Top Five In 4A This Week: Underclass Edition

<p>By now, the seniors are leaders and everyone else has settled into their roles. But what about the non-seniors that play at an experience level and maturity that supersedes their age? Here are our top five teams in 4A this week, with two non-seniors on each squad that have made waves this fall.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#5: Cathedral (16-4)</h2>   <p>If there's a team on this list with a bigger mixture of youth and experience, I'm unfamiliar with them. The Fighting Irish have an amazing influx of youth that has propelled them to our top five consistently, and it starts with fabulous freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='327227' first='Hayden' last='Mandsager'] ('27, 5-9 OH).</strong> Regularly terminating attacks and playing defense at a high level is not something normally seen in an outside, let alone a freshman. I'm also a big fan of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355575' first='Avery' last='Lewis'] ('26, 6-1 MB).</strong> Her defense at the net looks instinctual, and is up and ready to swing in transition on nearly every play. Cathedral's match this coming Thursday against 4A #3 Yorktown should be an epic matchup and test for the remainder of the fall.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#4: Castle (16-2)</h2>   <p>The Knights finally make it back into the top five after their run to the state final in '21. Their match tonight against Evansville Memorial (13-1) should be a fun one to watch, and Castle's youth might be called upon if the primary players falter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272388' first='Emma' last='Bruggenschmidt'] ('26, 6-0 OH)</strong> is a big and physical pin attacker that can terminate from anywhere, while one of the setters in the 6-2, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='458189' first='Maya' last='Joska'] ('25, 6-0 S, Virginia Tech commit)</strong> brings even more size to a 4A squad looking to make another deep run in the postseason.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#3: Yorktown (15-4)</h2>   <p>Always lurking, always competitive and always winning are the Tigers from Yorktown. Although primary player <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152944' first='Charlotte' last='Vinson']</strong> has been the alpha and omega of the roster, this squad is filled with talent in their youth, starting with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='155213' first='Addi' last='Applegate'] ('25, 5-5 DS/L, Texas A&M commit).</strong> Her ability to pass half the court and defend any and all hard-driven shots from opponents are the simple reasons why the ball always stays in play on her side. I'm also looking to <strong>Ariane Wright ('25, 5-8 OH)</strong> as a current and future complement to Miss Vinson. Charlotte is eventually going to have a less-than-perfect match. Ariane has been slowly stepping her game up over the last few weeks to be that much-needed outlet attacker.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2: Roncalli (18-2)</h2>   <p>These Royals always seem to have a ton of talent in their youth every season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152943' first='Logan' last='Bell'] ('25, 5-10 OH, Oregon commit)</strong> is the obvious leader for this roster, and will probably need to carry the biggest load of offensive work tonight as they travel to 4A #1 and defending state champ Hamilton Southeastern. There are multiple youngsters that can be emphasized on this squad, and my favorite of the bunch is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='254827' first='Lydia' last='Stahley'] ('26, 6-1 Pin).</strong> She can put balls away from either pin, and is a tough defender at the net that will need to slow down HSE's relentless attack if they want to come out of Hamilton County with a W.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#1: Hamilton Southeastern (17-0)</h2>   <p>Without a doubt, this is one of the best teams to come out of Indiana in quite some time. So much talent is found up and down this roster, and there are kids on this bench that would start at most other schools. Some primary players, however, are found in their youth. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153107' first='Lindsey' last='Mangelson'] ('25, 6-2 OH, Mississippi State commit)</strong> hammers away and is slowly progressing into a full-time primary passing outside. She's an absolute force for these Royals. One of the setters in the 6-2, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172759' first='Ava' last='Hunter'] ('25, 5-10 S, Loyola Chicago commit)</strong>, is super athletic and can get to a ton of balls and make the out-of-system passes in-system for her attackers.</p>

By now, the seniors are leaders and everyone else has settled into their roles. But what about the non-seniors that play at an experience level and maturity that supersedes their age? Here are our top five teams in 4A this week, with two non-seniors on each squad that have made waves this fall.