Dairyland-Large Conference Preview - Boys Basketball

Below is a boys basketball conference preview. Included in each preview is the previous year standings, review, returning all-conference players, projected standings with writeup, a sleeper team, top players to watch, conference break out candidates.

Osseo won the conference crown in the large division of the Dairyland after going 18-2 in league play, with Whitehall close behind and the rest pretty far behind. Come playoff time, the conference struggled as a whole, going 0-5 against teams outside of the conference and not having a team advance to regional Saturday.

Indpendence/Gilmanton will sidle over to the large division this year in the Dairyland Conference. If Osseo can get to twenty wins on the year, head coach Ryan Leis would surpass 100 in his career.

Head Coach: Tyler Petersen - 11th year (139 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Deacon Steig, Connor Stevens
Returners: William Youngbauer, 5-10, sr; Bo Killian, 5-10, sr; Riley Herman, 6-2, sr; Aiden Evans, 6-3, sr; Mason Przyblla, 6-2, sr; Cayden Platteter, 6-1, sr; Alex Semb, 5-10, jr; Grayson Pronschinske, 5-6, sr; Dominic Christanson, 6-0, sr; Karston Ausderau, 5-10, jr; Travis Johnson, 5-10, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Rylan Foss, 5-9, soph; Max Pientok, soph
Breakout Candidate: Bo Killian

Outlook: Whitehall finished two games back of Osseo a season ago but have a multitude of contributors back in 2026-27. Tyler Peterson will have all five starters plus a handful of others back for The Norse. William Youngbauer and Bo Killian are one of the better duos in the conference and can take games over from the guard position. Aiden Evans and Cayden Platteter along with Riley Herman all started a season ago. This senior group has played a lot of basketball together and that experience and chemistry are hard to come by. It’s the reason Whitehall is the preseason favorite and primed to make a run come February.

Head Coach: Ryan Leis - 2nd year (80 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Noah Sullivan, Drake Vojtik, Mason Schmidt, Drew Paulus, Ty Hanson
Returners: Brooks Koxlien, 6-4, sr; Drew Hanson, 6-1, sr; Mason Knudtson, 6-3, sr; Blaine Mccune, 6-1, sr; Emerick Korger, 6-1, sr;
Newcomers/New Contributors: Ty Skoyen, 5-10, jr; Holden McCray, 6-2, jr
Breakout Candidate: Mason Knudtson

Outlook: Three starters and the top three scorers are gone from the Thunder squad that won the conference crown a season. Brooks Koxlien is the lone regular returning starter though both Drew hanson and Mason Knudtson split starts as juniors. Blaie McCune and Emerick Korger saw varsity minutes off the bench and are two prime candidates to step into those starting roles. Defense and rebounding are considered two strengths of this team going into 2026-27, while consistent outside shooting is an area of concern.

Head Coach: David Cowley - 2nd year (220 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Eric Herzberg, Wade Adams
Returners: Brady Blaken, 6-1, sr; Willard Radcliffe, 5-10, jr; Isaiah Kleinsmith, 5-11, sr; Wyatt McHugh, 6-0, jr; Brooks Cowley, 6-3, jr; Brewer Schlifer, 5-11, sr; Seth Mulder, 6-1, jr; Isaak Christianson, 5-9, jr; Max Sedevie, 6-2, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Xander Kleinsmith, frosh
Breakout Candidate: Willard Radcliffe

Outlook: David Cowley enters Year 2 with the Mustangs and returns a strong core from last year’s 11-win squad. The top six scorers and eight of the ten contributors return for a team that will have a plethora of experience. Brooks Cowley and Brady Blaken were all-conference selections a season ago while Wyatt McHugh led the Mustangs in scoring. Wilalrd Radcliffe, Isaiah Kleinsmith, and Seth Mulder all saw significant minutes. Freshman Xander Kleinsmith could find himself working his way into the rotation, adding depth for Coach Cowley’s squad.

Head Coach: Luke Denniston - 2nd year (9 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Calvin Barneson, Noah Martinson, Titan Miller, Tyson Turk
Returners: Bo Windjue, 5-11, sr; Cashton Kulig, 6-2, jr; Afton Flynn, 6-3, jr; Nolan Semingson, 6-1, jr; Hunter Nicolet, 6-1, soph; Braedyn Szalecki, 6-1, sr;
Newcomers/New Contributors: Alex King, 5-7, jr
Breakout Candidate: Bo Windjue

Outlook: Eleva-Strum returns three starters from last years squad that won nine games. That experience is key for Coach Denniston and his squad. Cashton Kulig, Bo Windjue, and Afton Rlynn all were starters a year ago and provide leadership on the court and proven production. The Cardinals could be a surprise team in 2026-27 with those returners. On top of that, Eleva buried over 200 three-point shots as a team, making over 34% of those attempts.

Head Coach: Kory Rud - 23rd year (215 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Nolan Schanke, Nery Lopez, Eric Lopez, Coltyn Pronschinske
Returners: Tyler Parr, 6-0, sr; Glenn Turner, sr; Luis Ignacio, sr; Darion Gibbs, jr; Hunter Kreibich, 5-10, sr; Sebastian Lopez, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Payton Hovey, 6-0, sr;
Breakout Candidate: Payton Hovey

Outlook: Indepenendence/Gilmanton moves over to the Large Division this year after going 2-23 and 1-19 in league play while in the Small Division a season ago. Kory Rud enters year 23 of coaching and does return three starters in Tyler Parr, Glenn Turner, and Luis Ignacio. Senior Payton Hovey averaged nearly ten points per game as a sophomore but had to sit out all of last season with an injury. Guard play is expected to be a strength while lack of size is a concern.

Head Coach: Byron King - 4th year (15 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Bryce Buttke, Isac Mooney, Tyler Lee
Returners: Owen Lee, 5-8, sr; James Shong, 6-2, jr; Rilee Mickelson, 6-0 jr; Caleb Kolve, 6-2, sr; Aiden Schmidt, sr; Nathan Atchison, 6-0, sr; Rex Kaeding, soph; Aiden Barnett, sr; Josh Shong, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors:
Breakout Candidate: Owen Lee

Outlook: Augusta finished last in the conference a season ago and will have to replace three of their top four scorers. That’s not easy task for a team in most years, especially in a conference where they struggled a season ago. Owen Lee is the top returner while sophomores James Shong and Rilee Mickelson both saw plenty of time as sophomores and will likely slot into those open starting roles.

Brady Blaken, sr, Melrose-Mindoro
Blaken was a second team all-conference honoree as a junior last year. A team back with plenty of experience, he’ll be able to build off his 10.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game from a season ago.

Brooks Cowley, jr, Melrose-Mindoro
Cowley earned second team All-Dairyland honors a season ago. The son of head coach David Cowley, he averaged 10.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and plays with a non-stop motor.

Payton Hovey, sr, Independence/Gilmanton
Hovey is looking to bounce back after missing his junior season due injury a season ago. As a sophomore he averaged 9.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while also leading the team with 3.7 assists.

Luis Ignacio, sr, Independence/Gilmanton
Ignacio led the co-op in scoring a season ago, averaging 13.7 points per game while also adding 6.1 rebounds, despite playing in just 19 games.

Bo Killian, sr, Whitehall
A second team all-Dairyland selection a season ago, Killian forms the best guard tandem in the conference with his classmate Youngbauer. As a junior he averaged 12.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Brooks Koxlien, sr, Osseo-Fairchild
Koxlien is the only starter back that started every game for the Thunder a season ago. As a junior he averaged 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 36% from behind the arc.

Cashton Kulig, jr, Eleva-Strum
Kulig was a second team all-conference selection a season ago as a sophomore and is primed for an even bigger breakout year this upcoming season. He averaged 11.0 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 44.3% from three.

Owen Lee, sr, Augusta
Lee is the top returning scorer for the Beavers in 2026-27. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while also averaging 3.4 steals per game on the defensive side.

Wyatt McHugh, jr, Melrose-Mindoro
McHugh led the Mustangs in scoring as a sophomore a season ago, averaging 11.2 points per game. He added 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Cayden Platteter, sr, Whitehall
Platteter provides a touch of size and strength from this forward position for The Norse squad that is guard dominant. He averaged 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as a junior.

William Youngbauer, sr, Whitehall
Youngbauer is one of the, if not the best, guard in the conference. He’s the lone returning first team all-conference player in entire Dairyland after he averaged 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.