The Tri-Village Boys are coming off a 14-8 record and second place finish in the Cross County Conference last year. The team was a surprise to many and was led by Senior’s Sam Lindamood, Daniel Foreman and Taylor Brubaker.

Sam has moved on to Defiance College and takes with him 19.8 points per game. Add the departure of Daniel Foreman and Taylor Brubaker and this year’s team has to account for 32 points and 17 rebounds they produced.

Two seniors return and both saw significant time last year Mark Wheeler and Derrick Chowning.

Mark was instant offense off the bench and was the team’s third leading scorer with 8.5 points a game. Mark is a very smooth player with natural ability. He has a nice touch from the perimeter and drives well to the basket. Mark received honorable mention status in the league last year and will be the focus of many teams this season.

Derrick started to come into his own as the season progressed last year and uses his length to his advantage. He runs the floor well as a big man with good endurance and is capable of finishing on the break.

Returning starters are junior’s Logan Brubaker and David Barger.

Logan quarterbacked the team last year and led the team in assist with 3.6 a game and contributed 4 points a game while being named special mention in the conference. Logan is a very good on the ball defender and has a strong will to win.

David led the team in field goal percentage last year 55.4% while shooting 87% from the free throw line and contributed 4 rebounds a game. David is a smart player who understands the game and will be looked upon to lead in the paint.

Remaining juniors on the squad are Ryan Buck, Kendall Stutz and Tyler Evans.

Ryan is another imposing figure on the inside for the Patriots. He has shown a nice touch and is aggressive around the basket. His addition gives the Patriots three big men to platoon inside.

Kendall has a nose for getting to the basket. He has shown the ability to shoot from outside and will provide a 4th guard to help rotate in and out of the lineup.

Tyler Evans has progressed tremendously from last year with hard work and enthusiasm for the game and will fill a role spot for the team this year.

Tyler Greer a sophomore rounds out the varsity team this year. Tyler saw significant action as a freshman and is very athletic, quick and loves to get out and run off the break. He sees the floor well and has shown that he can knock down the shot from the outside.

This year’s team should be a fun group to watch, they are very balanced and seven deep with any one of them capable of leading the team in scoring on a given night.

The team starts out of the gate with a game against Arcanum who will challenge for a title this year with a strong senior (7) lineup and lots of balance.

Look for other key games against last year’s co-conference champs Bethel & Covington.

Bethel returns key starters in senior’s Tony Philips, Mike Kley and Brian Muse.

Leading the way for Covington is Gene Studebaker along with five more senior Buccaneers.

Both teams are likely top challengers again for a title.

Ansonia senior’s Brad McEldowney and Logan Beam are 4-year starters at the varsity level and head up a strong team.

Franklin Monroe has a new coach Dane French stepping up from the assistant position and will look to senior’s Grant Shellabarger and Logan Halderman for leadership.

Both Ansonia and FM bring back deep lineups with lots of talent and will be tough match-ups for all teams in the league.

Twin Valley South is solid every year and Coach Tony Augspurger always has a team that is in the hunt. Senior Weston Bassler will once again run the show for the Panthers.

Newton will be looking to make a statement behind 4-year starter Kyle Booher the leagues leading scorer the last 3 years and front-runner for league MVP.

Mississinawa Valley was a team last year that played solid defense and returns leading scorer, senior Wes Gelhaus.

Miami East a perennial power in the past with a state championship a few years ago is an unknown as they join the league this year. Look for them to try and make noise early on.

Tri-County North (David Woodworth), National Trail (Brent Ross) and Bradford (Jason Wood) are all under new head coaches and will work on moving their respective programs up a notch this year.

Coach Sagester returns at the helm for the Patriots and is coming off “Coach of the Year” honors in the CCC. For the second year in a row they set a school record for defense and he will continue to stress defensive principles.

The Patriots should again be a competitive team and if they get off to a good start they could once again be in the hunt for a title… so get out and support the team.

Good luck and Go Patriots!