Nov 06, 2025 - @ Midway

Bulldogs Grab Two out of Three from the Green Wave

Greetings Wartburg Bulldog faithful! Another basketball season has begun, and it looks to be another year with a deep bench for Head Coach Daniel Byrd. Coach Byrd and his staff have their work cut out for them as they serve as the staff for both the boys and girls basketball programs of Wartburg Central Middle School. What that means: every game day holds a minimum of 2 games for the coaches... and if there is a JV game - they will coach 3 games back-to-back-to-back! The staff and students need our support and our prayers!
On November 6, 2025, Wartburg took the trip south to take on the Midway Green Wave. The Boys Junior Varsity would get their first action of the season to kick off the night. They sported a full bench of moldable youngsters with regular rotations of subs. It would appear that JV Coach Jonathan Dagley has plenty of players to work with - and they did what JV players do. They made a few missteps as they worked out the kinks and found their rhythm in spots. Levi England and Haden Green were the top scorers - but all players seemed to make the most of their minutes cruising to a 33-21 victory to start the night.
Next up was the Lady Bulldogs. Coming off of a dominant 49-8 win over the Oakdale Eagles on Monday, the ladies came into this one ready for action. Midway was an obviously well coached squad - and they jumped out to an early lead before the Lady Bulldogs found their footing. The Green Wave had a tenacious press, and their early lead was just too hard to overcome. The ladies fell to 1-1 with a disappointing 37-18 loss.
Last up was the Varsity Boys. Wartburg had a back and forth win over a good Oakdale team Monday. The 37-32 win over Oakdale was powered by Isaac "The Window" Sills' 21-point effort... He's The Window - because he's always open. Even when he's guarded - he's open. Looking at Midway's size during warm-ups, it appeared that it might be another big night for Sills... but he was running on less than 100% health - which meant "Next Man Up"... and the rest of the team answered the call for the big man. The Boys improve to 2-0 with a 34-16 win over the Green Wave...

Below are a few thoughts meant to encourage some of our young athletes that went above and beyond at Midway:

Girls Strong in the Paint

In both girls games this season, a distinct advantage for the Bulldogs is in the paint. With taller, stronger girls down low - there is an opportunity to exploit a weakness in many teams. Team-leading scorer Ellie Ritter seems to have a knack for eating up space and frustrating opponents on both ends of the court. Look for more and more of Ritter this season. Another post that has looked the part is Tinsley Knight. Although she took a hard elbow to the mouth tonight and had a scary, uncertain aftermath - Knight brings court awareness, height, and strength to a position of need. The Lady Bulldogs are looking strong down low.

Hustle Time!

One of the hardest times to hustle is when the game just isn't going your way. The game against Midway would definitely be one of "those" games. It was physical - it was feisty - the calls weren't going our way - the press was hard to break... Those games have a way of getting on top of you. A few ladies that stood out for their grind and drive all the way to the bitter end were Braylee Dagley and Peyton Phillips. Despite being down late in the fourth - they were still fighting and clawing for possession, points, and pride. Never back down! Strong work!

You can't spell Preslyn without Press

If you were tempted to question 6th-grader Preslyn "Press Your Luck" Dagley's presence on the court in varsity time - she silenced any critics in the 4th quarter against Midway. She put pressure on the opponent repeatedly - making it nearly impossible for them to advance the ball past midcourt. Her individual effort caused enough disruption to create opportunities for herself and other teammates late in the game. Her 4 points were third best on the team - but her tireless effort revived the waning Bulldogs at times late in the game.

RESCOOOOOOOO!!!!

Looking at another sixth grader that earned their reps tonight - Levi "RESCO!" England did it on the boys side. Not only did he score countless points in just a handful of minutes in the JV game - he then turned around and played an absolute gem of a game for Varsity. Although he only had 3 points in the varsity game - he had steals galore - just running up and taking the ball from the opponent on multiple occasions. England is most well known for his prowess on the football field - with a tendency toward fouls and ultra-physical play on the basketball court. Through two games, England has cleaned up his basketball play and is making it harder and harder to pull him off the court despite being a 6th grader. Say it with me... "RESCO!!!!!!"

Scattered, Covered, Smothered

Last - but certainly not least - is Kayman "Waffle House" Fritts. Some nicknames are forever - and some are just temporary... This is the temporary kind - but it's because Fritts scattered, covered, and smothered the Midway Green Wave in every phase of the game. He out-hustled them... he rebounded... he scored a team-high 11 points. He had a solid feel for the game - sensing the right moments to drive - and the right moments to pass. Although Fritts was the high-scorer of the game - he played a very unselfish game. Good players care about scoring points... Great players care about winning games... Fritts had the good fortune of doing both in a great effort tonight!