C/G GIRLS AIM FOR RUN AT SUCCESS

ESPINOZA, MCMANNIS, HOPPES TO LEAD 2025/26 LADY EAGLES

By Staff

          CANTON – Despite moving through team and individual growing pains the past two seasons, the Canton/Galva girls’ basketball program still managed to finish the 2024/25 season with an 11-11 mark overall and that included a 5-3, third-place finish in play within  the Wheat State League.

          Looking for better days ahead, the Lady Eagles will be led by head coach David Ediger who came in just before the start of last season to pull the team and program back together. Ediger brought with him a stellar career of building long standing, winning programs such as he did in Cimmaron where his tenure scored 249 wins against just 62 losses. In previous coaching adventures, Ediger found success in leading boy programs at both Mead and Ashland where he recorded records of 46-22, and 29-16, respectively.

          “We return all but one player (Raegan Hawkinson) from our 2024/25 team that overcame a lot of issues including a game of numbers,” explained Ediger. “Only having eight players most of the season made it difficult to have quality practices and not having the ability to conduct good, full scrimmages hurt. However, the girls played extremely hard and did a fantastic job overall. We feel like we should have won our semi-final substate game and then we would have liked our chances in the sub-state finals on our home court but did not get the chance.”

          Three-year starting guard, Trinity Espinoza will lead the way for the 2025/26 version of Lady Eagle basketball. Now a five-foot-seven senior, Espinoza led the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game while pulling down 3.5 rebounds, making 2.9 steals, and dishing out 1.6 assists.                  

          After finding success a year ago, a pair of underclassmen, five-foot-five junior guard Malia Hoppes and five-foot-six sophomore guard/forward Faith McMannis will return to as part of the projected starting lineup. The pair combined to compliment Espinoza with scoring 11.2 points, grabbing 4.7 rebounds, handing out 2.4 assists and swiping 3.3 steals per game a season ago.

          The two remaining projected starters will be the senior Hoppes girls, Mackinlee and Emerson. Between the two, coach Ediger got 5.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in 2024/25.

          If these five can repeat success from last season, the Lady Eagles will look at each game with a projected 29.0 points, 14.5 rebounds, 8.2 steals and 6.0 assists per game.

          With the roster boosted to 13 players, joining the three seniors, junior and sophomore projected to start will be reserves such as senior Jordyn Elliot, sophomores Brynn Kruse and Aaliyah Skipworth as well as freshmen Sophie Espinoza, Lindsay Mann, Lilly Dieker, Anjelica Elliot, and Charlee Moddelmog.

          As coach Ediger finished his reflections on the upcoming season, he noted, “The girls now have a full year in our system of play so the experience should help us move along quickly. We are not very big, so we will have to utilize our quickness and find other ways to overcome that lack of size. The girls understand how to play the game on both ends of the floor so we should be very competitive in every game this season.”

          The Canton/Galva Lady Eagles will open the 2025-26 season on Friday, December 5 at Rural Vista before competing in the Goessel Bluebird Classic Tournament the week of December 8-13.

LADY EAGLE LOST TO GRADUATION/TRANFER:

Graduation – Raegan Hawkinson

PROJECTED LADY EAGLE STARTERS:

G – Trinity Espinoza, Sr., 5’7” (12.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2.9 spg, 1 bpg.}

G – Makinlee Hoppes, Sr., 5’7” (1.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg)

G – Malia Hoppes, Jr., 5’5” (5.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1 apg, 1.5 spg)

G/F – Faith McMannis, So., 5’6” (6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.8 spg)

F – Emerson Hoppes, Sr., 5’8” (3.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg)

OTHER RETURNING LADY EAGLES:

G – Jordyn Elliot, Sr., 5’7” (1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg)

F – Brynn Kruse, So., 5’8” (1.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg)

FULL LADY EAGLE ROSTER: #0 - Makinlee Hoppes - 5’7”, Sr.; #1 - Emerson Hoppes - 5’8”, Sr.; #2 - Trinity Espinoza - 5’7”, Sr.; #3 - Malia Hoppes - 5’5”, Jr.; #4 - Aaliyah Skipworth - 5’7”, So.; #5 - Faith McMannis - 5’6”, So.; #10 - Jordyn Elliot – 5’7”, Sr.; #11 - Anjelica Elliot - 5’6”, Fr.; #12 - Sophie Espinoza - 5’4”, Fr.; #13 - Lindsay Mann – 5’7”, Fr.; #20 - Lilly Dieker - 5’4”, Fr.; #25 - Charlee Moddelmog - 5’4”, Fr.; #35 - Brynn Kruse - 5’7”, So.

2025-26 LADY EAGLE SCHEDULE

Friday, Dec. 5 - at Rural Vista

Monday, Dec. 8 – vs. Linn at Goessel Bluebird Tournament

Friday, Dec. 12 – vs. Goessel at Goessel Bluebird Tournament

Saturday, Dec. 13 – TBD at Goessel Bluebird Tournament

Tuesday, Dec. 16 – at Marion

Friday, Dec. 19 – hosting Centre

Friday, Jan. 2 – hosting Cunningham

Tuesday, Jan. 6 – at Wakefield

Friday, Jan. 9 – hosting Elyria Christian

Tuesday, Jan. 13 – hosting Solomon

Friday, Jan. 16 – at Goessel

Monday, Jan. 26 – at Hutchinson Central Christian

Tuesday, Jan. 27 – hosting Clifton/Clyde

Friday, Jan. 30 – at Centre

Saturday, Jan. 31 – hosting Axtel

Tuesday, Feb. 3 – hosting Herington

Friday, Feb. 6 – at Peabody/Burns

Saturday, Feb. 7 – at Linn

Tuesday, Feb. 10 – at Little River

Friday, Feb. 13 – hosting Rural Vista

Monday, Feb. 16 – at Lincoln

Monday, Feb. 29 – at Central Plains

(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at macks.people.places@gmail.com)