All-Region football team

Several Hancock County athletes were named to the IFCA All-Region 8 football team. The recipients of this are also eligible to be selected for the IFCA North-South All-Star Classic in July.

From Eastern Hancock
TE-Chandler Hards


From Greenfield-Central
CB-Matt Dickerson

From New Palestine
WR-Brandon Collins
QB-Connor Simmons
CB-Josh Penley

Also, the Academic All-State selections from Region 8 were announced: G-C's Matt Dickerson, Austin Frazier and Chris Sosnowski join NP's Chris Wolf on that prestigious list.
 

                                               

Season finale: Arabians 24, Dragons 13

#5 Pendleton Heights took an early lead and made two big plays in the passing game to answer scores and beat #1 New Palestine 24-13 to win the Class 4A Sectional 13 title Friday night.

Arabian quarterback Mitch Patishall threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns -- both to Austin Coffel, who had three catches for 36, 59 and 59 yards. The game featured 711 yards of offense -- the Arabians had 378, the Dragons 333.

PH running back Jon Furrow ran for 100 yards in the first half and had 101 total, as Jacob Lyons carried much of the load in the second half.

NP's Connor Simmons finished a fantastic career by throwing for 282 yards, completing 18-of-39 passes. He threw one touchdown pass, a 31-yarder to Tyler Walden that was his 35th of the year and 39th of his career. Unofficially, Simmons finishes with 2,793 yards for the season and 3,277 for his career. He holds all of New Palestine's passing records for season and career completions, yards and touchdowns. Brandon Collins' 6 catch, 74-yard night broke Jay Ehle's 18-year-old single-season receiving record.

Josh Penley had 98 receiving yards -- including a 48-yarder on the game's first play from scrimmage. The drive stalled at the 17 yard line, and PH answered with an 11-play, 83-yard drive that put the Arabians up 7-0 and set the tone for the rest of the night. NP answered on its third foray into PH territory with Simmons and Walden hooking up from 31 yards out with 5:10 left in the half to tie the game.

But both times NP scored, PH answered. Patishall hit Coffel from 36 yards out despite tough coverage from Dakota Smith just 2:53 after the Dragons took the lead, and PH led 14-7 through the third and into the fourth quarter. The Arabians would never relinquish the lead. NP's first drive of the second half stalled at the PH 11 on downs. After a near-miss -- Penley's perfect submarine tackle on 4th-and-1 stuffed a PH drive at the Dragon 23 -- NP finally broke through early in the fourth when Simmons went 5-for-5 on a drive, which finished with Austin Monday's 1-yard TD run with 10:45 left.

But the 20 seconds that turned the game happened. NP missed the game-tying extra point just barely wide left, and Patishall found Coffel behind the last defender for a 59-yard TD on the next play to make it a 21-13 game. NP had three more possessions, but could only muster one first down.

The season ended for the Dragons with an 11-1 record -- one of their best seasons in school history. They won their second straight Hoosier Heritage Conference title and were a lot of fun to watch and cover all season. We enjoyed being a small part of it by being able to bring eight different Dragons games live to you this season, including seven wins. Some of these Dragons will move on to play college football, but they accomplished much in their four-year careers -- two sectional titles, 20 straight HHC wins and a sectional title. Thanks for listening to us and following us all season.

Here are the media stories:
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin | Indianapolis Star

Pregame look: #1 Dragons vs. #5 Arabians

It's almost gametime as the top-ranked New Palestine Dragons (11-0) take on the fifth-ranked Pendleton Heights Arabians (10-1) in a battle for the Sectional 13 championship. This is one of a handful of games in the state pitting two ranked teams, and one of the biggest games in a long time to be played on the Shepler Field turf.

Our crew is excited to bring you the game Friday night. Click here to join Andrew Smith, Mike Jackson and Chris Lambert for the play-by-play call at 6:30 p.m. 


The Dragons and Arabians have been two of the state’s top teams this season. They were 1-2 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference, both rank in the Top 5 in the Associated Press poll and are third and fourth in the Sagarin computer rankings.

Previous meeting: The Dragons won 34-21 on Sept. 2. Both teams have gone undefeated since. It was the most points each team has given up all season. Dragon QB Connor Simmons had one of the best games of his career, completing 22-of-26 passes for 287 yards and 5 TDs. WR Josh Penley had 151 receiving yards and three TDs – one yard shy of the school record for receiving yards in a game. WR Brandon Collins also had a big game, with 103 yards and two TDs. NP nose tackle Chris Wolf had three sacks and 10 tackles in the game defensively. The Arabians’ Mitch Patishall completed 21-of-41 passes for 221 yards and a TD. Cody Cochran (8-75) and Jacob Lyons (4-60) were his top receivers. Jon Furrow ran for 84 yards to lead the Arabians’ rushing attack, which gained 164 yards on the ground. Austin Monday’s 48 yards led a Dragon ground game that gained 64 total yards on the ground. 

Scouting Pendleton Heights: Pendleton Heights is in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history. The Arabians are currently 10-1, and possess Class 4A’s second-highest scoring offense (41.9 ppg) and top scoring defense (10.5 ppg). In addition, the Arabians lead Class 4A in win margin (+31.45 ppg). That margin is ninth-best among the 315 football-playing schools in Indiana. Since the loss to the Dragons on Sept. 2, PH’s defense has allowed just eight touchdowns, and the offense has scored at least 31 points in every game since. The offense is led by senior QB Mitch Patishall, a three-year starter who has thrown for 1,347 yards and 17 TDs this season. He has completed 60 percent of his passes. The Arabians also sport two 1,000-yard rushers in senior Jacob Lyons (1,341 yards, 13 TDs) and junior Jon Furrow (1,173 yards, 16 TDs). Add in third RB Clint Nicholson in the three-back run-and-shoot set, and PH has three backs who all average more than 7 yards per carry. The four starting backs have combined for 3,220 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns. Junior WRs Austin Coffel (22-363, 4 TDs) and Kurt Talbert (20-315, 1 TD) are the top receivers for a balanced passing attack. PH’s stout defense is led by Steffan Slick (8 sacks, 12 TFL), Kaleb Newell (7 sacks, 21.5 TFL), Jake Stilwell (6 sacks, 15.5 TFL) and Patrick Butler (129 tackles, 5 sacks, 13.5 TFL). Chandler Wilson (3 INTs) and Furrow (2 INT) are tops in interceptions. Furrow is also one of the state’s more accurate kickers, hitting 7-of-10 field goals and 60-of-62 PATs. 

Scouting New Palestine: The Dragons posted a 62-0 victory over Muncie Central in the sectional 1^st round, and followed up with a 27-14 victory over Delta last week. NP trailed 14-0 in the first eight minutes, but rallied behind 241 passing yards and four touchdowns passes from QB Connor Simmons. His 71-yard TD pass to Tyler Walden got the Dragons on the board in the first, and then he threw three straight touchdowns to Josh Penley of 11, 20 and 28 yards. The Dragon running game helped shorten the game in the second half, led by Austin Monday’s 92 yards. He had 82 of those after halftime. Walden had 105 receiving yards on the night, while Penley had 59 and Brandon Collins four catches for 47 yards. Simmons became the school’s career passing yardage and touchdowns leader in the victory. NP’s defense also held the Eagles’ high-powered offense off the board after the first quarter, forcing two fumbles and holding Delta on downs deep in its own territory. Simmons has thrown nine touchdown passes in the tournament and 34 for the season. Simmons holds virtually every school passing record, while WRs Brandon Collins and Josh Penley are climbing the ladder to set the school receiving records. In addition, the "Red Rage" defense has posted three shutouts this season, the first time a Dragon team has accomplished that feat since 1996.

We can't wait for kickoff. Join us for the LIVE broadcast!

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).

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

Soccer pairings

The soccer regional pairings are set

2A boys soccer regional at Mt. Vernon
Thursday, Oct. 13
5 p.m.: #12 Center Grove (16-1-2) vs. Warren Central (5-12-1)
7 p.m.: Roncalli (11-5-1) vs. Greenfield-Central (13-3-2) (broadcast: www.hancockcountysports.com)

Saturday, Oct. 15
7 p.m.: Championship (HancockCountySports.com will broadcast if G-C wins semifinal match)


2A girls soccer regional at Shelbyville
Thursday, Oct. 13
5 p.m.: #11 New Palestine (16-0-3) vs. Center Grove (12-3-2)
7 p.m.: Warren Central (14-5-1) vs. Perry Meridian (14-5)

Saturday, Oct. 15
7 p.m.: Championship
(note: HancockCountySports.com will broadcast the championship match from Shelbyville if New Palestine's girls advance and Greenfield-Central's boys do not).

In addition to soccer, join us for two other broadcasts this week:
Monday: Volleyball: Mt. Vernon at New Palestine, 6:30 p.m. (approx. start time)
A rematch of Saturday's county title match, the Marauders visit the Dragons for their regular-season contest. MV won 25-18, 25-17 in the county final on Saturday, and the two teams have a quick turnaround this week.

Friday: Football: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7 p.m.
The Battle for the Boundary Rail continues yet again with the 44th regular-season meeting between the two teams. NP c an win the outright HHC title with a win, and also can clinch its first unbeaten season since 1988 if it is successful. MV is trying to shake a two-game skid, but the Marauders have allowed just two touchdowns in the last 12 quarters of play. Last year's matchup was a 7-0 thriller won by the Dragons.

Football pairings tonight

The IHSAA football pairings will be drawn at 7 p.m. tonight.

Click here or follow our blog, Facebook or Twitter feeds for the pairings.

You'll also be able to do the same for the volleyball pairings at 7 p.m. Monday!

More this week

Boys soccer sectional at Greenfield-Central

Tonight's games

Greenfield-Central 2, Shelbyville 1, SO (G-C 5-3 in PKs). Adam Koers goal for G-C, Collin Kleckner makes save in shootout, scores game-clinching goal. 

New Palestine 1, Mt. Vernon 0: John Ernster scores on PK with 29:28 left. Jaron Pridgen with the shutout. 

Saturday night: Greenfield-Central vs. New Palestine, 7 p.m. (www.hancockcountysports.com broadcast: 6:45 p.m.)

Girls soccer sectional at New Palestine

Thursday's games: Greenfield-Central vs. Mt. Vernon, 5 p.m.: New Palestine vs. Shelbyville, 7 p.m. 

Saturday night: Championship, 5 p.m.

Friday night football

4A #1/4 New Palestine (7-0/5-0) at Greenfield-Central (5-2/4-1), 7 p.m. (www.hancockcountysports.com broadcast, 6:30 p.m.)

Delta (2-5/2-3) at Mt. Vernon (5-2/3-2), 7 p.m.

Eastern Hancock (2-5) at 2A #10 Shenandoah (7-0), 7 p.m.

County volleyball tournament at Mt. Vernon (Saturday)

Semifinals

11:30 a.m.: Eastern Hancock vs. Mt. Vernon (www.hancockcountysports.com broadcast, 11:20 a.m.)

11:30 a.m.: New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central

1 p.m.: Championship (www.hancockcountysports.com broadcast)

Follow Hancock County sports action on HancockCountySports.com!

Tuesday wrap: MV falls in tennis regional

Mt. Vernon pushed Lawrence North to the limit, but fell 3-2 Tuesday in the IHSAA boys tennis regional at North Central.


Kendall Ryan (#2 singles) and Reid Eberhard (#3 singles) won three-set matches for the Marauders.

Volleyball
Full night of volleyball in Hancock County tonight. You can listen to the archive of Chris Lambert's call of Hamilton Southeastern vs. Greenfield-Central here.

HSE won that match 17-25, 21-25, 25-16, 25-12, 15-6, led by Jessica Pongonis' nine kills. Shay Pope led the Cougars with a match-high 14 kills. Caity Sosnowski eight aces. Jordan Bunch had five kills.

G-C is now 10-15 on the season. HSE is 15-11.

Also in the county, Noblesville defeated Mt. Vernon in four games, giving the Hoosier Crossroads Conference two victories over Hoosier Heritage Conference teams tonight.

Stay tuned
Wednesday night: Boys soccer sectional at G-C: Shelby vs. G-C at 5, NP vs. MV at 7. Updates on our Twitter feed!
Thursday night: Girls soccer sectional at NP: G-C vs. MV at 5; NP vs. Shelby at 7. Updates on our Twitter feed!
Friday night: Big night of football. Join us for the live broadcast of NP at G-C at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday AM: County volleyball tourney. Join us for the live broadcast at 11:20 a.m. -- MV vs. EH (and updates on NP vs. G-C) in the semis, with the title match to follow.
Saturday PM: Live broadcast of the G-C boys soccer final at 6:45 p.m. Also updates on the NP girls soccer sectional final, which begins at 5.

Follow the matches here, and listen to our live broadcast at www.HancockCountySports.com

Huge week for Hancock County sports

... and a big week for HancockCountySports.com.

First, our broadcast schedule. Click this link to LISTEN LIVE!
Tuesday 10/4: VOLLEYBALL: Hamilton SE at Greenfield-Central, 7:30 p.m.
Friday 10/7: FOOTBALL: New Palestine at Greenfield-Central, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday 10/8: VOLLEYBALL: Hancock County Tournament, 11:20 a.m.
Saturday 10/8: BOYS SOCCER: Greenfield-Central 2A sectional championship, 6:45 p.m.
Monday 10/10: VOLLEYBALL: Mt. Vernon at New Palestine, approx. 6:30 p.m.

Now, a more in-depth look at the sports
Volleyball
New Palestine and Mt. Vernon have had strong seasons. Greenfield-Central is young, but has players putting up some huge numbers -- as evidenced by Shay Pope's school-record 31-kill effort last week against Pendleton Heights. We'll bring you the Cougars against HSE on Tuesday (we've also added the Oct. 17 match between Mt. Vernon and HSE).

Also, we'll broadcast the 2011 Hancock County Tournament. 
Pairings (Saturday, Oct. 8 from Mt. Vernon)
11:30 a.m.: Mt. Vernon vs. Eastern Hancock (main gym)
11:30 a.m.: New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central (aux gym)
1 p.m.: Championship (main gym)/Consolation (aux gym)
Join Chris Lambert for the call of the matches from the main gym on Saturday afternoon at 11:20 a.m. 

Soccer
Big week for both boys and girls soccer, as the three county teams -- Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon and New Palestine -- join Shelbyville in a four-team sectional. The boys play at Greenfield-Central, the girls at New Palestine.

The boys sectional is wide-open and features four defending champions -- Mt. Vernon and Shelbyville won sectionals last year before realignment put them together, while New Palestine and Greenfield-Central are HHC co-champions this year. Two of the three intra-county matchups were decided in shootouts, the other by one goal.

The girls sectional shows unbeaten New Palestine as a favorite, but the Dragons, Cougars and Marauders all played each other close this year and were the HHC's top three teams.

The pairings
Boys sectional at Greenfield-Central
Wednesday, Oct. 5
5 p.m.: Greenfield-Central vs. Shelbyville
7 p.m.: Mt. Vernon vs. New Palestine
Saturday, Oct. 8
7 p.m.: Championship (live broadcast begins at 6:45 p.m.)

Girls sectional at New Palestine
Thursday, Oct. 6
5 p.m.: Mt. Vernon vs. Greenfield-Central
7 p.m.: New Palestine vs. Shelbyville
Saturday, Oct. 8
5 p.m.: Championship (we will give updates on our broadcast)

And, of course, we can't forget football
It's a HUGE HHC matchup this week when the #1/4 New Palestine Dragons face the Greenfield-Central Cougars. NP is 7-0 for the first time since 1992. G-C has clinched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in at least that long. Some of the best athletes in East Central Indiana will be on display, as NP quarterback Connor Simmons and his deep stable of receivers meets G-C's tough secondary led by Matt Dickerson and Derek Conley. Join Andrew, Mike and Chris at 6:30 p.m. Friday from Clayton Myers Field at Cougar Stadium. 

Other sports
Mt. Vernon will compete in the North Central tennis regional at 4 p.m. Tuesday against Lawrence North. The Marauders won the sectional by beating New Palestine 3-2 and Eastern Hancock 5-0.

The cross country sectional round will commence Oct. 11. Mt. Vernon will compete at Pendleton Heights, the other three county schools at New Palestine.

Friday night football

Another big night as the HHC race hits the homestretch of the season. Two of the four teams in the thick of the race face off as the Greenfield-Central Cougars host the Mt. Vernon Marauders.

Mt. Vernon (5-1/3-1) at Greenfield-Central (4-2/3-1): Kickoff is 7 p.m. Join Andrew, Mike and Chris for the pregame at 6:30 p.m. from G-C's Cougar Stadium. Listen LIVE link.The Marauders feature the county's top rusher in Tyler Dicks (728 yards in 5 games). He had 126 yards and two touchdowns (and an interception) in the 20-5 victory over Shelbyville last week. G-C is on a three-game win streak, and a big reason why is the return game. The Cougars have six return touchdowns in the last two weeks. Matt Dickerson leads an athletic group of Cougars. The winner stays in the HHC race. The team that is unsuccessful will need some help.

Shelbyville (1-5/1-3) at #1/4 New Palestine (6-0/4-0): The Dragons have one of the state's most potent passing attacks, with 1,500-yard passer Connor Simmons throwing to 500-yard receivers Josh Penley and Brandon Collins. The Dragons' defense has also been solid. Shelby has struggled, but the Bears moved the ball for the last couple of weeks, but struggled to finish drives. The Bears have shown huge strides and can play spoiler. Our friends at WSVX.com will have the broadcast.

Wes-Del (0-6) at Eastern Hancock (1-5): The Royals have been *just* close the last several weeks, but the homestretch hasn't been kind. Tonight, they host winless Wes-Del in Senior Night. The Royals are much better than 1-5 -- they get a chance to show it here.

Also in the HHC
#10/9 Pendleton Heights (5-1/3-1) at Yorktown (3-3/1-3): The Arabians have had two 100-yard rushers in the last two weeks in Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow. Throw in a veteran line and QB Mitch Patishall, and PH is a solid team. Yorktown has big-play capability led by Brendon Barnes, and the Tigers have been right there.

Rushville (2-4/0-4) at Delta (1-5/1-3): Delta is actually 3-3 on the field, but the Eagles have dropped three straight after beating Greenfield-Central to open the HHC season. Ozzie Mann is strong, but the Eagles miss Austin Fuatavai at RB. Rushville has allowed 42, 53 and 49 points the last three weeks, but all to top HHC contenders. The Lions have a sold running game led by Kaleb Lambert and Garrett Hittle, but they are young.

Saturday morning QB: It's a four-way race

It's a four-way race in the Hoosier Heritage Conference, and the three Hancock County teams are in the thick of it, along with neighboring Pendleton Heights. Meanwhile, county neighbor Eastern Hancock is on the cusp, but dropped its third straight close game Friday night.

Let's look at the games:
Mt. Vernon 20, Shelbyville 5: A defensive struggle between the two schools that MV broke open with three big offensive plays -- Tyler Dicks' 26-yard TD run that was set up by a long 25-yard pass to Corey White in the first quarter, White's 53-yard TD catch in the third and a 65-yard run by Dicks that ended the game in the fourth. The entire second half was played in Marauder territory, but MV's defense held despite being backed up to the wall, producing six turnovers, including five interceptions. Other than a fumble on Shelby's second play of the game, each turnover happened in Marauder territory, including a Trey Wood interception in the end zone. Wood, Harrison Bova, Brandon Lockart, Tyler Dicks and Cody Baker all had interceptions for the Marauders. Dicks had 126 yards rushing. MV is now +17 in giveaway/takeaway ratio, and Dicks has 726 rushing yards in five games -- closing in on the 1,000-yard mark. MV played without Anthony Burnett, who was out with an apparent leg injury. Next up for the Marauders -- a visit to rival Greenfield-Central.
Daily Reporter | Shelbyville News | Broadcast archive

New Palestine 49, Yorktown 14: The No. 3 Dragons continued to roll, improving to 6-0 and extending their HHC winning streak to 17 straight games. It started on the opening kickoff, which Scott Lyons ran in from 90 yards. The Dragons produced five takeaways, including two picks by Josh Penley -- one of which was run back 40 yards for a touchdown. Penley also caught two of Connor Simmons' three TD passes. Tyler Walden also had a touchdown reception -- his second in as many weeks -- and Austin Monday and backup QB Blake Luker had rushing touchdowns. Simmons' three passing touchdowns gave him 13 for the season. Simmons threw for 202 yards, half of which went to Penley. Brendon Barnes' 62-yard TD run was Yorktown's offensive highlight. The Dragons host Shelbyville for senior night next week.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press

Greenfield-Central 49, Rushville 12: The Cougars' defense and special teams have been scoring machines this season, complementing a talented offense. For the second straight week, G-C had three returns for touchdowns -- this time with Dezmen McGinley's kickoff return, Derek Conley's punt return and Jeremiah Wray's interception return. Matt Dickerson also scored three touchdowns to give G-C an early 21-6 lead.
Daily Reporter

North Decatur 28, Eastern Hancock 14: The Royals were again tied in the fourth quarter and appeared ready to go in for a go-ahead score, but the Chargers intercepted a pass and turned it into a go-ahead touchdown drive in the final three minutes. Another fumble led to an insurance TD. Spencer Gilbert (97 yards) and Dalton Korlowicz scored for the Royals.
Daily Reporter

In the HHC:
Pendleton Heights 31, Delta 12: The Arabians are in the thick of the conference race after giving coach John Broughton career victory No. 199. Jon Furrow's 66-yard run on the first play of the game set the tone, and PH never trailed. For the second straight week, Furrow and Jacob Lyons both topped 100 yards rushing and QB Mitch Patishall threw for 124 yards, completing 8-of-10. Furrow ran for three TDs and kicked a field goal -- accounting for 25 of the Arabians' 31 points with his PATs thrown in. Ozzie Mann of Delta completed 14-of-20 for 134 yards.
Anderson Herald-Bulletin

HHC standings & remaining games
New Palestine 4-0/6-0 (vs. Shelby; at G-C; at MV)
Mt. Vernon 3-1/5-1 (at G-C, vs. Delta, vs. NP)
Pendleton Hts. 3-1/5-1 (at Yorktown; vs. Rushville; vs. G-C)
Greenfield-Central 3-1/4-2 (vs. MV; vs. NP; at PH)
Yorktown 1-3/3-3 (vs. PH; at Shelby; at Rushville)
Delta 1-3/1-5 (vs. Rushville; at MV; at Shelby)
Shelbyville 1-3/1-5 (at NP; vs. Yorktown; vs. Delta)
Rushville 0-4/2-4 (at Delta; at PH; vs. Yorktown)

MIFC standings
Milan 3-0/5-1
Triton Central 3-0/4-2
Indian Creek 1-1/2-4
North Decatur 1-2/2-4
Eastern Hancock 1-3/1-5 (vs. Wes-Del; at Shenandoah; at Edinburgh)
South Decatur 0-2/2-4

Dragons rally to beat Delta

Great game we had this afternoon -- befitting one between two ranked teams. #5 New Palestine won its 15th straight Hoosier Heritage Conference game today at Lucas Oil Stadium, beating #10 Delta 31-20.

NP trailed 20-17 early in the fourth, but a long drive that set up Connor Simmons' 1-yard TD run gave the Dragons the lead with 7:51 left. After Sam Wright forced a fumble, NP milked the clock and Simmons clinched it by hitting Josh Penley for a 4-yard TD in the corner of the end zone with 2:41 left to make it 31-20.

Simmons completed 17-of-23 passes for 245 yards, as he eclipsed the 200-yard mark for the fourth straight game. Brandon Collins caught eight passes for 126 yards, including a 38-yard TD with 9:52 left in the second that gave NP a 7-6 lead. His catches helped set up a 25-yard FG by Wes Fox just ahead of the halftime gun. Simmons hit Josh Penley from 24 yards out on the first drive of the second half to give the Dragons a 17-6 lead.

Penley had six catches for 94 yards, just shy of his third straight 100-yard game. His third-quarter TD was set up by a fake punt pass from Collins to Blake Luker that kept the drive going.

Delta answered with back-to-back TDs, before the Dragons put it away.

NP gained 328 yards of offense -- including 265 through the air. Junior Matt Siergiej led the Dragons' rushing attack with 68 yards on the ground. NP's defense held Delta to 227 total yards -- including a 5-of-12 performance and just 91 yards for Ball State recruit Ozzie Mann, the Eagles' outstanding QB.

NP's defense forced two turnovers -- Dakota Smith had an INT and Wright's forced that set up the final TD. Brandon Wiggins (8 tackles) and Chris Wolf (5 tackles, 1 sack) led the Dragons.

NP moves into a first-place tie with Mt. Vernon in the HHC, both with 4-0 records and 2-0 in the league. Delta (1-3/1-1) is in a four-way third-place tie with Pendleton Heights, Greenfield-Central and Shelbyville.

The Dragons return home next week to face Rushville (2-2/0-2) in homecoming (7:30 kickoff). Delta hosts Yorktown (2-2/0-2) in a 7 p.m. game.

Our broadcast next week will be a great HHC rivalry -- Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon. Join Andrew, Mike and Chris at 7 p.m. next Friday!

Saturday morning QB: NP vs. Delta today

We're getting ready for New Palestine vs. Delta. At the end of the day, one of those teams will be unbeaten in the HHC and in a first-place tie with Mt. Vernon -- which won last night.

Join us at 11:30 a.m. for this great matchup. LISTEN LIVE! link

Last night's action
Mt. Vernon 42, Rushville 14: Anthony Burnett 172 yards, Corey White catches a TD pass from Mitch Walrod and runs for another. Gabe Estes 3 TDs. MV jumps up 28-0 and never looks back. MV won despite playing without injured top rusher Tyler Dicks and starting QB Jordan Miller. Marauders unbeaten for 1st time since 2006.
Daily Reporter Broadcast archive

Greenfield-Central 23, Yorktown 20: Cougar D turns three Yorktown fumbles into three TDs, and a long punt return by Derek Conley sets up a field goal as G-C moves to 2-2 (1-1).
Daily Reporter Muncie Star-Press

Milan 13, Eastern Hancock 10: Logan Gilbert had a big night and EH scored 10 in the fourth quarter, but the Indians were able to hang on. EH is now 1-3 both overall and in MIFC play.
Daily Reporter

In the HHC
Pendleton Heights 55, Shelbyville 6: Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow both rush for 100+ yards and each scores three TDs as the Arabians roll. PH will be our Game of the Week next week as the Arabians visit Mt. Vernon. Listen on www.hancockcountysports.com
Anderson Herald-Bulletin  Shelbyille News

HHC standings
Mt. Vernon 2-0/4-0
New Palestine 1-0/3-0
Delta 1-0/1-2*(3-0 on the field)
Pendleton Heights 1-1/3-1
Greenfield-Central 1-1/2-2
Shelbyville 1-1/1-3
Rushville 0-2/2-2
Yorktown 0-2/2-2

Next week in the HHC
Shelbyville at Greenfield-Central, 7 p.m.
Yorktown at Delta, 7 p.m.
Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on www.hancockcountysports.com)
Rushville at New Palestine, 7:30 p.m.

In Hancock County: Knightstown at Eastern Hancock, 7 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on www.hcsnradio.com)

Friday night (and Saturday) football

First, our two broadcasts

Mt. Vernon (3-0/1-0) at Rushville (2-1/0-1), 7 p.m. Friday (broadcast: www.hancockcountysports.com, WIFE-94-3 maybe?). Mt. Vernon has a strong, deep offense with Tyler Dicks (300 yards two weeks ago, 150 last week) and Anthony Burnett carrying the mail and a lot of speed on the outside with Corey White, as well as a defense that's not allowing much to teams not named Marion. Rushville had a couple of nonconference wins and is looking to bounce back after last week's game against Shelby.


Delta (1-2/3-0 on the field/1-0) vs. New Palestine (3-0/1-0), noon Saturday at Lucas Oil (broadcast: www.hancockcountysports.com). Between them, these two teams are 30-2 the last two years in league play -- the "2" being games they've split against each other. Really looking forward to the QB play with Ozzie Mann and Connor Simmons, who have both thrown it really well this year. This could also be a preview of a sectional matchup -- in fact, there are *five* HHC teams in Sectional 13. Airtime at 11:30 a.m. Saturday on HancockCountySports.com.

Greenfield-Central (1-2/0-1) at Yorktown (2-1/0-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday (broadcast: WRGF-89.7). The Cougars are a bit snakebitten. They were in the game against Lebanon and saw it get away in the fourth on back-to-back pick-sixes. They had Delta on the ropes last week and a FG chance to take the lead in the fourth, but Delta then ran out the last eight minutes. Derek Conley's return to the lineup has been big for G-C, which already has two great athletes in Matt Dickerson and Brant Boles-Lattimore. Yorktown had a gritty win over Muncie South and a big one over Indy Northwest, but the Tigers have a lot of game experience. They showed it last week against MV before the Marauders pulled away late. That game was 14-14 for quite some time.

Eastern Hancock (1-2/1-2 MIFC) at Milan (2-1/1-0 MIFC), 7 p.m. Friday. The Royals had a big come-from-behind victory in Week 2 sandwiched against two very difficult games against stronger, bigger-school teams. Logan & Spencer Gilbert have been a nice 1-2 backfield punch for EH, but freshman Cooper Henderson stepped up last week as the Royals stayed in the game for a quarter and a half against a very talented 3A Indian Creek team.


And in the HHC: 
Shelbyville (1-2/1-0) at Pendleton Heights (2-1/0-1), 7:30p.m. Friday (broadcast: WEEM-91.7, WSVX-1520). The Golden Bears bounced back from the Franklin debacle nicely with a strong start against Rushville. A Pat Parks-coached team won't be down long. Neither will a John Broughton-coached team -- Pendleton Heights has a loaded offense that has put up some big points this year. Even in last week's loss to New Palestine, the Arabians gained 300+ yards and moved the ball, but had a few drives stall out in NP territory. Mitch Patishall is one of the league's veteran QBs and Jon Furrow had a great rushing game last week.

Check out our Twitter feed for scores tonight and read tonight/tomorrow for more recaps! And, of course, listen LIVE on HancockCountySports.com. 

Soccer, football on tap

HancockCountySports.com will have three sporting events the next three nights.

On Thursday, join Andrew Smith at 6:30 p.m. for boys soccer -- Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central in a key Hoosier Heritage Conference tilt. The Cougars are 4-2-1 and 1-0 in HHC play, while MV is 6-2 and 3-2 in league play.

On Friday, join our football crew at 6:30 for Mt. Vernon at Rushville. The Marauders are looking for their first 4-0 start since 2006, and the 1-2 rushing punch of Anthony Burnett and Tyler Dicks have been potent so far.

On Saturday morning, our football crew will be back to work at Lucas Oil Stadium. 11:30 a.m. is airtime for New Palestine vs. Delta. Two teams that are unbeaten on the field this season settle first place in the HHC -- as they've done for the last two years.

You can listen to them all at www.hancockcountysports.com.

Saturday evening QB

Usually, we have Saturday Morning QB bright and early for you. But some extenuating circumstances have turned it into Saturday Evening QB.

New Palestine 34, Pendleton Heights 21: In the game we broadcast, New Palestine's offense poured it on, with Connor Simmons throwing for 280+ yards and receivers Josh Penley and Brandon Collins both breaking the century mark and combining for 5 TD receptions. The Arabians also put up 300+ yards, but NP's defense was strong in its own end and produced three interceptions. NP's Tim Able still wants a bit more balance. PH notes an inadvertent whistle changes the game in the closing minutes, wiping off a touchdown. The end result is the Dragons are 3-0 heading into a matchup with Delta, which we'll have for you at 11:30 a.m. Saturday on HancockCountySports.com. PH is 2-1 (0-1)
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin

Delta 19, Greenfield-Central 17: For the second straight year, G-C pushes Delta to the brink, but the Eagles continued their perfect streak against the Cougars. Delta ran out the last 9:34 of the game after Austin Frazier nearly put the Cougars up with a 42-yard field goal that just missed the upright. G-C QB Tyler Colclazier completed 8-of-11 passes and threw a 35-yarder to Josh McDonald. Austin Fuatavai scored three rushing TDs for Delta, which is 3-0 on the field and 1-0 in HHC play. G-C is 1-2 (0-1).
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press

Mt. Vernon 35, Yorktown 14: The game was tied 14-all, but the Marauders pulled away down the stretch. Tyler Dicks followed his 300-yard game from last week with a 169-yard, 2-TD performance. Anthony Burnett also had a TD and JonMichael Weaver added a defensive score. MV is now 3-0 and 1-0 in league play.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press

Indian Creek 50, Eastern Hancock 10: The Royals hung with the tough 3A squad for a quarter, but Indian Creek pulled away in the second half. After trailing 7-3 after one, EH saw the deficit grow to 21-3 by halftime. Cooper Henderson scored a TD and kicked a FG for the Royals, who are now 1-2 both overall and in the MIFC.
Daily Reporter

And in the HHC
Shelbyville 29, Rushville 12: All conference teams now have a victory on the year. Shelby picked off the Lions three times, had 174 rushing yards and saw Cole Minnick snatch a pick-six.
Shelbyville News

Next week's county/HHC schedule
Mt. Vernon at Rushville, 7 p.m. (www.hancockcountysports.com broadcast at 6:30)
Eastern Hancock at Milan, 7 p.m.
Greenfield-Central at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m. 
Shelbyville at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: New Palestine vs. Delta at Lucas Oil Stadium, noon (www.hancockcountysports.com broadcast at 11:30).


HHC standings
Mt. Vernon 1-0/3-0
New Palestine 1-0/3-0
Delta 1-0/1-2*
Shelbyville 1-0/1-2
Pendleton Heights 0-1/2-1
Yorktown 0-1/2-1
Greenfield-Central 0-1/1-2
Rushville 0-1/1-2

*-2 losses by forfeit. On-the-field record 3-0

Dragons roll to 34-21 victory

New Palestine's offense has passed muster this year.

Emphasis on passed. And passed. And passed some more.

Connor Simmons had radar-like accuracy tonight as he completed 21-of-26 passes for 287 yards and 5 TDs in the Dragons' 34-21 victory over Pendleton Heights.

Josh Penley (9 catches, 151 yards, 3 TDs) and Brandon Collins (7 catches, 104 yards, 2 TDs) were again Simmons' favorite targets. Penley caught TD passes of 21 and 24 yards in the first half to give NP a 14-0 lead. A 48-yard pass to Collins on a beautiful long throw by Simmons made it a 20-7 game at halftime. Collins then caught an 8-yard pass on the first play of the fourth quarter, while Penley's 32-yard TD catch midway through the fourth iced it.

Collins marked his third 100-yard game of the year. Penley had his second. 

PH had 300+ yards of offense, but needed 81 plays to do it. NP's defense -- led by Chris Wolf, who was in the backfield often tonight and had constant pressure on the Arabians' outstanding QB Mitch Patishall. NP's defense had three interceptions -- by Dakota Smith, Brandon Wiggins and Jackson Taylor. The first two set up touchdowns.

The Dragons are 3-0 for the first time since 1994. They have a big showdown with Delta -- which is 3-0 on the field but 1-2 due to forfeits -- next week at Lucas Oil Stadium.

PH is 2-1 but will be a force to be reckoned with in the HHC with a very talented offense and a veteran line on both sides of the ball. The Arabians host Shelbyville next week.

You can listen to an archive of tonight's game at www.hancockcountysports.com. Next week, join us for two games: Mt. Vernon at Rushville, 6:30 p.m. Friday, and NP vs. Delta, 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Elsewhere in the HHC
Delta 19, Greenfield-Central 17: Great game at Cougar Stadium tonight. Delta takes an early 13-7 lead and runs out the clock in the fourth quarter. G-C has never beaten Delta, but the last two games have been razor-thin margins. The Cougars will also be a major player in the HHC race, which could be a multi-team scramble. Delta now 3-0 (1-0) on the field (1-2 actually), G-C 1-2 (0-1).

Mt. Vernon 35, Yorktown 14: Tyler Dicks scores twice and has another 100-yard game. JonMichael Weaver scores the Marauders' last TD on a return, scoring the first touchdown of his career. MV is now 3-0 on the season under coach Doug Armstrong heading into next week's matchup with Rushville. MV 3-0 (1-0), Yorktown 2-1 (0-1)

Shelbyville 29, Rushville 12: The Golden Bears bounce back after two tough non-conference losses, giving every HHC team a win on the year. Shelby 1-2 (1-0), Rushville 2-1 (0-1).

Elsewhere in Hancock County
Indian Creek 50, Eastern Hancock 10: The Royals hung with IC early -- trailing 7-3 early in the second quarter after Cooper Henderson's field goal -- but Indian Creek is one of the top 3A programs in the state. EH is a growing 1A program that's going in the right direction. Royals 1-2 (1-2), visit Milan next week.

Next week in the HHC

Mt. Vernon at Rushville, 7 p.m. (www.hancockcountysports.com)
Shelbyville at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m. (WEEM-91.7, WSVX-1520)
Greenfield-Central at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m. (WRGF-89.7)
Saturday: New Palestine vs. Delta, noon (www.hancockcountysports.com)

Sectional Week 1

So far, a good night for the HHC. Five teams are through, and a sixth gave a really good showing.

No full game reports tonight ... we were unable to broadcast a game tonight due to IHSAA regulations regarding webcasts. We're working with some other online organizations to hopefully be in a position to bring tournament broadcasts to you in the future. Instead, yours truly was at Eastern Hancock covering the game for the local newspaper, and watching a great game between the Royals and Lapel, one won by Lapel 20-14 in a wild fourth quarter. Lapel won with a 23-yard pass by QB Sam Foust setting up a 1-yard touchdown run on third down, and won on a night when EH largely dominated play. The Royals had first-and-10 on the Lapel 11 in the final two minutes, and QB Steven Stunda had an enormous hole to run through, if he was able to beat the one Lapel defender who was rushing. He couldn't, and Lapel was able to hold on the rest of the way.

In 4A Sectional 13 play, 2/3 of the Hancock County schools are through. Mt. Vernon thumped New Castle 48-0, improving to 6-4 on the year. New Palestine is now 8-2 after backing up its regular-season victory over Pendleton Heights 41-21. The Dragons visit Arlington (6-4) next week.

In the other semifinal, MV will face Anderson Highland (6-4), which beat Greenfield-Central 36-6 tonight. The Cougars finish the year with a 1-9 mark. That game will be played on the FieldTurf at Anderson University's Macholtz Stadium.

Elsewhere in sectional play ... Delta (10-0) upended Fort Wayne South 21-7 in a battle of titans in Sectional 12. The Eagles will face a Muncie South team they beat handily earlier this season in the second round. FWS and Delta were the two prohibitive favorites in that sectional.

In 4A's Sectional 15, Shelbyville (8-2) beat Franklin County 34-14, and will move on to face South Dearborn next week. Should the Golden Bears survive, the big matchup looms in two weeks against East Central.

In 3A's Sectional 22, Rushville (4-6) avenged a regular-season loss to Greensburg by beating the Pirates 15-11. Yorktown fell to Hamilton Heights 20-14, but had a good showing for the 5-5 Tigers against a team that has 8 wins and has been getting poll votes all season. Rushville will host unbeaten Batesville next week. The Bulldogs had a bye.

HHC teams -- which had the best combined nonconference record in the state this season -- went 4-2 against non-conference competition tonight.

HHC next week (Friday, Oct. 30)
4A Sectional 12
Delta (10-0) at Muncie South (6-4)
4A Sectional 13
Mt. Vernon (6-4) at Anderson Highland (6-4) at Anderson University
New Palestine (8-2) at Arlington (6-4)
Eliminated: Greenfield-Central (1-9), Pendleton Heights (3-7)
4A Sectional 15
South Dearborn (5-5) at Shelbyville (8-2)
3A sectional 22
Batesville (9-0) at Rushville (4-6)
Eliminated: Yorktown (5-5)