The 7th and 8th grade basketball teams started up this fall and things are taking off for them. The 8th grade team fights hard with Devin Sperling and Dennis Vicchiarelli starting as the shooting guards. Grant Woods and Hayden Nahra start switching off as centers and Collin Bresler plays point guard to finish off the starting lineup.

Some strong points of the team include Sammy Rapposelli and Grant Woods, who have excellent shooting and dribbling and are both great point guards. Grant can use speed to drive to the rim by passing players like they never saw him coming. Drew Pattie and Luke Schofield are known for their hard work and hustle up and down the court.

To prepare for each game, the players stretch, go into lay up lines, and shoot around.

To be a good team, you need  good coach and the players feel Coach Parker is one of the best. “He’s frickin amazing,” says Sammy Rapposelli.

One of the eighth-grade team’s biggest competition is Memorial. Memorial beat Mayfield this year and last year. Last year however the team was struggling as seventh graders but this year they plan to win and exceed expectations.

Unlike the boys, the 8th grade girls team plays in the winter and just began their practice season with tryouts on December 12, 13, and 14th. The team’s biggest rival as seventh graders was also Memorial, who gave them the most trouble. “Playing together made us closer as a team, even though we lost,” says Nakyla Kelly, a center for the girl’s team last year. Gianna DiTomas stands out as a good shooter and dribbler, and Hannah Peterson is great at rebounding. Nakyla Kelly and Anabelle Gephart are brick walls on defense, and the players work really well together to score. The coach for the girls last year was Coach Verdi.

Though the 7th grade year was tough for both the girls and boys teams,  rhey are working hard for a better and more effective year in the 2017/2018 season.