7 things to know about Portage boys hoops: Mogadore, Ravenna hope for repeat success

Here are seven stories to watch as the high school boys basketball season begins:

1. Mogadore takes aim at PTC crown, tournament magic

The Wildcats have been near the top of Portage County basketball for at least a decade now, including 20 wins and a district title game appearance last year. With eight returning letterwinners, Mogadore has high hopes of competing for a PTC title (having won seven in the last nine years) and winning its first district crown since 2019.

"We have a lot of experience coming back from last year's 20-6 district runner-up team," coach Russ Swartz said. "I believe we have established a winning culture over the years, which hopefully will help us fight through getting a late start due to the success of our football team."

The Wildcats are particularly experienced up top, where seniors Layne Miller (15.0 points, 70 3-pointers), Lucas Butler (8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists) and Corey Lehner (7.9 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 steals) have been flying around and draining 3-pointers for the past several years.

Despite graduating top posts Trevor Davis and Mason Williams, Mogadore is relatively experienced down low as well. After all, Davis and Williams both sustained injuries a year ago that forced posts Nick Stephenson, who averaged 5.5 points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore, as well as seniors Tanner Buso (2.4 points) and Devin Graham (3.5 points) to learn by fire.

2. Ravenna hopes for encore after historic season

The Ravens were arguably the story of the 2022-2023 season, rising from a 7-14 record in 2021-2022 to win their first league title since 1979. After graduating its entire varsity roster, it will be fascinating to see what Ravenna looks like in 2023-2024. One thing that's for certain? The Ravens will look to wreak havoc defensively, just like last year, led by their abundance of length as well as guard Bryant Thompson, "probably our best on-ball defender," per coach Marlon Jones.

Dean Baker is "undersized" but "very strong and quick with his feet" down low, per Jones, while Curtis Ross has "great ball-handling skills" and will be a "match-up problem for opposing defenses on the wing/elbow." Also watch for Nigel Williams to score at all three levels as a "hybrid guard/forward" while Dylan Carrozzi "can run the offense and make plays for teammates with all the gravity he gets from defenses."

3. Streetsboro looks to bounce back

Last year, the Rockets recorded their first losing season since 2018-2019 and just their third in the last 17 years.

There's plenty of reason to think Streetsboro can put that rare sub-.500 finish in the past as last year's three leading scorers were sophomores Jack Batten, Jackson Gula and Charles Ivory. Batten, who averaged 10.9 points and drained 63 3-pointers, "improved his all-around game this offseason and will score at all three levels," said coach Nick Marcini. Ivory, a point guard who averaged 9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals, is also "our best defender," while Gula (8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds) "plays much bigger than his height" and is a versatile scorer.

Tack on another sharpshooter in junior Trevor Murray (43 percent from deep) and another versatile post in senior Michael Berry (2.5 points), who "came on strong for us at the end," and the Rockets are poised to be a winner once again.

4. Roosevelt has many reasons for optimism

Just like the Rockets, the Rough Riders hope to shake off a losing record in 2022-2023 and have the experience, including nine returning letterwinners, and talent to achieve that goal.

Roosevelt returns savvy point guard Tyrel Ellington (11.8 points), a third-year letterwinner who is equally dangerous from deep and driving to the basket. Fellow senior Jeremiah Lepp, who shot 40 percent from deep last year, can get similarly hot from beyond the arc and "brings pace to our team," said coach Curtis Black Jr. Junior Jaden Dennison should bring "defensive toughness and poise as a ballhandler" after he was "thrown into the fire" last year, while senior Grant Leslie can do a little bit of everything.

Loaded up top, the Rough Riders also return a strong starter down low in junior Ryan Slocum, who "brings a post presence that can at times be dominant," a "nice shooting touch" and "the ability to alter shots consistently on the defensive end," per Black. Junior Carter Foreman adds size and the ability to "step out and shoot," as he makes his return from injury, while Gavin Peeps "has the length and skill to play inside and out."

"I believe that last year we were battle tested often," Black said. "And our players have grown from those moments."

5. Dekota Johnson looks to lift Crestwood back toward high heights

Just before COVID-19 hit the United States, the Red Devils were in the midst of one of their best seasons in recent memory, recording 20 wins and a sectional title.

After three losing seasons since — but with significant growth last year — Crestwood hopes to break through in 2023-2024.

The Red Devils return one of the area's top scorers in junior Dekota Johnson (20.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.9 steals), a "strong guard who has improved his scoring since last season," said coach Josh Jakacki. Johnson is joined once again by seniors Charlie Schweickert (12.7 points, 77 3-pointers), a "solid shooter" who "has really stepped up on [the] defensive end of the floor," and Ty Fannin (6.2 points, 4.5 rebounds), who is "super quick," a "physical defender" and is "not afraid of [the] big moment."

Expect 6-2 junior James Durham to "make big contributions" down low while senior Jimmy Peters (3.0 points, 8.0 rebounds) is a "huge post presence."

6. Garfield, Waterloo, Windham hope for youth movement

Like the Red Devils and Rockets, the G-Men had a tough record (6-16) a year ago but have a track record of success with double-digit wins in each of the previous three seasons.

Garfield's talented Class of 2025 hopes to lead the way back. That includes Preston Gedeon, who led the G-Men in scoring as a sophomore. Getting fellow junior Aidan Hill back from injury should provide another big boost. Hill, "a tremendous all-around player" per coach Andrew Olesky, provides the G-Men with another strong ball-handler to complement Gedeon. Getting back senior Eric Geddes, who took last winter off to focus on baseball, should be another seismic lift. Geddes was a big contributor his first two years for the G-Men and returns as a "strong, valuable player" whose "impact on the team cannot be measured in the box score." Nick Edic averaged 7 points as a sophomore and is a "tremendous all-around player," while fellow junior Cade Rock will be expected to "score down low, alter shots defensively and be a leader on the boards this season," per Olesky.

Like its leading rival, Garfield, Windham is also relying heavily on its junior class this year, highlighted by Carlos Bruton, who averaged roughly 13 points and five boards last season.

The Bombers' Class of 2025 also includes Cam Hardrick, a "strong outside shooter" who "will be filling a more significant role this season," per coach Cody Apthorpe, and Nick Hopper, who "shows great signs of helping us on both ends of the floor." Beyond all of Windham's juniors, Anthony Wiley is a "great defender" who will "be filling a more significant role this season," fellow senior Jake Collins is a "strong rebounder" who "has continued to improve his finishes around the rim" and sophomore Matt Kolaczek is "expected to see significantly more time."

Waterloo, which graduated the bulk of its starting lineup, has a single true big in Drew Flarida and will look to "surround him with shooters," per coach Jason Wise. Flarida's fellow forwards, Gage Hawley and Drew Hawks, are "a little undersized," but Hawley "can shoot the 3 and is a good athlete" and both will play key roles. Jackson Eichler brings solid experience up top, while Landon McClain, Kaii Warren, Kyle Werbeck and Trevor Simons will also help "lead us, especially at the defensive end of [the] floor."

7. New coaches take over at Aurora, Field, Southeast and Rootstown

A full third of Portage County's boys basketball programs have new leadership this season, including PTC members Rootstown and Southeast.

Well, to be fair, at Southeast, Matthew Dillon isn't exactly new, having also served as the head coach of the Pirates from 2007 to 2013. He returns to lead a talented team, led by one of the area's top scorers in Garrett Sprutte, along with a frontcourt loaded with athletic football players in Austin Mejia, Case Myers and Joe Sharish. Moreover, junior guard Zach Keto has "already improved," per Dillon, and is expected to play a leadership role alongside senior Logan West.

A short drive away, Bobby Staudt is the second straight Rootstown coach to come over from Green, where Mark Kinsley has built a gritty and highly successful program worth emulating. Expect Joe Weaver, a point guard who had a "great offseason," per Staudt, and Cameron Mahone, a "very athletic" guard who "can score in a variety of ways," to lead the way up top. Freshman guard Blake Mullaly "has a chance to play some big minutes" as well, while junior Zach Hays is a "good 3-point shooter." Meanwhile, the Rodstrom brothers figure to step up in the paint, with Aiden an "athletic, physical" force who is coming back from a shoulder injury and Landon serving as a 3-point shooter to watch.

The Rootstown position opened up when Cody Calhoun took the Aurora coaching job. While the Greenmen suffered through a 3-20 season last year that included a mid-season coaching change, there is strong young talent along West Pioneer Trail. Calhoun's returners include junior Zach Panetti (5.6 points), who "has the ability to score as well as create for others," per Calhoun, and Brock Habbyshaw (4.4 points), who is "one of our better shooters." Also watch for the athleticism of Ben Lukasik and Johnny Trivisonno up top and the length of 6-4 Joe Janzig down low, with Janzig "able to get his hands on a lot of passes." Cooper Carnahan, Torren Pride and Logan Thomas add considerable versatility to the frontcourt, while sophomore Luke Bonnette is "able to play inside and match up with other teams' post players."

A ways down State Route 43, Alex Blake is new to the helm but hardly new to Field, where he has been an assistant coach for the past several seasons. He hopes to end the Falcons' coaching carousel as he is their sixth head coach in the last decade. While Field graduated leading scorers Braxton Baumberger and Joe Crawford, Grady Eader showed he was one of the Metro Athletic Conference's top young players last year as a sophomore while fellow junior Brayden Ronowski also delivered big performances in 2022-2023. Manny Smith, who earned honorable mention in the MAC last year, will play a similar leadership role in the Falcons' frontcourt.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 7 things to know about Portage County high school boys basketball