Charleroi girls will lean on numerous freshmen

By JEFF OLIVER
MVI Sports
In the world of college coaching, the third year on the job is considered to be the one that shows what a coach is made of.
That’s because the team will predominately be filled by veteran players the coach has brought in and the team has had two full seasons to learn the system.
The same can’t be said for high school coaching.
Take the case of Charleroi girls mentor Bill Wagner, who will be entering his third season guiding the Cougars. But there’s no veteran squad here, that’s for sure.
Not even close.
The 2020-21 Cougars will boast one of the youngest teams in the program’s history as Wagner has nine freshmen on his roster, several of whom will be counted on to make immediate impacts.
“We have an unusually large freshman class and there are some players there,” said Wagner, himself a 1,000-point scorer during his days at Charleroi. “Some of them will be in the starting lineup.”
A year ago, Charleroi went 14-8 and reached the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.
However, the heart of that team graduated, leaving two returning starters, 5-2 sophomore Leena Henderson and 5-5 sophomore Hannah Keranko. Both players averaged about 4 points per game last season, but Wagner says being a year older will help them.
The rest of the starting lineup very well could come from that talented group of freshmen.
Wagner listed the trio of ninth-graders McKenna “Boots” DeUnger (5-2), Bella Carroto (5-5) and Riley Jones (5-8) as potential starters.
“Boots and Bella should both make a big impact right from the start,” Wagner said. “They are going to be pretty good.”
Others battling for playing time include sophomores Morgan Snyder (5-6) and Rece Eddy (5-7), junior Alleaha Leska (5-8) and freshman Ella Sypolt (5-8).
“We have some size, but I’d really love to have a 6-0 girl,” Wagner said with a smile. “But what we do have is good team speed. We have some really fast girls.
“We plan on playing a real up-tempo pace of play. We will push the ball as much as we can. This will be a completely different team and style of play from what we had last year. We won’t be looking to work the ball and set up the offense. We’re going to push it.”
Wagner is a little concerned with his team’s lack of experience, but he is pleased with the attention his young squad gives him.
The one thing he does know is he can’t coach against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It has affected us already,” he said. “It has hit our team three times so far with kids who need quarantined. Staying away that long hurts, but it’s something I’m sure a lot of teams are dealing with.”

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