The Orangefield Bobcats were a young basketball team last season, and a year later they may be even younger. With only two seniors on the varsity there will be four sophomores and one freshman expected to see playing time at Orangefield.
Coach Rea Wrinkle provides the names of the returning varsity players for the Bobcats. Wrinkle played several sophomores last year including Payton Lathrop and Wesley Frillou who will see more playing time this season. Matthew Watkins, a senior, was the starting quarterback on the football team and returns to the varsity basketball team as a guard. Those are the only returners who spent all of last season on the varsity.
Cale Puckett is one of only two seniors on the varsity this season, and he did not play last year because of a separated shoulder injury. Puckett should be a factor in the post for the Bobcats. Coach Wrinkle is hoping several other sophomores on the Bobcat varsity will play key roles. Wrinkle brought Zach Dischler up late in the district action last season when he was just a freshman, and Dischler will play big minutes this year. Jacob Rainey at guard and Alex Catt at post are both moving up from the junior varsity. Aven Lathrop is a shooter who will come off the bench to hopefully provide points. Because of injuries another sophomore Michael Teeples has filled in at post early in the season. Also freshman Mason Gonzales who at 6-foot-3 Coach Wrinkle hopes can help out the Bobcats at the post position.
Orangefield finished fifth in district last season just missing the post season. Wrinkle knows it will be a struggle, but he thinks the Bobcats could make another run at the playoffs this season. Wrinkle is working in a lot of his players who are just completing a successful football season at Orangefield. His aspirations never change according to Coach Wrinkle which are the Bobcats making the playoffs. He admits Orangefield plays in a really tough district with state ranked Silsbee and Hardin-Jefferson, bigger and more athletic programs like LC-M and West Orange-Stark, but Wrinkle is hopeful his young players will come together as a team and is confident the Bobcats can make a run for the third or fourth spots in district for sure.
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