Vikings set course for bounce-back campaign

Pecatonica’s Kegun Brunker (3) and Coy Ruegsegger (32) played key roles for the Vikings last season. Brunker averaged 10.8 ppg and was a second-team all-conference pick.

BLANCHARDVILLE — From 2013-2019, the Pecatonica’s boys basketball team had gone six straight seasons of not just above-.500 ball in the Six Rivers East, but six seasons of contending for the league’s title.

After back-to-back down years (10-28 overall) the past two seasons, the Vikings are eager to climb back into the conference race.

“We need to get better each night and compete on a nightly basis,” said head coach Matt Fink. “We return some upperclassmen, but as a program we are very young and will be playing a lot of underclassmen on a regular basis.

Many of those underclassmen received their first taste of varsity basketball last winter. Tyler McKeon (4.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.2 spg), Jameson Johnson and Elijah Knutson all played significant minutes last year as freshmen. Coy Ruegsegger averaged 5.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg as a sophomore, and also saw plenty of minutes on the varsity court as a freshman two seasons ago.

Leading the way this winter will be senior Hunter Enloe, a first-team all-conference pick that averaged 15.8 ppg. Also back is Kegun Brunker (10.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.0 spg), a second-team all-conference selection. Senior rotation players Devon Doran and Wyat Mieden also return.

“The eight players listed above are basically our varsity. We played a lot of young guys last year, so they all lettered,” Fink said. Work ethic, attitude and a daily approach will be strengths for the team this year. “We will compete.”

Fink also noted that his players will have to mature their game a bit faster this year. Varsity action moves fast for new freshmen, but those players will have to be more acclimated this time around.

“We have to grow up in a hurry. Again, we are young, but we need to grow up fast. I think we will see improvement in many phases over the course of the season,” Fink said.

Entering his 10th season as head coach with a career record of 135-75, Fink has seen a lot of different players and quality of teams in the Six Rivers East. This year, there are no clear cut one or two teams that are the favorites to win the conference title.

“Monticello, Barneveld, Black Hawk, Albany,” Fink said. “Who knows? It is wide open.”