Blink and you would have missed half the high school basketball season.

It’s only Jan. 3, but some Butler County teams have been able to jam nearly 50 percent of their schedule into one month.

The Butler girls hoop team already has 11 games in the finished bin. Many other teams have nine games checked off the docket.

The burst of games has given us a pretty good indication of what teams are for real and what players are on their way to monster seasons.

Every season, there are a few players who come out of nowhere to surprise us.

This year has been no different:

Josh Goetz, Mars.

It took awhile for the 6-foot-8 Goetz to get comfortable in his long, lanky frame. Now that he has as a senior, he has been downright scary.

In seasons past, he moved around like a newborn giraffe. Even Mars coach Rob Carmody said Goetz was kind of awkward.

“He’s grown into his body now,” the coach said.

Goetz may be the most improved player in the WPIAL and may be the key to a long playoff run by the Planets this season.

Nicole Papley, Slippery Rock.

Papley, a 6-foot junior forward, showed flashes last season, but was inconsistent for the Rockets.

This year Papley has battled a badly sprained ankle, but has become one of the best post players in District 10 with a blend of toughness inside and a nice jumper.

She’s also a bit zany, making the Mad Hatter look like Ben Stein. Her wackiness, though, makes her quite popular with her teammates.

Seth Cook, Butler.

Cook, a transplant from Michigan, has become a consistent scorer and rebounder at forward for the Golden Tornado.

It’s sometimes difficult to build up statistics on Butler because coach Matt Clement’s bench is deeper than the Celtics. But Cook is averaging 15 points per game this season.

Paige Montrose, Seneca Valley.

Montrose is a freshman, so she’s the very definition of coming out of nowhere.

Few first-year players in WPIAL Quad-A have the find of impact Montrose is having this season for the Raiders, though.

Bobby Paczkowski, Slippery Rock.

The Rockets are struggling this season, but Paczkowski has been one of the better stories in Butler County.

Last year, the 5-8 senior was little more than a 3-point specialist off the bench — he scored just nine points in the 2011-12 campaign.

This year he is leading the team in scoring, including a 20-point game against Farrell two weeks ago.

Karns City’s girls basketball team.

The Gremlins have had some lean years recently with just 13 wins over the past three seasons.

Karns City, though, is off to a 5-2 start this year despite losing sophomore guard Shanel Preston to a horrific knee injury.

Other young players like sophomores Emily LoPresti and Annie Hegedus and freshman LeAnn Gibson have stepped up in Preston’s absence.

The scary part — at least for the rest of the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference — is the Gremlins have just one senior on the roster.

Karns City could be looking at a nice run for several years to come.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.