Showing posts with label rushville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rushville. Show all posts
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday afternoon wrap: NP girls win
The New Palestine girls basketball team used a fast start to build an early lead and race to a 52-35 victory at Rushville Saturday afternoon.
Bethany Murrell scored 17 points to lead the Dragons, and Lauren Tieman added 12 points. The victory for the Dragons was their second victory at Rushville's Memorial Gym in school history -- 19 games total -- and first since 2002. It was their first victory against Rushville on any floor since 2004.
The victory was the Dragons' third straight on the year. They conclude the season with two more road games, Wednesday at Lawrence Central and Saturday afternoon at Pendleton Heights.
The Dragons raced ahead to a 14-7 lead in the opening quarter, using a strong defensive effort that held Rushville to 32 percent shooting in the first half and 27 percent in the second. Rushville's only lead was on the opening possession of the game. NP led 26-15 at halftime and then pushed the lead to 17 points at the end of the third, at 44-27, when Murrell drilled a 3-pointer at the gun to give the Dragons their biggest lead of the game to that point.
Murrell added seven rebounds to her total. Tieman had five boards.
Guard Kyeligh Smock also added a strong all-around game with eight points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Guard Tori Stephenson had eight points on 3-of- shooting from the floor. She also had three assists. Abby Seifert, the HHC's leading rebounder, had eight rebounds.
Forward Casey Yager had a strong start for Rushville, scoring 10 first-half points to keep the Lions in the game. Yager finished with 11 rebounds for a double-double. NP's defense held Rushville's leading scorer -- freshman Sarah Cook -- to six points. Rushville was also without the services of second-leading scorer and strong all-around player Mackenzie Campbell, who was unavailale due to injury.
NP is now 9-9 and 4-2 in HHC play.
Eastern Hancock vs. Waldron: The Royals' game against Waldron was postponed due to weather. It will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 28, with a varsity-only game.
Swimming
Greenfield-Central competed at Fishers in a dual-meet invitational.
The Cougar boys dropped two narrow meets to Carroll (Allen) and Fishers. Carroll beat the Cougars 101.5-82.5, Fishers defeated the Cougars 95-91 in a close meet.
G-C's girls also fell to both teams, with Carly Fernandes winning events in each meet.
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.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hoops coming up
It's a full night of girls hoops tonight in the county, as three of the four county schools will be in action.
Join us LIVE for 3A No. 1 Mt. Vernon vs. 3A No. 8 Rushville. Two teams that came into the year with top-10 rankings and two teams who will be major contenders in the Hoosier Heritage Conference square off in the Marauders' home opener. MV is 1-1, Rushville is 0-2, both against some pretty strong foes to start the year.
Join Chris Lambert for the broadcast, which begins at 7:10 p.m. on HancockCountySports.com!
Also Friday, get updates as New Palestine visits 4A No. 6 Warren Central, and Greenfield-Central travels to HHC rival Pendleton Heights. Eastern Hancock is the one team that will be gearing up for Saturday action, as the Royals host Horizon Christian at 7 p.m.
Next week, our boys basketball broadcast schedule begins Wednesday with the annual Thanksgiving Eve game between Centerville and Eastern Hancock. We'll be with you live at 7:10 p.m. Saturday night, you can VOTE for the game you want us to broadcast -- EH at Frankton, G-C at Fishers, MV at Hamilton Heights or NP at New Castle. We'll broadcast the game with the most votes by 11:59 p.m. Saturday night.
Vote by liking our Facebook page, then going to the poll on the page wall and voting!
Join us LIVE for 3A No. 1 Mt. Vernon vs. 3A No. 8 Rushville. Two teams that came into the year with top-10 rankings and two teams who will be major contenders in the Hoosier Heritage Conference square off in the Marauders' home opener. MV is 1-1, Rushville is 0-2, both against some pretty strong foes to start the year.
Join Chris Lambert for the broadcast, which begins at 7:10 p.m. on HancockCountySports.com!
Also Friday, get updates as New Palestine visits 4A No. 6 Warren Central, and Greenfield-Central travels to HHC rival Pendleton Heights. Eastern Hancock is the one team that will be gearing up for Saturday action, as the Royals host Horizon Christian at 7 p.m.
Next week, our boys basketball broadcast schedule begins Wednesday with the annual Thanksgiving Eve game between Centerville and Eastern Hancock. We'll be with you live at 7:10 p.m. Saturday night, you can VOTE for the game you want us to broadcast -- EH at Frankton, G-C at Fishers, MV at Hamilton Heights or NP at New Castle. We'll broadcast the game with the most votes by 11:59 p.m. Saturday night.
Vote by liking our Facebook page, then going to the poll on the page wall and voting!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Girls basketball: 3 teams now 1-0
All three Hancock County teams who have played a game are now 1-0 on the young season as Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon joined Eastern Hancock in winning their season openers.
EH gave coach Jeremy Powers his first career victory on Wednesday night with a two-point win over Elwood. Tonight, it was the Cougars and Marauders' turns.
G-C made very quick work of Cambridge City Lincoln in a 65-21 victory. G-C led 21-0 after a quarter and 38-7 at half. Senior LaRae Cruz (14 points) and junior Katie Peters (13 points) led three Cougars in double figures. Regan Lewis added 10 for G-C, while Sara Jones and Briana Tietjen each scored nine. The Cougars continue their season at home against Franklin tonight.
Ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, Mt. Vernon opened the season with a convincing 49-31 victory at Connersville. The Marauders continue play Tuesday against Lawrence Central before hosting No. 5 Rushville next Friday night. Join Chris Lambert for the LIVE broadcast on HancockCountySports.com starting at 7:10 p.m.!
New Palestine will open its season Saturday night at Whiteland with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff before hosting Franklin Central at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Dragons' home opener.
Eastern Hancock is also in action Saturday, meeting Muncie South at 2:30 p.m.
EH gave coach Jeremy Powers his first career victory on Wednesday night with a two-point win over Elwood. Tonight, it was the Cougars and Marauders' turns.
G-C made very quick work of Cambridge City Lincoln in a 65-21 victory. G-C led 21-0 after a quarter and 38-7 at half. Senior LaRae Cruz (14 points) and junior Katie Peters (13 points) led three Cougars in double figures. Regan Lewis added 10 for G-C, while Sara Jones and Briana Tietjen each scored nine. The Cougars continue their season at home against Franklin tonight.
Ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, Mt. Vernon opened the season with a convincing 49-31 victory at Connersville. The Marauders continue play Tuesday against Lawrence Central before hosting No. 5 Rushville next Friday night. Join Chris Lambert for the LIVE broadcast on HancockCountySports.com starting at 7:10 p.m.!
New Palestine will open its season Saturday night at Whiteland with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff before hosting Franklin Central at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Dragons' home opener.
Eastern Hancock is also in action Saturday, meeting Muncie South at 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
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.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
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
Saturday, October 22, 2011
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
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
Friday, October 21, 2011
Sectional Round 1 wrapup
Sectional 13 has become the Hoosier Heritage Conference tournament.
Two of the four Hancock County teams are still alive, as are five of the
eight Hoosier Heritage Conference teams after a big Class 3A upset
tonight.
A quick roundup:
Sectional 13
Pendleton Heights 31, Mt. Vernon 7: Impressive job by the Arabians tonight as their line controlled both sides of the ball. PH had 450+ yards of total offense, with two 100-yard rushers in Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow, and QB Mitch Patishall made some strong throws when needed. PH's defense was super-impressive, holding MV below 200 yards of total offense and keeping a team out of the end zone for three straight weeks. MV's touchdown was an 87-yard kickoff return by Tyler Dicks. Anthony Burnett led MV with 85 rushing yards. It's a young Marauder squad -- they look to be loaded for the next week. PH, ranked No. 5/6 in 4A, is now 9-1 and has scored 30+ points nine times. MV finishes 5-5 in coach Doug Amstrong's first year.
Greenfield-Central 48, Muncie South 22: The Cougars pulled away in the middle quarters and added yet another return touchdown -- this time blocking a punt in the end zone. G-C fell to Pendleton Heights last week 34-3 -- now the Cougars earn a rematch with the Arabians in Pendleton. G-C also clinches its second straight winning season at 6-4 -- it's the first time the Cougars have had back-to-back winning seasons since 1973-75. Muncie South finishes 3-8.
New Palestine 62, Muncie Central 0: NP led 34-0 after a quarter and rolled from there. Matt Siergiej scored two touchdowns, Connor Simmons threw TD passes to Brandon Collins, Brandon Wiggins, Josh Penley and Tyler Walden, and NP's defense posts its second straight shutout and third of the year. NP, now 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, will visit Delta next week in our Game of the Week broadcast on HancockCountySports.com. Muncie Central finishes 2-8. The Dragons' victory gives the HHC an 8-0 record against NCC teams this season.
Delta 62, Frankfort 0: The Eagles have really hit their stride since a 3-game losing streak in the middle of the season. Delta has allowed just two TDs the last three weeks. Delta -- now 5-5 (7-3 on the field) will host New Palestine in a rematch of their Week 4 matchup from Lucas Oil Stadium, which NP won 31-20.
Next week (Friday, Oct. 28)
New Palestine (10-0) at Delta (5-5), 7 p.m. (LIVE: HancockCountySports.com)
Greenfield-Central (6-4) at Pendleton Heights (8-1), 7 p.m. (broadcast: WEEM-91.7, WRGF-89.7).
Sectional 37
Cambridge City Lincoln 42, Eastern Hancock 21: The Royals and Golden Eagles were nip-and-tuck for much of the night, but CCL pulled away late to win. The Royals finish with a 3-7 record, but made some big strides under first-year coach Pat Echeverria. CCL is now 8-2 on the season, its best in school history.
Elsewhere in Sectional 37:
Northeastern 47, Indiana Deaf 0
Knightstown 27, Hagerstown 18: Congrats to MV grad Pat Mallory who wins his first playoff game as the Panthers' head coach.
Scecina 44, Tri 8
Next week (Friday, Oct. 28)
Northeastern (5-5) at Cambridge City Lincoln (8-2)
Knightstown (7-3) at Scecina (7-3)
Elsewhere in the HHC
Class 3A Sectional 19: HUGE upset for Yorktown, which beats 3A No. 2/3 Eastbrook 38-24. The Panthers had been unbeaten on the field (but were 6-3 due to forfeits). The game shows the strength of the HHC, as its fifth-place team knocks off one of the top teams in the Central Indiana Conference and in the state for quite some time. Yorktown is now 6-4 and will visit Bellmont (4-6) next week.
Class 3A Sectional 22: Rushville led Brown County much of the night, but falls 15-8 on a late touchdown by the Eagles. Rushville finishes the year 2-8.
Class 4A Sectional 15: Shelbyville is defeated by 4A No. 3 Columbus East 49-21 despite East's Gunnar Kiel not playing due to a practice injury.
A quick roundup:
Sectional 13
Pendleton Heights 31, Mt. Vernon 7: Impressive job by the Arabians tonight as their line controlled both sides of the ball. PH had 450+ yards of total offense, with two 100-yard rushers in Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow, and QB Mitch Patishall made some strong throws when needed. PH's defense was super-impressive, holding MV below 200 yards of total offense and keeping a team out of the end zone for three straight weeks. MV's touchdown was an 87-yard kickoff return by Tyler Dicks. Anthony Burnett led MV with 85 rushing yards. It's a young Marauder squad -- they look to be loaded for the next week. PH, ranked No. 5/6 in 4A, is now 9-1 and has scored 30+ points nine times. MV finishes 5-5 in coach Doug Amstrong's first year.
Greenfield-Central 48, Muncie South 22: The Cougars pulled away in the middle quarters and added yet another return touchdown -- this time blocking a punt in the end zone. G-C fell to Pendleton Heights last week 34-3 -- now the Cougars earn a rematch with the Arabians in Pendleton. G-C also clinches its second straight winning season at 6-4 -- it's the first time the Cougars have had back-to-back winning seasons since 1973-75. Muncie South finishes 3-8.
New Palestine 62, Muncie Central 0: NP led 34-0 after a quarter and rolled from there. Matt Siergiej scored two touchdowns, Connor Simmons threw TD passes to Brandon Collins, Brandon Wiggins, Josh Penley and Tyler Walden, and NP's defense posts its second straight shutout and third of the year. NP, now 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, will visit Delta next week in our Game of the Week broadcast on HancockCountySports.com. Muncie Central finishes 2-8. The Dragons' victory gives the HHC an 8-0 record against NCC teams this season.
Delta 62, Frankfort 0: The Eagles have really hit their stride since a 3-game losing streak in the middle of the season. Delta has allowed just two TDs the last three weeks. Delta -- now 5-5 (7-3 on the field) will host New Palestine in a rematch of their Week 4 matchup from Lucas Oil Stadium, which NP won 31-20.
Next week (Friday, Oct. 28)
New Palestine (10-0) at Delta (5-5), 7 p.m. (LIVE: HancockCountySports.com)
Greenfield-Central (6-4) at Pendleton Heights (8-1), 7 p.m. (broadcast: WEEM-91.7, WRGF-89.7).
Sectional 37
Cambridge City Lincoln 42, Eastern Hancock 21: The Royals and Golden Eagles were nip-and-tuck for much of the night, but CCL pulled away late to win. The Royals finish with a 3-7 record, but made some big strides under first-year coach Pat Echeverria. CCL is now 8-2 on the season, its best in school history.
Elsewhere in Sectional 37:
Northeastern 47, Indiana Deaf 0
Knightstown 27, Hagerstown 18: Congrats to MV grad Pat Mallory who wins his first playoff game as the Panthers' head coach.
Scecina 44, Tri 8
Next week (Friday, Oct. 28)
Northeastern (5-5) at Cambridge City Lincoln (8-2)
Knightstown (7-3) at Scecina (7-3)
Elsewhere in the HHC
Class 3A Sectional 19: HUGE upset for Yorktown, which beats 3A No. 2/3 Eastbrook 38-24. The Panthers had been unbeaten on the field (but were 6-3 due to forfeits). The game shows the strength of the HHC, as its fifth-place team knocks off one of the top teams in the Central Indiana Conference and in the state for quite some time. Yorktown is now 6-4 and will visit Bellmont (4-6) next week.
Class 3A Sectional 22: Rushville led Brown County much of the night, but falls 15-8 on a late touchdown by the Eagles. Rushville finishes the year 2-8.
Class 4A Sectional 15: Shelbyville is defeated by 4A No. 3 Columbus East 49-21 despite East's Gunnar Kiel not playing due to a practice injury.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Sectional Round 1 preview
The regular season is a distant memory. The trophies have been handed out, but now everyone is 0-0 and the games start over again.
Let's take a look ahead at the state tournament in the HHC and Hancock County. Our Game of the Week will be from Sectional 13, where the Mt. Vernon Marauders of coach Doug Armstrong will face the defending sectional champion and fifth-ranked Pendleton Heights Arabians. We'll also be keeping you up on as many other sectional games as we can, so make sure you log in to HancockCountySports.com at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
There's also a "looking ahead" spot to show where the local teams would go if they win Round 1.
All games at 7 p.m. Friday
Class 4A, Sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-7) at #1/2 New Palestine (9-0): The Dragons have practically rewritten the school's record book offensively, but the Dragons' defense has been equally-strong in the last half of the season. Connor Simmons broke the NPHS single-season passing record last week and has the career record in his sights. Muncie Central has four receivers with at least 200 yards receiving and a running game led by JaRon Terry. NP will be heavily favored.
Frankfort (0-9) at Delta (6-3 on the field): The Eagles have hit their groove after a mid-season 3-game losing streak. QB Ozzie Mann hooked up with Jake Greenberg for a couple of big scorers last week against Shelbyville. Delta should be a heavy favorite in this one.
Muncie South (3-6) at Greenfield-Central (5-4): A Cougar victory would give them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1973-75 -- a time period in which the Cougars were a state champion and a state runner-up. G-C had a tough loss to Pendleton Heights last week, but the Cougars have a ballhawking defense and a balanced offense with one of the top athletes in the HHC in Matt Dickerson. Two of Muncie South's three wins are against Connersville.
Mt. Vernon (5-4) at #5/6 Pendleton Heights (8-1) (LISTEN LIVE!): The Arabians have been one of the state's most impressive teams all season. They've been dominant, scoring at least 30 points in eight of their nine games this year, led by QB Mitch Patishall and two rushers who will likely finish over the 1,000-yard mark in Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow. But MV's defense is very strong and can give the Marauders a shot. Since a 38-6 loss to PH in Week 5, the Marauder defense allowed just 15 points in regulation the next three weeks.
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
New Palestine -- on the road in Round 2 regardless of opponent
Delta -- at home vs. NP, on road vs. MC
Greenfield-Central -- on the road in Round 2 regardless of opponent
MV -- at home in round 2
PH -- at home vs. G-C, on road vs. Muncie South
Week 3: Team that has played the most road sectional games will host. If both teams have been the road team the same number of times, the team in the bottom bracket shall host.
Class A, Sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-9) at Northeastern (4-5)
Eastern Hancock (3-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (7-2): CCL is coming off its best season in school history, but the Golden Eagles won't be overlooking the Royals. EH's 3-6 record is a bit deceiving, as the Royals play a schedule primarily made up of bigger schools and they've been competitive throughout much of the year. QB Logan Gilbert and RB Spencer Gilbert are important, but EH has been developing lots of contributions and coach Pat Echeverria has done a nice job in Year 1.
Knightstown (6-3) at Hagerstown (5-4): The marquee matchup in the sectional. Coach Pat Mallory's Panthers head to the road. Hagerstown's record is deceiving -- the Tigers have been one of the area's top teams, and will be a tough out at home.
Scecina (6-3) at Tri (0-9): Scecina just beat a ranked Lutheran squad handily last week. They're on a roll headed into the tourney.
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
Eastern Hancock -- at home in Round 2 regardless of opponent
HHC sectionals
Class 4A, Sectional 15
Richmond (4-5) at Franklin County (7-2): A good matchup. Richmond is a solid team that gave New Palestine all it could handle for a half. The Red Devils are also young and athletic. Franklin County is a solid program from a strong football tradition. Homefield will help.
Connersville (2-7) at New Castle (0-9): Two programs who have struggled to get traction meet up. Both are well-coached teams.
East Central (8-1) at South Dearborn (7-2): Wow! What a matchup. EC was a top-5 team before the loss to Roncalli last week. Add in the intra-county rivalry and this will be a blast.
Columbus East (8-1) at Shelbyville (1-8): Shelby gets a tough draw facing Gunnar Kiel and the Columbus East Olympians right out of the chute. Kiel is one of the nation's top QBs this season, and is an Indiana recruit. This will be a tough task for a Golden Bear squad that has had an opportunistic, strong defense led by Ethan Runnebohm, but has struggled with turnovers.
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
Yorktown -- home vs. Blackford, road vs. Bellmont
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
Rushville -- home vs. BG, road vs. IC
Let's take a look ahead at the state tournament in the HHC and Hancock County. Our Game of the Week will be from Sectional 13, where the Mt. Vernon Marauders of coach Doug Armstrong will face the defending sectional champion and fifth-ranked Pendleton Heights Arabians. We'll also be keeping you up on as many other sectional games as we can, so make sure you log in to HancockCountySports.com at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
There's also a "looking ahead" spot to show where the local teams would go if they win Round 1.
All games at 7 p.m. Friday
Class 4A, Sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-7) at #1/2 New Palestine (9-0): The Dragons have practically rewritten the school's record book offensively, but the Dragons' defense has been equally-strong in the last half of the season. Connor Simmons broke the NPHS single-season passing record last week and has the career record in his sights. Muncie Central has four receivers with at least 200 yards receiving and a running game led by JaRon Terry. NP will be heavily favored.
Frankfort (0-9) at Delta (6-3 on the field): The Eagles have hit their groove after a mid-season 3-game losing streak. QB Ozzie Mann hooked up with Jake Greenberg for a couple of big scorers last week against Shelbyville. Delta should be a heavy favorite in this one.
Muncie South (3-6) at Greenfield-Central (5-4): A Cougar victory would give them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1973-75 -- a time period in which the Cougars were a state champion and a state runner-up. G-C had a tough loss to Pendleton Heights last week, but the Cougars have a ballhawking defense and a balanced offense with one of the top athletes in the HHC in Matt Dickerson. Two of Muncie South's three wins are against Connersville.
Mt. Vernon (5-4) at #5/6 Pendleton Heights (8-1) (LISTEN LIVE!): The Arabians have been one of the state's most impressive teams all season. They've been dominant, scoring at least 30 points in eight of their nine games this year, led by QB Mitch Patishall and two rushers who will likely finish over the 1,000-yard mark in Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow. But MV's defense is very strong and can give the Marauders a shot. Since a 38-6 loss to PH in Week 5, the Marauder defense allowed just 15 points in regulation the next three weeks.
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
New Palestine -- on the road in Round 2 regardless of opponent
Delta -- at home vs. NP, on road vs. MC
Greenfield-Central -- on the road in Round 2 regardless of opponent
MV -- at home in round 2
PH -- at home vs. G-C, on road vs. Muncie South
Week 3: Team that has played the most road sectional games will host. If both teams have been the road team the same number of times, the team in the bottom bracket shall host.
Class A, Sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-9) at Northeastern (4-5)
Eastern Hancock (3-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (7-2): CCL is coming off its best season in school history, but the Golden Eagles won't be overlooking the Royals. EH's 3-6 record is a bit deceiving, as the Royals play a schedule primarily made up of bigger schools and they've been competitive throughout much of the year. QB Logan Gilbert and RB Spencer Gilbert are important, but EH has been developing lots of contributions and coach Pat Echeverria has done a nice job in Year 1.
Knightstown (6-3) at Hagerstown (5-4): The marquee matchup in the sectional. Coach Pat Mallory's Panthers head to the road. Hagerstown's record is deceiving -- the Tigers have been one of the area's top teams, and will be a tough out at home.
Scecina (6-3) at Tri (0-9): Scecina just beat a ranked Lutheran squad handily last week. They're on a roll headed into the tourney.
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
Eastern Hancock -- at home in Round 2 regardless of opponent
HHC sectionals
Class 4A, Sectional 15
Richmond (4-5) at Franklin County (7-2): A good matchup. Richmond is a solid team that gave New Palestine all it could handle for a half. The Red Devils are also young and athletic. Franklin County is a solid program from a strong football tradition. Homefield will help.
Connersville (2-7) at New Castle (0-9): Two programs who have struggled to get traction meet up. Both are well-coached teams.
East Central (8-1) at South Dearborn (7-2): Wow! What a matchup. EC was a top-5 team before the loss to Roncalli last week. Add in the intra-county rivalry and this will be a blast.
Columbus East (8-1) at Shelbyville (1-8): Shelby gets a tough draw facing Gunnar Kiel and the Columbus East Olympians right out of the chute. Kiel is one of the nation's top QBs this season, and is an Indiana recruit. This will be a tough task for a Golden Bear squad that has had an opportunistic, strong defense led by Ethan Runnebohm, but has struggled with turnovers.
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
Shelbyville -- home vs. SD, road vs. EC
Class 3A, Sectional 19
Yorktown (5-4) at Eastbrook (9-0 on the field): Eastbrook had to forfeit three games, but the Panthers are one of Class 3A's top programs year-in and year-out. Yorktown more than held its own in the tough HHC, winning its last two games in the fourth quarter in come-from-behind fashion to beat both Shelbyville and Rushville. A midseaon victory over Delta can propel Mike Wilhelm's club to have a lot of confidence now that it's not facing 4A teams every week as it had for seven games thsi season.
Bellmont (3-6) at Blackford (2-7)
Mississnewa (7-2) at Maconaquah (2-7)
Western (7-2) at Peru (0-9)
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
Yorktown -- home vs. Blackford, road vs. Bellmont
Class 3A, Sectional 22
Howe (5-4) at Edgewood (6-3)
Batesville (3-6) at Greensburg (4-5)
Brown County (4-5) at Rushville (2-7): Again, the Lions played eight of their nine games against 4A competition, so the record can be a bit misleading. It's a big factor in this being Rushville's second-to-last year in the HHC before leaving for the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference, which will have four 4A schools instead of six. This is a winnable game for Rushville, which is a young team that is continually improving, with Kaleb Lambert and Garrett Hittle leading the way.
Beech Grove (0-9) at Indian Creek (5-4): IC was a semistate team last season. The Braves are tournament-tested and could be a favorite in this sectional.
Looking ahead to Round 2 for HHC/county schools:
Rushville -- home vs. BG, road vs. IC
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Saturday morning QB: End of the season
We saw an impressive effort from New Palestine last night, which came through in all three phases to clinch an unbeaten season and a second straight HHC title in our Game of the Week. Defending sectional champ Pendleton Heights also made a statement going into Sectional 13. The HHC race sorted itself out with a mad scramble for positioning in the middle of the conference, and now, everyone is 0-0 and we start thinking about the state tournament.
But first, let's look back on a fine regular-season-ending night.
New Palestine 27, Mt. Vernon 0: The top-ranked team in Class 4A showed why with a strong defensive effort. The Dragons only needed nine seconds to score, only allowed 147 total yards to the Marauders and were effective running and passing. QB Connor Simmons threw for 178 yards two touchdowns -- to Josh Penley and Tyler Walden -- and broke the school single-season passing record. Matt Siergiej returned at running back and ran for two touchdowns. NP's defense produced three takeaways and never allowed MV to penetrate inside the 30-yard line. The Dragoons clinched their first unbeaten season since 1988 -- the fourth in school history -- and extended their overall regular-season winning streak to 17. They also won their 20th straight HHC game, breaking a record set by Hamilton Southeastern from 1994-97. Tyler Dicks led the Marauders with 70 yards rushing. MV's defense had a solid day and coach Doug Amstrong tried to get them some big plays -- calling for an on-side kick to start the second half (it appeared to work, but the official said the ball was touched a couple of millimeters before it went 10 yards) and a fake punt with Anthony Burnett that NP was able to smell out. NP hosts Muncie Central, MV visits Pendleton Heights in Sectional 13 play next week.
Daily Reporter | Broadcast archive
Pendleton Heights 34, Greenfield-Central 3: PH's Jon Furrow had a big night, kicking two field goals, four extra points and scoring two touchdowns to move into second place on the school's career scoring list. The Arabians kept their offensive roll going -- they've scored at least 30 points in all eight of their victories this year. Furrow ran for 130+ yards. PH's defense also held G-C to just 34 rushing yards, led by Matt Dickerson's 26. The Arabians head into the tournament with an 8-1 record, sole possession of second place with a 6-1 mark. G-C finishes 5-4 overall and 4-3 in HHC play for a third-place tie. PH hosts Mt. Vernon, G-C hosts Muncie South in Sectional 13 play next week. If both win, they would meet up in the sectional semifinals on the same Arabian field.
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Eastern Hancock 19, Edinburgh 0: The Royals posted their first shutout since coach Kyle Johnson's team posted one in 1995. EH has been getting stronger all season -- including coming the closest to knocking off MIFC champion Milan -- and the Royals capped it off by winning two of their last three. Freshman Cooper Henderson scored twice and ran for 73 yards. Spencer Gilbert had a TD run. QB Logan Gilbert threw for 60 yards and ran for 47. EH finishes the regular season 3-6. EH visits Cambridge City Lincoln next week in Sectional 37 play.
Daily Reporter
Elsewhere in the HHC
Delta 45, Shelbyville 6: The Eagles won their third straight to clinch a third-place tie with G-C in the HHC standings. Ozzie Mann set the tone with a 63-yard pass to Landon Lambert on the first offensive play of the game and the Eagles never looked back. RB Mason Bechdolt had a 52-yard TD run and Ryan Bickford had an 80-yard KOR for a TD. The Eagles finish 4-5 (4-3), but were 6-3 on the field. Shelby finishes 1-6 in the HHC and 1-8 overall. Delta meets Frankfort next week in Sectional 13. Shelby hosts Columbus East.
Shelbyville News | Muncie Star-Press
Yorktown 28, Rushville 21: A competitive game sends Yorktown into a fifth-place tie in the HHC as the Tigers post their second straight come-from-behind victory on the road. Rushville scored to take a 21-20 lead with two minutes left, but Yorktown's Brendon Barnes broke off a 50-yard TD run and then ran in the two-point conversion to give the Tigers a victory. Barnes ran for 181 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs. Coach Mike Wilhelm's Tigers finish 5-4 and 3-4 in HHC play. Rushville finishes 2-7 (0-7) for the second straight year.
Muncie Star-Press
Final HHC standingsNew Palestine 7-0/9-0
Pendleton Heights 6-1/8-1
Greenfield-Central 4-3/5-4
Delta 4-3/4-5
Mt. Vernon 3-4/5-4
Yorktown 3-4/5-4
Shelbyville 1-6/1-8
Rushville 0-7/2-7
Final MIFC standings
Milan 5-0/8-1
Indian Creek 4-1/5-4
Triton Central 3-2/4-5
North Decatur 2-3/3-6
Eastern Hancock 1-4/3-6
South Decatur 0-5/2-7
Sectional pairings next week
Hancock County schools
Class 4A sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-7) at New Palestine (9-0)
Frankfort (0-9) at Delta (6-3 on the field)
Muncie South (3-6) at Greenfield-Central (5-4)
Mt. Vernon (5-4) at Pendleton Heights (8-1) (broadcast: HancockCountySports.com)
Class A sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-9) at Northeastern (4-5)
Eastern Hancock (3-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (7-2)
Knightstown (6-3) at Hagerstown (5-4)
Scecina (6-3) at Tri (0-9)
In the Hoosier Heritage Conference
Class 3A sectional 19
Yorktown (5-4) at Eastbrook (9-0 on the field)Bellmont (3-6) at Blackford (2-7)
Mississinewa (7-2) at Maconaquah (2-7)
Western (7-2) at Peru (0-9)
Class 3A sectional 22
Howe (5-4) at Edgewood (6-3)Batesville (3-6) at Greensburg (4-5)
Brown County (4-5) at Rushville (2-7)
Beech Grove (0-9) at Indian Creek (5-4)
Class 4A sectional 15
Richmond (4-5) at Franklin County (7-2)Connersville (2-7) at New Castle (0-9)
East Central (8-1) at South Dearborn (7-2)
Columbus East (8-1) at Shelbyville (1-8)
But first, let's look back on a fine regular-season-ending night.
New Palestine 27, Mt. Vernon 0: The top-ranked team in Class 4A showed why with a strong defensive effort. The Dragons only needed nine seconds to score, only allowed 147 total yards to the Marauders and were effective running and passing. QB Connor Simmons threw for 178 yards two touchdowns -- to Josh Penley and Tyler Walden -- and broke the school single-season passing record. Matt Siergiej returned at running back and ran for two touchdowns. NP's defense produced three takeaways and never allowed MV to penetrate inside the 30-yard line. The Dragoons clinched their first unbeaten season since 1988 -- the fourth in school history -- and extended their overall regular-season winning streak to 17. They also won their 20th straight HHC game, breaking a record set by Hamilton Southeastern from 1994-97. Tyler Dicks led the Marauders with 70 yards rushing. MV's defense had a solid day and coach Doug Amstrong tried to get them some big plays -- calling for an on-side kick to start the second half (it appeared to work, but the official said the ball was touched a couple of millimeters before it went 10 yards) and a fake punt with Anthony Burnett that NP was able to smell out. NP hosts Muncie Central, MV visits Pendleton Heights in Sectional 13 play next week.
Daily Reporter | Broadcast archive
Pendleton Heights 34, Greenfield-Central 3: PH's Jon Furrow had a big night, kicking two field goals, four extra points and scoring two touchdowns to move into second place on the school's career scoring list. The Arabians kept their offensive roll going -- they've scored at least 30 points in all eight of their victories this year. Furrow ran for 130+ yards. PH's defense also held G-C to just 34 rushing yards, led by Matt Dickerson's 26. The Arabians head into the tournament with an 8-1 record, sole possession of second place with a 6-1 mark. G-C finishes 5-4 overall and 4-3 in HHC play for a third-place tie. PH hosts Mt. Vernon, G-C hosts Muncie South in Sectional 13 play next week. If both win, they would meet up in the sectional semifinals on the same Arabian field.
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Eastern Hancock 19, Edinburgh 0: The Royals posted their first shutout since coach Kyle Johnson's team posted one in 1995. EH has been getting stronger all season -- including coming the closest to knocking off MIFC champion Milan -- and the Royals capped it off by winning two of their last three. Freshman Cooper Henderson scored twice and ran for 73 yards. Spencer Gilbert had a TD run. QB Logan Gilbert threw for 60 yards and ran for 47. EH finishes the regular season 3-6. EH visits Cambridge City Lincoln next week in Sectional 37 play.
Daily Reporter
Elsewhere in the HHC
Delta 45, Shelbyville 6: The Eagles won their third straight to clinch a third-place tie with G-C in the HHC standings. Ozzie Mann set the tone with a 63-yard pass to Landon Lambert on the first offensive play of the game and the Eagles never looked back. RB Mason Bechdolt had a 52-yard TD run and Ryan Bickford had an 80-yard KOR for a TD. The Eagles finish 4-5 (4-3), but were 6-3 on the field. Shelby finishes 1-6 in the HHC and 1-8 overall. Delta meets Frankfort next week in Sectional 13. Shelby hosts Columbus East.
Shelbyville News | Muncie Star-Press
Yorktown 28, Rushville 21: A competitive game sends Yorktown into a fifth-place tie in the HHC as the Tigers post their second straight come-from-behind victory on the road. Rushville scored to take a 21-20 lead with two minutes left, but Yorktown's Brendon Barnes broke off a 50-yard TD run and then ran in the two-point conversion to give the Tigers a victory. Barnes ran for 181 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs. Coach Mike Wilhelm's Tigers finish 5-4 and 3-4 in HHC play. Rushville finishes 2-7 (0-7) for the second straight year.
Muncie Star-Press
Final HHC standingsNew Palestine 7-0/9-0
Pendleton Heights 6-1/8-1
Greenfield-Central 4-3/5-4
Delta 4-3/4-5
Mt. Vernon 3-4/5-4
Yorktown 3-4/5-4
Shelbyville 1-6/1-8
Rushville 0-7/2-7
Final MIFC standings
Milan 5-0/8-1
Indian Creek 4-1/5-4
Triton Central 3-2/4-5
North Decatur 2-3/3-6
Eastern Hancock 1-4/3-6
South Decatur 0-5/2-7
Sectional pairings next week
Hancock County schools
Class 4A sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-7) at New Palestine (9-0)
Frankfort (0-9) at Delta (6-3 on the field)
Muncie South (3-6) at Greenfield-Central (5-4)
Mt. Vernon (5-4) at Pendleton Heights (8-1) (broadcast: HancockCountySports.com)
Class A sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-9) at Northeastern (4-5)
Eastern Hancock (3-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (7-2)
Knightstown (6-3) at Hagerstown (5-4)
Scecina (6-3) at Tri (0-9)
In the Hoosier Heritage Conference
Class 3A sectional 19
Yorktown (5-4) at Eastbrook (9-0 on the field)Bellmont (3-6) at Blackford (2-7)
Mississinewa (7-2) at Maconaquah (2-7)
Western (7-2) at Peru (0-9)
Class 3A sectional 22
Howe (5-4) at Edgewood (6-3)Batesville (3-6) at Greensburg (4-5)
Brown County (4-5) at Rushville (2-7)
Beech Grove (0-9) at Indian Creek (5-4)
Class 4A sectional 15
Richmond (4-5) at Franklin County (7-2)Connersville (2-7) at New Castle (0-9)
East Central (8-1) at South Dearborn (7-2)
Columbus East (8-1) at Shelbyville (1-8)
Friday, October 14, 2011
Dragons HHC champs
The New Palestine Dragons football team completed a perfect regular season Friday night with a nearly-perfect defensive effort in a 27-0 victory over Mt. Vernon.
We enjoyed bringing you the game -- as we have all season. The Dragons got started quickly -- needing just nine seconds to score the game's first touchdown -- and used a defensive effort that never let MV cross the 30-yard line.
Quarterback Connor Simmons completed 14-of-21 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 2,134 yards on the year, breaking Matt Rodgers' 18-year-old mark of 2,001. Simmons already holds the single-season mark for TD passes and extended it with his 24th and 25th of the year tonight. Josh Penley was his favorite target with six catches for 71 yards.
Junior running back Matt Siergiej had 44 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns.
The biggest throw-and-catch happened on the game's first play. On the opening kickoff, the Dragons' Nolan Hill placed the ball between the up men and the Marauders' deep returners. It bounced on the ground and the Dragons recovered the loose ball. On the game's first play, Simmons dropped back and hit Penley in stride for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Just nine seconds in, the Dragons led 6-0, and they'd never look back from there. After stopping the Marauders on down in NP territory, the Dragons got to work again on a 14-play, 63-yard drive that primarily featured Siergiej's running.He capped it off with a 1-yard run that made it 13-0 just 4:39 in.
That was all the Dragon defense would need. The Marauders would never penetrate inside the NP 30. The Dragons stopped MV on downs twice in the first half, saw Penley nab his fourth interception of the year, blocked a punt and stuffed a fake punt. Brandon Collins also scooped up a Marauder fumble in the third quarter, setting up Siergiej's second TD of the day -- this one from 2 yards out that made it 20-0 with 2:48 left in the third. After forcing a punt, the Dragons added the insurance with a mammoth 14-play, 76-yard, 6:33 drive that saw NP convert two 20-plus yards-to-go situations. One of those was a 26-yard pass to Austin Monday on 2nd-and-24 to the MV 27. A couple of plays later, on first-and-22 from the 29, Simmons found Tyler Walden open at the back of the end zone for a touchdown pass.
The Dragons gained 271 total yards -- 93 on the ground and 178 through the air. They held MV to just 147 yards -- including minus-4 in the passing game. MV had seven total first downs, but had none in the second half until the final drive.
The victory clinches an HHC record for the Dragons, who won their 20th straight conference game. That breaks a record set by Hamilton Southeastern from 1994-97. The Dragons also retained possession of the HHC Helmet for the 14th straight game -- a conference record -- and will maintain it through the offseason for the second straight year. Simmons is also nearing career marks for passing yards, passing TDs and season TD passes. Collins has already set the school's single-season receiveing mark. He had two catches for 25 yards tonight.
New Palestine hosts Muncie Central next week in Sectional 13 play. Mt. Vernon (5-4, 3-4) is in the opposite half of the bracket, and visits Pendleton Heights in the game we will broadcast on HancockCountySports.com!
Elsewhere
Pendleton Heights 34, Greenfield-Central 3: The seventh-ranked Arabians have been on fire the last few weeks, and showed that again tonight. PH built an early 10-0 lead, extended it to a two-score game by halftime and pulled away in the second half. The Arabians finish the year with an 8-1 mark and 6-1 in the conference, showing a tremendous resurgence over the last two years. PH is a defending sectional champion and will go for back-to-back. PH visits Mt. Vernon in our HancockCountySports.com broadcast next week. G-C will host Muncie South in the other Sectional 13 bottom-bracket semifinal game.
Eastern Hancock 19, Edinburgh 0: The Royals register a shutout for the first time since 2005 in a victory over the Lancers. Coach Pat Echeverria's team wins two of its last three to head into the sectional. The Royals have shown themselves a strong team in the first year with a new head coach. At 3-6, they will visit Cambridge City Lincoln next week.
And in the HHC
Delta 45, Shelbyville 6: The Eagles are a force to be reckoned with, having won three straight games. Delta finishes the year 4-5 (6-3 on the field) and having allowed just 13 points the last two weeks. Eagles tie Greenfield-Central for 3rd in the conference with a 4-3 mark. Delta meets Frankfort in Sectional 13 action next week. Shelby hosts Columbus East in Sectional 15. Shelby is 1-8 (1-6).
Yorktown 28, Rushville 21: The Tigers win their second straight close game to finish in a fifth-place tie with Mt. Vernon in the HHC standings. Yorktown is now 3-4 in the HHC and 5-4 overall. Rushville is 2-7 (0-7) and has now dropped 15 straight HHC games.
Final HHC standings
New Palestine 7-0/9-0
Pendleton Heights 6-1/8-1
Greenfield-Central 4-3/5-4
Delta 4-3/4-5
Mt. Vernon 3-4/5-4
Yorktown 3-4/5-4
Shelbyville 1-6/1-8
Rushville 0-7/2-7
Final MIFC standings
Milan 5-0/8-1
Indian Creek 4-1/5-4
Triton Central 3-2/4-5
North Decatur 2-3/3-6
Eastern Hancock 1-4/3-6
South Decatur 0-5/2-7
We enjoyed bringing you the game -- as we have all season. The Dragons got started quickly -- needing just nine seconds to score the game's first touchdown -- and used a defensive effort that never let MV cross the 30-yard line.
Quarterback Connor Simmons completed 14-of-21 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 2,134 yards on the year, breaking Matt Rodgers' 18-year-old mark of 2,001. Simmons already holds the single-season mark for TD passes and extended it with his 24th and 25th of the year tonight. Josh Penley was his favorite target with six catches for 71 yards.
Junior running back Matt Siergiej had 44 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns.
The biggest throw-and-catch happened on the game's first play. On the opening kickoff, the Dragons' Nolan Hill placed the ball between the up men and the Marauders' deep returners. It bounced on the ground and the Dragons recovered the loose ball. On the game's first play, Simmons dropped back and hit Penley in stride for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Just nine seconds in, the Dragons led 6-0, and they'd never look back from there. After stopping the Marauders on down in NP territory, the Dragons got to work again on a 14-play, 63-yard drive that primarily featured Siergiej's running.He capped it off with a 1-yard run that made it 13-0 just 4:39 in.
That was all the Dragon defense would need. The Marauders would never penetrate inside the NP 30. The Dragons stopped MV on downs twice in the first half, saw Penley nab his fourth interception of the year, blocked a punt and stuffed a fake punt. Brandon Collins also scooped up a Marauder fumble in the third quarter, setting up Siergiej's second TD of the day -- this one from 2 yards out that made it 20-0 with 2:48 left in the third. After forcing a punt, the Dragons added the insurance with a mammoth 14-play, 76-yard, 6:33 drive that saw NP convert two 20-plus yards-to-go situations. One of those was a 26-yard pass to Austin Monday on 2nd-and-24 to the MV 27. A couple of plays later, on first-and-22 from the 29, Simmons found Tyler Walden open at the back of the end zone for a touchdown pass.
The Dragons gained 271 total yards -- 93 on the ground and 178 through the air. They held MV to just 147 yards -- including minus-4 in the passing game. MV had seven total first downs, but had none in the second half until the final drive.
The victory clinches an HHC record for the Dragons, who won their 20th straight conference game. That breaks a record set by Hamilton Southeastern from 1994-97. The Dragons also retained possession of the HHC Helmet for the 14th straight game -- a conference record -- and will maintain it through the offseason for the second straight year. Simmons is also nearing career marks for passing yards, passing TDs and season TD passes. Collins has already set the school's single-season receiveing mark. He had two catches for 25 yards tonight.
New Palestine hosts Muncie Central next week in Sectional 13 play. Mt. Vernon (5-4, 3-4) is in the opposite half of the bracket, and visits Pendleton Heights in the game we will broadcast on HancockCountySports.com!
Elsewhere
Pendleton Heights 34, Greenfield-Central 3: The seventh-ranked Arabians have been on fire the last few weeks, and showed that again tonight. PH built an early 10-0 lead, extended it to a two-score game by halftime and pulled away in the second half. The Arabians finish the year with an 8-1 mark and 6-1 in the conference, showing a tremendous resurgence over the last two years. PH is a defending sectional champion and will go for back-to-back. PH visits Mt. Vernon in our HancockCountySports.com broadcast next week. G-C will host Muncie South in the other Sectional 13 bottom-bracket semifinal game.
Eastern Hancock 19, Edinburgh 0: The Royals register a shutout for the first time since 2005 in a victory over the Lancers. Coach Pat Echeverria's team wins two of its last three to head into the sectional. The Royals have shown themselves a strong team in the first year with a new head coach. At 3-6, they will visit Cambridge City Lincoln next week.
And in the HHC
Delta 45, Shelbyville 6: The Eagles are a force to be reckoned with, having won three straight games. Delta finishes the year 4-5 (6-3 on the field) and having allowed just 13 points the last two weeks. Eagles tie Greenfield-Central for 3rd in the conference with a 4-3 mark. Delta meets Frankfort in Sectional 13 action next week. Shelby hosts Columbus East in Sectional 15. Shelby is 1-8 (1-6).
Yorktown 28, Rushville 21: The Tigers win their second straight close game to finish in a fifth-place tie with Mt. Vernon in the HHC standings. Yorktown is now 3-4 in the HHC and 5-4 overall. Rushville is 2-7 (0-7) and has now dropped 15 straight HHC games.
Final HHC standings
New Palestine 7-0/9-0
Pendleton Heights 6-1/8-1
Greenfield-Central 4-3/5-4
Delta 4-3/4-5
Mt. Vernon 3-4/5-4
Yorktown 3-4/5-4
Shelbyville 1-6/1-8
Rushville 0-7/2-7
Final MIFC standings
Milan 5-0/8-1
Indian Creek 4-1/5-4
Triton Central 3-2/4-5
North Decatur 2-3/3-6
Eastern Hancock 1-4/3-6
South Decatur 0-5/2-7
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Week 9 -- lots on the line
It's one of my favorite times of year -- Boundary Rail time as Mt. Vernon and New Palestine renew their rivalry for the 48th time in 44 years. But that's not all in Hancock County football. We have the Greenfield-Central Cougars and Pendleton Heights Arabians playing for second in the HHC (for PH, it's a chance at first if NP loses). We have the Dragons trying to clinch the HHC outright for the second year in a row and break a 14-year-old HHC record for consecutive victories in conference games. We have Eastern Hancock looking for its third victory of the year in its season finale and get a boost going into the sectional.
And, of course, everyone knows the draw, so everyone will be looking ahead to next week when the records go to 0-0 and we start over.
But, of course, we have this week to get through first.
Our Game of the Week (live broadcast here)
#1/4 New Palestine (8-0, 6-0) at Mt. Vernon (5-3, 3-3), 7:30 p.m. (broadcast: HancockCountySports.com)
The Boundary Rail battle. These teams have been going at each other for years. You have the irresistable force -- a talented New Palestine offense that's poised to break every passing record the school has -- against the immovable object, a Mt. Vernon defense that has allowed just 17 points in regulation the last three games and went eight straight quarters without allowing a touchdown. MV has suffered some sizable injury losses in recent weeks, but did get RB Anthony Burnett back and coach Doug Armstrong's teams are always ready for rivalry games. Look for a battle between a great air attack led by NP's Connor Simmons vs. MV's solid ground game of Tyler Dicks and Burnett. Join Andrew Smith & Mike Jackson for the call at 7 p.m.
Greenfield-Central (5-3, 4-2) at #7/7 Pendleton Heights (7-1, 5-1), 7:30 p.m. (broadcast: WEEM-91.7, WRGF-89.7).
This game features a balanced PH offense that is scoring a ton of points -- cracking the 60-point barrier twice this season -- against a G-C defense that is scoring a ton of points. PH's Mitch Patishall has shown to be a tremendous QB over the past 3 years and wants to go out with a strong Senior Night showing. His three RBs all ran for 100 yards in last week's victory over Rushville. But G-C has a ballhawking, blitzing defense that makes life miserable for opposing offenses. The Cougars have nine return TDs this year, including an INT from Brant Boles last week. G-C produced three interceptions against a New Palestine team that rarely turns the ball over in last week's narrow 21-19 loss. Cougars are just four points away from being unbeaten in the conference, but this should be a great test.
Eastern Hancock (2-6) at Edinburgh (2-6), 7 p.m.: The Royals are significantly better than their record, but Edinburgh -- led by former Franklin College coach Bill Unsworth -- is an improving football program. Led by the Gilbert brothers, the Royals have been close several times and have a fourth-quarter comeback victory to their credit against South Decatur.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Delta (3-5, 3-3) at Shelbyville (1-7, 1-5), 7 p.m. (broadcast: WSVX-1520, www.wsvx.com): The Eagles have found their mojo again, as QB Ozzie Mann has begun spreading the ball around and the defense shut down MV's running game last week. Shelby has been right there, but turnovers have doomed the Golden Bears throughout the season.
Yorktown (4-4, 2-4) at Rushville (2-6, 0-6), 7 p.m. (broadcast: WIFE-94.3): Tigers coach Mike Wilhem showed some guts last week by going for 2 down 21-20 midway through the fourth quarter -- and being successful -- in a win at Shelbyville. Rushville is young and has struggled through much of the HHC schedule. The league's two 3A teams get an opportunity to see each other before the tourney begins.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
IHSAA football tournament pairings
The IHSAA football tournament pairings have been announced. Here they are
In Class 4A's sectional 13, the three Hancock County schools all drew opposite each other. #1/4 New Palestine drew a 2-6 Muncie Central squad in the opening round. The teams have two common opponents -- NP beat Richmond 29-7 and Pendleton Heights 34-21. Muncie Central fell to PH 65-0 in Week 1, then fell to Richmond 23-19. Bearcats' wins came in Week 2 vs. Muncie South (38-6) and Week 4 vs. New Castle (28-26). The winner faces either Frankfort or Delta. Frankfort is winless, Delta 5-3 on the field and has played really well in recent weeks. Delta's defense found its way in a 12-7 victory over Mt. Vernon last week. NP and Delta would be favored in the first round. If they meet in the second round, it will be at Delta.
Greenfield-Central is much better than its 5-3 record shows -- the Cougars are four points away from being 7-1. The Cougars will face a 3-5 Muncie South team at home in the opening round. G-C would be a favorite on paper. South is 3-5, with wins over Connersville (twice) and Arlington. They have one common opponent. The Rebels also took Yorktown to overtime in Week 1 before falling 27-20. G-C beat Yorktown 23-20 in Week 4. Mt. Vernon will visit Pendleton Heights in a rematch of their Week 5 game. PH won that game 38-6, using a huge 21-point swing in the final four minutes of the opening half, but also using a strong offensive line push. If they advance, G-C would be on the road regardless in the second round, MV would be at home regardless.
Class 4A sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-6) at New Palestine (8-0)
Frankfort (0-8) at Delta (5-3 on the field)
Muncie South (3-5) at Greenfield-Central (5-3)
Mt. Vernon (5-3) at Pendleton Heights (7-1)
Eastern Hancock drew Cambridge City Lincoln in the opening round in a road game. CCL is 6-2. The two teams have two common opponents -- South Decatur and Wes-Del. Both teams are 2-0 against those common foes. CCL scores 37.5 ppg, allows 18.5 ppg. The Golden Eagles' two losses were a 42-27 loss to a strong 2A squad in Centerville and 20-7 last week to Union County.
Class A sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-8) at Northeastern (4-4)
Eastern Hancock (2-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (6-2)
Knightstown (5-3) at Hagerstown (5-3)
Scecina (5-3) at Tri (0-8)
In the Hoosier Heritage ConferenceClass 3A sectional 19 (Yorktown)
Yorktown drew Class 3A #3/4 Eastbrook in its first-round game. Eastbrook is 5-3, but had to forfeit three games. The Tigers know that territory -- they gave one of 3A's top-ranked teams in Hamilton Heights a scare early in the tournament last year, leading the Huskies in the fourth quarter on the road.
Yorktown (4-4) at Eastbrook (8-0 on the field)
Bellmont (3-5) at Blackford (2-6)
Mississinewa (7-1) at Maconaquah (1-7)
Western (6-2) at Peru (0-8)
Class 3A sectional 22 (Rushville)
Rushville is in a very winnable Sectional 22. Only two teams -- Howe and Edgewood -- have winning records. Rushville is 2-0 in non-conference play and showed very well last year in the tournament. The Lions are young, but are battle-tested against a 4A schedule. The rest of the schools in the sectional primarily play in conferences with 3A schools and smaller.
Howe (5-3) at Edgewood (5-3)
Batesville (2-6) at Greensburg (3-5)
Brown County (4-4) at Rushville (2-6)
Beech Grove (0-8) at Indian Creek (4-4)
Class 4A sectional 15 (Shelbyville)
The Golden Bears got a tough draw with the top three teams in the sectional in their half of the bracket. Gunnar Kiel and Columbus East will meet a strong Shelby defense led by Ethan Runnebohm. Winner gets either unbeaten East Central or South Dearborn. The favored matchup would match up two top-five teams in the semifinals.
Richmond (3-5) at Franklin County (5-3)
Connersville (2-6) at New Castle (0-8)
East Central (8-0) at South Dearborn (6-2)
Columbus East (7-1) at Shelbyville (1-7)
In Class 4A's sectional 13, the three Hancock County schools all drew opposite each other. #1/4 New Palestine drew a 2-6 Muncie Central squad in the opening round. The teams have two common opponents -- NP beat Richmond 29-7 and Pendleton Heights 34-21. Muncie Central fell to PH 65-0 in Week 1, then fell to Richmond 23-19. Bearcats' wins came in Week 2 vs. Muncie South (38-6) and Week 4 vs. New Castle (28-26). The winner faces either Frankfort or Delta. Frankfort is winless, Delta 5-3 on the field and has played really well in recent weeks. Delta's defense found its way in a 12-7 victory over Mt. Vernon last week. NP and Delta would be favored in the first round. If they meet in the second round, it will be at Delta.
Greenfield-Central is much better than its 5-3 record shows -- the Cougars are four points away from being 7-1. The Cougars will face a 3-5 Muncie South team at home in the opening round. G-C would be a favorite on paper. South is 3-5, with wins over Connersville (twice) and Arlington. They have one common opponent. The Rebels also took Yorktown to overtime in Week 1 before falling 27-20. G-C beat Yorktown 23-20 in Week 4. Mt. Vernon will visit Pendleton Heights in a rematch of their Week 5 game. PH won that game 38-6, using a huge 21-point swing in the final four minutes of the opening half, but also using a strong offensive line push. If they advance, G-C would be on the road regardless in the second round, MV would be at home regardless.
Class 4A sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-6) at New Palestine (8-0)
Frankfort (0-8) at Delta (5-3 on the field)
Muncie South (3-5) at Greenfield-Central (5-3)
Mt. Vernon (5-3) at Pendleton Heights (7-1)
Eastern Hancock drew Cambridge City Lincoln in the opening round in a road game. CCL is 6-2. The two teams have two common opponents -- South Decatur and Wes-Del. Both teams are 2-0 against those common foes. CCL scores 37.5 ppg, allows 18.5 ppg. The Golden Eagles' two losses were a 42-27 loss to a strong 2A squad in Centerville and 20-7 last week to Union County.
Class A sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-8) at Northeastern (4-4)
Eastern Hancock (2-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (6-2)
Knightstown (5-3) at Hagerstown (5-3)
Scecina (5-3) at Tri (0-8)
In the Hoosier Heritage ConferenceClass 3A sectional 19 (Yorktown)
Yorktown drew Class 3A #3/4 Eastbrook in its first-round game. Eastbrook is 5-3, but had to forfeit three games. The Tigers know that territory -- they gave one of 3A's top-ranked teams in Hamilton Heights a scare early in the tournament last year, leading the Huskies in the fourth quarter on the road.
Yorktown (4-4) at Eastbrook (8-0 on the field)
Bellmont (3-5) at Blackford (2-6)
Mississinewa (7-1) at Maconaquah (1-7)
Western (6-2) at Peru (0-8)
Class 3A sectional 22 (Rushville)
Rushville is in a very winnable Sectional 22. Only two teams -- Howe and Edgewood -- have winning records. Rushville is 2-0 in non-conference play and showed very well last year in the tournament. The Lions are young, but are battle-tested against a 4A schedule. The rest of the schools in the sectional primarily play in conferences with 3A schools and smaller.
Howe (5-3) at Edgewood (5-3)
Batesville (2-6) at Greensburg (3-5)
Brown County (4-4) at Rushville (2-6)
Beech Grove (0-8) at Indian Creek (4-4)
Class 4A sectional 15 (Shelbyville)
The Golden Bears got a tough draw with the top three teams in the sectional in their half of the bracket. Gunnar Kiel and Columbus East will meet a strong Shelby defense led by Ethan Runnebohm. Winner gets either unbeaten East Central or South Dearborn. The favored matchup would match up two top-five teams in the semifinals.
Richmond (3-5) at Franklin County (5-3)
Connersville (2-6) at New Castle (0-8)
East Central (8-0) at South Dearborn (6-2)
Columbus East (7-1) at Shelbyville (1-7)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Saturday Morning QB: It's down to NP & PH
New Palestine has clinched a piece of the Hoosier Heritage Conference title. Pendleton Heights still has a shot but needs some help from Mt. Vernon, and also needs to beat a pretty good Greenfield-Central team.
Not only that, but those four teams -- plus perennial power Delta -- will all face each other in the next three weeks as they're all part of the same sectional.
New Palestine 21, Greenfield-Central 19: Our game was a wild rivalry game -- coming down to the last on-side kick. Full of big plays, each team had a scoring flurry, three interceptions and a big return. NP's Connor Simmons threw for 238 yards, but the biggest plays came from Scott Lyons with a 91-yard kick return that set up a TD, and from Austin Monday, who had a 33-yard TD to ice it. G-C had two touchdowns in 14 seconds, and a late TD on a 52-yard pass to Josh Applegate, but it turned out to not be enough. NP clinches at least a tie for the HHC title and remains unbeaten on the year. G-C is now 5-3 (4-2).
Broadcast archive | Indianapolis Star | Daily Reporter
Delta 12, Mt. Vernon 7: The Eagles held MV to 109 yards of offense in the game. Ozzie Mann threw TD passes to Jake Greenberg and Landon Lambert to give Delta a 12-0 lead going into the third. Anthony Burnett scored the lone TD for MV, which is now 5-3 and 3-3 in HHC play. Delta is 5-3 on the field (3-5 due to forfeits) and also 3-3, in a two-way tie for fourth place in the conference.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press roundup
Shenandoah 53, Eastern Hancock 6: The Royals fell behind 16-0 in the opening four minutes and unbeaten Shenandoah led 35-0 at halftime. Logan Gilbert scored a late touchdown for EH, which is now 2-6, against one of Class 2A's top teams. Shenandoah's Dylan Hamm rushed for 172 yards.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 69, Rushville 3: The Arabians honored coach John Broughton for his 200th win, and then scored on their first 10 possessions -- including one with the junior varsity offense -- in the victory. It was the second time PH had broken the 60-point mark this year -- also doing so against Muncie Central in Week 1. Clint Nicholson, Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow all ran for 100 yards. Nicholson had 5 TDs -- including three through the air. PH is 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference with a home game next week against Greenfield-Central. The Arabians can win a share of the title with a victory and a New Palestine loss. Rushville is 2-6 (0-6).
Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Yorktown 22, Shelbyville 21: Coach Mike Wilhelm went with a gutsy call late -- going for two after QB Joe Todd scored a TD with 5:44 left -- and converted to give the Tigers their second HHC victory of the year. Brendon Barnes ran for 176 yards for the Tigers (4-4, 2-4). Shelby is 1-7 and 1-5 in the HHC.
Shelbyville News | Muncie Star-Press roundup
HHC standings
#1/4 New Palestine 6-0/8-0
#9/9 Pendleton Heights 5-1/7-1
Greenfield-Central 4-2/5-3
Mt. Vernon 3-3/5-3
Delta 3-3/3-5 (5-3 on the field)
Yorktown 2-4/4-4
Shelbyville 1-5/1-7
Rushville 0-6/2-6
Next week
New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (broadcast: www.hancockcountysports.com)
Greenfield-Central at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Delta at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.
Yorktown at Rushville, 7 p.m.
MIFC standings
Milan 4-0/7-1
Triton Central 3-1/4-4
Indian Creek 3-1/4-4
North Decatur 2-3/3-5
Eastern Hancock 1-4/2-6
South Decatur 0-4/2-6
Next week
Eastern Hancock at Edinburgh, 7 p.m.
Indian Creek at South Decatur, 7 p.m.
Milan at Triton Central, 7 p.m.
North Decatur at Greensburg, 7 p.m.
*-Milan has clinched a piece of the MIFC title, but a Triton Central victory and an Indian Creek victory next week could forge a 3-way tie.
Not only that, but those four teams -- plus perennial power Delta -- will all face each other in the next three weeks as they're all part of the same sectional.
New Palestine 21, Greenfield-Central 19: Our game was a wild rivalry game -- coming down to the last on-side kick. Full of big plays, each team had a scoring flurry, three interceptions and a big return. NP's Connor Simmons threw for 238 yards, but the biggest plays came from Scott Lyons with a 91-yard kick return that set up a TD, and from Austin Monday, who had a 33-yard TD to ice it. G-C had two touchdowns in 14 seconds, and a late TD on a 52-yard pass to Josh Applegate, but it turned out to not be enough. NP clinches at least a tie for the HHC title and remains unbeaten on the year. G-C is now 5-3 (4-2).
Broadcast archive | Indianapolis Star | Daily Reporter
Delta 12, Mt. Vernon 7: The Eagles held MV to 109 yards of offense in the game. Ozzie Mann threw TD passes to Jake Greenberg and Landon Lambert to give Delta a 12-0 lead going into the third. Anthony Burnett scored the lone TD for MV, which is now 5-3 and 3-3 in HHC play. Delta is 5-3 on the field (3-5 due to forfeits) and also 3-3, in a two-way tie for fourth place in the conference.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press roundup
Shenandoah 53, Eastern Hancock 6: The Royals fell behind 16-0 in the opening four minutes and unbeaten Shenandoah led 35-0 at halftime. Logan Gilbert scored a late touchdown for EH, which is now 2-6, against one of Class 2A's top teams. Shenandoah's Dylan Hamm rushed for 172 yards.
Daily Reporter | Muncie Star-Press
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 69, Rushville 3: The Arabians honored coach John Broughton for his 200th win, and then scored on their first 10 possessions -- including one with the junior varsity offense -- in the victory. It was the second time PH had broken the 60-point mark this year -- also doing so against Muncie Central in Week 1. Clint Nicholson, Jacob Lyons and Jon Furrow all ran for 100 yards. Nicholson had 5 TDs -- including three through the air. PH is 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference with a home game next week against Greenfield-Central. The Arabians can win a share of the title with a victory and a New Palestine loss. Rushville is 2-6 (0-6).
Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Yorktown 22, Shelbyville 21: Coach Mike Wilhelm went with a gutsy call late -- going for two after QB Joe Todd scored a TD with 5:44 left -- and converted to give the Tigers their second HHC victory of the year. Brendon Barnes ran for 176 yards for the Tigers (4-4, 2-4). Shelby is 1-7 and 1-5 in the HHC.
Shelbyville News | Muncie Star-Press roundup
HHC standings
#1/4 New Palestine 6-0/8-0
#9/9 Pendleton Heights 5-1/7-1
Greenfield-Central 4-2/5-3
Mt. Vernon 3-3/5-3
Delta 3-3/3-5 (5-3 on the field)
Yorktown 2-4/4-4
Shelbyville 1-5/1-7
Rushville 0-6/2-6
Next week
New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (broadcast: www.hancockcountysports.com)
Greenfield-Central at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Delta at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.
Yorktown at Rushville, 7 p.m.
MIFC standings
Milan 4-0/7-1
Triton Central 3-1/4-4
Indian Creek 3-1/4-4
North Decatur 2-3/3-5
Eastern Hancock 1-4/2-6
South Decatur 0-4/2-6
Next week
Eastern Hancock at Edinburgh, 7 p.m.
Indian Creek at South Decatur, 7 p.m.
Milan at Triton Central, 7 p.m.
North Decatur at Greensburg, 7 p.m.
*-Milan has clinched a piece of the MIFC title, but a Triton Central victory and an Indian Creek victory next week could forge a 3-way tie.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Wild night: Dragons win, clinch piece of HHC
What a wild game we had tonight at Greenfield-Central's Cougar Stadium.
Class 4A No. 1 New Palestine held on to beat Greenfield-Central 21-19 tonight, overcoming several big plays by the Cougars and an avalanche of momentum coming their way in the final 14 minutes.
The Dragons built an early 14-0 lead, but two Cougar big plays turned into touchdowns 14 seconds apart in the third, and another big play made it close.
Big plays were the name of the game as both defenses made it nearly impossible to have a sustained drive. The teams combined for nine turnovers in the game.
The game was also an emotional one, as the two teams combined for more than 180 yards in penalties, and those emotions often spilled into the crowd, which was a passionate one for both sides.
Things went NP's way early -- Scott Lyons ran the opening kickoff 91 yards to the G-C 3, setting up a TD by Austin Monday. After an exchange of turnovers, the Dragons' Connor Simmons hooked up with Brandon Collins from 50 yards out on 2nd-and-22 to make it a 14-0 game with four minutes to go in the opening quarter
The Dragon defense produced three takeaways on three G-C drives in the second, but the Cougars' blitzing defense stiffened when the Dragons would push into G-C territory.
After the teams traded field position for several drives in the third, G-C got a big play when QB Derek Conley broke off a 52-yard run, setting up a touchdown. Then, 14 seconds later, Brant Boles ran an interception in from 25 yards out. G-C missed both extra points -- a kick and a two-point conversion pass -- and the Dragons saw their lead shrink to 14-12 with 1:42 to go in the third.
Austin Monday broke several tackles in a 33-yard TD run with 1:49 left to make it a 21-12 game -- Wes Fox's extra point made it a two-possession game. That turned out to be key when Josh Applegate reeled in a deflected 52-yard TD pass for G-C one minute later. Brandon Wiggins recovered the ensuing on-side kick to give the Dragons the victory.
A fumbled snap gave the Cougars the ball in NP territory, but the Dragon defense held on a first-and-goal situation and forced a field goal attempt that went wide left. The Dragons were then able to respond with Monday's TD -- which came after Brandon Wiggins caught a huge 23-yard pass on third down to help the Dragons ice the game.
Monday ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Dragon QB Connor Simmons completed 14-of-29 passes for 238 yards and a TD -- his eighth 200+-yard game of the year. WR Brandon Collins had seven catches for 117 yards and a TD. Simmons will need less than 30 yards next week to break the 2,000-yard mark for the season. The Dragon defense produced five turnovers, while the Cougars had three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Conley led a balanced G-C rushing attack with 65 yards. All in all, the Cougars gained 188 yards on the ground. The teams were dead-even in total yards. The teams were nearly dead-even in yards -- the Dragons had 293, the Cougars 288. But the Dragons were able to win their 16th straight regular-season game and 19th straight HHC game. And they became HHC champions for the second straight year.
NP is now 8-0 and 6-0 in conference play. G-C is 5-3 and 4-2 in HHC play, alone in third place.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Delta 12, Mt. Vernon 7: Anthony Burnett returned to the Marauder lineup and scored a touchdown, but Delta was able to turn an early lead into the victory at Mt. Vernon Stadium. The Marauders fell to 5-3, and both teams are now 3-3 in the HHC standings.
Shenandoah 53, Eastern Hancock 6: Shenandoah showed why it's one of the top small-school teams in Indiana with the victory tonight. Ranked No. 10 in Class 2A, the Raiders are unbeaten at 8-0. EH (2-6) plays at Edinburgh next week.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 69, Rushville 3: The Arabians had a 21-0 lead at the end of one, built it to 35-3 at the half and rolled to a victory over the Lions. Ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, PH is now in second place in the HHC with a 5-1 mark and a 7-1 overall record. The Arabians host Greenfield-Central next week.
Yorktown 22, Shelbyville 21: Great game tonight at Shelbyville. Brody Runyon powered in for a two-point conversion in the closing minutes after QB Joe Todd scored on a quarterback sneak. The Tigers are now 4-4 (2-4). Shelby falls to 1-7 (1-5).
Standings
#1/4 New Palestine 6-0/8-0 (at MV)
#9/9 Pendleton Heights 5-1/7-1 (vs G-C)
Greenfield-Central 4-2/5-3 (at PH)
Mt. Vernon 3-3/5-3 (vs. NP)
Delta 3-3/3-5 (5-3 on the field, at Shelby)
Yorktown 2-4/4-4 (at Rushville)
Shelbyville 1-5/1-7 (vs. Delta)
Rushville 0-6/2-6 (vs. Yorktown)
Next Friday night: Join Andrew, Chris and Mike as they broadcast the Battle for the Boundary Rail between Mt. Vernon and New Palestine. The Dragons can clinch an outright HHC championship with a victory. Tune in at 7 p.m., kickoff is 7:30 on www.hancockcountysports.com
Class 4A No. 1 New Palestine held on to beat Greenfield-Central 21-19 tonight, overcoming several big plays by the Cougars and an avalanche of momentum coming their way in the final 14 minutes.
The Dragons built an early 14-0 lead, but two Cougar big plays turned into touchdowns 14 seconds apart in the third, and another big play made it close.
Big plays were the name of the game as both defenses made it nearly impossible to have a sustained drive. The teams combined for nine turnovers in the game.
The game was also an emotional one, as the two teams combined for more than 180 yards in penalties, and those emotions often spilled into the crowd, which was a passionate one for both sides.
Things went NP's way early -- Scott Lyons ran the opening kickoff 91 yards to the G-C 3, setting up a TD by Austin Monday. After an exchange of turnovers, the Dragons' Connor Simmons hooked up with Brandon Collins from 50 yards out on 2nd-and-22 to make it a 14-0 game with four minutes to go in the opening quarter
The Dragon defense produced three takeaways on three G-C drives in the second, but the Cougars' blitzing defense stiffened when the Dragons would push into G-C territory.
After the teams traded field position for several drives in the third, G-C got a big play when QB Derek Conley broke off a 52-yard run, setting up a touchdown. Then, 14 seconds later, Brant Boles ran an interception in from 25 yards out. G-C missed both extra points -- a kick and a two-point conversion pass -- and the Dragons saw their lead shrink to 14-12 with 1:42 to go in the third.
Austin Monday broke several tackles in a 33-yard TD run with 1:49 left to make it a 21-12 game -- Wes Fox's extra point made it a two-possession game. That turned out to be key when Josh Applegate reeled in a deflected 52-yard TD pass for G-C one minute later. Brandon Wiggins recovered the ensuing on-side kick to give the Dragons the victory.
A fumbled snap gave the Cougars the ball in NP territory, but the Dragon defense held on a first-and-goal situation and forced a field goal attempt that went wide left. The Dragons were then able to respond with Monday's TD -- which came after Brandon Wiggins caught a huge 23-yard pass on third down to help the Dragons ice the game.
Monday ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Dragon QB Connor Simmons completed 14-of-29 passes for 238 yards and a TD -- his eighth 200+-yard game of the year. WR Brandon Collins had seven catches for 117 yards and a TD. Simmons will need less than 30 yards next week to break the 2,000-yard mark for the season. The Dragon defense produced five turnovers, while the Cougars had three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Conley led a balanced G-C rushing attack with 65 yards. All in all, the Cougars gained 188 yards on the ground. The teams were dead-even in total yards. The teams were nearly dead-even in yards -- the Dragons had 293, the Cougars 288. But the Dragons were able to win their 16th straight regular-season game and 19th straight HHC game. And they became HHC champions for the second straight year.
NP is now 8-0 and 6-0 in conference play. G-C is 5-3 and 4-2 in HHC play, alone in third place.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Delta 12, Mt. Vernon 7: Anthony Burnett returned to the Marauder lineup and scored a touchdown, but Delta was able to turn an early lead into the victory at Mt. Vernon Stadium. The Marauders fell to 5-3, and both teams are now 3-3 in the HHC standings.
Shenandoah 53, Eastern Hancock 6: Shenandoah showed why it's one of the top small-school teams in Indiana with the victory tonight. Ranked No. 10 in Class 2A, the Raiders are unbeaten at 8-0. EH (2-6) plays at Edinburgh next week.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 69, Rushville 3: The Arabians had a 21-0 lead at the end of one, built it to 35-3 at the half and rolled to a victory over the Lions. Ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, PH is now in second place in the HHC with a 5-1 mark and a 7-1 overall record. The Arabians host Greenfield-Central next week.
Yorktown 22, Shelbyville 21: Great game tonight at Shelbyville. Brody Runyon powered in for a two-point conversion in the closing minutes after QB Joe Todd scored on a quarterback sneak. The Tigers are now 4-4 (2-4). Shelby falls to 1-7 (1-5).
Standings
#1/4 New Palestine 6-0/8-0 (at MV)
#9/9 Pendleton Heights 5-1/7-1 (vs G-C)
Greenfield-Central 4-2/5-3 (at PH)
Mt. Vernon 3-3/5-3 (vs. NP)
Delta 3-3/3-5 (5-3 on the field, at Shelby)
Yorktown 2-4/4-4 (at Rushville)
Shelbyville 1-5/1-7 (vs. Delta)
Rushville 0-6/2-6 (vs. Yorktown)
Next Friday night: Join Andrew, Chris and Mike as they broadcast the Battle for the Boundary Rail between Mt. Vernon and New Palestine. The Dragons can clinch an outright HHC championship with a victory. Tune in at 7 p.m., kickoff is 7:30 on www.hancockcountysports.com
Football Friday
#1/4 New Palestine (7-0/5-0) at Greenfield-Central (5-2/4-1), 7 p.m. Broadcast www.hancockcountysports.com: HHC
title on the line in this one. These two teams split games last year.
Enjoy one of the state's top passing attacks against a very strong
secondary. Looking forward to seeing Connor Simmons and his receivers --
Josh Penley, Brandon Collins and more -- against G-C's athletic secondary of Derek Conley,
Matt Dickerson and Brant Boles. Join Andrew, Mike & Chris at 6:30 p.m. for the broadcast.
Delta (2-5 -- 4-3on field -- /2-3) at Mt. Vernon (5-2/3-2), 7 p.m.: Delta got a nice victory last week but obviously misses Fuatavai. Mann had his best game of the year last week, finding a pretty solid target in Greenberg. MV's defense hasn't given up a regulation TD in nine quarters despite not always having good field position to start -- the front 7 is as solid as anyone's. The Marauder defense was very impressive against an athletic and talented G-C squad last week. No broadcast, but updates available on the HancockCountySports.com broadcast.
Eastern Hancock (2-5) at #10 Shenandoah (7-0): The Raiders are unbeaten (again) and rolling through their schedule, but aren't receiving much respect from the polls. They will get it from a Royal team that is rapidly-improving -- including a narrow 13-10 road loss to a Milan squad that is in the Class A Top 10. EH had a nice win last week against Wes-Del, but this will be a challenge.
HHC games
Yorktown (4-3/2-3) at Shelbyville (1-6/1-4), 7 p.m. Broadcast: WSVX-96.5/1520 (www.wsvx.com). The Tigers have been a sleeping giant -- beat Delta, gave Greenfield-Central a game. They're a veteran team with some real weapons, especially in the backfield with Brendon Barnes, and in the secondary. Shelby is getting better -- especially on D. If the Bears can get their big fullback going, they'll be OK. Their defense, led by Ethan Runnebohm, has improved, but was put in some bad spots last week against NP because of turnovers, which has been the Bears' biggest bugaboo this year.
Rushville (2-5/0-5) at #9/9 Pendleton Heights (6-1/4-1), 7:30 p.m. Broadcast: WIFE-94.3 (professional, no streaming), WEEM-91.7 (student): The Arabians are an offensive machine this year. Lyons & Furrow have had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games and Patishall has a really accurate arm. Rushville is young and will be strong in a couple of years -- when it's in the EIAC.
Delta (2-5 -- 4-3on field -- /2-3) at Mt. Vernon (5-2/3-2), 7 p.m.: Delta got a nice victory last week but obviously misses Fuatavai. Mann had his best game of the year last week, finding a pretty solid target in Greenberg. MV's defense hasn't given up a regulation TD in nine quarters despite not always having good field position to start -- the front 7 is as solid as anyone's. The Marauder defense was very impressive against an athletic and talented G-C squad last week. No broadcast, but updates available on the HancockCountySports.com broadcast.
Eastern Hancock (2-5) at #10 Shenandoah (7-0): The Raiders are unbeaten (again) and rolling through their schedule, but aren't receiving much respect from the polls. They will get it from a Royal team that is rapidly-improving -- including a narrow 13-10 road loss to a Milan squad that is in the Class A Top 10. EH had a nice win last week against Wes-Del, but this will be a challenge.
HHC games
Yorktown (4-3/2-3) at Shelbyville (1-6/1-4), 7 p.m. Broadcast: WSVX-96.5/1520 (www.wsvx.com). The Tigers have been a sleeping giant -- beat Delta, gave Greenfield-Central a game. They're a veteran team with some real weapons, especially in the backfield with Brendon Barnes, and in the secondary. Shelby is getting better -- especially on D. If the Bears can get their big fullback going, they'll be OK. Their defense, led by Ethan Runnebohm, has improved, but was put in some bad spots last week against NP because of turnovers, which has been the Bears' biggest bugaboo this year.
Rushville (2-5/0-5) at #9/9 Pendleton Heights (6-1/4-1), 7:30 p.m. Broadcast: WIFE-94.3 (professional, no streaming), WEEM-91.7 (student): The Arabians are an offensive machine this year. Lyons & Furrow have had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games and Patishall has a really accurate arm. Rushville is young and will be strong in a couple of years -- when it's in the EIAC.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Saturday Morning QB: A three-team HHC race
It's a three-team race for the Hoosier Heritage Conference title after New Palestine broke the 40-point barrier for the third straight week in a victory over Shelbyville and Greenfield-Central posted a thrilling 6-0 OT victory over Mt. Vernon. In addition, Pendleton Heights gave head coach John Broughton his 200th career victory in a 31-7 victory over Yorktown.
Let's look back at the Friday night of football:
Greenfield-Central 6, Mt. Vernon 0, OT: The game we had for you last night. An incredible defensive game in which the Cougars' Derek Conley nabbed two interceptions in regulation, then ran in the game's only score from three yards out in OT to give the Cougars a victory and keep them in second place in the HHC. Brant Boles had an interception on MV's OT possession and also blocked a field goal earlier in the game. Conley (62 yards) was the game's leading rusher, as well. G-C now hosts New Palestine next Friday with the HHC title on the line. G-C is now 5-2/4-1 in the HHC. MV is 5-2/3-2.
Daily Reporter | Broadcast archive
New Palestine 49, Shelbyville 13: Another big passing day for the Dragons, who have now thrown for 23 touchdowns in seven games. Austin Monday ran for three touchdowns and a career-high 152 yards, Connor Simmons threw for four -- two to Brandon Collins and one each to Josh Penley and Brandon Wiggins. The Dragon defense forced four turnovers and the offense turned three into touchdowns. Simmons had radar-like 14-of-15 accuracy, and has thrown for 200+ yards now in all of the Dragons' seven games. 4A No. 1 NP is now 7-0 and 5-0 in the HHC. Shelby is 1-6/1-4.
Daily Reporter | Shelbyville News
Eastern Hancock 27, Wes-Del 6: The Royals finally got that elusive second victory after being on the cusp three straight weeks. Spencer Gilbert ran for 261 yards as the Royals improved to 2-5 on Senior Night. EH travels to Shenandoah next week before finishing at Edinburgh.
Daily Reporter
In the HHC
Pendleton Heights 31, Yorktown 7: It was a special night in Yorktown as the Arabisns gave 36th-year head coach John Broughton his 200th career victory with the victory. Yorktown, in a classy move, presented him with the gameball after the game. More importantly for the Arabians, they maintained pace in the conference by improving to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the HHC. PH, ranked 10th/9th in the two polls. Jacob Lyons had 147 rushing yards and QB Mitch Patishall completed 10-of-15 for 132 yards. Lyons and Jon Furrow each scored two TDs and Furrow kicked a field goal. PH was 7-for-7 on fourth down. Yorktown is 3-4/1-4.
Anderson Herald-Bulletin | Muncie Star-Press
Delta 48, Rushville 22: The Eagles got back on the winning track after a rare three-game losing streak. Ozzie Mann completed 14-of-22 for a season-high 199 yards, including 143 and three TDs to Jake Greenberg. Delta had 235 yards on the ground, using several backs to replace the production that had been provided by Austin Fuatavai -- who is out with an injury. Delta is now 2-3 in the HHC, 2-5 overall (although 4-3 on the field).
Muncie Star-Press
HHC standings
#1/4 New Palestine 5-0/7-0 (at G-C, at MV)
#10/9 Pendleton Heights 4-1/6-1 (vs. Rushville, vs. G-C)
Greenfield-Central 4-1/5-2 (vs. NP, at PH)
Mt. Vernon 3-2/5-2 (vs. Delta, vs. NP)
Delta 2-3/2-5 (4-3 on the field) (at MV, at Shelby)
Shelbyville 1-4/1-6 (vs. Yorktown, vs. Delta)
Yorktown 1-4/3-4 (at Shelby, at Rushville)
Rushville 0-5/2-5 (at PH, vs. Yorktown)
Our broadcasts on HancockCountySports.com
Friday, Oct. 7: New Palestine at Greenfield-Central, airtime 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, airtime 7 p.m.
Let's look back at the Friday night of football:
Greenfield-Central 6, Mt. Vernon 0, OT: The game we had for you last night. An incredible defensive game in which the Cougars' Derek Conley nabbed two interceptions in regulation, then ran in the game's only score from three yards out in OT to give the Cougars a victory and keep them in second place in the HHC. Brant Boles had an interception on MV's OT possession and also blocked a field goal earlier in the game. Conley (62 yards) was the game's leading rusher, as well. G-C now hosts New Palestine next Friday with the HHC title on the line. G-C is now 5-2/4-1 in the HHC. MV is 5-2/3-2.
Daily Reporter | Broadcast archive
New Palestine 49, Shelbyville 13: Another big passing day for the Dragons, who have now thrown for 23 touchdowns in seven games. Austin Monday ran for three touchdowns and a career-high 152 yards, Connor Simmons threw for four -- two to Brandon Collins and one each to Josh Penley and Brandon Wiggins. The Dragon defense forced four turnovers and the offense turned three into touchdowns. Simmons had radar-like 14-of-15 accuracy, and has thrown for 200+ yards now in all of the Dragons' seven games. 4A No. 1 NP is now 7-0 and 5-0 in the HHC. Shelby is 1-6/1-4.
Daily Reporter | Shelbyville News
Eastern Hancock 27, Wes-Del 6: The Royals finally got that elusive second victory after being on the cusp three straight weeks. Spencer Gilbert ran for 261 yards as the Royals improved to 2-5 on Senior Night. EH travels to Shenandoah next week before finishing at Edinburgh.
Daily Reporter
In the HHC
Pendleton Heights 31, Yorktown 7: It was a special night in Yorktown as the Arabisns gave 36th-year head coach John Broughton his 200th career victory with the victory. Yorktown, in a classy move, presented him with the gameball after the game. More importantly for the Arabians, they maintained pace in the conference by improving to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the HHC. PH, ranked 10th/9th in the two polls. Jacob Lyons had 147 rushing yards and QB Mitch Patishall completed 10-of-15 for 132 yards. Lyons and Jon Furrow each scored two TDs and Furrow kicked a field goal. PH was 7-for-7 on fourth down. Yorktown is 3-4/1-4.
Anderson Herald-Bulletin | Muncie Star-Press
Delta 48, Rushville 22: The Eagles got back on the winning track after a rare three-game losing streak. Ozzie Mann completed 14-of-22 for a season-high 199 yards, including 143 and three TDs to Jake Greenberg. Delta had 235 yards on the ground, using several backs to replace the production that had been provided by Austin Fuatavai -- who is out with an injury. Delta is now 2-3 in the HHC, 2-5 overall (although 4-3 on the field).
Muncie Star-Press
HHC standings
#1/4 New Palestine 5-0/7-0 (at G-C, at MV)
#10/9 Pendleton Heights 4-1/6-1 (vs. Rushville, vs. G-C)
Greenfield-Central 4-1/5-2 (vs. NP, at PH)
Mt. Vernon 3-2/5-2 (vs. Delta, vs. NP)
Delta 2-3/2-5 (4-3 on the field) (at MV, at Shelby)
Shelbyville 1-4/1-6 (vs. Yorktown, vs. Delta)
Yorktown 1-4/3-4 (at Shelby, at Rushville)
Rushville 0-5/2-5 (at PH, vs. Yorktown)
Our broadcasts on HancockCountySports.com
Friday, Oct. 7: New Palestine at Greenfield-Central, airtime 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, airtime 7 p.m.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday night wrapup
The final two weeks of the HHC are set up beautifully, as New Palestine, Greenfield-Central and Pendleton Heights are in a three-way race for the conference championship. .
In our broadcast, the Cougars and Mt. Vernon were locked in a 0-0 tie through four quarters, as the defenses absolutely dominated. The teams' big-play players -- G-C's Matt Dickerson and MV's Tyler Dicks -- were slowed by some great linebacking corps. Dickerson had 31 rushing yards. Dicks had 51 on 21 carries.
Matter of fact, neither offense got too untracked. G-C had 155 yards of offense, MV had 138 -- including 121 in the second half. Neither team got inside the other's 15. In the second half, the Cougars drove to the MV 17 in the third, but was stopped on fourth-and-1. The Marauders drove inside the Cougar 20, but had a field goal blocked. Neither team threatened after that, but G-C's Derek Conley had two interceptions in regulation to thwart Marauder drives.
In the third quarter, the Cougars found something with a wildcat offense quarterbacked by Conley -- which proved effective in moving the ball. They went back to it in OT. On its possession, MV tried a halfback pass, but Brant Boles picked it off in the end zone for the Cougars' fourth takeaway of the night. On the Cougars' possession, Conley took the direct snap and carried behind the left side of the line for seven yards on first down, then bounced outside on the next play to score the game's only TD and give the Cougars a 6-0 victory in overtime.
It was G-C's fourth straight victory on the year, and the Cougars' fourth victory over Mt. Vernon in the last five meetings between the schools -- two of which have been decided in OT.
Both teams are now 5-2 overall. G-C is 4-1 in the HHC and tied with Pendleton Heights for second, MV is 3-2 and in fourth place.
Listen to to the archive here
New Palestine 49, Shelbyville 13: The Golden Bears had a long run and an early TD, but the Dragons' defense turned two early Shelbyville fumbles into Connor Simmons touchdown passes and NP poured it on. Simmons threw four more TD passes to up his season total to 22. Brandon Collins and Josh Penley -- two of the state's leading receivers -- each caught a TD pass again and Austin Monday ran in a couple. The No. 1 Dragons are now 7-0 for the first time since 1992 and lead the HHC by a full game over G-C and PH.
Eastern Hancock 27, Wes-Del 6: The Royals got their running game going to get that second victory that had eluded them for weeks. EH has a tough test next week, traveling to unbeaten Shenandoah.
And in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 31, Yorktown 7: Coach John Broughton gets victory No. 200 in the Arabians' victory. One of the really great coaches in East Central Indiana, Coach Broughton's teams have really turned it on the last couple of years -- 16-4 in the last two seasons. The Arabians are now 6-1 (4-1) and tied with G-C for second place in the conference. They will face Rushville next week before hosting G-C in Week 9.
Delta 48, Rushville 22: The Eagles got their offense going in a big way in a victory over Rushville. Delta gets that elusive second conference win. The Eagles are now 2-3 in HHC play and in fifth place and 2-5 overall (4-3 overall on the field). Rushville is 2-5/0-5.
HHC standings
#1/4 New Palestine 5-0/7-0 (at G-C, at MV)
#10/9 Pendleton Heights 4-1/6-1 (vs. Rushville, vs. G-C)
Greenfield-Central 4-1/5-2 (vs. NP, at PH)
Mt. Vernon 3-2/5-2 (vs. Delta, vs. NP)
Delta 2-3/2-5 (4-3 on the field) (at MV, at Shelby)
Shelbyville 1-4/1-6 (vs. Yorktown, vs. Delta)
Yorktown 1-4/3-4 (at Shelby, at Rushville)
Rushville 0-5/2-5 (at PH, vs. Yorktown)
In our broadcast, the Cougars and Mt. Vernon were locked in a 0-0 tie through four quarters, as the defenses absolutely dominated. The teams' big-play players -- G-C's Matt Dickerson and MV's Tyler Dicks -- were slowed by some great linebacking corps. Dickerson had 31 rushing yards. Dicks had 51 on 21 carries.
Matter of fact, neither offense got too untracked. G-C had 155 yards of offense, MV had 138 -- including 121 in the second half. Neither team got inside the other's 15. In the second half, the Cougars drove to the MV 17 in the third, but was stopped on fourth-and-1. The Marauders drove inside the Cougar 20, but had a field goal blocked. Neither team threatened after that, but G-C's Derek Conley had two interceptions in regulation to thwart Marauder drives.
In the third quarter, the Cougars found something with a wildcat offense quarterbacked by Conley -- which proved effective in moving the ball. They went back to it in OT. On its possession, MV tried a halfback pass, but Brant Boles picked it off in the end zone for the Cougars' fourth takeaway of the night. On the Cougars' possession, Conley took the direct snap and carried behind the left side of the line for seven yards on first down, then bounced outside on the next play to score the game's only TD and give the Cougars a 6-0 victory in overtime.
It was G-C's fourth straight victory on the year, and the Cougars' fourth victory over Mt. Vernon in the last five meetings between the schools -- two of which have been decided in OT.
Both teams are now 5-2 overall. G-C is 4-1 in the HHC and tied with Pendleton Heights for second, MV is 3-2 and in fourth place.
Listen to to the archive here
New Palestine 49, Shelbyville 13: The Golden Bears had a long run and an early TD, but the Dragons' defense turned two early Shelbyville fumbles into Connor Simmons touchdown passes and NP poured it on. Simmons threw four more TD passes to up his season total to 22. Brandon Collins and Josh Penley -- two of the state's leading receivers -- each caught a TD pass again and Austin Monday ran in a couple. The No. 1 Dragons are now 7-0 for the first time since 1992 and lead the HHC by a full game over G-C and PH.
Eastern Hancock 27, Wes-Del 6: The Royals got their running game going to get that second victory that had eluded them for weeks. EH has a tough test next week, traveling to unbeaten Shenandoah.
And in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 31, Yorktown 7: Coach John Broughton gets victory No. 200 in the Arabians' victory. One of the really great coaches in East Central Indiana, Coach Broughton's teams have really turned it on the last couple of years -- 16-4 in the last two seasons. The Arabians are now 6-1 (4-1) and tied with G-C for second place in the conference. They will face Rushville next week before hosting G-C in Week 9.
Delta 48, Rushville 22: The Eagles got their offense going in a big way in a victory over Rushville. Delta gets that elusive second conference win. The Eagles are now 2-3 in HHC play and in fifth place and 2-5 overall (4-3 overall on the field). Rushville is 2-5/0-5.
HHC standings
#1/4 New Palestine 5-0/7-0 (at G-C, at MV)
#10/9 Pendleton Heights 4-1/6-1 (vs. Rushville, vs. G-C)
Greenfield-Central 4-1/5-2 (vs. NP, at PH)
Mt. Vernon 3-2/5-2 (vs. Delta, vs. NP)
Delta 2-3/2-5 (4-3 on the field) (at MV, at Shelby)
Shelbyville 1-4/1-6 (vs. Yorktown, vs. Delta)
Yorktown 1-4/3-4 (at Shelby, at Rushville)
Rushville 0-5/2-5 (at PH, vs. Yorktown)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
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.
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, September 24, 2011
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
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
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