Freedom Leads Lower Valley Church Ball Power Rankings
THREE ON THE WAY: Senior Hyden Veigel pulls up for a sweet jumper from three, scoring three points for his team. “I love the none-stressful environment of the game,” said Veigel.
December 12, 2022
Everyone knows about the SVHS basketball teams. What people don’t know is that there is a whole other league in Star Valley known as churchball. This league consists of many high school boys playing on community-based teams. Some players think they have a very good chance to make a run at regional dominance in a game called the ‘”stake championship.”
The communities loves to talk up their section of the valley and smack talks abounds over who is the best. Some of the boys play to win, some play for fun, and others play for their community. These power rankings are for the lower valley community teams.
No 1 – Freedom
This ranking was in question until Freedom showed up with a 61-36 win over a solid Auburn/Meadows/Thayne 1st team during week two. Some key players on this team include Bridger Brog, who scored the game high of 28 points in his first game, Bo Simpson—who drilled a clutch 3 late in the first half—and Dez Jenkins, a shifty guard who shoots the ball well. The rest of the team is also really solid and capable of scoring from inside and outside the paint.
No. 2 – Auburn, Meadows, and Thayne 1st
Coming off of a tough loss against Freedom doesn’t mean that these guys aren’t the real deal. Definitely worthy of a second place spot, these guys have some studs. Some of their key players are Hyden Veigel, their highest scorer week two with a solid 24 points, 6’3” 225 lb nose guard, solid rebounder and good post player Dimitri Doulgerakis, and Keeton Stevens, a solid player with the ability to score but with a small turnover problem. These three were the only players to score during in their recent game, so the rest of the team is going to have to step it up if they want to win a championship.
No. 3 – Grover
Grover is another team coming off of week two win and could definitely be a contender for the championship. They have a lot of size this year in powerhouse duo seniors Brandon Cook and Clay Merritt. Brandon is their best scorer and can do anything from shooting threes or slamming down poster dunks. Clay Merritt is a big guy who works around the rim getting rebounds for Brandon.
No. 4 – Cedar Creek
Cedar creek has some solid players this year and can be competitive. They did win week two but it was to the team we are ranking last, Thayne 2nd. Cooper Kabonic had a solid performance with 16 points last week, and he is joined by solid scorere Jaden Crook and Gavin Bassett, a big guy capable of shooting the three. Overall they are a solid team but need to produce a lot more points to win.
No. 5 – Bedford
Bedford needs a lot of work if they are going to compete with the other teams in the league. They have a few solid players that need to produce a little more to compete. Cael Roberts leads the team in scoring supported by solid team leader Levi Shumway and Wilson Clevenger, good player that can definitely score when he gets an opportunity, but needs to create a little more.
No. 6 – Thayne 2nd
The reason for these guy’s last place ranking come from their inability to generate points. Cody Nelson is their leading scorer and carries most of the offensive workload for the team. Despite Nelson’s production, they just can’t win. A loss to Cedar creek week two further showed they definitely need to find a way to play as a team and score more.
