This is the third installment of a six-part series of columns that will look ahead to the upcoming high school sports year for our six area schools.
– June 21 — SCC Titans
– June 24 — Yates Center Wildcats
– Today — Crest Lancers
Crest fans will have a pair of new sports to cheer their Lancers on in this next year.
While Roland Weir and Travis Hermreck will lead the Lancer baseball program in its return to the diamond, Casey Cook and Bailey Lee will oversee the Lancer softball program.
Both programs will provide some intrigue and mystery to the 2017-18 athletic season. Away from the ball diamonds, expectations are high for Crest with a strong group of returners across the other sports.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Before Hermreck joins Weir to coach baseball, he will take his familiar spot in front of the Lancer’s basketball bench.
The exciting thing for Hermreck and Lancer fans is that the players will be very familiar. As opposed to last year, when the Lancers had to replace nearly every point scored from the previous year, this year’s team will only lose one player — graduated starting guard Nate Berry.
The Lancers seem poised to make a leap back up the Three River League standings and challenge for a state berth once again this year and a major reason for the is junior guard Hayden Hermreck.
The 6-foot-4 coach’s son led the Lancers with 17.6 points per game last season and his long frame combined with his 3-point marksmanship make him a matchup nightmare for most 1A squads.
The Lancers will have four seniors with a year of heavy experience under their belts to support Hermreck.
Austin Hendrix returns at the point guard spot after leading the team in assists last year.
Nick Vaughn will likely take the other guard spot after serving as the team’s sixth man for much of last year. Despite more limited minutes, Vaughn still led the team in steals last year.
The frontcourt will once again feature Caleb Stephens and Hayden Seabolt. Both big men specialized in doing the dirty work for the Lancers this past year with over 250 rebounds between them.
Developing depth will be key for the Lancers but with Hermreck and a veteran supporting cast, expectations in Colony should be high.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Lancers have been on the rise from the point of have to forfeit games three years ago to earning the three-seed in their substate last season.
Miranda Golden, Laurel Godderz and Callie McGhee played tremendous roles in the team’s rise to competitiveness the past two years and having those three seniors graduate will leave a void for the program, but a void that the Lancers equipped to fill.
If the team is to continue its rise, a lot of the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of junior point guard Regan Godderz.
Godderz will be entering her third year as the starting point guard in Colony and made tremendous strides as a sophomore. If the young floor general can cut down on her turnovers this year, the Lancers will be in good hands.
Golden missed time last season with illness and that allowed more of Crest’s strong junior class to get important minutes that should pay dividends this season.
Cassie Bowen and Camryn Strickler will likely form the new frontline, replacing the strength and height of Golden with a speedier, more versatile pair of forwards.
With an experienced point guard and an athletic frontcourt, the Lancers are poised to be a much more up-tempo team this year.
Joining Godderz in the backcourt is another junior with Jewel Armstrong likely to be elevated to the starting lineup.
MaKayla Jones will likely take a large leadership role with the Lancers as she will be the lone returning senior.
TRACK & FIELD
While the addition of baseball and softball offers plenty of uncertainty and intrigue in its own right, it also will likely throw the Lancers’ track and field into a bit of upheaval as some athletes are likely to defect to take up baseball or softball.
As it currently stands though, the Lancers return a strong group of athletes including all three of their state competitors.
Sophomore Billy Lyda highlights that group after winning two state medals as a freshman last season. The sprinter will be looking to come back even stronger.
Senior Caleb Stephens qualified for state in two events last year. After just qualifying in the high jump as a sophomore, Stephens went in both the high jump and triple jump last season. He will be in search of his first state medal this year.
Junior Camryn Strickler will be counted on to lead the Lancer girls after she qualified for state in each of her first two seasons with the program.
Strickler went to state in the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles last season and will be looking for her first trip to the podium this year.
FOOTBALL
The Lancer football team is on very solid ground heading into the season after going 4-5 last year and only having to replace three starters.
The Lancer defense should be a strength in 2017 with three seniors returning after earn First Team All-Three Rivers League recognition last year.
Tavyn Springston will lead the defensive backfield after he was able to pick off four passes last season.
Hayden Seabolt led the Lancers in sacks with seven and had eight addition tackles for loss from his defensive line spot.
Nik Peterson was an unanimous selection All-League linebacker after he recorded 25 solo tackles and was versatile enough to start at all three linebacker spots at different points in the season as a junior.
The offensive side of the ball offers the most questions for the Lancers, but a big-time answer may have already arrived.
Billy Lyda didn’t play football as a freshman, but he plans to join the team as a sophomore and after qualifying for the State Track and Field Championships in all three sprinting events last year and emerging with two state medals, he will inject some speed into the backfield.
Peterson will also be a weapon for the Lancers in the backfield after scoring 10 touchdowns and averaging 6.9 yards per carry last year.
VOLLEYBALL
Just like basketball, the Lancer volleyball team losses Laurel Godderz and Miranda Golden, who will be tough to replace, but once again it will be the junior class that is asked to step up.
Camryn Strickler, Regan Godderz, Cassie Bowen and Breyanna Benjamin all played big roles for the Lancers last year and will asked to do more this year.
Replacing Golden as a go-to option for kills will be the key for the Lancers to continue their growth.
