SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKIING BASKETBALL

BLANCHAT, BOUGHFMAN TO LEAD 2024/25 LADY VIKINGS

By Staff

            LINDSBORG – Ater sprinting to a 15-7 season record in 2023/24 that included a Central Kansas League Championship, the Smoky Valley girls’ basketball team looks to improve in 2024/25 by getting to the Class 3A State Tournament.

            Beginning his fourth season in charge of the Lady Vikings, head coach Jason Drouillard has accumulated an overall record of 41-24 while being helped on the bench by assistant coaches Kimi Lindschield and Kelsie Anderson.

            The first thing to do is find replacements for graduated seniors that included all-everything Adrian Hazelwood, plus Tinley Scott, Breanne Peters, and Eva Malm.

            Despite the seniors that graduated, coach Drouillard points out that, “Overall, this may be the best team we have had in many years, and I am excited to see the growth of the team as the season progresses.”

            The Lady Vikings will now be built around six-foot senior center Katja Blanchat along with transfer five-foot-ten senior Elsie Boughfman and five-foot-five sophomore guard Kenzley Haxton.

            Blanchat recorded 10.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last season for the Lady Vikings while making second-team all-league.

            “Katja (Blanchat) is a proven winner,” noted coach Drouillard. “She has been one of the best players in the league for three seasons.”

            Boughfman is a transfer in from Little River where she averaged 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in a few brief appearances as a sophomore before sitting out last season with an injury.

            Coach Drouillard gets excited when reflecting on the prospects of having Boughfman on the floor as a Lady Viking, explaining, “Elsie (Boughfman) will be one of the best players in Class 3A. We are ecstatic to see what she can do this season. When we look back at the end of the season, it will be no surprise if she is the best player that has come through Smoky Valley is quite some time. She has the opportunity to really be that good.”

            Kenzley Haxton earned a lot of playing time minutes as a true freshman last season and will be the three-player core the team will build around.

            Others who look to see playing time and are hungry to win according to the coaching staff, includes seniors Nevaeh Spitler (a five-foot-nine forward) and Sophia Fruits (a five-foot-three guard) plus junior Hope Schrag, a five-foot-ten forward/center, and sophomores Kamryn Ryan (a five-foot-eight forward) and Sophie Eyer (a five-foot-six guard).

            Reflecting on the strengths of the team for the upcoming season, coach Drouillard said, “We had a blast this summer working with this team, and we are really excited to get the new season going. They are gritty and have a strong desire to be great. It is a group that wants to be coached and can be pushed hard. We see our strengths in the athleticism and speed of the team.”

            Closing out his reflections, Drouillard added, “What we do lack in size we will make up for in speed. We have a lot of young talent, and while that may require some growing pains, it also means we have a lot of girls ready to step up into new roles and ready to prove themselves.”

            The Lady Vikings will kick off the 2024/25 season on Friday, December 6 when they host the Lady Oilers of Central Plains. The rest of the schedule to the Christmas break will include a road trip to Southeast of Saline on Tuesday, December 10 followed by a pair of home games with Concordia on Friday, December 13 and Hesston on Tuesday, December 17. A trip to Halstead on Friday, December 20 will conclude the early schedule.

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