Bonduel High School seniors Peyton Czarapata and Trevor Pedersen have a tall task in front of them as they prepare for the start of the boys basketball season.
As two of four returning players with varsity experience, they will be counted on to lead the Bears and help get several new players ready to compete at the varsity level.
“We may not score as much as last year, but I think defensively, we should be pretty good,” Bonduel head coach Duke Copp said. “Trevor, this is his third year of being a varsity starter. Peyton is first-team all conference, so there are some pretty good players here.”
Behind Czarapata and Pedersen, the Bears will have six other seniors on the roster, as well as two juniors and two freshmen.
“We have four players with varsity experience, so it will be a good learning environment to try and get them up to varsity,” Czarapata said.
Czarapata averaged 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season, team highs in each category.
Gone from last year’s team, however, are Colton Dobratz and Connor Rosin, who combined to score nearly 25 points per game last season, which ended when the Bears fell to Iola-Scandinavia in the regional semifinal.
To help fill the void, seniors Eric Ballestad, Preston Robaidek and Trebor Rueckert will be counted on to make big jumps this season for a team that finished 17-7 overall and 10-4 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8, good for third place, a year ago.
“We’ve got to give them confidence. Confidence is one of the biggest things in basketball,” Pedersen said. “If you’re confident, you can score at any level, so just make sure they get confidence and experience.”
Expectations are already high for Czarapata, but Copp sees lots of potential in Pedersen, who will finally get his time to really shine at the varsity level.
“I think they should have their best year that they’ve ever had,” Copp said. “Trevor has been in the shadow of the kids from last year for a few years, so I think he is really ready to step up. I want him to lead us. He’s a great leader on and off the floor.”
The team opens its season on Monday against Gillett, and Copp likes where his team is at for this point in the season.
“I just like the way they are working. They are working very hard,” Copp said. “They know we may not be the most athletic team in the world, but they are playing hard and working together, so that’s exciting.”
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