COBDEN (WSIL) -- Just a few weeks ago, having a high school basketball season in southern Illinois did seem like a real strong possibility. Fast forward to early February and the Cobden Appleknockers are 2-0. Kendra Sheehan goes beyond the highlights, to learn more about a Cobden team that early on looks to be one of the better teams in our area.
"The only thing we can be certain of and control is how hard we are working and how and we can compete with our guys," Cobden senior Noah Franklin said.
The Appleknockers are undefeated to start the season. They've got great size. Four guys above six-foot-five.
"That really helps us. In a lot of ways it helps us disrupt on defense because of our length, you know our arms are really long, so we can get into the passing lanes really easily and it obviously helps with the rebounding advantage."
"Almost thirty years of coaching, I've never had a team with this kind of size and to utilize it and not forget, they are basketball players, not just a tall kid," Cobden Boys Basketball Head Coach Wendell Wheeler said.
However, Cobden returns just two starters from last years regional championship team. The Franklin brothers, Noah, a four year varsity starter, his final year playing right beside his brother Tyler.
"Yeah, it's been really fun to be able to play with my brother, because not a lot of people get to do that," Cobden sophomore Tyler Franklin said. "A lot of people, they are one year off and really wish they could play with their sibling and I'm really blessed that I actually got to."
"I mean we've had countless hours together shooting in the gym, shooting outside playing against each other so there's always been that level of competitiveness between us," Noah Franklin said.
The Appleknockers are coming off back-to-back twenty win seasons, creating a culture of hard work and a winning mentality.
"It's tough, but for the kids to come out today, and you've seen today, show up, be here, work hard, keep playing, it shows you how much they want to play," Wheeler said.
"We go hardest everyday," Tyler Franklin said. "I've said it a lot, we don't know when it's going to be our last, so we push ourselves every day to get better together."
