This year’s Northampton girls varsity basketball team features a first in head coach Jeff Jacksits’ 16-year career, a team captain who is not a senior.

As the team’s lone returning EPC All-Star, junior guard Morgan Sterner is certainly qualified to be a captain. Even if Sterner weren’t deserving of the honor, the team still would not have had a senior captain because there are no seniors on the team.

Joining Sterner from the junior class are forward Taylor Sommer, who missed last year with a knee injury and guard Kelly Tita.

Headlining the sophomore class are Kylie Gilliard and Taylor Kranzley. Gilliard was a starting guard all last season and Kranzley saw starter’s minutes during the team’s run to the District XI title and state playoffs second round when Jacksits opted for a quicker lineup.

Devyn Demchak will look to fill her sister’s shoes by providing a low post presence. Rose Hower projects as a frontcourt player and Julia Mertz, Brianna Tyler, and Shaylynn Walters will provide depth in the backcourt.

Two freshmen made the varsity roster, forward Grace Lesko and guard Nicole Yellen.

While Sterner, Gilliard, and Kranzley are known commodities, there isn’t much other varsity experience on the roster. Northampton will be breaking in a brand-new frontcourt.

Jacksits is high on Demchak’s ability inside.

“She’s a tenacious rebounder,” he said. “She should average double digit rebounds this year.”

Lesko will join Demchak as a starter up front.

“Grace is built the same way as Jenna Rogers,” Jacksits said. “She does the same types of things. She can shoot the three. She can play inside and outside.”

With the graduations of two of its all-time best players, Rogers and Victoria Keenan, Northampton enters the season under the radar as far as postseason expectations. Bethlehem Catholic, Freedom, and Parkland look like the strongest teams based on the past performance of their returning players.

Sterner rejects the idea that the K-Kids are a year away from being considered a contender again.

“I actually think we can make another deep run this year,” Sterner said. “We’re doing really well at practice and we’re bonding together and we’re starting to click.”

The team starts the year on the road. On Friday and Saturday, they travel to Owen J. Roberts HS for the OJR Tipoff Tournament. They will face Council Rock South in the opening round. On Tuesday night, they kickoff their EPC schedule with a visit to Cement Belt rival Whitehall.