Marty Gatzemeyer

Starting a season injured is tough, let alone your senior season and Valley Falls senior, Marty Gatzemeyer didn’t want to start his basketball year still battling an injury suffered during the football season.

Gatzemeyer worked back for the Dragons in time to start the season and has made a big impact to start the year as the Dragons are 2-1. The season opened up with a tough one-point loss at home against Centralia, a game in which Marty dropped 28 points sending the Dragons to 0-1 to start the year.

But last week the Dragons got things rolling in the win column and Gatzemeyer was at the forefront leading the way in a pair of Northeast Kansas League wins both on the road. The senior dropped 33 points against Pleasant Ridge in a 70-35 rout of the Rams, while the Dragons followed that up with a 44-28 win at Oskaloosa where Gatzemeyer led the team in scoring with 15 points.

Through the first three games Gatzemeyer is averaging 25.3 points per game helping the Dragons to a 2-0 week last week and 2-1 record overall.

The senior has already been a key part of the early season success for the Dragons with his play and leadership and will be look to over the course of the season to help Valley Falls challenge for a NEKL title and more.