Kevin Toney salutes his seniors

Senior Night at FCHS against Pinckneyville (Richard Sitler-Southern Illinoisan photo)

There have been several senior classes that has been featured. West Frankfort boys high school basketball coach Kevin Toney sent me some words about his seniors a week or so after the season.  Here are his words unfiltered.

Since I have lived in West Frankfort the last year and a half, I have crossed paths with these young men in several circles.  It was an honor to watch them play the last two seasons.- sd

Noah Allen:  For the last two years, Noah Allen has been a leader in every way possible. He was selected by his teammates as the hardest worker on the team. That’s quite an honor. He was a young man who always expected the absolute best from himself and would not be satisfied with anything less. He has been an absolute joy to coach. Noah will be a success in any field he chooses.

Jaryd Clark:  Jaryd is a three-sport athlete that brought a lot to the team. His dedication, intelligence, and cooperative nature were necessary elements for this team and how Jaryd played was the epitome of team play. His younger teammates could watch Jaryd use him as a role model for so many important things. I look forward to watching Jaryd’s contributions as he enters into adulthood.

Scotty Clinton:  Scotty is an exceptional athlete who is quicker than some might expect and then also stronger than he may appear. Those attributes allowed Scotty to surprise some defenders. He also was eager to play a physical type of game without regard to the size of the opponent. Everyone could admire his willingness to play that type of physical game especially with a recurring shoulder injury. It was great to get to know Scotty this season.

Austin Glodich:  Austin has improved tremendously in the last two years. Extremely athletic for his size, he has the capability to rebound it on the defensive end, put it on the floor in transition, and then dunk at the offensive end. Those are not Austin’s strongest attributes, however. What will benefit Austin in the future is his ability to communicate and to easily converse with adults. We will miss his personality as well as his production.

Stanley Powell:  Stanley appreciated being on the team more than most high school young man and he never took that for granted. Stanley’s energy and hard work had a huge influence on all of us…daily. When it came time for Stanley to play, he did not merely want to play and to get a bucket, he always wanted to play WELL. He always wanted to be a great teammate and he certainly always was.

Ethan Riddle:  Ethan was able to give us many valuable minutes this season by being prepared and keeping a great attitude. His quickness and defensive grittiness are things that were obvious to all. He’s such a hard worker! His contributions were many and should not be overlooked. Ethan displayed a great attitude every day and will be successful in any endeavor he chooses. I look forward to watching Ethan progress as a young man.

DiAngelo Russell:  “D” moved to West Frankfort under difficult personal circumstances; however, his attitude and willingness to learn enabled him to make the team and his personality endeared him to his teammates. Always asking questions during practice and listening intently to others, DiAngelo was certainly able to learn, not just about our basketball program, but he also learned a lot about high school athletics. Planning on joining the military, I hope the lessons “D” learned will carry him to a successful career after high school.

Andrew Sturgill:  Andrew was the kind of blue-collar, hard-nosed defender that most folks would be glad pay money to watch him guard bigger opponents! I wish I had more Andrew Sturgills on the court. When it came time to determine our defensive match-ups, there was no one on our schedule that I hesitated asking Andrew to guard. No one. He matured physically a great deal in the past year. But it’s also obvious that Andrew was much more confident in his abilities when he was on the court. He will also be a young man who will contribute greatly to the entities with which he is involved.