ROXANA - Roxana seems poised for a strong year in athletics with an enormous amount of talent going through the boys and girls ranks. The varsity football team opens its season Friday with high expectations, but over the summer, several of the boys competed on Roxana's boys basketball team under head coach Mark Briggs.

Coach Briggs, who also serves as the Shells' athletic director, said his boys had a really good summer.

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"I saw improvements as a team throughout the summer and we developed as a team," he said, expressing excitement for the 2023-2024 season that begins after football.

The Roxana boys basketball team is saluted today as Midwest Members Credit Union Athletes of the Month.

Athlete of the Month is sponsored by

"We have pretty good chemistry," Coach Briggs said. "We are senior-laden and having the summer helps give us a better feel for later in the year."

Roxana played in a college showcase event at Edwardsville this summer and Coach Briggs thought the boys looked great.

"Our kids truly enjoyed it," he said. "We have all our starters coming back. Aiden Briggs and Chris Wallace were our two leading scorers and Evan Wells will be a much better player this year. Trenton Holloway and Sean Maberry should be strong for us."

Some of the other players Coach Briggs mentioned coming back are Jackson Garman, Colten Crawford, Michael Silas, Chad Shay and Noah McVey. He said they have a full roster full of other returnees who will make a difference on both varsity and lower grade level teams.

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