PREVIEW: Waterford Wildcats Look to Regroup Offensively for 2024-2025
By: Charlie Ihlenfeld
Posted on:
GLOUCESTER, OHIO It was a year of great strides for the Waterford Wildcat boys squad under head coach D.J. Cunningham. For the first time since 2021, the team claimed a playoff victory over a conference rival, the Southern Tornadoes. It was coach Cunningham’s first playoff win as the head coach of Waterford. The elusive prize for the Wildcats is the TVC-Hocking title. They have gone seven years without claiming it, but despite their own losses, the conference is wide-open this year. Belpre is dealing with departure of star Junior Bass, Federal Hocking is contending with the departure of Hardwood Heroes Player of the Year Tarik Cotril and Andrew Airhart, Trimble lost legendary head coach Howie Caldwell to retirement and the Wildcats were not immune to the turnover. Waterford lost all-time leading scorer Jarrett Armstrong. Despite his loss, players are confident they can get the title. Senior Max Roberts said, “We were competitive with the teams we needed to be competitive last year. But, I think with the people we’ve got coming back that we had last year, they want it bad.”
The most glaring concern for Waterford is the loss of offensive production. The aforementioned Armstrong highlights the list, but they will also have to contend with the losses of Alec Johnson and Chip Adams. Adams lost most of his senior year to injury, but Johnson was a major offensive contributor for the Wildcats. The younger players on the roster will have to take a step forward, and that starts with sophomore guard Finn Pennock. In his second year in the starting lineup, Pennock is looking to alleviate the pressure on the offensive side without Johnson and Armstrong. He said, “Alec and Jarrett. They both shot a lot, they were big scorers for our team, so now, I think it’s my turn to step up. So I practiced over the offseason, now I think I can take over at least one of their roles.”
He will not be the only player stepping up for the Wildcats. Senior Jared Heiss moves into a full-time starting role for Waterford. Junior Weston Fairchild played minutes last year, but he will see his playing time grow this year. Fellow sophomores Dylan McCutcheon, Gavin Heiner and Reese Lang will feature heavily for the Wildcats. It will be another season of establishing the foundations of the defensive culture coach Cunningham brought to the squad. Between the past two seasons, the Wildcats have improved their points allowed per game by 10. Coach Cunningham and the squad will look to continue to build on that momentum from last year.
Waterford’s ambitions do not stop with the TVC title. With a playoff win in hand, the squad wants more basketball in February and March. Senior and three-year starter Cole Sparling-Ponchak emphasized the Wildcats have enjoyed the taste of the postseason, but they want more. He said, “It was a great feeling, just being able to cut that rope, especially with my past teammates. It was something we looked forward to and especially because we hadn’t done that in four or five years. Our goal this year is to get a district title and win the TVC.”
The Wildcats worked hard in the summer to realize what they envisioned before the year. Coach Cunningham was proud of the work they put in during the offseason. It was a grueling slate for Waterford, but the head coach and players attest to the benefits it had on their team. That attitude of non-stop improvement has carried the Wildcats through the offseason and the losses they suffered from last year’s team. Coach Cunningham said, “They’ve come in since day one in the offseason and just put in work. They’re hungry for it. They got that experience that none of those guys have had, they’ve seen what it is like to win a sectional, they’ve seen what it’s like to get on the big floor of the Convo. It has put a hunger in them. We had a great summer. I don’t know if we had anybody out for us and anything that we did this year. These guys have just been looking to get better day after day.”
The Wildcats start the year with a difficult road slate. Their first game of the season was against the Meigs Marauders, and they fell 73-42. They bounced back with a win against the Trimble Tomcats 50-39. In their most recent contest, the Wildcats fought hard but fell to arch-rival Fort Frye 45-33. With one more road battle against the re-tooled Eastern Eagles, they will have a chance to earn their second TVC-Hocking win. With every team still needing to prove who they are, the Waterford Wildcat boys may be able to claw to the top of the pile for the TVC-Hocking.