Even with the loss of seven seniors from a very good run in 2021-2022, the Todd County Central Rebels are still looking to follow that up with another historic season in 2022-2023. The Rebels won 23 games last season, claimed the 4th Region All A championship, and won the school’s first game at the All A Classic state tournament.
The Rebels would reach the 4th Region tournament before seeing their season come to an end at the hands of state runner-up Warren Central.
The biggest challenge for the Rebels going into the season would appear to be developing some depth to reinforce what should be a very good starting lineup.
There are some holes to fill with the loss of the senior class of 2022. Gone are Preston Moore, Mareke Johnson, and Amari Andrews, who were the second, third, and fourth leading scorers on the team last year, accounting for more than 24 points per game and untold value in leadership on the court.
Any look at this year’s team starts in the middle where junior center Jamison Glass is poised to have a big season. Glass averaged 12.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last year and should be an even bigger force in the lane for Todd Central this season. In fact, the Rebels will need Glass to control the lane and become a force inside if they look to equal last season’s success.
A player to watch this season as his role grows significantly will be junrio Trayvon Foster. In a backup role last year, he averaged 3.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Those numbers should see a dramatic increase this year. Foster has given indication in the Rebels’ scrimmages that he is ready to take his game to another level and become a big part of this year’s plan.
Perez Whitlock is another Rebel who will see increased opportunities this year. After averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season, Whitlock should have much more of an impact for Todd Central this season. In the Rebels’ scrimmage against Murray, Whitlock gave evidence that he would be an outside shooting threat this season, knocking down four 3-pointers against the defending 1st Region champs.
Preston Rager provides the Rebels with senior leadership on the floor and valuable experience from last season. Rager, who averaged 4.7 points per game last season, is a streak shooter who, when he gets hot, can change the flow of a game. Rager, along with Perez Whitlock, were third on the team in made 3-pointers last season with 24.
Hayden Strader will see much more involvement this year for Todd Central. Strader saw action in 25 games last year and averaged 1.5 points per contest. Strader started in the scrimmage against Murray and gave indication that he is ready for the bigger role.
Micah Smith has been battling an injury during the preseason, but figures to see a bigger role for the Rebels as well.
After that, the Rebels quickly become a young team, with little varsity experience, so developing some depth early in the season and staying healthy could be a big key for the Rebels.
Defensively, the Rebels will cause headaches for their opponents. Coach John Stigall will have his guys playing aggressive, hard-nosed defense and looking to ignite the offense off their defensive pressure. Staying out of foul trouble while exerting that kind of defensive pressure is going to possibly tell the story of the season for the Rebels.
On the schedule, Todd Central faces matchups with South Warren, Bowling Green, Caldwell County, Monroe County, Trigg County, Warren East, Paducah Tilghman, in addition to their district run against Franklin-Simpson, Logan County, and Russellville.
The Rebels will also look to make back-to-back appearances in the All A Classic in Richmond. Their journey there will begin with the team they beat in overtime in last year’s 4th Region All A championship game, Metcalfe County, on January 16.
Todd County Central will officially tip off the season Monday night as they host South Warren.
