BUFFALO – The Altoona-Midway Middle School Jets opened the 2025-26 season in fine fashion, rolling to a 26-12 victory over the Chetopa Hornets here Thursday afternoon at Milo Peterson Gymnasium.
The Jets enjoyed an outstanding season debut performance by Thaddeus Tindle, as the AMMS seventh grader poured in 18 points to pace Altoona-Midway to victory in the Mineral Belt League opener for both teams.
“It’s always great to start the year with a win, and it’s even better when everyone on the team contributes,” said AMMS head coach David Batzer. “Thaddeus had a great game, but we had several other important contributions as well. And the encouraging thing is that we still have plenty to work on — things that will make us a much better team by the end of the year.”
Tindle dominated the night with a game-high 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Easton Matlock added four points and seven rebounds. The Jets also got a dozen rebounds each from Hunter Reaves and Xavier Poeverlein, and the pair also contributed two points apiece. Jeffrey Nelson and Alex Lockhart grabbed four and three rebounds, respectively, rounding out a fantastic night on the boards for the Jets.
Defensively, Altoona-Midway collected 11 steals and forced 18 total turnovers. Tindle and Reaves led the way with three steals each.
“Thaddeus had the best game for a middle school Jet since Chance Carter was an eighth grader,” Batzer said. “Starting the season with a double-double sets the bar high for the rest of the year. It was a lot of fun watching him take the ball coast-to-coast for easy buckets. For a taller kid, he handles the ball really well.
“Easton and Hunter did a good job running the point,” Batzer added. “Both handle the ball well, and their overall game has improved a lot since last season. Jeffrey and Alex were active on the boards and weren’t afraid to take open shots. Even Jakobe (Schaffer), our lone sixth-grader tonight, was hustling every moment he was on the court.”
Altoona-Midway led 8-0 at the quarter, 16-9 at halftime, and 18-12 after three quarters. The Jets then blanked Chetopa 8-0 in the final stanza to post the impressive win.
Yosiah Blankenship led Chetopa with nine points.
“We’ve got one practice to clean up some issues on the offensive end and reinforce a few defensive responsibilities before we hit the road for our next game Monday against Altamont, which is sure to be a much tougher test,” Batzer noted.
After Monday’s road trip to Altamont, the Jets will return home on Thursday, Dec. 11, when they are slated to host Oswego.