Burlingame
After going 14-8 a year ago and tying for third in the Lyon County League with a 6-3 record, taking another step forward is the focus for coach Creighton Winters and the Bearcats.
That might be a tall task after the graduation of Zach Dodson (13 points per game, 12 rebounds per game), Hank Zerbe (9 ppg, 4 assists per game) and Tim Thummel (9 ppg).
With a lineup featuring three players with significant varsity experience, Winters said he expected early growing pains, but added that improvement over the season was anticipated.
“I think it could be an up-and-down year,” Winters said. “I’m really expecting to see a lot of improvement from the beginning of the year to the end.”
The top returner for Burlingame is 6-foot-1 senior forward Chris Patterson, who led the Bearcats in scoring with 17 points per game last year while adding six rebounds and three assists per outing.
Joining Patterson in the starting lineup will be two seniors who saw their share of varsity action last year, 6-2 center Joel Bevitt and 5-10 guard Chris Walker. Winters said he expected junior Cory Smart to occupy the other forward spot while Dustin Droege would take over at guard opposite Walker.
Expected to provide depth off the bench is 6-2 senior Chase Griffin, 5-10 junior Bryan Vandevord and 5-10 freshman Austin Masters.
With six other freshmen and several other underclassmen filling out the rest of the Burlingame roster, how well the young players adapt to the next level would determine the Bearcats’ success this season, Winters said.
“There are only three kids that have seen significant playing time at the varsity level,” Winters said, “so we will need to develop a lot of new kids into varsity roles.”
Burlingame opens its season by playing host to the Burlingame Tournament today through Saturday.
Flinthills
The Mustangs will enter head coach Derek Sarkett’s first year with a roster that appears to be set up for Sarkett to enjoy at least some success in his inaugural season.
While Flinthills did lose seniors Kiel Riemann, Jeremy Jackson, Nate Nelson and Jimmy Michal to graduation, there is some returning talent.
Two starters return from last year’s squad that went 11-12 overall, as seniors Grant Vogt and Micah Womacks are expected to hold down the two guard positions for the Mustangs.
Giving Flinthills some options to work with will be senior forward Kent Riemann, junior center Tyler Wilson, junior guard Dalton Skiles and sophomore guard Garrett Breech.
Flinthills begins its season today at the Madison Tournament.
Hartford
Jaguars coach Chuck Ewy estimates that his squad lost at least six games during last year’s 7-14 season in part because of an inability to rebound consistently.
With the graduation of forward Blake Edwards and center Keegan Crawford, the task of rebounding might be an even bigger sore in the Jaguars’ paw this season.
But what Hartford lacks in size, Ewy hopes to make up for it with a squad of quicker, faster players.
“We will need to have a perimeter game that keeps the pressure off our post players,” Ewy said. “We are not as deep or experienced at the post this year.”
Hartford’s move to a more guard-oriented team starts with senior Cody Barrett, who returns as one of two starters for the Jags. Fellow senior Storm Cartee and sophomore Adam Ewy are expected to join Barrett on the outside, with senior Aaron Thomsen providing depth off the bench.
Hartford does have back its starting center from a year ago, as the 6-foot-5, 170-pound Justin Farr returns after averaging 5 points and 6 rebounds per game last season. Senior Ethan Beemer gives the Jags depth at the center spot off the bench.
Coach Ewy stressed, however, that Hartford’s success would largely depend on its guard play.
“We will succeed if we can defend on the ball without relying on help all the time,” he said. “We will be quick enough to defend well; I don’t know if we will be physical enough to rebound night in and night out.”
Hartford opens its season today at the Lebo Tournament.
Lebo
With the loss of eight seniors and overall numbers down from what they’ve been in the past, the Wolves and coach Mike Barrett will have some holes to fill this season.
Coming off a 15-6 season last year, Lebo must overcome the graduation of three starters: center Taylor Barker, forward Aaron Gillespie and guard Bryant Linsey, who combined to average 30.8 points, 5.3 assists and 17.8 rebounds per game last season.
“We do not have much returning varsity experience,” Barrett said. “We should have some very competitive, intense practices this year as the kids compete for the positions we have open. There is a lot of playing time out there for kids to earn.”
It’s not all bad news for Lebo, though.
The Wolves do return two starters off last year’s squad in Cameron Smith and Blake Jones.
The 6-foot-3 Smith, last season’s second-leading scorer at 11.2 points a contest, will move back into the post after playing out of position as a guard a year ago.
Jones will return to run the show at point guard after averaging 4.6 points, 2.5 assists, 3.6 steals and 3.2 rebounds per game as a junior last season. At 6-foot-5, Barrett said Jones will “present some matchup problems for other teams.”
Also back is 6-5 junior Adam Laflin, who was a part-time starter in the post last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Barrett also singled out several players that he believed would have an effect on this year’s squad. At the forward spots, Dylan Montgomery and Dylan Smith will provide depth down low, while at the guard spots, Lebo will get help from defensive-stopper Gage Milota and Craig Woods, a transfer from Hartford.
Despite inexperience at some spots, Barrett said his team’s goals were unchanged.
“We hope this year to compete for a league title,” Barrett said, “and ultimately make it to Manhattan to the Class 2A State tournament.”
Lebo gets its season underway today when it plays host to the Lebo Tournament.
Lyndon
You know the Lyndon Tigers are stacked when two starters from last year’s squad aren’t even projected to start this season.
Head coach Michael Massey has all five starters back from last season’s 9-12 squad, and two of those starters — Jeremey Testerman and Kade Neilson — are expected to come off the bench while two sophomores — Keene Niemack and Derek Banzhaf — step into the starting lineup.
That returning experience and talent coupled with the fact that seven of Lyndon’s 12 losses last season came by eight points or less has Massey thinking big this season.
“We have 10 guys who gained a lot of experience last season,” Massey said. “They have shown improvement from last year.”
With Niemack expected to start at forward and Banzhaf at guard, the other three spots on the floor will be filled by two seniors and a junior.
Six-foot-2, 200-pound senior center Alex Wendling is coming off a season a year ago in which he averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds per contest. Senior Quinton Testerman will join Wendling in the post, while junior Dylan Filburn will man the point position.
Seniors Will Whitaker and Jesse Filburn and junior Shea Kirsop are expected to come off the bench to give the Tigers a host of upperclassmen reserves.
Lyndon opens its season at Northern Heights on Friday.
Madison
With four starters back, first-year head coach Alan Brown should have little trouble carrying on the success that last year’s squad experienced in compiling a 17-4 record, including a 9-1 league record.
In fact, with so much returning talent, the Bulldogs could be primed for a serious run at the Lyon County League title.
Brown had one word to describe the upcoming season: “Promising.”
Though Madison does lose All-State selection Jordan Stout, who is now at Emporia State, the Bulldogs have plenty of firepower back.
It starts with 6-foot-6 senior center Kaleb Schankie, who is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.7 points, 6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks as a junior.
Senior Sid Childers, another returning starter, will move into the forward spot vacated by Stout, while returner Michael Luthi will start in the other forward position.
As a complement to what should be a strong inside game, senior guard Eric Porter gives Madison an outside threat. Porter shot 40 percent from the three-point line a season ago, and averaged 10.4 points and 2.1 assists per game.
Stepping into the final starting role will be Caleb Hamilton, a junior guard who averaged 2.1 points per game last year.
Off the bench, Brown expects to call upon freshman Kale Schankie, sophomores Henry Ott and Reese Childers, junior Josh Buster and senior Caleb Rathke for immediate depth, with at least eight other players expected to be on the squad.
Brown said he expected to push the ball and run an up-tempo style of play and added that this year’s team was “willing to learn and work together.”
Madison opens its season by playing host to the Madison Invitational, which begins today.
Marais des Cygnes Valley
While his team does return four starters and seems to have the potential for a breakout season, Trojans head coach Thad Thurston can envision a season in which his squad could be greatly improved from a year ago, but because of the quality of the league, not have a whole lot to show for it.
“The (Lyon County) League will be tough,” Thurston said. “Lebo, Olpe and Madison — wow. That is a few tough teams. Lyndon will be very good also. We will have to perform well to be competitive.”
If anything, though, Thurston can look at how his team closed out last season and hope that it carries over to this year. After starting the year 2-10, Marais des Cygnes Valley ended its season by winning eight of its last 10 games.
Back to try and make sure that late-season success continues will be four starters that appear primed to help the Trojans to a breakout year.
Seniors Dennis Becker (11 points, 8 rebounds per game) at center and Chisom Spencer (10 points, five rebounds per game) are back and will look to overcome the production loss of the graduated David Becker and his 10-point and 7-rebound average last year.
The other two starters, senior Drew Woodruff and junior Brandon Litch, are expected to lock down the guard spots.
Thurston will have three players off last year’s team that saw significant playing time, as senior forward Bryan Phillips and guard/forward combos Michael Spillman, a senior, and Mike Schmidt, a junior, all will provide depth coming off the bench. Spillman started a handful of games last year.
The Trojans begin their season Friday with a road game at Southern Coffey County.
Olpe
Much like the Olpe football team, the Eagles boys basketball team will undergo a major overhaul this season after losing nearly all of its production from a year ago.
One starter returns off of last year’s squad that went 26-2 and finished third in the Class 1A State tournament, while Olpe lost center Seth Pargman, forward Drew Pettijohn and guards Colton Stueve and Tanner Coble, to name a few.
But also like the football team, the Eagles expect to pick up where they left off, as talent that was waiting in the wings now will be called upon to keep the success going.
“This season, we should be competitive in our league,” coach Chris Schmidt said. “We have people who are capable of stepping up into starting roles.”
It all starts with forward Cole Krueger, a 6-foot-1 junior who averaged 10 points and four rebounds a game last season as a starter.
Krueger is expected to be joined in the starting lineup by fellow junior Josh Klumpe at center and senior Ethan Schneider at the other forward spot.
Manning the two guard positions will be senior Alex Medinciy and sophomore Bradley Agrabright.
Providing help off the bench will be senior Bryant Duenas at center, forwards Wade Schmidt, a junior, and Matt Redeker, a sophomore, and junior guards Derek Vaughn and Jacob Kehres.
With Schmidt confident in the talent he has despite losing so much off last year’s roster, he said it would take more than talent if the Eagles are to continue last year’s winning ways.
“We need to do the fundamentals well,” Schmidt said. “We need to play good team defense, rebound and take care of the ball. Developing some consistent outside shooting will also be a factor for us.”
Olpe begins its defense of its league title with a road game at West Elk on Friday.
Waverly
It might sound odd, but Waverly not winning a State football title for the first time in two years might actually end up helping the Bulldogs’ basketball team.
Last season, after the Bulldogs football team captured the 8-Man Division I State title, Waverly football and basketball coach Mike Hevel said his basketball team suffered from a lack of practice time at the beginning of the season, which led to a 2-6 start.
Once the Bulldogs got some time in on the court and not the field, they began to succeed, putting up a 13-4 record to close out the season and playing in the Sub-State championship game.
This year, however, Waverly did not make the State football playoffs, and Hevel said he hoped it would make a difference.
The Bulldogs are light on returning starting experience, as only senior center Kale Hamm started last season. But what Waverly lacks in starting experience, it hopes to make up for with sheer numbers.
“We hope to have a lot of depth and play a lot of people,” Hevel said. “We need to get off to a good start.”
Four other seniors will join Hamm in the starting lineup. The 6-foot Dakota Foster and 5-10 Mason Fleming are expected to lock down the forward spots, while Matt Hevel and Mike Sarver will take over the duties at the guard spots.
Off the bench, Waverly will have no fewer than nine options. Hevel listed seniors Nathan Altic and Kevin Schmidt, junior Chance McGinnis, sophomore Josh Teal and freshman Travis Snipe as those players expected to get immediate time coming off the bench. Hevel also added junior Chris Restoff, sophomores Raymond Zilliox and Chris Pawkey and freshman Ethan Rice as several players who could see action this season.
The Bulldogs get their season underway today at the Burlingame Tournament.
Information from Chase County was not made available to The Gazette at press time.
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