DES MOINES - With a pair of starting positions up for grabs and a bench as green as the uniforms they don, the St. Edmond boys didn't exactly have head coach Adolph Kochendorfer resting on his laurels four months ago.

Kochendorfer can look back and laugh about the jitters now. His undefeated, state tournament-bound Gaels swept away the uncertainty with unforseen perfection.

''It did keep me awake at night,'' smiled Kochendorfer, who will guide his seventh SEHS squad into the Class 2A quarterfinals this Tuesday at noon inside Wells Fargo Arena against Council Bluffs St. Albert. ''How were we going to replace our starting point guard? Our (Div. I) center (and all-time leading scorer)? Our top two reserves?

''I knew it'd be great to have three kids back for their third year (as varsity regulars). But until you start playing games, you have no idea if everyone will embrace their roles, if the chemistry will be there, and if you can meet your potential. There were plenty of concerns and a lot of question marks.''

These Gaels (25-0 overall) not only lived up to their expectations, but exceeded them beyond Kochendorfer's wildest dreams. St. Edmond won its fourth North Central Conference championship since 2004, went unbeaten for just the second time in school history, found itself ranked in the Top-4 all year long, and punched its fifth state tourney trip this decade - a 2A best.

''I never thought we'd be sitting here at 25-0. You just can't anticipate something like that, even if we had returned all five of our starters,'' said Kochendorfer, who is 376-164 overall as a head coach - including a 140-15 mark for a lustrous .903 winning percentage since '03-04. ''This is just a very competitive, motivated group. At crunch time, they kind of kick it into another gear.

When you have kids who thrive under pressure, it's very special and unique.''

First team all-state forward John Engler dethroned Andy Nagel this winter as St. Edmond's all-time points leader. Engler, the program's third new scoring king in the last six seasons, averages 22.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per game - Top-10 state-wide in both categories.

Engler and Nagel were teammates on the Gaels' 2008 state runner-up squad. Engler, the defending 2A tournament most valuable player, has 1,223 points and St. Edmond is 68-7 in the 75 times he's suited up for a varsity contest.

Engler is flanked by veteran classmates Joey Flattery (14.9 points) and Bryan Huss (9.4), who have also been staples for Kochendorfer since their sophomore campaigns.

''The team knows that John, Joey and Bryan carry the majority of the offensive workload,'' said Kochendorfer, who sports a brilliant 53-14 tournament record during his tenure at SEHS. ''It's not an 'entitlement' thing with the three of them, though, and actually, Joey and Bryan have changed their roles (from a year ago). All three work very hard and are tremendous leaders.

''Whatever is best for the team. All of our guys buy into that concept. They're willing to do whatever it takes to keep moving in the right direction, which really advanced our cohesiveness in a hurry. That's also incredibly rare in this day and age.''

Fellow seniors Patrick Flattery, Brian Sandvig, Jon Flattery and Zach Baldwin all saw the court sparingly last season, combining for 49 points in limited action. Today, the quartet has an aggregate total of 422 points and 327 rebounds in SEHS's 25 victories.

''I can't say enough about them - collectively, they do a little bit of everything,'' Kochendorfer said. ''Patrick is a solid rebounder. Brian's quick and incredibly athletic. Jon is a terrific outside shooter. Zach really thrives in a physical atmosphere, and he also pounds the boards.

''The common denominator, though, is their defense. In fact, you could say that about our entire rotation - they all take pride in defending at a high level.''

The third-ranked and second-seeded Gaels have surrendered over 50 points just five times this year, and they've held their opponents to 40 points or fewer on 12 separate occasions.

St. Edmond, a state champion in 2000 and runner-up in 2004, '06 and '08, is 9-3 in Des Moines this decade. Its opponent this Tuesday - seventh-rated and No. 7 seed St. Albert (20-3) - is back for the first time since 2003.

Brothers Jake and Matt Waters - both all-state football players for the Falcons - pace CBSA offensively, averaging 13.8 points each. Senior Jake Anderson, a 7-footer, contributes 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.

Junior Andrew Brown (9.3 points) and senior Blake Fostvedt (3.0) will likely round out the Falcons' lineup, with sophomores Steve O'Neill (7.5) and Mickey Russell (5.4) first off the bench.

''The Waters kids are great athletes,'' Kochendorfer said. ''They have a lot of multi-sport talents like we do. Waters, Waters and Brown are really strong kids.

''Facing a 7-footer like Anderson is obviously something you don't see every day. Having gone against (6-foot-9 Michael) Collison of Iowa Falls should help. Other than that, I think we are fairly similar teams who want to do a lot of the same things.''

St. Albert has put itself through a grueling schedule. They're 3-0 against Class 4A opposition, having defeated city rivals Lewis Central (14-9), Abraham Lincoln (9-14) and Thomas Jefferson (3-19). The Falcons' three losses were to 3A quarterfinalist Harlan (22-2), Sloan Westwood (15-8) and Hastings (Neb.) St. Cecilia, which is 21-1 and a C-1 state qualifier in Nebraska.

St. Cecilia was one of seven Nebraska schools on St. Albert's schedule this season.

The Gaels are making consecutive state appearances for the first time since 1999 and 2000, when they placed fourth and captured their only title, respectively.

''It should be a big advantage for our guys, having been here a year ago and making it all the way to the finals (where St. Edmond lost to two-time defending champ Hull Western Christian),'' Kochendorfer said. ''Even the kids who didn't play, they at least have an idea and know the routine.

''I really noticed a difference the other time we went back-to-back - the team wasn't nearly as awestruck in 2000 because they knew what to expect.''

Kochendorfer is also anticipating another banner performance by the St. Edmond fanbase, which has a perfect sportsmanship award record at state since 1999 (five 2A titles in as many tries).

''It's something special to see,'' Kochendorfer said. ''You not only get the local and area fans, but alumni from across the state and even the nation.

''It means so much to the kids; it kind of becomes our home away from home, so we're all looking forward to seeing that sea of green.''

Contact Eric Pratt at (515) 573-2141, or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net