Photo by Marlena Sloss/The Herald
Aspen Sermersheim is one of five juniors back for Jasper this year.

Mehringer lauded the Jasper feeder programs for their roles in developing the younger Cats. Because the feeder programs establish strong foundations, the student-athletes develop camaraderie during their careers.

“You could point to the community support,” Mehringer said. “You could point to administration and the support that they give. You could point to the parents of the kids that are involved in your program. Not just the ones that are playing for you now, but the ones that played for you before and the ones that are coming up through the program. That is pretty cool, too. Everybody is invested. If they had a kid that played, they are still invested. If they have a third-grader that’s playing, they’re invested.”

Passionate and knowledgeable fans contribute that investment to the program. When the Cats take the floor, those fans capitalize on the opportunity to support.

“People are excited,” Mehringer said. “They’re paying attention to warmups. They’re not just rolling in when the game starts. They’re getting here early. They’re cheering on the JV team, watching the warmups and paying attention to who is doing what. That’s really cool.”

The upcoming campaign arrives with some uncertainty, but Mehringer has encouraged the Cats to embrace the present.

“I always try to reiterate to these guys to just enjoy every day,” she said. With the time that we’re in right now, there’s no telling when it could just be done. Come out here, have fun and enjoy this every single day that you get to do it. You’ll be thankful for the support you have.”

Jasper’s season opener was scheduled for Thursday at Jeffersonville, but that game was canceled. Mehringer texted the Herald on Monday that Jasper is trying to find a game to fill the void. As of press time, the Cats are scheduled to open the season against Heritage Hills at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at home.

“I think we’re going to play hard and play together as a team,” Ruhe said. “The energy and the spirit is there. We’re not a selfish team. We’re really going to look out for each other.”