FOSS RELFECTS ON BOYS’ SEASON

JEREMY WALTNER – PUBLISHER

When Menno’s boys basketball team walked off its home court following a 65-54 loss to Centerville in the first round of the Region 5B Boys Basketball Tournament last week Monday, March 1, the Wolves said goodbye to four seniors — Brady Fergen, Levi Bender, Josh Heckenlaible and Caden Fischer.

First-year head coach Kory Foss only had one season with the quartet of guys, but he’s glad he at least got that.

“Those were four amazing seniors who played a huge role in what we did here,” he said. “When you’ve got guys like that, it makes things easier on the coach and makes for a lot smoother ride. It’s hard to see them go.”

The character, work ethic and leadership of the seniors is something Foss has appreciated in what was, at times, a difficult season. Menno finished the year 5-16, which includes that region loss to ninth-seed Centerville that should have been a win. The No. 8 Wolves led for much of the game before giving up the lead in the fourth quarter and bringing the season to an end.

“We let one slip away, but I was proud of the hard work they put in all season; it wasn’t an easy year for anybody,” Foss said. “Learning to play for a new coach on the fly, without any time in the summer is hard, and I thought they handled that well.”

The coach notes and appreciates the fan base in Menno.

“It’s a great community and fun to see the support that parents and fans had for the boys,” he said.

And he says there are good kids coming up who he hopes will spend time with the game in the offseason.

“Basketball is not a three-month sport,” he said. “You get out what you put into it, so I hope they put the work in this summer. That will be helpful for our program going forward.”