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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

We’ve been talking about spring and keeping our eye on spring sports for a few weeks now, but it just hasn’t felt right.

Finally, it feels like spring.

Amazing what the sun can do. Even though it’s still a little crisp outside, that big yellow thing just makes a huge difference. You know what else makes a difference? Spring sports are starting to get in the swing of things.

• Don’t know if you saw it (or voted on it), but I thought the poll question on our homepage last week was pretty interesting. Especially the results. The question was: Which team do you think is most likely to repeat as state champs this spring? In what I thought was a shocker, Scecina softball took 34.4 percent of the votes to lead the way – even after losing one of the best players in the state, Emily Wethington. Second place, which I thought would have easily been first, was Park Tudor girls tennis with 30 percent. After that it was a big drop off: Hamilton SE softball (11%), Warren girls track (10%), Cathedral baseball (7.8%) and Warren boys track (6.7%). Anyone care to share their thoughts on that? It’s a decent debate this time of year, early in the season.
• We put up a little story on the Class 3A No. 2 New Pal softball squad on the homepage yesterday, so if you care to read, here it is. The Dragons, led by the Marcum sisters and senior Jessica Huey, have quite a week ahead. Games include a Thursday date with heated rival Mt. Vernon, followed by hosting Class A No. 1 Lutheran on Friday and 4A No. 1 Pendleton Heights on Monday. I guess New Pal will find out how good it is. I love when good teams schedule big games during the regular season, especially when it’s out of conference and voluntary. New Pal also just added 2A No. 1 Scecina to its schedule for May 2.
  
• A few more news-y things to pass along, if you haven’t heard. Beech Grove boys basketball coach Randy Males, fresh off a thrilling sectional title on the Hornets’ home floor, has resigned from the sidelines. Males coached 11 seasons for the Hornets and will continue teaching at the school. Also, Greg Schellhase has left as athletic director at Guerin and will take the same position at Zionsville.
• Just some players that have gotten off to great starts, in other words, players you might want to go see this spring: Heritage Christian lacrosse All-American David James; Franklin Central softball pitcher Chanda Bell; Avon softball pitcher Jenny Esparza; Cathedral golfer Corey Ziedonis; Mt. Vernon baseball pitcher/hitter Tyler Calder; Ben Davis boys track sprinters (Matthew Terrell, etc.); Lawrence North boys track jumper Tra Wilson and thrower Brandon Pounds…and many, many more.
• Time to get outside this week…lots of great games going on. In baseball, the Carmel vs. North Central rivalry is renewed in a Thursday-Friday home-and-home. The Greyhounds are currently No. 1 in 4A while the Panthers cracked the rankings at No. 10 this week. Also on the diamond, 4A No. 2 Brownsburg travels to Noblesville tomorrow (Wednesday), just after the preseason No.1  Millers dropped out of the top 10. In track, Decatur Central hosts the Hawk Invite this Friday, featuring Decatur discus stud Bob Belden. Belden recently broke two-time defending state champ Josh Greenwald’s school record. Congrats kid!

You say the title to this blog too many times early on a Monday and you'll start to sound like Porky Pig. (At least, I felt like I was hearing the Looney Tunes staple in my head.)

• North Central boys basketball coach Dough Mitchell coached the USA basketball team at the 11th Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore. over the weekend. The U.S. team featured many of the top senior high school players in the country. USA won 98-78 over the World Select Team.

• Sticking with hoops for a moment, one of Central Indiana's own is coming home. Robert Glenn, a 6-foot-7 forward and 2006 Ben Davis graduate, made an oral commitment over the weekend to play basketball at IUPUI. Glenn played the last two seasons at Wabash Valley College and received Division-I All-America honorable mention at the junior college level, leading WVC with 19.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

• The Indiana School for the Deaf boys basketball team received the distinguished honor of National Deaf Interscholastic Athletics Council Co-Team of the Year, and award the school will share with Alabama Deaf.

• Swimming season may be over, but that's not stopping Hamilton Southeastern senior Lindsay Rogers from pursuing a dream. Rogers won the Ohio State Grand Prix in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1 minute, 10.23 seconds. That time puts Rogers among the world 50 fastest swimmers for the 100. The grand prix series, organized by USA Swimming in order to prepare for the Olympic Trials, is a step for Rogers towards her dream of competing in the Beijing, China Olympics this summer. Rogers had already qualified for the trials, to be held June 29 in Omaha, Neb., and is now just 2.5 seconds below the qualifying time. She is ranked 19th in the United States.

A CVS pharmacy is being built in Trafalgar.

• The 2008 high school baseball season is underway and there's already been a huge early season upset.

• The IBCA announced its All-State teams this week. Here's the boys and girls rosters.

• Final congrats to the Brownsburg boys basketball team on their Milan-esque victory over Marion last weekend at the state finals.

• The April issue of HSSTM will hit newstands on Monday, but the digital magazine is available now.

I was debating whether I should start this blog out with a connection between Chelsea Clinton’s recent trip to Butler, which I partially attended, and something relating to high school sports, but I realized that there aren’t many common denominators between the two. A comparison of Chelsea’s reaction to the Monica Lewinsky question with, say, the Brownsburg’s state-winning boys basketball team just doesn’t make a lick of sense. Plus, CNN and other media are beating (and overdramatizing) the story to death.

So instead, since I’m an avid baseball nutcase, I figured I would focus on that wonderful sport that had the entire world shouting “Konnichiwa!” as the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics faced off in Japan yesterday.

I was able to catch the eighth and ninth innings yesterday morning, nearly wetting myself out of sheer excitement, and I got to wondering this somewhat arbitrary question: How many former Central Indiana high school ballplayers are floating around Major League Baseball?

Well, the answer was many more than I thought. Carmel and Brownsburg are known for producing high caliber players, and many have bounced back and forth between the minors. But here’s a look at two players, one from the American League and one from the National League, who are young and give hope to the current high school players who want to take a shot at the Majors.

Also, feel free to leave some comments on other Central Indiana high school baseball players, past or present, who epitomize America’s pastime.

Adam Lind, left fielder, Toronto Blue Jays

Lind graduated from Anderson Highland in 2002 as Indiana’s Mr. Baseball, and upon graduation, he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round. He took the more prudent (and more intelligent) route by attending South Alabama (the same South Alabama that got trumped by 20 against Butler this past Friday…I had to toss that out there) instead of signing right out of high school.

He was later drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round after two years at USA. The former Highlander was ranked as the fifth best prospect within the Jays’ farm system, and he’s already played in the Majors for two years. Last year, he sported an unsightly .238 average, but he still managed 11 home runs and 46 RBI in 89 games.

I must also mention that Lind is still only 24 years old. He’s only six years removed from Anderson Highland, and he’s already making major league strides. He’s starting the year at Triple-A, but he most certainly should get the call back up. If you’re a Central Indiana fan, keep an eye out for him.

Jake Fox, right fielder, Chicago Cubs

The Beech Grove native graduated from Cathedral back in 2000 and later played for the University of Michigan. 

In the Cubs’ March 1 spring game against the Angels, Fox belted out a two-run homer, the only runs for the Cubs that game. His status on the Cubs Major League roster is uncertain, especially with the addition of Kosuke Fukudome, but it’s not like Matt Murton or Felix Pie have satisfied Cubs fans lately.

While at Cathedral, Fox led the team to two Indianapolis City championships. During his senior season, he hit a robust .586 and had 16 home runs to lead all Indiana players. Although those high school numbers aren’t directly indicative of Major League numbers, Fox is certainly not washed up. He’s not even 26 years old, for gosh sakes.

In one word: unbelievable.

As soon as I saw Austin Fish's inbounds pass hit the floor, I thought it was over. Surely, the clock would run out as there were just 2.1 seconds left when Fish threw the pass.

But Julian Mavunga jumped, in synchronization with Marion's Jay Edwards Jr., and managed to tip the ball into open space in the lane. Then, virtually out of nowhere, Gordon Hayward did basketball's version of the scoop-and-score, sending the Brownsburg contingency into complete mayhem at Conseco Fieldhouse Saturday night. After all, the buzzer-beater meant that Brownsburg had claimed the school's first ever boys basketball state title...in about as thrilling of fashion as one could imagine.

"I don't know how I got open or how it went in. It's just an unbelievable feeling," Hayward said, almost immediately following the celebration. "It just went in, I don't know what to say. I thought it might have been over once (the ball got tipped), but it slipped out and I was able to get it up there (before the buzzer). I can't believe this is even happening."

Well said, Mr. Hayward. Hard to imagine there would be words to describe such a moment.

To put it in some context, the last two minutes of the 4A championship game, which ended in a 40-39 Bulldog victory in what was largely a defensive struggle, was quite full of drama. With Brownsburg up two points after a one-for-two trip to the line by J.D. Cosby, Marion got the ball with about 50 seconds remaining. They held the ball, called timeout with about 15 seconds to play, and junior Scott Wood drilled a 3-pointer for a one-point lead and 2.1 seconds remaining.

Keep in mind, Wood, a sharpshooter who came into the title game shooting 45 percent from behind the arc this season, was 0-for-7 from long distance at that point. Everyone and their brother thought that the game would be in the hands of Julius Mays, who ended up dishing off to Wood for the shot. Talk about some serious mental fortitude for Wood to be able to knock it down after struggling all game.

Those last few seconds were a great soap opera, from Marion's lead-taking 3-pointer to a series of called timeouts in a chess match prior to the final play. Then, from my seat courtside opposite the Bulldog fans, I saw (almost) the entire town of Brownsburg erupt in chaos. It was the stuff that scripts are made of. 

"Wow. It was a rollercoaster, it really was," said Brownsburg coach Josh Kendrick, talking about those last emotions. "During the timeouts, I thought our kids got to follow the learship of Gale Watson, he's kind of our spiritual leader. In the huddle he said, 'Fellas, believe.' It obviously didn't go as I drew it up, but it went in and that's all that matters."

Kendrick himself was like a little kid during the postgame celebration. I don't blame him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said. "Everybody dreams of this. There are times to be poised and there's time to be excited, and now is one of those times to let it all hang out. What a great story for these young men, who all year have been underrated, underappreciated and undervalued. To pull this off is a great, great chapter in their lives."

It was a great team effort by Brownsburg on Saturday, which explains why there were able to overcome a poor overall shooting performance to win the game. Mavunga was a beast again, but the likes of Fish, Cosby and Mitch Jankowski made big plays at key moments.

I've seen some state championship games in my relatively short time here, but nothing like that. I feel for the Marion squad, whose emotions were the exact opposite from the quotes you just read above. It was Indiana high school hoops at its finest, where a community was tied together through the bond of supporting the school. Well done.

We've kept your mind away from the boys basketball state finals on this here blogging scene at HSSTM. But now it's time to get back to b-ball, as two local teams take to the Conseco Fieldhouse floor tomorrow for what should be another fantastic spectacle.

Yesterday I spoke with Jason Wille, the sports information director at the IHSAA, and tickets are apparently going like hotcakes (mmmm...hotcakes). The IHSAA is expecting a near-sellout or a complete packed house by the time Brownsburg and Marion take the court for the 4A title game around 8:00. Not that attendance ever struggles at the state finals, but having two schools that travel extremely well doesn't hurt the situation. Just from seeing the crowds at Southport for regionals and semistate, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the entire town of Brownsburg might be showing up tomorrow.

Let's start with that 4A matchup. The only conclusion I can really come to is that I will be shocked if this game isn't decided in the last few minutes. The two squads both seem to feel comfortable in a similar tempo, where scores more often than not end up in the 50s or 60s. Both teams will run floor when the time is right, Marion a bit more than Brownsburg, but this contest will be decided in the half-court sets.

It's no secret that the Bulldogs must have both Gordon Hayward and Julian Mavunga running the show. They proved last week that they both don't necessarily have to be at the top of their game, as Mavunga sat the bench in foul trouble for a few lengthy stretches against New Albany, but these two have the weight of this game on their shoulders. They've dominated virtually all tournament, and something tells me that Hayward and Mavunga won't let that stop tomorrow.

As far Marion, who came into the season as the No. 1 team in 4A, they are a little bit more balanced. With Julius Mays (18.5 ppg) and Scott Wood (16 ppg, 45 percent 3-point shooting) controlling the backcourt, they can be extremely dangerous. Reason being, that outside combo can be opened up by inside-outside play of Jay Edwards, Jr. (13.8 ppg). If Brownsburg can slow down that trio, the Bulldogs will win this game based on defensive prowess.

Moving to the 1A game, between Lutheran and Triton, it is just difficult to see Lutheran's ride ending with a loss in this game. I've never seen Triton play and don't know much about them, but I say this about Lutheran because they have such determined and fundamental leadership from a huge group of seniors. I think there's a lot to be said about a team full of seniors, that have played together for the better part of their lives, simply because it's all about the team. There's no true superstars on the Saints, which I think has allowed them to use their chemistry and goal-oriented approach to their utmost advantage in the postseason.

I'll be at the 1A and 4A games to take it all in. There's always a couple events on the high school circuit that are worth seeing no matter who's playing, and the boys hoops state championships are definitely one of them. Conseco will be rocking for the first time since last March (other than maybe a Reba McEntire concert), so you should be there, too.

Time to turn on the TV to watch the second day of the NCAA's to unfold. In case you're wondering, yours truly is leading the HSSTM office pool after Day 1. Big surprise. Butler's a lock today...mark it down.

Well, it's here. It's been spring break for roughly five days for us Butler folks, and I'm sitting here at HSSTM typing away.

I can see Brian's and Dave's goofy looks from afar. The beloved Butler Bulldogs just handled Cleveland State last night for the Horizon League title, which also resulted in their tickets being punched for the Big Dance. There's exciting boys basketball going on (no need to say anything more than the Danville-Rushville game).

This turned out to be a fantastic spring break.

I don't need any stinkin' trip to Florida or my swim trunks. All I need are the friendly confines (no, not the overrated can that is Wrigley Field) of the HSSTM office and my gold and black windbreaker.

All of these things have been going on since spring break started: Julian Mavunga, Brownsburg's 6-foot-8-inch, size-16 shoe wearing stud, along with Gordon Hayward, Austin Fish and the rest of the Brownsburg team have been putting on a show. I definitely thought Brownsburg would capture the sectional, but now everything is gravy. Brownsburg will play its semi-state opponent this Tuesday.

Lutheran's sectional run is another that is pleasantly surprising the masses. The team wil play this Saturday at 1 p.m., so if you're in your NCAA, Cinderella-type mood, it'd be worth it to see the Saints this weekend.

Finally, now that the softball and baseball diamonds are appearing out of the melting snow (I can smell the low-cut grass of the outfield already), I quickly want to highlight a baseball and softball team who might make some noise. What's a spring break without the mention of some baseball and softball, am I right?

Please feel free to take a shot or two at my northern Indiana mindset trying to analyze the Central Indiana area:

• Noblesville baseball. The Millers were 23-10 last year, which is good, but who expected a Final Four finish in 4A? Noblesville was only three runs shy of up-ending eventual champion Cathedral, and I think after last year's showing, Noblesville has a great shot to get back to the Final Four and maybe even grab a state title. Six starters are returning, including Sam Swafford, Jake Wood and Ryan Wides.
  
• Avon softball. A sectional title defined the Orioles 2007 season, and the most impressive thing about this year's team will be its schedule. Avon will play Hamilton Southeastern, Scecina, Center Grove and McCutcheon, just to name a few, and the Orioles will also play in the Wendy's Spring Classic in April. Senior outfielder Lizzee Campbell, junior pitcher Jenny Esparza and junior catcher Helen Rogers are the names to watch.

So as my children were watching Disney's live-action version of the classic cartoon "Underdog" late last night, it occurred to me there was a direct correlation to our favorite masked Beagle, Shoeshine, and several Central Indiana high school boys basketball teams.

• Brownsburg - So these Bulldogs (20-5) were literally underdogs, but the 'Burg knocked out the defending Class 4A runner-up in North Central Saturday morning at Southport and then slayed a Top 10 Carmel team on Saturday night. Senior center Julian Mavunga was a beast down low, chipping in 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Greyhounds in the championship. What makes the 6-foot-8 Mavunga even more hero-worthy in our little story is that he had 26 points and 19 rebounds against North Central earlier in the day - making his one day total 43 points and 30 rebounds. That kind of play gets me humming the "Underdog" theme song.

• Rushville - While the Class 3A Lions (13-10)may not be in our coverage area, it would be a shame to let this moment pass without noting the incredible performance by Dan Carmony's squad Tuesday night at the Shelbyville Regional. The Lions defeated a game Danville squad, 105-101, in four overtimes. Let me repeat that: four overtimes. Senior star Kyle Morgan had a game-high, no make that career high, no make that school-record 52 points. Let me repeat that again as well: 52 points, 18 of which came during the overtime stanzas. Now the Lions face a highly ranked Batesville squad, which defeated Rushville 66-55 on Feb. 7. It should be noted that Rushville was undermanned for that contest - which occurred at Batesville. Now, on a neutral court, and with the momentum of an epic win last night, it should be a nip-tuck game at Shelbyville this evening, and these underdogs certainly have a great shot to advance to semistate.

• Lutheran - Didn't Jared Broughton, who is the subject of our March issue "Grill," say something about putting some boys sports banners in the Lutheran gym? I think it's safe to say that that's not a problem anymore. With the Saints (21-4) capturing the sectional title two weekends ago and the school's first regional crown this past weekend, there will be plenty of banners going up at the conclusion of this school year. And Broughton and the Saints aren't done yet. Broughton was Mr. Clutch in the regional final, hitting 7-of-8 from the line during the key stretch of the 4th quarter in a 54-42 victory.

• For more on boys basketball regionals, click here.

• The Indiana high school gymnastics state finals are this weekend. Visit HSSTM.com for our preview later today.

• You can read my Editor's Cut on Guerin boys basketball coach Pete Smith here.

• The first girls track and field poll of the season is out, with Warren Central (two-time defending state champs) ranked No. 1. For the rest of the poll, click here.

• Another tip of the hat to Lutheran, a squad I mentioned last week for winning its first ever sectional title. Well, the Saints marched on with a regional championship with convincing wins over Shakamak (19-6) and South Decatur (14-10), both by double digits. Always great to see a group of seniors make some history at their school. Seniors Jared Broughton, Zach Cutshaw, Eric Borst, Ryan Maddigan, Austin Glander and Jordan Jones all had a say in Saturday's triumph. Lutheran's (21-4) next opponent will either be Borden (19-5), Tecumseh (19-5) or Orleans (20-1).
• The area's two other regionals with local squads, 3A Shelbyville and 2A Greenfield-Central, will be played tonight and tomorrow due to the March snow storm (it's almost painful to even type those last three words). For a 2A bracket click here and for a 3A bracket click here.
• Around the state, there were some great regionals that are worth noting this time of year. In 4A, defending state champ East Chicago Central fell in a triller, 61-60, to SB Riley (22-5). The 4A preseason No. 1 team, Marion (23-4), stayed alive with a 42-40 overtime win against a New Castle (18-6) team that had already beaten Lafayette Jeff (23-2) in the afternoon semis. Marion now plays SB Riley in this coming weekend's semistate. Also, In 3A, Tyler Zeller and Washington had a heck of a regional performance at home in the Hatchet House by avenging an earlier loss to Edgewood (23-3) and then claiming the regional title against Evansville Memorial (21-2).
• Last, an in-house note to remind you to check back to our homepage later this afternoon and the rest of the week. We'll be putting together stories about the hockey state finals and a look ahead to boys hoops semistate on Thursday morning....among other updates, of course.

• Be sure to check the calendar for some dates you want to make sure are on your schedule.

• Check out our boys basketball regional preview.

• So long, Brett Favre.

• The senior class at HSE is working to make a difference when it comes to world hunger.

• Who will come out of loaded the Class 4A Sectional 10 at Warren Central? No. 4 Cathedral would be the favorite based on record and ranking - but the Irish have to face the home team, Warren Central, in their first game. And with Walter Offutt possibly returning, Joshua Jones and so many others on a very talented Warrriors squad, Cathedral could be a top 5 team facing a one and down situation. Lawrence North has the height to challenge for a state crown, but the Wildcats went just 3-3 over their final six games.

• Elsewhere in Class 4A, can No. 5 Carmel make a run like the girls basketball team has? It would be an incredible story for the school: State titles in football, girls swimming, possibly girls basketball and boys basketball for the Greyhounds. As someone asked The Mind yesterday, has a school ever won 3-4 state titles in a school year?

• Looking at Class 3A, Sectional 26 may be just as loaded as 4A Sectional 10. Chatard (15-5), Beech Grove (16-3), Northwest (15-6), Roncalli (14-5) and Howe (15-6) all have a legitimate shot to not only win the sectional, but advance to the state finals at Conseco Fieldhouse next month.

• And can the Class 2A Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles keep up their unbelievable season? Pete Smith's 16-5 squad will take on Madison-Grant (14-6) tonight. Here's a look at all tonight's games featuring Central Indiana schools:

Yes, it's true. The day has finally come where I am able to blog. I know, I know -- I'm sure everyone has been holding their breath and has been strapped to their computer chairs for the past two weeks on end (who am I kidding? This is the intern we're talking about here...I'll just keep my mouth shut, get some doughnuts for everyone and finish my TPS reports).

Regardless, I have been here at HSSTM Central Indiana for more than a month now, and I can honestly say it has flown by. I've had the pleasure of closely working with Brian Moore and Dave McConnell, along with the rest of the HSSTM staff.

I had no clue what to expect when I first started. I didn't know that I would drive in a Hummer for the first time in my life to go to a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at Warren Central, where I would see Clark Kellogg and gawk at him like a seven-year-old, star-struck Neanderthal.

I didn't plan on being able to go to the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches' Conference that was in the end of January, where I would see how devoted the track coaches were to help out their squads.

And I certainly didn't expect to learn as much as I've already learned about the surrounding area high schools.

I love Indiana high school sports, but I've never delved into the schools that geographically revolve around Indianapolis. I'm originally from Northwest Indiana, where I attended Lake Central High School, so I've heard of the Carmel teams and Hamilton Southeastern teams among others because, frankly, they've beaten the snot out of a lot of the competition from my area. (I'm still a firm believer, though, that Northwest Indiana high schools are some of the most competitive in the state.)

But now I've been able to learn about the other Central Indiana high schools that make the region so strong, too: Lapel, Perry Meridian, Cathedral, Roncalli and others. The Chico Adams story alone has been worthwhile. The kid has gone 53-0 the past two wrestling seasons -- I get weak in the knees just thinking how quickly he would beat me in a match.

Through the first month of my time here, though, the most important thing I've witnessed involves the actual production of this magazine and Web site. The amount I've learned about what it takes to run and produce a magazine is something I will never take for granted. It's not a simple task by any means.

Sappiness aside, I'm thrilled to start this blog, where I guarantee there will multiple future references to Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs basketball team. Although I eat, sleep and drink Bulldog basketball, I'll be sure to get my feet wet and check out what's happening around the area as well. The girls basketball state finals on March 1 and the boys basketball sectionals already have me on the edge of my seat.

Sorry this blog isn't as long as it could be, but I have to go wash Dave's car and pick up Brian's dry cleaning after I make a couple rounds of coffee. Have a good weekend, and be sure to watch the Butler-Drake BracketBuster game tomorrow at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.