Though the thrill of Friday night lights and the squeak of shoes on the tennis court is coming to a close, the door for winter sports is opening.
With three sports emerging into the spotlight, here is a glimpse into each team as they prepare for their upcoming season.
Boys Basketball
With the departure of six seniors, leading them to a 12-12 record, head coach Ben Rhoades will have his work cut out for him this season with the task of shaping and molding new young pieces into varsity-level talent.
Rhoades says this team will have to rely heavily on their seniors to navigate this team in the right direction.
Big things are expected out of returning starting center senior James Kalala who averaged 10.4 points per game, and returner senior Malachi Bravard who averaged 3.6 points per game.
“We have a lot of new guys, but we also have a couple older guys that have some experience,” Rhoades said. “So I think as the year goes on, we’re going to get better as a team.”
Girls Basketball
After coming off a 12-10 season, the Lady Cards look to compete after losing six seniors and transitioning from older, homegrown talent to younger, transfer flair.
Junior Lorelei Bennett, who led the team in free-throw per game percentage and 3-point percentage, leads the way with a cast of five returners, four new transfers and two freshmen, according to MaxPreps.
Head coach Larry Williams will be looking out for big things from freshman Angie Martinez and veteran leadership from senior Kamiah Davis-Muff.
“We will remain patient and really focus on the two things we can control, and thats attitude and effort …,” Williams said. “Starting off with a new team and having several injuries is only going to make us deeper and stronger in the long run.”
Girls Wrestling
Even though the sport of girls wrestling is developing, the expectation for the Lady Cards remains the same, to continue to learn and grow.
Sophomore Hope Senteney returns to the mat and looks to continue where she left off. After Senteney placed third in the state, head coach Nick Skinner believes it is only up from here.
“If she can focus, there’s no reason she can’t win a state title, which would be our first IHSAA state title in wrestling since I’ve been here,” Skinner said.
Notable alumna such as Kyla Johnson and Avalyn Mosconi have both placed in the state tournament last year. Their departure leaves big shoes to fill, but opens opportunities to grow and learn which is something Skinner is excited to see out of this group of girls.
Boys Wrestling
Similar to the girls’ team, Skinner has high hopes in regards to growth for the boys’ team. With a team loaded with experienced sophomores and juniors, he believes a lot of success should come from this group.
Sophomore Vanbawi Lian is a highly-regarded rising sophomore who is looking to do big things this season. Lian finished third in the freshman/sophomore heavyweight division in the USA Wrestling Preseason National championships.
“On the guys’ side, we should be pretty tough,” Skinner said. “Those kids are mostly sophomores and juniors so they’ve had a year or two under their belt … so I expect more from the boys team right now.”
Swim Team
With the arrival of a new head coach, the boys and girls swim teams dive into new beginnings.
Science teacher Kylie Keevy believes, just like any new coach coming to a team, it will take some time for her swimmers to mesh with her coaching style. Putting that aside, she is excited for the season with a good turn out of girls, both experienced and new to the sport.
“There’s a lot of new swimmers … there’s a lot of different levels of differentiating capabilities,” Keevy said.
Many upperclassmen, such as senior Faith Johnson and juniors Bella Hufnagel, Sabrina Witt and Jade Penniston, are key swimmers to look out for as the season progresses.
On the boys’ side, they won’t start until Nov. 10, so Keevy is unsure of the outcome.
