Rugged schedule awaits young Hawks

BENTON, Mo. -- Teams are often more concerned with how they finish rather than how they begin.

That was the case with the Kelly boys last year.

"We got off to a slow start last year but we got better as we went along and we played well down the stretch," coach Nick Lanpher said of his squad, a team that held a three-point fourth quarter lead over Notre Dame in the district semifinals but went on to lose by three.

This year, however, could be a different story.

Lanpher said if his team starts well then it could make a strong run at the district title and beyond.

"We've got a rough schedule this year," Lanpher said. "But I like it though; it makes us better in the end."

How rough? For starters the Hawks open the season with the Oran Invitational and then host Portageville and Woodland. They can also look forward to Notre Dame, Sikeston, Jackson and Bell City later in the season.

Only two starters return from last year's squad that went 8-16: Senior Chris Glastetter (6-feet-3) and senior Major Burger (5-9).

That's not to say the Hawks aren't experienced. Senior guard Lance Scheffer (5-9) is returning, as are as a host of juniors from the junior varsity: Forwards Chris Romas (6-2), Michael Scheer (6-2) and Rooks Edmonds (6-1); guards Tyson Glaser (5-9), Andrew Mosehead (5-9) and Trey Simmons (6-2) all will likely see playing time.

Their junior varsity squad won its conference tournament last year.

"Hopefully these juniors can step in for us," Lanpher said. "They're not big, but they play hard and they're quick."

Last year's squad fell on hard times early, beginning the year 2-9. The team went 6-7 over the second half of the season.

"It takes a lot to bounce back like that, but these boys did that last year," Lanpher said.

The Hawks lost three of their starters from last year's squad that Lanpher hopes to pattern this team after. Michael Romas, Barry Ziegler and Tyler Schlosser.

"Tyler is really going to be hard to replace," Lanpher said. "He was really a valuable asset to us."

While the players they lost were invaluable, Lanpher said the team has its own assets.

"This is a good group of boys," Lanpher said. "Their attitudes are getting better and they're really improved. They're going to make a good showing this year."

But Lanpher said a lot will depend on the first half of the season.

"As long as we start out good, then we'll be OK," Lanpher said.