50 points per game will be lost as Vern Capelle & assistant Joey Fuchs begin their 30th and 10th years respectively as coaches of the Upsala Cardinals. Christian Pekarek and Dylan Zimmerman are key players lost who’ll need to be replaced this season.

The Cardinals will not be quite as athletic in past years, but they will have a nice amount of height and length returning that will still make them be conference and section contenders. 

6’5 SR Jeremy Halverson is the highest returning scorer from last year with an average of 10.3 ppg. He’ll be one looked upon to up the scoring punch. Halverson has a nice stroke from outside the arc. 

6’7 Jeffrey Halverson and 6’3 Aiden Guthrie will be seniors returning who’ll provide the athleticism in the paint. Guthrie is the team’s leading returning rebounder coming back.

Filling Pekarek’s shoes will not be easy as he was a very special player for the Cards. Guys like Kyle Solits, Keith Ripplinger, and Dylan Wudinich are those that will each try to do their part to keep the team moving forward. They’ll provide good quickness right away, but will need to fill the scoring columns to try to achieve something like the 24-3 record they had last season.

Looking at the conference this season, the Cards are likely one of the favorites along with Browerville and Swanville. The Cards are looking to be a top section team as well along with Kimball, BBE, and Browerville. All of these teams, will meet in the regular season as well to gauge their skills against one another.
Upsala’s season is one that will be quite fun to follow. Plenty of senior and juniors returning, but were in support roles rather than star roles. Which kids are going to bring their game to another level is the key question.

For more previews or high school basketball discussion, visit the MN Buckets Forum.