Ridge & Valley 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.

For the first time in decades, Kickapoo captured the conference crown in the Ridge & Valley. It was a fun ride as both the Panthers and Trojans were two of the best Division 5 teams all season. Come postseason play, the Trojans outlasted the conference, winning a regional title before falling to Southwestern. As a whole the conference went 3-4 in postseason play outside of the league.

It would appear the Ridge & Valley runs through North Crawford this year as the Trojans have a deep group back from a 23-win season. With a successful regular season and run in the playoffs, Coach Wettstein has a chance at 200 career wins. De Soto and Kickapoo have a lot to replace from a season ago.

Head Coach: Chris Wettstein - 13th year (176 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Cullen Jacobus, Landen Blaha, Ayjay Anderson
Returners: Landry Stluka, 6-1, jr; Zack Bender, 6-3, sr; Sawyer Stluka, 5-10, sr; Damien McCormick, 6-3, soph; Pasen Enke, 5-10, jr; Owan Blaha, 5-9, jr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Aidyn O’Kane, soph; Rowan Kandler, 5-9, soph; Romello Black, 6-2, sr; Phineas Dudgeon, soph; John Turner, 6-3, jr
Breakout Candidate: Damien McCormick

Outlook: Despite losing a 20 point per game scorer from a season ago, Crawford’s depth as a program will shine through this year. Head coach Chris Wettstein has done a great job building the Trojan program into what it is and he’s got a plethora of guards and athletes on the perimeter coming back. Landry and Sawyer Stluka are strong, quick and can score it. Zack Bender can bury shots from deep at a high clip and Damien McCormick flourished as a freshman and is poised to break out as a sophomore. Pasen Enk, Owan Blaha, and a few other will only add depth for a Trojans team that is going to be one of the better teams not just in the Ridge & Valley, but in Division 5 as a whole.

Head Coach: Mat Wood - 5th year (68 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Arlon Walter, Malachi McCauley, Breken Miller, Aidric Egge, Warren Uhge, Jeff Olsen, Brayden Lindner
Returners: Jace Nagel, 5-11, sr; Randyn Dechant, 6-0, sr; Jackson Stoikes, 5-8, sr; Weston Uhe, 5-5, sr; Kyler Preuitt, 5-7, sr; Gavin Kreiger, 5-11, jr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Cullen Kaiser, soph; Bennett Gehrke, 6-2, jr
Breakout Candidate: Jace Nagel

Outlook: Kickapoo has the unfortunate task of replacing a handful of four-year varsity players that changed expectations for the Kickapoo boys basketball program. Mat Wood is up for the task. Jace Nagel is the most tenured player back as he played big minutes off the bench for the conference championship team. The good news for the players filling out the rest of the roster? They practiced every day against that championship team a season ago. Jackson Stoikes, Weston Uhe and Bennett Gehrke were pieces of the JV team that went 16-4, as was sophomore Cullen Kaiser.

Head Coach: Garrett Redman - 8th year (82 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Jackson Trussoni, Lane Ghelf, Bryce Schultz, Finn Wrobel, Austin DeFlorian
Returners: Eli Brosinski, 5-8, jr; Adam Venner, 6-5, sr; Oscar Zink, 5-11, sr; Wills Davis, 5-8, sr; Drake Ebner, 5-10, sr; Jack Buckles, 5-11, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Oscar Johnson, soph; Kayne Boardman, 5-8, jr; John Saegrove, 5-10, sr
Breakout Candidate: Eli Brosinski

Outlook: Replacing three starters and a few other contributors will be a tough task for the Pirates this year, but Coach Redman does have a few pieces back. Eli Brosinski commands the offense from the point guard position while Adam Venner is a physical presence on the inside. Oscar Zink, Jack Buckles, and Drake Ebner appear poised to step into those opening starter roles and provide shooting and ball handling at the guard positions. Shooting and depth are two strengths of the Pirates in 2026-27 while fleshing out the rotation is a question mark early on.

Head Coach: Aaron Huebsch - 3rd year (33 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Devin Ihm, Cody Byrnes, Hewsetn Garcia-Boland, Keegan Jones
Returners: Caden Keller, 5-9, sr; Sam Jones, 6-0, sr; Makai Tauaalo, 5-11, sr; Blake Drea, 5-6, soph; Dalton Ihm, 6-2, jr; Braysen Garcia-Boland, 5-9, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Gage Buschor, soph; Payton Brown, jr; Hayden Byrnes, Carter Pluemer, Owen Kershner, soph
Breakout Candidate: Dalton Ihm

Outlook: Third year head coach Aaron Huebsch has three starters to replace from last year’s 14-win season, including 1,000 point scorer Devin Ihm. Caden Keller is an athletic lead guard that is one of two starters back, alongside Ethan Birkrem. Blake Drea and Dalton Ihm are two players that saw limited varsity action a season ago but will step into larger roles with the Bulldogs. Coach Huebsch believes this group will be successful from beyond the arc in 2026-27.

Head Coach: Tyler Payne - 2nd year (15 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Jackson Konichek, Hunter Hagensick, Gage Wall, Kaden Roberts, Carson Sime
Returners: Owen George, 6-0, sr; Jaxx Wall, 5-10, soph; Dakota Owens, 6-4, sr; Basil Hall, 5-10, jr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Landon Payne, frosh; Aidan Payne, 6-4, jr
Breakout Candidate: Jaxx Wall

Outlook: Head coach Tyler Payne has the unenviable task of replacing all five starters from last year’s 15-win squad. He’ll turn to returning seniors Owen George and Dakota Owens to step up in their final years as well as Jaxx Wall and Basil Hall who played extended minutes as underclassmen. The Royals have a lot of production to replace, but the group back is a good group of athletes that will compete.

Head Coach: Keagan Drea - 1st year
Lost Contributors: Isaac Jennings, Trevor Westphal
Returners: Eli Jennings, soph; Jacob Keller, soph; Gavin Kast, sr; Brady Westphal, jr; Torian Bormett, jr; Ross Allbaugh, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors:
Breakout Candidate: Eli Jennings

Outlook: Weston won just one conference game a season ago and do have the task of replacing the top two scorers. However, first year head coach Keagan Drea will turn to a young group that got plenty of experience a season ago. Eli Jennings and Jacob Keller were the third and fourth leading scorers a season ago as freshmen. Brady Westphal and Torian Bormett saw action as sophomores and Gavin Kast and Ross Allbaugh are the elder statesmen for the Silver Eagles this season.

Head Coach: Isaiah Okey - 7th year (79 career wins)
Lost Contributors: Cooper Lomas, Theodore Millin, Julius Cooley, Clint Mitchell
Returners: Joshua Martin, 5-8, jr; Bently Dums, 6-2, jr; Cody Wagner, 5-11, jr; Garrison Becwar, 5-10, sr; Dakota Cox, 5-10, sr
Newcomers/New Contributors: Nathaniel Walz, jr; Brody Ray, soph, Brody Bunders, Ryder Fralick, Wyatt Hickie
Breakout Candidate: Josh Martin

Outlook: Three starters and three of the top four scorers are graduated from last year’s Hornets team that finished 3-11 in the Ridge & Valley. Joshua Martin, Bently Dums, and Cody Wagner saw extensive varsity minutes as sophomores and that experience will only propel that trio in 2026-27 as they look to step into larger roles. Head coach Isaiah Okey will look to Garrison Becwar and Dakota Cox to also step into larger roles and minutes in their senior years.

Head Coach: Matt Benson - 7th year (31 career wins)
Lost Contributors: William Wirts, Theo Parr, William Fortun, Dwayne Carter, Brian Potter, Beau Sherrick
Returners: Braxtyn Kastner, sr; Gunnar Williams, jr; Ephraem Carns-Hilliker, soph; Jeremih Carter, jr; Bentley Nelson, jr
Newcomers/New Contributors:
Breakout Candidate: Braxtyn Kastner

Outlook: La Farge won five games overall and two within the Ridge & Valley a season ago, but will need to replace four starters and six contributors. No easy task for head coach Matt Benson, he’ll lean on Braxtyn Kastner and Gunnar Williams as well as sophomore Ephraem Carns-Hilliker who saw varsity minutes as a freshman.

De Soto is a team to watch. The Ridge & Valley will run through North Crawford this year, but De Soto will be a team to watch with the mix of size, strength, and experience back for Garrett Redman’s Pirates.

Zack Bender, sr, North Crawford
Bender can get it going from deep and when he chooses, can take advantage of his size around the rim. As a junior he averaged 12.9 points, and 7.8 rebounds per game earning second team all-league honors.

Eli Brosinski, jr, De Soto
Brosinski started for the Pirates as a sophomore and handled primary ball handling. He averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

Eli Jennings, soph, Weston
As a freshman, Jennings started for the Silver Eagles. He was third on the team in scoring, averaging 7.1 points and added 2.7 rebounds per game.

Braxtyn Kastner, sr, La Farge
Kastner is the top returner for the Wildcats as a senior. He averaged 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game a season ago.

Caden Keller, sr, Ithaca
One of two returning starters for the Bulldogs, Keller averaged 9.9 points and 2.2 assists per game a season ago. He will likely step into the primary ball-handler role with a group that is inexperienced.

Damien McCormick, soph, North Crawford
Ever growing in height and skill, McCormick averaged 9,6 points and 4.3 rebounds as just a freshman for the 23-win Trojans. A year playing club ball and being in the gym, and McCormick is another really good scorer at Coach Wettstein’s disposal.

Jace Nagel, sr, Kickapoo
Nagel has an engine that does not stop and he’ll need to step into a leadership role this year with a Panthers team that replaces 8 seniors from a season ago, including all five starters. As a junior he averaged 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds off the bench.

Landry Stluka, jr, North Crawford
Stluka is a great athlete that continues to grow as a basketball player. As a sophomore he earned second team all-conference recognition after posting 15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

Sawyer Stluka, sr, North Crawford
The older brother of Landry, Sawyer is the grinder for the Trojans. He takes on defensive assignments, pushes the tempo on offense, and sets a tone with his work ethic. As a junior he averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Adam Venner, sr, De Soto
Venner is a physical force in the Ridge & Valley and controls games int he paint area. As a junior he averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 60% from the field. He was a second team all-league selection.