RETURNING KAUFMAN & CHURCHILL WILL BE A BIG DEAL

By William

MOUNDRIDGE – The Moundridge boys could say the season ended on a sad note, but when you lose in the second round of sub-state to the eventual Class 2A state champion Hillsboro you at least have to feel just tad better.

For Wildcat Head Coach Vance Unrau, he finished up his 34th season at the helm of the program and now carries an overall mark of 525-274 into the 2021-22 season. In those 34 seasons coach Unrau has had his share of team successes that include nine appearances in the state tournament and a run of five state titles (including 4 years in a row) in a 10 year stretch during the 1990’s, winning the state championship in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1997.

Most recently, he led the Wildcats to a third-place finish in 2013.

After concluding the 2020-21 season Coach Unrau took the time to reflect on the season and the following are the responses he gave:

HOW DID YOUR TEAM FINISH THE SEASON OVERALL?

The Moundridge boys finished the 2020-21 season with a record of 14-8 overall and 6-3 within league games.

WHAT WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE 2020-21 SEASON?

When asked about the highlights of the season, Coach Unrau noted the following:

  • “This season was unique because of all the COVID protocols and the potential quarantines or postponements. But despite that this team showed a lot of resilience dealing with the uncertainty of it all.”
  • “The schedule we played was rugged and we started off the season just 2-4 in our first six games but then finished 12-4 after the Christmas break, including a championship title in the Canton/Galva Tournament.”
  • “We were constantly playing some elite players both in and out of our league, the Heart of America League.”

WHAT PLAYERS AND PRODUCTION WILL THE TEAM LOSE?

Coach Unrau will look to replace three (3) senior starters from the 2020-21 team, including:

  • Jon Schlosser = a 6’2” senior starter who finished with honorable mention post-season honors after getting 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in 2020-21. “Jon (Schlosser) was such a blue-collar worker for us defending and on the boards. I have such great appreciation for his contribution and work ethic, not only this season but throughout his Wildcat career.”
  • Korbin Wedel = a senior starter who averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
  • Corbin Unruh = a senior starter who averaged 6.7 points, 2.4 steals and 3.9 assists per game.

TAKE AN EARLY LOOK INTO THE 2021-22 SEASON AND TELL US WHAT YOU SEE?

Taking a look ahead to the 2021-22 season, Coach Unrau pointed out that the following:

  • Landon Kaufman = a 5’10” sophomore starter who earned 1st team all-league honors after averaging 20.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.9 steals per game.
  • Logan Churchill = a 6’5” sophomore starter who earned 2nd team all-league honors after averaging 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
  • “We will have some young players who have the potential to be franchise type players for us and it will depend on how committed they are to individual skill development during the off-season as some of these guys have a high ceiling of what they can be and I am looking forward to the future with them.”
  • “Finding someone to fill the hole left by Jon Schlosser will be our biggest challenge as we need to find guys that will make rebounding a priority, something which will be a primary focus.”
  • Besides returning Kaufman and Churchill, others Unrau will be expecting to fill the voids created by graduation are:
  • Joseph Schrag
  • Garrett Doherty
  • Alex Huddle
  • Coach Unrau also noted that, “Other young guys coming into the high school program will need to give immediate contributions for our success next year.”

DO ANY TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE OR STATE LOOK TO BE THE CREAM OF THE CROP FOR NEXT SEASON?

Coach Unrau anticipates a log jam in the Heart of America League again next year, pointing out that Inman, Hutchinson Trinity, Berean Academy and Sedgwick will all be league title contenders.

Concluding his post-season reflections, Coach Unrau added, “I am looking forward to working towards what we want and can be next season. I have already challenged our guys to commit to a rigorous off-season of weight-room and individual skill development. Wanting to be better at anything is the first step and the rest is about putting it all into the work.”

OUR FINAL REFLECTIONS:

While it could be tough to replace three quality seniors like Jon Schlosser, Korbin Wedel and Corbin Unruh, the Wildcats have an extremely strong two-some to build the next team around with the return of high scoring Landon Kaufman and a big man inside like Logan Churchill.

If Coach Unrau can blend some returnees and youthful newcomers together around this tandem, then the Moundridge boys next season could possible surprise many and finally get a shot at returning to the state tournament.

{Moundridge Wildcat Postings is in need of SPONSORS for spring sports and next season, inquiry with crossdovewriter@gmail.com if interested}