Sam O’Phelan, a 6-foot-tall forward, and Marcus Logan, a 5’11” guard, are the lone seniors on a very young Cook County High School boys’ basketball team this winter.
Still, the Vikings have some other starters back from last year’s squad, and, if they can stay away from injuries, should improve upon their two-win 2015-2016 mark.
Two juniors, Mike Burton and Colton Furlong, will both see plenty of minutes this season. Burton is probably the best threepoint shooter on the team, and Furlong is a scrappy, hard-nosed guard who doesn’t back down.
The team is rich in talented sophomores.
Dyami Blackwell was coming on strong as a freshman until he broke a leg in warmups near the end of the season. Dyami is back, better than ever, and the sweet-shooting forward should help score points for a Viking squad that didn’t always put up many points last year.
Will Ramberg, a sophomore forward, also saw a lot of playing time as a freshman. He too improved significantly throughout the season and will be heavily counted on this year.
Leif Anderson, a sophomore, is another potential starter. A great athlete, Leif is one of the team’s best defenders, and his offense was improving throughout the last year.
Maybe the team’s best great shooter is Mike Burton, also a sophomore.
Trusen Gordon, a sophomore, saw a lot of varsity minutes as a freshman guard. He is cat-quick and like Marcus can run hard all night.
Pete Sutton, a freshman, practiced basketball all summer and fall and he will no doubt see plenty of action.
Lance Bartol, a smart, hard-working guard, will also play for Coach Mitch Dorr this winter.
Rounding out the squad are three freshmen, Adam Dorr, Austin Lincoln, and Keegan Morrison.
The first three games will be played at home with a match against Two Harbors on December 9, with the action starting at 6:15 p.m. Next, the Vikings will face Wrenshall on December 13 and then play South Ridge at home on December 16.
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