Members of the Fairbanks boys varsity basketball team are from left, front row, Ryker Green, Dylan Tobe, AJ Landon, Grant Rausch, Andrew Crowe, Alex Crowe and Cade Feller; back row, head coach Zach Brown, Tanner Ufferman, Dylan Weidmann, Dominic Kennedy, Holtz Maine, Cade Ziegler, Andy Higinbotham, Tyler Ufferman and assistant coach Hunter Burnett. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
The Fairbanks boys basketball program is under the guidance of a new head coach.
Zack Brown takes over for Justin George, who resigned last spring.
Brown, who is a health and physical education instructor at FHS, was an assistant coach at Marysville High School last winter.
The Panthers rolled to a 12-4 record in the Ohio Heritage Conference during the 20-21 campaign.
That mark was good for the championship of the circuit’s North Division.
FHS finished the season with an overall mark of 16-7.
The Panthers, however, lost a number of lettermen, such as Braylon Green and Trey Good.
Veterans back with the team this year are Andy Higinbotham, Grant Rausch and Dylan Tobe.
Higinbotham averaged 3.2 points per game.
Rausch scored two per outing and Tobe’s average was 1.7.
Rounding out the roster are Ryker Green, Cade Ziegler, Andrew Crowe, Alex Crowe, Cade Feller, Tanner Ufferman, Tyler Ufferman Alex Gaisterer and Dylan Wiedmann.
Holtz Maine will miss the entire season with a knee injury.
Brown said defense should be a strength of the team.
“We can really guard and make things difficult for our opponent,” he said.
With so few lettermen, an area of concern is varsity experience, Brown added.
The OHC could be wide-open and up for grabs this winter.
“The conference lost a very good senior class of players from many schools,” said Brown. “It should be a very competitive conference and wide-open for numerous schools having an opportunity to win the title.”
Capturing another OHC crown is among the team’s goals.
“We want to get better every day,” said Brown. “We have goals of winning the conference and (Division III) district championships.
The Fairbanks boys junior varsity basketball team is pictured from left, front row, Alex Galsterer, Eli Feller, Ryker Green, Carter Miller and Brayden Weidmann; back row, coach Jeff Ziegler, Andrew Crowe, Chase Brackenridge, Dominic Kennedy, Peyton Hubbs, Nathan Combs, Dylan Wiedmann and coach Chris Nicol. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
Fairbanks’ varsity basketball cheerleaders are from left, front row, Emma Bowman, Montana Burns and Kara Boerger; second row, Cheyenne Tompkins and Celeste Hauer; back row, Ally Gerty, Brooklyn Bosworth and Elizabeth Tillman. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
Junior varsity-freshman cheerleaders for FHS are from left, front row, Addy Yochum, Ashlynne Isaacs, Addison Shaffer and Faith Hall; second row, Ally Newberry, Madeleine Peffer, Lucy Matteson, Kristin Dellinger and Emma Kelly; back row, Shoshana Smith, Pamela Bosworth, Kadence Kise and Jillian Stewart. There is no boys freshman basketball team at Fairbanks this winter. The JV and freshman cheerleaders will alternate for junior varsity games. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)