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.
Showing posts with label pendleton heights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pendleton heights. Show all posts
Friday, February 3, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
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.
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, January 27, 2012
Friday wrap: MV beats Spartans, G-C/NP fall
We saw the Hoosier Heritage Conference race really become a two-horse show with a third team -- Mt. Vernon -- still having a shot tonight, with the big action taking place among our county schools.
Pendleton Heights did what PH does -- pull out to a big lead and beat Greenfield-Central 85-22. Kellen Dunham had 15 points for the Arabians as they built a 48-15 lead at the half. He finished with 18 points, as Matt Wehner's 20 led the Arabians, who now have a 6-0 HHC record and face Yorktown next week with the conference title on the line.
It's on the line because Yorktown beat New Palestine 64-53 at the Tigers' den tonight in the game we broadcast at HancockCountySports.com. Led by Michael Morris' eight first-quarter points, NP jumped ahead 16-9 early, but Yorktown used a 13-2 second-quarter run to take a 30-25 lead, and -- save one tie -- the Tigers would never relinquish it. Seth Cook, the Tigers' leading scorer, had eight of his 20 points in the second quarter, and teammate Brandon Phillips knocked down two big 3-pointers in the third en route to a 15-point night. Morris led the Dragons with 18 points, but he was the Dragons' lone double-figure scorer. Josh Penley and Brandon Jonas added eight each. Yorktown is now 11-3 and 4-0 in HHC play. NP is 10-4 and 3-2.
Mt. Vernon was the lone winner among county teams tonight. The Marauders beat Connersville 51-44 in the Spartan Bowl, rallying with a big second-half run to take the lead and take a 10-4 overall record. MV is back in action Saturday at home against HHC foe Delta. MV is 3-1 in HHC play.
One other county game on tap Saturday night, and it's the game we'll broadcast at HancockCountySports.com: Eastern Hancock at Greenfield-Central. The Royals are 7-7 and were idle tonight, while G-C
Pendleton Heights did what PH does -- pull out to a big lead and beat Greenfield-Central 85-22. Kellen Dunham had 15 points for the Arabians as they built a 48-15 lead at the half. He finished with 18 points, as Matt Wehner's 20 led the Arabians, who now have a 6-0 HHC record and face Yorktown next week with the conference title on the line.
It's on the line because Yorktown beat New Palestine 64-53 at the Tigers' den tonight in the game we broadcast at HancockCountySports.com. Led by Michael Morris' eight first-quarter points, NP jumped ahead 16-9 early, but Yorktown used a 13-2 second-quarter run to take a 30-25 lead, and -- save one tie -- the Tigers would never relinquish it. Seth Cook, the Tigers' leading scorer, had eight of his 20 points in the second quarter, and teammate Brandon Phillips knocked down two big 3-pointers in the third en route to a 15-point night. Morris led the Dragons with 18 points, but he was the Dragons' lone double-figure scorer. Josh Penley and Brandon Jonas added eight each. Yorktown is now 11-3 and 4-0 in HHC play. NP is 10-4 and 3-2.
Mt. Vernon was the lone winner among county teams tonight. The Marauders beat Connersville 51-44 in the Spartan Bowl, rallying with a big second-half run to take the lead and take a 10-4 overall record. MV is back in action Saturday at home against HHC foe Delta. MV is 3-1 in HHC play.
One other county game on tap Saturday night, and it's the game we'll broadcast at HancockCountySports.com: Eastern Hancock at Greenfield-Central. The Royals are 7-7 and were idle tonight, while G-C
Friday, January 13, 2012
Friday hoops: PH takes HHC lead
Pendleton Heights used a blistering second half shooting the ball -- hitting 12 of its 14 shots after the break -- to pull away from New Palestine 77-53 Friday night.
The game was close throughout much of the opening three quarters, but PH scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter and outscored NP 24-6 in the final eight minutes to pull away.
Butler signee Kellen Dunham led the Arabians with 31 points, including 10 in the third quarter and the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Brogan Gary had 17 and Matt Wehner 14 for PH. NP was led by Michael Morris and Reid Clark, who had 11 points each. Six different Dragons scored at least six points -- with Solomon Haynes scoring nine, Josh Penley and Brandon Collins eight each and Justin Ikerd hitting two 3-pointers for six points.
Six straight points by Josh Penley helped NP lead 16-15 after a quarter, and tied the game at 34-34 on the opening possession of the second half on Haynes' 3-pointer. The teams traded runs in the third, but Dunham began to take more and more control of the game.
Both teams shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the floor in the opening half, but PH hit all but two of its second-half shots -- the Arabians were a perfect 9-for-9 on two-point shots -- while the Dragons hit just nine of 23 shots after the break.
NP is now 9-2 on the year and 3-1 in HHC play, moving the Dragons into a third-place tie with Mt. Vernon. PH is 12-2 and 4-0 in league play, a half-game ahead of Yorktown.
You can listen to the archive here.
Mt. Vernon 64, Rushville 44: The Marauders got back on the winning track with a big start and a strong defensive effort against the Lions. MV improved to 7-4 on the year and 3-1 in HHC play.
MV visits Howe Saturday, then will host Knightstown next Thursday. You can listen to a live broadcast at HancockCountySports.com!
Eastern Hancock 73, Shenandoah 61: The Royals had a strong start to improve to 7-5 on the year. Led by Jared Pyle's 25 points, EH had a big home victory in its annual EH vs. Cancer game as the school raised money for the American Cancer Society.
The Royals are back in action Saturday against potential sectional rival Union County at home.
Greenfield-Central was idle.
The game was close throughout much of the opening three quarters, but PH scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter and outscored NP 24-6 in the final eight minutes to pull away.
Butler signee Kellen Dunham led the Arabians with 31 points, including 10 in the third quarter and the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Brogan Gary had 17 and Matt Wehner 14 for PH. NP was led by Michael Morris and Reid Clark, who had 11 points each. Six different Dragons scored at least six points -- with Solomon Haynes scoring nine, Josh Penley and Brandon Collins eight each and Justin Ikerd hitting two 3-pointers for six points.
Six straight points by Josh Penley helped NP lead 16-15 after a quarter, and tied the game at 34-34 on the opening possession of the second half on Haynes' 3-pointer. The teams traded runs in the third, but Dunham began to take more and more control of the game.
Both teams shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the floor in the opening half, but PH hit all but two of its second-half shots -- the Arabians were a perfect 9-for-9 on two-point shots -- while the Dragons hit just nine of 23 shots after the break.
NP is now 9-2 on the year and 3-1 in HHC play, moving the Dragons into a third-place tie with Mt. Vernon. PH is 12-2 and 4-0 in league play, a half-game ahead of Yorktown.
You can listen to the archive here.
Mt. Vernon 64, Rushville 44: The Marauders got back on the winning track with a big start and a strong defensive effort against the Lions. MV improved to 7-4 on the year and 3-1 in HHC play.
MV visits Howe Saturday, then will host Knightstown next Thursday. You can listen to a live broadcast at HancockCountySports.com!
Eastern Hancock 73, Shenandoah 61: The Royals had a strong start to improve to 7-5 on the year. Led by Jared Pyle's 25 points, EH had a big home victory in its annual EH vs. Cancer game as the school raised money for the American Cancer Society.
The Royals are back in action Saturday against potential sectional rival Union County at home.
Greenfield-Central was idle.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Boys hoops Friday night
We have a big boys basketball game coming Friday night, as the 4A No. 8 Pendleton Heights Arabians (11-2) visit the New Palestine Dragons (9-1).
We'll see the state's second-leading scorer in Kellen Dunham, who is averaging 29.2 points per game. At just a shade under 15 ppg, Michael Morris leads the Dragons. The two teams make up two-thirds of a three-way tie atop the HHC standings along with Yorktown. All three teams are 3-0.
Join Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert for the broadcast. 7:10 p.m. airtime at HancockCountySports.com.
Also Friday night:
Shenandoah (2-6) is at Eastern Hancock (6-5) as the Royals host their EH vs. Cancer night. The Royals are trying to bounce back from last Friday's loss to Muncie Burris.
Rushville (3-7) is at Mt. Vernon (6-4). The Marauders beat Greenfield-Central and then dropped a Saturday decision at New Castle last week. MV is also looking to make a move into the HHC race, as the Marauders face two of the three teams who are ahead of them later in the season.
Saturday, three of the four boys teams are in action, as Mt. Vernon is at Howe (5-4), Greenfield-Central (0-10) visits Triton Central (3-5) and EH hosts Union County (8-2). Mt. Vernon (13-3) is the lone girls team in action, hosting Shelbyville (6-8) in a 2:30 p.m. game.
We'll see the state's second-leading scorer in Kellen Dunham, who is averaging 29.2 points per game. At just a shade under 15 ppg, Michael Morris leads the Dragons. The two teams make up two-thirds of a three-way tie atop the HHC standings along with Yorktown. All three teams are 3-0.
Join Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert for the broadcast. 7:10 p.m. airtime at HancockCountySports.com.
Also Friday night:
Shenandoah (2-6) is at Eastern Hancock (6-5) as the Royals host their EH vs. Cancer night. The Royals are trying to bounce back from last Friday's loss to Muncie Burris.
Rushville (3-7) is at Mt. Vernon (6-4). The Marauders beat Greenfield-Central and then dropped a Saturday decision at New Castle last week. MV is also looking to make a move into the HHC race, as the Marauders face two of the three teams who are ahead of them later in the season.
Saturday, three of the four boys teams are in action, as Mt. Vernon is at Howe (5-4), Greenfield-Central (0-10) visits Triton Central (3-5) and EH hosts Union County (8-2). Mt. Vernon (13-3) is the lone girls team in action, hosting Shelbyville (6-8) in a 2:30 p.m. game.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Doud on Silver Anniversary team
Mt. Vernon graduate and current Pendleton Heights coach Shari Doud was recently named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's Silver Anniversary team.
Doud -- whose maiden name is Shari Clark -- was a standout guard for Tom Earlywine at MV and graduated in 1987. Her team won a sectional her sophomore year and played in the Hall of Fame Classic as a senior. She then played collegiately at Drake University before finishing her degree at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer.
Doud has served as an assistant coach at Mt. Vernon with head coach Diana Myers, then took over the Greenfield-Central program in 2000. She led the Cougars to a 13-8 record and then took over the program at Pendleton Heights, where her team has won three consecutive sectionals and a regional in 2009. She has a career coaching record of 193-82 and has coached several standout players, including Ellen Hamilton at G-C and Susan Lester, Hannah Douglas and Mur Hagerman at Pendleton Heights.
The Silver Anniversary team is named each year by the Hall of Fame and honors players who graduated from high school 25 years before.
They will be recognized at a banquet April 28 at Primo Banquet Hall in Indianapolis.
Hall of Fame release
Doud -- whose maiden name is Shari Clark -- was a standout guard for Tom Earlywine at MV and graduated in 1987. Her team won a sectional her sophomore year and played in the Hall of Fame Classic as a senior. She then played collegiately at Drake University before finishing her degree at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer.
Doud has served as an assistant coach at Mt. Vernon with head coach Diana Myers, then took over the Greenfield-Central program in 2000. She led the Cougars to a 13-8 record and then took over the program at Pendleton Heights, where her team has won three consecutive sectionals and a regional in 2009. She has a career coaching record of 193-82 and has coached several standout players, including Ellen Hamilton at G-C and Susan Lester, Hannah Douglas and Mur Hagerman at Pendleton Heights.
The Silver Anniversary team is named each year by the Hall of Fame and honors players who graduated from high school 25 years before.
They will be recognized at a banquet April 28 at Primo Banquet Hall in Indianapolis.
Hall of Fame release
This week's polls
Three of the four basketball polls are out this week, and there are a few things of note:
In the ICGSA girls poll, Mt. Vernon remains No. 2 in Class 3A with a 13-3 record, behind Norwell (13-1). The Marauders vaulted NorthWood (13-1).
In the IBCA girls poll, which does not rank teams regarding for class, MV is No. 18. Unbeaten Penn, HSE and Merillville take the top three spots.
In the IBCA boys poll, New Palestine is receiving votes.
Other notables:
ICGSA girls: Greenwood (which will host New Palestine Tuesday in a game broadcast by HancockCountySports.com) fell from No. 4 to No. 9 in 4A after a loss to Whiteland last week. The Woodmen are also No. 16 in the IBCA poll. Triton Central (which will visit New Palestine in a Thursday game we will broadcast) is unbeaten and is No. 4 in 2A, moving up one spot. North Central, which will visit Mt. Vernon on Feb. 3, is No. 4 in the IBCA poll and No. 5 in the ICGSA 4A poll.
IBCA boys: HHC team Pendleton Heights is No. 9 in the top 20. The Arabians visit New Palestine on Friday for a game we will also broadcast.
In the ICGSA girls poll, Mt. Vernon remains No. 2 in Class 3A with a 13-3 record, behind Norwell (13-1). The Marauders vaulted NorthWood (13-1).
In the IBCA girls poll, which does not rank teams regarding for class, MV is No. 18. Unbeaten Penn, HSE and Merillville take the top three spots.
In the IBCA boys poll, New Palestine is receiving votes.
Other notables:
ICGSA girls: Greenwood (which will host New Palestine Tuesday in a game broadcast by HancockCountySports.com) fell from No. 4 to No. 9 in 4A after a loss to Whiteland last week. The Woodmen are also No. 16 in the IBCA poll. Triton Central (which will visit New Palestine in a Thursday game we will broadcast) is unbeaten and is No. 4 in 2A, moving up one spot. North Central, which will visit Mt. Vernon on Feb. 3, is No. 4 in the IBCA poll and No. 5 in the ICGSA 4A poll.
IBCA boys: HHC team Pendleton Heights is No. 9 in the top 20. The Arabians visit New Palestine on Friday for a game we will also broadcast.
Friday, December 23, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday night hoops
In our broadcast tonight, the New Palestine boys basketball team jumped out to an early double-digit
lead and posted its best defensive game in 13 years in a 63-19 victory
over Greenfield-Central.
The Dragons' victory was their largest win margin since a 49-point win over Eastern Hancock 1999 and their best defensive effort since also holding Sheridan to 19 points in 1998.
Freshman Brandon Jonas had a big night, scoring a career-high 17 points, hitting 7-of-8 from the field. Junior Michael Morris kick-started the Dragons in the second quarter, scoring 12 points in the frame en route to a 16-point night on 6-of-7 shooting. Junior Justin Ikerd added three 3-pointers and 13 points. He hit two early threes that gave the Dragons an 11-3 edge. NPHS would lead 19-3 after a quarter and 37-9 at the half.
The Dragons shot 54 percent from the floor, hitting 24-of-44. G-C's bright spot was its free throw shooting, as the Cougars hit 8-of-10 from the line in the game.
Now 3-1, the Dragons next play Friday 12/16 at home against Morristown, beginning a three games in six days stretch that will continue Saturday 12/17 at Franklin Central.
G-C (0-6) next plays Friday at home against Yorktown.
Pendleton Heights 58, Mt. Vernon 49: Kellen Dunham had yet another strong game for the Arabians, totaling 32 points and six rebounds to lead the Arabians past MV.
The Marauders fell behind 18-2 early and battled back into the game. from there. Stephen Turner led the Marauders with 18 points. C.J. Coleman had 15.
MV (2-2) will next play Friday against Shelbyville.
Northeastern 68, Eastern Hancock 65: The Royals jumped out to an early 21-point lead, but Northeastern chipped it down to three by the end of the third and took the game in the fourth.
EH is now 2-2. The Royals are the one county boys team in action Saturday, hosting Sheridan.
Girls basketball
Greenfield-Central pulled away from a close game to beat New Palestine 51-45.
The game was close throughout, but G-C had eight offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter and outboarded the Dragons 15-6 in the final frame. That led to key second-chance points that eventually allowed the Cougars to pull away.
Shelby Oldham hit a big 3-pointer that gave G-C its first six-point lead and set the tone for the latter stages of the game.
But the big key was Sara Jones. The junior post player had career highs with 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. LaRae Cruz added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Katie Peters had 12 points and eight boards for G-C.
Bethany Murrell had 18 points to lead the Dragons in scoring, to go along with six rebounds. Lauren Tieman had nine points and nine rebounds. Abby Seifert had seven points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Both teams are back in action Saturday. The Cougars will host Chatard for a 6 p.m. JV tip. The Dragons next play Saturday at home against Shelbyville. The varsity-only game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
Next week
Join the HancockCountySports.com crew for two live broadcasts. On Thursday night, join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for girls basketball, as the Mt. Vernon Marauders visit the New Palestine Dragons. On Friday, join Andrew Smith and Chris Lambert for boys and girls hoops, with the Eastern Hancock Royals hosting the Knightstown Panthers. Airtime is 5:40 on Friday and 7:10 p.m. on Thursday.
The Dragons' victory was their largest win margin since a 49-point win over Eastern Hancock 1999 and their best defensive effort since also holding Sheridan to 19 points in 1998.
Freshman Brandon Jonas had a big night, scoring a career-high 17 points, hitting 7-of-8 from the field. Junior Michael Morris kick-started the Dragons in the second quarter, scoring 12 points in the frame en route to a 16-point night on 6-of-7 shooting. Junior Justin Ikerd added three 3-pointers and 13 points. He hit two early threes that gave the Dragons an 11-3 edge. NPHS would lead 19-3 after a quarter and 37-9 at the half.
The Dragons shot 54 percent from the floor, hitting 24-of-44. G-C's bright spot was its free throw shooting, as the Cougars hit 8-of-10 from the line in the game.
Now 3-1, the Dragons next play Friday 12/16 at home against Morristown, beginning a three games in six days stretch that will continue Saturday 12/17 at Franklin Central.
G-C (0-6) next plays Friday at home against Yorktown.
Pendleton Heights 58, Mt. Vernon 49: Kellen Dunham had yet another strong game for the Arabians, totaling 32 points and six rebounds to lead the Arabians past MV.
The Marauders fell behind 18-2 early and battled back into the game. from there. Stephen Turner led the Marauders with 18 points. C.J. Coleman had 15.
MV (2-2) will next play Friday against Shelbyville.
Northeastern 68, Eastern Hancock 65: The Royals jumped out to an early 21-point lead, but Northeastern chipped it down to three by the end of the third and took the game in the fourth.
EH is now 2-2. The Royals are the one county boys team in action Saturday, hosting Sheridan.
Girls basketball
Greenfield-Central pulled away from a close game to beat New Palestine 51-45.
The game was close throughout, but G-C had eight offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter and outboarded the Dragons 15-6 in the final frame. That led to key second-chance points that eventually allowed the Cougars to pull away.
Shelby Oldham hit a big 3-pointer that gave G-C its first six-point lead and set the tone for the latter stages of the game.
But the big key was Sara Jones. The junior post player had career highs with 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. LaRae Cruz added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Katie Peters had 12 points and eight boards for G-C.
Bethany Murrell had 18 points to lead the Dragons in scoring, to go along with six rebounds. Lauren Tieman had nine points and nine rebounds. Abby Seifert had seven points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Both teams are back in action Saturday. The Cougars will host Chatard for a 6 p.m. JV tip. The Dragons next play Saturday at home against Shelbyville. The varsity-only game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
Next week
Join the HancockCountySports.com crew for two live broadcasts. On Thursday night, join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for girls basketball, as the Mt. Vernon Marauders visit the New Palestine Dragons. On Friday, join Andrew Smith and Chris Lambert for boys and girls hoops, with the Eastern Hancock Royals hosting the Knightstown Panthers. Airtime is 5:40 on Friday and 7:10 p.m. on Thursday.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
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!
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!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
A basketball weekend
We have a big hoops weekend coming up on HancockCountySports.com.
Friday night, two of the four county basketball teams are in action. Join Andrew Smith and Chris Lambert for the call as the 2-0 Mt. Vernon Marauders take on the 1-0 Hamilton Southeastern Royals. HSE is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, the Marauders are just outside the top 10 in Class 3A's AP poll. Michigan State recruit Gary Harris will be in the house and we're looking forward to a great game.
Airtime is 7:10 p.m. on HancockCountySports.com!
Also Friday, Greenfield-Central (0-3) will host New Castle (2-0) with a 7:30 tipoff.
On Saturday, all four girls teams will be in action during the day. Join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for the call as 3A No. 1 Mt. Vernon puts its 4-1 mark on the line against Pendleton Heights, a team receiving votes in the 4A poll and is also 4-1. The broadcast begins at 2:10 p.m. on HancockCountySports.com.
Other games going on Saturday afternoon: Delta at New Palestine; Greenfield-Central at Rushville and Union County at Eastern Hancock.
Saturday night, three of the four boys teams are in action. Eastern Hancock (1-1) will travel to Southwestern (Shelby), Greenfield-Central will host Southport -- a team coached by former Cougar Wes Peek -- and New Palestine (1-1) will head to Rushville to open conference play.
Next Friday, join us for a doubleheader: Greenfield-Central at New Palestine, 6 p.m. airtime on HancockCountySports.com!
Friday night, two of the four county basketball teams are in action. Join Andrew Smith and Chris Lambert for the call as the 2-0 Mt. Vernon Marauders take on the 1-0 Hamilton Southeastern Royals. HSE is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, the Marauders are just outside the top 10 in Class 3A's AP poll. Michigan State recruit Gary Harris will be in the house and we're looking forward to a great game.
Airtime is 7:10 p.m. on HancockCountySports.com!
Also Friday, Greenfield-Central (0-3) will host New Castle (2-0) with a 7:30 tipoff.
On Saturday, all four girls teams will be in action during the day. Join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for the call as 3A No. 1 Mt. Vernon puts its 4-1 mark on the line against Pendleton Heights, a team receiving votes in the 4A poll and is also 4-1. The broadcast begins at 2:10 p.m. on HancockCountySports.com.
Other games going on Saturday afternoon: Delta at New Palestine; Greenfield-Central at Rushville and Union County at Eastern Hancock.
Saturday night, three of the four boys teams are in action. Eastern Hancock (1-1) will travel to Southwestern (Shelby), Greenfield-Central will host Southport -- a team coached by former Cougar Wes Peek -- and New Palestine (1-1) will head to Rushville to open conference play.
Next Friday, join us for a doubleheader: Greenfield-Central at New Palestine, 6 p.m. airtime on HancockCountySports.com!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
GBB tonight: Cougars, Marauders win big
Greenfield-Central beat Shelbyville 53-39 in girls hoops tonight, evening the Cougars' record at 3-3.
LaRae Cruz scored 16 points for G-C, including 14 in the opening 8:30 of the game. She hit four 3-pointers in that stretch, the last three of which helped spur a 17-2 Cougar run that turned a 9-7 deficit into a 24-11 lead midway through the second. G-C outscored Shelbyville 16-5 in the second to take a 34-14 lead at the half, pushed it to 40-16 early in the third and led by as many as 25 before Shelbyville made a bit of a run late in the game.
Cruz led the way for the Cougars. Freshman Shelby Oldham scored 10. Katie Peters added nine points for the Cougars. Emily Koers & Sara Jones both scored seven.
Shelby's Chelsey Skipton scored 21 points to lead all scorers.
G-C is now 3-3 and 1-1 in HHC play. Shelby is 2-3 and 0-2 in the HHC. G-C next plays Saturday at Rushville, with a 1:30 p.m. varsity start.
An archive of tonight's broadcast is available at HancockCountySports.com
Mt. Vernon 62, Muncie Central 20: All 10 Marauders played extensively in a big victory over Muncie Central. MV led 36-6 at halftime to improve to 4-1 on the year.
The Marauders next play Saturday against Pendleton Heights. Join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for the call at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, live on HancockCountySports.com.
Of note:
Mt. Vernon is still No. 1 in the ICGSA Class 3A poll, despite dropping a game since the last poll. Also, fellow HHC foe Delta is receiving votes in the 3A poll. Delta will meet New Palestine Saturday afternoon.
Eastern Hancock, for the first time in nearly a decade, is receiving votes in the 2A poll with a 4-0 mark. The Royals have two games this week -- traveling to Frankton Wednesday night before hosting Union County on Saturday.
Another HHC team is getting votes: Pendleton Heights in the 4A poll.
In the boys AP poll, Mt. Vernon is the first team outside the top 10 in Class 3A, and faces No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern Friday. Join our crew live at 7:10 p.m. for the live broadcast on HancockCountySports.com.
LaRae Cruz scored 16 points for G-C, including 14 in the opening 8:30 of the game. She hit four 3-pointers in that stretch, the last three of which helped spur a 17-2 Cougar run that turned a 9-7 deficit into a 24-11 lead midway through the second. G-C outscored Shelbyville 16-5 in the second to take a 34-14 lead at the half, pushed it to 40-16 early in the third and led by as many as 25 before Shelbyville made a bit of a run late in the game.
Cruz led the way for the Cougars. Freshman Shelby Oldham scored 10. Katie Peters added nine points for the Cougars. Emily Koers & Sara Jones both scored seven.
Shelby's Chelsey Skipton scored 21 points to lead all scorers.
G-C is now 3-3 and 1-1 in HHC play. Shelby is 2-3 and 0-2 in the HHC. G-C next plays Saturday at Rushville, with a 1:30 p.m. varsity start.
An archive of tonight's broadcast is available at HancockCountySports.com
Mt. Vernon 62, Muncie Central 20: All 10 Marauders played extensively in a big victory over Muncie Central. MV led 36-6 at halftime to improve to 4-1 on the year.
The Marauders next play Saturday against Pendleton Heights. Join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for the call at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, live on HancockCountySports.com.
Of note:
Mt. Vernon is still No. 1 in the ICGSA Class 3A poll, despite dropping a game since the last poll. Also, fellow HHC foe Delta is receiving votes in the 3A poll. Delta will meet New Palestine Saturday afternoon.
Eastern Hancock, for the first time in nearly a decade, is receiving votes in the 2A poll with a 4-0 mark. The Royals have two games this week -- traveling to Frankton Wednesday night before hosting Union County on Saturday.
Another HHC team is getting votes: Pendleton Heights in the 4A poll.
In the boys AP poll, Mt. Vernon is the first team outside the top 10 in Class 3A, and faces No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern Friday. Join our crew live at 7:10 p.m. for the live broadcast on HancockCountySports.com.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday wrap: NP swimming 2nd to PH
New Palestine had some strong swims in a 3-way meet at Pendleton
Heights, in which the Dragon girls placed second. PH won with 149
points, NP had 134 and third-place Rushville had 34.
The Dragons won three events. One victory came from the 200 free relay of junior Emily Trimpe and seniors Jordan Rogers, Karen Emminger and Olivia Ayer. They finished in 1:49.31, improving their time from their first meet. The 200 medley relay made up of the same four girls finished in 2:05.51 and also won. Trimpe also won the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.29.
Seconds went to junior Katie Mustard in the 200 IM, Emminger in the 50 freestyle, Claire Hornsby in the 100 butterfly, Rogers in the 100 freestyle, Erin Trimpe in the 500 freestyle and the 400 free relay team of Rogers, Mustard, Emminger and Emily Trimpe.
NP coach Steve Maxwell cited Hornsby's second-place swim in the butterfly, noting that it was just off her career-best time. "Her hard work is paying off," he said.
The Dragons won three events. One victory came from the 200 free relay of junior Emily Trimpe and seniors Jordan Rogers, Karen Emminger and Olivia Ayer. They finished in 1:49.31, improving their time from their first meet. The 200 medley relay made up of the same four girls finished in 2:05.51 and also won. Trimpe also won the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.29.
Seconds went to junior Katie Mustard in the 200 IM, Emminger in the 50 freestyle, Claire Hornsby in the 100 butterfly, Rogers in the 100 freestyle, Erin Trimpe in the 500 freestyle and the 400 free relay team of Rogers, Mustard, Emminger and Emily Trimpe.
NP coach Steve Maxwell cited Hornsby's second-place swim in the butterfly, noting that it was just off her career-best time. "Her hard work is paying off," he said.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Last HHC team falls
No. 5 Pendleton Heights fell behind early and never was able to rally against No. 2 Cathedral Friday night, as the Arabians fell 35-0 in IHSAA regional play.
PH, which defeated New Palestine last week to win the sectional, was the last HHC team standing in the IHSAA football tournament for the second straight year. The Arabians end a fine season at 11-2 and won back-to-back sectional championships -- the only two in school history.
PH, which defeated New Palestine last week to win the sectional, was the last HHC team standing in the IHSAA football tournament for the second straight year. The Arabians end a fine season at 11-2 and won back-to-back sectional championships -- the only two in school history.
Friday, November 4, 2011
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
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
Thursday, November 3, 2011
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 1st 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!
2011-12 HancockCountySports.com basketball schedule
HancockCountySports.com has released its 2011-12 basketball schedule. We might ADD to this schedule, but join us on these nights for LIVE coverage of high school sports in YOUR community. We have several marquee games, including all of the intra-county rivalries, boy/girl doubleheaders between New Palestine and Greenfield-Central, and also Eastern Hancock and Knightstown, the county title game, the HHC girls basketball classic at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a sectional championship rematch and appearances by Gary Harris and Kellen Dunham. It's a good time to listen to HancockCountySports.com!
- Friday 11/4: FOOTBALL: Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, 6:30 p.m.
- Friday 11/18: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Rushville at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
- Wednesday 11/23: BOYS BASKETBALL Centerville at Eastern Hancock, 7:10 p.m.
- Saturday 11/26: VOTE FOR IT GAME ON FACEBOOK PAGE!, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 12/2: BOYS BASKETBALL: Hamilton SE at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
- Saturday 12/3: GIRLS: Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon, 2:10 p.m.
- Friday 12/9: GIRLS/BOYS BASKETBALL: Greenfield-Central at New Palestine, 5:40 p.m.
- Thursday 12/15: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon at New Palestine, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 12/16: GIRLS/BOYS BASKETBALL: Knightstown at Eastern Hancock, 5:40 p.m.
- Wednesday 12/21: BOYS BASKETBALL: New Palestine at Beech Grove, 7:10 p.m.
- Tuesday 12/27: BOYS/GIRLS BASKETBALL: County finals from Mt. Vernon, 5:40 p.m.
- Thursday 12/29: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon in Hall of Fame Classic (vs. Penn, 11:15 a.m., Conso/Championship 5:40 or 7:10 p.m.)
- Friday 1/6: BOYS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 1/13: BOYS BASKETBALL: Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, 7:10 p.m.
- Thursday 1/19: BOYS BASKETBALL: Knightstown at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 1/20: BOYS BASKETBALL: Eastern Hancock at Lapel, 7:10 p.m.
- Saturday 1/21: GIRLS BASKETBALL: New Palestine vs. Rushville, 1:30 p.m.; Mt. Vernon vs. Greenfield-Central, 5 p.m. from Hinkle Fieldhouse
- Friday 1/27: BOYS BASKETBALL: New Palestine at Yorktown, 7:10 p.m.
- Saturday 1/28: BOYS BASKETBALL: Eastern Hancock at Greenfield-Central, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 2/3: BOYS BASKETBALL: Shelbyville at New Palestine, 7:10 p.m.
- Thursday 2/9: BOYS BASKETBALL: Triton Central at Eastern Hancock, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 2/10: GIRLS BASKEBALL: Sectional semifinal, TBA
- Saturday 2/11: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Sectional final, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 2/17: BOYS BASKETBALL: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 2/24: BOYS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon at Yorktown, 7:10 p.m.
- Friday 3/2: BOYS BASKETBALL: Sectional semifinal, TBA
- Saturday 3/3: BOYS BASKETBALL: Sectional final, 7:10 p.m.
Monday, October 31, 2011
NP vs. PH presale
Presale tickets for Friday's New Palestine vs. Pendleton Heights sectional
championship football game are now on sale in the NPHS athletic office for $6.
Buy early and avoid the long ticket lines. They will be on sale until 3 p.m.
every day through Friday.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
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).
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
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