From the wrestling room, senior Andrew Shaffer is coming off of a varsity junior year at 157 lbs. Last year, Shaffer made it to the second round of semi-state, but lost one match short from making it to state. Shaffer is looking to go for 165 lbs, and will have to fight off a strong semi-state, possibly including Hobart’s Aiden Costello, Merrillville’s Adrian Pellot, and Crown Point’s Anthony Rhineheart. Shaffer is looking to punch his ticket to state this year at the East Chicago Semi-State, just like his brother, Ben Shaffer, did two years ago. Junior Grayson Strickland is also going for 165 lbs, and will compete with Shaffer for the varsity spot. Both guys are very talented and could do well in the postseason. Junior Lucas Anderson also got to the “ticket round” at East-Chicago last year, and hopefully can make it to state this year. Sophomore Max Quiroz, a wrestler the Trojans can rely on at dual meets, brings much more experience than his grade often does. With state runner-up Hayden Demarco as his wrestling partner last year, Quiroz has more experience with elite wrestling than many seniors. The team has many new faces on the varsity roster and it will be interesting to see how they develop throughout the season.
The boys basketball team lost valuable pieces from last year, but has much varsity experience from several grade levels. Logan Pokorney is the most experienced player at the varsity level, as this will be his third year on varsity. Junior Jaylen Watts, junior Rob Czarnieki, and sophomore TJ Ray all provide a year worth of varsity experience. The team has two seniors, Robert Williams and Anthony Gonzalez.
“Robert plays a good role, he can rebound and get our offense going, and Anthony played some JV minutes last year after transferring, took him a little while to get his feet wet, but you can really see it this year where he is a lot more confident,” Chesterton Coach Marc Urban said.
Without standout seniors Tyler Parrish and Justin Sims gone from last year’s team, varsity players from last year will need to take on larger roles.
“Logan and TJ are going to be in scoring roles, but there are a lot of guys we are going to need to step up, like Caden (Schneider) who played some minutes against good teams last year” Urban added.
The team is very diverse when looking at grade level, including every grade, even two freshmen. The team includes a transfer sophomore, Malachi Ransom, who is expected to do big things for the team.
“He’s doing a really good job of trying to fit in and doing what we ask of him”, Urban remarked.
It will be interesting to see how everything clicks for the sophomore this season, as Coach Urban’s program demands lots from its players. Three sport athlete Michael Rone has stayed dedicated to basketball, making the transition from football season, and looks to make his varsity appearance for basketball this year as a junior.
“Sometimes you need a guy who can rebound, and give us some strength across the board. I think there are going to be certain games where Mike’s going to play a big role for us” Urban said.
With lots of options for varsity players, Urban will be able to play around with different lineups throughout the year, and hopefully he is able to find success with lots of guys. One thing is for sure, depth shouldn’t be a problem for the Trojans this year.
Girls Basketball
Girls basketball is in their first year with head coach Candy Wilson. The players look at this with lots of optimism.
“I love Coach Wilson. She’s a very funny person and she’s very competitive,” junior Kenedy Bradley said.
A mix of returning varsity spots and new faces to the varsity floor means that the team needs to build up their coordination together. Returning are junior stars Bradley and Tenley Davis, who both were key players in last year’s varsity roster. Juniors Olivia Roach and Allison Van Kley, who took some JV minutes mixed with varsity as sophomores, will be full varsity this year. The underclassmen aren’t shy with their shooting, and can definitely put up points. Sophomore Novea Brandon, freshman Lindsi McGuffey, and freshman Reese Dilbeck will all be on the court with their varsity upperclassmen.
“Our freshmen are going to play a big role in our success. Lindsi McGuffey is one of our best shooters. Reese Dilbeck has a very good shot too and she’s really strong,” Bradley said.
Seniors Hailey Geiser, Isabelle Conners, and Liz St. Marie are all going to contribute heavily, as younger players will be looking at them often, and as the new coach tries to learn more about their team.
“I love the seniors. Two out of the three are captains. I feel like they are all good leaders and very supportive,” Bradley concluded.
Boys Swimming
The team has shrunk dramatically this year. The boys swim team features two strong seniors, Calan Berrier and Luke Wheele. Both are likely to get to state. Berrier has had to deal with injuries in previous seasons, so hopefully he can have a full healthy season to wrap up his senior season.
“I swam the 50 last year, but I didn’t swim as well as I wanted to. I want to win the 50 and the 100 at sectionals and I want to swim 20 (seconds) in the 50 and I want to get 46 (seconds ) in the 100. I think Luke and I will make it to state, and if we can get some relays down to state, that would be great”, Berrier said.
According to Berrier, some key swimmers for the team this year are junior Tyler Scalf, sophomore Liam Eschbach, and junior Wolfgang Lutterman, who all are on track for breakout seasons.
Girls Swimming
Juniors Lux Mountford and Tegan Werner are very optimistic about their team this year, with new additions bringing reason for confidence.
“I think we’re doing really well this season, we have a lot of strong underclassmen,” Mountford stated.
Lots of different things will be exciting to watch, as the underclassmen develop and the upperclassmen continue their state runs. Swimmers to make a big splash this season come from all grades.
“Freshman Brenley Bonez will have a big impact this year,” Mountford said.
The freshmen are learning quickly, and the upperclassmen are also making big strides.
“ I’m excited to watch senior Olivia West, she’s improving a lot,” Werner said.
Of course, some aren’t fighting for varsity spots, but rather are looking more for which spots on the lineup are best for themselves and for the team, as they may fit in on the lineup in several ways.
“I’m excited for the 200 free because I am consistently dropping time in that event” Mountford stated.
The veteran swimmers will be appearing in many different spots this year.
“I’m excited for the 100 fly this season because this is my first season doing it,” Werner remarked.
Lots of different things to keep up with this season, but ultimately it comes down to them reaching peak performance for the postseason, and having a great state meet.
Gymnastics
The gymnastics team features a few returners, and many newcomers. The team practices at Bailey this year, moving from their previous spot in the fieldhouse. Lots of change in this program, but two familiar faces will be taking it in stride. Sophomore Sammy Boster and Senior Gabriela Earth lead the team this year with lots of experience.
“It’s definitely a different team this year.Very fun and exciting, everyone’s personalities coming together” Boster said.
Earth excels most up on top of the beam.
“I am looking forward to beam the most, which has been my favorite. It is nice and calming to show off what I can do up there”, Earth said.
Both Earth and Boster share the same favorite event.
Boster added “I’m most excited for bars because going into this weekend I’m a lot further ahead than I was last year, and beam since it is my favorite event.”
Lots to look forward to for this team, including the younger girls who have lots of potential. Several of the new girls have experience with gymnastics, cheerleading, or dance, which all help new gymnasts.
“Lexi Milton is very dedicated and I think she will have a great season,” Earth said.
Everyone is excited to see how far the rookies can go.
Boster put in “I definitely think freshman Audrianna Perez will have a breakout season, because she did dance and cheer which contribute to gymnastics a lot and I think sophomore Mia Gonzales will because its her first year doing it and I think she is improving a lot.”