The New Palestine Dragons are getting ready for regional play, and so are we!
Join Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert at 9:35 a.m. for regional action from Shelbyville. We will bring you all of the Dragons' games on HancockCountySports.com.
Here is the regional schedule from Shelbyville's Garrett Gymnasium
10 a.m.: New Palestine (11-11) vs. Batesville (16-6)
11:30 a.m.: Danville (19-5) vs. #8 Roncalli (17-5)
8 p.m.: Championship
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!
If you have trouble: the direct broadcast link is here
In the opening game, the Dragons (11-11) are what we've described all year -- an athletic, young team with no seniors that put everything together in the sectional. Half of NP's games have been decided by five points or less -- five in OT -- so the Dragons are battle-tested. They beat #4 Hamilton Heights 77-74 and avenged one of those OT losses to Shelbyville 66-55 in the sectional. On Friday, it was Josh Penley's 30-point night that led the Dragons, with three others scoring in double-figures. Penley added 16 points and 11 boards on Saturday to help lead a victory, with junior Taylor Rainey adding 19 points, Michael Morris 17 and Reid Clark scoring nine and pulling down 11 rebounds. To say things were balanced would be an understatement, as the Dragons had at least three players in double-figures each night. The Dragons have good balance, decent size, good quickness and some 3-point shooting that carried them to a sectional title.
Batesville (16-6) avenged two regular-season defeats to Greensburg with a strong defensive effort -- allowing 32 points in 32 minutes, including just three in the final quarter. Coach Aaron Garrett's squad led throughout. The two teams are similar size-wise, and some of the names from both the Dragons and Bulldogs will be familiar to each others' fans because quite a number of them play football -- in which NP and Batesville have played annually for the last eight years. Junior guard Cameron Fledderman and 6-4 senior forward Cody Cole led the Bulldogs with 12 points each in their 50-32 victory over Greensburg. Luke Williams, a 6-5, 210-pound center, added eight points and five rebounds.
The other game features #8 Roncalli and defending regional champ Danville. Roncalli is HUGE -- five players stand 6-foot-6 or taller, led by three players who average in double-figures -- juniors David Heckman and Ryan Weber and senior Collin Lynch. The Rebels beat #9 Brebeuf in the sectional title game at Beech Grove. Danville eliminated #3 Lebanon in the sectional opener, then went on to win at Lebanon. The Warriors have graduated 6-10 center Travis Carroll to Purdue, but the cupboard isn't bare for Brian Barber's club. Senior Tyler Hall averages 21.9 points and 7 rebounds per game to lead the way for a veteran squad with lots of tourney experience. The Warriors beat Mt. Vernon in the regional title game last year before falling to eventual champ Washington in the semistate.
Showing posts with label batesville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label batesville. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Week 4 football
Some good games this weekend ... OK, some great games. Unfortunately, we can only do one on HancockCountySports.com.
Our game of the week (LISTEN LIVE HERE) is Batesville (2-1) at New Palestine (2-1)
Airtime: 7 p.m.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
(also available in-stadium at AM 1630).
This is one of my favorite matchups of the year, and it's unfortunate that it's the last of a pretty good eight-year series. Batesville has won seven sectionals since 2001, NP has won three, and both are defending sectional champs. NP has put together back-to-back impressive games -- beating Pendleton Heights 20-3 after knocking off Delta two weeks ago -- and the Dragons have done it with a bruising ground game. Senior Austin Cahoy and QB Brett Jackson led the way running the ball last week, while sophomore Matt Siergiej did so two weeks ago with 150+-yard game. Batesville graduated QB Connor Kelley last year, but RB Connor Jeffers -- who had 112 yards last week in a 29-0 win over South Dearborn, is back, as are several other players with some serious varsity experience. QB Brady Cavinee was perfect throwing the ball in the season opener against Jennings County two weeks ago, but don't expect him to put it up much. Batesville loves to run the ball with the Wing-T and single-wing offenses. I'd put the over-under on passes thrown Friday at, well, about 5. Both teams love to run the ball, and we'll see some pretty good football from both of those teams.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Rushville (2-1, 0-1) at Mt. Vernon (2-1, 1-1): The Marauders were very impressive in rolling up 44 first-half points against Connersville last week. MV can spread the ball around on offense -- QB Austin Parker was a perfect 7-for-7 last week, while RB Zach McKinney ran for 85 yards in one half of play, and WB Corey White ran a kickoff back for a TD for the third time in two weeks. MV's defense has been pretty stingy for the last five halves it's played, and this team is coming together pretty quickly. Rushville QB Spencer Comer is one of the conference's best athletes running the veer-option attack, and the Lions have their best team in quite some time. Rushville fell 34-27 to Shelbyville last week, but the Lions mounted a significant comeback after being down by 20 points.
Yorktown (0-3, 0-2) at Greenfield-Central (1-2, 0-2): G-C raised a lot of eyebrows last week when it fell to Delta 6-0, but had the ball inside the 20 yard line with a chance to win late. The Cougars have one of the HHC's most dangerous athletes in Matt Dickerson, and they're coming together fairly quickly, with an impressive defensive performance last week. Delta scored on the first drive, and G-C held the Eagles scoreless the rest of the game, forcing seven fumbles. Yorktown has one of the HHC's top backs in Derek Kundenreich, who combines with speedster Brendon Barnes to provide a Mr. Inside-Mr. Outside running game.
Milan (2-1, 0-0 MIFC) at Eastern Hancock (0-3, 0-3 MIFC)
Milan had an impressive win in Week 2, beating Batesville 19-14. The Royals' brutal start to the schedule continues -- they've played three teams widely believed to be the contenders in the MIFC, with Milan being the fourth. Mark Reddy's squad should be battle-tested after these first four weeks.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights (2-1, 2-1) at Shelbyville (2-1, 1-0): PH has had an impressive start, although it was stopped last week against New Palestine. The Arabians' Mitch Patishall can toss it around the field, while RB Dezmon Nunn can score at anytime. Nunn and Shelbyville's Patrick Ellis are two of the most dangerous players in the league, and seeing them carry the mail will be fun.
Muncie South (2-1) at Delta (2-1): Muncie South knocked off Yorktown 28-7 last week and showed its stripes. After a Week 2 loss and a near-defeat in Week 3, the Eagles will be looking to have a good showing this week, led by QB Ozzie Mann and RB Zach Overfield.
Our game of the week (LISTEN LIVE HERE) is Batesville (2-1) at New Palestine (2-1)
Airtime: 7 p.m.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
(also available in-stadium at AM 1630).
This is one of my favorite matchups of the year, and it's unfortunate that it's the last of a pretty good eight-year series. Batesville has won seven sectionals since 2001, NP has won three, and both are defending sectional champs. NP has put together back-to-back impressive games -- beating Pendleton Heights 20-3 after knocking off Delta two weeks ago -- and the Dragons have done it with a bruising ground game. Senior Austin Cahoy and QB Brett Jackson led the way running the ball last week, while sophomore Matt Siergiej did so two weeks ago with 150+-yard game. Batesville graduated QB Connor Kelley last year, but RB Connor Jeffers -- who had 112 yards last week in a 29-0 win over South Dearborn, is back, as are several other players with some serious varsity experience. QB Brady Cavinee was perfect throwing the ball in the season opener against Jennings County two weeks ago, but don't expect him to put it up much. Batesville loves to run the ball with the Wing-T and single-wing offenses. I'd put the over-under on passes thrown Friday at, well, about 5. Both teams love to run the ball, and we'll see some pretty good football from both of those teams.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Rushville (2-1, 0-1) at Mt. Vernon (2-1, 1-1): The Marauders were very impressive in rolling up 44 first-half points against Connersville last week. MV can spread the ball around on offense -- QB Austin Parker was a perfect 7-for-7 last week, while RB Zach McKinney ran for 85 yards in one half of play, and WB Corey White ran a kickoff back for a TD for the third time in two weeks. MV's defense has been pretty stingy for the last five halves it's played, and this team is coming together pretty quickly. Rushville QB Spencer Comer is one of the conference's best athletes running the veer-option attack, and the Lions have their best team in quite some time. Rushville fell 34-27 to Shelbyville last week, but the Lions mounted a significant comeback after being down by 20 points.
Yorktown (0-3, 0-2) at Greenfield-Central (1-2, 0-2): G-C raised a lot of eyebrows last week when it fell to Delta 6-0, but had the ball inside the 20 yard line with a chance to win late. The Cougars have one of the HHC's most dangerous athletes in Matt Dickerson, and they're coming together fairly quickly, with an impressive defensive performance last week. Delta scored on the first drive, and G-C held the Eagles scoreless the rest of the game, forcing seven fumbles. Yorktown has one of the HHC's top backs in Derek Kundenreich, who combines with speedster Brendon Barnes to provide a Mr. Inside-Mr. Outside running game.
Milan (2-1, 0-0 MIFC) at Eastern Hancock (0-3, 0-3 MIFC)
Milan had an impressive win in Week 2, beating Batesville 19-14. The Royals' brutal start to the schedule continues -- they've played three teams widely believed to be the contenders in the MIFC, with Milan being the fourth. Mark Reddy's squad should be battle-tested after these first four weeks.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights (2-1, 2-1) at Shelbyville (2-1, 1-0): PH has had an impressive start, although it was stopped last week against New Palestine. The Arabians' Mitch Patishall can toss it around the field, while RB Dezmon Nunn can score at anytime. Nunn and Shelbyville's Patrick Ellis are two of the most dangerous players in the league, and seeing them carry the mail will be fun.
Muncie South (2-1) at Delta (2-1): Muncie South knocked off Yorktown 28-7 last week and showed its stripes. After a Week 2 loss and a near-defeat in Week 3, the Eagles will be looking to have a good showing this week, led by QB Ozzie Mann and RB Zach Overfield.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday redux
If you listened to today's New Palestine-Batesville broadcast, you could probably tell Jim Ryan, Tim Adams and I were really enjoying ourselves high atop Lucas Oil Stadium. First of all, it was a perfect day for football (and with the stadium roof open, it made it even better), and Lucas Oil is one of the best football venues around. Everyone should find a day to go there -- of course, for many of our readers, the HHC Classic on Oct. 10 will be a great opportunity.
Each team had one big star, and each star shone tonight. It just seemed that Batesville had just a few more weapons. The Bulldogs' Connor Kelley was very impressive, and coach Eric Heppner has reached way back in time to find the perfect scheme for Kelley. Batesville employed a single-wing set much of the day, allowing Kelley to take the snap deep in the backfield and run. The Bulldogs used a ton of misdirection to keep NP off-balance early, and by the time the Dragons could get untracked defensively, Batesville had scored four straight touchdowns and led 28-7 at halftime.
At 6-2, 215, Kelley is a big, strong QB. He's also a very good runner and throws a good ball -- which is why the Bulldogs are averaging more than 25 yards a pass completion this season. Kelley accounted for 235 yards of total offense today -- 145 through the air and 90 on the ground. Batesville's Tom Jeffers was also pretty impressive on the receiving end of four of those passes.
Meanwhile, the Dragons had their own star in wideout/running back/defensive back Pat Feeney, and he didn't disappoint, either. He just missed a 200-yard day from scrimmage -- totaling 122 yards receiving on six catches (a 20.3 average) and 72 yards on the ground for a total of 194. He had a TD, blocked a field goal and also a diving pass break-up on defense that prevented a Batesville touchdown. It was easy to tell NP was trying to get the ball in Feeney's hands as much as possible, but the Dragons were best when they were getting contributions from several players in the offense. NP got behind so far so fast, it had to go to the air in the second half. QB Cary Albrecht ended up 15-of-22 on the day, but he was 11-of-13 after halftime, spreading the ball out to six different receivers. The Dragons had their best aerial day of the year with 213 yards passing.
Batesville made a big statement today -- and has a chance to do so Friday night against East Central. The Bulldogs are big, senior-laden and have the perfect scheme for their personnel. They've been scoring points in bunches, and proved why today. They're going to be a force to be reckoned with in Class 3A -- they're in a sectional that includes the HHC's Rushville Lions & Yorktown Tigers.
NP is 2-2, but showed something today, especially in the passing game. The Dragons put together a great 14-play drive in the second half for a touchdown, and were able to hit on big plays.
We're looking forward to seeing the way things shake out in the HHC as the year goes on, now that conference play is the focus for most of the league. All 8 teams play league games next week, and we have a great rivalry in the GID Game of the Week: Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon. We'll join you at 7 p.m. for all of the action at www.crosscomsports.com.
Each team had one big star, and each star shone tonight. It just seemed that Batesville had just a few more weapons. The Bulldogs' Connor Kelley was very impressive, and coach Eric Heppner has reached way back in time to find the perfect scheme for Kelley. Batesville employed a single-wing set much of the day, allowing Kelley to take the snap deep in the backfield and run. The Bulldogs used a ton of misdirection to keep NP off-balance early, and by the time the Dragons could get untracked defensively, Batesville had scored four straight touchdowns and led 28-7 at halftime.
At 6-2, 215, Kelley is a big, strong QB. He's also a very good runner and throws a good ball -- which is why the Bulldogs are averaging more than 25 yards a pass completion this season. Kelley accounted for 235 yards of total offense today -- 145 through the air and 90 on the ground. Batesville's Tom Jeffers was also pretty impressive on the receiving end of four of those passes.
Meanwhile, the Dragons had their own star in wideout/running back/defensive back Pat Feeney, and he didn't disappoint, either. He just missed a 200-yard day from scrimmage -- totaling 122 yards receiving on six catches (a 20.3 average) and 72 yards on the ground for a total of 194. He had a TD, blocked a field goal and also a diving pass break-up on defense that prevented a Batesville touchdown. It was easy to tell NP was trying to get the ball in Feeney's hands as much as possible, but the Dragons were best when they were getting contributions from several players in the offense. NP got behind so far so fast, it had to go to the air in the second half. QB Cary Albrecht ended up 15-of-22 on the day, but he was 11-of-13 after halftime, spreading the ball out to six different receivers. The Dragons had their best aerial day of the year with 213 yards passing.
Batesville made a big statement today -- and has a chance to do so Friday night against East Central. The Bulldogs are big, senior-laden and have the perfect scheme for their personnel. They've been scoring points in bunches, and proved why today. They're going to be a force to be reckoned with in Class 3A -- they're in a sectional that includes the HHC's Rushville Lions & Yorktown Tigers.
NP is 2-2, but showed something today, especially in the passing game. The Dragons put together a great 14-play drive in the second half for a touchdown, and were able to hit on big plays.
We're looking forward to seeing the way things shake out in the HHC as the year goes on, now that conference play is the focus for most of the league. All 8 teams play league games next week, and we have a great rivalry in the GID Game of the Week: Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon. We'll join you at 7 p.m. for all of the action at www.crosscomsports.com.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Saturday game preview: New Palestine vs. Batesville
We have a doubleheader this weekend. Friday's Greenfield-Central at Yorktown game and the other HHC/area games are previewed below. On Saturday, we have some bonus coverage, as the Game of the Week travels to Lucas Oil Stadium to bring you New Palestine vs. Batesville. Click here to listen to our broadcast.
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week on Saturday
New Palestine (2-1) vs. Batesville (3-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium
Pregame 11:30 a.m., Kickoff Noon; Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 2-1; 18th year overall, 97-93)
Batesville: Eric Heppner (14th year at Batesville, 97-58)
The series: NP won 30-13 last season and has won two in a row in the series. Since these teams began, the Dragons have won four of six meetings. The 2007 game was a 7-6 NP victory. This is always a pretty good non-conference matchup between two pretty evenly-matched teams that have a lot of respect for each other.
Scouting the Dragons: The Dragons are coming off an impressive 49-14 victory over Pendleton Heights in which they ran for 440 yards, threw for 103 more and scored on seven of their first eight possessions. The FieldTurf at Lucas Oil Stadium should benefit a team that has a lot of speed -- most notably coming from senior WR/RB/FS Pat Feeney. He had 200+ yards rushing and 100+ receiving last week, including 3 touchdowns. He has five TDs total and is averaging 160 yards per game from scrimmage. On defense, he has four interceptions and has a pick in all of the Dragons' games so far. The Dragons have a lot of balance -- senior QB Cary Albrecht has thrown for 234 yards and run for 117 so far -- and RBs Austin Cahoy, Brett Jackson, Michael Phelps and Bryce Pierson will all touch the ball. Cahoy had a big game last week against PH. NP's defense clamped down against the run last week, holding PH to 87 rushing yards. They'll have to again against a Batesville team that likes to keep the ball on the ground. Pierson and LB Chris Poland lead the team in tackles. Last week, NP's defense produced four takeaways, all interceptions. While a lot of teams are getting a new look at Lucas Oil Stadium this week, this will be the Dragons' second trip to the home of the Indianapolis Colts. They helped inaugurate the stadium by playing on the facility's opening night last year -- a 33-12 loss to Whiteland in the 2008 season opener. NP will also play in Lucas Oil on Oct. 10 against Greenfield-Central.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Batesville has rolled through its first three games, scoring an average of 34 points per game. One of those was against 5A Jennings County. The Bulldogs have also beaten Milan and South Dearborn on the season. The Bulldogs are one of the premier 3A teams in southeastern Indiana, going 70-31 from 2001-08 (including a 5-5 mark last season) and winning six straight sectionals in that time. Batesville will employ two different offensive setups, but both will be run-oriented -- the Wing-T is the base offense, but the Bulldogs will throw in some single-wing. Last year, they had a lot of success running the latter against NP. Senior QB Connor Kelley is a run-pass threat. In the win over Milan, he therw for nearly 200 yards. Against Jennings County, he ran and threw for more than 100. His favorite receiver is tight end Tom Jeffers, who opened the year with a 117-yard receiving game against Jennings County. The guys who usually touch it in the backfield are halfback Chris Miller and fullback Brigham Patterson, both of whom were key players for the Bulldogs last season. In this game, don't expect a lot of passing -- both of these teams love to run the ball and have the horses to do so.
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week on Saturday
New Palestine (2-1) vs. Batesville (3-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium
Pregame 11:30 a.m., Kickoff Noon; Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 2-1; 18th year overall, 97-93)
Batesville: Eric Heppner (14th year at Batesville, 97-58)
The series: NP won 30-13 last season and has won two in a row in the series. Since these teams began, the Dragons have won four of six meetings. The 2007 game was a 7-6 NP victory. This is always a pretty good non-conference matchup between two pretty evenly-matched teams that have a lot of respect for each other.
Scouting the Dragons: The Dragons are coming off an impressive 49-14 victory over Pendleton Heights in which they ran for 440 yards, threw for 103 more and scored on seven of their first eight possessions. The FieldTurf at Lucas Oil Stadium should benefit a team that has a lot of speed -- most notably coming from senior WR/RB/FS Pat Feeney. He had 200+ yards rushing and 100+ receiving last week, including 3 touchdowns. He has five TDs total and is averaging 160 yards per game from scrimmage. On defense, he has four interceptions and has a pick in all of the Dragons' games so far. The Dragons have a lot of balance -- senior QB Cary Albrecht has thrown for 234 yards and run for 117 so far -- and RBs Austin Cahoy, Brett Jackson, Michael Phelps and Bryce Pierson will all touch the ball. Cahoy had a big game last week against PH. NP's defense clamped down against the run last week, holding PH to 87 rushing yards. They'll have to again against a Batesville team that likes to keep the ball on the ground. Pierson and LB Chris Poland lead the team in tackles. Last week, NP's defense produced four takeaways, all interceptions. While a lot of teams are getting a new look at Lucas Oil Stadium this week, this will be the Dragons' second trip to the home of the Indianapolis Colts. They helped inaugurate the stadium by playing on the facility's opening night last year -- a 33-12 loss to Whiteland in the 2008 season opener. NP will also play in Lucas Oil on Oct. 10 against Greenfield-Central.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Batesville has rolled through its first three games, scoring an average of 34 points per game. One of those was against 5A Jennings County. The Bulldogs have also beaten Milan and South Dearborn on the season. The Bulldogs are one of the premier 3A teams in southeastern Indiana, going 70-31 from 2001-08 (including a 5-5 mark last season) and winning six straight sectionals in that time. Batesville will employ two different offensive setups, but both will be run-oriented -- the Wing-T is the base offense, but the Bulldogs will throw in some single-wing. Last year, they had a lot of success running the latter against NP. Senior QB Connor Kelley is a run-pass threat. In the win over Milan, he therw for nearly 200 yards. Against Jennings County, he ran and threw for more than 100. His favorite receiver is tight end Tom Jeffers, who opened the year with a 117-yard receiving game against Jennings County. The guys who usually touch it in the backfield are halfback Chris Miller and fullback Brigham Patterson, both of whom were key players for the Bulldogs last season. In this game, don't expect a lot of passing -- both of these teams love to run the ball and have the horses to do so.
Myself, Jim Ryan and Tim Adams will have the call. Make sure to listen to what will be a great high school football game ... Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m.
While you're at it, make sure you check out Pak-Rite Rentals. If you own a business, they've got the container or trash compactor to suit you. Call them at 861-5537. Also, we want to welcome Batesville's State Farm Insurance and Paul Ehrman to our team this weekend. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)