ELYRIA BOYS LOOK FOR RUN AT STATE TITLE

Return 6 Key Players

By Staff

ELYRIA – The Elyria Christian boys basketball team loses just one senior off a team which last season only lost four games, won twenty games, won a league title and made a trip to the Class 1A Division II State Tournament.

In 2022-23, the Elyria boys finished 20-4, went 9-0 and won the Wheat State League title, only to stumble on the first day of the state tournament where they lost to Wichita Classical.

“This group has learned a lot of valuable lessons in their past couple of seasons playing together,” explained Eagle head coach Zach Goodrich. “The boys know why they fell short last season and this summer they dedicated themselves to improving those areas that held them back.”

Coach Goodrich begins his eighth season at the helm of the Eagles and has accumulated a record of 114-48 over those years and has not had a single losing record in any of the past seven seasons.

The only member missing from the 2022-23 team is Caleb Laney who graduated, leaving behind according to his coaches, an ability to create plays off the dribble and draw charges defensively.

(Ty Romero)

What the Eagles do have returning will be seniors James Schott, Johnny Unruh, and Alex Robertson plus juniors Ty Romero, Landon Schneider, and Andrew Huxman.

According to coach Goodrich, “James (Schott) has developed into a strong inside presence, Johnny (Unruh) is a player that is willing to do whatever the team may need that night as he defends, creates, and has become more efficient offensively while supply strong leadership and a steady mindset. Alex (Robertson) has also become an all-around player who provides great length for us on defense and has the ability to create for others off the dribble while bringing a calm presence to the court.”

When talking about his juniors, Goodrich said, “Landon (Schneider) is a hard hat kid that brings it to every contest as we look for him to be aggressive. He is a do it all type of player and willing to make the big plays that do not show up on the stat sheets. Andrew (Huxman) returned from knee surgery to help get us to the state tournament as he is a glue guy, someone who makes a team better when he is on the floor. And then we have Ty (Romero) who is looking to have a breakout season. He has put the work in and is learning how to make his game more effective in many respects. We are excited to see how his growth transpires on the court as we know he can score and develop plays for others. I am most excited to see his intentional approach on defense.”

Sophomore Emmitt Neufeldt and junior Karter Noggle are two players which the coaches have mentioned as players to keep an eye on as they develop in learning the system to become solid game day contributors.

On defense, the Eagle coaches have noted that the team took major strides throughout last season and were hoping those successes will lead to defending well and with discipline.

On offense, Elyria will try to keep the ball moving while finding shooters on the court. The Eagles have a group that can score the ball, they just have to combine it with a disciplined defense.

Concluding his pre-season reflections, coach Goodrich noted, “The focus this season is being intentional with our shot selection and learn the flow of the game. We do not want to be a team that takes bad shots that may lead to a creative advantage to our opponent while giving them fast breaks opportunities. Our top goal this season is to be a group of selfless teammates that want to make someone else better each night.”

The Eagles have a solid schedule of non-league games that includes a season opener on the road at Moundridge, the defending Class 2A state champion plus an always well coached Sedgwick squad and the fundamentally sound Berean Academy will prepare them for a tough sub-state. The game with Moundridge is Friday, December 1.

Winning the Wheat State League championship is one of the goals for the Eagles as coach Goodrich sees them being able to do that ahead of Little River, Solomon, Canton/Galva, Rural Vista and Centre.

ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLE BASKETBALL

2023-24 SEASON PREVIEW

COACH INFORMATION >

Head Coach > Zach Goodrich – 8th Season; 114-48 Overall Record.

TEAM INFORMATION >

2022-23 Season finished 20-4 overall; 1st place at 9-0 in Wheat State League Play; Lost round one of Class !A Division II State Tournament; Previous State Trips – 2018, 2021.

EAGLE PLAYER INFORMATION >

Eagle Players Graduate > Caleb Laney.

KEY Eagle Returnees/Letterman >

Seniors > James Schott – 6’1” G/F; Johnny Unruh – 6’1” G; Alex Robertson – 6’2” G.

Juniors > Ty Romero – 6’4” G; Landon Schneider – 6’2” F; Andrew Huxman – 6’1” G/F.

Eagle Newcomers to Watch >

Juniors > Karter Noggle – 6’1” G.

Sophomore > Emmitt Neufeldt.

2023-24 EAGLE SCHEDULE >

Friday, December 1 = at Moundridge

Monday, December 4 = at Goessel Bluebird Classic

Friday, December 8 = at Goessel Bluebird Classic

Saturday, December 9 = at Goessel Bluebird Classic

Tuesday, December 12 = host Sedgwick

Friday, December 15 = at Solomon

Monday, December 18 = at Hutchinson Central Christian

Tuesday, December 19 = host Rural Vista

Friday, January 5 = at Canton/Galva

Tuesday, January 9 = host Peabody/Burns

Friday, January 12 = host Centre (Homecoming)

Tuesday, January 16 = at Centre Classic

Friday, January 19 = at Centre Classic

Saturday, January 20 = at Centre Classic

Tuesday, January 30 = host Wakefield

Friday, February 2 = at Herington

Tuesday, February 6 = at Goessel

Friday, February 9 = host Little River

Tuesday, February 13 = at Berean Academy

Friday, February 16 = host Marion (Senior Night)

Thursday, February 22 = Sub-State Quarter Finals, at TBD

Thursday, February 29 = Sub=State at TBD

Friday, March 1 = Sub-State at TBD

Saturday, March 2 = Sub-State at TBD

Wednesday, March 6 – Saturday, March 9 = State Class 1A Division II Tournament at Great Bend

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