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Fans of the boys' varsity basketball played in the Eastern Division of the Trailways Conference are in for a treat during the 2018-19 season.

With five players from five different schools lighting up  scoreboards at record levels, those in attendance will need to keep a pencil sharpener at the ready while recording stats for Zach Yuenger of Dodgeland, CJ Brooks of Horicon, Henry Noone of Lourdes Academy, Justin Kuehl of Hustisford and Kerem Kocer of Wayland Academy. 

All five players are all-league caliber performers who already have extremely impressive point totals for their stellar prep careers. 

Here is a breakdown on each of the five small-town scoring stars:

Zach Yuenger, 6-4, Sr., F, Dodgeland
A returing first-team all-league performer, Yuenger finished 12th in the state in scoring a year ago at 26.7 points per contest. He also grabbed 11.4 rebounds per game and scored a career-high 37 points in a victory over Valley Christian.

Yuenger enters the season with 1,264 career points and is very close to breaking the school's all-time scoring mark held by Andrew Christenson.

"Zach is an inside/outside player," Dodgeland coach Bill Otte said. "During the summer with the Wisconsin Swing -- Schieve squad, Zach has played in the post. He has a great understanding of the game, and uses good body control to get to the basket and free throw line. He led the state in free throws attempted last season."

Yuenger made 207 of 273 attempts in 23 games from the foul line as a junior for 76 percent. 

With his four starting teammates all graduating last spring, opposing defenders will center their attention even more around Yuenger this winter. But Otte feels his all-state candidate will be more than up for the challenge of leading a rather young team.

"The goal for Zach is to keep doing what he has been doing and bring more moves and counter moves into his game," said Otte, who is entering his 15th season as the Trojans' head coach. "He knows that teams will throw different things at him and is really good at finding his teammates when they do that." 

CJ Brooks, 5-10, Sr., G, Horicon
A second-team all-league selection a year ago, Brooks averaged 17.7 points and 4.0 rebounds as a junior while helping Horicon to a 13-11 record. 

An extremely quick backcourt performer who has averaged in double figures in each of the past three seasons, Brooks begins his senior season with 1,091 career points.

"CJ is very fast, quick and explosive to the basket," Horicon coach Darrel Schliewe said. "He can also get hot from the outside. CJ is the whole package as long as he doesn't get down on himself."

Brooks scored 28 points in a single game on three different occasions last winter -- in victories over Cambria-Friesland and Central Wisconsin Christian and in a loss to Lourdes Academy. 

Though the Marshmen lost first-team all-league guard Hunter Nehls to graduation, Brooks figures to have some solid help in the scoring department with the return of seniors Connor Drews (6-3) and Sidney Minnema (5-9) along with juniors Darius Minnema (6-4) and Caleb LaBlanc (5-10).

"I think CJ will have a very good year, especially if our bigs play well," Schliewe said. "If our bigs play well, it will open up a lot for CJ and he doesn't need much room. CJ looks to score and he can do it all, so he will get his shots."

Henry Noone, 6-2, Sr., G, Lourdes Academy
No longer just the 'younger brother' of former Lourdes and UW-Oshkosh standout Charlie Noone, Henry Noone has carved out a name for himself on the hardwood over the last three seasons.

A terrific long-distance shooter with good size, Noone begins the year with 968 career points and could very well surpass Josh Donner as the school's all-time leading scorer with a productive senior season. Donner, who went on to play at Drake University and Edgewood College, scored 1,288 points in the early 1990s.

Noone averaged 15.8 points and 2.7 rebounds as a junior while helping Lourdes Academy to a 19-8 record and the Trailways East Conference title. He earned second-team all-league honors on a balanced Lourdes squad that advanced all the way to the WIAA Division 5 sectional finals before losing to Deerfield.

"Henry has gotten a lot stronger than he was a year ago and he is in great shape," Lourdes Academy coach Brad Clark said. "He has also increased his shooting range. He's no longer a 19-foot, 9-inch shooter."

Noone has made 201 three-point shots during his prep career, including 79 of 193 attempts as a junior for 41 percent. His ability to knock down shots while playing alongside talented teammates such as sophomore Preston Ruedinger (5-11), seniors Benny Huizenga (6-1) and Hayden Jones (6-1), and juniors Caden Cheir (6-1) and George Muench (6-4) makes Lourdes the favorite to repeat as league champions.

"The thing that will stand out about Henry this winter is his ability to now attack the rim," Clark said. "We want him to get to the free throw line more often and was able to do just that during the summer. He has become more than just a three-point shooter. We plan to post him up a bit because of his increased strength. So now you are talking about a guy who can shoot from deep, score off the dribble and post-up in the lane."

Justin Kuehl, 6-2, Sr., G, Hustisford
In 16 of 25 contests a year ago, Kuehl scored at least 25 points. In a victory over Wayland Academy in early December, the athletic wing prospect scored a career-high 40 points. 

For the season, Kuehl averaged 26.2 points and 6.4 rebounds while helping Hustisford to a 17-8 record. He scored 655 points on the campaign and begins his senior season with 1,525 career points. 

The returning Player of the Year in the Trailways East, Kuehl can score off the dribble, from the foul line and from the perimeter. He is at his best attacking the rim, using a very quick first step to get around his defender and then using his vertical jumping ability to finish at the rim.

Kuehl is optimistic his club can overtake Lourdes Academy and win the Trailways East title in 2018-19.

"I'm definitely thinking we can win the conference championship," Kuehl said. "Dylan Schmidt will be a junior and should be improved. He helped us a lot last season. And my brother, Dylan Kuehl, will be a sophomore and will be able to help us."

Kerem Kocer, 5-11, Sr., PG, Wayland Academy
Kocer joined Yuenger and Kuehl on the all-conference first team following his junior season in which he averaged 23.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.4 assists while helping Wayland Academy to a 10-9 record.

A play-making guard with a quick release, Kocer begins his final season of prep hoops with 655 career points, including 299 as a sophomore and 356 as a junior.

"Kerem has a wonderful feel for the game," Wayland Academy coach P.J. Osvald said. "He sees where his teammates should move and knows when he should find a shooter and when he should attack the basket. He is extremely quick with the basketball. His ball handling is the product of hard work for years and he combines that with tremendous natural speed. Kerem also is a very good shooter. As a sophomore, he was only 25 percent from three-point range and defenses wisely sagged and gave him lower-percentage looks at the basket. Kerem worked on his shot before his junior year and shot 38.1 percent from three-point range last season." 

Kocer scored 25 or more points seven times as a junior, including a career-best 38 points in a victory over Valley Christian.

With four starters graduating from the Big Red lineup last spring, defenses might be able to focus even more of their efforts on stopping Kocer in 2018-19, though Osvald is hoping the improvement of young players in the Wayland program will keep that from happening.

"We have some young big kids who I hope can help us maintain a post presence, and our shooters will need to distinguish themselves to keep defenses honest," Osvald said. "We need that balance to that Kerem has the option to distribute the basketball or to score."

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