Henning, too, must contend with the effects of overexcitement during the holiday weeks.
After a weekend of games against No. 5-1A Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and No. 2-1A BOLD, the Hornets face a 7-2 Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal team and No. 3-1A Ada-Borup this week.
Coming off the loss to BOLD, the defending champion Hornets (7-1, 2-0) already have equaled their number of losses from all of last season. With most of the roster back from that team, Henning remains a primary contender to repeat as Class 1A state champion.
Ada-Borup nearly had a chance to take that title from Henning last March. The Cougars orchestrated a frantic second-half rally but fell short, falling 57-55 to North Woods in a state tournament semifinal.
On Saturday at the Crossover Classic in Perham, Ada-Borup (5-0, 2-0) gets its chance to face Henning. The cast of characters on both sides remains mostly intact.
Henning seniors Blake Wallevand (21 ppg), Parker Fraki (17 ppg) and Isaac Fisher (8 ppg) remain as the same core group that captured the 2019 state championship.
Ada Borup's Mason Miller, a 6-foot-7 senior who is headed to North Dakota State to play football next fall, leads the Cougars. Preston Gwin, who scored 31 points in a 77-55 victory over Park Christian on Dec. 17, and Verdis Barber provide plenty of help.