Battle of the Midland Trail

MOUNT VERNON - If you’ve stepped foot inside Jefferson County in Illinois within the past month, you’ve probably heard it. The buzz is too loud to avoid. For the first time that I can certainly remember in all of my days as a fan of high school basketball, Jefferson County boasts 3 of the Top 10 1A teams in Illinois in multiple pre-season polls statewide. Oddly enough, they’re also all within the same conference. The hype is real here in Southern Illinois as all 3 Midland Trail W’s (Waltonville, Woodlawn, Webber) will look to make a deep postseason run in the early spring.  All three teams have kicked their seasons off with 1-0 starts. I was lucky enough to be able to catch all three games thanks to areasports.net and WMIX Sports. As a graduate of Woodlawn High School, it’s exciting to see those guys poised for a successful postseason run again. However, I’ve spent time coaching some of the Waltonville guys and root for those kids like they’re my own and my former teammate Jaxon Helm is the head coach for the Webber Trojans. That makes it awfully hard to be biased as I root for all three teams anytime they’re on the floor. This year will be no different as I’m more than excited to watch these guys hit the hardwood in the last ever year of the Midland Trail Conference Tournament. Without further ado, let’s jump right into the team previews. 

Webber Trojans (Bluford, IL)

Head Coach: Jaxon Helm

2024-25 Record: 27-6 (Lost to Effingham St. Anthony in Sectional Semi)

The Webber Trojans come in ranked at No.9 in our first pre-season poll and for very good reason. It is no secret that they have an absolute offensive weapon in 6’3” senior Nathaniel Marlow. He will look to potentially reach 3,000 points this season as a senior as he surpassed the 2,000 point mark already as a junior. To put more emphasis on that, only 6 players in the history of IHSA basketball have ever accomplished that feat. Marlow will have a solid support cast as Webber brings back a lot of last year’s team as well. 6’0” senior guard Waylon Jones is back for another deep run. Two sophomores that saw a lot of varsity minutes last year, 6’2” Jacob Marlow and 5’11” Bryden Dalby, will be key pieces in the Trojan offense. After sitting out the entire season after getting injured in the first game of the season, 5’11” senior Carter Bain will also get a chance to contribute to Webber’s success this season. He was a starter as a sophomore for the Trojans in the 2023-24 season. 5’11” senior Grayson Fairchild and 5’11” junior Colter Stone will also see a lot of varsity time for Coach Helm’s squad. One thing not talked about enough is the success Jaxon Helm has had at the “helm” of these Webber Trojans. In his first two seasons as head coach, Helm has only 10 total losses on his resume. That has not been by playing low-caliber opponents either, as Coach Helm continues to add tough games to the schedule year after year. This year is no different as they will travel north to the Riverton Shootout and will also travel to 2A juggernaut Nashville and take on the Hornets at Assembly Hall towards the back half of the regular season. Expect the Trojans to be hard-nosed on both sides of the ball and play fundamentally sound, scrappy, physical basketball just as they have in previous years.

Woodlawn Cardinals (Woodlawn, IL)

Head Coach: Luke Cooper

2024-25 Record: 19-13 (Lost to Christopher in Regional Semi)

The Woodlawn Cardinals expected to have a team talented enough to compete for an MTC title this year as they didn’t lose a single starter from the 2024-25 season. However, they ended up adding a couple of key pieces and an assistant coach in the off-season that make them an immediate contender for a Sectional title, giving us good reason to put them at No.3 in our 1A pre-season poll. Coach Luke Cooper has made this season “The Family Reunion” as his youngest brother, Kyle Cooper (averaged over 17ppg for Waltonville last season and All-South Selection), has transferred in from rival Waltonville and has already provided a spark, netting 27 points in his first game with the Woodlawn uniform on. Coach Cooper’s uncle, Rob Flanagan, has joined as an assistant coach on the Cardinal coaching staff. Sound familiar? Probably because he just spent 29 years as the Olney Tigers head coach, collecting 486 wins. He will provide a lot of knowledge for the Cardinals’ ball club. We’re not done there, however, as the Cardinals have yet another addition. 6’4” senior and All-Conference Kylan Moser transfers in from conference foe Webber and will provide depth in the front court for the Cardinals. Outside of the two roster additions, Woodlawn brings back a ton of talent. 6’5” senior Baylor Rollie, 6’4” junior Luke McKay and 6’5” junior Tyson Frick will all be huge facets in the Cardinal offense and pose a lot of height mismatches with most of the teams on their schedule. 6’3” sophomore Tucker Downes and 6’1” sophomore Ian Bennett will provide talented depth for Woodlawn as both are coming off of freshman campaigns where they saw some varsity time. Just like Webber, the Cardinals will travel north to the Riverton Shootout in February. They will also play in the always tough Duster Thomas Hoops Classic in Pinckneyville next month. This Woodlawn team will be a fun one to watch all season long.

Waltonville Spartans (Waltonville, IL)

Head Coach: Anthony Lowery

2024-25 Record: 28-5 (Lost To Mounds Meridian in Sectional Semi)

The basketball buzz in Waltonville has been strong for the past few years. Don’t expect it to die down any this year. There's a good reason behind the Spartans holding the No.2 spot in our 1A pre-season poll. They bring back a very talented roster with varsity experience this season. They may have lost 17 points per game from Kyle Cooper to Woodlawn, but Waltonville returns 3 starters and has a lot of talent beyond those guys. Until someone can prove that they deserve the top spot in the MTC, it belongs to the Spartans. The biggest piece of the puzzle returning is All-South Selection 6’6” senior Gage Peterson, who has given opposing teams fits since he’s been in a Spartan uniform. He put up 16 points and 8 rebounds for the Spartans a year ago and looks to do even more damage this go round. The other twin tower for Waltonville is 6 '5 " junior Jagger Mayville who, like Peterson, is both an inside and outside threat. 6’1” junior Witten Devor returns for the Spartans after seeing a lot of varsity minutes last year as a sophomore. He will likely be the ball handler and push the tempo for Waltonville. 6’1” senior Riley Stewart will be a big piece of the Spartan success this season as well. Stewart’s strength and speed give him the ability to defend both guards and post players. Two other guys that will see a lot of minutes for the Spartans will be 5’11” senior Weston Rose and 5’11” senior Brendan Klingler. Both add strength to the guard play for Waltonville and provide a lot of veteran experience. The Spartans will once again take on a tough schedule as they are in the Marion Shootout, Highland Shootout, Pinckneyville Showcase, Benton “Rich Herrin Shootout”, Riverton Shootout and will travel to Marion to take on the Wildcats on January 30th. Expect another deep run from the Spartans this season.