by Jeremy Benson, GrandRiverConference.com
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Maysville received six first-place votes and is the coaches' pick to repeat as GRC Boys Basketball Champions for the 2024-25 season. Defending champion Putnam County received two first-place votes and was picked second. Gallatin was picked third by the coaches.
Maysville
Maysville had one of its best seasons in school history last
year. They finished 25-2 overall and 5-1
in the GRC. They also won the District Championship and the Gallatin and King
City tournaments. This year, Todd Mercer
takes over the reins. The Wolverines
would like to build on the success from last season. To do so, they must replace three starters in
Kobyn Metzger (16.9 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, 1st
Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast), Kayden Gabbard (6.4 ppg, Honorable Mention
All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast), and Tanner Evans
(8.7 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, All-District, 2nd Team
All-Cliff Notes Podcast).
But they still have a lot of talent returning, which led the
coaches to pick Maysville to win the conference. It would be the first GRC title in Boys Basketball since 1988 if they can accomplish that. Leading scorer Dillon Willis (19.5 ppg, 1st Team
All-Conference, All-District, District Player of the Year, All-State, 1st
Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast) joins Kris Gabbard (2nd Team
All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast) as a starter
returning. They will be joined by Brock
Windham (3.0 ppg), their sixth man from last season. Kasen Reeder (0.5 ppg), Mac White (0.3 ppg),
Carson Bray (3.7 ppg), Eli Gaiser (0.7 ppg), Broden Willis (3.0 ppg), and Bo
Ziekle (0.3 ppg) are expected to take on expanded roles.
Coach Mercer said, "We are looking forward to the season. Great group of young men to Coach."
Putnam County
Putnam County won its first GRC Championship in Boys'
Basketball last season, finishing 19-8 overall and 6-0 in the GRC. The Midgets
will have to replace five graduating seniors: Owen Ream (13.3 ppg, 1st
Team All-Conference, All-District, KMZU Dream Team), Trace Riediger (14.0 ppg,
1st Team All-Conference, All-District, KMZU Dream Team), Carter
Simmons (7.3 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, All-District), Riley
Ayers (4.0 ppg), and Randal Ayers (3.0 ppg). Mason Morris (9.6 ppg, 2nd
Team All-Conference), Kooper Hornaday (8.8 ppg, Honorable Mention
All-Conference), and Avery Campbell (3.9 ppg) are expected to lead Putnam
County in its quest to repeat.
Juniors Daxton Smith (1.0 ppg) and Diego Lopez (1.2 ppg) and
sophomores Mathew Blanchard (0.5 ppg) and Sawyer Morgan are newcomers in the
main rotation for the Midgets.
Coach Kyle Fleshman said, "I'm hoping to see everyone step
up and inhabit their new roles on this year's team. Some of the returning
players will be asked to expand their roles from last year and contribute in
other ways, especially on the offensive end. Some of the newcomers will have to
make the big leap from JV to finding a way they can contribute on the varsity
team."
Gallatin
Gallatin had many players who had to take on expanded roles
last season. They started the season slowly but won six of their last eight
games. They were district runners-up, falling to Maysville in a close
game. The Bulldogs have higher
expectations after finishing 14-11 overall and 3-3 in GRC.
Gallatin will replace two starters, Boston Bell (12.6 ppg, 2nd
Team All-Conference, All-District) and Jaden Wilson (8.6 ppg), but they will
return starters Gavin Wilmes (15.1 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District),
Pryce Johnson (6.5 ppg), and Brody Bird (7.4 ppg). Last year's sixth man, Jack
Donovan (5.1 ppg), also returns. Wilmes led
the team in scoring last season and set the tone. Johnson is the point guard who sees the floor
exceptionally well. Bird is one of the
top defenders, and Donovan is a threat from three.
Reid Henry (1.3 ppg), Sullivan Bird (1.1 ppg), and Wade
Houser (are among the players expected to take on an expanded role. All of them
will see more time to help replace the production left by Bell and Wilson's
departure.
Coach Tanner Smith said, "I'm excited for our returning
players to have a chance to continue to build off our success from late in the
season. I expect us to compete and play extremely hard at both ends of the
court. We have a group that has played a lot of basketball together throughout
their lives so I expect us to play well together and to be a tight-knit group. We're going to be a fun team to watch with the way we share the basketball and
push the tempo.
Polo
Polo Panthers last had a winning season in 2011-12. They finished last season 10-12 overall and 2-4
in the GRC. They lose starters Logan
Raby and Hunter McGee but return the GRC leading scorer in Maverick
Gentry (1st Team All-Conference, All-District, 1st Team
All-Cliff Notes Podcast, KMZU Dream Team). Gage Gilbert (2nd Team All-Conference, Honorable Mention
All-Cliff Notes Podcast, KMZU Dream Team) also returns to the starting
lineup. Brandon Wallce and Carson Thompson
will be asked to play a bigger role for Polo this season.
Coach Josh Junco said, "This team has talent in multiple places,
and we should be much more diverse this season with the newcomers and growth
the team has made. We have a capable and athletic sophomore class, and joining
them will be a good freshman group fighting for starting and bench
minutes. We should be a dangerous team that is competitive every game. I
expect this team to challenge for a conference title and more."
Brookfield
Brookfield Bulldogs were 8-17 overall and 1-6 in the
Clarence Cannon Conference last season. As
they enter their new conference, they must replace Hank Parks (Honorable
Mention All-Conference, KMZU Dream Team) and John Walgren. They will return Hayden DeJong (2nd
Team All-Conference, All-District, 2nd Team NEMO Media All-District,
KMZU Dream Team), Bryson Shoop, and Kendrell Carter. Newcomers for the Bulldogs include Phoenix
Jordan, Brayden Shoop, and Riley Hinkle.
Coach Dray Starzl said he expected to "compete at a high
level every game. We need to keep building on the previous years and continue
to get better. It will be an exciting year. Joining a new conference and
getting familiar with the new teams will be a good test for us. We appreciate
all the support and can't wait to hit the court!"
South Harrison
South Harrison had one of the most demanding schedules in
Northwest Missouri last year. They faced
six teams with 18 wins or more in addition to three Class 4 and one Class 5 opponent. They had a total of eight games against district champions. Despite finishing 8-17 overall and 1-5 in the
GRC, the Bulldogs pulled off big wins over Brunswick and Lawson, two district winners.
South Harrison will have to replace Braxton Booth (9.6 ppg) and
Isaac Williams (13.8 ppg, Honorable Mention All-Conference, All-District,
Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast, KMZU Dream Team) in the starting
lineup. Returning for the Bulldogs are Jett
Cornett (14.8 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, Honorable
Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast, KMZU Dream Team), Brody Templeton (4.0 ppg),
Khale Taggart (2.1 ppg), and Cooper Johnson (2.7 ppg). They will be joined by newcomers Paxton Pack,
Ashton Ebersold (0.7 ppg), Marshall Holtzclaw, Trevor Henry, and Brysan Quinley.
Coach Aaron Fitzpatrick said, "With a good core of young
players that played significant minutes in 2023-24, South Harrison looks to
take a step forward in conference play and throughout the season this year. One
of our expectations is just to compete at a more consistent level and continue
to improve throughout our roster."
Milan
After six straight seasons with a winning conference record,
the Milan Wildcats struggled to finish 7-18 overall and 2-4 in the GRC. In addition, they will have to replace most
of their scoring this season with Ahmet Niasse (18.8 ppg, 1st Team
All-Conference, All-District, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, 1st
Team NEMO Media All-District), Jared Gonzalez (8.5 ppg, 1st Team
All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast), and DonDivin Ngombo
(3.0 ppg) graduating. Ethan Bennett (4.8
ppg) is the main player returning from last season and will be joined by a lot
of players with limited varsity experience, including Keaton Weter (3.5 ppg),
Macky Sow, Hunter Reed (1.5 ppg), Danny Castellon, Aziel Alcantara, Memphis
Cole, and Jesus Cirino.
Trenton
Trenton Bulldogs' 9-win season last year was their most wins
in five years and a 3-win improvement over the season before. They finished 9-14 overall and 2-4 in the GRC. The Bulldogs hope their continued
improvement will give them their first winning season since 2017-18. They will have to replace four starters from
last season with Gabe Novak (12.5 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference,
All-District, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast), Bradyn Sager (6.2
ppg, KMZU Dream Team), Maverick Sole (6.4 ppg), and Seth Doolittle (3.3 ppg).
The lone returning starter, senior Kiefer Tolson (24.3 ppg,
1st Team All-Conference, All-District, District Player of the Year, 1st
Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, KMZU Dream Team), was the leading scorer for
Trenton. Coach Jon Guthrie said, "Kiefer
plays hard and is one of the best leaders on our team. He plays downhill and is a relentless
offensive threat. Kiefer makes it to all
of our offseason workouts and has done an amazing job helping us develop the
younger kids in our program. He's like
having a Coach on the floor and has the ability to score at all three levels,
at the basket, mid-range, and from three.
Trenton will return senior Hunter Smith (4.2 ppg), junior
Isaac Dixon (0.8 ppg), junior Elijah Miller (1.5 ppg), and sophomore Camden Skipper
(1.3 ppg). Smith will be playing post and
can step out and hit the three. Dixon
was one of the top JV players during his first two years. Miller will be expected to be a rebounder and
rim protector. Skipper is expected to be
one of the top defenders. Newcomers for
the Bulldogs include senior Aiden Weyer, senior Jake Schmadeke, junior Logan
Roberts (1.0 ppg), sophomores Graeme Sager, Kaideyn Schweizer, Matthew Kralicek,
and Asher Pryor, and freshman Cayden Farmer.
Coach Guthrie said, "We expect to be very competitive this
season, and compete hard in every game we play in. Our team has had a great summer, competing in
several shootouts, and have shown great growth and development throughout the
year. I'm really proud of how well
Kiefer Tolson and Hunter Smith have led this team in the offseason, developing
their skills while also developing the younger athletes and creating a
positive team culture. The GRC is a very
good basketball conference in North Missouri, and we hope to finish well this
season in our conference standings."
Marceline
Marceline Tigers will join the GRC this season after
finishing 0-22 overall and 0-8 in the Lewis & Clark Conference. New head coach Derrick Holt hopes to end the
Tiger's 34-game losing streak in their new league.
The Tigers are still a young team this season with no
seniors. They must replace Barrett
Stearns (KMZU Dream Team). The other
four starters from last year return, including junior Harrison Green (KMZU
Dream Team). Green is expected to be in
a rotation of seven players, including Baylor Stearns, Weston
Molloy, Trent Ewigman, Josiah Mulliens, Brenan Fraiser, and Ty Gulley.
Cody Lower, Trace Huber, Payton Gladbach, and Ryan Cochran
will also expect to see some varsity action this season.
Coach Holt said he is "trying to build a team that is 1-44 the last two seasons. We are a very young team with no seniors. We do have four returning starters, three
juniors, and a sophomore. We are trying
to be a defense-minded team playing man-to-man."
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