L-R: #30 TRENT COTHRAN SR-GUARD, #2 WILL PETHEL SR-GUARD, #12 ALYRIK WOOD SR-FORWARD, #10 PEYTON PUCKETT JR-GUARD, #12 SOPHIE THACKER SR-SHOOTING GUARD, #5 KELSEY ARP SO-PG
Armuchee’s girls finished 14-13, good enough for 3rd in the region in the regular season before falling to Darlington in the region tournament, and had to play a tough 1st round road matchup against Galloway, in which they were outmatched. The boys were so close to the state playoffs for the first time in over a decade, but fell short to Coosa in the 1st Round of the region tournament to miss the state playoffs by a singular point.
“We had to find each other, and we certainly are not the same team we were last year,” said Head Coach Timothy Puckett. “I didn’t want our guys to hang their heads after a loss and think oh, here we go again. They were really able to buy into what we were doing as a program, and that loss at the end of the season is really going to motivate us going forward.”
Puckett will have lots of talent and experience on his return this year. There are senior leaders like Alyrik Wood, Will Pethel, Jakson Hightower, and Trenton Cochran who will all take guys underneath their wing and be a role model for the guys coming up. Juniors like Owen Burk and Owen Buffington were able to grow into their own last season and worked extremely hard over the summer to gain roles.
“I want my guys to compete at the highest level. Take one game at a time and put the time into your craft, and prove yourself. We have to buy in and focus on us, not who is in front of us.”
Armuchee’s girls were able to remain competitive in the region, placing 3rd overall in the regular season and region tournament. However, they would draw a tough Galloway girls’ team who made the state championship.
“We were pretty proud of how we ended, regardless of the results,” said Head Coach Michelle Arp. “Everyone was able to get playing time, everyone bought in, and we are bringing back that experience this season. Now that we made the state tournament, we want to make it our goal to make it back and advance in it.”
There are so many players that Coach Arp has high praise for, and if she could mention everyone, she would. However, she did mention three specific players. One is a returning senior, Sophie Thacker, who keeps everyone on the same page and is a spectacular leader who is the ultimate team player. The other two were freshmen last year, who are looking to come back with valuable experience in Kelsey Arp and Aubrey McConkey, both guards who see the floor extremely well and grew into a valuable role.
“Every day, we want to show up and control what we can control. We want to be extremely competitive; we want to leave the floor better than we were before, whether it be practice, before a game, or at the end of a game. We want to be the best versions of ourselves.”
With a lot of experience returning in both the Indian and Lady Indian programs, it’s glaring that there are a lot of positive things that are going to come out of Armuchee this year.
