Norwalk Boys Basketball Exceeds Expectations in 2025-2026 Season

Warriors win conference title and reach substate final despite losing top scorers from previous year

Mar. 15, 2026 at 3:57pm

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The Norwalk boys basketball team surprised many by winning the Little Hawkeye Conference championship and reaching the substate final in the 2025-2026 season, despite losing their top scorers from the previous year. Led by a breakout season from junior Tillman Papcun, the Warriors won four more games than the prior season and earned multiple all-conference honors.

Why it matters

Norwalk's success this season, with a largely new roster, demonstrates the program's ability to develop talent and maintain competitiveness year-over-year. The Warriors' willingness to play a challenging schedule also shows their commitment to playing top competition, which should benefit the team's growth and prepare them for postseason play.

The details

Norwalk returned only six points per game from the previous season, but exceeded expectations by winning the Little Hawkeye Conference title and reaching the substate final. Junior Tillman Papcun had a breakout campaign, finishing second in the conference in scoring at 21 points per game while shooting 43% from three-point range. The Warriors' only losses came against teams that made the 3A or 4A state tournament, except for one against Ames.

  • Norwalk won their first outright Little Hawkeye Conference championship since 2019.
  • Papcun hit a game-winning three-pointer against DCG in February.
  • Papcun had a career-high 40-point performance in the substate semifinal win over Sioux City West.

The players

Tillman Papcun

A junior who finished second in the conference in scoring, averaging 21 points per game and shooting 43% from three-point range.

Aaron Pelzer

Norwalk's head coach, who instilled a new offense partway through last season to get a head start on developing this year's largely new roster.

James Hatlevig

A senior who earned second-team all-conference honors.

Jameson Demaray

A senior who earned honorable mention all-conference honors.

Henry Smith

A senior who earned honorable mention all-conference honors and will continue his basketball career at Buena Vista University next season.

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What they’re saying

“That's our schedule. We're not changing it, we're not backing down. I think, even with a couple of new teams next year, we'll still be able to keep our nine non-conference games, and we're going to keep playing the best because that's where we want to be.”

— Aaron Pelzer, Head Coach

“I'm really happy for the seniors who sat and waited their turn and didn't complain and didn't come and talk to me about why they weren't playing for three years. They just kept working and coming to practice, and I was so happy that they were rewarded with the season that they were.”

— Aaron Pelzer, Head Coach

What’s next

The Warriors will look to build on this season's success, with only three seniors graduating and several key contributors set to return next year.

The takeaway

Norwalk's ability to develop new talent and maintain a competitive program, even after losing top scorers, demonstrates the strength of the boys basketball program. The Warriors' willingness to play a challenging schedule also shows their commitment to preparing for the postseason.