Russia and Jackson Center’s boys hoops teams combined to win 51 games last year. Each returns size and scoring. Russia has more coming back than the Tigers.
Both should be very good, well-coached Division IV basketball clubs capable of reaching the regional tournament again.
As you likely recall, they shared the Shelby County Athletic League championship in February with 11-1 records, splitting the two regular-season battles.
So, is this Friday much too soon for the pair of “top pre-season seeds” in the SCAL to square off on the hardwood for the first of two meetings this year?
The anticipation of a mid-season match late in the opening round of league play might create more stir and drama, especially in advance of a season-closing scrap on the schedule’s last weekend in February.
But the SCAL slates are not made for television and ESPN-HS.
We can dream, though.
Hey, if only Russia and Jackson Center high schools had football teams and they advanced to the Region 28 final a couple weeks ago and played each other… Or if just one of the two had advanced.
The result, in either case, would have been a delayed start to the basketball seasons for Russia and Jackson Center and movement to a later date for this Friday’s basketball opener between the programs. By that later date, in early 2024, SCAL standings will have taken shape and wins will have mounted for both clubs.
You see, by then, fans would be on the edge of their seats ready to bust out the door to go see the first, long-awaited clash between the Tigers and Raiders
Well, as always, we media folks are way ahead of ourselves.
Obviously, the five other boys hoops programs in the SCAL will be factors in determining if the Tigers and Raiders again streak to 10-0 league records, outside their couple head-to-head duels.
The health of teams can suffer. Shooting slumps occur. Players throughout the SCAL will progress and improve during the campaign. Targets will be on the backs of Russia and Jackson Center
Yes, the SCAL favorites can stumble at any time.
Neither stumbled in tournament play last February and March until the two schools were forced to tangle with each other in the Division IV regional final. Russia eked out a tight, tense tussle by a basket. It was pulsating.
Then, in the state semifinal at UD Arena, the Raiders lost to eventual state champ Richmond Heights, which received a serious scare from the SCAL co-champs. Russia led by a point with three minutes to go in the third quarter.
Russia and Jackson Center were ranked third and fourth, respectively, in Ohio’s final MaxPreps D-IV boys poll last February.
And this year, like last year, and also like the recent 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, there was no regional football game between the schools to kick the hoops opener down the road a few weeks.
Instead, the league juggernauts — for the fourth time in six years — duke it out, again, on the opening night of the boys campaign, which is this Friday at the Habitat of the Cat.
ScoresBroadcast.com is on hand for the play-by-play and color at 6:50 p.m. Jack Kramer and Chuck McBee have the call.
Who knows… Russia and Jackson Center coaches and players may benefit from not having to deal with the prospect of overlooking another league foe leading up to a much-later initial tilt between the two.
For sure, each team has the talent and experience to game plan and cope with adversity, to pile up plenty of points, to sprint the floor like thoroughbreds, to toss in one three after another, and to tie up in knots potent offenses with swarming and suffocating D.
Yes, for certain, count on great defense, which in two of the three contests last season, limited each squad to about 35 points per game.
You can bet that new Tigers head coach Aaron Klopfenstein, who played for Scott Elchert at Jackson Center, will sustain the defensive principles that made Elchert’s teams so difficult to compete against.
Elchert retired from coaching after his 34th year last season. He was at Jackson Center for 29 of these years, and in two stints totaled 23 as the head boys coach for the Tigers.
Elchert guided Jackson Center to five regional appearances in his last ten seasons and to state berths in 2012 and 2016.
Klopfenstein has been a member of the coaching staff at JC in various capacities since 2014. He was the junior varsity coach in his first year.
His top eight players in court time at the start of 2023-24 figure to be Lucas Hartle, a 5-10 senior; Trever Huber, a 6-1 senior; Reed Platfoot, a 6-6 junior; Lucas Heitkamp, a 6-1 junior; Cooper Hartle, a 5-8 junior; Carter Klopfenstein, a 6-3 sophomore; Xavier Lowe, a 5-11 senior; and Preston Serr, a 6-0 sophomore.
Both Heitkamp and Lucas Hartle logged valuable minutes last season. And Platfoot has already been tagged as one of the state’s most promising D-IV junior post players.
But, keep in mind, Jackson Center a year ago often started four or five seniors. Jace Mullenhour, Nolan Fark, Bryson Roberts, Camdyn Reese and Grant Elchert accounted for 40 to 45 points per game.
Coach Spencer Cordonnier’s Raiders return Brayden Monnin, a 6-2 senior; Hayden Quinter, a 6-2 senior; Felix Francis, a 6-5 senior; Braylon Cordonnier, a 6-4 junior; Benjamin York, a 6-4 junior; and Vince Borchers, a 6-1 junior. Zeb Schulze, a 6-2 junior, and Jaxon Grogean, a 5-9 junior, will also contribute.
Last year’s Russia squad got a big lift from a trio of 2023 seniors — Zane Shappie, Xavier Phlipot and Ross Fiessinger. Shappie helped direct traffic at guard and poured in important long range shots.
Phlipot and Fiessinger drained big three-pointers in the fourth quarter of last November’s contest versus the Tigers when Russia rallied to win by two after being down by double digits after three periods. Phlipot recorded eleven points in that game.
This season is Cordonnier’s 23rd year of coaching — including five directing the boys program.
For certain, Cordonnier, Klopfenstein and their players are anxious to get the new hoops campaign underway. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Whether Russia and Jackson Center play for the first time on Dec. 1 or 15, or during the first week of January, a huge crowd will turn out.
So, get to Jackson Center early — because everyone is ready for the rematch and another photo finish.
You may not have heard. That make-believe football encounter between the two schools earlier this month was decided, as time expired, by — you guessed it — a “long field goal.”
Friday’s game might, as well.
