Rising from the great blizzard of 2025, we recap the 2024-2025 Basketball seasons and look forward to the 2025 Softball and Baseball seasons!
By: Ben Elliott
Hello, my friends, last time we spoke, we told a harrowingly bold tale of when we all survived the 2025 blizzard, that sidelined (no pun intended) our basketball teams for a week straight right in the smack dab middle of the season. Gonna be honest, that threw a wrench into the momentum of EVERY basketball team in the Shenandoah Valley, even beyond the Valley District. You fall into a rhythm by mid-season, and to have your legs knocked out from under you, definitely did a number on everyone involved.
With that being said, now that the snow has melted, and the temperature is still way too cold and windy, it’s time to reflect on the 2024-2025 BHS Basketball season! And look forward to the upcoming Softball and Baseball season!
Starting with our beloved Lady Basketball Gobblers…
We finished this season with a record of 19-6, securing a bye and getting and winning a home playoff game. If my math is correct, it was the first home playoff game a BHS basketball team has hosted since 2018, when the boys hosted Brookville. I was in my sophomore year of high school, some 6 years ago, but who’s counting! We played a really well coached Wilson Memorial team, who gave us everything they had. The game was decided by an Ella Yoder layup with 8 seconds left on the clock. Our crowd was rocking, the student section was the greatest I’ve seen in my time at BHS. We got a 90s Bulls style dimmed lights lineup intro, which was a moment that the team and I will never forget. Huge shout out to the athletic department for making that night special for all of us.
In that game, as we mentioned in our last blog, senior Wren Wheeler broke the all-time scoring record for the women’s basketball program. A record that was set in 1987 by Melody Derrow Hinkle. A huge shout out to her as well, for coming out to present Wren with the game ball, it was an unreal moment.
Our season ended in Penn Laird, against an always tough and well coached Spotswood team. We kept it close late, but a slow start early hurt us in the end. But overall, now that the dust has settled, I am so incredibly excited for next season! We’ll have a good mix of well-seasoned veterans and some great up and coming talent. As sad as I am to not have played into March, despite being oh so close, I am grateful for the experience this year. Thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart who supported us this year!
We also had some all district/region hardware that I’d like to highlight!
All Valley District First Team:
Wren Wheeler
All Valley District Second Team:
Mady Ennis
April Gingerich
Wren Wheeler was named Valley District Player of the Year! A wonderful accomplishment! It was an honor to coach Wren for four years, and I’m overjoyed to get to coach April and Mady for the next season(s) to come!
All Region 3C First Team:
Wren Wheeler
All Region 3C Second Team:
April Gingerich
Now for the boys!
I know Coaches Walton and Jameson would say that this wasn’t the year that they wanted. They kept many games close and played some very good teams very competitively. Closing games out late was the issue. But, on the other side of that coin, three fifths of the starting lineup, on a healthy night, was comprised of freshman! That’s an unbelievable statistic. I always look upon my experience with the 2019 BHS football team in Coach Grogg’s first year. We went 1-9, winning our very last game against Waynesboro. That team was full of underclassmen. The same team that would go onto a great playoff run just two seasons later, the first full season after the pandemic.
What I see here is the same dynamic. You have a team headlined by its youth, youth that will learn quickly. And by the time they’re seniors, or upperclassmen even, they’ll have a wealth of knowledge and experience that will take them very very far.
I’ve gone on record to say a million times over; Coaches Walton and Jameson are as good as it gets. They set the baseline for me for a deep love of the game! I believe in them with all my heart to see success sooner than later, the ultimate professionals, that’s who they are!
A couple boys’ seniors made Valley District teams!
All Valley District First Team:
Braden Burkhalter
All Valley District Second Team:
Sam Post
Congratulations gentleman on your wonderful accomplishments!
Everyone and their mom knows I love both basketball programs here at BHS with every bone in my body, I cannot wait to hit the hardwood with you all again next season!
Now, without further ado, unto our 2025 BHS Softball and Baseball preview!
Starting with our softball Lady Gobblers!
It was another successful run for Head Coach Becky Cantrell and company last year. They made a state playoff run, winning a home game against Alleghany and an extra inning thriller on the road against Rustburg. Their season ended to a very good Christiansburg team, but now that the calendar has flipped to March once again, it’s time to look forward.
The schedule holds the same Valley District teams, with the addition of the Rocktown High School Raptors! I’m pretty psyched to have another team in the district that isn’t too far of a drive, as selfish as that may be. I really liked the basketball gym the first time we played there. Other than that, the schedule remains pretty standard in terms of opponents.
The biggest challenge for a team in this position is being able to repeat the same success the year after such a season as last year. It goes much deeper in my opinion than just losing seniors. It does hurt, however, there is always new talent ready to step up and take the mantle when their name is called. The biggest hurdle to me is the target on your back so to speak. Psychology is funny in sports. When you begin to see long standing success, the teams you play take notice, circling the date of the matchup on the calendar. It’s part of winning that you have to learn to handle. That’s why it helps to have a coach with a plethora of experience. That target doesn’t feel so heavy when you’ve been there many times before. For the players, you take things game by game, handling each situation as it happens.
That brings me to the perfect segway, what to watch this year for the softball team.
The lineup will be reloaded from last year, with power from top to bottom. Pitching, much of the same, many now upperclassmen, who bring a ton of experience to the game. The deep playoff run last year obviously helps. I expect the district to be as talented as ever, with great parity across the board. The Valley always has great competition in softball. I feel that the experience of the team as a whole will take the team far, hopefully back to states.
I cannot wait for this softball season; it’s going to be a fun one!
Now for the baseball boys!
Last year resulted in another playoff run for Coach Laase and company. A first-round win on the road at Western Albemarle, then the eventual meet-up with LCA, same as the year before. Despite the tough loss, making the playoffs 5 years in a row is no small feat, that brings long lasting character to the program. The mentality that no matter what the make-up of the team is, we have the ability to succeed. That’s a testament to both the coaching staffs and the players of the past and present. Consistency at its finest.
This year’s schedule features the same Valley District opponents with the aforementioned Rocktown Raptors as its new edition. For out of district play, we’ve got two good matchups I am looking forward to. Two with Wilson, a one off with Waynesboro and a home and home with a very good East Hardy team. Which will all prove to be a good test for the boys this year.
Playing out of conference teams is always an interesting experience. I feel it’s almost like an AAU or travel ball style mindset. Outside of kids that you might play travel ball with, you really don’t know what to expect. It’s not the same as playing against a Valley District team that you play twice a year, every year. It provides a chance to face a new test, like a preview of a playoff game of sorts.
Some of my favorite memories as a student were competing against out of conference teams. Like East Rock in boys’ basketball in ‘19, two instant classic games!
I have high expectations for the baseball boys this year. The team lost key seniors at some big spots but, just like I mentioned earlier with the softball team, there is a huge group of players ready to carry the torch, onwards to victory. That’s why I never get discouraged coming into a season, I know there are kids hungry to compete and learn from the players/coaches around them.
The rotation will be new, the infield will see significant turnover, however, I see it as an opportunity for others to shine and make a name for themselves, in the same way that the others before them did, which is what the game truly is all about.
I have high expectations for both teams, per usual. That’s a testament to the staffs and rosters of each program. Both show long traditions of success, and I expect that to continue this season. I thank both Coach Cantrell and Coach Laase for allowing us to cover your programs for another season, it is truly an honor, we have a love of love for you both. I wish for nothing but the best for the both of you and your programs in the 2025 season.
To our readers, we have a ton of love for you all as well. It was great to talk to you again, thank you for sticking with us through thick and thin, talk soon, GO GOBBLERS!!!!!!
