Chester Area Flyers: Season Preview

<p>The Flyers from Chester Area are in Region 4B and they play in the tough Big East Conference. The Flyers had a quality off-season and they have had success in sports outside of basketball, so they know what it takes to be successful. Chester Area plays a difficult schedule but they will be ready for the challenge. [player_tooltip player_id="968170" first="Stratton" last="Eppard"] will be the big scorer for the Flyers and they have a strong group of seniors. The Flyers will be a scrappy and gritty team that brings it every night on defense. They will be battling for a top spot in the Region. It is going to be a fun and exhilarating season for the Flyers.</p> <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach <em><strong>Adam Gale’s</strong></em> comments on the Flyers and expectations for the season</span>:</h6> <p>"<em>We return all 5 of our starters and 12 of our 13 varsity players. Our expectations are high heading into the season. We had a strong off-season starting with a successful track and golf season in the spring. Many track accolades and a state golf championship. In the summer, with a large senior contingent coming back, many hours of work were put in to get the most of their final football and basketball seasons and with that, we were very competitive in every team camp we attended.</em>"</p> <h3><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Top Players</span></strong></h3> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="968170" first="Stratton" last="Eppard"] (2022) |6-0 G|</strong></p> <p>Last season he averaged 18.3 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, and 1.4 spg. Stratton is a 2 time Big East All-Conference player. Eppard is a distributor, slasher, and he can get to the rim at will off the bounce. Stratton is strong will the ball and he is an athletic finisher. Expect a huge senior season from Mr. Eppard. </p> <p><strong>Ashton Oliver (2022) |5-10 G| </strong></p> <p>Last season he averaged 8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 apg and he was 47/149 from beyond the arc at 31.5%. He was an Honorable Mention Big East player last year. Ashton is a serious 3-point threat. Oliver spaces the floor and he is a catch-and-shoot sniper. He will help alleviate and take some of the pressure off Eppard. </p> <p><strong>Brock Wages (2022) |6-1 F|</strong></p> <p>Last season he averaged 7.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and .6 apg. Brock was a Big East Honorable Mention player last year. Wages is a post player with excellent moves from the block and a soft touch around the basket. His lack in height is quickly made up for with his strong frame.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1315310" first="Jovi" last="Wolf"] (2024) |5-9 G|</strong></p> <p>Last season he averaged 8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, and 1.2 spg. Wolf is a quick and speedy slasher. He has an emerging outside game with the chance to put up consistent points. Jovi can get to the cup and finish with consistency. Wolf has a pure mid-range pull-up game. </p> <p><strong>Ryan Benson (2022) |5-10 G| </strong></p> <p>He had a football injury so his return to basketball is fluid. Ryan will be a nice addition when he is cleared to play. He is a two-year starter and two time Big East Honorable Mention player. He averaged 4.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 2.5 apg last season. Benson is long for his size and he will match up defensively with the opposing team’s best perimeter player. </p> <p><strong>Brayden Vogel (2022) |6-0 G|</strong></p> <p>Last season he averaged 1.4 ppg and 1 rpg. He will be a quality outside shooting threat and a lengthy defender. Vogel can guard bigger players that pose a threat to the Flyers. </p> <p><strong>Wyatt Hansen (2022) |6-0 F| </strong></p> <p>He averaged 1.1 ppg and 2.3 rpg last season. Wyatt has started multiple games over the course of his varsity career. He is a post player that will likely come off the bench and provide depth and playmaking. Hansen is an athletic player that makes scrappy plays and he gets his hands on 50/50 balls. </p> <p><strong>Max McGreevy (2023) |6-1 F| </strong></p> <p>He averaged .8 ppg and 1.2 rpg last season. He has started numerous games throughout his high school career. Max is a forward with a wide range of offensive skills around the basket. He can flex out beyond the paint to score baskets. </p> <p><strong>Owen Mersch (2022) |5-10 G/F|</strong></p> <p>He is a versatile player that can get work done in the post as well as make plays on the perimeter. Owen will play a larger role for the Flyers in his senior season. Last year he was a core player on junior varsity. Mersch will be a key player off the bench for Chester.</p> <p><strong>Preston Dorow (2022) |5-9 G|</strong> </p> <p>He will be an important outside threat that brings loads of energy to both sides of the floor. Preston was a big player on junior varsity last season. Expect his role to expand into varsity this season and to be a key reserve for the Flyers. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach <em><strong>Gale’s</strong></em> thoughts on the season</span>:</p> <p>"<em>Our expectations for this winter are to be competitive in the always strong Big East Conference, in which we are the only class B member. Last year we finished 3-4 in the Big East Conference and a runner-up showing in the BEC tournament. For our region, we would like to be situated near the top but there are many tough teams in the region. Our main priority regardless of record or seed points is to be playing our best basketball heading into March. We pride ourselves on our tough schedule and we feel confident that it prepares us for the post-season. We view it as an advantage, not a disadvantage.</em>"  </p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Underclassmen</strong></span></h3> <p><strong>Layke Wold (2025) |5-8 G|</strong></p> <p>He started on junior varsity as an 8th grader. Layke saw varsity minutes last year and averaged .5 ppg and .3 rpg. Wold will play a pivotal role on JV and he will be a key backcourt player off the bench on varsity. He will be tasked with handling the ball in stressful situations. Layke can score the ball from multiple levels. </p> <p><strong>Brayden Schut (2024) |5-8 G| </strong></p> <p>He was a varsity member last year and a vital player on JV. Brayden is a guard with an emerging outside shooting game. Schut is ball strong and he can handle the rock with toughness. Brayden will also be a key perimeter defender.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach <em><strong>Gale</strong></em> talks about the excitement heading into the season</span>:</p> <p>"<em>The most exciting thing for our group this year is that we are returning a large core of our group that had a successful season last year. Despite some football injuries, we have depth, experience, and a hunger to get to higher places. As their Coach, I am excited the most to see the seniors put that hard work to the floor and hopefully reap the benefits of that hard work. I am eager to see where we stack up and what adjustments we will need to make along the way to get us into what is hopefully a deep post-season run.</em>"  </p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>FLYER SCHEDULE</strong></span></h3> <p>December 10th (home) vs. <strong>Flandreau</strong> </p> <p>December 11th (home) vs. <strong>Garretson</strong></p> <p>December 14th @ <strong>Howard</strong></p> <p>December 17th @ <strong>Tri-Valley</strong></p> <p>December 21st (home) vs. <strong>McCook Central/Montrose</strong></p> <p>December 28th @ <strong>Dell Rapids St. Mary</strong></p> <p>December 31st <strong>Entringer Classic</strong> @ Brookings High School vs. <strong>TBD</strong></p> <p>January 6th <strong>BEC Tournament </strong>@ McCook Central vs. <strong>TBD</strong></p> <p>January 7th <strong>BEC Tournament </strong>@ McCook Central vs. <strong>TBD</strong></p> <p>January 8th <strong>BEC Tournament </strong>@ McCook Central vs. <strong>TBD</strong></p> <p>January 13th @ <strong>Baltic</strong></p> <p>January 15th (home) vs. <strong>Freeman</strong></p> <p>January 18th @ <strong>Sioux Valley</strong></p> <p>January 22nd (home) vs. <strong>Beresford</strong></p> <p>January 25th @ <strong>Canistota</strong></p> <p>January 31th (home) vs. <strong>Colman-Egan</strong></p> <p>February 1st (home) vs. <strong>Parker</strong></p> <p>February 8th @ <strong>Oldham-Ramona/Rutland</strong></p> <p>February 12th (home) vs. <strong>Deubrook Area</strong></p> <p>February 15th @ <strong>Arlington</strong></p>