Gephart Runs Through Deer To Get To State

BOURBON - Very few things have stood in the way of Triton cross country runner Nate Gephart qualifying for the state finals Saturday in Bloomington. In fact, just about the only thing that has stood in Gephart's way all season is a furry, four-legged creature. "I was on a run through the woods," explains Gephart, a sophomore."I was in first place and there was this deer on the path, like 10 feet in front of me.It scared me so bad.I'm just thankful that it didn't charge at me.I was pretty freaked." That seems to be the only thing that has been in Gepharts way this season.With a seventh-place time of 16:31 in the regional he will be one of 31 harriers competing individually in Saturday's 1:45 p.m.race near the Indiana University golf course. The 15-year-old has taken first-place in each dual meet he has run this season and placed in the top four in each invitational the Trojans have been in.

Heritage, Manchester Travel Miles To Get To Sectional Championship

NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester's David Barrett and Heritage's Brandon Robinson have rushed the football a combined 4,732 yards this season. Mathematically speaking that's about 2.7 miles. This Friday Barrett and Robinson will meet.Again.Only this time it's for the sectional championship. The two met earlier this season in week two, but Robinson and the Heritage Patriots got the best of Barrett and the Squires.Robinson ran for 241 yards compared to Barrett's 126, and Heritage gave Manchester its only blemish in its 10-1 season. It would be real easy to get wrapped up in the fact that the state's career-leading rusher (Robinson) and the only back this year to break the 2,000-yard barrier in the regular season (Barrett) will be on the same field Friday. Easy for you, but not Manchester.

Chalfant Spreads Success Around

SYRACUSE - Messages on the marquees outside Augsburger's Plus and Bart's Water Sports in North Webster might single Rob Chalfant out as the only Wawasee cross country runner to advance to Saturday's state finals at the Indiana University Golf Course. But after talking to Chalfant one might have to see the signs to know for sure he is. In an interview Thursday night after practice, after he was done answering questions and coach Dave Stookey was giving comments, the 16-year-old junior was standing with senior Jerid Stoffel and assistant coach Kevin Gilbert.He begged them to jump right in and answer some questions, saying that he wanted them to get the recognition more than he did.Stoffel was one of his best friends he said, and he deserved to be credited because he'd given his time to still train with him after school, the rest of the team not practicing after not making it out of the regional round.

Late Warsaw Run Buries Tippecanoe Valley

Warsaw's girls basketball game with Valley Friday night was the first of the season for the Tigers.Besides an earlier scrimmage, this was the first time the Tigers had seen any competition other than themselves. The Vikings had already picked up their first win of the season, a 55-48 victory over Bremen. But it looked like Valley still had some first-game jitters as they turned the ball over 23 times, 15 in the second half, and the Tigers pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 68-47 win. Warsaw took possession of the opening tip, and Jenna Rooney hit a three-pointer to take an early advantage.The Tigers never looked back, and they never trailed, though the game was close at times.Warsaw clung to a 16-13 lead after one quarter of play. What eventually got the best of the Vikings wasn't that the Tigers physically overpowered them, but that the Vikings were in foul trouble from the get-go.

Jensen, Tiger Football Team Say 'We Believe'

It's like last weekend's Boston College-Notre Dame game, Phil Jensen said Wednesday afternoon, there's a reason why the game is still played. Clearly written off as the underdog, Boston College knocked off highly-ranked, undefeated Notre Dame in its own backyard as a stunned football nation watched on. Friday, in a rematch of a sectional semifinal game that saw Snider win 23-20 in overtime a year ago, Jensen and his Warsaw football team hope to accomplish what Boston College did, as the Tigers (8-3) travel to Fort Wayne to play No.3 Snider for the 5A Sectional 3 title. The game, which is slated to kick off at 7 p.m., will be played at Wayne High School and marks the first sectional championship appearance in school history for the Tigers.

Warriors Win Sectional Championship

SYRACUSE - As time goes by and fact becomes folklore, one thing will remain true; Wawasee's 28-7 win over Plymouth gave the school its first sectional football title since 1985. The two-headed monster of quarterback Kory Lantz and tailback Jordan Swain were effective if not superb. Lantz scored three touchdowns, including the Warriors' first with 1:37 left in the first quarter on a run from five yards out to put his team up 7-0 after a Ben Champoux kick. The scoring run was set up by a nine-yard pass from Lantz to tight end Ryan Kauchak on a rollout.Kauchak tiptoed the sidelines and stayed in bounds NFL style to extend the eventual scoring drive. Wawasee is usually known for it's quick strike offense but was unable to get into a groove, partially due to Plymouth's deliberate ground attack.

Sands Sets School Rebound Record In Win

SOUTH WHITLEY - Whitko senior center Melissa Sands set a school single-game record with 24 rebounds as the Wildcats beat Northfield 46-41 on Tuesday. Sands also hit 8 of 13 shots from the field and led the Wildcats with 19 points.She had as many rebounds as the Northfield team, who also had 24.Whitko owned a 44-24 overall advantage on the boards.Last year's center, Rachel Brown, held the previous record with 22 rebounds. The Wildcats shot nearly 50 percent from the field, hitting 18 of 37 shots.Northfield hit just 14 of 56 shots, 35 percent. Whitko head coach Ray Davis was glad to see his team bounce back after a poor showing in a 69-32 loss to Columbia City. "Our girls came out aggressive," he said."Columbia City did us some good.It helped our sophomores come along, and it helped Sands come along.

Heritage Spells Double-Trouble For Squires

North Manchester - Friday's 2A Sectional 28 championship between fourth-ranked Heritage and seventh-ranked Manchester had the possibilities of an offensive explosion. In the first 2:42 of the game those possibilities became reality. And when the smoke finally cleared, Heritage (12-0) defeated Manchester 30-23. The Squires, who won their first Three Rivers Conference title this season, finished the year 10-2.Both losses came to Heritage. The first offensive explosion of this game came on the fourth play, when Heritage's Brandon Robinson, the state's all-time rushing leader, caught a 51-yard pass from Brad Bultemeier that put the Patriots at Manchester's 7-yard line.Two plays later, Robinson showed off his running ability as he scampered in from five yards out at the 9:33 mark.Lucas Foster added the extra point, and the Patriots were quickly on the scoreboard leading 7-0.

Double Barreled

Tiger spikers' offense is loaded with one-two punch of seniors Sarah Calhoun and Lisa Estep The left side of the Warsaw offense has been the right combination for Warsaw's volleyball team this year. That combination features senior outside hitters Lisa Estep and Sarah Calhoun taking turns at bombing opposing defenses with booming spike after booming spike. "They are so dominant on our side of the floor that I am very glad they are on our team," Warsaw coach Jamie Byron said."To face someone like their talent could be very frightening. Although vastly different in their styles, the results have been the same every time the rotation changes and one of them is at the left outside hitter position.

Warrior Swimmers Bounce Back

SYRACUSE - After getting beaten by Penn the last time in the pool, the Wawasee girls swimming team came back for a 118-68 win over East Noble on Tuesday. Wawasee placed first in 10 events, seven of them individual.Each of the individual first place victories came from a different swimmer.Laura Karns, Laura Lundin, Jaime Conn, Jenny Marty, Carrie Grothaus, Tami Miller, and Jane Wamsley all placed first in at least one event. Wawasee (2-1) will be at Bremen on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

Manchester Looks Good In Opener

NORTH MANCHESTER - Although it was only the season opener for them, the Manchester Squires looked like a well-oiled machine in running a motion offense that kept the Maconaquah Braves off balance for most of the evening. Despite being without their two starting guards for most of the first half, the Squires patiently waited for an opening and then attacked in building a 15-point halftime lead and cruising to a 59-52 victory on Wednesday. Jonathan Price and Rex Reimer both sat on the bench for some of the first quarter and the entire second quarter with foul trouble, but it made no difference.Michael Hendrix and Heath Simcoe came off the bench in the second period and sparked the Squires to a large lead after a fairly even first quarter. Maconaquah opened up a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but Simcoe converted on a three-point play and then knocked down a three-pointer as Manchester took an 8-6 lead that the Squires would never relinquish.

Tigers Hope For NLC Tie

In topping Northern Lakes Conference rival Concord 15-6, 15-7 Thursday night, not only did Warsaw's volleyball team improve its conference mark to 5-1, but it may have become Concord's biggest cheerleader. "We wish Concord the best of luck," Tiger coach Tanya Coon said. Coon was saying this for one reason - Warsaw's only NLC loss came to Plymouth, the only undefeated team in NLC action.If Concord, 2-3 in conference play, can upset the Pilgrims at home Tuesday, the Tigers would have a share of the conference championship. Thursday's win improved Warsaw's overall season record to 20-5; Concord falls to 13-14.

On The Court Basketball Previews

WARSAW AT COLUMBIA CITY Tipoff: 7:30 p.m.Saturday in Columbia City Coaches: Al Rhodes (Warsaw), Chris Benedict (Columbia City) Records: Warsaw 1-0, Columbia City 1-0 Last Game: Warsaw 71, T.Valley 68 2 OT; Columbia City 63, Whitko 52 Last Year: Warsaw 55, Columbia City 38 Matchup: The highly touted Tigers come into this game after a double-overtime win at Tippecanoe Valley.Against Valley, Warsaw started one guy under 6-foot-4.Chris Wiggins led the Tigers in the season-opener with 19 points.The host Eagles also come in with 1-0 record after they topped county rival Whitko 63-52.Columbia City's tallest player looks to be 6'3' sophomore Bob Dye.Senior Mike Schumaker led the Eagles in their season-opening win with 15 points.A total of four Eagles scored in double figures against Whitko.

Warsaw Grapplers Edge Wawasee In NLC Match

The sign above Warsaw's wrestling room reads, "The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing." If it were a dance, Warsaw's 31-22 Northern Lakes Conference victory over rival Wawasee would have the same magnitude of a senior prom. The win by Warsaw over Wawasee was the first since 1995. It had all the trimmings.1997 Wawasee graduate Darrell Carr, who sat with the Warriors rather than in the stands, would have played the part of the king, returning to crown a new one. Of course, there was also the joy of finding a parking spot for the latecomers.Not to mention as the 'dance' went on, the teams were sreaming at the top of their lungs and standing to witness what was going on at center stage.

Tigers Lose Heartbreaker To Panthers In Overtime

FORT WAYNE - Performing on arguably the program's biggest stage, third-ranked Warsaw's 5A Sectional 3 semifinal dance with No.7 Fort Wayne Snider Friday night was everything it was hyped up as. What appeared to be an even match on paper was exactly that on the hard, thinning turf of Northrop's Spuller Stadium, where No.7 Snider edged the Tigers 23-20 in overtime.

Goshen Or No Goshen, Warsaw's Season Ends

DUNLAP - Warsaw boys tennis coach Andy Lewis said he was speechless after his team's 3-2 loss to Elkhart Central Tuesday in the Concord Regional. While walking away from a small group of reporters all he could mumble was, "maybe one of these years." The Tigers have lost in the regional round of the state tournament for six consecutive years.Other than last night's loss, the rest have come to Goshen.But Goshen wasn't there this year, and that's part of the reason Lewis was as disgruntled as he was. On a normal basis, win or lose, Lewis is energetic and talkative.After falling to the Blue Blazers his answers, for the most part, were short.And he appeared stunned. "I just feel really bad for the kids," said Lewis, who has won the sectional title in each of his years at Warsaw. The No.1 singles match was the first to be completed, and the Tigers took a quick 1-0 lead after Dan Benyousky dismantled Central's Peter Lee 6-1, 6-0.

On The Court Basketball Previews

Wawasee Ends Warsaw's Sectional Run

Wawasee tennis coach Phil Mishler expected his team to be good enough to win a sectional -Ênext year. With a team comprising mostly sophomores and juniors, Mishler expected next year to be their year to have a shot to win the sectional.However, the Wawasee tennis team is one year ahead of schedule with its 4-1 win over Tippecanoe Valley in the Warsaw Sectional Saturday. "This win is ahead of schedule," said Mishler."I thought next year would be our year, but all the guys' summer work and winter work paid off this year.I'm glad we were able to take this opportunity." Wawasee's championship ended Warsaw's seven-year sectional title run. But the 4-1 win was not easy for the Warriors. After Evan Gerard defeated Luke Shambaugh 6-3, 6-1 for the first Wawasee team point, Valley's Drew Shafer topped Scott Beasley 6-3, 7-5 to knot the score at one.

Whitko Third-Quarter Collapse Leads To Loss

WABASH -ÊThe Whitko Wildcats boys basketball team dropped its third game of the season, losing to the Northfield Norseman Friday night.Northfield won the game 67-58. Whitko held a slim 19-18 lead after one quarter of play, but Northfield outscored the Wildcats 13-10 in the second quarter.The score was 31-29 at the half. However, the Wildcats struggled in the third quarter, scoring just seven points.Northfield outscored Whitko 22-7 in the third quarter. Although Whitko fought back in the fourth, scoring 22 points to Northfield's 14, the Wildcats could not overcome the deficit and fell 67-58. Three players finished in double figured for the Wildcats.Ben Ryan with 15, Bryan Howard with 16 and Shane Henderson with 12 points led the Whitko scoring drive. Whitko, now 0-3, travels to Albion tonight for a 6:30 game against the Central Noble Cougars.

On The Court

VALLEY AT NO.17 WARSAW TIPOFF: 8 p.m.tonight at the Tiger Den COACHES: Gregg Sciarra (Valley), Al Rhodes (Warsaw) RECORDS: Valley 1-0, Warsaw 1-0 LAST GAME: Valley 65, Glenn 53; Warsaw 63, E.Central 59 (OT) MATCHUP: ...This Kosciusko County rivalry pits an inexperienced Warsaw team against a veteran Valley group.The young Tigers didn't handle the ball well against Elkhart Central (30 turnovers), but still managed to play good enough defense to win, causing 25 turnovers.Warsaw needs to handle the ball better against the Vikings' pressure defense.Valley must stay out of foul trouble - the Vikings used only three players off the bench in their first game.Will Valley be able to rebound with Warsaw, and will Valley be able to handle 6-foot-5 Tom Krizmanich and 6-6 Luke Reed inside? JayDee Parker, who came off the bench to score 15 against Glenn, is Valley's tallest player at 6-3.