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High expectations across District 10 in boys hoops

Jaydon Hayes (11) has the Knights looking at a playoff run in 2016-17.

Change is inevitable in high school sports, but this basketball season may feature a few extra twists thank to the PIAA’s new six-classification system.

Many of the same changes fans saw during football season will be brought to the court this winter. One difference, however, is that all six basketball classes feature open playoffs with teams having the option to decline their spot.

Regardless of classification, District 10 has a number of noteworthy teams and players set to take the court. Here are a few things to keep an eye on when action tips off December 9:

TEAMS TO WATCH

1A: Kennedy Catholic enters the season as the heavy favorite with Mohamed Konate, Maceo Austin, Drew Magestro and Channing Phillips leading a strong group of returners from last year’s state championship team. Konate is a member of the Mali Junior National Team along with his brother Sagaba (now playing at West Virginia), while Austin is fielding several Division I offers and Magestro is committed to Pitt-Johnstown.

With only Jamestown, VisionQuest and Commodore Perry left to compete against in Class 1A, the Golden Eagles should have no trouble repeating as District 10 Champions. The big test for Kennedy Catholic will be replacing 6-8 center Sagaba Konate and last year’s leading scorer Jason Austin when it comes time for the state playoffs.

2A: West Middlesex is coming off an appearance in the state semifinals and has been the team to beat in District 10 Class 2A for the past four years. The Big Red compete in Region 2 and may see some competition from Rocky Grove, but Region 3 looks like it will be the more competitive of the 2A leagues. Eisenhower, Cambridge Springs and Cochranton appear to be the top three when considering recent success and returning starters while teams like Saegertown and Youngsville are on the upswing and shouldn’t be overlooked. It may be West Middlesex’s title to lose, but with several of the stronger programs moving up to 3A the rest of the field is wide open.

3A: Girard was the only 3A team to remain under the cut in the PIAA’s new six-classification system, and the Yellow Jackets seem to be in a good position to take full advantage of the change. They’ll join former 2A contenders like Fairview, Mercyhurst Prep, Northwestern and North East in Region 4 while Sharpsville and Greenville play in Region 2. Erie First Christian chose to move up two classes from 1A, presumably to play more games closer to home, and could also make a run at the Region 4 title.

4A: The biggest and possibly the most competitive of the new classifications, 4A looks to be a toss up between a pair of tough regions. Region 5 features historically strong programs like Franklin, Grove City, George Junior, Farrell and Sharon. Farrell is 1A by enrollment but elected to play up.

Warren, Harbor Creek, General McLane, Fort LeBoeuf and Corry are still the core of Region 6 with Strong Vincent and Conneaut added to the field in Girard’s absence. Strong Vincent won the D-10 3A title last year but lost head coach Shannon Pulliam as well as all-region picks Simeal Wofford and Bryon Williams.

5A/6A: Cathedral Prep, Central, East and Meadville make up the 5A field and join 6A McDowell in a five-team Region 7. Meadville may have the most talented group of the bunch with Wofford transferring to join 1,000-point scorer Armoni Foster and 6-6 sophomore Lashon Lindsey, but the other four are perennial powers for a reason and should be competitive despite losing some key players to graduation. Expect Region 7 to be hotly contested despite its size.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

David Morris (Strong Vincent): The Strong Vincent guard recently ended his recruitment by signing a letter of intent to Tennessee Tech. He averaged over 20 points per game last season and has a chance to become the first boys basketball player in Erie history to surpass 2,000 career points.

Maceo Austin (Kennedy Catholic): Austin is only a sophomore, but already holds offers from Duquesne, West Virginia, Penn State and Akron. He averaged 9.3 points per game as a freshman on Kennedy Catholic’s state championship team and should be able to take on a bigger role this season.

Armoni Foster (Meadville): Foster led the district in scoring last year with 21.5 points per game and may get a boost with the addition of point guard Simeal Wofford, who moved to Meadville after three years at Strong Vincent. Foster is already over the 1,000-point mark in his career and was named Region 5 Player of the Year for the 2015-2016 season.

Bryon Williams (McDowell): After helping Strong Vincent win a District 10 title with former teammates Morris and Wofford, Williams transferred to league rival McDowell this summer. Williams established himself as a key member of McDowell’s football team in the fall and will help the basketball program as a returning Region 7 First-Team All-Star.

Alex Jay (General McLane): A two-time Region 6 All-Star, Jay made the decision to stay close to home when he signed a letter of intent with the Division II Edinboro University men’s basketball program. He averaged 15.5 points per game for the Lancers last year and should have no trouble topping 1,000 career points as a senior.

Others to watch: Joe Batt (Greenville), Spencer DeMedal (Wilmington), Jaydon Hayes (Eisenhower), Hunter Kallay (Erie First), Mohamed Konate (Kennedy Catholic), Tyler Kuna (McDowell), Turner Kurt (Cambridge Springs), Lashon Lindsey (Meadville), Drew Magestro (Kennedy Catholic), Nolan Nuara (Mercyhurst Prep), Wyatt Rugar (Youngsville), Jaryn Simpson (Cathedral Prep), Kai Skinner (Titusville), Thomas Warren (Eisenhower), Simeal Wofford (Meadville), Kyi Wright (Farrell).

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