Southern Hills Athletic Conference Preview

<p>The Southern Hills Athletic Conference is a small school heavy conference located in Southeast Ohio. Not known for having big schools, many of the teams are community driven and find themselves in the Division III and IV categories. Looking ahead to this season, there is optimism that a team from this conference can make the deep postseason run that can put the conference on the map. Which team should that be? Read below to find out.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Contenders</strong></span></p> <p><em><strong>Eastern Brown</strong></em>- After years of falling short, Eastern finally put the pieces together and made it to the District Finals last year before falling in a battle with Wheelersburg 66-59. The Warriors are returning two key guys from that team that make this group again a favorite not just in the SHAC, but as a potential District qualifier. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1082237" first="Trent" last="Hundley"]</strong> (Sr) has shown he’s such a hard player to matchup against and can take over ball games when not properly defended. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1195103" first="Luke" last="Garrett"]</strong> (Sr) provides scoring support from the perimeter and compliments Hundley offensively. Eastern on paper is one of the more talented teams in the conference and should be able to again compete.</p> <p><strong><em>Fayetteville-Perry</em></strong>- Similar to Eastern, Fayetteville found themselves in the District Finals before falling to eventual state champion Botkins. The Rockets however are returning much of their team and poised for another deep postseason run. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1082242" first="Jayden" last="Bradshaw"]</strong> (Sr) played exceptionally well during the AAU season and has established himself as one of the most athletic players in the conference. <strong>Jaxson Malone</strong> (Sr) and <strong>Levi Wiederhold</strong> (Sr) also return after successful junior campaigns. The fact the top 3 are seniors on this team is optimistic they can get through the SHAC as a whole and utilize their athleticism to take a divisional title.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Rest of the Conference</strong></span></p> <p><em><strong>Fairfield</strong></em>- Lions showed signs of true potential making the District Finals as an 11-seed last year. 2 of top 3 are back including <strong>Reese Teeters</strong> (Sr) making this team a sleeper in the conference.</p> <p><em><strong>Lynchburg-Clay</strong></em>- Mustangs returning their top 3 from a 5 win team last season. <strong>Ian Waits</strong> (Jr) is the key to this group and how competitive they can be.</p> <p><em><strong>Manchester</strong></em>- Senior <strong>Isaiah Scott</strong> (Sr) is one of the better defenders in the conference, but offense is an area the Greyhounds really have issues with.</p> <p><em><strong>North Adams</strong></em>- Green Devils return one of the best underclassmen in the area in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1068243" first="Bransyn" last="Copas"]</strong> (So) while adding <strong>Cameron Campbell</strong> (Sr) from rival West Union.</p> <p><em><strong>Peebles</strong></em>- Indians typically find ways to win still, but will have some difficulty in 2022 as they lose 3 of their top 4. <strong>Alan McCoy</strong> (Sr) is the name worth watching.</p> <p><em><strong>Ripley</strong></em>- Blue Jays have a nice duo back in <strong>Braiden Benningham</strong> (Sr) and <strong>Gabe Fyffe</strong> (Sr). Can they compete with North Adams and Eastern Brown in their division?</p> <p><em><strong>West Union</strong></em><em>- </em>Dragons won 2 games and lost their two best players from last year. Expect struggles in 2022.</p> <p><em><strong>Whiteoak</strong></em>- Wildcats have back one of the best duos in <strong>Bradley Ashbaugh</strong> (Sr) and <strong>Landon Barnett</strong> (Jr). Have the guard play to compete with Fairfield and Fayetteville. Can they match the athleticism though?</p>