Kicking off the 2022-23 Winter season, Eaton boys basketball have acquired a 7-1 non conference record, defeating high-level opponents like Peak to Peak and Kent Denver. Facing Kent Denver on Dec. 11th, the boys battled and came out on top winning the nail biter matchup by six points, 99-93.  Zac Grable (23) scored 29 points and Cole Lockey (23) came in with 21 points. Lockey and Z. Grable are quite the dynamic duo for the Reds, and plan to finish out their last season in a Reds jersey strongly. After losing to Kent Denver last year at home, beating the Sun Devils on their home court was a tremendous victory. After only dropping one game to the highly competitive Holy Family Tigers on Dec. 6th, the boys steamrolled through the beginning of the season. Lockey spoke on the mindset for this season and said, “to play every game to the best of our ability. Some things we are working on this year are making the best decisions for our team when we are playing to get the best outcomes we can to help us win” Lockey has been a loyal player for the Reds for 4 years now and has a high ceiling in the game of basketball. 

The Reds are carrying seven seniors on their roster including Lockey, Z. and Will Grable, Cort and Cache Sanger, Hayden Pullman, and Kyran Begay. Z. Grable has averaged 19.6 points a game while Mitch Haythorn (24) averaged 13.1 points. This tough squad has already endured some difficulties this season, the gym floor has been completely remodeled making practice and game schedules difficult to work around. But, the gym floor is now ready to go after winter break. Thankfully  the construction started the week before students were dismissed for break. 

Coming back from Christmas break, the boys will kick off the regular season against a notorious school rival, the Platte Valley Broncos at home. Alex Loyd (24) has been a part of the basketball team for three years now and has high hopes for the program. Loyd said, “A goal that we have is to be a top team in the State Tournament and make a deep playoff run.” Loyd and his team have been working hard for the past few weeks, in order to improve their standings. “We want to improve off of last year and continue to grind and get better everyday,” said Loyd. 

 Winter sports are difficult because of the two week Holiday hiatus, the winter athletes aren’t able to practice at normally scheduled times. Coming back from break is typically a difficult task, but the boys have prepared to come back better, faster, and stronger. Z. Grable said, “We went to the gym and got a few shots up over break to make sure that we kept a good mentality throughout break.”

The Patriot League has a few new additions this year, with the Weld Central Rebels and the Berthoud Spartans joining the league; along with advancing into 4a instead of the 3a classification. Head Coach Dean Grable has entered his 19th year of coaching and said, “I think jumping to 4a is a good thing. There will be tougher competition and more games.” Grable mentioned how there will no longer be a district tournament. The Reds will now get 23 games instead of 19. With different teams coming into the league, and Eaton Basketball collectively moving to the 4a division, the boys are still keeping their heads down and working towards their goals each day. 

To stay updated with the rest of the boys season, stay up to date with Eaton Red Ink for weekly game recaps or, to watch live, tune into NFHS.