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LANCASTER — In team sports, chemistry doesn’t just evolve over night.
Annville-Cleona’s case isn’t any different, but the bond between its senior captains comes from more than competing on the court.
The fall season saw seniors Bryce Keller and Jonathan Shay earn over 50% of the football team’s yardage, and the Dutchmen duo have used experiences like that to continue growing in unison.
“He’s always been the better basketball player, but I try to get him the ball as much as possible,” Bryce Keller said. “I just try to do my part and being with Shay definitely does help that.”
“I love the example we bring, I think it’s really impactful because we have some younger guys coming up that could be really good, so it’s just nice to have somebody that’s familiar.”
During the team’s 68-45 divisional loss to Lancaster-Mennonite on Friday, Annville-Cleona’s senior pairing continued to find ways to help each other on the court. By the end of the contest, Shay and Keller added 14 combined points to the scoreboard while displaying the communication they’ve shown before.
The “veteran” connection comes from a four-year stretch of making plays together on varsity, and the Dutchmen have already seen the benefits of that.
“They give us that physical football toughness,” Dutchmen coach Jason Coletti said. “Bryce is a very good on-ball defender — he’s our tough point guard who doesn’t back down from a battle physically.”
“Same thing with Jon (Shay). He’s gonna be aggressive and show that mentality underneath the rims. They’re both tough, hard-nosed kids, and we feed off that energy from them.”
In the midst of their senior campaigns, Annville-Cleona’s captains have led a team-first mentality. They’re ultra competitive on their own, but the time they’ve shared in big moments has led them to becoming better leaders for the group.
“Those two show up to everything. They set the tone, and it trickles down to the other guys,” Coletti said. “Just knowing we can depend on them for the offseason stuff and getting our team better, it’s been huge for us for the last three, four years.”
As the team’s starting center, Shay has been the team’s main presence in the paint. His on-ball talent has shined in moments, but the Dutchman’s second leading scorer gets a clear boost when he is in tandem with Keller.
Through 12 contests thus far, Shay has averaged 14.4 points per game while serving as a focal point to the offense. The senior credited Keller for the connection they’ve built over years, and said the chemistry “just gets better” with each contest.
Within both football and basketball, Annville-Cleona has seen good things come when Keller and Shay share the floor. Keller stepped up as a first-time quarterback during the fall, and the senior has continued to use that unselfish mindset on the court to help Shay and his teammates in every way possible.
“We asked him to guard their point guard which isn’t an easy task, and then (Keller) has to get us into an offense sometimes,” Coletti said. “We definitely look to Bryce to bring that type of energy — a bulldog mentality.”
As the Dutchmen continue on their path, the roster is filled with experienced teammates that are used to sharing the ball around.
Over the next month, Annville-Cleona will be tested furthermore as it looks toward a consecutive postseason. The team’s connection has carried itself, and it’s no surprise that the Dutchmen have led a well-rounded team with the time they’ve spent together.
“We got a lot of veterans and it’s definitely been building up over the past four years. When we started off, our first years were pretty rough,” Shay said.
“We’ve been slowly getting better, building chemistry together to play. We have a ton of seniors this year who have a lot of chemistry and experience together — that definitely helps propel us forward.”
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