Ten area teams won between 10 and 14 games last winter. Who will separate themselves during the 2025-26 boys basketball season?
Fort Hill finished 14-10 to capture a third straight area championship, the best of a muddled Western Maryland Athletic Conference. The Sentinels return standout wing Liam Hamilton.
Hamilton is one of several talented individuals back in the fold, including 20-plus-point nightly scorers in Jeremy Phillips of Frankfort (11-11) and Chris Manherz of Allegany (11-13).
Other WestMAC players to watch include Cam Breighner of Mountain Ridge (14-10), Jayden McNally of Northern (10-13) and Graham Harvey of Southern (13-11).
Harvey averaged 8.6 points per game as a freshman with Area Player of the Year Jared Haskiell and All-Area point guard Brayden Upole taking the bulk of the scoring load. He exploded for 32 in the Rams’ opener against Hampshire on Tuesday.
Braylon Ward of Union (11-11) is the second-leading returning local scorer from the Potomac Valley Conference at 19.6 points nightly.
East Hardy, which posted an area-best 20-6 mark and fell in the Class A state semifinals, brings back the Hamilton twins, Evan and Mason, and 6-foot-6 double-double machine Gideon Good.
Caden Ours, Payton Metheny and Kaleb Kuhn averaged a combined 39.4 points a game for Petersburg (12-11), which enters the year with state tournament aspirations.
Braylon McGreevy leads a Keyser (10-13) team into this year that has heightened expectations.
Paw Paw’s Taylor Carder averaged nearly 20 points playing second-fiddle to the area’s leading scorer, Donovan Tanouye, last year.
Here’s what to expect in the 2025-26 area boys basketball season:
Allegany
Last year’s record: 11-13
Head coach: Brandon Reed
Key losses: Eli Imes (13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 27 3s), Landyn Ansel (7 ppg, 44 3s, 3.4 rpg), Devin Tinnen (4.3 ppg)
Key returners: Chris Manherz (All-Area 1st team; 22.2 ppg, 48 3s, 3.9 apg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 spg), Landon Holliday (5.8 ppg)
Coach’s quote: “We are excited to begin our season with a tough Broadfording team at their place. This young group is very focused to be successful and has been working hard. We will rely on our returning seniors Chris Manherz, Owen Rice and Sebastian Stewart. While we don’t return many players from last year’s group, we are excited about the guys we have added and expect production from them early and throughout the season.”
Bishop Walsh
Last year’s record: 5-17
Head coach: Ryan Mattingly
Key losses: David DiNola (16.2 ppg)
Coach’s quote: “We’ve had a good month of practice getting ready for our upcoming season joining the Mason-Dixon Christian Conference. The same as every year, our goal is to get better every day. Even with a young team I feel we have the potential to compete and have a great season. Go Walsh.”
Calvary
Last year’s record: 9-12
Head coach: Steve Robinette
Key losses: Geren Knight (13.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg), Nathan Strachan (9.1 ppg), Canyon Michael (7.7 ppg)
East Hardy
Last year’s record: 20-6
Head coach: Chris Hahn
Key losses: Jordan Teets (All-Area 1st team; 18.1 ppg, 95 3s, 4.0 rpg)
Key returners: Evan Hamilton (All-Area 2nd team; 15.2 ppg, 73 3s, 4.8 apg, 4.2 spg), Gideon Good (13 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 3.7 bpg), Mason Hamilton (5.9 ppg, 3.7 apg)
Coach’s quote: “We want to get better every day. If we do that, we believe we can win the conference and be right there competing for a regional championship and hopefully one of the top teams playing for a state championship.”
Fort Hill
Last year’s record: 14-10
Head coach: Thad Burner
Key losses: Gamil Daniels (All-Area 2nd team; 11.7 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.8 spg), Jabril Daniels (9.0 ppg, 2.3 apg), Landen Sweitzer (7.8 ppg, 27 3s)
Key returners: Liam Hamilton (All-Area 1st team; 13.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.4 spg), Landyn Green (5.5 ppg)
Coach’s quote: “Our expectation is to compete at a high level. Our players understand that there will be plenty of challenges throughout the season, particularly early on, but we’ll look to stay focused on our end of season goals.”
Frankfort
Last year’s record: 11-11
Head coach: Scott Slider
Key losses: Uriah Cutter (7.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.5 apg), Jake Layton (8.3 ppg)
Key returners: Jeremy Phillips (All-Area 1st team; 23.5 ppg, 68 3s, 2.2 apg), Bryson McKenzie (5.8 ppg), Kycin Waites (5.3 ppg)
Coach’s quote: “Our expectations are high headed into the season. We have a good mix of experience and younger players that will help us throughout the season and take us hopefully to a deep run in the playoffs. We feel like we have the team that is capable of getting to the state tournament. If we remain focused on that goal and progress together as a team, playing for each other, we will have a successful season and put ourselves in the state tournament in March.”
Hampshire
Last year’s record: 13-11
Head coach: Dan Alkire
Key losses: Ethan VanMeter (12 ppg, 35 3s, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg), Carder Monroe (9.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Key returners: Matthew Medina (8.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Coach’s quote: “We have a young group of kids this year with limited varsity experience so naturally scheme-wise things will take more time in the beginning, but we are all excited to see where we are and the growth that we make as the season progresses. However, we have an athletic group of students who love to compete who are ready to go.”
Keyser
Last year’s record: 10-13
Head coach: Scott Furey
Key losses: Kam Samples (8.7 ppg, 23 3s, 5.7 rpg)
Key returners: Braylon McGreevy (12.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Grayson Lambka (5.7 ppg)
Coach’s quote: “We have high expectations for the season based on what we have returning. Braylon McGreevy, Lane Champion and Camden Owens all have varsity experience and are doing well in the pre-season. Grayson Lambka is nursing an injury and will be back soon. Trey Dawson will be the point guard and sophomore Chris Amoruso will also be in the starting rotation. We had a good summer and a productive off-season. Our schedule is really tough and so is our region, so we have to stay focused all year.”
Mountain Ridge
Last year’s record: 14-10
Head coach: Tim Nightengale
Key losses: Ian Duncan (All-Area 2nd team; 11.5 ppg, 31 3s, 6.2 rpg), Owen McGeady (10.3 ppg, 4.2 apg)
Key returners: Cameron Breighner (All-Area 1st team; 12.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
Coach’s quote: “We have a really good group who comes to practice with excellent energy and great attitudes. They battle each other and work hard at what we’re coaching them to do. We have seen improvements during the preseason, and we want to keep improving every day. We’re excited to open up the season to see where we stack up with area competition.”
Northern
Last year’s record: 10-13
Head coach: Jeremy Johnson
Key losses: Devin McKenzie (7.7 ppg), Liam Stewart (7.0 ppg, 35 3s), Cole Folk (6.0 ppg)
Key returners: Jayden McNally (10.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.4 spg), Caleb Hinebaugh (6.5 ppg)
Coach’s quote: “Really looking forward to my second season as coach. The players are really getting a feel for what (assistant coach) Shaun Peck and I expect from them and what we are trying to build as a program. We lost a lot of seniors last year, but I feel the core group of juniors moving up are filling in nicely. We are going to certainly have some growing pains at the beginning of the season, but look to make some real solid strides as the season progresses.”
Paw Paw
Last year’s record: 8-15
Head coach: Adam Carder
Key losses: Donovan Tanouye (All-Area 2nd team; 27.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 5.7 spg, 1.1 bpg)
Key returners: Taylor Carder (18.6 ppg, 37 3s, 3.6 rpg)
Coach’s quote: “We embrace being the underdog and that’s always been our role. Now let’s keep building a team that can surprise some folks.”
Petersburg
Last year’s record: 12-11
Head coach: Stacey Berg
Key losses: Peyton Tingler (All-Area 2nd team; 14.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg)
Key returners: Caden Ours (16.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Payton Metheny (13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.6 apg), Kaleb Kuhn (9.9 ppg)
Coach’s quote: “I am excited about the year. Anytime you have a four-year varsity player, a three-year varsity player and a sophomore with lots of quarters under their belt it is a good feeling going into the season. We have experience and I hope that carries early in the season. I am excited about our senior group. They have lots of varsity time and I expect them to be our leaders on and off the court. We have kids that put the time in during the off season. That’s encouraging to see.
“Our goals never change at Petersburg. Win every quarter, compete every game, win the Holiday Tournament, and win a regional game for a chance to dance in Charleston.”
Southern
Last year’s record: 13-11
Head coach: Hunter Broadwater
Key losses: Jared Haskiell (2024-25 Area Player of the Year; 21.7 ppg, 73 3s, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg), Brayden Upole (All-Area 2nd team; 14.1 ppg, 43 3s, 5.6 apg, 3.8 rpg)
Key returners: Graham Harvey (8.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.7 apg)
Coach’s quote: “Although we lost a lot of scoring from last year’s team, some of the younger guys put in a lot of work and are looking to step up. We are pushing ourselves to the next level.”
Union
Last year’s record: 11-11
Head coach: Walt Ward
Key losses: N/A
Key returners: Braylon Ward (19.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 3.3 spg), Corbin Streets (9.2 ppg, 10 rpg), Eric Linkswiler (9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Coach’s quote: “We look to build on last year’s success with the four returning upperclassmen. Schedule is tougher this year. Our coaching staff feels we have one of the best players in the area along with two more that will be in the area’s best players. Our freshmen will be need to be big contributors and they have been putting the work in to get better.”