Eaton Reds boys basketball remains undefeated in Patriot League playing would a 10-game winning streak. The boys are now ranked first in the league after taking down the Sterling Tigers, Valley Vikings, and Weld Central Rebels, by a forfeited game due to extreme weather conditions. Sterling has notoriously been a tough basketball school. Last year the Reds faced the Tigers three times in one season, but couldn’t manage to chip out a win. On Thursday, Jan. 12th, head coach Dean Grable and his squad defeated the Tigers 63-49. Coach Grable said, “It felt great to beat Sterling. It was my first win against them in 20 matchups over the years.” After celebrating the win for a short while, the boys knew that there is still a ton of work ahead of them to maintain their 1st seed ranking. After taking a trip down to La Junta Colorado, in the non-conference matchup the boys beat the Tigers 60-49. Grable spoke on the message that he has been preaching to the boys all year and said, “the message all year is to do what we do! Play the best basketball we can every possession.”

After winning both games the previous week, the boys had a pretty easy week after steamrolling the Valley Vikings 76-34. The Weld Central Rebels had to forfeit due to poor weather conditions. During the Valley matchup, Mitch Haythorn (24) was quite the offensive threat; scoring 19 overall points. Haythorn has been a steady weapon for the Reds this year averaging about 13.4 points a game. Haythorn said, “My biggest focus on the season is being more of a leader and making sure we do things the right way on and off the floor.” Looking forward to the next few weeks, the Reds have some challenging teams upon them. “We are looking forward to some tough games down the stretch,” said Grable. 

 The University Bulldogs are currently 7-6 and are ranked third in the Patriot League. The Eaton and University rivalry has been going on for years, and it is always a good game when these two teams are playing each other. The Reds will face off against the University Bulldogs in Greeley on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:00. Alex Loyd (24) said, “Their student section is always super rowdy, especially against us, so it makes the game more interesting and fun.”

To remain updated with the Reds, tune into the Eaton Red Ink for weekly recaps, and to watch the boys live tune into NFHS.