#1 Dakota Valley (4-0)
After Sioux Valley’s loss to De Smet, the Panthers of Dakota Valley have quietly worked their way to the #1 spot. Isaac Bruns, who recently received an offer from North Dakota, has averaged 24.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg so far this season.
Randy Rosenquist, is also averaging 13.8 ppg to go with 7 apg, while sophomore Jaxson Wingert is just behind Rosenquist with 12.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg. The crazy part is, the top scorers on this team consist of 2 juniors and 1 sophomore, so for as good as we thought Dakota Valley was last year, they are going to be dominant for a while.
Their next two opponents are Iowa teams, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (2-5) and LeMars (5-3), and we won’t get to see them play another South Dakota team until the 11th against West Central.
Next Game: Jan. 4 @ Sergeant Bluff-Luton (IA)
#2 Sioux Valley (3-1)
Formerly #1 until their loss against De Smet, the Cossacks have been another team that has played well to start off this early season. Oliver Vincent has been the leader of the squad so far, but Damian Danzeisen and Parker Puetz have also been great options around the perimeter. Not to forget, they have a 6-10 post in Alec Squires, so Sioux Valley has all the pieces to make a run at the state title.
The Cossacks turned the ball over 13 times against De Smet, and that stat was the key difference maker in their loss up at Brookings. If they can prevent turnovers, I think that they have the athleticism and skill to compete with anyone at this level.
It would be a huge pickup if they can win the Big East Conference Tournament, as their schedule looks to be fairly light for the rest of January.
Next Game: Jan. 6 vs Baltic
#3 St. Thomas More (6-0)
So far this season, the Cavaliers have taken down the defending state champions in Wyoming and Tennessee! That right there shows that STM deserves some respect. They also took down a Scottsbluff (NE) team that holds an 8-2 record, and looking at their schedule, an undefeated regular season is now not that hard to fathom.
They have to take care of Belle Fourche tonight, along with some tougher West River opponents in January, but the Cavaliers have so far impressed through the difficult part of their schedule.
Next Game: Jan. 4 vs Belle Fourche
#4 Winner (6-0)
If these top 4 are the semi finalists at the state tournament, I will not be mad. And while the first 3 have proven to be excellent teams, let’s not forget about the Warriors.
It always seems like Winner is near the top of the rankings in every sport, so we really shouldn’t be that surprised to see them here. So far they have take down Stanley County, #5 West Central, and Parkston. Winner is the only loss those teams have…that right there gives them a solid resume.
Blake Volmer has lead the Warriors through those excellent victories with 14.7 ppg to go along with 8 rpg, while Slade Cournoyer is another Warriors averaging double-digit points with 10.3 ppg.
Winner will play Chamberlain tonight on the road and have a big matchup with Pierre on the 11th at home.
Next Game: Jan. 4 @ Chamberlain
#5 West Central (3-1)
The Trojans opened the season with a pair of tough wins against SFC and MV/P before dropping a game to Winner. They certainly have one of the toughest schedules in the class, with matchups against Lower Brule, Dakota Valley, Lennox and Vermillion this month. If they can make it through January with a couple of wins in that slate of games, the Trojans will be set up nicely for the state tournament.
Next Game: Jan. 3 vs Dell Rapids
RV Sioux Falls Christian (2-3)
You may be wondering, “how does a team with 3 losses get votes?”
Well, those 3 losses are against #5 West Central, Class AA #2 O’Gorman, and First Assembly Christian (TN). They also have wins against Lennox and EP-J, two valid opponents in their own right.
Therefore, it’s easy to say that the Chargers have had the MOST difficult schedule so far of any team that I can think of. It’s not going to get any easier either; Jefferson, perennial power Unity Christian (IA), and Dell Rapids are their next 3 opponents, with even more challenges on the way after.
The Chargers are going to be the most battle-tested team in the state, so don’t underestimate them because of their record.
Next Game: Jan. 4 @ Jefferson
RV Hanson (5-0)
You go 5-0 in this class, and your going to get some notice. Granted, their best win so far this season is MC/M, while the rest of their schedule has a combined record of 6-10, but they have plenty of challenges ahead, including a matchup against a tough Parkston team tonight.
Next Game: Jan. 4 vs Parkston
RV Tea Area (1-2)
We really haven’t seen that much out of Tea so far. They have played 3 very difficult opponents, however, taking a win over Dell Rapids (+10) before falling to Dakota Valley (-11) and O’Gorman (-1). The Titans are going to have a chance to climb back up the rankings, but they need to get a win tonight on the road against Vermillion.
Next Game: Jan. 4 @ Vermillion
