Both the Langford Area boys and girls basketball teams have a group of experienced players returning this season and coaches think their clubs can be competitive.
That process starts on Saturday when Leola-Frederick comes to town for the season opener with girls junior varsity action beginning at 1 p.m. Then on Tuesday the LA squads travel to Estelline for a twin bill that gets underway at 4 p.m. with the boys JV contest.
Boys In Better Spot
Last season Coach Brian Schuring had no returning starters, while this year four regulars are back, along with another who started two years ago. Add the fact that Schuring will have the luxury of 11 letterwinners from a year ago and 16 high school players on the roster, giving the Lions plenty of reasons for optimism. Starter Kalen Godel was the only senior lost to graduation from last year’s 0-20 ballclub.
“I think the kids came in stronger and faster, and I believe we are farther along at this point than we have been in the past,” said Schuring, who is beginning his third year coaching the Lions after retiring from a long career at Groton. “We made some strides in several camps this summer and Chance Olson did a nice job with the kids in the weight room on strength and conditioning. The boys have really been working hard and practices seem to be a lot more competitive, which makes for better ballplayers.”
Returning starters include seniors Rennan Bruns and Jake Samson and juniors Ethen Olson and Dylan Harmon. Junior Kassen Keough, who was a starter for the Lions as a freshman, is also back in the fold after playing for Groton Area last season.
Rounding out the group of letterwinners are seniors Caleb Mertz and Ryder Smith; juniors Julian Rodriguez, Conner Glines, and Dawson Vander Vorst; and sophomores Cason Okroi and Hunter Jensen.
The Lions are opening their season against a team expected to be in the mix in the Lake Region Conference and Region 1B. Nine of the Titans’ 12-player roster are juniors and seniors and all but one are at least 6-0.
“What I want to see in the opener is positive attitudes and attitudes that are there to compete at a high level,” said Schuring, “and not to be afraid of any of the competition that we’re playing.”
Schuring did not yet announce his starting lineup for the opener but thinks he will be able to play a lot of people.
“We might mix it up a little a little bit due to our depth which will hopefully make us more competitive this year,” concluded Schuring. “I like what I’ve been seeing with our competitiveness in practice and hopefully as the year goes on we will continue to improve.”
Girls Numbers Still Low
Coach Michael Albert has three returning starters and six letterwinners back but numbers are still an issue with just 10 high school girls on the roster.
“We’re young but kind of experienced,” said Alberts. “Last year was kind of a big rebuilding year for us and we played a lot of young girls. But that should help us this year and next year.”
Three Lady Lions are returning starters. They include the lone senior on this year’s team, forward Eliana Darling, along with junior guard Paytyn Marlow and sophomore guard Alex Darling. Other letterwinners back are junior Mariah Tosse, and sophomores Lizzie Gustafson and Autumn Wegleitner. LA lost two senior starters to graduation – Megan Gustafson and Tawnee Nelson.
Rounding out the high school roster is junior Clarissa Guy, who is back after missing last season due to injury; sophomores Regan Bruns and Brynn Samson; and freshman Brooklynn West. Alberts noted that he will have to draw from five seventh graders and two eighth graders to fill junior varsity positions.
“We’re not very big so we will try to do some things that work to our advantage like applying some defensive pressure with our guards and getting the ball up and down the court a little bit,” said Alberts. “Alex and Paytyn are both great at handling the ball if teams pressure us.”
Albert named Alex Darling and Marlow as starting guards for Saturday’s opener, Gustafson and Eliana Darling will be on the front line along with Tosse and Guy who will likely rotate at the other spot.
“It just may depend on matchups on who’s in there,” Alberts noted. “Clarissa also missed all of last year with an injury so we want to get her some time on JV and varsity to hopefully get her back on track.”
Alberts said his club will also need to hang its hat on strong defensive play.
“One of our biggest goals is that we want to hold teams under 40 points and take care of the basketball. Since we’re going to be pretty small, we also have to be a good rebounding team. We feel like we’re going to be in the game if we can do those things. And the girls are ready to work. They want to do well, have been going hard in practice, and are ready for basketball.”
