With the weather still wreaking havoc around central Indiana, news in the high school sports world seems a bit trivial. But should you need an escape, or a reason to get your mind elsewhere, here’s a look at a busy weekend and what lies ahead as spring sports come to a close.

BASEBALL
What a story the Decatur Central baseball team has become the past couple weeks, as the Hawks have thrilled and survived to now find themselves playing for the 4A state title this Saturday. The squad came into sectionals ranked No. 9 and was certainly under the radar on most accounts, but Saturday’s 7-6 comeback win over Evansville Harrison put the radar detectors into overdrive.

Nick Stoia, who made an error in the top of the seventh that allowed Harrison to take a 6-4 lead, got some serious redemption in the bottom half of the inning when he hit a two-run double off the left field wall. That shot off his bat tied the game at 6, and then the next batter, Adam Kirk, drove in Stoia and the celebration ensued.

Decatur Central, now sporting a 28-7 record, will play Saturday evening at Victory Field against the winner of today’s game between Crown Point and FW Homestead.

Elsewhere around the diamond, the area’s top teams in 3A have fallen during regionals and the title game is set with Crawfordsville and Mishawaka Marian. Crawfordsville is one of the hottest teams around, having taken out the likes of Brebeuf and Greensburg to reach the title game. In Class 2A, the northern half of the bracket is complete and FW Luers will be playing for the title. The southern half of the semistate bracket plays today at Mooresville with Elwood taking on Austin and South Ripley playing Eastern Greene.

Finally, in Class 1A, Bethesda Christian hopes to continue its unexpected run today as it is scheduled to face Shakamak in one semistate semifinal. Should Bethesda win, it will play the winner between Tecumseh and Jac-Cen-Del at 8:00 this evening at Perry Meridian.

GOLF
Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) at The Legends in Franklin, the boys golf state finals will get underway and two local teams have set themselves apart from the others. Avon, ranked No. 1 in the final poll, is probably considered the favorite after consistently posting low scores with serious depth on the roster. The Orioles beat Cathedral, the other frontrunner, at last Thursday’s regional by 10 strokes and have yet to lose one dual meet or invitational this season.

Senior Ronnie Harris posted a 67 at sectionals and 77 at regionals, while freshman Patrick Rodgers (my boy) won the individual regional title with a 69 at Hickory Stick. Center Grove claimed the final team spot out of that regional, finishing third by edging Brebreuf by one shot. Advancing individually were Perry Meridian’s Aaron Monson, Zionsville’s Graham Singer, Roncalli’s David Holmes and Greenwood’s Corbin Mitchell.

In other regional action, Lebanon was sent up north and came away with a berth in the state finals after Andrew Frandsen led the way with a 75. And at the Muncie Central Regional, Hamilton SE won the team crown and advanced along with second-place Noblesville. Carmel suffered a tough one as a tiebreaker put them one spot out of qualification.

GIRLS TENNIS
One week after Park Tudor claimed the team state championship, individual titles were on the line this past weekend. In a central Indiana showdown for the doubles crown, North Central’s senior pair of Maggie Ashby and Alena Perez-Majul came back to defeat Park Tudor seniors Heather Rogers and Elizabeth Emhardt by the score of 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. Ashby and Perez-Majul completed a perfect season (23-0) and became the sixth doubles team in school history to claim the top spot.

In singles action, Carmel freshman Courtney Wild made an impressive run to the championship match before falling to Columbus North sophomore Caroline Hedrick (3-6, 6-4, 6-1). With the win, Hedrick posted a 25-0 record this season. In the consolation match, Avon junior Christina Riley fell to Munster junior Mary Hill to finish fourth overall.

THIS WEEK
The softball state championships, after being postponed on Saturday due to the weather, will be settled this evening at 7:00 at various locations around the area. Click here to view the schedule.

As mentioned, the boys golf state championships are set to be played Tuesday and Wednesday at The Legends in Franklin.

Friday, the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Games will be played at Conseco Fieldhouse starting at 6:00 p.m. and will feature several local hoops stars. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Finally, the baseball state championships are scheduled to be claimed this Friday and Saturday at Victory Field. Teams are still to be determined, so check back on our homepage tomorrow for the full list of games.

Here we are, winding down another sports season.

Girls tennis is complete, and we recapped Park Tudor's historic run for a fourth consecutive team title.

Softball state semifinals get underway Friday, with three local teams vying for a shot a state titles on Saturday (Franklin Central, New Palestine and Lutheran). Find out how they made it to this point here.

Boys and girls track teams ended their seasons last weekend down on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington. Many titles were won by local teams and student-athletes, so check out the boys results here and the girls here.

Friday, the Hoosiers Reunion All-Star Game will take place at the historic gym in Knightstown.

Needless to say, the recent storms have been reeking havoc on high school sports state tournaments. Last night's baseball regionals were postponed and we'll have to see how well the area golf courses dry out before Thursday's regional action.

Yet it's important to note how little some canceled events matter in the grand scheme of things. Many people have had their lives affected by the recent severe weather, and here at HSSTM we'd like to let them know our thoughts are with them.

A little short on time today, but I know it's been nearly a week or longer since I did, as Dave calls it, "a little blogger." Remember, we're busy working on some really cool things here, so I'll blame that on the length of time between blogs for me.

(That, and my Los Angeles Lakers Western Conference Finals showdown with the San Antonio Spurs.)

Heading out to New Palestine here in a few to check out the baseball sectional title game between New Pal and Rusvhille. New Pal has a dynamic team (26-2) and the Dragons pitching ace, senior Patrick Kraft, has been nearly unhittable this season. He went the full six innings and struck out eight to move to 10-0 on the season in the Dragons 1-0 victory against Hamilton Heights.

No. 2 New Pal has been on a tear during the month of May and a sectional title would certainly cap a terrific season - though I'm sure they won't want the tournament ride to end there.

Of all the games this week, I was highly intrigued by the Brebeuf - Chatard showdown in Class 3A baseball sectionals on Wednesday, and not just because I spent some time with the Brebeuf team in preparation for one of the feature stories in the new June issue. Chatard (25-4) came into the game ranked No. 3 in the state, while Brebeuf (21-5) ranked No. 7. A top 10 showdown in a sectional semifinal? Wow. The Braves topped the Trojans and will play for the title tonight at Brebeuf, with a game time of 6 p.m.

Track state finals are taking place today and tomorrow at Indiana University in Bloomington. The girls meet begins today at 1 p.m., while the boys have a similar start time tomorrow.

Five of the top 6 ranked girls track teams are from Central Indiana, and under the right circumstances and performances any can win: No. 1 North Central, No. 2 Lawrence North, No. 3 Warren Central, No. 5 Westfield and No. 6 Park Tudor.

North Central's strongest events are in the relays, long jump and shot put, as is Lawrence North's. Warren Central always runs strong sprints and hurdles, but are missing star Ebony Wright. Westfield could get in done on distance events, while Park Tudor will rely on Hannah Farley (first in the 400, second in the 200, anchor in 1600 meter relay) to put the Panthers in contention. Should be a great one today in Bloomington.

Enjoy the weekend, graduations and all these exciting tournament events!

Let’s get to the point. There’s dozens of games notes, storylines and updates in the world of spring sports state tournaments. Here’s a quick-hit snapshot, for those of you not weathering the storm at Carb Day today.

• Lawrence North shot-put stud Brandon Pounds, whom I’m guessing you may know by now, threw an all-time state best 66 feet, 9 inches at regionals last night. It surpassed the mark of 66, 8 ½ tossed in 1997 by Pike’s Jeremy Allen, but Pounds will have to repeat that performance in the state meet in order to get his name in the books. Records are confined to the state meet. Not sure if I like that rule.
  
  
• Meanwhile, boys track regionals saw many fine performances last evening. You can find full results from the IHSAA by clicking here. You can also catch up with the ladies by viewing the heat sheet for the upcoming state finals by clicking here. The girls have state next Friday while the boys follow a day later down in Bloomington.
  
  
• Girls tennis is racing through its postseason in team competition, as regionals concluded this week and tomorrow sees semistate competition. You can get a quick look with our rundown here. Tomorrow’s match between No. 3 Carmel and No. 7 Center Grove will be heated, and the winner will almost surely be facing No. 1 Park Tudor. A possible contest between Carmel and Park Tudor would be perhaps the best of the entire state tournament.
  
  
• Softball sectional titles will be hotly contested tonight and tomorrow, highlighted by two key contests in Class 4A. Tonight, No. 10 Hamilton SE squares up against Noblesville on the Millers’ home field. That might not sound great on paper, but the Royals are still the defending state champs and Noblesville is fresh off last evening’s huge upset over No. 3 Carmel. Meanwhile, No. 1 Center Grove takes to the diamond in a sectional title showdown against No. 6 Franklin Central tomorrow at noon on the Flashes’ home field. Elsewhere, you can see a full sectional bracket for 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A. Enjoy.
  
  
• In the club sports scene, boys volleyball will be crowning its state champion tomorrow in the new gym at Franklin. Games will be played all day, starting at 11:00 with semifinals at 3:00 and the title game at 5:00. Local schools Franklin, Cathedral, Center Grove, Carmel and Lawrence North will all be playing. Check out the action, it’s a lot more entertaining than you might think.
  

Everyone enjoy the holiday weekend. Be safe, and I’ll try to do the same.

Well, folks, here we are, just a few days/weeks (depending on your school locale) from the end of the academic and athletic year.

 There is always a gradual feeling of finality to late May and early June here in Central Indiana. High school seniors are moving on, spring sports state tournaments are winding down and even our favorite television programs are signing off until September.

Summer break is bearing down on us like a freight train. But there's no "real break" as well all know. Parents, coaches and administrators will keep working, preparing for the fall. Student-athletes will be busy busting their tails to get ready for the coming sports seasons.

Here at HSSTM, we're no different. In fact, we're busy working on some really cool stuff for our magazine and Web site that I just can't talk about right now (Yes, that's a tease.) But keep checking back online here, as well as in the magazine - as we have huge things planned for June, July, August and September. (All this hype will be worth it, trust me).

On with the news...

• Heritage Christian athletic director Jeff Hester will be taking over the same position at Columbus North. Though Columbus is slightly out of our coverage area, we wish Jeff the best and hope to keep in touch with him - perhaps we'll expand our coverage areas in the future and Columbus North and Columbus East will fall under that umbrella (ella, ella, ella).

Softball Sectionals

• Strong performance from Center Grove junior pitcher Emily Gwaltney in the Class 4A No. 1Trojans 2-1 victory against Whiteland at the Franklin Central softball sectional last night. Gwaltney (featured on the cover story from our April 2008 issue) struck out eight and went 2-for-4 at the plate in guiding Center Grove to an opening round win.

• Class 4A No. 5 Avon dominated Tech 18-0 in five innings at Decatur Central behind winning pitcher Jenny Esparza's two-run triple.

• Decatur Central topped Pike, 5-1, behind Farrah Mitchell's nine-strikeouts. Micah Docherty knocked in three runs to help the Hawks. Avon and Decatur Central will meet for the title on Saturday.

• Beech Grove got a strong performance from Beth Lewis, who hit a three-run homer and struck out eight on the mound, in a 14-3 victory against Northwest in five innings.

• Ty Bremer pitched a no-hitter, complete with 12 strikeouts, to lead Class 2A No. 1 Scecina to a 18-0 victory against Park Tudor.

• Another no hitter in Class 2A came from Indian Creek, in combined effort from Lindsey Richards and reliever Shino Kato in a five inning, 13-0 victory against Triton Central.

• Class A No. 2 Lutheran topped Morristown 12-0 courtesy of Morgan Lewis' two home runs.

Baseball

• In Brownsburg's 10-0, five-inning victory against Fishers yesterday, senior Mark Conover threw a no-hitter. Conover struck out seven and walked just three in this impressive performance. You may remember Mark's fascinating story in our April 2007 inaugural issue, which you can read again here.

Yeah, guess I’ve been off the old blog for a while now. It’s Friday, and as they say, I’m due.

Needless to say, HSSTM, both locally and nationally, has been quite busy this spring. We had an e-mailer yesterday notice that we are a bit behind on some of our Web content, like the rankings. This gentleman was quite friendly about the whole thing, expressing sympathy for trying to maintain every little piece while focusing on the magazine itself (with a staff of five). Most of the time this would fall into the “angry e-mailer” category, so I’d just like to thank this man for not going that direction. I digress.

Folks, all I can really say is sit tight, we’re working on some big (and very cool) changes. We take pride in trying to provide some timely key information on the Web, so it irks us, too, that there are currently a couple ‘bugs’ that have resulted in, mainly, rankings that are three weeks old. Please keep visiting, as our Showcase stories and blogs will keep rolling along. Pretty soon you’ll understand why I’m saying all of this.

Now on to your regularly scheduled blogging.

BOYS TRACK SECTIONALS

At the risk of not repeating too much information that you can find elsewhere, I’d like to mention a few things from the boys track sectionals last night. There were dozens and dozens of notable performances throughout Central Indiana, but there two specific groups of teammates that have the chance to do something really special this spring.

Those two groups would be the Ben Davis sprinters and the Lawrence North field event fellas. It appears as though Giants sprinters Matthew Terrell, Lavarus Williams, Rapheal Williams, Anthony Kimmons, Brandon Newbern, Colin Hester and Robert Rose all have a shot at competing in the state meet – Terrell and the two Williams’ for sure (knock on wood, of course). That’s a ridiculous group simply in numbers, and 95 percent of coaches around the state would love to have just one of them. See all of their times and finishes here.

Then last night at the North Central Sectional, the LN field athletes were just as impressive as the BD sprinters. Tra Wilson, Jordan Conley (Mike's brother) and Tarus Blackburn finished 1-2-3 in the long jump and all were separated by about nine inches total. Couple the long jumpers with the 1-2 finish in the shot put by Brandon Pounds and Ryan Smith, and you’ve got yourself quite a cast. Pounds has the longest throw in the state this season, while Wilson matched his win in the long jump with sprinting wins in the 100, 200 and 400 relay. Eesh.

BASEBALL SECTIONAL DRAW

We’ve put up a rundown of every local baseball sectional on the homepage, but I thought I’d just make a few comments about the interesting match-ups.

This discussion has to start in 4A Sectional 8, where No. 3 Carmel (19-4) has drawn Noblesville (18-6) in each team’s sectional opener, which will be a semifinal in that bracket. Carmel has to be considered one of the teams with the most depth, top to bottom, while the Millers are quite an interesting story themselves. After a surprise run to semistate last year, Noblesville returned a large handful of starters and it was the coaches’ choice for the preseason No. 1 team in 4A. Then the Millers started the season 6-5 and quickly dropped from the rankings, but have since gone 12-1 and have to be considered a frontrunner with experience. Without a doubt, one really good team will have its season cut short after this one.

Elsewhere, 4A Sectional 12 at Avon has some interesting potential if the bracket stays chalk. In the opening game, No. 5 Brownsburg (18-3) takes on rival Avon (17-7) in what will be an intense chess match. The Bulldogs have beaten their Hendricks County foe three times this season, but can they make it four? If so Pike will be waiting in the semis with a possible championship game looming against one of the bigger surprises of the season, No. 9 Decatur Central (17-6). The Hawks have a first round game scheduled against Ben Davis and would face the winner of Manual vs. Tech in the semis before a showdown with Brownsburg could happen.

In 3A, Sectional 26 at Brebeuf could have a semifinal game for the books. Host and No. 5 Brebeuf (17-4) plays Beech Grove in the opener while No. 2 Chatard (21-3) takes on Howe. If both teams win, they would square off in the semis…keep an eye on that one.

Lastly, in 2A, Sectional 43 at Park Tudor looks to be highly competitive. Don’t sleep on Triton Central, who is just outside the top-10 in the rankings and won this sectional last year. They have drawn Washington in their opener and would possibly have to face solid teams such as Heritage Christian and Park Tudor in later rounds. 

Before we delve into the high school sports news from around the area, I thought I would pass along a little advice to all those between the ages of 18-25.

When you drive down the street, be it in a souped-up car or a pickup truck or a squeaky clean SUV, you've probably passed a minivan or two in your time behind the wheel. And more than likely, many of you have thought, "I will never own a minivan, it just won't happen. I'll put my kids in three cars before I buy one of those."

Everyone thinks this and truly believes it. Well, I've got news for ya: you will buy a minivan. Oh yes, you will.

And here's why: because invariably, everyone buys a minivan at some point in life. My wife and I, who are expecting a third child next month, always said we would never drive a minivan. I had a sweet truck with a 6-inch bodylift, chrome wheels, dual exhausts, leather seats, I'm telling you, the works.

But life started, the bills and babies came and before you know it, I found myself eyeballing a Chrysler Town & Country and thinking, "That one looks really good, it has the safety latches to strap the kids in and low mileage."

You don't believe me now...but it will happen to you too. Trust me.

On with the high school sports news from around Central Indiana:

• Got a nice note from New Palestine softball coach Ed Marcum yesterday, talking all about junior pitcher Sara Evans (pictured right) unbelievable performance on the mound last Friday. Evans, in the Dragons 10-0, 5-inning win over Connersville, struck out all 15 hitters she faced for a truly perfect game. "It was something I had not seen before and it was very exciting," Marcum said.

• Triton Central has revived the annual Tiger Scramble, a golf event to raise funds to help student-athletes achieve their very best. The school is hoping to raise enough money to provide scholarships for skill development camps and other opportunities for athletes who may not be able to go on their own. The scramble is on Sunday, June 8 at 2 p.m. at The Links Golf Course in New Palestine. Contact Tigers athletic director Bobby Thompson at (317) 835-3000 or bthompson@nwshelby.k12.in.us.

• Congrats to Cathedral, the 2008 City Tournament champions. Tyler Koors pitched a three-hitter for the Class 4A No. 4 Irish in a 11-1 five inning victory over Class 3A No. 2 Chatard.

• We've been tracking boys volleyball, a growing club sport here in Central Indiana, and have a nice look at the season so far and the upcoming state tournament here.

• Noticed that Ellie McCardwell of Pendleton Heights shattered the girls pole vault record at sectionals the other day. The original mark was 10 feet, 10 inches, but McCardwell cleared 12-2 in the finals. HSSTM will keep tracking her progress to state and so should you.
  

• The 2008 baseball pairings were announced this morning, beginning at 8 a.m. We'll have a breakdown of all the local teams in action in a showcase story on hsstm.com tomorrow or Monday at the latest. For a look at the softball pairings, which begin Monday, click here.

What is it parents always say, that patience is a virtue? As many can attest to, sometimes it's easier said than done.

But Beech Grove basketball player John Hart heeded his father's advice and remained patient while trying to determine his future plans.

Just a month ago, Hart was considering junior colleges. Today, he's committed to attending and playing hoops at Purdue and Boilers head coach Matt Painter, who loved Hart's athleticism.

The Marion County Player of the Year, who averaged 18.7 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Hornets, led Beech Grove to it's first sectional title in 16 years.

Congratulations to John and his family, for waiting for the right opportunity - Hart should be a good fit for the Boilermakers.

Other news and notes:

• After a bit of controversy, the Hamilton County boys track meet officially has a winner. Carmel protested the final score, which saw Noblesville win the meet 139-138, because Dan Porter's fourth-place finish in the 1,600 was not scored. After officials reviewed the score, they found Porter's four points were not counted and awarded the meet to Carmel, 142-139.

• If you've been outside of your home (or even just looked out the window) you're well aware it's been quite, uh, wet outside these past few days. It's certainly affected Central Indiana high school sports, including boys and girls track, boys golf, girls tennis, baseball and softball. Here's a look at some of the changes to the schedule:

• The Marion County boys track meet has been rescheduled for tonight at North Central, beginning at 5 p.m.

• The Marion County baseball tournament - as well as the City tourney - were to play at Victory Field this week, but with the weather and the Indianapolis Indians beginning a long stretch of home games, those have been moved to other locations.

• Class 3A No. 2 Chatard (20-2) plays 4A No. 6 Cathedral (16-3) at 5 p.m. on Monday for the City title at Butler, while Southport (9-9) faces Decatur Central (14-4) at 6 p.m. Monday at Franklin Central for the County title.

• The girls tennis City tournament will still take place tonight at Riverside Park, with preliminary round action beginning at 4 p.m. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for a 9.m. start Saturday at the Indianapolis Tennis Center, while the championships begin at 4 p.m. Monday at the Tennis Center.

• However, the Marion County girls tennis tournament was postponed due to rain for the second straight day. County matches will begin tonight at 4:30 p.m. and continue Saturday at 10 a.m. All matches are at Park Tudor High School.

Finally, be sure to tune in to 1260 AM today around 4:30 p.m., where I will be a guest on "The Drive with JMV." I'll talk high school sports and more with John Michael Vincent. You can listen live at http://wnde.com.

Enjoy the weekend - and I must wish a Happy Mother's Day out there to all moms, including my beautiful wife and my own mom. Enjoy your special day, I'll try to change all the diapers I can, whilst preparing a feast of epic proportions.

Greeting readers, happy Wednesday to you. Here's some news, notes and things we're keeping an eye on.

• As we posted on our homepage this morning, former IU hoops standout Greg Graham is in the running to get the head job for boys basketball at his alma mater, Warren Central.
• The North Central girls track team won the Marion County meet last evening, beating out Warren Central and Lawrence North just like the MIC meet last week. Highlights for the Panthers included Leigha Tolliver's wins in the long jump (18 feet, 5 3/4 inches) and 300-meter hurdles (46.83 seconds). Other standout performances included Park Tudor's Hannah Farley winning the 800, Warren's Candyce McGrone capturing the 100 and 200, and Beech Grove's Renee Masterson earning the top spots in the 1,600 and 3,200. Breaking County marks at the meet were Lawrence North's Felisha Johnson in the shot put (49 feet, 5 inches) and Lawrence Central sophomore Margo Tucker in the pole vault (12 feet, 1 inch). The Marion County boys meet is Thursday at North Central.
• The Westfield girls track team won the Hamilton County meet, also held last evening. The Shamrocks beat No. 7 Carmel by 9.5 points, and cleaned up at the finish line by winning several events. Freshman Waverly Neer took top honors in the 3,200, Sarah Kinnamen won the pole vault by tying her own meet record (11 feet, 3 inches), Felisha Strong won the long jump, BreAuntai Bluing captured the 100, and Breanne Ehrman took first in the 800.
• Some big dual meets in boys golf the past week. Last Wednesday, April 30, No. 3 Avon edged No. 10 Hamilton SE 144-147. Avon's Andrew Wegeng and HSE's Wes Bowman both shot 33 in that match. Then on Thursday, May 1, No. 17 Warren Central beat Lawrence North behind a 34 from Matt Spicuzza, and on that same day, No. 6 Carmel beat a solid Brebeuf team on the strength of a 33 from Grant Meade.
• Cathedral and Chatard will be playing for the baseball City Championship tomorrow, Thursday, at Victory Field. The Irish are currently No. 6 in 4A while the rival Trojans are No. 2 in 3A, but Chatard will be looking to avenge its early-season loss to Cathedral in this one.
• Our Student Photo Contest is quickly wrapping up. If you know any local high school students that shoot photography for academic or recreational purposes, please pass on the good word. See the link provided for more information.

Not to go all Michael Jordan, circa 1995 or anything, but let me just state, "I'm back."

After a week in beautiful Orlando (where the the temperature never dropped below 85 and it rained for five minutes one day), I'm back in the office.

My wife (who's 32 weeks pregnant with our third and had to ride a scooter all week) and two kids had an amazing time with Mickey, Pluto, Goofy and of course, a Moore household favorite, Nemo. For proof, see the picture at left.

I even snuck our 6-year old son, Cole, on a water slide at Blizzard Beach and the kid went on the Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain (twice).

It's always invigorating to see your children in a mode of such pure joy. And I was quite the kid myself.

It's amazing how you can get lost in the Wonderful World of Disney. For one week, I couldn't access e-mail and had no idea what was the latest and greatest from the world of Central Indiana high school sports.

I went through a period of withdraw, but it's been nice to catch up today on all that's going on. (It was neat to hear there was a no-hitter from Fishers baseball and apparently four local teams will be the first to play on the field of the new Lucas Oil Stadium in late August.)

Anyway, I'm back. And I've brought a couple of aspirin for Dave McConnell, who so eloquently held the fort down in my absence. The M&M boys are at full strength, be on the look out.

You know those times when it seems like you can't remember what you just did 20 minutes ago? Yeah, that's me...all week.

It's been kind of nice, in a way, to sort of hop from station to station (literally and figuratively) while Brian soaks up his vacation (unintentional rhyme, really). I think you can tell I'm losing it a little bit...but I've gotten sort of territorial this week in the office and Brian doesn't know it. It'll be like watching the Discovery Channel in here next week, re-introducing a species (Brian) to its native home (the office) after its former ally (me) has been left cold to fend for itself.

Now that my random thoughts are out of the way, let's get to some business. Spring sports are busy. Here's some things to chew on:

• Perry Meridian quarterback Adam Wiese, whom we featured in our October issue, has signed a Letter of Intent to continue his playing career at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn. this fall. Lambuth is currently an NAIA school, but is scheduled to become NCAA Division II in 2010. Wiese threw for over 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, and will be playing in July's Grange Insurance All-Star Classic.
  
• The Zionsville girls tennis team has bumped up to No. 5 in the Coaches' top 20 this week, up four spots thanks to an impressive run. The Eagles hosted an April 26 tournament in which they beat then-No. 6 Brebeuf and then-No. 5 Center Grove. The week prior, on April 19, Zionsville took second out of eight teams in a loaded field at the Park Tudor Invite, as seniors Danielle Hansen (No. 1 singles) and Margo Harrington (No. 2 singles) lead the way. Other hot teams in girls tennis include Park Tudor and a young but extremely dangerous Carmel squad.
  
• City tournaments and Marion County tournaments are abound this week and next. Cathedral, ranked No. 1, recently took the City title in boys golf with an absurd four-round total of 284, led by Henry Plager's 2-under 70. Scecina softball will be going for its fifth straight City title, set to play Ritter in the semis on Saturday. The winner of that game will play the winner between Cathedral and Chatard in the 4 p.m. championship game at Brookside Park. The Marion County tourneys in softball and baseball also get started today, with the softball title on Monday at Ben Davis and baseball title on Thursday at Victory Field. No word on what happens when all of today's games get rained out (sorry, but it's all but guaranteed).
  
• Brownsburg baseball might be able to call itself the hottest team in the state for the moment, save for Crown Point. The 4A No. 2 Bulldogs swept a home-and-home with No. 7 Avon, taking out the Orioles 12-4 on Wednesday and 16-4 last evening. Mark Conover did some damage, knocking a homer in Wednesday's game followed by a grand slam in Thursday's game along with getting the win on the mound. Not too shabby.

That's all for now. If you have any notes about a school you follow, something newsworthy, always feel free to contact us at letters.centralindiana@hsstm.com. We'll do our best to get you some pub somewhere. Hope most of you, if not all, enjoyed the May issue, currently flying off the shelves at your local Marsh or Blockbuster. Happy Friday to all and have a great weekend.

When I entered the HSSTM office today for the last time, Brian and Dave started singing the old Chicago tune:

If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me
No baby please don't go
If you leave me now, you'll take away the very heart of me
No baby please don't go

That actually didn't happen, but it would have been the highlight of my internship to hear those two belt out notes as high as Peter Gabriel.

As it is, though, today is my last day at my home away from home away from home (the Butler newspaper is my home away from home, but this place gave it a run for its money).

When I stepped into the office for my first day of work nearly four months ago, I was that stereotypical, glossy-eyed, "Boy oh boy, boss, what can I do for ya??" intern nerd. I had just finished a different internship from the previous semester, so I was still on a "professional environment" adrenaline rush. HSSTM Central Indiana was fresh and new, both for me and somewhat for the people who worked here. Things looked great, and the magazine wasn't even a year old yet.

And you know, thing look even better now. I mean, I have my own desk now. For the first part of this internship, I was the hobo of the office, traveling from desk to desk, computer to computer. "But they took my stapler and never brought it back and then they moved my desk to storage room B and there was garbage on it..." (That's a movie reference, Dave.)

This magazine is on the upswing and is on track to be something huge. And I wish there was some way I could explain just how much I learned at this place. Here's a quick range of the numerous things I was able to gather:

• Waldron's girls cross country and track and field teams flourished in 1998, winning two sectionals
• Dave's middle name is William. (David William McConnell? That sounds like English royalty right there.)
• In the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, Norway dominated Germany in the championship game, as Norway had done to every other opponent prior to that.
• Northwest's mascot is the Space Pioneers.
• Brian grows a mean five o'clock shadow.
• Franklin's Brad Hook can absolutely CRANK out the long ball. (That sweet swing gives me chills.)
• Pike's basketball team was ranked second in the country in 2003, one spot behind LeBron James and his St. Mary-St. Vincent team.

I could go on and on about the wide array of facts I've come across, each unique and fun to know in its own way.

It's this kind of stuff that makes this magazine so great. It's the stories that tell the unique perspectives and interesting facts about a person or team in the area. It's the photos that capture the emotion and physicality of any high school sport. This magazine encapsulates the good in the high school athletes, coaches and staff, and this magazine shows how a strong commitment and unwavering persistence pay off in the end, both in sports and in real life.

I'd like to thank Phil and Jennifer Temple for giving me the opportunity to work here.

I'd like to commend Grant Glas for the hard work he's done graphically for the magazine.

Finally, I'd like to commend and thank Dave McConnell and Brian Moore for everything they've taught me and for allowing me to do so much with the magazine.

It has truly been a fun time here, a place where a mascot really fits in nicely. To all those who actually read this blog, a big thanks to you as well. This is Bobabooey, Bob from Accounting, Bab, the person with the best March Madness bracket in the office, signing off.

Some news and notes today. Nothing flashy, but hopefully effective.

• The Indiana Baseball Coaches Association, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society, has initiated a state-wide effort to raise money for the fight against cancer. The effort is being called “Baseball Strikes Out ‘K’ancer” and the campaign will be taking place during games played the final week of this month. For example, Fishers has designated its home game this Saturday against Avon as their “Baseball Strikes Out ‘K’ancer” game. The participating schools have the option of getting money donated or pledged using different game factors such as number of strikeouts, runs scored, or total hits gotten by both teams. Cool stuff, be sure to donate if you find yourself at a local game participating in this effort.
  
• Updates in the various rankings this week. Avon has jumped to the top spot in the 4A softball poll, thanks in part to the efforts of outstanding pitcher Jenny Esparza. On Thursday, the Orioles have a showdown schedule on the road against 2A No. 1 Scecina. In baseball, Carmel fell out of the top spot after losing 1-of-2 against North Central last week while Brownsburg fell from No. 2 to No. 5. Crown Point and Penn take the top two spots, respectively.

• On our homepage this week, we take a quick look at some spring standouts – some of which have already been mentioned on the blog and some new highlights as well. Also, the Indiana All-Stars have been announced and you can get the full roster here.

• The softball City Tournament gets underway this Saturday at Brookside Park, where the aforementioned Scecina Crusaders are the top seed and heavy favorites. The semifinals are set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 and the championship game follows.

• We’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of the May issue, which is set to begin distribution on Monday at local Marsh and Blockbuster stores. However, we will be sending out the digital copy in the brand new HSSTM E-Mag newsletter tomorrow morning, so if you haven’t signed up for the free newsletter (in which the digital issue will be sent every month, along with other tidbits), you can do so here.

• We’re saying farewell to our beloved (and over-worked) intern this Friday. Bob, who was recently named next year’s Editor in Chief for the Butler Collegian, has been a big help to our staff here since January and we wish him nothing but the best. If you notice a bit of a drop-off in production next week, well, you can always blame the intern. Sure, that excuse still works.

And that’s a wrap, for now. Be sure to check out Bob’s farewell blog on Friday…I’m sure it will be a real tear-jerker. Have a great weekend!

 

There's so much going on here in Central Indiana high school sports, it feels like the earth is moving sometimes.

Obviously, that was a terrible joke - considering the earth really did move last Friday, with a 5.4 quake that shook the area (and has continued to in the 18 aftershocks since). Thankfully, no one was injured and no considerable damage was done.

There are, however, some who are doing considerable sports damage on the local high school sports scene - some movers and shakers, if you will - like Jordan Shepherd of Carmel.

• Shepherd, who led the Greyhounds baseball team in hits a season ago, is back at it again in 2008. The senior has 15 hits in 26 at-bats for a .576 average at the plate, which includes four doubles, a triple, a home-run and 12 RBI. Shepherd, the Hounds third baseman, leads Class 4A No. 1-ranked Carmel (8-0) against Richmond and Lawrence Central this week.

• Sticking with baseball, A.J. Zapp's first-year as head baseball coach at Franklin has anything but boring. The Grizzly Cubs started out 0-3, but reeled off six straight wins before Greenwood defeated the Cubs 7-5 in the second game of a double-header Saturday.  Franklin (6-3) squares off against a tough Mt. Vernon squad today. (Franklin's Brad Hook - pictured right - may have a prominent role in our May issue).
  

• The second-annual Flashes' Showcase track meet produced plenty of drama Friday night. The event features four showcase track events, two-mile races, the boys 1,600 meter relay and the girls 3,200 meter relay and included formal introductions of the runners.

            Noblesville junior Blake Dircksen was one of five runners to run the mile in under             4 minutes and 20 seconds. Dircksen placed fifth with a time of 4:19.7.

            Westfield freshman phenom Waverly Neer placed third in the girls track mile run             to Culver's all-everything Alex Banfich, who's won six state cross country and track             titles during her prep career and is headed to Princeton in the fall. Neer clocked in             at 5:07.2. Neer led the race until the final lap, when Banfich passed her and began             to pull away.

• Carmel boys basketball point guard Daniel Moore has turned down a scholarship  offer from Boston University in order to walk on at Indiana University. The 5-foot-10 Moore has always dreamed of playing for the Hoosiers and will be a part of the rebuilding process for Tom Crean.

• Speaking of Carmel, junior Morgan Newton, who guided the Greyhounds football team to the Class 5A title last fall, has become one of the most sought after players in the 2009 class. Newton has spoken with Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Clemson, N.C. State, Virginia and Kentucky.

Newton has already received scholarship offers from Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Clemson, Louisville, South Carolina, Virginia, Louisville, Nebraska and Cincinnati.

Last season Newton completed 124-of-213 passes for 1,883 with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions, including 750 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Be sure to check out HSSTM.com today for a Weekend Recap, the Weekly W2W4 and more!

This past Tuesday, the 15^th, myself and cohort Brian Moore were fortunate and honored to attend the 2008 Thomas A. Brady Sports Achievement Awards at the Indiana Roof Ballroom – presented by the Methodist Sports Medicine Research and Education Foundation and the IHSAA.

It might not seem like that big of deal, especially for folks not in attendance, but part of the nice aspect about not growing up in this area kind of allows me to see things from an “outsider’s perspective”. This can be a great thing and a not-so-great thing, depending on the situation of course. It also applies to my job every day here at the magazine.

As we sat down to dinner, I took a look at the program to see what was on tap. We knew some people that were going to be honored before arrival, but as I looked around the room, it was sort of a who’s-who of Indiana sports figures – both past and present.

It started with a live auction, with none other than the outspoken and truly entertaining Ron Hunter on the microphone. The men’s basketball coach at IUPUI, Hunter, who does a wide variety of community service efforts himself, was a perfect choice to bat leadoff for the show. With his charming personality, he helped raise tens of thousands of dollars with the auction and even agreed to caddy for a group who successfully bid on a golf package at Crooked Stick.

After the auction, the list of honorees included one of Indiana’s finest athletic role models in George McGinnis and a truly legendary coach, Jerry Yeagley. That duo each was presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

This is where that whole “outsider’s perspective” comes into play. Had I heard of George McGinnis? Did I know a little bit about him? Sure, on both accounts. But to hear him speak, to see the attention and respect he had from the crowd, told me a little bit more about how people here in the Hoosier State still admire his accomplishments.

The likeliness of McGinnis’ story recurring these days is slim to none. A true high school hoops legend, wins the state title with the Washington Continentals, takes home the Mr. Basketball honor, goes to play at the biggest in-state power at IU, and then continues his professional career in the same place with the Pacers of the ABA and NBA. Geez, just think about that. The only thing that could even come close, and I don’t think it’s that close, is if Eric Gordon is about to be drafted by the Pacers and goes on to have an incredibly successful NBA career here locally.

And that brings us to Jerry Yeagley, the soccer coach who took IU’s program from insignificance on the club level to a national powerhouse. Yeagley was a true gentleman accepting his award, talking about playing for the pride of the front of the jersey. After his experiences, leading IU to six national championships and several National Coach of the Year honors personally, that seems like a perfect message for Yeagley to send. Even before the huge high school soccer explosion in the ‘90s, there was Yeagley and his program at IU that set the bar so high.

I was familiar with Yeagley, and that started when I was as student at Butler. I had a group of five very close friends that played soccer for the Butler program – including local North Central product Cory Edgington – and every year when IU was next on the schedule, it was almost like the next coming of something higher up. The way my buddies spoke of IU and Yeagley in particular, buddies that truly understood college soccer, made me quickly realize what he meant to the game.

Most people in the crowd probably didn’t even flinch when they saw other prominent faces in attendance, including Dallas Clark, IU athletic director Rick Greenspan, Clark Kellogg, former Pacer Scot Pollard and many others. For me, not that I get star struck by any means, it was just cool to see that events like this can bring together figures from all different areas within sports – and all local flavor. Hoosiers should be proud.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:

• One of HSSTM's December covergirls, Hamtilon SE diver Sarah Clay, has signed a letter of intent to join Michigan State University's swim and dive program next year.
• I have a correction from the magazine I would like to share. On page 11 of the current April issue, we have a photo and caption of Arsenal Tech girls tennis player Kelly Fritz. This spring, however, Kelly has decided to forego her high school tennis season and has joined the high school crew team with the Indianapolis Rowing Center. Best of luck to Miss Fritz, and apologies for any confusion.
• I also have some tragic and extremely difficult news to share, for those outside Boone County who may not have heard. Natalie Duke, a sophomore at Western Boone and the September issue Shelbourne Clinic Comeback Athlete of the Month, was killed in a car accident early this week. HSSTM sends our sincere condolences to the Duke family, and you can read the news story from The Boone Sun by clicking here. May this be a lesson and reminder to our young drivers, in part so that Natalie's memory will live on.

Let me do my best impression of a wrestling ring announcer here.

(Clearing throat)...

The winner - and neeeeeeeewwwwwwwww - champion of the inaugural Mudsock Trophy is...Hamilton Southeastern.

The Royals defeated school district partner and Hamilton County rival Fishers for the traveling trophy on Tueday, when the HSE baseball team came back from an eight run deficit in the fourth inning to top Fishers, 14-11.

The Mudsock Trophy, a foot-tall muddy bronze sock, is in homage to the somewhat derisive term for towns that sat in bogs. "It all had to do with any time we'd get a lot of ran, your socks would get covered in mud because the ground would get soaked," Larry Reynolds told HSSTM writer Tom Hayes last fall.

Reynolds, who later created a hound dog cartoon character he coined "Mudsocks," gave his blessing on the creation of the trophy.

Hamilton Southeastern athletic director Jim Self said last fall that this was meant to be more about the community than it is about the kids. "We want this to be a positive rivalry," Self said.

The reason for gearing the Mudsocks trophy around the community was simple. When Fishers opened three years ago, the students of HSE were split, so most of the students at the schools have grown up together, playing sports together and attending class together.

It was only natural that a rivalry would be born.

"These are kids and families who have grown up together and have played in the same youth leagues," said Self. "This is a tremendous positive for this community."

Fishers athletic director Jon Miles agreed. "It's not very often that a community gets split up into two schools," he said, pointing to the rivalry that emerged between Lawrence North and Lawrence Central over 30 years ago when the Lawrence township school split in two.

The idea, brought to Miles by legendary Fishers residents Dub and Jeanne Clark, was to do something along the line of the Old Oaken bucket, shared by Purdue University and Indiana University each year in football, but to do it in all sports at the high school level.

Individual trophies are awarded to the winner the first time the schools square off in each of the 19 sports played.

The Mudsock's first year was a good one. HSE won 10 of the 19 events - it all came down to the aforementioned baseball game on Tuesday. Ironically, Fishers would defeat HSE on Wednesday night, the final game of a home and home series this year.

"We are doing this to help bring the community together and to give the community a sense of pride that two schools can compete hard against each other, but at the end of the day, we can root for each other and be happy with each other's successes," said Self.

In year one, it was mission accomplished.

Last night, the Phillies headed into the ninth inning down by three runs against the Astros, knowing they'd have to stage a comeback against a premier closer in Jose Valverde.

The ensuing inning was one of the reasons why baseball is one of the best sports around.

The Phillies' Chris Snelling hit a pinch-hit home run; Chase Utley was hit by a pitch; Pat Burrell hit a game-tying home run; and then Geoff Jenkins, who struck out but reached first after the ball squeaked past the catcher, scored the game-winning run off an RBI double from Pedro Feliz.

Down three...up by one. Game over. Enter celebration, jubilation, etc.

Last night is one of the hypothetical situations baseball fans live for, something we love to see regardless of our team affiliations.