Last season, the Falcons won their first boys basketball state championship title in 39 years.

However, the team knows it will be tough to defend their state title this upcoming season, as four members of last season’s starting five graduated.

With senior captains Sam Johnson and Vince Faris and junior starter Riggy Khyungra as the only returners from last season’s team, players said that there is a lot of worry about how their junior-dominant team can combat the learning curve that comes with joining a varsity team.

“We’re a younger team, so we don’t have as much experience,” Johnson said.

With the road blocks that come from having a less experienced, younger group of guys, this preseason has been used for players to figure out their roles on the team and how they can contribute to defending their state championship.

The Falcons started off their season with a 0-3 record, losing their three games against 6A opponents Westview, Jefferson, and Jesuit High School.

The Falcons first preseason game was at home on Tuesday, Dec. 9, against Jesuit where they lost 76-30.

They played an exhibition game on Wednesday, Dec. 10 against the Australian visitors, Modbury High School, at La Salle, where they won 74-61.

Their second and third preseason games were against Westview at the University of Oregon on Dec. 12 and away at Jefferson High School on Dec. 16, resulting in 66-56 and 88-63 losses. 

Although the team has faced struggles early on, they know they have potential, junior Matthew Tesfa said. 

“Talent wise, we’re probably one of the top teams in our conference,” Tesfa said. 

According to Tesfa and Faris, what makes the biggest difference is having confidence and faith in the work and dedication you have put in, even during times of stress. 

“Actions speak louder than words,” Faris said. “We have to prove it on the court.”

Faris elaborated on how fans don’t always see the work they put in behind the scenes. 

“By seeing a missed shot, it’s more than one shot,” Faris said. “It’s countless hours of hard work put into that one catch-shoot.”

What this team needs, as Tesfa described, is to “buy in, play hard … don’t do the 97%, do the 3% that wins games.”

Between Tesfa’s emphasis on effort and attention to detail and Faris’ focus on confidence, a clear theme has emerged for this season: success goes beyond effort alone.

Collectively, the team has agreed that how they go this season will come down to belief in each other, consistency, and shared accountability, Faris said.

“It’s really just about two main things: how much we can buy into each other and how much confidence we can have in ourselves. It’s all a mindset,” Faris said. “That’s all it is going to be this year — a mindset.”

The Falcons plan to achieve this confident mindset by focusing on leadership, connection, and work ethic.

Many of their teammates appreciate Faris and Johnson’s roles as captains because they are able to motivate the team on and off the court. Faris hopes he can encourage the younger players to find their identity on this team, and as a collective, reach a point where they can flow. 

“What makes this team special is the connectedness,” Faris said. “We’ve spent maybe 500 hours in the gym together.”

The sense of unity has been built through the time the team spends together in practices, workouts, and traditions, according to Faris. He explained that learning how to trust one another, especially with a younger roster still adjusting to varsity expectations, is the key to success. 

Defending a state championship is a mighty task, but with the commitment and dedication of all 11 players, anything is possible this season, players said.

“We lost a lot of seniors … but I think we’ll be good this season,” Johnson said. “Don’t count us out.”

The Falcons’ next game is at home on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 7:15 p.m against Sunset High School.