Friday wrap: Dragons win

Thanks for listening tonight as we broadcast 2 games -- NP vs. Shelbyville and MV vs. North Central. Both games featured second-half comebacks, a good one for the Dragons and a not-so-good result for the Marauders.

NP beat Shelbyville 72-51, but the Dragons trailed for much of the first half. Michael Morris led the Dragons with 23 points, including 14 in the second half and eight in a 10-0 run that opened the half and gave NP a 44-36 lead. Reid Clark had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, with seven in the third quarter. Josh Penley had 14 points, including five in the final minute of the first half that helped rally NP back from a 36-27 deficit. Penley's banked-in off-balance shot from a step inside half-court gave NP a big momentum boost for the second half, and the Dragons pulled away from there. They had several big runs, including 10-0 to start the third and 12-3 to start the fourth. NP is now 11-4/4-2.

In the other boys game, Greenfield-Central fell to Delta 66-39. Mason Irbe scored 12 points and Jordan Keener nine for the Cougars, who fell to 1-14 on the year and 1-5 in HHC play.

Pendleton Heights also clinched the HHC title with a victory over Yorktown. It's the Arabians' second straight title -- they shared it with Rushville last seaosn.

In girls basketball, Mt. Vernon led for much of the game, but eventually fell to North Central 42-38. Jessica Brown had 11 points in her final home game as a Marauder. Rachel Houck added nine. Anna Olson, Makenzi Reasor and Kelsie Owens were also all celebrated on Senior Night. MV is now 17-5, with two losses to teams who have been top-5 4A teams in the final week by a total of six points. The Marauders will likely open the state tournament ranked No. 2 or No. 3 in the 3A poll. They will face Brebeuf at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Arlington.

Eastern Hancock had a great experience at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but the Royals fell to Triton Central 44-26. EH fell behind 25-11 at halftime. The Royals finish the regular season 12-8, and open sectional play at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Hagerstown at Cambridge City Lincoln.

Big Saturday wrap

Lots o' hoops on a big Saturday of basketball. Let's take a peek

BOYS
Eastern Hancock 59, Greenfield-Central 35: Victor Vincz scored 19 points and helped lead a second-quarter run for EH that allowed the Royals to build a double-digit lead. The Royals then pulled away with a 15-4 third quarter. Jared Pyle, the Royals' leading scorer on the season, added 13 points despite missing nearly all of the opening half with foul trouble. Cody Wallace added eight points and D.J. Collis had seven.

EH held a 40-21 edge on the boards and forced 21 turnovers. G-C was led by guard Jordan Keener, who scored 11 points -- all in the opening half, after which EH led 33-21. Mason Irbe scored seven points for the Cougars.

EH is now 8-7 and visits Tri on Friday. G-C is 1-13 and returns to HHC play with a trip to Delta next Friday.

Mt. Vernon 55, Delta 41: The Marauders improved to 4-1 in HHC play and took sole possession of third place in the conference with the home victory.

MV swept a double-weekend and is now 11-4 on the season, having won five straight games. The Marauders return to action on Feb. 6 against Warren Central and IU recruit Devin Davis.

GIRLS
Mt. Vernon 64, Delta 41: Coach Julie Shelton's Marauders won their 20th straight Hoosier Heritage Conference game and clinched their second straight HHC title with the victory. The Marauders are now 17-3 on the season and will likely be No. 1 in Class 3A next week when the new polls come out.  

New Palestine 47, Pendleton Heights 41: The Dragons jumped out to leads of 16-3 and 22-6 and didn't allow the Arabians a field goal for the first 10 minutes in the victory. NP also had good balance, with Bethany Murrell scoring 12 points, Abby Seifert adding nine points and 12 rebounds -- helping her become the HHC's top rebounder for the 2011-12 regular season -- and Emily Curry scoring eight points. Tori Stephenson added four assists.

NP is now 10-10 on the season and has won four of its last five games. The Dragons finish HHC play with a 5-2 record and a three-way tie with PH and Greenfield-Central for second place.

Eastern Hancock 57, Waldron 33: Lauren Harmon scored a career-high 18 points for the Royals, who improved to 12-6 with the victory -- their most wins in nine years. Kiersten Schrope added 11 points and five steals. Alora Marshall and Kaytlin Eastes scored seven points each.

Friday wrap: Marauders, Dragons win

Mt. Vernon used a quick 14-point, three-minute first in the first quarter to build a double-digit lead that it would never relinquish in a 52-22 victory over Greenfield-Central on Friday night in our Game of the Week. Thanks for listening -- you can find the archived broadcast at HancockCountySports.com.

Sophomore C.J. Coleman scored eight of his game-high 18 points and freshman Dan Werner added all seven of his points in the first quarter as the Marauders jumped out to a 20-3 lead, scoring 14 points in the final 3:33. Stephen Turner added nine points -- several in the middle quarters. MV led 27-9 at the half, and then outscored G-C 18-8 in the third quarter -- led again by eight points from Coleman -- to jump out to a 45-17 lead after three.

Junior Mason Irbe led G-C with 10 points. While MV was able to get its transition game going, the Cougars' half-court defense was strong and will be a building block for them as they move on during the year.

MV is now 6-3 (2-1 HHC) heading into Saturday's game at New Castle. G-C is 0-10 (0-3 HHC) and will next play Jan. 14 at Triton Central.

New Palestine 58, Delta 34: The Dragons outscored Delta 44-18 in the middle quarters to pull away, including a 21-6 second-quarter that allowed NP to turn an eight-point deficit into a 25-18 halftime lead.

NP had strong balance, led by junior guard Justin Ikerd. He hit 4-of-8 from 3-point range to score a team-high 14 points on the night. Junior forward Michael Morris added 12 points. Senior Josh Penley had six points and six assists, while senior Brandon Collins had six points and six rebounds.

The Dragons won their eighth straight game -- the longest such streak since 1997-98, when NP won 12 straight in the middle of the year. The victory also gave NP a 9-1 record, its best start since going 8-0 and 10-1 in 1995-96 -- a season in which the Dragons went 19-3. NP is also 3-0 in HHC play, setting up a meeting next Friday 1/13 with #10 Pendleton Heights (11-2, 3-0). Of course, we plan to broadcast that game at HancockCountySports.com!

Muncie Burris 71, Eastern Hancock 53: Burris pulled away in a close game by outscoring EH 28-15 in the fourth quarter to pull away at Ball Gym.

Isaiah McCormick and Victor Vincz scored 13 points each to lead the Royals (6-5). EH next plays at home Friday 1/13 against Shenandoah.

With the exception of MV, all boys & girls teams are idle Saturday. MV's boys are at New Castle (6/7:30) and the girls are at Noblesville (noon/1:30). Log on to HancockCountySports.com for the MV girls game at 1:10 p.m. with Chris Lambert.

Weekend hoops

A full schedule of Friday-night games coming up in Hancock County.

Join Andrew & Chris for the live broadcast of Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central. The Marauders come in with a 5-3 mark against the toughest schedule in Class 3A, led by C.J. Coleman, Stephen Turner and a a balanced attack. G-C has improved and is always up for this rivalry game. Join us at 7:10 at HancockCountySports.com

Also Friday, Delta (5-3) is at New Palestine (8-1). The Dragons need an HHC win to set up a showdown with 4A No. 10 Pendleton Heights next week. NP has won seven straight, including the county title. The Dragons have a balanced attack, led by Michael Morris, who scored 26 points against Mt. Vernon in the county final.

Eastern Hancock (6-4) visits Muncie Burris (4-5) at Ball Gym, one of the oldest active gymnasiums in the state. The Royals had a good showing in finishing third at the county tourney, led by Victor Vincz and Jared Pyle. EH has some impressive wins on the year -- especially against Blue River, Frankton and Knightstown. Burris has victories over 3A Yorktown and 4A Portage.

On Saturday
Mt. Vernon visits New Castle. The Marauders boys get a turn at the largest high school fieldhouse in the world. This should be one of the stronger games of the year. Our friends at WMDH will provide a broadcast.

Just one girls game this weekend: 3A No. 2 Mt. Vernon (12-3) at Noblesville, which is slated for 1:30 p.m. Saturday. You can listen to the live broadcast of the game with Chris Lambert at HancockCountySports.com.

Tuesday hoops: Successful night for county teams

Three girls basketball games on the Hancock County calendar tonight as we get back to action.

Class 3A No. 3 Mt. Vernon kept its winning ways going, beating Southport 61-42.

Makenzi Reasor scored 25 points to lead the Marauders in scoring. Jessica Brown added 14 points. Junior Rachel Houck had seven and sophomore Erica Moore added six.

 The Marauders built a 33-17 lead at halftime and then finished the game on a 16-4 run after Southport cut into the lead in the fourth quarter.

 MV is now 12-3, and the Marauders' next game is Saturday afternoon at Noblesville. Listen to the game LIVE with Chris Lambert at 1:10 p.m. Saturday at HancockCountySports.com.

Eastern Hancock 43, Southwestern (Shelby) 38: The Royals had great balance, as four different players scored at least eight points for EH in a victory over Southwestern.

Hannah Best led the Royals in scoring with 10 points and six rebounds. Kristen Eischen had eight points and 11 boards. Kiersten Schrope added nine points, six rebounds and six assists. Kaytlin Eastes had eight points,. Alora Marshall added six points and seven rebounds.

The victory gave the Royals a 9-4 record on the season heading into the Thursday 1/12 game against Morristown.

Greenfield-Central 58, Delta 44: The Cougars improved to 9-5 on the season with the victory. G-C is also 4-1 in Hoosier Heritage Conference play, setting a showdown the weekend of Jan. 20 that could be for the HHC title.

The Cougars were led by LaRae Cruz's 20 points. Katie Peters added 17 and Regan Lewis 9 for the Cougars. G-C outscored Delta 17-12 in the second quarter to take a 24-20 halftime lead, and pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Eagles 19-9 in the last eight minutes to turn a four-point edge into a double-digit victory.

G-C next plays Thursday 1/12 against Knightstown in the Cougars' annual Pink Game.

New Palestine is idle until 1/10, when the Dragons visit Greenwood in the first of two NP GBB games we'll have on HancockCountySports.com next week. Also log on to listen as the Dragons face Triton Central on Thursday 1/12.

Commentary: Expected NCAA ruling kills Hinkle event

By Andrew Smith,
HancockCountySports.com

A few years back, I grabbed a basketball, dribbled up to the lane, elevated on the springy Hinkle Fieldhouse floor, and fired a jump shot.

Swish. 


Bobby Plump hit a memorable shot from nearly that exact spot on that exact floor nearly 50 years before. I wanted to do the same.


Why was it possible?


Because our high school team had been invited to Hinkle to play in a basketball doubleheader.

It was an annual tradition -- there were a few dates we circled on the high school basketball calendar. Sure, Pike High -- where I attended -- had a powerhouse basketball program that was consistently ranked among the state's best, so we played a lot of big games. But there were always a few dates that stood out -- the annual Marion County Tournament, with the final four at Southport in mid-January, and the annual games against other powers like Muncie Central and Ben Davis among them.

But the biggest was our annual trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse, almost always to play the equally-powerful Lawrence North Wildcats. Another memory is playing the Hall of Fame Classic in front of a nearly-packed house at Assembly Hall against Bedford North Lawrence and some guy named Damon.


But according to an NCAA ruling from last month, those things can't happen anymore, as the NCAA has spiked "non-scholastic" events from taking place at college venues. We all remember the furor when the ruling led to the disbanding of a sextupleheader that was scheduled for the gym in early December on 24 hours' notice. It appears to have also killed the Hoosier Heritage Conference girls basketball shootout that was to have taken place at Hinkle that is scheduled for Jan. 21, as reported by both the Daily Reporter and Indianapolis Business Journal sports guru Anthony Schoettle.

Originally, the girls basketball shootout was not affected by the NCAA rule, which only applied to boys hoops. But the NCAA is set to meet and likely add girls programs to that. My guess is, football is probably next.

It's intended to keep some schools from getting a recruiting advantage over others.

What it's doing instead is taking away opportunities. At the risk of telling a "walking to school in the snow uphill both ways" story, it's a crime that today's student-athletes won't get to experience what thousands of Hoosiers have been able to experience.

When we got to play our annual game at Hinkle, it was a date in the "big-time." It was a great opportunity for our players, our fans, our community to be a part of an awesome venue. Yes, Hinkle belongs to Butler University, but since it was built in 1928, it has really belonged to the entire state. It was "ours" -- Mecca for high school hoops. Just about every big game in Indianapolis was played there. It was practically the home gym for Crispus Attucks in its 1950s heyday, and an Indianapolis school could go through the entire state tournament without ever stepping off of Butler's campus to play a tournament game.

It was even better if you caught a day game -- as Mt. Vernon did a couple of years ago when its boys and girls teams played Hamilton Heights at Hinkle -- and saw the blue seats awash in the sunlight pouring in through the windows. But Hinkle was a magical destination.

This is a case of the NCAA cutting off its nose to spite its face. The percentage of student-athletes who will play at a Div. I college is miniscule, and any perceived recruiting advantage is definitely miniscule.

Are there unscrupulous operators who would try to schedule "made-for-TV" events with tons of prospective recruits in a college's venue? Certainly. But those are few and far between, and legitimate operations like Ray Compton's Compton Strategies get sucked into the vortex. It's unfortunate that the many (people like Compton, who have long put on such events that enhance the student-athlete experience) get sucked into the issues with a few.

A sensible alternative would be to have the NCAA approve the operators of such "non-scholastic events" and make sure they don't have ties with agents, shoe companies, AAU teams or colleges themselves. Because, in most cases, these events are put on by well-meaning people who are providing the infrastructure to give high school students a memorable experience, not to gain any perceived recruiting advantage for a school.

After all, high school games have been played at Butler for more than 80 years. It's only been in the last two that Butler University has advanced to the NCAA title game -- in an era when the slate of high school games played at Hinkle was sharply reduced.

The other issue is that conferences like the HHC have long been proactive about giving their student-athletes good experiences. Every three years since 2003, the HHC has held a football quadrupleheader at either the RCA Dome or Lucas Oil Stadium. Given the limited number of opportunities at Lucas Oil next year, the 2012 event -- if it happens -- is slated to be played either there or at Ball State University's Scheumann Stadium. BSU's venue has also hosted numerous "conference days" for neighboring leagues, including the North Central and Mid-Indiana Conferences. The eventual plan was to make this Hinkle quadrupleheader a regular day for both boys and girls teams, giving more of the conference's student-athletes a chance to play a memorable, special game in a special venue. They started with a girls basketball event because all eight HHC schools were slated to play conference games on the weekend of Jan. 21.

All of that could be in jeopardy. The HHC does this as a conference -- a scholastic entity -- to enhance opportunities for its student-athletes. Have a handful gone on to play in college? Certainly, but the vast majority of HHC athletes -- like any high school athletes -- will hang up their tennis shoes or cleats the moment their last IHSAA tournament event ends their senior years.

In the zeal to protect a select few student-athletes from unscrupulous recruiters -- those select few student-athletes who are often influenced by shoe companies, boosters and other handlers and who would be highly unlikely to be influenced by playing one high school game at a college venue -- we deny the many student athletes the opportunity to step out of the normal high school venue and play a memorable game at an awesome venue. We've essentially locked the door and said "to play here, you must get a scholarship."

That's wrong. Well-intentioned, but still wrong.

The NCAA is denying the opportunity to provide outstanding experiences for the many because of the fear of a few. A memorable day and a great celebration of a conference's basketball teams will instead become another 1/20th of the high school basketball schedule.

It's time for the organization to do the right thing and allow approved "non-scholastic" operators like Compton Strategies, the folks running the Region Roundball Rumble (which was booted from Valpo University) and Super Hoops -- whose Jan. 7 all-day classic at Mackey Arena was also shelved -- to use college venues if they've been properly vetted and are proven to not have ties to the slimier elements of college recruiting, and give student-athletes great experiences while they're still in high school, rather than reserving them for the select few who are talented enough to garner a Div. I scholarship.

Until then, I'd implore the HHC to continue to seek out a legendary high school venue within the conference footprint that would work. The Muncie and New Castle Fieldhouses are both iconic venues which would be a great place to host high school hoops.


Programming note: Because of this event changing and the games likely reverting back to their originally-scheduled campus sites, we will have to make adjustments to our broadcast schedule. We were slated to broadcast the New Palestine vs. Rushville and Mt. Vernon vs. Greenfield-Central games that Saturday, in addition to the Eastern Hancock at Lapel boys game that Friday night and the Mt. Vernon vs. Knightstown boys game that Thursday. Several games -- and game dates -- might change due to his move, and therefore, we will significantly change the broadcast schedule. Please stay logged into here, our Twitter account, our Facebook account or our website for more info.

Thursday wrap: G-C swimmers split, NP swimmers sweep

The Greenfield-Central swim teams split a Thursday-night meet with Pendleton Heights, as the G-C boys won 132-51, while the G-C girls fell 101.5-82.5.

On the boys side, Bailey Willoughby was a double-individual event winner for G-C, winning the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. Patrick Stutz, James Young and Austin Wilburn also won individual events.


In the girls meet, Carly Fernandes won the 200 IM and 500 freestyle, while Taylor Johnson won the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

The Cougars next compete Tuesday at home against Mt. Vernon.

New Palestine sweeps Delta
The New Palestine swim teams beat Delta Thursday night at home.

The Dragon girls won 111-75, while the boys beat the Eagles 93-83.

Winners for the girls were Megan Prosser in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, Olivia Ayer in the 50 freestyle, Claire Hornsby in the 100 butterfly, Katie Mustard in the 100 freestyle, Addison Virt in the 100 breaststroke and all three relay teams. Prosser, Virt, Hornsby and Ayer won the 200 medley relay; Emily Trimpe, Jordan Rogers, Karen Emminger and Ayer won the 200 free relay and Rogers, Mustard, Emminger and Trimpe won the 400 free relay.

Winners for the boys were Jake Greig in the 200 freestyle and 50 freestyle, Grant Gish in the 100 freestyle -- pacing a 1-2 finish with teammate Sam Baker -- and Jake Uppfalt in the 100 breaststroke. The Dragons also won the 200 free relay with Greig, Gish, Baker and Uppfalt, and the 400 free relay with Greig, Gish, Luke Steigerwalt and Baker. 

"Both teams swam better tonight than in earlier meets," Maxwell said. "Their turns and finishes were much cleaner and more crisp.

"We're not where we need to be, especially early in our races, but we will use winter break for a big training boost to prepare for conference and sectional."
Other strong swims, according to coach Steve Maxwell, were Emily Bare in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke and her relay splits, Tricia Roberson in the medley relay and 200 frestyle, Lily Horn in the free relay, 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly and the swims of Katie Mustard, Nerea Capon and Natalie Berea. On the boys side, Maxwell cited Kelley Murphy, Todd Horn and Seth Eagleson's medley relay splits, Christian Dodd's IM performance, and the performances of Parker Horn, Arik Bonnett and Will Mitchell.

"It's really good to see the underclassmen having good swims early in the season. We really need the depth having good second-through-fourth swimmers in each event. This depth of talent gives us a better chance of success in conference and sectional."


Basketball
Greenfield-Central and New Palestine's JV teams played each other in advance of Friday's varsity doubleheader, which can be heard LIVE on HancockCountySports.com.

G-C's girls beat the Dragons 29-15, led by Brooke Bell's eight points. NP won the boys game 42-17. 

The action begins at 5:40 p.m. Friday with the Indiana Basketball Digest pregame show, and the tipoff of the girls game at 6 p.m. Join Andrew Smith, Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for the action at HancockCountySports.com!

Saturday morning QB: It's Dragons vs. Arabians

We have the matchup many have been expecting: Undefeated and No. 1 New Palestine facing once-beaten and No. 5 Pendleton Heights for a sectional championship.

Their game back on Sept. 2 -- which the Dragons won 34-21 -- was essentially for the HHC title. But both teams have been playing well since, and both had strong victories last night.

Kickoff next Friday at Kelso Stadium is 7 p.m. Our HancockCountySports.com broadcast will commence at 6:30 with the pregame show.

Let's look back at last night's games:
New Palestine 27, Delta 14: Delta jumped ahead 14-0, but NP's Connor Simmons threw four touchdown passes -- three to Josh Penley and a thrilling 71-yard pass to Tyler Walden -- to lead the Dragons back. Simmons threw for 235 yards and Austin Monday had 76 rushing yards in the second half as the Dragons ground out the clock. Walden also had a big 33-yard catch to set up an 11-yard TD pass to Penley that helped draw the Dragons within one early in the second. NP's defense also forced two key turnovers and stopped Delta on downs four times in Dragon territory to hold the Eagles off the board for the final three quarters. A more full recap is available deeper in the blog. NP is now 11-0 -- its best start to a season in school history. Delta finishes 5-6.
Archived broadcast | Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press

Pendleton Heights 45, Greenfield-Central 14: G-C scored early as Derek Conley ran the opening kickoff deep into Arabian territory and set up a short TD by Matt Dickerson, but PH scored 45 consecutive points, building a 31-7 lead at hafltime to pull away at Arabian Stadium. PH's Mitch Patishall threw for 215 yards and two TDs. WR Austin Coffel had a 100-yard receiving game. Jon Furrow (125 yards) and Jacob Lyons (91 yards) both carried the ground game for PH, and both scored two touchdowns. PH is now 10-1 heading into Kelso Stadium next week. G-C finishes 6-5, its second straight winning season. It's the first time G-C has accomplished that feat in 36 years.
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin

In Class 3A
Bellmont 22, Yorktown 7: A week after upsetting No. 2 Eastbrook, the Tigers fell against a solid Bellmont team that -- like Yorktown -- spent much of its season playing bigger schools. Yorktown's Joe Todd threw for 181 yards, but the Tigers had four turnovers and surrendered eight sacks in the defeat.
Muncie Star-Press | Decatur Daily Democrat

Looking ahead
Next week: 
Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, 7 p.m.
Regional
The winner plays the Sectional 14 champion of either Greenwood (8-3) at Cathedral (8-3) in the regional. If New Palestine plays Cathedral, the game will be at Kelso Stadium. If Pendleton Heights wins, it will host the regional regardless of opponent.
Semistate
The Sectional 15 and 16 title games: 
Franklin County (9-2) at Columbus East (10-1)
Jasper (7-3) at Evansville Central (6-5)
(The semistate host is the regional non-host or the "higher-numbered" regional if there is a tie -- e.g., it is likely that the PH/NP/Greenwood/Cathedral regional winner would be on the road in the semistate).

All-HHC soccer

A number of Hancock County athletes were named to the All-Hoosier Heritage Conference soccer teams this week. Greenfield-Central's Jared Manning and New Palestine's Dana Merrick were their respective coaches of the year. Manning led G-C to a co-championship with New Palestine on the boys side, and then led the Cougars to the regional final. In his 26th and final year as a head coach, Merrick led the New Palestine girls to a 17-1-3 record, a sixth consecutive sectional title and an undefeated, unscored-upon run through the conference.

G-C and NP each had five boys on the team, while MV had three. G-C and MV had four girls, NP had six. Here's the full All-HHC list:
Boys
Coach of the Year: Jared Manning, G-C
Greenfield-Central: Collin Kleckner, Adam Koers, Brent Poling, Zach Shoufler, Jeremiah Spencer
Mt. Vernon: Eric Ahonen, Luke Fimreite, Mouhamed Konate
New Palestine: Bryson Basaran, John Ernster, Ty Fidler, Wes Fox, Daniel Wright
Pendleton Heights: Clayton Organ, Josiah Furrow, Nathan Petry
Rushville: Clayton Foster, Lucas Beavers
Shelbyville: Mitch Brown, Andres Sandoval
Yorktown: Spencer Devoe, Nour Elsheikh, Larry Green

Girls
Coach of the Year: Dana Merrick, NP
Delta: Kasin Spay
Greenfield-Central: Emily Keors, Emma Morgan, Katie Peters, Taylor Titus
Mt. Vernon: Suzy DeWael, Courtney Hannemann, Holly Owens, Kristina Voltz
New Palestine: Jordan Barton, Holly Hilton, Lauren Joray, Lauren Kehrt, Lindsay Meyer, Kalli Shepler-Tucker
Pendleton Heights: Katie Hughes, Erica Manchess, Jamie McCrocklin, Meghan Wiles
Rushville: Mariah Fenimore, Nici Martin
Shelbyville: Jordan Tinker
Yorktown: Abby Mansker

It's Dragons vs. Arabians for the title

Coming into the sectional, most observers -- including us -- would've forecast a matchup between New Palestine and Pendleton Heights for the championship.

That's exactly what will be happening next Friday night.

#5 Pendleton Heights (10-1) will visit #1 New Palestine (11-0) for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Our HancockCountySports.com broadcast will begin at 6:30.

You can listen to our archived broadcast of New Palestine's 27-14 victory over Delta in a great matchup on the Eagles' turf. Delta jumped ahead early 14-0 when Ozzie Mann orchestrated a 62-yard drive after the opening kickoff, which Landon Lambert capped off with a 4-yard run. After a fumble two plays later, Mann carried in from 5 yards out after a short drive, giving Delta a 14-0 lead with four minutes left in the opening quarter.

Things didn't seem to be going well for the Dragons -- trailing by two scores, they faced third-and-15 from their own 29, and QB Connor Simmons was under heavy duress. He managed to escape a sack, roll out to the left and find sophomore Tyler Walden wide open at the 50. Walden caught the ball and dashed all the way across the field -- picking up blockers along the way -- before spinning across the pylon and into the end zone.

That play got the Dragons going. On the next drive, Simmons hit Walden for a 33-yard gain to the 11, which set up a TD pass to Josh Penley that cut the Delta lead to one after a blocked extra point early in the second.

Simmons-to-Penley would be a familiar refrain. They connected three times for 55 yards -- and all three were for TDs. The second came after a fumble recovered at midfield with 1:15 left in the half. The Dragons needed just 52 seconds for Simmons and Penley to connect from 20 yards out to make it a 20-14 game. NP scored on the first drive of the second half -- using Austin Monday to set up a 24-yard TD pass to Penley.

Simmons completed 12-of-23 for 235 yards and four TDs. He broke several school records tonight -- becoming the first Dragon to reach 3,000 passing yards for his career (he's now at 3,014) -- and passed Mark Shepler's 24-year-old career TD pass record of 35, with his 38th TD pass tonight.

Monday had a big second half -- he finished with 86 yards on 19 carries -- including 76 yards on 15 touches in the second half. The Dragons came out wanting to establish the running game in the second half and shortened the contest -- each team had only three possessions in the half, and the Dragons' defense stopped Delta in NP territory three straight times to preserve a 27-14 lead and turn it into a 27-14 victory.

Meanwhile, Pendleton Heights got there with a convincing 45-14 victory over Greenfield-Central. The Cougars drew first blood -- thanks to a long return by Derek Conley that set up an early TD -- but PH then scored 45 straight points. Mitch Patishall threw for 200+ yards, Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow had big rushing games again.

So, NP is 11-0. PH is 10-1 -- with the only loss to the Dragons on the same field where they'll play next week. The only loss between either team is NP's 34-21 victory over PH all the way back in Week 3. PH hasn't scored less than 30 points since.

G-C's season completes with a 6-5 record -- the Cougars' second straight winning season. The last time G-C achieved that feat was 1973-75 -- an era that included two state runner-up finishes.

Also in the HHC
We're down to two conference teams, as Yorktown fell to Bellmont tonight on the road 22-7, ending the Tigers' season at 6-5.

Gameday: New Palestine vs. Delta & more

It's Game Night. Join the HancockCountySports.com crew for the 2011 sectional semifinal game between New Palestine and Delta. The teams are a combined 16-2 on the field against everyone else (take out the 1-1 record against each other :) ). With the exception of Delta's two league losses this year and games against each other, they've run the table in the HHC for the last three years. 

Join Andrew & Mike LIVE! at HancockCountySports.com beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday night. We'll also be keeping you updated on all of the other games going on, including the two other HHC games. 

#1 New Palestine (10-0) at Delta (7-3 on the field) (broadcast: www.hancockcountysports.com): This is a GREAT matchup. New Palestine has played really well offensively this season, but the defense has posted back-to-back shutouts. Delta has won four straight thanks to a strong defense and a balanced offense. Tremendous QB matchup between Connor Simmons and Ozzie Mann, and their stable of receivers -- Penley and Collins for NP vs. Greenberg, Robinson and Lambert for Delta. Matt Siergiej's return gives the Dragons a lot of balance in the running game, and they've relied on it a lot the last couple of weeks, while Delta is spreading it out with a couple of freshmen getting a lot of totes. Great coaching matchup between Tim Able & Grant Zgunda and their veteran, experienced assistant coaching staffs. This is going to be a dynamite football game -- it was the first time they played, when NP won 31-20 but had to rally in the fourth quarter to win in Week 4.

Greenfield-Central (6-4) at #5 Pendleton Heights (9-1) (broadcast: WRGF-89.7/WEEM-91.7): PH won 34-3 two weeks ago, but that's an indication of how solid of a football team the defending sectional champs have right now. Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow gobble up yards on the ground -- both ran for 130+ last week vs. a good Mt. Vernon defense -- and Clint Nicholson is a pretty solid third option. WR Austin Coffel had a huge game vs. MV, but PH's real strength is its defense, which hasn't allowed a touchdown in 3 weeks. That's also G-C's strength -- an athletic secondary led by Matt Dickerson and Derek Conley that complements a heavy blitzing linebacker corps that will try to disrupt PH. G-C has 11 return touchdowns this year -- including three last week against Muncie South -- and special teams could be the X factor again in this one.

Potential sectional final matchups: 
New Palestine: home vs. Pendleton Heights; at Greenfield-Central
Delta: on the road regardless of foe
Greenfield-Central: at home regardless of foe
Pendleton Heights: at New Palestine, home vs. Delta

Yorktown (6-4) at Bellmont (4-6) (broadcast: WellsCountyVoice.com or WZBD-Bellmont): The Tigers shocked No. 2 Eastbrook last week with a big game from Brendon Barnes, the speedy back who has been a sleeping giant throughout the HHC. Yorktown's record was deceiving because seven of its nine opponents in the regular season were Class 4A teams, but this team has a lot of talent. The winner gets either Mississinewa or Western next week. Expect the Tigers to be a favorite either way. If the Tigers win, they would be home vs. Western next week or at Mississinewa. Both of those teams enter the semifinal matchup 8-2. 

Saturday morning QB: The HHC Tourney

Sectional 13 has essentially become the Hoosier Heritage Conference tournament, as the top four teams in the league standings are all playing each other -- New Palestine vs. Delta; Greenfield-Central vs. Pendleton Heights. Yorktown pulled a major upset on Friday night in the HHC. Eastern Hancock put together a strong effort before falling to Cambridge City Lincoln. Let's take a look back to last night and a look ahead in our SMQB.

First off, next week:
We will be broadcasting New Palestine at Delta. Join Andrew Smith, Mike Jackson and Chris Lambert for the call at 6:30 p.m. from Delta. As always, go to HancockCountySports.com or click on the broadcast links here. NP is 10-0, Delta is 5-5, but 7-3 on the field. NP won the regular-season meeting 31-20 in Week 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

In the other half of the sectional semifinal, Greenfield-Central (6-4) will visit Pendleton Heights (9-1). PH won the regular-season finale 34-3.

4A Sectional 13 (games listed in order of the bracket)
New Palestine 62, Muncie Central 0: Not much more can be said about this one. New Palestine remains unbeaten at 10-0 with a big victory, as the Dragons score 34 points in the first quarter to knock off the Bearcats 62-0. Connor Simmons completed 11-of-17 passes, five for touchdowns. NP's defense produced its third shutout of the year -- its second in a row -- and the Dragons pushed their home winning streak to 16. Josh Penley caught two TD passes. Brandon Wiggins, Chris Walden and Brandon Collins were at the receiving end of others. Matt Siergiej scored twice, Austin Monday and Nolan Hill had TD runs. Muncie Central was held to less than 100 total yards. Muncie Central finished 2-8. The NP victory also clinched an 8-0 record for the HHC against North Central Conference teams this year.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press

Delta 62, Frankfort 0: Delta and New Palestine posted identical scores on the evening. Delta built a 49-0 halftime lead. At one point, the Eagles (5-5, 7-3 on the field) scored on five consecutive offensive plays. RB Landon Lambert had four TDs and a long interception return in the game. Delta posted its most lopsided victory in 12 years. Frankfort finished 0-10.
Muncie Star-Press

Greenfield-Central 48, Muncie South 22: G-C's special teams were spectacular in the convincing victory. Matt Dickerson blocked a punt and ran it in for a TD, and had both interception and kickoff returns for TDs in the Cougar victory, which gives G-C a 6-4 record and clinches back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the Cougars' state runner-up team in 1975.Muncie South finished 3-7.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press

Pendleton Heights 31, Mt. Vernon 7: A strong effort by the Arabians up front allowed them to pull away from MV early. PH scored three TDs and a field goal on its first four drives augmented by big plays. Jacob Lyons' 76-yard TD on the Arabians' second offensive play made it a 7-0. Jon Furrow's 48-yard run on the third offensive play set up Lyons' 1-yard TD run. Clint Nicholson's 44-yard run set up a 19-yard TD pass to Austin Coffel, who had a nice receiving game. Lyons and Furrow both ran for more than 130 yards, Nicholson topped 70, Patishall threw for 117 and the Arabians were strong. MV's highlight was an 87-yard kickoff return by Tyler Dicks, and later, an interception by Dicks to prevent a PH score. Anthony Burnett had 85 yards rushing for the Marauders, who finish the year 5-5 in coach Doug Armstrong's first season. With a lot of their key players back, MV is expecting a big year next year. PH, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, is 9-1 heading into next week's home game against Greenfield-Central.
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin | Broadcast archive

Class A, Sectional 37
Cambridge City Lincoln 42, Eastern Hancock 21: EH had tied up the Golden Eagles 14-14 at halftime, but saw a very strong CCL team pull away in the second half. Spencer Gilbert had a big night catching the football, with 135 receiving yards, including a 55-yard TD pass. Logan Gilbert also threw a 59-yard TD pass to Billy Stapleton in the third quarter, but Cambridge City scored twice in the fourth quarter to pull away. Logan Gilbert threw for 232 yards on the day -- 133 to his brother Spencer. But CCL's attack was balanced, gaining more than 200 yards in the air and boasting a 100-yard rusher. EH finishes 3-7, but has made some big strides this season. CCL is now 8-2 and advances to play Northeastern next week.
Daily Reporter | Richmond Palladium-Item

Elsewhere in the HHC
Class 3A, Sectional 19
Yorktown 38, Eastbrook 24: Esatbrook came in undefeated on the field and ranked No. 2 in Class 3A. No more. Yorktown -- battle-tested by a schedule that saw them play seven of their nine games against Class 4A schools -- posted an impressive road victory against the highly-regarded Panthers. Yorktown rallied from a 21-0 first-quarter deficit to win the game. Brendon Barnes had TD runs of 63 and 60 yards in the second half to give the Tigers a 25-24 lead. He also had an 84-yard TD catch to ice it late. QB Joe Todd also threw a short TD to Jason Brown on fourth down to make it 31-24. Barnes had 264 rushing yards on the night and more than 300 from scrimmage. The Tigers (6-4) will face Blackford next week.
Muncie Star-Press

Class 3A, Sectional 22
Brown County 15, Rushville 8: The Lions held an 8-7 lead much of the night, but saw BC rally in the fourth quarter with a late TD to win it. Rushville finishes 2-8.

Class 4A, Sectional 15
Columbus East 49, Shelbyville 21: While Gunnar Kiel didn't play, it didn't slow the Olympians in the evening. Sophomore Alex Cowan threw for two TDs and running back Andrew Wilson had two long touchdown runs for the Olympians, who are ranked No. 3 in Class 4A. Shelbyville finishes the year 1-9.
Shelbyville News

Sectional Round 1 wrapup

Sectional 13 has become the Hoosier Heritage Conference tournament. Two of the four Hancock County teams are still alive, as are five of the eight Hoosier Heritage Conference teams after a big Class 3A upset tonight.

A quick roundup:

Sectional 13
Pendleton Heights 31, Mt. Vernon 7: Impressive job by the Arabians tonight as their line controlled both sides of the ball. PH had 450+ yards of total offense, with two 100-yard rushers in Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow, and QB Mitch Patishall made some strong throws when needed. PH's defense was super-impressive, holding MV below 200 yards of total offense and keeping a team out of the end zone for three straight weeks. MV's touchdown was an 87-yard kickoff return by Tyler Dicks. Anthony Burnett led MV with 85 rushing yards. It's a young Marauder squad -- they look to be loaded for the next week. PH, ranked No. 5/6 in 4A, is now 9-1 and has scored 30+ points nine times. MV finishes 5-5 in coach Doug Amstrong's first year.
Greenfield-Central 48, Muncie South 22: The Cougars pulled away in the middle quarters and added yet another return touchdown -- this time blocking a punt in the end zone. G-C fell to Pendleton Heights last week 34-3 -- now the Cougars earn a rematch with the Arabians in Pendleton. G-C also clinches its second straight winning season at 6-4 -- it's the first time the Cougars have had back-to-back winning seasons since 1973-75. Muncie South finishes 3-8.
New Palestine 62, Muncie Central 0: NP led 34-0 after a quarter and rolled from there. Matt Siergiej scored two touchdowns, Connor Simmons threw TD passes to Brandon Collins, Brandon Wiggins, Josh Penley and Tyler Walden, and NP's defense posts its second straight shutout and third of the year. NP, now 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, will visit Delta next week in our Game of the Week broadcast on HancockCountySports.com. Muncie Central finishes 2-8. The Dragons' victory gives the HHC an 8-0 record against NCC teams this season.
Delta 62, Frankfort 0: The Eagles have really hit their stride since a 3-game losing streak in the middle of the season. Delta has allowed just two TDs the last three weeks. Delta -- now 5-5 (7-3 on the field) will host New Palestine in a rematch of their Week 4 matchup from Lucas Oil Stadium, which NP won 31-20.

Next week (Friday, Oct. 28)

New Palestine (10-0) at Delta (5-5), 7 p.m. (LIVE: HancockCountySports.com) 
Greenfield-Central (6-4) at Pendleton Heights (8-1), 7 p.m. (broadcast: WEEM-91.7, WRGF-89.7).

Sectional 37
Cambridge City Lincoln 42, Eastern Hancock 21: The Royals and Golden Eagles were nip-and-tuck for much of the night, but CCL pulled away late to win. The Royals finish with a 3-7 record, but made some big strides under first-year coach Pat Echeverria. CCL is now 8-2 on the season, its best in school history.
Elsewhere in Sectional 37:
Northeastern 47, Indiana Deaf 0
Knightstown 27, Hagerstown 18: Congrats to MV grad Pat Mallory who wins his first playoff game as the Panthers' head coach.
Scecina 44, Tri 8

Next week (Friday, Oct. 28)
Northeastern (5-5) at Cambridge City Lincoln (8-2)
Knightstown (7-3) at Scecina (7-3)

Elsewhere in the HHC
Class 3A Sectional 19: HUGE upset for Yorktown, which beats 3A No. 2/3 Eastbrook 38-24. The Panthers had been unbeaten on the field (but were 6-3 due to forfeits). The game shows the strength of the HHC, as its fifth-place team knocks off one of the top teams in the Central Indiana Conference and in the state for quite some time. Yorktown is now 6-4 and will visit Bellmont (4-6) next week.
Class 3A Sectional 22: Rushville led Brown County much of the night, but falls 15-8 on a late touchdown by the Eagles. Rushville finishes the year 2-8.
Class 4A Sectional 15: Shelbyville is defeated by 4A No. 3 Columbus East 49-21 despite East's Gunnar Kiel not playing due to a practice injury.

Sectional Round 1 preview

The regular season is a distant memory. The trophies have been handed out, but now everyone is 0-0 and the games start over again.

Let's take a look ahead at the state tournament in the HHC and Hancock County. Our Game of the Week will be from Sectional 13, where the Mt. Vernon Marauders of coach Doug Armstrong will face the defending sectional champion and fifth-ranked Pendleton Heights Arabians. We'll also be keeping you up on as many other sectional games as we can, so make sure you log in to HancockCountySports.com at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

There's also a "looking ahead" spot to show where the local teams would go if they win Round 1.

All games at 7 p.m. Friday

Class 4A, Sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-7) at #1/2 New Palestine (9-0): The Dragons have practically rewritten the school's record book offensively, but the Dragons' defense has been equally-strong in the last half of the season. Connor Simmons broke the NPHS single-season passing record last week and has the career record in his sights. Muncie Central has four receivers with at least 200 yards receiving and a running game led by JaRon Terry. NP will be heavily favored.
Frankfort (0-9) at Delta (6-3 on the field): The Eagles have hit their groove after a mid-season 3-game losing streak. QB Ozzie Mann hooked up with Jake Greenberg for a couple of big scorers last week against Shelbyville. Delta should be a heavy favorite in this one.
Muncie South (3-6) at Greenfield-Central (5-4): A Cougar victory would give them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1973-75 -- a time period in which the Cougars were a state champion and a state runner-up. G-C had a tough loss to Pendleton Heights last week, but the Cougars have a ballhawking defense and a balanced offense with one of the top athletes in the HHC in Matt Dickerson. Two of Muncie South's three wins are against Connersville.
Mt. Vernon (5-4) at #5/6 Pendleton Heights (8-1) (LISTEN LIVE!): The Arabians have been one of the state's most impressive teams all season. They've been dominant, scoring at least 30 points in eight of their nine games this year, led by QB Mitch Patishall and two rushers who will likely finish over the 1,000-yard mark in Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow. But MV's defense is very strong and can give the Marauders a shot. Since a 38-6 loss to PH in Week 5, the Marauder defense allowed just 15 points in regulation the next three weeks.

Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools: 
New Palestine -- on the road in Round 2 regardless of opponent
Delta -- at home vs. NP, on road vs. MC
Greenfield-Central -- on the road in Round 2 regardless of opponent
MV -- at home in round 2
PH -- at home vs. G-C, on road vs. Muncie South
Week 3: Team that has played the most road sectional games will host. If both teams have been the road team the same number of times, the team in the bottom bracket shall host. 

Class A, Sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-9) at Northeastern (4-5)
Eastern Hancock (3-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (7-2): CCL is coming off its best season in school history, but the Golden Eagles won't be overlooking the Royals. EH's 3-6 record is a bit deceiving, as the Royals play a schedule primarily made up of bigger schools and they've been competitive throughout much of the year. QB Logan Gilbert and RB Spencer Gilbert are important, but EH has been developing lots of contributions and coach Pat Echeverria has done a nice job in Year 1.
Knightstown (6-3) at Hagerstown (5-4): The marquee matchup in the sectional. Coach Pat Mallory's Panthers head to the road. Hagerstown's record is deceiving -- the Tigers have been one of the area's top teams, and will be a tough out at home.
Scecina (6-3) at Tri (0-9): Scecina just beat a ranked Lutheran squad handily last week. They're on a roll headed into the tourney.



Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools: 
Eastern Hancock -- at home in Round 2 regardless of opponent


HHC sectionals
Class 4A, Sectional 15
Richmond (4-5) at Franklin County (7-2): A good matchup. Richmond is a solid team that gave New Palestine all it could handle for a half. The Red Devils are also young and athletic. Franklin County is a solid program from a strong football tradition. Homefield will help.
Connersville (2-7) at New Castle (0-9): Two programs who have struggled to get traction meet up. Both are well-coached teams.
East Central (8-1) at South Dearborn (7-2): Wow! What a matchup. EC was a top-5 team before the loss to Roncalli last week. Add in the intra-county rivalry and this will be a blast.
Columbus East (8-1) at Shelbyville (1-8): Shelby gets a tough draw facing Gunnar Kiel and the Columbus East Olympians right out of the chute. Kiel is one of the nation's top QBs this season, and is an Indiana recruit. This will be a tough task for a Golden Bear squad that has had an opportunistic, strong defense led by Ethan Runnebohm, but has struggled with turnovers.

Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools: 

Shelbyville -- home vs. SD, road vs. EC

Class 3A, Sectional 19

Yorktown (5-4) at Eastbrook (9-0 on the field): Eastbrook had to forfeit three games, but the Panthers are one of Class 3A's top programs year-in and year-out. Yorktown more than held its own in the tough HHC, winning its last two games in the fourth quarter in come-from-behind fashion to beat both Shelbyville and Rushville. A midseaon victory over Delta can propel Mike Wilhelm's club to have a lot of confidence now that it's not facing 4A teams every week as it had for seven games thsi season. 

Bellmont (3-6) at Blackford (2-7)

Mississnewa (7-2) at Maconaquah (2-7)

Western (7-2) at Peru (0-9)

Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools: 
Yorktown -- home vs. Blackford, road vs. Bellmont

Class 3A, Sectional 22

Howe (5-4) at Edgewood (6-3)

Batesville (3-6) at Greensburg (4-5)

Brown County (4-5) at Rushville (2-7): Again, the Lions played eight of their nine games against 4A competition, so the record can be a bit misleading. It's a big factor in this being Rushville's second-to-last year in the HHC before leaving for the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference, which will have four 4A schools instead of six. This is a winnable game for Rushville, which is a young team that is continually improving, with Kaleb Lambert and Garrett Hittle leading the way. 

Beech Grove (0-9) at Indian Creek (5-4): IC was a semistate team last season. The Braves are tournament-tested and could be a favorite in this sectional. 

Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools: 
Rushville -- home vs. BG, road vs. IC

Saturday morning QB: End of the season

We saw an impressive effort from New Palestine last night, which came through in all three phases to clinch an unbeaten season and a second straight HHC title in our Game of the Week. Defending sectional champ Pendleton Heights also made a statement going into Sectional 13. The HHC race sorted itself out with a mad scramble for positioning in the middle of the conference, and now, everyone is 0-0 and we start thinking about the state tournament.

But first, let's look back on a fine regular-season-ending night.

New Palestine 27, Mt. Vernon 0: The top-ranked team in Class 4A showed why with a strong defensive effort. The Dragons only needed nine seconds to score, only allowed 147 total yards to the Marauders and were effective running and passing. QB Connor Simmons threw for 178 yards two touchdowns -- to Josh Penley and Tyler Walden -- and broke the school single-season passing record. Matt Siergiej returned at running back and ran for two touchdowns. NP's defense produced three takeaways and never allowed MV to penetrate inside the 30-yard line. The Dragoons clinched their first unbeaten season since 1988 -- the fourth in school history -- and extended their overall regular-season winning streak to 17. They also won their 20th straight HHC game, breaking a record set by Hamilton Southeastern from 1994-97. Tyler Dicks led the Marauders with 70 yards rushing. MV's defense had a solid day and coach Doug Amstrong tried to get them some big plays -- calling for an on-side kick to start the second half (it appeared to work, but the official said the ball was touched a couple of millimeters before it went 10 yards) and a fake punt with Anthony Burnett that NP was able to smell out. NP hosts Muncie Central, MV visits Pendleton Heights in Sectional 13 play next week.
Daily Reporter | Broadcast archive

Pendleton Heights 34, Greenfield-Central 3: PH's Jon Furrow had a big night, kicking two field goals, four extra points and scoring two touchdowns to move into second place on the school's career scoring list. The Arabians kept their offensive roll going -- they've scored at least 30 points in all eight of their victories this year. Furrow ran for 130+ yards. PH's defense also held G-C to just 34 rushing yards, led by Matt Dickerson's 26. The Arabians head into the tournament with an 8-1 record, sole possession of second place with a 6-1 mark. G-C finishes 5-4 overall and 4-3 in HHC play for a third-place tie. PH hosts Mt. Vernon, G-C hosts Muncie South in Sectional 13 play next week. If both win, they would meet up in the sectional semifinals on the same Arabian field.
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin

Eastern Hancock 19, Edinburgh 0: The Royals posted their first shutout since coach Kyle Johnson's team posted one in 1995. EH has been getting stronger all season -- including coming the closest to knocking off MIFC champion Milan -- and the Royals capped it off by winning two of their last three. Freshman Cooper Henderson scored twice and ran for 73 yards. Spencer Gilbert had a TD run. QB Logan Gilbert threw for 60 yards and ran for 47. EH finishes the regular season 3-6. EH visits Cambridge City Lincoln next week in Sectional 37 play.
Daily Reporter

Elsewhere in the HHC
Delta 45, Shelbyville 6: The Eagles won their third straight to clinch a third-place tie with G-C in the HHC standings. Ozzie Mann set the tone with a 63-yard pass to Landon Lambert on the first offensive play of the game and the Eagles never looked back. RB Mason Bechdolt had a 52-yard TD run and Ryan Bickford had an 80-yard KOR for a TD. The Eagles finish 4-5 (4-3), but were 6-3 on the field. Shelby finishes 1-6 in the HHC and 1-8 overall. Delta meets Frankfort next week in Sectional 13. Shelby hosts Columbus East.
Shelbyville News | Muncie Star-Press 

Yorktown 28, Rushville 21: A competitive game sends Yorktown into a fifth-place tie in the HHC as the Tigers post their second straight come-from-behind victory on the road. Rushville scored to take a 21-20 lead with two minutes left, but Yorktown's Brendon Barnes broke off a 50-yard TD run and then ran in the two-point conversion to give the Tigers a victory. Barnes ran for 181 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs. Coach Mike Wilhelm's Tigers finish 5-4 and 3-4 in HHC play. Rushville finishes 2-7 (0-7) for the second straight year.
Muncie Star-Press

Final HHC standingsNew Palestine 7-0/9-0
Pendleton Heights 6-1/8-1
Greenfield-Central 4-3/5-4
Delta 4-3/4-5
Mt. Vernon 3-4/5-4
Yorktown 3-4/5-4
Shelbyville 1-6/1-8
Rushville 0-7/2-7


Final MIFC standings
Milan 5-0/8-1
Indian Creek 4-1/5-4
Triton Central 3-2/4-5
North Decatur 2-3/3-6
Eastern Hancock 1-4/3-6
South Decatur 0-5/2-7

Sectional pairings next week
Hancock County schools
Class 4A sectional 13

Muncie Central (2-7) at New Palestine (9-0)
Frankfort (0-9) at Delta (6-3 on the field)
Muncie South (3-6) at Greenfield-Central (5-4)
Mt. Vernon (5-4) at Pendleton Heights (8-1) (broadcast: HancockCountySports.com)

Class A sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-9) at Northeastern (4-5)
Eastern Hancock (3-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (7-2)
Knightstown (6-3) at Hagerstown (5-4)
Scecina (6-3) at Tri (0-9)


In the Hoosier Heritage Conference 
Class 3A sectional 19
Yorktown (5-4) at Eastbrook (9-0 on the field)Bellmont (3-6) at Blackford (2-7)
Mississinewa (7-2) at Maconaquah (2-7)
Western (7-2) at Peru (0-9)

Class 3A sectional 22
Howe (5-4) at  Edgewood (6-3)Batesville (3-6) at Greensburg (4-5)
Brown County (4-5) at Rushville (2-7)
Beech Grove (0-9) at Indian Creek (5-4)

Class 4A sectional 15
Richmond (4-5) at Franklin County (7-2)Connersville (2-7) at New Castle (0-9)
East Central (8-1) at South Dearborn (7-2)
Columbus East (8-1) at Shelbyville (1-8)

Dragons HHC champs

The New Palestine Dragons football team completed a perfect regular season Friday night with a nearly-perfect defensive effort in a 27-0 victory over Mt. Vernon.

We enjoyed bringing you the game -- as we have all season. The Dragons got started quickly -- needing just nine seconds to score the game's first touchdown -- and used a defensive effort that never let MV cross the 30-yard line.

Quarterback Connor Simmons completed 14-of-21 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 2,134 yards on the year, breaking Matt Rodgers' 18-year-old mark of 2,001. Simmons already holds the single-season mark for TD passes and extended it with his 24th and 25th of the year tonight. Josh Penley was his favorite target with six catches for 71 yards.

Junior running back Matt Siergiej had 44 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns. 



The biggest throw-and-catch happened on the game's first play. On the opening kickoff, the Dragons' Nolan Hill placed the ball between the up men and the Marauders' deep returners. It bounced on the ground and the Dragons recovered the loose ball. On the game's first play, Simmons dropped back and hit Penley in stride for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Just nine seconds in, the Dragons led 6-0, and they'd never look back from there. After stopping the Marauders on down in NP territory, the Dragons got to work again on a 14-play, 63-yard drive that primarily featured Siergiej's running.He capped it off with a 1-yard run that made it 13-0 just 4:39 in.

That was all the Dragon defense would need. The Marauders would never penetrate inside the NP 30. The Dragons stopped MV on downs twice in the first half, saw Penley nab his fourth interception of the year, blocked a punt and stuffed a fake punt. Brandon Collins also scooped up a Marauder fumble in the third quarter, setting up Siergiej's second TD of the day -- this one from 2 yards out that made it 20-0 with 2:48 left in the third. After forcing a punt, the Dragons added the insurance with a mammoth 14-play, 76-yard, 6:33 drive that saw NP convert two 20-plus yards-to-go situations. One of those was a 26-yard pass to Austin Monday on 2nd-and-24 to the MV 27. A couple of plays later, on first-and-22 from the 29, Simmons found Tyler Walden open at the back of the end zone for a touchdown pass.


The Dragons gained 271 total yards -- 93 on the ground and 178 through the air. They held MV to just 147 yards -- including minus-4 in the passing game. MV had seven total first downs, but had none in the second half until the final drive.


The victory clinches an HHC record for the Dragons, who won their 20th straight conference game. That breaks a record set by Hamilton Southeastern from 1994-97. The Dragons also retained possession of the HHC Helmet for the 14th straight game -- a conference record -- and will maintain it through the offseason for the second straight year. Simmons is also nearing career marks for passing yards, passing TDs and season TD passes. Collins has already set the school's single-season receiveing mark. He had two catches for 25 yards tonight.

New Palestine hosts Muncie Central next week in Sectional 13 play. Mt. Vernon (5-4, 3-4) is in the opposite half of the bracket, and visits Pendleton Heights in the game we will broadcast on HancockCountySports.com!


Elsewhere
Pendleton Heights 34, Greenfield-Central 3: The seventh-ranked Arabians have been on fire the last few weeks, and showed that again tonight. PH built an early 10-0 lead, extended it to a two-score game by halftime and pulled away in the second half. The Arabians finish the year with an 8-1 mark and 6-1 in the conference, showing a tremendous resurgence over the last two years. PH is a defending sectional champion and will go for back-to-back. PH visits Mt. Vernon in our HancockCountySports.com broadcast next week. G-C will host Muncie South in the other Sectional 13 bottom-bracket semifinal game.


Eastern Hancock 19, Edinburgh 0: The Royals register a shutout for the first time since 2005 in a victory over the Lancers. Coach Pat Echeverria's team wins two of its last three to head into the sectional. The Royals have shown themselves a strong team in the first year with a new head coach. At 3-6, they will visit Cambridge City Lincoln next week.


And in the HHC
Delta 45, Shelbyville 6: The Eagles are a force to be reckoned with, having won three straight games. Delta finishes the year 4-5 (6-3 on the field) and having allowed just 13 points the last two weeks. Eagles tie Greenfield-Central for 3rd in the conference with a 4-3 mark. Delta meets Frankfort in Sectional 13 action next week. Shelby hosts Columbus East in Sectional 15. Shelby is 1-8 (1-6).


Yorktown 28, Rushville 21: The Tigers win their second straight close game to finish in a fifth-place tie with Mt. Vernon in the HHC standings. Yorktown is now 3-4 in the HHC and 5-4 overall. Rushville is 2-7 (0-7) and has now dropped 15 straight HHC games.


Final HHC standings
New Palestine 7-0/9-0
Pendleton Heights 6-1/8-1
Greenfield-Central 4-3/5-4
Delta 4-3/4-5
Mt. Vernon 3-4/5-4
Yorktown 3-4/5-4
Shelbyville 1-6/1-8
Rushville 0-7/2-7


Final MIFC standings
Milan 5-0/8-1
Indian Creek 4-1/5-4
Triton Central 3-2/4-5
North Decatur 2-3/3-6
Eastern Hancock 1-4/3-6
South Decatur 0-5/2-7

Week 9 -- lots on the line

It's one of my favorite times of year -- Boundary Rail time as Mt. Vernon and New Palestine renew their rivalry for the 48th time in 44 years. But that's not all in Hancock County football. We have the Greenfield-Central Cougars and Pendleton Heights Arabians playing for second in the HHC (for PH, it's a chance at first if NP loses). We have the Dragons trying to clinch the HHC outright for the second year in a row and break a 14-year-old HHC record for consecutive victories in conference games. We have Eastern Hancock looking for its third victory of the year in its season finale and get a boost going into the sectional.

And, of course, everyone knows the draw, so everyone will be looking ahead to next week when the records go to 0-0 and we start over. 

But, of course, we have this week to get through first. 

Our Game of the Week (live broadcast here)

#1/4 New Palestine (8-0, 6-0) at Mt. Vernon (5-3, 3-3), 7:30 p.m. (broadcast: HancockCountySports.com)

The Boundary Rail battle. These teams have been going at each other for years. You have the irresistable force -- a talented New Palestine offense that's poised to break every passing record the school has -- against the immovable object, a Mt. Vernon defense that has allowed just 17 points in regulation the last three games and went eight straight quarters without allowing a touchdown. MV has suffered some sizable injury losses in recent weeks, but did get RB Anthony Burnett back and coach Doug Armstrong's teams are always ready for rivalry games. Look for a battle between a great air attack led by NP's Connor Simmons vs. MV's solid ground game of Tyler Dicks and Burnett. Join Andrew Smith & Mike Jackson for the call at 7 p.m. 

Greenfield-Central (5-3, 4-2) at #7/7 Pendleton Heights (7-1, 5-1), 7:30 p.m. (broadcast: WEEM-91.7, WRGF-89.7). 

This game features a balanced PH offense that is scoring a ton of points -- cracking the 60-point barrier twice this season -- against a G-C defense that is scoring a ton of points. PH's Mitch Patishall has shown to be a tremendous QB over the past 3 years and wants to go out with a strong Senior Night showing. His three RBs all ran for 100 yards in last week's victory over Rushville. But G-C has a ballhawking, blitzing defense that makes life miserable for opposing offenses. The Cougars have nine return TDs this year, including an INT from Brant Boles last week. G-C produced three interceptions against a New Palestine team that rarely turns the ball over in last week's narrow 21-19 loss. Cougars are just four points away from being unbeaten in the conference, but this should be a great test. 

Eastern Hancock (2-6) at Edinburgh (2-6), 7 p.m.: The Royals are significantly better than their record, but Edinburgh -- led by former Franklin College coach Bill Unsworth -- is an improving football program. Led by the Gilbert brothers, the Royals have been close several times and have a fourth-quarter comeback victory to their credit against South Decatur. 

Elsewhere in the HHC

Delta (3-5, 3-3) at Shelbyville (1-7, 1-5), 7 p.m. (broadcast: WSVX-1520, www.wsvx.com): The Eagles have found their mojo again, as QB Ozzie Mann has begun spreading the ball around and the defense shut down MV's running game last week. Shelby has been right there, but turnovers have doomed the Golden Bears throughout the season. 

Yorktown (4-4, 2-4) at Rushville (2-6, 0-6), 7 p.m. (broadcast: WIFE-94.3): Tigers coach Mike Wilhem showed some guts last week by going for 2 down 21-20 midway through the fourth quarter -- and being successful -- in a win at Shelbyville. Rushville is young and has struggled through much of the HHC schedule. The league's two 3A teams get an opportunity to see each other before the tourney begins. 

IHSAA football tournament pairings

The IHSAA football tournament pairings have been announced. Here they are

In Class 4A's sectional 13, the three Hancock County schools all drew opposite each other. #1/4 New Palestine drew a 2-6 Muncie Central squad in the opening round. The teams have two common opponents -- NP beat Richmond 29-7 and Pendleton Heights 34-21. Muncie Central fell to PH 65-0 in Week 1, then fell to Richmond 23-19. Bearcats' wins came in Week 2 vs. Muncie South (38-6) and Week 4 vs. New Castle (28-26). The winner faces either Frankfort or Delta. Frankfort is winless, Delta 5-3 on the field and has played really well in recent weeks. Delta's defense found its way in a 12-7 victory over Mt. Vernon last week.  NP and Delta would be favored in the first round. If they meet in the second round, it will be at Delta.

Greenfield-Central is much better than its 5-3 record shows -- the Cougars are four points away from being 7-1. The Cougars will face a 3-5 Muncie South team at home in the opening round. G-C would be a favorite on paper. South is 3-5, with wins over Connersville (twice) and Arlington. They have one common opponent. The Rebels also took Yorktown to overtime in Week 1 before falling 27-20. G-C beat Yorktown 23-20 in Week 4. Mt. Vernon will visit Pendleton Heights in a rematch of their Week 5 game. PH won that game 38-6, using a huge 21-point swing in the final four minutes of the opening half, but also using a strong offensive line push. If they advance, G-C would be on the road regardless in the second round, MV would be at home regardless.

Class 4A sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-6) at New Palestine (8-0)
Frankfort (0-8) at Delta (5-3 on the field)
Muncie South (3-5) at Greenfield-Central (5-3)
Mt. Vernon (5-3) at Pendleton Heights (7-1)  

Eastern Hancock drew Cambridge City Lincoln in the opening round in a road game. CCL is 6-2. The two teams have two common opponents -- South Decatur and Wes-Del. Both teams are 2-0 against those common foes. CCL scores 37.5 ppg, allows 18.5 ppg. The Golden Eagles' two losses were a 42-27 loss to a strong 2A squad in Centerville and 20-7 last week to Union County.

Class A sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-8) at Northeastern (4-4)
Eastern Hancock (2-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (6-2)
Knightstown (5-3) at Hagerstown (5-3)
Scecina (5-3) at Tri (0-8)


In the Hoosier Heritage ConferenceClass 3A sectional 19 (Yorktown)
Yorktown drew Class 3A #3/4 Eastbrook in its first-round game. Eastbrook is 5-3, but had to forfeit three games. The Tigers know that territory -- they gave one of 3A's top-ranked teams in Hamilton Heights a scare early in the tournament last year, leading the Huskies in the fourth quarter on the road.
Yorktown (4-4) at Eastbrook (8-0 on the field)
Bellmont (3-5) at Blackford (2-6)
Mississinewa (7-1) at Maconaquah (1-7)
Western (6-2) at Peru (0-8)

Class 3A sectional 22 (Rushville)
Rushville is in a very winnable Sectional 22. Only two teams -- Howe and Edgewood -- have winning records. Rushville is 2-0 in non-conference play and showed very well last year in the tournament. The Lions are young, but are battle-tested against a 4A schedule. The rest of the schools in the sectional primarily play in conferences with 3A schools and smaller.
Howe (5-3) at  Edgewood (5-3)
Batesville (2-6) at Greensburg (3-5)
Brown County (4-4) at Rushville (2-6)
Beech Grove (0-8) at Indian Creek (4-4)

Class 4A sectional 15 (Shelbyville)
The Golden Bears got a tough draw with the top three teams in the sectional in their half of the bracket. Gunnar Kiel and Columbus East will meet a strong Shelby defense led by Ethan Runnebohm. Winner gets either unbeaten East Central or South Dearborn. The favored matchup would match up two top-five teams in the semifinals.
Richmond (3-5) at Franklin County (5-3)
Connersville (2-6) at New Castle (0-8)
East Central (8-0) at South Dearborn (6-2)
Columbus East (7-1) at Shelbyville (1-7)

Saturday Morning QB: It's down to NP & PH

New Palestine has clinched a piece of the Hoosier Heritage Conference title. Pendleton Heights still has a shot but needs some help from Mt. Vernon, and also needs to beat a pretty good Greenfield-Central team.

Not only that, but those four teams -- plus perennial power Delta -- will all face each other in the next three weeks as they're all part of the same sectional.

New Palestine 21, Greenfield-Central 19: Our game was a wild rivalry game -- coming down to the last on-side kick. Full of big plays, each team had a scoring flurry, three interceptions and a big return. NP's Connor Simmons threw for 238 yards, but the biggest plays came from Scott Lyons with a 91-yard kick return that set up a TD, and from Austin Monday, who had a 33-yard TD to ice it. G-C had two touchdowns in 14 seconds, and a late TD on a 52-yard pass to Josh Applegate, but it turned out to not be enough. NP clinches at least a tie for the HHC title and remains unbeaten on the year. G-C is now 5-3 (4-2).
Broadcast archive | Indianapolis Star | Daily Reporter

Delta 12, Mt. Vernon 7: The Eagles held MV to 109 yards of offense in the game. Ozzie Mann threw TD passes to Jake Greenberg and Landon Lambert to give Delta a 12-0 lead going into the third. Anthony Burnett scored the lone TD for MV, which is now 5-3 and 3-3 in HHC play. Delta is 5-3 on the field (3-5 due to forfeits) and also 3-3, in a two-way tie for fourth place in the conference.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press roundup

Shenandoah 53, Eastern Hancock 6: The Royals fell behind 16-0 in the opening four minutes and unbeaten Shenandoah led 35-0 at halftime. Logan Gilbert scored a late touchdown for EH, which is now 2-6, against one of Class 2A's top teams. Shenandoah's Dylan Hamm rushed for 172 yards.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press

Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 69, Rushville 3: The Arabians honored coach John Broughton for his 200th win, and then scored on their first 10 possessions -- including one with the junior varsity offense -- in the victory. It was the second time PH had broken the 60-point mark this year -- also doing so against Muncie Central in Week 1. Clint Nicholson, Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow all ran for 100 yards. Nicholson had 5 TDs -- including three through the air. PH is 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference with a home game next week against Greenfield-Central. The Arabians can win a share of the title with a victory and a New Palestine loss. Rushville is 2-6 (0-6).
Anderson Herald-Bulletin

Yorktown 22, Shelbyville 21: Coach Mike Wilhelm went with a gutsy call late -- going for two after QB Joe Todd scored a TD with 5:44 left -- and converted to give the Tigers their second HHC victory of the year. Brendon Barnes ran for 176 yards for the Tigers (4-4, 2-4). Shelby is 1-7 and 1-5 in the HHC.
Shelbyville News | Muncie Star-Press roundup

HHC standings
#1/4 New Palestine 6-0/8-0
#9/9 Pendleton Heights 5-1/7-1
Greenfield-Central 4-2/5-3
Mt. Vernon 3-3/5-3
Delta 3-3/3-5 (5-3 on the field)
Yorktown 2-4/4-4
Shelbyville 1-5/1-7
Rushville 0-6/2-6
Next week
New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (broadcast: www.hancockcountysports.com)
Greenfield-Central at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Delta at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.
Yorktown at Rushville, 7 p.m.

MIFC standings
Milan 4-0/7-1
Triton Central 3-1/4-4
Indian Creek 3-1/4-4
North Decatur 2-3/3-5
Eastern Hancock 1-4/2-6
South Decatur 0-4/2-6
Next week
Eastern Hancock at Edinburgh, 7 p.m.
Indian Creek at South Decatur, 7 p.m.
Milan at Triton Central, 7 p.m.
North Decatur at Greensburg, 7 p.m.
*-Milan has clinched a piece of the MIFC title, but a Triton Central victory and an Indian Creek victory next week could forge a 3-way tie.

Wild night: Dragons win, clinch piece of HHC

What a wild game we had tonight at Greenfield-Central's Cougar Stadium.

Class 4A No. 1 New Palestine held on to beat Greenfield-Central 21-19 tonight, overcoming several big plays by the Cougars and an avalanche of momentum coming their way in the final 14 minutes.

The Dragons built an early 14-0 lead, but two Cougar big plays turned into touchdowns 14 seconds apart in the third, and another big play made it close.

Big plays were the name of the game as both defenses made it nearly impossible to have a sustained drive. The teams combined for nine turnovers in the game.

The game was also an emotional one, as the two teams combined for more than 180 yards in penalties, and those emotions often spilled into the crowd, which was a passionate one for both sides.

Things went NP's way early -- Scott Lyons ran the opening kickoff 91 yards to the G-C 3, setting up a TD by Austin Monday. After an exchange of turnovers, the Dragons' Connor Simmons hooked up with Brandon Collins from 50 yards out on 2nd-and-22 to make it a 14-0 game with four minutes to go in the opening quarter

The Dragon defense produced three takeaways on three G-C drives in the second, but the Cougars' blitzing defense stiffened when the Dragons would push into G-C territory.



After the teams traded field position for several drives in the third, G-C got a big play when QB Derek Conley broke off a 52-yard run, setting up a touchdown. Then, 14 seconds later, Brant Boles ran an interception in from 25 yards out. G-C missed both extra points -- a kick and a two-point conversion pass -- and the Dragons saw their lead shrink to 14-12 with 1:42 to go in the third.


Austin Monday broke several tackles in a 33-yard TD run with 1:49 left to make it a 21-12 game -- Wes Fox's extra point made it a two-possession game. That turned out to be key when Josh Applegate reeled in a deflected 52-yard TD pass for G-C one minute later. Brandon Wiggins recovered the ensuing on-side kick to give the Dragons the victory.


A fumbled snap gave the Cougars the ball in NP territory, but the Dragon defense held on a first-and-goal situation and forced a field goal attempt that went wide left. The Dragons were then able to respond with Monday's TD -- which came after Brandon Wiggins caught a huge 23-yard pass on third down to help the Dragons ice the game.


Monday ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Dragon QB Connor Simmons completed 14-of-29 passes for 238 yards and a TD -- his eighth 200+-yard game of the year. WR Brandon Collins had seven catches for 117 yards and a TD. Simmons will need less than 30 yards next week to break the 2,000-yard mark for the season. The Dragon defense produced five turnovers, while the Cougars had three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Conley led a balanced G-C rushing attack with 65 yards. All in all, the Cougars gained 188 yards on the ground. The teams were dead-even in total yards. The teams were nearly dead-even in yards -- the Dragons had 293, the Cougars 288. But the Dragons were able to win their 16th straight regular-season game and 19th straight HHC game. And they became HHC champions for the second straight year.

NP is now 8-0 and 6-0 in conference play. G-C is 5-3 and 4-2 in HHC play, alone in third place.

Elsewhere in Hancock County
Delta 12, Mt. Vernon 7: Anthony Burnett returned to the Marauder lineup and scored a touchdown, but Delta was able to turn an early lead into the victory at Mt. Vernon Stadium. The Marauders fell to 5-3, and both teams are now 3-3 in the HHC standings.  

Shenandoah 53, Eastern Hancock 6: Shenandoah showed why it's one of the top small-school teams in Indiana with the victory tonight. Ranked No. 10 in Class 2A, the Raiders are unbeaten at 8-0. EH (2-6) plays at Edinburgh next week. 

Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 69, Rushville 3: The Arabians had a 21-0 lead at the end of one, built it to 35-3 at the half and rolled to a victory over the Lions. Ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, PH is now in second place in the HHC with a 5-1 mark and a 7-1 overall record. The Arabians host Greenfield-Central next week.

Yorktown 22, Shelbyville 21: Great game tonight at Shelbyville. Brody Runyon powered in for a two-point conversion in the closing minutes after QB Joe Todd scored on a quarterback sneak. The Tigers are now 4-4 (2-4). Shelby falls to 1-7 (1-5).

Standings
#1/4 New Palestine 6-0/8-0 (at MV)
#9/9 Pendleton Heights 5-1/7-1 (vs G-C)
Greenfield-Central 4-2/5-3 (at PH)
Mt. Vernon 3-3/5-3 (vs. NP)
Delta 3-3/3-5 (5-3 on the field, at Shelby)
Yorktown 2-4/4-4 (at Rushville)
Shelbyville 1-5/1-7 (vs. Delta)
Rushville 0-6/2-6 (vs. Yorktown)

Next Friday night: Join Andrew, Chris and Mike as they broadcast the Battle for the Boundary Rail between Mt. Vernon and New Palestine. The Dragons can clinch an outright HHC championship with a victory. Tune in at 7 p.m., kickoff is 7:30 on www.hancockcountysports.com