City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
––

(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2024-25 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

~~~

Council Rock South is taking a guarded approach to its 2024-25 season.

The Golden Hawks figure they could be pretty good, but that’ll be up to their guards. A mix of returners ready for an increased role and some emerging young talent have CRS in line to at least be a factor in the SOL Patriot if not beyond.

So, CRS will be keeping its guard(s) up with eyes on making some noise this season.

“We’ll be young, we have a lot of underclassmen but it’s a talented group,” CR South coach Andrew Rogers said. “They play well together and they’re coachable. They’ve had a good summer and now we’re looking to carry that over. It’s a little bit of a different group than we had last year, but they work well within their strengths and they play hard.”

The Hawks will have a couple major pieces to replace, naturally in the backcourt, heading into the season. Tim Rahill, now at Moravian, was the team’s leading scorer and a first team All-SOL nod while Gabe Cerulli, now at Lebanon Valley, was also an All-SOL level performer and Jordan Getz put teammates in the right places.

Stepping into their places are a couple of players who look more than ready. 

Wekluk, a 6-foot-3 wing, is on the taller end for the Hawks’ primary contingent. The senior was the team’s second leading scorer and rebounder last season with a lot of versatility to his game.

“I definitely have high expectations for this season,” Wekluk, the only returning starter, said. “Last season, we made the playoffs but I’m looking to go above and beyond that. I think we can make a playoff run and have a really successful season.”

Junior Ryan Delp also slots from a reserve into a starter, the 6-foot-1 shooting guard bringing a quick release and plenty of range. Delp, like his teammates, can get his own shot or benefit as the next guy in line when the Hawks move the ball around.

Sophomore MJ Thompson is a prime candidate for a breakout year, the 6-foot-2 guard is already a terrific athlete who can get above the rim and a solid outside shooter. Thompson mostly came off the bench last season but will be a focal point this year.

“We’re looking for big things from him,” Delp said.

Rogers also cited junior Ray Haglund as one of the biggest risers this summer and added him to what should be the team’s top quarter. With the depth the Golden Hawks had last year, there just weren’t a lot of minutes for the 5-foot-11 guard, but he should be a big factor this season.

“Those four have all made a pretty big jump, then we have a ton of guys beneath them that will make it competitive for playing time,” Rogers said. “We’ve done a good job in the summer and fall not resting on our laurels so to speak, they play hard, now it’s about always playing at a certain level.”

The roster will be filled out with a few athletes coming off their fall sport seasons

“We play better together,” Delp said. “We definitely have multiple guys who can go above 10 points per game, when everyone does their part, that’s when it works out well for us.”

CR South qualified for the District 1 6A playoffs last year, losing their first round game on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh. A playoff return is the baseline for this season, the Golden Hawks aiming for a home game after making a run at the SOL Patriot title.

The division, which also consists of CR North, Bensalem, Neshaminy, Pennsbury and Harry S Truman, has been tightly contested in recent seasons with a lot of turnover at the top of the standings. This year, the SOL did away with its divisional crossovers, so every league game takes on even more importance.

“A lot of the teams are young, but we are too, so it’s going to be interesting,” Delp said. “It could go a lot of different ways, so it’s important for us to show up and play hard every night.”

“A first round exit, that’s motivated us to go deeper into the playoffs,” Wekluk said. “This team loves to compete, we want to play good teams and do what we can to beat them.”

Council Rock South isn’t looking for one or two players to do everything all season, the more of them that get involved, the better. The Golden Hawks feel like they have a good group of players, so that’s what they plan to use.

“Our goal is for them to have a certain standard,” Rogers said. “Our message is play hard and play together. If we do that, then good things will happen.”