In the first week of November, Junior High Boys Basketball Coach, Randie Roepke, and Assistant Coach, Chris Holt, held try outs for his 7th and 8th grade teams. Prior to tryouts, the boys had a chance to compete in a Shootout over the summer here at Fair Grove to prepare for the upcoming season. Coach Roepke states, “The 8th grade class will look to Tanner Lumley and Eddie Bowser to help lead the team this year. Hopefully the 7th grade class gets good contributions from Kade Gallion, Devin Carroll, Logan Daniels, and Ryan Berry.” The junior high boys have an 11 game season as well as the Strafford Tournament January 18th- 21st.
The 7th grade boys team consists of 10 players and the 8th grade team consists of 11. Returning player, Tanner Lumley (8), states, “I’m hoping our team improves more than last season.” For the players on the 7th grade team, this is their first time playing on a basketball team organized by the school. Devin Carroll noted, “Junior High Basketball is more organized and it’s been difficult to adjust to waking up for morning practices. I’ve learned that you have to try hard all the time in practices and respect your coaches and the other players.” Junior High sports is a big adjustment for kids who have previously played sports because practices are often longer and more difficult. “I enjoy working with these kids because they are hardworking and for the most part very coachable,” Coach Roepke notes, “I want to set a good foundation of what Coach Brown does at the High School to better prepare the kids to compete at the next level.”
Lumley mentioned that he believes the team is ready for the upcoming season and they’ve been putting work into their practices. However, Coach Roepke thinks differently, stating “We’re not there yet. Luckily we have a couple of weeks before we have our first game.” The Junior High Boys Basketball Team will compete in their season opener on January 5th, 2017 in Forsyth at 5:30 PM.