ELDRED, NY — In some respects, you might be tempted to call the Yellowjackets of Eldred High a hard-luck team. But despite a 0-14 season, that didn’t stop this sports scribbler from noting that everyone on the boys’ varsity basketball squad took to the floor and played with a sense of youthful vim and vigor. Always.

Their season was sort of like bringing a knife to a gunfight, as it was Coach Bill Furler’s inaugural season at the helm, and what he described as an “undersized team” that featured no returning bucketeers with varsity experience from last year. All of this had them competing at a disadvantage, right from the center court git-go tipoff.

“Coming into the season, I knew it was going to be a struggle… but [they] never gave up,” said Furler.

“Our record doesn’t reflect our season… We got better every game and played hard throughout the season. Our motto for the season was that we were playing towards next year. The team, including myself, learned a lot.”

Asked about the Yellowjackets’ most memorable game of the 2021-22 season, Furler said it was against the Spartans of S.S. Seward, with Section IX legend Rob Gravelle at the helm. It was a season opener that marked the home-team coach’s first appearance as a varsity coach.     

“Watching him on the sideline, and the way he conducted himself was inspiring… I definitely learned a lot just in that one game,” he said.

Furler said that he will have seven returning players next year. “We are looking forward to a great season in 2022.”