DES MOINES — Redemption for the St. Edmond boys exactly 365 days after they walked off the state basketball court heartbroken.

The top-ranked and No. 1-seeded Gaels captured their second championship in school history when they rallied from a second-half deficit to stun Bellevue Marquette this past Friday night here in the Class 1A final from the Casey’s Center.

But what was it that specifically helped fuel that memorable 19-0 run that spanned six-plus minutes in the third and fourth quarters and set St. Edmond on its way to hoisting the trophy?

Well, that started almost immediately after the loss in the 2025 semifinals to Madrid.

“When we walked off that court last year, we promised each other that we would never have that feeling again,” said Hunter Horn, star of the show, who was named tournament MVP. “We talked that very night after the game and said we would do everything we had to do to not feel like pain again.”

St. Edmond head coach Adolph Kochendorfer, who announced during the season that this would be his last in charge of the program that he took to six championship games, acknowledged the time and dedication his players put in over the past year.

“Over the summer, they did all of the team camps we could get into,” Kochendorfer said. “Guys like Hunter and (fellow senior starter) Carson (Bargfrede) went right into more games in after the team camps ended.

“And from there, they pushed to have as many open gyms as possible. Those guys all put in so much time and effort that it is just a special feeling to see them rewarded by winning a state championship.”

Horn and Bargfrede, two of the five senior starters alongside Jakob Koopman, Jack McElroy and Grant Galles, were all part of that 2025 team that fell in the semis along with junior sixth-man Ty Mericle.

Koopman, who was injured and forced to miss much of the Madrid game, reflected on the cohesion of the group in overcoming Bellevue Marquette and win their first state title in 26 years.

“We are all such good friends and have been playing together for so long,” Koopman said. “We know we’re going to make mistakes, but if you play together and stay together, you’ll come out on top more times than not.”

Horn echoed those thoughts, saying, “Ever since day one, we’ve had each other’s backs, keeping each other’s heads up no matter what is happening.

“Knowing that, it just helps us,” Horn said. “We hang out off the court as much as we can, we have team time at least once a week, we go out to eat together and do stuff away from basketball together.

“All of that is what makes this so special and so memorable.”