As they prepare for their last postseason, the Wildcats have a chance to do something no other class has done — win four straight district titles.
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“They’re a really special group,” said Wildcats interim coach Matt Yinger. “We talk all the time about how this can be the most special group to walk the hallways, especially going to the football final four. We’ve won three straight district titles with this team. Our goal is obviously another district and beyond. We’ve never had a class win four straight. We’d like to make history again.”
The Wildcats’ quest begins at 6 p.m. Friday against 15th-seeded Vandalia Butler (12-9) at Centerville High School. Springfield earned the sixth seed in the D-I Dayton district despite having an 8-12 record at the time of the draw.
“It was a testament to our schedule,” Yinger said. “We play a tough schedule. We really challenge ourselves. We try to make our schedule as tough as possible so that we are tournament-ready. We have been playing better of late and we beat up on some teams that have solid records. I think a lot of people kind of took notice that we were starting to jell and come together at the right time.”
After starting the season 4-9, the Wildcats have won five of their last eight games, including a 52-51 last-second victory against Beavercreek on Feb. 11. Wildcats senior Jordan Howard hit a three-quarter court buzzer beater to win the game.
“We feel really good about how we’ve been playing,” Yinger said. “The guys are buying in, playing hard and flying around. They’re starting to move the ball around a little bit more and take better shots. Those are always the things we hang our hat on — being disciplined, taking great shots and defending at a high level. We want to trust in one another and buy into the system.”
Yinger has led the team an interim basis since mid-January after coach Isaiah Carson was placed on administrative leave after being arrested and charged with domestic violence. Yinger coached at virtually every level within the program and understands the ins-and-outs of the Wildcats system.
“We kept a lot of our core values the same, tried to simplify some things but really our core values remained in tact,” he said.
The Wildcats have made a few changes offensively, Yinger said.
“The guys liked what we did, but we tweaked some things to make it a bit more player friendly, things that they were giving me feedback about that I was most comfortable looking at,” he said. “Its not been an easy transition obviously being close with (Carson), but having these guys, these seniors makes it easier.”
The Wildcats could face the Beavers a third time this season. Third-seeded Beavercreek is on the bottom part of Springfield’s bracket. If both teams advance, they could meet again in the district semifinals on Feb. 28.
“We’ve been neck-and-neck both times,” Yinger said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for (Beavercreek coach Steve Pittman). He’s got those guys playing well. It was a lot of fun.”
Springfield senior Larry Stephens leads the team in points (12.1 per game), assists (3.4 pg) and steals (2.6). He’s joined in the class by Howard, Ray Cole, Jalan Minney, Devin Alston and Ty Brown.
After the thrilling victory last week, the Wildcats celebrated right in front of their bench, piling onto Howard in front of large crowd of people there to see the senior class play one final game in Springfield.
“The crowd was full of their friends and family tonight,” Yinger said. “It’s just a testament to their character.”
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