03 Feb 2024 Dakota Walls – Mount Vernon-Enola (501 Basketball Team 2024)

A .500 finish last season provided all the fuel necessary to spark Mount Vernon-Enola’s turnaround this season.

Led by senior forward Dakota Walls, the Warhawks have left 2023 in the rearview mirror and put themselves in the discussion as the team to beat in the Class 2-2A conference.

“This season, I want to help my team the best I can so that we can go all the way,” he said. “I would also like to average 15 points per game and five rebounds per game.”

Backed by a senior-laden roster, Walls boasts a high field goal percentage and gives opponents fits with his ability to take charges.

“Dakota has really matured as a player and a person over the last couple of years and is a great competitor,” Head Coach Drew Blocker said. “He is versatile on offense, and I expect him to be a great senior leader and an impact player every night.”

Walls’ biggest strength comes from his willingness to make everyone around him better. “Dakota provides good leadership and picks his teammates up,” Blocker said. “He is well-liked by his peers and is willing to help those in need.”

Off the court, Walls serves in FFA and Student Council at Mt. Vernon-Enola High School and aspires to be an electrical lineman after high school.

“I want to be remembered as a leader who was respectful of every other player,” he said. “My advice for future student-athletes would be to focus on the important things because they matter in the future.”