Wayne County boys basketball teams reload for another competitive season

Smithville’s boys basketball team was at the mountaintop last year. Almost.

The Smithies, who finished second in the Wayne County Athletic League to an outstanding and unbeaten Norwayne team, nearly finished first in the state in Division VI. A heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Kirtland in a regional semifinal derailed those dreams.

Kirtland went on to lose by four points to eventual state champ Monroe Central in the state semis, so it was there for the Smithies.

It may be there again. Coach Corey Kaufman’s squad, which finished 22-4 overall, 12-2 in the WCAL, lost Quin Maibach, a first-team All-Northeast Inland District pick who averaged 13 points. He will be tough to replace. The team lost just one other letter-winner.

Led by senior guard Jax Riggenbach, who returns after averaging 10 points and earning second-team All-Northeast Inland District honors, the Smithies should indeed be loaded. Junior guard Brennan Piatt received an all-district honorable mention a year ago. Others back are senior forward Josh Yates and sophomore guards Brady Sidle and Isaiah Lee.

Joining the ranks is a foursome of juniors that includes forward Jonathan Hershey, center Bryden Sustar, and guards Kalen Indermuhle and Emmet Steiner. With just two seniors, Kaufman said his team will be less experienced. The Smithies also will be a little smaller but maybe quicker.

“(We have) multiple players that can get into gaps and make plays for each other,” he said. “We should have some versatility. We feel like we could have six different players lead us in scoring any given night.”

Kaufman predicted a deep and balanced WCAL this year, and he hopes his team will be able to be in the mix.

Here is a look at how the other area county teams might stack up this season:

Dalton

Another Div. VI regional finalist, the Bulldogs, who finished 16-11 overall and fourth in the WCAL with an 8-6 mark, made it to the Canton Regional and lost to Kirtland in the Elite 8. Unlike Smithville, the Bulldogs were slammed by graduation, with 11 letter-winners not returning. They included all-district first-teamers Brady Hignight, the Northeast Inland District Player of the Year, and his 19 points per game, and Matthew Heatwole, who scored 10.4 points a night, and second-teamer Coy Wenger, who scored 13.4 a night.

The Bulldogs have just three veterans returning in senior forward Corbin Lehmen and junior guards Carter Hignight and Thad Weaver. They will be supplemented by a pair of senior newcomers in center Ben Witmer and guard Alex Houmard; junior forwards Max Steiner, DeAngelo Dalessandro and Caleb Baus; and sophomore point guard Reese Lecon.

“Our team will be inexperienced this year and will have more fluid roles as compared to last season,” Bulldogs coach Cody Huth said. “I think one of our strengths is the depth of our bench, which will help in running the floor and maintaining our defensive intensity.”

Waynedale

With so many good teams in the WCAL last year, someone had to take some lumps. The Golden Bears were among those someones, finishing 7-16 overall and 6-8 in the WCAL. With just three letter-winners lost and five seniors back, they may be poised to make a move.

The Class of 2026 will be well-represented on the Bears roster. Guards Evan Yoder, Braedon Lorentz and Luke Lorentz return for their senior seasons along with forwards Braydon Schlaybaugh and Trevyn Frazier.

New to the varsity are juniors Ernie Schmucker, Micah Raber and Sam Higgins; sophomores Jack Holcomb and Noah Shaffer; and freshman Cooper Miller.

“We have a core group of guys who have played a lot of varsity basketball, so we are hoping to lean on their experience early in the season,” Waynedale coach Dane Held said. “(We have) a few guys that can get going from the perimeter and should have decent size and length this season.”

Yoder was the team’s leading scorer a year ago at 13 points per game. Luke Lorentz is the second-leading returning scorer at about 6 ppg. Braedon Lorentz made thirty 3-pointers last year, and Schmucker will take over at the point guard spot.

“We want to be a better half-court team on the offensive end,” Held said. “We still want to run and try to get easy baskets, but we are hoping to execute better when we can’t get something in transition. Defensively, I also think we can be better in the half-court.”

Orrville

Sly Slaughter has what most coaches would envy heading into a basketball season: a big-time scorer and a veteran team. With just two letter-winners gone from a pretty solid 2024-25 group that finished 13-9 overall and 7-5 in the Principals Athletic Conference, the Red Riders could be in position to make a major jump.

Leading a group of seven returning letter-winners is 6-foot-2 senior guard Kodah Allen. The third-team Div. IV All-Ohioan averaged 22.5 points and has scored 1,000 points in just two seasons. He also was named first-team All-Northeast Inland District.

Junior post Malakhi Gray also returns after receiving an All-Northeast Inland honorable mention. Others back are senior guard Braylon Slaughter, senior post Breylon McDuffie, junior guard Braydon Cox, junior guard Case McDaniel and junior guard Trey Mosley. Joining them will be senior post Santana Williams, junior post Chase Wipert, and junior guards Bryalon Evans and Peyton Castso.

“We are returning seven out of nine lettermen, and every player started at least two games last year,” Sly Slaughter said. “We will be guard-heavy, so we will depend on them a lot this season. Defensively, we should be pretty good as well."

Central Christian

The Comets return this year with eight letter-winners and a championship to defend after finishing last season 17-6 overall and 8-0 in the Mid-Buckeye Conference. With three letter-winners lost, they also may have a question or two, but a deep roster should provide the answers.

It starts with first-team All-Northeast Inland District guard Drew Badertscher, who averaged 16 points. The senior is joined by classmates Bryan Martin (forward), Lyle Endsley (guard), Ben Miller (guard), Caleb Hagerman (forward) and Ruben Carr (forward).

Others back are junior guards Preston Clark and Kye Kooker. Newcomers, all juniors, include forwards Ezra Coleman, Jacob Neuenschwander, Cooper Rohrer and Adin Horst and guard Logan Kister.

“We lose three solid players from last year’s squad that provided depth, size, strength and key scoring but return the majority of our team from last year,” Comets coach Zach Kooker said. “We have some guys coming through that have a lot of experience and will push for time at the varsity level, which is good for the overall competitiveness of the program. Exciting to see such a large core returning, so ideally we can pick up and move forward from where we left off last season.”