ABOVE: Fairmont point guard Brayden Williamson sets up the Cardinals half court offense during the first half of last Friday's contest against Jackson County Central. The Cardinals took down the Huskies 55-47 at the Fairmont High School gymnasium.

FAIRMONT – Depth is essential in all sports.

Fairmont Cardinals boys basketball head coach Jared Thompson has seen this play out in a handful of instances this young season, with roster fluctuations changing the outcome of certain games through their energy and effort.

​It’s been more than a decade since Thompson has utilized his bench to this extent regularly, reflecting his 2012-2013 roster that had almost too much talent to disperse on the hardwood evenly. While the Cardinals have played a steady 7-10 players over the years, this season’s 10-man rotation has been eye-opening for its early-season consistency.

​​”They [bench players] all give us the same thing, but in different ways,” Thompson said. “They are all so intense when they come into games, but they all have some different strengths in what they play to.”​

​Thompson and his coaching staff realized this bench depth during summer workouts earlier this offseason. When scrimmaging and competing against other area teams, the talent disparity didn’t drop off significantly when going from “starters” to “bench players”.

​​”When we would go to the bench a lot of times, in that summer ball where it isn’t always as intense, the intensity actually picked up,” Thompson said.​

​The early-season starting rotation is highlighted by Logan Junkermeier and Joseph Hackett, starters from last year’s roster who bring immediate experience to Thompson’s team. Brayden Williamson and Joe Long make up the back court, while Reed Johnson is tasked to replace the likes of Oliver Tordsen down low.

​Thompson’s bench is composed of players whom he described as having successful seasons on last year’s junior varsity team. Tavian Harvey, Kellen Fritz, Jordan Thompson and Merritt Pomerenke give the Cardinals plenty of flexibility at the guard position. Forward Josh Soelter brings versatility, able to play and defend multiple positions.​

“They didn’t get a lot of playing time last year,” Thompson said. “They took that, and turned it into really hard work into B squad and JV players last year, and you can see that with them having really nice seasons.”

​Having 10 athletes earn consistent playing time can be challenging for some coaches trying to manage a rotation. It takes each individual to have the right unselfish mindset for this to work at a high level.

​Individuals know that playing time can vary from game to game depending on matchups and opponent makeup. Thompson has a slot of 6-16 minutes for each player on the bench, knowing this can change based on the success rate of different rotations throughout the contest.

​”All of you are having to sacrifice something to make this work,” Thompson said. “You are all putting the team first, because everybody is either sacrificing a few minutes or maybe some more shots they could get. It might not be every night that they will sacrifice those things, but at some point [they will].”

​One of the biggest in-game translations for this has been an increased productivity on the defensive end. A platoon style of play gives each athlete the confidence to ramp up intensity and effort, knowing someone is always there to provide them with a rest. Fairmont has allowed just under 50 points per game this season.

“It’s had an impact on the four wins [this season], every single one of them,” Thompson said. “I think they believe it too. We preach it and we say it, but we have been the more composed and fresh team at crunch time every game.”