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What we learned at Butler Eagle Basketball Media Day: Butler’s PG committee, Mars accepting challenge, A-C Valley’s Rapp soon to take off

Butler’s Jace Gratzmiller, left, Andrew Gettinger, and Stainton Forbes during Butler Eagle Basketball Media Day on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Butler County Family YMCA. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Nineteen teams descended Wednesday on the Butler Family YMCA for the first Butler Eagle Basketball Media Day for the unofficial start of the high school basketball season.

Amidst 3-point contests, TikToks and podcasts interviews, players and coaches from Butler County teams dished details big and small ahead of the 2025-26 campaign that begins on Black Friday.

Here are some of the highlights the Eagle sports staff learned, from Xs and Os, to lineups and things maybe a little less hardwood.

Butler boys’ committee approach at PG

Arguably, one of the biggest graduation losses this season in the county will be Butler’s Tayt Lucas. The graduated point guard, now at Geneva College, handled the rock a lot last year and was a dangerous 3-point shooter.

The Tornado do not have one player to replace his production and playmaking. Instead, Andrew Gettinger, who played a point-forward-type role last season, Stainton Forbes and Jace Gratzmiller expect it to be a committee. It’s changing how the scheme plays, inbounds sets and more.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been a challenge, but just with more practice I think we can get better at it and not have just one person dominating the ball,” Gettinger said.

“I honestly enjoy the challenge,” Forbes said.

– Jake Merda Adams

Knoch girls’ eclectic personalities take center stage

The personalities of the Knoch girls team shined at media day. The Knights were represented by Aubrey Spencer, Liv Foster and Jada Burgard. During filming for “At the buzzer,” a video segment that will drop with our “Eye on Sports” podcast over the coming weeks, few teams laughed more at themselves than the Knights.

It carries over in practice and on the bus, apparently. Spencer was lightning-quick pointing out Foster and JoJo (Jocelyn Szebalski) usually cause most of the laughs.

“You guys just all wanna be quiet and yell at me when I’m loud,” Foster said, drawing quick laughs from her teammates immediately.

But this is a serious bunch. The Knights haven’t missed the WPIAL playoffs in eight years, and that streak is important to the group. But so is having fun.

“I don’t think you’ll find a team that laughs more than us or makes more jokes than we do,” Spencer said.

– Merda Adams

Slippery Rock High School's Doug Popovec (3) competes in a three-point contest during the Butler Eagle Media Day at the Butler County YMCA, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
A fish fry to remember

Prior to becoming head coach of Slippery Rock’s boys, A.J. Motta was an assistant at Pine-Richland. During his time there, he was part of a team tradition of attending a fish fry during Lent.

In 2017, the Rams were on their way to Hershey to face Reading in the Class 6A state final.

“We were somewhere out in central Pa., not sure exactly where,” Motta said. “We had planned to stop at a church for a fish dinner and just as we were pulling in, the bus breaks down in the parking lot.”

Motta doesn’t know exactly what was wrong with the bus, but fortunately, by the time the team finished dinner, it had been fixed. The next day, the Rams dropped a hard-fought 64-60 decision and finished runner-up in the state.

– Derek Pyda

Bring it on

Mars girls coach Zach Stitt doesn’t look at residing in the same WPIAL section as district and state power South Fayette as a hindrance. He welcomes the challenge the Lions, defending Class 5A state champions, present.

In fact, he wants his team to get used to formidable competition. To that end, he worked with Mars athletic director Zach Matusak to schedule a number of difficult non-section games.

Mars will be facing Franklin Regional, Bethel Park, Elizabeth Forward, Peters Township, Knoch and North Catholic, five WPIAL playoff teams from a year ago that combined for a record of 110-50. Peters is the defending WPIAL champion and North Catholic reached the state semifinals in Class 4A.

“The game against North Catholic (Feb. 7), I know Molly (Rottmann, head coach) and have a lot of respect for her program. I’m hoping that can turn into a local rivalry.”

The Planets will also make the trek to Garrett County (Md.) Community College in late December to play Washington (W.Va.) and Southern (Md.), two squads that went 42-8 last year.

– Pyda

Seneca Valley’s Brooke Dufford, left bottom, Erica Rebovich, left top, Natalie Hambly, right top, and Reece McFadden, right bottom, during Butler Eagle Basketball Media Day on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Butler County Family YMCA. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
Honorary member

Twenty-plus years ago, when current Seneca Valley girls coach Dorothea Epps was leading Butler, the Golden Tornado befriended a bus driver.

“His name was Ted, and the girls really liked him. He was like a father figure,” Epps said. “We actually started requesting that he be the driver for our away games, and he took care of us for eight years or so.

“He drove us everywhere and we ended up giving him a varsity jacket.”

– Pyda

Next up

Guard Austen Wroblewski and forward Ben Detisch are back as starters. The former expects fellow senior Chase Thimons to step up into a starring role.

“I think he’ll be wearing No. 2 this year,” Wroblewski said. “He’s had a great spring, he’s had a great summer, great fall. I think he flies high above the rim. He can slam it down, but he also plays insanely (good) defense.”

Thimons was more of the sixth man a season ago, but has been on the floor to start during offseason leagues.

“I wanna say I’m a main scorer type of guy,” Thimons said. “I’m kind of like the glue guy. I’m the defender making plays on that side of the ball and creating opportunities for my teammates on offense when I can. So this year, I’m hoping to expand, obviously.”

— Brendan Howe

Taking off

A-C Valley’s Joe Rapp is a skilled golfer who won the District 9 Class 2A individual title last month. He’ll also be taking to the hardwood for the Falcons this season. Someday, he might be taking you across the country.

“I’m in a flight program,” Rapp said. “(My parents) have always been interested in it, so I figured I’d do some training and try to be a commercial airline pilot.”

Rapp takes weekly lessons at High Flight Academy, which operates out of Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport. He hasn’t flown a plane on his own just yet, but is getting close.

“I was actually scared of flying,” Rapp said. “But it’s different once you’re in control of the plane.”

— Howe

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