Filling the Void (4A)

<p>As summer action winds down, it’s not too early to look ahead to the roles guys are slated to play next high school season.</p> <p>Here are some voids left from graduation at 4A schools, and guys who may get called upon to fill them:</p> <p>Wamego:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="730642" first="Tanner" last="Hecht"] was one of the top shooting guards in the state last year. He averaged 18.3 points and 8.7 boards, earning second-team 4A honors. He was an high-flying, long-range-shooting dynamo who can’t be replaced. But [player_tooltip player_id="1140375" first="Jake" last="Fritz"] (pictured) has the skill from deep to give the Red Raiders a dangerous scoring threat. He came up with some huge games late last season, including 25 against Hayden and 24 against Chapman. Fritz won’t be asked to do it all. He’ll be teamed with <strong>Burk Springer</strong> and <strong>Ledjor Rowden</strong> in a diverse and talented backcourt.</p> <p>Parsons:</p> <p>Parsons loses two all-South East Kansas League performers in <strong>Julius Smith-Reese</strong> (first team) and <strong>Ethan Houk</strong> (second team). But baseball star <strong>Paxton Swanson</strong> is a multi-sport athlete who helped the Vikings reach state last year. He earned second-team all-SEK as a junior and will be counted on to take up a lot of the slack from Smith-Reese and Houk.</p> <p>Holton:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1070207" first="Kale" last="Purcell"] was a unanimous pick for all-Big Seven League. He averaged 18.9 points from the wing position and his athleticism and leadership will be tough to replace. But Matthew Lierz really came on as a sophomore last year, helping lead the Wildcats on their run to state. He consistently produced double figures, particularly from long range. Lierz will look to senior [player_tooltip player_id="891930" first="Reese" last="Holaday"] for support.</p> <p>Hayden:</p> <p>The Wildcats went into last season planning to feature a couple of experienced and talented guards in [player_tooltip player_id="1134455" first="Geivonnii" last="Williams"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1072891" first="Vacarrio" last="Triplett"]. Both were capable of putting the team on their backs with their diverse scoring skill sets. But neither senior was able to stay healthy, leading to a gap in leadership and consistency. <strong>Jake Muller</strong> stepped in and played a ton as a sophomore. Muller is a long limbed guard/wing who plays with a lot of intensity. He was good for double figures in a handful of games last year, and should be ready to take a big step forward this year. He will team with <strong>Trent Duffey</strong>, another attacking guard who can handle the ball and really shoot from the perimeter.</p>