HS Boys’ Basketball: Division I preview, unpredictable season begins
Pottsville and Minersville clash in a Schuylkill League Division I game at the Thomas Fitzpatrick Gymnasium (Photo by Kelly Wiley).
Division I hasn’t felt like this in years.
For once, there is no clear favorite, no obvious frontrunner and no single team returning with the type of dominant, veteran core that usually sets the tone for Schuylkill League boys’ basketball.
Instead, as the 2025-26 season begins, almost every program brings a different identity, a different strength and just as many question marks.
If there is one certainty across the division, it’s that the race is wide open.
Pottsville, the defending Schuylkill League and District 11 Class 5A champions, enters a new era under first-year head coach Tyler Heffner with a dramatically reshaped roster taking over for Jake Wartella.
Nearly half of last season’s production graduated, but the Crimson Tide replaced it with depth and competition. Seniors Christian Alvarez and Ryder Bowers return as anchors, while a lengthy list of newcomers will fill out the rotation.
Pottsville doesn’t begin the season as the undisputed favorite, but it remains a legitimate contender if the pieces settle.
Missing from the Crimson Tide’s rotation to start the season will be defensive menace JuJu Bainbridge, who suffered a leg injury during the fall football season.
Minersville, the league runner-up and co-Division I champ, also finds itself retooling after a historic year. The Miners lost tons of star power in head coach Dave Mullaney and seniors Logan Hutsko, Bradley Kostishak and A.J. Halford, plus standout Dante Carr’s departure to Division I football.
Even so, the Miners enter the Chris George era with proven talent. Senior Shazier Bethea and junior Jordan Bowers form one of the division’s most reliable duos, and a deep group of upperclassmen returns after meaningful varsity minutes.
The Miners’ ceiling depends on how quickly new scorers and frontcourt contributors step into expanded roles, but Minersville has enough experience to stay firmly in the championship conversation.
Mahanoy Area, a perennial force and reigning co-Division I champs, faces a full reset after graduating the Tanner Zawada-Jace Yedsena core that defined its recent success.
The Golden Bears still have two strong anchors in Ryan Zilker and Damian Contreras, and an influx of young, athletic newcomers gives the program hope for a midseason surge. They may look different, but Mahanoy Area’s culture, toughness and pace remain strengths that could allow the Bears to play spoiler as the season progresses.
Blue Mountain might be the most intriguing roster in the field. The Eagles lost three major contributors but reloaded with athletic upperclassmen across multiple positions.
Senior guards Tyeirre Meade and Sean Gaddy headline the scoring, while sophomore forward Cohen Kirby leads a frontcourt boosted by several new multi-positional players. If chemistry forms early, Blue Mountain has the balance and depth to stay in the top half of the division and contend well into February.
Pine Grove and Panther Valley both enter the season labeled as potential sleepers.
The John Rizzo Era begins at Pine Grove, which brings back leadership in Hayden Felty and Wyatt Snyder while adding a large group of promising newcomers who dramatically raise the team’s ceiling.
Panther Valley returns an experienced core in Brody Breiner, Danny Wehr and Ben Baneravage, then adds size in Jarell Thomas and athleticism on the perimeter. Both teams have the pieces to make meaningful climbs in the standings.
North Schuylkill and Tamaqua round out a division that should look dramatically different from a year ago.
North Schuylkill, under new head coach Anthony Agosti, added needed experience in the backcourt and now has legitimate size with 6-foot-7 sophomore Xavier McNally. The Spartans appear poised to leave last year’s struggles behind and become a far more competitive opponent.
Tamaqua enters a transition year after graduating most of its lineup, but with seniors Brady McCabe and Luke Frohnheiser leading a young, athletic roster, improvement throughout the winter is expected.
In past seasons, Division I often separated itself early: a front-runner, a clear challenger, and the rest of the field chasing from behind. This winter brings something far more unpredictable.
Nearly every team has strengths worth valuing and weaknesses worth questioning. Nearly every program can make a realistic postseason case. And on any given night, the standings could tilt in a new direction.
That uncertainty is what makes this season compelling. Division I is wide open — and that may be exactly what turns it into the Schuylkill League’s most competitive and entertaining race.
League play wastes no time setting the tone, with all eight Division I teams opening the schedule Thursday, Dec. 4. North Schuylkill travels to Panther Valley in a matchup of two programs looking to climb quickly, while Mahanoy Area heads to Pine Grove in a game that could reveal which rebuilding roster is closest to taking the next step.
Pottsville visits Blue Mountain in one of the night’s marquee showdowns, a measuring-stick game for two teams reshaping their identities. And Minersville begins defense of its co-championship on the road at Tamaqua, where the Raiders’ young roster will face an immediate test.
Opening night won’t decide the standings — but it will offer the first clues in what promises to be a wide-open Division I race.
Schuylkill League Boys’ Basketball Preview Capsules
DIVISION I
Blue Mountain
Head coach: Dustin Werdt (23nd season)
Last season: 12-11, 8-6 Division I. District 11 Class 4A quarterfinalist
Key losses: Aidan Grace, Merik Brayford, Chase Baldwin
Key returners: Tyeirre Meade (sr., G), Sean Gaddy (sr., G), Cohen Kirby (so., F)
Key newcomers: Evan Setlock (sr., G), Cohen Werner (jr., F), Beck Henninger (jr., G), Landon Miller (sr., F), Caden Wargo (jr., F), Vince DiSante (sr., F)
Outlook: Blue Mountain enters a true “reshuffle-and-reload” season with plenty of intrigue. The Eagles graduated a large portion of last year’s scoring and leadership, but a deep incoming class of upper-class newcomers gives veteran coach Dustin Werdt plenty of lineup versatility. Meade and Gaddy form one of the division’s top returning backcourts, while Kirby headlines a promising young frontcourt. If the new faces jell quickly, Blue Mountain has the pieces to stay in the upper half of Division I and compete for both league and district postseason berths.
Mahanoy Area
Head coach: Teddy Styka (6th season)
Last season: 21-5, 12-2 Division I. Division I co-champions, Schuylkill League semifinalist, District 11 Class 3A semifinalist, PIAA qualifier
Key losses: Tanner Zawada, Jace Yedsena, William Mayberry, Mikey Oblas, Jack Rhoades, Peyton Sendatch, Brian Gallagher, Aiden Bowman, Austin Green
Key returners: Ryan Zilker (sr., C), Damian Contreras (sr., F), Connor Bowman (soph., G),
Key newcomers: Dalix Ramos Pagan (sr., G/F), Gavin Byrne (jr., G/F), Joel Corona (jr., F), Keny Cedonio Ramirez (jr., G/F), Nico DiCasimirro (soph., G/F), Yoibel Perez (soph., G), Zach Gallagher (soph., G/F), Cam Smith (fr., G), J.D. Kowalchick (fr., G/F), Colby Wagner (fr., G/F), Chase Lebby (fr., G/F)
Outlook: Few programs statewide graduated as much star power as Mahanoy Area — the Zawada-Yedsena core, mixed with Sendatch, Mayberry and Oblas, led the Golden Bears to years of dominance. Now begins a full-scale rebuild under Teddy Styka. The Bears still have two anchors in Zilker and Contreras, but the rest of the rotation will be brand new and unusually young for a perennial contender. Still, the program’s culture and athleticism remain strengths. Expect early growing pains, but if the sophomores develop quickly and the transfer newcomers settle in, Mahanoy could still play spoiler and contend for a district spot by February.
Minersville
Head coach: Chris George (1st season at Minersville / 16th overall)
Last season: 22-5, 12-2 Division I. Division I co-champions, Schuylkill League runner-up, District 11 Class 3A runner-up, PIAA qualifier
Key losses: Logan Hutsko, A.J. Halford, Dante Carr, Dawsyn Manning, Kaseem Lofton, Bradley Kostishak
Key returners: Shazier Bethea (sr., G), Shane Fessler (sr., G), Jacob Mealey (sr., F), Brandon Adams (sr., F), Jordan Bowers (jr., F), Chase Zimerofsky (jr., G), Camden Rogers (jr., G).
Key newcomers: Nolan Plesnarski (sr., F), Luke Toth (soph., F/C), Adrian Pepin (soph., G)
Outlook: Despite losing a championship-caliber senior class, plus senior Dante Carr’s exodus to UCF’s football program, Minersville remains one of the division’s most stable and dangerous teams. New head coach Chris George inherits two experienced and talented players in Bethea and Bowers. The Miners need players like Zimerofsky, Fessler, Adams and Rogers to continue growing into larger roles to stay successful. If the rotation tightens quickly and the newcomers fill minutes in the frontcourt, Minersville should again contend for the Division I crown and make a strong push in 3A districts.
North Schuylkill
Head coach: Anthony Agosti (1st season)
Last season: 4-18, 0-14 Division I
Key losses: Noah Grow, Andrew Dziczek, Kaden Zerby
Key returners: Jude Maziekas (sr., G), Julian Nelson (sr., G), Zack Marcinowski (sr., G, injured), Xavier McNally (soph., C),
Key newcomers: Caden Mengel (sr., G), Max Gallagher (sr., G), Dylan Cairo (jr., G), Sam Wall (jr., G)
Outlook: North Schuylkill quietly added several experienced guards and now looks much more competitive under first-year coach Anthony Agosti. Maziekas and Nelson give the Spartans senior stability, while the 6-foot-7 McNally provides size the program has lacked. The major question is health — Marcinowski’s status could significantly shift expectations. A winless league slate won’t repeat if chemistry develops; this is a team that could surprise opponents, steal league wins. Their ceiling depends on how quickly the new group meshes.
Panther Valley
Head coach: Pat Crampsie (24th season)
Last season: 12-11, 4-10 Division I. District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals
Key losses: Connor Penberth, Logan Fisher, Brady Jones
Key returners: Brody Breiner (sr., G), Danny Wehr (sr., F), Ben Baneravage (sr., F),
Key newcomers: Jarell Thomas (jr., F/C), Darian Revell (jr., G), Gino Williams (sr., F), Edison Mitchell (sr., F), Jake Moyer (jr., G) Chase McArdle (soph., G), Cy Maynard (soph., G/F), Corrigan Crampsie (fr., G), Tyler Hall (soph., G/F)
Outlook: The Panthers return a veteran frontcourt while adding a wave of new guards and wings capable of transforming the rotation. Breiner’s scoring and leadership remain essential, and the arrival of Thomas gives PV badly needed size. With depth across multiple classes and Crampsie’s long-standing defensive identity, this group has the makeup of a sleeper candidate. The Panthers should be noticeably more athletic than a year ago. If the newcomers settle into consistent roles, Panther Valley has a real chance to push into the league playoff conversation.
Pine Grove
Head coach: John Rizzo (1st season at Pine Grove / 9th overall)
Last season: 7-15, 4-10 Division I
Key losses: Chase Sarge, Quinn Brommer
Key returners: Hayden Felty (sr., F), Wyatt Snyder (sr., F), Teagan Schneck-Haines (jr., G)
Key newcomers: Dane Hannevig (sr., G), Kolden Smeltz (sr., G), Collin Shanahan (jr., G), Dru Herber (soph., F), Terrin Witmer (soph., G), Grayling Kimmel (soph., G), Carter Hitz (fr., G), Christian Rizzo (fr., G), Braylin Fairell (fr., G)
Outlook: The Cardinals are entering a new era under John Rizzo, and expectations internally are high after a strong offseason. Pine Grove mixes returning leadership with a large, energetic newcomer class that should boost depth and scoring versatility. Felty and Snyder provide toughness up front, while Schneck-Haines continues to emerge as the program’s next standout guard. With improved chemistry and a system overhaul underway, Pine Grove sees itself as a dark horse in Division I — fully capable of taking a leap and pushing for league and district postseason qualification.
Pottsville
Head coach: Tyler Heffner (1st season)
Last season: 21-7, 11-3 Division I. Division I wild card, Schuylkill League overall champion, District 11 Class 5A champion, PIAA qualifier
Key losses: Letrel Montone, Derek Watkins, Gianni Hughes-Crane, Tahlil Flucker-White, London Ivy
Key returners: Christian Alvarez (sr., F), JuJu Bainbridge (sr., G, injured), Ryder Bowers (sr., G), Colin McGinley (jr., G), Max Clews (jr., F)
Key newcomers: Byron Killian (jr., G), Chris Hobbs (jr., G), Andrew Allen (jr., G), Josh Kimber (sr., G), Brody Herndon (sr., G), Grady Leskin (sr., F), David Kunstek (sr., F), Brody Eroh (jr., G), Brandon Viars (sr., F)
Outlook: The defending league and district champs look dramatically different, but the culture remains unchanged — Pottsville intends to win. It’s Year 1 of the Tyler Heffner era, and while the Crimson Tide lost nearly all of last season’s production, they return a strong senior core in Alvarez and Bowers (plus Bainbridge if recovery allows). A massive newcomer class gives Pottsville one of the deepest rosters in the league, with multiple players expected to battle for starting spots. If the rotation settles early and the guards emerge, Pottsville will again be near the top of Division I and in the hunt for both titles.
Tamaqua
