Class 1A – Region 8: 2021’s Who Should be Valued by Colleges

As we look for other ways to cover prospects we thought it would be beneficial to cover players in a way that allows us to cover those we don’t write much about. We will be using the region’s from last season as they were constructed. Obviously, these regions will change into next season but for these stories it was the easiest way to divide players and teams as equally as possible. We will be writing a series of three stories for each region in the state and the categories are as follows: 2023’s to put on Your Radar, 2022’s who can Breakout, and 2021’s Who Should be Valued by Colleges. We will continue to go through each region and aim to hit as many players as we can that we haven’t talked about previously. Here are five 2021’s that need to be valued by colleges. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="164944" first="Ella" last="Larsen"] - Newell-Fonda</strong> Picking up right where she left off as a sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id="164944" first="Ella" last="Larsen"] helped Newell-Fonda to a second consecutive unbeaten season, culminating with a thrilling victory in the Class 1A state title game this past March. Larsen, a multi-sport standout like many on the team, led the Mustangs with 5.5 rebounds per contest. She also averaged 10 points a night with 116 steals, 112 assists and 22 blocks. From the field, Larsen shot 51 percent, knocking down 27 three-pointers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="164974" first="Danielle" last="Hoyle"] - Paton-Churdan</strong> Junior [player_tooltip player_id="164974" first="Danielle" last="Hoyle"] put herself on the radar this past winter by helping lead Paton-Churdan to 15 wins and a spot in the regional semifinals. Hoyle, a true post presence, averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds a night, shooting over 62 percent from the floor. At 6-foot-2, Hoyle makes an easy target for her teammates to find inside, while also keeping opposing players from entering the lane. She finished this past year with 438 points, 270 rebounds, 105 blocks, 33 assists and 30 steals. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165037" first="Haley" last="Koch"] - West Harrison</strong> It was a tough year in the win-loss column for West Harrison, but junior [player_tooltip player_id="165037" first="Haley" last="Koch"] shined bright for the Hawkeyes. Koch scored a team-high 344 points, knocking down 24 three-pointers on the year. She also had 83 rebounds, 63 assists, 27 steals and added eight blocks. For West Harrison to improve in the standings, they will need even more out of Koch, who could see her numbers grow with an improvement from the field. <strong>Lindsie Graff - Woodbury Central</strong> Woodbury Central won 18 games and reached a regional final before coming up against eventual state champion Newell-Fonda. For the reigning Western Valley Conference champions to repeat that success, they will need senior-to-be Lindsie Graff to carry the load. Graff is one of two starters set to return after scoring 199 points while finishing as the team leader with 103 steals and 99 assists. She also added 91 rebounds, shooting 41 percent from the floor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="164943" first="Maggie" last="Walker"] - Newell-Fonda</strong> Another of the four double-digit scorers a night for Newell-Fonda, junior [player_tooltip player_id="164943" first="Maggie" last="Walker"] shot 48 percent from the field, 42 percent from the 3-point line and 71 percent from the free throw stripe this season. Walker averaged 13 points, chipping in four rebounds, over three steals and two assists a night. She finished with 354 points to rank second on the team to go along with 104 rebounds, 92 steals and 57 assists. Newell-Fonda will once again be a prime contender to make it three straight titles next winter.