Monticello is good, needs to be in loaded district

CEDAR RAPIDS – Monticello is one of the best teams in its district. It might be the best.

No doubt the Panthers will have to be at their best to survive.

Monti is one of six teams in Class 2A, District 7, all having winning records. That's led by the Panthers' 13-1.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released 1A and 2A district groupings Monday, with official pairings coming next month. Monticello Coach Tim Lambert figures his club will be a first or second seed, since that is determined by results through each team's 15th game.

That's good. What's not, he says, is unnecessarily being placed in probably the toughest district in the state.

'I think it's disappointing to all us coaches,” Lambert said.

His beef is that he doesn't feel the IHSAA is making a reasonable effort in this case to better 'protect” higher-quality teams. Coaches convinced the Association to delay configuring and announcing district and substate groupings in order to have a better idea which teams are superior and adjust districts accordingly.

You would think you'd want your best to make the state tournament, though geography obviously trumps. Too much here, according to Lambert.

The other teams in District 7 are Alburnett (6-4), Anamosa (7-4), Dyersville Beckman (8-3), Clayton Ridge (7-3) and MFL/Mar-Mac (7-6).

'If you're not going to use (the formula), I wish they'd just go back to releasing pairings before the season like they used to,” Lambert said. 'That way you'd know who was in your district and you could scout them. The IHSAA just doesn't seem to put a lot of effort into it in 2A and 1A.

'I don't think something like this would happen in 4A.”

Enough of the bad stuff here.

Monticello went 15-9 last season, with all nine losses by five points or less. Three sophomores started on that team, and they have been integral in what has been a sterling 2014-15 campaign.

Center Garrett Rieniets leads the team in scoring (16.5 points per game), with twin brothers Matt and Derek Manternach chipping in at 12.7 and 9.4 points, respectively. Senior point guard Jarrett Easton is a first-year starter who averages 10.4 points and leads the team in assists and rebounds.

Rieniets is serving a seven-game suspension for violating school policy. He has missed two games already and will not be available for a big home weekend against Northeast Goose Lake (Friday) and top-ranked Iowa City Regina (Saturday).

He'll also miss the team's return matchup with Cascade. The sixth-ranked Cougars handed Monti its lone loss, last week in overtime.

'I love our team,” Lambert said. 'We have good parts, they play hard, and they play together. Our number one goal is to make the state tournament. I think we're real good. They're not looking ahead to next year (when they should be just as good). They're looking at right now.”

By the way, district and substate groupings for Class 3A and 4A are expected to be released next week by the IHSAA.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com