THS went 15-5 on the season, winning a Frontier League title along the way.

It was the program’s first conference crown in 35 years — the squad’s last was in 1986 when the Chieftains were members of the Pioneer League.

Last year’s team also had seven seniors: Blake Poje, Heston Robbins, Dallas Bond, Rylee Beach, Tamar Brown, Will Washington and Thailan Simpson.

Beach, Poje, Robbins and Bond provided a lot of firepower, with Brown also coming off the bench for THS.

“We’re not like last year as far as experience at the varsity level,” THS coach Phil Jones said Tuesday.

That being said, Tonganoxie does return big contributors a year ago, including Andrew Wilson and Zane Novotney. Both are back for their senior campaigns, as is Mikey Conroy, who was a key reserve a year ago. Cuyler Kietzmann is back for his senior year as well. He last was on the court for the Chieftains as a sophomore.

Junior Caleb Clark is among the older players back to help lead the Chieftains as a junior as well. Other juniors are Derick Barnes, Canyon Henrickson and Brandon Wilson. Sophomores this year are Caeder Albert, Zekkiah Glover, Isaiah Holthaus and Alex Crowley. This year’s freshman class is 12 players strong: Ashton Glavin, Jayson Byrne, Brock Gibbs, Jett Gilmore, Noah Carlton, Alex Gardea, Cavin Hendrickson, Owen Schmidt, Jackson Adcox, Kagan Malec, Kendall Smith and Kyle Johnson.

Jones said the team “is not nearly as tall and lanky” as they were a year ago, but he also sees other advantages from a year ago.

“We are further along as far as installing stuff,” Jones explained. “But we’re installing a lot of new stuff that guys have never used. We’ll find out Friday who is ready for a varsity court a lot faster.”

That’s when Tonganoxie gets the season started around 7:30 p.m. at home against Frontier League foe Louisburg.

Preseason polls have the Wildcats at No. 2 and Tonganoxie at No. 3 in Class 4A, but it could be an interesting opener with both teams having more fresh faces on the varsity court. Louisburg standout Julian Musgrave transferred in the offseason. The 6-foot-9-inch forward is at New Hampton Prep in New Hampshire for his senior season. Musgrave helped the Wildcats to a runner-up finish a year ago against Bishop Miege. The Stags defeated Tonganoxie in the substate finals, 63-30, before breezing through Holton and McPherson at state. The Stags then defeated Lousiburg, 94-40, in the championship.

During a normal year, Tonganoxie would have been seeded in the East Region Bracket. Odds were good Tonganoxie could have earned a state berth for the first time since the 1980s with that format, but the state reverted back to pre-determined substates during earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and THS drew Miege in substate.

But the page turns to 2021-22 and new opportunities for Tonganoxie.

Jones hopes to be at .500 or above heading into winter break. THS has six games on the 2021 portion of the schedule with the majority at home. Tonganoxie plays at home Friday against Louisburg, Tuesday against Atchison, Dec. 10 against Atchison and then on the road Dec. 14 at Turner in Kansas City, Kan. THS also is on the road Dec. 17 at Eudora and then back home Dec. 21 against Lansing. That game was the regular-season finale last season, but now is right before winter break. That also allows both teams some more days off to prepare for substate.

“The good thing about Kansas is everybody goes to the playoffs,” Jones said. “You have a full year of experience by the end of February.

As for Frontier League predictions, Jones anticipates another well-balanced league this year. He said it’s arguably the most competitive 4A league from top to bottom in the state. He anticipates Eudora being a frontrunner with who the Cardinals have back, as well as Piper.

“Piper’s boys always are fighting for the top spot,” he said.

THS also hopes to defend that league title from a year ago and make it two in a row.