District 2A Notebook (D11)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who will win District 11-2A?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2021 DISTRICT STANDINGS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Camden Central</td><td>7-1</td><td>22-5</td></tr><tr><td>Waverly</td><td>6-2</td><td>18-5</td></tr><tr><td>Hickman County</td><td>4-4</td><td>10-17</td></tr><tr><td>Stewart County</td><td>3-5</td><td>16-14</td></tr><tr><td>East Hickman</td><td>0-8</td><td>4-21</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">2022 Postseason Recapture</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#4 seed <strong>Stewart County </strong>(56) vs. #5 seed East Hickman (52)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 seed <strong>Camden</strong> (69) vs. #4 seed Stewart County (61)<br>#2 seed<strong> Waverly </strong>(49) vs. #3 seed Hickman County (43)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 seed<strong> Camden </strong>(56) vs. #2 seed Waverly (54)<br>#4 seed <strong>Stewart County</strong> (44) vs. # seed Hickman County (27)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">East Hickman </span></strong>(Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Greg Matney</strong><br>#23 Braedon Kelley* (2024)<br>#24 Drae Mandujano* (2023)<br>#32 Carson Hill* (2024)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2639846' first='Nathan' last='Hobbs']* (2025)<br>Caden Jones (2023) <br>Mason Nolen (2024)<br>Dakota Ragsdale (2025)<br>Steven Bailey (2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"This will be my third year as head coach," said Head Coach Greg Matney during a September 7th phone interview. "I have been here since East Hickman opened in 2007." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He served as Assistant Coach for ten years also. "When I took over three years ago there were only seven players on the team, so we have built our numbers back up to being able to play a JV schedule. We have lots of young kid come through that have never played before. They didn't play in middle school. Showed interest and were decent enough. We keep them and make JV players out of them."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Incredibly, Coach Matney was able to develop a few of those young players into varsity contributors, and even in one case, a varsity starter! "Drae is one that has really come on strong. We have another kid Mason Nolen. He came in as being able to do nothing except shoot and he has developed his game to be a good slasher and scorer." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"With a school our size, we do not have a lot to choose from, and actually we had only about two eighth-grade school players," shared Coach Matney. "I am hoping, we have some, five that I kept this year that have never played organized ball before. I feel like they can develop." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Scoring Punch</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Definitely, as far as on the offensive side of the ball, [player_tooltip player_id='2199646' first='Braeden' last='Kelley'], Carson Hill, and [player_tooltip player_id='2639846' first='Nathan' last='Hobbs'] [will be the keys]," shared Coach Matney. "Hobbs will be our post player, but he has a great shooting touch from the outside. Carson is a really good athlete. He plays baseball, as well." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Drae is my defensive lockdown specialist. He started some, but mostly came off of the bench. He is the coach's player. He does all the little things. He plays defense, dives on the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Was he always wired this way? Did he become the type of gritty player?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Moreseo, he developed that about midseason last year. He just really came into his own. He realized that to get playing time that he was going to do other things. He actually started as a freshman with the previous coach, but there were only seven players on the entire team, so he was starting by default. He has developed. Baseball is probably his favorite sport." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The team features a freshman with some exciting promise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Steven Bailey is coming in, kind of tall and lanky, but really he is going to help us as a very consistent three-point shooter. Kind of a zone-buster."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Hickman County</span></strong> (Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Chris Dawson</strong><br>#0 [player_tooltip player_id='2087252' first='Tyler' last='Stacks']* (2024)<br>#10 Seth Reed (2023)<br>#20 [player_tooltip player_id='2408287' first='Elisha' last='Puckett'] (2025)<br>#24 Levi Mayberry (2023)<br>Charlie Blystad (2025) 6'11"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2087252' first='Tyler' last='Stacks'] is a sprightly, high-energy guy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stewart County</strong> (Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Kevin Hargis</strong><br>#0 Jacob Morgan (2025)<br>#1 PG Sawyer Wallace* (2023)<br>#2 F Bradley Brainard* (2023)<br>#5 Sam K'Meyer (2024)<br>#12 DJ Tourigny (2025)<br>#14 Ian Eastridge (2023)<br>#23 PF Garrett Maria (2023)<br>#24 Coby Wallace (2023)<br>#32 [player_tooltip player_id='2258097' first='Hayden' last='Wallace']* (2024)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starters Lost (5): Eli Bogard, Tucker Story, Weston Wallace, Gavin Smith, Aden Houston.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sawyer Wallace is in constant communication with his coach, always attentive. Wallace will even walk by when the coach is not talking, just to provide an opportunity for the coach to instruct him or advise him. Sawyer is the only returning play to average over 4.0 ppg last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last spring Stewart County played incredible on-ball defense, each and every player. Unfortunately, almost all of those individual defenders graduated. Will their tradition be carried on with the new team?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Waverly Central</span> </strong>(Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Les Trotter</strong><br>#2 Landon Dooley (2023) SG<br>#4 Landon Cunningham (2024) PG<br>#11 Braylon Wilson (2024) SF/PF<br>#14 [player_tooltip player_id='1137145' first='Bryce' last='Stanfield'] (2024) SG<br>#20 Nate Wiser (2023) SG<br>#21 Hayden Waggoner (2025)<br>#22 Tucker Rawlings (2025) PG/SG<br>#23 Jaden Lambdin (2025) C<br>#31 Johnny Hurt (2023) SF<br>#33 Josh Smith PF<br>#34 Mikey Primm (2025) SG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New to the varsity is Nate Wiser (2023).<br><br><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Camden </span></strong>(Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach David Roberts</strong><br>#1 [player_tooltip player_id='1263017' first='Kaden' last='Story']* (2023)<br>#12 Allan Zyla* (2023)<br>#20 Beau Smith (2023)<br>#22 Ridge Bruce (2024)<br>#25 Tucker Jackson (2023)<br>#32 Aidan Pierce (2024)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1263008' first='Wizdom' last='Laws']* (2023)<br>Konner Comuzie (2023)<br>Briley Siler* (2023)<br>Isaac Moore (2025)<br>Trenton McNeal (2025)<br>#33 C Hayden McCormick (2024)<br>#34 Ayden Melton* (2025)<br>#44 [player_tooltip player_id='2148404' first='Nowah' last='Porter'] (2025)<br>#55 Matthew Lambdin (2023) C/PF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a school with an enrollment of 488, there is a ton of skill and size up and down the roster. It starts with<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1263017' first='Kaden' last='Story']</strong>, the senior guard with three newish college basketball offers: Welch College, New England College, Campbellsville-Harrodsburg University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ayden Melton</strong> is likely the only underclassman to start when the season opens, alongside [player_tooltip player_id='1263008' first='Wizdom' last='Laws'], Briley Siler, Allan Zyla, and the aforementioned Story.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Prediction</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Camden Central</td></tr><tr><td>Waverly</td></tr><tr><td>Hickman County</td></tr><tr><td>Stewart County</td></tr><tr><td>East Hickman</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table -->