Carson Schertz – Fairland High School
Grove Area Boys Basketball Poll
By Chris Cox
Fairland sophomore Carson Schertz has been playing basketball the majority of life thanks in large part to his dad.
“I started playing in kindergarten,” he says. “My dad was a basketball coach at Welch, so I was always at the gym, and I just fell in love with it.”
Beyond just introducing the game to Carson, his dad (Josh) remains a big influence in Carson’s life as a basketball player.
“He’s the assistant on my high school team,” he says. “Anytime I want to go to the gym or need help with something, he always takes me, and he’ll go out there and shoot with me. Anytime I’m struggling with something, he’s always there to help work on it with me.”
Over the last decade, Schertz has developed a love for basketball. It’s not just the games he enjoys but it’s the bonding with his teammates and the grind that goes into becoming a great player.
“I love being on the court with my friends, bonding over it, and being out there for hours just having fun,” he says. “But really, I just like to win. Not going to lie, I just want to win and beat whoever we’re playing.”
With only one junior and one senior on the Fairland roster, Schertz has found an opportunity to step into a leadership role this year even though he is just a sophomore.
“We don’t really have many upperclassmen,” he says. “So, I’m just trying to help them out and help lead with them, so they don’t have to take it on all by themselves.”
The Owls had a successful season last year, finishing 16-11 and making it to the area tournament. But, this year, Schertz says they are aiming for more and his individual goals are also sky high.
“We want to be regional champions, go into area without a loss, and we want to make the state tournament,” he says. “Individually, I just want to help my team reach our goals and hopefully win conference MVP again. If I can, I also want to average a double-double.”
Outside of basketball, Schertz is a quarterback and free safety for the Fairland football team and plays infield and pitcher for the Owls baseball team. Although he is just a sophomore, Schertz already has his eyes set on playing basketball in college and eventually working a sports related career field.
