UPDATE: The eighth-grade team are the 2016-2017 Western Reserve Conference Champions. The Wildcats defeated #2 seed Riverside 56-40 to finish with a 17-1 record on the season.

Have you wanted to be on a team where hard work pays off and it’s like having a second family on and off the court? Mayfield Middle School’s eighth-grade boys’ basketball team described themselves as such.

With only two games to go on January 5 and 7, the eighth-grade team remains undefeated.

Eighth-grade player Josh Irwin said, “All of our sixteen guys are playing hard every time they play. Right now everything is clicking for us.”

The team is led by Coach Preston Parker, whose previous coaching experience includes two years with the high school girls’ JV team as assistant coach.  He also coached the seventh grade girls’ team and served as an assistant to this year’s undefeated football team before moving into this role. Coach Parker, when asked to describe his team in one word, said “angry.”  He explained, “This team went from twelve and four last year, and finished fourth in the conference. That left a bad taste in their mouths, and I bring it up constantly.”

Aside from winning, Coach Parker wants the players to learn a lot. “They are going to learn how to be responsible and accountable,” says Parker.

According to Irwin, Coach Parker has contributed to the teams’ success. “Coach Parker has made a big impact on all of us. He makes us feel confident when we are playing. Personally he has made me more confident shooting the ball.” Teammate Joey Dostal agreed. “He has developed me as a player by putting me on the team. He taught me about basketball, and he also helps me with the plays.”

Irwin says,  “I think I’m learning how to communicate with others and learning how to work with others.” He added, “Every person on the team has a certain role and if every person does their role in the game then we will be successful,” said Irwin.  Dostal also noted that each player has his strength: “I feel like I play a good part in defense and my team does all the scoring.”

With a 13-0 season, one concern is the pressure.  But Coach Parker says the pressure is not on Mayfield. “The pressure is on Memorial and Riverside. Memorial won it all last year, and Riverside took second. We just want to show the conference that we are better than fourth place which we took last year.”