Area boys hoopers earn top awards in District 4

Leading the way for the District 4 awards, as decided by the coaches for boys basketball, were the Orrville Red Riders. Enjoying a 17-5 season and advancing to districts, Orrville will look to earn its first regional bid since 2019.

Playing the star role is senior Kodah Allen, who has averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists for a very balanced Red Riders squad. That performance earned Allen the Division IV Player of the Year award for the district, and coach Sly Slaughter was tabbed the district’s Coach of the Year.

Allen wasn't alone on the Div. IV and Div. III first team as Breylon McDuffie earned a selection after averaging 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. Malakhi Gray and Brayden Cox picked up honorable mention selections as well for high-flying Orrville.

Rounding out the selections was Wooster’s Adrian Jelks, who earned an honorable mention selection.

In the Wayne County Athletic League, it was highlighted by two of its brightest coaching minds leading the way. Corey Kaufman led Smithville to its first league crown since 2023 and first outright title since 2009, and Norwayne's Brian West did arguably his finest coaching performance yet.

Losing the league’s best player in Braylon Arnold before the season started and down three starters on the road in Jeromesville in the final game of the season, things looked bleak. Down 17 midway through the third quarter, West guided his team back and to within a last-second 3-point shot that just missed for the first four-peat in the league since Northwestern did it (1958-1961).

Both WCAL masterminds and tacticians earned their respective district Coaches of the Year for how their teams performed, West in Div. V and Kaufman in Div. VI.

Joining Kaufman for the top award was junior Brennan Piatt, who was selected for the Div. VI Player of the Year. He wasn’t alone as teammate Jax Riggenbach earned a first-team selection, and fellow Smithies Isaiah Lee and Brady Sidle were picked for honorable mention.

In Div. V for West, he had Jaxson Gasser selected for the first team and saw Brendan Hall and Cole Gasser tabbed honorable mention.

Joining the Bobcats trio in Div. V were Jalen Hackett (Triway), Lane Crilow (Triway), Evan Yoder (Waynedale), Johnny Telloni (Chippewa) and Cam Hall (Chippewa) on the first team. Earning honorable mention selections were Braedon Lorentz (Waynedale), Tucker Harris (Triway) and Brandt Clippinger (Triway).

In Div. VI and Div. VII, earning selections to the first team were Carter Hignight (Dalton), Lowen Ferguson (Hillsdale), Kael Lewis (Hillsdale), Drew Badertscher (Central Christian) and Rueben Carr (Central Christian).

Rounding out the awards saw Badertscher selected as the Div. VII Player of the Year and Hillsdale’s Ben Ferguson named the Div. VII Coach of the Year.