Wayne County Athletic League Preview

The Wayne County Athletic League is an athletic conference spanning schools from Wayne and Ashland Counties. The high schools comprising the league include Chippewa, Dalton, Hillsdale, Northwestern, Norwayne, Rittman, Smithville, Waynedale. <strong>5 Players to Watch:</strong> (schools are as of last year – unless PGH is 100% certain that a player has enrolled elsewhere) Andrea Maibach - 6’1 Forward - Norwayne [player_tooltip player_id="93555" first="Bel" last="Rodriguez"] - 5’9 Guard - Chippewa [player_tooltip player_id="270515" first="Ella" last="Lunsford"] - 5’8 Guard - Dalton [player_tooltip player_id="280122" first="Alyssa" last="Geiser"] - 5’7 Guard - Waynedale Kara McKay - 6’0 Post - Northwestern <strong>4 Thoughts:</strong> Waynedale put together arguably their top season in school history last winter, as they made a run all the way to the State Semi-Finals in Dayton. The good news - there is a lot of experience back from that team, in the sense of role players. The bad news - a lot of the production graduated with Brooklyn Troyer, Laney Murphy and Kelsey Wolfe. All 3 guards are now playing college basketball. With that being said, if there is a group of girls who are ready to take on expanded roles, it could be this year’s Golden Bears. [player_tooltip player_id="280122" first="Alyssa" last="Geiser"] will be one of the league’s leading scorers. Brooklyn Yoder adds poise and toughness around the rim. Kylie Nussbaum, Cherlyn Miller, McKenna Baney, Jewel Persinger and a number of other kids can score it for Waynedale, as well. It’s going to be very interesting to see just how good Chippewa is going to be. Realistically, they have as much talent as anyone in the WCAL - however, time will tell just how quickly this group can gel and reach their potential. With no seniors on the roster and a run to the State Final 4 for the Girls Soccer team this fall, the Chipps will need to grow up quickly. A backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id="93555" first="Bel" last="Rodriguez"], [player_tooltip player_id="214507" first="Abby" last="Henegar"] and [player_tooltip player_id="214506" first="Tristan" last="Nash"] is a great start. Jaclyn Jundzilo and [player_tooltip player_id="214505" first="Kendal" last="Shiarla"] add good physicality and athleticism, while [player_tooltip player_id="217352" first="Sky" last="Regan"] is a great young prospect who can play inside and out. If you believe that guards can keep you in basketball games - then Dalton should be very competitive. [player_tooltip player_id="270515" first="Ella" last="Lunsford"] and [player_tooltip player_id="217335" first="Addesa" last="Miller"] are as good of a back-court duo as any in the league. They can both score 25 on a given night, but also have no problem initiating offense for their teammates as playmakers. It is going to be difficult for Dalton to replace Tess Denning’s production on the block. If Mia Weaver can bring some of the magic that she displayed during Volleyball season - Dalton could have a winter to remember. Dan Brown is taking over the reigns at Norwayne for longtime bench boss Doug Hanzie. While the Bobcats lost some outstanding players to graduation - they do undoubtedly have one of the top returners in Andrea Maibach. A super-athletic post, Maibach is a true mis-match in a league dominated by guards. The Bobcats' perimeter players will obviously have a large responsibility in determining just how much success their team has, because we know Maibach will be good for a double-double on most nights. <strong>3 Big Games:</strong> Dalton @ Chippewa on December 4th <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="270515" first="Ella" last="Lunsford"] and the Bulldogs took it to Chippewa twice last winter. We will see if the Chipps are for real in this early home contest.</li> </ul> Norwayne @ Dalton on January 6th <ul> <li>With Waynedale and Chippewa getting a lot of pre-season hype, it’s important for Norwayne and Dalton to try and grab this first match-up with each other if one of them is going to make a run for the league crown.</li> </ul> Chippewa @ Waynedale on January 22nd <ul> <li>This could be the league championship game. It also hosts major playoff seeding implications for the loaded Northeast Blended Districts - as both of these squads have aspirations that extend well beyond league play.</li> </ul> <strong>2 Fun Facts:</strong> It’s been widely rumored that Chippewa Head Coach Denny Schrock has two seasons left in his illustrious coaching career. With no seniors on his roster this winter, it makes sense - as the Chippewa junior class could be one of his best ever. Schrock is closing in quickly on 700 career wins. Smithville Head Coach Eric Nickles is running an early-season one-day showcase at the College of Wooster. 4 WCAL teams will be participating at Wooster on November 26th. Norwayne takes on Tusky Valley at Noon, Smithville battles Ontario at 1:45, Waynedale and Wooster face off at 3:30 and Chippewa plays Big Walnut at 7:00. <strong>1 League Champion Prediction:</strong> Waynedale