Consistency to propel Western

COLLINS — Consistency is a challenge. Western Reserve boys basketball coach Chris Sheldon knew that long ago. But the longtime coach of the Roughriders got to see it up close on an almost daily basis last season, as his team finished 10-11 overall and 7-7 in the Firelands Conference. For every competitive game, there was a blowout loss. But with seven letterwinners back, including three juniors who are in their third season on varsity, the 'Riders are looking to get back to their winning ways in 2024-25. "Consistency was inevitably one of our biggest challenges a year ago," Sheldon said. "The work to be more consistent this year started back in April. We had a tremendous spring and summer in the weight room and in the gym. That work, we hope, will translate to better play on both sides of the ball this winter." Sheldon said the hope is Western is more physically prepared to go against quality teams. "Which will lead to more consistent results at the defensive end of the floor of keeping guys in front of us," he said. "It will allow us to speed people up with our defense, and then offensively having more strength to get the ball to the paint with the ability to finish against contact — or create easier scoring opportunities for our teammates." Juniors Chase Hipp, Hayden Keith and Caleb Pausch are in their third seasons under Sheldon. Hipp was an All-FC second team selection last season. He averaged 16.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 19 games. Keith averaged 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 18 games, while junior Brexton Fraelich added 6.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 19 games. Another junior, Hayden Dobias, averaged 10 points per game last season in 11 games before sitting out the remainder of the season because of the OHSAA transfer rule. Jared Hipp is one of two seniors on the team. In 18 games, he averaged 4.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals last season. Sheldon said one of the biggest keys to the season is the group of Keith, Fraelich, junior Tyler Wood and sophomore Tyler Cooper taking steps forward to give the 'Riders consistent offensive production. "They all have the ability to step out and shoot the three as well as score the ball in the paint," he said. "As this group of guys continues to get better, so will our basketball team." Western's biggest strength entering the season is the depth of the roster. On top of the seven returners, Sheldon has another three or four players competing to get into the rotation. "Depth creates competition, and the more we are competitive with ourselves in practice each week, the easier game night will become," he said. "The area we have to improve the most is handling adversity one play at a time. "Whether that is overcoming self-inflicted problems or from our opponents, we have to find five guys that can stay in the moment and grind through the adversity together." Sheldon added if Western wants to reach its season goals, the team needs to be committed to playing unselfishly. As far as the FC, the coach knows his team will have a challenge getting back into the title picture. Crestview and St. Paul shared the title last season and each returned three starters, including their leading scorers from a year ago. Mapleton brings back its top player after winning 16 games, and then the 'Riders are hoping to find their way into that group while avoiding any slip-ups against the rest of the FC. "The league should be very balanced," Sheldon said. "How Crestview's new parts adjust to filling some key losses will be interesting to watch. St. Paul is similar in some very good players back, but having to replace some critical guys that were backbones for their success a year ago. "Mapleton has an elite level guard and bigs that will make them dangerous. Plymouth has some really nice younger players coming into the fold as well that will make them competitive." With more than 20 years as a head coach in the FC, Sheldon said having great balance is critical to the growth of the teams in the conference. "Especially come tournament time," he said. "We have seen that for years with our league's volleyball programs. Iron sharpens Iron is something we desperately need to continue to add in our league in order for our teams to see sustained success all year long." RosterNo. Name Pos. Ht. Yr.0 Hayden Keith G 6-0 113 Caleb Pausch G 5-8 114 Dom Edwards G 5-11 1110 Cooper Roe G 5-10 1011 Hayden Dobias G 6-0 1112 Ben Woodrum G 5-10 1120 Tyler Wood G/F 6-1 1122 Chase Hipp G 6-1 1123 Brexton Fraelich G/F 6-2 1130 Jared Hipp G 6-0 1233 Tyler Cooper F 6-4 1042 Ethan Baker F 6-1 12