Independent file photo Dawson-Boyd’s Alex Swenson dribbles the ball during their Section 3A Tournament game against Renville County West in March.

DAWSON – Cory Larson is one of the longest tenured boys basketball coaches in the area. Larson is entering his 12th season as head coach for the Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks. During his time as the head coach the Blackjacks have been consistent winners with just one season below .500 during Larson’s tenure.

The Blackjacks figure to be winning plenty of games again this year with three starters returning from last year’s team that finished 15-9. The three returning starters for the Blackjacks are senior Alex Swenson and juniors Bentley Boike and Colton Husby.

As a sophomore last year Boike was a double-double machine. Boike figures to be one of the best post players in the area this season.

“He’s a hard worker,” Larson said. “He runs the floor very well. He has a strong post presence.”

Swenson is one of four seniors on the roster for Larson. Larson said that Swenson is very skilled on the offensive end of the floor.

“He’s a very well rounded player,” Larson said. “He shoots it well from 3-point range and off the dribble. He does a great job of getting into the paint.”

Larson said the strength of this year’s team is their competitive drive.

“I think we will compete night in and night out,” Larson said. “The ball might not always go down as much as we might like, but we will play hard.”

The Blackjacks entered Thursday night with a 2-1 record. They were in action against MACCRAY and will be back in action again tonight against Renville County West. Larson said if his team does a good job of communicating on both ends of the floor they could be in store for a special season.

“Ultimately our success will be based on how well we play team defense and offense,” Larson said.