2018 State Tournament

You think Elder will be the strongest of the 3 D1 GCL schools next year?

They lose their 5-1 all-state setter and all state OH1, and a MB and Libero.

And, I heard Elder's JV team was the weakest of the 3 this year (not sure if thats true, haven't looked up anything to back that up)...

If Darby only loses Buelow, they're definitely one to look out for next year.
 
The GCL JV teams were all fairly even. All three Varsity teams lose A LOT of starters.

X graduates 7 seniors including their 2 All State Players and Pung who would have been if he wasn't injured most of the year, returning 2 or 3 starters. (Kastner, Mauch, Thaxton)
Elder graduates 7 seniors including their 2 All State players, returning 2 starters (Hargett, Bernard)
Moeller graduates 6 seniors including their 3 All State Players, returning 3 or 4 starters. (Kiser B., Haas, Fuller, Callahan)

What is your opinion of how the GCL will look next year? I think Elder has more players ready to make the jump to Varsity than either X or Moeller
 
The GCL JV teams were all fairly even. All three Varsity teams lose A LOT of starters.

X graduates 7 seniors including their 2 All State Players and Pung who would have been if he wasn't injured most of the year, returning 2 or 3 starters. (Kastner, Mauch, Thaxton)
Elder graduates 7 seniors including their 2 All State players, returning 2 starters (Hargett, Bernard)
Moeller graduates 6 seniors including their 3 All State Players, returning 3 or 4 starters. (Kiser B., Haas, Fuller, Callahan)

What is your opinion of how the GCL will look next year? I think Elder has more players ready to make the jump to Varsity than either X or Moeller

Honestly, like I said earlier, I don't know that I'm familiar enough with the JV teams to say. I think Elder will struggle to replace Daeschner's all-around play from the Setter position. Maybe they run a 6-2 next year?
 
If you had to pick all-tournament teams and most outstanding players for D1 and 2 from the tournament, who would you pick? Kiser was definitely my MVP for D1. D2 could go to Gallagher, Lancia, or McLane, or Alter's setter in a losing effort.
 
Honestly, like I said earlier, I don't know that I'm familiar enough with the JV teams to say. I think Elder will struggle to replace Daeschner's all-around play from the Setter position. Maybe they run a 6-2 next year?

Wauligman was the setter on Attack 17-2 this past year and Koewler was the setter on Attack 16-1. Neither is the player Daeschner is, but they will be serviceable
 
If you had to pick all-tournament teams and most outstanding players for D1 and 2 from the tournament, who would you pick? Kiser was definitely my MVP for D1. D2 could go to Gallagher, Lancia, or McLane, or Alter's setter in a losing effort.

Kiser is a nice player but he wasn't even the MVP on his own team in the final. That would go to their opposite IMO. Platfoot was a show stopper in the tournament. I thought he was the best player, Darby doesn't make the final with any other setter. Dawson Walker from Northmont would be my second choice.
 
Platfoot, Mikesch, Gallagher from St Charles and Dawson Walker were the best players I saw all weekend.
 
I think Kiser was State POY just because Moeller was #1 in the state - and usually the coaches sort of choose which players to put forward, so I guess MCLaughlin thought Kiser was their best/most important player - despite it seeming that Peed (S) and Devolve (OPP) were more important in the tournament.
 
Platfoot, Mikesch, Gallagher from St Charles and Dawson Walker were the best players I saw all weekend.

While those individuals all played fantastic, I do find it funny you only picked 4 for an All Tournament Team and omitted any player from the team that won the state finals in straight sets
 
Moeller was the best team but without a true superstar player. They played very well as unit in the state finals. IMO
 
My D1 All Tournament Team would look like this (I'll include 7 players since that's the typical number that play in a given match... Not 4):
Platfoot
Mikesch
Kiser
Devolve
Walker
Melchiorre
Huber
 
The GCL JV teams were all fairly even. All three Varsity teams lose A LOT of starters.

X graduates 7 seniors including their 2 All State Players and Pung who would have been if he wasn't injured most of the year, returning 2 or 3 starters. (Kastner, Mauch, Thaxton)
Elder graduates 7 seniors including their 2 All State players, returning 2 starters (Hargett, Bernard)
Moeller graduates 6 seniors including their 3 All State Players, returning 3 or 4 starters. (Kiser B., Haas, Fuller, Callahan)

What is your opinion of how the GCL will look next year? I think Elder has more players ready to make the jump to Varsity than either X or Moeller

If the season started tomorrow, here's the likely lineups...

X-
S- L. Kastner (returning starter, Attack 17-1, 2019)
S2- Jack Konrad (JV starter, Attack 16-2, 2020)
M1- Mauch (returning starter, Attack 17-1, 2019)
M2- Thaxton (returning often-starter, Attack 17-1, 2019)
M2- H. Kastner (freshman starter on JV, Attack 15-1, 2021)
M2- Glover (JV starter, Attack 17-3, 2020)
OH1- Connaughton (returning varsity player, Attack 17-1, 2019)
OH2- Basalla (JV starter, Attack 18-3, 2019)
OH2- Rushford (JV starter, Attack 16-3, 2020)
OH2- H. Kastner (above)
RS- Moeller (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2019)
RS- Connaughton (above)
L- Dannemiller (JV starter, Attack 16-2, 2020)
L- Schroeder (JV starter, Attack 15-1, 2021)
L- Rushford (above)

Having 4 kids on Attack's 17-1 team (with Elder/Moeller combining for only 3) would make you the runaway favorite in the league 9 times out of 10. But they seem to do the least with the most year in and year out and lack a true OH or reliable source of offense against a good defensive team. Wouldn't be surprised to see 2+ sophomores get meaningful playing time.

Moeller
S- Vaughn (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2020)
MH1- Kiser (returning starter, Attack 18-1, 2019)
MH2- Bowles (returning varsity player, No Club team, 2020)
MH2- Boone (JV starter, Attack 15-1, 2021)
OH1- Fuller (returning starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)
OH2- Reynolds (JV starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)
RS- Owens (returning varsity player, No club team, 2019)
RS- Beckelhimer (JV starter, Attack 15-2, 2021)
RS- Shaw (JV starter, Attack 16-2, 2020)
L- Haas (returning starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)
DS- Callahan (returning varsity starter, Attack 17-1, 2019)
DS- Stradley (JV starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)

Moeller's senior class is the weakest they've had in awhile and were carried all last season by Kiser/Devolve/Peed. Callahan being the only one to play on Attack's 17-1 OR 17-2 team speaks volumes. I'd have to think they're looking at their loaded 2020 class and planning for next year. Wouldn't surprise me to see them try Stradley out at setter and run a 6-2 if they're trying to hedge their bets.

Elder
S- Koewles (JV starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)
S2- Wauligman (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2019)
M1- Murphy (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2019)
M2- Sinnard (JV starter, Attack 17-2, 2020)
M2- Eary (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2019)
OH1- Hargett (returning starter, Attack 17-1/17-2, 2019)
OH2- ????
RS- ????
L- Bernard (returning starter, Attack 17-1, 2019)
DS- Shook (JV starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)
DS- Spinney (JV starter, Attack 16-2, 2020)

Probably the weakest of the 3 on paper. Nobody gets more out of less than Elder, but this is a really limited squad on paper. They'll somehow manage to be competitive and Hargett will be the odds-on favorite to lead the league in kills by a country mile, but there's not much else there.


If I had to power rank the 3, I'd go 1- X, 2- Moeller, 3- Elder, but it's definitely a down year across the board. I can't see any of these 3 holding a candle to Darby; I can see Ignatius beating at least 1, probably 2-3 of these 3; and it wouldn't surprise me if Lakota East or another school finishing above 1-2 of the GCL teams. Depending on how the bracket shakes out, there's a non-zero chance that we don't have a GCL team in the final 4 of state for the first time in a long time, if not ever.
 
If I had to power rank the 3, I'd go 1- X, 2- Moeller, 3- Elder, but it's definitely a down year across the board. I can't see any of these 3 holding a candle to Darby; I can see Ignatius beating at least 1, probably 2-3 of these 3; and it wouldn't surprise me if Lakota East or another school finishing above 1-2 of the GCL teams. Depending on how the bracket shakes out, there's a non-zero chance that we don't have a GCL team in the final 4 of state for the first time in a long time, if not ever.

I agree that it could be a down year, but I still think one of them will make the final 4 - I think playing in the GCL prepares them well for the postseason.

As you said, St X seems to have more players ready when considering what club teams they play on, but I think that although Moeller is young, they will be ready since they had several sophomore starters/players this year and they will have experienced the run tot eh championship. As you said, they will be especially dangerous in 2020.
 
If the season started tomorrow, here's the likely lineups...

Elder
S- Koewles (JV starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)
S2- Wauligman (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2019)
M1- Murphy (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2019)
M2- Sinnard (JV starter, Attack 17-2, 2020)
M2- Eary (returning varsity player, Attack 17-2, 2019)
OH1- Hargett (returning starter, Attack 17-1/17-2, 2019)
OH2- Byrne or Harbin(JV starters both play a winter sport)
RS- Beiter(JV Starter Attach 16-1,2020)

L- Bernard (returning starter, Attack 17-1, 2019)
DS- Shook (JV starter, Attack 16-1, 2020)
DS- Spinney (JV starter, Attack 16-2, 2020)


Elder appears to be lacking in height at the middles. The freshman this year looked good and the incoming freshman are suppose to be a strong class so hopefully someone in the program hits a growing spurt.
 
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