Eagles look for strong season on the basketball court

   The Northland Eagles boys’ basketball team comes into the 2022-2023 season with a range of emotions.  Excitement, as they have their sights set on a conference title and a deep run in the Section 7A tournament, but also sadness, as they will be playing without senior Ronald Day, who passed away earlier this year in a tragic car accident.  The team will miss Day on the court, as he was poised to become a key contributor on both ends of the floor, but more importantly off the court as he was a unifying figure in the locker room, keeping the mood light and encouraging teammates in games and practices. “You can’t replace what Ron brought to the team” stated Coach Chris Carlson, “but he will be on our minds throughout this season, that is for sure”.

   On the court, the Eagles come in loaded with talent, including “The Four Twins”, Aiden and Nolan Carlson along with Liam and Alec Wake who have all played major roles over the last few seasons including last year’s 21-win team. The Eagles will also look to have a deeper bench this year with seniors Jace Jackson, Jason Tschida, Zaleyon Parise, and Jaden Hardeman, along with underclassman Brevon Jackson, Dylan Schwarz, Anthony Robinson and Jamison Wood all looking to push for playing time and take the minutes of Nathan Johnson who graduated last year.

   While the team doesn’t have anyone with dominant size, they do have a host of kids that are all in the 6’ 0” to 6” 2” range that can play both inside and outside. Bruising center Jace Jackson has a unique ability to score inside but can also step out and knock down threes as he did last year on JV.  Brevon Jackson will be a key member of the guard rotation. He has been hit by the injury bug the last few years, but could be the team’s X-factor. Newcomer Dylan Schwarz is one of the most athletic players Northland has had for several years.  Jamison Wood, Jason Tschida and Anthony Robinson all were key JV contributors last year and will look to develop as the year progresses.  

   The Eagles return four out of five of their leading scores last year including Alec Wake, already the school’s all-time leading scorer, at 23.0 points per game. The three-time all-Conference selection is a key contributor on both ends of the floor and is one of the top players in the section.  Nolan Carlson, the team’s best penetrator, also returns off an all-conference season in which he averaged 15.3 points along with seven rebounds and is poised for an even bigger role this year. You will have a tough time finding a better shooter in the conference than Aiden Carlson who scored 14.2 points per game and finished the year on a tear from beyond the arc. The Eagles key returning defensive stopper is Liam Wake, who night-in and night-out matched up with the opposing team’s best player as well as chipping in 8.4 points per game on the offensive end.

   The Eagles kick off the season with two home games against Menahga on December 1st and Fon Du Lac on December 2nd.