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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STRATFORD – The Stratford boys basketball team will look to move up the Marawood Conference South Division standings this season as it returns five players and welcomes a group of underclassmen that have already proven to be formidable additions.
The Tigers finished 13-11 last season and 6-6 in the Marawood South. Despite losing three all-conference performers to graduation, Stratford does return seniors Cole Hoffmann (5.8 points per game) and Jacob Danen (5 points per game), and junior Brenden Fecker (7.5 points per game) back to the lineup.
A pair of senior reserves, Lucas Heidmann and Dylan Paschel, are also back, and join eight underclassmen that will comprise of the Tigers’ roster this season.
Freshman Vaughn Breit, a 6-foot-4 forward, scored 37 points combined in Stratford’s first two games this season as it opened the year 1-1.
Sophomore Paul Huther has also taken on a big role right away, scoring 17 points in the team’s season-opening win against Colby.
Juniors Trent Heckel and Andrew Bargender, and sophomores Lance Heidmann, Okley Wrench, Brandan Ackley and Eli Drexler, will also vie for playing time.
“We will be very young and inexperienced this season,” Stratford coach Curt Schmidt said. “We will have a solid shooting team. We will have good chemistry and also have some height to rebound well. I am excited about coaching this team.”