During the 2025 winter sport season, Fair Grove Schools had many seniors represented by playing basketball, and wrestling.
In total, there are 16 senior basketball players in the 2024-2025 season for both boys and girls. There are eight senior girls and eight senior boys. On the wrestling team there are seven seniors: four boys and three girls.
The girls basketball team is coached by head coach Gary Greene. Greene stated “My eight seniors are Brooke Daniels, Ashton Bell, Abbey Green, Cam Hart, Emaley Stallings, Meadow Carter, Emma Padgett, and Shea Skouby. With this many seniors, their contributions are immeasurable.” These girls are two time state champions, being the state champions in the 2022-2023 season, and the 2023-2024 season. They are currently playing to compete for the 2024-2025 state championship.
Greene is knowingly proud of these seniors, “This team has been together for so long. They know each other so well and their chemistry is unmatched. It will be a long time before we see another group of seniors with the accomplishments that this group has had.” Greene added, “As far as leadership goes, they lead by example as they take care of their business. They show the young kids how to act, how to come to practice prepared, and how to never take a day off.”
The boys basketball team consists of: Bryden Baxter, Brock Boatwright, Atticus Brandes, Samuel Kennard, Kellen Kirkpatrick, Kellen Lair, Spensar Seiger, and Kyle Winterberg. They are coached by head coach Bryan Tucker. Tucker stated, “Seniors set the tone and lead the group. It’s always been true that you only go as far as your seniors are willing to go. We have a special group of seniors and they truly show our younger players the level they should play at during practice and games.”
The senior boys basketball players are explained to help lead the team. Tucker said, “They show younger players the expectations within the program. We have really special players who are great athletes and basketball players. They have been a special group because most of them have played varsity for the last 3 seasons, and we are really going to miss them.”
The Fair Grove 2024-2025 Wrestling team seniors consisted of Carson Krider, Riley Frazier, Brielle Mahr, Alex Mahan, Shelby Haskins, Owen Schlak, and Tobie Garcia. Assistant wrestling coach Natalie Palomo stated, “They bring inherent leadership, even though they have the same experience as the rest of the team. It’s their one and only shot to participate in this sport and they all push themselves and each other to be the best possible version of themselves and take advantage of their one chance.”
Even though it is these seniors’ first year in wrestling they still showed leadership. Palomo explained, “When we’re working out, drilling out moves, or anything else, they push themselves to keep going no matter what, and often are the ones encouraging younger kids to do the same.”
In total there are 25 seniors across three winter sports. Coaches show admiration for these seniors and sentiment to them leaving. Greene elaborated on the girls basketball seniors, “It has been the honor of my career to get a chance to spend the last two years with these guys.. In my opinion, they are simply the best I’ve ever been around.”
