The Pascack Hills Varsity Basketball team is coming off one of its best years in school history.

In Coach Kirkby’s first season at the helm, the squad finished with a fantastic 27-3 record the North 1, Group 2 State Championship. This year, the team looks to finish on top again.

The Cowboys lost the bulk of their team to graduation, but have three players coming back from last year.

Jared Shill led the team in points last year and it will be his third year playing varsity.

Shill will be accompanied in the backcourt by senior guard Cole Dorfman and junior guard Brian Horn. Both players contributed to last year’s state sectional championship.

The Cowboys will rely heavily on their senior leadership to propel them throughout the season.

Although the Cowboys lack size, they make up for it with good depth. The Cowboys will use its speed rather than size to help legitimize them as a dominant team.

Andrew Kovner, Chris Marini, Steve Thorwarth, and Chris Hallowell played junior varsity last year and look to make big contributions for the varsity team this year.

The Cowboys will play their first six games on the road, including a matchup with last year’s Passaic County Champion, John F. Kennedy. I

t will be interesting to see if the team can adjust to playing at a high level since many players have transitioned from junior varsity to varsity.