TEAM: Valley Falls Dragons

CLASSIFICATION: 2A

LEAGUE: Northeast Kansas

COLORS: Black & Gold

SOCIAL MEDIA: @VFDragons on Twitter

2024-25 SCHEDULE:

12/6 vs Jeff West
12/10 vs Oskaloosa
12/13 at Royal Valley
12/17 vs Troy
12/20 vs ACCHS
1/3 at McLouth
1/7 at ACCHS
1/10 vs McLouth
1/14 at Maur Hill-Mount Academy
1/17 vs Jefferson County North
1/21-25 Valley Falls Tournament (Boys)
1/23 at Jackson Heights (Girls)
1/28-2/1 JCN Tournament (Girls)
1/30 at Jackson Heights (Boys)
2/4 vs Pleasant Ridge
2/7 at Troy
2/11 vs Riverside
2/14 at Oskaloosa
2/18 vs Perry-Lecompton
2/21 vs Jackson Heights
2/25 at Horton

Northeast Kansas League game

GIRLS

HEAD COACH: Steve Seratte (1st year)

2023-24 RECORD: 7-14 overall, 6-9 NEKL

2023-24 IN REVIEW: The Valley Falls girls got off to a hot start last season, winning three of their first four games, but unfortunately the Lady Dragons weren’t able to keep their momentum going down the back stretch of the season. Still, it was a competitive group and one that was downright dominant when at its best. Five of Valley Falls’s seven wins came by double digits, and its average margin of victory was 21 points. The Lady Dragons were led by a pair of all-league honorees, including first-team pick Korie Kirkwood and honorable mention Lauren Brown. In fact, both Kirkwood and Brown were multi-time All-NEKL selections.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: Valley Falls is facing the tough task of replacing those two superstars this year, not to mention the rest of the senior class. That means the Lady Dragons will have to make up for losing nearly 90% of its production from a year ago. As daunting as that sounds, Valley Falls will have eight players back who saw varsity time a year ago, putting the program in a position to see new standouts emerge while not needing too long to acclimate to a full varsity schedule. Four returning upperclassmen, including seniors Cassie Frakes and Evie Gatzemeyer, plus juniors Gracie Conner and Brooklynn Schmelzle, all started at some point last season and will be tasked with leading the program into its new era this year. A sophomore quartet featuring Chloe Cox, Cali DeLong, Paisleigh Heinen and Abbigail Wilson will all also return to the roster after promising freshman campaigns. Valley Falls has a chance to make some real noise in the NEKL this year if this roster and new-look rotation can hit the ground running and build on another year of early momentum.

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: (Coach Seratte did not respond to our request for additional information.)

BOYS

HEAD COACH: Caleb Gatzemeyer (20th year, 241-174)

2023-24 RECORD: 15-7 overall, 11-5 NEKL

2023-24 IN REVIEW: Another year, another double-digit wins season for Valley Falls boys basketball in 2023-24. In the program’s first 19 years under coach Caleb Gatzemeyer, the Dragons have now had 14 wins after last season’s 15-7 overall record. That included a postseason victory, too, before falling in their sub-state semifinal against Horton. Zac Evans led the charge for Valley Falls in his senior season, earning a first-team all-league honor while pacing the Dragons with 16 points per game. He was one of three Dragons to receive postseason award recognition last year, joined by Collin and Hayden Kearney, a first teamer and honorable mention, respectively.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: The Dragons will undoubtedly be one of the deepest, most experienced and most talented teams in the Northeast Kansas League this season, if not the entire region in general. Four other starters are back, including the Kearneys, junior Flint Seymour and sophomore Damian Cervantez. Plus, Valley Falls is adding another first-team all-league selection to the roster, senior Trenten VanHoutan, a transfer from Oskaloosa who is skilled at getting downhill to the basket. Depth won’t be an issue, either, with eight other players returning for 2024-25. In the senior class, that includes Grayson Coleman, Myles Reich and Shaydon Guerro . They’re joined by three other upperclassmen, juniors Grant Meyer, Duncan Alvarenga and Carter Pickarell. Add on sophomores Brayson Miller and Brody Burge, and this is one of the most formidable lineups in the region. The Dragons should be considered not just a top contender in the Northeast Kansas League, but also one of the most dangerous teams in Class 2A.

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: “This will be a fun group. We will have a target on our backs because we were going to be good, then became really good with the transfer of Trenten [VanHoutan] coming in. We will have guys that will get up and down the floor and will play at a high level.” — Caleb Gatzemeyer

–Brendan Dzwierzynski

To read more Pigskin & Hoops previews, click here to return to the table of contents.