Cannon Falls head boys basketball coach Josh Davisson said his team this year should have no problem scoring. It’s what they’re able to do on the defensive end and how new contributors adjust to varsity basketball that will decide how far the Bombers will go.
“I think we have talented guys who can score. The challenge is to get them to share, recognize who’s hot and who’s not, that sort of thing,” said Davisson. “I think one of the strengths early is that we have probably four guys legit on any night that can give you 20 points, the key’s going to be making it all work together.”
Cannon Falls returns three of its starters from last year’s team that made it all the way to the Section 1AA semifinals – seniors Ryan Hjellming and Abram Tennessen and junior Miles Rechtzigel. They also return significant contributors like sophomore Brooks Rechtzigel, junior Tyler Meyers and senior Grady Meyers. However, the loss of varsity mainstays Gavin Johnson and Jack Meyers to graduation has opened spots up for players who may not have a bunch of varsity experience. Davisson added that how those players adjust to the intensity of varsity basketball, especially in southeast Minnesota and the Hiawatha Valley League, will be a major factor in determining the Bombers’ success.
Cannon Falls is off to a good start to the season with a pair of wins over Byron (81-68) on the road and at home over Rochester Lourdes (71-66). They then lost at Goodhue (91-75) on Friday. Both wins showed Davisson one of the major things he wanted to see to start.
“The biggest thing and the question mark for me coming in, was how these guys handle adversity when it happens?” he explained. “In both games, Byron and now Rochester (Lourdes), we had times where we got down and not played our best, and it could have been a moment where they kind of folded, but both games they dug their heels in and fought and fought.”
In the win over Rochester Lourdes, the Bombers were well-balanced on the score sheet. Hjellming led the team with 21 points while Miles Rechtzigel added 18 and Brooks Rechtzigel 16.
Davisson also highlighted the leaps two of his players have made from the end of last year to the start of this season.
“Abram Tennessen has probably been our most solid, our most consistent guy. He’s by far our best defender consistently throughout a game and he’s doing a great job of controlling the offense and controlling our team,” he said. “You need to have a guy like that who can pull stuff together when it’s going crazy.”
Then there’s sophomore Brooks Rechtzigel, who showed flashes last year but has grown both in height and in confidence the last nine months.
“He’s a bona fide varsity player, he’s put in a ton of time and work,” Davisson said about Brooks. “He’s playing very confident, you saw how he played today and he’s one of the guys who’s taken a huge leap from last year.”
Davisson said that the goal this year, like with any year, is to play down in Rochester at the Mayo Civic Center. He added that if the Bombers continue to improve and stay healthy, they can compete with any team in Section 1AA, which is one of the toughest sections in the state.
The Bombers go to Stewartville on Tuesday, Dec. 16, before hosting Pine Island on Thursday, Dec. 18, and Plainview-Elgin-Millville on Saturday, Dec. 20. A new wrinkle to Cannon Falls’ schedule this season is that they will play in Breakdown Sports’ Southern MN Hoops Fest against 2025 state tournament team Breck in Goodhue on Jan. 3.
Season Schedule