Saturday, October 30, 2010

Edon 13th in state

New Palestine senior Courtney Edon finished 13th in the state cross country meet at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute.

Edon ran the 5k course in 18:48 on a windy day. She was 31 seconds back of champion Waverly Neer of Culver Military. Carmel won the team title.

Edon finishes her career as an All-State medalist, adding to a decorated senior year in which she was a county, conference, sectional and regional champion.

Saturday morning QB: Sectional Round 2

Sectional 13: Greenfield-Central 7, New Palestine 0
In a defensive struggle, Matt Dickerson's 17-yard TD run was the difference as the Cougars move to the sectional title game for the first time since 1994.
Daily Reporter
Pendleton Heights 49, New Castle 7
The Arabians scored 42 points in the middle two quarters, and QB Mitch Patishall was 10-of-12 for 206 yards in PH's victory. The Arabians, now 8-3, are looking to win the first sectional title in school history.
Anderson Herald-Bulletin

Sectional 12: Delta 28, Muncie South 6
Landon Lambert ran for 81 yards and Zach Overfield ran for 71 and each scored a TD. Muncie South ended the shutout in the closing seconds. Delta, winners of nine straight, goes to the sectional title game against New Haven with a 10-1 record.
Muncie Star-Press

Sectional 15: Franklin County 22, Shelbyville 14, OT
Shelby lost two fumbles inside the 10-yard line and saw Franklin County score a safety and a touchdown on the ensuing drive to tie the game in the fourth, before winning it on the first possession of OT. Shelby finishes 4-7.
Shelbyville News

Sectional 22: Hamilton Heights 22, Yorktown 14
The Tigers led at halftime thanks to scores from Joe Todd and Derek Kundenreich, and actually led 14-13 going into the fourth quarter. HH scored a long TD run and a field goal to take the lead for good. Kundenreich had 123 rushing yards. Yorktown finishes 3-8.
Muncie Star-Press
Batesville 45, Rushville 39, 2OT
No media reports of this one yet, but the Lions lose a wild on in the sectional semifinal.


Friday, October 29, 2010

It's Cougars vs. Arabians

Greenfield-Central pulls the upset tonight, beating New Palestine 7-0, with the Cougar defense setting the tone early. NP was held to 17 total yards in the first half, while the Cougars were able to make three big plays on one drive -- QB Carl Ellison with a 10-yard scramble on third-and-9, a 20-yard pass to Tyler Colclazier on third-and-11, and a 17-yard TD run by Matt Dickerson -- to go up 7-0 with 1:06 to go in the first.

G-C's defense made it stand up. NP had two first-half first downs. While NP took some control in the second half -- the Dragons outgained G-C 127-21 -- NP was never able to get into the end zone, the biggest play being when Jeremiah Wray recovered a Dragon fumbled snap at the G-C 13 yard line late in the third. NP had two more forays into G-C territory in the fourth, but was unable to score.

The Dragons finish with a 9-2 record and the HHC championship. G-C, now 7-4, moves on to face an 8-3 Pendleton Heights team at Cougar Stadium next week. PH beat New Castle 49-7 tonight to advance to the sectional final.

Jim Ryan and I will broadcast the Cougar-Arabian sectional final game next week, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Elsewhere in the HHC
Sectional 12:
Delta beat Muncie South 28-6 and moves on to face New Haven (8-3) in next week's sectional final. Delta is 10-1.
Sectional 15: Shelbyville takes Franklin County to OT, but falls 22-14. Franklin County (7-4) faces EIAC rival East Central (10-1) -- which escaped with a 17-16 win over Greenwood. Shelby finishes 4-7.
Sectional 22: Yorktown (3-8) gave No. 2 Hamilton Heights a game before falling 22-14. Rushville takes Batesville to 2OT before falling 45-38. Lions finish 2-8.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

New Indiana Football Show

A new Indiana Football Show is up, featuring Wheeler head coach Dan Klimczak. You can listen by clicking this link (right-click to download to your computer and sync to your MP3 player of choice).

Marauder spikers fall to No. 6 Batesville

Mt. Vernon's volleyball season ended Tuesday night in a five-game loss to Batesville on the road. The Marauders fell 25-15, 23-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-6 in the see-saw match. MV's season finishes with a 28-7 record and a second consecutive sectional championship.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Volleyball update: Marauders beat NP

Mt. Vernon's volleyball team won its second straight sectional title with a tight five-game win over New Palestine, 25-11, 25-11, 19-25, 22-25, 15-13. The Marauders move on to face Batesville in a one-game regional on Tuesday. The match will be at Batesville.

Saturday daytime roundup

Volleyball: Dragons, Marauders meet in sectional final
Mt. Vernon beat a solid Shelbyville team in three games, 25-9, 25-20, 25-11; while New Palestine swept Rushville 25-17, 25-14, 25-13. The two teams meet at 7 p.m. tonight in the Hamilton Heights sectional final. Winner travels to either Greensburg or Batesville Tuesday for a one-game regional.

Girls cross country: NP's Edon headed to state meet

New Palestine senior Courtney Edon is headed to the cross country State Finals next week at the Indiana State University cross country course. Edon finished eighth in Saturday's Carmel semistate at Northview Christian Life Church, with a 5k time of 18:35. NP's Caitlynn Edon was 32nd in 19:25, the only other Dragon to finish in the top 100. NP finished 11th as a team. At New Haven, Mt. Vernon's girls finished 17th in the semistate. The Marauders were led by 67th-place Elizabeth Cook, who had a time of 20:32.

Boys cross country: Marauders 15th, Cougars 16th at respective semistates
At New Haven, the Mt. Vernon boys finished 15th in their semistate race. MV was led by 78th-place Luke Davis, who ran the 5k course in 17:07. MV's Nathan Bode finished 86th in 17:13. At Carmel, Greenfield-Central finished 16th, led by a 63rd-place finish from Tyler Wilcher, who had a time of 16:44. G-C's Darren Wise was 88th in 17:11.

Saturday morning QB: Sectional Round 1

Two Hancock County teams remain -- and they play each other next week. New Palestine and Greenfield-Central both boasted impressive second halves to win sectional openers. In the HHC, seven of the eight teams are left standing -- with the only one to be defeated so far, Mt. Vernon, being eliminated by a fellow HHC squad. Here's a look at Hancock County and HHC action from Week 1 of the IHSAA tournament.

Hancock County sectionals
Sectional 13
New Palestine 51, Anderson 21:
Austin Cahoy runs for 46 yards and two TDs, Matt Siergiej runs for 78 yards and a TD, and Connor Simmons throws for 93 yards and two TDs and ran for one more in the Dragons' victory. It was costly, as players from both teams were ejected during a third-quarter melee started by the Indians after a Dragon touchdown. The 9-1 Dragons play at Greenfield-Central next week in the HancockCountySports.com Game of the Week broadcast.
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin

Greenfield-Central 45, Arlington 14:
The Cougars rallied with 21 points in each of the final two quarters to beat Arlington. Derek Conley rushed for 198 yards and four TDs in the Cougars' victory. G-C will host New Palestine next week.
Daily Reporter

Pendleton Heights 27, Mt. Vernon 10:
Dezmon Nunn ran for a shade under 200 yards and two TDs, and caught a 24-yard TD pass as the Arabians win their first sectional game since 2006. MV finishes its season at 5-5.
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin

Sectional 37
Clinton Central 48, Eastern Hancock 22: Steven Stunda threw for 138 yards, but the Royals fell to the Bulldogs in opening-round play.
Daily Reporter

Sectional 12
Delta 28, Fort Wayne Wayne 7:
Delta's victory is marred by unsportsmanlike conduct that leads to the ejection of several Wayne players and coaches. Delta faces 8-2 Muncie South next week.
Muncie Star-Press

Sectional 15
Shelbyville 24, South Dearborn 21:
Nick Eberhart kicked a field goal in the closing stages to give the Bears a victory. Eberhart kicked three field goals on the day. Patrick Ellis and Dominique Cox both ran for 100+ yards for the Bears, who rallied from a 21-10 second-half deficit. Eberhart kicked three field goals. Shelby hosts Franklin County next week.
Shelbyville News

Sectional 22
Yorktown 7, Howe 0:
Joe Journay catches a 44-yard TD pass in the first quarter, and Yorktown's defense makes it stand up. The Tigers visit #2 Hamilton Heights next week.
Muncie Star-Press

Semifinals in sectionals involving HHC/Hancock County teams
Class 4A, sectional 13
New Castle (1-8) at Pendleton Heights (7-3)
New Palestine (9-1) at Greenfield-Central (6-4)
Class 4A, sectional 12
Muncie South (8-2) at Delta (9-1)
Fort Wayne South (3-7) at New Haven (7-3)
Class 4A, sectional 15
Franklin County (6-4) at Shelbyville (4-6)
East Central (9-1) at Greenwood (4-6)
Class 3A, sectional 22
Rushville (2-7) at Batesville (6-4)
Yorktown (3-7) at Hamilton Heights (10-0)
Class A, sectional 37
Sheridan (8-2) at Guerin Catholic (5-5)
Clinton Prairie (9-1) at Clinton Central (3-7)

Friday, October 22, 2010

Sectional Round 1 recap


Tonight's games
4A Sectional 13
Pendleton Heights 27, Mt. Vernon 10:
The Arabians avenge a Week 5 defeat to Mt. Vernon by scoring on three straight first-half possessions and holding on to beat the Marauders. PH did it with a bruising ground game -- Dezmon Nunn had 32 carries for 199 yards, while Jacob Lyons had 61 yards, including a 45-yard run that set up PH's second TD of the night. The first TD was set up by Clint Nicholson's interception, which turned into QB Mitch Patishall's 1-yard run with 3:18 to go in the first quarter. Lyons' 45-yard run set up Nunn's 1-yard plunge with five seconds left in the first. On PH's next drive, Patishall hit Nunn for a 24-yard TD on a 3rd-and-10 screen pass that made it 21-0. MV had chances to get back into the game -- Matt Horton hit a 35-yard FG at the end of the first half to get the Marauders on the board, and then Tyler Dicks caught a 27-yard TD on fourth-and-10 early in the fourth to cut the deficit to 21-10 -- set up by Casey Neylon's INT. MV then got a chance to cut it to a one-possession game after a PH fumble, but the drive stalled and led to a missed field goal. Nunn then answered with a 70-yard run that put the game away.

PH moves to 7-3 on the year, and will host 1-8 New Castle next week.

New Palestine 51, Anderson 21: NP was scored upon for the first time since Week 5, but the Dragons' offense was too much. NP jumped out to a 28-14 lead at halftime, and Dakota Smith recorded a safety early in the third that sent the Dragons on their way to their ninth straight victory, and setting up a rematch with county rival Greenfield-Central on the road next week. The Dragons are now 9-1.

Greenfield-Central 45, Arlington 14: The Cougars trailed 7-3 at halftime, and then exploded for three TDs in the third quarter and three more in the fourth to break things open. Roger Dodson's team clinches its first winning season since 2002. The Cougars, now 6-4, host New Palestine next week.

Class A, Sectional 37
Clinton Central 48, Eastern Hancock 22:
The Royals have their second-best offensive night of the year, but they fall to Clinton Central. EH finishes the season 1-9, while CC moves on to face county rival Clinton Prairie next week.

Elsewhere in the HHC
It was a great night for the Hoosier Heritage Conference tonight, as conference teams go 6-1 -- and the one loss was an intra-conference game.

In 4A's Sectional 12, Delta knocked off Fort Wayne Wayne 28-7 to notch the Eagles' eighth consecutive win. Delta is now 9-1 and will face county rival Muncie South in a rematch of a regular-season game next week.

In Sectional 15, Shelbyville was 3-6 in the regular season, but knocked off South Dearborn 24-21 to earn a date against Franklin County next week.

In 3A's Sectional 22, Yorktown beat Howe 7-0 for its second straight win, and will travel to unbeaten #2 Hamilton Heights next week. Rushville drew a bye and will play at Batesville next week.

Looking ahead
There are two Hancock County schools left, and they play each other next week. We will have the New Palestine at Greenfield-Central game next week. Airtime is 6:30 p.m., kickoff at 7 p.m. We'll then follow the winner of that game throughout the tournament. Listen LIVE here.

Volleyball sectional roundup

From Thursday's action
At Hamilton Heights (3A)
Dragons beat host Huskies:
New Palestine won three tight games to oust Hamilton Heights 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 from the Huskies' own sectional. In an all-HHC semifinal round, NP advances to face Rushville in Saturday's second semifinal. Defending champion Mt. Vernon will meet Shelbyville in Saturday's 11 a.m. semifinal. The championship match will be at 7 p.m. at Hamilton Heights.

At Knightstown (2A)
Royals fall to Cambridge City Lincoln:
EH dropped a tight five-game match to CCL, falling 24-26, 25-21, 30-32, 25-20, 15-13 to the Golden Eagles. CCL moves on to face Shenandoah in Saturday's second semifinal. The first match will pit Knightstown against Union County.

Looking ahead
We're down to four fall sports still active -- football, volleyball and boys/girls CC. We'll have a full roundup of tonight's football games online Friday, and then volleyball and cross country by Saturday night.

It's sectional night

Time to look ahead at the sectionals.

First, the sectionals involving Hancock County schools:
4A Sectional 13
Pendleton Heights (6-3) at Mt. Vernon (5-4)
LISTEN LIVE HERE! (broadcast at 6:30 p.m., kickoff at 7 p.m.)
PH has won three straight to end the season after a tough skid against MV and Delta in Weeks 5-6. MV won the regular-season matchup 37-17, but it was very statistically close, and very well-played by both offenses. MV's defense was very good last week, but the offense has scored once in three weeks. Both teams feature multifaceted offensive games -- the QB/RB/WR triumvirate of Mitch Patishall-Dezmon Nunn-Brad McNeil for PH against Austin Parker-Zach McKinney/Corey White/Anthony Burnett-Jake Davis for MV. This is probably the best first-round matchup of the sectional.
Winner hosts 1-8 New Castle next week

Anderson (4-5) at New Palestine (8-1)
The Dragons haven't allowed a varsity touchdown in half a season -- 4.5 games. The Indians have a 5A enrollment and a lot of talent. This is most intriguing first-round matchup of the sectional, as these two teams don't have any familiarity with each other. Anderson fell to unbeaten Kokomo 28-21 last week and is obviously getting better. NP has just overwhelmed teams with its size and soundness on offense -- especially with throwing RB Austin Cahoy at teams, who has 21 TDs on the year.
Winner plays either 5-4 Greenfield-Central or 3-6 Arlington next week

Greenfield-Central (5-4) at Arlington (3-6)
The Cougars have put together their best season since 2002, and are looking to clinch their first plus-.500 season since then. G-C hasn't scored in two weeks, but it has also played two of the area's top defenses in New Palestine and Chatard. Arlington can score -- 30 ppg -- but is also giving up 38 ppg and has given up 56+ three times. G-C has been playing phenomenal defense this season, giving up 6 points to an explosive Mt. Vernon team and 6 to an 8-1 Delta squad.
Winner plays either 4-5 Anderson or 8-1 New Palestine next week

The full draw:
Class 4A, Sectional 13
New Castle (1-8) - BYE
Pendleton Heights (6-3) @ Mt. Vernon (5-4)
Anderson (4-5) @ #7 New Palestine (8-1)
Greenfield-Central (5-4) @ Indianapolis Arlington (3-6)

1A Sectional 37
Clinton Central (2-7) at Eastern Hancock (1-8)
EH used to play CC in Week 9, so this is a deja vu game, just one week later. The Royals notched their first victory of the year last season when they beat Edinburgh 28-13. That snapped a two-week scoreless streak. EH's offense had scored eight times the first eight weeks before breaking out against the Lancers. QB Steven Stunda is a run-pass threat. The Bulldogs of third-year coach Mike Quick have had some good games -- beating Tri-Central and former CC coach George Gilbert 57-20, scoring 20 on a good Tipton team in a loss -- but they've been shut out twice and held to one score four other times. Looks like it could be an even matchup. Winner gets either Tri-Central (3-6) or Gridiron Digest No. 10 Clinton Prairie (8-1) next week. EH would be on the road in both situations.
Full sectional pairings
Lapel (2-7) @ #3 Sheridan (7-2)
Guerin Catholic (4-5) @ Indiana Deaf (0-8)
Clinton Central (2-7) @ Eastern Hancock (1-8)
Tri-Central (3-6) @ #10 Clinton Prairie (8-1)

Elsewhere in the HHC
4A Sectional 12
Delta (8-1) at FW Wayne (5-4)
Delta has been playing amazingly well the last half of the season -- especially since the last-minute rally against PH. The Eagles have outscored their last three opponents 103-17 and have won seven straight. Wayne's record is deceptive, as it plays in the tough SAC and hung tough with FW Snider before losing 16-7 last week.
Winner plays 6-3 Marion or 7-2 Muncie South next week
Full sectional pairings
#9 Delta (8-1) at Fort Wayne Wayne (5-4)
Marion (6-3) at Muncie South (7-2)
Fort Wayne South (2-7) at Muncie Central (0-9)
New Haven (6-3) at Jay County (2-7)

4A Sectional 15
Shelbyville (3-6) at South Dearborn (5-4)
Shelbyville has struggled this season, but this team does have Patrick Ellis. The tough HHC schedule should also prepare the Golden Bears to face the Knights, who finished with a 2-3 mark in the EIAC.
Winner plays either 0-9 Madison or 5-4 Franklin County next week
Full sectional pairings
Shelbyville (3-6) at South Dearborn (5-4)
Madison (0-9) at Franklin County (5-4)
Greenwood (3-6) at Connersville (0-9)
Franklin (3-6) at #6 East Central (8-1)

3A Sectional 22
Howe (2-7) at Yorktown (2-7)
Yorktown struggled early in the year, but posted a very nice victory last week against Rushville to give it a nice bounce going into the tournament. Kundenreich and Barnes are a solid 1-2 punch. Howe also won last week, beating upstart 1A program Monroe Central 49-6 (and also knocking off Arlington earlier in the year)
Winner plays either 9-0 Hamilton Heights or 1-8 Beech Grove next week
Bye: Rushville (2-7) (plays Greensburg/Batesville next week)
Full sectional pairings
Rushville (2-7), bye
Greensburg (4-5) at Batesville (5-4)
Howe (2-7) at Yorktown (2-7)
#2 Hamilton Heights (9-0) at Beech Grove (1-8)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Tourney roundup

Girls soccer: Hamilton Southeastern 1, New Palestine 0
The Dragons ' unbeaten season comes to a close against a very strong HSE team in the Zionsville regional championship match Wednesday. The Royals' Rebecca Romaine scored in the second half to provide the game's only tally. Holly Hilton made 12 saves in net for the Dragons. NP finished the year 17-1-3.

Volleyball: New Castle 3, Greenfield-Central 0
The Cougars fell 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 in the opening round of the Muncie Central sectional Tuesday, behind 12 kills from the Trojans' Lauryn Gillis. G-C went 17-14 on the year.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Reminder: Football sectionals Friday night

Just a reminder, we have football Friday night. Here are the sectional pairings involving Hancock County teams. We will be broadcasting Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon. CLICK TO LISTEN LIVE.

Class 4A, Sectional 13
New Castle (1-8) - BYE
Pendleton Heights (6-3) @ Mt. Vernon (5-4)
Anderson (4-5) @ New Palestine (8-1)
Greenfield-Central (5-4) @ Indianapolis Arlington (3-6)

Class A, Sectional 37
Lapel (2-7) @ Sheridan (7-2)
Guerin Catholic (4-5) @ Indiana Deaf (0-8)
Clinton Central (2-7) @ Eastern Hancock (1-8)
Tri-Central (3-6) @ Clinton Prairie (8-1)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

MV soccer falls in regional

We had a great game between Mt. Vernon and Roncalli for the regional championship at Rushville on Saturday night. The shots were even, the run of play was mostly even, and the goals were even. Alex Sayre hit a rocket from just inside the box four minutes into the second half for MV, but Roncalli's Eric Cunningham answered on a similar shot with 15 minutes to go.

Everything came down to a shootout, during which Roncalli keeper Drew Oehrele made two saves and the Rebels won 3-2, to win the game 2-1 and earn a spot in the North Central semistate against Pike.

We had a great time broadcasting soccer, and we especially want to thank the Mt. Vernon parents and supporters that made the regional broadcasts possible.

Elsewhere in Hancock County tournament action:
Girls soccer
No. 15 New Palestine defeated Pendleton Heights 3-2 to win its fifth consecutive girls soccer sectional championship. NP trailed 2-1 at halftime, but Emilee Larson and Lauren Joray scored second-half goals to move the Dragons on. Kalli Shepler-Tucker also scored a first-half goal for the Dragons. The Dragons (17-0-3) will face Hamilton Southeastern in Wednesday's regional at Zionsville.

Girls cross country
New Palestine's Courtney Edon added to her stellar resume by winning the Rushville regional by seven seconds. Her 5k time of 19:00 outpaced the second-place runner, Jasmine Al-Anzi of Warren Central. As a team, NP finished third and will advance as a group to the Carmel semistate. NP's Caitlynn Edon finished 11th (19:58) to also place in the top 15. Eastern Hancock sophomore Shelby Wyatt finished 16th, one spot from transferring to the semistate.

Mt. Vernon was the runner-up to Jay County in the Pendleton Heights regional, as the Patriots outpaced MV 60-66. MV had three runners in the top 10 -- Amanda Jones (20:40), Elizabeth Cook (20:48) and Mandy Bode (20:56) finished seventh, eighth and ninth. Cassandra Eiler finished 17th. MV will compete in Saturday's New Haven semistate.

Boys cross country

Mt. Vernon finished third in the Delta boys cross country regional to advance as a team to Saturday's New Haven semistate. MV was led by Luke Davis and Nathan Bode, who finished 11th and 12th. Davis finished the 5k course in 17:18, one second ahead of his teammate. MV's Sean Hudson also finished in the top 20 at 19th.

Greenfield-Central finished fourth in the Rushville boys cross country regional to advance as a team to Saturday's semistate. The Cougars were led by Darren Wise, who finished 15th overall. Wise posted a time of 17:20. Cougars Tyler Wilcher and Jayke Thompson also finished in the top 20. New Palestine freshman Seth Eagleson finished 16th and missed qualifying for semistate by one spot.

Volleyball
Volleyball sectionals begin this week. Here are the pairings for the Hancock County teams:
4A Muncie Central sectional
7 p.m. Tuesday: Greenfield-Central vs. New Castle (winner plays Anderson at 11 a.m. Saturday in the semis. Championship 7 p.m. Saturday)
3A Hamilton Heights sectional
7 p.m. Thursday: New Palestine vs. Hamilton Heights
11 a.m. Saturday: Mt. Vernon vs. Shelbyville
12:30 p.m. Saturday: Rushville vs. NP-HH winner
7 p.m. Saturday: Championship
2A Knightstown sectional
7 p.m. Thursday: Eastern Hancock vs. Cambridge City Lincoln (winner plays Shenandoah/Hagerstown winner at 1 p.m. Saturday in the semis. Championship 7 p.m. Saturday).


Friday, October 15, 2010

Soccer regional final tonight

A reminder that the soccer regional final between Mt. Vernon and Roncalli will be broadcast live from Rushville tonight, starting at 6:45 p.m.

Click here to listen LIVE or listen in the stadium on AM 1630.

Week 9 roundup

New Palestine 7, Mt. Vernon 0
First-quarter score, end-of-game score. You kept expecting something offensive to happen, but the defenses just wouldn't give an inch. NP's defense has been solid all year, MV's had a real bounce-back night after struggling last week against Delta. But the Dragons -- normally a team that runs the ball and runs it and runs it some more -- scored the only points of the night by throwing it. Brandon Collins caught a 27-yard pass from Connor Simmons, and then Collins threw one himself -- a "double-pass" play that begins looking like a wide receiver screen, but Collins -- a converted QB -- caught the lateral and lobbed one to a wide-open Josh Penley in the end zone for a score.

Both teams threatened and got inside the 30 more than once, but couldn't finish. Not a single snap was made inside the red zone, as both defensive fronts were dominant. NP had 107 yards of total offense -- 61 by Austin Cahoy on the ground on 31 carries, and the rest through the air. MV had a few more -- 177 yards, including 116 on the ground from fullback Anthony Burnett, who grew up quickly in a new position as the game went on -- but had a couple of drives stall in NP territory. The defenses were incredible -- NP had four takeaways, MV two. But every yard was next-to-impossible to get due to the strong defensive play. NP's varsity defense hasn't allowed a touchdown in 4 1/2 games, and has only allowed two since Week 3.

NP wins the Boundary Rail for the sixth consecutive year, but again, this game is amazingly close. There's a chance for a rematch in three weeks -- but MV has to get through two tough games, including one against 6-3 Pendleton Heights, while NP has to do the same, facing 5A-sized Anderson in the first round (a team that came within 7 points of unbeaten Kokomo tonight).

Congrats to NP, the HHC champs, HHC Helmet owners and Boundary Rail owners for the off-season. NP (8-1/7-0) claims the title, while MV (5-4/4-3) finishes in a three-way tie for third.

Chatard 40, Greenfield-Central 0
Tough loss for the Cougars, but good in that they play a solid team for the second week in a row that will help prepare them for next week's game against Arlington. A win, and the Cougars will possess their first winning record since 1993. G-C finishes the regular season 5-4 and in a three-way tie for third in the HHC with a 4-3 mark.

Delta 35, Shelbyville 10
The Eagles keep rolling and finish 8-1/6-1 on the year, while the Golden Bears fall to 3-6/2-5. Delta has been playing very solid on both sides of the ball and should be a favorite to repeat in Sectional 12 next week. Delta is second in the HHC, Shelby finishes sixth.

Yorktown 42, Rushville 28
And seventh in the conference goes to ... Yorktown. The Tigers had such struggles early in the year, it's good to see Mike Wilhelm's team get a win over an opponent in the league (rather than a Class A charter school). Both teams finish 2-7 overall, Yorktown is 1-6 in the HHC and finishes seventh, Rushville 0-7 and finishes eighth.

Pendleton Heights 42, FW Concordia 19
Even though Concordia was winless, the Summit Conference is one of the state's best. Very impressive win for John Broughton's club, which is 6-3 on the year (and tied with G-C and MV for third in the HHC). The Arabians' win tonight cemented the second-best record in the state against non-conference foes for the HHC as a conference. PH gears up for a sectional rematch at Mt. Vernon next week.

In Hancock County: Eastern Hancock 28, Edinburgh 13: The Royals finally break into the win column with a win over Edinburgh. Congrats to Mark Reddy and his team, which plays Clinton Central next week.

Next week's broadcast:
Mt. Vernon vs. Pendleton Heights. Listen live on www.hancockcountysports.com.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

It's Boundary Rail time

It's time for the Boundary Rail game between the Dragons and the Marauders. A lot of hardware is on the line between these two teams at Kelso Stadium on Friday night -- of course, the Boundary Rail trophy, but also the Hoosier Heritage Conference helmet and, for the Dragons, the outright HHC championship.

NP and MV have been playing varsity football since 1968, and this game is often a closely-contested, intense, well-played contest. This year marks the 43rd regular-season meeting -- they've played every year they've had football teams -- and the 47th overall meeting between the two teams (NP holds a 26-19-1 edge).

This year, it features the outstanding running game of New Palestine -- led by Austin Cahoy and Matt Siergiej, with 1,750+ yards between them -- and the excellent passing game of Mt. Vernon, led by QB Austin Parker and the county's leading receiver in Jake Davis. Both have solid defenses -- NP hasn't allowed a TD in meaningful minutes since Week 5, while MV -- last week excepted -- has been more than solid throughout the year. The coaches are two of the best, the players will be keyed up, and we'll be ready.

Kickoff is at 7:30, you can LISTEN LIVE beginning at 7 p.m.

Here's the game's history:
Series history
Total series: NP 26, MV 19, 1 tie
Regular season: NP 23, MV 18, 1 tie
Boundary Rail (introduced 2005): NP 5, MV 0
2009: NP 28, @MV 14
2008: @NP 21, MV 7

2007: NP 20, @MV 13
2006: @MV 17, NP 14 (sectional final)
2006: @NP 21, MV 20, OT
2005: NP 31, @MV 14 (sectional final)
2005: NP 20, @MV 0 (first Boundary Rail Game)
2004: @NP 20, MV 6 (sectional 1st round)
2004: @NP 21, MV 10
2003: @MV 38, NP 6
2002: @NP 12, MV 7
2001: MV 23, @NP 0
2000: MV 42, @NP 7
1999: @MV 36, NP 28
1998: MV 38, @NP 21
1997: @MV 48, NP 21
1996: NP 7, @MV 0
1995: @NP 36, MV 22
1994: @MV 10, NP 0
1993: @NP 61, MV 13
1992: NP 48, @MV 19
1991: MV 15, @NP 7
1990: @NP 19, MV 7 (sectional)
1990: MV 21, NP 20 (@Hoosier Dome)
1989: @NP 40, MV 6
1988: NP 34, @MV 13
1987: @NP 24, MV 8
1986: @MV 6, NP 0
1985: MV 12, @NP 6
1984: NP 8, @MV 6
1983: @NP 27, MV 24
1982: @MV 12, NP 6, OT
1981: MV 17, @NP 6
1980: @MV 19, NP 14
1979: @NP 20, MV 14
1978: NP 34, @MV 13
1977: @NP 28, MV 14
1976: NP 20, @MV 12
1975: MV 14, @NP 3
1974: NP 44, @MV 0
1973: @NP 12, MV 6
1972: @MV 12, NP 6
1971: MV 22, @NP 7
1970: @MV 8, NP 8
1969: @NP 24, MV 22
1968: @MV 28, NP 24
Games at Mt. Vernon: NP 12, MV 10, 1 tie (regular season NP 11-9-1)
Games at New Palestine: NP 14, MV 9 (regular season NP 12-9)
Longest NP streak: 5 games (2004-2006) (regular-season: 6 games, 2004-09)
Longest MV streak: 5 games (1997-2001)
Biggest wins: MV 38, NP 6 (2003); NP 61, MV 13 (1993).
Winningest coaches: Marvin Shepler, NP (17 wins); Doug Peacock, MV (8 wins).

HHC Week 9

Mt. Vernon (5-3/4-2) at New Palestine (7-1/6-0) LIVE BROADCAST
The HHC title, the Helmet and the Boundary Rail are all on the line for the Dragons as they host Mt. Vernon. NP's varsity defense hasn't allowed a point since Week 5 against Rushville. MV has an explosive offense, but has scored only once in two weeks against some pretty good defenses from Greenfield-Central and Delta. This game is strength-on-strength: NP runs it very well with Cahoy and Siergiej, but MV loves to blitz and has a solid front seven and an outstanding d-line. MV's Austin Parker is the school's all-time leading passer and he can sling it, but NP has a tremendous secondary. NP can win the HHC title outright with a victory.

Delta (7-1/5-1) at Shelbyville (3-5/2-4)
The Eagles are playing some great football, culminating with last week's 35-0 thumping of Mt. Vernon. Mann is throwing it well and Overfield had a 120-yard game last week. Delta's D has allowed seven points the last two weeks. Shelby's Patrick Ellis went for 290 last week, but it was against a Yorktown defense that has struggled. Delta clinches a tie for the HHC title if it and Mt. Vernon win. We'll be monitoring WSVX at New Pal, and I'm certain they'll probably be listening to our broadcast on the smartphones in the Delta stands.

Rushville (2-6/0-6) at Yorktown (1-7/0-6)
Eighth place in the HHC is up for grabs this week. Both will be hungry for a pre-sectional win.

Out of conference (should both teams win, the HHC would tie the Duneland Conference for the best collective non-conference record in the state. HHC teams are currently 10-4; DAC teams are 12-4 outside of league play).

Chatard (4-4) at Greenfield-Central (5-3/4-3)
G-C has a tough closing stretch, and had a difficult game against NP last week. Chatard plays a very similar game, so this could be a good sectional tune-up for the Cougars.

Fort Wayne Concordia (0-8) at Pendleton Heights (5-3/4-3)

The Arabians have an outstanding offense, with Dezmon Nunn running all over the place. The Cadets are giving up 46 points a game.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

It's MV vs. Roncalli for regional title

Mt. Vernon's boys soccer team improved to 14-4-2 with a 2-1 OT victory over Shelbyville Wednesday. Trevor Johnson's cross deflected off a Shelby player's head and into the goal with 4:11 left in OT to give the Marauders a victory -- just nine seconds after the Golden Bears went down a man due to a red card. Jake Brown scored the Marauders' first goal at 65:49 on a great cross from Eric Thompson to the goalmouth, but Shelby's Alex Collier answered with a really nice goal off a throw-in. It was a fun, back-and-forth game where the defenses were kept on their toes most of the night.

MV plays Roncalli for the regional title at 7 p.m. Saturday -- the Rebels beat Richmond 4-3 tonight. We will be on-air at 6:45 p.m.

LISTEN LIVE

Monday, October 11, 2010

MV soccer regional games to be broadcast

The Mt. Vernon soccer regional games will be broadcast LIVE on HancockCountySports.com. Join Andrew Smith for the call of the Marauders' game against Shelbyville at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the regional semifinal. If the Marauders win, we'll also broadcast the championship game at 6:45 p.m. Saturday.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

CCSN sectional coverage

HancockCountySports.com plans to broadcast the first-round sectional game between Pendleton Heights and Mt. Vernon on Oct. 22. The Marauders won a 37-17 regular-season matchup in a game that was much closer than the score indicated.

IHSAA football sectional pairings

... are being discussed over at The Gridiron Digest (www.gridirondigest.com).

We will post the relevant Hancock County pairings as soon as they're announced.

New Palestine head coach Tim Able will be on the television broadcast on WTTV-4 during the announcement of the 4A pairings.

Class 4A, Sectional 13
New Castle (1-7) - BYE
Pendleton Heights (5-3) @ Mt. Vernon (Hancock) (5-3)
Anderson (4-4) @ New Palestine (7-1)
Greenfield-Central (5-3) @ Indianapolis Arlington (3-5)

Pretty well-distributed. NP has a tough matchup with Anderson in the first round -- a dangerous team with a 5A enrollment that merges players from two schools. G-C gets Arlington in the opening game. The PH-MV rematch will be fun -- that game was an entertaining one the first time around.

Class A, Sectional 37
Lapel (1-7) @ Sheridan (6-2)
Guerin Catholic (3-5) @ Indiana Deaf (0-8)
Clinton Central (2-6) @ Eastern Hancock (0-8)
Tri-Central (3-5) @ Clinton Prairie (8-0)

EH used to play CC in Week 9 ... now, they'll play in Week 10. Other than the Deaf School, it's as good of a matchup as the Royals could have hoped for.

Congrats to MV soccer

Congratulations to Mt. Vernon's boys soccer team, winning the New Palestine sectional by beating Greenfield-Central 3-0.

Caleb Young scored 10:35 into the game, and then Eric Ahonen (on a free kick) and Alex Sayre added two second-half goals four minutes apart, while Nathan Livengood made five saves to preserve the shutout.

Coach Aaron Britt's team is 13-3-2, and broke a school record for shutouts with 13 (and posted its fifth straight) Sunday. They have T-shirts that say "NGP" -- No Goal Patrol -- and they've lived up to it.

MV beat Warren Central 2-0 in the morning, while G-C upset once-beaten New Palestine 1-0 in the other semifinal, breaking the Dragons' streak of four straight sectionals.

MV plays Shelbyville in Wednesday's Rushville regional semifinal.

Also, this week, the girls soccer sectional and cross country sectional will take place.
==
We'd be interested in broadcasting the Mt. Vernon regional games, BUT we need sponsorship to do so. If you are interested in sponsoring the games, please contact me at andrewsmith@crosscomsports.com.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Saturday night

Make sure to listen to HancockCountySports.com on Saturday night, as we bring you the boys soccer sectional championship game from New Palestine. The semifinals will be in the day -- one game has already been played, as Mt. Vernon defeated Howe 11-0 in the first-round game Thursday.

We go on at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame for the title game.

Semifinal pairings:
10 a.m.: New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central
Noon: Mt. Vernon vs. Warren Central

The semifinals are a toss-up, as NP and G-C went to a shootout during the regular season, while WC defeated MV 2-1 when those two teams met, and the Marauders made significant changes shortly thereafter to improve their team.

LISTEN LIVE

Week 8 recap

The New Palestine Dragons did what they do tonight -- and it led to the school's first Hoosier Heritage Conference championship since 2006.

They came out, established themselves with an outstanding defense, ran the ball with Austin Cahoy and Matt Siergiej, got some big special-teams play from Tyler Peper, and just put together a workmanlike, methodical 32-0 victory over Greenfield-Central.

It happened pretty quickly. NP needed five plays to score on its second drive -- a 1-yard plunge by Cahoy for a TD. The Dragons would score on their next two possessions, taking advantage of a short G-C punt to set up Cahoy's 25-yard gallop on fourth down, and a long punt return by Peper to set up Brandon Wiggins' 1-yard run that quickly made it 19-0. NP added two more scores in the third on a 42-yard pass from Connor Simmons to Brandon Collins -- just the Dragons' second TD pass of the year -- and another TD from Cahoy, making 21 on the season and the seventh straight game where he's notched at least two scores.

Siergiej led the Dragons with 127 yards rushing on 29 carries, while Cahoy had 95 yards and three TDs, in addition to playing solid defense. Peper did it all -- two long punt returns that set up scores, one of the Dragons' two interceptions and he took over the punting duties after regular punter Brett Jackson was injured on the game's first play. NP outgained G-C 255-84.

NP's defense was difficult to move on -- G-C had 12 possessions, 10 of which ended in punts and two in interceptions, and four first downs. The Cougars ran one play inside the Dragon 30 -- the result of a short punt, and the next play was Peper's interception. NP has allowed four TDs in the last six games -- two of which were scored late in games with a lot of reserves on the field.

The Dragons (7-1, 6-0) clinch a piece of the HHC championship with the win. They can win it outright next week in the Boundary Rail game against Mt. Vernon. Delta also still has a shot at tying NP for the title, but that can only happen if NP loses to MV and Delta beats Shelbyville. G-C is 5-3 and finishes HHC play with a 4-3 record. The Cougars host Chatard next week.

Elsewhere:
Delta 35, Mt. Vernon 0: The Marauders fell behind 21-0 at the half and found themselves Delta's sixth consecutive victim. Delta keeps itself in the HHC title hunt -- although it will need help -- by improving to 7-1/5-1, while MV is now 5-3/4-2.

Pendleton Heights 45, Rushville 21: The Arabians win their second straight and finish HHC play with a 4-3 conference record. At 5-3 overall, they'll step out of league play to face Fort Wayne Concordia next week. Rushville falls to 2-6/0-6.

Shelbyville 38, Yorktown 17: The Golden Bears pulled away in the second half to win their second conference game of the year. Shelby is now 3-5/2-4, while Yorktown is 1-7/0-6.

Next week:
Mt. Vernon-New Palestine
Shelbyville-Delta
Rushville-Yorktown
Greenfield-Central-Chatard
Pendleton Heights-Fort Wayne Concordia

Elsewhere in Hancock County
Shenandoah 73, Eastern Hancock 0:
The Royals dropped their eighth-straight game to No. 6 Shenandoah, and saw why the powerful Raiders are the state's top-scoring team. EH finishes with Edinburgh next week.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

HHC Week 8

It's the penultimate week in the HHC. Here's the look at the games.
4A #7 New Palestine (6-1/5-0) at Greenfield-Central (5-2/4-2).
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE BROADCAST beginning at 6:30 p.m.

HUGE game in the conference. NP won this one 56-0 last year but it's a much different Cougar team the Dragons will be playing. The Helmet and the HHC title are on the line, as the Dragons will be trying to defend the former and seize at least a piece of the latter, which would be their first since 2006. NP has a bruising running game with Austin Cahoy putting together back-to-back 200-yard games, and Matt Siergiej running well, too. G-C is coming off a big win over Mt. Vernon and has had several fourth-quarter victories this year. Matt Dickerson is one of the league's dynamic offensive players, and the Cougars have a defense that flies all over the field. The defenses will be huge -- G-C didn't allow Mt. Vernon much last week, while NP hasn't allowed anybody much -- of the four TDs they've given up since Week 3, two of them were scored against the JV. This reminds me of the 2002 game between these teams, where a Josiah Sears-led G-C was trying to clinch a league title against a talented NP team that was catching its stride. The favorite won, but it went right down to the wire.

Mt. Vernon (5-2/4-1) at 4A #10 Delta (6-1/4-1)
Big bounce-back game for MV, while it's a chance for an improving Delta team to flex its muscles. Delta kind of faded from the limelight after the loss to New Palestine and the near-defeat to Greenfield-Central the next week, but the Eagles have quietly just ripped off five wins in a row. MV has a very strong, diverse offense that didn't look like itself last week, but both of these teams have a lot of weapons and two of the best passing QBs in the league in Austin Parker and Ozzie Mann. I wish we had a Day at the Dome again this year, I'd love to see both of these games live.

Pendleton Heights (4-3/3-3) at Rushville (2-5/0-5)
PH has been snakebit a little bit -- of the three conference losses, the Arabians outgained Mt. Vernon in one and lost the other to Delta in the closing seconds. The Arabians have a nice triple-threat with Patishall, Nunn and McNeil, and they were solid last week against Jay County. Rushville likes to run the ball, and Spencer Comer can do quite a bit.

Shelbyville (2-5/1-4) at Yorktown (1-6/0-5)
A battle between two teams that have had a lot of recent success, but have struggled this year. Pat Parks has done just about everything to get the ball in Patrick Ellis' hands -- including tossing in a little bit of a single-wing look a couple of weeks ago. Yorktown finally broke off a win last week against non-conference Gary Bowman, but this will be a nice end-of-season pick-me-up for one of these two teams.

In the county: 2A #6 Shenandoah (7-0) at Eastern Hancock (0-7)
Shenandoah is unbeaten for a reason -- it's the state's leading scoring team and returns its entire starting backfield, which has all been putting up huge numbers. QB Zack Cole, FB Jared Bromagem and halfbacks Zach York and Dylan Hamm are all threats to score from virtually anywhere on the field running the Raiders' option offense. EH is looking for a breakout game, and upsets can happen when these two traditional rivals meet.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Week 7 Saturday morning QB

As we've capped already, last night was an interesting night in the HHC, with the New Palestine Dragons taking sole possession of first place, the Greenfield-Central Cougars knocking Mt. Vernon from the league lead with an impressive defensive performance, and a big shakeup for the final two weeks of the season.

The Dragons only need to win one of their remaining two games to clinch a piece of their first HHC title since 2006. The Marauders can clinch a share by winning out, while Delta needs some help -- needing to beat MV next week and then have the Marauders beat New Palestine in Week 9, which could forge a 3-way tie. There is a four-way tie possibility that would also hand a piece of the title to Greenfield-Central, but it would involve the above scenario and then Delta losing to Shelbyville in Week 9.

Anyway, we had commentary on the implications of the games last night. Let's link you to the games themselves:
Greenfield-Central 14, Mt. Vernon 6: The Cougars clinch their first winning regular season since 2002, their first four-game winning streak since then, and knock off MV for the third time in four years. As is a trend, this game was a one-possession contest -- it has been for each of the last four seasons. G-C didn't have anyone stand out statistically because it was so balanced -- 120 yards rushing as a team, but Jake Hoskins and QB Carl Ellison led the team with 27 each. Matt Dickerson made several big plays -- 41 yards receiving, and had a rushing TD, a receiving TD and a big interception to seal the game in the fourth quarter. G-C's defense was stout, holding MV to 151 total yards and just 46 on the ground.
Daily Reporter

New Palestine 31, Shelbyville 6: The Dragons rolled up more than 400 yards of offense en route to their sixth straight victory. Once again, the No. 1 defense fails to give up a point -- Shelby's lone score came on the game's final play. NP's top defensive unit has allowed just two touchdowns in the last five games. NP used its special teams in this one, recovering a couple of on-side kicks to allow it to control the ball for much of the first half. Dragon RB Austin Cahoy scored three touchdowns and topped the century mark again, and NP's defense was stout, holding Shelby to 121 yards.
Daily Reporter, Shelbyville News

Delta 33, Rushville 7: The Eagles have quietly won five straight since their Week 2 loss at New Palestine. Delta's Austin Fuiatavai -- normally a lineman -- scored twice and the Eagles showed their balance, as Zach Overfield and Brice Benbow added rushing touchdowns and QB Ozzie Mann hit Garrett Zgunda for a TD. Delta gained 446 yards of offense, with Mann throwing for 193.
Muncie Star-Press

Pendleton Heights 49, Jay County 0: After two tough losses in conference play to Mt. Vernon and Delta -- both games where they had shots to win in the fourth quarter -- PH stepped out of league play and rolled. Dezmon Nunn ran for 140 yards and three TDs, and added a TD reception. QB Mitch Patishall threw for two touchdowns and 145 yards.
Anderson Herald-Bulletin

Yorktown 34, Gary Bowman 0: The Tigers got a chance to flex their muscles a bit by stepping out of HHC play, and they get their first victory of the year. The RB tandem of Derek Kundenreich and Brendon Barnes combined for more than 250 yards in a shutout victory. Kundenreich also had a fumble return for a TD, and QB Joe Todd threw a 50-yard TD pass early in the game.
Muncie Star-Press

In Hancock County
Wes-Del 20, Eastern Hancock 0:
The Royals fell to a Wes-Del squad that is improving, dropping EH to 0-7. A 107-yard interception return in the second quarter turned the game for Wes-Del and led to the victory.
Daily Reporter, Muncie Star-Press

Looking ahead to Week 8
Our game will be a clash at the top of the HHC, as New Palestine plays for the conference title against Greenfield-Central, which has already knocked one team from the HHC perch. NP has won six straight, G-C has won four straight. Airtime is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE.

The other big game is at Delta, where the Mt. Vernon Marauders will travel to face the Eagles in a matchup of teams tied for second in the conference and in title contention.

Pendleton Heights matches up with Rushville, while Shelbyville meets Yorktown in games matching the four teams that are currently fifth through eighth in the conference.

In Hancock County play, Eastern Hancock has a tough matchup, facing an unbeaten Shenandoah team that is averaging 53 points per game and just waxed Tri-Central 67-12.



Peeking ahead

Friday, October 1, 2010

Week 7: Cougars win, Dragons to top spot

We saw a great defensive effort from Greenfield-Central tonight, and a big wrench thrown into the Hoosier Heritage Conference standings.

G-C played a very efficient game, and was letter-perfect on defense in beating Mt. Vernon 14-6 tonight at Mt. Vernon Stadium, spoiling Senior Night at MV. It also knocked the Marauders from a first-place tie in the HHC, and clinched G-C's first winning regular season since 2002. The Cougars have had a really rapid turnaround and tonight was their signature win. It nearly came when they lost 6-0 to Delta in Week 3, but it came tonight.

The game started with G-C's triple-option offense rolling downfield, and Matt Dickerson catching a tipped ball in the end zone, to make it a 29-yard TD catch from Carl Ellison on the first drive. G-C's defense and field position game took over from there -- the Marauders managed just 46 rushing yards and 151 overall -- of those, half came on two plays -- and four first downs. That said, MV's defense was solid, too. The defenses really controlled things tonight. The key was field position -- G-C was able to drive to midfield and punt MV deep in its own territory. Five of MV's 10 drives started inside the 15 yard line. The Marauders were able to move it on one -- a 92-yard march that ended with a 44-yard TD pass to Corey White. However, the PAT was wide right, preserving a 7-6 Cougar lead. MV stopped G-C on the next possession, but a roughing the punter penalty gave the Cougars another shot. They didn't score, but punter Jordan Conley pooched it to the 5-yard-line, where MV was stopped and the Cougars used the field position to put the game away on Dickerson's 1-yard TD. He then intercepted MV's last shot to preserve the win.

G-C ran for 120 yards, but no one player had more than 27 -- tremendous balance for the Cougars. Ellison also threw for 84 and a TD.

The Cougars (5-2, 4-2) host HHC leader New Palestine next week as they try to extend their winning streak to five games -- and spoil NP's six-game streak. MV travels to Delta in a matchup of the HHC's second-place teams, as both have 4-1 conference records.

New Palestine 31, Shelbyville 6: The Dragons' defense stands out again as they beat Shelby big, building an early lead and cruising. NP has been very impressive in its five HHC wins -- beating Delta, being the first team in years to keep Pendleton Heights out of the end zone, and posting lopsided victories over Rushville, Yorktown and now Shelby. Since Week 3, NP's No. 1 defense has allowed two touchdowns. NP is now 6-1 (5-0), Shelby is now 2-5 (1-4).

Delta 33, Rushville 7: The Eagles are back on a roll, and back in the hunt for the title, although they'll need help. Delta (6-1, 4-1) has to win out against Mt. Vernon and Shelbyville and hope New Palestine loses. Rushville drops to 2-5 (0-5).

Pendleton Heights 49, Jay County 0: Nice win for the Arabians tonight, as they post a shutout and boost the HHC's non-conference record. PH's offense has been very solid all year, and this team could *very* easily be 6-1 right now. But it's a 4-3 team that will be very dangerous in the tournament.

Yorktown 34, Gary Bowman 0: The Tigers had struggled against HHC competition, and then step out of conference play and post a rout. Nice win for Mike Wilhelm's crew as they move to 1-6 on the year.

In Hancock County:
Wes-Del 20, Eastern Hancock 0:
The Royals remain winless as Wes-Del posts its second straight victory. EH plays unbeaten Shenandoah next week before closing against Edinburgh.

HHC standings
New Palestine 5-0 HHC; 6-1 overall (next week@ G-C - LISTEN LIVE!; W9 vMV)
Delta 4-1 HHC; 6-1 overall (next week vMV; W9 @Shelby)
Mt. Vernon 4-1 HHC; 5-2 overall (next week @Delta; W9 @NP)
Greenfield-Central 4-2 HHC; 5-2 overall (next week vNP LISTEN LIVE!; W9 vChatard)
Pendleton Hts. 3-3 HHC; 4-3 overall (next week @Rush; W9 vFW Concordia)
Shelbyville 1-4 HHC; 2-5 overall (next week @Yorktown; W9 vDelta)
Rushville 0-5 HHC; 2-5 overall (next week vPH; W9 @Yorktown)
Yorktown 0-5 HHC; 1-6 overall (next week vShelby, W9 vRushville)

Title scenarios
New Palestine
*-Clinches at least a share of title with win over G-C in Week 8.
*-Clinches title outright with two wins OR a win next week, a Delta win over MV in Week 8 and a Shelbyville win over Delta in Week 9.
*-Could be in a 3-way or 4-way tie even if two losses, IF Delta beats Mt. Vernon in Week 8 and Shelbyville beats Delta in Week 9.

Mt. Vernon
*-Clinches at least a share of title with wins over Delta and New Palestine.
*-Clinches title outright with two wins AND a New Palestine loss to Greenfield-Central.
*-Could be in a 3-way or 4-way tie if it loses to Delta, beats New Palestine and Shelbyville beats Delta in Week 9.

Delta
*-Clinches a share of title by winning out AND a loss by New Palestine in either of its final two games.
*-Wins title outright by winning out AND two losses by New Palestine.
*-Could be in a 3-way or 4-way tie if it beats Mt. Vernon, loses to Shelbyville, Mt. Vernon beats New Palestine in Week 9 and Greenfield-Central beats New Palestine in Week 8.

Greenfield-Central
*-Clinches a 4-way share of the title with win over New Palestine, coupled with Delta victory over Mt. Vernon, Mt. Vernon victory over New Palestine and Shelbyville victory over Delta.

All other teams have been eliminated.