The varsity boys basketball team begins their regular season tonight, at home, against rival Parkway Central. Last year, the Longhorns finished the season with a record of 18-9. The team returns four starters and is loaded with a senior heavy roster.
“We are returning eight seniors, four of which started last season at some point. I think this experience will play a big part in the way we perform. There is a different type of competitiveness during practice which is awesome,” senior guard Wyatt Harlan said.
According to STLhighschoolSPORTS, the Horns enter the season as the number nine large school in the St. Louis area.
“It is an honor to be ranked number nine going into the season. At the end of the day though, our main goal is to finish the year at the top spot,” senior forward Matt Petersen said.
Standout junior forward Wyatt Yess was among the area’s leading scorers last season as a sophomore with 16.2 points per game. Yess also averaged 9.3 rebounds per game making him one of the top class of 2017 prospects in the area. Yess has offers from the University of Missouri, Saint Louis University and the University of Wyoming.
“It was a very fun off-season. I decided not to play football this past fall in order to concentrate more on basketball. I had the opportunity to meet with a few schools in order to narrow down my list. I am really excited about the team and the opportunity we have to compete at a very high level,” Yess said.
Senior guards Caleb Socha and Henderson Faulkner look to control the backcourt for the Horns this season. The duo averaged a combined 14 points per game along with six assists.
“Me and Caleb put a lot of work in during the off-season. Almost every day we would go to 24 Hour Fitness and workout to get stronger. We would also play against each other to get better. Hopefully our hard work will transition to the court,” Faulkner said.
Sophomore newcomers Jack Swiney and Michael Akinwumi look to to make an impact for the team. Swiney is a 6’2 guard who transferred from De Smet at the beginning of the school year.
“It has been a smooth transition from De Smet. Transferring from a catholic private school to a public school was different, but the coaching staff and players have welcomed me with open arms,” Swiney said.
Akinwumi is a 6’5 forward who plays for the St. Louis Eagles club basketball team in the summer, the same organization which has produced talents such as Bradley Beal, Larry Hughes and Jayson Tatum.
“I had a great summer. The tough talent I played against has transformed me into a better basketball player. I think I have gotten more physical and smarter when I’m on the court,” Akinwunmi said.
The Longhorns look to move on from last season’s first round playoff upset against Priory 36-34.
“That loss has definitely been on my mind. We should not have lost that game, we took it for granted and it cost us. However, I think this loss provides us a sense of determination going into the season. We look to win our district this year and to hopefully make a run at the state title,” Socha said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
