The Valley Lumberjacks are re-loading this year after losing the bulk of their lineup to graduation in Cameron Price, Kody Jenkins, Scott Anderson, Ronald Morris, Alex Henderson, Jeremiah Burch, Garett Ueltschy, and David Sivert. But, if the ‘Jacks want to have another successful season, they will have to find points with a total new look.

This season the Lumberjacks will look to senior letterman Clay Ueltschy, who averaged six points a game last season, to get the bulk of the scoring. At 6’3″, Ueltschy is more like 6’7″, as he jumps like a kangaroo and has a wing span to go along with it. Ueltschy is not just a force in the paint. He can hit that jumper from the perimeter as well. “Clay will be our workhorse,” said veteran VHS Head Coach John Kocher. “When we need points, we will look to him.”

However, the ‘Jacks do have a few lettermen back that will need to step up their game if the Lumberjacks are to make a run at the Mason-Dixon Conference and OVAC Class-A titles. They also will have to navigate through sectional and regional play if they want to make a run at the state championship.

The ‘Jacks normally play a man-to-man and zone defense. Kocher says that the opponents will dictate the defense and he is spending more time on defense than he has in the past. Also, look to see the ‘Jacks run in transition and take care of the ball better than they have previously.

Returning lettermen Drew Wade and Brady Nolan will team with Ueltschy to add some punch to the lineup. Wade will be asked to push the ball down the court, while Nolan will be the off guard to light it up from the outside. Kocher believes that the team’s ball handling skills are pretty good and he thinks they can develop an inside game. Together with strategies from the perimeter, the ‘Jacks might be ready to make some noise this season.

Kocher and Assistant Coach Leslie Lively think their players are channeled in the right direction. “We like to run if we can. Our kids, including our big men, can run the floor,” said Kocher.

The ‘Jacks like an up-tempo game and can get down and shuffle their feet and play good old-fashioned defense when they have to. Look no farther than senior Hunter Ring and sophomore Trenton Kocher to lead the way in this department. They know that shuffling their feet and playing defense help build championship seasons. They also can handle the rock and knock down the perimeter shots as well.

Ring has played some varsity ball, while Kocher moves up from the junior varsity team. However, freshmen that have impressed Kocher and Lively are Jack Wells and Pete Shaw. They will start the season on the junior varsity team and will look to be one of the first players off the varsity bench to solidify the team.

Others who will try to keep Kocher from pulling anymore of his hair out are Tanner Smith, Jon Smallwood, Troy Hubbard, Tyler Hayes, Jordan Anderson, and Ryan Lemley. Others who can see some time include Dylan Edgell and Casey Pingley.

The coaching staff is pleased with the work ethic of the boys to this point and feel that they have a good solid group of players with outstanding team speed.

“I think we have great fans at Valley, and I believe that we must play well enough to want our fans to keep coming out and watching the boys play,” added Kocher.

The rest of the Valley lineup includes freshmen Billy McGraw, Logan Sivert, Payton Palmer, Laine Ueltschy, Hayden Lancaster, and Taylor Bates.

Lemley will most likely have the biggest junior varsity team in recent memory to start the season. Shaw and Wells list well over 6’3″ and 6’1″, respectively, while Lemley is 6’6″. These three will start the season on both the JV and varsity teams, but don’t be surprised if you see them full time down the road.

Valley Lumberjack fans will get to see the ‘Jacks’ new look when they host Tyler Consolidated Dec. 6 in their season opener. They will then head to Paden City for the Bob and Sharon Burton Holiday Classic Dec. 9-10. All the junior varsity games tip-off at 6 p.m., while the varsity games are scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m.