Muskies looking to change the culture under Kirby

NEW CONCORD - John Glenn fell in its season opener against Cambridge on Friday, but first-year coach Dave Kirby said he saw positives.

“We’re trying to build something,” he said. “Win or lose, we would have that same emphasis when we came back in here Saturday. These girls are coachable and hungry. It’s cliche, but our goal is to improve every day and work hard.”

The Muskies return several players off a 4-19 team. They will be led by returning letterwinners, seniors Abby Wagner and Tyler Bonner, juniors Bre Tetirick and Gabbi Blair, and sophomore Madison Hunter.

Senior Tyler Marling and sophomores Jenna Pethtel, Mollie Founds, Bailey Johnson and Lauren Sherry round out the varsity roster.

Although the team is fighting through early injuries, the Muskies will have a chance to gain depth off their bench.

“We have to lean on some girls who don’t have any varsity experience,” Kirby said. “They’re going to get some chances. We’re working on things for the present as well as down the line.”

Despite a rough season a year ago, Kirby said the team remains upbeat. He hopes those positive vibes continue no matter the results.

“These kids are resilient,” he said. “If you saw how many turnovers we had against Cambridge, you would have thought we lost by 25. But our girls kept fighting, and it was a two or three-possession game with 1:30 left. The girls responded well to that situation.

“We’re trying to change that mentality and want them to expect to win,” he said. “Our players have had success in volleyball, soccer, cross country and softball. We’re hoping there’s a carryover affect to our program.”

The one piece missing for John Glenn is a go-to scorer. Kirby is not concerned about that now; he likes the other strengths this team has.

“We have athleticism and team speed. Those will be utilized as we go,” he said. “We’re working on becoming fundamentally sound. We’re trying to break some of those bad habits, and we can’t rush that process.”

Ultimately, the Muskies’ success relies on a team effort. Kirby said he hopes this season is the one to get the program headed back in the right direction.

“On offense, we will need good ball movement and player movement. We have to share the ball,” he said. “Defensively, we don’t have one stopper. We will have to rely on each other.

“It’s going to come down to them buying into the team concept and working together,” Kirby said. “These girls are going to show toughness. We’re not going to make it easy to beat us.”

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Roster

Schedule

Nov. 20: L, 43-32 to Cambridge

Nov. 24: New Lexington

Nov. 28: at Tri-Valley

Dec. 2: at Maysville

Dec. 5: Philo

Dec. 7: Coshocton

Dec. 9: Crooksville

Dec. 12: at West Muskingum

Dec. 16: Sheridan

Dec. 23: at Morgan

Dec. 28: at Dover

Jan. 6: at New Lexington

Jan. 9: Tri-Valley

Jan. 13: Maysville

Jan. 16: at Philo

Jan. 20: at Zanesville

Jan. 25: at Meadowbrook

Jan. 27: at Crooksville

Jan. 30: West Muskingum

Feb. 1: Rosecrans

Feb. 3: at Sheridan

Feb. 6: Morgan