Way too early 2022-2023 Top Region Teams

[chief45]

Region 1
1. Central Cass
2. Oak Grove
3. Kindred
4. Enderlin

Region 2
1. Thompson
2. North Border
3. Grafton
4. HCV

Region 3
LLM, L-HMB, Ellendale, Medina

Region 4
1. Four Winds
2. North Star
3. ST John

Region 5
1. Shiloh
2. Garrison
3. Flasher
4. Wilton-Wing

Region 6
1. Bishop Ryan
2. DLB
3. Rugby

Region 7
1. Bowman County
2. Dickinson Trinity
3. Hazen
4. Beulah

Region 8
1. Powers Lake
2. Stanley

WAY TOO EARLY Preseason Top 10
1. Minot Bishop Ryan - Pretty much whole team back + Thompson will be back
2. Central Cass - Most Key Players are returning
3. Shiloh Christian - Most Key players are returning
4. Four Winds - Minnewaukan - Coaching & athleticism, #4 might be too low
5. Bowman County - Top 3 guys back
6. Thompson - Were young last year and return alot
7. LLM - Dont know enough about region 3, but they have Musland & Ness Back
8. North Star - Great core Returning
9. North Border - Returning 3 real good starters
10. DLB - Underachieved this year, but they will be a dangerous team with Yale coming back

[packers21]

Region 1
1. Central Cass
2. Oak Grove
3. Kindred
4. Enderlin

Region 2
1. Thompson
2. North Border
3. Grafton
4. HCV

Region 3
LLM, L-HMB, Ellendale, Medina

Region 4
1. Four Winds
2. North Star
3. ST John

Region 5
1. Shiloh
2. Garrison
3. Flasher
4. Wilton-Wing

Region 6
1. Bishop Ryan
2. DLB
3. Rugby

Region 7
1. Bowman County
2. Dickinson Trinity
3. Hazen
4. Beulah

Region 8
1. Powers Lake
2. Stanley

WAY TOO EARLY Preseason Top 10
1. Minot Bishop Ryan - Pretty much whole team back + Thompson will be back
2. Central Cass - Most Key Players are returning
3. Shiloh Christian - Most Key players are returning
4. Four Winds - Minnewaukan - Coaching & athleticism, #4 might be too low
5. Bowman County - Top 3 guys back
6. Thompson - Were young last year and return alot
7. LLM - Dont know enough about region 3, but they have Musland & Ness Back
8. North Star - Great core Returning
9. North Border - Returning 3 real good starters
10. DLB - Underachieved this year, but they will be a dangerous team with Yale coming back

Enderlin would really have to put it together to be 4 in R1. Sargent County should be there.

[lennylive]

Region 1
1. Central Cass
2. Oak Grove
3. Kindred
4. Enderlin

Region 2
1. Thompson
2. North Border
3. Grafton
4. HCV

Region 3
LLM, L-HMB, Ellendale, Medina

Region 4
1. Four Winds
2. North Star
3. ST John

Region 5
1. Shiloh
2. Garrison
3. Flasher
4. Wilton-Wing

Region 6
1. Bishop Ryan
2. DLB
3. Rugby

Region 7
1. Bowman County
2. Dickinson Trinity
3. Hazen
4. Beulah

Region 8
1. Powers Lake
2. Stanley

WAY TOO EARLY Preseason Top 10
1. Minot Bishop Ryan - Pretty much whole team back + Thompson will be back
2. Central Cass - Most Key Players are returning
3. Shiloh Christian - Most Key players are returning
4. Four Winds - Minnewaukan - Coaching & athleticism, #4 might be too low
5. Bowman County - Top 3 guys back
6. Thompson - Were young last year and return alot
7. LLM - Dont know enough about region 3, but they have Musland & Ness Back
8. North Star - Great core Returning
9. North Border - Returning 3 real good starters
10. DLB - Underachieved this year, but they will be a dangerous team with Yale coming back

Enderlin would really have to put it together to be 4 in R1. Sargent County should be there.

If Enderlin travels to play Beulah, 4WM, timbucktu MN , Sioux Falls, any given Region 2 team, 2 games with LLM, and 1 with Dunseith, I see them having a losing record.
They will struggle in The region. I see them at 6th spot come Tourney time.
OG,CC,NC,SC, Kindred will all be above them, might even have a tough time with Lisbon.
Their JV had very few wins, and that team had 2 seniors on it.
They wont have a bench, just like this year.
Who knows maybe another CB will come swooping in and save the day...lol.
but Ive been wrong before, so..who knows. We have a year to wait.
what we wont see is alot of talk about them on this forum, or any other.

[Bison-Vikes #1]

Region 4
1. Four Winds
2. North Star
3. ST John

WAY TOO EARLY Preseason Top 10
1. Minot Bishop Ryan - Pretty much whole team back + Thompson will be back
2. Central Cass - Most Key Players are returning
3. Shiloh Christian - Most Key players are returning
4. Four Winds - Minnewaukan - Coaching & athleticism, #4 might be too low
5. Bowman County - Top 3 guys back
6. Thompson - Were young last year and return alot
7. LLM - Dont know enough about region 3, but they have Musland & Ness Back
8. North Star - Great core Returning
9. North Border - Returning 3 real good starters
10. DLB - Underachieved this year, but they will be a dangerous team with Yale coming back

Good break down chief45. R4 person here. FW/M of course will reload and be top 4 team or better in state. NS is a really good young team. Only losing 1 player after a very good year. St. John will be solid. Also if not mistaken, Rolette and Rolla are going together next year and had some real nice players. Together, they could be a fun team to keep an eye on.

[Sportsrube]

Don't sleep on South Border in Region 3. Their best players were Sophomores and they really won't miss the Seniors all that much except for Theiry. They also have 2 good Freshmen who led the JV this year and are going to put a lot of work in over the summer.

[ndlionsfan]

Region 4
1. Four Winds
2. North Star
3. ST John

WAY TOO EARLY Preseason Top 10
1. Minot Bishop Ryan - Pretty much whole team back + Thompson will be back
2. Central Cass - Most Key Players are returning
3. Shiloh Christian - Most Key players are returning
4. Four Winds - Minnewaukan - Coaching & athleticism, #4 might be too low
5. Bowman County - Top 3 guys back
6. Thompson - Were young last year and return alot
7. LLM - Dont know enough about region 3, but they have Musland & Ness Back
8. North Star - Great core Returning
9. North Border - Returning 3 real good starters
10. DLB - Underachieved this year, but they will be a dangerous team with Yale coming back

Good break down chief45. R4 person here. FW/M of course will reload and be top 4 team or better in state. NS is a really good young team. Only losing 1 player after a very good year. St. John will be solid. Also if not mistaken, Rolette and Rolla are going together next year and had some real nice players. Together, they could be a fun team to keep an eye on.

I agree with your take on North Prairie. They have some nice pieces coming back from each school and could be an interesting team in Region 4. Just depends on how well they gel and play together, but they are teammates on the football field so it should be a fairly easy transition.

Another team to watch in Region 4 is Warwick. They really started playing some good ball in the postseason and they have a couple freshmen that are fun to watch.

[Bison-Vikes #1]

Another team to watch in Region 4 is Warwick. They really started playing some good ball in the postseason and they have a couple freshmen that are fun to watch.

Good catch on Warwick. They were fun to watch as the season progressed. Seemed H-WC had a lot of Seniors, but some quality Juniors as well. What do they bring back?

[ndlionsfan]

Another team to watch in Region 4 is Warwick. They really started playing some good ball in the postseason and they have a couple freshmen that are fun to watch.

Good catch on Warwick. They were fun to watch as the season progressed. Seemed H-WC had a lot of Seniors, but some quality Juniors as well. What do they bring back?

I think HWC only has Grossman back as a starter. They were pretty senior-dominated this year. Their 6th or 7th man was a sophomore as well, but I'm pretty sure they lose 6 of their top 8.

[lennylive]

Region 4
1. Four Winds
2. North Star
3. ST John

WAY TOO EARLY Preseason Top 10
1. Minot Bishop Ryan - Pretty much whole team back + Thompson will be back
2. Central Cass - Most Key Players are returning
3. Shiloh Christian - Most Key players are returning
4. Four Winds - Minnewaukan - Coaching & athleticism, #4 might be too low
5. Bowman County - Top 3 guys back
6. Thompson - Were young last year and return alot
7. LLM - Dont know enough about region 3, but they have Musland & Ness Back
8. North Star - Great core Returning
9. North Border - Returning 3 real good starters
10. DLB - Underachieved this year, but they will be a dangerous team with Yale coming back

Good break down chief45. R4 person here. FW/M of course will reload and be top 4 team or better in state. NS is a really good young team. Only losing 1 player after a very good year. St. John will be solid. Also if not mistaken, Rolette and Rolla are going together next year and had some real nice players. Together, they could be a fun team to keep an eye on.

Kindred will be very strong again... they were loaded with talent on the bench, Coach W knows what he is doing... I would put them in the middle of the pack Peraza, Sunram, Ouse, campbell,Swensen, Hoyme, and Heinrich(who couldnt play this year due to injury)...wont have the height, but I will bet the defense will be just as solid.

[hoophoophoop]

Region 1

1. CC
2. SC
3.Kinnerd
4. Oak Grove
5. Richland
6. NC
7. Lisbon
8. Hankinson
9. W-L
10. Maple River
11. Enderlin
12. Tri-State

[BasketballMind]

I still put Grafton up in Region 2 due to style of play/returning players. It translates year over year. They lost a big class of key players in 2021 and were able to reload and make another run. Kindred will be in a similar situation next year. They lose a big senior class this year, but have good athletes returning. Some will be getting their first "real" varsity minutes. Central Cass is probably the right answer "on paper", but no one should be surprised if Kindred wins R1 again.

[leroybla]

I still put Grafton up in Region 2 due to style of play/returning players. It translates year over year. They lost a big class of key players in 2021 and were able to reload and make another run. Kindred will be in a similar situation next year. They lose a big senior class this year, but have good athletes returning. Some will be getting their first "real" varsity minutes. Central Cass is probably the right answer "on paper", but no one should be surprised if Kindred wins R1 again.

While Grafton seems to come back every year, I think replacing Jiskra in the 22-23 team will be very difficult. He had an outsized role inside for them. As for Kindred, they will be good, but maybe not great. They need to get over their "need to dunk" and focus on basic basketball, IMO. Their remaining "bigs" will be challenged as their number is now diminished. Central Cass will surely miss starter Deutsch and reserve Everson, but there's several worthy reserves. They seem to have good chemistry to go with their athleticism.

[TommiesFan]

First-time poster, always fun to see everyone's thoughts on this site.
My thoughts based on observations along the Eastern side of ND, as well as watching the State B Boys last weekend:

Region 1:
Casselton - Their year to get over the top. Kobbervig returns, as well as the very nice sophomore class.
Kindred - Great culture of defense and unselfishness. Very strong JV squad from last year. Will miss Olson on both ends of the floor.

Region 2 - I see a wide open Region again, with any of same top 5 teams from this year making some noise:
Grafton - Weren't very deep this year, and losing Jiskra can not be underestimated, as he did a lot of things that helped them win ballgames. 3 sophomores from this year are going to be solid. Well-coached, play on both ends of the floor, and are unselfish. Different kid stepping up in every big game down the stretch, tough to focus on one kid.
North Border - 2 VERY good players coming back, and the younger Cosley kid will step up and be a threat. However, not a ton of depth behind those 3.
Thompson - Starcevic and Peterson back from starting lineup, as well as 2 sophomore guards that were first two off bench. Those 4 will be a solid group to build around. And, their freshman class is very solid. JV squad didn't lose a lot of games. Won't have a Senior on the team next year, so will be in the mix for next 3 years.
MayPort - return 4 of 5 starters, and Koenig is a nice player to build around. Some solid athletes that know how to compete (baseball and football programs have seen success).
HCV - Always seem to have big numbers in their program, and kids that you might not have heard of step up and contribute in big ways. Will be able to build around Brandt, Rotvold seems to always have them ready come tournament time.

Region 3:
Not real familiar with this Region, but I liked the way Lamoure played in the State B. Musland a nice player coming back, along with Ness.

Region 4 -
Easy pick is Four Winds.
I'd say North Star going to be very solid for next two years, as they have a strong sophomore class to work around. I'd say those two teams meet in Region championship next two years.

Region 5:
Shiloh - Based on State tournament, they look like they'll return a nice squad next year.

Region 6:
Minot Ryan looks like they'll be loaded next year. Some nice Juniors returning, and a couple of Freshmen that are going to be very nice down the road.

Region 7:
Bowman County - Young squad from the way it appeared at State.

Region 8 - Not familiar with this region.

[Sparty48]

Region 1

1. CC
2. SC
3.Kinnerd
4. Oak Grove
5. Richland
6. NC
7. Lisbon
8. Hankinson
9. W-L
10. Maple River
11. Enderlin
12. Tri-State

[quote="hoophoophoop"]Region 1

1. CC- Young and Powerful
2. Kindred- it’s Kindred they got pick of litter of kids.
3.Oak Grove- I mean It’s OG they will find a way to reload and young talent is strong
4. Sargent- Could be good Could fall off a couple of spots
5. NC- lost a lot but will regroup
6. Richland- Scariest team in Region. Could end up as high as 3, lost basically 2 kids. Everyone back.
7. Lisbon- will drop a bit from last year (No more Olsen)
8. Hankinson- could be moved up with Cruz coming back or could fall off
9. W-L- depends on how the Big fella does.
10. Tri-State- play hard but fall short in games
11. Maple River- lost best player but they do have a young guard that has a future!
12. Enderlin- Basically starting from scratch now, go as far as Bartholomay kid can carry them
Last 3 are interchangeable.
FYI just my Opinion.

I’d Say

[WalkingStick]

Region 1
1. Central Cass
2. Kindred
3. Richland
4. Sargent County
5. Oak Grove
6. Northern Cass
7. Hankinson
8. Wyndmere-Lidgerwood
9. Lisbon
10. Tri-State
11. Enderlin
12. Maple River

[UNDSiouxfan]

I'll only discuss R1, as I'm familiar with these teams. I noticed an earlier post about Enderlin being 4th in R1 next year, sorry but that likely won't be the case next year. They have one really good player returning, and their JV team really struggled this past year.

I believe R1 should be CC's to lose, with several decent teams in the mix. Overall, the Region should be more balanced than the past season.

Region 1:

1. Central Cass - Cole Holzer will be one of the top players in R1 and the state, and good guards in Kobbervig/Vrchota lead a very deep team.
2. Kindred - the younger Peraza will only get better, but he will be a very good player. They had a very good JV team last season and they have the numbers to remain at the top.
3. Sargent County - return Martinson & Willprecht. Two of the better players in the entire Region along with a good nucleus of others. SC will be a contender at the end.
4. Oak Grove - OG always prepares their kids with a tough schedule and it will be difficult to replace their guards from last season. A transfer or two usually comes their way, so we shall see but they'll likely be good as usual. The defense of Card/Rodriguez will be missed as they were excellent defenders.
5. Richland - almost everyone back, they will be much better next season. They will be one of the better shooting teams in R1.
6. Northern Cass - they depended heavily on the 3 last season, will likely be the same next year. I see them somewhere between 6-8 next season.
7. Hankinson - Cruz Hernandez has started since the 8th grade, he will be relied on heavily his senior season. They had an average JV team last season that relied more on the inside game, those players will be on the Varsity next season and I expect them to be a deeper team than last year. They will be pretty good defensively, with Hernandez and Kath being two of the better defensive players in R1.
8. Lisbon - Will need to establish an inside presence, but they should have the numbers to have a competitive team.
9. Wyndmere-Lidgerwood - a decent defensive team, but they need to figure some things out offensively. Their guards will struggle against most teams, & their big guy needs to control the paint and be more physical.
10. Tri-State - they return several, but not sure if they'll have enough talent to compete with the top teams.
11. Maple River - good shooters, but they will struggle inside.
12. Enderlin - see above.

[east sider]

Don't sleep on South Border in Region 3. Their best players were Sophomores and they really won't miss the Seniors all that much except for Theiry. They also have 2 good Freshmen who led the JV this year and are going to put a lot of work in over the summer.

Good info. After watching Regionals I think Linton should be the favorite. They have a couple players with all-state potential, very good role players, and possibly the best coach in the history of Class B. LLM lost a couple good seniors that I think will hurt them a lot more than people realize - but they also have a great coach that always plays well by the end of the year. Personally I hope South Border pulls it off.

As for Region 1 CC is clear #1, Kindred and SC tied for #2.

[RockNRoll]

Four Winds returns lots of players with experience next year and overall number 1 again.
Along with the experience and fast style of play, they will also be an unselfish team with 6 or 7 of the boys relatives.

[maddog1971]

What are all the players that FWM will have back next year?

[Region 1 Fan]

I'll only discuss R1, as I'm familiar with these teams. I noticed an earlier post about Enderlin being 4th in R1 next year, sorry but that likely won't be the case next year. They have one really good player returning, and their JV team really struggled this past year.

I believe R1 should be CC's to lose, with several decent teams in the mix. Overall, the Region should be more balanced than the past season.

Region 1:

1. Central Cass - Cole Holzer will be one of the top players in R1 and the state, and good guards in Kobbervig/Vrchota lead a very deep team.
2. Kindred - the younger Peraza will only get better, but he will be a very good player. They had a very good JV team last season and they have the numbers to remain at the top.
3. Sargent County - return Martinson & Willprecht. Two of the better players in the entire Region along with a good nucleus of others. SC will be a contender at the end.
4. Oak Grove - OG always prepares their kids with a tough schedule and it will be difficult to replace their guards from last season. A transfer or two usually comes their way, so we shall see but they'll likely be good as usual. The defense of Card/Rodriguez will be missed as they were excellent defenders.
5. Richland - almost everyone back, they will be much better next season. They will be one of the better shooting teams in R1.
6. Northern Cass - they depended heavily on the 3 last season, will likely be the same next year. I see them somewhere between 6-8 next season.
7. Hankinson - Cruz Hernandez has started since the 8th grade, he will be relied on heavily his senior season. They had an average JV team last season that relied more on the inside game, those players will be on the Varsity next season and I expect them to be a deeper team than last year. They will be pretty good defensively, with Hernandez and Kath being two of the better defensive players in R1.
8. Lisbon - Will need to establish an inside presence, but they should have the numbers to have a competitive team.
9. Wyndmere-Lidgerwood - a decent defensive team, but they need to figure some things out offensively. Their guards will struggle against most teams, & their big guy needs to control the paint and be more physical.
10. Tri-State - they return several, but not sure if they'll have enough talent to compete with the top teams.
11. Maple River - good shooters, but they will struggle inside.
12. Enderlin - see above.

Region 1 Picks - Region 1 will be competitive once again with the top 5 teams having a shot at representing the region in State. Here is how I see the regular season shaping up 1 - 12. Regional Tourney should be entertaining.
1. Central Cass - Holzer, Vrchota, Koppervig along with a strong supportive cast will make this team the favorites during the year. I actually think they will be better 2023/4 than this upcoming year however. Look for them to be the top team entering Region play.
2. Oak Grove - Hatfield and Bakkegaard will be a tough tandem for teams to match up against. Look for Bakkegaard to lead Region 1 in assists with many of them to Hatfield. Hatfield should be one of Region 1's top players this year. Have to disagree with this statement, "A transfer or two usually comes their way, so we shall see but they'll likely be good as usual." Pick any year within the last 30 where OG has had a transfer come in and play more than 5 or 6 minutes every game - unlike some Privates, they don't recruit or have transfers come in prior to 9th grade... Just doesn't happen at this school. This years team will have a solid starting 5 but won't go much deeper than 7 this year. Wouldn't surprise me to see them in the Region Finals this year.
3. Sargent County - Look for Martinson & Willprecht to have this team in position to make the Region finals this year. They have a solid core group and will be able to match up well with teams like CC, OG and Kindred. Saw them play in Valley City last year and they looked really good plus they have the majority of the core back this year.
4. Kindred - Ouse, Peraza and Sunram will be the core of this years team. They will be very competitive and wouldn't surprise me if they ended the year higher than 4. I think this years team will be a year away from being very good - 2023 and 2024 Season I see Kindred and CC being the top two teams in this Region with the other 10 teams taking a step back. They lost a lot of talent and athleticism last year but look to reload this year into next. At the end of the year, they will be a tough out and match up for teams like CC, OG and SC.
5. Richland is my Wild Card this year - They have everyone back and finished the year with a lot of momentum. They should be a team that puts up points with ease as they have a nice blend of outside and inside playmakers. I look for them to make a big jump from last year. If they have a few things go their way this year, they could be there at the end cutting down the nets. My Darkhorse Pick for this year.
6 - 12 won't affect things much this year
6 Northern Cass - Competitive team last year but lost a lot of key players from that team. Look for them to be about 500 this year.
7. Lisbon - Don't know much about this team. Lost their big guy from last year.
8. Enderlin - Going to be a tough few years for this team. They didn't have a lot of depth last year and it will be even less this year - Bartholomay, Amerman and Wall will have to shoulder the load this year. Junior High, Freshman and JV teams all struggled last year. Might be a tough few years for Coach Kraft.
9. Hankinson - Not a lot of depth outside of Hernandez.
10. W/L - They have a 7 footer but not much help when it comes to guard or outside shooting.
11. Tri-State - They do have a few kids returning and might surprise some teams in their gym but over the course of the year will have a tough time rolling out enough kids to be competitive in most games.
12. Maple River - Lost their big guy from last years team. Might be a tough year for this squad.

Region 1 Finals prediction - CC vs OG with OG representing the Region in State.

[WalkingStick]

1. Central Cass
2. Kindred

3. Oak Grove
4. Sargent County

5. Richland
6. Northern Cass
7. Enderlin
8. Hankinson
9. Wyndmere-Lidgerwood
10. Lisbon
11. Maple River
12. Tri-State

There are 3 tiers in Region 1 this year...tier 1 & 2 are closer than last year...tier 3 could be messy and an open door

CC vs. Kindred for title; CC favorite
Play-in Rounds should be fun for Regions but First round of regions will be some ugly scores.

[Region 1 Fan]

Is it true that Kindred's big guy is going to miss the basketball season because of injury. If that's the case, that changes the landscape for Region 1. You probably have CC, OG, SC, Richland and then maybe Kindred rounding out the top 5. Kindred will still be tough but it would be difficult to replace their big guy as he is a matchup issue for all of Region 1.

[leroybla]

Is it true that Kindred's big guy is going to miss the basketball season because of injury. If that's the case, that changes the landscape for Region 1. You probably have CC, OG, SC, Richland and then maybe Kindred rounding out the top 5. Kindred will still be tough but it would be difficult to replace their big guy as he is a matchup issue for all of Region 1.

Which big man? Kindred has several.

[Region 1 Fan]

Is it true that Kindred's big guy is going to miss the basketball season because of injury. If that's the case, that changes the landscape for Region 1. You probably have CC, OG, SC, Richland and then maybe Kindred rounding out the top 5. Kindred will still be tough but it would be difficult to replace their big guy as he is a matchup issue for all of Region 1.

Which big man? Kindred has several.

Sunram

[maddog1971]

Is it true that Kindred's big guy is going to miss the basketball season because of injury. If that's the case, that changes the landscape for Region 1. You probably have CC, OG, SC, Richland and then maybe Kindred rounding out the top 5. Kindred will still be tough but it would be difficult to replace their big guy as he is a matchup issue for all of Region 1.

I believe Sunram is not playing this year. BUT that does not mean Kindred does not have Height and Athletes back. They Will not be 5th in the region. Ousse is a Solid 6'6 if not 6'7, Peraza is a Full 6'4 and his brother grew his Junior and senior year... Both play above the rim. Davis is a solid 6'4 and an athlete. and a number of kids from 6 foot range. If Kindred can learn to play together and not worry about who is putting up points... Central Cass will have their hands full. Don't get me wrong, Sunram was probably and all state player this year but he needs to get health and ready for the next level of Football....