LEXINGTON, Ohio — Lexington fans might not recognize Jonah Yaussy when the Minutemen finally play a home game this weekend.
After opening the season with three consecutive road games, undefeated Lex will play at home for the first time Friday against Richland County and Ohio Cardinal Conference rival Madison. That will be the first time most fans will see the new and improved Yaussy, who is noticeably stronger than he was a year ago.
“He committed himself to lifting during the off-season,” Lex coach Scott Hamilton said. “He truly enjoys being in the weight room. If, for some reason, we had to cancel a workout, Jonah was the one trying to figure out how to get the guys in there.”
The Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, Yaussy has averaged 17 points a game in Lexington’s first three wins. He had 10 points and nine rebounds in Lexington’s 85-52 victory at Clear Fork on Friday and followed up with 16 points in Saturday’s 63-36 win at Willard.
In Lexington’s 77-69 overtime win at Berlin Hiland in the season opener, Yaussy had 25 points and eight rebounds.
“You can see all the work in the weight room is paying off for him,” Hamilton said. “He is one of those guys who leads by example, on the court and off.”
A 6-foot-5 senior, Yaussy averaged a team-high 14.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a game last year. The Minutemen were 14-11 overall and won a sectional title before falling to eventual district champion Sandusky in the district semifinals.
So far this season, nobody has had an answer for the new-and-improved Yaussy.
“He’s a load,” Clear Fork coach Steven Bechtel said last weekend. “He is skilled around the basket and he’s very good on the glass.”
Yaussy has had plenty of help in the post thus far. Chase Munro, a 6-9 junior, and 6-3 freshman Cade Stover both scored in double figures in the win over the Colts.
“Jonah knows where he came from as a freshman and he wants to be a leader for the younger guys,” Hamilton said. “They look up to him.”
The Minutemen boast one of the area’s best inside-outside combinations with Yaussy and Joey Zahn, a senior point guard. Zahn is averaging 20.5 points a game.
“The chemistry between these guys is very good,” Hamilton said. “They have one goal in mind and it is the success of the team. Everything is clicking for them and everyone is focused on our bigger goals.”
