Teams count on experience

The six Wayne County basketball teams will all be guided by established coaches, and most will return experienced players to their rosters. Centerville will start the season without their leading scorer from the last two seasons, Shea Hollendonner, who is rehabbing from an injury suffered in football. When the talented junior is able to return to action he could impact the Bulldogs’ postseason fortune, but the Bulldogs still have a deep talent pool. Hagerstown will add a talented freshman to an already deep rotation. Lincoln and Northeastern both return nearly every player from a season ago. Seton Catholic has the players to compete for a sectional title and Richmond will rebuild around all-state candidate Mason Carpenter. 

Centerville Bulldogs

Head coach: Brian Keiser (2023-24 record 14-11, 7-1 TEC) 2A Sectional No. 44 

The Centerville Bulldogs were expecting a banner year led by junior Shea Hollendonner, who scored 957 points during his freshman and sophomore seasons and was named the Tri-Eastern Conference Player of the Year. Unfortunately, Hollendonner was injured in football and will be sidelined until later in the season. The Bulldogs may have a banner year anyway. The defending Wayne County champions have substantial returning talent and will add two promising freshmen to the mix. Two-year starters Landyn Keiser (5.9 ppg) and Ethan Vecera (8.6 ppg) lead the returnees. Bryson Brown, six-foot-five Kaden McCord and Keith Plyley Jr. also return with varsity experience. Jonah Cornett, Kyle Dickenson and Johnny McGinty, who played on the JV team last year, are now on the varsity roster. Freshmen Coltyn Kaiser and Jace Hollendonner are likely to see substantial varsity action.

The Bulldogs have been reassigned to the 2A enrollment class and will join the Hagerstown sectional field. The Bulldogs, who will participate in the Bob Wettig tournament in January, will open regular season play by hosting Eastern Hancock on Wednesday, Nov. 27, before traveling to Earlham College on Saturday, Nov. 30, to play against Seton Catholic.   

Hagerstown Tigers

Head coach: Mark Doerstler (2023-24 record 6-14, 2-6 TEC) 2A Sectional No. 44

The Hagerstown Tigers have the potential for a breakout season. The Tigers return eight players who saw varsity action last season, five of whom were starters, and have added a promising freshman to the mix. Senior guards Kaagen Kendall (12.6 ppg) and Anthony Kelley (11.6 ppg) both return, as well as junior Isaac Schmitz (9.4 ppg). A duo of six-foot-four seniors, Landon Lawson (8.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Griffin Doerstler (2.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg), return to patrol the paint along with six-foot-three junior Ben Hokey. Doerstler has battled injuries the last two seasons, but now healthy, his contribution is expected to increase significantly. Mason Rhoades and Braydon Sanders will add to the depth of the talent pool and six-foot-one freshman guard Jaykob Troutwine is expected to have an immediate impact because of his skill and versatility, and to be a disruptive force on defense. Jonny Howard, a transfer student who averaged 7.5 ppg in 21 games for Shenandoah last season, will be limited to JV games in the regular season but will be eligible to join the varsity roster for the sectional.

The number of players in the program has made practices competitive and will allow Tigers to play a “C” team schedule. Coach Doerstler has added veteran coaches to his staff. Jason Ervin, Kelly Bicknell and Barry Miller will be varsity assistants, Matt Hileman the JV coach and David Cruse will coach the “C” team. 

The Tigers will open regular season play on Tuesday, Nov. 26, when they host Franklin County. They will travel to Yorktown on Wednesday, Nov. 27, to face the Tigers, before traveling to Cowan on Saturday, Nov. 30, to challenge the Blackhawks. The Tigers, who will host 2A sectional No. 44, will also participate in the Sheridan holiday tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28. 

Lincoln Golden Eagles 

Head coach: Rodney Klein (2023-24 record 8-15, 1-7 TEC) 1A Sectional No. 56 

The Lincoln Golden Eagles appear poised to have a strong season. The Eagles are deep, balanced and experienced and have multiple scoring options. The top eight players from last season return and all eight can score. Versatile six-foot-two senior Aidan Munchel was the leading scorer (12.6 ppg) and leading rebounder (5.6 rpg) last season. Senior Oliver Webb (9.3 ppg), junior Dustin Lunsford (9.1 ppg) and senior Evan Stuckey (6.3 ppg) also return. Noah Patterson (5.5 ppg) and Ryne Sturgis (7.5 ppg) both logged time as freshman last season and return bigger and stronger this season. Six-foot-five sophomore Elijah French also returns after playing in 18 games as a freshman. Seniors Carson Hawk and Clayton Vickers will add to the depth of the talent pool. The 1A sectional field has changed for the Eagles. Monroe Central will replace Tri High in the sectional field that will be hosted by Blue River Valley.

The Eagles will stay in the friendly confines of the “Nest” for their first five games. They will host Wes-Del on Wednesday, Nov. 27, GEO Next Generation on Saturday, Nov. 30, Indianapolis Metropolitan on Friday, Dec. 6, Anderson Prep on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and Knightstown on Friday, Dec. 13.      

Northeastern Knights

Head coach: Brent Ross (2023-24 record 18-8, 6-2 TEC) 2A Sectional No. 44 

The Northeastern Knights are defending sectional champions and are a strong threat to repeat. The Knights return substantial talent and will benefit from the tradition that head coach Brent Ross has built. The calling card for the Knight program has always been defense and rebounding and that will not change, but the Knights also have the offensive firepower to outscore opponents. The Knights will have an abundance of senior leadership. Landon Scarrette (14.3 ppg), Tre Vanlandingham (10.2 ppg) and six-foot-seven Sam White (5.7 ppg and 8.0 rpg) played in all 26 games last year, while Dalton Justice and Matthew Truitt each appeared in 14 games. Juniors Cooper Cline, Logan Seal, Nic Markward, Kaleb Moore and Marshall Phillips add to the depth and versatility of the Knights. Six-foot-four senior Noah Payne, a transfer student from Ohio, should be a key player. The Knights will open their season on Wednesday, Nov. 27, with a game against Seton Catholic to be played at Earlham College before hosting Monroe Central on Saturday, Nov. 30. The Knights will also participate in the Edinburgh Tournament to be played on Friday, Dec. 27 and Saturday, Dec. 28. The Knights will be in the Hagerstown sectional.  

Richmond Red Devils

Head coach: Billy Wright (2023-24, 6-2 NCC) 4A Sectional No. 9 

The Richmond Red Devils will have a host of new faces to surround three year-starter and all-state candidate Mason Carpenter (12.7 ppg). The Red Devils, a 20-game winner last season, opened their season by winning their first 16 games, but 10 players from that team graduated and Indiana Junior All-Star Cedric Horton (18.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg) transferred to an out-of-state school. The Red Devils’ fortunes will largely depend on how quickly the inexperienced players develop and adjust to varsity competition. The Red Devils will host Jay County on Saturday, Nov. 30, to open regular season play before back-to-back road games at Springfield, Ohio, on Friday, Dec. 6 and at Floyd Central on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Red Devils will also host their annual Bob Wettig Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 2, and Friday, Jan. 3. 

Seton Catholic Cardinals

Head coach: Josh Jurgens (2023-24 record 19-8, 3-1 PAAC) 1A Sectional No. 56

The Cardinals were sectional champions last season but they graduated six key players, most notable among them Mason Harvey, a four-year starter and the second leading scorer in school history. Head coach Josh Jurgens, who has guided the Cardinals to seven sectional titles, will reload with a strong group of returnees. Most notable among them: Jackson Feist (3.5ppg), Jason Moynihan (10.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg), Eric Parker (6.8 ppg) and Trent Tremain (4.9. 3.5 assists). Grant Semler, who played for the Cardinals during his freshman and sophomore seasons, will rejoin the team after playing at Hagerstown last season and will be a probable starter. Feist, Moynihan, Parker and Tremain are all expected to assume a larger role this season. The 1A sectional field has changed for the Cardinals. Monroe Central has replaced Tri High in the sectional that will be hosted by Blue River. The Cardinals will be tested quickly. They open their season on Wednesday, Nov. 27 against Northeastern in a game played at Earlham. They will stay at Earlham to host Centerville on Saturday, Nov. 30, before traveling to Hagerstown on Wednesday, Dec. 4 to face the Tigers.