Fort Osage winter previews

Boys Basketball
By KARL ZINKE
karl.zinke@examiner.net

The Fort Osage boys got a taste of what this season would be like at the end of last year.
Indians coach Josh Wilson converted to a smaller, quicker lineup and it started paying dividends with a run to the district finals.
Fort Osage lost most of its height from last year with the graduation of 6-foot-7 Vernon Weddle and 6-5 Zack Smith.
“I actually like having the smaller, quicker players,” Wilson said. “It gives us a more of an opportunity for a transition game and enables us to speed up the game. Towards the end of last year we really started doing this and it made us more successful.”
It helps that senior 5-9 guard Ja’Wan Davis is running the show. The speedy all-conference and Examiner All-Area pick averaged 16.3 points, 2.3 assists and 2.4 steals a game last year for the 10-17 Indians. But he is the only player back who averaged over five points a game.
“To say Ja’Wan will have a big role is an understatement,” Wilson said. “He has been a two-year starter and is the face of our program. How successful we will be will depend on how well the other kids play off of him. He will be the No. 1 option in phases of the game, but we are counting on him getting a lot of attention and opening up our other options.”
Along with Davis, two other potential starters are under 6 feet with 5-9 senior guard Ryan Baldin and 5-10 junior guard E.J. Gaines, meaning the Indians will rely on dribble penetration to create offensive opportunities. Wilson said his team also will have to be more accurate shooters.
With 6-1 senior guard Chad Gordon and 6-3 senior forward Jesse Kribbs as the other projected starters, the Indians will be forced to change their philosophy on defense this season.
“We can no longer sit back and wait for teams to come at us,” Wilson said. “We are going to be very aggressive and hope to speed the other teams up.
“We must get better on defense. In districts last year it was our defense that really made us a better team. We must continue that style but cut down on the defensive breakdowns. … I am really preaching this year that if we make a mistake, make it going 100 percent.”
The Indians do have some height coming off the bench in senior D.J. Nunez (6-4) and juniors Edward Pearl (6-3), Tyler Moore (6-5), Zach Corbitt (6-3) and C.J. Fisher (6-2).
Junior Mark Wisecup (6-1) also will vie for playing time at guard.

Girls Basketball
By KARL ZINKE
karl.zinke@examiner.net

If you only have one returning starter, it helps to have someone who knows every position.
That’s what Kelcy Vanarsdall will bring to the Fort Osage girls this season as they prepare to defend their Suburban Middle Six title and 20-6 record under second-year head coach Dawn Williams.
“Kelcy has the unique ability to play all five positions on the floor,” Williams said of the 5-foot-10 senior. “Her primary position will be a wing player this year. We’re expecting her to be more aggressive on the offensive side of the floor and she’s expected to lead on the defensive end.”
Vanarsdall’s strength has been her defensive play, and defense will again be the Indians’ focus as it was last year under Williams, a longtime assistant who took over for the retiring Dale Williams last season.
“Defense is a huge priority to our program,” Williams said. “We understand that playing in such a competitive and tough league as ours that we must make defense a priority. Our players understand that there are going to be nights that baskets are going to be hard to come by, but if we play tough, aggressive defense, we will be able to hang in there at the end and give us a shot to win.”
But Williams said it still needs a little work.
“With such a young team, our defense is nowhere close to as good as we were last year, but our goal is still the same,” the coach added. “We strive to become one of the best defensive teams in the state.
“Every day we have one or two drills solely devoted to defense, but defense is always going to be graded and critiqued by one of our coaches in every drill, even if it is an offensive drill.”
Besides Vanarsdall, Williams has four other returning letter winners to help the defense, including 5-7 senior forward Laina Talimatasi.
“Laina’s work ethic is unbelieveable,” Williams said. “She is good at communicating and does a good job at anchoring our defense. We expect her to be one of our top defenders and rebounders this year.”
Also returning are junior guard Courtney Gapelu (5-8) and junior forwards Alyssa Faiva (6-0) and Amanda Stephens (5-10).
Sophomore guard Jamie Martin and junior guard Brooke Farmer also expect to compete for playing time.
“Hopefully, having a winning season last year will bring confidence to the younger players who were part of our program last year,” Williams said. “But I also believe it showed them how hard a team must work on a daily basis in practice to be competitive and the sacrifices it takes to be part of a winning program.”

Wrestling
By JASON TARWATER
jason.tarwater@examiner.net

Fort Osage may not have as many state qualifiers returning as other teams in the area.
However, that hasn’t changed any of Indians coach Bob Luke’s goals for this year’s team.
“Obviously, we still want to win conference,” he said. “We went undefeated in duals last year, and we want to do that again. Those are always our goals. And we want to finish in the top three in most of our tournaments, and that will be tough.”
The Indians return three state qualfiiers to help lead the team this year – Kodey Divers, Zac Bailey and Spencer Gearhart.
Bailey missed most of the season last year, but came on strong at the end for the Indians, while Gearhart surprised many as a freshman at 145 pounds last year.
Fort Osage also returns six wrestlers who had varsity experience last year, including Isaac Ankron, Corey Broughton and Ryan Kelly.
The Indians also have a decent crop of freshmen coming into this season.
“I wouldn’t say I’m counting a lot on them,” Luke said. “I don’t think very many will make their way to varsity. But in the next few years they will be a major factor for us. We should have a very solid lineup for the next few years.
Even with all of the returners the Indians have, Luke said it will definitely be tough for his team to repeat as Suburban Middle Six champions.
“I think Belton has the edge,” Luke said. “They have most everybody back from last year. Lee’s Summit West and North Kansas City are question marks for us. I don’t know much about them.”
Luke also admitted that, with only three returning state qualifiers, his team will definitely be looked at as an underdog.
However, he also added that he has no problem with that.
“We’re not going to be gang busters,” he said. “But we’ll be competitive. I think we can surprise some people. I think we’ll do well in duals. We’ll be competitive. No one will walk through us.”
The road to getting more state qualifiers did get tougher for the Indians this season.
Perennial Class 4 power Oak Park – which has won the last five Class 4 team state titles – has dropped down to Class 3, right into Fort Osage’s district.
However, part of the reason it’s gotten tough is because of how unfamiliar the Indians will be with most of their district opponents.
“We don’t see most of the teams now,” he said. “Out of 13-14 teams, I think we only see five. We get quite a few from the south, like Webb City and Nevada. Oak Park and Staley we won’t see. We lose Warrensburg who we got a dual scheduled with.”