Special senior class gets one last shot at 2024 Berkey Classic

For the past three seasons, Smithville and Waynedale’s girls basketball teams have been two of the fiercest rivals in the area.

On Thursday night, they will be teammates.

The Smithies and Golden Bears — along with talented boys and girls senior players from across the county — will take part in the 45th edition of the Wilbur Berkey Classic in Smithville.

Action will start at 6:30 p.m. with the girls all-star game, followed by the boys contest as local seniors take to the court for the final time in their respective prep careers.

The girls game will be one to watch as the Light team, which will where the home jerseys, is headlined by a combined seven players from Smithville and Waynedale — two teams that have had its share of battles in the Wayne County Athletic League over the past couple seasons.

The Smithies’ Naomi Keib is one of three players that were recently selected to the All-Northeast Inland District first team to play on the Light team, along with the Bears’ Alyssa Geiser and Addesa Miller. Geiser was tabbed as the district’s Player of the Year, while Keib was the WCAL Player of the Year.

Along with Geiser and Miller, fellow Waynedale standouts McKenna Baney and Cheyanne Chupp also are tabbed to play on the Light squad, along with the Smithville’s Cammi Wickens and Audrey Sidle.

A pair of Hillsdale seniors — Erica Vanstee and Kori Vesper — along with Central Christian’s Abby Hewitt round out the team that will be coached by the Golden Bears’ Rick Geiser and Smithville’s Sid Cline.

The Dark team, which will don their school's road jerseys, will be coached by Triway’s Mike Miller and Wooster’s Alex Kacere.

And like their counterparts, this team has a lot of fire power with the Titans’ Caitlin Titler and Aaliyah Wirth, who averaged 18.4 and 17.4 points a night, respectively, as they combined to help the program to their first district title this past season.

Another of the area’s top scorers, Northwestern’s Caydence Scale, will run alongside the Triway tandem, joined by sharp-shooting guards Tori Pettorini of Wooster and Anna Metsker of Norwayne. Rounding out the roster will be Josie Wright (Wooster), Lilly Wakefield (Northwestern) and Savannah Smith (Rittman).

The boys game has all the makings of another classic, too, as both rosters are as balanced as it gets.

Leading the Light team are a pair of 20-point scorers as Rittman center Noah Wile and Hillsdale guard Braylen Jarvis lead the way. Wile poured in 23.0 points per game for Rittman, Jarvis chipping in 20 points a contest.

Both Jack Fickes of Hillsdale and Bradyn Raber of Rittman will join their teammates in the longstanding event, along with Dalton’s Keller McFarren and Jace Eberly, who both played key roles on a Bulldogs team that advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Waynedale duo of Jake Coblentz and Jeremy Reber, along with Smithville’s Evan Steiner and Dawson Young round out the roster for Light co-coaches Ben Ferguson (Hillsdale) and Cody Huth (Dalton).

Triway forward Drew Bishko, a first-team All-Northeast Inland selection, will lead the way for the Dark Team, along with second-teamer Owen Ferriman of Northwestern. The Titans will be well-represented on the squad, that also features Cale Drown and Luke Snowbarger.

Norwayne, who won the WCAL by a commanding four games this past winter, has a pair of seniors in the contest in Beau Polen and Trey Bayless, while with Brandon Barnette (Northwestern), Taj Gibson (Orrville) and Nick Amstutz (Orrville) also are slated to take part in the game.

All-Northeast Inland District co-coach of the year, Norwayne’s Brian West, will lead the team along with Triway’s Ben Holt.

45th Wilbur Berkey Classic

WHEN: Thursday, 6:30 p.m., girls game first with boys game 20 minutes after

WHERE: Berkey Fieldhouse

TICKETS: $7 (adults) and $4 (students), all tickets will be sold at the door, cash sales only

ROSTERS

Girls

LIGHT -- Alyssa Geiser (Waynedale), Addesa Miller (Waynedale), McKenna Baney (Waynedale), Cheyanne Chupp (Waynedale), Audrey Sidle (Smithville), Naomi Keib (Smithville), Cammi Wickens (Smithville), Abby Hewitt (Central Christian), Erica Vanstee (Hillsdale), Kori Vesper (Hillsdale)

Coaches -- Rick Geiser (Waynedale), Sid Cline (Smithville)

DARK -- Tori Pettorini (Wooster), Josie Wright (Wooster), Caitlin Titler (Triway), Alyiah Wirth (Triway), Caydence Scale (Northwestern), Lilly Wakefield (Northwestern), Anna Metsker (Norwayne), Savannah Smith (Rittman)

Coaches -- Mike Miller (Triway), Alex Kacere (Wooster)

Boys

LIGHT -- Braylen Jarvis (Hillsdale), Jack Fickes (Hillsdale), Niah Wile (Rittman), Bradyn Raber (Rittman), Keller McFarren (Dalton), Jace Eberly (Dalton), Jake Coblentz (Waynedale), Jeremy Reber (Waynedale), Evan Steiner (Smithville), Dawson Young (Smithville)

Coaches -- Ben Ferguson (Hillsdale), Cody Huth (Dalton)

DARK -- Beau Polen (Norwayne), Trey Bayless (Norwayne), Owen Ferriman (Northwestern), Brandon Barnette (Northwestern), Taj Gibson (Orrville), Nick Amstutz (Orrville), Drew Bishko (Triway), Cale Drown (Triway), Luke Snowbarger (Triway)

Coaches -- Ben Holt (Triway), Brian West (Norwayne)

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Special senior class gets one last shot at 2024 Berkey Classic