TEAM: Mission Valley Vikings/Lady Vikings

CLASSIFICATION: 2A

LEAGUE: Flint Hills

COLORS: Crimson & Gold

SOCIAL MEDIA: N/A

2024-25 SCHEDULE:

12/6 at Council Grove
12/10-13 Mission Valley Tounament
12/17 vs Osage City
12/20 vs Lyndon
1/7 vs Chase County
1/10 at Cair Paravel
1/14 vs West Franklin
1/17 at Wabaunsee
1/20-25 Flint Hills Shootout
1/31 vs Santa Fe Trail
2/4 at Madison
2/7 at Northern Heights
2/11 vs Olpe
2/14 at Lebo
2/18 vs Burlingame
2/21 at Waverly

Flint Hills League game

GIRLS

HEAD COACH: Mackenzie Tynon (1st year)

2023-24 RECORD: 11-10, 4-2 in Flint Hills League

2023-24 IN REVIEW: Not many teams in the state of Kansas could have claimed to have been younger than last season’s edition of Mission Valley girls basketball. The Lady Vikings suited up 13 players, none of whom was a senior. The lone junior on the team, Kyplee Jacobson, missed half the season with an injury. That a team full of sophomores and freshmen finished over .500 anyway is a testament to just how talented this group is, and can be moving forward. The team’s leading scorer, second leading scorer, and leading rebounder were all freshmen. It was a season that sets the stage for some exciting years to come.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: Naturally, everyone is back for the Lady Vikings, including all five starters. Kyplee Jacobsen, an all-around player in the post, is the lone senior. Kailynn Jacobson led the Lady Vikings in scoring and three pointers made as a freshman, and fellow sophomore Taylor Brammell was second in scoring. Abby Packard, also a sophomore this season, led the team in rebounds and blocks last year. Juniors Maddie Kraus and Lillie Foster return in the starting lineup as well. It’s an outstanding foundation for first year head coach Mackenzie Tynon, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant under Ben Packard. If the young Lady Vikings continue to improve on the same trajectory as last season, they will be a contender to return to State for a third time in six years.

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: “Our upperclassmen have a lot of experience and demonstrate their leadership on and off the floor. The girls worked extremely hard this summer, as a coaching staff we saw a lot of good things on the court and I am excited for the upcoming season!” – Mackenzie Tynon

BOYS

HEAD COACH: Jordan Hysten (11th year, 113-100)

2023-24 RECORD: 6-14, 3-3 in Flint Hills League

2023-24 IN REVIEW: The Vikings expected that last year would be a rebuilding year after losing eight seniors and four starters from the year before, and indeed it was, as a five-year streak of winning seasons was broken. But in the clouds, the silver linings were easy to spot, as a young group got a chance to play and compete together throughout the season and improved as they went along.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: With all five starters returning, there are high hopes for the Vikings this season. Seniors Porter Deters and Hunter Tenbrink are the primary standouts, with Deters coming off his second straight second team All-League honor last season after averaging 13.5 points and six rebounds per game, and Tenbrink averaging 12 points and four rebounds. Tenbrink’s basketball savvy complements Deters’ freak athleticism and makes the two of them a handful for any opponent. Also returning to the starting lineup are senior post Davion Jones, who improved his scoring throughout last season, senior forward Conner Hoelting, and junior Bryce Bunger. Among those expected to add quality depth are senior guard Luke Dudley, senior forward Ben Hernandez, junior post Sam Bryan, junior guard Ian Deters, and sophomore guard Jake Mills, who was the team’s sixth man last season. If this group can stay healthy and together on the floor, they’ll be one of the most improved teams in the area, and perhaps even in the entire state.

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: “We have a very tough schedule with the league being super competitive. That being said, there is no game where I don’t feel like our team will be able to compete for a win on any given night. Our team goals are to win one of the league titles between regular season and the tournament and compete for a state berth at the end of the season. We have some guys with some injury history so staying healthy is always important. We have a team with a lot of upperclassmen and playing physically should be a strength of ours. Being 10 guys deep, our practices should be good and competitive, and help us really grow throughout the season. Our success will depend on continuing to develop our offensive game, particularly a consistent post presence and more outside shooting.” – Jorden Hysten

–Dan Lucero

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