Bears, Tide, ‘Toppers headline Sports Now preseason coaches’ boys’ poll
Tanner Zawada returns for Schuylkill League boys' basketball champion Mahanoy Area (Photo by Eli Doyle).
Can Mahanoy Area win back-to-back Schuylkill League boys’ basketball championships despite switching divisions?
The Schuylkill League coaches certainly think so.
The Golden Bears tied Pottsville for the top spot in Division I and Nativity grabbed the top spot in Division II in the inaugural T102 Sports Now Schuylkill League Boys’ Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll.
With Lehighton and Jim Thorpe leaving the league after last season, the Schuylkill League realigned into two divisions for basketball for this season.
Mahanoy Area, which won the Division III crown last season, moved to Division I, joining Blue Mountain, Minersville, North Schuylkill, Panther Valley, Pine Grove, Pottsville and Tamaqua.
The Golden Bears captured their first Schuylkill League title since 2014 a year ago by beating Pottsville 57-40 in the semifinals and Blue Mountain 66-51 in the league final. Senior stars Jace Yedsena and Tanner Zawada are back for the Bears, who finished 28-1, won the District 11 Class AA title and reached the state quarterfinals.
Mahanoy Area and Pottsville each collected 52.5 votes in voting done by the eight Schuylkill League Division I coaches. The Bears earned 2.5 first-place votes, while the Crimson Tide garnered 1.5 first-place votes.
League runner-up Blue Mountain was right behind Mahanoy Area and Pottsville with 52 votes. Division newcomer Minersville was fourth at 45, followed by Tamaqua (34), Panther Valley (23), North Schuylkill (18) and Pine Grove (11).
The Division II coaches’ poll was also tight, but not at the top spot.
Nativity, which returns the league’s leading scorer in Trey Keating, earned four first-place votes and 60 total points in voting done by the eight Division II coaches.
After the Hilltoppers was a logjam of four teams separated by just four votes.
Marian took second with 44 votes, followed by Schuylkill Haven at 42 and Tri-Valley and Williams Valley both at 40. Schuylkill Haven, Tri-Valley, Williams Valley and fifth-place Weatherly earned the other first-place votes in the Division II poll.
Weatherly was fifth (26), followed by Lourdes (21) and Shenandoah Valley (15).
The preseason girls’ coaches poll will appear in the coming days once all of the coaches’ votes are received.
T102 Sports Now Schuylkill League Boys’ Basketball
Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
DIVISION I
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Mahanoy Area (2.5) ……….. 52.5
(tie) Pottsville (1.5) ……………… 52.5
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Blue Mountain (2) …………….. 52
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Minersville (2) ………………….. 45
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Tamaqua ………………………… 34
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Panther Valley …………………. 23
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North Schuylkill ………………… 18
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Pine Grove ……………………….. 11
DIVISION II
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Nativity (4) ………………………… 60
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Marian ……………………………… 44
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Schuylkill Haven (1) ……………. 42
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Tri-Valley (1) ………………………. 40
(Tie) Williams Valley (1) ………….… 40
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Weatherly (1) …………………….. 26
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Lourdes ……………………………. 21
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Shenandoah Valley …………….. 15
