Wow...this week has flown by. I haven't blogged since Monday, but didn't realize it because, as they say, time flies when you're having fun.

Except for one thing: I despise this weather. I'm over it. I'm not even asking for 80 degrees and sunny...just 60 degrees and cloudy would be fine.

In these last four days, HSSTM has but to bed the March issue (in other words, it's off to the printers). The March issue will hit Marsh and Blockbuster locations around Central Indiana next Friday, Feb. 29.

Also, Dave McConnell, Phil Temple and I went downtown for the NFL Combine. I tried to rush the entrance to the field and meet Peter King, but my colleagues wouldn't let me. (And yes, I know I basically just said I'd like to meet Peter King instead of someone who'll be a top 10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft...what do you expect, I'm a writer.

On another housecleaning note, I will be at the National Football Foundation Banquet (with Temple & Temple) tomorrow evening. The NFF, which is a part of the college football Hall of Fame, recognizes those student-athletes who not only perform on the field, but perform in the classroom and community as well. You can find out more information here.

Friday's Musings:

• Hamilton Southeastern boys basketball got 34 points and 11 rebounds from Chris Carlino last night, but fell to No. 2 Lafayette Jeff, 80-77. The good news is that HSE is getting outstanding play from their post players heading into sectionals. The bad news is that the Royals got 26 points and nine rebounds from Charlie Duffy as well. HSE will need better defense in order to stop sectional rival and No. 3 Carmel.

• Speaking of Carmel, there's been quite a buzz about the Class 4A Greyhounds boys basketball team falling to Lafayette Central Catholic, a ranked Class A school, 86-75 earlier this week. This is the beauty of Indiana high school basketball, folks. That David vs. Goliath thing never quites goes away - and when two good teams meet, regardless of class size, anything can happen.

• If you have a chance, and you're into gymnastics, you might want to take note of this weekend's huge gymnastics event. DeVeau's Gymnastics will host "The Circle of Stars" this weekend at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indy. The meet runs Friday through Sunday and is expected to feature 3,800 gymnasts between the ages of 5-18.

• The state bowling finals are this weekend at Anderson. Cooper's Sport Bowl will host the event, where Shelbyville's Alex Hill will be going for his second consecutive boys individual title. Lawrence North's girls team could be one the local favorites to emerge.

• Last, but not least, the boys state swimming finals are tonight and tomorrow at the Indiana University Natatorium, on the campus of IUPUI downtown. North Central, Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern will challenge Chesterton for the team title. For a look at the boys state finals, click here.

Enjoy the weekend!

If you're a fan of high school sports, you had to be on the edge of your seat this weekend, whatever event you happened to be at. Here at HSSTM, we certainly were.

On Saturday, I headed out to Mt. Vernon to catch some of the girls basketball tournament. The regionals are always, in my humble opinion, the most difficult step for any team searching for an elusive state title.

As I drove to Fortville, I had the Eagles debut 1972 album playing. And as I approached Mt. Vernon H.S., the final track began to play, a little known, non-hit called "Tryin." Here's what I heard as I pulled my car in to the packed parking lot:

"I'm just arriving in the city
and there's music on my mind
lookin' for my destination and
my home is far behind
'Cause it's a long road ahead
and you can make it in the end
and I'm gonna make it with my friends
And I'm tryin'..."

What a fitting tribute to this brutal day of basketball. Two games in 12 hours. A trip to the semistate hanging in the balance. Think about how true those lyrics are. The final destination is Conseco Fieldhouse in two weeks. There's still a long road ahead. But these teams are made of teenagers, most of whom are friends and don't want to see their journey end.

Pretty weird to hear that song at that moment. And pretty cool, too. For a recap of the girls basketball regionals, as far as Central Indiana teams are concerned, click here.

What else went down this weekend? Plenty...

The boys basketball tournament drawing took place last night. Our old friend, The Mind, breaks it all down here.

Individual wrestling state champions were crowned at Conseco over the weekend. I have to give a shout-out to my alma mater's own 103 pound state champ, Ethan Raley. The Indian Creek freshman went 33-0 and defeated previously unbeaten Casey Kenney of Jay County in the finals.

Raley was one of five locals to capture individual crowns. New Palestine's Kyle Ulrey (46-0) defeated Martinsville’s Briar Runyan at 152 pounds. A two-year, epic rivalry continued as Cathedral sophomore Brandon Wright (44-2) defeated Anderson Highland’s Camden Eppert in the 112 pound final. Eppert had defeated Wright in last year’s 103-lb. final, but had defeated the top-ranked Highland star twice before in this tournament. Lawrence North’s Cashe Quiroga won the 119-pound final with a 12-6 victory over Alex Weinzapfel of Evansville Mater Dei. And HSSTM January cover subject Chico Adams successfully defended his heavyweight crown at 285-pounds with a 3-2 victory over Winchester’s Adam Chalfant. Chico ends his high school career with two state titles and 107 consecutive wins. For more on the state finals, click here. 

Check back to HSSTM.com often for updates, scores and highlights. And remember - we're all tryin...

Ah, Valentine's Day. A day where men everywhere wait until the last minute to purchase a box of chocolates and flowers in hopes of fulfilling the duties of Cupid. A day where women wait for the aforementioned items to arrive so that it will prove their man's valor.

At HSSTM, we've got but one Valentine - high school sports. We love this time of year: the tournaments, the anticipation, dashed hopes and fulfilled dreams. And each month, HSSTM sends out it's card, candy and flowers via a free monthly magazine.

Onto the high school sports news...

• Indian Creek will induct the school's first athletic Hall of Fame class this Friday, Feb. 15 at halftime of the Braves rivalry game against Brown County. Members of the class include Kip Brownfield (boys basketball), Mike Dennis (swimming, school record-holder in 200 IM, 100 Fly, 100-breaststroke, 200 Free Relay), Ryan Posey (tennis), Rob Ray (football), Mark Sisson (track/cross country, school record-holder in 2-mile run, 1979 state champion), Delbert Teeters, Nancy Teeters, Russell Teeters, Natasha Weddle (girls basketball, All-State and Indiana All-Star).

• The No. 2 Carmel boys basketball team might hope that the old adage about losing a game before the tournament is a good thing holds true. In fact, they have to believe that after the Greyhounds fell to Warren Central, 72-68, in overtime last night. The Warriors were led by Josh Jones' 19 points, including a go-ahead drive to the basket with 45 seconds left that put Warren up for good. There were eight ties and six lead changes - in the fourth quarter and overtime alone. Things got a little chippy between the two MIC rivals at times and Warren was whistled for two technical fouls. But in the end, the Warriors got a big win and knocked Carmel out of the unbeaten ranks.

• State wrestling finals (individual) begin tomorrow, details here.

• Dave McConnell takes a look at the upcoming girls basketball  regionals here.

• And finally, we'll be bringing you a look at the upcoming boys hoops tournament (the draw is Sunday!)

On Saturday, the girl swimming and diving season concluded in it's usual record-breaking fashion. Central Indiana swimmers represented the area well, with Carmel winning it's 22nd straight state title. Hamilton Southeastern, runner-up to the Greyhounds for the third time in four years, also set state marks.
For a recap, click HERE.

What I want to talk about today is my wild experience at the Indiana University Natatorium on Saturday.

First, I decided (since my wife was working) that I would bring along my nearly 2-year-old daughter. Since during a routine check-up last week we were told that our little girl would grow to be around 5-foot-10, I felt the urge to ingrain her with ideas of a sports scholarship as quickly as possible. Since volleyball season ended last fall, swimming would be a good bet - after all, she'll be able to reach the wall fairly quickly at 5-10, right?

Well, I didn't expect the combination of sun and chlorine to put an end to our experience. With the sun in her eyes nearly the entire trip downtown from Fishers, she was repeating "Eyesh" (her version of "eyes") the whole way.

I think it may have set a bad tone for what was about to happen. Shortly after entering the Nat, my little princess' stomach decided that the smell of chlorine didn't sit quite right.

You can guess what happened next.

I didn't have a chance to see records fall or Carmel coach Chris Plumb and his team take it's annual plunge into the pool following victory, but I did learn that maybe, just maybe, swimming won't be my daughter's sport of choice.

State tournaments are in full swing, so let's take a look at some of yesterday's action and what it could mean for the future:

Wrestling

• No. 8 Avon fell to No. 10 Columbus North at the Center Grove Team Semistate on Wednesday. The Orioles fought hard match long, tied the score at 18 and then lost 33-18. This somewhat opens the door for Perry Meridian, which saw 13 of 14 wrestlers win at the New Castle Team Semistate. The Falcons cruised to a 63-3 victory over No. 15 South Dearborn.
• Perry Meridian's biggest challenge at the state meet may come from No. 7 Lawrence North, which the semistate it hosted on Wednesday. The Wildcats defeated No. 13 Southmount, 42-28. It was LN's first semistate victory since 2001 and 10th in school history. While Perry has been focused on the state title all year, expect Brandon Nelsen, Greg Bell and Co. at LN to really pressure the Falcons at state.

Girls Basketball

• In Class 4A, the Southport Sectional is still as wide open as we initially thought. Though Center Grove (13-8) is the favorite, they've struggled as of late. If the Lady Trojans foul-plagued, 59-47, win over Greenwood (13-9) is any indication, CG will have a tough time the rest of the way. The two teams combined for 53 fouls.The Lady Trojans will now face a dangerous Perry Meridian (13-7) squad. The Lady Falcons cruised to a 63-40 win over Whiteland.
• If Triton Central is to challenge defending state Class 2A champion Heritage Christian, it will need another shooting performance like it got last night against Indian Creek. The Lady Tigers hit nearly 50 percent of their shots, led by freshman guard Casey Stow's 15 points on 7 of 8 shooting. Triton Central (18-3) also out rebounded Indian Creek 49-27. They take on Washington Friday night.

Some HSSTM news: Dave McConnell will be working on a summary of National Signing Day for football, and where some of Central Indiana's elite are headed next fall. Plus, don't forget to check out our Showcase stories on the main page of our Web site for stories that aren't in the magazine.

The days are numbered now. There's not much time left in Central Indiana for high school winter sports to make their mark.

Yet somehow, the 2007-08 winter sports scene will be remembered - thanks to impressive numbers.

This is the time of year when numbers really start to jump out at you - near the end of a season. From Chico Adams' (pictured at right) 86-straight wrestling wins at Perry Meridian, to Carmel girls swimming search for a 22nd-straight state title, numbers really become more than attention grabbers.

And that's what I'll do today - point out some numbers that you need to keep an eye on in the coming weeks, when winter sports hit the tournament trail.

• How about Eastern Hancock boys basketball? The Royals have won six of their last seven games, after defeating Tri, 70-37, last night. Caleb Kennedy had 21 points and 17 rebounds in the win.

• Sticking with boys hoops, as was mentioned yesterday in "The Mind," Carmel is on fire right now, currently sitting at 15-0. The Greyhounds win over Lawrence North on Friday was their first win over the Wildcats in 18 years.

• Another Hamilton County school, Class 2A Guerin Catholic, has won six straight, to improve to 15-3 on the year - quite a turnaround from 9-13 a season ago.

• Roncalli has won six straight as well. The Rebels are peaking at the right time, with a big win over Chatard on Friday, to improve to 12-2.

• Our February cover girls from Lapel are on a winning streak as well, having defeated nine straight opponents. The Bulldogs move into sectional play at 20-2.

• Speaking of girls hoops, the girls JV basketball team at Greenfield-Central has won its last 44 games. The Cougars streak stretches back two and a half seasons. GC's JV has won the past two Hancock County JV tournaments.

If you have more streaks and numbers worth noting, please leave a comment below!

It's tournament time (almost)! We'll get to some girls basketball tournament analysis, but first, I've got to respond to my associate Dave McConnell. He took some grief yesterday for his commentary on the film "Crash." And rightfully so.

It's several years old. The Mind doesn't often absorb a lot of classic movies. We quote a lot of movies around the office and Dave is often doing the nodding along and smiling routine until we ask him if he's seen it. Generally, the answer is no. But I'm glad that he watched a couple movies over the weekend. Maybe, just maybe one day he'll be able to watch something made in the last 12 months.

If you're looking for something slightly, uh, from the New Release file, check out "3:10 to Yuma."  Fantastic, classic Western.

Onto a few musings about the girls basketball tournament, now in it's 33rd year. For a complete look at Central Indiana teams in action, click here.

• Sectionals begin next week, the week of Monday, Feb. 4. This next week will be very important in terms of not only preparation, but rest. Most teams have played 20+ games and need a little break from the 2-3 games a week scene. It will be interesting to see which teams come into the grueling tournament schedule  - and the pressure - fresh and ready to play their best ball.

• A couple of the sectional pairings that really caught my eye: Sectional 9 at Carmel and Sectional 10 at Arlington. The two favorites in Sectional 9, No. 7 Carmel and No. 15 Hamilton Southeastern, will face off in the first round. No doubt this will be a hard-fought game, will someone be able to sneak up on the winner in the later rounds? And at Arlington, will No. 4 Lawrence North and No. 6 North Central overlook anyone in anticipation of an impending Top 10 match-up? I doubt North Central star Briana Bass, a tournament vet and very good leader will let the Panthers lose focus, nor will a very solid LN team.

• In Class 2A, Lapel and No. 3 Heritage Christian seem to be on a collision course for regionals. But Lapel, which is on our Feb. cover, knows it cannot overlook a very talented Winchester team in sectionals.

HSSTM will be covering the girls basketball  tournament throughout the month of February, so continue to check HSSTM.com for updates and thoughts.

Finally, this week, at some point, our new intern, Bob Herman (a.k.a. The Butler Bulldog) will be joining the HSSTM blogosphere. I'm sure that he'll have plenty to talk about, as he currently serves as the editor of Butler's student newspaper. We're going to have to get a link up here to his Soulja Boy dance...

I know you've missed me. I've missed you all too. As my friend Dave McConnell mentioned yesterday in "The Mind," it's been a crazy week around the HSSTM office. I think you'll enjoy what we've put together for the February issue.

Some "musings" for Thursday:

How about the hot streak that Brownsburg boys basketball is on right now? The Bulldogs are barking at the right time, winners of nine-straight games (including wins over tough squads like Plainfield, Hamilton Southeastern and Center Grove. Frankly, there may not be another high school basketball team in Central Indiana playing as well as coach Josh Kendrick's team, who's 11-3 on the year and haven't lost since Dec. 9 against Batesville (a team that's 11-2). keep an eye for Brownsburg as we approach the tail end of the season.

Really interested in the No. 1 Ben Davis vs. No. 4 Carmel girls basketball game this weekend. Ben Davis has played a schedule loaded with ranked teams, while Carmel had won eight-straight before falling to No. 2 Heritage Christian on Tuesday, 57-50.

It's interesting where you run into people. Just the other night, on my way home, I stopped to get gas at the Shell on 126th St. and State Rd. 37. There, in front of me in line, was Joe Leonard, the boys basketball coach at Fishers. We had just spoke earlier in the day, but it was still good to talk to him about the Tigers. Coach Leonard is an energetic guy, who's got lots of enthusiasm for his team. "We've struggled, but I feel like we're right there," he said, before asking me if my five-year-old son would be coming up through the program. (I'm working on his shooting mechanics now, coach.) The Tigers are 4-11 after last night 68-55 loss to No. 6 Lawrence North, but certainly are making strides. Last year, nearly the same group of guys lost to LN by 44. And Leonard told me that if they lost by 30, that his team would be running sprints for quite awhile. No sprints, coach - but a great effort. Leonard, again, is doing a fantastic job at Fishers.

Lastly, we like to help promote good things here at HSSTM and pass along info that can help make a difference. Many of you may already know or have this information, but for those who don't, head over to http://samaritansfeet.org. As they discussed on ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show this morning, IUPUI boys basketball coach Ron Hunter will be coaching tonight's game against Oakland barefoot to raise awareness of the global problem of children without shoes. Clicking this link will give you the full story, and you can make a donation. Before ending the interview with coach Hunter this morning, Mike and Mike brought on a representative of Converse, who donated 15,000 pairs and put Hunter over his goal of 40,000 pairs of shoes.

Winter has apparently decided to stick around for a little longer than a few days. Glad to see it was in time for the Colts loss on Sunday, you know, just to make everyone's mood's that much worse around Central Indiana.

What should brighten the mood? Perhaps a little high school sports news? Well, then you've come to the right place, we happen to have a little of that around here.

Let's dive in with swimming, since it inevitably makes us think of summer (I know, I know, bad joke). Hamilton Southeastern's girls team won the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship meet, registering 519 points to Zionsville's runner-up 296.

The 200 Medley Relay team of Maegan O'Connor, Christian Jacobs, Lindsay Rogers and Carly Mercer set a new conference record at the meet. Records were also set by the Royals in the 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay. Rogers, one of our Dec. cover girls, set individual conference records in the 200 IM and the 100-breast stroke, while Sarah Clay (another Dec. cover girl) won the 1-meter diving event. The Royals are tuning up in hopes of topping Carmel's 21 consecutive state titles.

Some other notes on this glorious Tuesday:

• We're finishing up the February issue this week, so we'll be providing you sneak peeks at that over the coming days/weeks.

• The boys basketball Indianapolis City Tournament is going on this week, and we've got a showcase feature up that will let you track what's happening there.

• Got to give a little kudos and credit to my main man, Dave McConnell. The Mind scored an interview with the incomparable Cal Ripken. Bill Lynch, Tony Dungy, Cal Ripken, Brad Stevens? HSSTM's not doing too bad, huh?

• Had a great conversation with Greg Schellhase, the new athletic director at Guerin Catholic. The Golden Eagles have come a long way in the three years they've been in existence, building an athletics program from scratch. Keep an eye on them throughout the year.

Greetings, salutations and whatever else means hello. Lots to talk about today, so let’s just dive in.

• Of all the boys basketball games on this week’s schedule, I’m most excited about this showdown tonight between No. 3 Cathedral and No. 4 Carmel. This is a true test for both the Irish and the Greyhounds, respectively. Each is undefeated (8-0). Each features versatile, balanced scoring. Each also uses a variety of defenses and each coach knows his personnel extremely well, maximizing talent. Carmel is coming off an 83-40 win over North Montgomery on Jan. 5, while Cathedral topped Muncie South 65-43 last Friday, so each team should be well-prepared and well-rested. And, Carmel and Cathedral have played some great games recently, most notably the 56-52 Cathedral win last year about this time. Tip-off is set for 7:30 at Cathedral.

• We’ve got a showcase story up on the main page of our Web site that discusses the Marion County boys basketball tournament, be sure to check that out. And, while you’re catching up on the MC tourney, if you haven’t read my colleague Dave McConnell’s brilliant comparison of the Marion County tourney to a baked potato (yes, you read that right), then click here to do so.

• In girls basketball, No. 4 North Central hosts No. 17 Center Grove tonight in a MIC showdown. Should be a good one. The Trojans’ have some big wins over ranked teams and are coming along, while North Central recently beat No. 2 Ben Davis, giving the Giants their first loss of the season.

• Turning to wrestling, what a big win for No. 4 Cathedral over No. 3 Perry Meridian last night. The Irish came away with a 28-24 team victory over one of the state’s top teams – and did it on the road in front of a packed house. The Falcons did see Brian Vest and Chico Adams continue to dominate, and this could be a preview of the state team finals in a little over a month.

Two final thoughts: (1) Here’s a feel-good, amazing story about a guy who fell 47 stories off a New York skyscraper and lived; (2) I’m headed downtown to meet with the selection committee of the National Football Foundation. The Central Indiana Chapter is sifting through nominations for this very prestigious award and I’m looking forward to being a part of the process. The winner will be announced at a banquet at the Colts Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 23.

For those of you who enjoy a few good links to help pass the time (though I highly recommend you get outside - it's nearly 60 degrees out there!), I've put a few together that you might enjoy:

-- Pat McKee at the Indianapolis Star did a neat interview with our Jan. issue cover subject, Chico Adams.

-- Last Friday I put together an Editor's Cut on North Central girls basketball star Briana Bass. You can check it out HERE or you can click HERE to read the 'Grill' interview from the Jan. issue of HSSTM.

-- Speaking of Editors' Cuts, we've archived them for your reading pleasure. Just go to our Central Indiana home page, scroll over the tab "Editors' Extras" and go down to "Editors' Cuts" for a full list.

-- We'll have a new video up on our Web site in the next few days, be sure to check it out.

-- For fun, here's some non-high school sports related links:

I found this to be hilarious - and true. Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote about the worst cliches in sports.

And for kicks, I'll pass along one of my Monday lunchtime reading staples, Sports  Illustrated's Peter King, who writes the "Monday Morning Quarterback" column each week. Gotta get geared up for next weekend's playoff showdowns, folks.

All for now...

The Cathedral boys basketball team shouldn't be a secret now.

Both Dave McConnell and myself have mentioned them several times the past couple blogs, but if a big 54-45 road win against Northwest (7-1) doesn't turn some heads, I don't know what will.

The talk early in this 2007-08 boys basketball season has largely revolved around East Chicago Central, Warren Central and Lawrence North. But Cathedral (7-0) is undefeated, shooting lights out and seems extremely motivated to accomplish big things this season.

You'll tend to get that from a team that routinely seems to put multiple players in double figures scoring each game.

A lot of credit for Cathedral's hot start should go to head coach Scott Hicks. Hicks knows his players diverse abilities at both ends of the floor. Case in point: last night the Irish used 3-2 and  box-and-1 3-2 zones throughout the game to stifle Northwest's Alex Young, the Space Pioneers leading scorer who was averaging 22 points per game.

The defense worked, as the Irish held Young to 4-of-17 from the field for a season-low 12 points. And the balance scoring continued for Cathedral on the offense end as well, as Kelsey Barlow chipped in 8, Patrick Paligraf scored 12, as did Sean Esposito and Errick Peck.

Cathedral has several more tests coming up: Jan. 10 at Carmel, the Indianapolis City Tournament during the middle of this month (where the Irish could face Northwest again) and Jan. 26 at Evansville Reitz. Let's keep a close watch on this team, as it could be one of the best in not only Central Indiana, but the state.

Though Dick Clark isn’t writing this, hopefully you’ll still find yourself entertained! That’s right, it’s a loaded, jam-packed New Year’s Rockin’ Blog.

As the final hours tick away on 2007, here’s some things you may find interesting/amusing/insightful this Dec. 31:

• For those wondering, the boys basketball poll on our homepage is indeed two weeks old. The Indiana Basketball Coaches’ Association (IBCA), while it conducts a girls poll, does not take a poll over Christmas and New Year’s, to my understanding, for the boys. You may still find the “Next Game” feature helpful, as it is up to date, as is the current record. I know this, because I did it myself a few hours ago.

• As a reminder, the Jan. issue of HSSTM hits newsstands this Friday, Jan. 4. It will be available online before that, so make sure to sign up for our free online subscription.

• While watching the New England Patriots defeat the New York Giants on Saturday night, I started thinking about perfection and how significant it really is. Obviously, the Patriots have three more games before they would reach an unblemished mark of 19-0, but the historical implications of this are, needless to say, huge. It got me thinking: which teams in boys and girls basketball, respectively, were the last to go undefeated and capture a state championship? If you know, well, let me know.

• I believe Mind of McConnell mentioned this last week, but how impressive are the Cathedral boys looking this young basketball season? On Saturday the Irish defeated Howe and standout Larry Stone’s amazing 40-point performance in 100-83 win on the road to improve to 6-0 this season. Cathedral features a well-balanced attack that routinely puts several players in double figures. For example, against Howe, Jarrett Hamilton put in 24, Kelsey Barlow had 23, David McMahan dropped 15, Patrick Paligraf answered the test with 12, and Sean Esposito chipped in 10. Keep an eye out for Cathedral as the season progresses.

• Last week at the Decatur Central Hawk Invite, I watched what I believe to be one of the top young girls prospects in the area: Decatur’s Diana Jovanovic. Jovanovic, just a sophomore, was all over the floor. At one point, I counted four consecutive rebounds (at both ends of the floor) in a second quarter surge that ignited Decatur to a win over Arsenal Tech in the opening game of the tourney. Jovanovic finished with 17 points on the day as well. At 5-foot-9, she’s a real inside threat for the 12-3 Hawks, a team on the rise.

• Speaking of teams on the rise, keep an eye on Center Grove. Joe Lentz’ girls are young and Lentz has adapted his style of play to this current group, which is vastly different that the team that lost on a buzzer beater to Class 4A state runner-up Columbus East at semistate last season. The Trojans are 8-3 and now ranked in the top 20. And they are certainly learning how to play efficiently and effectively. Case in point: after losing to Franklin 53-50 on Nov. 16, Center Grove came back and defeated the Grizzly Cubs 11 days later, 60-29. The Trojans also feature wins over ranked opponents Martinsville, Columbus East and Bloomington South.

Lastly, just want to wish everyone a very safe and Happy New Year…see you in 2008.

Been catching up on some things around the office the past couple days and took some magazines to the Decatur Central Hawk Invite girls basketball tourney yesterday, where I watched Decatur beat Tech 76-42. The Hawks went on to beat Warren Central 54-46 in the championship game. I'll talk more about this next week; saw some players that I thought are flying under the radar right now.

I'll be back with a blog on Monday, Dec. 31. You can call it the New Year's Rockin' Blog if you like...

We seem to have a name for everything nowadays. The Friday after Christmas is known as “Black Friday” because it puts so many stores “in the black” (profit) for the year.

Well, what’s this – the Friday before Christmas – known as? Killing Time Friday? Mailing It In Friday?

The final work day before a long Christmas break is certainly bound to bring out the, uh, inefficient in all of us.

Except here at HSSTM, that is. You’ll find that we’re still hard at work today, neatly wrapping up the year. Notice our Showcase stories on the Web site, for proof.

Our own Austin Chadwick, from the corporate offices of HSSTM in Tulsa, Okla., recently scored an interview with Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowler and Rookie of the Year candidate Adrian Peterson. Check out the great Q & A if you have time (and let’s not kid ourselves, you’ve got the time today).

Also, we’ve put together a smaller version of the Holiday Tournament circuit story from the Dec. issue. If you’re making plans to catch some holiday hoops action, our guide to the tournaments over the next week will assist you in that endeavor.

And now, I present something totally non-high school sports related. Call it a Christmas gift from me to you:

My Top 5 Christmas Movies:

(5) White Christmas – Yes, it’s the one with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Yes, it’s a cheesy musical with George Clooney’s aunt, Rosemary. And yes, it was made in 1954. But that doesn’t detract from the feel-good atmosphere of this flick. Every time it comes on, I have to watch it.

(4) The Santa Clause – I thought I’d put this on here for my kids. We watch it every year and Tim Allen was at his comedic prime (with “Home Improvement” when he made this in 1994. Then a couple nights ago it was on the Disney Channel. We watched half of it as a family and then put the kids to bed…and my wife and I came back downstairs to finish it.

(3) A Christmas Story – Who doesn’t love the “You’ll shoot your eye out” lines, the leg lamp masquerading as a major award and the bunny suit Ralphie is forced to wear? Added bonus: the story takes place in Northern Indiana. And TBS/TNT runs it for 24 straight hours each Christmas.

(2) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – One of the most quotable comedies ever. Chevy Chase at his best. (Jeez, I sound like Roger Ebert.) From crazy Cousin Eddie and his ridiculous dickie turtleneck to Uncle Louis’ hairpiece, it’s the ultimate example of the not-so-perfect Christmas.

(1) It’s A Wonderful Life – You’d think a 1946 black-and-white movie might have gotten passed up a long time ago. But there’s something about Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed that always pull me in. Life’s ultimate lesson taking place in the backdrop of our favorite holiday; even 60 years after it came out, it still resonates with millions every year.

Well, that’s my list. Hopefully you’ll catch a few of these over the next 4-5 days. From all of us at HSSTM, Happy Holidays!

 

As my son keeps reminding me, we’ve got just six days left before Christmas. And we’ll see if Santa is going to be kind to Central Indiana athletic teams over the holiday break, because there’s lots of action in high school sports between now and Jan. 1.

This Saturday, I’ll be at the Holiday Splash ‘N Clash at Hamilton Southeastern, with copies of the Dec. issue. The event begins at 8 a.m. and will showcase several teams from Central Indiana: HSE, Greenfield-Central, Anderson Highland and Roncalli.

Also on Saturday, the NWAC vs. IPSAC Challenge takes place at Howe H.S. The best of the Chicago-area schools vs. the best of the Indianapolis Public Schools (as it’s billed) features three big games: Tech vs. Gary Roosevelt (1 p.m.); Northwest vs. Gary Wirt (3 p.m.); Howe vs. Gary Westside (5 p.m.).

Lots of Holiday Tournaments taking place around the area next week – we’ll put a full breakdown up on Friday (and leave it up throughout next week) on the main page of our Web site for those looking to attend some quality basketball tournaments in the area.

Speaking of hoops, what a strong statement by the boys basketball team at Lawrence North last night. The No. 6 Wildcats defeated No. 2 Warren Central 67-45. LN was a force defensively, forcing Warren to shot just 26 percent from the field.

The Warriors kept fighting and clawing their way back into the game after deficits of 7, 9, 4 throughout the first three quarters, but in the end, Lawrence North used their height advantage to keep the Warriors at bay.

It seems as though Warren might be scratching and clawing in several high-profile matchups this season against the likes of Lawrence North, Cathedral and Carmel. After losing Mr. Basketball candidate Warren Offutt to a knee injury a few weeks back, the Warriors are going to have did deep against some talented teams. And I would expect nothing less from Warren coach Scott Heady, who will push the Warriors to execute and shoot the ball more efficiently.

In office related news, had a great meeting with Robb Vessely this morning. Vessely is the athletic director of Eastern Hancock, a Class 2A school in Hancock County. Vessely is doing great things for the Royals and mentioned the new facilities upgrades the school is working on as a way to centralize their football, baseball and softball fields.

Also got a fun e-mail from Heritage Christian AD Jeff Hester. Jeff highly suggested a book called “Walk On”  for anyone looking for a good holiday read. I’m going to try and add it as a last minute stocking stuffer and suggest you do as well. In a related note, Alan Williams will be speaking at Heritage on Friday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m.

We just sent the Jan. issue off to press and I must second Dave McConnell when I say it looks great. There’s a high factor for visual appeal with this issue. I encourage you to pick it up beginning Fri., Jan. 4.

 

 

We’re working on laying out the Jan. issue here in the office today, but there were a couple of things I wanted to get to before I huddle with the incomparable Grant Glas, our graphic designer, and The Mind of McConnell himself.

 

• One of the most heralded football programs in all of Indiana will be looking for a new head coach soon. Cathedral High School football coach Jim O’Hara resigned on Wednesday after six seasons and a 50-24 record that included a state title in 2006.

O’Hara had to leave his alma mater due to the increasing pain of a ruptured disc in his back. “With a full load of teaching and trying to manage the program, it’s in the best interest of the school for me to give up the reins and take care of myself,” O’Hara told The Indianapolis Star. “It was a true honor to be head coach at Cathedral, (but) I have to try and get this body back into shape.”

The Irish had won 41 of their last 49 games under O’Hara, who did say that would like to return to coaching, should his body recover. Overall, O’Hara is 87-48 as a head football coach, which includes six seasons at Hamilton Southeastern.

 
As Cathedral athletic director Terry Fox pointed out Wednesday, it is a sad day for the Irish. O'Hara is a hard-working coach with a deep passion for Cathedral, the community, the student-athletes and the game of football. HSSTM wishes Coach O'Hara the best of luck in his recovery.

• Tough to see Briana Bass go down for North Central last night. The Miss Basketball candidate and University of Tennessee recruit had to leave the No. 5 Panthers game against No. 15 Fishers after taking an elbow to the face and bleeding quite a bit. North Central went on to defeat Fishers, 49-42, even without their star guard.

I spoke with Bass just a few short weeks ago for a piece that will be in the upcoming Jan. issue. She’s a great student-athlete, with a good head on her shoulders and completely embraces the role of a leader. And if there’s one thing I learned – she hates missing games and loves basketball deeply. I’d bet that she’ll be back as soon as possible. HSSTM wishes her the best as well.

• Quick musing: I think one of the most interesting dynamics in high school sports is the transition multi-sport athletes face as they end one season or sport and begin another, especially if they overlap. For football players from several Central Indiana schools, that’s certainly the case. Pike, Carmel, Chatard, Sheridan and others all have athletes who play winter sports such as basketball and wrestling. And the conditioning and style change to the mind and body force student-athletes to really show their mettle and maintain great focus.

Lastly, here’s wishing all students the best of luck with end of the semesters finals this week. It can certainly be a challenging time – with an extended holiday break lurking around the corner. Stay focused and study hard for those tests.

From time to time I’ll mention the weather in this space. It’s kind of silly, but I’ve always believed that it lets you know that I’m really typing something on the day it’s posted and we don’t have robots here at HSSTM methodically pounding the keyboards.

So today’s weather update is…(looking out the window)…FOG?!?

It’s December right? When was the last time we had fog that’s as thick as pea soup in December?

In honor of such a momentous occasion, and since it’s the kind of day that makes everybody not want to work, I thought I’d throw out this little gem of a quote:

“Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.” – Henri Matisse.

Well said, Henri. I’ll take your word for it.

And in that spirit, I encourage you to get out tonight (unless you don’t feel comfortable only having vision 10 feet in front of you) and check out some of the great girls basketball action around Central Indiana:

• With the Indianapolis City Tournament (following the heels of the highly dramatic and exciting Marion County Tournament) in full swing, there’s plenty of hoops to be found, even if you have to call on Rudolph to guide your sleigh, er, car.

• Last night Covenant Christian topped Scecina, 49-35, in first round action, while Tech topped Manual, 70-27, behind senior center Catherine Gibson’s 23 points and 15 rebounds. Arlington defeated Broad Ripple 67-31 and Adrienne Sahm’s 21 points sparked Cathedral to a 81-29 win over Howe.   

• No. 4 Heritage Christian and No. 18 Bishop Chatard will both be in action at the tourney. Also, unranked Center Grove, on the heels of an upset over then-No. 9 Bloomington South, hosts No. 11 Martinsville tonight. Mooresville’s 6-1 squad hosts Monrovia tonight as well.

• And No. 5 North Central travels to No. 15 Fishers tomorrow night in what should be a great game. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tennessee-bound North Central guard Briana Bass a few weeks ago for the upcoming Jan. issue and she was great to talk to. More on that at a later date.

• Be sure to check out the new poll on our home page, http://centralindiana.hsstm.com and vote for which area wrestler you think has the best chance to win a state title this year.

• Have to give a shout-out to Indian Creek boys basketball player Kyle Bradley, who’s 26 points per game currently ranks him among the top five scorers in the state. I played pick up basketball for years with his dad Ken; Kyle would join us occasionally and could shoot the ball better than anyone on the court, even in 5th grade.

• Speaking of stats, Melvin Sillmon of Howe is averaging a ridiculous 19.3 rebounds per game. Do we have a Moses Malone-Dennis Rodman type of rebounder on our hands? I believe so. And his teammate, Larry Stone, one of the area’s most prolific scorers a year ago (and HSSTM Nov. cover boy) apparently knows how to dish out the rock as well: Stone’s dropping 9.4 dimes per game currently.

For more of interesting stats like these, click here. What else are you going to do today? The computer screen is about the only thing you can see, unless the fog’s in your home or office. In which case, I would highly recommend closing the windows.

 

 

It’s a snowy Friday here in Central Indiana and there’s nothing more I’d rather do than sit here at my desk in the HSSTM offices and pound out a few hundred words on local boys and girls basketball. And off we go…

• Tough to see one of the players featured on the Nov. cover, Walter Offutt of Warren Central, go down with a knee injury last night. Our CEO, Phil Temple, sent me an e-mail around 8 o’clock last night to pass on the news. Walter’s a great kid, a hard working player and is certainly a Mr. Basketball candidate. From the reports, it sounds like they’re going to examine the injury today – let’s all hope it’s not too serious.

• With that in mind, it certainly makes No. 4 Warren’s showdown with No. 1 and defending state Class 4A champion East Chicago Central a different match-up if Offutt is out. Our reader poll this week saw nearly 60 percent of you respond that this game was the best game on the boys schedule this week. Anytime two top five teams collide in the regular season, it’s special – because it just doesn’t happen that often. Certainly Warriors standouts Jarrin Forte and Josh Jones will be looking to pick up the scoring slack left by Offutt (again, should he not play).

• Speaking of that game, the Challenge of Champions, a premier basketball event, takes place tomorrow beginning at noon. HSSTM will be at Hinkle Fieldhouse throughout the day with magazines. For more details on the games, click HERE. 

• Several great area games taking place tonight, if you’re venturing out to find some solid hoops action: No. 7 North Central is at No. 10 Carmel in a meeting of past sectional rivals. Charlie Hanson is leading the Greyhounds at 15.3 points per game and you can bet that Jordan Brewer and Morgan Newton, two members of Carmel’s state championship football team, are just getting their basketball legs and getting used to the round ball – instead of the pigskin.

• Other games of note tonight: No. 8 Cathedral hosts Tech, No. 20 Plainfield travels to Martinsville and No. 17 Pike hosts Lawrence Central. Whiteland (2-1) hosts Roncalli in the Rebels first game of the season and HSSTM will be present with copies of the new Dec. issue at Franklin for the Grizzly Cubs battle with Greenwood.

• Moving to girls basketball, I’ve certainly taken notice of what the No. 2 Ben Davis Giants have accomplished in the last ten days. The 6-0 Giants topped Lawrence North for starters, defeating the then No. 4 Wildcats by 23 on Nov. 29. Then, last night, Ben Davis looked rather dominant in a 62-50 win over No. 5 North Central in the Marion County Tournament. Tonight, the Giants take on now No. 7 LN again. If they can win this game, I’d have to say Ben Davis has been playing some of the best ball against the toughest competition this season.

• Great road win for Center Grove last night. The Trojans went down to No. 9 Bloomington South and came out with a hard fought, overtime victory. Jordan Price’s layup with about 6 seconds provided the winning margain in the 38-36 win. Head coach Joe Lentz had told me, in an interview for “Grill” in the Nov. issue, that he “liked the intangibles and versatility of Jordan.” Certainly sounds like she came through last night.

• Lastly, I’ll have copies of the Dec. issue with me as I head to Fishers High School tonight for the Santa Claus Classic, a swimming meet that has drawn teams from North Carolina and Ohio.
•  Don't forget to sign up to receive our newsletter and receive a digital copy of the magazine for free each month to your e-mail inbox. You can do that HERE.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

I love this job. There are so many reasons for that, and perhaps one day I will get to do a running list of reasons why I love writing about sports and being part of a team that puts out a magazine about high school sports.

Until then, I’ll just list this one: Every now and then, I get to lift the curtain and take you behind the scenes. Ever since I became interested in sports journalism, I would always read ESPN The Magazine, Sports Illustrated and the local newspapers and think, “That’s a great story. I wonder what it was like to write it, to interview the people quoted and to compile all that information.”

Rarely did I ever find out.

Now, I get the chance to let you find out – if you’re interested. I did this a few months ago with the Westfield cross country story in the Sept. issue and this month, I’m going to take you inside the “Franklin’s Foundation” story from the Dec. issue that just came out last week. Here’s my take – the Editor’s Cut: Franklin’s Foundation.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s ironic how the story evolved. We were actually going in a totally different direction for several days. But, as will happen, we had a story kind of fizzle out, so assistant editor Dave McConnell and I held an impromptu brainstorming session. It wasn’t long before I pitched the idea of Franklin basketball, the tradition and history the program held and an angle revolving around transferring that tradition into a new building (the school just opened a beautiful facility in August).

The question(s) that I kept coming back to were: in a state like Indiana, where basketball goes back so many years, what happens when you have to leave a building that holds more ghosts than a haunted house on Halloween? Some of these old gyms have seen buzzer beaters, packed crowds and future stars for decades. Well, when the lights go out – what happens to that feeling, that tradition?

It wasn’t long before I spoke with Franklin athletic director Noel Heminger and it was a go.

Obviously, I needed to do a little research to make sure I had a basic understanding of it all. For several hours, I was fully engrossed as I read through the tales of “The Wonder Five,” Griz Wagner, Fuzzy Vandivier and the McGlocklin twins (Jon and Don). George Crowe, the state’s first Mr. Basketball in 1939, was actually a better baseball player (he played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball). The original high school where “The Wonder Five” played partially burned down in the early-to-mid 1980s, where Heminger and so many sat in the balcony and watched many teams play.

“There was a fight in that gym between Zion McGlocklin and Red Holloway [of Edinburgh] and we were told to never schedule them again,” Heminger laughed, recalling an event of decades ago.

Now, my parents graduated from Franklin in 1968, and as a kid I went to elementary and middle school there, so I remember all the stories they used to tell about the basketball team and how important it was to the community. You could walk onto the floor after a game as a kid and it gave you goose bumps. You wanted to play on that same floor.

I asked Noel about that community feeling and if the new gym could bring about similar feelings eventually. “We’re not the only game in town anymore, really. Kids have a lot more to do than when I grew up. At that time, you had to work a lot more. There are more things to do today, more sports to play,” he said.

That’s true – and it is both good and bad. With more sports, more young athletes are going to dream about playing not only about basketball, but football, softball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, swimming, hockey, lacrosse, tennis, golf, rugby – the list goes on.

One of the things I found fascinating about this story was how Heminger was a direct link back to Wagner and the early days of Franklin basketball. He was taught by Vandivier in a history class, played for Ted Server and Dick Harmening, then came back to the school and became AD in 1994, taking over for Server, who had taken over for Vandivier. Franklin’s basically had only three AD’s in something like 60-plus years. Amazing.

Before Heminger came back, he was coaching baseball and basketball in Effingham, Illinois. “Harmening called and said, ‘Why don’t you come back to Franklin.’ I said I would if I could get my wife a job. Sure enough, he did and I came back initially as an eighth grade coach,” said Heminger.

The ties that bind are all over sports – and this is certainly one of them. There’s something special about the bond and the loyalty that former Franklin players, coaches and administrators share. During our conversation, Harmening told me that he still talks to as many former players as he can throughout the year. He also spoke very fondly of the years when Vandivier Gymnasium was standing room only. “They looked like a bunch of referees and were there at home or on the road,” he laughed.

Can any of us imagine walking into a gym this season and find it packed with fans, every game? It just doesn’t seem as likely – and that’s where the discussion of more options for students and parents and more sports comes back into play.

As was everyone involved with this story, Harmening was great to talk to. In fact, my favorite quote from the story came from Harmening, when he said, “If my players were in trouble in the classroom, they were in trouble with me.” His conviction in that statement, even 35 years later, made me feel like, had I been one of his players, I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble. Ever. You could tell Harmening took great pride in player conduct – perhaps the reason that he’s the only coach to ever have three Trester Award winners play for him.

He knew what he was doing on the court as well. If you like coaching stats, try this one on: in his first season, Harmening inherited a team that went 1-19 the year before his arrival. Most of the team was back, however. They went into Christmas break 3-5…and then promptly won 15 straight games, as well as a sectional championship.

Realistically, I could go on with this story forever. Maybe I already have. But it will remain one of my favorites, mainly because I love Indiana basketball so much.

I may not have answered my original question, about transferring tradition. But I think that’s the beauty of it, we just don’t know. It will be a question, not only for Franklin, but so many other schools, that will be answered over time, with buzzer beaters, future stars and packed stands.

***To read the "Franklin's Foundation" story, pick up a copy of the Dec. issue of High School Sports - The Magazine, on newstands now. Or, simply read the digital copy here. ***