Gage Hendrickson and the Eagles battle West Middlesex in the frist round of the D-10 Class 2A playoffs.

What a time to be a Youngsville Eagle.

A young team filled with promise under second-year head coach Jesse DeLoof has certainly taken the next step this season, going from four wins a year ago to 11 this year.

Their reward? A trip to the District 10 Class 2A playoffs, where they travel to West Middlesex to take on the defending D-10 champion Big Reds tonight at 7 p.m.

To come away with a win, the Eagles will need a big performance from forward Gage Hendrickson. That’s nothing he isn’t capable of, however, as he comes in leading the Eagles at 16.9 points per game, a stretch that has seen him average over 22 per in the last five contests, including a 21-point, 20-rebound effort in the regular season finale against Eisenhower.

The Eagles come in hot, having one three in a row.

The orchestrator of the offense is sophomore point guard Joe Mack. He averages 7.8 ppg., but much more than that, his ability to be a lead guard, distributing and setting up teammates, that has gotten better and better.

Sophomore Brady Olewine is the second-leading scorer on the team (9.3) and is capable of filling it up from deep or driving inside. A true-inside out threat, he is a nice option alongside Hendrickson.

Nyko Mercado, the lone senior on the team, is a player who does all the dirty work. He brings energy and a tenacity to the floor, averaging 5.0 ppg.

Sophomores Timber Bower, Ethan Kesterholt and Austin Peterson all bring something big to the table for the Eagles as well.

Bower has a great outside shot, and his length at 6-2 is an asset on the defensive end. Kesterholt doesn’t have the size of Bower (he’s 5-6), but is a great defender in his own right. Quick and athletic, he harasses opposing guards as well as anyone and is an adept 3-point shooter.

Peterson is a very steady player. A quality ball-handler, shooter and defender who does a little bit of everything. Fellow sophomores Xavier Mowrey and Dominic Dell have also given Youngsville quality minutes this season.

They will be facing a West Middlesex (15-6) that is battle-tested, going against the likes of Farrell, Wilmington and Lakeview in the ultra-competitive Region 2.

Ricky Ladjevich has followed in the footsteps of his father, Rick, a former minor league baseball player, in West Middlesex athletic lore. After transferring from Sharpsville, the younger Ladjevich, standing at 6-1, leads the Big Reds in scoring this season at 16.6 ppg.

Casey Mild, a 6-2 senior guard, is second on the team in scoring (13.7), followed by 6-1 senior Jake Bowen (9.6) and 6-3 senior Kaz Hoffman (9.5).

West Middlesex averages 60 points per game, and if the Eagles were to pull off the upset, they would probably prefer a game in the 40s.

There is clearly a big edge in experience for the Big Reds, but Youngsville expected to get to this point this season, and they are ready for the challenge.

“We’re going to the playoffs expecting to win,” DeLoof said after the regular season finale against Eisenhower. “I think there will be some nerves, and that’s a good thing. I want them to soak it in.”

The winner will face the winner of the Union City-Mercer game in the quarterfinals next Friday.

Other first round games in Class 2A:

Reynolds (9-12) at Maplewood (10-12)

Winner gets: Farrell in the quarterfinals

Top Players: Reynolds – Shayne Sims, 5-11 Sr. (18.6 ppg.), Chance Westover, 6-2 Sr. (8.1), Aidan Mull (7.1), Luke Faber (6.0), Josh Szymczak (7.8); Maplewood – Camden Mattocks, 6-4 Sr. (15.1), Joel Cox, 5-10 Jr. (10.5), Jordan Hollabaugh, 6-3 Sr. (10.3), Clay Cox, 5-10 Jr. (7.4), Jake Brunot, 6-1 Jr. (5.7)

The pick: Reynolds

– – –

Mercer (0-19) at Union City (17-5)

The pick: Union City. They should have advanced via opt-out.