Tuesday, November 24, 2015
SPORTS
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Take five: seniors working with new family Caleigh Sturgeon Co-Sports Editor All five of this year’s senior basketball players say the same thing about last year’s team. “Everyone was friends on and off the court,” Caldwell said. “It was the next closest thing to a family,” MJ Lezanic said. “We were like brothers,” Lucas Yonda said. “I’d grown up playing with the seniors last year and they were some of my best friends,” Andrew Larkin said. “We did everything together,” Jack Baker said. But now half of last year’s team, and four out of last year’s five starters, are gone. And these five seniors have the job of continuing the success of ’Stoga basketball. Darryl Caldwell As the only senior to play on varsity for all four years of high school, Caldwell brings important experience to the team. He’s the only one who played in the Central League Championship both last year and the year before, and he’s the only one who played in District semifinals at Temple two years back. “A lot of us look to Darryl in certain situations because he’s been almost starting on varsity since freshman year so he’s the most experienced one. The rest of us are kind of just getting used to this role, and it helps to have someone like that to set an example,” Yonda said. Caldwell has played with the best
guys at ’Stoga since middle school, and amidst last year’s seniors, he was the leading scorer in the regular season. But last year’s playoffs did not yield the results he expected of himself. “I don’t think I played as well as I could’ve and I was disappointed. I’ll have to adjust but this year we have a lot of shooters who will pick up the scoring load,” Caldwell said. Caldwell hopes this year’s shooters will help him bring home the Central League title that was taken from the Pioneers the last two years. “I want to win the Central League Championship and I definitely have more motivation to win since it’s my senior year” Caldwell said. Caldwell thinks the Pioneers might actually have more leverage this year because of the new faces on the court. “I think some people think it’s going to be a down year, but I think that we’ll surprise some people,” Caldwell said. “I think that people like Jack Baker and Andrew Larkin and Lucas Yonda who didn’t play that much last year will really step up and surprise people.” MJ Lezanic Lezanic may not have started on varsity all four years at Conestoga, but he has been breathing basketball since birth. “I was raised in a basketball household. My dad was a basketball coach. He played at Bucknell and he coached at Bucknell, William and Mary and Loyola Maryland. Basketball was pretty much forced upon me,” Lezanic said. Lezanic is still just as dedicat-
Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE
Handles: Senior Darryl Caldwell stares down his defender in the district playoff game against Wissahickon on Feb. 13. Caldwell scored six points.
20 The Spoke
Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE
Yonda accepted this role enthusiastically. “I like the idea of coming off the bench and giving energy. It’s a good role for me because if the stars are having a lull or something I can come in and wake everybody up,” Yonda said. Yonda’s older brother Zack Yonda was basketball captain two years ago, and Lucas Yonda has learned a certain mental advantage from him. “Zack and I are really different players, but obviously a lot of times when we’re faced with a decision I think about what he’s done and I look up to him a lot,” Yonda said. Yonda thinks the Pioneers are in a good position to fight the stigma of being deemed an underdog team. “I think that we can shock a lot of teams. I think there are a couple teams who maybe think that we’re not going to be in it this year who we can upset and really make a run at,” Yonda said. Andrew Larkin Just like Yonda, Larkin wants to make a run at the Central League Championship. But he also has a few abstract goals this season.
Buckets: Senior MJ Lezanic hits a three in the first round of District playoffs versus Wissahickon last season. The Pioneers beat Wissahickon 39-30 to advance to the next round of playoffs against Academy Park. ed today. This fall he dedicated at of teams who think of themselves least one day a week to coming to ahead of us,” Yonda said. “But last school at 5 a.m. to put up shots be- year we got overconfident and that fore school. He expects the best from won’t happen this year. We’re gohimself and he wants to continue ing to have to fight every game and what last year’s seniors started. we’re going to play from the bottom “Those guys were like my broth- every game and it’s going to give us ers. They were the guys who showed a lot more drive to win.” us what was right and what was With Caldwell, Lezanic, Larkin wrong. Us seniors this year are going to strive to be like they were last year,” Lezanic said. Those seniors are the ones who were here when ’Stoga basketball rose to the community presence it holds today. Lezanic recounted the third round of districts his sophomore year when ’Stoga played Lower Merion at home, and the gym was sold out for the first time since Kobe Bryant played there. He believes that game encapsulates everything the seniors want to uphold this year. “Conestoga basketball went in one year from being dead to being this entity that’s alive and well. I didn’t even play in the game, just being on the bench and watching that was just amazing,” Lezanic said. Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE Now that he will be on the court Waiting their turn: Seniors Lucas Yonda and Jack Baker, and juniors in those big games, he wants to play Charlie Martin, Scott Shapiro, Scott Lambert and Dante Gathers watch for the crowd. “Just to see the Pioneer Pit out their teammates take the court. It’s up to them to build on last year’s success. there on Friday nights warms my and Yonda, ’Stoga is going to be “I know there are all of those heart. There’s nothing else I’d rather more guard-oriented this year. This accolades, that’s everyone’s goal, be doing,” Lezanic said. means they will play a faster game, but this is the last time we’re going Lucas Yonda constantly running and pushing the to wear Conestoga across our chest. Yonda thinks there is not just go- ball, and will need to stay strong on This is the last time we’re going to ing to be motivation from the crowd defense. play in front of that crowd and that this year, but a drive from within a “Lucas will be the backbone of atmosphere. It’s not a lot of time, so team as well. our defense this year. When he’s in I just want to enjoy the experience. “We aren’t necessarily underdogs the game everyone really steps it up. And the best way to do that is to win, in the Central League as a whole, but He’ll guard the best guard on the so we’re going to work on that,” Larlast year we were the number one other team full court the whole game kin said. seed going into the season for the if he has to, and he’s relentless. He’s Last year he was forced to sit on whole league, and this year we’re just got a nose for the ball,” Baker the sidelines until the last game of the not like that. There are a couple said of Yonda. season because of a case of mono.
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