The Mexico boys are returning most of its roster from a state quarterfinal team.

In a 27-3 season, the Bulldogs won a North Central Missouri Conference championship and district title last season before eventually losing to state champion Vashon in the state quarterfinals.

Head coach Darren Pappas said eight of last year’s 12 on varsity will be back. Pappas said 12-14 out of the total 30 kids on the roster will be on varsity this season so Mexico needs to figure out what is the best combination of players. Last year’s Bulldogs had plenty of depth that took them deep into the playoffs.

“We’ve got to find some depth,” Pappas said. “That’s the big question mark this year. We’re going to ask those guys that are coming off the bench that are we going to produce or are we going to take a little dip. We don’t want to take that dip.”

Pappas said players will be taking bigger roles due to the graduates but is glad to have three of its five starters from last year. Those three were Mexico’s second-, third- and fourth-leading scorers and one was its leading rebounder.

PJ Perkins was Mexico’s leading rebounder and third leading scorer and will be a senior along with Jaydon Eldridge, who was the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer. Kaden Benne was Mexico’s fourth leading scorer, and Charlie Fisher was the team’s fifth-leading scorer that will run the offense for the graduated leading scorer DJ Long.

“That’s a good core that we have,” Pappas said. “We definitely have a lot of talent at the guard position. We’ve got some guys that are going to have to play inside and outside. Hopefully, we can mix and match and do some things.”

Kinser Groves and seniors Sam Ryan, Austin Maxwell and Hunter Bickell are among the other returning guards for Mexico, but Pappas said post player Holden Aulbur is included among the “five key guys” along with Perkins, Eldridge, Benne and Fisher.

“We’ll throw some different lineups out there at times, like we did last year going with a smaller lineup,” Pappa said. “It all just depends on how the flow of the game’s going and who’s got the hot hand.”

Some new names Pappas said can definitely be added to that familiar group are guards James Matthews and Vershard Williams. Matthews is a sophomore that can give Mexico a “little spark” and is a good defensive player, and Williams is a junior coming up from junior varsity as a backup point guard.

Having contributions from as many kids as possible is what Pappas wants from this year’s Bulldogs. He isn’t just referring to the offensive end.

“Hopefully it’s going to be the way we get after it defensively and the unselfishness,” Pappas said about his team’s potential identity. “We can move the basketball and find the open man.”