Bold Predictions for the 2025-26 Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My goal is to have all the rankings updated before the start of the high school season. Until I get everything finished up on that front, we'll do a few other things before the season tips off. Today, I'll make some bold predictions for the 2025-26 and give my reasoning as to why my predictions may happen. Let's have some fun.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Breakout Player of the Year will be [player_tooltip player_id='1223835' first='Avalyn' last='Hendrickson'].</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, I thought Hendrickson could've been a double-double threat, but played behind an All-Conference player who played her position. Now that she is a likely starter for West Salem this winter, Hendrickson could be a potential Conference Player of the Year. She is coming off an excellent AAU season with Purple, and I'm eager to see what she can do with the opportunity she has.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pewaukee will win its Sectional and return to the State Tournament.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Injuries derailed what could've been a team that could have finished in the Top 25 nationally. The Pirates may have lost three scholarship-level players from last season's starting five. However, they should return players like [player_tooltip player_id='536013' first='Giselle' last='Janowski'] and Aubree Spitnzer. Pewaukee had plenty of injury issues last season, but there is enough in their ranks to make another deep postseason run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 1 in Division 1 will be one of the most entertaining Sectionals in the State.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sneakily, Sectional 1 became one of the more intriguing groups of teams in any division. Kimberly, Notre Dame, Bay Port, and De Pere moved into Sectional 1 from the sectional of death last year, because of reasons I could never understand. The reigning champs, Kimberly, are over here now, and there should be a handful of teams capable of making a run to the second weekend, like the Papermakers, Hudson, Notre Dame, De Pere, Stevens Point, and potentially Hortonville if things break right for them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Argyle/Pecatonica will be the first team since Mineral Point and Randolph in 2021-22 to go undefeated.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've attempted to call my shot on the next undefeated season for the last few years in multiple forms of media. Argyle/Pecatonica is the team most likely to finish the year undefeated. The core of the team that went to the State Tournament in 2023 is still there with [player_tooltip player_id='767257' first='Kylie' last='Butler'], [player_tooltip player_id='874373' first='Brooke' last='Wellnitz'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1275672' first='Avari' last='Steiner']. Plenty of talent has also graduated from the Six Rivers Conference on both sides.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edgerton gets over the hump and wins a Sectional Title in Division 3.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crimson Tide played a Laconia team who'd been to three straight state tournaments before their postseason matchup last season. However, they have a case to say they were one of the four best teams in D3 last season. [player_tooltip player_id='914989' first='Claudia' last='Jenny'] is an excellent leader whom her teammates look to when things get shaky. [player_tooltip player_id='624854' first='Gracee' last='Langer'] is a reliable post presence, and they have plenty of guard depth, including players like [player_tooltip player_id='533071' first='Marti' last='Rebman'] and Reese Zellmer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->