By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Dating back to 2023, Hayden has made it to the state tournament three straight seasons.
The Wildcats got knocked out in the first round in 2023. In 2024, Hayden finished 21-5 and posted a third-place finish. Last year, Hayden finished third again with a 22-3 record.
Hailey Schmidtlein is set to start her sophomore season for Hayden after earning first-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season. [File photo/TSN]
Coach Carvel Reynoldson enters year number seven with Hayden and said the year before he arrived took over, the Wildcats only won six games.
Despite suffering heavy graduation losses from last season's third-place state finishing team, Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson has high hopes for his Wildcats this winter. [File photo/TSN]
There were many ups and downs at that time and Reynoldson feels like winning the Centennial League last year proves the Wildcats have turned the corner. With the team losing Millie Ramsey, Brylee Meier and Norma Greco, Reynoldson's heard that people believe Hayden will take a step back, but he doesn’t think so.
“The heart and tenacity the girls are showing me are giving me hope,” Reynoldson said. “We have a senior class that has played all four years and knows the standards and they enforce them. A lot of times, I don’t have to because they do.
"They’re an athletic group, we’re a lot faster than we were last year, we’re tenacious, but replacing what we lost is going to be difficult from a scoring standpoint. Everybody knows that, but I love the tenacity we play with.”
Something else that sticks out is that the experience the girls have gained being at the state tournament the last couple of years, but also watching the seniors before them hold the team accountable.
A couple of players Reynoldson will rely on heavily will be senior Kaydence Watts and sophomore Hailey Schmidtlien, who was a first-team All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League pick as a freshman while being named the county and league newcomer of the yer.
Schmidtlien said one thing you’ll see from this group is the heart they’ll show, even though for some of her teammates, basketball may not be their number one sport.
“I think it’s been so much fun so far, I think these girls have learned a lot and you can tell. Our scrimmage day one looks nothing like it does now,” Schmidtlien said.
One big core thing that hasn’t changed according to Schmidtlien is the ‘floor burn stats’ which Reynoldson describes as being the first one on the floor for a loose ball, helping up teammates and giving that 100 percent effort.
While it may be different than the last couple of seasons, the team is embracing what’s ahead.
“It’s a completely different style of basketball … we have a whole new offense that we’re running and defense, too, that fits our group really well,'' Schmidtlein said. "We have some core seniors that will lead us just as well as our seniors did last year. They’ve stepped up so far and I’m excited we’re going to do great.”
