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!