Coming together will make or break Beavers, coach says

The Beavers are looking to gain strength through team unity, but that is a road they still have to traverse this season, head coach Devin Jones said. In his second year at Glen Rose, Jones is working on getting them down that road after losing four starters from last year. “We lost four starters from last year’s conference-championship team. It will be extremely hard to replace the toughness and attitude that those seniors played with every day,” Jones said. “This year’s group needs to really come together as a team, instead of being a bunch of individuals. Team chemistry is everything.” The remaining starter is junior Brayden Lyons, who had 8 rebounds per game last season and was named all-conference and all-state. The coach said that with having a returning starter with such accolades under his belt and skill to teach the younger team, advancement and unity are obtainable prospects. To assist in building the team back up is sophomore forward Andrew Weatherford, who is “tough and physical,” and guards: senior Jace Haynes, junior Brenden Hill and sophomore Cole Stewart, who are “all solid shooters and can really stretch the floor,” Jones said. Having solid outside players can set a foundation to improve the newer inside players to help bring a team together, he said. The Beavers will face three-time state champion Baptist Prep, a 4A team that has stepped down into the 3A, and to improve on last season’s 15-16 record as conference champions, Jones said. There will be other tough opponents in Lighthouse, Episcopal, Mayflower and Lisa Academy as they all “have good athletes and bring different challenges to each game,” the coach said. “This is a young group that has a chance to be very competitive in 3A if they will come together as a team,” Jones said.