Squire Streak Secures Spot At State
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
ELKHART -ÊManchester baseball coach Jack Rupley dripped with cold water as he talked to reporters after Saturday night's regional final.
"I don't mind," he said after a covert mission by his players sent the contents of the team water cooler cascading from his head to his toes.
The Squires earned the right to drench their skipper by defeating both Fairfield and John Glenn to win the Jimtown Regional and advance to Friday's state finals.
The Squires defeated Fairfield 5-0 behind a one-hit outing from pitcher Todd Dale and home runs from Josh Staton and Adam Young in the morning game of the regional semifinal. Manchester then went on to win the regional 4-2 over No. 6 John Glenn to earn its berth in the state finals.
"Can you believe this?!", said Rupley. "Oh my gosh, we're going to Indianapolis!"
Glenn took a lead early in the final game, scoring one run in the second inning, but that lead did not last long.
Manchester stepped to bat in the top of the third and got runners on base right away. Tyler Kelsey walked and Jediah Carandante hit a single to put runners on first and second. Two straight fielder's choice plays sent Kelsey and Carandante to the bench, but Anthony Sorg and Drew Walters replaced them on first and second.
A single by Staton loaded the bases, and then a single by Brent Westendorf drove in two runs and gave the Squires the lead.
Manchester scored one run in the fourth and one run in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead late in the game.
Glenn scored one run in the sixth and put runners on first and second to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, but the Squires stuck it out and got the 4-2 win.
"We are believing in each other and believing in ourselves," said Rupley. "These guys are really playing up to their potential."
Against Fairfield, Manchester took the lead early and never looked back. In the first inning, Sorg and Walters both reached base with one out. Then Staton stepped to the plate and sent a shot over the right-field fence into the scoreboard to put Manchester up 3-0.
Then in the second inning, Bob Kamp reached base on a walk and Young blasted a homer over the left-field fence to put the Squires up 5-0.
That's where the score remained, and the Squires advance to the regional final.
"I talked to a few coaches about (Fairfield) and no one told me they had a lefty pitcher, so we didn't know it coming it," said Rupley. "Did that make a much of a difference, I don't think so. We showed up here and saw that lefty warming up, and I asked Josh (Staton) if he thought that would be a problem. He said, 'nah, we'll just hit.'
"I was nervous as all get out before the games today, but I had confidence inside. Then I thought, maybe the guys do too. This is just tremendous."
Going into the sectional, Manchester sported a 6-16 record. The Squires have won five straight games to improve to 11-16.
Manchester will take on Taylor at approximately 12:45 p.m. Friday afternoon at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
JIMTOWN REGIONAL
MANCHESTER 5, FAIRFIELD 0
Fairfield 000 000 0 - 0 1 2
Manchester 320 000 x - 5 7 3
Fairfield AB R H RBI
D. Schrock ss 2 0 0 0
Beachy 2b 2 0 0 0
C. Schrock c 3 0 0 0
Roe dh 3 0 0 0
Kauffman p 0 0 0 0
Bullock pr 0 0 0 0
Camacho cf 3 0 0 0
Mestach lf 2 0 0 0
Kellenberger 1b 3 0 0 0
B. Mestach rf 2 0 0 0
Johnson 3b 1 0 0 0
Phebus ph 1 0 1 0
Totals 22 0 1 0
Manchester AB R H RBI
Carandante cf 4 0 0 0
Sorg ss 2 1 2 0
Walters 2b 2 1 1 0
Staton rf 3 1 1 3
Westendorf lf 2 0 2 0
Dale p 3 0 0 0
Kamp dh 2 1 0 0
Simcoe c 0 0 0 0
Young 1b 3 1 1 2
Kelsey 3b 3 0 0 0
Totals 24 5 7 5
2B -ÊSorg. HR -ÊStaton, Young. Sac -ÊBeachy. E -ÊKellenberger, D. Schrock, Carandante, Dale, Young. DP -ÊFairfield 2, Manchester 0.
IP R ER H BB SO
Fairfield
Kauffman, L 2 5 5 5 1 0
Beachy 4 0 0 2 0 2
Manchester
Dale, W 7 0 0 1 2 7
HB -ÊKauffman 1, Beachy 1.
MANCHESTER 4, JOHN GLENN 2
Manchester 002 110 0 - 4 6 0
John Glenn 010 001 0 - 2 8 2
Manchester AB R H RBI
Carandante cf 3 0 2 0
Sorg ss 3 1 1 0
Walters 2b 3 2 0 0
Staton p 4 0 1 0
Sroufe pr 0 0 0 0
Westendorf lf 2 0 1 3
Dale 3b 2 0 0 0
Young 1b 2 1 0 0
Bucher rf 3 0 0 0
Kelsey dh 2 0 1 1
Simcoe c 0 0 0 0
Totals 24 4 6 4
Glenn AB R H RBI
Pulluaim cf 3 0 0 0
Stull rf 4 0 1 0
Engel 2b 4 0 1 0
Groves dh 4 1 1 0
Reese ss 4 1 1 0
Crone lf 3 1 2 0
Scope 3b 3 0 1 0
Marcum p 2 0 1 1
W. Groves c 3 0 1 1
Pitrowicz 1b 2 0 0 0
Totals 28 2 8 2
2B -ÊGroves. Sac - Westendorf, Bucher, Carandante. CS -ÊCarandante.
IP R ER H BB SO
Manchester
Staton, W 7 2 2 8 3 3
Glenn
Marcum, L 7 4 2 6 6 4
HB -ÊMarcum 1.
Wawasee Wins Golf Regional
By Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Writer
FORT WAYNE - Despite having but one senior in its lineup, it was Wawasee's varsity boys golf team that seemed to play the role of the seasoned veteran Saturday in the Homestead Regional at Chestnut Hills.
Playing at a course that has been unfriendly in the past, the Warriors won the regional championship with a blistering 18-hole round of 299 to advance to Wednesday's state finals at Legends of Indiana in Franklin. Wawasee's winning score set a course record for the regional. It also marked the Warriors' first regional championship in school history and their first strip to state since 1998. Wawasee also advanced to state in 1983, 84, 85 and 87.
"Going to state means everything," Wawasee coach Steve Coverstone said. "It's what every kid dreams of. I know the kids will represent their school and conference well."
With the top three teams advancing to state, Warsaw, which won the regional a year ago and finished fourth in the state, advances after taking runner-up honors with a 314. Blackhawk Christian advanced by shooting a 318 to take third.
The top three individuals not on an advancing team also move onto this week's state finals. Advancing individually are: Culver Miltiary's Rob Davidge (73), Angola's Joe Essman (73) and DeKalb's Will Turner (74). One local golfercompeted in Saturday's individual competition, Manchester's Joey Zapf, who turned an 18-hole score of 79.
Following Wawasee, Warsaw and Blackhawk Christian in the team competition was Snider (322), Culver Military Academy (323), DeKalb (325), Goshen (325), NorthWood (330), Bishop Dwenger (331), Westview (333), Fremont (335) and Angola (341).
Prior to shooting a 300 in a practice round before Saturday's regional, the Warriors shot a 329 in last year's regional and a 328 in this year's Homestead Invitational.
To say the least, Chestnut Hills has been rough on Wawasee. On Saturday, though, the results were as different as night and day.
"All the guys worked hard to learn the course," Coverstone said. "All the guys just did a great job. I think it's just a situation where we figured out the golf course."
Certainly, one could say Coverstone's Warriors, who finished 18-0 in the regular season for the first time in school history, figured out the golf course.
Junior Stephen Conrad led the way by shooting a 34 on the front nine, finishing with a 70 to take individual medalist honors. Senior Eric Andrews and junior Joel Bickel shot 76s, while juniors Josh Abrams and Evan Gerard shot a 77 and 79, respectively.
"He's just an outstanding player," Coverstone said of Conrad. "His first year he came here and struggled. We had some bad luck last year. This time we got the job done. (Joel) Bickel started out with a double bogey and comes back with a 76. Josh Abrams comes in with a 77. All the guys just did a great job."
Though his team didn't win the regional title for the third time in four years, Warsaw's Bob Turner is now assured the final high school golf match he'll coach will be the state finals, as he is leaving after 14 years. Turner's Tigers have advanced to the regional 13 times and state six times in his 14 years.
"This is a nice thing for these five seniors to make it back to state," Turner said. "There's no quit in these kids. They all played well on the back nine. They're five young men that are gonna go play for a state championship."
Greg Clay led the Tigers with a 76, shooting a 36 on the front nine. Other Tiger scores included Aaron Turner (78), David Slater (79), Adam Johnson (81) and Matt Osbeck (82).
Johnson's 81 came after shooting an uncharacteristic 44 on the front side.
HOMESTEAD REGIONAL
Team Scores - Wawasee 299, Warsaw 314, Blackhawk Christian 318, Snider 322, CMA 323, Fremont 325, DeKalb 325, NorthWood 330, Bishop Dwenger 331, Westview 333, Angola 341
Wawasee scores - Josh Abrams 77, Eric Andrews 76, Stephen Conrad 70, Joel Bickel 76, Evan Gerard 79
Warsaw scores - Adam Johnson 81, Greg Clay 76, David Slater 79, Matt Osbeck 82, Aaron Turner 78
Manchester individual - Joey Zapf 79
Lowest Individuals - Stephen Conrad (Wawasee) 70, Joe Essman (Angola) 73, Rob Davidge (CMA) 73
Advancing Individuals (not on advancing team) - Joe Essman (Angola) 73, Rob Davidge (CMA) 73, Will Turner (DeKalb) 74 [[In-content Ad]]
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ELKHART -ÊManchester baseball coach Jack Rupley dripped with cold water as he talked to reporters after Saturday night's regional final.
"I don't mind," he said after a covert mission by his players sent the contents of the team water cooler cascading from his head to his toes.
The Squires earned the right to drench their skipper by defeating both Fairfield and John Glenn to win the Jimtown Regional and advance to Friday's state finals.
The Squires defeated Fairfield 5-0 behind a one-hit outing from pitcher Todd Dale and home runs from Josh Staton and Adam Young in the morning game of the regional semifinal. Manchester then went on to win the regional 4-2 over No. 6 John Glenn to earn its berth in the state finals.
"Can you believe this?!", said Rupley. "Oh my gosh, we're going to Indianapolis!"
Glenn took a lead early in the final game, scoring one run in the second inning, but that lead did not last long.
Manchester stepped to bat in the top of the third and got runners on base right away. Tyler Kelsey walked and Jediah Carandante hit a single to put runners on first and second. Two straight fielder's choice plays sent Kelsey and Carandante to the bench, but Anthony Sorg and Drew Walters replaced them on first and second.
A single by Staton loaded the bases, and then a single by Brent Westendorf drove in two runs and gave the Squires the lead.
Manchester scored one run in the fourth and one run in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead late in the game.
Glenn scored one run in the sixth and put runners on first and second to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, but the Squires stuck it out and got the 4-2 win.
"We are believing in each other and believing in ourselves," said Rupley. "These guys are really playing up to their potential."
Against Fairfield, Manchester took the lead early and never looked back. In the first inning, Sorg and Walters both reached base with one out. Then Staton stepped to the plate and sent a shot over the right-field fence into the scoreboard to put Manchester up 3-0.
Then in the second inning, Bob Kamp reached base on a walk and Young blasted a homer over the left-field fence to put the Squires up 5-0.
That's where the score remained, and the Squires advance to the regional final.
"I talked to a few coaches about (Fairfield) and no one told me they had a lefty pitcher, so we didn't know it coming it," said Rupley. "Did that make a much of a difference, I don't think so. We showed up here and saw that lefty warming up, and I asked Josh (Staton) if he thought that would be a problem. He said, 'nah, we'll just hit.'
"I was nervous as all get out before the games today, but I had confidence inside. Then I thought, maybe the guys do too. This is just tremendous."
Going into the sectional, Manchester sported a 6-16 record. The Squires have won five straight games to improve to 11-16.
Manchester will take on Taylor at approximately 12:45 p.m. Friday afternoon at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
JIMTOWN REGIONAL
MANCHESTER 5, FAIRFIELD 0
Fairfield 000 000 0 - 0 1 2
Manchester 320 000 x - 5 7 3
Fairfield AB R H RBI
D. Schrock ss 2 0 0 0
Beachy 2b 2 0 0 0
C. Schrock c 3 0 0 0
Roe dh 3 0 0 0
Kauffman p 0 0 0 0
Bullock pr 0 0 0 0
Camacho cf 3 0 0 0
Mestach lf 2 0 0 0
Kellenberger 1b 3 0 0 0
B. Mestach rf 2 0 0 0
Johnson 3b 1 0 0 0
Phebus ph 1 0 1 0
Totals 22 0 1 0
Manchester AB R H RBI
Carandante cf 4 0 0 0
Sorg ss 2 1 2 0
Walters 2b 2 1 1 0
Staton rf 3 1 1 3
Westendorf lf 2 0 2 0
Dale p 3 0 0 0
Kamp dh 2 1 0 0
Simcoe c 0 0 0 0
Young 1b 3 1 1 2
Kelsey 3b 3 0 0 0
Totals 24 5 7 5
2B -ÊSorg. HR -ÊStaton, Young. Sac -ÊBeachy. E -ÊKellenberger, D. Schrock, Carandante, Dale, Young. DP -ÊFairfield 2, Manchester 0.
IP R ER H BB SO
Fairfield
Kauffman, L 2 5 5 5 1 0
Beachy 4 0 0 2 0 2
Manchester
Dale, W 7 0 0 1 2 7
HB -ÊKauffman 1, Beachy 1.
MANCHESTER 4, JOHN GLENN 2
Manchester 002 110 0 - 4 6 0
John Glenn 010 001 0 - 2 8 2
Manchester AB R H RBI
Carandante cf 3 0 2 0
Sorg ss 3 1 1 0
Walters 2b 3 2 0 0
Staton p 4 0 1 0
Sroufe pr 0 0 0 0
Westendorf lf 2 0 1 3
Dale 3b 2 0 0 0
Young 1b 2 1 0 0
Bucher rf 3 0 0 0
Kelsey dh 2 0 1 1
Simcoe c 0 0 0 0
Totals 24 4 6 4
Glenn AB R H RBI
Pulluaim cf 3 0 0 0
Stull rf 4 0 1 0
Engel 2b 4 0 1 0
Groves dh 4 1 1 0
Reese ss 4 1 1 0
Crone lf 3 1 2 0
Scope 3b 3 0 1 0
Marcum p 2 0 1 1
W. Groves c 3 0 1 1
Pitrowicz 1b 2 0 0 0
Totals 28 2 8 2
2B -ÊGroves. Sac - Westendorf, Bucher, Carandante. CS -ÊCarandante.
IP R ER H BB SO
Manchester
Staton, W 7 2 2 8 3 3
Glenn
Marcum, L 7 4 2 6 6 4
HB -ÊMarcum 1.
Wawasee Wins Golf Regional
By Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Writer
FORT WAYNE - Despite having but one senior in its lineup, it was Wawasee's varsity boys golf team that seemed to play the role of the seasoned veteran Saturday in the Homestead Regional at Chestnut Hills.
Playing at a course that has been unfriendly in the past, the Warriors won the regional championship with a blistering 18-hole round of 299 to advance to Wednesday's state finals at Legends of Indiana in Franklin. Wawasee's winning score set a course record for the regional. It also marked the Warriors' first regional championship in school history and their first strip to state since 1998. Wawasee also advanced to state in 1983, 84, 85 and 87.
"Going to state means everything," Wawasee coach Steve Coverstone said. "It's what every kid dreams of. I know the kids will represent their school and conference well."
With the top three teams advancing to state, Warsaw, which won the regional a year ago and finished fourth in the state, advances after taking runner-up honors with a 314. Blackhawk Christian advanced by shooting a 318 to take third.
The top three individuals not on an advancing team also move onto this week's state finals. Advancing individually are: Culver Miltiary's Rob Davidge (73), Angola's Joe Essman (73) and DeKalb's Will Turner (74). One local golfercompeted in Saturday's individual competition, Manchester's Joey Zapf, who turned an 18-hole score of 79.
Following Wawasee, Warsaw and Blackhawk Christian in the team competition was Snider (322), Culver Military Academy (323), DeKalb (325), Goshen (325), NorthWood (330), Bishop Dwenger (331), Westview (333), Fremont (335) and Angola (341).
Prior to shooting a 300 in a practice round before Saturday's regional, the Warriors shot a 329 in last year's regional and a 328 in this year's Homestead Invitational.
To say the least, Chestnut Hills has been rough on Wawasee. On Saturday, though, the results were as different as night and day.
"All the guys worked hard to learn the course," Coverstone said. "All the guys just did a great job. I think it's just a situation where we figured out the golf course."
Certainly, one could say Coverstone's Warriors, who finished 18-0 in the regular season for the first time in school history, figured out the golf course.
Junior Stephen Conrad led the way by shooting a 34 on the front nine, finishing with a 70 to take individual medalist honors. Senior Eric Andrews and junior Joel Bickel shot 76s, while juniors Josh Abrams and Evan Gerard shot a 77 and 79, respectively.
"He's just an outstanding player," Coverstone said of Conrad. "His first year he came here and struggled. We had some bad luck last year. This time we got the job done. (Joel) Bickel started out with a double bogey and comes back with a 76. Josh Abrams comes in with a 77. All the guys just did a great job."
Though his team didn't win the regional title for the third time in four years, Warsaw's Bob Turner is now assured the final high school golf match he'll coach will be the state finals, as he is leaving after 14 years. Turner's Tigers have advanced to the regional 13 times and state six times in his 14 years.
"This is a nice thing for these five seniors to make it back to state," Turner said. "There's no quit in these kids. They all played well on the back nine. They're five young men that are gonna go play for a state championship."
Greg Clay led the Tigers with a 76, shooting a 36 on the front nine. Other Tiger scores included Aaron Turner (78), David Slater (79), Adam Johnson (81) and Matt Osbeck (82).
Johnson's 81 came after shooting an uncharacteristic 44 on the front side.
HOMESTEAD REGIONAL
Team Scores - Wawasee 299, Warsaw 314, Blackhawk Christian 318, Snider 322, CMA 323, Fremont 325, DeKalb 325, NorthWood 330, Bishop Dwenger 331, Westview 333, Angola 341
Wawasee scores - Josh Abrams 77, Eric Andrews 76, Stephen Conrad 70, Joel Bickel 76, Evan Gerard 79
Warsaw scores - Adam Johnson 81, Greg Clay 76, David Slater 79, Matt Osbeck 82, Aaron Turner 78
Manchester individual - Joey Zapf 79
Lowest Individuals - Stephen Conrad (Wawasee) 70, Joe Essman (Angola) 73, Rob Davidge (CMA) 73
Advancing Individuals (not on advancing team) - Joe Essman (Angola) 73, Rob Davidge (CMA) 73, Will Turner (DeKalb) 74 [[In-content Ad]]