East boys balanced, girls guard-heavy again

High school sports are cyclical, with some years featuring basketball teams heavier in underclassmen than seniors.

The coverage area of The News Herald embodied that fact this season. The senior pool for boys for the Freedom All-Star Classic East rosters was plentiful. The one for the girls was shallow in spots in terms of numbers.

The sixth annual Freedom Classic takes place April 3 at the Billy Harrison Field House on the campus of Gulf Coast Community College. The girls game is at 11 a.m. and the boys play at 1 p.m.

The East boys are balanced with four true guards, two who can play guard and forward, two impressive forwards and three post players to provide depth and skill in the paint. The girls are guard-heavy, as is the case with many East squads.

Stefon Barfield, one of the first three players chosen for the East, is joined by teammate Malcolm Owens, with the duo fresh off an appearance in the Class 4A Final Four. Fellow Final Four participants, in Class 2A, Raheem Clemmons and Willie Quinn of Port St. Joe also are on the roster.

Marianna’s Tre Long and R.J. Bowers, who led the Bulldogs to the Region 1-3A semifinal, are the third and final set of teammate pairings on the East roster. Franklin County’s Austin O’Neal and Bay’s Kenny Jones will join them in a group of talented guards.

Barfield and Hicks anchored the East boys as early post player choices. The position is bolstered more by the selection of Wewahitchka’s Chris Peak.

Finally on the boys side, Covenant Christian’s Kristo Kleimeyer was one of the three first selections, but injured his ankle earlier this month. He will be replaced on the roster sometime next week after choosing from the list of nominees.

The girls currently have 10 players, with room to add two more before the game. The chore this season was finding enough players to choose from, as several teams, including Graceville, Holmes County and Covenant, had no seniors. Some, like Ponce de Leon, only had one.

The Pirates’ lone senior, Kelsi Trim, was selected for the East girls. Ponce de Leon advanced to the Region 1-2A championship game, the deepest any area girls team went last season.

Trim is a guard and will be joined at the position by Marianna’s Christina Wynn, Chipley’s LeThera Robinson, and Malone’s Vanessa Olds. Forwards include Marianna’s Sharhea Williams, Rutherford’s Nicole Daniels and Port St. Joe’s Mariah Johnson, who also can play center.

Arnold’s Candice Edmundson, Bay’s Tanesha Middleton and Mosley’s Octavia Langston were the first three selections and round out the roster.