Wawasee was not favored to win the Warsaw Sectional Saturday afternoon. In fact, the Warriors had already lost to Warsaw 4-1 in the regular season, and the Tigers were looking to repeat their early season results.

Maybe someone should have told those facts to Wawasee, because the Warriors defeated the Tigers 3-2 to win their second consecutive sectional championship.

"Winning the sectional was one of our goals early in the season," said Wawasee coach Roger Brady. "Now we've done that and we will look to the regional at Concord on Tuesday."

After defeating Tippecanoe Valley 4-1 in the first round of the sectional, the Warriors advanced to the championship match. Warsaw advanced to the championship by defeating Whitko 5-0.

And then the battle began.

Things looked good for the Tigers after the No. 1 singles match. Warsaw's Brad Simmons downed Wawasee's Evan Gerard 6-1, 6-2 to put the Tigers up 1-0.

However, things changed quickly for the Warsaw squad.

At. No. 2 singles, Warrior Scott Beasley defeated Luke Wright 6-2, 6-2 to even things up at 1-all.

Then Wawasee's No.1 doubles team gave the Warrior team a shot in the arm.

Mickey Ashpole and Logan Pilcher teamed up against Warsaw's Tyler Wallen and Adam Richardson. Ashpole and Pilcher were down 6-5 in the first set before winning the last two games of the set to win 7-6. The Warriors won the tiebreaker 7-5.

In the second set, Wallen and Richardson took a 3-2 lead, but Wawasee fought back and went up 4-3.

The teams traded points again, and the Tiger duo took a 5-4 advantage. But just like the first set, Wawasee snagged the last two points and won 7-5.

The win gave Wawasee a 2-1 advantage in the team competition, but that lead did not last for long.

At the No. 3 singles position, Wawasee's Chris Trobaugh and Warsaw's Brandin Conley split the first two sets and sent their match into a tiebreaker third set.

Trobaugh went up 2-1 in the set, but Conley fought back to win the last five points for the win.

Then the score sat at 2-all with only the No. 2 doubles match still in progress.

In the No. 2 doubles slot, Warsaw's Mark Sherman and Andrew Gale won the first set 7-5 and Wawasee's Rosten Trobaugh and Ben Knisley won the second set 6-2.

Things looked grim for the Warriors when the Warsaw pair took a 4-1 lead in the deciding set. However, Trobaugh and Knisely fought back to knot the score at 5-all.

Then the Warrior duo won the last two games to get the 3-2 win for the team.

"We made some changes in our lineup about two weeks ago," said Brady. "After our performance in the conference tournament, we knew we had a chance to win here.

"We really came together as a team today. It was an emotional match, but this really bonded our team."

"We came out a little flat," said Warsaw coach Andy Lewis. "And that's all it took today."

But Warsaw is not completely finished in its state tennis run. Brad Simmons, Warsaw's No. 1 singles player, won all his matches to advance to the individual sectional at Concord Tuesday.

More than likely, Simmons' opponent will be Tippecanoe Valley's Phil Jackson who is 20-0 to date this season.

"Brad is playing great right now," said Lewis. "He played his heart out today and we'll work on preparing him for the regional Tuesday."

WARSAW TENNIS SECTIONAL

First Round

WAWASEE 4, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 1

Singles

No. 1 -ÊPhil Jackson (V) def. Evan Gerard 6-1, 5-7, 6-4

No. 2 -ÊScott Beasley (W) def. Sam Vanlaningham 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 -ÊChris Trobaugh (W) def. Scott Kindig 6-1, 6-0

Doubles

No. 1 -ÊMickey Ashpole/Logan Pilcher (W) def. Zach Shambaugh/Stuart Jackson 6-3, 6-2

No. 2 -ÊRosten Trobaugh/Ben Knisley (W) def. Brad Roberts/Brett Kollin 6-0, 6-1

WARSAW 5, WHITKO 0

*No individual scores reported

Championship

WAWASEE 3, WARSAW 2

Singles

No. 1 -ÊBrad Simmons (War) def. Evan Gerard 6-1, 6-2

No. 2 -ÊScott Beasley (Waw) def. Luke Wright 6-2, 6-2

No. 3 -ÊBrandin Conley (War) def. Brandon Conley 4-6, 6-1, 7-6

Doubles

No. 1 -ÊMickey Ashpole/Logan Pilcher (Waw) def. Tyler Wallen/Adam Richardson 7-6 (7-5), 7-5

No. 2 -ÊRosten Trobaugh/Ben Knisley (Waw) def. Mark Sherman/Andrew Gale 5-7, 6-4, 7-5

Tigers Run Away From Wawasee In The Dome

By Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - Like a well-oiled machine, Warsaw's varsity football team hit on all cylinders Saturday against rival Wawasee in the Lake City Bank/NLC Day at the Dome.

If the teams were cars, Warsaw was a Lamborghini and Wawasee a Chevette.

Clearly the team with more horsepower, the Tigers raced out to a 42-0 lead at halftime and put it in cruise control, winning 49-6 and taking home the traveling 'W' trophy for the sixth straight year.

"They're the best team in the conference," Wawasee coach Joe Rietveld said of the Tigers. "They certainly have the best athletes, and they have a lot of them."

Warsaw, ranked fourth in Class 5A, improves to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference. The Warriors, who now trail Warsaw 23-9-1 in the overall series, fall to 3-4 and 2-3.

In a game played on the RCA Dome's artificial turf, the speedy Tigers turned the carpet into a racetrack.

Senior Grady Randall put the first score on the board, running back the opening kickoff 90 yards and giving Warsaw a 7-0 lead just seven seconds in.

"That's just an example that the kids were ready to play from the time the game started," sixth-year Tiger coach Phil Jensen said. "The last three weeks we've gotten better everyday."

On the Warriors' first possession, quarterback Brent Doty ran four yards, followed by a two-yard gain by freshman running back Jordan Swain. On third-and-4 from the 23, Warsaw linebacker Chris Clay sacked Doty for a six-yard loss.

Such was the story for the Warriors, who were dominated on both sides of the ball by a bigger, faster and stronger Warsaw team.

Like the Colt's Peyton Manning finding Marvin Harrison, Warsaw junior quarterback Ryan DeGeeter connected with senior flanker Adam Sisson for a 63-yard touchdown pass at the 6:48 mark of the first quarter. After Sisson's extra-point kick split the uprights, the Tigers led 14-0.

The 6-foot-4, 203-pound DeGeeter threw but seven passes Saturday, completing six of them for 193 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers didn't attempt a pass in the second half.

"Ryan is doing a great job and is learning day by day," Jensen said. "He has a lot of weapons at his disposal. We made some substitutions on the offensive line because of an injury to James O'Brien, and we didn't miss a beat. Ryan put the ball where it needed to be."

Sisson led the Tiger receivers with two catches for 99 yards. Clay added a pair of catches for 44 yards, including a diving touchdown reception on an 18-yard bullet from DeGeeter that gave Warsaw a 35-0 lead with 9:33 remaining in the second quarter.

Doty, who entered this weekend with 1,101 passing yards, finished Saturday 14 of 22 for 170 yards, most of them coming in the second half against Warsaw's substitute-filled defense.

Doty threw just four interceptions through the first six games. Against a stingy Tiger defense Saturday that scored more points than Wawasee's offense, Doty threw three interceptions.

Sisson picked off an errant Doty pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown at the 11:04 mark of the second stanza. Senior linebacker Justin Plank picked off two passes of his own, one which he returned to the 18 to set up Clay's touchdown catch.

Warsaw's defense, which has given up 45 points all year, got its second touchdown of the game when a Doty fumble in his own endzone was recoverd by Tiger senior lineman Tyler Miller.

"Our defense was huge," Jensen said. "They didn't get much against our varsity defense. It was just a great team effort."

Senior tailback Brad Seiss led Warsaw on the ground, carrying the ball 10 times for 74 yards, all of which were gained in the first half. Classmate David Muta rushed six times for 44 yards, while Randall tallied 31 yards on six carries.

Doty scored the Warriors' lone touchdown, scampering nine yards to paydirt with 7:39 remaining. Doty attempted the two-point conversion run but was stopped by Warsaw's defense, mostly sophomore substitutes.

Swain led the Warriors on the ground, pounding out 57 yards on 12 carries. Doty carried the ball 12 times as well, but a handful of sacks only allowed him seven positive yards.

Senior Bobby Likens led the Warrior receivers with four catches for 78 yards.

Wawasee, which has just two wins over Warsaw since 1988, has been outscored by Warsaw 154-33 the last three years.

"Offensively we had some breakdowns and missed some assignments," Rietveld said. "You can't do things like that against Warsaw. I wasn't sure if they were better than last year, but I think they are. Their offense is better than it was last year. They don't have many weaknesses. There's no love loss between Warsaw and Wawasee. It's a game we wanted to win, but it's not the end of the season."

Warsaw hosts NorthWood Friday for homecoming, while Wawasee will hold its homecoming against Elkhart Memorial.

Squires Fall In Sectional Final

Times-Union Staff Report

PERU - Manchester's varsity boys tennis team was defeated 4-1 by host Peru Saturday in the sectional championship.

The Squires' lone point came at No. 3 singles where freshman Dustin Burgan defeated Matt Schoolman 6-0, 6-4.

Manchester, which advanced to the final round by defeating Wabash 5-0 on Thursday, finishes its season with a 7-8 record.

"This was the best match we have played this season," Manchester coach Eric Christiansen said. "The guys really stepped up when it counted.

"We made lineup changes specifically for this match and we gave it our best shot. Our seniors are going to be missed and will be hard to replace, but we have seven kids who all got varsity experience.

"Despite the record, it was a great year."

Manchester will lose No. 1 singles player Jeff Sincroft and the No. 1 doubles team of Nathan Bucher and Tyler Kelsey to graduation.

PERU 4, MANCHESTER 1

Singles

No. 1 - Sebastian Yanez (P) def. Jeff Sincroft 6-4, 6-2

No. 2 - Jonathan Guthrie (P) def. Brad Simcoe 6-0, 6-2

No. 3 - Dustin Burgan (M) def. Matt Schoolman 6-0, 6-4

Doubles

No. 1 - Ben Redmon/Kyle Marburger (P) def. Tyler Kelsey/Nathan Bucher 6-2, 6-4

No. 2 - Anish Das/Alan Hunter (P) def. Zach Keim/Jon Cable 6-1, 6-2

Squires Top LCA In Girls Soccer Action

Times-Union Staff Report

WINONA LAKE - Led by Amy Vogel, Manchester's girls soccer team defeated host Lakeland Christian Academy 2-1 Friday in Winona Lake.

Vogel scored both goals in the win. Kaitlin Van and Katy Vogel each had an assist for the Squires.

"They are starting to play the game as a team," Manchester coach Aaron Jones said. "It is no longer individual oriented. Everyone's skill is also at a higher level. They are improving as the season goes on."

The win improves the Squires to 2-5 on the season. Manchester hosts Peru Wednesday. LCA is 1-5 on the season and plays at Culver Girls Academy Tuesday.

MANCHESTER 2, LCA 1

Manchester goals - Amy Vogel

Manchester assists - Kaitlin Van 1, Katy Vogel

Shots on goal - LCA 12, Manchester 3

Saves - LCA (Maria Petty) 4, Manchester 7

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Saturday in North Manchester

Manchester's boys cross country team hosted the Manchester Invitational Saturday. Wawasee finished 11th out of 27 teams, while Warsaw was 24th. The Squires didn't have enough runners for a team score. Carmel won the boys championship with a team score of 83.

Top 10 Team Scores - 1. Carmel 83, 2. Columbus North 122, 3. Huntington North 171, 4. DeKalb 173, 5. Fort Wayne Snider 195, 6. Portage 207, 7. Fort Wayne Northrop 221, 8. Bloomington South 234, 9. Northridge 248, 10. South Bend Riley 263

Local Teams - 11. Wawasee 271, 24. Warsaw 674

Wawasee runners - 12. Flaco Perales 15:50, 28. Ryan Stichter 16:16, 30. Luke Stoffel 16:18, 77. Eric Gingerich 17:10, 59. Matt Dunithan 17:59, 143. Chris Smeltzer 18:22, 163. Brian Stutzman 19:04

Warsaw runners - 92. Zach Woodward 17:20, 129. Sean Mochocki 18:04, 137. Melvin Freels 18:11, 154. Matt Langford 18:42, 162. John Robertson 18:55, 167. Dan Milos 19:14, 171. Darrin Fawley 20:06

Manchester runners - 103. Jeremy Blackburn 18:21, 126. Scott Zubowski 18:45, 188. Rockey Lok 21:49, 190. Rick Post 21:53, 196. Jeremy Tolson 23:04

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Saturday in North Manchester

Manchester's girls cross country team hosted the Manchester Invitational Saturday morning. Warsaw was the highest-finishing local team, finishing 17th out of 27 teams with a 455.

Top 10 Team Scores - 1. Carmel 41, 2. Columbus North 96, 3. Carroll 125, 4. Bloomington South 163, 5. New Prairie 165, 6. Homestead 207, 7. Northrop 230, 8. St. Joe 274, 9. DeKalb 277, 10. Maconaquah 297

Warsaw finishers - 43. Jennifer Finch, 73. Melissa Johnston, 78. Jill Shipley, 107. Jessica Wehrley, 154. Rachel Rondeau, 155. Melissa Sparkman, 156. Jill Wehrley

Manchester runners - 33. Lydia Flora 16:00, 122. Anne Marie Michel 18:11, 146. Tina French 19:21, 154. Catey Dea 20:08, 167. Miyuki Shibata 21:28

Grace Men's Soccer Loses Second Consecutive OT Match

Times-Union Staff Report

CEDARVILLE, OH - For the second consecutive match, the Grace College men's soccer team lost in overtime, dropping a 3-2 decision to Cedarville Saturday.

Grace fell behind 2-0 early in the second half, but Andre Virgilio scored on an assist from Jean DeSouza to cut the deficit in half. With six minutes left in regulation, Jeremy Bury scored on a penalty kick to tie the game.

In overtime, Cedarville's Justin Geer scored seven minutes in to give the Yellow Jackets the win.

The game was evenly played, as the two teams each took 17 shots. Grace's Jeff Wike stopped three shots.

Cedarville improves to 8-2 on the season, while Grace drops to 6-4-1. The Lancers will host St. Francis in a pivotal Mid-Central Conference game Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

CEDARVILLE 3, GRACE 2, OT

Grace 0 2 0 - 2

Cedarville 1 1 1 - 3

Scoring - 1. Cedarville, Andy Levesque (Jon Waldo assist), 22:00; 2. Cedarville, Jon Waldo (Andy Levesque assist), 50:00; 3. Grace, Andre Virgilio (Jean DeSouza assist), 66:00; 4. Grace, Jeremy Bury (Penalty kick), 84:00; 5. Cedarville, Justin Geer (Jon Waldo assist), 97:00 Shots - Grace 17, Cedarville 17. Saves - Jeff Wike (Grace) 3, Matt Reid (Cedarville) 7. Corner kicks - Grace 4, Cedarville 6.

Records - Cedarville 8-2; Grace 6-4-1.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

OLIVET NAZARENE 4, GRACE 0

Tuesday in Bourbonnais, Ill.

The Grace College women's soccer team lost to a strong Olivet Nazarene team 4-0 Saturday on the road. The loss snapped an eight-game unbeaten streak for the Lady Lancers, the longest in school history. The first half was evenly played until Adelaide Anderson scored the only goal of the opening period for Olivet Nazarene 16 minutes into the action. In the second half, Olivet Nazarene scored three minutes in and added another goal 12 minutes later. The team finished the scoring with 18 minutes to play for the 4-0 win. Grace was outshot 23-12 to lose for the first time in nine outings. Olivet Nazarene improves to 7-2 on the season. Grace (6-3-2, 2-0-1 MCC) will host St. Francis in a battle of unbeaten MCC teams Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Grace 0 0 - 0

Olivet Nazarene 1 3 - 4

Scoring - 1. Olivet Nazarene, Adelaide Anderson, 16:00; 2. Olivet Nazarene, Emily Ouimette, 48:00; 3. Olivet Nazarene, Hayley Nichting, 59:00; 4. Olivet Nazarene, Sheryle Milton, 72:00.

Shots on goal - Olivet Nazarene 23, Grace 12. Saves - Brittany Driffill (Olivet Nazarene) 14, Hannah Loss (Grace) 12, Michelle Doran (Grace) 5. Corner kicks - Olivet Nazarene 6, Grace 5.

Records - Olivet Nazarene 7-2; Grace 6-3-2.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

BETHEL 8, GRACE 1

Tuesday in Mishawaka

In a fairly tight Mid-Central Conference women's tennis match, Bethel defeated Grace College 8-1 Saturday. All three doubles matches were close as Jodi Stewart and Laura Stuckey lost 8-6 at No. 2 doubles. At No. 3 doubles, Lauren Swarr and Jalaina King lost 8-5 and at No. 1 doubles Angie Henley and Kristine Leedy lost 8-4 after holding a 4-1 advantage.

In singles play, Jalaina King won the only Grace match at No. 6 singles after Julia Kuehn retired due to injury. Kuehn led 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 when the match ended. At No. 4 singles, Bethel's Mindy Clark ousted Laura Stuckey in a three-set affair, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1. Bethel improves to 4-5 on the season with the victory. Grace (0-8, 0-7 MCC) will play at Tri-State Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Singles

No. 1 - Sarah Mater (Bethel) def. Angie Henley 6-1, 6-3

No. 2 - Stephanie Herbster (Bethel) def. Kristine Leedy 6-3, 6-1

No. 3 - Wendy Yoder (Bethel) def. Jodi Stewart 6-1, 6-0

No. 4 - Mindy Clark (Bethel) def. Laura Stuckey 4-6, 6-0, 6-1

No. 5 - Kristin Conn (Bethel) def. Lauren Swarr 6-0, 6-0

No. 6 - Jalaina King (Grace) def. Julia Kuehn 6-7 (4-7), 0-1 retired

Doubles

No. 1 - Herbster/Yoder (Bethel) def. Henley/Leedy 8-4

No. 2 - Clark/Conn (Bethel) def. Stewart/Stuckey 8-6

No. 3 - Kuehn/Erica Root (Bethel) def. Swarr/King 8-5 [[In-content Ad]]