SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — After reaching the state tournament semifinals to culminate the 2021-2022 boys basketball season, Jefferson High School is striving once again to visit Charleston in late March.

The 2021-2022 Cougars were only eliminated by Parkersburg South High School in the state semifinals.

Key personnel losses from that team were Daion Taylor, Cameron Johnson, David Haines and Bryson Fleming.

This weekend should prove to be an interesting one for the Cougars and people across the state, who will want to see if the Cougars can put together another quality season.

Jefferson had only a 10-14 record in 2020-2021 and the doubters across the state will want to see a team capable of winning consistently against quality competition like Morgantown and University that are on the schedule this weekend.

The Cougars opened this season at home last weekend with a 96-51 win over Caesar Chavez from Washington, D.C.

Jefferson totaled 46 points in the first half and 50 points in the second half, in breezing past the D.C. private school.

Guard Jamari Jenkins paced Jefferson’s scorers with his 26 points in the fast-paced opener. Jaiden Gladney added 17 points with Will Shively (16 points) and Isaiah Fritts (10) giving the Cougars four players in double figures.

The games versus University High School and Morgantown High School should be a step-up in competition.

Jefferson is again in the AAAA ranks of the four-tier class system now employed for boys basketball by the WVSSAC.

Pressure defense with the hopes of generating some fast breaks and an overall up-tempo pace to its games will be a feature of the Cougar games, as was the case in 2021-2202.

Jefferson is situated in the same AAAA Sectional as Musselman High School and Washington High School. In the nearby Sectional and a part of the same Region are Spring Mills High School, Hedgesville High School and Martinsburg High School.

As was the case in previous seasons, two teams will get to represent the Region in the eight-school state tournament.

Another much-watched highlight of this season’s schedule will be a two-game weekend in Charleston on Feb. 6-7, when the Cougars will play South Charleston High School and George Washington High School.

Private schools remaining to be played are St. Maria Goretti High School (Hagerstown, Md.), Broadfording Christian Academy (Hagerstown, Md.) and St. James School (Washington County, Md). The Gaels are scheduled to be in Shenandoah Junction on Jan. 6, Broadfording will be played on Feb. 3 and the Cougars are slated to play at St. James on Jan. 21.

Virginia schools Millbrook High School and Gainesville High School are on this season’s schedule, as is this state’s class AAA, Hampshire High School.

Washington, Musselman, Spring Mills, Hedgesville and Martinsburg are to be played on a home-and-away basis.

The 2022-2023 regular season closes on Feb. 22, with a road game at Hedgesville.

The three teams in the Sectional will be seeded for the post-season, as will all six teams in the Regional.