Jake Furr | Winter prep sports predictions – Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
My predictions for every sport this winter
Last week, I brought you my fall sports predictions, so I figured, why not keep the ball rolling and give you my predictions for the winter sports? Here we go.
Boys Basketball Predictions
I am picking Colonel Crawford to reclaim county dominance after Buckeye Central ran away with the best record last season. Though the Eagles lose a lot of scoring from last season, David Sheldon has something special brewing over in North Robinson. A loaded freshman class that has yet to taste defeat through middle school and a junior class featuring Harley Shaum and Brody Martin have the Eagles bouncing back strong.
Final Record: 17-5
Next, I have the Wynford Royals closely behind the Eagles. Wynford lost a ton of talent from last season, but the returning crop is a scrappy, defensive minded group that loves to hustle and create turnovers. Headed by Jack Reed, the Royals will likely amp up the defensive pressure as they did in the tournament making a run to the district.
Final Record: 15-7
After the Royals, I have the Buckeye Central Bucks. It seems like every team in the county lost some incredible talent and the Bucks are no different. But they do return Jacob Shade and Max Loy, two very solid players from last season’s team. Whenever a team has Phil Loy as a coach, you can never count it out.
Final Record: 14-8
Crestline is on the rise after a stretch of rebuilding seasons. They were incredibly young last year and should start seeing results this season. After having a roster loaded with freshmen, it may take the Bulldogs one more year to really get back to their traditional winning ways.
Final Record: 11-11
Another team on the rise is the Bucyrus Redmen. The young squad lost a lot of games last season, but, on most nights, the starting lineup featured five sophomores. With that class now juniors, 2016-17 will be the season coach Tony Rose sees his team make that giant leap forward. The Redmen were hurt by not having a true point guard, although Gram Dick did a great job stepping in. Kade Slagle should be back after suffering two torn ACLs in two years and, depending on how he recovers, he could be the difference maker.
Final Record: 12-10
Girls Basketball Predictions
If there is one season T-F fans should be excited about, it is the girls basketball season. It is going to be so unpredictable, which is why my predictions are likely to be way off. But if there is one thing I am certain about, it is the Buckeye Central Buckettes.
They should run away with the best record in the county and possibly the Northern 10 title next season. They lost just one senior who was a non-starter from last year’s 16-8 team. They return the likes of Jenna Karl, Haley Green, Erin Baldosser, Isabelle Biglin and Sarah Heydinger. Courtney Pifher is a sharpshooter and Emma Studer is a defensive specialist. The Buckettes will be loaded.
Final Record: 20-2
From there, it is a coin flip. Bucyrus lost a lot of seniors, but they will be built like the Wynford boys team. Full of defense and aggressiveness. Isidora Burling is a stat stuffer with a nose for defense, while Brooklyn Spears and Aliva Lewis can shut down just about anybody they are put against. Throw in Shaina Orewiler, and the Lady Red have a solid core of players to build with.
Final Record: 15-7
The Colonel Crawford Eagles may return the most, just behind the Buckettes. High scoring guard Alexus Burkhart is a game-changing player with special abilities. Kirsten Vehrs can shoot with the best of them and Ashley Gwirtz plays the game the right way. The Eagles will have eight seniors on next season’s roster, so they will not be lacking leadership.
Final Record: 16-6
Wynford has some special players returning as well in Gretchen Harris, Sarah Ogden and Tara Zinser. The Grove sisters, Gabby and Oliva, are now upperclassmen and could be great boosts to Amy Taylor-Sheldon’s squad. Abbi Leuthold got a late start to the season last year and Sierra Richardson nursed a knee injury all winter. Those two could be the role players the Royals need to get back to their traditional winning ways.
Final Record: 15-7
Wrestling Predictions
Bucyrus should see one of the biggest improvements on the mats. Though losing three seniors may hurt with numbers, the returning wrestlers are very competitive. Jaden Lutz was an N10 champion last season and Austin Fulton was one questionable escape call away from advancing to the finals. Jacob Lambert will make a lot of noise in the heavyweight division and Damen Parsell should be ready to step up as a leader.
Buckeye Central will not win many team tournaments with their low numbers, but they could bring home some conference champions. Bryce Lutz comes back as a very strong sophomore who had a great showing at the N10 meet. Watch for him to have a breakout year.
Swimming Predictions
Swimming should be just about like every other year with Colonel Crawford running away with everything. Sure, they lost some great swimmers in Callie Ruffener, Chloe Grove and Grant Pfeifer, but if there is one thing coach Mike Holtzapfel is known for, it is reloading year after year. Jake Johnson is already a school record-holder and likely will break his own record a few times in 2016-17.
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Twitter: @JakeFurr11
