2025-26 BOYS BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW
 

 
CLASS 6A
 
2024-25 State champion – Shawnee Mission Northwest
 
2024-25 State runner-up – Olathe North
 
2024-25 Review – It was going to be pretty hard for Shawnee Mission Northwest to top what it did in 2023-24 when the Cougars put together a dream season, going 25-0 to capture its first-ever state championship. But as encores go, Northwest turned in a pretty good one. Two of the three losses they suffered in the regular season came to out-of-state competition and the Cougars shared the Sunflower League title with Shawnee Mission South, which claimed the No. 1 seed for the state tournament with a 21-1 mark. South’s bid to supplant Northwest as state champion ended immediately as No. 8 seed Maize stunned the Raiders with a 49-48 victory. Derby also took a 21-1 record into the state tournament. But like South, the Panthers were victims of a first-round upset as Olathe North raced to a 69-50 victory. The Eagles rode the momentum of that win to another upset in the semifinals, taking down No. 3 seed Wichita Heights 65-58 to set up an all-Sunflower final after Northwest made its way back to the championship game, first avenging its only loss to a Kansas team with a 76-52 romp past Mill Valley in the quarterfinals and then denying Maize its second straight upset with a 63-55 semifinal win. Boosted by a balanced lineup in which all five starters averaged double figures, Northwest was able to turn away Olathe North’s Cinderella run at the title, taking a 63-56 victory to complete the back-to-back championship seasons. The Cougars finished 22-3 while Olathe North finished 18-7. Maize took third, beating Heights in the consolation game.
 
2025-26 Contenders – After capturing back-to-back state championships, Shawnee Mission Northwest will have to reload in a big, big way to make a three-peat possible. Graduation claimed four starters, including All-State Top 5 selection Keaton Wagler and second-team All-Sunflower League selection Tyler Salmon, and seven seniors overall. The Cougars did have a big – literally – piece to build around with 7-footer Ethan Taylor just a a junior last year, but he opted to transfer to Link Academy for his senior season leaving Northwest with almost an entirely new team for this season. … The team perhaps best positions to assume Northwest’s throne is league rival Shawnee Mission South, which seemed like a legitimate threat to do so last year. The Raiders lost only to the Cougars during the regular season, sharing the league title with them, and claimed the No. 1 seed for the 6A state tournament. But South was knocked off in the quarterfinals by Maize, ending that chase for a title. South returns arguably the best 1-2 punch in 6A in 6-foot-6 senior Drake Debaun and 6-foot-5 junior Conor Kerrigan. Kerrigan averaged a double-double last year at 18 points and 11 rebounds per game, while Debaun averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds a contest. Debaun missed the postseason after breakinghis foot in late February, which perhaps explained the Raiders’ early state exit. Three other key players also return for South. … The Sunflower League is deep with contenders, as evidenced with the league having half of the teams at last year’s state tourney with Northwest and South joined by eventual runner-up Olathe North and Mill Valley, the only Kansas team to beat Northwest last year. North’s run to the title game included upsets of No. 2 seed Derby and No. 3 seed Wichita Heights, but like Northwest, the Eagles lost a big senior class to graduation, including All-6A first-teamer Jaalan Watson. Unlike Northwest, however, North has some proven starters back in seniors Sam Simmons Jr. and Cam Love, each of whom averaged just over 11 points per game last year in a complementary role to Watson. They’ll run the show this year and will look to lead the Eagles to state for the fifth straight year. … Mill Valley, meanwhile, has a big hole to fill with the graduation of first-team All-6A pick Carter Kaifes, who is the Jaguars’ career rebounding leader and is No. 2 on the career scoring list. But the Jaguars return an outstanding senior guard duo in Reece Riedel (17.9 ppg) and JaKhai Carter (14.3 ppg). Four other key players also return for Mill Valley, which went 18-5 last year. … Maize wound up finishing third after its upset of SM South in the quarterfinals. The Eagles lost leading scorer Alan Hanna and the last of its Grill connection with Alec graduating and Chris stepping down as head coach of the program after leading them to 10 state appearances. New head coach Zach Bush will lean heavily on senior guard Brayden Myovela, who averaged 14.8 points per game and is coming off a big football season, and Ty Willits, who also averaged double figure scoring. … A new era begins at Wichita Heights where legendary head coach Joe Auer has retired after a career in which he led the Falcons to six state championships and finished with a 491-198 career record. Gary Thomason has the tough task of filling Auer’s shoes and an even tougher task of filling the holes created by the graduation of a big senior class led by four-year starter Amalachi Wilkins. Senior Jahlin Timmons is the lone proven returning performer, averaging just over 13 points per game last year. … The No. 2 seed at state last year, Derby got off to a 16-0 start before suffering its only regular season loss to Hutchinson by four points. The Panthers finished with a school-record 21 wins, but were upset in the state quarterfinals by Olathe North. All five starters graduated, including leading scorer Jack Ulwelling, but Avant Riley is a star in waiting, coming off the bench last year to average 12.2 points per game. … Washburn Rural rounded out the 6A field last year, making its first state appearance since 2019. The Junior Blues went 18-5 overall last year and only loss three seniors to graduation and return leading scorer Simon Rowley, who was the Centennial League newcomer of the year last year. … Blue Valley North went 14-7 last year, but could be poised for a return to contender status after falling in the sub-state semifinals to Olathe South. The Mustangs have a strong combination in Will Davis and CJ Duson, each of whom averaged just under 15 points per game last year, and will add Olathe West transfer Colton Nichols to go along with four other returners. … Perennial title contender Blue Valley Northwest was a rare absentee from last year’s state tournament, finishing 15-7 a year ago and losing by 31 to SM Northwest in the sub-state finals. The Huskies return leading scorer Ayden McGibboney, who averaged 16 points per game last year and will be hungry to get back where it’s accustomed to being. … Both North and Northwest could be once again chasing rival Blue Valley in the loaded Eastern Kansas League. The Tigers went 18-4 last year, the first victims of Olathe North’s upset run to the title game. Forward Brendan Walsh was the EKL MVP last year as a sophomore after averaging 15 points per game and has a strong running mate in senior Parker Seithel, who averaged a double-double with 12.9 points and 11 rebounds per game. Enoch Rodriguez also earned first-team all-league honors for the Tigers last year. … Gavin Popik’s return should keep Olathe Northwest among the top teams in the Sunflower League after the Ravens went 15-6 overall last year, knocked off by Olathe West in the sub-state semifinals. Popik averaged 19 points per game last year. West took a big hit not only with the graduation of leading scorer Brady Collar, but also saw second-leading scorer Colton Nichols, who averaged 13.7 points per game last year as a sophomore, transfer to Blue Valley North. … Junction City went 14-8 last year and returns Lovell Autry (13.5 points per game) for first-year head coach Easton Burgardt. … After going 16-6 last year and reaching the state title game in 2024, Wichita Northwest will be in a bit of a rebuild mode after graduation claimed four players who earned all-league honors last year. Senior Darrian Hammond has started every game since his sophomore year and averaged 10.5 points per game last year. But he’s one of just two players with varsity experience. 
 

 
CLASS 5A
 
2024-25 State champion – Kapaun Mt. Carmel
 
2024-25 State runner-up – Highland Park
 
2024-25 Review – In capturing the Class 5A state championship in 2024, Kapaun Mt. Carmel needed to pull out a 67-64 overtime win over Highland Park in the semifinals just to get to the championship game where the Crusaders edged Piper 62-59. After a slow 5-3 start to last season, the Crusaders got on a roll that included 17 straight wins going into the state tournament and then double-digit wins in their first two state-tourney games. As impressive as the run Kapaun was on, Highland Park was even hotter, having had just two games decided by less than double digits in posting an undefeated regular season for the second time in three years. After finishing third each of the past two seasons, the Scots got over their state semifinal hurdle with a 60-55 win over Piper to earn a rematch with Kapaun for the title. Highland Park was in control for the first half and into the third quarter before the Crusaders rallied and built an eight-point lead with just over five minutes left. Highland Park stormed back behind Ja’Corey Robinson, who tied the game on a layup with 37 seconds left to force overtime, missing a free throw to give the Scots the lead. Kapaun built a six-point lead in OT, but had to withstand a late 3-point shot by Robinson that was off to survive 58-55 and capture its second straight championship and the ninth for legendary coach Steve Eck. The Crusaders finished with a 22-3 mark while Highland Park ended 24-1. Piper downed Andover 69-57 for third, finishing the season 21-4. Andover was 20-5.
 
2025-26 Contenders – If Kapaun Mt. Carmel is to win a third straight state championship, the Crusaders will once again have to replace some key pieces off their previous title team, just as they did a year ago. This time, it’s the loss of All-State Top 5 pick Corbin Johnson that’s the biggest hole to fill. Johnson hit the game-winner in the 2024 title game and was the leading scorer for Kapaun last year. Johnson was one of four Crusaders who averaged double-figure scoring a year ago and two of those return this season – Rocco Keller (12.3 ppg) and Blaise Dalian (11.6 ppg). Jude Porter was just short of being a fifth at 8.6 points per game off the bench and will take on a bigger role this year moving into a starting spot. … While Kapaun has more than enough pieces to make another title run, Highland Park will be have to turn to an entirely new cast from top to bottom after losing All-State Top 5 pick Ja’Corey Robinson, standout guard Mikey Williams and seven other seniors off last year’s state roster. In addition, head coach Michael Williams has turned the program over to Nate Wallace, who will lean on returning juniors Jojo Kingcannon and G’honi Montgomery to keep things going for the Scots, who have gone 61-4 the past three seasons. … Piper has finished top three at state the past two seasons, falling in the 2024 title game to Kapaun Mt. Carmel and then in the semifinals to Highland Park before beating Andover for third last year. While the loss of PJ Moore is a big one after he led the team in scoring and rebounding a year ago, the Pirates return just about everyone else. Senior DJ Jackson was the second leading scorer from his point guard spot while fellow returning senior Alamar Brooks also was a double-figure scorer. … Like Highland Park, Andover has a new coach at the helm this year as Martin Shetlar stepped down as Trojan coach after leading the program to top-four finishes each of the last three seasons including a state title in 2023. But the Trojans hired Trey O’Neil, who led Hugoton to the Class 4A state title in 2023. O’Neil will have to replace Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division II MVP Josh Kim and second-leading scorer Owen Allman, but returns Walker McClellan and two other seniors who were key figures a year ago. … The Trojans’ district rival Andover Central also reached state a year ago for the first time since 2020 but will have to do a complete rebuild to make it back this year. The Jaguars were senior-dominated a year ago with nine on the state roster. Senior Carter Inslee is the most experienced Trojan returning. … The depth in the United Kansas Conference was evident at state as the league put three teams in the field with Shawnee Heights and Topeka Westjoining Piper. West handed Piper one of its four losses last year and has been at state three of the last four years, last year’s berth the first under Christian Ulsaker, who took over the program last year. Ulsaker returns a veteran team this year despite graduating two starters. Malakyah Duncan and Keimani Paul were the team’s leading scorers last year as juniors. Heights, meanwhile, will have to replace its top two scorers from last year, led by Jaret Sanchez. The T-Birds have fallen to Piper at state each of the last two years and this will be veteran head coach Ken Darting’s final season so the T-Birds will be motivated to send him out with another state title, which would be his first at Heights. … The arrival of the Gruvers helped Bonner Springs return to state for the first time since 2019 with Drew Gruver taking over as head coach of the program and bringing in son Kelan, who led the Braves in scoring at 16.3 points per game. He’ll be complemented by Jason and Jaiden Jones, who each averaged double figures a year ago, Jaiden doing it as a freshman while also leading the team in rebounds. … Great Bend looked like one of the team’s to beat going into the postseason, claiming the No. 1 West sub-state seed with an 18-2 regular-season mark. But the Panthers were upset 62-60 in the sub-state semifinals by Eisenhower. That should serve as serious fuel for a Panther team that returns just about everyone, led by All-State Top 5 selection Ian Premer, who averaged 24.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game last year. Fellow first-team all-leaguer Jacob Hall also is back after also averaging double-figure scoring. … Just 12-10 a year ago, Maize South is poised for a better season this winter. Washburn commit Cy Stucky averaged a double-double last year and will team with Jalen Batiste to give the Mavericks a pair of returning double-figure scorers to build around. … Seaman returns KaeVon Bonner as its leading scorer from last year’s 13-8 team that was upset in overtime by Valley Center in the sub-state semifinals. … Hays reached the sub-state finals last year and will be led by Dawson Ruder. … St. Thomas Aquinas has fallen in the sub-state finals the past two seasons to Shawnee Heights but will have to replace its top two players from a year ago. 
 

 
CLASS 4A
 
2024-25 State champion – McPherson
 
2024-25 State runner-up – Rock Creek
 
2024-25 Review – Runs to state championships don’t get more thrilling than the one McPherson made a year ago. Even as defending champion, the Bullpups went into state as perhaps a bit of an underdog as the No. 4 seed and had a huge test right off the bat in Baldwin. It took a Gabe Pyle jumper at the buzzer for McPherson to get past the Bulldogs 60-59 in overtime in the quarterfinals. Pyle played the role of hero again in the semifinals as McPherson not just one overtime but two to outlast previously undefeated Ottawa 52-50 to return to the title game. After two straight nail-biters, McPherson skipped the dramatics in the championship game. Rock Creek had topped Andale 63-48 in the semifinals to earn a shot at the Bullpups, but McPherson took control of the title game early and locked things up in holding the Mustangs to five third-quarter points, taking a 53-44 victory to give head coach Kurt Kinnamon his eighth state championship. The title capped a 21-4 season for the Bullpups, while Rock Creek ended with a 22-3 mark, falling just short of the program’s second state title. Ottawa blew past Andale in the third-place game to finish the season 24-1 while Andale ended with a 20-5 mark.
 
2025-26 Contenders – With last year’s state title, McPherson now has 15 in its program’s rich history. For a sweet 16th to occur this year, the Bullpups will have to find a new savior, so to speak. Gabe Pyle not only was an All-State Top 5 selection last year, but hit the game-winning shots in both the overtime quarterfinal win over Baldwin and the double-overtime semifinal win over Ottawa. He’s graduated along with three other key seniors off last year’s team. His cousin, Jett Pyle, will take over as the team leader this year after ranking second to Gabe in scoring last year. Cade Strathman and Ashton Malm are athletic complements who will take on bigger roles this season. … An undefeated season was just out of reach for Ottawa last year as the Cyclones couldn’t quite knock off defending champion McPherson in the semifinals, falling in double overtime in a heartbreaker. The Cyclones will miss the services of departed twins Carter and Caleb Hepner, who formed a solid backcourt. But leading returner Aiden McCullough is back and can do a little bit of everything, in addition to carrying Ottawa back for another run at its first title since 2013. He’s joined by Jayce Mourning and Hayden Hull as key returners for veteran coach Cliff McCullough. … Runner-up last year, Rock Creek must replace its top two scorers from a year ago with the graduation of Coley Burgess and Eli Bell. Seniors Gavin Rosa and Peter Martinie will have to emerge in those roles this season for the Mustangs to win a third straight league title and return to state again. … Baldwin very well could have played for a state title last year had it not lost in overtime to McPherson in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs not only have one of the best players in 4A in Cooper Carr, who became Baldwin’s career leader in steals and assists and also went over 1,000 career points. Fellow senior Leo Schoenberger is top three in career rebounds for the Bulldogs and averaged 13.2 points per game to back Carr’s 18.8 per contest. Baldwin was young overall and will challenge Ottawa for not only the top spot in the Frontier League but 4A as well. … Andale finished fourth at state last year, going into the tourney having won 19 of its last 20 games. The Indians graduated leading scorer Austin Baaalman but Jack Horsch returns after leading a balanced supporting cast a year ago. … After ending an eight-year state tournament drought last year, Pratt is more than capable of not only getting back to state but making a deeper run after falling to Andale 45-43 in the quarterfinals. Senior Arley Morrell may be an Iowa State football commit, but he’s a force on the court as well and averaged a double-double with 20.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game last year. A trio of juniors started last year as sophomores, giving Morrell plenty of experience around him. … Atchisonhas been a fixture at state recently with last year’s trip its third straight. The Phoenix took third in 2024 before losing to Ottawa in the quarterfinals last year. Though the top two scorers off last year’s team are gone, Yogi Purdy returns as a double-figure scorer. … Abilene also has been a state fixture of late with four appearances in the last five years, last year’s coming under first-year head coach Kyle Taylor, son of legendary coach Terry Taylor. The Cowboys graduated a strong senior class from a year ago, including leading scorer Tyler Holloway. Senior Taygen Funston will look to lead the team back this year. … Chanute saw a 17-3 regular season end with a disappointing 38-37 sub-state semifinal loss to Wamego. The Blue Comets lost unanimous all-leaguer Eliott Stephenson but return second-teamer Warrick Olson and senior Kris Harding to try and get some redemption for last year’s early postseason exit. … Southeast Kansas League rivals Independence was just 9-12 but returns all-leaguers Kellen Lanning and Javon Colbert as the Bulldogs look to make a big step forward this season. … Hayden reached the sub-state finals last year before falling to Rock Creek and returns Connor Hanika, Kade Mitchell and Mason Becker. … If the fall was any indication, Augusta could be a dangerous team this year. The Orioles turned a so-so regular season into a deep playoff football run and after going 11-10 last year could follow that trend upward in basketball as well. Brody Haskell and Beckham Stoops each averaged double figures in points last year and Haskell had a breakout football season to give him even more momentum coming into basketball. … Hardened by a tough Eastern Kansas League schedule, Bishop Miege wasn’t able to parlay the tests into a postseason run as it has in the past. But the Stags have the potential to this year, led by returning standout Liam Tesmer, who averaged 14 points per game last year.
 

 
CLASS 3A
 
2024-25 State champion – Hesston
 
2024-25 State runner-up – Goodland
 
2024-25 Review – The field for the Class 3A state tournament was perhaps as deep as it’s ever been a year ago. Six teams made the field with three or fewer losses – Galena (22-0), Lakin (22-1), Cheney (22-1), Hesston (21-2), Burlington (20-3) and Goodland (20-3) -- while a seventh (Silver Lake, 18-5) had just five losses. That was going to make for a wild weekend in Hutchinson and that’s just what it was. Three of the quarterfinal games were decided by seven points or less and the No. 2 and 3 seeds were ousted as Silver Lake edged No. 2 Lakin 48-46 and Goodland knocked off No. 3 seed 68-52. Coming off a runner-up finish in 2024, Goodland continued its bid for a title with a semifinal win over Silver Lake, while Hesston picked off unbeaten and No. 1 seed Galena 60-42. The Swathers have been the top program in 3A over the last half decade, winning three straight titles from 2021-23, and they returned to the top with their fourth title in five years, beating Goodland 51-46 in the championship game behind 21 points from Reed Friesen, who averaged 22.3 points per game in the tournament. Silver Lake finished third with a 63-50 win over Galena, led by 3A tourney leading scorer Dayne Johnson, who averaged 23.7 points per game at the tourney.
 
2025-26 Contenders – With four state championships in the past five seasons, Hesston has built a bit of a dynasty in Class 3A. After missing out on the state tournament in 2024, the Swathers were back with a vengeance last year and knocked off undefeated Galena in the semifinals before denying Goodland in the finals with the Cowboys finishing runner-up for the second straight year. That’s two titles for head coach Garrett Roth, who won his first in 2023 after Greg Raleigh had led the Swathers to back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. To keep the run going this year, Hesston must replace All-3A pick Reed Friesen, who averaged more than 22 points per game at the state tourney and over 17 points per game throughout the season. Point guard Asher Deutchendorf also has graduated, but the Swathers return the three leading scorers behind Friesen with Ty Unruh coming up big in the title game and Daniel Lumbreras averaging 11 points a contest. … Coming off back-to-back state runner-up finishes, Goodland will have to go after that elusive title this year without the services of a talented 2025 senior class that led the two runs to the title games, including all-time leading scorer Brady Brumbaugh and Kansas State football signee Linkon Cure. The lone returning starter for the Cowboys is Braylon Mull, who averaged just under eight points per game last year. … Both of the losses Galena suffered a year ago came at state with the Bulldogs winning their first 22 games before losing to Hesston in the state semifinals and Silver Lake in the third-place game. The Bulldogs were dominant all season with 16 of their 22 wins prior to state by double figures. All five starters have graduated, including All-3A pick Jack Perry, who averaged 22 points per game. Evan Wittenmyer is the lone returner from last year’s regular rotation. … Silver Lake was oh so close to reaching its first state championship game since 1981, falling 66-60 to Goodland in the semifinals. While four starters and six seniors graduate, the Eagles return a huge piece to build around and remain a contender. Dayne Johnson was the leading scorer at the state tourney, averaging 23.7 points per game, and finished his season averaging better than 21 points per game. … Undefeated Central Plains League champions for the second straight year, the only loss Cheney suffered before getting upset by Goodland in the state quarterfinals came to Haven and the Cardinals had a win over eventual state champion Hesston. The Cardinals graduated leading scorer Josh Burdick and two other senior starters, but return a strong nucleus led by double-digit scorer Quaid Thomas. … A senior-dominated roster positioned Lakin to make a serious run at the state title, but it ended before it got started as the Broncs were upset by Silver Lake in the quarterfinals. Virtually everyone who was a key performer on last year’s team has graduated – 11 seniors total -- and head coach Nick Schmitt is gone as well, taking over at Wichita Collegiate. Sophomore Aydyn Holloway is the lone returner from last year’s state roster. … Burlington nearly ended Hesston’s championship run before it even started, having a possession late in the game to take the lead before turning it over and seeing the Swathers go the other way to claim a 45-42 victory. The Wildcats lost Sage Fefjar, who finished top five in career scoring for the program and also was a 500-rebound guy as well. Maddux Cheever returns after being the second-leading scorer while juniors Troy Over and Mason Collins are back average getting 8 points per game off the bench last year. … After nearly two decades of missing out on the state tournament, Bishop Ward returned for the first time since 2008, falling in the quarterfinals to undefeated Galena. Tyler Holmes was the guy for the Cyclones a year ago, averaging 23.2 points per game and setting the program’s single-season scoring record. He also pulled down 500 career rebounds. No other Cyclone averaged double-figure scoring with returning junior Quintayvion Pike second on the team at 8.3 points per game. … The Mitch Fiegel Era is over at Wichita Collegiate after he retired following last year’s 17-4 season. Former Lakin coach Nick Schmitt takes over the program and inherits a strong returning duo in AJ Batiste and Sebastian Hines-Turner. Batiste averaged nearly 16 points per game and if Hines-Turner can stay healthy, the Spartans will advance farther than the sub-state semifinals this season. … Haven was the team that knocked out Collegiate in the semifinals a year ago before losing to Cheney in the sub-state finals after having previously handed the Cardinals their only loss. The Wildcats graduated their dynamic scoring duo of Dalton Bontrager and Nash Wray, both of whom were unanimous all-league selections. … Caney Valleyreached the sub-state finals before falling to Burlington and graduated leading scorer Colt Hightower. The Bullpups return second-team all-leaguer Payton Darden. … Nemaha Central lost just three games a year ago in taking the Big East League title. All three players who earned all-league honors have graduated, including first-teamer Colby Frehe, but the Thunder have returning athletes who helped the football to the Class 2A state championship last weekend. … With graduation hitting hard at its fellow Great West Activities Conference rivals, Holcomb could emerge as the top team in the west. The Longhorns wen 17-5 a year ago, falling to Beloit in the sub-state semifinals. State cross country champion Brody Deniston and multi-year starter Korbin Johnson return after each averaged double figures in scoring last year with Deniston leading the team at 14.1 points per game. … Riverside nearly denied Ward its long-awaited return to state, falling 65-64 in the sub-state semifinals. The Cyclones return all three players who earned All-Northeast Kansas League honors, led by first-teamer Beckam Griffin. … Hoisington was barely over .500 a year ago, but could make a big jump this year, returning its leading scorer Mason Martin and getting the services of Brody Pfannenstial this year after he had to play JV only following his transfer from Russell.
 

 
CLASS 2A
 
2024-25 State champion – Sterling
 
2024-25 State runner-up – Moundridge
 
2024-25 Review – A noted basketball powerhouse league, the Heart of America put on one heck of a show at the Class 2A state tournament a year ago, and not just in securing the tourney’s top three seeds with two-time reigning champion Moundridge No. 1 with a 23-0 mark and Sterling (20-3) seeded second and Ell-Saline(20-3) seeded third. Sterling opened the state tourney with a record-setting performance, dropping 97 points on Chase County in a 49-point win, breaking the 2A single-game scoring mark of 88 points done twice previously. All three HOA teams advanced to the semifinals and once Moundridge raced past Valley Falls 74-46 in the first semifinal, an all-HOA championship game was locked down. Sterling followed up its record-setting performance with perhaps an even more impressive 76-59 shootout win over Ell-Saline to reach the finals for the first time in over a decade. As a precursor to the title game, Ell-Saline smashed Sterling’s two-day-old scoring mark by erupting for 109 points in the third place game. It was quite an appetizer for a championship game where Sterling avenged its only loss to a 2A team all season and denied Moundridge its three-peat with a 56-45 victory over the Wildcats. The championship was the first for the Black Bears since 2012 and capped a 23-3 season, while Moundridge suffered its only loss of the season, ending with a 25-1 mark.
 
2025-26 Contenders – While Sterling was able to go into last year’s state tournament as a bit of an underdog, even as the No. 2 seed, given its regular-season loss to undefeated two-time reigning champion Moundridge, that won’t be the case this season. Not only do the Black Bears wear the mantle of defending champion, they also return their entire team from a year ago. Boston Ekart and Blake Smith are a dynamic duo with Ekart an inside-out presence and Smith a heady point guard who got on a hot shooting tear at state. Fellow seniors Zane Farney and Wyatt Newberry were solid complements and just led Sterling to its first state football title since 1982 while sophomores Zach Dashiell and Jacob Lewis were key performers off the bench last year with Dashiell cut in the Ekart’s mold. … Once again the Heart of America will be loaded. After making the finals each of the last three seasons and winning titles in 2023 and 2024, Moundridge no longer has the key links to its title teams with the graduation of Bear Moddelmog and Henry Hecox, who were starters on the 2024 squad and key reserves as freshmen in 2023. Their departure leaves seniors Kaizer Kanitz nd Heath Churchill as the top returning starters with Churchill ranking third on the team in scoring last year. … Ell-Saline’s high-flying finish to the 2025 state tourney certainly left a lasting impression but the Cardinals would have preferred to have played for the title instead and made their mark there. Opportunity exists even with the graduation of leading scorer Brogan Rowley and fellow starter Garrison Zerger. Trey Williams led the team in scoring last year while Kas Kramer and Reece Krone also are back after each averaged just over 10 points per game a year ago. … Fourth at state last year, Valley Falls has a strong returning duo to make a run at another state berth and top four finish. Leading scorer Trenton VanHoutan is gone, but returning senior Collin Kearney led the Dragons in scoring at state. Damian Cervantez came up big in the quarterfinal win over Syracuse and also was a double-figure scorer last year. … Chase County ended a 30-plus year state drought last year, qualifying for the first time since 1993. The Bulldogs return leading scorer Wyatt Griffin, who averaged 15.6 points per game last year. He put the football team on his back in the fall after injuries took their toll. He may have to do the same in basketball, particularly if Guthrie Danford isn’t able to play after suffering a football injury. … A junior-dominated team a year ago, Rossville could start the season a little slow with the bulk of its roster having helped the football team to a runner-up state finish in Class 1A last weekend. But once the team switches to basketball mode, watch out. Returning senior Jack Donovan has already blown away Rossville’s career 3-pointers made record and averaged 18.3 points per game last year. Cameron Miller added double-digit scoring and Jakoby McDonnell is already sixth on the school’s career assist list. The Bulldawgs gave Ell-Saline all it wanted in the quarterfinals last year and could be a problem for anyone if they get back to state this season. … If not for Sterling, St. Mary’s Colgan would be the most experienced team back from last year’s state tourney, returning all but three players off last year’s team, only one of whom was in the regular rotation. Leading scorer Brady Bettega was the lone Panther to average double-figure scoring last year, but balance was the strength of the team. The Panthers play a tough schedule against mostly larger schools and will be motivated after getting blown out in last year’s quarterfinals by Moundridge. … With Vance Keller taking over the program and his sons Brody and Charlie Keller leading the way on the court, Syracuse returned to state for the first time since 2011 a year ago. The Bulldogs nearly stuck around for the weekend, too, falling in a 58-54 nailbiter to Valley Falls in the quarterfinals. Only two of three Kellers are back this season with Brody having graduated after sharing the team lead in scoring with Alvaro Leyva, who also has graduated. Charlie averaged just under 11 points per game and will be the building block around which this year’s team is formed. … A No. 1 seed in its Class 3A sub-state last year, St. Marys drops back down to 2A this season where the Bears have enjoyed success at state in recent years, taking runner-up to Hillsboro in 2022. St. Marys graduated leading scorer Brady Hurla, but returns sharp-shooter Ben DeVader and some key pieces around him. … Maur Hill won 20 games last year, but was knocked off in the sub-state finals by Rossville last year. The Ravens will have to reload after graduating Luke Siebert and not getting leading scorer Daric Ebanks back this season. … Undefeated going into sub-state a year ago, Sacred Heart was upset in the semifinals by Bennington 67-56 to prematurely end what the Knights thought could be a championship season. That loss should serve as big-time motivation this season and the Knights have plenty of firepower back to use that fuel. Will Tuttle averaged 21 points per game while Maddox Wells and Noah Hines join him as returning first-team all-league selections. … Fresh off its upset of Sacred Heart, Bennington was in prime position to return to the state tourney, holding a big lead on league rival Ell-Saline in the final minute before the Cardinals mounted a furious rally to pull out a 69-68 win. Isaiah Garrett returns after averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds per game. … Stanton County reached the sub-state finals before getting blown out by eventual state champion Sterling. The Trojans have one of the top players in 2A in David Crane, who averaged a double-double last year. Gerardo Robles also returns. … Plainville also was a sub-state finalist last year and returns leading scorer Joey Dintino, who averaged 13 points per game last year as a sophomore.
 

 
CLASS 1A DIVISION I
 
2024-25 State champion – Olpe
 
2024-25 State runner-up – South Central
 
2024-25 Review – It wasn’t just the No. 1 overall seed that made Olpe perhaps a slight favorite going into the state tournament. There was also history with the state berth the fifth straight for the Eagles, all four of those previous trips ending in top-four finishes including back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022. Furthermore, both of Olpe’s regular-season losses to Class 3A teams. But a deep field wasn’t going to be easy, one that included 2024 state champion South Gray and the Rebels’ SPIAA rival South Central as well as Clifton-Clyde and Frankfort from the perennially tough Twin Valley League. And then there was Little River, Olpe’s quarterfinal draw and a program with its own rich tradition. Olpe survived them all. After fighting off Little River’s 8 vs. 1 upset bid with a 57-53 win, the Eagles proved why the favorite tag fit them well and handled Central Plains 44-34 in the semifinals. South Central ended South Gray’s title defense with an equally impressive 64-49 semifinal win, but couldn’t muster the same kind of offense against Olpe’s stingy defense as Olpe held the Timberwolves to nearly half their semifinal total with a 47-34 victory in the championship game. The title capped a 24-2 season and gave Olpe its third title in five years. South Central, which won the SPIAA Tournament title, finished 23-3 and with its best state tourney finish in program history. South Gray bounced back from its semifinal loss to finish third, beating Central Plains 66-56.
 
2025-26 Contenders – Having combined for four state titles, two runner-up finishes, two thirds and a fourth over the past five seasons, Olpe and South Gray have kind of set themselves apart from the rest of Class 1A Division II. Olpe’s back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022 came at South Gray’s expense and South Gray beat the Eagles in the semifinals en route to its title in 2024. They didn’t meet last year at state for the first time during the recent stretch and to get back to state this year, both have some big holes to fill. Olpe will return leading scorer Brecken McGuire, who emerged as one of 1A’s top players last year as a sophomore when he averaged 17 points per game. He’ll have to carry an even bigger load this year as fellow guard Dexton Hoelting has graduated and returning junior Abbott Bailey will likely miss the entire season after suffering a leg injury late in the football season. Almost everyone else does return, however, and the Eagles can defend like no other team in 1A. … South Gray, meanwhile, also returns a player that can make a case for being the best in 1A, 6-foot-5 senior Gavin Wahl, who averaged 23.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game last year. The Rebels do have to replace five seniors who were in the regular rotation, but do return Asa Brisco, who nearly averaged a double-double as well last year with 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. … Not only is South Central coming off the best state finish in program history with last year’s runner-up showing, the Timberwolves have some additional momentum as the football team is fresh off capturing its first-ever state title, winning the Eight-Player Division I championship last weekend. Jack Herd is the driving force behind both program breakthroughs, averaging a team-high 17 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last year. The loss of departed seniors Jase Rutherford and Jamie Gardea leave some big holes, but a talented junior class that contributed heavily last year as sophomores, led by Eli Girk and Easton Huck, give the Timberwolves more than enough to make a run at their first basketball title as well. … Fourth at state a year ago, Central Plainsleaned heavily on a strong sophomore class last year in going 19-6. Three sophomores started last year led by Brodie Crites, who led the team with 15.5 points per game. Five of last year’s top six scorers are back with the biggest loss to graduation Aiden Hekele, who was the only other double-figure scorer last year. … Had Little River not drawn Olpe in the quarterfinals, the Redskins may very well have made a deeper run at state a year ago. The prospects for a potential deep run this year are good as Little River lost only Logan Renken off last year’s state team, which had four sophomores and five freshmen on it. One of those sophomores, Jaren Garrison, led the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game, just ahead of returning senior Jaxson Konen’s 10.5 points per game. … After losing four starters off its fourth-place team in 2024, Quinter reloaded and returned to state last year, falling in the quarterfinals to South Gray. The Bulldogs won’t have to reload this season after losing only two senior starters off last year’s state team, though those are big holes with Shea Salyers the leading scorer a year ago. Returners Gunner Catura, Caedmon Bridges and Colt Werth all were just under double-figure scoring averages last year and Bridges was also the leading rebounder. … Twin Valley League qualifiers Clifton-Clyde and Frankfort each were the senior-dominated teams at state last year and will have to do a bit of a rebuilding job to get back to state this year. Frankfort does return leading scorer Wes Anderson, a four-year starter who put the football team on his shoulders this fall and led the Wildcats to the state quarterfinals. Fellow senior Fred Rosquist suffered an injury in football and is he misses extensive time, that’s just another hole to fill. Clifton-Clyde, meanwhile, graduated four of five starters, including Jack Skocny, who led the team in scoring the past two seasons, getting 25 points per game a year ago. No returner averaged more than five points per game so figuring out where the scoring will come this year will be priority No. 1 for the Eagles. … Fresh off a breakthrough football season that saw the program not only win its first-ever playoff game but advance all the way to the state finals, Lincoln is hoping for a repeat in basketball season. The Leopards were on the brink a year ago, claiming the No. 1 seed in their sub-state with a 14-4 record before getting upset in the semifinals by Blue-Valley Randolph. The twin brother combo of Jeremiah and Xavier Miller were dynamic playmakers in football and also on the court, combining for nearly 25 points per game a year ago. The Leopards lose first-team all-leaguer Cooper Rathbun but return just about everyone else. … Bishop Seabury was coming off a state runner-up finish in 2024 and looking to make another run before getting knocked off in the sub-state semifinals by Frankfort. It’s rebuild time for the program as Kansas’ all-time leading shot-blocker, Chase Honarvar and leading scorer Jace Smith have graduated. … Kiowa County won the SPIAA regular season title over state qualifiers South Central and South Gray, but lost a 62-61 heartbreaker to South Central in the sub-state finals to finish with an 18-5 mark. While leading scorer Brock Deterding has graduated, returning senior Sawyer Campbell was right behind with 17.3 points per game and was a first-team all-leaguer. Four starters return overall to keep the Mavericks as a contender in a tough SPIAA league and beyond. … Macksville won the 2023 state title and took a 15-5 mark into sub-state play last year before seeing its season end with a loss to Kiowa County. The Mustangs no longer have the leading scorer in Class 1A as Diego Esparza has graduated. Only two starters return with Nolan Adams averaging 11.5 points per game last year. … Madison may very well be Olpe’s top challenger in the Lyon County League, coming off a 15-7 season. The Bulldogs return leading scorer Octavian Dean, who averaged 16.7 points per game, and return three other starters with senior Lane Smith an all-defensive team pick in the league last year. … If not Madison, Burlingame is the top LCL challenger to Olpe and will be motivated after losing in the sub-state finals to Clifton-Clyde after having the top seed. A stellar senior class is gone, but 6-foot-6 senior Drake Skirvin returns after averaging 21.3 points and 13 rebounds per game last year. … Oxfordwas the top seed in its sub-state last year, but was knocked off by Little River in the sub-state finals. The Wildcats return leading scorer Kellen Green, but will miss the physical presence of Cordell Jordan. … Fellow South Central Border League member Central-Burden reached the sub-state finals as well last year, falling to eventual champion Olpe. The Raiders return leading scorer James Braun, who averaged 13.8 points per game. Second-leading scorer Ethan Boucher has graduated. … Flinthills could be the team making the biggest move in the SCBL. After improving five wins to an 11-8 mark last year, the Mustangs return almost everyone and have one of the more dynamic scorers in the league and 1A in Jake Hunter, who averaged 22.6 points per game and made 80 3-pointers. … The depth in the SPIAA is real and Spearville and Meade are both coming off winning seasons and return their leading scorers. Ian Melendez led Spearville at 21.8 points per game while Samuel Lynn led Meade with 20.1 points per game.
 

 
CLASS 1A DIVISION II
 
2024-25 State champion – Axtell
 
2024-25 State runner-up – Cunningham
 
2024-25 Review – Everything seemingly pointed to a repeat championship for Cunningham last year. After making a stirring run to capture the program’s first state title in 2024, the Wildcats wore the target of defending champion well last winter. Returning four of five starters from the title team, Cunningham didn’t have a game closer than 11 points prior to the state tournament and won 19 games by 20 or more points. That dominance continued at state as Cunningham pulled away in the second half for a 63-50 quarterfinal win over Bucklinand a 79-69 semifinal win over Elyria Christian. But just as the Wildcats may have been a team of destiny in their 2024 title season, so too may Axtell have been last year. With the bulk of the team having helped the Eagles to their fourth straight Eight-Player Division II championship in the fall, the only missing piece on the seniors’ resume was a state basketball title with Axtell falling in the state semifinals in both 2023 and 2024. While Axtell had suffered one regular-season loss, it had come to a Nebraska team and the Eagles swept the Twin Valley League titles. After routing Hutchinson Central Christian 66-46 in the quarterfinals, Axtell turned back Dighton 57-51 in the semifinals to earn a shot at the defending champs. Then the Eagles made the most of it, jumping out to a 21-7 first-quarter lead and never looking back in taking a 57-39 victory to claim the title that had eluded them. Both Axtell and Cunningham finished with 25-1 records. Elyria Christian finished third after edging Dighton 59-57.
 
2025-26 Contenders – It’s been a remarkable run for last year’s finalists, Cunningham and Axtell. Cunningham hadn’t been at the state tournament since 2013 before capturing the 2024 state championship and taking second last year, losing a combined four games those two seasons. For Axtell, it was a stellar senior class led by Brandon Schmelzle and Eli Broxterman that carried the Eagles to three top-four state finishes, completing the journey to the top last year. Now both will have almost entirely new identities going into the 2025-26 season. … Even after graduating that senior class, Axtell has more than enough to still be a factor at the state tournament again this season. Junior Logan Sandmann emerged as a big-time post presence for the Eagles last year as a sophomore, averaging 12.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The Eagles still have plenty at the guard spot, too with seniors Collin Shaughnessy and Landon Schmitz back – Schmitz a starter a year ago and Shaughnessy an impact sixth-man. Junior guard Wyatt Detweiler also returns giving the Eagles three starters back off the title team. … Cunningham, meanwhile, will have to hope the same staying power it showed on the gridiron carries over to the hardwood. Graduation claimed the dynamic duo of Luke Albers and Will Wegerer, each of whom averaged better than 20 points per game as juniors before averaging 19.2 and 22.7 points per game last year, respectively. A third double-figure scorer, Nate Sterneker, is also gone. Returning senior starters Kendall Rogers and Dylan Halderson combined for just over 10 points per game last year and will step into starring roles this year. … Graduation also hit last year’s other semifinalists – Elyria Christian and Dighton – hard, even harder than Axtell and Cunningham. Both teams lost all five starters from a year ago with Elyria’s biggest loss Ty Romero, who averaged better than 24 points per game a year ago and Dighton’s major hole Daniel Cramer, who averaged over 20 points per game as well. Elyria lost seven seniors overall and had no juniors on last year’s 21-5 team. Dighton also will count heavily this year on a junior class that played key reserve roles as sophomores last year. … After ending Axtell’s state championship streak in football, Hanover could very well supplant the Eagles as state champions in basketball as well. The Wildcats were state champions in 2021 and returned last year with a fairly young team with only two seniors on last year’s state roster. Braylon Meyn has led the team in scoring the past two seasons while Tanner Bruna also returns as a double-figure scorer last year. … State runner-up in 2024, Lebo fell to Dighton in the quarterfinals last year and will also have to fill some big voids, none bigger than that of double-double machine Zach Oswald, who averaged 21.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game last year. Sophomore Gerek Reber is the Wolves’ lone returning starter, averaging just under 5 points per game last year as a freshman. … After making its first state appearance since 2017, Hutchinson Central Christian must replace four starters from its 13-11 team that went into sub-state as the No. 9 seed and knocked off three higher seeds to earn its state berth. Piercen Huff returns as the Cougars’ leading scorer last year. … Low numbers led to an abbreviated football season for Bucklin, which had to combine with Ashland to play a modified schedule. That should have the returning Red Aces hungry for basketball and a shot at getting back to state for the fifth straight year. Bucklin was just 13-11 going into state last year, but plays in an ultra-tough SPIAA League that prepares them for the Division II postseason. The Red Aces graduated their three top scorers off last year’s team, but return two starters in Nick Feikert and Preston Yancey, who averaged just under 5 points per game last year in supporting roles. … Weskan was the No. 1 seed at its sub-state with a 17-3 mark, but was upset by Central Christian in the semifinals. The Coyotes lost the top scorer in Division II in Trey Allen (27.4 ppg), but return Karsyn Wright, who averaged just over 10 points per game. … Wallace County was also an upset victim for Central Christian. But the Wildcats return Kemper Benisch, who was a second-team all-leaguer. … Hodgeman County is another SPIAA team that had a strong season last year, going 17-6 and falling to Dighton in the sub-state finals. The Longhorns very well might have been a state team in another sub-state. Leading scorer Hazen Rydquist is gone, but Ian Reece will return and carry the momentum of a big football season that saw Hodgeman reach the state semifinals. … Logan-Palco carried an undefeated record into its sub-state only to see the season come to a heartbreaking end with a 56-51 loss to Hanover in the sub-state championship game. The Trojans will have to replace do-everything standout Rhett Kats, who averaged 25.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4 steals per game last year. Five of last year’s top six scorers graduated with Case Ashmore the lone returner after getting 8 points per game last year. … Beloit-St. John’s made the sub-state finals before falling to eventual champion Axtell. They return Ed Horinek and Gabriel Roderick with Horinek averaging 22 points per game last year. … Hartford had the top seed at its sub-state before falling to Lebo in the finals. Coy Wilkinson returns for the Jaguars after averaging 19.8 points per game last year as a sophomore.