BRODHEAD — The Cardinals made big strides last season, finishing 14-10 overall and 8-7 against Rock Valley foes. That is a six-win improvement overall and three wins better than the season before.

“With all five returning seniors having two years of varsity playing experience, expectations are pretty high for this group. We plan to build off of last year’s second half where the boys gained a ton of confidence after realizing they can compete with the bigger schools in the Rock Valley,” Brodhead coach Tommy Meier said. “We used that confidence in our last game of the season, playing No. 3-ranked Saint John’s extremely tough, even having the lead late in the second half only to come up short by eight points. I believe this group has turned a corner in the program, and I believe they can play with anyone.”

The team will have to replace nearly 25 points per game from last year’s seniors Conner Green, Cade Walker, Devon Anderson and Ben Knuth. This year’s overall height of the roster is on the lower end as well, but the leadership and intangibles of some players put the Cardinals in a good position heading into the winter season.

“This group of seniors has been with me on varsity since they were sophomores. We are familiar with our offense and what we need to do in order to be success,” coach Tommy Meier said. “Outside shooting and being physical with a handful of football players on the team should be a strength as well.”

Owen Leifker is the leading scorer returning for Brodhead. The senior guard averaged 21.2 points per game last season and shot more than 40% from beyond the arc. “If Owen Leifker stays healthy, he should reach the 1,000-point milestone about halfway through the season,” Meier said.

Brady Malkow (7.9 ppg, 9.1 rpb), Josiah Engen (5.6 ppg), Gage Boegli and Syler Weeden all return for their senior season. Newcomers joining the varsity include juniors Leon Saunders and Aidyn Vondra, plus freshman guard Cullen Walker.

“Leon is a quick guard with good ball handling skills, can get to the rim and plays solid defense. Aidyn is extremely athletic with a high motor. He brings energy to every practice and game. He is one of the best defenders in our program and has a knack for always being in the right place at the right time,” Meier said. “Cullen is a very talented freshman with great ball handling skills and a great ability to shoot the ball from outside, or find other ways to score around the rim.”

Meier said free throw shooting is an area of concern. While the Cardinals made improvements from beginning to end last season, the bar was set really low in the first half of the season. 

Meier wants to be right up at the top of the Rock Valley at the end of the season. He also predicts East Troy, Edgerton and Big Foot to finish in the top half of the conference, plus Jefferson, which he said would surprise some teams this season.

“(Jefferson) improved immensely from the start of last season to the end. East Troy will be right at the top like they have been the last few years. They have a solid program over there and are returning some talented players,” Meier said. “Edgerton has built a real solid program and always finds ways to win games. Big Foot has an incredible guard/forward in Gus Foster (23.6 ppg). If they can fill the roles around him, they will win a lot of games this year as well.”