TEAM: Wabaunsee Chargers/Lady Chargers

CLASSIFICATION: 2A

LEAGUE: Flint Hills

COLORS: Blue & Red

SOCIAL MEDIA: @Wabaunsee329 on Twitter

2024-25 SCHEDULE:

12/6 at West Franklin
12/10-13 Wabaunsee Invitational
12/17 at Chase County
12/20 vs Osage City
1/7 vs Cair Paravel
1/10 vs Lyndon
1/14 at Council Grove
1/17 vs Mission Valley
1/20-25 Flint Hills League Tournament
1/28 at Onaga
1/31 vs Rural Vista
2/4 vs Axtell
2/7 at Jeff West
2/11 at Riley County
2/18 vs Solomon
2/21 at Herington

Flint Hills League game

GIRLS

HEAD COACH: Jared Schultz (1st year, 0-0)

2023-24 RECORD: 13-10 overall

2023-24 IN REVIEW: The 2023-24 season was a bounce-back campaign for Wabaunsee girls basketball, to say the least. The Lady Chargers went 13-10, fueled by a 7-1 start to the year, marking their first winning season since 2019-20. They averaged nearly 48 points per game while holding opponents to just 36 points a night. Then-senior Kaci Meseke was one of the biggest stars in the Mid-East League a year ago, averaging teams best in both scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounds (6.4 boards per game) on her way to a second-team all-league nod.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: Wabaunsee has a fantastic returning core for 2024-25, setting the table for what could be another extremely successful season in Alma. Three of the six returning letterwinners for Wabaunsee were starters a year ago, including senior Harley Ridder, junior Reese Michaelis and sophomore Grace Zeller. Last season, Zeller was the Lady Chargers’ second-leading scorer and rebounder, and was one of just two freshmen in the Mid-East League to receive postseason recognition (an honorable mention in her case). Ridder is a defensive force, leading the program in steals last year with 2.6 per game, while Michaelis tacked on six points per contest. Look for sophomore Talen Horton to take a major step forward after a stellar freshman season, one in which she averaged 7.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Having so many players back from last year’s great run is extremely valuable. Not only is that a lot of experienced talent, but it’s already a group that’s hungry for more after a taste of success last winter. That will be a driving force this year for a program that is going to get a lot of attention and hype in its new league.

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: “The Lady Chargers will be young with only two seniors on the roster.  Our top five gained valuable experience during the ’23-24 campaign. We will rely on the leadership of Ridder & Michaelis.” –Jared Schultz

BOYS

HEAD COACH: Tim Klein (1st year, 0-0)

2023-24 RECORD: 5-16 overall, 0-9 Mid-East

2023-24 IN REVIEW: The Chargers went through a retooling process last season, taking a stepback record-wise after a huge 2022-23 campaign. It was a Wabaunsee roster last season that was led by plenty of youth, which bodes well for this coming season. Despite the below-.500 record, the Chargers did show what this program can be with a handful of dominant performances scattered across the schedule, including a 44-point win over Northern Heights and a 23-point road win over Royal Valley, among other impressive efforts.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: As was mentioned above, Wabaunsee is bringing back a bevy of talented contributors from last season, including nearly its entire starting lineup. Returning experience is directly correlated with improved success, and that paradigm has the Chargers set up extremely well entering this year. Among the returning starters is junior Zach Frank, who was Wabaunsee’s lone all-league pick a year ago, an honorable mention as just a sophomore. He and the rest of the returning Chargers have a new coach this season, but only in a technical sense. Tim Klein is the new head man at Wabaunsee, but he’s not new to the program after spending the last several seasons as an assistant. The program’s new era under Klein coincides with a new league this season, with Wabaunsee joining the Flint Hills League. It’s a challenging league but also a good fit for the Chargers overall. A new schedule, new energy and returning experience could be a perfect storm for Wabaunsee. If those things all click early on, the Chargers should be Flint Hills League contenders right off the rip.

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: “[We’re] excited to join the Flint Hills League. To be a part of a league that will be competitive to more of our classification level. Great to see new teams, coaching styles and strong programs.” —Tim Klein

–Brendan Dzwierzynski

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