Coach: Eagles skilled group ‘from top to bottom’
We want to win a conference championship with our blended conference.”
TIM GOERS VILONIA BOYS COACH
Vilonia Eagles coach Tim Goers praised this season’s team as being smart and skilled from top to bottom. He said he hopes that translates to a conference championship in the 5A-West. Goers, who will be assisted by Heath Hagan, is heading into his fifth season leading the Eagles. Goers said he knows the players well and what they’re able to do. “All our guys are interchangeable,” he said. The Eagles will count on senior Hunter Neely, a 5-11 point guard, who started the entire last season. Also coming back are seniors Tyson Wertz, a 6-5 forward; Noah Heston, a 6-0 guard; and Caleb Johnson, a 6-1 forward. Joining them will be juniors Grant Goers, a 6-3 point guard
and the coach’s son; Trey Kelley, a 6-3 forward; and Caleb Barrow, a 6-2 forward. “Tons of sophomores are going to play,” Goers said, including Tyler Moran, 6-0 point guard, and Austin Koonce, 6-3 forward. “He’ll play a ton,” the coach said. He also pointed to Jordan Britton, a 5-11 junior, the quarterback for the football team. They are smart players, too, Goers said. “We’re very good academically. Our average GPA is over a 3.5. They handle things on and off the court well,” he said. Although Goers is optimistic about the season and confident in his players’ abilities, the team has its challenges, he said. “We don’t have a lot of overall experience at the senior high level,” Goers said. “We’re not over big. We don’t have a huge kid, but we have overall good size. We have about five or six kids we really feel who can play that are between 6-2 and 6-5. I also feel like we’re pretty athletic. We feel like this is a skilled group from top to bottom; we feel like we can shoot the ball pretty well.” Every opponent will be tough, Goers said, but he’s looking at teams such as Morrilton and Greenbrier “because that seeds us.” Last year’s record was 15-11, and Goers expects to improve on that. “We’re pretty hopeful about the whole group,” he said. “We want to win a conference championship with our blended conference.” He said fans can expect to be entertained, win or lose. “We like to get up and down the court. We like to put a product out that people will enjoy,” he said. “I think we’ll be very competitive. I think we’ll work hard, and I think we’ll put a good product on the floor, and I think we’ll make Vilonia proud.”