The Dee-Mack Chiefs’ winter sports season is around the corner. This winter, we’ve got our eyes on the boys and girls basketball and wrestling teams as well as the spirit team. The Chiefs compete in the Heart of Illinois Conference (HOIC). Both basketball teams hope to make a post-season run this year, and the wrestling team hopes to have lots of individual improvements as well as make it past regionals. The spirit team is along for the ride, hoping to continue building and improving their program under their new coach.
We took a closer look at what players and coaches are looking forward to this season…
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team finished out last year with a 8-23 record, ending the season ranked 10th in the HOIC. A relatively young team, they’re looking forward to a season of improvements.
When asked what his goals were for the season, junior starter Jerry Hahn said “To finish with a winning record and go as far as we can in the playoffs”.
Second year head coach, Brock Streitmatter, said “Obviously everybody wants to win, and that will remain our goal. But overall, we want to see growth and maturity out of all of our guys. I want to look back at where we are now and be able to see real growth, not only in the win column but in each individual player.”.
Click here to see the 2024-2025 roster and schedule.
Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team had an incredibly successful season last year, finishing the regular season ranked 1st in the HOIC with a record of 32-3. With an undefeated conference record, they beat Tri-Valley 57-38 to win Regionals before falling to Peoria Notre Dame in the final round of Sectionals.
With another season shaping up to be a good one, senior Kenzie Knowles said she’s looking forward to “working together as a team and accomplishing our goals.”
When looking ahead, Coach Joni Nightingale said: “I’m most looking forward to coaching this group of girls. Our athletes are great teammates, communicators, and competitors. I enjoy spending time with them.”.
You can read more from Coach Nightingale in Gracie Bontemps’ feature article on her here.
Click here to see the 2024-2025 roster and schedule.
Boys and Girls Wrestling
The wrestling team this year plans on improving as much as possible and making it as far as possible in their postseason.
Junior Ashten Finch told us what he wishes more people knew about student athletes: “I wish more people knew the time and effort we put into this.”. Senior Holly Hixon said, “a lot of work is put into it… I wish that certain athletes and sports were recognized more”.
Coach Thomas is ready to face the hardships of the season head on, saying, “The biggest challenge is that wrestling is hard. The kids have to be resilient and know that they are growing as a person and competitor. ALL grades and skill levels are invited; everyone will wrestle and get opportunities. Other sports a lot of the time you have to be the best kid at your position or you simply do not get as many “playing” opportunities. ALL wrestlers will get mat time. Goals are individual improvement. Every wrestler will have their own goal of what success will look like. We could be good as a team this season. Will depend on if we can fill all of the weight classes and continue to improve. Wrestling takes all sizes to win as a team.”
Click here to see the 2024-2025 roster and schedule.
Spirit Team
The spirit team is at every home and away game for boys basketball, keeping the sidelines lively and loud. When asked what her goals were for the season, Cora, a senior on the team, said, “I just want to build bonds with everyone and have a good year”.
Coach Jeanie Fogle shared that her goals for the season are as follows: “We really want to improve this basketball season. We performed well during football season and got the crowd and the community excited for our performances. I want the girls to push themselves and be the best versions of themselves everyday. I have high expectations and I want each girl to work hard and reach their full potential this season.”.
