By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUKE CENTER, PA – In just one year, a lot has changed for Jack Sherry.
At the start of December in 2024, Sherry was suiting up for Smethport’s basketball team, donning the Hubbers emblem once again for the start of his sophomore season as a promising rising talent. Flash forward 365 days and the young center is in an entirely new environment.
Not only has he swapped the Orange and White for the Blue and Gold, a wall full of team banners for a 50-foot mural of a bulldog, but Sherry also finds himself with a court side seat to ascension, helping lead Otto-Eldred on their ahead-of-schedule rebuild.
“I think we’re a little better than everyone expected, but this is what we thought would happen,” said Sherry. “We got really lucky by getting Coach (Rob) Wight and then everyone kind of put their heads down and didn’t care what everybody was saying.”
The Terror Dome has been buzzing this year. After losing almost the entirety of their foundational core due to graduation last spring, as well as both their head and assistant coaches, there were a lot of questions surrounding O-E ahead of this year’s campaign, a campaign that came with the motto ‘The Next Chapter.’ A lot of people, both home and abroad, didn’t quite have the same optimism that the previous years’ iterations had instilled.
However, the Terrors didn’t seem to get the message that they were supposed to have a down year.
Swiftly wiping away the doubt, this year’s team has picked up the torch and ran with it, leaping out to a 11-3 start. While it has come with a slight concession – O-E suffered their first regular season loss in two seasons and first loss at home in four years – the Terrors have maintained their iron grip on the North Tier League, holding an unblemished 7-0 record through the opening month and a half.
“Honestly, the boys have worked so hard. I think that’s been the most important thing. They’ve been open to what we’re trying to instill and have bought it. Coming into (the season,) I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” said Otto-Eldred’s new head coach Rob Wight, who comes from head coaching positions at Cuba-Rushford. “I knew we were in a different environment than what they’ve had the last few years, different expectations, obviously with different boys, but right from the start these guys have been ready to work and have really bought into everything we’ve tried to teach. It’s been a lot of fun.”
The key to their success, Wight says, has come from the team’s ability to trust the process. Before taking the hardwood for their first game of the season on Tuesday, Dec. 2, practically none of the Terrors had much experience in varsity action. However, O-E’s culture and mindset, one crafted from years of sustained success and discipline, has helped guide the team in the right direction. To Sherry, on his first days as a Terror, that palpable culture was undeniable.
“I think the last four years of winning so much, at a certain point, is just something you keep doing and (O-E) is just so used to it. When we lost our first game, we were upset so the next day in practice it was like the preseason grind again,” said Sherry. “Everyone was getting shots up in the morning before school, after school everyone’s focused, locked in on practice. There’s no dwelling. It’s always focusing on the next thing and how we get better. It’s a really good mindset that I’ve joined into.”
Coming in as the only player with substantial varsity minutes, Sherry has quickly found his role. Through 14 games, he currently leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game on 57 percent shooting from the field, but also isn’t afraid to take a step outside, where he makes 39.7 percent of his long range attempts. Sherry also leads the Terrors in rebounds with 9.3, including 3.2 offensive boards a game, and averages two steals and 1.2 blocks per game. His efforts have also proved that Sherry can outright dominate the court, producing several standout performances including his 31-point, 15-rebound game against Portville in the annual Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase in late December.
“I honestly think the success of the team is because we are a team. In Smethport, when I scored a lot it was because I made shots that were not easy, and now, if I make a shot it’s because we ran the play or my teammates did something to get me an open look,” said Sherry. “A lot of the load is off of me and more onto the entire team. If I or somebody else has a bad night, someone else is right there picking us up. The whole team aspect of this year has me really happy.”
Without a doubt, Sherry has quickly found a home in the Terror Dome, but what has stood out to him was how large the extended family is.
“The biggest thing I noticed when I came over here was just the community. Everyone backs the Terrors. We have more than just the team and the coach. It feels like the whole school’s behind us and every game, big or small, there’s more parents and people who don’t even have relatives to watch but they’re here to support the program,” said Sherry. “I get approached after the game by people I don’t even know and they’re congratulating me just because they like watching Otto-Eldred basketball. It’s something I wasn’t used to in Smethport and it’s really nice.”
Halfway through the season, the Terrors are on track to accomplish their goals. Defending their place atop the North Tier League, winning the NTL championship tournament and even chances at back-to-back appearances in the District 9 Class A title game and PIAA State Tournament bracket are all still on the table. With that being said, they all agree that this is no time to let off the gas.
“I think the D9 championship is what we came into the season wanting and I think that’s still the goal the team has and has had for the last four years. Coach Wight, on the first day here, he took us out and pointed at the D9 championship banner that they got last year and said ‘you guys can do this too, you just have to buy in,’” said Sherry. We just need to keep playing basketball. We’re all obviously new to varsity, we haven’t played together. Every game we’re taking leaps and bounds to get better and better. We just need to keep the momentum going forward.”
