Those returning to the Viking floor with a letter this season are (l-r) Noah Milburn, Zach Driscoll, Gavin Groux, Louie Bucksa, Carter Dlhy, Jackson Pipho and Cael LaFrentz. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)
All eyes will be on the Decorah boys’ basketball team this season as the Vikings look to make a return trip to state.
The Vikes return six letter winners off a team that went all the way to the state semifinal last year.
Leading the way is head coach Jonathan Carlson, who has been leading the program for 12 seasons.
So close
Five seniors who saw countless minutes on the floor in previous seasons led the Decorah team from the onset of the 2023-24 season. Those leaders, combined with some young talent, were poised to make some noise in the postseason and did they ever.
Decorah claimed a share of the Northeast Iowa Conference title with Waverly-Shell Rock with a 9-1 record. As the postseason rolled on, the Vikes handled West Delaware with ease at home, winning 98-41. Moving on to round two, Decorah defeated Wahlert 69-56 to advance to the substate final against NEIC foe, Charles City. Winning 69-40, the Vikes punched their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament.
In Des Moines, the top-ranked Vikes defeated Williamsburg 66-42 in the quarterfinal before ending their record-setting season against Davenport Assumption in overtime, 61-53.
The Vikes finished the season 22-2 overall and had four athletes named to the All-NEIC team, including seniors Ben Bockman and Trey McCain, along with junior Zach Driscoll and sophomore Cael LaFrentz.
At the conclusion of the year, Decorah saw five contributing seniors graduate — Ben Bockman, Trey McCain, Matthew Bockman, Kaiden Quandahl and Andrew Rhodes. Those five accounted for 1,202 of 1,980 points last season.
Big names back
Coach Carlson will have several key names back this season, including Driscoll who was named to the All-State and All-NEIC team last season. Now a senior, Driscoll led the Vikes with 44 steals to go with 117 assists, 97 rebounds and averaged 9.8 points a game last year. LaFrentz is also returning to the hardwood with 15.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game averages. The junior center also finished at the top of Class 3A in blocks with 67.
Four others return with a letter for the Vikes including junior forward Noah Milburn who played in 22 games last season, scoring 46 points and hauling in 46 total rebounds to go with 13 steals, 10 assists and four blocks. Senior point guard Gavin Groux, senior guard Jackson Pipho and forward Carter Dlhy also return.
A look ahead
Although the leading scorers have graduated, coach Carlson predicts the Vikes will be contending for the league title with Charles City, with Waukon and Crestwood possibly vying for the top spot as well.
“We will be a highly athletic team this year with above average size for a Class 3A team. We have two dynamic scorers in Driscoll and LaFrentz,” noted coach Carlson.
While size could be a huge factor for Decorah, so could the inexperience the Vikes have at other positions and how quickly the athletes can gel as a team.
“Many of our guys came off a successful football season, so we are hoping to carry it over to the hardwood. We have an early challenging schedule and will be tested big time,” concluded the veteran coach.
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