Magrath Zeniths Reign Supreme: Are They Simply Untouchable in the South?

By Ace Richards

2026-27 Southern Alberta Men's High School Basketball: Prairie Sky Conference

As the season gets going here in a couple of months, one team seems to be standing ahead of the rest: the Magrath Zeniths (AB) should be sitting on the top of the rankings.

Key players

6'6 wing Eli Steed is looking to three-peat with his league MVPs and the southern Alberta title. Eli would love nothing more than to end his high school career with that 5A provincial title. Eli is arguably the top high school player in Western Canada and has no major flaw in his game and should be a problem for anyone on the court.

6'4 guard Alatise Atoa: After a dominant grade season here in Magrath and a strong performance for the 15U Alberta men’s team, “Tise” is looking to have a strong grade 10 season here for the Zeniths. He will be looking to have more of a ball-handling role than he did last season, but that shouldn’t be an issue for him. Looking to be a strong shooter and facilitator for this team. One question teams will be asking is, can the varsity physicality be too much?

Three returning seniors who all had big roles on the team last year: 6'0 Jackson Carrel, 5'11 Joe Wilde and 6'1 Cody Harris.

Jackson and Joe will be known as the Zeniths' top shooters as well as handling the ball and making plays down the stretch. Cody will also have a ball-handling role as he might end up being the point guard throughout the season and should be guarding the top offensive player from the opposing team each night.

The rest of the league rankings will be tough to determine until we actually see the final rosters and how they can get playing in the beginning of the season. What I think will end up happening is the Medicine Hat Hawks (AB) will come out as a top-three seed.

Losing almost every player on their roster, Medicine Hat will have a tough start to the year figuring out the varsity level. One thing the Hawks have been able to do over the last couple seasons is develop players from JV to varsity year by year. So I would not be shocked if they came in as a top-three seed. The other team fighting for the spot will be the Raymond Comets (AB). First-year varsity head coach Logan Mendenhall will be figuring out the varsity level here in Alberta throughout the first couple weeks as well as some young players who seem to have key roles on this team.

Key players: 5'10 guard Kasen Arcus . Kasen is coming into his senior year with the most experience on this team and has an aggressive play style that any coach would want on their team. Arcus will be looking to be one of the top scorers in the league as well as a leader for this team.

6'6 senior Finn Davis. Davis will be looking to be the main interior scorer for this team as well as developing a shot. He’ll be having a role to be able to defend the opposing teams' tallest players and battle bigs.

6'2 Thomas Wahlberger, 5'9 Jace Ralph, 5'9 Karver Mendenhall and 5'11 Caleb Arcus will be looking to play key roles on this team as well. Thomas will be looking to be their bruiser guy and top rebounder. The next three who I have mentioned will be looking to be threats from beyond the arc and have main ball-handling priorities for this team. Do not be surprised if Raymond sees some struggles figuring out the varsity level to start the year, but makes some noise as the season goes on.

For the next three seeds, don’t be surprised if it’s a mixture between the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) Rams (AB), the Cardston Cougars (AB) and the Catholic Central Cougars (AB).

Key players: 6'3 Hudson Tanner. Tanner is a bruiser. He plays old-style ball where he uses his strength to be a force. 5'9 Owen Parker. Parker will be coming into his senior year, as well as Tanner, looking to be the leaders for this team.

All losing big pieces from their teams from last year, they’re all returning solid players and are looking into a rebuild season. Don’t be surprised by their win-now play style.

Cardston key players: 5'10 Bronson Leavitt, 6'0 Tristan Leavitt and 6'7 Johnny Manson. Both of these Leavitt's will be looking to lead this team as they’re starting one and two guards and lead the team in scoring. Johnny will be the paint presence for this team and has a nice touch around the rim.

Catholic Central: 6'2 guard Stephan Bolarinwa will be the Cougars' top player. He’s an explosive guard with an elite driving package and will be looking to be one of the top scorers in the south zone league.

Wrapping up the seventh seed should be the Chinook Coyotes (AB). Same as the Catholic Central Cougars, they compete for the 4A title here in the south, but for league play they compete in the Prairie Sky Conference, so while they aren’t quite as well-rounded as these five teams, they can always beat multiple teams in the 4A level and are always a solid team to play.