CHAMBERSBURG – When Chambersburg’s boys basketball team takes the floor on Saturday afternoon for the opening round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 6A Tournament, the Trojans will quite literally be looking up to their opponent: The Coatesville Red Raiders.
Chambersburg’s lineup, blessed with height in its own right, will be fighting an uphill battle against a Coatesville roster loaded with players pushing 6-foot-7. That group includes Colton Hiller, one of the top-ranked sophomore prospects in the country, and his older brother, Max, who checks in at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds. Many media outlets have picked the Red Raiders as a contender to win the entire tournament.
The underdog Trojans, led by a trio of senior All-Stars in Colton Cornwell, Landon Buhrman, and Grayson Kegerreis, would love nothing more than to pull off a momumental upset.
We’ve selected this David vs. Goliath matchup as our Game of the Week.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting mulitple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming contests we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
PIAA Class 6A First Round
Chambersburg vs. Coatesville
Tip-off: Saturday, 3 p.m., at Coatesville
Records: Chambersburg enters with a 19-7 record, while Coatesville checks in at 22-6.
Last game: The Trojans defeated Cedar Cliff, 58-42, in the District 3-6A fifth-place game, while Red Raiders are coming off a 56-52 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh in the District 1-6A championship game.
What’s at stake: The winner advances to the state second round on Wednesday to play either Allderdice (18-8) or Central Catholic (22-3). The season is over for the loser.
Meet the Trojans: Coach Shawn Shreffler’s boys will go as far as their three senior Commonwealth Division All-Stars — Colton Cornwell, Landon Buhrman, and Grayson Kegerreis — can take them … Cornwell, a 6-foot-4 guard averaging 15.9 points per game, was named to the division’s First Team … Buhrman (6-6, F, 9.7 ppg) and Kegerreis (6-1, G, 12.0 ppg) are both Third Team selections who will be counted on to complement Cornwell … Malachi Duhaney, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, is averaging 10.2 points a night and will lead a supporting cast that includes Angelo Onomastico (6-1, G, 4.0 ppg), Josh Rudy (6-1, G, 2.7 ppg), Aedan Walker (5-9, G, 2.4 ppg), Seth Gilliam, Brady Truett, and Brennen Smith … The Trojans, who are averaging 58.8 points per game and allowing 48.9, played to a 9-5 record in the Commonwealth for second place.
Meet the Red Raiders: Coatesville has the size, talent, and depth to make a run at the second state title in program history … The Red Raiders are coached by John Allen, who was a star player on Coatesville’s 2001 PIAA championship team … The Red Raiders, who are averaging 69.4 points per game and allowing 58.4, are coming off a season that saw the squad win a third-straight Ches-Mont National Division title … Coatesville is led by a quartet of Ches-Mont All-Stars in Colton Hiller (6-6, 210, SF), Larry Brown (6-7, F), Chris Allegra (5-10, G), and Jonas Chester (6-7, forward) … Hiller, a player ranked No. 3 nationally in the Class of 2028 by 247Sports, was named as the Ches-Mont’s Player of the Year after being the go-to player on a team full of stars … Brown and Allegra were named to the Ches-Mont First Team, while Chester was an Honorable Mention selection … Coatesville boasts a powerful supporting cast that includes the likes of Jahlil Thedford (6-3, F), Isaiah Hicklin (6-1, G), Zeric Allen-Brown (6-2), and Max Hiller (6-6, F) … The Red Raiders are no strangers to the state tournament, and will be aiming to advance to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row.
Sandrik’s pick: Red Raiders by 12
