Sue Sitter/PCT Panthers Head Coach Mike Santjer, right, gives a player some tips on the basketball court in Rugby High School’s Charlie Hanneman Gym Dec. 6.

After the Panthers girls’ basketball squad started their season strong, the Panther varsity boys planned to do the same.

They hit the gym for practice the week of Dec. 6 to prepare for this weekend’s CNDC Tournament in Harvey. The Panthers started the season with a first-round game against the TGU Titans Dec. 16.

Some tough opponents from Regions 4 and 6 won’t be the only challenges the Panthers are set to face this season. Head Coach Mike Santjer said the Panthers will test their mettle against some schools with multiple trips to state in their records.

“We’re fortunate that this year, out of our region, we still play Four Winds,” Santjer said. “We play Beulah. We have Shiloh Christian on our schedule and we added Thompson this year. So, from the western part of the state to the east, we have some really good teams on the schedule, so, yeah, we definitely will be tested this year, and our region has some good teams, so we’re going to have to play well every night.”

The Panthers warmed up with a game called “Intensity.” “There are three teams,” Santjer explained. “We keep track of points and whoever has the least amount of points, we make one do pushups and the other one do sit-ups and stuff. It’s just a game we play to get them loosened up before practice.”

“Hopefully, when we get to play in the CNDC Tournament, we’re ready,” Santjer said of their first test, which continues through Dec. 18. “I’m sure there will be some things we’ll definitely want to work on but, yeah, we’re hoping to come out of the gates and hopefully play well.”

Of the Panthers’ roster for this season, Santjer said, “Erik (Foster) comes back probably with the most varsity experience of anybody we bring back. But, getting Brody (Schneibel) back healthy after tearing up his knee is a big thing. We’ve got some seniors who are ready to step up into those leadership spots. So, we’ve got a kind of a fresh group of kids who don’t have a lot of varsity experience.”

“It will be kind of a learning experience as we go, getting those kids to adjust to the speed of the varsity level and things like that,” Santjer added.

Santjer said the team still had their sights set on a trip to state – “Every year,” he smiled. “And I think we’ve got the right kids to do that. Will it be pretty always? Probably not, because we’re all still learning a little bit, but it will be a fun group to come watch.”