Falcons boys on lookout for scorer
FOXBURG — "I want you."
A-C Valley boys basketball coach Jim Marron hasn't yet dressed up like Uncle Sam and said those words to his players in hopes of finding a go-to scorer.
But it wouldn't hurt.
The Falcons' top three scorers from last year's 14-10 playoff team —Shawn Courson (16.3 ppg), Garrett Greathouse (11.9), and Ryan Jackson (11.6) — all graduated.
"We lost one of the best players in the conference in Courson, the best defensive player I've ever had here in Greathouse and 15 rebounds per game from Jackson," said Marron, who is in his eighth season as head coach.
The Falcons' leading returning scorer is senior point guard Nate Silvis, who averaged 4.9 points per game last season.
Silvis did show some flashes as a junior, with games of 17 points, 15 and 12 in the middle of the season.
Senior John Stumpner looks to be the team's starting shooting guard at the beginning of the season.
"Stumpner and Silvis both started at times last year," said Marron.
The Falcons also will start Nick McGuirk, who can play guard or forward, and Mike Himes and Kyle Hirsch at forward positions.
McGuirk and Himes are both 5-feet-11 and Hirsch is 5-10 — not the tallest frontcourt players you'll find in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference.
The Falcons do have height, but the three players over 6 feet are sophomores Reed Terwilliger (6-5), Joe Kaufman (6-2) and freshman Allan Eaton (6-6).
Those players will figure into the team's plans more as the season progresses, but will be coming off the bench in the first few games.
"Over the last couple of years, we've taken more 3-pointers than I'm comfortable with," said Marron. "But with our smaller lineup this season, we'll probably have to take a lot of outside shots."
Silvis is the team's top returning 3-point shooter, connecting on 13 trifectas a year ago."We're going to have to run," Marron said of the fast-paced game he's preparing his team for. "That's the only chance we'll have of winning games."Marron has always leaned toward playing a man-to-man defense, but he realizes that decision will be made by what players he has on the floor at a given time.With conference favorites Karns City, Keystone and Moniteau lurking on the schedule, the Falcons' road through the upcoming season could be a bumpy one."We've got our work cut out for us," said Marron.A-C Valley open the season next Friday against Conneaut Valley in the Mercer Tip-Off Tournament.<B>A-C Valley Girls</B>Lane Larimore's message to his team is clear: Forget the past.The Falcons' program has suffered 46 straight losses, last winning a game in February 2005.Larimore became A-C Valley's fifth coach in six years in June."The first order of business was to tell the girls to forget the past," said Larimore, who also serves as the Falcons' junior high girls coach. "This is a new season with new girls."Unlike last year's team, which featured no seniors, the 2007-08 squad has four: guard Kate Best, guard-forward Shannon Blauser, forward Jessica Henry and center Markeea Hart.That foursome combined to average 7.5 points per game last year.Hart, a 6-foot center, will be a focal point of the team's offense."She's our inside presence," Larimore said. "There's not too many teams around that have a player like her inside."The battle for point guard is between three sophomores: Katie Quaill, Erika Rothen and Erin Larimore.Blauser should see time at both guard and forward., but he rest of the team's starting lineup is up in the air.Defensively, Larimore hopes his team can be flexible."We're going to mix it up between man-to-man and zone," he said."A win early in the season would lift this team's spirits tremendously, and that's what we need," said Larimore. "We're not setting a number of victories as a goal, let's just get some wins."The Falcons open the season Dec. 5 at Keystone.
