By Austin White

Jack Frost may be nipping at your nose outside, but inside the Farmers are warming things up with the beginning of the basketball season.

Last season, the Farmers were able to upset Palisade in the opening round of the state playoffs and almost beat the fourth seeded Widefield Gladiators in the second round. This season, the Farmers are looking to improve on last year’s success and send the two seniors on the team off in memorable fashion. “Our team goals are to better each of our individual games and have them come together,” says senior Stefan Hackethal.

The season started on Dec. 2 right here on the Farm against the Denver North Vikings. It was a defensive struggle mixed with an exhilarating finish as the Farmers came up short 40-41. The Vikings missed a free throw with just under three seconds which would have given the Farmers a chance to win, but the Vikings grabbed the rebound and time ran out.

The very next day the boys were back at it again at home facing the Discovery Canyon Thunder. This one also turned into a nail-biter late as the Farmers came storming back to pull within two points of the lead. With just under ten seconds to go in the game, the Farmers were down by three and had the ball. Unfortunately, the play drawn up did not go as expected and sophomore Nicco Young missed an off balance, turn around three-pointer at the buzzer. The final score was 63-66 in favor of the Thunder, but the Farmers should still be proud of the efforts they put in on back-to-back nights.

On Dec. 12, the Farmers took on the long time rivaled Lakewood Tigers. Over the past few years this rivalry has lost some of its luster due to Wheat Ridge moving to 4A in basketball and Lakewood remaining in 5A. The Farmers stood their ground and kept the score close at halftime by only being down 25-30. However, the second half was a different story as seen by the Tigers outscoring the Farmers by 15 in the half. The final score was 43-63 which is probably a lot closer than fans expected. Hackethal lead the team with 17 points and junior Anthony McGinnis added 9 points and 4 assists.

The season intensifies after winter break as the Farmers begin their league schedule by traveling to play the Evergreen Cougars on Jan. 8. The matchups against the rival Golden Demons take place on Jan. 24 at Golden and Feb. 21 here at the Farm. The Farmers might be looking for a little revenge on the Demons after losing twice to them last year. When asked about playing Golden, Hackethal said, “I love the crowd and having my school on my back to get the win.” As always, the gyms are sure to be rocking when these long-time rivals hit the floor.

With only two seniors returning this season, this relatively young group of guys is going to have to mature quickly if they want to succeed at a high level this season. But the guys still want to have a great time playing. “We can improve most on dunking,” said Hackethal jokingly. The fun begins when the winter break ends, and hopefully the team can give it their all this season and represent Wheat Ridge proudly.