Pictured are Seniors: Cesia Berruecos, Layla Pickerign, Makenna Stover, Kailee Crane, Aleena Watson and Jaydence Coyle
The Abilene Cowgirl Basketball program will be under new leadership this season. Ryan Perkins, the AHS Applied Technology/Woodworking teacher, was named head coach after spending last season as the head varsity girls coach at Lincoln High School. Perkins takes over for Shawn Herrman, who guided the Cowgirls for the last 3 years. Perkins will be assisted by Traci Rogers, who will lead the J.V. for a 7th straight season and new assistant coach Samuel Unruh. Unruh is a native of Dodge City and coached at South Central last season.
Perkins is a native of Miltonvale, Kansas and is a 2014 graduate of Miltonvale High School. He attended Cloud County Community College and Fort Hays State. His first coaching experience came as an assistant high school boys basketball coach for his father, Roger Perkins, at Southern Cloud, in the 2015-16 season, who was the head boys coach for 14 years. Ryan’s first head coaching job was at Southern Cloud. He was their head girls basketball coach from 2019-20 through 2022-23 seasons. He also helped out on his father’s boys staff, at Southern Cloud, in the 2022-23 season, at the same time he was the head girls coach. It was a special moment in Ryan’s career as he helped guide the boys to the State basketball tournament alongside his dad.
Ryan then moved on to Lincoln, Kansas. He was an assistant girls coach for the 2023-24 season and the head coach last season. The Leopards finished 6-14 a season ago. He has also coached other sports. Ryan coached Cross Country at Southern Cloud from 2019-2022. He was the Head Football Coach at Southern Cloud in 2021. He coached track from 2020-23 at Southern Cloud. He also coached junior high and high school track at Lincoln the last 2 years. Last year, the Lincoln boys finished 5th in Class 1A.
The coaching staff looks different this season but the roster has changed very little from a year ago. The Cowgirls graduated one of the best athletes in the NCKL in Renatta Heintz but otherwise they bring back four starters. The 4 girls who started at the end of last season were Makenna Stover, Kailee Crane, Tessa Herrman and Kit Barbieri. Overall Abilene brought back at least 8 players that started 1 game for a team that went 3-18, 2-10 last season.
The Seniors are led by MaKenna Stover. Stover recently signed with Manhattan Christian College to play volleyball next season. MaKenna is a three-sport athlete, who also competes in rodeo. She averaged 3.4 ppg, 2.1 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists. She started 16 of the 17 games she appeared in.
Senior, Kailee Crane became a consistent starter towards the end last season. She started in 10 of the 19 games she appeared in. Crane averaged 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assits. Other Seniors expected to contribute are Aleena Watson, Layla Pickering and Jaydence Coyle. Watson appeared in 21 games and started in one and Pickering appeared in 20 games. New to the team is Cesia Berruecos, a Senior foreign exchange student from Mexico.
The Junior class is led by Kit Barbierri and Timber Taylor. The tandem started every game they appeared in a season ago. Barbierri, a 5’10” Junior, averaged 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Taylor, a 5’4” Junior, started the first 14 games of last season at point guard before suffering a season-ending injury. Taylor averaged 2.7 points and 1.5 assists per game.
The Sophomores are led by 5’9” Tessa Herrman. She earned an All-NCKL selection last season. She started every game and led the team in scoring 13.9, rebounds 5.1, assists 1.5 and steals 1.9. She scored 292 total points and scored over 20 points five times which included a career-high 22 points in a 47-40 victory over Great Bend in last season’s Salina Invitational Tournament.
Kinze Crump, Klovis Stover and Brinley Zook are also part of a talented Sophomore class. Crump appeared in 18 games last season and started in two. She averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds. Crump, a sharp-shooter, was 3rd on the team with 9 three-point made field goals. Klovis appeared in 20 games as a Freshman and started one time. Klovis stands 6’ and gives the Cowgirls an inside presence. She averaged 2.2 ppg, 2.5 rebounds and shot 50% from the floor last season. At 5’9” Brinley Zook also gives the Cowgirls height.
The Cowgirls will compete once again in the loaded NCKL. Wamego 16-6, 11-1, Rock Creek 17-5, 10-2 and Clay Center 17-6, 9-3 were the top three teams a season ago and once again will be the contenders for the league title and for a run to State. Clay Center made it to the 4A State tournament a season ago. The Cowgirls will travel to Holton on Tuesday, December 2 to start the season.
2025-26 Abilene Cowgirl Basketball Schedule
Tuesday December 2 at Holton
Friday December 5 vs Towanda-Circle
Tuesday December 9 at Southeast of Saline
Friday December 12 vs Augusta
Tuesday December 16 at Clay Center
Friday December 19 at Wamego
Tuesday January 6 at Halstead
Friday January 9 at Rock Creek
Tuesday January 13 vs Marysville
Friday January 16 vs Concordia
January 22-24 Salina Invitational Tournament
Friday January 30 at Chapman
Tuesday February 3 vs Wamego
Friday February 6 vs Clay Center
Tuesday February 10 vs Rock Creek
Friday February 13 at Rossville
Tuesday February 17 at Concordia
Friday February 20 at Marysville
Tuesday February 24 vs Chapman
