That is the main question, but Osakis definitely deserves to be in the conversation of the top five teams in the section.
Top returners – Juniors Daniel Savageau and Luke Imdieke
Newcomers – Seniors Jacob Backes and Brandon Boogaard, Juniors Luke Staloch and Carter Rost
Season outlook according to Coach Hoelscher – “We want to be a transition team that can use our length and speed to play a fast paced game. This is the deepest our bench has been in the 7 years I’ve been here, so we hope to play a lot of guys at a high pace to try and wear teams down.”
PARK RAPIDS PANTHERS – Coach Matt Brandt 8th year
The Panthers were 13-13 last year with a 58-45 loss to Hawley in the second round of the playoffs. Park Rapids loses a handful of players from last years team, but they have some pretty good players coming back this year including All-Conference players Gabriel Bagstad and Tristin Persons. They will have some good athletes, some size and if they can find a point guard they will be a tough team again this year.
Top Returners: Gabe Bagstad, Tristin Persons, Preston Renneberg, Jake Reish, Jeff Haas
Top Newcomers: Nic Michaelson, Shawn Ohm, Kolby Brandt, Hunter Brandt, Ty Karger
Season outlook according to Coach Brandt – “We lost our primary ball handler from last year so that area will be a question mark for us this year. We return a good group of kids that are determined to be successful and that should help us be competitive in every game. Our section is very tough and full of some great teams and players. On any given night a team could beat someone who they are not supposed to. It will be an exciting year with all the talented teams in our section.”
PERHAM YELLOWJACKETS – Coach Dave Cresap 24th year at Perham, 34th overall
Perham had a dream season last year and they went undefeated 29-0 until they lost 49-39 to Breckenridge in the section championship game. They lost some very important players from last years team (Martin Lafond, Ben Winkesl, Logan Richter, and Daniel Zitzow to name a few. They have some serious talent returning with Jenson Beachy, Carter Cresap and Josh Jeziorski to name a few. Even though they suffered a 30 point loss to Minnehaha Academy (it actually was expected because Minnehaha has a starting five that will all be Division I basketball or football players and two of the top players in the nation) and it will take some time for Perham to get things going and once they do they will be a very good team and they would love to get a rematch with Minnehaha in March.
Top Returners: Jenson Beachy, Carter Cresap, Josh Jeziorski, John Lafond, Finn Diggins
Top Newcomers: Elijah Morris, Charlie Rasmussen, Dawson Stevens, Anthony Reese. Carter Mulcahy, Grant McMartin, Landon Stevens, Ryan Murphy, Carter Aakre, Caden Schossow, Carson Hespe
Season outlook according to Coach Cresap – “We are very excited about this season. We lost three very good players last year and all were starters so we have a lot to replace. We do have a nucleus of very good players returning that should help us become a very competitive team by the end of the year. We look for this team to play very hard, play unselfishly, and a team that shoots the ball pretty well. We need to develop a TEAM CULTURE before we go very far. I feel we have everything else in place to be a very good team come tournament time. The section will be as loaded as it has been for quite some time. I feel there are 7-8 teams who could win the section title this year on a given night. Al teams better be ready every night or they will get beat. Breckenridge, Hawley, and EGF are clear-cut favorites to win this section, but I feel we have the team who could surprise someone if they aren’t ready to play us. We will look to Jenson Beachy, Josh Jeziorski, and Carter Cresap to help lead us until we get some seniors and younger players into their roles. It will be a fun year for the Jackets! Our Schedule is brutal so the wins and losses may not look as good, but I feel we can be a really good team down the stretch.”
ROSEAU RAMS – Coach Ken Hayden 8th year
The Rams were 17-10 last year and were upset by their rival, Warroad, in the first round of the playoffs 70-62. The Rams lost a handful of players from last years squad including all-conference players Nels Braaten and Nate Corbit. They will have one of the top ball handlers in the section back with Eric Hoffer and they will have some height and beef with Jack Hirst returning and Jacob Lindemann (UND Football commit). Coach Hayden does a nice job and he will have them playing hard and they will be a tough game every night. Are they deep enough? That is the main question, in my mind.
Top returners – Eric Hoffer 12 ppg, Jack Hirst 8 ppg, Jacob Lindemann 5 rebounds per game.
Season outlook according to Coach Hayden – “We should look to our seniors for leadership. Rebounding will be key for us to stay competitive in games.”
STAPLES-MOTLEY CARDINALS – Coach Nick Doll 1st year
The Cardinals were 9-16 last year and lost to the eventual Section champion Breckenridge Cowboys 84-49 in the first round of the playoffs last year. They will have a nice core returning with three all-conference players back and they will have to mix in some inexperience. It will be interesting to see how strong the Cardinals are at the end of the year and not many coaches will know what to expect from them with first year head coach Nick Doll at the helm.
Top returner – Josh Lombard (All Mid-State conference), Derek Kennedy (All Mid-State honorable mention), Brayden Losh (All Mid-State honorable mention)
Season outlook according to Coach Doll – “We will have a ton of young new faces on the floor.”
THIEF RIVER FALLS PROWLERS – Jonathan Hams 1st year (9th as head coach overall and 20+ years coaching hoops overall)
TRF is coming off a tough season with a 2-25 record and a 70-51 loss to Hawley in the first round of the playoffs. It was a rare down year for Prowler Basketball, but when you lose the talent they have over the past couple of years it was tough to recover from. It will be another tough year for TRF, but I am thinking they will get more wins this season. Coach Hams is an outstanding coach and he will have his team playing hard and doing the little things well.
Top returners – Storm Manning (6.3 ppg), Brevyn Lingen (7.1 ppg) and Luke Perkovich (2.5 ppg)
Season preview according to Coach Hams – “We will be an inexperienced team trying to improve on a tough season last year. We look to have the abilty to score but will take some time to develop the finer skills of the game.”
WADENA-DEER CREEK – Coach Kevin Tumberg 4th year
The Wolverines were 13-14 last year with a heartbreaking 65-64 loss in double overtime to Park Rapids in the first round of the playoffs. They graduated a very good player in Noah Ross (playing at St. Scholastica this year) and Ryan Anderson to name a few, but they return a lot of kids and some pretty good talent. They have athleticism, size and they should be a balanced team this year and that could cause some problems for teams defending them.
Top Returners: Bereket Loer, Cooper Folkestad, and Cade Kapphahn
Top Newcomers: Payton Rondestvedt, Zach Shaw, Tony Kreklau, Aiden Larson, Steven Thomas, Dawson Lupkes, Noah Roers, and Lucas Hinojos.
Season outlook according to Coach Tumberg – “We are in a transitional year. We lost 9 players to graduation last season and many of those ate up a lot of minutes. We will be looking to put younger players into new roles this year. We will be a quick and athletic team that will look to create a ton of turnovers and turn those into easy transition buckets.”
WARROAD WARRIORS – Coach Vichita Ounchith 8th year (11th overall)
Warroad was 13-14 last year with a 50-39 loss to Osakis in the second round of the playoffs last year. They lose some size with Zach Heppner graduating, but they will have pretty much everybody back. They have some very nice players with Isaac Falk-Stoskopf (Northwest Conference MVP and North Border all-conference), Tyler Fox (named all-conference in both conferences), and Jet Shoen (All-conference honorable mention in both). Kyle Spenst is hurt and I am not sure when he will be back, but when he does it will be fun to see how the Warriors do in the second half of the season. Coach Ounchith does a great job and he always has them playing great at the end of the year and I wouldn’t expect anything else this year.
Top returners – Isaac Falk-Stoskopf 15.3 ppg and 10 rpg, Tyler Fox 11 ppg and 5 rpg, Jett Shoen 11 ppg and 5 rpg, Kyle Spenst (injured) 8 ppg, 4 rpb, and 6 apg.
Top newcomers – Cole Spenst, Jeremy Cole, and Virgil Lanicka
Season outlook according to Coach Ounchith – “We will have to overcome early adversity with Kyle not being able to play for a while until he is medically cleared from a football injury. We will look for our returning players to help guide the younger ones as the season progresses.”
