Players to Watch:
Conner Freeman, Camas County
Clancy Rablin, Camas County
Stockton Sears, Carey
Preston Wood, Carey
Riggin Keetch, Castleford
Casey Juker, Castleford
Connor Perkins, Dietrich
Brody Torgerson, Dietrich
Ricardo Gomez, Hansen
Brady Skinner, Hansen
Jace Fuchs, Richfield
Written by: Brandon Baney
Camas County blitzed the Sawtooth Conference in 2023-24, finishing a perfect 6-0 in league play.
Of course, we may be burying the headline slightly. Not only did the Mushers win the Sawtooth title, but Camas County finished 23-3 overall and won the Class 1A D2 (now called Class 1A) state championship over Kendrick.
But the losses are steep. A whopping nine seniors graduated, including the entire starting five of Tristen Smith, Troy Smith, Sage Patten, Trevor Tews and Emmett Palan.
In fact, just three varsity players return to Camas County in 2024-25. 6-foot-1 junior guard Clancy Rablin logged 46 seconds in last year’s state championship game, while 6-foot-3 sophomore post Quinn Palan got in for 13 seconds. 6-foot senior guard Conner Freeman was on Camas County’s varsity roster during the regular season, but did not see action in any state contests.
Additionally, longtime coach Jamon Frostenson retired as well. His replacement, Brad Tingey, brings nearly 20 years of head coaching experience in Utah to the Mushers. He and that trio of returnees will press on in 2024-25.
“Clancy, Conner and Quinn will all be asked to score for us and defend and rebound,” Tingey says. “They don’t have a lot of varsity experience but I believe they are ready to meet the challenge each night this year.”
6-foot-1 senior post Micah Fox and 5-foor-8 senior guard Xander Schofield are also projected to start for Camas County this season.
Dietrich finished second in the Sawtooth standings last season, and only saw two seniors depart via graduation. Second-year coach Slade Dill has a strong nucleus of returnees to build around. Connor Perkins, Angel Alvarado, and Corrd Wells are all senior guards who earned All-Conference honors a season ago. They’ll be joined in the lineup by junior guard Chase Norman and senior post Brody Torgerson. Torgerson will be an important piece as the Devils’ only starter with size (6-foot-1).
A young Richfield team navigated its way through a 2-20 campaign last season. Only one senior (Kobyn Benzeval) graduated, so coach Chris Taber’s team is poised to take the next step forward in 2024-25. Senior Jace Fuchs played for Richfield in the 2023 state championship game as a sophomore, and he’ll be tasked with leading the Tigers this season.
The Sawtooth Conference is also adding three teams to its membership in 2024-25. Carey, Castleford and Hansen all dropped down from the Class 2A ranks, making the Sawtooth a six-team affair.
The Panthers finished 15-11 a season ago, good enough for a fourth-place finish in the 2A Snake River Conference. Carey’s amazing streak of 18 consecutive state tournament appearances came to an end, though, with a loss to Oakley in the district tournament.
Needless to say, coach Dick Simpson (in his 22nd year as Carey’s head coach), isn’t used to staying home at state tournament time. Simpson welcomes back three starters from last year’s team (junior guard Stockton Sears, senior wing Preston Wood and senior post AJ Black) as Carey attempts to return to state this season. Simpson identified newcomers like junior Gabe Saili and sophomores Carter Olsen and Madden Perkes as important pieces to this year’s team, as well.
Castleford went 9-11 last season, but lost all five starters (Jayme Ramos, Crash Taylor, Lucas Dekruyf, Justin Wells and Cache Keetch) to graduation. “We had a starting five of seniors that will be missed,” says second-year coach Kai Risung.
Senior guard Carson Jacobson and senior forward Casey Juker will be looked to for leadership, and Risung is excited for the potential of sophomore guards Riggin Keetch and Connor Parish. “Connor will be our starting point guard as he steps up from last year’s JV squad,” says Risung. “We’ll look to him for scoring and ball distribution.”
Hansen finished 3-17 a year ago, and coach Jesus Guerrero is optimistic that a move back down to Class 1A basketball will aid his team. A trio of seniors (guards Ricardo Gomez and Vedder Pryor, and center Brady Skinner) will key the Huskies’ attack this season.