After not being able to practice with his team due to COVID-19 issues and being part of the officiating crew on Saturday in the MSHSAA Class 6 Football Championship game, you could maybe excuse head coach Jon Bishop if he took Sunday off. Bishop, however was back on the court Sunday, leading two practices as what looks to be the varsity team hit the hardwood at 3 p.m. and the J.V. at 7 p.m.

Since Nov. 17, team practices were limited to just 15-minute online sessions when the district transitioned to online learning due to a surge in students and staff on quarantine.

“One of the visions we we’ve shared in the limited time we’ve been able to be together, is ‘Together is Power,’ and we just have to be able to use our talent and athleticism to play together through good and bad,” Bishop said.

Fayette finished its 2019-2020 campaign on a hot streak, winning seven of its last eight regular season games to finish 13-9. The loss of two starters from last season, Cale Polson and Grant Himmelmann to graduation, along with senior Josh Henderson to shoulder surgery, will take a toll on a team. Polson, a three-year starter was All-Conference last year, averaging 14 points per game, while Bishop said that Himmelmann was one who provided hustle in different positions and shot well off the bench.

“Obviously, we’ll miss those guys, but the players we have coming back to replace them will be great. We’ve got an athletic sophomore class along with some kids coming back after taking a year off,” Bishop said.

Senior Kaden Polson and junior Garren Vroman sat out last year but look to contribute this season. Bishop said that with their athleticism, sophomore Ben Wells, Cody Hildgedick, and Chase Allen will definitely be in the mix given the Falcons’ style of play.

Fayette will also certainly benefit from the size Theo Owings. The 6-foot-5-inch junior transferred to Fayette from Class 5 Rock Bridge High School in Columbia. “He’s a big kid who understands and seems to be pretty passionate about the game of basketball,” said Bishop. “We’ll look to get him on the floor as much as we can and see if he can help us out as well.”

Sophomores Haden Kelly and Malakai Graves present big bodies down in the post and can shoot well, along with classmate Alex McBain who, Bishop says, shows a lot of hustle and heart. “All will battle for time on the floor according to Bishop.

“The big key will be Kyle Schleeter,” said Bishop. The All-District, All-Conference senior averaged 19 points per game last year. “We’ll lean on him to put the ball in the bucket as much as he can.” 

Two others almost certainly to be in the starting lineup will be senior Zach Henderson and junior Tyler Bartholomew. “I don’t see Schleeter, Henderson, or Bartholomew being out of the lineup. They’ll be in the mix. I think week to week, we’ll look at maybe changing some things up, but these guys will be major characters,” said Bishop.

The Falcons depth will come in handy as well. Until this past weekend, practice had been limited to virtual. It would seem that running in place in your living room would not be quite as effective for a group of players attempting to gel as a team as actual court time would.

Bishop said he feels his squad has depth. “We’ve got a lot of kids that can get up and down the floor and run well. These things are great, but early on, when you’re out of shape, it’s a tough thing.”

December will be spent figuring out many things, including conditioning. Bishop said that due to close contact tracing, practice schedules will be altered to keep kids active. “We’ll probably only dress out 12 players for varsity games due to limitations with fans, bus rides, bench personnel, and things like that. 

“We’ll have to see who the best 12 kids we have are and get them on the floor.”

After the Glasgow Tournament ends on December 5, there will not be much rest for the Falcons, as they will host New Franklin at 7:30 p.m. on December 8. “That will always be a big Howard County game that we like here in Fayette and we want to compete,” Bishop said. “It will be at our place and that’s a bonus. They lost a lot of guys but they’ll be young, athletic and deep, so they’ll probably present some matchup problems for us.”

The Falcons will then travel to Higbee to take on the Tigers on December 10. Following that they play Harrisburg on December 15 then Salisbury two days later. “Those will be highlights and tough conference games,” Bishop said. “We host Harrisburg then have to travel to the dome in Salisbury. These are good, well-coached teams that we’ll have to figure out a game plan to matchup with them.”

With the cancellation of High School Holiday Hoops Tournament in Trenton, the Falcons currently have a gap in their schedule. They will participate beginning January 4 in the 92nd Annual New Franklin Tournament.“That’s always a good tournament for us. We’ve brought home some trophies the last couple of years,” Bishop said.    

Fayette has backed out of the Slater tournament this season to participate in the newly developed Harrisburg Tournament on January 25-30. Having only six boys teams competing in 2021, the tournament will grow to eight teams in 2023. Bishop said the tournament will attract bigger schools  which will be a nice change. “Bigger schools will make our schedule stronger, which is always nice going into seed meetings going into district tournaments.”

The Falcons finished 5-3 in the always talented Lewis & Clark Conference a year ago. Bishop said his team has be ready to play hard every night. “We’ve got some teams that might be struggling this year, but on the other end, there are teams that play pretty well. Salisbury is probably at the top of the list, but Westran has won the conference the last couple of years and have a lot of kids returning. Harrisburg will always be in the mix and Schuyler and Knox Counties, Scotland and Paris are all teams that will compete pretty hard and give you some battles,” he said.

Trying to play basketball during a pandemic casts a shadow of unpredictability on the seasons. Like many area schools, Fayette was able to play entire football and softball schedules. Just how much basketball will be plays no one can predict. Bishop said his team would just like the opportunity to play. “We want to do some damage in our conference and tournaments we play in. If we can get on the floor, dribble the ball, put the ball in the basket and play together a little bit and enjoy being on the floor competing, that is the biggest thing right now.”