The Cannon Falls Boys Basketball team is now 8-1 roughly a third of the way through the season. Fans can all agree that this year feels more exciting than years past, with the team seeming much more electrifying this year.
A large part of this excited feeling is due to the play of the Rechtzigel brothers. While Miles is a returning starter, he continues to excel from beyond the three-point arc, carrying the Bombers with a near 40-point game against PEM. Complimenting his brother’s play, Brooks Rechtzigel has thrown down dunk after dunk this year, including a nasty poster to begin the game against PEM. This year, Brooks has proven that he truly deserves a starting role, compared to being the sixth man last year. Although the Rechtzigel brothers are mainstays this year for the Bombers, junior Tyler Meyers and seniors Ryan Hjelming and Abram Tennesen – all returning starters – round out the rest of the starting five.
A surprising stat this year for many attendees is that Cannon Falls is playing more sophomores on varsity than juniors. Trey Schoenfelder joins Brooks Rechzitgel as the two sophomores receiving consistent varsity playing time this year, while Rylan Berg is the lone junior who regularly receives varsity minutes. Although it isn’t varsity, most of the juniors are happy to be playing on JV this year, just so they can get to play. This is in stark contrast to last year, when the juniors Cole Rapp and Jacob Kiffmeyer were stranded in the in-between that this year’s juniors don’t have to face.
Even though the season isn’t even at the halfway point, Cannon Falls is already looking like a well-oiled machine, putting up over 80 points in half of their games so far. Leading some social media outlets to rank them sixth in the state for basketball in Class 2A, and second in the section behind the Goodhue Wildcats, who are currently ranked fifth in the conference, and who were at one point ranked first.
With the season in full swing, everyone can be excited about what this team has the capabilities to accomplish. Cannon Falls has never made it to the boys’ basketball state tournament, but this could be the year that that finally ends. The Bombers will travel to Zumbrota-Mazeppa this Tuesday to play the Cougars, and then will play at home this Thursday vs Lake City. JV will start at 5:45, and varsity will start at 7:15.
