Wells takes over reins of experienced Bulldogs lineup

Zalma coach Steve Wells enters his first year with the Bulldogs with four of the five starters returning from last year's team.

He's excited about that, but he is also excited about some of the other players on his roster.

"It is [promising], the fact that we've got some kids back who have quite a bit of experience from last year," he said. "However, we've got some nice younger kids who have the potential to bounce out some of those guys."

The four returning starters include Colton Bailey, Justin Lemons, Kevin Walker and Travis Mergel, all seniors.

"Colton and Kevin play close to the hole," Wells said. "They're our forward and post, whereas Travis and Justin are perimeter players."

Some of the top players vying for starting spots include senior Chad Buehler, senior Nick Montgomery, junior Jeremy Rodgers and junior Nick Smith.

Wells said the new players are adjusting to his system right now and because of that, there are still a lot of question marks, such as which defense he'll run.

"They're learning it and I don't know sometimes if they know just what I'm expecting from them," Wells said. "They are trying to feel their way through it, being their first year for them."