Five Burning Questions: AVCTL (First Division)
The Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League in Kansas is split into four divisions. For the purpose of this story, we will be focusing on the first division of that league and exploring some storylines to keep an eye on.
Is Maize the AVCTL favorite heading into the 18-19 season?
Short answer, yes, in my opinion. Caleb Grill (2019) is too talented of a player and leader to think they won’t rise to the top.
The ability has been there but the confidence that he is now playing with compared to the start of his junior year is fantastic. His talent paired with the underrated Devon Koehn (2019) and emerging Cade McCaugh (2019) have them as a tough matchup for anyone they come across this year.
How good can Campus be this year and can they come together right away?
On paper there may not be a more talented team in all of Wichita. As Sterling Chapman (2021) makes his climb to stardom, he will be alongside a plethora of talented players.
Steele Chapman (2020) will be returning with major talent at the guard position alongside transfers Thomas King (2020) and Shawn Warrior (2020). Layer in contributions from Kyle Church (2021) and Cade Howard (2019) and Campus will not only pose a threat this year but be the favorites next year to finish atop the AVCTL.
Oftentimes, it takes a while to get a team to come together and while there may be growing pains towards the beginning of the year but with the talent on the roster, they will have success right away.
Will this be a rebuilding year for Derby?
While it would be easy to say yes with the departure of Tyler Brown, Bryant Mocaby, and Emilio Valenti, the fact of the matter is that they shouldn’t be in a rebuilding year.
With starters Tre Washington (2020) and Clayton Hood (2019) joining forces with the transfer of Josh Osborn (2019), Derby should be a contender immediately.
Josh will anchor their defense and bring unmatched size in the AVCTL at 6’10’’ he is sure to be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.
Can Salina Central get back in the winner’s circle this season?
Salina Central nearly had a state title last year and they’re hungry to get back there this season.
While losing four seniors from the 17-18 season, the Mustangs still have plenty of experience anchored by the talented Harper Williams (2019) who is one of the state’s top prospects in his class.
Given that Salina Central has been the runner up for the past two years, I’d say the chances of them making another playoff run are likely.
How much of the load can Ty Berry carry for Newton?
Ty Berry can and will carry a huge load for Newton as I’m confident they will find themselves on the other side of .500 after finishing 10-12 last season.
The good news is that he won’t have to do it all alone as Alex Krogmeier (2020) will be able to knock down some big shots and Damarius Peterson (2019) can be a force in the middle to help Berry out throughout the season.