In his younger years, Dave Wetherhold wasn't too interested in sports. His parents, David and Janice, eventually had him try out for the fifth –grade team.

"I was never that interested in playing sports for a school team," said Wetherhold, who is currently a starting guard for the Roughies this winter. "I would always play sports, but I figured I would finally play for the school team.

"A few years later, I almost changed my mind again."

Wetherhold recalled how one of his middle school teams went 0-16 and it appeared there was an apathetic state surrounding the team.

"It just didn't seem like anyone cared," said Wetherhold, who played for head coach Jim Butler. "Mike Shutta and Jake Kober had played with me, but something just didn't seem like it was right. I didn't know if I wanted to keep playing."

Fortunately, Wetherhold did, and he has developed into a mainstay with the current program. The junior recently hit a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of a pivotal 57-53 victory over Bangor Jan. 31, which was the fourth victory in their current five-game winning streak that began this week.

The Roughies (13-7) have clinched a district berth and remain in the hunt for one of the league's final four playoff spots. They hosted Northern Lehigh in a key game Tuesday night before ending their season at Northwestern Friday evening.

Wetherhold initially envisioned himself in a three-guard rotation with senior Brandon Purrone and junior Dakota Schiffer. But Purrone's notable ACL tear has reduced his playing time and effectiveness and Schiffer had been battling a bad ankle.

As a result, Wetherhold has been seeing time at both the point and shooting guard. Ironically, though, he previously knew Schiffer – a transfer from Dieruff – when the two of them played on an AAU team.

"I like playing the point and I am comfortable with creating," said Wetherhold. "But I also feel good playing the shooting guard. I have done both in the past and I know I can do both of them now. Wetherhold noted how he watched from the varsity bench last season, studying what he could possibly do the following season from his junior varsity position.

"I remember watching Zac Edwards shooting threes and how he worked for his shots, and how Purrone would make things happen playing the point," said Wetherhold. "When I played JV, I used to have the ball in my hands literally the whole time.

"Now I have to learn how to work for the best shot at the point as well as work on my jump shot." Head coach Eric Snyder also has been comfortable with his flexibility.

"Dave had a good summer and we knew he would have a good season," said Snyder. "He has further developed his game this winter for us and he has made his share of big plays. We're looking for him to continue to make things happen down the stretch for us." Wetherhold sees his team coming together at the right time of the season similar to the team's late-season run to the District 11 Class 2A championship last season.

"It took some time to get our offense together," said Wetherhold. "Right now, we have five guys who can score 20 points or more. We're pretty confident and we feel we are jelling together for a great finish."