Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Kendrick
2. Nezperce
3. Deary
T-4. Highland
T-4. St. John Bosco
6. Timberline
Players to Watch
Erin Morgan, Kendrick
Drew Stacy, Kendrick
Hailey Taylor, Kendrick
Hannah Tweit, Kendrick
Katharine Duuck, Nezperce
Jillian Lux, Nezperce
Kenadie Kirk, Deary
Araya Wood, Deary
Payton Crow, Highland
Jade Prigge, St. John Bosco
Written by: Brandon Baney
The Kendrick Tigers were the toast of the White Pine League a year ago, finishing 8-0 in the league and 20-6 overall. Kendrick was lightly regarded by most at the 1AD2 state tournament, but the Tigers advanced all the way to the championship game, where they fell to Tri-Valley 54-48.
Amazingly, Kendrick didn’t have a single senior on last year’s roster, which means the cupboard is full once again for head coach Ron Ireland. Great news for the Tigers, bad news for the rest of the state. The one-two combo inside of seniors Erin Morgan and Drew Stacy will once again provide headaches for their opponents. Senior guard Hannah Tweit will supplement the play inside with superior three-point shooting.
So the question remains: which team is most poised to challenge Kendrick for league supremacy? According to the preseason coaches poll, it’s Nezperce. After leading the Nighthawks’ JV team for the last five years, Callie Zenner has moved into the varsity role. Zenner has a solid nucleus to build around, with seniors Jillian Lux and Grace Tiegs, junior Katharine Duuck and sophomore Erica Zenner leading a strong stable of guards.
According to Zenner, how Nezperce performs down low will be critical. “Hannah Duuck and Kadyn Horton graduated,” Zenner says. “Both were big rebounders that were key in our program. Last year we rebounded the ball well, (but) this will be harder this year as we lost a lot of our height with the graduating class.”
The Deary Mustangs took second a year ago, finishing 5-3 in the league and 10-10 overall. All-Conference performers Kenadie Kirk and Araya Wood return to bolster what should be a solid team once again.
Highland returns a solid core of players as well. Seniors Payton Crow, Hannah Miller, Katie Goeckner, Emily Dau, Emie Knowlton and Kalci Smith are all back for the Huskies. Head coach Brett Arnzen says, “As our season progressed, we only got better as the year went on. But our scoring needs to be better. We need to find the hoop.”
For the first time in three years, St. John Bosco will be fielding a varsity program. Alyssa Frei will coach the Patriots. They will be led by a pair of seniors: Prairie transfer Jade Prigge at center, along with Dani Sonnen on the perimeter. Those two will need to bring along a young group. “I have four freshman that will be jumping right into the varsity scene,” Frei says.
Timberline finished last in the conference a year ago with a 1-14 mark. The Spartans will once again be coached by Nathan Robinson.