BRODHEAD — With a 15-3 record, the Cardinals won the Rock Valley conference title for the first time in 13 years last season. A repeat championship will be tough to come by after graduating four starters from that squad.

Owen Leifker, Josiah Engen and Brady Malkow received All-Conference recognition on the First-Team and Second-Team, respectively. Leifker was the leading scorer, averaging 20.4 points per game, followed by Engen with 13.6. Malkow led the team in rebounds, with 10.4 boards per game. Brodhead’s fourth starter, Gage Boegli, averaged 5.3 points per game. Collectively, the group accounted for 90 percent of the Cardinal’s offense last season, head coach Tommy Meier said.

Senior Aidyn Vondra and sophomore Cullen Walker will lead Brodhead this season, as the main players with varsity experience. As a freshman, Walker garnered All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition, averaging 9.9 points per game. Vondra, at small forward, averaged 3.1 points per game.

“We are a very young and inexperienced team with basically only Cullen and Aidyn with any varsity experience whatsoever,” Meier said. “I look to improve over the course of the season and put ourselves in position to win at the end of ball games.”

Any good team will know and target Brodhead’s strengths, forcing newcomers to take on a larger role.

“Most teams are going to key or double Cullen,” Meier said. “Finding other players to step up and score is going to be a must.”

Junior Jaxon Dooley and sophomore Gabe Bockhop have good chances to emerge in these situations. In nine games, Dooley averaged 0.7 points, while Bockhop averaged 1.1 points in three games.

“Jaxon Dooley and Gabe Bockhop — once he recovers from a broken arm he suffered in the last playoff game of football — will be the other two who are going to be making significant contributions,” Meier said. “They are both guards who are good outside shooters and have improved at creating their own shot.”

Last year, McFarland and Turner were two and three games back of Brodhead, respectively. This year, Meier believes they will remain at the top of the conference, fighting for the title.

“McFarland and Turner should battle for that top spot this year,” Meier said. “They return a ton of talented players and were both near the top of the conference last year.”