It was a season to remember for the Hays High Indians boys’ basketball team.
From December through early March, the Indians were unstoppable, and unbeatable.
With COVID-19 threatening the possibility of even playing games, the Indians took to heart that every game counted. And rightfully so. They had their 2020 season end just before the Class 5A semifinals after they had posted one of the few state tournament wins in school history.
So, there was much to prove for this edition of the Hays High boys’ basketball.
They didn’t disappoint.
They roared through the 2020-21 Western Athletic Conference schedule like a runaway freight train, winning all 8 conference games by an average of just more than 20 points. In addition, they didn’t lose to an opponent until the quarterfinal round of the Class 5A state tournament.
Only then, when 6-foot-6-inch senior post Dalyn Schwarz went down on the first possession of the game did a team manage to thwart the juggernaut Hays Indians. And then, it was only by a 52-49 margin that handed the Indians their lone setback and ended what had been primed to be a potential unbeaten season and state championship.
On a team that thrived to be balanced, and on a team when one of seven or eight players potentially could be the leading scorer, Schwarz was steady as a ship, and as a result the WAC coaches voted him the 2021 WAC Boys Player of the Year.
“It was a pretty fun season considering we had to switch up our schedule a lot because of the virus,” Schwarz said upon learning of his WAC award. “We didn’t get to play some of the quality teams we had hoped, but we eventually got to play the Salina teams (Central and South) and were able to beat them for the first time in my three years of varsity. So those were really special moments.”
His consistency shows up most prominently in the scoring column where he reached double figures 18 times in the 22 games he actually played significant minutes. His season high was 20 and he had a pair of double-doubles on nights where he pulled down 11 and 10 rebounds. His season averages of 11.8 points and 5.7 points were not team highs, but opponents’ propensity to double team him allowed junior teammate Jace Linenberger to thrive as well. They provided a potent 1-2 inside attack to go with a trio or quad of sharpshooting guards from the outside.
“Getting the award means a lot because I put in a lot of hard work, and it is nice to be recognized for that,” Schwarz said. “I put in a lot of time in the weight room in the offseason and I think I got stronger and was able to finish better in the paint through contact. From where I was in middle school to now, I’ve grown in height, weight and just as a player, too.”
The respect earned from teammates is shown by the fact he was chosen as a team captain.
“Being named captain on our team is a big deal,” said HHS head coach Alex Hutchins, who just completed his second year at the helm. “We talk about what it means – leadership skills on and off the court, how to be a good teammate. The kids vote and if it’s clear who gets the most votes, we can have one, two or three, but this year Dalyn was the clear choice. It speaks volumes about what his teammates think of him.”
Hutchins, a Scott City native who played for Glenn O’Neil, said Schwarz has a special place on his list of players.
“He’s the best leader, the hardest working kid I’ve had,” Hutchins said. “He had no bad days. On the defensive end of things and basketball-wise, he knew exactly what we asked of him and others. He was just more consistent in everything he did throughout and entire game this season.”
The dominance of the Indians is displayed in the first-team all-WAC list where the Indians secured three of the five spots. In addition to Schwarz, Linenberger and junior Carson Kieffer were tabbed on the elite list. Senior TJ Nunnery was a second team selection and second-year head coach Alex Hutchins garnered Coach of the Year honors.
“We go 7 to 8 deep and we have some dudes who can score,” Schwarz said. “Everybody stays engaged and we really worked hard to stay focused. We had good support off the bench. The big part of our success is that we never knew who would have the big night scoring.”
Schwarz said it was extra rewarding to win the WAC team title outright after sharing it with rival Great Bend in 2020.
“It was bittersweet to share the title, especially with it being Great Bend,” Schwarz said. “We had a goal of winning WAC alone this year and we accomplished that.”
Schwarz’ future plans are undecided at this time, still waiting to see if there’s basketball offers he wants to consider. But academics also play an important role in his life, as he looks to pursue a degree in engineering. While unsure as to the final direction of that academic pursuit, he is looking at either civil or bio-medical engineering.
“I’ve just always been interested in engineering,”
Joining Schwarz on the top five were WAC runner-up Dodge City senior Matt Friess and Garden City junior Tae Rosales.
Second team selections in addition to Nunnery were Liberal’s AJ Ramirez, Cooper Scheck and Cooper Loll of Dodge City, and Garden City’s Isaac Flores.
Hays’ perfect record was three games ahead of runner-up Dodge City’s 5-3 mark. Garden City and Liberal tied for third at 3-5 and Great Bend was fifth with a 1-7 record.
2021 Boys Basketball All-WAC Team
First Team
| Player | School | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Dalyn Schwarz | Hays | SR |
| Jace Linenberger | Hays | JR |
| Matt Friess | Dodge City | SR |
| Tae Rosales | Garden City | JR |
| Carson Kieffer | Hays | JR |
Hays Coach of the Year: Alex Hutchins, Hays
Second Team
| Player | School | Year |
|---|---|---|
| AJ Ramirez | Liberal | SR |
| TJ Nunnery | Hays | SR |
| Cooper Scheck | Dodge City | JR |
| Isaac Flores | Garden City | SR |
| Cooper Loll | Dodge City | SO |
